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s, Tor Browser, Virt Manager, WarZone 2100, Wesnoth. Updated Dropbox, VeraCrypt and X2Go. Updated VirtualBox. Closes (LP: #1537395) Installing Adobe Flash now uses flashplugin-installer.
Updated MATE Tweak to 3.5.5 Added support for Compton hardware compositing for Marco and Metacity. Update window manager replacement to correctly migrate xcursor settings. Updated process killing to be less invasive and a pure Python implementation. Updated translations. Removed Muffin support. It is not compatible with MATE.
Updated Ubuntu MATE Settings to 16.04.1 Added Mutiny panel layout. (Requires mate-dock-applet ) Updated custom menu entries to reduce clutter. Updated gsettings override to improve default behaviour. Corrected LibreOffice default icons to use Human.
Updated Ubuntu MATE Artwork to 16.04.1 Added MATE colourised icons for categories, devices and places. Added community contributed wallpaper from Luke Horwell Added community contributed wallpaper from Rick Lell Added community contributed wallpaper from Noe Gonzales Added community contributed wallpaper from Randall Lewis Added community contributed wallpaper from Sacha
Update MATE Menu to 5.6.7. Fixed 64-bit pointers for the C-Python interface. Thanks to György Balló from Arch Linux. Fixed several calls to Gdk.Color(). Thanks to XRevan86 from OpenSUSE.
Updated Ubuntu MATE so DVD and BluRay libraries are pre-installed. This doesn’t mean DVD and BluRay will play out-of-the-box! But DVD playback can be fully enabled via Ubuntu MATE Welcome..
Updated the languages shipped on the DVD image. The full rationale on how we choose the languages and what we install is at https://launchpad.net/bugs/1520278.
Updated Shotwell to include online account plugins.
Improved support for braille displays.
Improved xdg-utils support.
support. Removed LibreOffice Math and LibreOffice Draw, they can now be added via Ubuntu MATE Welcome.
Thanks to everyone from the Ubuntu MATE community who contributed to this release!
Download Ubuntu MATE 16.04 Join the fun and experience a retrospective future. Download
Known Issues
Here are the known issues.
Ubuntu family issues
This is our known list of bugs that affect all flavours.
The cryptsetup password prompt is not shown. LP: #1359689 LP: #1530548
Plymouth does not display the graphical boot splash. LP: #1370707.
Shutdown/Restart of the live session does not work in Virtualbox and VMWave guests. LP: #1447038
The input box for editing a Wired connection static IP address doesn’t appear correctly. LP: #1530323
Ubuntu MATE issues
This is our known list of bugs that jut affect Ubuntu MATE.
Trying to install BtSync, Recent Notifications, Evolution, Opera and Ambient Noise via Ubuntu MATE Welcome will fail.
System Information in Ubuntu MATE Welcome display “No Information Available”.
Activating a Compton composited Window Manager in Virtualbox, without installing Guest Additions drivers, will lock up the desktop.
The issues outlined above will be resolved via updates.
PowerPC
Running Linux on PowerPC can require some tinkering and the following are useful references. PowerPC Known Issues PowerPC FAQ
You’ll also want to check the Ubuntu MATE bug tracker to see what has already been reported. These issues will be addressed in due course.
Feedback
Is there anything you can help with or want to be involved in? Maybe you just want to discuss your experiences or ask the maintainers some questions. Please come and talk to us.Story highlights "It's all going to a really good cause," Bush said
Bush was playful about his new gift, treating reporters to an impression of rival Donald Trump
Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) Jeb Bush received an unusual campaign contribution Saturday.
As the Republican presidential candidate was leaving a pro-life rally here, he showed reporters a Powerball ticket that someone at the event had given to one of his aides.
"This guy made a campaign contribution of a Powerball ticket. I just want to make sure you realize this is not for me personally," the former Florida governor said. "If we win, I'm sure it will be a (Federal Election Commission) violation, but it's all going to a really good cause."
Bush, who has said in the past that he "hates" gambling and opposed gaming efforts as governor, was nonetheless playful about his new gift.
Read MoreReview of priest’s assault against boy in 1976 criticises Justin Welby’s office and expresses disbelief that senior figures cannot recall being told of attack
The Church of England is to make far-reaching changes to the way it deals with cases of sex abuse, following a highly critical independent report that details how senior church figures failed to act upon repeated disclosures of a sadistic assault by a cleric.
The first independent review commissioned by the church into its handling of a sex abuse case highlights the “deeply disturbing” failure of those in senior positions to record or take action on the survivor’s disclosures over a period of almost four decades.
The Guardian understands that among those told of the abuse were three bishops and a senior clergyman later ordained as a bishop. None of them are named in the report by Ian Elliott, a safeguarding expert, but the survivor identified them as Tim Thornton, now bishop of Truro; Richard Holloway, former bishop of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal church, now retired; John Eastaugh, former bishop of Hereford, now dead; and Stephen Platten, former bishop of Wakefield and now honorary assistant bishop of London.
The church acknowledged the report was “embarrassing and uncomfortable” reading.
'I told so many bishops': survivor tells of system that protected priest Read more
Elliott examined the case of “Joe” – described in the report as “B”, and whose identity is known to the Guardian – who as a 15-year-old was subjected to a “sadistic” assault in 1976 by Garth Moore, a leading figure in the church, the chancellor of three dioceses and vicar of St Mary’s Abchurch in the City of London. Moore, who died in 1990, is described in the report as “A”.
Over a period of almost 40 years, Joe made disclosures about the abuse to dozens of people in the C of E, including senior members of the hierarchy. While some of those Joe spoke to had clear recollections of his disclosures, none of the senior figures had any memory of such conversations. Elliott describes this as “a deeply disturbing feature of this case”.
The report says: “What is surprising about this is that [Joe] would be speaking about a serious and sadistic sexual assault allegedly perpetrated by a senior member of the hierarchy. The fact that these conversations could be forgotten about is hard to accept.”
Despite the seriousness of the disclosure, no records were kept by the four clergymen Joe spoke to and no further action was taken. “Practice of this nature is simply not acceptable,” the report says.
Last October, the C of E paid £35,000 in compensation and apologised to Joe, saying “the abuse reported is a matter of deep shame and regret”. It also commissioned the independent review into its handling of the case.
The review also criticises the office of Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, for failing to respond meaningfully to repeated efforts by the survivor throughout 2015 to bring his case to the church leader’s attention.
The review’s conclusions were released on Tuesday as the government-appointed inquiry into child sex abuse prepares to examine hundreds of thousands of files relating to the abuse of children and vulnerable adults within the church. Welby has said that abuse by church figures and within other institutions has been “rampant”.
The full 21-page report has been seen by the Guardian, although the C of E published only its conclusions and recommendations.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Joe with the stones he has inscribed with messages to the archbishop of Canterbury. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt for the Guardian
Chief among them was the need for training on keeping records and taking action for those who may receive disclosures of abuse. This was particularly important for those in senior positions, the report said.
It also recommended that the church prioritises its pastoral responsibilities above financial and reputational considerations, and that “every effort should be made to avoid an adversarial approach” in dealing with survivors of abuse.
Welby has made “a personal commitment to seeing all the recommendations implemented quickly”, said Sarah Mullally, bishop of Crediton, speaking on behalf of the C of E. “He thinks the situation is embarrassing and uncomfortable for the church.”
In a statement, Thornton said: “I remember having several conversations with [Joe], mainly about his faith. But I am sorry to say that I simply do not recall the conversation that he has referred to. Had I been party to a conversation of that nature, I would either have referred him to somebody who would have been well placed to help him, or would have told somebody myself about such a serious disclosure.”
A statement from the diocese of London said Platten had apologised to Joe for his “lack of detailed recollection of their conversations in the 1980s” and “regretted he was unable to help further”.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bishop Richard Holloway, who said he had no memory of Joe’s disclosure. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
Holloway said he did not recall any disclosure: “I have no memory of it, but I’ve no reason to challenge it. I had many pastoral conversations with many people.”
Joe also repeatedly sought to bring his case to Welby’s attention. “His persistence in doing this is a product of the deep sense of frustration and anger that he feels about the lack of responsiveness from the church,” says the report. However, the archbishop’s office failed to provide “meaningful replies”.
While acknowledging that Welby could not be expected “to reply personally to each safeguarding concern that is received by his office”, survivors should receive “a response that is meaningful and helps them move on,” the report says.
Joe formally reported the abuse to the church’s safeguarding officers in July 2014, and later lodged a claim for compensation. On receipt of the claim, the church cut off contact with Joe on the advice of its insurers, who wanted to avoid liability.
The report is highly critical of the church’s actions, saying the withdrawal of support “can create risk of self-harm and should be avoided at all costs”. It added: “The pastoral needs of the survivor were set aside to avoid incurring legal liability for financial compensation.”
In conclusion, the report says that in Joe’s case the church did not comply with its policies on safeguarding, and structural changes were needed. “The existence of policies alone is not enough. What matters are the actions taken to implement those policies.”
Responding to the report, Mullally said: “The church has treated [Joe] appallingly. Not only was he horrifically abused, but despite him trying to get his story heard over decades, the church did not hear him, believe him or respond appropriately. That’s appalling.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Stephen Platten when he had just been appointed Bishop of Wakefield. His diocese said he had apologised to Joe for his ‘lack of detailed recollection’. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/PA
Describing Joe as enormously courageous, she added: “I can only begin to imagine what it has cost him. We owe it to him and other survivors to get this right. This should never have happened.”
The church will require members of the clergy to record disclosures of abuse and take action. It will ensure that pastoral care of survivors takes precedence over protection of reputation or financial considerations.
Mullally is drawing up an action plan to implement the report’s proposals, covering education and training, communication and structural change.
Joe welcomed the report, saying he hoped to see rapid changes. “It would be incredibly embarrassing if in two months there are more survivors in similar situations of insurers and bishops playing legal games,” he said.
He added: “The church has told me no one can do much about the bishops who have walked away with ‘no recollection’ – nobody can make them remember. But I will always find it difficult to believe they have no hint of memory of a significant story.”
The church, he said, “has run out of time, but let’s hope they take ownership of painful questions and really show a willingness to change their culture and make their structure safe for survivors. I hope Welby is now wide awake.”As news is slowly beginning to circulate about X-Men: The New Mutants, the upcoming young adult-aimed spinoff of the core X-Men movies franchise.
The film is written and helmed by The Fault in Our Stars director Josh Boone. While Boone has teased possible the film’s possible cast of characters and show off cover pages for several drafts of the X-Men: The New Mutants script, it only in a recent interview with Creative Screenwriting that Boone spoke directly about how he came to control the future of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise.
“After I made The Fault in Our Stars, we made Fox a comic book,” Boone explains. “It walked them through a trilogy of New Mutant films that would build on each other. We used this program called Comic Life, and took all the images we had loved from the series and strung them together to show them the movie we wanted to do. “We brought it to [producer] Simon [Kinberg] and he really liked it. We’ve been going for the past year and a half to get it ready, and I’m about to go location scout and we have a release date now.”
Fox hasn’t publicly announced a release date for X-Men: The New Mutants, but there are several unclaimed Marvel movie dates on Fox’s schedule. Boone’s quote is also the first time it has been revealed that X-Men: The New Mutants is part of a planned trilogy of movies featuring the characters. Boone mentioned that the comic book featured artwork from The New Mutants comic books that he and co-writer Knate Gwaltney loved. What comics would that be? Here’s a clue:© The Washington Post
Americans work an average of roughly 1,836 hours each year, up nearly ten percent from 1,687 in 1979. Labor economists expect this number to keep growing, especially in competitive fields with high pay.
That's partially because technology can now shoot midnight emails straight to workers’ wrists and Silicon Valley juggernauts feed employees organic meals at work before shuttling them home on WiFi-enabled buses.
When work extends around the clock, everyone suffers. People lose sleep. They fall ill. They miss the Little League games and piano recitals. They burn out.
The problem tends to be amplified, however, for working mothers, according to a summary of research from the Harvard Business School's new Gender Initiative.
A working mother is more likely to judge herself harshly for spending time away from her family. Her colleagues are more likely to judge her, too -- for working long hours or leaving the office earlier.
Researchers found when a female employee clocks out before the work-culturally acceptable time, her colleagues are more likely to think: She's probably off to pick up her kids. If a male employee checks out early, they may think: He's off to meet clients.
Bosses, meanwhile, are more likely to dole out travel assignments to men, figuring women would rather not part with their families.
These assumptions can unfairly block skilled workers from advancing, said Robin Ely, a Harvard Business School professor who studies gender equity in the workplace. And they may help explain why women are promoted much less often than men to top management roles in practically every profession.
"We have these strong cultural ideals we try to live up to," Ely said. "I think some of the worst judgement anybody can fear is that they're a bad parent. And that judgement comes down much harder on women than on men who work all the time."
Ely's team recently examined an international consulting firm with generous family-friendly benefits, where 90 percent of the partners were men and most employees worked at least 60 hours each week.
The firm, unnamed in the study, asked the researchers: How can we decrease the number of women who quit and boost the number in leadership roles? The researchers asked the firm: Well, why do you think women aren't getting promoted?
"Virtually all interviewees — men and women — reiterated some version of the 'work-family narrative' to explain why women quit or failed to make partner: the job requires extremely long hours; women's (but not men’s ) devotion to family impedes their ability to put in the requisite hours, and their careers suffer as a result," the academics wrote.
During the employee interviews, Ely said, a disturbing anxiety emerged among young female workers. They looked at female managers, who beat odds to ascend the upper ranks. They viewed them as competent leaders. But they quietly wondered something their male colleagues never mentioned: If I find similar success, will I be a bad parent?
Perception did not match reality, they found. Male employees at the firm reported about the same level of desire to tend to their families as female employees. They all expressed guilt about time spent away from home. "Devotion to family" knew no gender.
"The difference was that women were more likely to take advantage of reduced-hours policies... and working reduced hours damaged their prospects at the firm," according to the findings.
Ely's conclusion: Progressive family-friendly policies, like paid maternity leave and sick days, simply aren't enough to quash gender inequality in a 24-7 work culture.It should go without saying that if House Republicans kill immigration reform, Democrats will make it the central issue of the midterm elections. That should be all the more obvious given that a bipartisan immigration bill already passed the Senate, and the Democrats desperately want the campaign to be a referendum on House Republicans.
Enter New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, who implies that Democratic organizing around the failure of immigration reform will make liberals complicit in the GOP recession toward white nationalist politics:
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[As New Yorker reporter Ryan] Lizza’s mention of the White House’s political strategy on immigration implicitly acknowledges, this “recipe” is one that left-of-center coalition politics bears a lot of responsibility for cooking up. The Democrats haven’t just been passive players in the recent racial polarization of the parties: Rather, they’ve embraced and furthered the trend, as a necessary part of making their new presidential-level “coalition of the ascendant” work.
It behooves me at this point to note that Douthat himself believes the GOP can't and shouldn't reduce its deficit with minority voters by backing immigration reform, and that its future viability rests with moderating its economic policy platform. But you go to war with the party you have and, given where things stand, this sounds an awful lot like an effort to let the party off the hook for walking back the one step it took toward rethinking its platform in the wake of President Obama's reelection.
Let's review.
After their drubbing in 2012, Republicans examined the wreckage and made two key, intertwined determinations: The party must be more inclusive (the word "inclusive" appears 12 times in the GOP's official postmortem [PDF], called the Growth and Opportunity Project), and congressional Republicans should support immigration reform.
Less than six months since the GOP published that retrospective, its prescriptions lie in tatters. The party's on the verge of killing immigration reform; it's reluctant to fix the weakened Voting Rights Act (thanks, SCOTUS!) leaving minority voters in Southern states vulnerable to a coming flood of suppression laws; and it has no interest at all in moderating its economic policies, which remain rooted in the idea that we already redistribute too much wealth to the poor.
So after feinting toward more inclusive policies, the GOP might actually change nothing, and have no choice but to deepen its strategy of maximizing white turnout and depressing the minority vote. Its transformation into a white-only party will be complete.
If that weren't inherently troubling, let alone difficult to execute, the party probably wouldn't have organized its postmortem report around precisely the opposite idea. The strategy pre-supposed that a lot of Republicans would support comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform. And unless they were deluding themselves, they had to know that once the legislative efforts began in earnest, they were on the hook. Democrats would never let them off if they killed the project. They had to deliver.
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But they might not deliver. The best we can hope for out of the House is a reform that weakens the key tradeoff in the Senate's bill: eventual citizenship for current immigrants in exchange for the kinds of border security provisions Republicans would have a hard time ever passing on their own.
To the extent that House Republicans support eventual citizenship for current immigrants at all -- and many do not -- most want to keep the path blocked until after the border has been somehow deemed secure. The charitable interpretation of this kind of "trigger" -- the kind endorsed by Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill. -- is that Republicans want to induce the executive branch to lock down the border as quickly as possible. The cynical interpretation is that Republicans want to lock in the border security gains, while back pocketing the option of reneging on citizenship later.
The party is at best frozen between inclusionary and exclusionary visions of its future, and isn't sure which one to embrace.
But the choice is theirs. And if they choose exclusion, it would be malpractice for Democrats to just pretend it didn't happen. The party's agenda will still represent voters of every ethnicity. And if the ensuing campaign drives some working-class and ethnically chauvinist whites out of the Democratic coalition, it won't be the result of a decision to purge voting blocs from the party. Only one party's thinking of doing that.Study: Child Laborers In Bangladesh Are Working 64 Hours A Week
toggle caption KM Asad/LightRocket via Getty Images
In Bangladesh, a new report finds, impoverished children are working long hours in violation of that country's labor laws. Children under the age of 14 who've given up school for jobs are toiling an average 64 hours a week, according to a British think tank.
Researchers from the London-based Overseas Development Institute surveyed nearly 3,000 households in the slums of Dhaka. They found children as young as 6 employed full-time and others working up to 100 to 110 hours a week. On average the working children earned less than $2 a day.
"The prevalence of child labor in Bangladesh is worrisome," says Maria Quattri, a research fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and one of the authors of the study. Quattri says the majority of girls who are employed are toiling in the garment industry. Boys' jobs are more varied. Some work as day laborers on construction sites or making bricks. Others sell products on the street or work in shops. But 13 percent of the boys also reported working in clothing factories or other parts of the textile industry.
The legal age of employment in Bangladesh is 14, although 12 and 13 year olds are permitted to do what's deemed "light work" for up to 42 hours per week. Light work is not strictly defined but explicitly prohibits children from working all-night shifts or in railways, ports or factories.
Quattri says this survey found that the labor laws are widely ignored. The government doesn't have the labor inspectors or other officials necessary to enforce them. She also says much of the work done by children is off the books in the informal sector, making it harder to regulate.
"So they're mainly working for subcontractors in informal garment factories that produce a part of the product that is then sold to formal businesses. And the formal businesses export the product," she says.
Bangladesh is a densely populated nation of 150 million people at the mouth of the Ganges River. It's made significant progress over the last two decades in cutting its poverty rate from 50 percent of the population down to about a third. But millions of Bangladeshis still live in sprawling slums.
This new report from the Overseas Development Institute shows that child labor remains a significant problem in the South Asian country. Public education is free and compulsory only for elementary school. Quattri says the cost of tuition is one of the main reasons poor families said they sent their 11, 12 and 13 year olds into the workforce instead of school.
This report and others suggest that millions of kids under the age of 14 are working in Bangladesh. The researchers found that the majority of working kids struggled to read the simple sentence "the girl is playing" in Bengali. Many of them couldn't read it at all. Once they start working 60, 80 or a hundred hours a week, Quattri says, it's very hard for them to ever escape these low-wage jobs.I heard that Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho had said that Didier Drogba had been Chelsea’s best transfer signing in their history.
Maybe Frank Lampard and his fans would strongly disagree as Lampard cost less (£11m compared to Dorgba’s £24m fee), played more and is still Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer. I would imagine the fact Lampard now wears a Manchester City strip made Jose’s decision easier when he plumped for Drogba.
But I’d probably overlook the two of them and suggest that Branislav Ivanovic could possibly be Chelsea’s best ever signing.
The Serbian defender signed in January 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow in a deal worth around £9.7m. Now the player’s career at Chelsea almost ended before it had really began after the defender was overlooked by Chelsea’s then boss Avram Grant who didn’t feature Ivanovic in any of his teams during Branislav’s first six months in England. Talks during that summer centred on Ivanovic going to Turin and signing for Juventus.
However new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had other ideas and wanted the Serbian international to stay around. That is probably the best decision the Brazilian made during his short stint when he was in charge at Stamford Bridge.
During that 2008/09 season, Ivanovic was finding his feet with the ‘Blues’. He was often rotated and no one at Chelsea seemed to know what position he best suited; either at right-back or as a central defender. Question marks continued to surround the six foot one defender until the following campaign when he seemed to nail down the right-back slot. That was probably down to the fact that he had a manager in Carlo Ancelotti who stayed around long enough to help instil confidence in Ivanovic and give him a decent amount of games to show the world what he was capable of.
Since that time the defender hasn’t looked back.
He has just made his 200th league appearance for the club and has made 300 in total. Since 2008/09 he hasn’t made less than forty appearances in a season.
Players like Jose Boswinga, Paulo Ferreira and Cesar Azpilicueta have vied for his starting berth and lost to the Serbian warrior.
Last week, Jose Mourinho stated that they would show Ivanovic’s bloodied boot to the academy players and tell them that was the commitment needed to be a winner at Stamford Bridge. Club captain John Terry also hailed his defensive colleague as a hero as he played the majority of the Man City game with an open wound.
That part of his game, the determination and battling spirit is one that gets results. It galvanises his teammates and scares his opponents. His style of leaving everything on the pitch is certainly admirable and also inspirational.
As a full-back he offers power and strength like no other in the league. That allows him to bully wingers and put out any threats early on. His aerial ability also means that teams think twice about using diagonal balls over the top to the left-sided wide-men as he will cut them off in the air.
Despite his power, the defender is also quite fast and doesn’t sit back and just defend. Whenever possible he will charge down the right flank and try and provide crosses or passes into the box. He already has three assists in the Premier League this season. Ivanovic also has a terrific, tireless engine and can run and run, that is clearly needed for any full-back in this modern era.
The thirty-year old is also fantastic in the box during set-pieces, both in terms of defending them and when his side are attacking. He won’t be bullied from any of the opposition and he has a good understanding with players like Terry and Gary Cahill. They are obviously well drilled on the training ground.
In his 300 games for Chelsea the Serb has scored an impressive twenty-eight goals. Actually since he has arrived in London the defender has been directly involved in fifty-seven Chelsea goals through scoring and providing assists.
He also scores important goals, usually saving a few for games against Liverpool. He also scored the winning goal against Napoli that sent them through in the Champions League against Napoli in the last 16 tie in the season that later saw Chelsea end up winners of the tournament. The Serb also got the winner in the Europa League final against Benfica a year later.
It comes as a bit of a surprise that he only has one Premier League title to his name but he has also won three FA Cups. He does have a Champions League winners medal but was suspended for the final. That yellow card against Barcelona in the semis typified Ivanovic, he will give and do anything for his teams cause.
As it stands it looks likely that Ivanovic will win more trophies at Chelsea with Mourinho back at the help.
People comment on Diego Costa and call him the dirty warrior with an edge. In Branislav Ivanovic Chelsea also have a warrior who will run through walls but isn’t dirty or controversial. He’s no nonsense, a battler, a winner, he’s loyal but above all he is fair. He doesn’t need to use negative tactics to scare players, he leaves that up to his physical style and willingness to put his club on the front foot even if that means he ends up sweating blood for the cause.
Ivanovic is a foot soldier that every successful football club needs to build on and rely on. He’s come along way since 2008 and has now cemented his Chelsea legacy as one of their best players ever. At £9.7m he has turned out to be an outstanding bargain.
He really does deserve to be up there with Drogba, Lampard and Petr Cech when we are discussing Chelsea’s all time best buys!
Posted on February 2nd, 2015 by scott
Filed under: ArticleFaridabad AAP leader booked for assault
Chandigarh
oi-Preeti
Faridabad, Jan 29: The Aam Aaadmi Party (AAP) leader Rishi Chaudhary has been booked for assault, according to a local news report.
The report says that Chaudhary is accused of abducting and assaulting a workshop owner as he could not give him "hafta" or the weekly money recovery.
The family members of the workshop owner, Ramlal Kundu, have approached Mujesar police and requested for the investigation into the matter.
Kundu is a resident of Sanjay Colony, Sector 23 and he runs his workshop in Mujesar village, Sector 24 of Faridabad.
Ramlal's brother Rampal Kundu told ACP Dalvir Singh that the incident took place on the night of January 22, when Rampal was in his workshop, when AAP leader Rishi Chaudhary barged into his shop along with some men.
The whole incident is recorded in a CCTV footage.
"They started beating him up and when Ramlal tried to contact police, they snatched and threw away his phone. Then, they left the workshop. But, they abducted my brother when he was on the way to home and later deserted him at Sector-8, Bye-pass road", Rampal has alleged in his police complaint.
When Ramlal didn't reach home the next morning, then they lodged a complaint with Mujesar police station.
He also claimed that the whole incident is recorded in a CCTV footage.
Right now, Ramlal is admitted to a civil hospital in Ballabhgarh.
Meanwhile, ACP has said that the allegations of 'abduction' and'money recovery' are not true.
The police has registered the case against Rishi Chaudhary for battering Ramlal in the influence of alcohol.
OneIndia NewsYou're tired.
Hillary Clinton is studying Donald Trump’s insecurities as if they were white papers fresh from Brookings, the New York Times reports. The Democratic nominee knows that voters won’t grade this fall’s debates on the precision of each candidate’s policy knowledge. She knows she can’t come off as merely better prepared than her rival — she must also be more likable and authentic. And to do that, she really has to prepare.
Clinton is consulting the ghostwriter of Trump’s autobiography, a team of psychologists, and “forensic” analyses of Trump’s GOP primary debates to identify “trigger points” that could cause the Republican nominee to “lash out in less-than-presidential ways.” So far, they have deduced that Donald Trump is “most insecure about his intelligence, his net worth and his image as a successful businessman,” and are scripting ways to strike at these pressure points. Once the game plan is assembled, Clinton will participate in a series of mock debates, with billionaire Mark Cuban, longtime Clinton aide James Carville, and New York congressman Joseph Crowley on the short list of potential Trumps.
The GOP nominee’s preferred method of debate prep is a bit less formal. Per the Washington Post:
He summons his informal band of counselors — including former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and ousted Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes — to his New Jersey golf course for Sunday chats. Over bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs and glasses of Coca-Cola, they test out zingers and chew over ways to refine the Republican nominee’s pitch.
In other words, Trump chats about politics over brunch with his friends. The Post reports that Trump’s staff has prepared a series of briefing books, but the candidate is not “devoting much time to reading them.” The Times says that advisers invited Laura Ingraham to attend his first debate session on August 21, hoping Trump might be interested in sparring with the conservative radio host’s impersonation of Hillary. He was not. “I believe you can prep too much for those things,” Trump told the Times. “It can be dangerous. You can sound scripted or phony — like you’re trying to be someone you’re not.”
Understandably, Trump’s campaign manager is trying to recast the fact that the GOP nominee is too lazy to do his homework into a deliberate strategy.
“He’s an unconventional candidate, so debate prep in the classic sense doesn’t apply to him,” Kellyanne Conway told the Post. “That applies to the accoutrements that are usually associated with getting ready for debates: contrived gestures, lecterns, a group of consultants in belted khakis holed up in a cabin, the Socratic method of peppering questions. That’s not him.”
The Times draws a similar conclusion:
Rarely are debate preparations as illuminating about the candidates as a debate itself, but Mrs. Clinton’s and Mr. Trump’s strikingly different approaches to the Sept. 26 face-off are more revealing about their egos and battlefield instincts than most other moments in the campaign.
It’s true that Clinton and Trump are taking different “approaches” to debate prep, like Usain Bolt and a man who plans to walk to the doughnut shop — next time — are taking different “approaches” to getting in shape. Which is to say, Trump’s preparations don’t reveal his “battlefield instincts,” they testify to the incapacity for self-discipline that has defined his entire campaign.
There is no strategic logic to the idea that the best way for Trump to win the debates is to wing it, for authenticity’s sake. The GOP nominee’s improvised remarks have proven so damaging to his favorability he has relied on a teleprompter for all his major speeches in recent weeks.
Just going by instinct might have worked during the Republican debates — where there were always at least three other candidates onstage, and most of the voters watching supported banning Muslims from the United States — but there’s no reason to think a replication of those performances would play well in a head-to-head with Clinton before a general-election audience.
The public is overwhelmingly skeptical about Trump’s qualifications for the Oval Office. Shouting cruel nicknames, insinuating that he has a large penis, and repeating transparent lies are unlikely to change that narrative. What’s more, in a two-person debate Trump will need to talk at great length about policy, while rebutting follow-up questions from both the moderator and his rival. To the extent that Trump has detailed a policy agenda, he has done so largely in scripted speeches that were written by other people. In the past two weeks, he’s proven incapable of speaking coherently about even the signature issue of his entire campaign. Can Trump really improvise a convincing defense of estate tax repeal, a position that even skilled GOP politicians — whose children don’t ostensibly stand to gain billions of dollars from the policy — have trouble justifying?
Above all, there’s the fact that Trump is losing this campaign, and the debates are one of the only opportunities for him to change that. And yet, at this point, he has neglected to even accept his invitation to the dance.It’s not uncommon for me to see the pope addressed on social media: Facebook conversations, Twitter repartee (less so), and all manner of other places, including in my own Messenger inbox. Some people earnestly seek clarification; others discern the demonic (or some such) at work behind the bright eyes of an 80-year-old Jesuit. Regardless, it seems what is most needed is clarification, something undertaken long ago, but seemingly (and understandably) forgotten.
These days many a Catholic applies that approach so hated as nothing more than academic gobbledygook—the hermeneutics of suspicion—to the pope as if a deviant (and deeply Fruedian) unconscious were at work within the pontiff’s head. But most of their questions—really most of their assumptions—were addressed way back when the pope was first elected and in the months and years thereafter. Newsweek, the Atlantic, PRI, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker all have published pieces on the pope’s past and what that past might mean for the present and the future. Therein lie the keys to understanding his attacks on unfettered capitalism, his denouncements of “rigidity,” and most everything else that raises American eyebrows.
In order to understand the pope, in order to clarify what he means to mean, we must revisit Pope Francis as an Argentine Jesuit and product of mid-century Latin America.
The Supreme Pontiff grew up in a fairly-lower-class, immigrant neighborhood in Buenos Aires; his initial experience of Catholicism was colored by his grandmother—Nonna Rosa—whose folksy love of novenas and processions left a deep imprint on young Jorge. His theological studies were initially opposed by his mother, who wanted him to study something more practical (and likely also more lucrative). Such formed the background of his entry into the Jesuits.
His boyhood was colored |
the city’s current ordinance is set to increase the wage through October of that year. He said the city could focus between now and then on creating a public process, with “broad community input,” to figure out any future increases.
Wayman, from the Elmwood, said he hopes, in the future, the city will take into account the make-up of the city’s commercial demographics when it considers how to increase the minimum wage. He noted that many of Berkeley’s businesses are small or even mom-and-pop enterprises that have a tougher time adapting to the increases.
Pat Poddatoori, who said he runs health care facilities, told fellow attendees that he believes in a “fair and equitable approach” to increasing wages. But he said that 70 cents of every dollar that comes into his facilities already goes to wages and benefits. He said every time the wage increases, benefits and workers’ compensation numbers go up, too.
“It’s dramatic,” he said, adding that “most of us from a revenue point of view are restricted” as far as rate increases and other ways to make up the difference.
Others said they were struggling to deal with the “ripple effect” of increasing the minimum wage for new workers, then feeling a need to boost the pay for more experienced workers correspondingly, which they said increased the burden on the bottom line.
Chamber director Armstrong said she’s hopeful council won’t vote Tuesday night to move ahead with the Labor Commission’s plan.
“The city should feel obligated to work with the Chamber to inform businesses about what they’re doing. This is our chance to do it right,” she said. “This won’t be over in one go-round at the council.”
The Berkeley City Council can receive communications from the public up through noon the day of a council meeting. Emails can be sent to clerk@cityofberkeley.info. The full agenda and meeting details can be found online on the city website. See a brief presentation from the meeting, drawn from materials generated by city staff. This story was originally published at 4:11 p.m.
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‘Fight for 15’ rallies planned for East Bay on April 15 (04.14.15)
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Berkeley sets new minimum wage; up to $12.53 by 2016 (06.27.14)
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If you like the variety of news on Berkeleyside, you will like the variety of voices we present at Uncharted: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas. Early bird tickets with early bird prices are on sale through Sept. 20 for the festival in downtown Berkeley on Oct. 16-17. Click here to see the list of speakers.Stanford students carried signs in solidarity for a rape victim during graduation. The students were protesting the university’s handling of rape cases.
Dear Betsy: Even students who’ve been accused of sexual assault deserve the chance to defend themselves.
Betsy DeVos is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of education. This past week, groups such as End Rape on Campus launched a #DearBetsy social-media campaign urging DeVos to continue the Obama administration’s policies, under which schools across the country have defined sexual assault in expansive terms and scaled back protections for students accused of it.
Meanwhile, the American Association of University Women, among other organizations, has zeroed in on the $10,000 that DeVos gave to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an ACLU-like outfit that, among other things, supports due-process rules.
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You might not like DeVos’s financial conflicts or her family’s record on LGBT issues — I don’t — but the #DearBetsy campaign and the controversy over her FIRE donations show how ideological and unmoored the campus rape debate has become.
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Let’s be clear: Cases of horrific sexual violence occur in college communities. Last year, Stanford swimmer Brock Turner received a prison sentence, albeit a lenient one, for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.
More recently, 10 University of Minnesota football players were suspended after a confidential investigator’s report detailed numerous acts of sexual aggression against a female student and specific evidence of players’ culpability. The rest of the team threatened to boycott a looming bowl game — until the report leaked and they saw what was in it.
In 2011, in an effort to protect women’s right to learn without fear of harassment or discrimination, President Obama’s Department of Education sent out a “Dear Colleague” letter seeking tougher action against sexual violence, while leaving many of the details up to individual schools. In response, well-meaning campus administrators have responded by erasing due-process protections for suspected offenders.
That erosion becomes evident in the public paper trail left by a contentious case at Brandeis. In 2011, the student handbook there gave those accused of serious misconduct the right to be informed of the charges in detail, to confront them at a hearing, and to review “all evidence and reports” presented there. The burden of proof, the handbook said, rested with the accuser.
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The next year, the university gutted those protections in sexual misconduct cases. It lowered the standard of evidence that it used to assess guilt, as the government’s “Dear Colleague” letter had specifically demanded.
The university went further. In the 2012 handbook, “there was no requirement that copies of any ‘substantiating materials’ submitted by the accuser, or the names of any witnesses, be shown or provided to the accused any time,” wrote Judge F. Dennis Saylor, who reviewed Brandeis’s procedures in connection with a lawsuit in federal court. Saylor went on, “The accused had no right to confront or cross-examine the accuser, no right to call witnesses, and no right to confront or cross-examine the accuser’s witnesses. The accused had no right to review all the evidence.”
In the context of American legal culture, this is crazy. When corporate polluters get sued, not even the most passionate environmentalist would deny them details of the accusations against them. While violent crime devastates a community, progressives in particular would be aghast at efforts to repeal the Fourth and Fifth Amendments for suspected armed robbers.
Campus disciplinary proceedings aren’t court cases, but the underlying principle is the same: Standard rules of evidence and other protections for the accused keep things like false accusations or mistakes by authorities from hurting innocent people.
Instead, tales of murky, Kafkaesque proceedings have proliferated.
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In the Brandeis case, a student identified as “John Doe” had sued Brandeis in federal court after being deemed guilty of sexual misconduct. (Saylor made a significant initial procedural ruling in Doe’s favor, though the suit was ultimately withdrawn.) His ex-boyfriend, “J.C.,” had filed a complaint against him more than six months after the end of a 21-month relationship.
In an information vacuum, all sexual assault cases look the same.
A special examiner prepared a report, which, according to Saylor’s summary, wasn’t provided to Doe at any point in the investigation. Brandeis found him responsible for supposed misdeeds such as kissing J.C. while he was asleep, looking at his private areas when they showered together, and, at one point, sought to initiate a sexual act without formally asking permission. In other words, Doe behaved like normal, nonpredatory adults sometimes do when they’re dating.
The examiner treated their relationship as irrelevant. Instead of just dismissing a patently flimsy sexual-assault complaint, Brandeis seemed to split the difference: It held John Doe responsible for some minor sexual infractions but stopped short of expelling him.
Then the outrage-amplification machine kicked in. “Brandeis University Punishes Sexual Assault With Sensitivity Training,” a Huffington Post headline declared, after J.C. publicly decried John Doe’s penalty as overly lax. The case was one of two mentioned on the influential liberal website ThinkProgress in a piece entitled “Universities Keep Failing To Actually Punish Rapists.”
In an information vacuum, all sexual assault cases look the same. As Harvard Law School professors Jacob Gersen and Jeannie Suk Gersen declared in the Chronicle of Higher Education earlier this month, “In essence, the federal government has created a sex bureaucracy that has in turn conscripted officials at colleges as bureaucrats of desire, responsible for defining healthy, permissible sex and disciplining deviations from those supposed norms.”
Any backtracking by Trump’s administration will be greeted by suspicion at liberal colleges.
Yet those of us who generally believe in governmental activism, and think public and private schools alike should look after their students to the best of their abilities, should also recognize the limits of a university’s omniscience.
In the Stanford and Minnesota cases, the involvement of local law enforcement was crucial in establishing facts — and the gravity of the situation. Far more often, universities handle accusations of sexual assault on their own, in opaque proceedings that take the place of criminal investigations, rather than complementing them.
On their own, schools have never done this job well. While the Minnesota investigator did thorough work, most schools lack expertise in collecting evidence and evaluating witnesses. To avoid adverse publicity, schools have an incentive to keep all proceedings quiet, which means it’s impossible to tell from the outside whether they’re adjudicating cases fairly.
When students like John Doe are labeled as sexual assailants, while many victims of serious crimes still feel ignored, the problem is that colleges and universities are being pushed to do a job they’re not cut out to do. Sexual violence is a crime. Federal policy should press students and schools to involve law enforcement in every case. It shouldn’t just make harried college bureaucracies take on more investigations — only with ever more draconian rules.
Dante Ramos can be reached at dante.ramos@globe.com. Follow him on Facebook: facebook.com/danteramos or on Twitter: @danteramosAn amazing film that shows mob life at its grittiest, goriest, lowest levels.
I loved Goodfellas. Every time I watched it, it still felt great. But one thing really perked me. How is it a classic? It is one of the best movies I ever watched but why is it so revered? I watched it another
An amazing film that shows mob life at its grittiest, goriest, lowest levels.
I loved Goodfellas. Every time I watched it, it still felt great. But one thing really perked me. How is it a classic? It is one of the best movies I ever watched but why is it so revered? I watched it another time just to keep my eye out for details.
Now I understand.
It isn't easy. Especially to praise a film with countless violence and seemingly aimless profanity (300 f words total). But Goodfellas isn't about that. It's about the story. It's about the array of characters. It's about the suspense. It's one of the most accurate portraits of mob life, specifically those in the lower end of the food chain.
THe story is narrated by Henry Hill, an ex-mobster who explains his dreams of becoming a gangster. Through Henry's eyes, being a gangster was everything. Money. Cars. Girls. Respect. Nobody would dare talk rough to a gangster. And the cops could care less too. Our main man Henry, narrates his 30-year career as a mob member from parking cars to setting cars on fire to dealing drugs to carrying out dastardly schemes (the infamous Lufthansa heist). In the end, Henry is forced to give up his mob life and expose his fellow gangsters after learning his best friend is going to kill him. Even then, he still misses his old life stating that he is now a regular guy aka a nobody, a "schnook".
Robert De Niro is charming yet cunning as Jimmy Conway. He smiles but behind is a greedy desire. He makes sure he gets what he wants and those who don't follow him get whacked. Joe Pesci, the show stealer, gives a fiery performance as the short-tempered Tommy De Vito. He wants respect and one word is enough to make him go berserk. Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco both give fine performances even though they are the most thankless roles in the film.
Dialogue is a highlight even if it is laced with numerous profanity. But the music is something that really adds to the success. The eclectic rock soundtrack fits its scenes like a modern-day orchestra. Scorsese is able to fit a piano version of Layla and a montage of dead bodies so perfectly. That is a rare gift.
Once again my favorite director stuns me with another classic that I now fully realize as a classic. It may not be his best (that would be Taxi Driver) but it definitely is one of them.
…Obituary: Hilton Kramer, art critic and neoconservative
By Sandy English
3 May 2012
Hilton Kramer, the well-known American art critic and founder of the neoconservative cultural journal The New Criterion, died last month at the age of 84.
Kramer wrote extensively about painting and sculpture, as well as literature and politics. For over 50 years, he spoke for some of the most retrograde forces in American culture. Discrediting the impact that socialism and the mass political struggles of the early 20th century had on modern art was his specialty.
Born in 1928 in Gloucester, Massachusetts into a Jewish immigrant family, Kramer later described the impact of growing up in a community of painters in this old New England fishing port. As an advanced student in the public schools, he was entitled to go on field trips to hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and he discovered nearby another one of cultural jewels of the Boston area, the Museum of Fine Arts.
Kramer attended Syracuse University and by 1951 had met the critic Philip Rahv at the University of Indiana and published his first piece of art criticism—a response to Harold Rosenberg’s famous essay on Jackson Pollock and Action Painting—in the journal that Rahv edited, Partisan Review.
Partisan Review had its origin in the 1930s, led by a group of intellectuals who broke with the Stalinist Communist Party and briefly became sympathetic to Trotskyism. Many of these figures, including Rahv, Dwight Macdonald and others, supported the Dewey Commission that investigated Stalin’s frame-up charges against Trotsky at the infamous Moscow Trials of 1936-7.
The group around Partisan Review, largely overlapping with the circle that came to be known as the New York Intellectuals, included such well-known figures as the philosopher Sidney Hook, the writer Mary McCarthy, literary critics Edmund Wilson and Lionel Trilling, and the art critic Clement Greenberg.
By the time of American entry into the Second World War, many if not most of these intellectuals, reflecting the pressure of the ruling class’s preparations for war, had moved to the right. This process found its sharpest political expression in the break from Trotskyism of the faction inside the Socialist Workers Party led by Max Shachtman and James Burnham.
A decade later, by the late 1940s, the broader layer of left-wing and liberal intellectuals had for the most part made its peace with American capitalism. By the time Kramer encountered the New York Intellectuals in the early 1950s, most of them were a mainstay of official anti-Communist liberalism. Partisan Review had become one of the leading cultural journals in the US, and Kramer’s publication there brought him almost instant recognition and advancement.
Twenty or more years younger than most of the New York Intellectuals, Kramer shared none of their experiences in the left of the 1930s. He later wrote in an essay on Mary McCarthy that these experiences made his older colleagues “extremely touchy, and, indeed vulnerable, to attacks from the Left.” Kramer had none of their history and no hesitation in aligning himself with the most right-wing elements.
In art criticism Kramer was an “esthete” who preferred to judge works of art exclusively by their formal accomplishments, dismissing, on the whole, what they told viewers about the artist’s understanding of life.
Kramer extolled modernism – the painting and sculpture of such masters of the early twentieth century such as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Giacometti and others. These artists indeed had become a cultural standard by the 1950s, and many of their works had been purchased by American museums and by the American elite both before and after the war.
The problem was that, as Kramer himself admitted, these works were born in revolt, and not simply an artistic revolt, but in the widespread cultural turbulence that had its origins in the social tensions that gripped European society in the early years of the twentieth century.
European art both anticipated the collapse of capitalism in the First World War in 1914 and was profoundly affected by the war and its consequences, most of all by the possibility of a socialist society posed by the Russian Revolution of 1917.
The classical Marxist view of art had been largely suppressed by the time Kramer appeared on the scene, though it was a critical component of the development of the modernism that Kramer celebrated. The nature of art, as many artists and intellectuals understood in the first decades of the 20th century, is to reflect and interpret by means of its own the fullness of social life as well as nature and man’s relationship to it. Social life is not simply a series of impressions and appearances, but a deeply historical and law-driven process.
The contemporary artist exists in a world that is torn, whether he or she likes it or understands it or not, by contradictions between classes. Invariably, art will reflect this fundamental human condition. Art is the most sensitive barometer of social conditions, and by its nature will gravitate toward protest against prevailing social conditions of war, poverty and ignorance, which are today the products of the decay of the capitalist system.
Kramer turned his back on this understanding of art. Under the double blows of the Stalinist degeneration of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Cold War anticommunism he and most of his generation repudiated the very idea of revolutionary art. He came to play the role of a cultural surgeon, so to speak, whose job it was to excise the impact of the Russian Revolution from the early twentieth–century Avant-garde visual art that came to be known as Modernism.
In his writings on the Russian Avant-garde, for example, and its relationship to the socialist aspirations of the Soviet working class—this “misbegotten alliance of art and politics,” as he called it—he was always handy with the lie that Stalinism was the inheritor of the Bolshevik regime and that the Stalinist suffocation of artistic freedom was foreshadowed by Lenin.
At one exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work in 1980, Kramer took another look at Guernica, the artist’s great antiwar painting, created in anger in the space of two months in 1937, to commemorate the victims of the Nazi bombing of the Republican village of that name during the Spanish Civil War.
Kramer saw Guernica emerging “in a somewhat altered perspective” at the exhibition. The rage that powered Guernica “turns out to have been well established as one of the dominant sexual motifs years before either the bombing of Guernica or the Civil War itself loomed on the artist horizon.” Guernica, claimed Kramer, is “no longer quite convincing as the strictly political avowal it has traditionally been taken to be.”
No doubt there were conflicted psychological sensibilities in Picasso well before 1937—brought about by the life he lived and saw around him, which were reflected in Guernica. That life, though, consisted not only of his personal experiences, but was conditioned by the rise of fascism, the development of a new world war, and innumerable social struggles of the working class, however consciously these were assimilated by the artist himself.
Kramer, however, used the new assessment to diminish one of the most majestic acts of protest by an artist in the twentieth century, a unity of form and the content of “single-mindedness,” as critic John Berger has noted, whose elements all bear witness to “what at this single moment” is the painting’s female figure’s “single ability: the ability to suffer pain.” It is a masterwork of the ability of art to reveal and transform the feelings of its viewer about war.
As the chief art critic of The New York Times from 1965 to 1982, Kramer was hostile to much of the art that emerged after Abstract Expressionism. Writing on the “New Realists” show at New York’s Janis Galley in 1962, which launched Pop Art, he could not hint at the deeper social causes for this school’s reaction to Modernism.
As a rule, he approached the difficulties that artists worked under with a snobbish hostility. Even for artists and schools of art of which he approved, or to which he gave qualified approval (Neo-Expressionism, Julian Schnabel, even certain social realists such as Jack Beal), his observations were a one-sided parody of substantive critical analysis of art.
Kramer found an easy target in much of the artistic and cultural criticism of the past three decades, itself produced by the decay and growing demoralization of middle class radicalism.
It should be said that none of these newer schools of criticism, from so-called Western Marxism to postmodernism to what has passed for the Academic Left in general—mounted, or was able to mount, a serious opposition to Kramer. Their own hostility to the Enlightenment, to notions of progress and rational thought, in fact created the room for Kramer and other learned reactionaries such as Allan Bloom and William Bennett to emerge in the 1980s.
Kramer was among the writers who came from the ranks of the New York Intellectuals and their descendants to support the most right wing cultural and political forces in and around the Republican Party.
In 1976 The New York Times published his foul “The Blacklist and the Cold War,” which defended the McCarthyite witch-hunt, attacking those artists and writers who criticized it, notably Woody Allen for his film “The Front.”
In 1982 Kramer left the Times to start the journal The New Criterion. This magazine could be relied upon to find the “cultural” justification for the social counterrevolution ushered in by the Reagan Administration in 1980, an offensive by the American bourgeoisie against the social gains the working class had made over the previous half-century.
Kramer’s service to reaction surfaced prominently in 1989 when he defended the Corcoran Gallery’s decision to cancel its exhibition of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Kramer played a central role in justifying the censorship of Mapplethorpe’s work. This in turn facilitated support for the reactionary 1990 NEA Appropriations Bill, banning support for “obscene” work.
In his last years Kramer added nothing significant to the understanding of artistic development, even to the appreciation of new form and technique. In the end, he represented one side of an impasse that characterizes the present cultural climate. In 2004 he was awarded the NEA’s Medal for the Humanities by George W. Bush, a fitting commentary on his career.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria: "The situation remains particularly fragile in Europe"
The OECD has again cut its growth forecasts for the eurozone and called on the European Central Bank to consider doing more to boost growth.
The organisation says the eurozone will shrink by 0.6% this year, widening the gap between it and faster-growing economies such as the US and Japan.
The UK forecast was revised down to 0.8% growth this year and 1.5% in 2014.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has given France two more years to complete its austerity programme.
France fell back into recession in the first three months of the year.
Spain, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Slovenia have also been given more time to complete fiscal tightening.
The move suggests a shift away from a focus on austerity in Europe.
Eurozone worries persist
In its twice-yearly Economic Outlook, the OECD said prolonged economic weakness in Europe could damage the global economy.
Analysis Europe's financial crisis is still the dark cloud hanging over the global economic outlook. It may have receded a bit. The deluge is no longer imminent in the way it seemed to be earlier in the crisis. But it is still a worry for the OECD's economists. They wouldn't otherwise be calling for the European Central Bank to take the very unusual step of putting one of its interest rates below zero - only for banks holding money at the ECB, mind you. Nobody would be able to get a mortgage on that basis. The European Commission, meanwhile, proposes that six countries, including France, Spain and Slovenia be given more time to get their government borrowing to below 3% of national income. Given the Commission's insistence on the importance of fixing weak government finances, that is another sign of how intractable the eurozone is finding this crisis.
The organisation, which represents 34 advanced economies, forecast average growth across its members of 1.2% this year and 2.3% in 2014.
It painted a troubled picture of the eurozone economy. The forecast of a 0.6% contraction in GDP is down markedly from the 0.1% contraction forecast just six months ago.
It said eurozone unemployment would continue to rise from its current rate of 12%, stabilising in 2014.
It blamed continuing austerity measures, weak confidence and tight credit conditions. It hinted that the European Central Bank (ECB) might want to expand quantitative easing (QE) as a measure to encourage stronger growth.
It warned the continuing weakness in Europe "could evolve into stagnation, with negative implications for the global economy".
While trimming the UK's growth forecast, the OECD said the UK government's austerity plans had affected growth, but said the measures were "necessary" and warned that "further fiscal consolidation" was needed.
The US and Japan have seen a greater focus on stimulus measures compared with Europe, where austerity measures have taken precedence.
Japan is forecast to grow relatively strongly this year, adding 1.6% to its GDP on the back of extraordinary economic stimulus measures introduced by the government this year.
But the OECD said there was considerable uncertainty over whether that recovery would continue into 2014, when the government is expected to cut spending.
In the US, where growth of nearly 2% is forecast for this year, the OECD said quantitative easing measures might need to be "gradually reduced".
China is not included in the OECD club, but the organisation expects its annual growth to be about 8% over the next two years.
The organisation's chief economist, Pier Paolo Padoan, told Reuters that the eurozone remained the dominant area of concern.
"Europe is in a dire situation," he told the news agency. "We think that the eurozone could consider more aggressive options. We could call it a eurozone-style QE."Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.
Hammers, broken windows and fights. That’s what a safe space for free speech looked like at UC Davis.
Safe spaces are places where everyone who isn’t a safe space fascist feels unsafe. The more safe spaces a campus has, the less freedom of speech the students and faculty dare to enjoy.
UC Davis has a great many safe spaces.
The University of California institution has safe spaces for illegal aliens (the Undocumented Student Center) and for asexuals (the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Resource Center) which hosted a “Tampon Tea Party.” It has segregated safe space housing in Campbell Hall for black students and the Women's Resources and Research Center will provide safe spaces and “Mind Spa Services” for anyone offended by Christian views on abortion.
But all the safe spaces were about making life unsafe for everyone who wasn’t a left-wing fascist.
A visit to UC Davis is a descent into an Orwellian dystopia obsessed with controlling everything with “resource centers” providing ready resources for censorship.
The LGBTQIA Resource Center’s posters warn students against saying, “You guys”. The Women's Resources and Research Center responded to a pro-life student event with “Report Hate and Bias” cards and attempts to prevent pro-life flyers from being distributed. The "leaders of the African Diaspora on the UC Davis campus" demanded a policy "targeting anti-blackness." SJP and MSA did its own share of terrorizing Jewish students and silencing speakers while maintaining a safe space for their brand of hate.
UC Davis was named one of the top ten anti-Semitic universities in the country. It ran the board in all four categories. Disruptions of pro-Israel speakers and chants in support of terrorism are routine. Pro-Israel students said that the administration was too afraid to stand up to the anti-Semitic fascists.
When Trump won, it really all came apart. Crowds of marchers chanted, “F___ Trump.” The UC Davis riots were part of a frightening phenomenon. The phenomenon struck again when Milo Yiannopoulos and Martin Shkreli tried to speak on campus. The “Dangerous Faggot Tour" event ended with fights, at least one arrest, thrown hot coffee, allegedly smashed windows and wielded hammers, and, eventually, a canceled event courtesy of the heckler’s veto.
Instead of addressing the atmosphere of politically correct intolerance, UC Davis Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter spoke in generalities. Before the event, he had released a letter stating, “As a public university, we remain true to our obligation to uphold everyone’s First Amendment freedoms.”
But UC Davis neglected that obligation when it gave in to the safe space censorship of left-wing fascism.
Hexter’s predecessor, Chanchellor Katehi, had been forced out in no small part by protests that included an “occupation” of her office. Hexter had been hounded out of Hampshire College by student protests. Despite being among the founding members of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education, he was accused of racism. Hampshire’s attempts to appear that it was divesting and wasn’t divesting from Israel didn’t save Hexter then. His current efforts to have it both ways at UC Davis, calling freedom of speech a “treasure” while administrators intimidate College Republicans into cancelling won’t work either.
Appeasing fascists never works.
UC Davis administrators had intimidated UC Davis College Republicans into canceling the event by warning them that they would be held responsible for the actions of the protesters. And then issued statements regretting the loss of free speech. But there’s no doubt whom UC Davis brass fear more.
Shifting the cost of protests to the event organizers is becoming ubiquitous at UC schools. UC Berkeley is attempting to shift the cost of security for a “Dangerous Faggot Tour” appearance to the student sponsors. While UC Berkeley claims that the fee is not “content-based”, the heckler’s veto allows the left to shut down events by a combination of student protests and administration security fees.
Unlike NYU and DePaul, the University of California can’t move forward with an outright ban. But “fee bans” worked at Iowa State and North Dakota State. With the UC Santa Barbara event canceled, that leaves UC Berkeley. University of Washington president Ana Mari Cauce had consulted the Attorney General to find grounds to ban the tour while warning, in a message to left-wing students, that the College Republicans would be “responsible for expenses, including any security costs.”
The message was none too subtle.
By contrast NYU had no problem when its Students for Justice in Palestine brought Max Blumenthal in to speak. Blumenthal’s attacks on Israel had been cited by the Kansas Jewish Community Center gunman and his book had blatantly anti-Semitic titles such as “How To Kill Goyim And Influence People.”
At NYU, Blumenthal had taunted Jewish students in an “explicitly anti-Semitic” fashion, telling them that if they didn’t like his hate, they could go “to a Hillel house on campus, with 24-hour G4S security.”
Blumenthal had appeared at NYU and DePaul. He had suggested that anti-Semitic hate crimes at UC Davis served the “goals” of Jewish students. There were no bans or even official condemnations.
There is always a safe space on campus for left-wing bigotry.
"It’s arguably now politically correct to be politically incorrect,” Jerry Kang, UCLA vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, whined. But the responses by Kang, and others, show that is a lie.
Kang had played a key role in harassing Milan Chatterjee, president of UCLA's Graduate Students Association, into leaving the school over charges that he had rejected anti-Semitism from SJP. He had attacked the Freedom Center for standing up to Islamic terrorists. But UCLA quickly removed the Center’s posters denouncing Kang. At UCLA, political correctness is still politically correct.
And dissent must be swiftly condemned.
Safe space culture is just another term for fascism. Hitler and Mussolini sought to create safe spaces in which only their views could be heard. Safe spaces aren’t therapeutic. They’re not the outcry of the oppressed. Instead they are sanctuary spaces for fascism.
Fascism begins with claims of oppression. The Nazis insisted that they were the victims. So did all their allies. But everyone can be a victim in their own narrative and victimhood provides unlimited license for abuses. It is not victimhood, but its rejection, that makes us strong and free.
College administrators have turned over campuses to weeping thugs and social justice crybullies who screech about their pain even as they smash windows and wield hammers against their opponents.
And free speech has been replaced with fascism.
Free speech, like all our freedoms, cannot be taken for granted. Instead every generation has to fight for its right to free speech.University of Iowa news (Photo: Photo: Press-Citizen)
In an effort to improve its recruitment and retention of minority students, the University of Iowa is planning to offer a new living-learning community this fall that is open only to students who identify as black or African-American.
“Young, Gifted and Black” is one of 35 living-learning communities available to first-year UI students for the 2016-17 academic year. Joining one of those communities, which are designed to help provide new students with a support system within the 32,000-student university, is a requirement for all first-year students at UI.
The idea for the new community came out of recent debates and advocacy about diversity and inclusion efforts on campus.
“This was a completely student-led initiative,” said Amy Baumgartner, assistant director for residence education for UI’s office of University Housing and Dining. “A group of students last year wrote a pretty comprehensive proposal for us.”
At UI, the six-year graduation rate for racial/ethnic minorities was 62.8 percent — 7.8 percentage points lower than for non-minorities, according to the most recent report from the Iowa Board of Regents. The rate was 49 percent for UI students identifying as black or African-American, 49.6 percent at Iowa State University and 42 percent at the University of Northern Iowa, according to the regents’ report.
Plans are to have the new UI community fill a floor of Slater Hall, which is located on the west side of campus and near UI’s Afro-American Cultural Center. That location would leave enough room for about 40 students to join the mixed-gender community.
With participation limited to students who identity as black or African-American, Young, Gifted and Black would be the first identity-based community on the UI campus. For examples of such communities on other campuses, the organizers list the Huntley House for African American Men community at the University of Minnesota and the Black Male Initiative community at Southern Illinois University.
“That’s something that came through strongly from the students’ proposal,” Baumgartner said. “Because these students already are marginalized, we would be giving them a place of support and empowerment.”
A student who helped develop the original proposal said that limiting the new community to black students was essential to its goals.
NEWSLETTERS Get the Breaking News Alert newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Alerts on breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-877-424-0225. Delivery: Varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Breaking News Alert Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters
“It is something we have been fighting for and we are still fighting for,” said Matthew Bruce, a UI sophomore is who studying sociology and African American Studies. “We have had to do a lot of back and forth with the university so that this would even be allowed. … There is really no other space on campus where these students can go to talk about the issues and problems that only exist for African-American students.”
If more than 40 students apply to join Young, Gifted and Black, any students turned away would still be able to take part in the programming and academic offerings for the community.
The university is looking to add academic components to each of the communities, Baumgartner said. As such, Young, Gifted and Black will be associated with UI’s African American Studies program, with a required course eventually being selected for the community members.
Students do not have to be enrolled in the African American Studies program to participate in the new community, Baumgartner said.
The university is hiring staff for the new community, including a residence assistant who will live on the floor, a hall coordinator and a residence education coordinator.
Bruce said he hopes the students who initially proposed the new community would be involved in the hiring decisions for the new staff members.
Young, Gifted and Black is one of two communities being added to the roster for 2016-17, Baumgartner said. The second is the Sports and Recreation Management community.
“We are in a holding pattern at this point,” Baumgartner said of the list of living-learning options. “We haven’t taken anything away, but we’ve added a handful of communities.”
She added that there probably will be an overhaul of the community offerings for the 2017-18 school year.
Reach Jeff Charis-Carlson at jcharisc@press-citizen.com or 319-887-5435. Follow him on Twitter at @jeffcharis.
Read or Share this story: http://icp-c.com/1SOY6PRA question I get asked often is what you can do with a recurve bow with a specific |
are good people out there, that people are becoming more empathetic towards each other and to interracial couples.
I could sit here and talk your head off about why no one outside your race will ever truly understand your struggles and know how to deal with your unspoken problems and fears. I could talk about how children of interacial couples have identity issues when they grow up. But I’m leaving that for another discussion later on; today I’m just focusing on being empathetic to both sides.
THE HARD FACTS
As we’re heading into 2018, AFWM [Asian-female-White-male] couples are going to be growing, will it still turn heads? Yes, people are still going to stare at these couples in public because the idea is still very new to a lot of people, as it should be.
Should people stop shaming the women? Of course! Because you don’t know that person or those people. Taking time out of your day to talk negatively about someone else’s relationship is just bad karma. Let people live and learn; let people find their happiness any way they’d like.
People in interracial relationships already feel enough friction from their families and society; they don’t need an extra voice shaming their relationship and saying it won’t work. Be supportive of others and don’t force your dogmas onto anyone.
It’s also a huge ask for people in these types of relationships to expect everyone to be jolly and fine about their relationship. They have to realize that it’s going to take a long time before the majority of people will be accepting of the facts. That’s just the truth.
ADVICE TO THE AFWM COUPLES
So you’ve met each other just like any other couple would; only that there are a slew of other things you have to be thoughtful about. There’s going to be friction, and it’s going to take society a long time to be okay with your relationship. It’s also going to take longer for your families to be comfortable with the idea. Which all takes time, so be patient!
Realize that when you have kids, they’re going to be Asian kids. They’ll question their culture and heritage as they grow older. So don’t be afraid to allow them to be around Asian influences.
Be prepared for friction, but also be grateful because thats the worst it’s going to get; it’s no longer that big of a taboo that you’re going to get rocks thrown at you for dating outside your race. Moving forward, I think it’s crucial to have those uncomfortable conversations with your partner about race, the future, your wants and needs, fears and everything in between.
Continue learning more about each other through empathy, good communication and time, just as any other couple. I would mention that bigger cities tend to have a greater deal of open-minded people which will make you feel safe and comfortable.
About the Author: Kevin Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American writer from Brooklyn, New York. In his free time, he is a fashion model and hosts The Graceful Cowboy Podcast. This article was originally published on Medium and republished with permission.Image copyright AFP Image caption South Africa is battling to curb the spread of HIV/Aids
A new vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes Aids, is being tested in South Africa in what scientists say is the first large study of an HIV vaccine's effectiveness since 2009.
The study aims to enrol 5,400 sexually active young men and women.
About seven million people in South Africa are living with the virus, which is one reason why the trial is taking place there.
Experts hope the vaccine will be "the final nail in the coffin" for HIV.
The vaccine regime being tested is based on one used in a trial in Thailand in 2009, which had a protection rate of about 30%. Results from South Africa are expected in four years.
Since the HIV virus was identified in 1983, efforts to develop an effective vaccine have proved unsuccessful.
Researchers hope that this might come to an end with the current study, which is code-named HVTN 702.
It is being led by South Africa's Glenda Gray, a university research professor and head of South Africa's Medical Research Council.
"It will tell us whether the initial success observed [at a smaller scale] will bear fruit in the form of a safe and effective HIV vaccine designed for the people of southern Africa," Dr Gray said.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Aids remains the biggest cause of death among young people in Africa
According to the United Nations, more than 30 million people have died from Aids since the 1980s.
Recent breakthroughs in anti-retroviral treatments have improved the lifespan of Aids patients.
However, in countries where such treatments may not be available, the only effective prevention remains abstinence or the use of barrier methods such as condoms during sexual intercourse.
'Making history'
As part of the present trial, study participants will receive a total of five injections over one year, says the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is sponsoring the trial.
Awethu Benenengu, a 20-year-old construction worker, who is one of the participants in the trial, told the BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Johannesburg that he volunteered because he wanted to help defeat Aids.
"I decided to get involved because I don't like the way my HIV-positive cousin is treated," Mr Benenengu said.
"There is so much stigma. I want to be part of a generation that changes this and I want my children to be proud one day of their father for getting involved in making history."
Participants who become infected with HIV during the trial will be referred to local medical providers for care and treatment, NIH adds.
They will be advised on how to reduce their risk of transmitting the virus.Republican leadership is close to not having the votes to advance a Senate healthcare reform bill despite adding more money and making changes in an effort to lure more support.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the bill still has too many deep cuts to Medicaid to get her support for a procedural motion to advance the bill expected early next week. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the bill won't get his support because it doesn't fully repeal Obamacare.
In addition, key centrist Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said he was undecided on the procedural motion to advance the bill. But Portman indicated he is still looking at the bill and wants to know the score on insurance coverage and deficit spending from the Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., a member of Senate Republican leadership, said leadership hopes to bring up the bill for a motion to proceed early next week.
The GOP can afford only two Republican defections out of its 52-seat majority since Vice President Mike Pence can break any 50-50 tie.
A score from the CBO is due early next week.
Several other Republican holdouts are joining Portman in considering whether to vote for a motion to proceed.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she is still undecided on a motion, as is Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
"I am reserving judgment," Hoeven said. "I've got a little reading to do here and I want to see some CBO scores."
Several senators leaving a closed-door briefing on the new bill said it is still likely to change due to amendments.
"We've got room to make additional changes," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. " There shouldn't be consensus yet. If that were the case we would vote today. But are we getting there? I think we are."
The GOP leadership was able to get some initial holdouts on board with the new version of the bill. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said that he would vote for the bill after leadership included a version of his amendment to allow insurers to sell plans that don't comply with Obamacare regulations.
But it is not clear if conservative Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is also on board. He previously has said that he wouldn't support the bill without the amendment as previously written but hasn't decided whether the newly revised proposal is enough to get him to yes.BMA committee says offer is insufficient and accuses health secretary of using ‘megaphone diplomacy’ instead of genuine negotiation
A strike by junior doctors has moved a step closer after their union angrily rejected Jeremy Hunt’s latest offer and accused him of “devaluing” their key role in the NHS.
The junior doctors committee of the British Medical Association denounced the health secretary’s offer, including an 11% rise in their basic pay, as nowhere near enough to assuage their fears over a new contract he plans to impose on them from next summer.
The further deterioration in relations between Hunt and the doctors’ union came as the BMA prepared to start balloting 30,000 junior medics in England about possible industrial action. Votes can be cast from Thursday and will be counted when the process ends on 18 November.
Junior doctors: what do you think about Jeremy Hunt's offer? Read more
The union dismissed Hunt’s pledge that no junior doctor working within the current legal limits on their hours would have their pay cut compared with their current contract. It said future generations of junior doctors would be worse off.
The Guardian view on junior doctors: time to talk, Mr Hunt | Editorial Read more
Dr Johann Malawana, chair of the junior doctors committee, said: “The proposals on pay, not for the first time, appear to be misleading. The increase in basic pay would be offset by changes to pay for unsocial hours, devaluing the vital work junior doctors do at evenings and weekends. While in the short term existing junior doctors may have their pay protected, protections will only exist for a limited time.”
Malawana criticised Hunt for using “megaphone diplomacy” to publicise his offer instead of entering into genuine negotiation, and for giving details to the media before the BMA.
Jeremy Hunt can change how Tory handling of the NHS is perceived | Anne Perkins Read more
Sarah Wollaston, a Conservative MP and former GP who chairs the health select committee, endorsed the union’s annoyance at Hunt’s tactics. In a tweet she said: “Briefing journalists before negotiating team, really, when trying to resolve a tense dispute?”
Malawana reiterated that the BMA would resume negotiations over their future terms and conditions only if Hunt first agreed to “remove the threat of imposition and provide us with concrete assurances on a safe and fair contract”. He said the latest offer “falls short on both counts as, once again, the headlines do not match up to the reality.”
The BMA also criticised Hunt’s plan to remove safeguards in the existing junior doctors’ contract against hospitals forcing them to work excessive hours, and rejected his plan for the Care Quality Commission to ensure that that did not happen.
“Crucially, the proposals fail to deliver safeguards with real teeth to protect safe working patterns and, with it, patient and doctor safety,” Malawana said.
The Department of Health responded by stressing that the planned new contract would be fairer and safer for doctors and safer for patients and would lead to 75% of trainee doctors earning more than at present.
Minority of junior doctors will see pay cut, Jeremy Hunt admits Read more
“We have put out a firm offer that protects the pay of every doctor working legal hours while actually increasing pay for the vast majority. It will reduce the maximum number of hours a doctor can work in a week and will improve patient safety as a result,” a spokesman said.
“Strike action always puts patients at risk. So this blinkered and persistent refusal by the BMA to engage with the government is extremely disappointing.”
In an unusual move, Hunt wrote directly to all 45,000 junior doctors in England – some do not belong to the BMA – in an attempt to persuade them to reject a strike.
If the ballot produces a majority in favour of industrial action, the first strike – probably next month – would involve junior doctors providing only emergency cover. If that failed to force Hunt’s hand they would move to an all-out strike of unspecified duration.Anzhi Makhachkala have confirmed the signing of Brazil midfielder Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk for €35 million.
Willian, 24, had been linked to Chelsea or Tottenham in recent weeks but has instead signed a "long-term deal" with the Russian Premier League club, announced via their official website on Friday night.
Anzhi swooped late on Thursday for the playmaker, and have now completed the most expensive deal of the January transfer window.
A statement on the Shakhtar website read: "FC Shakhtar and FC Anzhi reached an agreement regarding Willian's move to the Russian club in a transfer worth 35million euros.
"Shakhtar thanks Willian for the years spent at the club, for his goals and professionalism. We wish our former player success in his new team."
In all since joining Shakhtar from Corinthians in 2007, Willian has played 221 games for the club, scoring 37 goals.
The player will join up with his new team-mates at a training camp in Marbella on Saturday.He joins a number of fellow Brazilians in the Anzhi squad, as well as high-profile names Samuel Eto'o and Lassana Diarra.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Mr. Trump seemed to presage a different era with all the praise he heaped on Russia and Mr. Putin. He described him as a strong, smart leader and said that Moscow seemed to be blamed for everything. And he called for better relations with Moscow to fight the Islamic State and other terrorist groups, echoing a longstanding Putin pitch.
Some voices in Moscow cautioned that Mrs. Clinton, as a calmer hand on the tiller, would be the kind of predictable leader that the Kremlin preferred, albeit a hostile one. Now, there is a sense that the Kremlin might be unsettled by the president of a far more powerful country deploying Mr. Putin’s favorite tactic: unpredictability.
“Trump will be tamed and act more presidential, eventually, but he also has a penchant for unpredictability that works against the Kremlin,” said Konstantin von Eggert, a political commentator for TV Rain, Russia’s only independent channel. “This creates a situation in which a stronger player with the same style of unpredictability as a strategy comes on the stage. Putin did not anticipate that.”
There has been a certain amount of policy whiplash on issues important to Russia. First, Mr. Trump said that NATO was obsolete, then that it had America’s solid backing. He seemed to indicate he would lift economic sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis, and appointed as secretary of state Rex W. Tillerson, who as head of Exxon Mobil cut enormous oil deals with Russia and spoke out publicly against sanctions.
Then the new United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, sharply criticized Russia over Ukraine, suggesting that sanctions were hinged to a peace deal there. Mr. Tillerson echoed that line.
Finally, Mr. Trump started to mix geopolitical apples and oranges, crossing issues in a way that Moscow deplores. He said maybe sanctions could be lifted in exchange for a better deal on nuclear arms. The Trump administration seemed to want the Kremlin to distance itself from Iran, its ally in Syria, and from China.
“There is a cautious feeling about how Trump and his advisers designated the possible ways of improving relations with Russia,” said Vladimir Frolov, an international affairs analyst. “This has frightened the Kremlin because it does not correspond to Russia’s interests.”A/N: There is a blizzard here. So you, dear reader, win!
Chapter 7 – Roadtrip
"So this thing just runs on nothing?" asked Anna excitedly as Liz started the big vehicle.
"Gasoline" mumbled Sasha. "I doubt you have it." She was still annoyed about her phone. True, its functions were unimpaired, but cracks running across the screen were distracting.
"Technically, it's a reaction from gasoline igniting in presence of a spark and converting that to mechanical work. In addition, drivetrain losses…"
"Oh stop it" said Sasha loudly. "You're going to bore our guest with tech."
"You do realize that this plan has a big hole in it, right?" asked Anna. "Leave this place, go to this 'Florida,' something, something, Elsa."
"You're one to talk" taunted Sasha from the back seat. "Your idea of a plan was 'I'm going to find my sister, who I will talk to and then somehow she will unfreeze everything.'"
"I know" replied Anna smugly. "That's how I recognized that your plan stinks!" She paused. "But it's better than no plan."
Liz turned on the car's radio. Like many American families of the day, they'd bought a boat-size transportation method, gotten dinged by high gas prices, and gotten a second ding from mortgage issues leaving them unable to bail out of said boat. Despite over a hundred-thousand miles on the odometer, the big truck-car kept going, so neither adult was inclined to replace it (though the second car was a fuel-friendly hybrid and Dad drove a company-issued sedan).
"You get sound out of the air?" gasped Anna. "This world is weird!"
"If by weird you mean technologically further along than yours, yes."
"So do people die from the pox, coughs, or fevers?"
"Not usually" explained Liz. "We have doctors who treat those things. And some of them are prevented."
"You can prevent the pox?" Anna sounded almost as excited as when the trio finished watching "Frozen."
"Yeah. We've spent all this time talking about us—what about you? What about Arendelle?"
"Obviously, your clothing is strange" began Anna. "I mean, women don't wear trousers where I'm from! Also, as you've probably noticed, we're not that thin. How did they get the story right, but make us look like caricatures?"
Liz rolled her eyes. Disney's animators (and cartoons in general) tended to play with the forms of virtually everything. No reason to expound on that now, she wanted to hear more about Arendelle.
"It's pretty much like it looks in your motion-painting" ("Movie!" hissed Sasha). "I mean, the castle is a bit smaller. And the spiral staircase is definitely not that impressive… You absolutely sure you have no idea how someone got a big chunk of my life and converted it into this…movie?"
"For the last time, no!" laughed Liz. "It sounds like magic to me, honestly."
"Like this horseless carriage!"
Liz rolled her eyes again. This was a prime example of how what was thought to be a personality invented for entertainment could be slightly grating in real life.
"Let's talk about your engagement" said Liz in a baiting tone. "You know, so my kid sister doesn't…"
"Hey!" cried Anna and Sasha in unison.
Fifty miles behind, Emily Jamison parked her Prius.
I wonder what it'll say this time? She looked for the required note on the counter.
'Took car, drove to Florida.'
She let out a breath. On one hand, ridiculous. On the other, they'd been wanting to go to Disney World for several years, but Harper could never line up his vacation with hers so the trip was on perpetual hold.
"I just hope they set a budget, and that they don't spend an entire day in line for that crazy 'Frozen' thing" she muttered.
[…]
Hans held up his hand, ordering all his men to halt. Before them stretched a large gray path with white lines on either side. Behind them, more path, and more forest. Not a cottage or castle in sight, and a sign by the side of what he guessed was a road was totally unhelpful due to being in a language none could read.
"If Elsa could conjure snow, I guess this shouldn't strike me as unusual, but the whole point of this was our spy who told us that the Queen went and disappeared!"
He couldn't help but be bitter about that. The best chance to claim a throne for himself, thwarted yet again by what appeared to be supernatural circumstances.
"Be careful, men!" he bellowed. "The sorceress may have pushed us back! So, forward!"
Hooves clopped noisily against the gray material underfoot.
"Well at least pulling these cannons is easier!" growled a hireling some distance behind.
"Perhaps we should not follow this path" mused Hans. "I would not be surprised if this was meant to put us in a neat line for…"
SCREEEEEE-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
"What is that?"
"Red demon!"
A large something nearly flipped on its side trying to avoid Hans' column. Someone appeared from inside, yelling words that made no sense to anyone he directed them at (Herregud! Dust!). Several crossbows let loose, breaking the glass that made up the box-shaped thing's windows. Hans thought it a carriage, but where were its horses? And it moved at a speed no horse could match.
Click. *Flash* Click. Click.
Hva gjør du her? Veiene er for biler, ikke hester!
The strange man retreated behind his horseless carriage.
"Nødetatene…"
A/N: Yes, you caught me machine-translating Norwegian. Sorry.By Lucy Wang
Mandarin is often considered by language learners to be an unreasonable language—it's extremely difficult to recognize and write Chinese characters, it sounds weird and exotic, it has four tones, and the word formation seems unreasonable. But just like prefixes and suffixes in English, Chinese also has characters that can be combined with others to indicate a particular meaning, especially occupations and kinds of people. Here are some of them.
家 (jiā)
an expert in a certain field
作家 (zuòjiā) writer
画家 (huàjiā) painter
歌唱家 (gēchàngjiā) singer/musician
书法家 (shūfǎjiā) calligraphist
发明家 (fāmíngjiā) inventor
探险家 (tànxiǎnjiā) adventurer
科学家 (kēxuéjiā) scientist
语言学家 (yǔyánxuéjiā) linguist
艺术家 (yìshùjiā) artist
收藏家 (shōucángjiā) collector
思想家 (sīxiǎngjiā) thinker
鬼 (guǐ)
literally, ghost; usually used in a disparaging way similar to –aholic in English
烟鬼 (yānguǐ) smoking addict
酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ) alcoholic
色鬼 (sèguǐ) lecher; "old goat"
胆小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ) coward
吝啬鬼 (lìnsèguǐ) miser
匠 (jiàng)
a technician in a certain field
花匠 (huājiàng) gardener/florist
铁匠 (tiějiàng) blacksmith
油漆匠 (yóuqījiàng) painter
皮匠 (píjiàng) cobbler
木匠 (mùjiàng) carpenter
工匠 (gōngjiàng) craftsman
迷 (mí)
an enthusiast; one who is obsessed
财迷 (cáimí) literally, "money addict," but used to mean "penny-pincher"
戏迷 (xìmí) theater fan
球迷 (qiúmí) sports fan
歌迷 (gēmí) groupie (of a musician)
生 (shēng)
a common suffix for occupation or status
医生 (yīshēng) doctor
学生 (xuéshēng) student
留学生 (liúxuéshēng) foreign student
研究生 (yánjiūshēng) postgraduate
实习生 (shíxíshēng) intern
先生 (xiānshēng) Mr./husband
师 (shī)
a common suffix for occupations
导师 (dǎoshī) mentor
老师 (lǎoshī) teacher
教师 (jiàoshī) teacher
医师 (yīshī) doctor
厨师 (chúshī) cook/chef
律师 (lǜshī) lawyer
魔术师 (móshùshī) magician
工程师 (gōngchéngshī) engineer
技师 (jìshī) technician
会计师 (kuàijìshī) accountant
讲师 (jiǎngshī) lecturer
药剂师 (yàojìshī) chemist
士 (shì)
this one is more of a mixed bag, with a variety of meanings as shown below
战士 (zhànshì) soldier
护士 (hùshi) nurse
学士 (xuéshì) bachelor
硕士 (shuòshì) postgraduate/master
博士 (bóshì) doctor (academic)
女士 (nǚshì) Ms.
男士 (nánshì) Mr.
绅士 (shēnshì) gentleman
骑士 (qíshì) knight
烈士 (lièshì) martyr
手 (shǒu)
literally, hand; sometimes used the same way "hand" is used in English
水手 (shuǐshǒu) sailor
打手 (dǎshǒu) hired thug
凶手 (xiōngshǒu) murderer
对手 (duìshǒu) competitor
新手 (xīnshǒu) newbie
老手 (lǎoshǒu) old hand
熟手 (shúshǒu) veteran
助手 (zhùshǒu) assistant
星 (xīng)
literally, star; the prefix determines the field
明星 (míngxīng) celebrity
歌星 (gēxīng) pop star, rock star, etc.
影星 (yǐngxīng) movie star
笑星 (xiàoxīng) comedian
员 (yuán)
a member or a person in a certain field
教员 (jiàoyuán) instructor/teacher
学员 (xuéyuán) student
演员 (yǎnyuán) actor/actress
打字员 (dǎzìyuán) typist
会员 (huìyuán) club member
运动员 (yùndòngyuán) athlete
友 (yǒu)
mates within an activity group or other shared situation
朋友 (péngyǒu) (friend)
牌友 (páiyǒu) poker/mahjong friends
球友 (qiúyǒu) people who you always play or watch sports with
队友 (duìyǒu) teammate
病友 (bìngyǒu) the other sick people in the hospital
棋友 (qíyǒu) chess buddies
长 (zhǎng)
a leader in a certain group or field
船长 (chuánzhǎng) captain (of a boat)
班长 (bānzhǎng) classroom monitor
列车长 (lièchēzhǎng) conductor (of a train)
队长 (duìzhǎng) team leader/captain
校长 (xiàozhǎng) principal/president
院长 (yuànzhǎng) dean
者 (zhě)
indicates a person's (potentially temporary) status or occupation
记者 (jìzhě) reporter
素食者 (sùshízhě) vegetarian
旁观者 (pángguānzhě) onlooker
长者 (zhǎngzhě) elder
受伤者 (shòushāngzhě) victim
死者 (sǐzhě) the deceased
志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě) volunteer
This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 53 ("reflections")Earlier this year, Gideons International requested and received permission to leave Bibles at a Kentucky public elementary school in Casey County so that interested children could pick them up.
In response, the Tri-State Freethinkers group decided they also wanted to play the game by leaving books promoting Humanism at the same school. The district had no choice but to allow them to do it.
Some parents, in response, pulled their children from school that day:
This practice of allow students to pick up Bibles left by a third-party group wasn’t unique to Casey County. It was happening all over the state. That meant the freethinkers needed to expand their reach as well.
It worked. Get this: they just got permission to distribute copies of my book The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide on the last day of classes in the Boone County school system.
While I can’t be there in person, there will be a lot of activists helping out:
Currently Mr. David Silverman, President of American Atheists, plans to be in attendance. Members of several high school and college Secular Student Alliances will [also] be present to hand the book out to the students.
According to the press release, “Rumor has it that a local Satanist organization plans to submit an approval to hand out material,” too, though the two groups aren’t connected.
How’s that for parity?
If any Christian parents or administrators have a problem with that, there’s a simple solution: Just don’t give the Gideons permission to distribute the Bibles. Say no to all religious and non-religious groups that want to leave material for students.
But they won’t do that. They love their Bibles.
And I’m sure they’ll learn to love my book.
(Portions of this post were published earlier)Later this month, if all goes well, Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, will achieve a spaceflight first.
Up and away: The Grasshopper, a test vehicle used by SpaceX, takes off from the company’s McGregor, Texas, launch site in June 2013.
After delivering cargo to the International Space Station, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket used for the flight will fire its engines for the second time. The burn will allow the rocket to reenter the atmosphere in controlled flight, without breaking up and disintegrating on the way down as most booster rockets do.
The launch was originally planned for March 16, but the company has delayed the launch until at least March 30 to allow for further preparation.
The machine will settle over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of its Cape Canaveral launchpad, engines roaring, and four landing legs will unfold from the rocket’s sides. Hovering over ocean, the rocket will kick up a salt spray along with the flames and smoke. Finally, the engines will cut off and the rocket will drop the last few feet into the ocean for recovery by a waiting barge.
Future flights of the so-called F9R rocket will have it touching down on land. For now, a water landing ensures maximum safety in case the rocket goes off course.
The test of SpaceX’s renewable booster rocket technology will be the first of its kind and could pave the way to radically cheaper access to space. “Reusability has been the Holy Grail of the launch industry for decades,” says Jeff Foust, an analyst at Futron, a consultancy based in Bethesda, Maryland. That’s because the so-called expendable rockets that are the industry standard add enormously to launch costs—the equivalent of building a new aircraft for every transatlantic flight.
SpaceX began flying low-altitude tests of a Falcon 9 first stage with a single engine, a rocket known as Grasshopper, at its McGregor, Texas, proving grounds in 2012. The flights got progressively higher, until a final test in October, when the rocket reached an altitude of 744 meters. Then, following a flight to place a communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in November, a Falcon 9 first stage successfully restarted three of its nine engines to make a controlled supersonic reentry from space.
The rocket survived reentry, but subsequently spun out of control and broke up on impact with the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a call with reporters after the flight that landing legs, which that rocket lacked, would most likely have stabilized the rocket enough to make a controlled landing on the water. The March 16 flight will be the first orbital test with landing legs.
After recovering the rocket from the water on Sunday, SpaceX engineers and technicians will study it to determine what it would take to refurbish such a rocket for reuse. SpaceX also has plans to recover and reuse the second stage rocket, but for now, it will recover only the first stage and its nine Merlin engines, which make up the bulk of the cost of the rocket.
Even without reusable rockets, SpaceX has already shaken up the $190-billion-a-year satellite launch market with radically lower launch costs than its competitors. The company advertises $55.6 million per Falcon 9 launch. Its competitors are less forthcoming about how much they charge, but French rocket company Arianespace has indicated that it may ask for an increase in government subsidies to remain competitive with SpaceX.
Closer to home, SpaceX is vying for so-called Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, or EELV, contracts to launch satellites for the U.S. Air Force. Its only competitor for the contracts, United Launch Alliance, charges $380 million per launch.
Musk testified before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense meeting on March 5 that his company can cut that cost down to $90 million per launch. He said the higher cost for a government mission versus a commercial one was due to a lack of government-provided launch insurance. “So, in order to improve the probability of success, there is quite a substantial mission assurance overhead applied,” Musk said in the hearing. Still, SpaceX’s proposed charge for the Air Force missions is a mere 23 percent of ULA’s.
SpaceX is counting on lower launch costs to increase demand for launch services. But Foust cautions that this strategy comes with risk. “It’s worth noting,” he says, “that many current customers of launch services, including operators of commercial satellites, aren’t particularly price sensitive, so thus aren’t counting on reusability to lower costs.”
That means those additional launches, and thus revenue, may have to come from markets that don’t exist yet. “A reusable system with much lower launch costs might actually result in lower revenue for that company unless they can significantly increase demand,” says Foust. “That additional demand would likely have to come from new markets, with commercial human spaceflight perhaps the biggest and best-known example.”
Indeed, SpaceX was founded with human spaceflight as its ultimate mission. It is now one of three companies working with NASA funds to build ships capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk plans to take SpaceX even further—all the way to Mars with settlers. And colonizing Mars will require lots of low-cost flights.
Michael Belfiore (michaelbelfiore.com) is the author of Rocketeers: How a Visionary Band of Business Leaders, Engineers, and Pilots Is Boldly Privatizing Space.
Updated on March 14, at 3 p.m. EST, to include mention of the delay.Do you want a job that is challenging, fun, rewarding and intimate? Then dice is for you. Also, contrary to common beliefe, dice is no longer a "garage company" where people work 24/7. Most people have grown up and are in their 30s and have families. This is wholeheartedly supported by the company. I am able to have a flexible schedule and work from home if I have to to resolve family issues. On the other hand, the job...
Cons
The type of enthusiasm that is fostered within a successful game development studio comes with side-effect that people work a lot. I personally work a little bit more than I should mostly because I love my work so much but there have been conflicts at home at times due to this. In general though, if you do not commit to doing something no-one will blame you if it does not get done in time. The challenge here lies in not...
Show MoreMIAMI - A day care center in downtown Miami closed voluntarily Tuesday after two children died of suspected meningitis this month, according to Florida Department of Health officials.
Dr. Alvaro Mejia-Echeverry, a medical epidemiologist with the state health department, confirmed that a 22-month-old boy died of pneumococcal meningitis on Dec. 3.
Officials said a second boy, a 2-year-old who attended the day care, died about a week later, but the cause of death has not been determined.
"They don't know yet if the deaths are related," said Jose Galan, an assistant director with Miami-Dade County, which owns the building.
The state health department wrote to parents of the YWCA Carol Glassman Donaldson Child Care Center last Thursday, warning that a child there had been recently diagnosis with meningitis. The letter did not disclose that the child had died. It also urged parents to seek medical attention if their children exhibited any symptoms.
The Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families planned to inspect the day care center. The center agreed not to reopen until it had been cleared by those agencies.
"We are devastated by the death of two small children who attended this child care facility and we continue to grieve with their families and loved ones," Beatriz Lopez, regional spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families, said in statement.
Copyright 2017 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.Conservative MP Paul Calandra choked back tears while apologizing Friday for responding to NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's questions on Canada's mission in Iraq this week with an attack on the NDP position on Israel.
But CBC News has learned that Calandra was put up to the responses by a senior staffer in the Prime Minister's Office. Several Conservative MPs also told CBC they were furious as they listened to Calandra's answers in the House.
A teary Calandra rose after question period Friday to "unconditionally, unreservedly apologize to the House" for his glib non-answers earlier this week.
"Clearly, I allowed the passion and anger at something I read to get in the way of appropriately answering the question to leader of the Opposition," Calandra told the mostly empty Commons chamber.
"For that, I apologize to you and to this entire House, and to my constituents," he said.
He also went out of his way to exonerate the so-called "kids in short pants" — the catch-all derogatory term opposition members use to refer to senior political staff, particularly within the Prime Minister's Office — for his actions.
"I take full responsibility, and I apologize to the leader of the Opposition, and to all of my colleagues."
But |
and was pulled with 8 1/2 minutes remaining. Curtis McElhinney finished up and stopped all four shots he saw, his first action since Jan. 2. Columbus activated him off injured reserve Monday.
McGinn's second goal of the game and 14th of the season came at 7:16 of the third when he converted a pass from Zemgus Girgensons.
McGinn opened the scoring with 5:05 left in the first, shoving home a rebound on a power play.
With Columbus on the power play late in the first, Legwand turned and cleared the puck through the air toward Korpisalo. The puck hopped over his glove and into the net to give the Sabres a two-goal advantage with 1:22 left. NHL official play-by-play indicated the goal came from 149 feet out.
"It always has a chance if it's on net," Legwand. "We've seen them go in like that all year, so why not take a chance?"
"The second goal, weird bounce but that should never go in," Korpisalo said.
The Blue Jackets had recorded points in their previous six games, going 4-0-2.
Referees whistled five penalties over the final seven minutes of the second. Columbus went on the power play three times in the period - twice when defenceman Scott Hartnell was in the box for a major boarding penalty. There were 15 penalties in all, and even Lehner earned two for leaving the crease and roughing in the third following a tussle behind net.
"You can tell he's in the game when he's getting in the scrums at the end and ready to go at anyone, McGinn said.
Columbus had chances, but finished 0 for 6 on the power play.
"I don't know, we just couldn't find ways to score tonight," Columbus captain Nick Foligno said. "It was a weird game, lot of power plays, lot of penalties, but our power play needs to find a way to get it done."
Buffalo rookie forward Jack Eichel had two assists, giving him 41 points for the season.
It was just the third time this season the Blue Jackets were shut out and the first since a 3-0 loss at Ottawa on Nov. 19.
"He was strong, two real scoring chances on the power play," Bylsma said of Lehner. "They had five scoring chances at the start of the third period that he had to come up big on. I'm glad we got the zero for him."The United States has taken Russia’s crown as the biggest oil and natural-gas producer in a demonstration of the seismic shifts in the world energy landscape emanating from America’s shale fields.
US oil production rose to a record last year, gaining 1.6 million barrels a day, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy released on Wednesday.
Gas output also climbed, putting America ahead of Russia as a producer of the hydrocarbons combined. The data showing the US’s emergence as the top driller confirms a trend that’s helped the world’s largest economy reduce imports, caused a slump in global energy prices and shifted the country’s foreign policy priorities.
“We are truly witnessing a changing of the guard of global energy suppliers,” BP chief economist Spencer Dale said. “The implications of the shale revolution for the US are profound.”
The other major shift BP’s report shows is China’s energy demand growing at the slowest pace since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s as the economy slows and the country tries to reduce its reliance on heavy industry.
“Growth in some of China’s most energy-intensive sectors, such as steel, iron and cement – which had thrived during China’s rapid industrialisation – virtually collapsed in 2014,” said Mr Dale, a former Bank of England chief economist who joined BP last year.
In the US the boom in oil and gas production has started to change the economy profoundly. Cheap fuel has seen manufacturing return to the US as the country produced about 90 per cent of the energy it consumed last year.
Last year, imports equaled 1 per cent of GDP, according to BP’s data. In 2007, just before the financial crisis, US energy imports accounted for about half of the current account deficit of 5 per cent of GDP.
Shale drillers from Exxon Mobil to Chesapeake Energyspent about $120 billion last year in the US, more than double the amount five years earlier.
The surge in output and a slowdown in global demand have pushed crude oil prices down about 40 per cent in the past year.
- BloombergA new study by scientists at the University of York has shed new light on the use of mollusc shells as personal adornments by Bronze Age people.
The research team used amino acid racemisation analysis (a technique used previously mainly for dating artefacts), light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, to identify the raw materials used to make beads in a complex necklace discovered at an Early Bronze Age burial site at Great Cornard in Suffolk, UK.
They discovered that Bronze Age craftspeople used species like dog whelk and tusk shells, both of which were likely to have been sourced and worked locally, to fashion tiny disc-shaped beads in the necklace. The research is published in PLOS ONE.
The researchers included archaeologists, mathematicians, chemists and physicists, the latter from the BioArCh and York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA) and the Departments of Archaeology, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at the University of York. Dr Sonia O'Connor, of the University of Bradford's Department of Archaeological Sciences, carried out the light and electron microscopy, and prehistoric jewellery specialist Dr Alison Sheridan, of National Museums Scotland, facilitated access to the Great Cornard necklace, which had been excavated by Suffolk Archaeology.
When it was first established that the tiny white beads had been made from shell, the question arose as to its source. Had the shell been obtained locally or did it originate from a species from further afield, perhaps even the Mediterranean thorny oyster (Spondylus)? The Mediterranean thorny oyster is a shell of long-standing symbolic and cultural significance which is known to have been used on the Continent around the time when the Great Cornard necklace was made.
But this collaborative research, led by Dr Beatrice Demarchi, of York's Department of Archaeology and BioArCh, and Dr Julie Wilson, of the Departments of Chemistry and Mathematics and YCCSA, has shown this not to be the case, and has suggested an alternative possibility.
Dr Demarchi said: "Dog whelks and tusk shells were likely to be available locally so these people did not have to travel far to get hold of the raw materials for their beads.
"There is evidence, from elsewhere in Britain and further afield, for the use of tusk shells at various times in the past. This may well be because they are relatively easy to work and their hollow shape is very distinctive."
Dr Wilson added: "The statistical analysis used pattern recognition algorithms for taxonomic identification, comparing the composition of the beads with a large database of shell amino acid compositions. Although we cannot know the origin of the beads for certain, our multidisciplinary approach provides additional evidence for the identifications."What’s the difference? Left: Al Jolson in blackface. Credit: Wikimedia/Warner Bros. Right: RuPaul in drag. Credit: Logo TV.
On Jan. 29, Mary Cheney, the openly lesbian and actively Republican daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, outraged the drag and drag-allied community by comparing drag to blackface in a post on her private Facebook page. Here’s what she wrote about “men who entertain in drag” after seeing a TV commercial for the upcoming season of Logo’s RuPaul’s Drag Race:
Why is it socially acceptable—as a form of entertainment—for men to put on dresses, make up and high heels and act out every offensive stereotype of women (bitchy, catty, dumb, slutty, etc.)—but it is not socially acceptable—as a form of entertainment—for a white person to put on blackface and act out offensive stereotypes of African Americans? Shouldn’t both be OK or neither? Why does society treat these activities differently?
Since the post sashayed off of Cheney’s newsfeed and out into the wider Internet, commentators ranging from college professors to RuPaul herself have been condemning the comparison, mainly defending drag as a means of self-expression and empowerment. As a queen, my initial inclination was to join the backlash. Comparing drag to blackface seemed recklessly hateful, a blunder on par with Republican Rep. Randy Weber’s recent tweet comparing Obama and Hitler. But in the following days, as Cheney’s words ran through my mind, I began to wonder if they held a grain of truth. Beneath her ham-fisted language, Cheney was asking a question all queens and conscientious drag fans must contend with at one point or another: Is drag degrading to women?
For some, the answer to that question is unambiguous. Three years ago, a male co-worker informed me that he would no longer attend my drag shows because his girlfriend thought that drag was “an insult to femininity.” I started to tell him that his girlfriend’s New Balance sneakers were a much graver offense to femininity than my drag could ever be, but the indictment gave me pause—I had no ready defense for the suggestion that my nightlife career was harmful to women. At my shows, women have occasionally made barbed remarks about how sinewy queens create unfair expectations for biologically female bodies. I’ve been told that drag makes a farce of womanhood and that if I really want to understand the experience, I should wear heels all day at the office instead of for a few hours at the club. And last year, when I ran into a madamenoir.com article about the notion that drag queens degrade black femininity, the accusations contained therein were not unfamiliar.
Of course, one could dismiss all of this as the complaining of those who mistake drag’s queer commentary on “femininity” for an exercise in literal gender mimicry or parody—and that is part of the story. But the critics are right to sense a thinly veiled disdain for women among some of my fellow queens. At certain shows, women in the audience are given a particularly bad time. Backstage I have heard complaints that there’s too much “tuna” in the crowd. Making a living by playing with society’s notion of womanhood can even lead to a troubling sort of competitiveness: Watching a female artist perform, I sometimes secretly wonder if a man in a dress could do her job better. Sure, women can be—to recall Mary Cheney’s words—bitchy, catty, dumb, and slutty; but that doesn’t mean they do it well enough to impress me.
That said, just because some drag queens partake in misogyny individually does not make the entire art form inherently misogynistic—and this is where the blackface comparison breaks down. For some perspective on this controversy, I spoke with W. Fitzhugh Brundage, chair of the Department of History at UNC-Chapel Hill, and editor of a fascinating book on black representation in American pop culture, Beyond Blackface.
“My immediate response,” Brundage said, “is that Cheney’s comments show very little understanding of blackface as a historical phenomenon.” One major problem with Cheney’s comparison, he explained, was the yawning gap between the immense cultural influence of blackface at its height and the comparatively low visibility of drag, even in its present RuPaul-sponsored golden age. “In the 1840s, anyone in even a moderate-sized American city had access to minstrelsy, and the rest had access to it through sheet music,” Brundage said. “It was an incredibly pervasive cultural phenomenon. Drag has never enjoyed that cultural weight.” Even if drag were harmful, its impact on American perceptions of women has been so negligible relative to that of blackface that any comparison is foolish. More important, there’s a profound difference in the power dynamics of the two forms of entertainment. “Minstrelsy was being performed by whites in positions of cultural and local power, whereas drag is performed by a marginalized group who are subject to fear and repression,” Brundage said. “To be a drag queen is not an act of privilege. It’s just not comparable.”
While history does not support Cheney’s comparison on the level of fact, the feelings behind her words are not necessarily illegitimate: As a woman, she finds contemporary drag offensive to her sex. In launching our countercritique, the drag community and its allies have ignored these feelings to our detriment.
In the Huffington Post, for example, theater professor and drag queen Domenick Scudera attempts to legitimize drag by pointing to the long history of cross-dressing in theater and other performative traditions. “Men dressing in female garb have been integral to the performing arts for thousands of years in a myriad of cultures,” he writes. “Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Rosalind, Beatrice and so on—all were created by male actors.” I’m not sure if these mainstream theatrical traditions can really be tied to drag, or why their existence should make Cheney or those who hold similar reservations feel more comfortable with drag as it manifests today. In the same publication, Walt Hawkins discounts Cheney’s feelings altogether, insinuating that she’s just confused because she’s having a hard time in her political career: “To be fair, it must be tough to be Mary Cheney,” he writes. “She desperately wants to be a conservative icon and has spent countless hours and dollars pandering to the same political party that wants absolutely nothing to do with her.” The sharpest and most incisive response to Cheney comes from the Advocate’s Matt Baume, who addresses Cheney’s questions in part by pointing to the many women who love drag, even take part in it. He’s certainly right, but that doesn’t change the fact that many do not feel part of the fun.
So what’s to be done? Here’s my proposal: In the same way that many queens listened to the transgender community’s concerns last year over use of controversial terms like tranny within drag culture, we can listen to women this year. Without chilling drag’s wonderful tradition of free expression, we can take this moment to ask if our drag personae and performances truly celebrate feminine gender expressions, or if they lazily mock them. I know that this kind of sensitivity is possible, because some queens are already excelling at it. Just last week, I saw Brooklyn queen Lady Bearica Andrews perform a number in which she literally threw off the marionette strings of domesticity to become an independent woman. It’s rare and risky for a queen to create work that so directly addresses women’s issues, but the audience was on its feet, screaming. Judging from that experience, I don’t think that listening to women’s concerns will hurt us. In fact, I think it may make our drag even richer.The applet was implemented using 2-body methods, and hence should not be used for determining accurate long-term trajectories (over several years or decades) or planetary encounter circumstance
Simulation of the close approach of C/2013 A1 to Mars in Celestia using the latest MPC elements (click to embiggen)
Simulation of the telescopic view of Mars and C/2012 A1 on October 19 as seen from Adelaide near closest approach..
Image of the JPL Orbit widget which shows Mars and comet C/2013 A1 on top of each other on October 19, 2014, but note the caveat in the applet that says " A reader pointed out that the JPL Orbit Diagram for comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) shows the Comet and Mars on top of each other on October 19, 2014 (see the diagram here ). Does this indicate an impact between the comet and Mars?No, if you go to the bottom of the orbit diagram and click on the [show close approach] link, you will see that the nominal close approach is 0.006 AU (compare this to the 0.00023 AU close approach of 2012 DA14, which misses us by two Earth diameters).The error associated with this estimate includes an impact though (and a maximum miss of 0.24 AU), so an impact can't be ruled out at this stage.However, as further observations are added and the orbit is refined, we will have a better idea of whether it will impact. The latest Minor Planet Ephemeris data suggests that an impact is unlikely, with a nominal pass of 0.015 AU (2,277,700 Km from Mars's surface).Importing the latest elements into SkyMap or Stellarium suggests that from Earth we will see the comet and Mars less than 2 minutes of arc from each other, which will look quite nice in telescope eye pieces (but hard to image as the comet will be a dim magnitude 8.5 and Mars bright).I've also made a Celestia file for you. As usual, copy the code below and save as it as a text file 2013A1.ssc in the Celestia extras folder.======================2013A1.ssc============================="Siding-Spring:C2013 A1" "Sol"#Close approach of this comet to MarsClass "comet" # Just copying the data for HalleyMesh "halley.cmod"Texture "asteroid.jpg"Radius 3 # best guess at maximum semi-axisMeshCenter [ -0.338 1.303 0.230 ]EllipticalOrbitEpoch 2456955.47179 # 2014 25 OctPeriod 217204.51919319 # (q/(1-e))^1.5 hyperbolic orbitSemiMajorAxis -3613.3711384783 #Hyperbolic orbitPericenterDistance 1.396000248531628Eccentricity 1.000467Inclination 128.9984AscendingNode 300.9204ArgOfPericenter 2.4695#MeanAnomaly 359.9970184682824 #MA messes up hyperbolic orbits# Again, this data is copied straight from the ssc files for Halleys’ Comet# chaotic rotation, imperfectly defined:# this version from "The New Solar System", 4th Edition; Eds.# JK Beatty, CC Petersen, A ChaikinPrecessingRotationPeriod 170 # 7.1 day axial rotation periodInclination 66PrecessionPeriod 3457004.12 # 3.7 day precession periodAlbedo 0.8===========================================================
Labels: celestia, comet, comets, MarsChinese Premier Li Keqiang poses for a group picture with students of Guanghua School of Management at Peking University in Beijing, capital of China, April 15, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's ambitions in higher education appear limitless. The country intends to propel 16 of its universities to "world class" status by 2030, with 10 already reaching that goal just three years from now, according to Caixin business news.
In 2015, the State Council imposed that a "certain number" of universities and disciplines should become world class by 2020, eventually turning China into a leading higher education nation by 2050. And it's not just the central government that has set its sights on conquering the global higher-education landscape; 21 provincial regions have published blueprints setting ambitious goals for the development of more than 110 "high-level" regional universities in the next decade. If successful, these plans will lead to an education ecosystem that allows internationally competitive institutions to develop.
Despite the official announcement on Jan. 18, there is no common definition of what a world-class university actually looks like. The most common indicators of prestige are based on a university's relative position in one or more of the three main international rankings: the Times Higher Education (THE), the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), or the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The 2016 QS ranking include four Chinese mainland universities in its Top-100 category: Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiaotong universities. Peking and Tsinghua universities have consistently ranked in the Top 50 for a number of years, while their Shanghai-based counterparts are relative newcomers to the higher rankings. Three additional mainland universities are found among the Top-200 universities, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Zhejiang and Nanjing universities. The picture painted by the 2016 THE ranking is largely similar.
Compare this with the rankings of the traditional higher-education power houses: in the 2016 QS ranking, we find 31 U.S. and 18 U.K. universities among the Top-100 institutions, with Australia (6), Canada (4), Hong Kong (4), Singapore (2), and New Zealand (1) contributing 17 additional Top-100 institutions. The English-speaking world thus contributes a total of 66 universities to this tally, which appears disproportionate given that only about 5.5 percent of the world's population speaks English as its first language.
This highlights one of many problematic assumptions underlying these rankings. They only consider academic output and citation scores based on articles published in English, mostly in excessively expensive academic journals that stretch library budgets to breaking point. The "publish or perish" mantra has never been as alive, yet this focus on the numbers of publications an individual academic produces hampers sustained intellectual pursuits and may potentially prevent discoveries that could be triggered by leaving the "safe" approaches leading to guaranteed publication.
In addition, the three main rankings are inherently biased toward including achievements in science, technology, engineering, and math, which are among the most expensive disciplines to support. Indeed, to attain a world-class ranking requires wealth.
Although access to funding is not necessarily an integral part of the ranking methodology, the presence of strong industrial links is valued more highly than having exceptional faculties of arts, social sciences, humanities, or education. Producing internationally competitive scientists, engineers, and multimillion-dollar patents clearly counts most.
But pumping money into the system is not the only requirement to convert an average university to a world-class university. An environment defined by a high fraction of international students and faculty members certainly helps, but any changes only affect an institution's ranking by less than 10 percent. The QS and THE rankings both rely for a significant extent on the fuzzy concept of an institution's global academic reputation, in research, in teaching, or in both.
These components favor the old, well-established universities through their "old boys" networks. For Chinese universities to break into these circles, a systematic focus on international collaboration and recruitment, an environment facilitating world-class research output, and implementation of measures leading to high international esteem are fundamental.
A 2011 World Bank study, "The Road to Academic Excellence: The making of world class research universities," concluded that academic talent, both faculty members and students, financial resources, adequate facilities, unrestrained scientific enquiry, and academic freedom must be present from the start. Philip Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, has pointed out that excellence in research and a sense of intellectual excitement are crucial additional elements to make a sustained move up the rankings a viable proposition.
He highlighted a truth that many academics are familiar with: "The world-class [rankings] debate has one important benefit: it is focusing attention on academic standards and improvement. Striving for excellence is not a bad thing, and competition may spark improvement. Yet, a sense of realism must be part of the equation, and sensitivity to the public good as well. Indeed, it might well be the case that the innovative energies and resources of higher education should be focused on more realistic and perhaps more useful goals."
Richard de Grijs is a Dutch professor of astrophysics at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (Peking University) in Beijing.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.WARNING: This story contains graphic language.
[van id=”politics/2016/10/07/donald-trump-audio-comments-wapo-report-keilar-lead.cnn”]
Donald Trump’s October Surprise is so explicit, shocking, offensive and vile that even he felt the need to apologize — if only half-heartedly.
But that step — unprecedented for a candidate loathe to ever admit a mistake — may not be enough to rescue a campaign that is now in a full-fledged crisis.
Trump’s candidacy has revealed a long history of demeaning and shaming women. But the comments that emerged Friday go further than anything that has been attributed to him before as he seemed to bask in the power he felt his celebrity conferred to do whatever he wanted with women.
The bombshell couldn’t come at a worse time for Trump’s campaign as he prepares for a crucial debate Sunday against Hillary Clinton. And Republicans must now decide whether to stand by him or cut him loose just 32 days before the election.
The debate, co-moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, is especially crucial because Trump botched his first match with Clinton — and then spent the next two weeks in a cycle of recrimination, denial and feud with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.
The political uproar over the latest revelation was so momentous that it overtook coverage of a hurricane lashing Florida and a stunning US government accusation of a Russian hacking operation to disrupt the elections.
It has been one of the cliches of the 2016 presidential race that Trump can get away with comments and outrages that would sink any normal politician. But the video tests the limits of that assumption in a way unlike any of Trump’s many previous controversies.
In a hot mic conversation first published by The Washington Post, Trump is seen and heard telling “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush in 2005 of how he tried to “fuck” a married woman.
“I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump said. “I did try and fuck her. She was married.”
“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” Trump adds, after saying he took the woman — who is identified only by her first name — out furniture shopping.
“Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look,” Trump says of the woman.
Before Trump stepped off a bus, he and Bush appear to see a soap actress who greets them.
“Whoa!” Trump says. “I’ve gotta use some tic tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”
“And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything,” Trump says.
Huddling on a path forward
Trump advisers huddled in Trump Tower Friday night to plot a path forward. They clearly knew they had a problem on their hands when they moved quickly to release a statement that bizarrely blamed Bill Clinton after the Post published its story.
“Governor Mike Pence will be representing me tomorrow in Wisconsin. I will be spending the day in New York in debate prep with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Jeff Sessions, and then flying to St. Louis on Sunday for the 2nd Presidential Debate.”
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended,” Trump said.
There were signs that Trump’s campaign was in disarray as some of his aides expressed exasperation in unusually blunt terms.
“It’s appalling. It’s just flat out appalling,” a Trump adviser said.
The stunning developments are forcing a moment of reckoning for Republican Party leaders who have made a pact with a nominee many of them privately view as vulgar and unacceptable, and must now decide whether to cut him loose.
Trump was due to appear alongside Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — both pillars of the conservative movement — on Saturday. Ryan didn’t withdraw his endorsement of Trump Friday but he did condemn the the nominee and said will no longer attend the event.
“I am sickened by what I heard today,” Ryan said in a statement. “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. I hope Mr. Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests. In the meantime, he is no longer attending tomorrow’s event in Wisconsin.”
Governor Walker took to Twitter to react to Trump’s statements:
Inexcusable. Trump's comments are inexcusable. — Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) October 8, 2016
Every Republican office holder from GOP vice presidential pick Mike Pence — who often calls Trump “this good man” — to vulnerable senators running for re-election will now face the same question: How can you stand with a nominee who would say such a thing?
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican running for re-election who stumbled this week over the question of whether Trump represented a good role model for children, quickly condemned Trump’s statement.
“His statements are totally inappropriate and offensive,” Ayotte said.
Sen. Pat Toomey, a vulnerable Pennsylvania Republican, tweeted that Trump’s comments were “outrageous and unacceptable.”
Trump’s possible implosion also appeared to validate the central theme of Clinton’s campaign — that a man like Trump with a colorful personal past, a life lived in the tabloids and a runaway mouth is simply not fit to be president.
Clinton and her top surrogates have been driving a narrative for months that the Republican nominee lacks the gravity, knowledge and character to sit in the Oval Office or to represent the United States overseas.
It was a case that appeared to be gaining traction given Trump’s outspoken comments about Mexicans, women, Muslims and other sectors of society.
Trump’s most loyal supporters sought to shrug off the latest controversy.
“We’re not choosing a Sunday school teacher,” Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager who is now a CNN contributor, told Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.” “We’re electing a leader to the free world.”
Crucial demographics
The controversy is likely to hammer Trump’s standing among crucial demographics who may decide the election on November 8.
Trump had already busted established standards on rhetoric about women in this campaign, questioning last year after a tough debate whether moderator Megan Kelly was menstruating and having his words that some women were “pigs” and “slobs” thrown back at him by Clinton in the first debate.
But the revelations in the hot mic moment will surely doom any hope the GOP nominee has of improving his standing among women voters, especially highly educated, suburban women in swing states like Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, campaigning in Las Vegas, said Trump’s comments “makes me sick to my stomach.”
Trump’s aides across the country seemed to feel similarly.
Asked about the reaction at a campaign field office, a Trump field staffer told CNN there were “gasps. Collective gasps. We’re trying to get our heads around it right now, but there’s no way to spin this. There just isn’t.”
The staffer, who is also paying close attention to Senate efforts, also added, unsolicited: “Just think of the down-ballot effect. Brutal.”
A GOP operative in Ohio voiced similar sentiments.
“This is bad. I think this thing is over,” the staffer said.
Senator Ron Johnson releases statement on Trump video:
“Donald Trump’s recent comments are completely indefensible and I refuse to even attempt to try and do so.”
DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile released the following statement:A water-fuelled car is an automobile that hypothetically derives its energy directly from water. Water-fuelled cars have been the subject of numerous international patents, newspaper and popular science magazine articles, local television news coverage, and websites. The claims for these devices have been found to be pseudoscience and some were found to be tied to investment frauds.[1][2][3][4] These vehicles may be claimed to produce fuel from water on board with no other energy input, or may be a hybrid claiming to derive some of its energy from water in addition to a conventional source (such as gasoline).
Water is fully oxidized hydrogen. Hydrogen itself is a high-energy, flammable substance, but its useful energy is released when water is formed. Water will not burn. The process of electrolysis can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, but it takes as much energy to take apart a water molecule as was released when the hydrogen was oxidized to form water. In fact, some energy would be lost in converting water to hydrogen and then burning the hydrogen because some waste heat would always be produced in the conversions. Releasing chemical energy from water, in excess or in equal proportion to the energy required to facilitate such production, would therefore violate the first or second law of thermodynamics.[5][6][7][8]
What water-fuelled cars are not
A water-fuelled car is not any of the following:
Water injection which is a method for cooling the combustion chambers of engines by adding water to the incoming fuel-air mixture, allowing for greater compression ratios and reduced engine knocking (detonation).
The hydrogen car, although it often incorporates some of the same elements. To fuel a hydrogen car from water, electricity is used to generate hydrogen by electrolysis. The resulting hydrogen is an energy carrier that can power a car by reacting with oxygen from the air to create water, either through burning in a combustion engine or catalyzed to produce electricity in a fuel cell.
Hydrogen fuel enhancement, where a mixture of hydrogen and conventional hydrocarbon fuel is burned in an internal combustion engine, usually in an attempt to improve fuel economy or reduce emissions.
Extracting energy from water
According to the currently accepted laws of physics, there is no way to extract chemical energy from water alone. Water itself is highly stable—it was one of the classical elements and contains very strong chemical bonds. Its enthalpy of formation is negative (-68.3 kcal/mol or -285.8 kJ/mol), meaning that energy is required to break those stable bonds, to separate water into its elements, and there are no other compounds of hydrogen and oxygen with more negative enthalpies of formation, meaning that no energy can be released in this manner either.[9]
Most proposed water-fuelled cars rely on some form of electrolysis to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen and then recombine them to release energy; however, because the energy required to separate the elements will always be at least as great as the useful energy released, this cannot be used to produce net energy.[6][7]
Claims of functioning water-fuelled cars
Garrett electrolytic carburetor
Charles H. Garrett allegedly demonstrated a water-fuelled car "for several minutes", which was reported on September 8, 1935, in The Dallas Morning News.[10] The car generated hydrogen by electrolysis as can be seen by examining Garrett's patent, issued that same year.[11] This patent includes drawings which show a carburetor similar to an ordinary float-type carburetor but with electrolysis plates in the lower portion, and where the float is used to maintain the level of the water. Garrett's patent fails to identify a new source of energy.
Stanley Meyer's water fuel cell
[12] Stanley Meyer's water fuel cell
At least as far back as 1980, Stanley Meyer claimed that he had built a dune buggy that ran on water,[13] although he gave inconsistent explanations as to its mode of operation. In some cases, he claimed that he had replaced the spark plugs with a "water splitter",[14] while in other cases it was claimed to rely on a "fuel cell" that split the water into hydrogen and oxygen.[15] The "fuel cell", which he claimed was subjected to an electrical resonance, would split the water mist into hydrogen and oxygen gas, which would then be combusted back into water vapour in a conventional internal combustion engine to produce net energy. Meyer's claims were never independently verified, and in an Ohio court in 1996 he was found guilty of "gross and egregious fraud".[1] He died of an aneurysm in 1998, although conspiracy theories claim that he was poisoned.[7]
Dennis Klein
In 2002, the firm Hydrogen Technology Applications patented an electrolyser design and trademarked the term "Aquygen" to refer to the hydrogen oxygen gas mixture produced by the device.[16][17][18] Originally developed as an alternative to oxyacetylene welding, the company claimed to be able to run a vehicle exclusively on water, via the production of "Aquygen", and invoked an unproven state of matter called "magnegases" and a discredited theory about magnecules to explain their results.[19] Company founder Dennis Klein claimed to be in negotiations with a major US auto manufacturer and that the US government wanted to produce Hummers that used his technology.[20]
At present, the company no longer claims it can run a car exclusively on water, and is instead marketing "Aquygen" production as a technique to increase fuel efficiency,[21] thus making it Hydrogen fuel enhancement rather than a water-fuelled car.
Genesis World Energy (GWE)
Also in 2002, Genesis World Energy announced a market ready device which would extract energy from water by separating the hydrogen and oxygen and then recombining them.[22] In 2003, the company announced that this technology had been adapted to power automobiles.[23] The company collected over $2.5 million from investors, but none of their devices were ever brought to market. In 2006, Patrick Kelly, the owner of Genesis World Energy was sentenced in New Jersey to five years in prison for theft and ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution.[24]
Genepax Water Energy System
In June 2008, Japanese company Genepax unveiled a car which it claims runs on only water and air,[25] and many news outlets dubbed the vehicle a "water-fuel car".[26] The company says it "cannot [reveal] the core part of this invention,” yet,[27] but it has disclosed that the system uses an onboard energy generator (a "membrane electrode assembly") to extract the hydrogen using a "mechanism which is similar to the method in which hydrogen is produced by a reaction of metal hydride and water".[28] The hydrogen is then used to generate energy to run the car. This has led to speculation that the metal hydride is consumed in the process and is the ultimate source of the car's energy, making the car a hydride-fuelled "hydrogen on demand" vehicle, rather than water-fuelled as claimed.[29][30][31] On the company's website the energy source is explained only with the words "Chemical reaction".[32] The science and technology magazine Popular Mechanics has described Genepax's claims as "Rubbish."[33] The vehicle that Genepax demonstrated to the press in 2008 was a REVA |
the longer route via road will often save you some time. Nonetheless, once you reach your designation, you may sweep the skies clean with the twin high-calibre 14.5 mm heavy machine guns, mounted on a fully rotatable turret on top of the cargo bay. The guns sport excellent ballistic properties which, when paired with the good rate of fire of the two KPVT machine guns, make for a very powerful setup of weapons that any passionate AA gunner is sure to appreciate.
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As with any lightly armoured vehicle within the game, armour on the BTR-152A also only exists on paper, so to speak. The best armour plating, which is only 13mm thick, only effectively protects your five crew members from rifle-caliber fire. This means that future drivers of the BTR-152A shouldn’t seek protection in the armour of their vehicle, but instead in the mobility it provides them with. Moving under fire and relocating after being spotted is a must if you don’t wish to fall prey to much more powerful machines on the battlefield. Besides this, it’s also worth noting that the BTR-152A has no protection against strafing enemy aircraft, making uncareful drives quickly fall from the position of hunter to the one being hunted. To avoid this, simply make sure to relocate your vehicle frequently after firing and/or scoring kills.
High command is announcing the deployment of the new BTR-152A SPAA to the ranks of the Soviet ground forces research tree with War Thunder’s 1.71 update, coming soon! See you there!
Check our previous devblogs:
The War Thunder TeamFILE PHOTO: Special Counsel Robert Mueller departs after briefing members of the U.S. Senate on his investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The news that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed sealed indictments in the multiple investigations facing the Trump administration is sending shock waves of suspicion and uncertainty through President Donald Trump’s legal team and his closest allies, said Politico on Saturday.
“President Donald Trump’s White House and personal lawyers scrambled Saturday to learn where the knife might fall in the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller,” wrote Politico’s Darren Samuelsohn, “triggering a guessing game among aides after days of trying to turn attention away from allegations of collusion with Russia during the election.”
Attorneys for the White House, for President Trump and for his many aides who have lawyered up since the Mueller probe began were burning up phone lines on Friday and Saturday trying to find any information about the nature of the sealed indictments or who might be named in them.
Some, like ousted legal team spokesman Mark Corallo were enraged by indictment news, which he accused the Mueller team of leaking in order to put the squeeze on Trump’s allies and defenders.
“I’m disgusted by the tactics of the prosecutors to leak the information,” said Corallo — who was fired from the legal team for his vicious attempts to undermine public trust in Mueller by smearing his credibility.
Much speculation on Saturday centered around former national security adviser — and confirmed foreign operative — Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (ret.) and former Trump 2016 chairman Paul Manafort.
Observers familiar with cases of this kind said that the approach of indicting a lower-level individual in order to catch someone more powerful smacks of Andrew Weissmann — one of the prosecutors hired by Mueller.
“That moves you toward making a deal when the son or a wife is indicted,” said a source familiar with Weissman’s prosecutions of Exxon executives in the mid-2000s to Politico.
The indictments have come well ahead of the average 17-month duration for grand jury investigations, but a source familiar with Mueller said that this is normal for the former FBI director.
“Bob combines thoroughness and speed,” the official said.On the move: Alex Galchenyuk is no stranger to playing center. In fact, the 19-year-old spent the better part of his time with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting as a pivot, and he’s been preparing for a move back to his natural position at the NHL level since his rookie campaign in 2012-13.
On Saturday night in Denver, head coach Michel Therrien offered Galchenyuk the chance to strut his stuff at center during the third period, pairing the offensively-gifted forward with Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty during the third period of a 4-1 loss at the Pepsi Center. Not surprisingly, Galchenyuk didn't seem out of place in his new, but familiar role.
“I like the way he’s developed since last season. He’s gaining confidence and he’s developing a better understanding of the game,” offered Therrien, who has seen Galchenyuk rack up two goals and 11 points in 15 games so far this season. “Moving him is something we’ve been thinking about for a while. We were waiting for the right moment. I liked what I saw. He didn’t seem lost, which is good news for us. That’s why we’re going ahead with this move and we’ll keep it going.”
Committed to ensuring that Galchenyuk grows increasingly comfortable in between his wingmen, the Habs bench boss will monitor his progress closely and provide him with whatever support is necessary to ensure he makes a smooth transition to life in the middle.
“We’re going to give him time and see how things play out. It will depend on how the player feels too and if he’s responding well. We don’t want to put him in a position where he’ll end up struggling,” affirmed Therrien. “We’ll see how things go, and if he’s progressing the way we hoped he would, we’ll move ahead. We’re going to work very directly with him, but you can’t forget that he’s just 19 years old. I’m making him one of my top priorities.”
Making progress: On Monday morning, Travis Moen skated alongside his teammates for the first time since suffering a fractured orbital bone in a game against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 26 at the Bell Centre. In the aftermath of his latest injury, the 31-year-old, who sported a blue ‘no contact’ jersey – and a visor – during the on-ice session at the Bell Sports Complex, was quick to admit that this injury in particular had him worried, and he was grateful the final outcome wasn’t worse.
“It’s always scary. You feel it, you get hit in that area and you never really know what the damage is. As soon as I got back, the doctor said my eye was fine. It was obviously a huge relief; just some stitches,” mentioned Moen, who has two assists in 11 games during the 2013-14 campaign.
The Stewart Valley, SK native, who has suffered several facial injuries over the course of his 11-plus seasons in the NHL, will now sport a visor for the next four to six weeks to ensure he doesn’t aggravate the injury any further. That should provide the one-time Stanley Cup champ with plenty of time to decide whether to make it a permanent part of his on-ice wardrobe.
“Obviously it was a close call. I've had a few of those in my career. It really makes you think about putting a visor on. They won’t let me play without one for a while. I’ll tough it out until then and make a decision,” noted Moen, who boasts 727 penalty minutes in 626 career NHL regular season games. “It’s something I’ve thought about, but it’s going to take some time to get used to. It’ll be a little bit different out there for sure.”
No timetable as of yet has been set for Moen's return.
A welcomed call: Called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, Martin St-Pierre was on the ice alongside the rest of the Canadiens at practice on Monday morning. The 30-year-old centerman, who currently sits tied atop the Bulldogs’ scoring list with eight points in seven games, found it difficult to contain his excitement at the prospect of possibly contesting his first NHL game since the 2009-10 campaign wearing bleu-blanc-rouge.
“The phone call [regarding the call-up] came quickly. I was settled down in Hamilton and then I get called up here and I’m back in a hotel. But it’s a great experience. I can’t complain. It’s a dream for me to be here during the season and to be a part of the Canadiens organization,” explained the Ottawa, ON native, who signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Habs in July. “I work hard and I never give up. You always have to believe in yourself. I got the call at 5:00 p.m. yesterday, I was on the plane at 9:00 p.m. and I’m here today. We live out of our suitcases, but we play hockey for things like this.”
St-Pierre, who boasts 38 NHL games on his resume between Chicago, Boston and Ottawa, understands the importance of making the most of any opportunity he’s given to play on the biggest stage.
“When I was at training camp, my goal was to stand out and play the only way I know how; to be strong in the defensive zone and to put up points. When they sent me down to the AHL, they told me they would give chances to the guys who deserve it,” mentioned St-Pierre. “I was consistent in Hamilton and I really got things going over the weekend by scoring three goals in two games. Regardless of where they use me, whether it’s tomorrow, Thursday or Saturday, I’ll do my best during my time here.”
Matt Cudzinowski is a writer for canadiens.com.
SEE ALSO
Words from the room - Nov. 4
A tall order
Onward and upwardThe detail in the decal was so small that the Vermont state trooper cleaning his patrol car had to get face to face with it to confirm that what he saw was really what he thought he saw.
The trooper, not identified by police, noticed that the one of the spots on the cow depicted on the state seal was oddly shaped.
Then it hit him: He was looking at a pig.
So he immediately reported it.
As police began looking into the matter, they learned that about 30 other police cruisers had the porcine-shaped spot on their decals too.
So how did the pig -- often used as a derogatory term for police -- get there in the first place?
As it turns out, the emblems are printed by prison inmates with the corrections department's print shop, which also makes the state's stationary and license plates.
Inmates working there seem to have pulled a prank that Vermont police are not finding very funny.
"We understand that a lot of people will find humor in this," said Stephanie Dasaro, a Vermont State Police spokeswoman. "But the joke does come at the expense of the taxpayers."
Police are still trying to figure out how many cruisers carry the modified decal. Dasaro said it would cost about $800 to replace them.
Dasaro said she found the prank "disrespectful," emphasizing that the prank is insulting to officers who serve the Green Mountain State.
ALSO:
Toto as state dog of Kansas? Bad idea, PETA says
NYPD investigation of Muslims: Civil rights groups ask for probe
Blizzard moves east across Denver, dumps 2 inches of snow an hour
-- Ricardo Lopez
Photo: The state seal is seen on the side of a Vermont State Police cruiser. One of the spots on the cow in the state crest has been changed to the shape of a pig. Credit: Tony Talbot/Associated PressThigh-High Politics is an Op-Ed column by Teen Vogue writer Lauren Duca that breaks down the news, provides resources for the resistance, and just generally refuses to accept toxic nonsense.
Shortly after midnight on Friday morning, the GOP Senate failed in its latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, narrowly losing a rushed attempt at stripping health care from tens of millions of people under the veil of darkness.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and John McCain voted against the bill, ultimately defeating it. The Trumpcare initiative has died and come back to life more times than the villain in a lazy horror movie, but regardless of whether this is the final flatline, one thing is certain: The GOP is attempting to use the system created by the people in order to work against our best interests and presiding public opinion. Moving forward, with the exceptions of Murkowski, Collins, and McCain, the Republican Senate should be considered an active threat to democracy.
This morning’s cloak-and-dagger vote was the result of an extended process of covert manipulation led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Rallying votes for his motion to begin debate, McConnell has spent his time alternately sweet-talking and bullying fellow senators, while conspicuously hiding his preferred plan from public scrutiny. Still, the callousness of the GOP remained unobscured. Any potential efforts introduced under McConnell’s “motion to consider” over the past several days would have lead to many millions of people becoming uninsured — a measure the majority of the public does not support.
Make no mistake, if any form of the current GOP health care measures are able to pass, people will die. What is most egregious about all this is the manner in which so many American lives would be stolen. Senate Republicans have spent the past week blatantly abusing parliamentary procedure in order to force through legislation that is opposed by most of the electorate. As part of their effort to limit the influence of public debate, they began fast-tracking repeal attempts through to a vote, with shortcuts like using budget reconciliation as a loophole for altering large swaths of policy. On Thursday, they escalated this strategy, with House Republicans considering invoking “martial law,” under which a Senate-approved bill would be able to be voted on with less than a day’s notice. Then came the early morning vote. The intricacies of these tactics are somewhat complicated, so here’s a blunt translation: They tried to rush this thing through, before anyone could do a damn thing about it.
There’s no question as to whether more breathing room would lead to greater public opposition. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted earlier this month showed that just 28% support the bid to repeal and replace. The health care debate has become so frenzied that we seem to have forgotten the basic function of these senators, who are transparently conspiring to reformulate health care against the wishes of the individuals they are meant to serve. An elected official’s job is to represent the interests of their constituents, and the Republican Senate has explicitly rejected that duty in favor of achieving an astoundingly heartless political win.
At this point, partisan pig-headedness has all but fully consumed establishment conservatives, who long ago abandoned anything even remotely resembling principled conviction. For the past seven years, the GOP has grounded the party’s very existence in aggressive opposition to the Affordable Care Act, beginning with the earliest stages of the law’s creation. Back in 2009, Republicans accused Democrats of sinister secrecy, even though they spent more than 15 months and 44 hearings (split across the House and Senate) vetting and debating the bill. McConnell’s “motion to consider” allowed Republican reform to be up for a Senate vote, even though there have been only two hearings total, both in the House, regarding a different version of the bill. Hypocrisy is truly too weak of a word.An explosion carried out by the PKK terrorist organization rocked the Bağlar district of Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakır province on early Friday morning, killing 12 and injuring more than 100 people, shortly after deputies, including the co-chairs of the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were detained for refusing to bear testimony under the scope of an ongoing terrorism probe.
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım told reporters in a live press conference that the attack had left eight people dead. Those killed were two police officers, a technician and five civilians. He also said that more than 100 people were injured and added that only seven of them remain in the hospital. Yıldırım also stated that one terrorist was caught dead.
According to reports, a bomb attack took place near the counter-terror and riot police branch in the Bağlar district, which was followed by clashes between police and PKK terrorists.
As the attack took place in a heavily populated and school area many civilians including children were injured.
A child being carried away after deadly terror attack. (Photo DHA)
Vehicles and buildings around the blast were damaged by the explosion. Ambulances and firefighters were dispatched to the scene of the blast.
The explosion was reportedly carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle carrying over a ton of explosives.
The attack occurred following the arrests of 11 lawmakers from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), including the party's two co-leaders Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş and parliamentary group leader Idris Baluken. The HDP is accused of having links to the PKK terrorist group. They were arrested for failing to answer a summons to testify as part of a counter-terrorism investigation, a security source said.
The deputies face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws after their parliamentary immunity was lifted earlier this year, along with other lawmakers from Turkey's main political parties. Unlike deputies from other parties the HDP lawmakers had refused to appear to testify.
The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey.
Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish state for an independent state until the early 2000s. The group then shifted its goal to autonomy in the predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of eastern Turkey.
The terrorist group carries out bloody attacks under the pretext of defending Kurdish rights, killing scores of civilians, most of them Kurdish, in its attacks.
30 children and infants have been killed in PKK attacks since August of last year.The PKK's campaign - killing civilians in the name of freedom for Kurdish citizens in Turkey - is not a new one. It is responsible for roughly 7,000 civilian deaths since it was founded. The majority of these victims were Kurdish citizens of Turkey who were killed for supporting the Turkish government at a time when attacks were intensifying in the predominantly Kurdish cities in eastern and southeastern Turkey where the PKK struggled to garner support.Knowledge regarding environmental factors influencing the risk of Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly scarce, despite substantial research in this area. In particular, the roles of smoking and alcohol consumption still remain controversial. A new study published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests a protective effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in women who do not smoke.
Researchers at the University of Valencia, the Generalitat Valenciana, and the Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, in Spain, carried out a study comparing personal and clinical antecedents of subjects affected with Alzheimer's disease with healthy people, both groups with the same age and gender distribution. Women included in the study were mainly light or moderate alcohol consumers. The risk of Alzheimer's disease was unaffected by any measure of tobacco consumption, but a protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption was observed, this effect being more evident in nonsmoker women.
"Our results suggest a protective effect of alcohol consumption, mostly in nonsmokers, and the need to consider interactions between tobacco and alcohol consumption, as well as interactions with gender, when assessing the effects of smoking and/or drinking on the risk of AD," according to lead investigator Ana M. Garcia, PhD, MPH, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Valencia.
"Interactive effects of smoking and drinking are supported by the fact that both alcohol and tobacco affect brain neuronal receptors."Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is the only member of Congress running for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Congressional Democrats have little sway over who the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee will be. But the eventual winner — to be elected by DNC members this weekend in Atlanta — may play an important role in shaping the direction of a party that desperately needs help articulating its message and organizing ahead of the 2018 midterms.
“Right about now, they do nothing with the Congress. So anything would be an improvement,” Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, a former DNC member, said of the committee last week, outside the House chamber.
Many Democrats just want to move beyond what’s often felt like an extension of the 2016 presidential primary.
“Whoever gets elected has to first make sure that it isn’t another schism in this party,” Dingell said. “And after we get through with that, then they need to be smart about how to use all the talent that’s here on both sides of the Capitol.”
Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison has racked up the most congressional endorsements. But that won’t necessarily translate into victory on Feb. 25 since members of Congress don’t vote. The victor needs a majority of DNC members, and it’s expected to take multiple ballots for any of the remaining candidates to secure the necessary 224 of 447 votes.
Not since 2005 has there been an open race for the chairmanship. Typically a Democratic president selects the chairman. But with Democrats completely out of power at the federal level — and the party losing its grip at the state level — there’s a renewed focus on the position this year.
“[It’s] the titular head of the party, absent having a president right now,” said New York Rep. Joseph Crowley, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
Not all members see much at stake in the DNC election. “I’m not even tracking it,” said Minnesota Rep. Collin C. Peterson, shaking his head when asked if he’d make an endorsement. For the 14-term Blue Dog, likely the only Democrat who can hold his agricultural district, steering clear of national party politics makes sense.
‘Show us a pathway’
But for the Democratic caucus at large, the need to organize is particularly acute.
“This is a time when the Democratic Party is looking for new leadership, and if a strong DNC chair gets elected who’s going to provide that and show us a pathway to winning back so many of these seats that we’ve lost in the House, then we’ll be in better shape,” Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton said.
Democrats gained a net of just six House seats in 2016 — an impressive feat by historical standards while losing the White House — but well below expectations set by their own leaders. Frustrated members directed their ire at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after the elections.
But just as Democrats are eager to move beyond what many see as a DNC proxy war between the establishment and progressive wings of the party, House Democrats want to transcend what’s often sounded like a dichotomous postelection debate about who their base should be — well-educated urbanites or blue-collar workers.
To get there, some members expressed an interest in seeing the new chairman prioritize operations and decentralize messaging. Being a mouthpiece on cable TV shouldn’t be the chairman’s primary role, they said.
“It is part of the job,” Dingell said. “But we’ve got strong leaders here and I think the grass roots wants to hear from other people.”
Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York, one of the most outspoken critics of party leadership in the House, agreed that the new chairman should worry less about being the voice of the entire party.
“That might have been some of the problems in the past,” she said.
Grass-roots effort
Rice wants the new chairman to build party infrastructure from the ground up. “Republicans had it right,” she said, recognizing the GOP’s dominance at the state legislative level across the country.
“New York State, for instance. We have a statewide Democratic Party. It serves one person: the governor. And I don’t think that New York is alone in that,” she added.
Fellow New York Democrat Grace Meng, who’s running for re-election as a DNC vice chairwoman, agreed that the committee should focus on building up the party’s bench. She’s interested in fostering better connections between Democrats in the states and Democrats in Congress.
“Our DNC members and their state parties in rural areas would love to be able to connect and hear from them,” she said. “They’re so hungry for attention.”
The DNC has traditionally invested in state parties, while allowing the congressional campaign committees to operate in their own spheres.
In an interview outside the House chamber last week, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján said he’d like to see more collaboration between Senate, House, gubernatorial and state legislative campaigns in the same states.
Democratic strategist Martha McKenna, a former DSCC political director now working for South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign for chairman, agreed, saying, “We have to leverage the resources and the talent at each of these committees in order to win tough races.”
“It doesn’t benefit Democratic congressional candidates if these committees are siloed,” she said.
Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.Costel Pantilimon helped Manchester City beat Sunderland to win the Capital One Cup -- now he's joined the beaten finalists.
There were seven games in the 2013-14 season that had great significance in Manchester City finishing the campaign as champions. It's probably fair to say the calendar year of 2013 wasn't too kind to Joe Hart, and for a month and a half in the autumn the England number one became City's number two.
Step forward Costel Pantilimon.
Over the seven games the Romanian held down a starting berth at the Etihad, two things became clear. Firstly, Pantilimon wasn't a bad back-up to have for a few games; secondly that Hart is vastly the superior goalkeeper when both are on the top of their form.
In the end, it would turn out to be a very necessary kick on the backside for the Englishman, whose form would turn around on his return to the starting line-up to the point where he'd make title-winning saves further down the fixture list. However, by the time Pellegrini put Hart back in, it was obvious it was the correct decision -- the end of the 6-3 win over Arsenal showed something in the way of a lack of composure.
Pantilimon has had an eventful time at Manchester City for a man who spent all but seven games as the club's number two for his three-season stay. He first came to the fans' attention as Timisoara's goalkeeper when the Romanian side came to Eastlands in the 2010-11 Europa League. Over the two legs, he did enough to convince Roberto Mancini he'd been someone who could play adequate back-up to Hart. He joined on loan at the start of 2011-12, making the move permanent that January.
- Deal agreed: Pantilimon moves to Sunderland
Technically, there were always doubts about the Romanian goalkeeper. For a man his size, his command of aerial balls was occasionally shaky and he often struggled to react to the rebound after making a save, largely again down to his height.
At City, Pantilimon didn't get much in the way of game time. His biggest contributions under the Italian came in the cups, though -- with three League Cup wins and one FA Cup defeat to show for his season. In those games he was solid, if not spectacular, and pulled off a couple of good saves, most notably in a 1-0 win at Arsenal in December.
The Romanian remained City's cup goalkeeper under Mancini for the Italian's final season, but for one match. Having not exactly impressed in a 4-2 (after extra time) home defeat to Aston Villa in the League Cup, Pantilimon was back in for the FA Cup run that started with a win over Watford -- where the goalkeeper stopped a one-on-one very impressively. A test at the Britannia was well dealt with, as City earned their first win there in six attempts, before a comfortable run of home games against lower league opposition gave the Blues a trip to Wembley.
It was a big call for Mancini to stick with his cup goalkeeper -- something he hadn't done in the League Cup semifinals the season before -- but stick with him he did and it paid off. Not only was Pantilimon commanding in the air under a lot of Chelsea pressure, he pulled off one of the best saves a back-up goalkeeper will have ever made, as he looked all but beaten by Juan Mata as the Spaniard tried to round him to equalise. The keeper got a hand around his man and scooped the ball away, avoiding conceding a penalty.
In the build-up to the final, though, Pantilimon gave an interview previewing the game. With Mancini already having confirmed he'd stick with his goalkeeper for the match with Wigan, the Romanian did himself no favours by saying he may need to leave City for first team football -- as his national coach had told him. In the end, Mancini went with Hart for the final.
Pantilimon proved a steady deputy in Joe Hart's absence.
It had looked like Pantilimon may have left at the end of that season, but he remained for the final year of his contract and his first under Pellegrini. He'd end up playing a crucial part in the Blues' title bid in helping Hart return to form -- playing enough matches to pick up a medal himself -- and he finished with a League Cup winners' medal following his four clean sheets in that competition. The only game he didn't play in that run was away to Leicester, when Hart was on punishment detail. The only goal he conceded was to Sunderland's Fabio Borini.
And it's to the opposition from that March trip to Wembley where Pantilimon will move when his contract with the Blues ends next month. He'll leave Manchester City with some good memories and has served the club well, but he was in the ultimate catch 22.
With the Blues he was always going to be number two and for a man aged 27, he's going to want to stand more of a chance of earning the starting jersey on a regular basis. Yet at City, he would always have been guaranteed a better chance of silverware and honours, certainly from the cups.
It leaves a gaping hole for the champions too, while he wasn't on a par with Hart, he was better ranked than a large proportion of the back-up shot-stoppers out there, so finding a replacement won't be easy. Blues fans certainly won't be relishing the prospect of a 36-year-old Richard Wright coming into the team in the event of injury or suspension.
They will have trouble signing a world class goalkeeper to keep Hart on his toes: there's nobody of that standard who could be convinced to drop to the bench and the England goalkeeper won't be happy to be back among the subs for any great length of time either.So far, our nation’s budget debate has been a desultory affair focused on whether a small slice of the federal government’s outlays should be cut by $33 billion or $61 billion, or whatever.
But Americans are about to learn how much is at stake in our larger budget fight, how radical the new conservatives in Washington are, and the extent to which some politicians would transfer even more resources from the have-nots and have-a-littles to the have-a-lots.
And you wonder: Will President Obama welcome the responsibility of engaging the country in this big argument, or will he shrink from it? Will his political advisers remain robotically obsessed with poll results about the 2012 election, or will they embrace Obama’s historic obligation — and opportunity — to win the most important struggle over the role of government since the New Deal?
This week, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will announce the House Republicans’ budget plan, which is expected to include cuts in many programs for the neediest Americans.
The Ryan budget’s central purpose will not be deficit reduction but the gradual dismantling of key parts of government. Remember that Ryan wants both to preserve the Bush tax cuts and, over the long run, to enact more breaks for the wealthy, including the elimination of the capital gains tax.
Ryan’s plan reportedly will include steep Medicaid cuts, disguised as a proposal to turn the program into a “block grant” to the states. The net effect would be to leave even more Americans to the mercies of the private insurance market.
In deference to the GOP’s success in turning last year’s health-care law into “Obamacare,” let’s call this proposal Ryancare — and let’s make sure we look carefully at its impact on the elderly and the disabled, the main beneficiaries of Medicaid.
Put the two parts of the Ryan design together — tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for the poor — and its radically redistributionist purposes become clear. Timid Democrats would never dare embark on class warfare on this scale the other way around.
But while I am assailing his ideas, let me put in a good word about Ryan himself: He is, from my limited experience, a charming man who truly believes what he believes. I salute him for laying out the actual conservative agenda. Here’s hoping he is transparent in the coming weeks about whom he is taking benefits from and toward whom he wants to be more generous. If he thinks we need an even more unequal society to prosper in the future, may he have the courage to say so.
The other clue as to where conservatives are going was the Senate Republicans’ so-called balanced budget amendment, announced Thursday. I usually resist the term “so-called,” but it’s appropriate here because this amendment is not about balancing the budget. It is about eviscerating government.
And it’s not even honest on its own terms. It says federal outlays should not exceed 18 percent of gross domestic product without a two-thirds vote in Congress. But the words in the amendment say this number would be calculated on the basis of “the calendar year ending before the beginning of such fiscal year” — my emphasis — meaning it delays taking into account economic growth.
The result, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, would be to limit federal spending to about 16.7 percent of GDP.
And when was the last time federal spending was that low? In 1956, the center reports, when “Medicare and Medicaid did not exist and millions of workers... were excluded from Social Security.” Oh yes, and we didn’t have much federal aid to education then, or most of our environmental protection initiatives, or “basic programs to ease poverty and hardship such as Supplemental Security Income for the elderly and disabled poor, food stamps, and the Earned Income Tax Credit.”
One other thing: The amendment would require a two-thirds majority to raise taxes, giving a right-wing minority veto power over any tax increases. Goodbye, majority rule.
This is all extreme and irresponsible stuff. The president knows it. The coming week will test who he is. When Ryan releases his budget, will the president finally engage?
“This is our time,” Obama liked to say during the 2008 campaign. This most certainly is his time to stand up for the vision of a practical, progressive government that he once advanced so eloquently.
ejdionne@washpost.comCircumlocution is so prevalent in today’s corporate writing that we may not even notice it.
In case you’re unfamiliar, circumlocution is the use of many words when one will do. For example, writing “at this point in time” when “now” will work.
As Ragan.com publisher Mark Ragan often points out at his seminars, readers have “an incredibly shrinking attention span.” As writers and editors, we need to communicate as clearly and concisely as possible. One way we can do this—avoid circumlocution.
Here are some examples:
Instead of Try
afford an opportunity allow, let as a means of to at this point in time now due to the fact that because during the period during has a requirement for needs in a timely manner quickly, promptly in accordance with by, following, per, under in advance of before in regard to about, concerning, on in the amount of for in the event that if in the near future shortly, soon no later than June 1 by June 1 pertaining to about provides guidance for guides under the provisions of under until such time as until with reference to about with the exception of except
Readers, any examples of circumlocutory writing that you would like to share?
Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor. She is also the author of the blog impertinentremarks.com.
(Image via)With more riders hitting the street, Ontario is investing $93 million by next year to improve the province's cycling infrastructure — nearly double the amount that was initially promised.
Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca and Tourism Minister Eleanor McMahon announced the new funds on Monday under the province's four year commuter cycling program designed to help the province make its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
"Cycling is a convenient and sustainable way to get around and that is why we are committed to building more cycling infrastructure to make it easier for people to bike," Del Duca said in a news release.
"Our government looks forward to continue working with our partners and the cycling community to ensure we create a safe and integrated cycling network."
He explained that 120 municipalities throughout the province will receive funding to expand bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure. This investment is drawn from the proceeds of Ontario's cap-and-trade program.
Toronto slated to receive $25.6M
Toronto is poised to receive $25.6 million by next year.
The city says it plans to use this funding the deliver its Ten Year Cycling Network Plan. This includes expanding the city's Bike Share program by adding 3,000 more bikes, 300 new locations and 6,000 docks over the next decade.
"This is about giving Toronto residents more options to get around the city," said Mayor John Tory in a news release.
"Cycling infrastructure and expansion of the Bike Share program will encourage people to cycle more often, improve safety and provide more travel options."
Urban planners and cycling advocates have criticized Toronto's piecemeal approach to bike lanes. (John Rieti/CBC)
But Canada's most populous city has been criticized by urban planners and cycling advocates for having a piecemeal approach to bike infrastructure and lagging behind other urban centres across the country.
Last month, city council voted 36-6 to make the controversial Bloor Street bike lanes a permanent fixture on the roadway.
The city now has approximately 590 kilometres of on-road bike lanes, about 37 kilometres of which are protected from car traffic.
But despite a decade-long plan approved last year to create a bike-lane network, the majority of lanes are currently disconnected from other stretches, leaving cyclists and motorists contending for space on busy roads.
Meanwhile, Montreal — internationally recognized as one of the most cycle-friendly cities in North America — has about 570 kilometres of on-road or roadside bike lanes, of which nearly 90 kilometres are protected or separated from car lanes.
Spike in cycling
Initially the province had committed $42.5 million to its commuter cycling program, but since doubled that due to the growing number of people wanting to travel on two wheels.
"Creating more bike lanes in communities big and small makes it easier and safer for people across the province to choose cleaner, quicker ways of getting around," said Environment Minister Chris Ballard.
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started to cry some more and a sergeant came over and took the baby from me so that I could tend to something else.
As I watched the kids, kids I assumed were brothers, trying to register what was happening, my heart sank.
I walked through the crowd to a mini mart and made my way inside.
All eyes were on me in an uncomfortable way.
“Do you have any juice or milk I can have?” I asked. “I’ll bring money tomorrow. I don’t have any cash right now, but it’s for the kids across the street.”
After I said that, the folks in the store relaxed and were very accomodating. “Here, here, here, take this. How many do you need?”
“Just one.” I said.
Only the one seemed old enough for a drink outside of a bottle. The others seemed too young.
I made my way back to the kids and extracted the straw from its wrapper and poked it through the hole as only a dad with ten plus years of service can do.
I knelt down and gave the oldest brother his drink and told him to promise me he’d take care of his little brothers.
“Be a good big brother, okay? I’m the oldest of my brothers. It’s an important job.”
He said he would.
He got it.
He knows what’s going on because I suspect he’s a kid who’s living a rough life.
The news crews came and did their interviews.
I watched from my car as the news crews turned off their cameras and made their phone calls.
By this point, I’d heard that the woman who was shot was in critical but stable condition.
I was stunned when I heard that.
God bless EMS crews and trauma units for what they’re able to do, because I’d have lost a lot of money betting that the woman I saw on the ground earlier was going to meet her maker very soon.
That she’s alive makes me happy.
While I have my doubts, I hope her near death experience will cause her to appreciate her life and love her kids as though she were dying, because last night on that gas station parking lot, she was.
AdvertisementsGiving animals, rivers and natural place rights might seem like a radical step, but a new book argues that's exactly the kind of powerful transformative idea the environmental movement needs.
David Boyd, an environmental lawyer and professor at the University of British Columbia, says planet earth is at a crossroads.
"Human beings are causing the sixth mass extinction in the four and a half billion year history of the earth.... The population has grown from three billion to over seven and a half billion. The global economy has grown by 2,000 per cent while average wildlife populations have fallen by about 60 per cent," he said.
"It's clear that the kinds of laws and policies we've been using over the past 50 years just aren't getting the job done — and that's why rights are such a powerful idea."
Boyd's new book The Rights of Nature explores the growing global movement to use rights for non-human entities to protect the environment. He says there are many examples around the world of this, from Ecuador's 2008 constitution enshrining rights for Pachamama (Mother Nature) to landmark cases recognizing the rights of great apes in captivity.
New Zealand river awarded personhood
One pertinent example he says is how in 2017 the Māori Nation in New Zealand won special recognition for the Whanganui River.
The court granted the river the same legal rights as a human being. Boyd says that ruling created guardians who now make decisions in the best interest of the river. This, he argues, is a more powerful protection than environmental law and regulations which can be full of loopholes and often subjugated to other — often economic — interests.
"That's very different from saying we're going to try and minimize the impacts of pollution while we go ahead with growing the economy," he explained. "These are legal rights that give these areas an unprecedented level of protection."
Boyd admits that giving rights to natural things might require a shift in culture. For example, giving rights to animals might create major implications for slaughtering animals for food.
"Granting rights to animals wouldn't mean an end to domestic animals but it would certainly mean we would have to have changes in the way animals are treated," he said.
He says changing perspective is not impossible.
"Over the last five or 10 years we're seeing amazing breakthroughs in the legal rights of animals, species and nature itself," he said
Boyd's book launches Thursday, Sept. 14 with an event at UBC's Museum of Anthropology at 7:30 p.m. PT with a $10 admission fee to the museum.
With files from The Early EditionAdvertisement Kids find huge stash of guns, rifles in empty house in Westmoreland County Share Shares Copy Link Copy
Police tracked down a 93-year-old man who owns an empty, dilapidated house in Westmoreland County and the 60-plus weapons that were found inside after officers responded to a burglary report.VIDEO: Watch Ashlie Hardway's reportA flintlock muzzle-loader rifle, a TEC-9 machine gun, an AK-47, a Thompson submachine gun and other assault rifles, long guns and handguns were recovered Tuesday from the house on Hemlock Street in Laurel Mountain Borough.Three juveniles were found in the home and two others were found nearby, ranging in age from 11 to 14. Police said the children took some of the guns to a treehouse area that they built and played with the weapons, and even practiced shooting them."The kids told us right up front they had three handguns they had in a fort -- a little place they called their hideaway in the woods," said police Chief John Berger. "They'd go up and actually shoot some of the handguns. Then they'd take them back, but they kept three of them in self-made bunkers that they had."Berger said he found the owner, a 93-year-old man, in a local hospital, but they hadn't spoken to him to learn why he had so many guns and why he left them unattended for years.The guns were not loaded when police found them late Tuesday afternoon. Some neighbors called police when they heard items being broken inside the home.Berger said there was also a large amount of ammunition found inside the home. He said that after shooting the weapons, the children would unload them and play Cops and Robbers."The one kid said they'd cock the hammers and pull the triggers. The two younger men knew they weren't loaded and they would always check them. I can't tell you how lucky we are that nobody got hurt," Berger said.Berger said he is glad that the children weren't hurt and that adult criminals didn't find the guns first to sell or pawn them.Berger said the children will face charges in juvenile court.Dean Hachamovitch — the man who oversaw the development of Internet Explorer for 10 years — has left Microsoft. Hachamovitch announced the news in a short blog post, in which he said he was "ready to enjoy a different point of view on both tech and life," 24 years after he joined Microsoft. In an interview with GeekWire, Hachamovitch said that the company "really has changed a lot" since he joined in 1990, and that he was "overdue a change."
Microsoft "really has changed a lot."
Hachamovitch joined Microsoft's Internet Explorer team as its general manager in 2003. IE was riding high at the time, having put the nail in Netscape's coffin, but the success meant that Microsoft's browser suffered from a lack of active development during the period. Three years later in 2006, as Microsoft's browser was losing ground to competitors such as Mozilla's Firefox, Hachamovitch publicly took the blame for IE's failings. "We messed up," he said at a Microsoft conference. "As committed as we are to the browser, we just didn't do a good job demonstrating it."
Hachamovitch was reassigned from his position on the Internet Explorer team late last year, moving within the company to become chief data scientist as Microsoft broadly reorganized its Windows team. He had made more aggressive attempts to improve the browser, trumpeting IE's increased security and its adoption of HTML 5, but saw the public perception of Microsoft's product lagging behind its rivals'. Under Hachamovitch's guidance, the Internet Explorer team was reluctant to adopt advances championed by competitors, such as Chrome's browser extensions. The next Internet Explorer release, IE12, looks set to incorporate such features.Spread the love
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Washington, D.C. – In a tweet this morning, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, made a prescient observation that the ongoing deep state coup against President Trump is an operation by establishment forces to unseat Trump and replace him with Vice President Mike Pence. Assange noted that Trump’s political capital has “been openly looted for months now by GOP, CIA, Netanyahu, Goldman Sachs, etc.”
Trump's political capital has been openly looted for months now by GOP, CIA, Netanyahu, Goldman Sachs, etc. Game is clearly to extract as many unpopular positions as possible (e.g tax cuts for the super rich), push the resulting political corpse to Mueller & install Mike Pence. — Julian Assange? (@JulianAssange) December 14, 2017
Essentially, Assange is saying is that the aforementioned stakeholders who want to see Trump gone have played a long-game, whereby they have worked “to extract as many unpopular positions as possible (e.g tax cuts for the super rich), push the resulting political corpse to Mueller & install Mike Pence.”
This, of course, was done as means of severing Trump from his political base, which largely opposes CIA interventionism, Zionism, and globalist banking cartels. The idea behind it being that when Mueller moves to recommend impeachment, Trump will have strayed so far from the positions that got him elected that there will be a minimal public outcry in his defense.
This follows chatter earlier this year that some saw Mike Pence as “the Deep State’s insurance policy.”
In fact, Wikileaks’ Assange, tweeted back in March, that there was a plan afoot by Hillary Clinton and her loyalists within the Intelligence Community to force a “Pence takeover.”
Clinton stated privately this month that she is quietly pushing for a Pence takeover. She stated that Pence is predictable hence defeatable. — Julian Assange? (@JulianAssange) March 14, 2017
As the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin observed back in March:
“Pence is seen by many in Washington as a figure who might stand up for the traditionally hawkish views he espoused while in Congress, a proxy of sorts for the GOP national security establishment.”
Two IC officials close to Pence stated privately this month that they are planning on a Pence takeover. Did not state if Pence agrees. — Julian Assange? (@JulianAssange) March 14, 2017
Assange’s position about the Pence coup has been acknowledged by independent journalist, Mike Cernovich, who broke the Susan Rice unmasking story, and has previously said that inside sources have confirmed that Pence is working to remove Trump in a deep state coup.
Back in August, Cernovich reported having inside information from White Houses sources that claimed Pence was working behind the scenes to count Republican votes in Congress for a possible impeachment vote to remove Trump. T
Rumors of an internal coup began during the election campaign when it was reported that Pence began plotting a coup after a tape of Trump boasting about groping women was made public.
The tape’s release, one month before the election, caused dissent among senior Republicans and led to several withdrawing their endorsements and calling for Trump to withdraw as the party’s presidential candidate.
Pence, known as a deeply religious man, was said to be “beside himself” over Trump’s comments on the tape. Pence’s wife Karen was reportedly disgusted and called Trump “reprehensible—just totally vile,” according to the Atlantic.
Sources close to the campaign have claimed that the situation was so serious that Trump held a meeting to determine what step to take next.
Reince Priebus, who would become Trump’s first Chief of Staff, was reportedly bombarded with calls from party officials and donors pleading with him to get rid of Trump, with some suggesting replacing him with Pence and making Condoleezza Rice his running mate.
Priebus reportedly told him he would suffer a huge defeat if he did not drop out.
At the time, RNC lawyers attempted to find a legal mechanism by which they could remove Trump as the Republican candidate, while a group of billionaires attempted to offer Trump $800 million in order to voluntarily quit the race, according to the Atlantic.
The fact of the matter is that Trump, while considered an outsider to politics, has operated as a consummate politician by catering to many of the special interest groups he ran on not allowing to have influence in his administration—which may ultimately be his undoing if his base abandons him as Mueller moves toward a potential impeachment.
As Democratic Sen. Chuck Shumer told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in reference to Trump taking on the Intelligence Community:
“Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.”A core philosophy of Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal party is big government. This is shown in policies that deliver high government spending and high taxation. As well as a clear inability to get the budget anywhere near surplus because of this disposition to spending, this is one of the highlights from Scott Morrison’s midyear economic and fiscal outlook for 2015-16.
Myefo: key points at a glance Read more
The Coalition parties under Tony Abbott and now Turnbull have been unable to contain government spending. This is to the point where the budget deficits are significantly larger than Labor was scheduling in its last budget in May 2013, the return to surplus is about half a decade later than Labor was estimating and government debt is rising at a rate that would be causing some anxiety for the sovereign credit ratings agencies.
Under Turnbull, government spending will increase by 2% in real terms (which allows for inflation) in 2015-16. In each of the following three years, spending will continue to grow at a rapid clip. As a share of GDP, government spending will be at or above 25.3% in each and every year out to 2018-19, a fact that should once and for all smash the perception that the Liberal party is for “small government” with a lower rate of interference in the functioning of the economy than Labor.
The facts are clear.
The previous Labor government was heavily criticised for its spending programs, yet it maintained spending below 25% of GDP in three of the years it was in office. As a result, government spending averaged just 24.9% of GDP during its full term of office, which is 0.7% ($12bn in today’s dollar terms) less a year on average than under the current government. The Labor government spending included the obvious cash splash that encapsulated the fiscal stimulus implemented during the global financial crisis. Australia dodged recession because of those policies. There is no global recession now.
The big spending embraced by the Turnbull government is fundamentally the reason why the budget surplus has been pushed out a further year. The revenue base, in particular tax collections, is growing nicely with the economy recording a solid if not spectacular rate of economic growth. The unemployment rate has surprised even the optimists on the downside, which means greater tax revenue from the larger workforce and lower payments to the unemployed.
Malcolm Turnbull's stocks remain high, but his coffers are increasingly empty Read more
Indeed, the Myefo confirms that tax revenue will rise to 23.1% of GDP in 2018-19, which is well above any level of tax that Labor has exceeded only twice in the past 65 years. Not Whitlam, nor Keating, nor Rudd, nor Gillard ever taxed this high. The only government to have a higher tax to GDP ratio was John Howard, who exceeded this rate in eight of his years in office.
The budget update puts paid to the conventional wisdom that the Liberals believe in and deliver small government. The facts prove the exact opposite.
It is also extraordinary, at least relative to the rhetoric, to see government debt rising at a rapid pace. After the 2013 election, the Liberal party inherited net government debt of 10% of GDP. It now has a policy agenda that on its own estimates will see net debt spike to a peacetime record high of 18.5% of GDP in 2017-18. Only during world wars has government debt been higher.
As the 2016 election nears, economic management will no doubt be a dominant issue for voters. The side that is most likely to win the election will be the one that the electorate judges to have the ability to preside over economic policies that deliver decent jobs growth, have well targeted and prudent spending, a bias towards reasonable taxes, yet will deliver the services and support that voters hanker for.
Stephen Koukoulas is a research fellow at the thinktank Per CapitaAlright folks, this recipe for chocolate pudding made with avocado is a good one! It was my brother’s birthday this past Friday (Happy Birthday Zeshan!) and so I wanted to make healthy dessert (God knows there was going to be a sugar-filled cake). Irfan, my partner in life and crime, is also currently on a paleo-ish diet. I say “ish” because he’s a vegetarian and so he’s doing paleo without the meat but with the addition of beans and lentils. I wanted to make something that he could eat as well.
I bought avocados, cocoa and added some maple syrup. BAAM! A delicious avocado pudding! My brother, who is not known for his healthy eating ways loved it! So did my 11 year-old nephew. A healthy dessert for all friends! 🙂 So many exclamation marks!!!
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients for Recipe for Chocolate Pudding Made with Avocado
Meat from 2 large avocados (or 3-4 small)
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup maple syrup
optional: tsp of vanilla, tsp of cinnamon
a few splashes of dairy free milk if needed (I used almond milk)
Directions for Recipe for Chocolate Pudding Made with Avocado
Throw all ingredients into your food processor and go to town! Add more maple syrup if desired (1/2 cup maple syrup was the perfect amount of sweetness for me, but you may like more)
Enjoy!The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act initiative has officially qualified for the November ballot, according to the Oregon Secretary of State office. If approved by voters the initiative would make both marijuana and industrial hemp legal under state law. Marijuana would be legalized for adults over the age of 21, and the initiative would allow the commercial sale of marijuana through highly regulated state-licensed stores.
The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act will appear on the ballot as “Measure 80.” The vast majority of the tax revenue generated by the sale of marijuana would go to the state general fund. Eight percent of the money raised as a result of the initiative would be set aside for drug treatment and education programs. An additional two percent would be used to promote hemp products.
A survey from earlier this month by Public Policy Polling found Oregon voters closely divided on the issue of marijuana legalization. According to the poll 43 percent of Oregon voters think the use of marijuana should be legal, while 46 percent think marijuana should be illegal.
This makes Oregon now the third state this year to have a marijuana legalization initiative qualify for the November ballot. It joins Washington State and Colorado, both of which had legalization initiatives qualify for their respective ballots earlier in the cycle.Turkey and Jordan, you know we love you.
We also love your food, and are both still dreaming of Turkish mantı and the many different ways Jordan made us fall in love with the chick pea. We had to employ some serious willpower to stop ourselves from licking a few plates clean while we visited.
But unfortunately, we were still left wanting. There was one important thing missing. One delectable and mouth-watering meat that we painfully went without for the over three months while we toured Muslim countries.
We missed you, little piggy!
We craved bacon in our pasta, chops served with apple sauce, and even just a good ol’ fashioned hot dog.
And I’m not kidding – several times during our stay in Turkey, we had to turn off the TV when watching No Reservations, as Anthony Bourdain’s current exploits were just too porktastic.
From Jordan we flew into Rome with one day layover before heading to Malta. We made plans to hook up with our friends Katrina and Dario, with one insistent plea:
Please, please! We need pork!
They delivered, and then some.
First up, a home cooked Italian meal, starring Dario’s mom as chef, with a couple varieties of pork products on the menu.
Prosciutto on a bed of ricotta, cream cheese and in a sweet pastry shell.
Savory pork sausages roasted with potatoes.
The following day, they took us to Ariccia, a compact and beautiful town, known for its porchetta.
A moist, fatty, boneless pork roast. Melt-in-your-mouth-goodness.
We didn’t stop there.
My absolute favorite Italian dish – carbonara – with bacon (of course).
So, that was a start. We have a lot of ground to make up.news Toronto Public Library Facing Significant Service Cuts in the New Year
Photo by scienceduck from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Despite Rob Ford’s promise that in 2011 his administration will balance the budget without any service cuts, today Torontoist learned that the Toronto Public Library may be facing what can only be called non-trivial cuts in the coming year. The agenda for the library board’s January 6, 2011 meeting has just been released; though it is not online at the moment (we’ll update with a link when it is) we have been shown a hard copy. [ : The library board agenda meeting is now available here.] Item 9 of the agenda consists of updated proposals for the 2011 budget that include several cuts to service that will affect library patrons across the city. Among the key items up for consideration:
The Urban Affairs library branch at Metro Hall is up for total closure, the collection to be relocated to the Toronto Reference Library. This would have the effect of leaving that neighbourhood, and its tens of thousands of condo residents, without a local branch. Though the library does not have a general interest collection, it is used by the local community for picking up materials—28,000 holds were filled at this branch in 2009—and by area students as a quiet study space. The next closest branch for most of those residents is at City Hall. TPL staff is making this recommendation on the basis of requests for efficiencies from the City.
The acquisitions budget—which is what pays for new book, periodical, and other item purchases each year—will not see an “economic” (i.e. inflationary) increase, meaning that the library will be able to purchase eighteen thousand fewer items this year than last, since books will cost more this year than last due to annual increases. An additional reduction has been requested by City staff, which would further reduce book purchases by another twenty-three thousand volumes. TPL staff is recommending that the library board accept the inflationary freeze but not the additional cut; their report to the library board states that “[t]his would result in longer wait times for popular materials, lower customer satisfaction, and may result in 305,000 fewer books borrowed.”
The library board will be considering these recommendations at its aforementioned January 6 meeting; it will also be considered as part of the Budget Committee meetings for Toronto as a whole, which begin January 10, 2011. While the library staff report which includes these proposed cuts is clearly a response to Ford’s overall request for “efficiencies,” it is not clear that Ford’s office or his budget chief has requested these cuts in particular. Since the mayor’s budget directives include “no service cuts” alongside the “efficiencies,” it is also not yet clear whether his budget committee will endorse these proposals or pursue other options in balancing the budget while retaining all the existing library services.Manchester United goalscorers Juan Mata (left), Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney celebrate
Manchester United can win the Premier League this season, says former player and assistant coach Phil Neville.
United lie third in the table, eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea, after claiming a sixth successive win with Sunday's 3-0 victory over Liverpool.
Asked on BBC Radio 5 live if Louis Van Gaal's side could win the league this season, Neville, 37, insisted: "Yes, they can.
"At the moment, they've got the momentum and you just never know."
Neville, who won six Premier League titles as a player at Old Trafford, was part of the coaching team under David Moyes last season.
Moyes was eventually sacked as United finished seventh, but Neville said the club can bounce back quickly.
He pointed to the "spirit" he witnessed from the United squad after last Monday's 2-1 win at Southampton, when players and officials went to celebrate with supporters who had travelled to St Mary's.
"Van Gaal went down there, Ryan Giggs went down there, the goalkeeping coach went down there," said Neville.
Manchester United's winning streak 8 November: Crystal Palace (h) 1-0 (Mata) 22 November: Arsenal (a) 2-1 (Gibbs og, Rooney) 29 November: Hull (h) 3-0 (Smalling, Rooney, Van Persie) 2 December: Stoke (h) 2-1 (Fellaini, Mata) 8 December: Southampton (a) 2-1 (Van Persie - 2) 14 December: Liverpool (h) 3-0 (Rooney, Mata, Van Persie)
"All of a sudden, you've got that spirit... that indomitable spirit."
United will attempt to close the gap on Chelsea and second-placed Manchester City when they take on Aston Villa, Newcastle, Tottenham and Stoke over the Christmas and New Year period.
Neville said the United players will believe they can win all these games and added that he felt the club are benefitting from not playing in European competition, just as Liverpool did last season.
Wayne Rooney sees comparisons between the current season and when United last won the league in 2012-13
Liverpool came close to ending their long wait for a Premier League title, only to slip up and finish second to Manchester City.
"There are similarities between the United this year and Liverpool last year, where Liverpool had no Champions League football," said Neville.
"They've got no midweek games in Europe and, if teams slip up, you just never know."
Captain Wayne Rooney has drawn comparisons with United's last title-winning campaign in 2012-13.
In Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge, United won the title by 11 points despite rarely playing their best football.
"We weren't great in a lot of those games, but we got the results," said Rooney. "Sometimes you have to do that.
"We have to believe we can win the title. If we can win our games and the others have one bad result there is nothing there."Cham
OSC Player of the Month for October 2016! Congratulations toOSC Player of the Month for October 2016!
Each month members of OSC team vote for who we think had stand out or breakthrough performances in OSC events. $75 will be awarded to the Player of the Month, and $50 to a Rising Star! The League features 30+ tournaments a month, and 100's of players, so to be crowded POTM or Rising Star is quite an achievement!
Both awards can only be won by players from the OSC region (North America, China, South East Asia, Latin America and Oceania).
Factors that influence voting are: Tournament Wins, Tournament Placings, Bounties Won, Upsets/Scalp Points Won, Tournament Earnings, Challenge Match Results, and Participation.
Player of the Month can be won multiple times, but the Rising Star can only be won once!
2016 Stats:
Full votes for October:
Cham
8 - Seither
5 - Nice
5 - puCK
4 - PiLiPiLi
3 - TooDming
1 - Jieshi
Voted by OSC team members: Elusory, Pox, Trang Le, Crescendo, Namakaye and Eddie. 10 -8 -5 -5 -4 -3 -1 -Voted by OSC team members: Elusory, Pox, Trang Le, Crescendo, Namakaye and Eddie.Show me a country that does not think itself on the right side of history, and I will show you a country hardly worth its salt. Against the backdrop of a potential major conflict in the Koreas, there persists a dangerous line of thinking among well-intentioned people in well-intentioned capitals to the effect that certain vetoes at the United Nations Security Council are capricious, illegitimate or otherwise “on the wrong side of history.”
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a ministerial level Security Council meeting on the situation in North Korea on April 28 at United Nations headquarters. ( Mary Altaffer / AP )
This thinking holds that because a veto at the Security Council may, under international law, frustrate the legal prosecution of military action in a certain part of the world in the service of what may by some or many be deemed a legitimate or even noble cause, then any veto — real or anticipated — should be considered ignoble and therefore discounted or ignored. The United Nations is threatened with financial penalties, while those espousing war proclaim themselves to be “on the right side of history,” doing “the right thing,” or working assiduously in the name of the people of another country. After all, who could disagree with, say, stopping a genocide (actual or apprehended), ousting an oppressive government, or removing a perceived threat that may materialize in the foreseeable future? Answer: hopefully, no one.
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However, if such disagreement should issue from one or more of the permanent five, veto-wielding members of the Security Council, then the disagreement of that country or those countries, whether the United States, China or Russia, matters not only at international law, but because it bespeaks an international logic that has managed to keep the world from a generalized chaos for many decades. We must always remember that the United Nations, for all its inefficiency and inelegance, is intended to deliver not de maximis but rather de minimis outcomes in global affairs: not global peace or love, but instead the absence of direct armed conflict between the great (nuclear) powers — full stop. To date, the UN has, surprisingly but spectacularly, delivered on this de minimis goal, even if it has not been successful in eliminating genocides, second-tier conflicts and countless humanitarian disasters and human tragedies. Why has the UN been so successful? Because the genetic logic of the Security Council precludes the possibility that any of the great powers among the permanent five should go to war against one or more of the other great powers with international legal sanction. Veto oblige, the U.S. and China could never, in principle, go to war against each other legally. The same is true of Russia vis-à-vis China or the U.S. The extension of this genetic logic at the Security Council requires nuclear powers like China and the U.S. to veto pretensions to international strategic action by any other grouping of countries in theatres that Beijing and Washington hold strategically dear. Such uses of the veto are nary capricious, and even if they will on occasion be opportunistic or cynical, they provide an essential signal to all aspirants about which interventions could potentially result in the general conflagration that the Security Council in particular, and the UN in general, is designed to preclude.
In the case of North Korea, all interested parties, staring with the new Trump administration, ignore this basic scaffolding of the modern global peace at their great peril. A Chinese veto or anticipated veto against any potential American plan to strike Pyongyang should not be interpreted as illegitimate protection by Beijing of a distasteful regime, but more intelligently as a cue that ignoring the veto could, in certain scenarios, lead to a clash of swords between China and the U.S. (and perhaps also Russia).
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Such a clash could quickly assume a nuclear character, and whereas North Korea may be several years removed from being able to militarily touch continental North America, including Canadian cities, China could in principle do so tomorrow. The minimalist understanding of the UN also helps us see why, as the United Kingdom presses toward Brexit and France emerges from a very divisive election, the European Union remains critical to international peace in our time. This European Union, for all its clumsiness, is no social or economic project. It is, fundamentally, an astoundingly successful peace project, the simple purpose of which was and remains to bind Germany, which also once saw itself on the “right side of history,” into an indefinitely peaceable logic. No more, no less. Irvin Studin is editor-in-Chief and publisher of Global Brief magazine, and president of the Institute for 21st Century Questions.
Read more about:It feels like Rangers-Red Wings never happens. That’s partially because it rarely has until now. The two teams met this season on Oct. 26, but thanks to the lockout last year, they didn’t meet at all in 2012-13 and just once a season prior to that. So when the two Original Six teams meet on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, it will feel more important than a normal regular-season game and that’s because it kind of is. Thankfully with realignment, we will get more than just one Rangers-Red Wings game a year now.
With the Rangers and Red Wings playing for the second of three times this season, I did an email exchange with “J.J. from Kansas” of Winging It In Motown to talk about the Red Wings playing in the Eastern Conference, how they were portrayed in 24/7 leading up to the Winter Classic and what’s been going on with them over the last six weeks.
Keefe: After a long, long time as an Eastern Time Zone team playing in the Western Conference, the Red Wings are where they should be when it comes to alignment thanks to the realignment. The Red Wings might be out of place in the “Atlantic” division, but at least they are in the right place when it comes to traveling. (The Red Wings shouldn’t feel too awkward about playing in the “Atlantic” with Columbus and Carolina being considered “Metropolitan.”)
What were you feelings about the Red Wings’ move back to normality and playing in their own time zone when the plans were announced? And what do you think of the realignment now 46 games into the change?
J.J.: Being honest about the switch to the East, since I’m in the Central Time Zone, it wasn’t really a big deal to me, but I always liked the concept. I especially liked that the schedule-making would adjust to leave the Wings with only two trips out West where we’d have games starting at 10 p.m. EST or later. Ultimately I was happy that the travel schedule wouldn’t be as brutal for Detroit, but this never felt to me as the eventual correction of old wrongs like it has to much of the older generation of Wings fans who didn’t grow up with the Central Division.
This season has been a weird, bittersweet experience for me. I haven’t experienced the weird playoff quirks yet, but I do like the new realignment plan as far as it’s worked on the NHL regular season. The adjustment has come in how I watch games on off days for the Wings. I’ve always preferred to watch division rivals’ games and root for whichever outcome would most benefit the Wings. In doing that, I didn’t watch a ton of Eastern Conference hockey in the last few years and as a result, it’s almost been a culture shock for me readjusting to a bunch of uniforms, players, and styles I to which I haven’t grown accustomed (not to mention half a league’s worth of local announcers). In the West, I can still pick out which line is on the ice for teams based solely on how the forwards skate. I haven’t gotten used to that yet in the East save for a few of the very familiar or standout players (the Penguins, Rick Nash and Phil Kessel).
Keefe: There isn’t a bigger 24/7 fan than me and I hope that my dream of it being stretched into covering a team for a full season will one day be realized. (Kind of like what ESPN did with The Season and the Red Wings in 2002-03 and the Avalanche in 2003-04, only better.) Who wouldn’t want a full season of the show?
Two years ago when the Rangers and Flyers were the stars of 24/7 for their Winter Classic in Philadelphia, it made the show that much better having “my” team be covered in depth for a month. This year you had “your” team as one of the co-stars of the four-episode series. What did you think about how the Red Wings were portrayed?
J.J.: I’d LOVE to see a full season of 24/7 … centered around somebody else. I don’t know if I’m just looking for excuses or my dumb caveman brain is sliding a bit of causation into the correlation between the Red Wings being on 24/7 and the Red Wings playing like crap in the weeks where the HBO cameras were following them around, but it seemed that while the cameras were rolling, the Red Wings were just not comfortable.
Overall, I think HBO did the best they could with the Wings, but I’m caught between wanting to have seen much more and wanting to respect that they’re professional hockey players and stay away from their private lives. I would have loved to have seen more of Pavel Datsyuk, but he’s a private guy and if he doesn’t want to deal with the HBO cameras that much, then so be it.
Keefe: This season of the show gave me a better understanding of the Red Wings and there were three things I really took away from it (aside from disliking Dion Phaneuf more). The first was how strong of a presence Mike Babcock has with the team and the organization. I have long thought that Babcock is the best head coach in the league (and that’s likely why he is also the Team Canada coach), but my opinion was only reinforced with the show and the way he handles managing his team on and off the ice.
The second was how badly the Red Wings have been crushed by the injury bug over the first half of season. Sure, the Rangers lost their best two players in Rick Nash for 17 games in October and November and Henrik Lundqvist for a week in October, and you could throw Ryan Callahan in there too, who has also missed 17 games. But those injuries are nothing compared to |
equal for all. But in the Indian context, there is an additional dimension – zero-rating services. That refers to consumers’ data packs being subsidised either by their telecom service providers or by the app/service they are accessing. For instance, Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce giant, signed a deal with Airtel to “zero-rate” its services on Airtel’s platform.
The deal was severely criticised for creating an unequal playing field. While Flipkart could afford to pay Airtel, a smaller start-up would not be able to. Once the net neutrality debate in India gained momentum, Flipkart decide to scrap this arrangement. “In India, zero-rating is far more important because it isn’t about slow lanes and fast lanes,” explains Pahwa. “It’s about cost of access and whether some sites are being made cheaper than others and, therefore, some sites being made more expensive than others. All of this influences a consumer’s decision whether to access a service or not.”
Indian online retailer Flipkart signed a controversial access deal with mobile operator Airtel. Photograph: Flipkart
For their part, the COAI claims that it too believes in giving users equal access to the internet and not throttling traffic. How, then, does it justify its members offering zero-rating services? “It’s a misunderstanding of what Airtel did,” says the COAI’s Mathews. “Airtel provided a non-discriminatory platform to anybody who wanted [it] as an application provider. This is not for regular customers. It’s only for qualifying applications to put them on mobile networks and the internet. So what Airtel did was provide free access to service providers. There was no discrimination and it was equal.”
In its counter-comment submission to the telecoms regulator, the COAI has asked for zero-rating services to stay in the interest of “social welfare”. “Programs like zero-rating, which we call subsidised calling plans, are intended to get people who have never used the internet, who have not become familiar with it, who have very sensitive price points [to], in a subsidised manner, try to come on to the internet,” adds Mathews.
The COAI has also argued that services like WhatsApp are the same as regular voice calls and text messaging and thus deprive mobile operators of revenue. Hence, they argue they should be allowed to charge users extra to access such apps. On both counts, the industry body seems on shaky ground.
Not a luxury but a necessity
In its counter-comment submissions to the TRAI, Medianama.com has said that Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance and Idea, India’s top four telecom operators, have added 8.5 million users. Moreover, Airtel’s average revenue per user (ARPU) from data services increased by a record 13.3% quarter-on-quarter. Data revenue for Idea Cellular rose 5.9%.
This unprecedented campaign to protect net neutrality in India underlines the importance of the internet. For millions of young Indians today, the internet is not a luxury but a necessity. In a country rife with political, social and economic inequalities, the web is a liberating universe that flattens hierarchies, creates room for innovation and allows unadulterated and totally free expression of speech. It is a reason why some of India’s most successful startups also have called for the internet to be kept neutral.
What also helped was a sustained effort by the Save The Internet coalition, during which they turned TRAI’s 118-page minefield into a 23-page easy-to-comprehend document. (According to Pahwa, India’s MPs have chosen to read this rather than the original paper). In Bangalore, his colleague Kiran Jonnalagadda helped run the Save The Internet website and set up the @bulletinbabu Twitter account – a live counter of emails sent to the regulator. They also drafted a letter citizens could send to their local MPs, urging them to support net neutrality. “These consultations are only public for the name of it,” Pahwa added. “They’re not public consultations – we helped make this a public consultation.”'Painful' sunscreen burn cases ignite call for review of product testing in Australia
Updated
More stories are emerging of people being left "red raw" despite using popular sunscreen products, prompting calls from a leading public health advocate for a review of the way Australia regulates sunscreens.
Key points: More people have come forward with cases of severe burns after using certain sunscreens
It's prompted calls for the TGA to review the way it tests the adequacy of sunscreens
The Cancer Council says it has confidence in the current testing process
Scores of people have reported having their skin scorched while using Banana Boat sunscreen and Cancer Council's Peppa Pig-branded product.
Michael Moore, chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, said the reports were extremely concerning.
He said it was time for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) — Australia's sunscreen regulator — to examine its processes to make sure sunscreens were being adequately tested before going on the market.
"We can see there are problems, it does point to an inadequate system with the TGA and I think it requires the TGA themselves to look at what they're doing," he told the ABC.
"If that doesn't work, well I think it will be time for an independent review.
"They need to review what has been done and check that they're not just testing sunscreens that are given to them deliberately, rather than looking more broadly."
Mr Moore, who is also the president of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, said there was a risk that the public could lose confidence in the use of sunscreen.
"Sunscreen is incredibly important, of course covering up in the first place is even more important, but I think we have to make sure we retain the confidence of how important it is to use sunscreens," he said.
"Remember this is a very small percentage of cases, but we still have to make sure the system is working properly."
A spokeswoman for the TGA said it does test sunscreens in its laboratories.
"It should be emphasised that TGA also collects random samples of sunscreens from the market (pharmacies etc) than 'typical' fresh samples as the samples from the market reflect what is being applied to people and also enables to look at stability if we need to," the spokeswoman said.
Do you know more about this story? Email investigations@abc.net.au.
But Professor Sanchia Aranda from Cancer Council Australia said she had confidence in the current system.
"The TGA requires of the manufacturing laboratory to undertake a number of tests, which includes the individual ingredients and then the formula for its water resistance, its SPF," she said.
"While the TGA don't specifically audit the laboratories for formulas, they do audit the goods manufacturing process that's laid down for those things to be done."
The Health Minister Greg Hunt did not respond to requests for comment.
Call for a global standard on testing
The director of the only company carrying out independent laboratory testing of sunscreen in Australia wants an overhaul of international testing standards.
John Staton runs Dermatest, a Sydney laboratory which tests the SPF factor of sunscreens.
He said the problem is that many sunscreens sold in Australia are tested in the United States and Europe.
"Sunscreens should have been tested to be on the market, they don't have to be tested in Australia, they (just) have to be tested to the Australian standard," he told the ABC.
"Nowhere in the world are there audits of the labs that do the testing."
He said his company has tested about half of the sunscreens that are on the market in Australia, while the other half would have been tested overseas.
"That's a bit of a concern that I have because I've recently reported to the international arena, to ISO, who have a harmonised standard for sunscreens, that we need to improve so that we know that those instruments are actually being calibrated.
"The TGA as far as I know doesn't test anything, they actually rely on submissions that are put to them and they can do analytical testing but that's a bit different to actually testing if the product really works in the marketplace as used by consumers."
The TGA spokeswoman said the TGA does require "sponsors" to undertake SPF testing for sunscreens.
"But because of the highly specialised nature of the testing the TGA does not do it in-house," the spokeswoman said.
"All testing is done under an international ISO standard, so it is wrong to say something like 'not calibrated to Australia's harsh UV conditions' — an SPF 50+ measurement is the same globally under the ISO standard."
Professor Sanchia Aranda said while the current standard does not regulate the radiation level of machines, it does use a range of radiation that covers off on Australian conditions.
"While there can always be improvements in the system, because it's not actually testing for conditions where the UV maximum level is eight, it is going higher than that so it will be suitable for Australian conditions."
'We both looked like lobsters'
University graduate and hospitality worker Emma was badly burnt three weeks ago, after using the Banana Boat SPF 50+ Sport cream on her feet.
"[It was] immensely painful, my feet swelled up to twice their size, they were red and raw and I couldn't move," she told the ABC.
Mother Emma Fryer said her son Hunter was burnt while using the Cancer Council's Peppa Pig sunscreen.
"That day he was out on the water most of the day from 10am until 6pm, even though it was an overcast day every three hours I kept re-applying the sunscreen.
"By the time he had finished in the water around 6pm he was complaining he felt like he was burning, he did look red but nothing too extreme.
"Hunter had then fallen asleep, two hours later he awoke in tears, by this time he was red raw."
Richard Gourlay and his wife were also badly burnt using Banana Boat sunscreen in November last year.
"We both looked like lobsters," Mr Gourlay said.
"We could both hardly sleep the next couple of nights they were that bad, which did ruin the first few days of our honeymoon as we were basically forced to stay in our hotel room such was the discomfort."
Topics: health, skin-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, australia
First postedBond. Jane Bond. Captain America and Bucky... soldiers, friends... lovers.
Yes, those Social Justice Warriors are having a busy May, trying to force their values on pop culture touchstones embraced by the masses.
With Daniel Craig stepping away from the Bond franchise, SJWs are determined to cast X-Files alum Gillian Anderson as the next 007. Never mind that the character has been “manned” by seven different actors over the past 50 years.
Social justice must be done.
And then there’s Captain America, the so-called first Avenger. The SJW brigade wants to cast aside the character’s romantic DNA to make him fall for his long-time chum, Bucky. Let’s ignore the buss Cap planted on the dishy blonde in Civil War.
Social justice must be done.
So what’s next? What other pop culture properties will be targeted by SJWs? Consider the following as ripe targets for a fresh hashtag battlefront:
Kirk and Spock: A New Frontier: This scenario actually predates our current social justice times. Fan fiction based on a Kirk-Spock romance is decades old. A third “Star Trek” film is coming this summer, so it’s too late to tinker with whatever its story has in mind. But don’t be surprised to see fans demand these iconic characters explore new romantic worlds in a fourth feature film. Indiana Jones: The Last Caucasian: Harrison Ford will return as Indy in a fifth “Jones” adventure. What next? Clearly, an adventurer who travels the globe doesn’t have to be white, does he? In this case, the social justice warriors could have a point. Besides, Ford is simply irreplaceable as Indy. So if we must have more adventures from his iconic character, perhaps a very fresh start would be in order. Rambo: Minutemen Beware: Sylvester Stallone’s second most famous role is never truly retired. He’s talked about bringing John Rambo back for some time. Chances are, though, he holds legal sway over the property and won’t take kindly to suggestions. That won’t stop SJWs, though. They may demand that not only Stallone let go of the character but make him fight a new enemy. Imagine Rambo opening fire on volunteer Minutemen who protect the U.S. border from illegal Mexican immigrants. Die Hard: TransAmerican Hero: We’ve already seen one too many “Die Hard” sequels that failed to capture the glory of the original. Clearly, a reboot is in order. Why not go all the way? SJWs might insist the Bruce Willis character be changed to allow a transgender star to be caught barefoot and defenseless while baddies take over Nakatomi Plaza? Logan’s Run: Female Utopia: the 1976 original served up a chilling premise. What if people were only allowed to live until their 30th birthday? Hollywood has been trying to remake the film for some time, with only serious progress being made late last year. Could SJWs sway the upcoming remake? Imagine a tale where men are no longer needed for human reproduction, but a rogue male is accidentally born and must be eliminated in case he sparks war, hatred or other masculine-based woes.
[Cross-posted from Hollywood in Toto.]Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (Park Hill), there lived two craft-beer lovers who had to travel across town almost any time they wanted to try a new brewery.
So the couple, Ryan and Christa Kilpatrick, decided to open their own brewing palace, Fiction Beer Company, in order to combine their love of both good beer and good stories.
See also: After declining sales, Arvada Beer Company reinvents its beer recipes and itself
Continue Reading
The location they found, on the first floor of the Phoenix on the Fax apartment building at 7101 East Colfax Avenue, is at the intersection of several brewery-less neighborhoods -- Park Hill, Montclair and Mayfair -- that are surrounded by other neighborhoods with few, if any, breweries, including Stapleton, Hale, Lowry and Hilltop.
"There's not a lot of commercial space over here. It is mostly residential. Since we live in Park Hill, we saw the void," Ryan says, pointing out that the next closest brewery is two miles away. "We wanted to be in the center of all of those neighborhoods."
When Fiction Beer Company opens (the date is tentatively set for July 2014), it will include a seven-barrel brewing system, six beers on tap and a patio out back. The 2,400-square-foot space was originally going to be a Pasquini's until the restaurant pulled out. "There are windows on three sides and roll-up garage door. It's perfect for us," Ryan adds.
Ryan, a restaurant accountant, and Christa, a former English major, says they are "book dorks," which is how they got the idea for the theme. Although Fiction won't be a library, they plan to have shelves where people can borrow or trade books. The beer styles will be categorized into genres based on their favorite works of fiction, Ryan explains.There will be the classics, like IPA, pale ale, Scotch ale and Belgian wit; mystery and adventure, which will consist of unusual rotating beers; and fantasy/sci-fi, which will be barrel-aged and sour brews.
The beers themselves will be named for fictional characters, places, languages and themes.
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's Beer Man on Twitter at @ColoBeerMan and on Facebook at Colo BeerManImage: supplied
And we're not talking about Clarkson's ego.
Could this mean the spiritual successor to Top Gear is filming down under?
Giant stone heads (yes, you're reading this correctly) of The Grand Tour presenters Jeremy "Problematic" Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are being driven around Sydney today. Gizmodo has scored leaked footage of the heads.
Warning: Avert your eyes now. Found another one, this time, a close up. https://t.co/f58E25f40z — The Grand Tour (@thegrandtour) December 4, 2016
First seen leaving a boat at White Bay, the three eight foot tall stone statues were craned onto a freight truck bearing The Grand Tour logos, before beginning a tour of Sydney, raising speculation that a colossal statue could be erected somewhere in the country.
You might just get a chance to spot the guys passing local landmarks including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House today.
The Grand Tour has not yet revealed the final destination of the statues, but trucks containing other body parts including Jeremy, James and Richard's arms, legs and crotch (really) have also been spotted.
The Grand Tour will launch on Amazon's Prime Video globally in over 200 countries and territories around the world this December.
That being said, if you're an Amazon Prime member you can watch The Grand Tour right now in Australia. No hacks, no VPNs.
Edit: This article originally contained information given to us by The Grand Tour team detailing the tour's schedule, which we have removed at their request as "There were last minute changes internally".By now, anarchists and anti-authoritarians across the country have probably given up waiting for an announcement of the annual CrimethInc. Convergence. The truth is that as experienced organizers grow more weary of repeating themselves, and the emerging energetic anarchist communities are all tending to be less and less interested in organizing, few places seem to be appropriate candidates for this summer’s convergence. Moreover, by early spring it was already too late in the game for a community to come forward and offer to host the event, and interest simply had not surfaced.
In possibly the first great anarchist mistake of the decade, the CrimethInc. Experimental Committee was founded in late January. Their first assignment? To preserve and integrate the best elements of the convergence into a new model, adjust them to strengthen longstanding weaknesses, all the while upping the ante in a way that serves the anarchist community as a whole. At first, we thought their solution was a bad idea, so we commissioned a report and quickly changed our minds.
You’re being invited to participate in CrimethInc.’s next big experiment: a decentralized convergence.
THE OBJECTIVES
To create and maintain points of entry everywhere. To demonstrate our ability to work together despite internal differences and external obstacles. To invigorate anarchist infrastructure rather than lean on it. To orchestrate a show of force in solidarity with anti-authoritarians all over the world. To inspire curious newcomers without exhausting our vigor. To illuminate the map like a starchart of constellations. To remind ourselves – everyone – that we are everywhere.
THE CHALLENGE
Can anarchists mobilize to achieve these objectives with a tight deadline? In an effort to test and strengthen our potential, we’re inviting anarchists of all stripes and contexts to participate in a widespread and decentralized demonstration of outreach and infrastructure. To get involved, all that is required is that you facilitate or organize one or more events that will occur simultaneously across North America throughout the month of August.
THE PLAN
During August, we make anarchist principles and activity visible and accessible at a scale never before attempted. Consider it an international month of action; the activities can be of any caliber and temperament, and can appear anywhere: in the news, in the library, in the bedroom, in the supermarket, at the Really Really Free Market, on the streets, and so on. Use this as an opportunity to explore and experiment: if you aren’t typically involved in local mutual aid projects, give it a go; if you’ve never gone on a tour before, plan one with your friends; if you write zines, write banners; if you author theory, stage a reading; if you occupy classrooms, teach one for free. Whatever you do, wherever you go, wave the black flag for everyone to see –including, and perhaps especially for, our friends and comrades – and let the world see that we are everywhere.
THE SKELETON
To supplement the individual events we’re inviting people who’d like to teach workshops, perform skits and puppet shows, and share music and videos, to organize tours with their friends. The troupe could be just one person – you – or as many friends and companions as you can pack into a vehicle: whatever is doable and exciting. You could schedule events in a few towns in your region over a weekend, or cross the continent in a month. Your theme could be acute, spreading awareness about specific campaigns against mountain-top removal, evictions, state repression, the tar sands of Canada, the oil spill, oppression, or for mutual aid projects, solidarity with struggles happening here or elsewhere, or obscure theory. Or it could be more broad – raising awareness about anarchism itself.
Decentralized tours could the most appropriate and safe way for the anarchist community to achieve the objectives of the nationwide convergence. Accessible points of entry can emerge in all of the places that anarchists already are. Inspirational experiences can be had with new people. The diversity of anarchist perspectives and positions can be celebrated and affirmed in a way that allows them to work together, allowing us all to hold our commonalities close and activate our solidarity.
We’re pleased to announce that several tours have already signed up as endorsers: The Conspiracy Tour [USA], The Emergency Tour [USA-Midwest], and Testament & Illogick [Canada]. If you already plan on touring with a project during August, you can plug into the strategy with almost no additional effort. If you haven’t planned anything during August, please consider organizing a tour in solidarity with all those who will be organizing events in their hometowns. This goes most especially for everyone who has participated in CrimethInc Convergences in past years, and is able and willing. To help offset the price of fuel, you might consider distributing [free literature]/2006/10/18/never-pay-for-copies) for donations, and selling books and screenprinted items – if you’re partial, the Literature Distro Kit is one of the cheapest places to start.
In the next few weeks, we’ll be maintaining a list of tour dates both organized within our challenging timeframe and scheduled for the month of August. To add your project to the itinerary, please email experimental.committee@gmail.com as soon as possible, and we can publish your public events as they unfold.
THE NERVE
Drawing from the lessons of Steal Something From Work Day, our work should effectively utilize modern modes of communication and reclaim their functions when necessary.
Twitter – We can use Twitter to announce your events and simultaneously contribute to the volume of the phenomenon. If you use twitter, tag your tweets with #AnarchistsEverywhere to let people locate it in a search of the entire campaign. If we remember that these tweets are public and can function as promotional work, we can contribute to the campaign 140 characters at a time.
YouTube & Vimeo – We can upload short vignettes that promote the campaign and will be relevant for years to come. Our current recommendation is the proliferation of short 45 second clips ending in the slogan “WE ARE EVERYWHERE”. To avoid the alienation that can sometimes be felt when watching high-quality video production, it is encouraged that these clips be shot with cell phones to remind everyone that they can make their own. To contribute your video to the campaign, simply tag it with “AnarchistsEverywhere”.
Social Networking – Share this blog entry, and when more web projects and videos emerge share those too. Announce local events to everyone that you communicate with through that medium. While you’re at it, be mindful of the networks you imply on facebook.
Of course, it is also important that we create signposts in the real world too. Design posters, t-shirts, stencils, stickers, and other folk-art projects and spread them everywhere. See this appendix for helpful slogans.
THE HEART
Of course, each tour will make this campaign exponentially larger, but this August won’t be about tours. More important is what is going on in each place they pass through; if you are part of an active community – even if that community is just you –you can make your town another mark on our constellation map, which is a substantial contribution. In the context of this campaign, doing locally what tours cannot is considerably more effective than an elaborate schedule of tours. You are a part of the everywhere.
Ultimately, this campaign is about doing what we do every day. In working together as a decentralized concert of actions and activities we can collectively establish visibility for our local efforts and global struggles. For inspiration, check out Recipes for Disaster if you haven’t already, or you could plan a workshop, block party, public discussion group – even a bike ride. Put quite simply: if you’ve got a black flag and the will to fly it, this August the world will be watching.
Whatever you do, your contribution will be a part of an experiment to determine our collective power-to and solidarity-with – no amount of participation is too small, and everyone’s efforts will be counted.
THE DETAILS
Please read the arguments for decentralizing the CrimethInc. Convergence and the implications of a successful August 2010. Whether or not your project is a tour complete with a list of dates and venues, or a single event open to the public, it is still valuable and worthwhile to promote as a part of this campaign. Please email details to experimental.committee@gmail.com for help promoting your event.
APPENDIX of SLOGANS {not just a big joke}
In reclaiming and reworking modern marketing and advertisement strategies, we can re-appropriate the elements of our social conditions. Opportunities to do so will be self-evident: wherever capitalist imagery and sentiment competes for our attention. To do so effectively we would benefit from maintaining relative consistency throughout this campaign. This campaign is already built on a concept that both demands participation and refuses to be homogenized by those with particularly concentrated resources; the message is that we are everywhere and therefore the aesthetic will naturally benefit from the wide spectrum of positions from which these messages can emerge. Additionally, we cannot successfully demonstrate our prevalence without communicating things that describe our politics and the widespread nature of our resistance. That these things are true does not mean we cannot create a consistent and circular front of visibility – this can happen by taking advantage of the strategies outlined above in the nerve section and by making prolific use of, and following the various style guides accompanying, the following slogans:
{ for use wherever possible, and most appropriate } { for use in pre-august promotional material } { anytime you need a clever supplement }
These are appropriate for Anarchists without Adjectives and will work well in combination with any of the others. The use of any other slogans should be supplemented with these for best use of consistency:
WE ARE EVERYWHERE WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS AUGUST? GET ALL OVER THE PLACE { The Circle A }
These Insurrectionist slogans are sure to be attractively confusing:
DOING BEING EVERYWHERE PARTY THIS AUGUST MAKE TOTAL ALL OVER THE PLACE
The Anarchist People of Color who aren’t surprised that you assumed they weren’t involved in planning this campaign suggested:
NO ONE IS ILLEGAL – WE ARE EVERYWHERE THE BLOCK IS HOT, AUGUST WILL BE HOTTER STOLEN LAND IS ALL OVER THE PLACE
Efficient use of these slogans are sure to aid the Anarcho-Syndicalist platform:
AN INJURY SOMEPLACE IS AN INJURY EVERYWHERE TAKE IT OVER THIS AUGUST ONE BIG EVERYWHERE
If we would stop for a minute and listen for a change, the Anarcha-Feminist might recommend:
OUR PLACE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE TAKE BACK THE NIGHT THIS AUGUST MOTHERS WORK EVERYWHERE
Anarchist Queers can pack these with their strap-ons and glitter-bombs:
WE WANT YOU ANARCHISM IS IN THIS AUGUST BASH BACK EVERYWHERE
And lastly, if someone could tell the Anti-Civ folks about these slogans, that’d be great!For five years during the early ’90s, I sat next to Jaromir Jagr, and Jaromir Jagr’s magnificent hair, on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ team bus.
I was the play-by-play announcer, and Jaromir had recently come over to the States from Czechoslovakia to play for the Pens. He was still just a teenager at the time and didn’t speak English all that well. I’ll never forget, one of the first days I’m sitting next to him, he looks at me like he wants to say something. Then the kid pulls out his wallet.
I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe he was going to show me what Czech money looked like, or pull out some pictures of his family back home. But it was neither of those things. It turned out that what Jags wanted to show me was a small picture of Ronald Reagan that he had tucked in there.
At that point, there wasn’t a ton of verbal communication happening between us, so he basically just pulled out the picture and started nodding and giving a thumbs-up, with a big old grin on his face.
Communists had taken over Czechoslovakia in ’48, and Jags knew the stories of how the party had seized his grandfather’s land and imprisoned him for refusing to work at the state-run farm. Then the Soviet Union had invaded in 1968, a few years before Jaromir was born. So he loved Reagan because of how he had gone toe-to-toe with the Soviets in the 1980s and refused to back down. The kid was just all smiles anytime Ronnie was mentioned. And he was so excited to be over here and living his dream. Right from the start, he loved everything about this country. It was unmistakable — and it was part of who he was from the second I met him.
Al Messerschmidt/AP Images
The other big thing I noticed about Jaromir back then was that he was super intelligent. Most people don’t think about smarts when they think of Jags, but almost right away I realized that he was a very, very bright kid. He was a master of watching people, and listening, and then learning from what he saw.
When Jags found out that I was known for a bunch of catchphrases that I’d yell out after goals, he latched on to one of the more famous ones and started calling me “Michael Michael Motorcycle” — or just “Motorcycle” for short.
Whenever he spotted me in the arena, he’d yell out, “Motorcyle! Michael Motorcycle!”
Jags learned English in no time, and our friendship grew from there. One day on the bus he turned to me with this big smile on his face, like he had a secret to tell me.
“Have an idea,” he said, with this twinkle in his eye.
He asked me if he could work up his own catchphrase for me to use during the games.
I said sure. Then I handed him a piece of paper, and we got to work translating his ideas back and forth in a blend of Czech, English and Pictionary.
And you know what he came up with?
… Just wait.
Sixteen years before I became friends with Jags, I had stepped off a plane in Pittsburgh for the first time and smelled … that smell.
I’d taken the red-eye from San Diego in August 1974. I flew in on what was then known as Allegheny Airlines. In those days, the gates in a lot of airports weren’t set up the way they are now. So when they landed the plane, they just kind of opened the door and lowered some steps, and you walked out into the open air.
John Heller/The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ultimately, it was the people who got me hooked on the city of Pittsburgh. Mike Lange
I still remember the exact moment I got off that plane in Pittsburgh. I was so excited. I’d been calling games for San Diego’s Western Hockey League team, the Gulls. But in ’74 the World Hockey League swooped in and our league disbanded, and I was suddenly out of a job. The Penguins agreed to give me a shot, and I couldn’t have been more excited for the chance to make my mark in Pittsburgh. I had goose bumps getting off that plane.
Then I took a deep breath.
The smell was … overpowering. And, to be honest, it was just horrific.
I immediately thought, What have you gotten yourself into here, Mikey? For a split second there, I wanted to spin around and get right back on the plane.
What the hell is that godforsaken smell?
Well, what it turned out to be was the sulfur from the steel mills. When you live around it, you don’t really notice it as much. But if you’re not familiar with it, it will hit you like a right hook, and that’s what happened to me.
I wasn’t about to hightail it back to California over some funky smell, though. The Penguins, and the city of Pittsburgh, had thrown me a lifeline. After the Gulls shut it down, I’d sent my tapes around to any team that would give me a look. The Pens just so happened to have an opening.
And, by God, let me tell you: What a time to show up in Pittsburgh!
Tony Triolo/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
My initial season with the team was 1974-’75, the first year the Steelers won the Super Bowl. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with this town. All those bridges were a sight to behold. And the neighborhoods each had their own unique personalities to them. Plus, soon after I arrived, I was shocked to find out that bars could actually stay open past two o’clock in the morning. That’s not the case here anymore, but in those days, when the mill workers were getting off their shifts at all hours, it was anything goes. That was new to me.
Everything about Pittsburgh, really, was new to me. But ultimately, it was the people who got me hooked on the city. And early on, Pittsburghers inspired me to add some creative touches to my broadcasts.
Now, I had always been intrigued by catchphrases because of my affinity for the great broadcaster Al McCoy. I had used “Great balls of fire!” a few times as an homage to Al. But one night I happened to be sitting at a bar, minding my own business, when everything changed. This guy walks in, and I could just tell he was a real character. As he strides in he points to another gentleman sitting at the bar and calls out to the bartender, “Buy Sam a drink … and get his dog one, too.”
I heard it, and my ears perked up.
I said to him, “Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you say that again?”
He yelled out, “Buy Sam a drink, and get his dog one, too!”
There was something about it. Something uniquely Pittsburgh. And I thought … O.K. You got something here. I wrote it down on a bar napkin.
A few nights later the Penguins scored a big goal and the building exploded — and it just came out of me.
“Ohhhhh, buy Sam a drink, and get his dog one, too!”
And you know what? At first, it didn’t hit. It flopped. Nobody knew what to make of it. But I kept my ears open, and I kept absorbing these sayings. You remember that show Kids Say the Darndest Things? Well, I can tell you that adults do, too.
So I’d repeat all these incredible sayings I heard.
Look out, Loretta! (Another one overheard in a bar.)
He beat him like a rented mule! (Stockbroker.)
The kitchen is closed! (Waitress.)
After a few seasons, they really caught on. I was doing TV by that point, so people started recognizing me and walking up to me in the street with their own suggestions. It was just something fun — something to keep the games interesting during the lean years when the team was struggling.
And then in ’84 a kid by the name of Mario Lemieux arrived and changed everything. All of a sudden, anything was possible. Mario had a certain grace about him, this aura. He was a broadcaster’s dream.
You saw that when he scored a goal on his very first shift in the NHL for heaven’s sake. And then you saw it over and over again throughout his career. Mario was a guy who would actually make you nervous sometimes as broadcaster because he’d do things so out-of-this-world that you had to watch your headset — I’d jump out of my seat so fast that my headphones would go flying. Same goes for Jags.
Heck, those two would do things that had the whole town jumping up out of their seats. We were all along for the ride together, you know? So when I’d scream out something crazy — like, “She wants to sell my monkey!” or “Hallelujah Hollywood!” or “Michael Michael Motorcycle!” — I always felt like the fans at home were yelling all sorts of things along with me, because the players were just so skilled.
People ask me all the time, “Why the catchphrases? What do they even mean?”
Well, they don’t mean anything. That’s the point. They’re expressions of disbelief.
It was almost like your brain couldn’t process what your eyes had just seen, so sometimes you’d blurt out whatever popped into your head at that moment. Those guys were so good they kind of brought the joy out of you. They had us all speaking in tongues.
When I think back to those Stanley Cup runs in 1991 and ’92, what I remember most is how special that group of guys was. And nobody (nobody!) was more special than the coach.
In my view, everything started with “Badger” Bob Johnson. He was such a good person that at first the players actually couldn’t believe it. Most guys were just tremendously cautious at the beginning, because they’d never really been around a coach like that. The thinking in that locker room was like, Nobody could possibly be that positive. So, initially, players were scared to death that a big butcher knife was going to come out at some point, and that they were going to get it in the back when they least expected it.
But, you know what?
Bob Johnson really just was that optimistic and supportive. When he said, “It’s a great day for hockey,” that wasn’t just some slogan. He really meant that sincerely, and believed it.
Early on, I remember watching him talk to a young player he was going to scratch for the next game. Bob put his arm around the kid and said, “Listen, I’m gonna need you. Don’t doubt that for a second. Before it’s all said and done, I’m gonna need you.”
He had this way about him that made everybody feel like they were special. And wouldn’t you know it, that kid walked away from the conversation smiling.
Bob did stuff like that day in and day out during that first Cup run, and he got every last one of those guys behind him. Every single one. They would’ve run through a wall for the Badger. No questions asked.
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Height (Bare Foot) (inch): Please select... 35 inch 35.5 inch 36 inch 36.5 inch 37 inch 37.5 inch 38 inch 38.5 inch 39 inch 39.5 inch 40 inch 40.5 inch 41 inch 41.5 inch 42 inch 42.5 inch 43 inch 43.5 inch 44 inch 44.5 inch 45 inch 45.5 inch 46 inch 46.5 inch 47 inch 47.5 inch 48 inch 48.5 inch 49 inch 49.5 inch 50 inch 50.5 inch 51 inch 51.5 inch 52 inch 52.5 inch 53 inch 53.5 inch 54 inch 54.5 inch 55 inch 55.5 inch 56 inch 56.5 inch 57 inch 57.5 inch 58 inch 58.5 inch 59 inch 59.5 inch 60 inch 60.5 inch 61 inch 61.5 inch 62 inch 62.5 inch 63 inch 63.5 inch 64 inch 64.5 inch 65 inch 65.5 inch 66 inch 66.5 inch 67 inch 67.5 inch 68 inch 68.5 inch 69 inch 69.5 inch 70 inch 70.5 inch 71 inch 71.5 inch 72 inch 72.5 inch 73 inch 73.5 inch 74 inch 74.5 inch 75 inch 75.5 inch 76 inchLet Vim automatically save backup versions in RCS
Last edited Fri Jan 1 20:34:49 2016
Automatic save a backup version in RCS when saving in Vim
Emacs offers a great transparent integration of RCS. Vim lacks this feature, however this can be solved with a great Vim script.
With the Vim script rcsvers.vim you can let Vim automagicly keep files under local revision control.
you can happily use RCS side by side your DVCS
GNU RCS
The Revision Control System (RCS) manages multiple revisions of files. RCS automates the storing, retrieval, logging, identification, and merging of revisions. RCS is useful for text that is revised frequently, including source code, programs, documentation, graphics, papers, and form letters.
RCS was first developed by Walter F. Tichy at Purdue University in the early 1980s.
Yes, RCS is old. It is the foundation for other revision control systems like CVS. RCS works great - on a personal basis. It is less good for collaboration.
RCS works file-based. So your revision information is based on changes in files, and not f.e. directories.
Like many other GNU programs there is good documentation, see:
http://www.gnu.org/software/rcs/manual/rcs.html
Goal of RCS version control backups from Vim
Why would you want to use this?
When you open a file in Vim, edit it and save it and close Vim, there is no way to get your original file back. With RCS you can choose to revert to an older version. So the use of RCS can help you from mistakes.
Another reason to use this, is that you can view diff's between versions.
RCS together with other revision control systems like Git
You use the Vim script rcsvers.vim to protect you from your own mistakes and to give you version control of your local files. But what if you work on projects where there is already a some VCS in place, like Git? Then you will have double version management, one through RCS and one through your VCS.
Well, you could solve this either by directory dependend configuration of Vim or by don't care about this double revision control. I have choosen for the second option. The advantage of always having a automated version control is great enough and it don't hurts to use RCS and Git side by side.
When using the Vim script rcsvers.vim the RCS-files are default saved in a subdirectory RCS in your working directory. So you only have to add this to your Git-ignore file (or whatever other VCS you are using) and you can happily use RCS without interfering with your normal Git-workflow (or whatever).
rcsvers.vim
To take advantage of this option, you have to do two things:
install RCS
install rcsvers.vim
On Debian, installing RCS is just a case of
apt-get install rcs
In order to install rcsvers.vim you need to download this script in save it into $HOME/.vim/plugin/
To take advantage of this option, you have to do two things:
You can find rcsvers.vim here:
http://vim.sourceforge.net/scripts/script.php?script_id=563
.vimrc
To automagic backup your changes in RCS, add the following line to your.vimrc:
let g:rvSaveIfPreviousRCSFileExists = 0
Leader commands
Apart for the automatic saving your changes into RCS, rcsvers.vim lets you interact with RCS through Leader commands.
Leader commands in Vim are commands that are entered after the Leader key.
rcsvers.vim has the following Leader commands:
rlog: To access the saved revisions log. This lets you view the different versions.
older: Does a diff with the previous version
newer: Does a diff with the next version
Use RCS without Vim
You don't need to interact with RCS through Vim of course.
You can use the RCS commands directly.
co The co command retrieves a revision from the RCS file, also known as "checkout".
Example:
co -r1.1 <filename>
Check out an older revision of a file, in this case version 1.1
rcsdiff The rcsdiff command runs diff to compare two revisions in an RCS file.
Example:
csdiff -r1.1 -r1.3 <filename>
Shows a diff between version 1.1 and version 1.3 of the file
rlog Displays information about RCS files
Example:
rlog <filename>
Shows which versions are available and some information about these versions.
Resources7 minute read
Universal Basic Income is one of the hottest topics of the 21st century. Having Unconditional Income sounds exciting for citizens, while scares politicians. This extreme and expensive step might be the only solution for the future of work and survival. This article explores the idea of basic income, its effect on equality including gender perspective, raise of entrepreneurship and shift of employees’ attitude, and international aspect of the new welfare system.
The clock
is ticking
The Universal Basic Income is a simplified and more transparent welfare system that can reduce the cost of welfare while improving economic activity. The idea is far from new. The guaranteed income was advocated by Thomas Paine in the 18th century: “There shall be paid to every person, when arrived at the age of twenty-one years, the sum… as a compensation in part, for the loss of his or her natural inheritance, by the introduction of the system of landed property…to every person, rich or poor… because it is in lieu of the natural inheritance, which, as a right, belongs to every man, over and above the property he may have created, or inherited from those who did.”
Nowadays, when the labor market is in danger with the projection that at least 7% of human work in 2020 will be substituted with robotics, the new welfare system is a logical step forward for the societal shift. Bill Gates argues that while the idea is great, the world might not be ready to implement it. “Over time, countries will be rich enough to do this. However, we still have a lot of work that should be done — helping older people, helping kids with special needs, having more adults helping in education,” said Gates at AMA on Reddit. Thus, there is a number of ongoing Universal Basic Income experiments to shed light on its process and outcome.
Adding the
gender perspective
One of Basic Income’s merits is giving similar opportunities to everyone and equalizing the society regardless individual inheritance. For poorer people or people without income, like stay-at-home moms, the basic income covers essentials like healthcare and food. According to Patricia Schulz, a Swiss lawyer and specialist in international human rights and gender equality, Universal Basic Income enormously contributes to the equality and empowers women. Patricia argues that “as most social security systems are (still) based on contributions linked to remunerated work, independent or salaried, the inferior income of women, their restriction to part-time jobs as well as the interruptions in their careers due to care responsibilities will directly impact the level of social protection they can expect in case of old age, disability, illness and so on, as well as expose them to depend on a partner and/or the (welfare) state.” She underlines the issue of the developed countries with the gender wage gap. As women earn less during the life, consequently their pensions are lower than that of men’s. Nevertheless, latest statistic shows that salary gap is shrinking for youth under 25 years old. Therefore, hopefully, Patricia’s argument will stay true for current generation only.
An even more dramatic situation is in the countries where inequality is such that women do not have an independent income and are totally dependent on the earner. Basic Income Earth Network has conducted Basic Income experiment in nine Indian villages proving unconditional grants. It has reportedly empowered women giving them a sense of control over money. As a result, debts in those communities were significantly reduced, nutrition, sanitation, and school attendance among children were noticeably improved. Another experiment, Basic Income Granit in Namibia, has decreased child malnutrition and increased healthcare clinic use. It has also been reported that during the field, more children have visited schools and fewer people engaged in criminal activity.
Future of work
and entrepreneurship
There are contradictory opinions on how people will use an extra income and where the funding for basic income will come from. Some experts question whether people will work at all. This group of thinkers lack the understanding that while there is always a standard deviation, most of the people are ambitious and prefer to develop themselves. For example, experiment in London showed that granting free money to homeless people helps at least half of them to find a job and accommodation in one year. That means that basic income can empower poor and homeless people, reduce crime rates and police expenditure.
When the labor market is endangered by having every third worker as a robot, especially in large corporations that can afford the investment, people turn more to establishing their own business. In theory, Universal Basic Income reduces the risk of opening own business and thus nudges to follow the dream and turn a beloved hobby into a profitable firm. For the longest time, HRs have been advocating to provide employees with own space and allow them to bring own perspective and interests into daily tasks. They argue that this way will increase productivity and innovation. The Basic Income will most probably grant the ball into employees hands allowing them either leveraging own job description or establishing own enterprise. Altogether, it will boost economy development and the money exchange on the market.
But what working people will do with the monthly extra income? Some people say that they would invest part of “free money” to build and sustain a local community with farming or other activities. Moreover, the idea to spend part of extras on children, elderly, education or community, is one of the most popular. If each citizen contributes some amount of basic income into local developments, it will also generate new businesses. On a recent episode of the podcast Freakonomics Radio, Sam Altman, the president of the incubator Y Combinator that funds research on universal basic incomes, said “Maybe 90 percent of people will go smoke pot and play video games, but if 10 percent of the people go create new products and services and new wealth, that’s still a huge net win.” Having a sure monthly cash flow gives space for creativity which is impossible for a robotic world.
International relationship
of basic income
Countries all over the world are attempting to enhance their welfare with Basic Income. However, each of them is trying its own original way of the provision of guaranteed money flow. For example, Basic Income in Finland and India is vastly different. Amantya Sen, a recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics, even argues that India is not ready for such a step, as a country has not yet “reached the level of prosperity that Europe has”. Internationally countries have to account for a possible increase of immigration to places with more attractive solutions. Today, there is a global economy, global ecology, and it is time to move from national to global politics as well. The 21st century has to bring a solution that will work for global community with a new market of work and consumerism.EN: In today’s post I want to touch an important topic: make-up bullying. You might have encountered this problem in the past, while wearing a bold and daring make-up or while not wearing make-up at all.
The thing is, some girls love to wear make-up, some don’t, and it’s OK. And in my opinion, as long as it’s well-executed and enhances the beauty of the girl wearing it, it doesn’t matter if that look involves tons of beauty products or not.
I know what you will say, and I agree, make-up mistakes can occur pretty often. I was guilty of committing some in my early adolescence. But now I can say I’ve evolved, because I’ve read more, I watched more tutorials. And most importantly, I’ve experimented on my skin just to understand what works well for my complexion and what doesn’t.
For me, false lashes were always a no-no, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t admire other women who wear them. Same thing applies for bold liquid eye shadows or black lipstick. I would not wear them myself (at least not now), but some girls look amazing with them on, so why all the drama?
I never understood the hate between ladies: just because you don’t like something, it doesn’t mean that no one should ever wear it. Make-up is a way to stand out of the crowd, is a way to express your true self, your personality, just like clothing does.
I noticed a type of comments that keep popping on nearly all YouTube make-up tutorials I’ve ever watched, and it’s usually one of these two:
1. OMG, you look so beautiful without make-up, why do you need to wear all that crap? I mean, you are waay better without it.
2. OMG, what if a guy wakes up next to you, you look nasty without all that make-up on!
Even though they might seem different, both actually mean the same thing, but expressed in different words: BULLYING. Telling a girl she is ugly without make-up and no one will love her is really rude, but trying to stop a person from doing what she loves is also bad.
Some girls have to do it (because of acne, pronounced redness or stains), some don’t, but have a passion for it.
No matter the reason, we shouldn’t judge or make people feel bad about themselves. They are beautiful and should be perceived like this, no matter what trolls have to say.
Of course, there is a seed of truth in everything. Indeed, skin problems should be first properly treated and not hidden through make-up. But that does not mean that I don’t understand girls who do it.
In a society where looks and physical appearance are so important, whether you like it or not, perfection is a goal we all pursue. So we can’t be hypocrites and judge these girls for their choice.
I do blame horrible looks, which look like masks, but this is a different topic. Usually, these girls I’m talking about have amazing make-up skills and have learned how to properly hide their flaws.
And let’s flip the coin for a moment: NOT wearing make-up is also OK. Even if I’m in love with everything make-up related, I have lots of days when all I wear is mascara and day cream. And I know girls who would react to this like “OMG, how can you just let the world see you without any make-up on?”
Luckily for me, I no longer have annoying zips and my face looks pretty decent after I wake up. Not that I have a flawless skin, I’d wish for that, but I’ve learned to accept how I look like and understand that make-up is a choice. It is a beautiful activity and can truly make wonders on the face of any woman, but it’s not a mandatory task.
If I don’t feel like wearing clothes one day, I can’t do it, because, oh well, I work in an open space office! But if I feel like not wearing make-up, this isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a problem.
So, after reading this loong post, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! What do you think about make-up bullying and life choices?
RO: Dragelor, astăzi nu avem un subiect foarte plăcut de dezbătut, dar cred că este totuși important. Prin ”make-up bullying” eu mă refer la reacțiile negative cu care ne confruntăm uneori (fie pe rețelele sociale, fie în viața reală) referitoare la machiajul pe care îl purtăm (sau tocmai în lipsa lui).
Trebuie să stabilim un lucru: unele fete iubesc machiajul, altele nu, și e OK. În viziunea mea, un machiaj perfect e corect executat și scoate în evidență cele mai frumoase trăsături ale fetei care îl poartă. Pentru mine, ca ”spectator”, nu mai contează câte produse a folosit, câtă vreme rezultatul e flawless.
E normal să faci și greșeli în machiaj, îmi aduc aminte de o mulțime de exemple de ”așa nu” pe care le-am făcut în liceu. Dar acum pot spune că am evoluat, am citit mult și am urmărit multe tutoriale, dar cel mai important, am testat diverse stiluri, produse și culori, pentru a-mi da seama ce mi se potrivește și ce nu. Și încă sunt într-un proces continuu de îmbunătățire, pentru că întotdeaua e loc de mai bine.
Spre exemplu, eu niciodată nu m-am simțit atrasă de genele false, dar asta nu înseamnă că nu admir femeile care includ aceste mici ”artificii” destul de des în machiajul lor. Același lucru se aplică și pentru rujul negru sau fardurile cremoase în nuanțe extrem de îndrăznețe (sau glitter).
Dar simplul fapt că eu nu le folosesc nu îmi dă dreptul să critic sau să desconsider fetele care o fac. Dacă o tipă arată absolut genial cu gene false + ruj negru + fard de pleoape verde intens (un look pe care mie probabil nu mi-ar plăcea să îl abordez), nu pot decât să o admir, bravo ei.
Haideți să lăsăm puțin drama la o parte și să apreciem talentul și dedicația pentru un anumit domeniu, chiar dacă noi nu avem înclinație spre acel gen de tehnică sau cromatică.
Niciodată nu am înțeles această ură tacită și mentalitatea de tipul ”dacă mie nu îmi place, înseamnă că e greșit”. Ba chiar deloc, mai ales în domeniul machiajului.
În fond, vorbim despre un mod de a îți exprima personalitatea, creativitatea, și de a te diferenția de cei din jur. Iar asta face și vestimentația pe care o alegem în fiecare zi, nu?
Unul dintre motivele pentru care am scris articolul ăsta este faptul că, după ce am vizionat o mulțime de tutoriale pe YouTube, am observat că există două tipuri de comentarii care apar frecvent:
1. ”Ești atât de frumoasă fără machiaj, de ce ai nevoie de sute de produse ca să îți acoperi fața? Arăți mult mai bine fără toate porcăriile alea pe ten”
2. ”Arăți groaznic fără machiaj, dacă se trezește un tip lângă tine dimineața și te vede așa, se sperie”
Deși par să fie contradictorii, de fapt ambele tipuri de comentarii sunt exact la fel și ating același scop: de a face tipa respectivă să se simtă prost, fie că o face printr-un compliment mascat sau o jignire directă.
Iar asta nu e OK. Să îi spulberi unei fete complet încrederea în sine printr-un simplu ”ești urâtă fără machiaj” nu te ajută cu nimic. Dar la fel, nu e OK să descurajezi o persoană din a-și urma pasiunea.
Unele fete simt nevoia să se machieze în fiecare zi (pentru a-și acoperi coșurile, roșeața sau petele), iar altele nu o fac din necesitate, ci din simplă plăcere.
Dar indiferent de motiv, nu avem dreptul să judecăm și să jignim oameni doar pentru că așa ni se pare nouă corect. Sfaturi de genul ”machiajul strică tenul/ îmbătrânește” poate da oricine, dar tu, din spatele unui monitor, nu ai de unde să știi nimic despre obiceiurile de îngrijire ale fetei în cauză, nu știi ce ten are, nu îi cunoști complexele sau motivația pentru care o face.
Desigur, este și o scânteie de adevăr în orice. Și eu sunt de acord că problemele tenului ar trebui rezolvate, nu doar ascunse de privirea lumii. Dar totuși le înțeleg pe fetele care sunt nevoite să o facă.
Într-o societate în care aspectul fizic și aparențele contează mai mult decât ne-am dori să recunoaștem, e clar că nu putem să ignorăm modul în care ne prezentăm în fața celorlalți. Nu putem fi ipocriți și să judecăm aceste fete pentru alegerea lor de a se simți confortabil în propria piele, pentru că și noi am face la fel dacă am fi în locul lor.
Din nou, nu îmi plac deloc ”măștile” care doar dezavantajează purtătoarele lor, cu aspect ieftin și mult prea exagerat, dar aici vorbim despre cu totul altceva. De obicei, tipele astea despre care vă vorbesc, așa numitele Beauty Gurus, chiar au talent și abilitățile necesare pentru a își acoperi defectele prin machiaj, iar rezultatul final de obicei te lasă cu gura căscată.
Dar hai să ne gândim puțin și la situația opusă: să nu te machiezi deloc e la fel de OK. Deși sunt puțin (mai mult) obsedată de machiaj și produse cosmetice, deseori ies din casă după ce am aplicat doar mascara și cremă de față (uneori, nici mascara nu intră în calcul). Iar multe fete ar fi foarte surprinse și cumva dezamăgite auzind asta, probabil m-ar întreba speriate ”cum poți să ieși în lume fără machiaj? chiar îi lași pe ceilalți să te vadă așa?”
Din fericire, după ce am ieșit din adolescență, am avut noroc să scap de coșuri și acum mă simt destul de confortabil cu tenul meu. Asta nu înseamnă că am un ten perfect, nici nu se pune problema, dar am învățat să mă accept așa cum sunt și să înțeleg că machiajul e o alegere. Este o activitate extrem de plăcută, o pasiune frumoasă, și poate să aibă un efect wow asupra noastră și a celor care ne înconjoară, atunci când îl purtăm. Dar nu este o obligație.
Deci dacă nu am chef să mă machiez într-o zi, sau prefer să dorm cu o jumătate de oră în plus, nu ar trebui să fie o problemă.
Mi-aș dori foarte mult să citesc părerile voastre despre acest subiect! Voi ce credeți despre make-up bullying și alegerile pe care le facem în fiecare zi?
(Photo source: screenshots from YouTube videos uploaded by beauty gurus Jacklin Hill, Lauren Curtis, My Pale Skin & Shaanxo)
Like this: Like Loading...In a secret report last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross found that the CIA’s interrogation techniques were “categorically” torture, a new book reveals.
From the New York Times:
The book, “The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals,” by Jane Mayer, who writes about counterterrorism for The New Yorker, offers new details of the agency’s secret detention program, as well as the bitter debates in the administration over interrogation methods and other tactics in the campaign against Al Qaeda....Citing unnamed “sources familiar with the report,” Ms. Mayer wrote that the Red Cross document “warned that the abuse constituted war crimes, placing the highest officials in the U.S. government in jeopardy of being prosecuted.”
Late Update: The book also reveals new specifics on Abu Zubaydah’s waterboarding. Contrary to administration reports that the technique was used “on only three occasions,” Abu Zubaydah told the Red Cross that he was waterboarded “at least 10 times in a single week and as many as three times a day.”
And there’s new info on Khalid Shaikh Mohammed as well. “KSM” says he was “kept naked for more than a month” and “kept alternately in suffocating heat and in a painfully cold room.”If you've ever been told you weren't allowed to have dessert until you cleaned up your toys, well, you can now clean up your toys by having dessert. You can eat your toys. Eating your toys will clean up your mess. Your toys are the dessert. That'll show 'em, right?
All you'll need are some chocolate LEGOs. Designer Akihiro Mizuuchi crafted a precise mould to produce these edible building blocks, which appear to be made from dark, milk and white chocolate.
The LEGOs do look tasty, but they pose a problem bigger than your older brother storming into the den to kick over the Death Star II set you just spent hours putting together. How can you prevent your hands from melting the blocks?
It seems Mizuuchi had no trouble assembling a couple sweet designs from the cocoa, but it's unclear if he used something like tweezers (or frozen gloves?) for support. In any case, we'd be psyched to try to make a masterpiece, and devour the finished product.Republican Gov. Sam Brownback rescinded an executive order Tuesday issued during the Sebelius administration that offered protections to state employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The move immediately drew condemnation from state and national organizations, as well as lawmakers.
Then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, signed the order in 2007 prohibiting discrimination against most state employees on the basis of sexual orientation, The Associated Press reported at the time.
The order required agencies under the governor’s direct control to ensure they have programs to prevent harassment against gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and people who have had surgery for sex changes. It covered 25,000 of the 41,000 state employees.
On Tuesday, Brownback issued a new executive order canceling Sebelius’ order.
"This Executive Order ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans without creating additional ‘protected classes’ as the previous order did," Brownback said in a statement.
"Any such expansion of ‘protected classes’ should be done by the legislature and not through unilateral action. The order also reaffirms our commitment to hiring, mentoring and recognizing veterans and individuals with disabilities."
Tom Witt, head of Equality Kansas, slammed Brownback’s action.
"This action by the governor is an outrage," Witt said. "Gay, lesbian, and transgender state employees across Kansas have trusted they would be safe from discrimination and harassment in their workplace, but Sam Brownback has, by erasing their job protections, declared ‘open season’ on every one of them."
The Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights organization, condemned the action. The organization in a statement said the governor had taken the state backward and called the move "shameful" and "foul."
Members of Planting Peace, the nonprofit that runs the Equality House in Topeka, and other equality advocates have planned a love protest for noon Saturday on the south lawn of the Capitol, hoping to send a message that Kansans "won’t tolerate this intolerance," said member Davis Hammet.
It is appropriate, he said, that the rally falls on Valentine’s Day.
"We wanted to use Valentine’s Day as a symbol of love, to remind them that all love is equal, and no one should be treated with disrespect, that no one should be fired for loving the person they do," Hammet said.
Sebelius said in 2007 her order brought the state of Kansas in line with most Fortune 500 companies and 31 other states. It protected 25,000 state employees from being denied jobs, fired or discriminated against based on sexual orientation or gender identity but had no power of law over other businesses across the state.
The state already had a policy prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment based on race, ethnicity, gender, national origin or age.
"We were out of date and out of step," Sebelius said at the time.
Rep. Annie Kuether, D-Topeka, counts many state workers among her constituents. She didn’t appear optimistic about the prospects for legislative pushback, saying the Legislature has changed since Sebelius implemented the order in 2007.
"We weren't as conservative as we are now as a body," Kuether said.
The executive order comes as the Department of Administration has called a news conference for Wednesday to discuss changes to human resources policies. No further details were announced.
Though Brownback rescinded the order Tuesday, the governor could have taken the same action at any point during his more than four years as governor.
"By focusing on divisive social issues, Brownback is playing to his base and attempting to distract from the serious budget crisis facing our state. The bottom line is this: All Kansans deserve to be treated fairly and with respect, and no Kansan should be denied equal protection under the law," said House Minority Leader Rep. Tom Burroughs, D-Kansas City.
The governor has been a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage. In the midst of a heated re-election campaign against Democrat Paul Davis, Brownback said Kansas should defend its ban on same-sex marriage contained in the state’s constitution.
Same-sex marriages have now begun in Kansas, though a lawsuit is still pending. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on same-sex marriage nationwide later this year.Former President Jimmy Carter may be on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum from the current leader of the free world, but he’s still offering to help with one of the most pressing issues — the crisis with North Korea.
Carter, 93 told the New York Times he is willing to take the lead on diplomatic efforts with the North Korea government to contain their efforts to amass nuclear weapons, and is even willing to physically travel to North Korea to carry out this objective. “I would go, yes,” he said, noting that he spoke directly with Trump’s National Security Adviser, H. R. McMaster in May, when he saw him at the funeral of his former National Security Adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski. “I told him that I was available if they ever need me,” he said.
In 1994, Carter flew to North Korea for a meeting with Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un’s grandfather who was leader of North Korea at the time during a contentious time between the two countries. “After hearing that Washington was also contemplating a buildup in military capability, I decided to go. In the past, I had always refrained from going to a troubled area of the world without approval from the White House or State Department. But I hadn’t been able to get approval. So I finally wrote President Clinton a letter and told him that I had decided to go to North Korea,” Carter told PBS of his decision in 2003.
But even though Carter advocated for diplomatic measures, he still expressed alarm over Kim Jung Un, who he called “unpredictable” and said was capable of conducting a preemptive strike against the United States. “I think he’s now got advanced nuclear weaponry that can destroy the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and some of our outlying territories in the Pacific, maybe even our mainland,” he told the Times.
Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com.CALGARY AB, March 8, 2017 – Today, IBM Canada (NYSE: IBM) and District Ventures have announced the launch of the District Ventures and IBM Innovation Space – Calgary, a new innovation accelerator designed to bring entrepreneurs and big enterprise together to solve some of Canada’s biggest business challenges. Located in Calgary, this unique innovation accelerator will help companies incubate and innovate ideas more rapidly, moving their business plans to commercialization.
The District Ventures and IBM Innovation Space – Calgary will enable entrepreneurs at various stages of their business development to excel through mentorships, exposure to clients, collaboration, and support through the use of powerful technologies such as the IBM Bluemix hybrid cloud development platform and IBM Watson services. Leveraging the success of District Ventures and IBM in accelerating growth stage companies, entrepreneurs will engage with high-level executives, investors, mentors, and each other to further innovate and tackle challenges identified by many of Canada’s leading industries, such as natural resources, healthcare, clean tech, fintech, and agriculture.
“Entrepreneurialism isn’t reserved for start-ups. It should be embraced by companies large and small, by innovators in the smallest of |
in California?" he said. "This unfairly targets one community, a community I represent... and that brings into question the issue of fairness."
The measure is being pushed by environmental, animal rights and conservation groups, organizations that, combined, have contributed more than $186,000 to Assembly lawmakers the past two years, according to information compiled by the nonprofit Maplight.org.
Opponents - including several Asian food and restaurant associations - have given about $101,000 to Assembly members in recent years, the nonprofit found.Israel warned tourists about an immediate threat of attack in south-west part of India. (File)
Highlights Israel's anti-terrorism directorate issues travel warning for India Says immediate threat of attack to Western and tourist targets Doesn't mention what led to warning, but says targets mainly in southwest
Israel has issued an "immediate and severe" travel warning for Western tourists in India, citing an immediate threat of attack on tourist targets during New Year celebrations, particularly in south-west part of India."We are warning Israeli tourists in India of the possibility of imminent terrorist attacks against western targets and tourists, particularly in the southwest of that country," Israel's anti-terrorism directorate said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's office."A particular emphasis should be put on events in the coming days in connection with beach and club parties celebrating the New Year where a concentration of tourists will be high," the warning said.The south-west part of India -- which covers popular holiday destinations like Goa, Pune, Mumbai and Cochin - are particularly at risk, it said.The statement further recommended that tourists avoid participation in beach and New Year parties at popular tourist spots."Israeli tourists traveling in India are asked to stay alert and to pay attention to local media reports and security agencies," it added.Meanwhile, an Israeli Embassy spokesman in New Delhi confirmed the warning and said: "Israel has issued a travel advisory surrounding New Year's Eve celebrations events in south-west India, with specific regard to beach parties, clubs and highly-populated tourist sites. Israeli tourist are advised to avoid such events and other densly-populated areas."The warning also called on Israeli families to contact their relatives in India and tell them of the threat. In addition, it recommended avoiding markets, festivals and crowded shopping areas.Notably, the travel warning was published on Friday, after the start of the Jewish Sabbath, when government offices close for business.The directorate did not specify what prompted the warning, however, additional security arrangements have been made all around the world for New Year eve in view of the Berlin terror attack on a Christmas market last week that killed 12 people.India remains a popular tourist destination for Israeli citizens and according to Jewish Post an estimated 20,000 former Israeli soldiers travel to India every year.Israeli citizens and Jewish sites in India have been attacked in the past, the most infamous incident occurred during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack when members of the Pakistani-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) targeted the local Chabad House, among other sites, in Mumbai. In 2012, Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of an Israeli Defense Ministry representative, was moderately wounded in an explosion in her car near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi.Embarking on the Second Hockey Season – Cue Motivation
Amassing a regular season record of 5-9-8 and a league leading 248 minutes in penalties, the Sharks enter the league playoffs as the 7th seed. Only the top 8 of 10 teams in the division were eligible to play in the next round, so we were pleased to simply earn the spot to begin with. The 7th place finish means we draw the 2nd place squad, against which, as it turns out, we have a quite favourable record of 1-1-1 including a win in our most recent contest just a couple of weeks ago. I’ve told our players I think part of their motivation comes from being haters of my beloved Winnipeg Jets as our competitors wear similarly designed jerseys. I’m all good with using whatever we need, including a little sporting irony.
Adding to the playoff challenge is a second, provincial playdown, series which starts next weekend. This will be a four game, double round robin format against the 1st and 6th place teams in our loop, which are also our closest geographic rivals with plenty of familiar faces to stir our players’ emotions. Some players from both teams even go to school together; an odd juxtaposition created by the lack of territorial restrictions in girls’ competitive hockey in our province. Players I’ve released are on one of these other teams and vice versa. Lots of motivation on all three benches to use and worry about.
Last weekend, we left the country for a little pre-playoff, team building tourney and some cross-border shopping (which may have been the highlight for some of our teen-aged competitors). The team fared well against some admittedly weaker competition winning the first two matches 7-1 and 5-0 respectively. However, we were still faced with a must win in game three against the apparent strongest team in the eight team tourney as only two clubs would advance to a single championship game, knowing one other team had a perfect record as well. A close 2-1 defeat in our third and unfortunately final game meant no fourth or chance to take home a tourney win. But the entire weekend experience was a success on a whole from a team building perspective and served to show the girls their goal scoring potential when they play as a team.
In a few hours, we hit the ice in the first tilt of a best 2 out of 3 series, with game two coming less than 24 hours later. Getting off to a quick start in such a short format is a must. To me, the difference-maker will be motivation and hard work; something our team’s success has hinged on in pretty much every game we’ve played this year. The girls have shown their ability to skate and play with every team we’ve faced to this point. And so, my/our challenge as a coaching staff will be to bring the best out of our players; to get them all on the same page and firing on all cylinders to lean on a couple of oft-used, but oh so appropriate clichés. I think I’ll lean on my previous playoff habit of creating a motivational sign to give our players something to focus on. The pre-game messages will be short and to the point.
If you’ve any last minute advice, I’m all ears.
#imahockeydadTLDR: We have a Node.js coding bootcamp here at RisingStack which will help you to sucker punch imposter syndrome and give you a kickstart learning Node.js!
In this article, I give you some insight on it and share my experience. I hope that if you are a rookie just like me, you will get some boost seeing my example, and you will jump right into it.
((Back then, I had no idea what I'm getting into!))
And the good news? Our Node Bootcamp is totally open source (aka free), so you can improve yourself too by going through it.
By the time you finish it, you’ll become a Node developer who can confidently work on enterprise projects (with the help of a mentor) - and it’s a great learning material in case you’re preparing for the Node Foundation’s Certification Exam!
This is my story:
Meet Me, the Wannabe Node Developer
My journey started back in May 2016. I’ve been looking for an opportunity for changing my career for quite a time back then. Originally I’m a civil engineer, but I was interested in web development. Doing some tutorials and online courses every now and then, but nothing serious, it was more like about learning new things, you know, just for fun.
Then one day I saw an ad of a coding course. 4 months of basic web development, with pretty good chances of finding a job. I did some research about the opportunities, and I spoke with a couple of friends in the industry. I guess you’ve found out already: I applied.
I got a junior front end developer job after finishing the course. It was all fun and games until I figured out that it’s not what I dream of. The team was superb, I learned a lot during working hours and even after. When I got involved in an API development and implementation project, I realized I’m very interested in backend technologies as well. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have the chance to work on similar projects, since the company almost exclusively develops front-end projects and this was a one-time-only, internal project.
Fast forward to June 2017: a message was waiting for me in my LinkedIn Inbox. It was different from the usual recruiter messages, it was kinda personal and really straightforward, asking whether I’m interested in working on cool stuff, contributing to the Javascript and Node.js community and if so, let’s talk.
Best. Timing. Ever.
Starting the Node Bootcamp at RisingStack
On my first day at RisingStack, I got a T-shirt with two words on it: Node Hero. I immediately burst into laughter.
“Node Hero? More like a sidekick. Or the guy who changes the lightbulb in the callsign reflector…” - I said.
“For now, maybe. But at the end of our Node.js bootcamp you’ll know everything you need to move forward” - they said.
It turns out they were right though. The professionalism and knowledge they provided were more than enough to get the fundamentals about Node.js and to confidently jump into the new chapter of my programming career.
So I started the bootcamp exercise right on my first day, without any deeper knowledge of relational databases or Node apps whatsoever.
I’ve found it to be pretty delightful that my exercise wasn’t a to-do app they usually ask you to make. Not that there is any problem with it, but as a total rookie, I did it many times before so it was nice to see something new.
You know, just for fun and for the sake of variety. :)
So what did I do instead, you ask?
The main task the business logic had to handle in the first assignment was:
Find GitHub repos, using the GitHub public API Collect the repos into a database in a form specified in the readme Collect the contributors of the repo into a database in a form specified in the readme Calculate the added lines per contributors and save it into the database Be able to query the contributions
This seems pretty easy, huh?
You’d be surprised how complex it can get in no time! Especially if you want to do it at RisingStack grade..
First I was so confident in what I did, that I just jumped right into the first task, starting to hack-n-slash around. It was a good way to get lost in all the new things.
So I Needed to Slow Down a Little Bit...
“Could we like go through the daily task every end of the day and check whether I got everything right or not?”
During this bootcamp, each and every task - or milestone, if you will - introduces something new, a new tool / library / syntax / feature / unicorn / double rainbow you have to use, like
ES6 syntax with async-await
Joi for validation
Knex.js, for SQL query building and migrating
Redis to handle messages ( yes, there will be workers ;) )
just to name a few.
You can find links to useful resources next to the task description, where you can find documentation, examples, and articles which will help you to grasp the concept, from the very beginning, setting up the project and getting all the required things right, to deploying and making the app production ready.
Pro tip from a rookie: For me, it was really helpful to set up a method:
First I spent a day reading the resources, finding related ones and doing super simple examples to see how they work in real life and to check whether I got it right.
The next day I created a plan, usually with pen and paper (Yeah, I know, it’s so 3000 B.C., but it is the best way to make notes and drafts fast!) to draft a workflow about what I have to do in the task.
This way you can stay on track and save a lot of time!
Tests. They got your back, bro..
I think almost all of us know the phase where we all started: you know the basics, and can put together something that just miraculously works. I found this the main selling point in developing, you can just create things out of thin air! Absolutely amazing.
But is it really working? In every condition? What about that refactoring you did yesterday? Is it still cool? I think you’ve heard this a lot, or else, you’re the Test Pope himself, and so you can back me up on this one:
Testing gives you the confidence, that you did not screw up something accidentally and your code does exactly what you wanted it to do.
We think that proper testing is a crucial part of every project. Milestones are only reached if you have the proper testing done. You'll most likely find some predefined tests, but most of them need to be written by you.
The bootcamp helps you to get familiar with the most commonly used testing techniques and tools, like
Mocha.js,
Chai.js,
Sinon
for stubbing, spying and mocking out calls, from unit test to end-to-end tests.
They really come in handy for refactoring, because one of the main point of this exercise is to write maintainable, readable, efficient code. Which you probably won’t be able to do at first try.
Pro tip from a rookie: Try to organize your code in a way that makes it easy to unit test all your functions! If you already wrote it and then you realize that it’s not really fit for unit testing, just try to restructure it instead skipping the test!
Don’t forget: today’s skipped test is tomorrow’s bug. Potentially.
Is this the lab experiment accident which made me a super Node.js guru-hero-ninja and let me write ridiculously long section titles?
There’s this ancient proverb:
“The thing is, while you are a rookie, you don’t have enough knowledge to decide which way is the best to step on, the amount of options are just overwhelming...”
Nope, not at all. Probably you already know that it is not possible to become a pro in a fortnight, as there are no magic potions making you lean and muscular while you can eat trainloads of chocolate, heck, not even a shoe that fits all feet.
Fortunately for me, the good folks of RisingStack created an exercise that can give adequate answers for some simple, yet periodically emerging questions hitting all of us at least once in a time, like:
“I’ve just finished a tutorial on javascript. What should I do next?”
“Do you have a good exercise that fits a beginner?“
“What is the minimal requirements to get a junior job as a Node.js / web developer?“
I’m almost sure, that if you are subscribed on r/javascript, you saw these questions more than once…
What I loved in this exercise is that I got familiar with a lot of new things, while I created something that is the archetype of every web app nowadays.
After I finished every task in the Node Bootcamp, it became my number one backup code I went back to when I needed to create something, or when I wanted to try out or learn something new.
Just the recent example of mine: I wanted to create a login system with token authentication, by only myself, without any step-to-step tutorial or whatsoever. I didn’t want to create a whole new app for this simple task. So I just integrated it into one of the bootcamp exercises! After this I created a handy boilerplate out of it, so whenever I want to experiment with some new fancy stuff I need a backend for, I just grab this boilerplate and spice it up as I want to in no time! Really good for quick prototyping.
Wanna go farther? Sure thing, chief! What about wiring some CI system into it? Deploying out on Heroku maybe? Creating a front end for it? It is all possible, I know because I did it. It is only up to you, which direction you wanna move from this point.
So yeah, as you can see, this bootcamp is not equivalent with the bite of a mutant spider or chemical X, but it is a very firm base that gave me a general overview of back-end technologies, and it allowed me to experiment with new things.
The other very important personal thing is that it gave me confidence as a junior in what I know. I could start to learn effectively, and now I can distinguish what resource is useful and which is not. It taught me to learn, and now I am not afraid at all to get in the water for swimmers only.
You can Start RisingStack’s Node Bootcamp Now
My description above was just a small taste, barely scratching the surface. I suggest you to check out the exercises for yourself on GitHub: https://github.com/RisingStack/risingstack-bootcamp
We’re counting on your feedback!
Also, If you find the bootcamp too easy, I recommend you to check out our upcoming Node.js trainings to challenge yourself even more. I bet you have plenty of areas to cover - like microservices and security!Dr. Phil: Tuiasosopo 'romantically in love' with Te'o
The alleged mastermind behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, sat down with Dr. Phil McGraw in a two-part interview. (Photo11: AP Photo/CBS Television Distribution/Peteski Productions)
In an excerpt of his two-part interview with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, Dr. Phil McGraw said the alleged mastermind behind the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax spoke of his "confused" sexual identity, and that Tuiasosopo "fell deeply, romantically in love" with the Notre Dame star.
"I asked him, straight up, was this a romantic relationship with you?" McGraw told NBC's Matt Taibbi during a segment on NBC's Today. "And he says, 'yes.' I then said, are you then, therefore, gay? He says, 'Well, when you put it that way, yes.' And then, he caught himself and said, 'I am confused.'"
FULL COVERAGE: Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax
Said McGraw, "Ronaiah had a number of life experiences that damaged this young man in some very serious ways."
During the course of the interview, Tuiasosopo told McGraw that Te'o had absolutely no role in the hoax, painting the All-American as an innocent victim in a scam that Tuiasosopo knew would blow up once Te'o's stature grew over the course of his senior season.
KELLY: Coach didn't sense hoax impacted Te'o leading into Alabama game
Tuiasosopo also knew that his role in the hoax would inevitably be revealed.
"I wanted to end it because after everything I had gone through, I finally realized that I just had to move on with my life and had to get me, Ronaiah… I had to start just living and let this go," Tuiasosopo said.
Said Tuiasosopo of the relationship between Te'o and Lennay Kekua, "There were many times where Manti and Lennay had broken up, but something would bring them back together, whether it was something going on in his life or in Lennay's life, in this case in my life."
DR. PHIL: McGraw's interview with Tuiasosopo a two-parter
Tuiasosopo also insisted that he was the voice of Kekua during the lengthy phone calls with Te'o. On Jan. 25, a cousin of Tuiasosopo told the New York Post that a female cousin, Tino Tuiasosopo, played Kekua on the phone and in voicemails.
The full interview with Tuiasosopo will run Thursday and Friday on McGraw's syndicated talk show, Dr. Phil.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/11f3o7UThere will be unsurprising, but deserved criticism of President Obama for appointing Susan Rice to be his next national-security adviser. The administration has chosen damaged goods. Rice’s exact role in, and level of knowledge about, the Benghazi scandal has still to be determined by congressional investigators, but her main claim to fame was to venture onto national television to sell a story about the death of a U.S. ambassador and other American officials that was false.
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But the more important story is that Rice’s appointment is part of a broader theme to Obama’s second term. Once again, the president has chosen a mediocre political devotee as either a reward for past service or to help defend the castle walls during a combative second term. Past presidents had more confidence to choose significant thinkers on foreign policy for the job. JFK chose McGeorge Bundy; LBJ had W. W. Rostow, Nixon had Kissinger, Ford had Scowcroft, Carter had Brzezinski, and Reagan started with Allen and Clark, then got into trouble with McFarlane and Poindexter, but then chose Powell and Carlucci. Clinton had Berger and Lake, Bush had Rice and Hadley. These officials had thought about foreign affairs and national security for decades and had contributed to important and valuable schools of thought on the future of American national security.
Place Rice next to those figures. Putting aside her flawed service as U.N. ambassador, Rice has done, said, and written almost nothing to distinguish her as an influential voice in foreign policy, either within the Democratic party or outside of it. The highest profile act of her career in the Clinton State Department was to support standing by during the Rwandan genocide — one of the great tragedies of the Clinton years — because of concern over the effect of an intervention on the 1994 midterm elections.
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Choosing a committed loyalist despite her role in one of the administration’s biggest scandals shows that the president has little interest in cooperating with the opposition party on the issues where bipartisanship is most important: national security and foreign affairs. Obama has given Republicans the separation-of-powers equivalent of the bird. But it also shows that Obama has no hopes for a second-term agenda in national security other than playing partisan defense and reacting to events abroad. Obama may well get his oft-invoked change, but it will be dictated by the decisions of others.Share Pin Share Email Shares 0
Few things are more discouraging than working really hard to accomplish a goal, but feeling absolutely no progress. There is no better way to say it than the overused cliché ‘you are ‘spinning your tires’. Thus enters the power of focus.
Financially, many of us are no more focused than the average horse. The horse looks all over the place, wanders here and there, and walks wherever he pleases. Hence the need for blinders. Blinders force the horse to focus only on the object directly in front of the animal.
Many of our finances are simply a collection of good ideas and good advice. We are so lightly invested in so many different things that ultimately we are failing at all of them.
We might have a little life insurance because someone said we should. The kids are getting some money for an allowance because that is supposed to teach them financial responsibility. The pastor said you should be giving, so you do. Retirement is important so you allocate some dollars into a Roth IRA and then a few into a 401K because you never completely could decide which was better. You give nice gifts because that is what a good human should do. You make your minimum payments on your credit cards. Write a check for your house. And well, by the middle of the month, you have a little of a lot of good things that, as a result, are just a little of nothing.
Focus is the solution.
Choose only one financial task and invest all your resources into that task. For example, if you are in debt make sure you are minimally covered on essentials and drop everything else. Like a military commander, you are going to call some troops away from a job over there and reassign them over here. Reassign every extra dollar towards debt repayment. This means to drop your retirement savings for a time while you focus on becoming debt free. Moreover, choose one debt (i.e. one credit card) that will receive all of your focus.
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Why does focus make a powerful difference in our finances?
Focus leads to results. Results lead to motivation. Motivation leads to more focus.
Once you have discovered and learned how to leverage the power of focus the effects are far reaching.
Six questions to help you decide where you should focus your time and energy:
What is the most emotionally burdensome thing to you? Are you up late at night because a specific credit card company keeps calling? Start with whatever would make you feel most liberated. What item carries the most cost? You might have a high interest credit card and it really bothers you paying so much in fees. Make that your priority. What is the most immediate need? Do you really feel like you need a little cash for breathing room? Do you have a vehicle about to be repossessed? Focus on the time sensitive tasks. What do ‘experts’ advise? You could be struggling to know where to start. Just get on the Dave Ramsey Baby Step plan and Ramsey will lay out the seven steps for you. Just find out where you are and start. What are those around you saying? Friends might be mentioning that you really need to get your car or credit cards paid off. They might be concerned that you are not saving for retirement. While their advice is not definitive, if enough people comment on the same factor it might just be worth your consideration. What frees up the most money? If you have a truck payment that is completely out of line, focus there (focus might be focus on selling the car) because once that problem is resolved you will have ample resources to attack all the smaller issues.
While these factors might lead you to think a couple of places are a good place to start, resist the urge to do more than one thing at once. Focus only on one item and you will see the most results.
Why do you think financial focus is hard for many of us? How do you decide where you should focus your energy?
Share Pin Share Email Shares 0Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales Whale watching; transient killer whales
When capturing prey, killer whales use a number of chilling tactics. Some of these, like repeatedly ramming into a pod of sperm whales, are seldom seen.
Others, like stunning and flipping a creature out of the water and then eating it, are more frequently reported, but seldom captured in eerie detail.
Earlier this year, a pod of killer whales in the Monterey Bay was on the hunt for dolphins. Aboard a boat following the pod was photographer Jodi Frediani. Over roughly 45 minutes, she and the others observed the killer whales pursuing and catching a long-beaked common dolphin, with Frediani taking some stunning photographs of the high-speed hunt.
“Dolphins and porpoises are very fast and very maneuverable,” said Robin Baird, a biologist at the Cascadia Research Collective. “They use their speed and agility to get away.”
But killer whales hunt in packs, coordinating attacks from multiple directions, and making it difficult for a fleeing dolphin to know which way to turn.
Eventually, a large killer whale known as CA138 came up from below and flung the dolphin into the air with her head. "I could see what looked like a bowling pin flying through the air," Frediani said. "According to the time stamp on my images, the toss took one second."
And then it was over – a super-fast, lethal acrobatic attack caught on camera. CA138 shared the dolphin with two of her juvenile offspring; Fatfin, an orphaned male she adopted 15 years ago, was nearby.
Since killer whales often hunt at very high speeds, especially when pursuing a dolphin, the orcas will sometimes subdue prey by bodily impact, stunning it before biting into it.
“Imagine being a whale chasing a dolphin at 20 knots. It really can’t open its mouth because the drag on its lower jaw would be pretty horrific,” said John Ford, a whale biologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “So they tend to just ram them, and in doing so, the prey often do go flying in the air.”
Marine ecologist Robert Pitman, from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center, says the head-butt-and-punt behavior is more likely to occur when the orcas are pursuing fast-moving prey.
"I have seen this with several different species of dolphins from various places around the world, so I think that killer whales probably do this regularly but not commonly," he said. "With slower swimming species, like seals and sea lions, killer whales prefer to use their tails to swat them out of the water."
Killer whales, collectively known as Orcinus orca, form matrilineal family groups, with adult male sons sticking by their mothers for life, Baird said. They’re the largest member of the dolphin family, and can be found in oceans all over the world. Though the world’s orcas have historically been classified as a single species, there are several different distinct types.
“They're still officially one species, but there are many of us who feel that they will eventually be determined to be different species," Ford said.
One type, called “resident” killer whales, has rounder, more curved dorsal fins and feeds primarily on fish. In the chilly waters off British Columbia, this means salmon. The second type is known as “transient.”
“Transients are marine mammal specialists: seals, porpoises, dolphins, other species of whale,” Baird said. “When they’re feeding on marine mammals, they often will throw them up in the air.”
This is the type of killer whale Frediani observed in Monterey Bay, a type with pointier dorsal fins and different black-and-white coloring than residents. Now, transient pods are lurking in the Bay, hoping to capture migrating gray whale calves.
“These appear to be cultural traditions,” Ford said. “They’re behavior specializations that are passed on across generations by mimicry and learning, by young whales.”
A third type of killer whale, called “offshore,” targets sharks. “We don’t know very much about these,” Ford said.
None of these groups hunt humans in the wild. There has only been one (moderately reliable) account of a wild killer whale attacking a person, Ford said, an accidental encounter involving a surfer in the 1970s. Since then, people have described orcas zooming in for close inspections, but veering away at the last minute. Why they ignore humans is a mystery. It could be that orcas haven’t recognized that humans are edible, or it could be that neoprene wet suits typically render divers opaque to orca sonar. The nitrogen bubbles embedded in the rubber not only thermally insulate a swimmer, but in a stealthy coincidence, are acoustically reflective.
That’s something an orca should appreciate. “They tend to be silent all the time,” Baird said. “They hunt through stealth.”
All Images: Jodi Frediani. Photos taken from the Sea Wolf II with Nancy Black, Monterey Bay Whale Watch..Story highlights The boy's older brother made the jersey from a plastic bag
The family had received threats in Afghanistan, the boy's father says
(CNN) The family of a young Afghan boy, who gained worldwide fame after being photographed wearing a makeshift Lionel Messi soccer jersey fashioned from a plastic bag, has fled to Pakistan after receiving threats, the father of the boy told CNN.
The family is now living in Quetta and has submitted an application with the United Nations seeking asylum in Pakistan.
"I received 20-30 unknown threatening calls in Afghanistan asking why I'm teaching my kid about football and not teaching him about the Quran," the boy's father, Muhammad Arif Ahmadi, told CNN.
The family decided to flee to Pakistan 40 days ago for their safety, he said.
"I thought, 'I'm not safe here.' That's when I decided to come to Pakistan," Ahmadi said. "Afghanistan cannot protect itself, so how can it protect me and my kids?"
Read MoreSenate Republicans on Thursday morning filibustered legislation to monitor and treat first responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses related to 9/11.
A vote to quash the filibuster failed by a vote of 57 to 42, three votes short of the necessary threshold. As a result, the proposal is unlikely to pass this year.
The bill would provide funding for a health program to treat first responders, construction and cleanup workers and residents who inhaled toxic particles after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.
The $7.4 billion cost of the legislation over 10 years is paid for by a provision that would prevent foreign multinational corporations from using tax havens to avoid taxes on U.S. income.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidBottom Line 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-Nev.) blasted Republicans after the vote.
“Republicans denied adequate health care to the heroes who developed illnesses from rushing into burning buildings on 9/11. Yet they will stop at nothing to give tax breaks to millionaires and CEOs, even though they will explode our deficit and fail to create jobs. That tells you everything you need to know about their priorities,” Reid said in a statement.
The International Association of Firefighters, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and the AFL-CIO union, among other organizations, support the legislation.
Sen. Charles Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerBrennan fires back at'selfish' Trump over Harry Reid criticism Trump rips Harry Reid for 'failed career' after ex-Dem leader slams him in interview Harry Reid: 'I don't see anything' Trump is doing right MORE (D-N.Y.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, made an impassioned plea before the vote to bring it up for consideration.
“This vote is about being an American, because from the days at Bunker Hill, when the patriots put down their plows and took up muskets to defend and create our freedom, we always try to take care of them,” Schumer said. “The heroes of 9/11 are no different.”
Schumer said some of the police officers and firefighters who rushed to the flaming towers have already been diagnosed with cancers.
“Others know it is an almost certainty that they will come down with similar diseases and illnesses that are extremely costly to fight,” he said.
Last week, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE (Ky.) released a letter signed by every Senate Republican pledging to block all legislative action until Congress acts on the expiring Bush tax cuts and passes a measure to fund the federal government into 2011.
The Senate has yet to vote on either issue. Reid said a bipartisan deal to extend tax rates for two years might receive a vote Saturday.
The setback provides a difficult path for the $7.4 billion bill to get approved before the lame-duck session is scheduled to end next week. However, House members were circulating a letter Thursday morning urging the Senate to include the bill in the recent tax deal forged by President Obama.
"We feel that we must seize every opportunity possible to ensure that this bill become law," the letter read.
Republicans oppose the paid-for healthcare benefits bill because it closes a tax loophole on foreign companies. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten Elizabeth GillibrandWarren Buffett: I would support Bloomberg if he ran for president Warren vows to forgo 'fancy receptions or big money fundraisers' Dem Party chief defends initial response to Smollett incident: 'We acted on the facts as we knew at the time' MORE (D-N.Y.) blasted Republicans following the failed filibuster vote.
"The idea that tax cuts for millionaires would derail this legislation is simply outrageous and offensive," Gillibrand said in a statement. "The men and women who rushed to the burning towers and worked for hundreds of hours on the pile did not delay, and the Senate should not have delayed either."
—This story was updated at 12:29 p.m.Canonical, through Martin Pitt, has announced plans to move away from using the Upstart init system to start the Ubuntu Linux session, replacing it with the more modern yet controversial systemd.
With every new systemd release, we've found out that the so-called init system can do a lot more than it was initially designed to, slowly taking over many of the "jobs" of a GNU/Linux operating system's internal components, and even worse, replacing them completely.
Upstart is a Canonical/Ubuntu project, an event-based replacement for the traditional init daemon that the company used in almost every Ubuntu Linux release. However, starting with the now-deprecated Ubuntu 15.04 (Vivid Vervet) operating system, Canonical replaced the Upstart init system with systemd, making many users angry.
It also looks like Upstart is still being used in Ubuntu as a replacement for the /sbin/init daemon to handle starting of various services and tasks during boot, as well as to stop them during shutdown. For example, Upstart is currently used for the session startup, and Canonical plans, once again, to replace it with systemd.
"As discussed at UDS [Ubuntu Developer Summit] we are moving away from using upstart to start graphical desktop sessions, towards systemd (and D-Bus activations in some cases where it's appropriate)," says Martin Pitt. "With this, about half of your session will then be driven by systemd units."
More systemd love in Ubuntu 16.10
Canonical's engineers are currently designing the next major release of Ubuntu, which was dubbed Yakkety Yak by Mark Shuttleworth. Two Alpha development snapshots of Ubuntu 16.10 have been released until now, and the first Beta is coming along nicely, set to become available for public testing next week on August 25, 2016.
Ubuntu itself won't participate in the first Beta release, but you'll still be able to get the daily builds if you want to see what's new since Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus), as well as if you want to discover the extra systemd love Canonical has added in the upcoming operating system. More details can be found in the mailing list announcement.The first Predator famously starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, who unfortunately passed on starring in the sequel. Luckily, top talents like Danny Glover and Gary Busey stepped in to carry on the legacy in Predator 2, despite the stars not getting as epic of a final showdown. During a recent interview with The Red Booth, Jake Busey revealed that in the upcoming Predator from director Shane Black, he'll be playing the son of his father's character from Predator 2.
B |
part science, DBAs' skills can have a significant impact on the performance of the systems they help develop and support.
4: Project lead
Project leads who get their hands dirty and help with all phases of the project lifecycle are respected for their technical as well as their management skills. The role is not given to newcomers. Only those with years of experience make it to project lead. This alone is enough to earn the high esteem of the other project team members.
5: System admin
Access rights granted by sysadmins are just a hurdle in the completion their peers' tasks. Sadly, the other good work they do goes unnoticed, primarily because even IT professionals have no clue what else they are responsible for. And all it takes is one bad experience trying to get system access for a user to lose any admiration for all system administrators.
6: IT manager
Unlike other professions, where manager would be at the top of the list, IT managers are hurt by the perception that they don't do the "real work." IT managers earn respect for their advancement up the career ladder, but this is offset by their perceived lack of technical skills. It may be unfair,but managers lack IT cred. In addition, employees believe that their managers may have a general idea of their work but lack a detailed understanding of exactly what they do.
7: Network admin
Mention the words network admin to most, and these are the thoughts that are likely running through their head: "Isn't he the reason I can't see Facebook and Twitter? Sure, I get a blazing fast connection to the Internet, but what good is that if I can't get to Youtube? He's probably reading my email too!" No love there, and the network admin gets no love for the network being up, either — only grief when it goes down.
8: Reporting specialist
When you get right down to it, the reporting specialist is nothing more than a glorified cleric, pulling data from the system, putting numbers into charts, and spitting out reams of paper in the process. If you have to deliver charts with bad numbers to your manager, you may need to use this time-honored phrase: "Don't shoot me. I'm Just the messenger!"
9: Technician
Never appreciated until a hardware or system emergency occurs, the lowly technician becomes associated with bad circumstances. You know there's trouble if the tech shows up. He or she may be given the moniker "hero for the day," but more often than not, users just want technicians to fix their system and be on their way. The uninformed may compare the technician's skills to the auto mechanic or the Maytag repairman. Usually in crisis mode, the high stress, low pay, and difficult hours typical of the technician do not garner much prestige.
10: Help desk analyst
Help desk analysts are the Rodney Dangerfields of the IT world. The people answering the phone on the help desk get no respect from clients or other IT professionals. They are expected to solve as many problems as possible at tier one but are not paid the wages befitting that level of technical expertise. When the phone rings, there is almost always an unhappy customer on the line. Help desk analysts take unwarranted verbal abuse for circumstances beyond their control and are rarely recognized for their efforts. Their performance is typically measured by the number of calls they take and complete per hour — not exactly a formula for friendly verbal banter, low stress, and thoughtful problem resolution. Respect? Even Rodney Dangerfield got more respect without the added stress.
The bottom line
Much of what I have written is totally unfair to the IT professional. Unfortunately, I believe it's how many people perceive the IT roles I have listed — and perceptions can be difficult to overcome. While it is true that stereotypes and perceptions often predetermine prestige, it is equally true that prestige can be earned in the most mundane of jobs as well as lost by those in the most respected of jobs.
Unlike the social classes of Victorian England, where right of birth was the sole determinant of one's class, the working classes of IT are open to all who are talented enough and industrious enough to achieve them. The reporting specialist, or any other IT role for that matter, can be a stepping stone to a better paying position with higher prestige. For example, I turned my reporting position into a developer's role by automating the weekly charts. If you are looking to climb the prestige ladder, you can do the same. You only need to be clever enough and wise enough to recognize and seize the opportunities that present themselves.
I am reminded of the old joke where the body parts get together to decide which is most important and therefore should lead. One of the morals of the story is that all of the body parts are important. If you have a job that is low on the prestige ladder, you should walk proudly with your head held high. You know how hard you work. You know the unique skills required to do your job. You know how important you are to the overall success of the company. Never let anyone, including me, tell you otherwise.De Beers S.A., South African company that is the world’s largest producer and distributor of diamonds. Through its many subsidiaries and brands, De Beers participates in most facets of the diamond industry, including mining, trading, and retail. In the early 21st century the company marketed 40 percent of the global supply of diamonds, including those used for industrial applications. De Beers also has interests in explosives manufacturing and chemical manufacturing; in gold, coal, and copper mines; and in synthetic diamonds. Headquarters are in Johannesburg, S.Af.
Diamonds were first discovered in southern Africa in the mid-1860s on the farm of Nicolaas and Diederick de Beer, near what is now the city of Kimberley. Two diamond mines dug on the farm, the Kimberley and the De Beers, were at one time the world’s most productive; they are no longer in operation.
In 1871 the English entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes bought a claim to the De Beers mine and, with this as a financial base, eventually bought up most of the diamond mines in southern Africa. In 1888 he incorporated De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. To keep prices high and demand steady, Rhodes also moved to take control of world diamond distribution. By the middle of the 1890s he had formed the Diamond Syndicate, which was the forerunner of the Central Selling Organization (CSO), a more modern group of financial and marketing organizations that came to control much of the world diamond trade. It is now known as the Diamond Trading Company (DTC).
The discovery of large diamond mines near Pretoria and along the coast of German South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1902 and 1908, respectively, severely weakened De Beers’s control of the diamond market. Ernest Oppenheimer, who had founded the Anglo-American Corporation in 1917, moved aggressively into the diamond industry in the 1920s, gaining control of the South West Africa mines and in 1925 creating a new diamond syndicate. He bought a seat on De Beers’s board in 1926 and became chairman three years later. From this position Oppenheimer strengthened the diamond marketing monopoly begun by Rhodes.
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the worldwide demand for diamonds significantly declined, forcing De Beers to close several mines. To increase sales the company hired the advertising agency N.W. Ayer and Son, which soon succeeded in getting the American public to associate diamonds with social status and romance. The hugely successful slogan “A diamond is forever” was coined by N.W. Ayer in 1947. Later advertising campaigns successfully linked diamonds with the affluent, comfortable, and safe suburban lifestyle that many Americans aspired to in the 1950s.
Starting in the 1960s, De Beers attempted to increase consumer demand for diamonds by introducing jewelry tailored to special occasions, such as wedding anniversaries (the “eternity ring”) and rites of passage (the “sweet 16 pin”). The diamond “tennis bracelet,” introduced in the 1980s, capitalized on a fad that had begun after tennis star Chris Evert accidentally dropped her bracelet on the court during a tennis match. In 2001 De Beers began marketing the “right-hand ring” for single women, designed as a symbol of independence and self-sufficiency.
In 2005 De Beers Consolidated Mines announced that it would turn over more than 15 percent of the company to Ponahalo Investment Holdings, a black-owned investment group, in compliance with South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) mining charter. In 2007 De Beers began operations in Canada at Snap Lake Mine in the Northwest Territories—the company’s first mine outside Africa. The company opened the Victor Mine in Ontario, Can., in 2008.
Since the late 20th century De Beers has been publicly criticized and sometimes indicted for various alleged criminal acts. During the 1990s the company came under scrutiny for dealing in conflict (or “blood”) diamonds—i.e., diamonds mined in areas controlled by forces opposed to the legitimate government of a country and illegally sold to fund military action against that government. In 1999 De Beers stopped purchasing diamonds from producers outside the CSO to ensure that it no longer traded in conflict diamonds.
In 2004 De Beers entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in which it pleaded guilty to price fixing and agreed to pay a $10 million fine. Four years later the company paid $295 million to settle several class-action lawsuits charging it with misleading advertising, human rights violations, conspiracy to fix and raise diamond prices, and unlawfully monopolizing the supply of diamonds.Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location - Lolbit TV Virus Plush Toy
"L-O-L, Please Stand By."
Released in 2016, Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location is the fifth release in the FNAF franchise.
Your favourite animatronic characters are back and more adorable than ever, as they join the Funko plush line!
Now you can bring Funtime Foxy, Funtime Freddy, Ballora, Ennard and Baby home with you, but don’t worry, these ones won’t hunt you in the night.
Here we have the TV Virus Lolbit. In Custom Night, Funtime Lolbit appears on the computer screens, and the player must type L-O-L on their keyboard or on the keypad to get rid of it. If the player fails to do this, an intermission will appear reading "PLEASE STAND BY" with Lolbit's face, similar to a TV error.
Proudly brought to you by Popcultcha - Australia's largest and most comprehensive collectables Online Store. Click here to see our full range of Five Night’s at Freddy’s related itemsBuy Photo South Carolina biology textbooks (Photo: Heidi Heilbrunn/Staff )Buy Photo
A proposed change in South Carolina’s biology standards for teaching evolution is designed to encourage discussion in the classroom.
A six-member panel voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the compromise to the full state Board of Education and Education Oversight Committee. Approval from both is needed for any change to education standards.
The compromise essentially defines science and says evolution is a scientific theory. It could end months of disagreement between the boards, which meet again next month, in South Carolina’s latest flap over religion and science.
“Scientific conclusions are tested by experiment and observation, and evolution, as with any aspect of science, is continually open to and subject to experimental and observational testing,” reads the proposed addition to the evolution standard.
Other parts of the standard, which lay out what high school biology students should learn about evolution, weren’t in dispute.
Oversight committee director Melanie Barton, who helped write the compromise, said it means teachers would need to stay up to date on scientific discoveries and how they relate to evolution, to help students have a deeper understanding of it.
Sen. Mike Fair, a member of the oversight board, had pushed for language calling for students to question Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection — to “construct scientific arguments that seem to support and scientific arguments that seem to discredit” it. But the state Board of Education rejected that proposed addition last month.
The compromise, if approved next month, could have little practical effect in the classroom.
Fair said the language is in line with a nationwide effort to teach students more critical thinking skills.
“It doesn’t change anything,” he said before the vote. “It enables teachers to get their students more involved in critical thinking on these matters.”
Rob Dillon, founder of South Carolinians for Science Education, said he doesn’t have a problem with the wording, but rather the placement of the two paragraphs. They would be more appropriate as an overall header for high school standards in biology, chemistry and physics, he said.
“I object to evolution being singled out,” said Dillon, a biology professor at the College of Charleston. “It attracts controversy to evolution. … It’s no more controversial than photosynthesis.”
NEWSLETTERS Get the Top 5 newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong The five biggest headlines in your inbox each morning Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-736-7136. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Top 5 Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters
The back-and-forth between the two boards over evolution is a repeat of the debate in 2005, the last time science standards were up for periodic review.
Fair led the charge then for students to “critically analyze” evolution.
The compromise eventually approved in 2006 called for students to “summarize ways that scientists use data from a variety of sources to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory.”
Expert panels began the latest review of science standards in January 2012. The high school biology standard for evolution was the only standard not adopted by both boards by mid-February.
Read or Share this story: http://grnol.co/1rNN9RoFor the second year in a row, people are calling out The Academy for the lack of diversity in the acting categories for the Oscars.
Every actor and actress nominated this year is white. Notably snubbed stars including Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation, Will Smith for Concussion, Michael B. Jordan for Creed, and the cast of Straight Outta Compton, among others.
“Of course I am disappointed, but [it is] not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated). This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it,” Academy Cheryl Boone Isaacs said to Deadline. “We have got to speed it up.”
Meanwhile, celebrities have been commenting on the lack of diverse nominations on Twitter all morning.
Ricky Gervais took to his Twitter account to speak to the issue, and make a joke at the Academy’s expense.
Why did the Oscars announce all the white nominees first? — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 14, 2016
Click inside to read some tweets from celebrities, activists, and more…
.@HomeDepot I'm trying to re-paint my living room. Can't decide between eggshell white and "Oscars so White". Thoughts? — Travon Free (@Travon) January 14, 2016
20 for 20! We did it. HUGE day for white actors. #Oscars2016 — Joshua Malina (@JoshMalina) January 14, 2016
#Amy director @asifkapadia on being that rare non-white nominee today: I guess I'll do my best to represent the 3 billion Asians out there. — Tatiana Siegel (@TatianaSiegel27) January 14, 2016
Look at all that diversity in the Osc– oh….Wait…. — Tracie Thoms (@traciethoms) January 14, 2016
I haven't seen so many white people nominated for an Oscar since the last Oscars — Brian Gaar (@briangaar) January 14, 2016
All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher u climb the whiter. — Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 14, 2016When Cynthia Patterson was ordained as an Anglican priest in late November, it marked the first time, to her knowledge, that a priest has ever been married to a bishop in Quebec.
Her husband, Dennis Drainville, is the outgoing bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Quebec.
But Patterson's relationship to Anglicanism goes further back than her recent ordination or her marriage.
"We could use that silly expression, you know, 'cradle Anglican,'" Patterson told CBC Quebec AM.
"But it was much more than going to church every week as a child and as a young person – it was much deeper."
Bridging faith and social justice
Patterson, who spent her early years in the Gaspé region, traces her strong faith back to her mother.
"Like so many families, we had our own share of dysfunctionality and challenges," she said.
"I saw in my mum's life that faith gave her the strength to endure many things and it also gave her a place to give thanks when life was wonderful."
Like so many who grew up in a religious household, Patterson strayed away from her faith in her teenage years – but not too far.
She was ordained as a priest of the Anglican Diocese of Quebec on Nov. 27 in a ceremony. (Yvan Bélanger)
"I still prayed personally – pretty much daily – but I wasn't part of any structured worship," she said.
Instead, Patterson devoted herself to social justice issues, co-founding Rural Dignity, a group that advocates for rural communities, in the 1980s after moving back to the Gaspé from Toronto.
"We were working with small communities, not only over post office closures and school closures, but also around the collapse of the fisheries, that devastation of the environment," she said.
It wasn't long before Patterson connected the dots between faith and justice.
"I didn't learn until I was in my early 30s that churches have a whole social justice component," she said.
"The gospel of Jesus is about justice, and for me, that was my big wake up moment, when I could bring the different parts of my work together."
Patterson brought those worlds together through her work continued work with rural and indigenous communities.
With the Anglican Church of Canada, she served as the co-ordinator for Indigenous Ministry's suicide prevention program.
As her justice work grew, so did her involvement with the church.
Patterson became a lay reader in 1990 and a deacon in 2011.
While many begin to think of retirement, Patterson decided to continue her religious education by enrolling as an online student at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.
"I turned 61 and became a student in theology," she said.
That same year, the 'cradle Anglican' would become a priest.
Patterson says she has no problem wearing two hats when it comes to her priest-and-bishop relationship. (Yvan Bélanger)
Dwindling numbers, smaller collection plates
Patterson's work as a priest of the Anglican Diocese of Quebec will come with many challenges.
Parishioners are fewer and farther in between for the church, which spans a jurisdiction the size of France, reaching from the Eastern Townships to the Gaspé.
"There are fewer people in the pews, that means less money in the plate, and many places cannot afford to have full time stipendiary priests," Patterson said.
That constraint has forced the church to try different approaches.
Patterson served both Entry Island and Grosse-Île in the Magdalen Islands every other month.
"I'm also serving a number of parishes in the larger Gaspé area," she added. "We're all just seeing how this is working and where things are going."
Patterson faces a few challenges as a priest, including lower attendance numbers. (Yvan Bélanger)
Approaching a 'tipping point'
Like her mother, Patterson relies heavily on her faith to face the challenges ahead.
"We are approaching a tipping point, we know this," Patterson said.
"A prayer that we say often in advent is from Isaiah: 'Wake up, Wake up!' As a planet, we really need to do that."
Patterson has already found an unexpected way of introducing Anglicanism to Quebecers.
The sight of a priest holding hands with a bishop has raised the eyebrows of many in the largely Catholic province.
"There's a lot of questions and I find that interesting and people are fascinated to learn more about Anglicanism."
Like her religious and social justice work, Patterson says she has no problem wearing two hats when it comes to her priest-and-bishop relationship.
"[There's] obedience in all matters of the church, and then there's your home life where you can argue as much as you like about whose turn it is to take the dogs out or do the dishes."Here in the United States, we get a FREE DAY to do whatever the heck we want thank to Labor Day! Will we do a double crossfit session to work on our bods? Finish crocheting that Mario Lopez throw blanket we've been working on? Vacuum our cats? Nope. We're watching television until our eyeballs dry out. And because Netflix and on-demand can't handle all of our requests, we'll definitely spend some time with some of the many television marathons over the holiday weekend. To get you set for what will be on, we've compiled a list of all the marathons we could find in one handy place. And that place is below. Get planning!
(All times are ET/PT)
Friday, September 4
Tanked (Midnight-6 a.m., Animal Planet)
Haunted History (7 a.m.-Noon, History)
Project Runway (8 a.m.-3 p.m., Lifetime)
Dirty Jobs (9 a.m.-3 p.m., Animal Planet)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9 a.m.-7 p.m., USA)
America's Next Top Model (10 a.m.-2 p.m., Oxygen)
Reba (10 a.m.-6 p.m., CMT)
Bering Sea Gold (11 a.m.-10:02 p.m., Discovery)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Noon-8 p.m., BBC America)
Ancient Aliens (Noon-4 a.m. Saturday, History)
Project Runway (Noon-8 p.m., Esquire)
A Haunting (1-10 p.m., Destination America)
Blue Bloods (1-7 p.m., WGN America)
Lakefront Bargain Hunt (1-7 p.m., HGTV)
Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse (2-10 p.m., OWN)
Bring It! (3-10 p.m., Lifetime)
Say Yes to the Dress (4 p.m.-Midnight., TLC)
Criminal Minds (6 p.m.-4 a.m. Saturday, A&E)
The Simpsons (6 p.m.-Midnight, FXX)
Modern Family (7 p.m.-Midnight, USA)
Person of Interest (7 p.m-1 a.m., WGN America)
Parks and Recreation (8 p.m.-4 a.m. Saturday, Esquire)
Saturday, September 5
48 Hours (6 a.m.-Noon, Investigation Discovery)
Law & Order (6 a.m.-Noon, TNT)
Flea Market Flip (7 a.m.-Noon, HGTV)
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (8 a.m.-3:35 p.m., BET)
Houdini (8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., History)
Mountain Monsters (9 a.m.-4 p.m., Destination America)
NCIS (9 a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday, USA)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (10 a.m.-5 p.m., WeTV)
Tanked (10 a.m.-4 p.m., Animal Planet)
Undercover Boss (10 a.m.-Midnight., OWN)
Sex and the City (11 a.m.-8 p.m., Oxygen)
Cops Reloaded (Noon-1 p.m., CMT)
Fast 'N Loud (Noon-9 p.m., Discovery)
Reba (Noon-5:30 p.m., TVLand)
Blue Bloods (1-6 p.m., WGN America)
Fixer Upper (1-7 p.m., HGTV)
Ghostbusters marathon (1-4 p.m., Sundance)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (2-8 p.m., BBC)
American Ninja Warrior (4 p.m.-4 a.m. Sunday, Esquire)
The First 48 (4-9 p.m., A&E)
Treehouse Masters (4 p.m.-3 a.m. Sunday, Animal Planet)
Counting Cars (5 p.m.-4 a.m. Sunday, History)
Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps (5-10 p.m., VH1)
Law & Order (5 p.m.-Midnight., WeTV)
The Incredible Dr. Pol (7 p.m.-Midnight., NatGeo Wild)
Person of Interest (6 p.m-Midnight., WGN America)
Sunday, September 6
Law & Order (3 a.m.-2 p.m., TNT)
James Bond marathon (6:30 a.m.-Midnight, BBC America)
American Ninja Warrior (7 a.m.-4 a.m. Monday, Esquire)
The Golden Girls (7:48 a.m.-2 p.m., TVLand)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians (8 a.m.-2 p.m., E!)
Naked and Afraid (9 a.m.-9 p.m., Discovery)
The Matrix marathon (9 a.m.-6 p.m., AMC)
Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta (9 a.m.-4 p.m., TLC)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (10 a.m.-7 p.m., USA)
Snapped (10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Oxygen)
Person of Interest (1-7 p.m., WGN America)
Law and Order (3 p.m.-2 a.m., Sundance)
Last Man Standing (Noon-5:30 p.m., CMT)
House Hunters (1-8 p.m., HGTV)
American Pickers (2 p.m.-4 a.m. Monday, History)
I Am Cait (2-9 p.m., E!)
Law and Order (3 p.m.-3 a.m. Tuesday, Sundance)
Undercover Boss (3 p.m.-Midnight., OWN)
CSI: Miami (4 p.m.-Midnight, WeTV)
A Haunting (4-11 p.m., Destination America)
My 600-Lb. Life (4-9 p.m., TLC)
Dateline (5-10 p.m., Investigation Discovery)
Fear the Walking Dead (6 p.m. -1:30 a.m. Monday, BBC America)
Elementary (7 p.m.-Midnight, WGN America)
Modern Family (7 p.m.-Midnight., USA)
Monday, September 7
CSI: Miami (Midnight.- 5 a.m., WeTV)
NCIS (6 a.m.-8 p.m., USA)
Cities of the Underworld (7 a.m.-1 p.m., History)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians (7 a.m.-7 p.m., E!)
The Simpsons (7 a.m.-Midnight, FXX)
Property Brothers (7 a.m.-1 p.m., HGTV)
Love & Hip-Hop Hollywood (7:30 a.m.-9 p.m., VH1)
Real Housewives of Orange County (8 a.m.-10 p.m., Bravo)
Tyler Perry marathon (8 a.m.-Midnight, BET)
Buying Alaska (9 a.m.-10 p.m., Destination America)
The Facts of Life (9 a.m.-8:12 p.m., TVLand)
Fast N' Loud (9 a.m.-10:01 p.m., Discovery)
American Ninja Warrior (10 a.m.-8 p.m., Esquire)
Behind Bars: Rookie Year (10 a.m.-3 p.m., A&E)
Last Man Standing (10 a.m.-8 p.m., CMT)
New Girl (11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4-6 p.m., MTV)
Empire (Noon-Midnight, FX)
Homicide Hunter (Noon-9 p.m., Investigation Discovery)
The Incredible Dr. Pol (Noon-11 p.m., NatGeo Wild)
The Librarians (Noon-10 p.m., TNT)
Elementary (1-7 p.m., WGN America)
Pawn Stars (1-11 p.m., History)
Z Nation (1 p.m.-2 a.m., Syfy)
My Big Fat Fabulous Life (2-7 p.m., TLC)
Police Women of Broward County (2-8 p.m., OWN)
The First 48 (3 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, A&E)
CSI: Miami (4 p.m.-Midnight, WeTV)
Law and Order (5 p.m.-3 a.m. Tuesday, Sundance)
Sex and the City (5-11 p.m., Oxygen)
Person of Interest (7 p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday, WGN America)
Parks and Recreation (8 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, Esquire)
What are you watching this weekend?
Additional reporting by Sadie Gennis.Star Drive In, Monte Vista, Colo. (Photo: Provided by Star Drive In)
Last year, while visiting national parks in Colorado, I happened upon a real treat: Star Drive In, an outdoor theater that opened in 1955 in the southern part of the state. But my delight didn’t end there.
Next door, I found the Best Western Movie Manor Motel, where you can look out a big window and watch the Star’s outdoor screen … from your bed! Each room is named for a movie star. Booking a night at the motel was a no-brainer. I checked into my no-frills Mel Gibson room and crawled into bed for the feature.
According to Wheeler Winston Dixon, a film expert at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the first drive-ins appeared in 1933 in Camden, N.J. They hit their peak midcentury with about 4,000 locations, roughly one-quarter of the nation’s total movie screens. Now, he says, they account for just 1.5 percent.
“Like so many things, it belongs to the past,” Winston Dixon says. It was tough for all the theater operators to run a business dependent on weather, he notes; the fuzzy projection and tinny sound from the window speakers didn’t help.
“Today’s audiences want a huge screen, enormous chairs and surround sound,” he says. “They want a more immersive experience.”
But moviegoers who long for nostalgia and low-cost fun are in luck. A few hundred drive-ins still exist, and we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites. Remember two things: Use your parking lights when entering and exiting, and please take a moment to enjoy the stars on the ceiling.
Hull's Drive-In Theatre, Lexington, Va.
The country’s first nonprofit, community-owned drive-in, Hull’s was purchased in 2000 by a group called Hull’s Angels after the historic theater couldn’t afford to stay open. Today, the 67-year-old pet-friendly drive-in, located 5 miles from historic Lexington, Va., presents double and triple features of current movies. Hull’s claims to have the best popcorn in town (large, $5.25). But the real draw — because they’re completely awesome — may be the funnel cake fries ($3).
Hull's Drive-In Theatre, Lexington, Va. (Photo: Michael Cole)
Wellfleet Drive-In Theatre, Wellfleet, Mass.
Summer drive-in fun on Cape Cod begins weekend mornings at the 200-vendor flea market, and ends with first-run double features on a 100-foot screen. Built in 1957, the Wellfleet Drive-In's snack bar menu includes drive-in staples, and the Wellfleet Dairy Bar and Grill serves burgers, pizza, soft-serve ice cream and beer/wine. Grown-ups: Stop by the beer garden. Kids: Check out the playground.
Bengies Drive-In Theatre, Baltimore
Nostalgic Bengies claims to have the largest movie theater screen in the nation, at 120 by 52 feet. The 61-year-old drive-in shows triple features, with classic cartoons, vintage trailers and clips during intermission. Drivers with registered historic vehicles get free admission on Sundays. Bengies has perhaps the most extensive menu of any drive-in, from the pulled pork sandwich ($6.75) and fried breaded mushrooms ($5.25) to caramel apples ($4.95) and fresh-baked cookies ($1.99).
Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre, Lakeland, Fla.
One of the few year-round drive-ins, Silver Moon first opened in 1948. At that time, tickets were 35 cents, and vendors sold cigarettes along with popcorn. Today, each of the theater’s two screens has a double feature seven nights a week. The snack bar sells homemade pizza, hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos, soft pretzels, popcorn, beer and large dill pickles — a Silver Moon fave. On Saturdays and Sundays, the grounds are transformed into the Swap Shop flea market.
Cumberland Drive-In, Newville, Pa.
Celebrate weekends in south-central Pennsylvania with a triple feature at the Cumberland. If you’re driving from a distance, you can reserve a vehicle space. Movies are family-friendly, and a playground keeps kids entertained until the first feature begins. Stock up on eats at the snack bar: slushies, burgers, barbecue, hot sausage and jumbo dogs. If you choose to sit outside (or don’t trust your car battery), rent a portable radio for $2.
USA TODAY's Go Escape magazine will be on newsstands through Aug. 14 (Photo: Studio Gannett)
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2tyF5HkWe highly recommend use of 1.13.2 you may experience issues connecting with other versions. RealmportalMC Offers a friendly community server where everybody almost knows each other. The main goal of RealmportalMC is to provide a happy, high energy and positive experience for all. =========================================================================================== > Our gameplay consists of: - Creative Plotworld comes with 3 256x256 plots. unlimited worldedit access for all, Custom skulls, ability to generate natural terrain and more. Worldedit currently not working - Slimefun Survival consists of a no grief world that has custom terrain generation (OTG), Shops/Economy and Slimefun - Minigames include, but are not limited to: TNT Run, Potatoes (similar to TNT Tag), Village Defense, Paintball and parkour.Currently Broken - There are also 2 free build worlds (requires build applications and a reasonable reputation) - one world is City themed, the other is for whatever else that doesn't belong in a city. =========================================================================================== > Staff engage and work with the players. I Paintsplatters (the server owner) am also on frequently and try to keep the server well maintained and to fix bugs as soon as i can. > If you have any questions feel free to ask us. The server will be the most active during the daylight and evening hours in North America. =========================================================================================== > Hope to see you there.- Formatting issues? View pdf version here. Warclad A mysterious warrior suited in an otherworldly set of armor stands before a horde of oncoming goblins and hobgoblins. Stepping over the corpse of a bugbear, the magic within the armor begins repairing its cracks and fractures. The warrior gains unnatural speed and leaps over the front rank of goblins into the fray. The warrior slips once in the midst of combat, but the armor catches him and sets him back on his warpath. A human mage weaves between the diving griffons, her armor propelling her through the sky with magical force. She knocks two griffons out of the sky with one fireball and proceeds to advance on the griffon leading the pack. Her quarry is the halfling rider, who turns around and responds with a crossbow bolt that glances off her armor. She continues advancing as she activates a sigil on her armor, readying a barrage of magic missiles. Knowing battle is only a day or so away, a dwarf saunters over to his armor and begins making adjustments. He removes the large shielded plate attached to the pauldron and replaces it with a mounted crossbow. That should keep the buggers at bay, he thinks to himself. After securing the crossbow to the armor, he takes out another toolkit, and begins to fashion a battering ram. Once it’s done, it will be far too heavy for him to use effectively. But while in the armor, he’ll be able to swing it around like a club. These warclad are individuals who have either created or found a set of armor imbued with magic powers. These armors augment or enhance their abilities while helping defend them in combat. Whether skilled craftsmen or adventurers stumbling upon this newfound source of power, warclad are veritable tanks on the battlefield, shrugging off attacks and defending allies, while also being relentless attackers. Warclad are few and far between, but their presence is profoundly felt when they enter the fray. Adaptive Armor Though warclad derive much of their power from their armor, they are by no means bound by the armor’s nature. Since the armor functions to enhance their abilities, these abilities can range anywhere from martial combat, to spellcasting, to even stealthy infiltration. A warclad still has abilities outside of the armor, but does not have access to most of their abilities when not in harness. Most warclad armor can also be modified and adjusted to better fit the wielder’s needs. 1
The Warclad Level Proficiency Bonus Features Power Dice 1st +2 Warclad Armor, Protection Protocol — 2nd +2 Power Core, Upgrade (1) 2 d4s 3rd +2 Combat Chassis 2 d4s 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 d4s 5th +3 Extra Attack 3 d6s 6th +3 Combat Chassis feature 3 d6s 7th +3 Additional Upgrade Slot (2) 4 d6s 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 d6s 9th +4 Siege Engineer 4 d8s 10th +4 Combat Chassis feature 5 d8s 11th +4 Defend 5 d8s 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 d8s 13th +5 Additional Upgrade Slot (3) 6 d10s 14th +5 Combat Chassis feature 6 d10s 15th +5 Quick Use 6 d10s 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 7 d10s 17th +6 Additional Upgrade Slot (4) 7 d12s 18th |
as we all hoped would happen. It was their spectacular Summerslam singles match in particular (certainly a MOTY contender) that reminded everyone in the wrestling community not only how great Styles is, but how great of an in-ring storyteller Cena can be whenever he has the right opponent. Much in the same way that C.M. Punk always drew classic matches out of Cena, Styles has done in 2016. Even as he transitions into more and more acting and comedy work, Cena has forever been one of the most passionate wrestlers in the business. His love for the in-ring work is unquestionable, and he’s always seeking to improve. And as he transitions away from perpetually being a constant main event contender, we can’t wait to see how the character of an older, wiser, grittier Cena will continue to evolve.—Jim Vorel
24. Bobby Lashley
Yes, that Bobby Lashley. Donald Trump’s former Wrestlemania representative had his best year in the business as a dominant champ in a dwindling promotion. It’s not the size of the stage that matters, though: Lashley’s badass heel character would’ve been a force in any promotion, with a presence and legitimacy that greatly outshone the company he works for. Along with Drew Galloway, Ethan Carter III and Eddie Edwards, Lashley was part of a surprisingly great TNA main event scene, and his matches with all three were some of the few (non-Matt Hardy) highlights in a horrible year for TNA. Lashley has recovered from his “too much, too soon” WWE push of a decade ago, learning how to carry himself as a true champion both inside and outside the ring. He should be on the shortlist of former stars WWE is desperate to bring back.—Garrett Martin
23. Zack Sabre Jr
The current Pro Wrestling Guerilla champion was one of the biggest names in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic—and, along with Kota Ibushi, one of the biggest names to not sign a deal with WWE after the Classic was over. Long considered one of the best pure wrestlers in the world, Sabre had another fine year in 2016, wrestling fantastic matches for promotions throughout the world, from PWG and WWE to Evolve, RevPro, Progress and more. Highlights included his RevPro British Heavyweight title win against AJ Styles in January, his RevPro series against New Japan’s Katsuyori Shibata, and his PWG and Evolve matches against longtime friend and nemesis Marty Scurll. Sabre’s technical skills remain some of the best in wrestling today, with a catch-as-catch-can style that’s somehow as smooth as it is complex, with brutal Japanese-style strikes thrown in for good measure. If you’ve only seen him in the Cruiserweight Classic, you’ve only scratched the surface of what makes Sabre such a great pro wrestler.—Garrett Martin
22. Shinsuke Nakamura
It may be true that Shinsuke Nakamura has lost a step or two from his peak in New Japan, but even a Nakamura at 85% is a far more electric performer than almost anyone else on the planet. If there was ever any doubt whether Shinsuke’s personality and image would effectively translate to the American wrestling audience, his ecstatic embrace by the NXT audience put it to bed. There simply isn’t an entrance in pro wrestling today that is more of an event than when Nakamura comes down to the ring, and the company wisely didn’t hamper his in-ring style very much or give him a character to play that wasn’t simply “Shinsuke Nakamura.” If anything, his only problem in 2016 was the fact that many of his NXT matches were throw-aways against lesser competition, with only three real marquee matches against Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. The utter shock of the audience members at Takeover: Toronto to his defeat by Samoa Joe just goes to illustrate how strongly Nakamura has been booked, that his victory seemed like a foregone conclusion. It feels like his best work in the WWE is probably still to come, in the form of a longer-term storyline against a worthy opponent, but there’s no doubt that any live Nakamura match remains appointment viewing at this point.—Jim Vorel
21. Marty Scurll
Pro wrestling in the UK exploded this year, and its most valuable player was arguably Marty Scurll.
After wrestling one of the matches of the year against Will Ospreay at Revolution Pro Wrestling’s High Stakes in January, Scurll went on to tour the indies, making a name for himself in the United States by wrestling for the likes of Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerilla. He won the PWG Battle of Los Angeles in September, and later signed a contract with Ring of Honor, where he quickly won the ROH Television Championship and stole the show with rival Ospreay and Dragon Lee in a triple threat match at Final Battle.
“The Villain” might be just the shot in the arm Ring of Honor needs. With Adam Cole almost certainly gone in 2017, and many of the company’s recent shows relying on outside talent from its relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Scurll is just starting to reach his potential and offers a legitimate draw for ROH fans. If the company plays its cards right, it could have a top star for years to come.—Paul DeBenedettoPlease enable Javascript to watch this video
(Bartlett, TN) Soccer practice stopped early at the fields behind City Hall Tuesday night in Bartlett.
The young players began spraying themselves with mosquito repellant after getting the warning of West Nile Virus being found in mosquitoes in Bartlett.
Mother Angie Ragland was worried about her seven-month-old daughter Addison, who she brought out to watch her big sister play soccer, "This is the first time I brought her out here."
Scientists at Memphis Shelby County Vector Control study mosquitoes around the area and say they've found ones infected with West Nile in Bartlett, North of Summer Avenue and in Southwest Memphis.
"I wouldn't call it an explosion, but we're going to see a rapid increase and a persistence of the virus in the neighborhoods, and we'll see it for a longer period of time," said Dan Sprenger of Vector Control.
Sprenger said the mosquitoes carrying West Nile usually swarm at night, and that's when you should take the most precautions, and make sure you wear some type of repellant.Overview (4)
Born August 22, 1967 in Islington, London, England, UK Birth Name Adewale Rotimi O. C. E. Akinnuoye Agbaje Nicknames Triple A
Wally Height 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan. He graduated with a masters degree in Law from London's prestigious Kings College, before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, Italian, Yoruba and Swahili, he is best known for his roles in the movies Congo (1995) and The Mummy Returns (2001), and the HBO series Oz (1997).
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Nichol
Trade Mark (1)
Due to his tall frame, powerful-looking physique and deep voice, he often plays sinister, imposing characters of criminal or military backgrounds
Trivia (11)
Has a masters in Law from the University of London, but took a different career path when bitten by the acting bug.
Is perhaps best known for his role as the cunning, fierce super-criminal Adebisi on Oz (1997). Another role he is very much associated with is the enigmatic 'Mr. Eko' from Lost (2004), even though he played that role in only 28 of the series' 117 episodes.
He went from playing Ernie Hudson's good friend, the guide "Kahega" to Hudson's "Capt. Munro" in Congo (1995), to playing his enemy, the sociopath "Adebisi" to Hudson's hard-headed "Warden Glynn" in Oz (1997).
The son of immigrants from Nigeria, he has played almost entirely African characters despite having been born and raised in England. He usually employs a deep, Nigerian timber while acting, while off-screen he has a very British, somewhat Cockney accent.
He is fluent in several languages including Italian, Yoruba, Swahili, and (of course) English. He can "get along" in a few other languages, including French.
He is a Buddhist and admitted that he had to chant more than usual while playing the brutal character of "Majestic" in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005).
Had a successful career as a model in Milan and Paris, before pursuing acting.
The name of his character, "Atticus" in the action adventure film Pompeii is similar to a role he played in the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea TV film, the name of whom was "Cabe Attucks".
The woolly hat he wore as Simon Adebisi in ''Oz (1997-2003)'' was his idea and based on hats he'd seen gang members wear growing up in London.
Appears in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Cinematic Universe with roles in Thor: The Dark World and Suicide Squad.
Full name is pronounced like a-de-wall-e a-key-new-ye ag-ba-he.
Personal Quotes (6)
I've never been really great at trusting anybody, just because of the way I grew up. I was always led to believe you should take care of yourself, trust in your abilities and you're the author of your own destiny. Coming to this show is the opposite." - talking about "Lost
The only way you can influence your fate is to put your soul into your performance and hope it registers with the audience.
I kind of feel for the people on the show who are just coming into the business and this is their first gig. They've got a big letdown coming." - on his younger cast mates on "Lost
They gave me a stick and said, 'Knock those three guys out.' There's no better way to make an entrance. - when asked if he was made to feel like the "new kid on the block" when joining Lost
When a star character on a hit show chooses to leave there's always speculation as to whether or not they've done this or that or not gotten along with this or that person. Straight up: it was probably one of the best relationships I've ever had in terms of developing a character, and I think the character will be a testament to that. -on working on Lost (2004)
The only way I know how to deliver is to focus; some people can turn it on or off - I'd rather stay in character. There was no socializing. I would start two hours before I went to the set and I wouldn't say any other words other than the ones that I needed to say, that's just the way I work and I think that intensity comes across in my characters. -on his "method acting" style, which has sometimes allegedly caused resentment on setsFox News host Bill O'Reilly has published two books -- and is working on a third -- about the deaths of historical figures whose deaths were also written about by a deceased journalist and columnist.
According to the conservative site Newsmax, O'Reilly's recent output (along with co-author Martin Dugard) echoes the work of former New York Daily News reporter Jim Bishop:
The late Jim Bishop, a veteran newspaperman who once reported for the New York Daily News and later was a syndicated columnist, saw his book "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" become a runaway best-seller in 1955. A series of similar-themed books followed, with Bishop penning "The Day Christ Died" in 1957 and then in 1968 "The Day Kennedy Was Shot" -- a minute-by-minute account of JFK's 1963 shooting in Dallas.
O'Reilly has written Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy and is reportedly working on Killing Jesus, which is scheduled for publication in September.
After the release of Killing Lincoln, Rae Emerson, the deputy superintendent for Ford's Theater (a National Historic Site) cited "the lack of documentation and the factual errors" in the book as reasons why it would not be sold in the theater's book store or at other gift shops associated with the National Park System. At the time, O'Reilly dismissed the mistakes as "minor" errors.
In the notes for Killing Lincoln, O'Reilly cites Bishop's The Day Lincoln Was Shot as a reference for "an hour-by-hour description of April 15, 1865."
UPDATE: In comments to Media Matters, Martin Dugard said the parallels to Bishop's books were "an amazing coincidence" and that the overlapping subject matter was "[c]ool, but completely coincidental."HOUSTON - Rodolph Austin scored in injury time as Jamaica defeated Canada 1-0 Saturday at the Gold Cup soccer tournament.
Garath McCleary's cross from the right side of the pitch in the 92nd minute found Austin alone in the box. His powerful header beat Canadian goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos and sent Jamaica to its first win of the tournament.
"We did not play well in the second half but it is a good performance, we fought a lot," said Canada head coach Benito Floro. "We worked a lot for the 85 minutes."
Canada, which opened with a 0-0 draw against El Salvador on Wednesday, was unfortunate to surrender its first goal of the tournament moments away from earning a deserved point.
The Canadians (0-1-1) wrap up their preliminary round Tuesday against Costa Rica at Toronto's BMO Field. Canada, ranked 103rd in the world, will need a big result over the 41st-ranked Ticos in order to move on to the next round.
"It just comes down to us getting a win against Costa Rica and the one advantage we have is that we're playing at home," said midfielder Julian de Guzman, who returned to action after missing Canada's opening match against El Savador with an injury.
"Going into Canada will give us confidence to get a win. It's still there for us, I know the guys won't feel happy about the result (against Jamaica) and it's just a matter of bouncing back."
Jamaica (1-0-1) took the provisional lead in Group B with the win. El Salvador earned a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica in Saturday's other Group B match. El Salvador and Costa Rica are both 0-0-2, though Costa Rica owns a two-goal differential.
The Gold Cup is the regional soccer championships for teams in North America, South America and the Caribbean.More than 50% of people now live in urban areas. By 2050 this proportion will be 70%. Urbanization is associated with increased levels of mental illness, but it’s not yet clear why. Through a controlled experiment, we investigated whether nature experience would influence rumination (repetitive thought focused on negative aspects of the self), a known risk factor for mental illness. Participants who went on a 90-min walk through a natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and showed reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to risk for mental illness compared with those who walked through an urban environment. These results suggest that accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world.
Abstract
Urbanization has many benefits, but it also is associated with increased levels of mental illness, including depression. It has been suggested that decreased nature experience may help to explain the link between urbanization and mental illness. This suggestion is supported by a growing body of correlational and experimental evidence, which raises a further question: what mechanism(s) link decreased nature experience to the development of mental illness? One such mechanism might be the impact of nature exposure on rumination, a maladaptive pattern of self-referential thought that is associated with heightened risk for depression and other mental illnesses. We show in healthy participants that a brief nature experience, a 90-min walk in a natural setting, decreases both self-reported rumination and neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (sgPFC), whereas a 90-min walk in an urban setting has no such effects on self-reported rumination or neural activity. In other studies, the sgPFC has been associated with a self-focused behavioral withdrawal linked to rumination in both depressed and healthy individuals. This study reveals a pathway by which nature experience may improve mental well-being and suggests that accessible natural areas within urban contexts may be a critical resource for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world.Nigeria felt a chill from the hot zone when a 40-year-old man collapsed and died from the dread Ebola virus after flying there from Liberia.
That hot zone chill now reaches America, with word that the same man was scheduled to fly to Minneapolis in time for an August 16 party celebrating the birthdays of two of his three young daughters.
Patrick Sawyer was a naturalized U.S. citizen who worked for the Finance Ministry of his native Liberia and returned home to his wife and children in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, whenever he could. He almost certainly would have boarded that flight to Minneapolis had he remained at least outwardly healthy enough not to exhibit symptoms.
One nightmare scenario would have been for him to go ahead with the birthday party for his daughters even though he was feeling a little flu-ish and maybe dish out cake and ice cream to his little girls before anybody imagined he might be carrying the deadly virus from distant West Africa.
“He could have brought Ebola here,” his wife, Decontee Sawyer, told The Daily Beast on Tuesday.
Patrick had been tending to a sick sister named Princess in Liberia and had not learned the exact nature of her illness until after she died.
“He knew she was sick and he kept caring for her, but he didn’t know it was Ebola,” Decontee said. “It could have been malaria.”
He was still grieving when he texted his wife on July 18, but he gave no indication that he was feeling ill. Decontee would wonder if witnessing his sister’s terrible death had left him unable to accept that he could suffer the same fate as a result of trying to aid her.
“I think he might have been in a state of denial,” Decontee suggested.
Patrick fell manifestly ill on July 20 during the 6-hour, 40-minute journey via two flights on ASKY Airlines, from Monrovia to Lomé in Togo and on to Lagos, where he was scheduled to attend an economic development conference. He collapsed at the Lagos airport and was placed in isolation at First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, a high-density neighborhood in the teeming city.
After Patrick’s death on July 25, the hospital was evacuated and quarantined for a week to allow decontamination. The 44 people with whom he was known to have had contact at the hospital—38 health-care workers and six lab techs—either were isolated or monitored, depending on the exposure. Also being monitored are 15 people he encountered at the airport, reportedly including the Nigerian ambassador to Liberia.
Nigerian officials were unable to check who might have been exposed on the two ASKY flights, as the airline inexplicably had failed to provide passenger lists. ASKY did suspend all service to Liberia and to Sierra Leone, which also has reported numerous Ebola cases.
In Minnesota, Decontee had no idea anything was amiss until she got a phone call on Friday informing her that her husband was dead.
“Just out of nowhere, out of the blue,” she said. “I never thought Ebola would break down my front door, and that’s what it did.”
She was faced with trying to explain to 5-year-old Eve and 4-year-old Mia why their father would not be at the party to mark the birthdays they both celebrate in August.
“They can barely understand what’s going on,” Decontee said. “I told the girls he’s looking down at them, they can talk to him now anytime they want.”
The youngest, Bella, had just turned 1 in March and likely will have no memory of her father. The thought of what all three girls had lost and what so many other children stand to lose because of this virus filled Decontee with an urgency to do something to fight it.
“I feel like Ebola has declared war on me, and I’m ready to do it right back,” she said. “You can only cry so much, and then you have to do something. Because while you’re crying, people are dying still. “
She consulted with friends on Facebook and formed Concerned Liberians Against Ebola. A posting on the page read: “One way you could help is to call your relatives, friends, and anyone you know in Liberia to take this disease seriously, quarantine anyone suspected of the disease, and stock up on medicines to treat simple malaria attacks to clear up any confusion.”
But Decontee wanted to do more. She and like-minded friends decided that any funds or supplies they could raise should go to two organizations whose medical teams are bravely taking on Ebola in the hot zone, Samaritan’s Purse and Global Health Ministry.
“Risking their lives,” Decontee said of the two eminently worthy outfits. “They want to help so we want to help them do the work.”
Samaritan’s Purse had established the Ebola treatment center where an American physician, Dr. Kent Brantly, serves as medical director. Brantly came to Liberia with his wife and two children as a medical missionary seeking to do nothing more dangerous than family medicine at the Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital in Monrovia. He and his ELWA colleagues then began hearing talk in mid-March of an Ebola outbreak more than 100 miles away in Lofa. His hospital established an isolation unit in the facility’s chapel.
“And prayed it would not be needed,” reports an ELWA blog. “At first it seemed that the prayers had been answered. The outbreak subsided experienced a short lull, and for a time there were no new confirmed cases in Liberia.”
But at the end of May, the epidemic flared, and this time it spread to Monrovia. ELWA got its first case on June 11, and more soon followed. The hospital turned to Brantly, who is meticulously cautious and profoundly compassionate.
“As the epidemic began to unfold, Kent found himself in a very difficult circumstance,” Dr. Donald McCray, a longtime mentor and friend, later said during a press conference at the John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, where Brantly completed his residency last year. “He was asked to serve as the medical director of the isolation unit for Ebola.”
Brantly accepted. One small mercy was that his family returned to Texas on a pre-scheduled visit, sparing him from having to worry about infecting them.
He and his team remained uncommonly careful, spending at least a half-hour suiting up before venturing into the Ebola isolation ward. Every centimeter of skin was covered. Gloves were doubled and taped to sleeves. But the hands were skilled. And Brantly’s deep-blue eyes were no less kind and caring behind plastic goggles. He would spend at least a half-hour being decontaminated afterward.
Elsewhere in Liberia, entire hospitals emptied out, patients, doctors, and nurses, all fleeing in fear of Ebola. The team at Brantly’s facility kept at it day after day, often four hours at a time in the stultifying full-body suits before a break, followed by another four hours of watching the disease do its unimaginable worst despite all their best efforts.
“Terrified,” Brantly said of himself to McRay.
No images from combat zones depict greater courage than do photographs of Brantly and his team in the hot zone, tending a patient in the midst of horrific suffering that they themselves were risking. Brantly is a man of deep faith, and he was proving himself to be a Christian such as Christ would cherish, someone practicing that greatest love. Any religion that values life would embrace this doctor’s scripture in action, his gospel of goodness.
Last week, Brantly began to feel ill. And, like Patrick Sawyer’s sister, he thought at first that he might be coming down with malaria.
“His symptoms developed on Wednesday, with fever, headache, abdominal pain...and have progressed,” McCray told the press conference in Texas on Monday.
Brantly tested positive for Ebola, as did another American, Nancy Writebol, who had been working with the decontamination crew. He became a patient along with Writebol in the ward he had been supervising. His prognosis was described as “grave.”
“I’m praying fervently that God will help me survive this disease,” Brantly said in an email to McRay on Monday. “Please continue to pray along with me and pray for my friend Nancy who is also very sick, and for the doctors who are taking care of us. Thank you all so much. Peace, Kent.”
How Brantly and Writebol became infected remains a mystery. There is one theory that they were both exposed by a Liberian worker in the contamination crew who fell ill. Another theory is that Brantly was exposed somewhere outside the hospital.
The many people who admire Brantly note that the fatality rate for Ebola drops from 90 percent to about 60 percent if it is caught early, as was apparently the case with the good doctor.
Even so, that is less than an even chance, at best.
From Minnesota, Decontee Sawyer calls on all decent souls to support the brave medical teams taking on the virus that is only a plane ride away from anywhere.
“We all have to work together to stop Ebola from continuing to kill people,” Sawyer said. “And to keep it from coming across the ocean.”
She will be holding a memorial for her husband in September.
And there will be an event before then, one on August 16 that she will not let Ebola stop.
“We’re going to have that birthday party,” she said.MESA, Ariz. — Manager Joe Maddon expounded on using relievers in various situations to maximize their strengths.
But the only firm role appears that of closer Hector Rondon.
"He did close last year, didn't he?'' Maddon replied Saturday. "I ended my sentence."
Maddon defused speculation Jason Motte would compete for the closer's role based on Motte being two seasons removed from Tommy John surgery. In his first season as closer, Rondon converted 29 of 33 saves, including his final 15 chances.
"Mr. Rondon looks like he's going to be pretty darn good here," Maddon said. "But from my perspective, it's about high leverage situations. I like to be able to match up. Matchups aren't necessarily left on left or right on right. Today's game presents a lot of reverse split-pitchers or neutral guys.
"Neutral guys are able to get out righties and lefties consistently. They're really interesting relief pitchers. And then you have the reverse split guys who also are interesting, the guy who gets the opposite side out better.
"The specialist is becoming more difficult. You only bring specialists in on guys you know they're not going to pinch-hit for. If the guy is going to get pinch-hit for, then why do you bring in a specialist? Because he's not going to pitch against the guy you want him to pitch to anyway."
Cubs manager Joe Maddon on spring lineups, pitchers batting eighth, and the closer's role. Cubs manager Joe Maddon on spring lineups, pitchers batting eighth, and the closer's role. SEE MORE VIDEOS
Rondon, 27, was appreciative when he learned of Maddon's comments.
"Every reliever wants to close games," Rondon said. "For me, it's no big deal. The only thing for me is put me in the game."
Motte, who saved 42 games for the Cardinals in 2013, was described by Maddon as a "force multiplier.'' Maddon said he learned of the phrase while reading the autobiography of retired U.S. Army four-star general Colin Powell.
"Making the group around them better," Maddon explained. "And I think (Motte) absolutely fits into that category."
Pitchers batting eighth: The innovative Maddon also explained situations in which he might bat a pitcher eighth.
"If you have a pitcher you believe is going to pitch deep into the game, you normally would hit him ninth and delay the decision of having to pinch-hit for him," Maddon said. "If you have a pitcher who has a history of going five, possibly six innings, you may want to hit him eighth, (with) possibly the attempt to pinch hit for him sooner rather than later. So that one spot can make all the difference in the world.
"The other idea would be the guy you normally hit fourth would possibly hit third because you have a ninth-place hitter who gets on base more."
Left-hander Travis Wood, who batted.232 last season and has hit nine career home runs, is the candidate most likely to bat eighth unless he's opposing a tough left-handed starter.
Lester to open: Maddon is expected to announce Jon Lester officially as his opening night starter against the Cardinals after talking to him.
This would be Lester's fifth consecutive opening day assignment dating back to his final four seasons with the Red Sox.We propose a formalization of C.G. Jung’s theory of personality using a four-dimensional Hilbert-space for the representation of two qubits. The first qubit relates to Jung’s four psychological functions: Thinking, Feeling, Sensing and iNtuition, which are represented by two groups of projection operators, {T, F} and {S, N}. The operators in each group are commuting but operators of different groups are not. The second qubit represents Jung’s two perspectives of extraversion and introversion. It is shown that this system gives a natural explanation of the 16 psychological types that are defined in the Jungian tradition. Further, the system accounts for the restriction posed by Jung concerning the possible combination of psychological functions and perspectives. The empirical consequences of the present theory are discussed, and the results of a pilot study are reported with the aim to check some basic predictions of the theory. In addition, it is shown why the present praxis of personality diagnostics based on classical statistics is insufficient.Image caption Conifers had been considered newcomers that moved north after the ice melted
Some Scandinavian trees survived the last Ice Age, challenging a widely held notion that they were killed off by the huge ice sheet that covered the region.
Modern trees in Scandinavia were thought to descend from species that migrated north when the ice melted 9,000 years ago.
But research suggests some conifers survived on mountain peaks that protruded from the enormous ice sheet, on islands and in coastal areas.
The workappears in Science journal.
"Our results demonstrate that not all the Scandinavian conifer trees have the same recent ancestors, as we once believed," said Prof Eske Willerslev from the Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen.
"There were groups of spruce and pine that survived the harsh climate in small ice-free pockets, or in refuges, as we call them, for tens of thousands of years, and then were able to spread once the ice retreated.
Image caption The trees could have survived on nunataks like this one in Greenland
"Other spruce and pine trees have their origins in the southern and eastern ice-free areas of Europe. Therefore, one can now refer to 'original' and later naturally 'introduced' Scandinavian conifer species."
The researchers came to their conclusions by studying the DNA of modern spruce - which clearly portrays two Scandinavian types - and also by analysing the composition of pine and spruce DNA in sediments from lake-core samples.
"One hypothesis is that trees were able to survive on the top of nunataks, the exposed ridges or peaks of mountains protruding from glacial cover, or in more sheltered areas close to the coast where proximity to the temperate conditions of the Atlantic Ocean favoured survival," said Laura Parducci, from the University of Uppsala.
"These areas must have provided sites for roots to anchor and trees to grow in the challenging climate."
Today, nunataks can be found protruding from the Greenlandic ice sheet, albeit without any trees.A series of unprecedented joint drills, code-named Dawn Blitz, began earlier this month between the United States and Japan off the coast of California with a specific aim: a joint amphibious assault on the island after it has been seized by a small, but heavily armed, invading force.
San Clemente Island, located about 75 miles northwest of San Diego, is acting as a surrogate for the disputed island chain known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. Japanese officials insist publicly that the drills are not targeting a third country, adding that the island's identity is purely hypothetical.
The exercise has added to tensions thousands of miles away in waters near the Senkaku Islands, a group of islands in the East China Sea that the Japanese government bought from their private owners last year, triggering violent protests in China and sending Sino-Japanese ties to their lowest point in years.
The ongoing dispute over the territory, and the ease with which Chinese surveillance ships regularly patrol nearby waters, have exposed Japan's vulnerability to an attack on the string of islands on its west and southwest coasts, including Okinawa and the Senkaku Islands. The prospect of armed conflict over the Senkaku Islands has Japan understandably nervous. As Dawn Blitz indicates, developing the ability to defend and retake them has become a priority.
"The defense of remote islands is a pressing issue, but the SDF [Japan's self-defense forces] has just begun training to develop such capabilities, which are required of US Marines," Japan's vice chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Koichi Isobe, told reporters. "Japan needs to determine its defense strategy and procure necessary equipment and train SDF members for this purpose."
The drills, which end later this week, began with an initial assault led by about 80 US Marines and three MV-22 Osprey aircraft, followed by a Japanese amphibious force. In all, Japan has committed about 1,000 troops to the Dawn Blitz operation, along with two warships. Troops from New Zealand and Canada are also taking part.
"I will tell you that I was very impressed with not just the cooperation, but really the operational capabilities that [Japan's self-defense forces or SDF] are starting to bring together," says Brig. Gen. John Broadmeadow, commanding general of the US Marine Corps 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
China had reportedly called on the US and Japan to cancel the operation, which began just two days after Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Obama held a summit in California. Tokyo and Washington ignored the request.
An official source familiar with Dawn Blitz conceded that the drills were designed to demonstrate to Beijing that Japan is bolstering its deterrence capability with the help of its US ally.
"We're aware of China's objections, but from a Japanese and US perspective, the object of the exercise is to build a powerful deterrent and demonstrate that the two forces are seamlessly connected – to show the Chinese that they are battle-ready," the source told the Monitor on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media. "There is nothing unusual in that."
China has lodged a protest against the drills.
The country's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said only that Beijing hoped "the relevant sides can focus on peace and stability in this region, and do more to contribute to mutual trust and regional peace and stability."
Faced with Defense Department budget cuts and a new military focus on the Asia-Pacific, US officials are keen for Japan to play a more active role in the security alliance.
The joint drills are a key part of that strategy, given that Japan does not have its own amphibious assault vehicles.
Tricky spot?
But the exercises put Washington in a potentially tricky position, say some analysts. Under the US-Japan security treaty it is obliged to help Japan deter an attack on its territory, but it has publicly refused to take sides on the Senkaku island issue. Instead, it has called for calm and encouraged the two sides to hold negotiations.
"I don't think Dawn Blitz puts the US in a tricky position," the official says. "They started the drill just after the Obama-Xi summit to avoid any diplomatic repercussions. But the fact that Japan and the US went ahead with the exercise also sends a message – that they are on the same page when it comes to deterring possible Chinese aggression."
The need to bolster the defense of Japan's outlying islands was first recognized by its last prime minister, the left-of-center Yoshihiko Noda, whose administration effectively nationalized the Senkaku Islands last year.
Under the current prime minister, Shinzo Abe, the need to create a special force, modeled on the US Marines, capable of repelling a Chinese assault on the Senkaku Islands has taken on greater urgency.
Japan raised its defense budget this year for the first time in 11 years, and is expected to devote much of the new funding to expanding the size and scope of the Western Army Infantry Regiment, the name given to a small unit of troops that has been practicing island warfare under the guidance of US Marines at Sasebo naval base in southwestern Japan.
Momentum for Abe?
The perceived threat from China to Japan's most vulnerable islands could give Mr. Abe the momentum he needs to dramatically alter Japan's defense posture if, as most observers believe, his Liberal Democratic Party seizes control of both houses of parliament in upper house elections next month.
Later this year, Japanese lawmakers are expected to debate the creation of a White House-style National Security Council and granting Japanese troops the right to engage in collective self-defense, or coming to the aid of the US or other ally under attack.
"I expect Abe to start spending his political capital on his 'values' agenda," says Jun Okumura, a Japan expert at the Eurasia Group. "He won't be able to take his eye off the economy, because the ultimate success of his values agenda will depend on how his economic program is taking effect. But after the upper elections he won't have to go to the polls for three years – that's quite a big window."
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In a recent paper for Chatham House, John Swenson-Wright, senior lecturer in modern Japanese politics and international relations at Cambridge University, said Abe's popularity, on the back of his economic program's early success, had enabled him to pursue new security and foreign-policy initiatives.
"In the context of the cold war, successive prime ministers adopted an intentionally restricted role for the security forces," Mr. Swenson-Wright said. "Now, confronted by arguably more immediate and serious security challenges, both in East Asia and farther afield, Abe appears to be promoting a more ambitious and assertive defense posture."Derbyshire, Dorset and Surrey police forces are said to be willing to turn a blind eye to those who grow cannabis, a Class B drug, for personal use – in order to focus on more serious crime.
The move follows a similar one by the Durham Constabulary, which announced last week it would only pursue people growing the drug if there was a specific complaint or their use was |
loss to Atlanta. Dallas will head into the All-Star break needing to make up plenty of ground to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. "It just makes it tougher in the second half," Carter said. "We have to keep going, we have to win the next one. It's important for us to look at the next game and not look too far ahead." Carter's beard, though, is in need of a trim that it might not see for quite awhile. Nowitzki scored a team-high 24 points and Mayo added 19 on Monday, and each is sporting plenty of facial hair. Carter said they all believe the Mavericks can reach their goal. "Guys are confident. That's why we came together on the whole beard thing," Carter said. "It's because we still believe, and that's kind of bringing each other together and holding each other accountable. We still have an opportunity in the second part of the season." Coach Rick Carlisle wants to see improvement before then. "We have one opportunity here before the break (to improve), so it's an important game," Carlisle said. "It's all about us playing better to trend upward as a team. We're all going to have to work hard and dig in. I still believe we can do it." Dallas seemingly has a good chance to get back on track by knocking off a Kings team it has beaten 13 of the last 14 times. Mayo scored 19 points in a 119-96 home win over Sacramento on Dec. 10, then netted 24 while Carter added 23 as the Mavericks came from 17 down in a 117-112 overtime road victory Jan. 10. December's blowout in Dallas was hardly a rarity when the Kings are in town. The Mavs have outscored Sacramento by an average of 14.8 points in their lengthy home regular-season series winning streak. The Kings (19-34), though, had won two straight prior to Tuesday's 108-101 loss at Memphis, and Carlisle believes his team is in for a touch matchup. "They're coming off two games where they beat Utah and Houston - two playoff teams above us," Carlisle said, "They're playing well, so we're going to have to do better." DeMarcus Cousins scored 23 points Tuesday and is averaging 26.3 in his last three versus the Mavericks. Sacramento, though, dropped to 5-22 on the road this season and is averaging just 86.8 points and shooting 41.3 percent during its five-game road skid. "When you get a chance on the road to close the gap and get the game in your favor, you've got to take that," coach Keith Smart said. "I thought these guys deserved to win the game based off how they performed." Smart said the Kings need to improve their transition defense, though, as they allowed 28 fast-break points Tuesday. They've given up an average of 109.2 points with opponents shooting 52.0 percent over their last five.
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Carter passes Bird as Mavs put away Kings 123-100
By SCHUYLER DIXON
Posted Feb 14 2013 12:24AM DALLAS (AP) Move over, Larry Legend. Vinsanity still has a few special moments in him. Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA's career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a 123-100 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Carter earned his nickname with circus dunks but can't quite rattle the rim like he used to. He's more dangerous these days from one of the places where Bird did plenty of damage: the 3-point line. The 14-year veteran turned aside a Sacramento rally in the third quarter by going 5 of 7 from long range and scoring 17 of Dallas' last 21 points in the period. He ended the night with 21,796 career points for 29th on the all-time list, five ahead of Bird. "There were open shots and I was shooting them to make them. I wasn't shooting to get attention," said Carter, who also became the 11th NBA player with at least 1,600 3-pointers. "I've talked to Larry before. He is a legend and one of the greatest to play the game." Tyreke Evans scored 23 for the Kings, who lost their 18th straight regular season game in Dallas dating back almost 10 years. The 3-pointer that pushed Carter past Bird came from a couple of feet behind the line with 2.9 seconds left in the third quarter and gave Dallas a 92-77 lead. "It seems like every night, one of our guys is breaking a record," said Shawn Marion, one year shy of Carter in NBA experience. "It's cool what we've accomplished in this league. And we got a `W.' All that stacked on top of each other is good." Carter was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc, and the Mavericks made six straight from long range spanning the third and fourth quarters. Dallas finished 13 of 34 from 3-point range. "It speaks to how well he's taken care of himself and longevity," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who played with Bird in Boston. "You don't pass Larry Bird on the scoring list unless you've been in it a long time." Dirk Nowitzki finished with 17 points, including a 3-pointer to put Dallas ahead 100-79 early in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki also had eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. The Mavericks were up 18 early in the third quarter before Sacramento went on a 17-6 run to get within seven. Nine of the points came on free throws, and DeMarcus Cousins had a pair of baskets early in the run. The Mavericks, who rallied from 17 down for an overtime win in Sacramento last month, didn't let the Kings do the same thing on their home court, thanks to Carter. He hit consecutive 3-pointers to end Sacramento's surge and start the Mavericks on a 19-11 run over the final five minutes of the third quarter. The Kings, playing their fourth game in five nights before the All-Star break, didn't get closer than 17 in the fourth quarter. Cousins and Jason Thompson had 17 apiece, and James Johnson had 16 off the bench. Cousins, who had a game-high 13 rebounds, stayed out of trouble for Sacramento after his previous two meetings with Dallas were marred by incidents. He was suspended for a game in December for hitting O.J. Mayo in the groin area during a game in Dallas, and was ejected for a flagrant foul after elbowing Carter last month in Sacramento. The foul helped the Mavericks clinch the overtime win. Cousins, who insisted the contact was incidental both times, exchanged handshakes and hugs with Mayo and Carter after the game. "He's going to figure it out," Sacramento coach Keith Smart said. "Believe me, whether it's going to here with the Kings or with anyone else. It's going to happen for the young man. Life is going to settle down and all his game is going to come together." Neither team led by more than six before the Mavericks went on an 18-4 run for a 57-40 lead late in the first half. Darren Collison had eight points, including a three-point play when he took a feed from Marion for a layup after Marion jumped over diminutive Sacramento guard Isaiah Thomas to catch an entry pass from Nowitzki. Collison finished with 18 points and nine of Dallas' 27 assists. The Dallas spurt included the first points from Mayo, whose dunk on an assist from Collison ended an 0-for-4 shooting start for the Mavericks' leading scorer. Mayo finished with 10 points but was 0 of 7 from long range. It was an efficient first half for the Mavericks, who had 15 assists and just two turnovers while shooting 49 percent and taking a 59-44 lead. NOTES: Mavericks C Chris Kaman missed his eighth straight game with a concussion sustained in practice Jan. 28. He has passed the league-mandated concussion test but is still experiencing headaches.... Kings G Marcus Thornton missed the game with a bruised right hand. He sustained the injury against Memphis.... Eight different Mavericks scored in a 30-point first quarter. Nowitzki and Marion led with six apiece.... Isaiah Thomas, who is headed to Houston for the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend, extended his free throw streak to 35 over seven games. He was 3 of 3.
Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibitedChronic Middle Ear Disease and the ensuing perforated eardrums impact millions around the world, reducing hearing and causing complications, including infections, which take the lives of nearly 30,000 people every year. Locally made invention provides cure and gains support of international science funding body Wellcome Trust to get device to market faster.
In a world-first trial, a team of Perth and Melbourne researchers and scientists will next year be closer to restoring hearing to patients with painful damaged eardrums by combining science and silkworms to create a tiny device known as ClearDrum which is similar in appearance and size to a contact lens.
The revolutionary technique is the result of exhaustive design, manufacturing, testing and analysis team led by the Perth-based surgeon scientist Professor Marcus Atlas from Ear Science Institute Australia and Ear Science Centre at the University of WA, in collaboration with fibre experts at Deakin University’s Future Fibres Hub.
The team has created a tiny bio-compatible silk implant known as ClearDrum on which the patient’s own cells grow and flourish resulting in a healed eardrum. Tested over numerous years in the laboratory at Ear Science and Deakin, the implant shows the ability to perform even better than a person’s original eardrum.
Surgeon scientist Professor Atlas, who specialises in ear and hearing disorders, said the bio-compatibility, strength and transparency of the implant provides an advantage for the patient that has never been seen before. The reduced complexity and time within surgery provides an even greater advantage and will allow the implant to be used in more cases and by more surgeons in more countries than current solutions.
Chronic Middle Ear Disease is the most common cause of perforated eardrums – commonly known as “burst eardrums” –suffered by up to 330 million people worldwide. The infection can be difficult to contain resulting in damage to the eardrum and mastoid bone with hearing loss and pain occurring within the ear.
The current surgical procedures used for repairing perforated eardrums involves making grafts from the patient’s own tissues and using specialised and delicate microsurgery techniques and applying them to the eardrum to close the hole. The patient is quite often required to return to surgery for further procedures due to limitations of the current methods.
The innovative process is expected to be less expensive, less invasive and promising quicker healing of the ear drum. Professor Atlas and Professor Xungai Wang from Deakin University travelled to London to provide details to UK’s Wellcome Trust, which supports innovation and science for the betterment of humanity. There, the project was awarded nearly $4Million by The Wellcome Trust Translation Fund to finance human clinical trials in an effort to bring this implant to market as quickly as possible and reduce the impact of perforated eardrums worldwide.
Western Australia’s own Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall commented that “ClearDrum is an example of the translational research and world-first innovations being conducted here in Perth. It puts Western Australia on the map for science and showcases how research can result in solutions that have a global impact on the lives of so many millions of people.”
Click here to register your interest for our ClearDrum implant.
Click here to watch the ClearDrum promotional video.The Indiana Pacers announced Friday the signing of free agents C.J. Fair, Arinze Onuaku, Chris Singleton and Adonis Thomas.
C.J. Fair is a 6-8 rookie forward out of Syracuse who played on the 2014 Dallas Mavericks summer league team.
Photo Gallery: C.J. Fair Career Gallery »
Arinze Onuaku is a 6-9 second-year forward, also out of Syracuse, who played for both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2013-14 season. He has also spent time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Canton Charge of the NBA Development League.
Photo Gallery: Arinze Onuaku Career Gallery »
Chris Singleton is a fourth-year, 6-9 forward out of Florida State. He played all three seasons of his NBA career with the Washington Wizards, with career averages of 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Photo Gallery: Chris Singleton Career Gallery »
Adonis Thomas is a 6-7 forward that played collegiately at Memphis. He is in his second year in the NBA, having played for both Orlando and Philadelphia in the 2013-14 season.
Photo Gallery: Adonis Thomas Career Gallery »Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter@JosephVMicallef.
The issue of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem has been a recurring theme in American politics for the better part of 30 years. Candidates propose the move in the belief that it will curry support among Jewish-American voters. In reality, it is an issue that divides the Jewish-American community in the U.S. Moreover, its supporters extend well beyond Jewish-Americans to include a significant number of evangelical Christians and political conservatives.
During the 2016 presidential elections the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, promised that once he was elected he would move the U.S. Embassy in Israel, currently in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem. In doing so, he was echoing a theme that has been played out in the previous six presidential elections.
Implicit in such a move would be the formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Following the 1948 war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the western portion of Jerusalem came under the control of the Israeli government, while the eastern portion, the historic "old city," came under the control of the Jordanian government.
Israel declared West Jerusalem the capital of Israel in 1949. The next year Jordan annexed the portions of East Jerusalem under its control. During the 1967, Six Day War, Israeli forces took control of East Jerusalem and subsequently unified the two halves. In 1980, Israel's "Jerusalem Law Proclamation" declared that the newly united Jerusalem was the capital of Israel.
The original 1947 UN Partition Plan for the British Mandate of Palestine had recommended that the city of Jerusalem be granted a special status as a Corpus separatum, a separate status as an "independent city" under the direct administration of the U.N. The original proposal also included the city of Bethlehem. After 10 years, a separate referendum would be held to allow the inhabitants of Bethlehem to decide their future affiliation.
No other country has ever recognized the designation of either West Jerusalem or, after 1980, the entire city as the capital of Israel. The United Kingdom and Pakistan were the only two countries that ever recognized the Jordanian seizure of East Jerusalem during the period from 1950 to 1967. The UN Security Council has passed a total of seven resolutions, starting with UN Resolution 478 in 1980, declaring that Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and its declaration of Jerusalem as the country's capital contravened international law.
Both the Reagan and W.H. Bush administrations were opposed to moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. As candidates for the presidency, however, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and most recently Donald J. Trump, all pledged to move the U.S. embassy. In 1995, the U.S. Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act directing the transfer of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by no later than May 31, 1999. All three recent presidents, Clinton, Bush and Obama, have refused to implement the act on the basis that it infringed upon the President's constitutional authority to conduct foreign policy.
From 1949, until relatively recently, the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was one of the principal axes around which Middle East politics revolved. Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's former National Security Adviser, called the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "the single most combustible and galvanizing issue in the Arab world." During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union aligned themselves along opposite sides of this axis. Washington emerged as the principal arms supplier to Israel, while Moscow played a similar role with the principal front line states of Syria and Egypt. Libya and Iraq, while they were not "frontline states," also considered themselves implacable foes of Israel and both were also prominent Soviet clients in the region.
The success of the Camp David Accords flipped Egypt from the Soviet camp to the U.S. camp and brought a lasting peace between Israel and Egypt that has now endured for more than 35 years. The collapse of the Soviet Union, combined with the overthrow of Soviet client regimes in Libya (Gaddafi) and Iraq (Hussein) and the end of the Cold War, ended superpower rivalry over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but that did not make the conflict any easier to resolve. Despite repeated attempts by the last three U.S. presidents, the conflict is no closer to being resolved today than it was in 1978, when the Camp David Accords were signed.
Over the last two decades, however, the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the defining axis around which Mideast politics revolves has become progressively less prominent. Instead, the rise of Iranian power and influence; Tehran's self-appointed role as the defender of Shiite minorities, and in some case, like Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon, Shiite majorities, and its ongoing efforts to mobilize Shiite groups to advance its own foreign policy goals; as well as its aggressive pursuit of a nuclear capability and its intent to emerge as a regional hegemonic power in the Middle East, has upended Middle East politics. In the process, it has created a new axis of conflict that is rapidly reorganizing the region's political alignments.
The spread of Iranian influence within the Shiite communities across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, even though Gaza and Syria have a majority Sunni population, has created an "Iranian Arc of Influence" across the northern tier of the Mideast. In the meantime, and even more worrisome to Riyadh and its Gulf allies, Tehran's support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen and for the sizeable Shiite populations in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, a major oil producing region, as well as in Bahrain, where Shiites are a majority, and elsewhere along the western flank of the Persian Gulf, threatens to create a second Iranian "Arc of Influence" that would surround the Sunni governments of the Arabian Peninsula.
This Iranian-Saudi/Shia-Sunni fault line is increasingly becoming the principal axis around which the region politics evolve. Just as in the cold war, Russia and the United States are aligning themselves along opposite sides of the rift. Moscow has emerged as a strong supporter of Tehran and its "Shiite agenda" while Washington, the ambivalence under the Obama administration notwithstanding, is the principal supporter of the Sunni regimes.
In this environment, Israel has quietly strengthened its relations with many of the Arab governments that have traditionally, at least publicly, been officially opposed to the continued existence of the Israeli state. The thaw became noticeable in 2006, when both Cairo and Riyadh quietly sided with Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah in what came to be called the July war or the Second Lebanon War. The Sunni governments see Hezbollah as little more than an Iranian Shiite proxy quick to do Tehran's bidding and a growing threat to the region's political stability.
The recent agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia for the transfer of the islands of Tiran and Sanafi is symptomatic of this new thaw. It underscores an unprecedented development whose long-range significance has been missed by Western media. The two islands were originally controlled by Saudi Arabia. The islands sit at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. They dominate the narrow channel connecting the two bodies of water and are critical to controlling it.
Fearing that the islands would be seized by Israel, the Saudi's turned over the islands to Egypt in 1950. Israel did subsequently seize the islands in the 1956 war that accompanied the Suez crisis and again in 1967, during the six-day war. The islands were returned to Egypt, along with the Sinai Peninsula, under the Camp David Accords. The fact that the Saudis now want the islands back is a powerful statement that they see the outbreak of renewed conflict between Israel and Egypt as virtually inconceivable. That doesn't mean that the historic enmity between Israel and its Arab neighbors has gone away. Far from it–it is still very much alive. It simply means that both sides realize that any renewed conflict is in neither of their interest and that Iran poses a larger threat to their mutual security.
In the wake of the Iranian Revolution, Tehran sought to craft an anti-Israeli/pro-Palestinian policy as a vehicle to attain a position of leadership in the Middle East. This position was presented as an issue that could rally both Shias and Sunnis under Iranian leadership. This was a radical departure from the past. Pre-revolution Iran had enjoyed close and mutually supportive relations with Israel. Iran had for many years been Israel's principal supplier of crude oil. Until then, Shia communities, while generally supportive of the Palestinian cause, had not demonstrated the virulent, anti-Israeli vitriol that would eventually come to characterize Iran's position. Tehran's gambit failed. Notwithstanding the enmity between Israelis and Arabs, it was trumped by the even longer standing, historic enmity and distrust between Arabs and Persians.
The de facto alliance between Israel and its Sunni Arab neighbors is a tenuous one. It is not an alignment that would be supported by Arab public opinion. Decades of anti-Israel propaganda do not easily disappear, certainly not overnight. It is in this context that a move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem must be evaluated. Such an announcement would precipitate widespread public demonstrations throughout the Middle East and would force Sunni governments to denounce both Israel and the United States, ostensibly two of their most important allies against Iran. It would undermine the developing Israeli-Sunni Arab alignment and could pressure Arab governments to craft a more forceful response to placate the Arab street. This is the reason that Arab governments are publicly urging Washington to refrain from moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Privately, the Israeli military and intelligence community is telling Washington the same thing. The only country to benefit from such a development would be Iran.
This is after all the Middle East. Nothing is ever what it appears to be on the surface. The Sunni world is still a long way away from embracing Israel, much less acknowledging its right to exist. Nonetheless, a historic conflict that has set the tempo of Middle East politics for three-quarters of a century is rapidly being put aside to deal with the larger security issues poised by the reemergence of historic Persian imperialism. That doesn't mean that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is going to disappear. It isn't, but its continuation is less likely to define Mideast politics in the future. Byzantine? That word doesn't even begin to describe the nature of Mideast politics today.
-- If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) started using In-Browsing Messaging Solutions to send service messages, usage/billing alerts and promotional campaign to its Broadband customers free of cost.
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The solution is really beneficial to all broadband customers and the same can be used to increase customer satisfaction by intimating usage alerts / billing alerts and various notifications from BSNL relating to customer service and security in the most efficient manner.Correction: Earlier versions of this blogpost erroneously described the mannequins in question as an Internet hoax. They were not used in H&M stores, as the original online postings claimed. But they have been used at the Swedish department store “Åhlens.”
LONDON — A photo of two “plus-sized” mannequins went viral earlier this week when a blogger at Women’s Right’s News posted it on Facebook to an overwhelming response. Last I checked, the page had 57,000 likes and17,000 shares.
The original posting said the fuller-bodied, scantily clad mannequins were in use at the trendy Swedish department store H&M — a claim that turns out not to be true. Instead, they are on display at a different Swedish department store — though H&M said it did not rule out using such models in the future. Regardless of which store has them on display, the visual representation of “zaftig” models in the fashion industry has clearly struck a chord.
Let’s face it. Part of the mannequins’ viral appeal was no doubt the illusion that they came from Sweden, that Nordic bastion of pushing-the-envelope cultural fare that brought us the likes of Ikea and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” We all secretly want to take our lifestyle cues from Sweden. (Okay, maybe that’s just me.)
But the excitement and interest generated by the mannequins run much deeper than that. “Call it a hunch, but I think we could have quite a discussion here,” wrote the popular syndicated columnist Connie Schultz on her Facebook page, where I first viewed the image. Which is clearly what Women’s Right’s News was after in posting the photos: “Store mannequins in Sweden. They look like real women. The US should invest in some of these,” read the caption.
An in-your-face message about the need to project more realistic, healthy body images to women and girls might easily have been lost, had the appetite (no pun intended) to hear it not run so deep. But it’s an encouraging sign of the times that we’re beginning to push back against the anorexic ideal that is so deeply embedded in our commercial and cultural aesthetic.
Last year, I wrote on these pages about a protest in London in which women dumped diet books in front of the British Parliament to highlight the toxic effect of diets on our physical and mental health. In 2007, British health officials demanded that stores in London’s fashionable “High Street” shops stop using stick-thin models in an effort to reflect the wide range of sizes and shapes of British women. Last month, Displaysense, a mannequin wholesaler, reported a surge in sales of mannequins above size 12.
Nor should the backlash be confined to female body images. We’ll know that we’ve truly evolved when we no longer feel the need to forever dissect N.J. Governor — and possible GOP presidential contender — Chris Christie in terms of his weight, as opposed to the weight of his policies.
This is all really positive, because we all know how damaging our obsession with body image can be. I was horrified to read about a recent study that found that among teenagers who smoke frequently, 46 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys are smoking in part to control their weight. The practice is significantly more common among youths who describe themselves as too fat than those who describe themselves as about the right weight.
I’m not naive enough to believe for one second that two plumpish plastic dolls clad in purple undergarments can change the world. (For starters, as many online chat groups have already noted, if these mannequins are “plus-sized,” then we’re all in trouble.)
But you’ve got to start somewhere. Let’s hope that these mannequins begin to trend beyond Twitter…
Delia Lloyd is an American journalist based in London who was previously the London correspondent for Politics Daily. She blogs about adulthood at www.realdelia.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @realdelia.Kim met Hockenberry after appearing as a guest to share her expertise on North Korea on The Takeaway, a national public radio news program, and after meeting him twice, which she says was at his request, he continued to pursue her over email. She stopped responding, and still eight more messages arrived in her inbox. The messages from the host — who is married with five children and also paralyzed from the chest down due to a car accident when he was 19 — ranged from "Need another dose of you" to asking for her home address so he could mail her letters. "I basically hate email, and when you are my age asking for coffee and lunch dates are always construed as preludes to a hotel room somewhere," Kim says he wrote.
In a New York Magazine exposé published late Friday night, award-winning novelist Suki Kim documents her own experiences with the former WNYC radio host and explains that her interactions with the 61-year-old award-winning broadcaster spurred her to investigate if other women employed at his radio station had similar, or potentially worse, experiences of alleged harassment.
Retired host John Hockenberry has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women he used to work with, including his former co-hosts, on his public radio show The Takeaway.
"While this is obviously mild stuff in a world of dropped pants, rape and secret buttons to lock women in rooms, I live near WNYC’s Manhattan office, and each time I walked by the building, I imagined the young women working for Hockenberry," Kim wrote, referencing disgraced Today host Matt Lauer and the many figures who have been accused of sexual harassment and assault post-Harvey Weinstein. "Maybe I was the only one who he’d ever 'creeped out,' to use his phrase, but what if I wasn’t?"
Kim reached out to Takeaway employees and says the results could be divided into two broad categories; one of unwanted sexual advances, physical and verbal, to the younger staffers; and the second, abuse toward the women of color who were Hockenberry's co-hosts. The latter category, some who spoke to Kim on record, painted a picture of bullying behavior at The Takeaway, which Kim points out was founded in 2008 to bring more diverse voices to public radio. (The show is co-produced by WNYC Radio and Public Radio International in collaboration with The New York Times and WGBH Boston.)
Two of the co-hosts told Kim they complained "repeatedly" to the station, while a third former co-host reportedly also filed a report to WNYC. Farai Chideya filled the vacant seat left by Adaora Udoji, but left after four months over her encounters with Hockenberry. Celeste Headlee then filled the seat, but also filed complaints that the host was professionally "sabotaging" her. By 2012, they were all gone and Hockenberry was hosting solo.
"That a white man, albeit a disabled one, ended up being alone at the top of the diversity show was definitely ironic, but for some of the women at the The Takeaway, it was more than that," wrote Kim. "The message, according to Kristen Meinzer, a culture producer for eight years, was: 'If you speak up, you’ll disappear.'" Meinzer claimed in the article that she felt sexually encroached upon by Hockenberry. She says he kissed her without consent, in the office, after she told him she had booked actress Marion Cotillard for the show, and harassed her on social media. On a picture of her and her husband, Meinzer said Hockenberry commented, “Doesn’t one of you have herpes at least?”
Another former female producer, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared a similar encounter of Hockenberry kissing her without her consent in his hotel room when the staff was being put up due to a snowstorm. She left the program three months later and did not report the incident. Another former anonymous staffer received an apology from the host after reporting inappropriate communications to her bosses, but never filed the complaint to HR since she was departing the program. Kim also spoke to several former interns who claim to have received similar inappropriate messages on G-chat messaging.
Kim filed a complaint about Hockenberry in February of this year and in August, when the journalist left his nearly decade-long post at the show, he did not announce future plans — a decision that was perceived as odd from the outside, Kim wrote. "From the inside — from the point of view of women I’d eventually interview who worked with him — there was less surprise: What had he finally done to cross the line?" she wrote. When she reached out to Hockenberry for the article, he said he was “currently searching for employment” and the last job she could find for him was as a guest host on PBS’ Charlie Rose Show, which has since been scrapped in wake of damning allegations against its own host.
In a statement, Hockenberry apologized for his actions: “I’ve always had a reputation for being tough, and certainly I’ve been rude, aggressive and impolite. Looking back, my behavior was not always appropriate and I’m sorry. It horrifies me that I made the talented and driven people I worked with feel uncomfortable, and that the stress around putting together a great show was made worse by my behavior. Having to deal with my own physical limitations has given me an understanding of powerlessness, and I should have been more aware of how the power I wielded over others, coupled with inappropriate comments and communications, could be construed. I have no excuses.”
In response to Kim's article, The Takeaway released a statement:
We asked New York Public Radio and Public Radio International, the co-producers of The Takeaway, for comment. In a statement, NYPR told us, "We are now challenging ourselves to do more to ensure that our New York Public Radio community can thrive and excel in an inclusive and diverse environment in which they are treated with respect. We have committed to providing more training for employees, including managers, hosts and other persons in authority, and more support for those who come forward. This may also mean more severe and immediate consequences for misconduct than was the norm in American workplaces a year ago." (See their full statement below.)
PRI sent us the following statement, "We find these allegations deeply unsettling and we take them with the utmost seriousness. PRI holds itself and our production partners to the highest standards with respect to positive work environments, and we recognize that WNYC is also committed to best in class processes to have a positive workplace."
We, the current staff at The Takeaway, take these allegations extremely seriously and are very disturbed by this report. There is a buffer between our journalism and the companies who own and distribute the show. We plan to report this story as we would any other and intend to bring you updates when we're back on the air on Monday.
Full statement from NYPR:
We don’t, as a matter of policy, comment on confidential personnel issues. However, since Suki Kim chose to waive her right to confidentiality in asking NYPR for an on-the-record response about her allegation against John Hockenberry, we wanted to acknowledge her decision and respond to her question to the best of our ability. Accordingly, we sent her this statement (reproduced below in its entirety):
A key fact in this story is that John Hockenberry is no longer employed by NYPR. Together with Public Radio International (PRI), our co-producer on The Takeaway, we did not renew his contract when it expired on 6/30/17.
As with other organizations across America, we do not disclose confidential employment actions. This policy often leads people who’ve complained to HR to conclude — in good faith, yet erroneously — that no action was taken against a wrongdoer.
NYPR promptly investigates every complaint we receive, including the one described by Suki Kim in her article, and we take any and all remedial actions warranted. These actions include: training, referral to counseling, disciplinary action up to and including suspension with or without pay, termination of employment, and/or other measures.
We also make every effort to protect the confidentiality of complainants, because, as was Suki Kim, they are concerned about their identity becoming known to the person being investigated. That is one of the reasons why personnel matters are kept confidential.
Except for outright termination, which is self-evident, the imposition of any of these sanctions is not something that is disclosed to — or observable by — employees or others who raise a complaint, including the complainant. And this is the conundrum employers face — how to reassure people who raise a complaint that complaints are taken seriously while at the same time protecting confidentiality for all parties involved. It’s a paradox we are attempting to address as we work to make it easier — for those who’ve experienced inappropriate behavior as well as those who witness it — to come forward.
As part of a long overdue national conversation, we are now challenging ourselves to do more to ensure that our New York Public Radio community can thrive and excel in an inclusive and diverse environment in which they are treated with respect. We have committed to providing more training for employees, including managers, hosts and other persons in authority, and more support for those who come forward. This may also mean more severe and immediate consequences for misconduct than was the norm in American workplaces a year ago.Get better at Fortnite by following these free tips.
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, which has resettled more than 10,000 people in North and South Carolina since 1979.
Numerous studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born Americans. All refugees who apply to live in the United States must be vetted by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.
If it passes, the bill would also require the Department of Social Services to submit detailed personal information about new refugees, including their addresses, phone numbers, employment information, and how much government assistance they receive. The database of refugees, which could be the first of its kind in the nation, was originally supposed to be made public. However, the bill was amended to limit access to the registry to law enforcement and the social services department.
As the anti-refugee bill makes its way through the legislature, more religious leaders have publicly condemned it. A coalition of bishops from four different denominations sent a joint letter to Gov. Haley and lawmakers criticizing it. Both World Relief and Lutheran Services have come out against it. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told the Baptist Courier that the effort discourages churches from “freely exercising their religion.” In an op-ed, the Rev. Blake Hart, missions coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina, wrote, “In a state with 67 percent regular church attendance, one should expect a great outcry against a bill that attempts to curtail that institution’s right to practice its religion, which clearly includes care for the marginalized of the world, such as refugees.”
Numerous studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born Americans.
“As a Christian, I would never put myself in a contract that prohibited me from sharing the Gospel,” Sen. Bryant says in an interview. The Republican from Anderson County says that because the bill holds resettlement groups, not individuals, liable, it does not infringe on religious liberty. He says because resettlement groups sign a contract with the federal government in which they agree not to proselytize to refugees—more or less promising to act in a nondenominational capacity—they have given up all claims to religious liberty.
Bryant, a born-again Christian, says he has been able to separate his faith from his work on this bill. He says he would rather donate to organizations who help refugees in the Middle East and North Africa. “My role in the government is to protect South Carolinians. My role as a Christian is to personally support different ministries that reach out to refugees,” he says. “I think we need to separate the commands of Christ from the role of government.”
(Bryant is also a staunch foe of same-sex marriage. His website describes him as “wholeheartedly committed to the sanctity of marriage as prescribed by our Creator.” He has sponsored a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, noting that “God even uses marriage to define the relationship with Jesus Christ and His church.”)
Last December, Lutheran Services Carolinas resettled two Syrian refugees, the only people from the country to be placed in South Carolina since the Syrian civil war began five years ago. Afterward, the Ku Klux Klan plastered leaflets around the organization’s neighborhood, warning of an “Islamic invasion” and listing Lutheran Services’ address and phone number on their flyer. “We’ve had a good bit of hate mail—which we’re not used to,” Goins says.
Although refugee resettlement has become heavily politicized, Goins see his organization’s mission as an obligation that rises above the fray. “We feel very strongly that we’re walking together with refugees who are coming to escape death or persecution in their home,” he says. “And I live and breathe that every day.”Since upgrading to Yosemite, my previously-stable (with Mavericks) wifi connection keeps dropping. I have to click the wifi icon and re-select my network every minute or two. I have turned off bluetooth and uninstalled/reinstalled wifi and my networks. I have rebooted multiple times. No luck so far. It appears that others are having similar problems.
Since OS X Yosemite's October 16 launch, MacRumors has been receiving a number of complaints from users who have been experiencing Wi-Fi issues. Extensive threads about Wi-Fi problems have surfaced on both the MacRumors forums and on Apple's own Support Communities as well, suggesting there are quite a few users who are seeing Wi-Fi connection issues after installing Yosemite.According to the complaints, Wi-Fi connections are sometimes extremely slow, resulting in long loading times, and in some cases, users are seeing their Wi-Fi connections disconnect continually after just a few minutes of being connected.The problems appear to be affecting a wide range of different MacBooks, different routers, and users in different locations. A number of different fixes have been suggested on various forums, but it does not appear that any one solution works for everyone, suggesting there may be an issue with Yosemite that needs to be addressed in a future update.Some users have had luck disabling Bluetooth, turning off Handoff, creating new Network Locations, doing a clean Yosemite install, setting a router to "G-mode only," turning off Dropbox syncing, disabling WPA router encryption, or turning off all proxies in Network preferences, but other users have not been able to solve their Wi-Fi problems at all even attempting all of the above listed solutions. Swapping to a 2.4GHz band has, however, worked for a large number of users.Apple support representatives have supplied users with different solutions that have included removing excess preferred networks in the Network section of System Preferences and resetting the System Management Controller OS X Daily has written an in-depth tutorial on how to fix the Wi-Fi problems in OS X Yosemite, which involves several steps like deleting preference files, creating custom DNS settings, and refreshing the discoveryd service, but for users who can't find a fix, the site recommends downgrading to OS X Mavericks until Yosemite is updated.Users attempting any of the highly technical fixes above should make a Time Machine backup ahead of time and use caution when deleting any system files. Thus far, there is no word on when a Yosemite update might come as Apple has not yet released any betas to developers.“After the Paris climate decision,” in which Trump withdrew the United States from a widely supported, painfully negotiated accord, “this could push multilateralism to the breaking point,” said a senior official from one of the three European signatories to the Iran deal.
More than any other issue that has threatened transatlantic cohesion this year, U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to decertify Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal could start a chain of events that would sharply divide the United States from its closest traditional allies in the world.
Trump is expected to give a speech late next week announcing his decision and outlining the results of a months-long Iran policy review. People familiar with his thinking say he will not certify that Iran is honouring its commitments and will declare that sticking with the deal is no longer in the U.S. national interest.
“We will not follow the United States in reneging on our international obligations with this deal,” said a second official. “Not the E-3, nor the rest of the 28” members of the European Union.
None of the three — Britain, France and Germany — believes Iran is in violation, and each has said publicly it will not renegotiate the nuclear agreement. U.S. imposition of sanctions affecting banks that even indirectly do business in Iran would doubtless influence those countries’ companies, they say, and would be considered an unfriendly act.
“What do we do? What do we say?” asked the first European official, one of several from the signatory countries who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss the sensitive diplomatic issue. “It would be a big crisis.”
In that case, Iran could call for a meeting of the majority-ruled committee of signatories and declare that the United States has violated the deal, an assertion with which the Europeans believe they would be hard put to disagree. That would place them on the same side as the other two signatories — China and Russia — that are sure to support Iran, leaving the United States as a minority of one.
Nothing will happen immediately, as the decision would be punted to Congress. The Senate could decide to restore predeal sanctions on Iran with a simple majority of 51, including a vote by Vice President Mike Pence to break any tie.
The Europeans insist that everyone they have spoken to inside the Trump administration — except for Trump himself — has expressed opposition to decertification. But they have for some time considered his decision a foregone conclusion and have directed their attention to Congress, where even some Republicans who have long opposed the deal as deeply flawed worry that a reimposition of sanctions might make matters worse.
“We’re working the Hill a lot,” the first official said. “What we understand is that there is no inclination in the Senate to kill the deal by voting immediate sanctions. Staffers tell us that nothing is decided.”
“But we’re convinced somebody like Cotton will go out with a bill,” said the official, referring to Sen. Tom Cotton. “That will cause a crisis among the Republicans.... Nobody wants to appear to be defending Iran. Nobody wants to appear to be defending Obama.”
The White House has seemed to signal to Republicans that they can decide not to immediately reimpose sanctions, and Cotton himself, an outspoken hawk on Iran who met Thursday with Trump, said this week that he has “no intention right now to introduce... sanctions legislation.” While a law passed when the deal was done gives Congress 60 days to reimpose the sanctions lifted by the agreement with relative ease, lawmakers can take more time and pass a new sanctions law whenever they want.
“I’m not sure 60 days is enough,” Cotton said Tuesday at the Council on Foreign Relations, for the United States to practice “coercive diplomacy” to bend others to its will. It might, he said, take until spring, but no longer.
“I hope we don’t have to coerce allies. I’d like to persuade allies,” Cotton said. “Many of them don’t require much persuasion, allies in the Middle East, for instance,” although they are not signatories to the deal. “But ultimately, countries have to make a decision, if it comes to that. Do they want to deal with the United States’ $19 trillion economy, or do they want to deal with Iran’s economy... about the size of Maryland?”
Even if European political leaders are unpersuaded, he said, European businesses, vulnerable to U.S. sanctions if they continue dealing with Iran, may be. And if that does not work, he said, “let there be no doubt about this point: If forced to take action, the United States has the ability to totally destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. And if they choose to rebuild it, we could destroy it again, until they get the picture.”
Such comments infuriate the Europeans. “I would remind our American friends that when we started to impose sanctions, the United States did not have any trade with Iran... [and] we carried the burden” of financial losses, Gérard Araud, France’s ambassador to the United States, said last week at the Atlantic Council.
A Western diplomat in Geneva said the Europeans are contemplating reviving regulations the EU used to shield its companies and individuals from U.S. secondary sanctions in the 1990s. “Everyone’s looking at options,” the diplomat said.
Any deal without the United States would be “very fragile” in terms of keeping the incentive for Iran to uphold its side of the bargain, said a senior executive with a large multinational corporation. “It will also play to the hard-liners in Iran and help shift power back to them,” the executive said.
Long-standing Republican antipathy to the deal has come back to haunt its creators. Negotiators envisioned a U.S. president who would justify staying in it as long as Iran lived up to its obligations, not a diehard opponent who has branded the agreement an “embarrassment.” The 60-day, expedited “snapback” provision in U.S. law was designed to punish Iran quickly in the event it violated the deal and did not envision that the United States would breach it.
Europeans are frustrated with what they consider misperceptions about what the agreement says and what it was intended to do. While Trump and other critics say Iran got a $100 billion (U.S.) “payoff,” Europeans counter that the money belonged to Iran and was frozen in Western banks under sanctions. While detractors say all of the deal’s restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program will be moot when some provisions of the arrangement expire in 2025, Iran will remain under the requirements of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which forbids weapons development.
And negotiators of the deal deliberately separated the nuclear program from their many complaints that Trump and others say are now reason to renegotiate or abrogate it — Iran’s development of ballistic missiles, its destabilization of the Middle East and support for terrorism.
“We can speak with the administration about containing Iran’s malign influence,” the second European official said. “The question is: Does the U.S. have a strategy for that? Maybe they do. I don’t know.”OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The two state teams from California powered through their brackets to reach the finals of the National Girls Folkstyle Duals at the Freede Center at Oklahoma City University on Sunday.The teams chose not to compete, with Team California A taking the championship trophy, and Team California B going home with the runner-up trophy.California A won Pool B, opening with a 44-12 win over Texas in the pool semifinals. California A then defeated Team Virginia 57-7 in the pool finals.California B won its semifinal in Pool A over Texas A, 41-19. In the pool final, California B defeated Michigan, 48-21.Taking third was in the tournament was Team Virginia, a 36-24 winner of Michigan in the bronze-medal round. Fifth place went to the California Rebels, who stopped Texas A, 36-27 in their medal round match. Going home with seventh place was Team Kansas, which stopped Ohio 40-23 in the seventh-place bout.Last year, Team Michigan won the Junior Girls Folkstyle Duals title with a 43-18 victory over California B.1st – Team California A2nd – Team California B3rd – Team Virginia4th – Michigan5th – California Rebels6th – Texas A7th – Team Kansas8th - Ohio1st – Team California A over Team California B, forfeit3rd - Team Virginia defeated Michigan 36-24.5th - California Rebels defeated Texas A 36-27.7th - Team Kansas defeated Ohio 40-23.1st Place - Team California B2nd Place - Michigan3rd Place - Texas A4th Place - Ohio5th Place - Minnesota6th Place - Draw Team 11st - Team California B defeated Michigan 48-21.3rd - Texas A defeated Ohio 42-24.5th - Minnesota defeated Draw Team 1 30-28.QuarterfinalsOhio 48, Draw Team 1 16Texas A 56, Minnesota 9SemifinalsMichigan 45, Ohio 18Team California B 41, Texas A 19ConsolationsTexas A 51, Draw Team 1 18Ohio 28, Minnesota 271st Place - Team California A2nd Place - Team Virginia3rd Place - California Rebels4th Place - Team Kansas5th Place - Texas B6th Place - Draw Team 21st - Team California A defeated Team Virginia 57-7.3rd - California Rebels defeated Team Kansas 54-15.5th - Texas B defeated Draw Team 2 54-3.QuarterfinalsTeam Kansas 46, Texas B 22California Rebels 60, Draw Team 2 3SemifinalsTeam California A 44, Texas 12Team Virginia 37, California Rebels 29ConsolationsCalifornia Rebels 54, Texas B 6Team Kansas 60, Draw Team 2 9Jordon Cox, 16, on an ‘extreme couponing’ trip to Tesco (Picture: SWNS)
A teenager who collected hundreds of coupons bought almost £600 of shopping for just 4p – and then gave the food away to needy families.
‘Extreme couponer’ Jordan Cox scoured magazines and websites to collect discount vouchers for everyday products.
Armed with 470 coupons, Jordan then went to his local Tesco and filled three trolleys with food and household items.
His bill came to £572.16 and Jordan had a nervous hour-long wait at the checkout as he presented his discount vouchers. But even he was stunned when – after his coupons were deducted from the bill – his new total stood at just 4p, a saving of 99.81 per cent.
The original bill for Jordan’s shop was almost as tall as him – 6ft 4in.
Jordon, of Brentwood, Essex, said: ‘I read an article that said a 1,000th of the UK population are unable to eat this Christmas because they don’t have any money.
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‘I decided wanted to help as many people as I can, and to also show that it’s possible to shop very cheaply, if you know how.
‘It’s not an exact science, so you can never really work out ahead of time how much the total is going to be. I was stunned when it came up as just 4p.’
Jordon donated his shop to the charity Doorstep, which gives food to disadvantaged families.
The super saver is now planning to start his own coupon-hunting website next year.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Oct. 9, 2013, 9:22 PM GMT By NBCNews.com news services
President Barack Obama claps during a press conference to nominate Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve in the State Dining Room at the White House on Wednesday. Win McNamee / Getty Images
President Barack Obama nominated Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen on Wednesday to run the world's most influential central bank and urged the Senate to confirm her without delay.
Yellen, an advocate for aggressive action to stimulate U.S. economic growth through low interest rates and large-scale bond purchases, would replace Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose second term ends Jan. 31.
The nomination will put Yellen, 67, on course to be the first woman to lead the 100-year-old institution and the first to head a central bank in any Group of Seven industrial nation.
"Janet is exceptionally well qualified for this role," Obama said at a White House ceremony, with a beaming Yellen standing by his side. "She doesn't have a crystal ball, but what she does have is a keen understanding about how markets and the economy work, not just in theory but also in the real world. And she calls it like she sees it."
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is expected to endorse her despite opposition from some Republicans, Yellen would provide continuity with policies under Bernanke. She would likely move cautiously in reining in monetary stimulus put in place to shore up the world's largest economy.
Yellen, who spoke briefly after Obama, said she would promote maximum employment, stable prices, and a sound financial system.
She said there was more to do to ensure people who were out of work can find jobs.
"While we have made progress, we have farther to go. The mandate of the Federal Reserve is to serve all the American people, and too many Americans still can't find a job and worry how they'll pay their bills and provide for their families," Yellen said.
"The Federal Reserve can help if it does its job effectively."
Expectations that the Fed might start to taper its stimulus program have been a concern for financial markets since May. The central bank shocked investors in September by maintaining its cash injections of $85 billion a month in full.
Obama also used his address to celebrate Bernanke's work as chairman.
"He has truly been a stabilizing force, not just for our country but for the entire world," the president said.
Yellen was appointed Fed vice chair in October 2010. She was president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010 and also served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisors from 1997 to 1999. Prior to joining the Fed, Yellen spent much of her career as a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where she had been teaching since 1980.
She emerged as the leading candidate after Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary whom Obama was thought to favor, withdrew from consideration last month in the face of rising opposition.
Yellen's nomination coincides with a political stalemate in Washington that has partially closed the U.S. government and threatened a U.S. default if lawmakers fail to raise the country's $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by an Oct. 17 deadline.HH Lamb, Jet Stream Meridionality & Extreme Weather
By Paul Homewood
It will come as no surprise to learn that HH Lamb had plenty to say about meridional jet streams and atmospheric blocking.
Here is an extract from his book, “Climate, History and The Modern World”.
From Chapter 14, Climate Since 1950. (Bear in mind that the book was published in 1982).
ANOTHER TURNING POINT
Over the years since the 1940’s, it has become apparent that many of the tendencies in world climate which marked the previous 50 to 80 years or more have either ceased or changed…. It was only after the Second World War that the benign trend of the climate towards general warming over those previous decades really came in for much scientific discussion and began to attract public notice.
VARIABILITY INCREASES
Such worldwide surveys as have been attempted seem to confirm the increase of variability of temperature and rainfall [since 1950].’’
In Europe, there is a curious change in the pattern of variability: from some time between 1940 and 1960 onwards, the occurrence of extreme seasons – both as regards temperature and rainfall has notably increased.
A worldwide list of the extreme seasons reported since 1960 makes impressive reading. Among the items included:
1960-9 – Driest decade in central Chile since 1770’s and 1790’s.
1962-3 Coldest winter in England since 1740.
1962-5 Driest four-year period in the eastern United States since records began in 1738.
1963-4 Driest winter in England & Wales since 1743; coldest winter over an area from the lower Volga basin and Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf since 1745.
1965-6 Baltic Sea completely ice covered.
1968 Arctic sea ice half surrounded Iceland for the first time since 1888.
1968-73 Severest phase thus far of the prolonged drought in the Sahel, surpassing all 20thC experience.
1971-2 Coldest winter in more than 200 yrs in parts of European Russia and Turkey: River Tigris frozen over.
1972 Greatest heatwave in the long records for north Finland and northern Russia.
1973-4 Floods beyond all previous recorded experience stretching across the central Australian desert.
1974-5 Mildest winter in England since 1834.
1975-6 Great European drought produced the most severe soil moisture deficit that can be established in the London (Kew) records since 1698.
1975-6 Greatest heatwaves in the records for Denmark, Netherlands and England.
1976-7 Severest winter in the temperature records (which began in 1738) for the eastern United States.
1978-9 Severest winter and lowest temperature recorded in 200 yrs in parts of northern Europe, and perhaps in the Moscow region. Snowfalls also extreme in parts of northern Europe.
This shortened list omits most of the notable events reported in the southern hemisphere and other parts of the world where instrument records do not extend so far back. Cases affecting the intermediate seasons, the springs and autumns, have also been omitted.
These variations, perhaps more than any underlying trend to a warmer or colder climate, create difficulties for the planning age in which we live. They may be associated with the increased meridionality of the general wind circulation, the greater frequency of blocking, of stationary high and low pressure systems, giving prolonged northerly winds in one longitude and southerly winds in another longitude sector in middle latitudes.
Over both hemispheres there has been more blocking in these years… The most remarkable feature seems to be the an intensification of the cyclonic activity in high latitudes near 70-90N, all around the northern polar region. And this presumably has to do with the almost equally remarkable cooling of the Arctic since the 1950’s, which has meant an increase in the thermal gradient between high and middle latitudes.
This describes a situation which is the total opposite of the theory propounded by Jennifer Francis and others, that blocking has increased in the last decade or so as a result of a warmer Arctic and lower thermal gradient. I know who I would believe.
AdvertisementsAn Aside with Joe - That's the thing that goes bang-pop, bang-pop // The baseball bats of public opinion Published 7 May 2016 by Mr. C
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In a short break between the opening races and the start of the European season, Joe catches up on all the comings and the goings within the F1 bubble.
Four races and an entire qualifying format have come and gone since we last talked, so there are plenty to consider. We discuss the spectacular racing in the midfield, sinking an axe into the back of Jenson Button, Formula 1 taking a more positive stance and how drivers lose pace with age.
There is talk of the mad axemen of Red Bull, the solid progress of Jolyon Palmer and racing around Paris without making a noise. Plus, that one day in Spain that's still a complete mystery.
Joe talks up why we're getting to a point where pressure is being applied, rule number one when it comes to convergence, Grosjean's blinding season and putting content behind a paywall that no-one is buying.
This and more in a shorter than usual Aside with Joe.Chris Soules Social Media and Cell Phone Will Determine Fate In Fatal Crash
Chris Soules' Social Media and Cell Phone Will Determine Fate in Fatal Crash
EXCLUSIVE
Chris Soules' fate in the fatal car crash could be determined by his cell phone... and the stakes are high -- a possible vehicular manslaughter prosecution.
Law enforcement sources involved in the investigation tell us they're especially interested to know if Soules was a distracted driver by using his cell phone at the time of the crash. We're told law enforcement seized his phone and they will be looking at texts, photos, social media posts and his call log.
We're told Soules loved taking photos of sunsets as he drove down Iowa roads and regularly posted them on Twitter. He has now deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
If it's determined Soules was using his phone at the time of the crash, our sources say a vehicular manslaughter charge is definitely on the table.
As for the charge he now faces -- the felony of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death -- our Iowa law enforcement sources say they believe he'll be prosecuted but will not be convicted.
Our sources say the fact Soules is famous works against him, because prosecutors don't want to appear soft on celebrities. Based on what our law enforcement sources tell us, here's what Soules has working for and against him.
WHY HE SHOULD BE PROSECUTED
-- Soules left the scene of the accident before cops arrived. This deprived law enforcement of determining if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Fact is... since he was in a standoff at his house for hours before he was taken to a hospital where blood was drawn, there's almost no chance of determining if drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.
-- Open containers of beer were found in Soules' truck.
-- He did not provide anyone at the scene with his driver's license, proof of insurance and other relevant information.
-- He caused the accident by rear-ending the tractor.
WHY HE SHOULD NOT BE PROSECUTED
-- The 911 audio works to Soules' benefit in a significant way. He identifies himself by name and tells the dispatcher he was involved in the accident. He also administered first aid by checking the victim's pulse. It appears he left just as paramedics were arriving, so there's nothing more he could have done to aid the victim.
-- Soules sounds coherent in the 911 audio. So, even if he had a drink or 2, at least from outward appearances, he didn't seem intoxicated.
-- There were skid marks showing Soules tried braking before the crash. Also, one law enforcement source tells TMZ, based on the skid marks, it does not appear he was driving at an excessive speed.
Our sources say although they believe prosecutors will charge Soules, if the case goes to trial, "it's a loser." As one source said, "Iowa juries that understand rural life are not going to convict a guy who tries helping the victim before leaving."
Our sources believe this case will end up in civil court and Soules will settle by paying a substantial amount of money to the victim's family.Islamic State jihadis posing as Iraqi police officers slaughtered at least 31 people and wounded 40 in an attack in Tikrit, a city in northern Iraq, reported Ireland’s Independent.ie.
The attackers first targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel who was head of counter-terrorism services. They then turned their fire on civilians in shops.
When the terrorists ran out of ammunition, two of the jihadis detonated suicide vests to inflict maximum damage.
Some 10 Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) fighters gained entrance to the city by disguising themselves as Iraqi police officers and driving a police vehicle. Five of the jihadis were said to have survived and are believed to be in hiding.
Fourteen of those killed were policemen, including the colonel, who was killed along with four members of his family.When it comes to Ducati’s new model rumors, the only thing we know for certain is that in roughly two months’ time, the Bologna Brand will to debut, at a track in Spain, a new motorcycle.
Early speculation pegged that new model as a 1299-based Streetfighter – a model that we concluded we were unlikely to see in Spain, if for no other reason than it us a very “un-Ducati” way of launching an entirely new model motorcycle.
Taking a longer look at Ducati’s lineup, and having a few other rumors float our way, a more likely supposition would be an update/addition to the Ducati 899 Panigale, likely something along the lines of an “S” model.
The logic here is simple: 1) it isn’t crazy to see the two-year-old 899 Panigale get a refresh, 2) the model certainly fits the bill for an on-track debut, and the real kicker, 3) there is a $4,300 gap to bridge between the 899 ($14,995) and base model 1299 ($19,295).
That huge step in price between Ducati’s Panigale modles is ripe for a ~$17,000 variant of the 899 that could better fill the demand curve for enthusiasts, and of course it would add another model with more premium components from the factory, which always help the bottom line.
Like with the rumored “RC” versions of the MV Agusta F3, we are waiting for a brand to draw first blood with electronic suspension or semi-active suspension (we’re surprised more models don’t have traction control!) in the supersport segment.
We would also expect to see Ducati add forged aluminum wheels to the mix, and of course some sort of “Corse” kit that would include an exhaust and other track-oriented goodies, like we see on the Ducati Panigale R.
A model refresh launch in September makes a whole lot more sense than a new model debut, as a bike like an updated 899 Panigale would get lost in the onslaught that is the EICMA show. Also, an early-fall release gives the new model some extra attention, and leaves more room for Ducati’s big announcements in November.
Of course, we are just spit-balling here. But the logic makes sense, right? Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to test the theory. Stay tuned.
Photo: DucatiHistorical reflections The Tears of Donald Knuth
Donald Knuth Credit: Rajan P. Parrikar
In this column I will be looking at the changing relationship between the discipline of computer science and the growing body of scholarly work on the history of computing, beginning with a recent plea made by renowned computer scientist Donald Knuth. This provides an opportunity to point you toward some interesting recent work on the history of computer science and to think more broadly about what the history of computing is, who is writing it, and for whom they are writing.
Last year historians of computing heard an odd rumor: that Knuth had given the Kailath lecture at Stanford University and spent the whole time talking about us. Its title, "Let's Not Dumb Down the History of Computer Science," was certainly intriguing, and its abstract confirmed that some forceful positions were being taken.a The online video eventually showed something remarkable: his lecture focused on a single paper, Martin Campbell-Kelly's 2007 "The History of the History of Software."6,b Reading it had deeply saddened Knuth, who "finished reading it only with great difficulty" through his tear-stained glasses.
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What Knuth Said
Knuth began by announcing that, despite an aversion to confrontation, he would be "flaming" historians of computing. This, he worried "could turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life." The bout might nevertheless be seen as a mismatch. Knuth is among the world's most celebrated computer scientists, renowned for his ongoing project to classify and document families of algorithms in The Art of Computer Programming and for his creation of the TeX computerized typesetting system ubiquitous within computer science and mathematics. Campbell-Kelly has a similar prominence within the much smaller community of historians of computing but, even by Google Scholar's generous definitions, the paper that saddened Knuth has been cited only nine times.
Knuth then enumerated his motivations, as a computer scientist, to read the history of science. First, reading history helped him to understand the process of discovery. Second, understanding the difficulty and false starts experienced by brilliant historical scientists in making discoveries that specialists now find obvious helped him to see what made concepts challenging to students and thus to become a "much better writer and teacher." Third, appreciating the historical contribution of non-Western scientists helped in "celebrating the contributions of many cultures." Fourth, history is the craft of telling stories, which is "the best way to teach, to explain something." Fifth, the biographies of scientists teach tactics for a successful and rewarding career. Sixth, history teaches how human experience has changed over time. As humans we should care about that.
Knuth also identified some special contributions to the history of science that professionally trained historians are uniquely well placed to make. We are good at "smoking out" primary sources and putting historical activities in the context of broader timelines. He also appreciates our ability to translate papers written in languages that he cannot himself read. He finds attempts at historical analysis "probably the least interesting" aspects of our papers but appreciates lengthy quotations from primary sources.
Things then headed in a less positive direction. Knuth explained that Campbell-Kelly had centered his paper on a table of important works related to the history of software published between 1967 and 2004. It coded the predominant approaches into four categories—one of which was technical—to demonstrate the technical approach had been dominant until about 1990, dwindling thereafter and vanishing altogether after 1997. Campbell-Kelly characterized this as an "evolution" away from "technical histories" of the "low-hanging-fruit variety" written by Knuth and other "outstanding technical experts" that were "constrained, excessively technical, and lacking in breadth of vision."
Knuth had previously viewed Campbell-Kelly as a kindred spirit but had now been granted a glimpse of "what historians say when they're talking to historians instead of when they're talking to people like me." Without pausing to dry his glasses he had written to Campbell-Kelly to accuse him of having "lost faith in the notion that computer science is actually scientific."
So why is the history of computer science not being written in the volume it deserves, or the manner favored by Knuth?
The shift described by Campbell-Kelly reflected a change in the population of scholars writing the history of computing. Many of the senior computing figures of the 1970s worked to preserve the history of the 1940s and early 1950s, starting with a number of "pioneer days" and workshops organized. The most important of these was held at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1976.15 Most of the 90 participants included in the group photograph of attendees were computer pioneers of the 1940s. Knuth himself contributed a detailed history of the first tools for "automatic programming" (assemblers and compilers). He was one of a handful of interested younger computer scientists who entered the field in the 1950s, which also included Edsger Dijkstra and Brian Randell, a systems programmer turned academic who had assembled an important collection of reprinted historical documents. At the conference were only a handful of trained historians. The editorial board of Annals of the History of Computing, which began in 1979 as a publication of AFIPS, a long-defunct umbrella group for professional computing societies, had a similar makeup. As graduate students in history and history of science programs began to write dissertations on computer-related topics they eventually inverted the ratio of trained historians to computer scientists, though the journal continues to publish a significant number of papers by computer scientists and technical experts.
In his lecture Knuth worried that a "dismal trend" in historical work meant that "all we get nowadays is dumbed down" through the elimination of technical detail. According to Knuth "historians of math have always faced the fact that they won't be able to please everybody." He feels that other historians of science have succumbed to "the delusion that... an ordinary person can understand physics..."
I am going to tell you why Knuth's tears were misguided, or at least misdirected, but first let me stress that historians of computing deeply appreciate his conviction that our mission is of profound importance. Indeed, one distinguished historian of computing recently asked me what he could do to get flamed by Knuth. Knuth has been engaged for decades with history. This is not one of his passionate interests outside computer science, such as his project reading verses 3:16 of different books of the Bible. Knuth's core work on computer programming reflects a historical sensibility, as he tracks down the origin and development of |
ambient light intensity and curves. I like my days to be colorful, and nights and interiors to be proper dark, with strong ambient lights plus flashlight and nightvision mods, but it's easy to tweak either way.
Hopefully, I'll remember I wrote this next year.
gently caress it, I just want to mod everything about this game! What should I install?
In addition to the OP and the advice of people in this very thread, this list/guide might prove to be a very useful tool to people interested in modding New Vegas into oblivion (no pun intended).
I want to mod everything about this game, but I also want it to involve everything from Fallout 3 (a la A Tale of Two Wastelands!)
Then look no further than this list/guide...
Cream-of-Plenty fucked around with this message at Jun 25, 2015 around 02:15Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Sanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' MORE is touting his "friendly" relationship with President Obama.
The Vermont senator said he had a "good relationship" with the president in a Hollywood Reporter interview published Wednesday.
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"We have a very positive and, I think, friendly relationship," Sanders told movie director Spike Lee.
Sanders spoke highly of the president and the legacy he will leave.
"This president will go down in history as one of the smartest presidents. Brilliant guy," Sanders said.
"And especially, the more people hear from the Republicans, the smarter they think he is," he quipped.
Sanders added that the president is also "incredibly disciplined and focused."
"You're around the media every single day, and you have the opportunity to say dumb things — he does it very, very rarely," he said.
Sanders said Obama campaigned for him in 2006 and he worked on Obama's elections in 2008 and 2012. But he did note that Obama likely has a closer relationship with his presidential rival, Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE.
"Is he closer to Hillary Clinton? I suspect," he said. "She was his secretary of State for four years."
Sanders met privately with the president earlier this year. Clinton has criticized the Vermont senator in the past for being too critical of the president.
Obama has declined to endorse a candidate in the primary. But he has regularly praised Clinton, and their close relationship has led to speculation that Obama prefers Clinton.Advertisement
The Kushner family showed their appreciation to the Secret Service Friday morning, by bringing them some treats.
Jared Kushner and his two oldest children, five-year-old Arabella and three-year-old Joseph, brought out a tray of goodies to the agents on duty outside of the family's Kalorama home on Friday.
Little Joseph smiled ear-to-ear as he carried the tin tray out of the house to one of his protectors.
Jared Kushner (left back) and his two oldest children, five-year-old Arabella (left front) and three-year-old Joseph (right), brought out treats to their Secret Service agents Friday morning
Little Joseph (left) was given the all important task of carrying the goods, while his sister (right) focused on eating
A Secret Service agent took the tray of goodies from Joseph while Jared chatted with Arabella
His dad then hopped into a waiting car to take him to work at the White House - but not before smoothing out his son's golden locks one last time.
Ivanka emerged about an hour and a half later, and was in full spring mode - wearing a white pleated sundress with lace detailing and matching white cat-eye sunglasses.
The show of appreciation comes just a day after it was revealed in the Financial Times that Ivanka had won over her neighbors with her baking.
Ivanka emerged from the house about an hour and a half later, wearing a white pleated sundress with lace detailing
On Thursday, it was revealed that Ivanka had won her wary neighbors over with her baking
During the Jewish celebration of Purim last month, Ivanka posted this picture of her making hamentashen cookies with her two eldest children
Since moving to DC at the start of the year, neighbors have been complaining about the lack of parking due to the first daughter's Secret Service detail and the piles of trash left on the street on the wrong pick-up days.
But Ivanka went on a charm offensive, and attitudes started to change.
FT reports: 'She knocked on each of her neighbors’ doors with stealth weapons in tow: her children and baked goods. The blatant PR offensive was highly effective. “Lovely, just lovely,” says Rhona Friedman, a lawyer and neighbor who had been wary. “People who know her say the same thing: that she’s very gracious."'Watch former basketball star Isiah Thomas responds to the investigation and discusses the state of black male college athletes on The Lead with Jake Tapper today at 4 p.m. ET.
(CNN) - Early in her career as a learning specialist, Mary Willingham was in her office when a basketball player at the University of North Carolina walked in looking for help with his classwork.
He couldn't read or write.
CNN interactive: Data and responses from universities
"And I kind of panicked, What do you do with that?" she said, recalling the meeting.
Willingham's job was to help athletes who weren't quite ready academically for the work required in the classrooms at UNC. But she was shocked that one couldn't read - until she realized it was not an anomaly.
FULL POSTTrumponomics.
Congress gave corporate America a multi-trillion-dollar Christmas present on Wednesday — and several companies proceeded to dole out stocking stuffers to their employees. AT&T announced $1,000 bonuses for each of its 200,000 U.S. workers; Boeing pledged to commit $300 million to new investments, including $100 million for employee training and education; Comcast loudly celebrated the Trump tax cuts with bonuses for its employees (and quietly celebrated the end of net neutrality with higher prices for its consumers); Wells Fargo bumped its minimum wage to $15 an hour; and Fifth Third Bancorp, a bank based in Cincinnati, boosted its minimum wage and distributed $1,000 bonuses.
President Trump was pleased, and proudly cited AT&T’s announcement at a press conference. Evangelists for (“Trumped up”) trickle-down economics celebrated the long-awaited fulfillment of their prophecy. And blue America’s bitter scrooges impatiently explained why this outpouring of corporate largesse was actually bad.
Specifically, liberals noted the curious coincidence that most of the companies validating Trumponomics have an enormous financial interest in maintaining warm relations with the executive branch. The Justice Department has sued to block AT&T’s desired merger with Time Warner; if the telecom giant cannot reach a settlement with the DOJ that allows that merger to go forward, it stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Comcast and Wells Fargo have much to gain and lose from federal regulatory policy, as the fights over net neutrality and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have well-illustrated. Boeing’s bread and butter are government contracts.
Given this context, one might suspect that these announcements were more of a political publicity stunt than the inevitable economic consequence of a cut in the corporate tax rate. And there are a few other causes for such suspicion:
(1) AT&T’s effective tax rate for the last eight years was 8.1 percent; Boeing’s was 5.4 percent. Both companies have put up record profits in 2017. It is manifestly not the case that America’s unusually high statutory corporate rate was preventing these firms from boosting their workers’ wages.
(2) Wells Fargo appears to have announced its intention to raise entry-level pay months ago.
(3) Corporations have spent $86 billion on stock buybacks this month. Which is to say: Companies appear to be giving workers a tiny fraction of the sum they’re returning to shareholders.
(4) The number of times the letters “PR” appear in this CNBC story predicting that more companies will follow AT&T’s lead:
“You’ll see more companies doing this,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “It’s excellent PR after all the mantra across the aisle that it’s just a tax plan for the rich and for corporate America and for people who own stocks … It’s a good PR move, giving back to the folks in the company.”
“It affects the psychology of the moment. Giving back to your workers. This was a major victory for corporate America,” she said of the tax cuts.
She also expects to see more banks making announcements since they are a major beneficiary of not only the tax cuts, but also deregulation.
“It’s good PR. It’s good corporate citizenship,” said Jack Ablin, CIO of BMO Private Bank. “It’s Christmastime. It’s the holidays. It’s spreading the good cheer around. It’s probably from a communications and PR perspective smart, and probably proactive because they’re going to get pressure. They might as well do it ahead of time.”
Supporters of the Trump tax cuts may rebut all of this liberal grumbling with two words: So what? So companies are only putting more money in their workers’ pockets to curry favor with regulators, help sell a tax bill they like to the public, and paint themselves as socially conscious corporate citizens who understand the true meaning of Christmas? Whatever the reason, hundreds of thousands of American workers just got $1,000 richer. Why can’t progressives just be happy about that?
The short answer to this question is: seasonal affective disorder.
The longer, actual one is this: The point here isn’t that liberals aren’t happy that some Americans are getting raises. All else being equal, that is good news. But the Trump administration — and its corporate and conservative intellectual allies — are citing these announcements as proof that regressive tax cuts and deregulation are good for workers. If these wage increases were produced by political calculation, rather than economic incentives, then they’re unlikely to be broadly — or durably — enjoyed.
Further, if the most powerful political and economic actors in the United States are conspiring to mislead the public about the effects of (upwardly redistributive) legislation, it’s really important for Americans not to fall for it. And the weight of the evidence suggests that shared prosperity does not come from the generosity of bosses with miniscule tax burdens, but from workers with robust bargaining power.
Since 1973, tax rates on investment, corporations, and wealthy individuals have fallen precipitously — and so has the American worker’s share of productivity gains.
It is impossible to square this chart with the idea that cutting taxes on “job creators” is the key to raising wages. By contrast, if one makes the (common sense) assumption that the key to high wages is empowering workers — through unions, monetary and fiscal policies geared toward full employment, and strong safety nets that give them the freedom to walk off the job — then the graph makes perfect sense. Since the early 1970s, unions have been decimated, monetary policy has become far more concerned with inflation than full employment, and the safety net has grown more threadbare.
And the Trump administration has done virtually everything in its power to disempower workers even further. The GOP-controlled National Labor Relations Board just stripped most fast-food workers of the right to collectively bargain with national chains; the Labor Department has given restaurants permission to pocket $5.8 billion of their workers’ tips; and the president has restored the right of serial labor-law violators and wage thieves to receive lucrative federal contracts.
It’s certainly possible that the Trump tax cuts will boost investment and growth in the short-term — and that this could tighten labor markets, and produce a positive effect on wages. Fiscal stimulus has a way of doing that sort of thing. But the notion that this specific form of fiscal stimulus (giving great gobs of money back to economic elites) is the best way to improve the fortunes of working people is a lie.
It’s also a deeply unsettling — and downright un-American — vision of how a political economy should work. Trumponomics seems to boil down to: If workers vote the way their bosses would wish — and elect politicians who implement policies that increase corporations’ economic power and freedom from regulatory restraint — then their betters just might give them a larger share of their labor value, out of the kindness of their hearts.
This isn’t just antithetical to any left-of-center conception of sound economic policy. It’s also a repudiation of the (non-inherently racist, non-genocidal) founding ideals of our republic. The original American dream was that ordinary workers could achieve true political independence through economic self-sufficiency. The ideal republican citizen was the yeoman farmer or skilled artisan who relied on no master for his sustenance — and thus could exercise genuine autonomy in the political sphere. Economic empowerment was the precondition for political freedom.
When cash-flush corporations hand out raises to celebrate the enactment of unpopular policies, they send workers the opposite message: Political acquiescence is the precondition for economic gain.
Or, as the socialist philosopher “Woke” Bill Kristol puts it:Will Ruth
The pre-season is the time to take all of your hard off-season work and get ready to go for the competitive season. This plan is written with the expectation that you followed the off-season conditioning plan or played another sport and are also lifting weights on your own. Increasing your strength and power will do great things for your conditioning, injury prevention, max speed, and on-field physicality. More info about strength training and my recommended programs here.
The difference between the pre-season plan and the off-season plan is the distances and reps for each sprint. In the off-season, conditioning largely focuses on building an aerobic base with longer distances of running. In the pre-season, we want to maintain that aerobic base while building more power and speed. The pre-season plan is more specific to the demands of your position. If you’re an attack or defender, the bulk of the sprint work is between 10 and 40 yards for at least 5 sprints per distance to reflect more of what the game looks like for you. If you’re a midfielder, your distances are longer (30-50 yards) but the number is lower. You run longer distances, but sub off more frequently.
Just like in the off-season plan, each day starts with:
3-5 minutes of jogging or jump rope to warm up Dynamic stretches 3-4 footwork drills from the Footwork & Agility article and video demo Conditioning program for that day
For the sprints, sprint one direction, walk back, then do the next sprint. We’re going for conditioning, not maximum speed, so unless it says otherwise, assume you aren’t going to be fully rested for every sprint. You should still be running at at least 85% speed.
“T&B” means “There and Back,” the distance listed out and the distance listed back. “30yds T&B” means 60yds total per set, 30yds one way, turn, 30yds back. Make the turns crisp and accurate, plant and go.
For “Pyramid,” just follow along with the yardage. 40/60/80/60/40 means one 40yd sprint, one 60yd sprint, one 80yd sprint, then another 60yd and another 40yd, walking back to the start point after each one.
“Tyler’s Conditioning Test.” Try to do this with a partner. If you don’t have a partner, do the non-sprint exercise for 30-second rounds. Mark down the total time and try to beat that time. Goal is 4 minutes.
Sprint 10-20-30
Pushups while the other group goes OR 30-seconds on your own
Sprint 10-20-30
Sit-Ups while the other group goes OR 30-seconds on your own
Sprint 10-20-30
Pushups while the other group goes OR 30-seconds on your own
Sprint 10-20-30
Sit-Ups while the other group goes OR 30-seconds on your own
Weeks 2, 8, and 12 have test runs. Make sure to record and write times down for your test runs, this is how progress will be measured. Compare your times to the off-season block and they should be faster.
Midfielders
Week 1: November 30
Day 1: 3 x 40yds, 4 x 75yds (this means: sprint 40 yards, walk back, sprint 40 yards, walk back, sprint 40 yards, walk back. Short rest. Sprint 75 yards, walk back, sprint 75 yards, walk back, sprint 75 yards, walk back, sprint 75 yards. Done.)
Day 2: 3 x 50yds, 4 x 80yds
Day 3: 3 x 55yds, 4 x 90yds
Week 2: December 7
Day 1: 4 x 40yds, 4 x 90yds
Day 2: 4 x 50yds, 4 x 100yds
Day 3: 1-mile run for time (write time down)
Week 3: December 14
Day 1: 5 x 45yds, 3 x 90yds
Day 2: 5 x 55yds, 3 x 90yds
Day 3: 5 x 65yds, 3 x 90yds
Week 4: December 21
Day 1: 4 x 35yds, 3 x 100yds
Day 2: 5 x 45yds, 3 x 100yds
Day 3: 6 x 55yds, 3 x 100yds
Week 5: December 28
Day 1: 4 x 20yds T&B, 3 x 40yds
Day 2: 5 x 20yds T&B, 3 x 50yds
Day 3: 6 x 20yds T&B, 3 x 60yds
Week 6: January 4
Day 1: Pyramid 20/40/60/40/20yds, rest, repeat
Day 2: 5 x 40yds, 4 x 90yds
Day 3: Pyramid 20/40/60/80/60/40/20yds
Week 7: January 11
Day 1: 6 x 40yds, Pyramid 30/40/50/40/30yds
Day 2: 5 x 80yds, 5 x 40yds
Day 3: Pyramid 50/70/80/70/60/50, Pyramid 10/20/30/20/10
Week 8: January 18
Day 1: 4 x 100yds
Day 2: 4 x 100yds
Day 3: 1-mile run for time (write time down)
Week 9: January 25
Day 1: One set for time. 20yds/3 pushups/20yds/4 pushups/40yds/5 pushups/40yds/6 pushups/60yds/7 pushups/60yds/8 pushups/80yds/9 pushups/80yds/10 pushups
Day 2: 6 x 40yds, 4 x 90yds
Day 3: Tyler’s Conditioning Test
Week 10: February 1
Day 1: 6 x 40yd, 4 x 90yd
Day 2: Pyramid 30/50/70/80/70/50/30, 2 x 100yd
Day 3: 5 x 55yd, 4 x 90yd
Week 11: February 8
Day 1: 6 x 40yds, 3 x 55yds, 3 x 90yds
Day 2: Pyramid 20/30/40/50/40/30/20, 4 x 90yds
Day 3: Gassers, 2 x 10-20-30yds and 2 x 20-30-40yds
Week 12: February 15
Day 1: 5 x 40yds, 4 x 55yds, 3 x 90yds
Day 2: Tyler’s Conditioning Test
Day 3: 1-mile run for time (write time down)
Attack/Defense
Week 1: November 30
Day 1: 5 x 30yds, 4 x 55yds (this means: sprint 30 yards, walk back, sprint 30 yards, walk back, sprint 30 yards, walk back, sprint 30 yards. Short rest. Sprint 55 yards, walk back, sprint 55 yards, walk back, sprint 55 yards, walk back, sprint 55 yards. Done.)
Day 2: 4 x 40yds, 4 x 55yds
Day 3: 4 x 50yds, 4 x 65yds
Week 2: December 7
Day 1: 5 x 25yds, 5 x 50yds
Day 2: 5 x 35yds, 4 x 65yds
Day 3: 2×400 yards for time OR 1-mile run for time (write times down)
Week 3: December 14
Day 1: 6 x 20yds, 4 x 50yds
Day 2: 6 x 30yds, 4 x 50yds
Day 3: 6 x 40yds, 4 x 50yds
Week 4: December 21
Day 1: 6 x 25yds, 4 x 50yds
Day 2: 6 x 35yds, 4 x 50yds
Day 3: 6 x 45yds, 4 x 50yds
Week 5: December 28
Day 1: 4 x 10yds T&B, 3 x 15yds T&B
Day 2: 5 x 10yds T&B, 4 x 20yds T&B
Day 3: 6 x 10yds T&B, 5 x 25yds T&B
Week 6: January 4
Day 1: Pyramid 2x 10/20/30/20/10yds, 2 x 30yds
Day 2: 6 x 25yds, 4 x 50yds
Day 3: Pyramid 3x 5/10/15/20/15/10/5yds
Week 7: January 11
Day 1: 6 x 20yds, Pyramid 20/30/40/30/20yds
Day 2: 6 x 20yds, 5 x 40yds
Day 3: Pyramid 30/40/50/40/30, Pyramid 10/15/20/15/10
Week 8: January 18
Day 1: 5 x 40yds
Day 2: 5 x 40yds
Day 3: 2×400 yards for time OR 1-mile run for time (write times down)
Week 9: January 25
Day 1: One set, pushups are your only rest, 10yds/3 pushups/15yds/4 pushups/20yds/5 pushups/25yds/6 pushups/30yds/7 pushups/35yds/8 pushups/40yds/9 pushups/45yds/10 pushups
Day 2: 6 x 25yds, 4 x 40yds
Day 3: Tyler’s Conditioning Test
Week 10: February 1
Day 1: 6 x 25yd, 5 x 40yd
Day 2: Pyramid 2x 10/15/20/25/20/15/10, 3 x 40yd
Day 3: 5 x 35yd, 5 x 50yd
Week 11: February 8
Day 1: 5 x 35yds, 4 x 45yds, 5 x 55yds
Day 2: Pyramid 10/15/20/30/20/15/10, 5 x 20yds
Day 3: Gassers, 2 x 5-10-15-20yds and 1 x 10-20-30yds
Week 12: February 15
Day 1: 6 x 20yds, 5 x 30yds, 4 x 40yds
Day 2: Tyler’s Conditioning Test
Day 3: 2×400 yards for time OR 1-mile run for time (write times down)The selfie that drove this squirrel nuts: Hilarious moment camera-shy creature ATTACKED man who tried to pose with it for a photo
A photographer wound up viciously attacked by a squirrel after he tried to take a selfie with a furry animal.
The unnamed photographer posted pics of the encounter to Reddit, showing how he went from smiling with what he thought was a woodland friend to running away with the bushy-tailed clinging to his back.
Cute but not cuddly: Despite a run-in with this killer squirrel the teen said no rabies shot was necessary
A'squelfie': This photographer wanted a selfie with a friendly squirrel
He was immediately attacked by the squirrel and ran away as it clung to his back and scurried under his shirt as his mother 'collapsed laughing'
The unidentified Redditor wrote that it happened while walking in Tampa, Florida.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, the photographer said that at first he was shocked at how friendly the squirrel was.
'I approached it making a clicking noise with my tongue; phone drawn,' he said. 'When I got close enough, the squirrel actually tried grabbing my phone. I shook it off, then snapped this photo.'
But the bond didn't last long.
'Next thing I knew, the squirrel was on my shoulder, then under my shirt, and then hanging off my back!' he said.'This photo is courtesy of my mom, who collapsed laughing shortly after.'
Though he titled his post, 'Went in for the selfie, got a rabies shot,' the photographer told Buzzfeed no rabies shot was actually necessary.SHANA, a bright and chirpy 12-year-old, goes to ballet classes four nights a week, plus Hebrew school on Wednesday night and Sunday morning. Her mother Susan, a high-flying civil servant, played her Baby Einstein videos as an infant, read to her constantly, sent her to excellent schools and was scrupulous about handwashing.
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Susan is, in short, a very conscientious mother. But she worries that she is not. She says she thinks about parenting “all the time”. But, asked how many hours she spends with Shana, she says: “Probably not enough”. Then she looks tearful, and describes the guilt she feels whenever she is not nurturing her daughter.
Susan lives in Bethesda, an azalea-garlanded suburb of Washington, DC packed with lawyers, diplomats and other brainy types. The median household income, at $142,000, is nearly three times the American average. Some 84% of residents over the age of 25 are college graduates, compared with a national norm of 32%. Couples who both have advanced degrees are like well-tended lawns—ubiquitous.
Bethesda moms and dads take parenting seriously. Angie Zeidenberg, the director of a local nursery, estimates that 95% of the parents she deals with read parenting books. Nearly all visit parenting websites or attend parenting classes, she says.
Bethesda children are constantly stimulated. Natalia, a local four-year-old, watches her three older siblings study and wants to join in. “She pretends to have homework,” says her mother, Veronica; she sits next to them and practises her letters.
Veronica is an accountant; her husband is an engineer. Their children “all know that school doesn’t end at 18,” says Veronica. “They assume they’ll go to college and do a master’s.” Asked how often she checks her various children’s progress on Edline, the local schools’ website that shows grades in real time, she admits: “More than I should, probably.”
In “Coming Apart”, Charles Murray, a social scientist, ranked American zip codes by income and educational attainment. Bethesda is in the top 1%. Kids raised in such “superzips” tend to learn a lot while young and earn a lot as adults. Those raised in not-so-super zips are not so lucky.
Consider the children of Cabin Creek, West Virginia. The scenery they see from their front porches is more spectacular than anything Bethesda has to offer: the Appalachian Mountains rather than the tree-lined back streets of suburbia. But the local economy is in poor shape, as the coal industry declines. The median household income is $26,000, half the national average. Only 6% of adults have college degrees. On Mr Murray’s scale, Cabin Creek is in the bottom 10%.
Melissa, a local parent, says that her son often comes home from school and announces that he has no homework. She does not believe him, but she cannot stop him from heading straight out across the creek to play with his friends in the woods.
She has other things to worry about. The father of her first three children died. The father of her baby is not around. Her baby suffers from a rare nutritional disorder. And Melissa has to get by on $420 a month in government benefits. Small wonder that she struggles to enforce homework. And small wonder the gap between haves and have-nots in America is so hard to close.
Parenting has changed dramatically in the past half-century. When labour-saving products such as washing machines, dishwashers and ready meals started to spread, people naturally assumed that parents would soon have much more free time.
Not so. Although the average American couple spent eight hours a week less on household chores in 2011 compared with 1965, according to the Pew Research Centre, more than all of this extra time was gobbled up by child care (see chart 1). Women now devote an extra four hours a week to looking after their offspring; men devote an extra four and a half. This is largely a good thing. For most people, teaching a kid to ride a bike is more rewarding than washing dishes. A different Pew survey finds that 62% of parents find child care “very meaningful”, a figure that falls to 43% for housework and only 36% for paid work.
However, there are two worries about modern parenting. One concerns “helicopter parents” (largely at the top of the social scale), who hover over their children’s lives, worrying themselves sick, depriving their offspring of independence and doing far more for them than is actually beneficial. This gets a lot of attention, probably because media folk belong to the helicoptering classes (see article). The other worry concerns parents at the bottom, who struggle to prepare their children for a world in which the unskilled are marginalised. This is far more important.
In a study in 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley of the University of Kansas found that children in professional families heard on average 2,100 words an hour. Working-class kids heard 1,200; those whose families lived on welfare heard only 600. By the age of three, a doctor’s or lawyer’s child has probably heard 30m more words than a poor child has.
Well-off parents talk to their school-age children for three more hours each week than low-income parents, according to Meredith Phillips of the University of California, Los Angeles. They put their toddlers and babies in stimulating places such as parks and churches for four-and-a-half more hours. And highly educated mothers are better at giving their children the right kind of stimulation for their age, according to Ariel Kalil of the University of Chicago. To simplify, they play with their toddlers more and organise their teenagers.
The Adventures of Supermom
“I talk to him constantly,” says Lacey, another Bethesda mother, of her two-year-old son. “As we go through the day, I talk about what we’re doing. I try to make the regular tasks interesting and fun, like going to the grocery store.” Her older son, who is five, devours maths apps and asks his mother questions about arithmetic. At the weekend the family might go to the American History Museum or the Washington Zoo or a park.
Cabin Creek parents love their children just as much as Bethesda parents do, but they read to them less. It doesn’t help that they are much more likely to be raising their children alone, like Melissa. Only 9% of American women with college degrees who gave birth in the past year are unmarried; for those who failed to finish high school the figure is 61%. Two parents have more time between them than one.
And even two-parent families in Cabin Creek tend to be more stretched than those in Bethesda. Sarah, another Cabin Creek mom, has a sick mother and a husband who was injured in a coal mine. Her three boys, two of whom make it a point of pride to be on the naughty kids list at school, exhaust her. She helps them with their homework and reads to them fairly regularly, but often just lets them watch television. “Dora the Explorer” is somewhat educational, she says: “It’s got Spanish in it.”
Children with at least one parent with a graduate degree score roughly 400 points higher (out of 2,400) on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (a test used for college entrance) than children whose parents did not finish high school. This is a huge gap. It is hard to say how much it owes to nurture and how much to nature. Both usually push in the same direction. Brainy parents pass on their genes, including the ones that predispose their children to be intelligent. They also create an environment at home that helps that intelligence to blossom, and they buy houses near good schools.
Nonetheless, there is evidence that parenting matters. After reading enough scholarly papers to make a life-sized papier-mâché elephant, Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, concludes that it accounts for about a third of the gap in development between rich and poor children. He argues that the “parenting gap” is more important than any other.
The two aspects of parenting that seem to matter most are intellectual stimulation (eg, talking, reading, answering “why?” questions) and emotional support (eg, bonding with infants so that they grow up confident and secure). Mr Reeves and his Brookings colleague Kimberly Howard take a composite measure of these things called the HOME scale (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) and relate it to how well children do in later life, using data from a big federal survey of those born in the 1980s and 1990s.
The results are striking. Some 43% of mothers who dropped out of high school were ranked among the bottom 25% of parents, as were 44% of single mothers. The gap between high- and middle-income parents was small, but the gap between the middle and the bottom was large: 48% of parents in the lowest income quintile were also among the weakest parents, compared with 16% of the parents in the middle and 5% in the richest (see chart 2).
Likewise, the difference between high-school dropouts and the rest was far greater than the gap between high-school and college graduates. Mr Reeves and Ms Howard estimate that if moms in the bottom fifth were averagely effective parents, 9% more of their kids would graduate from high school, 6% fewer would become teen parents and 3% fewer would be convicted of a crime by the age of 19.
From a public-policy perspective, nature is a given. Individuals can influence the genes their children inherit, by choosing the right partner, but the state is concerned only with how children are nurtured. America lavishes public money on school-age children (more than $12,000 per pupil each year, or nearly one and a half times the rich-country average) but virtually ignores the very young, despite strong evidence that the earliest years matter most. Only 67% of American three- to five-year-olds and 42% of under-threes are enrolled in formal child care or preschool. In France it is 100% and 48%.
Government meddling in parenting is politically touchy. As Mr Reeves writes: “Conservatives are comfortable with the notion that parents and families matter, but too often simply blame the parents for whatever goes wrong. They resist the notion that government has a role in promoting good parenting.” As for liberals, they have “exactly the opposite problem. They have no qualms about deploying expensive public policies, but are wary of any suggestion that parents—especially poor and/or black parents—are in some way responsible for the constrained life chances of their children.”
Nothing the government can do will give the children of Cabin Creek the same life chances as the children of Bethesda. But weak parents can learn to be stronger, and outsiders can sometimes help them. In West Virginia, for example, an organisation called Parents as Teachers sends “parent educators” to families. They find them via the local maternity clinic, visit their homes and identify the parents most in need of help by looking for simple clues. For example, are there fewer than ten books visible? Does the family go out less than once a week?
The parent educators don’t just nag parents to read to their offspring more and hit them less. They also teach them how to interact with their kids in ways that stretch their minds: reasoning with them, answering their questions and teaching them basic skills. “I see a lot of parents doing things for their children because it saves time,” says Heather Miller, a parent educator. “Even one mom who tied her 12-year |
diff against an empty tree object against = 4b825dc642cb6eb9a060e54bf8d69288fbee4904 fi # Redirect output to stderr. exec 1>&2 EXIT_STATUS = 0 # Check that all changed *.vault files are encrypted # read: -r do not allow backslashes to escape characters; -d delimiter while IFS = read -r -d $' \0'file ; do [[ " $file "!= *.vault && " $file "!= *.vault.yml ]] && continue # cut gets symbols 1-2 file_status = $( git status --porcelain -- " $file " 2>&1 | cut -c1-2 ) file_status_index = ${ file_status :0:1 } file_status_worktree = ${ file_status :1:1 } [[ " $file_status_worktree "!='' ]] && { echo "ERROR: *.vault file is modified in worktree but not added to the index: $file " echo "Can not check if it is properly encrypted. Use git add or git stash to fix this." EXIT_STATUS = 1 } # check is neither required nor possible for deleted files [[ " $file_status_index " = 'D' ]] && continue head -1 " $file " | grep --quiet '^\$ANSIBLE_VAULT;' || { echo "ERROR: non-encrypted *.vault file: $file " EXIT_STATUS = 1 } done < < ( git diff --cached --name-only -z " $against " ) exit $EXIT_STATUS
Thank you Ben Tennant and Flexic for helping to fix and improve this script.
We want to check only changed files. git diff command with --cached option shows only changes added to git index for commit.
If file was modified after git add, we can not check it’s version that is going to be commited. So we ask user to fix the situation. We could use some automation here, like git stash before commit and git stash pop after, but I think leaving solution to user himself is better option.
Handling pathnames with spaces and/or special characters is tricky in shell. git diff has -z option to use NULL characters as pathname terminators. Built-in bash command read has -d option to specify the last line character and -r to disable interpretation of backslash escaped characters(like '\t' ). It uses characters from $IFS variable(default $' \t
' ) as word delimiters. If we set $IFS empty, whole line before NULL will be saved to a variable.
If we use pipe to redirect some command output to while loop, it will be running in separate subshell. Variables changed inside loop won’t be visible to parent shell, and exit command will terminate just the subshell, not the main script. To communicate with loop subshell we can use it’s exit code.
By default git hooks are located in.git/hooks directory that is not under version control. Of course we want to store hooks in repository to share them between all users. Let’s save them to git_hooks directory in the repository root. Starting from version 2.9, git has config parameter core.hooksPath, that allows to set relative path for hooks:
git config core.hooksPath./git_hooks
If we use an older version, we can use a simple script to create apropriate symlinks in.git/hooks to scripts in git_hooks. Here is one, it should be placed in git_hooks as well:The Grass Mud Horse or Cǎonímǎ (草泥马) is a Chinese Internet meme widely used as a euphemism for the cursing phrase cào nǐ mā (肏你妈). It is a word play on the Mandarin words cào nǐ mā (肏你妈), literally, "fuck your mother", and is one of the 10 mythical creatures created in a hoax article on Baidu Baike in early 2009 whose names form obscene puns. It has become an Internet chat forum cult phenomenon in China and has garnered worldwide press attention, with videos, cartoons and merchandise of the animal (which is said to resemble the alpaca), having appeared.
Etymology and species [ edit ]
Chinese character invented by Netizens to depict the "Grass Mud Horse"
The Caonima, literally "Grass Mud Horse", is supposedly a species of alpaca. The name is similar to a profanity (Chinese: 肏你妈/操你媽; pinyin: cào nǐ mā), which translates as "fuck your mother". The comparison with the "animal" name is not an actual homophone: the two terms have the same consonants and vowels with different tones, and are represented by different characters.[1]
According to the original, anonymous article from Baidu Baike, Grass Mud Horses originate from an area known as the "Mahler Gobi" Desert (马勒戈壁, Mǎlè Gēbì, which resembles the Chinese characters 妈了个屄, māle ge bī, meaning "your mother's fucking cunt"). Some variants of the animal are known as "Fertile Grass Mud Horses" (沃草泥马, Wò Cǎonímǎ, which resembles 我肏你妈, Wǒ cào nǐ mā, meaning "I fuck your mother"). The Grass Mud Horse can only eat fertile grass (沃草, wò cǎo, which resembles 我肏, Wǒ cào, meaning "I fuck!" or simply "Fuck!"). Other subspecies are known as "Crazy/Violent/Insane Grass Mud Horses" (狂草泥马, Kuáng Cǎonímǎ), which are considered the "kings" of the Caonima. The initial image found in the original Baidu Baike article was a zebra, but was replaced with an alpaca in subsequent revisions.[2]
Habitat [ edit ]
This is a Chinese seal carving work. The character is a combination of three characters, made by Chinese netizens as a satire of Chinese Internet Censorship.
Because the Grass Mud Horse is said to be the dominant species which lives within the Mahler Gobi Desert, the region is also called the "Grass Mud Horse Gobi" (草泥马戈壁, Cǎonímǎ Gēbì, which is close in pronunciation to 肏你妈个屄, cào nǐ mā ge bī, meaning "fuck your mother's cunt"). The animal is characterised as "lively, intelligent and tenacious".[3] However, their existence is said to be threatened by "river crabs" which are invading their habitat.[4]
The river crab (河蟹, héxiè) symbolises internet censorship in China. Its pronunciation resembles the word for "harmony" (和谐, héxié), in reference to the "harmonious society", to which the Chinese leadership professes to aspire, and which Chinese internet censors use to justify internet censorship.[5][6] As a result, when a post on a microblog is deleted, the censorship notice says that the post has been "harmonized" (和谐, héxié), which is pronounced similar to "river crab" (河蟹, héxiè) in Mandarin Chinese, so the netizens say that the post has been eaten by the "river crab".[7] The term "crab" itself is rural slang, meaning "a bully who uses power through force", and the "river crab" has become a symbol of crude censorship backed with the threat of force.[8] The river crab is often depicted wearing three wristwatches, since 帶3個錶 (dài sān ge biǎo, "wears three watches") sounds similar to 三个代表 (Sāngè Dàibiǎo), the ideology of the "Three Represents", an interpretation of communism promoted by former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin.[9]
Formats [ edit ]
Music videos,[10][11] "documentaries",[12][13][14] and cartoons about the Grass Mud Horse started appearing on the internet in 2009. The original Grass Mud Horse music video's musical arrangement of a children's choir has been compared to It's a Small World,[15] and it scored 1.4 million hits in its first three months. A cartoon about the Grass Mud Horse attracted a quarter million views, and a nature documentary on its habits received 180,000 more hits in the same amount of time.[5] Even though some Grass Mud Horse videos were not technically blocked by Chinese censors, some had their sound blocked, with a message saying "This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG."[16]
Yazhou Zhoukan (亞洲周刊) reported that Zhan Bin, a teacher at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology,[8] created a new Chinese character by fusing the three Chinese character radicals for "grass", "mud", and "horse". The word has no official pronunciation. Official "cleanup" of the internet, which threatens the Caonima, has led Chinese internet users to create other "Mud Horse" variants, such as the "滾泥马" (Gǔnnímǎ, "Rolling Mud Horse") and the "幹泥马" (Gànnímǎ, "Working Mud Horse"). "Gunnima" and "Gannima" are puns for "fuck off" and "fuck your mother" respectively.[17]
The "Grass Mud Horse" became widely known on the English-language web following the publication of a New York Times article on the phenomenon on 11 March 2009,[5] which sparked widespread discussion on blogs. In March 2011, "Grass Mud Horse" themed merchandise, such as plush dolls, began being sold over the Internet.[18] One Guangzhou toy manufacturer reportedly produced its first batch of 150 Grass Mud Horse cuddly toys with official birth certificates issued by Mahler Gebi Mystical Creatures Bureau. The animals come in brown and white, named "Male" (马勒) and "Gebi" (歌碧) respectively, and sell for 40 yuan each. To accompany these, a user's and feeding manual have been created.[19] Whereas they were called 'Caonima' before the crackdown, Internet sellers now list them using the correct Chinese term, '羊驼' (Alpaca).
In 2009, renowned artist Ai Weiwei published an image of himself nude with only a 'Caonima' hiding his genitals, with a caption "草泥马挡中央" ("cǎonímǎ dǎng zhōngyāng", literally "a Grass Mud Horse covering the center". One interpretation of the caption is: "fuck your mother, Communist Party Central Committee". Political observers speculated that the photo may have contributed to Ai's arrest in 2011 by angering Communist Party hardliners.
Grass Mud Horse Day [ edit ]
In 2012, Chinese netizens started to designate the date 1 July as the "Grass Mud Horse Day". The date coincides with the "Party Day" in China which is to celebrate the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.[20]
Political discourse [ edit ]
The China Digital Times sees Caonima as the "de facto mascot of netizens in China fighting for free expression, inspiring poetry, photos and videos, artwork, lines of clothing, and more." It is an illustration of the "resistance discourse" of Chinese internet users with "increasingly dynamic and sometimes surprising presence of an alternative political discourse: images, frames, metaphors and narratives that have been generated from Internet memes [that] undermine the values and ideology that reproduce compliance with the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian regime, and, as such, force an opening for free expression and civil society in China."
Caonima is an expression of a broader Chinese internet culture of spoofing, mockery, punning, and parody known as e'gao, which includes video mash-ups and other types of bricolage.[21]
Censorship [ edit ]
The Beijing Television Cultural Center fire led to Chinese internet users creating a number of photoshopped parodies, including one with a Caonima's outline in the smoke.
On 20 March 2009, the New York Times reported that a Chinese contributor to Global Voices Online posted a message from an Internet administrator to managers of online bulletin boards warning that "any content related with Grass-Mud Horse should not be promoted and hyped" because "the issue has been elevated to a political level... The overseas media has exaggerated the incident as a confrontation between netizens and the government."[22][23]
In a press conference on 25 March, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that China's access to YouTube had been officially blocked since two days earlier. According to Reporters Without Borders, the block was an attempt to stem videos showing Chinese repression of the Tibetan population in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising of 10 March 1959, and to block access to the popular Grass Mud Horse video posted in early March.[24]
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television issued a directive on 30 March 2009 to highlight 31 categories of content prohibited online, including violence, pornography, and content which may "incite ethnic discrimination or undermine social stability". Many netizens believe the instruction follows the official embarrassment over the rise of the "Grass Mud Horse" phenomenon. Industry observers believe that the move was designed to stop the spread of parodies or other comments on politically sensitive issues in the runup to the 20th anniversary of the 4 June Tiananmen Square protests.[25] Following the government's directive, most Chinese essays and blog postings made about the Grass Mud Horse have been removed from the Internet after being discovered by government censors.[8] Some of these citizen efforts to keep the Grass Mud Horse alive have moved offshore to the U.S. and elsewhere, including for example the creation of an independent Canadian publishing house (see Mudgrass Press) referencing the meme.
The Caonima reappeared as a subject of online cartoon satire following the announcement of the Green Dam Youth Escort pornography blocking software project.[26]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Google Fiber said Tuesday it was eyeing expansion of its superfast Internet service to Chicago and Los Angeles.
In a company blog post, Jill Szuchmacher, director of Google Fiber expansion, said the company will work with city leaders to collect information and study factors that could affect construction of such a network.
The company says its service offers speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second and is already live in Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; and Provo, Utah. Pricing for Google Fiber in Kansas City begins at $70 for 1 gigabit per second broadband service and costs $130 with the addition of TV service. Szuchmacher said it was too early to estimate what pricing would be in Chicago.
At such speeds, the company says, a customer could download a high-definition movie in about 7 seconds.
Comcast’s 2 Gbps Gigabit Pro Internet service is available to 2.4 million homes in the region for $299.95 a month, according to the company. AT&T offers its GigaPower network with speeds up to 1 Gbps for $110 in Chicago.
The statewide average broadband speed in Illinois is 31.2 Mbps, according to data from BroadbandNow, a comparison and research website.
Google will kick off discussions with city staff Tuesday afternoon, Szuchmacher told Blue Sky.
Google has created a detailed checklist to help city officials understand what it means to have a “very, very large-scale build going on (within) city limits,” Szuchmacher said.
The planning process could take months, she said. After kicking off the discussion process with nine cities in February 2014, she said, six decided to let Google move ahead with construction.
Chicago is among eleven other cities considered as potential Google Fiber hosts. A city spokesman said the process was in the “very early stages” and that Google was working with the mayor’s office on general issues.
“While we can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to bring Fiber to Chicago and L.A., this is a big step for these cities and their leaders,” Szuchmacher said in the post.
Chicago’s incubators, venture capital firms, and the mayor’s interest in innovation and promoting tech jobs made Google Fiber interested in pursuing the installation here, Szuchmacher said.
“That’s the kind of excitement and intellectual curiosity and drive we think (signals) a great type of city and community that will really welcome us,” she said.
She said faster Internet speeds also could help lure tech talent to Chicago.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed, saying in a statement that Google Fiber service would be "a key ingredient for job growth."
Email: mgraham@tribpub.com • Twitter: @megancgrahamPhoto at top of post by Jeff Dai in Tibet. Read more about this image.
One of you wrote:
Are there any stars outside our own galaxy that we can see with just the eye?
The answer is no – unless you count seeing the combined light of many billions of stars. From the Northern Hemisphere, the only galaxy outside our Milky Way that’s easily visible to the eye is the great galaxy in the constellation Andromeda, also known as M31. More about the Andromeda galaxy at the bottom of this post.
From the Southern Hemisphere, it’s possible to see two dwarf galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds.
So what are we seeing when we look up? The image at the top of this post shows a hazy band in the sky. This is the edgewise view into our own Milky Way galaxy. Our galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in a diameter, but it’s relatively flat, only about 10,000 light-years thick. So – if we’re looking in a dark sky – when we look toward the galactic disk, we see the starry band of the Milky Way.
And when we look up or down – away from the flat disk of the galaxy – we’re also seeing Milky Way stars. All of the stars we see with the eye alone belong to our Milky Way galaxy.
EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store
It is possible to see the Andromeda galaxy with the eye alone, from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. This galaxy appears as a hazy patch in our night sky, about as wide in diameter as a full moon. And, indeed, this haze represents the light of the Andromeda galaxy’s billions of stars. But we still can’t see individual stars within this galaxy – not with the eye alone. Even with amateur telescopes, the patch of light that we see as the Andromeda galaxy looks, at best, like haze.
A few years ago, astronomers released a new sharpest-ever view of the Andromeda galaxy.
And you can see the galaxy for yourself. At mid-northern latitudes in late November, the Andromeda galaxy is visible from nightfall till about 4 a.m. Here are a couple of ways to find the galaxy:
Use Great Square of Pegasus to find Andromeda galaxy
Or …
Use constellation Cassiopeia to find Andromeda galaxy
Be sure to look for it in a dark sky, far from city lights. Good luck!
Bottom line: On a dark night, there are so many stars. Are any of the stars we see with the eye alone located beyond our home galaxy? The answer is no. All the stars we see with the eye alone belong to our Milky Way. But there is one distant galaxy you can see from Earth.
Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops for September-December, 2016
Almost gone! EarthSky lunar calendars make great gifts. Order now.
Donate: Your support means the world to usIndian fans of movie idol Rajinikanth pour milk on his cutout, a devotional practice, at the opening of his new film, “Kabali,” at a theater in Mumbai on Friday. Some Indian businesses gave workers time off to see the movie to preclude absenteeism. (Divyakant Solanki/European Pressphoto Agency)
The cinema gates opened before dawn here, home of the Tamil movie star Rajinikanth and ground zero of the nationwide frenzy surrounding the release Friday of his latest action epic. Hundreds of fans shoved their way in as firecrackers burst and car stereos blared one of the movie’s hit songs, “This Is Fire, Dude!”
Then came the bad news: All the tickets were sold out. For the next two weeks. The fans, chased out by police, were heartbroken.
“If I don’t get to watch my favorite star’s new movie on the ‘first day, first show,’ there will be a big black hole in my life,” said Sundar Vaidyanathan, 27, wiping away tears. “After my parents, it is superstar Rajinikanth who is most important to me.”
India’s movie industry is the biggest in the world, producing more than 1,600 new films a year in more than 20 local languages. And Rajinikanth is the biggest star in that firmament, if sheer, over-the-top fan mania is the measure.
He is no superstud. At 65, he is balding and sports unkempt gray stubble. Yet he is so beloved — he boasts 3 million Twitter followers — that his movie release dates are anticipated in India like national holidays.
Fans of Rajinikanth offer prayers in front of his poster outside a cinema in Chennai, India, on Friday to celebrate the release of “Kabali.” Hundreds of thousands thronged cinemas across the country for “first day, first show” of the gangster action drama. (Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press)
In Chennai, some companies gave employees the day off Friday so they could go see “Kabali,” Rajinikanth’s first film in two years. Others had booked entire cinemas for their staff. Air Asia flew 180 fans to the city for the first-day showing in a plane custom-painted with the star’s likeness. One county was giving away free tickets to people who pledged to install an indoor toilet, taking advantage of the movie’s popularity to address the issue of widespread public defecation.
[India is building millions of toilets, but that’s the easy part]
“Rajinikanth is not a human being. He is not an actor. He is [a] god,” said S. Thanu, the producer of “Kabali.”
The movie, a gangster action drama, has been released on 10,000 screens around the world, including more than 400 in the United States and several in Britain, China, Malaysia and Japan. More than 20 million people viewed the pre-release trailer on YouTube in just two weeks. But the real madness takes place in India.
“Even in a land where films, and superstar actors, play larger-than-life roles in social, cultural and... political life, there has been nothing to compare with the Rajinikanth phenomenon,” said N. Ram, chairman of the Hindu group of newspapers here. The star’s “panache, style and iconic one-liners fire up his fans and immediately become part of popular culture and lingo,” Ram added.
Rajinikanth, the actor’s stage name, was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in southern India, the son of a police constable. He acted in school plays, but later worked as a railway porter, a carpenter and a ticket seller on public buses. One day a movie director spotted him on stage, which led to his first role, playing an abusive husband, in 1975. A decade later, he was being hailed as a “superstar.”
His signature moves — the flick of his hair, the way he would toss his cigarette and flip his sunglasses, his guffaw — lent him a macho, rough-and-tough aura. In real life, his fans say, Rajinikanth is a simple man who eschews his larger-than-life persona. Unlike many other aging movie stars, he does not hide his baldness with a wig and avoids public events and TV commercials.
A fan with his body painted with an image of Rajinikanth poses outside a movie theater showing “Kabali” in Bangalore, India, on Friday. (Abhishek Chinnappa/Reuters)
The contrast between his on-screen swagger and his real-life humility and “ordinariness” is the reason his fans adore him, Ram says.
In “Kabali,” set in Malaysia, the star plays a former Indian trade-union leader turned gangster who is seeking revenge on his gang foes after 25 years in prison.
“It is a different kind of hysteria this time, because they are seeing Rajinikanth play a role that is his real age,” said Pa. Ranjith, the movie’s director. “He is not the romantic, young, dancing hero in my film.”
But Rajinikanth’s trademark style is intact in the film. At a showing Friday, fans screamed deliriously at every one of his outlandish stunts. They howled with anger when the villain beat him, and they chanted “style king,” “boss” and “leader.” It did not matter that the dialogue was drowned out in the din.
“I am watching the film today for the unmatchable energy in the hall. It feels like the roof will fall in,” said Balaji Ram, a 30-year-old software engineer. “I will come back and watch it with my family again to focus on the story, acting and dialogue. I usually watch his films 10 times.”
The image of invincibility that surrounds the star has generated jokes depicting him as a superhero who can run faster than light and stop tsunamis and speeding trains by just exhaling.
“In so many movie roles, Rajinikanth starts off as an absolute nobody but goes on to become powerful,” said Smitha Sarma Ranganathan, a brand and marketing expert. “He offers people the idea of possibility. He is the adrenaline shot that people need to aspire.”
Religious rituals often accompany the release of Rajinikanth’s films. Fans shave their heads and offer special prayers in temples, distribute sweets, throw coins at the screen when he appears, and bathe his giant cardboard cutouts with milk — although that last practice is being discouraged this year because of high milk prices.
On Friday, many fans lingered outside sold-out cinemas with long faces.
Asked why he had braved the long lines for a chance to see the movie on its release date, Anthony Rajkumar, 26, a marketing executive, said, “If your wife gives birth to a child, would you wait a few days to see the baby?”
Read more
India’s most controversial minister gets shifted in a sweeping government reshuffle
How India’s divisive politics are roiling a top film school
India’s lower castes fight back against Hindu cow-protection squads
Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the worldThe transhumanist video game franchise Deus Ex would be “perfect” for a sequel made for virtual reality, according to Jean-François Dugas, executive game director of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the upcoming Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
Dugas, who made the comments in an interview with Factor featured in the newly released gaming issue, said that the level of detail put into each Deus Ex game would make the franchise well-suited for a transition to VR.
“I think it’s a franchise that would be perfect for that because even in the current console generation with PS4, Xbox, that we’re going to ship, and even on the 360 before with Human Revolution, our game, we are always saying that it’s all about details, it’s all about the show-don’t-tell and having those elements to tell your story,” he said.
“We were always going the extra mile, for example to put stickers on all the little objects just like in real life.
“When you have a computer you have the logo of the computer, if you have a speaker for your music then you have a logo on this, on your mouse, on anything, so we were going the extra mile to build all those corporations and put all those little tags on all the objects.”
For Human Revolution, Dugas said that the level of detail the team put into the game was so extreme that it can barely be viewed with the graphical capabilities of the last generation of consoles.
“On the 360 and everywhere else, we went crazy, into a place where you can barely see it,” he explained.
“So you can imagine in a virtual world that would be crazy, our passion for detail and our passion for telling stories through the environments would just be advanced to crazy levels.”
When asked for his thoughts on the future of gaming, Dugas cited virtual reality as one of the most promising areas for the field.
“I strongly believe in virtual reality, I think it’s going to be the next ground-breaking thing in our industry,” he said.
“I had the chance to experience some of the options out there that not released to the public yet, and they’re far away from the virtual reality of the eighties or the nineties where it was just kind of a gimmick, it was not doing anything as valid or anything meaningful to the experience.
“But with what I experienced in the last two years, it’s amazing and it’s always bringing me back to David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ movie, in which the characters have this plug in their spinal cord or something like that; they go in that imaginary world.”
“Virtual reality to me is probably the first real stepping stone in that direction,” he added. “I think it probably reinvents the gaming experience, like wow, it’s so tangible, we’re able to live different emotions.
“I really, really believe in it, I think it’s going to be the next big step in our industry.”The Cleveland Browns' hiring of Paul DePodesta continues to prompt chatter around the NFL and Major League Baseball.
DePodesta is a Harvard-educated man of interesting approaches who spent the past 19 years in baseball, most recently with the New York Mets. He's also an analytics guru, which leads to the immediate conclusion that the team's new coach will also have to, at a minimum, buy into analytics.
Which may well mean a young unknown open to new ideas and ways to win.
That could point to a guy like the New England Patriots' Matt Patricia, who rose through the Bill Belichick ranks like so many other of the head coach's assistants.
Matt Patricia's background could make him a fit for the Browns under the newly hired Paul DePodesta. Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports
Patricia left an engineering job to do the most menial of coaching jobs so he could gain a coaching resume. Belichick brought him along to the point that he's now the defensive coordinator.
The Boston Herald wrote in a fascinating profile of Patricia that people "knew that bearded guy with the aeronautical engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was always the smartest one in the room, and Patricia's plan always had a purpose."
Of all the candidates being interviewed, Patricia seems to make the most sense if the Browns truly are all-in with analytics. He has the youth, the energy and the mind to grasp what it means and how it can help.
The shift to analytics would not be easy for some NFL coaches. They are a big part of baseball but just in their infancy in football.
Analytics is one tool. An in-depth analytics study can give optimum size and speed for successful linebackers, but it can't measure heart.
Analytics might show arm length is not important for defensive linemen, as former Browns CEO Joe Banner said Wednesday on ESPN, but it won't show if a guy ran a wrong route, wrong stunt or called the wrong play.
Belichick said Wednesday he uses analytics as one tool, but "that's really not a big thing with me."
"I'm sure you can go to the Northeastern analytics conference or whatever it is here in summer or the spring and get your fill of it," Belichick said. "I'm sure there's a lot there." He was referring to the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference.
"Look, if you're out there coaching every day and to me if you can't see an 80 percent tendency, then what are you looking at?" Belichick said. "Now, is it 51-49, 49-51, I don't know. What are you going to do with that? You want to bet on 51, you want to bet on 49 or bet on 55 or 45? At that point, what's the difference?"
The thinking about analytics, though, is that if the study is at a 55-45 difference (or less), then analytics and a more detailed study of numbers may help with a decision to provide an advantage.
DePodesta wasn't hired solely for analytics. He was hired by Jimmy Haslam to make the Browns a better organization.
On the surface, it sounds like another 'That's So Browns' move, but those who have been around DePodesta rave about his work and his character, as this story on him in SI.com illustrates.
In the NFL analytics is one piece of the puzzle. The Browns can say they have one of the better guys in sports in that role.
How that affects the hiring of a coach will be most fascinating to watch.The suspect was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans, black shoes, a black baseball hat with the word 'Imperial' written in white, black sunglasses, and white gloves.
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The suspect responsible for the TD Canada Trust Bank robbery on August 12, 2017 in Oakville, turned himself into Halton Regional Police in the early morning hours of August 13, 2017.Charged with one count of Robbery is 27 year old Corbin COLLECCHIO of Toronto. He is scheduled to appear in court in Milton on September 12th, 2017.
Originally Posted: August 12, 2017
On Saturday, August 12, 2017 at approximately 3:30pm, a lone male entered the TD Canada Trust Bank at 321 Iroquois Shore Road (at Trafalgar Road)in the Town of Oakville, where he presented the teller with a note demanding money.
The suspect obtained an undisclosed amount of cash and is believed to have fled the area in a burgundy sedan. The suspect indicated he had a weapon, however no weapon was seen.
No TD Canada Trust staff members were injured during the incident.
The suspect is described as:
caucasian male, 20 to 30 years, 5’11”, and average build.
The suspect was wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans, black shoes, a black baseball hat with the word ‘Imperial’ written in white, black sunglasses, and white gloves.
Anyone who may have information pertaining to the robbery of the TD Canada Trust on Iroquois Shore Road is asked to contact the Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825 4747 ext. 2216, Halton Crime Stoppers “See Something, Hear Something, Say Something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).
Local Breaking News can be delivered to your email daily and/or weekly. Find out about Oakville’s latest restaurants, special events, town decisions, police crime and so much more. Subscribe for free to Oakville News and be informed about our great community. To set up your subscription click here: OakvilleNews.Org.
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August 12 2017, Corbin COLLECCHIO, Halton Regional Police, Iroquois Shore Road, TD Canada Trust, Trafalgar RoadAt its Wednesday meeting, the ASUC Senate withdrew one contentious bill and passed two bills.
CalSERVE Senator Benedict Llave was concerned that ASUC Senate Resolution 78, In Support of Bills, would undermine previously passed resolutions and would not retain the integrity of the ASUC if passed. The resolution, if passed, would make “the sponsors of this bill automatically pass more bills than any other Senator, and therefore automatically become the best Senators, forever, hands down, period, no questions asked.”
According to SQUELCH! Senator Zoe Brouns, co-sponsor of the resolution, the bill is to be taken as a joke and is not meant to undermine the student government. “I do take this job seriously,” Brouns said. “Past SQUELCH! senators have also proved dedication.”
Student Action Senator Andre Luu said that while he was originally against the bill, he now supports it because he does not think the bill will characterize the senate in a negative manner.
“(The) real work we do isn’t in this room,” said SQUELCH! Senator Sina Rashidi, co-sponsor of the resolution. “The bill is a piece of paper; it means nothing to us.”
Llave said he is unable to laugh at the resolution because of the fact that the [email protected] community will not have representation in the senate for the next academic year.
Independent Senator Sumayyah Din motioned for the resolution to be withdrawn, and the withdrawal passed with unanimous consent.
ASUC Senate Resolution 81 amended the ADA Accessibility Fund bylaws by renaming the fund the Disability Inclusion Grant and expanding the grant’s criteria.
The amended bylaws will make the grant available for disabled students to fund their academic accommodations at UC Berkeley. The grant will also be used to pay for disability accommodations at ASUC-sponsored events.
The current limit in the fund is $500 per application, according to the resolution.
ASUC Senate Resolution 82 set a default meeting time for the ASUC standing committees to 7:30 p.m. Monday nights.
According to ASUC Attorney General Alek Klimek, the primary sponsor for the resolution, changing the meeting times to after 7:30 p.m. would require a two-thirds vote by the entire committee, and changing the meeting times to before 7:30 p.m. would require unanimous committee agreement.
“The reasoning is that committee members now know to expect that they will be busy from 7:30 to potentially how long the meeting will last,” Klimek said in an email. Previous to this bill, senate standing committees had no default meeting times on Monday nights.
Jessie Qian covers student government. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @jessieq96.DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes is modest and rarely pats himself on the back. But Grimes did have an interesting take on New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. this week.
Cornerback Brent Grimes believes his interception in Detroit on Nov. 9 compares to the one-handed catch made by the Giants' |
WizSec has published two reports on its findings, the latest this February. According to the report’s executive summary:
Most or all of the missing bitcoins were stolen straight out of the MtGox hot wallet over time, beginning in late 2011. As a result, MtGox was technically insolvent for years (knowingly or not) and was practically depleted of bitcoins by 2013.
Christian Decker of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and co-author of Bitcoin Transaction Malleability and MtGox study [pdf] with colleague Roger Wattenhofer disagrees.
“While it’s possible that at the change of ownership [when Karpeles purchased the exchange around March 2011], MtGox was not completely covering its liabilities, it is very unlikely that it was missing a major part of its funds,” Decker told Spectrum. “This is backed by the fact that some of the bitcoins sold on the platform did not enter the Bitcoin economy until later, i.e., they had not been mined then and couldn’t have been stolen then.”
The malleability study also discounts MtGox’s claim that malleability attacks were responsible for the loss of 850,000 bitcoins. The study concludes “…barely 386 bitcoins could have been stolen using malleability attacks from MtGox or from other businesses.”
But there are areas where the experts are in full agreement. “The main problem with MtGox was not with the bitcoin technology, but with how the company was run,” said Nilsson. “It doesn’t matter if you use the strongest bank vault in the world if you leave the keys out.”
Reich concurs. “This is about the bookkeeping at MtGox and not about the technology.”
“The alleged theft is due likely to insecure handling of funds by MtGox in their internal systems,” says Decker. “This would have been the case even if their allegations that transaction malleability was to blame, since they were using faulty network nodes internally.”
As for future expectations, “I believe the technology that powers bitcoin is strong and solid and will definitely make it into the financial industry before the (bitcoin) currency itself does,” said Nilsson. And Decker notes that while Bitcoin technology is still new and experiencing growing pains, “Academia and the industry are continuously working on improving the security of systems built on top of it.”A powerful yet easy-to-use PHP micro-framework designed to help you build dynamic and robust Web applications - fast!
Condensed in a single ~65KB file, F3 (as we fondly call it) gives you solid foundation, a mature code base, and a no-nonsense approach to writing Web applications. Under the hood is an easy-to-use Web development tool kit, a high-performance URL routing and cache engine, built-in code highlighting, and support for multilingual applications. It's lightweight, easy-to-use, and fast. Most of all, it doesn't get in your way.
Whether you're a novice or an expert PHP programmer, F3 will get you up and running in no time. No unnecessary and painstaking installation procedures. No complex configuration required. No convoluted directory structures. There's no better time to start developing Web applications the easy way than right now!
F3 supports both SQL and NoSQL databases off-the-shelf: MySQL, SQLite, MSSQL/Sybase, PostgreSQL, DB2, and MongoDB. It also comes with powerful object-relational mappers for data abstraction and modeling that are just as lightweight as the framework. No configuration needed.
That's not all. F3 is packaged with other optional plug-ins that extend its capabilities:-
Fast and clean template engine,
Unit testing toolkit,
Database-managed sessions with automatic CSRF protection,
Markdown-to-HTML converter,
Atom/RSS feed reader,
Image processor,
Geodata handler,
Google static maps,
On-the-fly Javascript/CSS compressor,
OpenID (consumer),
Custom logger,
Basket/Shopping cart,
Pingback server/consumer,
Unicode-aware string functions,
SMTP over SSL/TLS,
Tools for communicating with other servers,
And more in a tiny supercharged package!
Unlike other frameworks, F3 aims to be usable - not usual.
The philosophy behind the framework and its approach to software architecture is towards minimalism in structural components, avoiding application complexity and striking a balance between code elegance, application performance and programmer productivity.
Table of Contents
Version 3.6 Is Finally Released!
The latest official release welcomes the new year with a bang and marks the final milestone in this version of the Fat-Free Framework. Packed with exciting new features and outstanding documentation that consumed significant time and effort to develop and refine, version 3.6 is now available for download. This edition is packed with a bunch of new usability and security features.
F3 has a stable enterprise-class architecture. Unbeatable performance, user-friendly features and a lightweight footprint. What more can you ask for?
It is highly recommended that experienced users develop new applications with this version to take advantage of the latest code base and its significant improvements.
Introducing FatFreeFramework.com
Detailed API documentation with lots of code examples and a graphic guide can now be found at http://fatfreeframework.com/.
Of course this handy online reference is powered by F3! It showcases the framework's capability and performance. Check it out now.
Getting Started
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Fat-Free Framework makes it easy to build entire Web sites in a jiffy. With the same power and brevity as modern Javascript toolkits and libraries, F3 helps you write better-looking and more reliable PHP programs. One glance at your PHP source code and anyone will find it easy to understand, how much you can accomplish in so few lines of code, and how powerful the results are.
F3 is one of the best documented frameworks around. Learning it costs next to nothing. No strict set of difficult-to-navigate directory structures and obtrusive programming steps. No truck load of configuration options just to display 'Hello, World' in your browser. Fat-Free gives you a lot of freedom - and style - to get more work done with ease and in less time.
F3's declarative approach to programming makes it easy for novices and experts alike to understand PHP code. If you're familiar with the programming language Ruby, you'll notice the resemblance between Fat-Free and Sinatra micro-framework because they both employ a simple Domain-Specific Language for ReSTful Web services. But unlike Sinatra and its PHP incarnations (Fitzgerald, Limonade, Glue - to name a few), Fat-Free goes beyond just handling routes and requests. Views can be in any form, such as plain text, HTML, XML or an e-mail message. The framework comes with a fast and easy-to-use template engine. F3 also works seamlessly with other template engines, including Twig, Smarty, and PHP itself. Models communicate with F3's data mappers and the SQL helper for more complex interactions with various database engines. Other plug-ins extend the base functionality even more. It's a total Web development framework - with a lot of muscle!
Enough Said - See For Yourself
Unzip the contents of the distribution package anywhere in your hard drive. By default, the framework file and optional plug-ins are located in the lib/ path. Organize your directory structures any way you want. You may move the default folders to a path that's not Web-accessible for better security. Delete the plug-ins that you don't need. You can always restore them later and F3 will detect their presence automatically.
Important: If your application uses APC, Memcached, WinCache, XCache, or a filesystem cache, clear all cache entries first before overwriting an older version of the framework with a new one.
Make sure you're running the right version of PHP. F3 does not support versions earlier than PHP 5.4. You'll be getting syntax errors (false positives) all over the place because new language constructs and closures/anonymous functions are not supported by outdated PHP versions. To find out, open your console ( bash shell on GNU/Linux, or cmd.exe on Windows):-
/path/to/php -v
PHP will let you know which particular version you're running and you should get something that looks similar to this:-
PHP 5.4.30 (cli) (built: Jul 22 2014 21:34:41) Copyright (c) 1997-2014 The PHP Group Zend Engine v2.4.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2014 Zend Technologies with Xdebug v2.2.5, Copyright (c) 2002-2014, by Derick Rethans
Upgrade if necessary and come back here if you've made the jump to PHP 5.4 or a later release. If you need a PHP 5.4+ hosting service provider, try one of these services:
Hello, World: The Less-Than-A-Minute Fat-Free Recipe
Time to start writing our first application:-
$f3 = require ('path/to/base.php'); $f3 -> route('GET / ', function () { echo'Hello, world!'; } ); $f3 -> run();
Prepend base.php on the first line with the appropriate path. Save the above code fragment as index.php in your Web root folder. We've written our first Web page.
Using composer? Then just run composer require bcosca/fatfree and use the following:
require'vendor/autoload.php'; $f3 = \ Base :: instance(); $f3 -> route('GET / ', function () { echo'Hello, world!'; } ); $f3 -> run();
The first command tells the PHP interpreter that you want the framework's functions and features available to your application. The $f3->route() method informs Fat-Free that a Web page is available at the relative URL indicated by the slash ( / ). Anyone visiting your site located at http://www.example.com/ will see the 'Hello, world!' message because the URL / is equivalent to the root page. To create a route that branches out from the root page, like http://www.example.com/inside/, you can define another route with a simple GET /inside string.
The route described above tells the framework to render the page only when it receives a URL request using the HTTP GET method. More complex Web sites containing forms use other HTTP methods like POST, and you can also implement that as part of a $f3->route() specification.
If the framework sees an incoming request for your Web page located at the root URL /, it will automatically route the request to the callback function, which contains the code necessary to process the request and render the appropriate HTML stuff. In this example, we just send the string 'Hello, world!' to the user's Web browser.
So we've established our first route. But that won't do much, except to let F3 know that there's a process that will handle it and there's some text to display on the user's Web browser. If you have a lot more pages on your site, you need to set up different routes for each group. For now, let's keep it simple. To instruct the framework to start waiting for requests, we issue the $f3->run() command.
Can't Get the Example Running? If you're having trouble getting this simple program to run on your server, you may have to tweak your Web server settings a bit. Take a look at the sample Apache configuration in the following section (along with the Nginx and Lighttpd equivalents).
Still having trouble? Make sure the $f3 = require('path/to/base.php'); assignment comes before any output in your script. base.php modifies the HTTP headers, so any character that is output to the browser before this assignment will cause errors.
Routing Engine
Overview
Our first example wasn't too hard to swallow, was it? If you like a little more flavor in your Fat-Free soup, insert another route before the $f3->run() command:-
$f3 -> route('GET /about ', function () { echo'Donations go to a local charity... us!'; } );
You don't want to clutter the global namespace with function names? Fat-Free recognizes different ways of mapping route handlers to OOP classes and methods:-
class WebPage { function display () { echo'I cannot object to an object'; } } $f3 -> route('GET /about ','WebPage->display');
HTTP requests can also be routed to static class methods:-
$f3 -> route('GET /login ','Auth::login');
Passed arguments are always provided as the second parameter:
$f3 -> route('GET /hello/@name ','User::greet'); class User { public static function greet ( $f3, $args ) { // $args is type of Array echo " Hello ". $args ['name']; } }
If the provided name argument would be foo (/hello/foo), the following output would be shown:
Hello foo
Routes and Tokens
As a demonstration of Fat-Free's powerful domain-specific language (DSL), you can specify a single route to handle different possibilities:-
$f3 -> route('GET /brew/@count ', function ( $f3 ) { echo $f3 -> get('PARAMS.count').'bottles of beer on the wall.'; } );
This example shows how we can specify a token @count to represent part of a URL. The framework will serve any request URL that matches the /brew/ prefix, like /brew/99, /brew/98, etc. This will display '99 bottles of beer on the wall' and '98 bottles of beer on the wall', respectively. Fat-Free will also accept a page request for /brew/unbreakable. (Expect this to display 'unbreakable bottles of beer on the wall'.) When such a dynamic route is specified, Fat-Free automagically populates the global PARAMS array variable with the value of the captured strings in the URL. The $f3->get() call inside the callback function retrieves the value of a framework variable. You can certainly apply this method in your code as part of the presentation or business logic. But we'll discuss that in greater detail later.
Notice that Fat-Free understands array dot-notation. You can use PARAMS['count'] regular notation instead in code, which is prone to typo errors and unbalanced braces. In views and templates, the framework permits @PARAMS.count notation which is somewhat similar to Javascript. (We'll cover views and templates later.)
Here's another way to access tokens in a request pattern:-
$f3 -> route('GET /brew/@count ', function ( $f3, $params ) { echo $params ['count'].'bottles of beer on the wall.'; } );
You can use the asterisk ( * ) to accept any URL after the /brew route - if you don't really care about the rest of the path:-
$f3 -> route('GET /brew/* ', function () { echo'Enough beer! We always end up here.'; } );
An important point to consider: You will get Fat-Free (and yourself) confused if you have both GET /brew/@count and GET /brew/* together in the same application. Use one or the other. Another thing: Fat-Free sees GET /brew as separate and distinct from the route GET /brew/@count. Each can have different route handlers.
Dynamic Web Sites
Wait a second - in all the previous examples, we never really created any directory in our hard drive to store these routes. The short answer: we don't have to. All F3 routes are virtual. They don't mirror our hard disk folder structure. If you have programs or static files (images, CSS, etc.) that do not use the framework - as long as the paths to these files do not conflict with any route defined in your application - your Web server software will deliver them to the user's browser, provided the server is configured properly.
Named Routes
When you define a route, you can assign it a name. Use the route name in your code and templates instead of a typed url. Then if you need to change your urls to please the marketing overlords, you only need to make the change where the route was defined. The route names must follow php variable naming rules (no dots, dashes nor hyphens).
Let's name a route:-
$f3 -> route('GET @beer_list: /beer ','Beer->list');
The name is inserted after the route VERB ( GET in this example) preceded by an @ symbol, and separated from the URL portion by a colon : symbol. You can insert a space after the colon if that makes it easier to read your code (as shown here).
To access the named route in a template, get the value of the named route as the key of the ALIASES hive array:-
< a href = " {{ @ALIASES.beer_list }} " >View beer list</ a >
To redirect the visitor to a new URL, call the named route inside the reroute() method like:-
// a named route is a string value $f3 -> reroute('@beer_list'); // note the single quotes
If you use tokens in your route, F3 will replace those tokens with their current value. If you want to change the token's value before calling reroute, pass it as the 2nd argument.:-
$f3 -> route('GET @beer_list: /beer/@country ','Beer->bycountry'); $f3 -> route('GET @beer_list: /beer/@country/@village ','Beer->byvillage'); // a set of key-value pairs is passed as argument to named route $f3 -> reroute('@beer_list(@country=Germany)'); // if more than one token needed $f3 -> reroute('@beer_list(@country=Germany,@village=Rhine)');
Remember to urlencode() your arguments if you have characters that do not comply with RFC 1738 guidelines for well-formed URLs.
PHP 5.4's Built-In Web Server
PHP's latest stable version has its own built-in Web server. Start it up using the following configuration:-
php -S localhost:80 -t /var/www/
The above command will start routing all requests to the Web root /var/www. If an incoming HTTP request for a file or folder is received, PHP will look for it inside the Web root and send it over to the browser if found. Otherwise, PHP will load the default index.php (containing your F3-enabled code).
Sample Apache Configuration
If you're using Apache, make sure you activate the URL rewriting module (mod_rewrite) in your apache.conf (or httpd.conf) file. You should also create a.htaccess file containing the following:-
# Enable rewrite engine and route requests to framework RewriteEngine On # Some servers require you to specify the `RewriteBase` directive # In such cases, it should be the path (relative to the document root) # containing this.htaccess file # # RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^(tmp)\/|\.ini$ - [R=404] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}!-l RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}!-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}!-d RewriteRule.* index.php [L,QSA] RewriteRule.* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization},L]
The script tells Apache that whenever an HTTP request arrives and if no physical file (!-f ) or path (!-d ) or symbolic link (!-l ) can be found, it should transfer control to index.php, which contains our main/front controller, and which in turn, invokes the framework.
The.htaccess file containing the Apache directives stated above should always be in the same folder as index.php.
You also need to set up Apache so it knows the physical location of index.php in your hard drive. A typical configuration is:-
DocumentRoot " /var/www/html " < Directory "/var/www/html"> Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks +Includes AllowOverride All Order allow,deny Allow from All </ Directory >
If you're developing several applications simultaneously, a virtual host configuration is easier to manage:-
NameVirtualHost * < VirtualHost *> ServerName site1.com DocumentRoot " /var/www/site1 " < Directory "/var/www/site1"> Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks +Includes AllowOverride All Order allow,deny Allow from All </ Directory > </ VirtualHost > < VirtualHost *> ServerName site2.com DocumentRoot " /var/www/site2 " < Directory "/var/www/site2"> Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks +Includes AllowOverride All Order allow,deny Allow from All </ Directory > </ VirtualHost >
Each ServerName ( site1.com and site2.com in our example) must be listed in your /etc/hosts file. On Windows, you should edit C:/WINDOWS/system32/drivers/etc/hosts. A reboot might be necessary to effect the changes. You can then point your Web browser to the address http://site1.com or http://site2.com. Virtual hosts make your applications a lot easier to deploy.
Sample Nginx Configuration
For Nginx servers, here's the recommended configuration (replace ip_address:port with your environment's FastCGI PHP settings):-
server { root /var/www/html; location / { index index.php index.html index.htm; try_files $uri $uri / /index.php? $query_string ; } location ~ \.php$ { fastcgi_pass ip_address:port; include fastcgi_params; } }
Sample Lighttpd Configuration
Lighttpd servers are configured in a similar manner:-
$HTTP["host"] =~ "www\.example\.com$" { url.rewrite-once = ( "^/(.*?)(\?.+)?$"=>"/index.php/$1?$2" ) server.error-handler-404 = "/index.php" }
Sample IIS Configuration
Install the URL rewrite module and the appropriate.NET framework corresponding to your Windows version. Then create a file named web.config in your application root with the following contents:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <configuration> <system.webServer> <rewrite> <rules> <rule name="Application" stopProcessing="true"> <match url=".*" ignoreCase="false" /> <conditions logicalGrouping="MatchAll"> <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsFile" ignoreCase="false" negate="true" /> <add input="{REQUEST_FILENAME}" matchType="IsDirectory" ignoreCase="false" negate="true" /> </conditions> <action type="Rewrite" url="index.php" appendQueryString="true" /> </rule> </rules> </rewrite> </system.webServer> </configuration>
Rerouting
So let's get back to coding. You can declare a page obsolete and redirect your visitors to another site/page:-
$f3 -> route('GET|HEAD /obsoletepage ', function ( $f3 ) { $f3 -> reroute('/newpage'); } );
If someone tries to access the URL http://www.example.com/obsoletepage using either HTTP GET or HEAD request, the framework redirects the user to the URL: http://www.example.com/newpage as shown in the above example. You can also redirect the user to another site, like $f3->reroute('http://www.anotherexample.org/');.
Rerouting can be particularly useful when you need to do some maintenance work on your site. You can have a route handler that informs your visitors that your site is offline for a short period.
HTTP redirects are indispensable but they can also be expensive. As much as possible, refrain from using $f3->reroute() to send a user to another page on the same Web site if you can direct the flow of your application by invoking the function or method that handles the target route. However, this approach will not change the URL on the address bar of the user's Web browser. If this is not the behavior you want and you really need to send a user to another page, in instances like successful submission of a form or after a user has been authenticated, Fat-Free sends an HTTP 303 See Other header. For all other attempts to reroute to another page or site, the framework sends an HTTP 301 Moved Permanently header.
Triggering a 404
At runtime, Fat-Free automatically generates an HTTP 404 error whenever it sees that an incoming HTTP request does not match any of the routes defined in your application. However, there are instances when you need to trigger it yourself.
Take for instance a route defined as GET /dogs/@breed. Your application logic may involve searching a database and attempting to retrieve the record corresponding to the value of @breed in the incoming HTTP request. Since Fat-Free will accept any value after the /dogs/ prefix because of the presence of the @breed token, displaying an HTTP 404 Not Found message programmatically becomes necessary when the program doesn't find any match in our database. To do that, use the following command:-
$f3 -> error( 404 );
Representational State Transfer (ReST)
Fat-Free's architecture is based on the concept that HTTP URIs represent abstract Web resources (not limited to HTML) and each resource can move from one application state to another. For this reason, F3 does not have any restrictions on the way you structure your application. If you prefer to use the Model-View-Controller pattern, F3 can help you compartmentalize your application components to stick to this paradigm. On the other hand, the framework also supports the Resource-Method-Representation pattern, and implementing it is more straightforward.
Here's an example of a ReST interface:-
class Item { function get () {} function post () {} function put () {} function delete () {} } $f3 = require ('lib/base.php'); $f3 -> map('/cart/@item ','Item'); $f3 -> run();
Fat-Free's $f3->map() method provides a ReST interface by mapping HTTP methods in routes to the equivalent methods of an object or a PHP class. If your application receives an incoming HTTP request like GET /cart/123, Fat-Free will automatically transfer control to the object's or class' get() method. On the other hand, a POST /cart/123 request will be routed to the Item class' post() method.
Note: Browsers do not implement the HTTP PUT and DELETE methods in regular HTML forms. These and other ReST methods ( HEAD, and CONNECT ) are accessible only via AJAX calls to the server.
If the framework receives an HTTP request for a route that maps to a method that is not implemented by a class (perhaps you've made an error in the route mapping, or the method is not written yet), it generates an HTTP 405 Method Not Allowed error.
If a client requests HTTP OPTIONS for a URL resource, F3 responds with the appropriate HTTP headers that indicate which methods are allowed for the resource (HEAD, GET, PUT, etc). The framework will not map the OPTIONS request to a class.
The F3 Autoloader
Fat-Free has a way of loading classes only at the time you need them, so they don't gobble up more memory than a particular segment of your application needs. And you don't have to write a long list of include or require statements just to load PHP classes saved in different files and different locations. The framework can do this automatically for you. Just save your files (one class per file) in a folder and tell the framework to automatically load the appropriate file once you invoke a method in the class:-
$f3 -> set('AUTOLOAD ','autoload/');
You can assign a different location for your autoloaded classes by changing the value of the AUTOLOAD global variable. You can also have multiple autoload paths. If you have your classes organized and in different folders, you can instruct the framework to autoload the appropriate class when a static method is called or when an object is instantiated. Modify the AUTOLOAD variable this way:-
$f3 -> set('AUTOLOAD ','admin/autoload/; user/autoload/; default/');
Important: Except for the.php extension, the class name and file name must be identical, for the framework to autoload your class properly. The basename of this file must be identical to your class invocation, e.g. F3 will look for either Foo/BarBaz.php or foo/barbaz.php when it detects a new Foo\BarBaz statement in your application.
Working with Namespaces
AUTOLOAD allows class hierarchies to reside in similarly-named subfolders, so if you want the framework to autoload a PHP 5.4 namespaced class that's invoked in the following manner:-
$f3 -> set('AUTOLOAD ','autoload/'); $obj = new Gadgets\ iPad ;
You can create a folder hierarchy that follows the same structure. Assuming /var/www/html/ is your Web root, then F3 will look for the class in /var/www/html/autoload/gadgets/ipad.php. The file ipad.php should have the following minimum code:-
namespace Gadgets ; class iPad {}
Remember: All directory names in Fat-Free must end with a slash. You can assign a search path for the autoloader as follows:-
$f3 -> set('AUTOLOAD ','main/;aux/');
Routing to a Namespaced Class
F3, being a namespace-aware framework, allows you to use a method in namespaced class as a route handler, and there are several ways of doing it. To call a static method:-
$f3 -> set('AUTOLOAD ','classes/'); $f3 -> route('GET|POST / ','Main\Home::show');
The above code will invoke the static show() method of the class Home within the Main namespace. The Home class must be saved in the folder classes/main/home.php for it to be loaded automatically.
If you prefer to work with objects:-
$f3 -> route('GET|POST / ','Main\Home->show');
will instantiate the Home class at runtime and call the show() method thereafter.
Event Handlers
F3 has a couple of routing event listeners that might help you improve the flow and structure of controller classes. Say you have a route defined as follows:-
$f3 -> route('GET / ','Main->home');
If the application receives an HTTP request matching the above route, F3 instantiates Main, but before executing the home() method, the framework looks for a method in this class named beforeRoute(). In case it's found, F3 runs the code contained in the beforeRoute() event handler before transferring control to the home() method. Once this is accomplished, the framework looks for an afterRoute() event handler. Like beforeRoute(), the method gets executed if it's defined.
Dynamic Route Handlers
Here's another F3 goodie:-
$f3 -> route('GET /products/@action ','Products->@action');
If your application receives a request for, say, /products/itemize, F3 will extract the 'itemize' string from the URL and pass it on to the @action token in the route handler. F3 will then look for a class named Products and execute the itemize() method.
Dynamic route handlers may have various forms:-
// static method $f3 -> route('GET /public/@genre ','Main::@genre'); // object mode $f3 -> route('GET /public/@controller/@action ','@controller->@action');
F3 triggers an HTTP 404 Not Found error at runtime if it cannot transfer control to the class or method associated with the current route, i.e. an undefined class or method.
AJAX and Synchronous Requests
Routing patterns may contain modifiers that direct the framework to base its routing decision on the type of HTTP request:-
$f3 -> route('GET /example [ajax] ','Page->getFragment'); $f3 -> route('GET /example [sync] ','Page->getFull');
The first statement will route the HTTP request to the Page->getFragment() callback only if an X-Requested-With: XMLHttpRequest header (AJAX object) is received by the server. If an ordinary (synchronous) request is detected, F3 will simply drop down to the next matching pattern, and in this case it executes the Page->getFull() callback.
If no modifiers are defined in a routing pattern, then both AJAX and synchronous request types are routed to the specified handler.
Route pattern modifiers are also recognized by $f3->map().
Framework Variables
Basic Use
Variables defined in Fat-Free are global, i.e. they can be accessed by any MVC component. Framework globals are not identical to PHP globals. An F3 variable named content is not identical to PHP's $content. F3 is a domain-specific language in its own right and maintains its own separate symbol table for system and application variables. The framework, like every well-designed object-oriented program, does not pollute the PHP global namespace with constants, variables, functions or classes that might conflict with any application. Unlike other frameworks, F3 does not use PHP's define() statement. All framework constants are confined to classes.
To assign a value to a Fat-Free variable:
$f3 -> set('var ', value ); // or $f3 -> var = value ; $f3 -> set('hello.world ','good morning'); // translates to: 'hello' == array('world'=>'good morning') $f3 -> {'hello.world'} ='good morning'; // same as prior statement
Note: Fat-Free variables accept all PHP data types, including objects and anonymous functions.
To set several variables at once:
$f3 -> mset( ['foo'=>'bar ','baz'=> 123 ] );
To retrieve the value of a framework variable named var :-
echo $f3 -> get('var'); // or echo $f3 -> var ;
To remove a Fat-Free variable from memory if you no longer need it (discard it so it doesn't interfere with your other functions/methods), use the method:-
$f3 -> clear('var'); // or unset ( $f3 -> var );
To find out if a variable has been previously defined:-
$f3 -> exists('var') // isset ( $f3 -> var )
Globals
F3 maintains its own symbol table for framework and application variables, which are independent of PHP's. Some variables are mapped to PHP globals. Fat-Free's SESSION is equivalent to $_SESSION, and REQUEST maps to $_REQUEST. Use of framework variables is recommended, instead of PHP's, to help you with data transfer across different functions, classes and methods. They also have other advantages:-
You can use framework variables directly in your templates.
You don't have to instruct PHP to reference a variable outside the current scope using a global keyword inside each function or method. All F3 variables are global to your application.
Setting the Fat-Free equivalent of a PHP global like SESSION also changes PHP's underlying $_SESSION. Altering the latter also alters the framework counterpart.
Fat-Free does not maintain just a dumb storage for variables and their values. It can also automate session management and other things. Assigning or retrieving a value through F3's SESSION variable auto-starts the session. If you use $_SESSION (or session-related functions) directly, instead of the framework variable SESSION, your application becomes responsible for managing sessions.
As a rule, framework variables do not persist between HTTP requests. Only SESSION and COOKIE (and their elements) which are mapped to PHP's $_SESSION and $_COOKIE global variables are exempt from the stateless nature of HTTP.
There are several predefined global variables used internally by Fat-Free, and you can certainly utilize them in your application. Be sure you know what you're doing. Altering some Fat-Free global variables may result in unexpected framework behavior.
The framework has several variables to help you keep your files and directory structures organized. We've seen how we can automate class loading by using the AUTOLOAD. There's a UI global variable, which contains the path pointing to the location of your HTML views/templates. DEBUG is another variable you'll be using quite often during application development and it's used for setting the verbosity of error traces.
Refer to the Quick Reference if you need a comprehensive list of built-in framework variables.
Naming Rules
A framework variable may contain any number of letters, digits and underscores. It must start with an alpha character and should have no spaces. Variable names are case-sensitive.
F3 uses all-caps for internal predefined global variables. Nothing stops you from using variable names consisting of all-caps in your own program, but as a general rule, stick to lowercase (or camelCase) when you set up your own variables so you can avoid any possible conflict with current and future framework releases.
You should not use PHP reserved words like if, for, class, default, etc. as framework variable names. These may cause unpredictable results.
Working with String and Array Variables
F3 also provides a number of tools to help you with framework variables.
$f3 -> set('a ','fire'); $f3 -> concat('a ','cracker'); echo $f3 -> get('a'); // returns the string 'firecracker' $f3 -> copy('a ','b'); echo $f3 -> get('b'); // returns the same string: 'firecracker'
F3 also provides some primitive methods for working with array variables:-
$f3 -> set('colors ',['red ','blue ','yellow']); $f3 -> push('colors ','green'); // works like PHP's array_push() echo $f3 -> pop('colors'); // returns 'green' $f3 -> unshift('colors ','purple'); // similar to array_unshift() echo $f3 -> shift('colors'); // returns 'purple' $f3 -> set('grays ',['light ','dark']); $result = $f3 -> merge('colors ','grays'); // merges the two arrays
Do-It-Yourself Directory Structures
Unlike other frameworks that have rigid folder structures, F3 gives you a lot of flexibility. You can have a folder structure that looks like this (parenthesized words in all-caps represent the F3 framework variables that need tweaking):-
/ (your Web root, where index.php is located) app/ (application files) dict/ (LOCALES, optional) controllers/ logs/ (LOGS, optional) models/ views/ (UI) css/ js/ lib/ (you can store base.php here) tmp/ (TEMP, used by the framework) cache/ (CACHE)
Feel free to organize your files and directories any way you want. Just set the appropriate F3 global variables. If you want a really secure site, Fat-Free even |
tea party.
PATRICK ERIN MURPHY, the 29-year-old vice president of an environmental cleanup firm, would like nothing more than to make West a congressional has-been.
He “really just spews hatred,” the political novice who’s running against West says when we meet at his Palm Beach Gardens campaign headquarters in April. “He has no problem lying. He has no problem distorting the truth. There’s no place for that in our country.”
“And,” he adds, “the latest one about the progressive caucus being communists—you can’t say something like that and not expect consequences.” Palm Beach Democrats have adopted West’s jabs as a badge of honor, literally; volunteers at the opening of Murphy’s campaign office wrote “communist” on their name tags and addressed each other as “comrade.” “I never saw so many communists in the same room,” Murphy joked to supporters.
It will be a close race, though money won’t be an issue for West. One benefit of regularly accusing the opposition of high treason is that it opens up wallets across the country. He had $3.3 million on hand after the first quarter, an enormous sum for a House race. Murphy, meanwhile, has so far banked nearly $2 million—more than almost any other Democratic House challenger in the country.
“We call a Fuckin’ Muslim Terrorist a Fuckin’ Muslim Terrorist,” Miami Mike tells me, “and FUCK that politically correct shit which is bringing down this country…”
In late January, following Florida’s redistricting, West opted to shift from the redrawn 22nd District to the more politically favorable 18th. Murphy followed him—a bad move, according to West, who compares the race to the Battle of Cannae during the Second Punic War. “If he goes back and studies Hannibal, you may not want to follow a very savvy person that just avoided an ambush, because obviously they got something that’s waiting for you,” West told Roll Call.
Of note: Hannibal—and his elephants—won the battle but lost the war.
IN WELLINGTON, West has a six-man security detail, volunteers in New Balance kicks and floppy hats with cloth flaps in the back in the style of the French Foreign Legion. They don’t look especially capable of stopping anyone from doing anything, but they do have one thing going for them: They are absolutely not members of the Outlaw motorcycle gang.
The Outlaws are what are known in biking circles as “1 percenters,” so named not because of their affluence but because unlike the 99 percent of bikers who are peaceful and law-abiding, they’re out to raise hell. An all-white motorcycle club—one of its insignias used to feature a swastika—the Outlaws are infamous for their violent crimes, racism, misogyny, and (paradoxically) undying support for Allen West.
During the 2010 campaign, it came out that West had penned a monthly column, “Washingtoons,” for a Florida-based biker magazine called Wheels on the Road, which featured Outlaw ads and bulletins along with occasionally racist and misogynist content. West had appeared with the Outlaws at campaign events and even used them for security during press conferences. His opponent tried to make an issue of it, but in vain—in part, says the editor of Wheels on the Road, because West couldn’t possibly have been an actual Outlaw: “Every biker knows that there are no blacks allowed in the Outlaws.”
The editor, a thickly bearded man who goes simply by “Miami Mike,” calls West a friend and says the appeal for bikers goes beyond the congressman’s affinity for motorcycles—it’s an attitude thing. “We call a Fuckin’ Muslim Terrorist a Fuckin’ Muslim Terrorist,” Miami Mike tells me in an email, “and FUCK that politically correct shit which is bringing down this country and which will get a lot of people killed by some deranged Fuckin’ Muslim Terrorist with a bomb strapped to him (or herself) in Midtown Anytown USA.”
In West, they’ve found a politician who actually gets it.
WEST FINISHES HIS speech in Wellington, thanks the crowd, tips his Navy SEALs baseball hat once, and exits through the back of the hatch-shell amphitheater. The crowd swarms the exit, hoping to catch an autograph or just a final glimpse of Congress’ biggest badass.
West fires up his bike and wheels away. We watch him glide off, a solitary figure melting into the distance. The middle-aged woman beside me can’t contain herself. “I can’t believe he just goes on the road by himself, and he’s not concerned that someone’s gonna follow him and shoot him,” she says.
Does she really think someone would go after Allen West?
“You never know,” she says, not skipping a beat. “People are crazy today.”No Comments
Chevy Wins Advertising Award for Viral “Technology and Stuff” World Series Gaffe [VIDEO]
For the third annual year, One Show held its Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards at the Detroit Auto Show. And while brands like Honda and Acura took home trophies for their creative commercials, Chevrolet was honored for a very different piece of viral marketing.
Specifically, Chevy was recognized for the way it capitalized on the infamous “technology and stuff” gaffe from the 2014 World Series.
To refresh your memory: when San Francisco defeated Kansas City in Game Seven, a regional Chevrolet manager named Rikk Wilde showed up to present Giants pitcher and Series MVP Madison Bumgarner with a brand new 2015 Chevy Colorado. Unfortunately, Rikk got incredibly nervous when he realized he was being watched by 24 million people, and started awkwardly stuttering through his description of the pickup truck. His cringe-inducing performance culminated with the line, “[the Colorado] combines class-winning and leading, um… y’know, technology and stuff.”
What Chevy did next, though, amounted to an award-winning marketing push:
Technology and Stuff: Chevy unveils upgraded version of myChevrolet mobile app
So the most humiliating night of Rikk Wilde’s life ended up being a huge boon for the automaker, which quickly ran print and television ads utilizing the #TechnologyAndStuff phrase.
All in all, the bowtie brand ended up receiving a whopping $5 million in free media exposure thanks to the gaffe. And now, an advertising award for Best Interactive Advertising from One Show, a non-profit devoted to “elevating creative work in the industry worldwide,” has confirmed the accidental genius of it all.
“Chevy Guy” Rikk Wilde himself ended up being brutally memed by the internet, impersonated on The Late Show with David Letterman, and even turned into a Jeopardy! answer.
Hopefully he also got a raise from his company, though, considering how much he suffered for his (unintentionally) brilliant marketing stunt.
Chevy Awards: Bowtie brand wins Motor Trend 2016 Car and Truck of the Year AwardsLast month the V8 team landed an initial implementation of ES6 Generators. Generators, of course, are nothing new - they first appeared in the CLU programming language back in 1974. Today they're available in several modern programming languages, including Python, C#, and Ruby (see the wiki article for a more complete timeline of language adoption).
Given that Node.js is built on top of V8, the inclusion of generators has, well, generated quite a bit of buzz in the world of Node. This is with good reason, too. In this post I'm going to attempt to explain what exactly generators are and why their addition is such a big deal in JavaScript (and more particularly, Node). Also, a quick hat tip to Andy Wingo and Rick Waldron is due for clearing up some of the finer details for me.
Precursory Concepts
While generators themselves aren't overly complex, some of the concepts relevant to them aren't exactly common knowledge, so bear with me while we set some context.
Concept 1: Iterators
In computer programming, an iterator is an object that enables a programmer to traverse a container. -- Wikipedia
We'll get back to generators in a minute, but for now it's important to know that when invoked, generator functions return iterators. So, let's start with those. As the name implies, an iterator is not actually the collection that is being iterated, but is rather an object that assists with the iteration. Implementations vary across languages, but they all expose some variant of a.next() interface, enabling code to iterate over the items in a collection (or, more generically, container).
In JavaScript, iterators yield successive nextResult objects in response to.next() calls. These objects contain the yielded value in a value field, and a flag indicating whether or not the iterator is done in the aptly named done field. Let's call that "good enough" on iterators for now.
Please note: the specifications for iterators are currently in draft status, and subject to change.
Concept 2: Run-to-completion
Run-to-completion scheduling is a scheduling model in which each task runs until it either finishes, or explicitly yields control back to the scheduler. -- Wikipedia
Hopefully this is a topic that most Node developers will be familiar with. Just as a recap, though, JavaScript has run-to-completion execution semantics. What this means, more-or-less, is that once a task begins, it runs until it's complete. Unlike systems that rely on preemptive scheduling (such as threading), there is nothing in the JavaScript runtime that will preemptively pause the execution of a given task, permit some other code to execute for awhile, and then resume the original task.
This isn't to say, of course, that JavaScript prohibits multi-tasking. At the heart of the JavaScript runtime is a message queue that contains a list of "messages" (which we'll refer to as tasks) that need to be run. This is where the infamous "event loop" comes in to play. In simplest terms, the event loop is nothing more than a "loop" that shifts tasks off of the queue and executes them. This event loop, then, is how we multi-task in JavaScript, and how we achieve non-blocking I/O in Node (see below).
The "run-to-completion" terminology comes from the guarantee that a task will complete without being preempted. Therefore, if we actually do want a task to take a "timeout" and let some other code run for awhile, we use the event-loop. This type of multi-tasking is said to be "cooperative", as the currently executing task has complete control until it voluntarily gives it up.
Concept 3: Non-blocking I/O
Every block is kinda mean. -- 2Pac
We've already covered about 90% of what we need to on this one. When we refer to non-blocking I/O, we simply mean that other tasks should be allowed to run whenever we're waiting on I/O. When we don't yield execution, we're blocking. Blocking on slow operations (like fetching data from disk or the network) is detrimental to concurrent operations (like handling multiple requests in a web server). If we're blocked, nothing else can happen until the operation is complete, and everything grinds to a hault. This is why I/O operations in Node use callbacks; the operation is initiated, a callback is registered, and the task "runs to completion" without having to block. Once the result of the operation is ready, the callback is pushed onto the queue and subsequently run by the event loop.
Can We Actually Talk About Generators Now?
Alright, we definitely took the scenic route getting here, but let's talk about generators!
Introduction to Generators
Let's start with a quick code example, and then we'll talk about what's happening.
function* helloWorldGenerator() { yield 'hello'; yield 'world'; } var hw = helloWorldGenerator(); console.log(hw.next()); // prints { value: 'hello', done: false } console.log(hw.next()); // prints { value: 'world', done: false } console.log(hw.next()); // prints { value: undefined, done: true }
In the above example, helloWorldGenerator is a "generator function". Generator functions are special functions that return iterators and are denoted using the function* syntax. So, the hw variable above is the iterator returned from the helloWorldGenerator generator function.
As we covered earlier, iterators yield successive values in response to.next() calls, until it is exhausted. Here's a quick breakdown of what's happening above:
var hw = helloWorldGenerator();
We invoke our generator, but note that the generator body doesn't actually run at this point. Invoking helloWorldGenerator() simply returns our iterator.
console.log(hw.next());
We invoke.next() on the iterator, which causes the generator body to run up until the first yield expression. This expression "yields" our first value, 'hello', and then suspends execution of the generator body until.next() is called again. Meanwhile, hw.next() evaluates to a nextResult object, which as we previously discussed, contains the yielded value and a done flag indicating whether or not there are more values.
console.log(hw.next());
We again invoke the.next(), which causes execution of the generator body to resume up until the next yield expression. The same yield semantics apply, and we get our next result object with our 'world' value.
console.log(hw.next());
For the last time, we invoke.next(). Since there are no more yield expressions in the generator, we are simply given a result object with the done flag set to true. This is our sign to stop calling.next(), or we'll get an error next time.
Things Get Interesting: Lazy Evaluation
So far we've seen some fancy new syntax, but nothing that significantly advances our ability to express iteration in JavaScript. Let's look at another example, though:
function* powersOfTwo(maxExponent) { var exponent = 0; while (exponent <= maxExponent) { yield Math.pow(2, exponent); exponent++; } } var it = powersOfTwo(10), result = it.next(); while (!result.done) { console.log(result.value); result = it.next(); }
We're introducing two new concepts here. First, generator bodies can be initialized with parameters that remain in scope for the life of the iterator ( maxExponent in the example above). Second, we can create generators without knowing how many yield expressions it will have. for-of loops are currently being standardized that will significantly simplify the above example, but we can already start to see the power of lazy sequence computation.
Best For Last: Async Awesomeness
You may be wondering why we spent so much time talking about run-to-completion and non-blocking I/O. Well, prior to generators, JavaScript as a language offered exactly one construct for resuming after an asynchronous operation: callbacks. In highly asynchronous applications, this easily turned into deeply nested callbacks, affectionately known as "callback hell" (or, alternatively, the "pyramid of doom"). This gave rise to all sorts of libraries to assist with the code structure, with promises in particular receiving a lot of attention lately.
Well, like I said, this was prior to generators. Let's go back to our helloWorldGenerator() again:
function* helloWorldGenerator() { yield 'hello'; yield 'world'; }
Nothing has changed here, but consider the following modified usage of the iterator:
var hw = helloWorldGenerator(); console.log(hw.next()); // prints { value: 'hello', done: false } setTimeout(function() { console.log(hw.next()); // prints { value: 'world', done: false } }, 1000);
To reiterate (last pun, I promise [unless that counts too]), we have a full one-thousand beautiful milliseconds between yield 'hello' and yield 'world', and yet those lines of code are written in a very synchronous-looking syntax. This is a big deal: generators finally provide us with a pseudo-synchronous syntax that doesn't break run-to-completion semantics, doesn't require transpiling, and doesn't require callbacks.
Now, the previous code example obviously leaves something to be desired, and even though our generator didn't require a callback, we still had to use one to match the setTimeout() method signature. Fortunately, a new breed of generator-based control-flow libraries are springing up to assist with this.
Harnessing the Power of Generators with Suspend
The moment generators landed in V8, I had to get my hands on them. While using yield s to manage asynchronous code had some immediate academic interest, it quickly became apparent that some library support was needed to truly realize the expressiveness that generators enable. So, last month I introduced suspend, a generator-based control-flow utility for Node. Here's our "hello-sleep-world" example re-written with suspend:
suspend(function* (resume) { console.log('hello'); yield setTimeout(resume, 1000); console.log('world'); })();
This... this is the future we were promised (does that count as a double-pun? Yeah, I lied about that). As can be seen, suspend considerably reduces the boiler-plate code required to use generators, and allows us to move all of our logic into the generator body itself. No need to mess with.next(),.value,.done or the like.
It's also quite useful when dealing with node-style, error-first callbacks:
suspend(function* (resume) { var data = yield fs.readFile(__filename, 'utf8', resume); console.log(data); })();
As a final example, suspend can work seamlessly with promise-based code as well:
suspend(function* () { var user = yield db.users.findWithPromise({ username: 'jmar777' }); console.log(user.favoriteColor); })();
The suspend README does a pretty thorough job of explaining how to use it, so I won't spend more time on it here. Additionally, several other generator-based control-flow libraries have appeared as well, and are definitely worth checking out: co, galaxy, genny, and gen-run.
Wrapping Things Up
I'm sorry, I don't know how these things get so long. Massive props are owed to the V8 team for working so quickly to get generators implemented. ES6 and beyond is continuing to define awesome new features for us, so a thank you is owed to everyone working on the specs as well; it's definitely an exciting time to be a JavaScript developer. And, as always, thanks for reading!A key US Senator who indicated tentative, early support for stripping US nationals tied to overseas terrorist groups of their citizenship now firmly opposes the plan, his office said Wednesday.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer had said Tuesday that he had not reviewed the controversial proposal from Independent Senator Joe Lieberman but “that sounds like something I’d support.”
“Having learned about the proposal, the senator believes it would be found unconstitutional and would also be ineffective in this context,” Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement.
Lieberman had floated his plan amid a debate sparked by the arrest and interrogation of a Pakistani-born US citizen suspected of being behind the failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square.
“If you have joined an enemy of the United States in attacking the United States to try to kill Americans I think you sacrifice your rights of citizenship,” said Lieberman.
US law requires authorities to inform such suspects of their right to remain silent and have a lawyer present, with some exceptions in cases where they believe the person being questioned may have knowledge of imminent crimes.
Failure to inform them of their rights can lead courts to exclude evidence obtained thanks to their interrogation.
“There are much better ways of obtaining information from terrorists,” said Fallon.Collection HollyBowling
Set One:
01 The Curtain With
02 Unbroken Chain
03 Piper >gorge 09 sally jam >
04 Crazy Fingers
05 It's Ice >Frankenstein >It's Ice
Set Two:
01 Help on the Way>
02 Slipknot! >
03 Sand >eureka 92 tweezer jam >
04 Steam > *
05 Terrapin Station Suite
06 Free > **
07 Slipknot!
08 Franklin's Tower
Encore:
09 Taste
* w/ Slipknot! & Help on the Way teases
** w/ Sand tease
Notes
Holly Bowling
May 5th, 2016
River Street Jazz Cafe
Plains, PA
Soundboard + AKG C414 XLS's (On Stage, Omni, Spaced 8 ft) + Schoeps MK21's (NOS, inside Piano)>Schoeps KCY 250/05i>Schoeps VST62iu>Sound Devices 788t
SD788t>Nuendo 4 (Mix)>Sound Forge Pro 11 (Fades,iZotope 64 Bit Sample Rate Conversion/iZotope MBIT+ Bit depth conversion to 16 Bit/44.1khz)>CDWAV(Tracking)>Trader's Little Helper (FLAC)
Recorded/Processed By Keith LitzenbergerIntroduction
This page describes some new pseudorandom number generators (PRNGs) we (David Blackman and I) have been working on recently, and a shootout comparing them with other generators. Details about the generators can be found in our paper. Information about my previous xorshift -based generators can be found here, but they have been entirely superseded by the new ones, which are faster and better. As part of our study, we developed a very strong test for Hamming-weight dependencies which gave a number of surprising results.
64-bit Generators
xoshiro256** (XOR/shift/rotate) is our all-purpose, rock-solid generator (not a cryptographically secure generator, though, like all PRNGs in these pages). It has excellent (sub-ns) speed, a state space (256 bits) that is large enough for any parallel application, and it passes all tests we are aware of.
If, however, one has to generate only 64-bit floating-point numbers (by extracting the upper 53 bits) xoshiro256+ is a slightly (≈15%) faster generator with analogous statistical properties. For general usage, one has to consider that its lowest bits have low linear complexity and will fail linearity tests; however, low linear complexity can have hardly any impact in practice, and certainly has no impact at all if you generate floating-point numbers using the upper bits (we computed a precise estimate of the linear complexity of the lowest bits).
If you are tight on space, xoroshiro128** (XOR/rotate/shift/rotate) and xoroshiro128+ have the same speed and use half of the space; the same comments apply. They are suitable only for low-scale parallel applications; moreover, xoroshiro128+ exhibits a mild dependency in Hamming weights that generates a failure after 5 TB of output in our test. We believe this slight bias cannot affect any application.
Finally, if for any reason (which reason?) you need more state, we provide in the same vein xoshiro512** / xoshiro512+ and xoroshiro1024** / xoroshiro1024* (see the paper).
All generators, being based on linear recurrences, provide jump functions that make it possible to simulate any number of calls to the next-state function in constant time, once a suitable jump polynomial has been computed. We provide ready-made jump functions for a number of calls equal to the square root of the period, to make it easy generating non-overlapping sequences for parallel computations.
We suggest to use a SplitMix64 to initialize the state of our generators starting from a 64-bit seed, as research has shown that initialization must be performed with a generator radically different in nature from the one initialized to avoid correlation on similar seeds.
32-bit Generators
xoshiro128** is our 32-bit all-purpose, rock-solid generator, whereas xoshiro128+ is its counterpart for floating-point generation. They are the 32-bit counterpart of xoshiro256** and xoshiro256+, so similar comments apply. Their state is too small for large-scale parallelism: their intended usage is inside embedded hardware or GPUs. For an even smaller scale, you can use xoroshiro64** and xoroshiro64*. We not believe at this point in time 32-bit generator with a larger state can be of any use (but there 32-bit xoroshiro generators of much larger size).
All 32-bit generators pass all tests we are aware of, with the exception of linearity tests (binary rank and linear complexity) for xoshiro128+ and xoroshiro64* : in this case, due to the smaller number of output bits the low linear complexity of the lowest bits is sufficient to trigger BigCrush tests when the output is bit-reversed. Analogously to the 64-bit case, generating 32-bit floating-point number using the upper bits will not use any of the bits with low linear complexity.
16-bit Generators
We do not suggest any particular 16-bit generator, but it is possible to design relatively good ones using our techniques. For example, Parallax has embedded in their Propeller 2 microcontroller multiple 16-bit xoroshiro32++ generators (for information about the ++ scrambler, see the paper).
A PRNG Shootout
We provide here a shootout of a few recent 64-bit PRNGs that are quite widely used. The purpose is that of providing a consistent, reproducible assessment of two properties of the generators: speed and quality. The code used to perform the tests and all the output from statistical test suites is available for download.
The speed reported in this page is the time required to emit 64 random bits, and the number of clock cycles required to generate a byte (thanks to the PAPI library). If a generator is 32-bit in nature, we glue two consecutive outputs. Note that we do not report results using GPUs or SSE instructions: for that to be meaningful, we should have implementations for all generators. Otherwise, with suitable hardware support we could just use AES in counter mode and get 64 secure bits in 1.12ns. The tests were performed on an Intel® Core™ i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz (Kaby Lake).
A few caveats:
Timings are taken running a generator for billions of times in a loop; but this is not the way you use generators.
There is some looping overhead, which is about 0.12 ns, but subtracting it from the timings is not going to be particularly meaningful due to instruction rescheduling, etc.
Relative speed might be different on different CPUs and on different scenarios.
Code has been compiled using gcc's -fno-move-loop-invariants and -fno-unroll-loops options. These options are essential to get a sensible result: without them, the compiler can move outside the testing loop constant loads (e.g., multiplicative constants) and may perform different loop unrolling depending on the generator. For this reason, we cannot provide timings with clang : there are at the time of this writing no such options. If you find timings that are significantly better than those shown here on comparable hardware, they are likely to be unreliable and just due to compiler artifacts.
To ease replicability, I distribute a harness performing the measurement. You just have to define a next() function and include the harness. But the only realistic suggestion is to try different generators in your application and see what happens.
This is probably the more elusive property of a PRNG. Here quality is measured using the powerful BigCrush suite of tests. BigCrush is part of TestU01, a monumental framework for testing PRNGs developed by Pierre L'Ecuyer and Richard Simard (“TestU01: A C library for empirical testing of random number generators”, ACM Trans. Math. Softw. 33(4), Article 22, 2007).
We run BigCrush starting from 100 equispaced points of the state space of the generator and collect failures—tests in which the p-value statistics is outside the interval [0.001..0.999]. A failure is systematic if it happens at all points.
Note that TestU01 is a 32-bit test suite. Thus, two 32-bit integer values are passed to the test suite for each generated 64-bit value. Floating point numbers are generated instead by dividing the unsigned output of the generator by 264. Since this implies a bias towards the high bits (which is anyway a known characteristic of TestU01), we run the test suite also on the reverse generator. More detail about the whole process can be found in this paper.
Beside BigCrush, we analyzed our generators using a test for Hamming-weight dependencies described in our paper. As we already remarked, our only generator failing the test (but only after 5 TB of output) is xoroshiro128+.
We report the period of each generator and its footprint in bits: a generator gives “bang-for-the-buck” if the base-2 logarithm of the period is close to the footprint. Note that the footprint has been always padded to a multiple of 64, and it can be significantly larger than expected because of padding and cyclic access indices.
The following table compares instead two ways of generating floating-point numbers, namely the 521-bit dSFMT, which generates directly floating-point numbers with 52 significant bits, and xoshiro256+ followed by a standard conversion of its upper bits to a floating-point number with 53 significant bits (see below).
PRNG Footprint (bits) Period BigCrush Systematic Failures ns/double xoshiro256+ (returns 53 significant bits) 256 2256 − 1 — 1.15 dSFMT (uses SSE2 instructions, returns only 52 significant bits) 704 2521 − 1 MatrixRank, LinearComp 0.95
xoshiro256+ is ≈20% slower than the dSFMT, but it has a doubled range of output values, does not need any extra SSE instruction (can be programmed in Java, etc.), has a much smaller footprint, and does not fail any test.
A long period does not imply high quality
This is a common misconception. The generator x++ has period \(2^k\), for any \(k\geq0\), provided that x is represented using \(k\) bits: nonetheless, it is a horrible generator. The generator returning \(k-1\) zeroes followed by a one has period \(k\).
It is however important that the period is long enough. A first heuristic rule of thumb is that if you need to use \(t\) values, you need a generator with period at least \(t^2\). Moreover, if you run \(n\) independent computations starting at random seeds, the sequences used by each computation should not overlap. We can stay on the safe side and require that the period is long enough so that the probability that \(n\) sequences of \(t^2\) elements starting at random positions overlap is very low.
Now, given a generator with period \(P\), the probability that \(n\) subsequences of length \(L\) starting at random points in the state space overlap is \[ 1 - \left( 1 - \frac{nL}{P-1}\right)^{n-1} \approx 1 - \left(e^{-Ln}\right)^{\frac{n-1}{P-1}} \approx \frac{Ln^2}P, \] assuming that \(P\) is large and \(nL/P\) is close to zero. If your generator has period \(2^{256}\) and you run on \(2^{64}\) cores (you will never have them) a computation using \(2^{64}\) pseudorandom numbers (you will never have the time) the probability of overlap would be less than \(2^{-64}\).
In other words: any generator with a period beyond \(2^{256}\) has a period that is sufficient for every imaginable application. Unless there are other motivations (e.g., provably increased quality), a generator with a larger period is only a waste of memory (as it needs a larger state), of cache lines, and of precious high-entropy random bits for seeding (unless you're using small seeds, but then it's not clear why you would want a very long period in the first place—the computation above is valid only if you seed all bits of the state with independent, uniformly distributed random bits).
In case the generator provides a jump function that lets you skip through chunks of the output in constant time, even a period of \(2^{128}\) can be sufficient, as it provides \(2^{64}\) non-overlapping sequences of length \(2^{64}\).
Equidistribution
Every 64-bit generator of ours with n bits of state scrambled with * or ** is n /64-dimensionally equidistributed: every n /64-tuple of consecutive 64-bit values appears exactly once in the output, except for the zero tuple (and this is the largest possible dimension). Generators based on the + scrambler are however only ( n /64 − 1)-dimensionally equidistributed: every ( n /64 − 1)-tuple of consecutive 64-bit values appears exactly 264 times in the output, except for a missing zero tuple. The same considerations apply to 32-bit generators.
Generating uniform doubles in the unit interval
A standard double (64-bit) floating-point number in IEEE floating point format has 52 bits of significand, plus an implicit bit at the left of the significand. Thus, the representation can actually store numbers with 53 significant binary digits.
Because of this fact, in C99 a 64-bit unsigned integer x should be converted to a 64-bit double using the expression
#include <stdint.h> (x >> 11) * (1. / (UINT64_C(1) << 53))
In Java, the same result can be obtained with
(x >>> 11) * 0x1.0p-53
This conversion guarantees that all dyadic rationals of the form k / 2−53 will be equally likely. Note that this conversion prefers the high bits of x, but you can alternatively use the lowest bits.
An alternative, faster multiplication-free operation is
#include <stdint.h> static inline double to_double(uint64_t x) { const union { uint64_t i; double d; } u = {.i = UINT64_C(0x3FF) << 52 | x >> 12 }; return u.d - 1.0; }
The code above cooks up by bit manipulation a real number in the interval [1..2), and then subtracts one to obtain a real number in the interval [0..1). If x is chosen uniformly among 64-bit integers, d is chosen uniformly among dyadic rationals of the form k / 2−52. This is the same technique used by generators providing directly doubles, such as the dSFMT.
This technique is supposed to be fast (it is not on my recent hardware, however), but you will be generating half the values you could actually generate. The same problem plagues the dSFMT. All doubles generated will have the lowest significand bit set to zero (I must thank Raimo Niskanen from the Erlang team for making me notice this—a previous version of this site did not mention this issue).
In Java you can obtain an analogous result using suitable static methods:
Double.longBitsToDouble(0x3FFL << 52 | x >>> 12) - 1.0
To adhere to the principle of least surprise, my implementations now use the multiplicative version, everywhere.
Interestingly, these are not the only notions of “uniformity” you can come up with. Another possibility is that of generating 1074-bit integers, normalize and return the nearest value representable as a 64-bit double (this is the theory—in practice, you will almost never use more than two integers per double as the remaining bits would not be representable). This approach guarantees that all representable doubles could be in principle generated, albeit not every returned double will appear with the same probability. A reference implementation can be found here. Note that unless your generator has at least 1074 bits of state and suitable equidistribution properties, the code above will not do what you expect (e.g., it might never return zero).Lockheed Martin has launched an offensive to combat complaints from pilots who have refused to fly its F-22s over concerns about oxygen deprivation while in the cockpit.
The company took its campaign to the skies - er, Twitter - to try to combat growing negative publicity about its Raptors.
The Air Force has been looking into about a dozen unexplained incidents related to hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency, with pilots but has been unable to pinpoint the cause, Air Combat Command has said.
Some pilots have come forward to say they won't get in the F-22s until the problem is solved.
Pilots began experiencing problems about four years ago.
“For some reason, the onboard oxygen generating system and the environmental control system that feeds it may be inputting some contaminant,” Gen. Gregory Martin, a retired Air Force veteran, told CNN affiliate WAVY in Virginia.
For a while, the problem was the subject of only a spattering of media reports, but Lockheed Martin went on the offensive (or defensive, depending whom you ask) by launching a Twitter campaign praising the fleet as "60 Minutes" aired a segment on the problems with the Raptors and interviewed decorated pilots who were refusing to fly them.
Gen. Mike Hostage of Air Combat Command recently spoke about the issue, which has plagued the fleet since problems with the F-22s' oxygen supply system were reported in 2008.
The jets have been grounded to examine the problem, but in September 2011, the Raptors were again cleared and allowed to fly. In January 2011, the jets were limited to altitudes under 25,000 feet during an investigation into a November 2010 crash. Flying above that altitude could cause a pilot to black out from lack of oxygen and lose control.
The Air Force has made sure to add emergency oxygen deployment handles should a pilot encounter any issues.
"We are diligently pursuing a variety of hypotheses to try and understand and characterize the exact circumstances we've been experiencing," Hostage said.
As the "60 Minutes" feature aired, Lockheed Martin tweeted about the impressive speeds and missions that no other planes but the F-22s were able to claim. But it also got a few pithy responses to the public relations campaign.
@LockheedMartin Pity the pilots don't want to fly them though... —
Damo ✌ (@ThatDamonGuy) May 07, 2012It really takes one to tango: Science explains why we view other bodies as extensions of our own Ever wonder how dancers move in such perfect synchronicity? The answer lies in our fluid notion of "body schema"
Among dance forms, tango holds a unique and potent allure. It showcases two individuals—each with a separate mind, body, and bundle of goals and intentions, moving at times in close embrace, at times stepping away from each other, improvising moves and flourishes while responding to the imaginative overtures of the other—who somehow manage to give the impression of two bodies answering to a single mind. For performers and viewers alike, much of tango’s appeal comes from this apparent psychic fusion into a super-individual unit. Michael Kimmel |
roots. One lean practice that has gained traction with many agilists is a Kanban board.
Lean has much in common with agile. Lean has two principles, add value for your customer and empower your workers. If we look at the Agile Manifesto's 4 we can see similarities between the manifesto and Lean principles: [login]
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Agile techniques emphasize empowering individuals on the team, as evidenced in the phrase "Individuals and Interactions over processes". "Customer collaboration" indicates that what is valuable to customers must be a major consideration in agile projects.
Teams looking to lean principles have been able to use Kanban boards both within existing agile structures and as a process that stands on its own. Sustaining engineering projects make an easy start for using Kanban. Below is a guide intended to help teams start using Kanban within their organization. As mentioned in the last part of this article, the best way to start Kanban is get someone experienced to coach your team. If your organization cannot do that, and to help get started, the following can help your team begin with Kanban.
Organizational Buy-In
Since lean terminology is familiar to most business people, it is not as difficult to sell in the organization as some other agile methodologies. Manufacturing companies have a lot of familiarity with these concepts. See the resource list if you would like to learn more about this.
For this reason, a Kanban board can be introduced at a lower organizational level and then melded into corporate culture. Explaining why a Kanban board works should not be as much education to C-Level types as say explaining Scrum to them. Start with one team, and see what works and does not. Capture Cycle times, and compare those to what that team is experiencing. So let's start our Kanban board.
Determine Your Value Stream
To begin your software organizations Lean journey, the team needs to map their value stream. This is not as complex a task as it sounds. Begin with a workshop involving all the team members. In the workshop, team members map out their current software development process. Mapping out the current process just means that team describes each step the process takes. This is important to make sure this is not a future state the team wants, but the current state.
You can map your process using an electronic tool such as Visio, or consider using an actual Kanban board. For this exercise, the Kanban board is the best way to map out your process. Use the software tools to help you map this out if your team prefers a more traditional value stream mapping tool. Remember that the map will end up on your Kanban Board, so simply using the board to map out your process eliminates some waste.
To map using a Kanban board, set up different Queues on your board that represent the different states your development process has. If your team started with Scrum, you may already have states of In Process, and done. But look deeper and see what actually happens in your process. QA should be involved with your team, so make that a Queue if it makes sense. Creating automated tests may be something your team consistently does during the process, so make that a Queue.
Mapping Examples
Look at an example of how a team might map their development value stream. If your development team has someone who initially creates the acceptance tests (hopefully automated!), then perhaps a queue can be set up as the Creation of acceptance Tests. You may consider this part your Analysis phase. As long as the team understands that the Analysis phase includes creation of acceptance tests, this approach works.
In this instance, after analysis, a developer works on the story or feature, coding unit tests, and the software to the acceptance tests just created. So then a queue for Development should be set up.
Next, the developer hands the story back to the QA person who set up the test, so they can perform their standard test suite on the this story or feature. To capture that in our value stream, a Queue is set up for QA.
After QA, in this example, the team is done. You may want to set up a deployment queue, if that is a process that warrants it. To see a template for mapping using a Kanban board with the above example, see example 1 below:
The above example shows how your Kanban board could be divided based on the example team mentioned above. The team needs to agree on how the current process works. Feel free to map the process you think you want to get to. Do not use that process, but keep it to see the progress you make towards your ideal! Next
Set Your WIP Limit
Once you have mapped out your process consider limiting your Work In Process, or WIP. Each column should represent a queue where work happens. It is a good idea to set a limit to what can be in that queue, and not allow any other work prior to that queue to send work to the next queue until the current limit is relieved.
The way to decide on those limits involves considerations on who is available to work and how much they can give to the team. If you have 2 developers, who use the engineering practice of Pair Programming, the development queue may have a limit of 1 on WIP, and 1 on the Ready queue. The team needs to give input on the limits. Once these limits are decided on, the team should reevaluate them frequently.
Work on your product backlog
At some point the work to be done should ideally be captured on an index card. If you use stories, this should not be hard. Consider moving your units of work into stories or features if you have not already.
Before beginning, make sure that the pieces of work in your backlog are still valuable. Consider making rules such as expiring stories that are older. That way, if your backlog includes stories that are older, your team can be that they are still needed. This solution is especially helpful in Sustaining Engineering einvironments.Update: In August 2018, the district court hearing the case ruled that Doe could maintain his anonymity, finding that the likely harm that would result from identifying Doe outweighed the public's interest in learning his identity. You can read the decision here.
Anonymous online speakers may be able to keep their identities secret even after they lose lawsuits brought against them, a federal appellate court ruled last week.
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Signature Management Team, LLC v. John Doe is a victory for online speakers because it recognized that the First Amendment’s protections for anonymous speech do not end once a party suing the anonymous speaker prevails. Instead, the court ruled that revealing anonymous speakers’ identities has far-reaching consequences that must be weighed against opposing parties’ and the general public’s rights to learn speakers’ names once they’ve been found to have violated the law. This is good news, because many vulnerable speakers will self-censor unless they have the ability to speak anonymously and thereby avoid retaliation for their whistleblowing or unpopular views.
The ruling, however, is not all good news for anonymous speech. The test announced by the court sets unmasking as the default rule post-judgment, placing the burden on the anonymous party to argue against unmasking. Additionally, the court expanded the competing First Amendment right of access to judicial proceedings and records—which EFF strongly supports—to a novel right to learn the identity of an anonymous litigant—which we do not support.
Blogger Sued by Company for Copyright Infringement Fights to Keep His Anonymity
The case centers on an anonymous blogger (Doe) who runs the blog “Amthrax,” which is critical of multi-level marketing companies such as Amway. In 2013, the blogger posted a training manual copyrighted by Signature Management Team, another multi-level marketing company. When the company issued a takedown notice, Doe removed the work from the blog. Then Signature Management filed suit. It asked for a court order to unmask Doe and to require Doe to destroy all copies of the book and not to infringe the company’s copyright in the future.
During an early discovery phase of the case, the trial court denied Signature Management’s request to unmask Doe, ruling that the First Amendment protected his identity. Later, on the merits, the court ruled that Doe had infringed Signature Management’s copyright, but indicated that it would likely only require that Doe destroy all copies of the work. After Doe confirmed that he had done so, Signature Management once more asked the court to unmask Doe.
The trial court again denied Signature Management’s request, finding that because Doe had already deleted the infringing work, unmasking the blogger was unnecessary. Signature Management appealed to the Sixth Circuit, arguing that since Doe was found liable, he should no longer maintain his anonymity.
The Good News: Court Recognizes Right to Anonymity Extends to Speakers Who Lose Lawsuits
To EFF’s knowledge, the Sixth Circuit’s decision is the first time a federal appellate court has recognized that the First Amendment can protect speakers’ ability to remain anonymous even when they have been found liable in a civil lawsuit.
An order unmasking Doe would therefore unmask him in connection with both protected and unprotected speech and might hinder his ability to engage in anonymous speech in the future.
This is a great development for anonymous speech online. EFF has long fought for anonymous speech rights, including defending online speakers from lawsuits that are designed to intimidate, harass, or silence them rather than vindicate the plaintiffs’ legitimate legal grievances. Although the right to speak anonymously is not absolute, courts have recognized its historical importance in our democracy and its ability to foster open debate on controversial topics, particularly online.
In most anonymous speech cases, parties seek to unmask speakers at an early stage in a lawsuit. Courts have developed various tests that seek to protect anonymous speech rights and to deter frivolous lawsuits, while still allowing plaintiffs to obtain the evidence they need to pursue their claims.
It was an open question whether the right to anonymity continued after a Doe defendant was found liable for a civil claim. We filed a brief [.pdf] in this case arguing that it did, and the Sixth Circuit agreed.
The appellate court rejected Signature Management’s argument that Doe’s liability for copyright infringement extinguished his First Amendment right to anonymity. This is because his unprotected publication of Signature Management’s book was just one episode in a larger campaign of Doe’s overall anonymous speech. The court explained that although “Doe’s infringing speech is not entitled to First Amendment protection, that speech occurred in the context of anonymous blogging activities that are entitled to such protection.”
The court further reasoned: “An order unmasking Doe would therefore unmask him in connection with both protected and unprotected speech and might hinder his ability to engage in anonymous speech in the future.”
The court’s ruling gives anonymous speakers a chance to show that they should still keep their anonymity even if they’ve been found to have violated the law, laying out factors (discussed below) that courts can weigh when determining if speakers can keep their anonymity.
The Bad News: Court’s Test Places the Burden on Speakers to Maintain Their Anonymity
Unfortunately, maintaining anonymity after being found liable in a civil lawsuit is not guaranteed under the Sixth Circuit’s test. The decision sets a default (in legal jargon, a presumption) that, after being found liable, the speaker should be unmasked. It is then up to the speaker to overcome that default by showing that unmasking is not warranted.
The court’s standard is backwards. The rule—even post-judgment—should be that the First Amendment protects anonymous speakers’ rights by default, and then the party seeking to unmask them should have the burden to show why unmasking is required.
The decision provides several factors for courts to weigh, including the public’s interest in the litigation, the plaintiff’s needs to know the defendant’s identity to enforce the judgment against them, and the anonymous speakers’ ability to show that they engage in substantial protected speech that unmasking will chill. After creating the test, the Sixth Circuit sent the case back to the district court to apply it in this specific case.
The court grounded its default—that Does should be unmasked once they’ve been found liable—in another important First Amendment right: the right of the public to access judicial proceedings and records.
EFF is a strong advocate of this right, and we regularly assert it in court. But as we argued in the brief we filed in this case, that presumptive right of access can yield in narrow circumstances to other important interests, such as an individual’s right to anonymity.
The Sixth Circuit’s ruling, however, expands the First Amendment right of access beyond sealed court records or closed judicial proceedings, to include a new principle: that the public has the right to know the names of anonymous defendants once they’ve been found liable. The court ruled that “like the general presumption of open judicial records, there is also a presumption in favor of unmasking anonymous defendants when judgment has been entered for a plaintiff.”
This is incorrect. The point of the right of public access to government proceedings and records is for the public to be able to monitor what its government is up to. To know whether judicial rulings are fair and reasonable, the public needs to be able to attend court hearings and read court filings. Irrespective of whether the identity of an anonymous litigant appears in court records, unmasking the litigant will not advance the public’s ability to monitor the actions of the court.
One risk of the Sixth Circuit’s ruling is that it might eventually be extended to create a presumption of post-judgment unmasking for anonymous plaintiffs, who can include parties alleging privacy invasions, who were victims of crime, or those seeking access to abortion or other medical care.
For now, we’re excited that the Sixth Circuit strengthened protections for anonymous speakers and we remain hopeful that our concerns about the decision won’t be realized.Cue up the Dumb and Dumber GIFS. There's a chance.
Former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones might consider managing baseball in the future, but he told Atlanta radio station 680 The Fan's "Front Row" show Friday he's content with his life right now.
Jones is happy with his current role with the Atlanta Braves and having plenty of time for family and golf.
He said it would take a price that would have to "knock my socks off" for him to consider becoming the next manager of the Braves.
"I have not been approached by anybody officially," Chipper said trying to put fans' speculation to bed.
The Future Hall of Famer didn't rule out taking up a manager position in the future. But, it wouldn't be solely up to him.
PHOTOS | Chipper Jones through the years
Chipper Jones through the years PHOENIX - MAY 28: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves looks on from the dugout during the major league baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 28, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 5-2 (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 25: Chipper Jones #10 (L) of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Martin Prado #14 after the game against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on September 25 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David Goldman-Pool/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 27: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves waves to the fans during a standing ovation as he stepped to the plate in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on September 27, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 26: A young fan shows off a sign in support of Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on September 26, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves waits in the on deck circle as teammate Jason Heyward #22 bats during the second inning in a MLB baseball game on September 22, 2012 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Jimmy Rollins #11 and Chase Utley #26 of the Philadelphia Phillies present Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves with a painting before the start of their game on September 21, 2012 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 19: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves looks on during a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 19, 2012 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: A fan holds a sign in honor of Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves during a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 8, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Jones is retiring after the season. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 2: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a three-run walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field on September 2 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 29: Chris Denorfia #13 of the San Diego Padres slides into third base ahead of the tag of Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning of a baseball game at Petco Park on August 29, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 17: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves rounds the bases after hitting a second inning home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field on August 17, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 2: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves is interviewed after the game by Brian Jordan against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field on August 2, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JULY 14: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves walks off the field in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Turner Field on July 14, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) MIAMI, FL - JULY 23: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves looks on during a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on July 23, 2012 in Miami, Florida. The Miami Marlins defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-1. (Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 10: (L-R) National League All-Stars Wade Miley #36 of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves, Michael Bourn #24 of the Atlanta Braves and Craig Kimbrel #46 of the Atlanta Braves stand for the performance of the National Anthem during the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 10: National League All-Star Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves warms up during batting practice for the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JULY 04: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves wipes his face in the bottom of the ninth of their 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field on July 4, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 10: National League All-Star Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves waves to fans during the All-Star Game Red Carpet Show presented by Chevrolet on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) BOSTON, MA - JUNE 23: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves follows through on a hit against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of the interleague game at Fenway Park on June 23, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 26: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves and Fredi Gonzalez #33 converse in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field on June 26, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 11: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees dives in to third base against Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on June 11, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) HOUSTON - APRIL 09: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves is presented a cowboy hat by former Houston Astro Craig Biggio in appreciation for all the years he has played for the Braves and against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on April 9, 2012 in Houston, Texas. Jones is retiring this year. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 08: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves slides into second base after hitting a double in the top of the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 8, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 15: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves againt the New York Mets at Turner Field on June 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 12: Third baseman Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves shakes hands with former manager Bobby Cox while former Braves pitcher Don Sutton looks on during the Bobby Cox number retirement ceremony before the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field on August 12, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 18: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves watches from the dugout during the Major League Baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 18, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 08: A detail of the batting glove of Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves during their opening day game against the Philadephia Phillies at Turner Field on April 8, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves in the on deck circle against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on March 31, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) KISSIMMEE, FL - MARCH 01: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves looks on from the dugout during a Spring Training game against the Houston Astros at Osceola County Stadium on March 1, 2011 in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves stretches during a spring training workout at Champion Stadium on February 21, 2011 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - FEBRUARY 21: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves during Photo Day at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports of Complex on February 21, 2011 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) ATLANTA - JUNE 20: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves against the Kansas City Royals at Turner Field on June 20, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ATLANTA - JUNE 17: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves holds a press conference at his locker in the team clubhouse to address his retirement before facing the Tampa Bay Rays at Turner Field on June 17, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Adam Dunn #44 of the Washington Nationals talks with Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves during the game at Nationals Park on May 4, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) KISSIMMEE, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves poses during photo day at Champions Stadium on February 26, 2010 in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) DUNEDIN, FL - MARCH 5: Chipper Jones #10 of Team USA celebrates a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies March 5, 2009 at Bright House Field in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) TAMPA, FL - MARCH 3: Infielders Chipper Jones #10, Derek Jeter #2 and Dustin Pedroia #15 of the USA World Baseball Classic team line up for the National Anthem before play against the New York Yankees March 3, 2009 at at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) NEW YORK - JULY 15: Chipper Jones looks on during the MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade on July 15, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) KISSIMMEE, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Chipper Jones #10 and Jeff Francoeur #7 of the Atlanta Braves talk during practice on February 25, 2008 at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) PHOENIX - MARCH 08: Third baseman Chipper Jones #10 of Team USA fields a ground ball single by Pete Laforest of Team Canada during the Round 1 Pool B Game of the World Baseball Classic on March 8, 2006 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) 7 Oct 1998: Infielder Chipper Jones #10 and pitcher John Rocker #49 of the Atlanta Braves confer during the National League Championship Series game against the San Diego Padres at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Padres defeated the Braves 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport HOUSTON - OCTOBER 8: Third baseman Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves blows a bubble while relief pitcher Joey Devine #28 warms up in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros in Game Three of the 2005 National League Division Series on October 8, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) KISSIMMEE, FL - FEBRUARY 28: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves poses during photo day at Cracker Jack Stadium on February 28, 2005 in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) FLUSHING, : Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones (L) slides safely into home ahead of the tag by New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza (R) in the top of the fourth inning 01 July, 2000 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Matt CAMPBELL (Photo credit should read MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA - OCTOBER 7: Left fielder Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves hits into a game-ending double play during game five of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants on October 7, 2002 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Giants won 3-1. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) 10 May 2001: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves swings his bat during the game against the San Diego Padres at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The Padres defeated the Braves 6-5.Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport 23 Feb 2001: Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves leans on a couple of bats as he looks on during Spring Training at Disney Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, Florida.Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport 07 Sep 2001: Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves watches the flight of his ball during the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Braves won 3-2. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport 18 Jul 1998: Infielder Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves in action during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Brewers defeated the Braves 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport 6 Mar 1997: Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves during the Braves 5-2 loss to the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport 27 Feb 1998: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves signs autographs for the fans during a Spring Training game against the Kansas City Royals at the Disney Wide World of Sports Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Royals defeated the Braves 3-2. Mandatory 28 Oct 1995: Third baseman Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves speaks with newsperson after winning game six of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves won the game 1 - 0. Mandatory Credit: 16 Jul 1995: Third baseman Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves in action during a game against the San Diego Padres. The Padres won the game 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport ATLANTA, UNITED STATES: As Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones (R) shows him the ball, third base umpire John Hirshbeck (L) calls Kenny Lofton of the Cleveland Indians safe as Lofton steals third base in the first inning of game one of the World Series in Atlanta, Georgia 21 October. Lofton was initially called out on the play but was then called safe. He then scored Cleveland's first run. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read CHRIS WILKINS/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 17: Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones(R) sprays champange on a teammate after winning the National League Championship series 17 October at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves won the game 15-0 to win the series. The Braves will take on the New York Yankees in the World Series starting 19 October. (Photo credit should read BRIAN BAHR/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 5: Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones leaps for a hit by Chicago Cub Rey Sanchez during their game 05 June in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves led the game 7-5 in the seventh enning. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read DOUG COLLIER/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 24: Atlanta Brave Chipper Jones misses shot hit by Montreaal Expo Sean Berry in the eigth inning of the game 24 September in Atlanta, Ga. The Braves won in the tenth inning 5-4. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read DOUG COLLIER/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 7: Members of the National and American League All-Star teams, from left, Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., Kevin Brown and Ivan Rodriguez talk during practice for the Major League Baseball All-Star game 07 July at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OH. The All-Star game will be played 08 July. (Photo credit should read KIMBERLY BARTH/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 23: Cincinnati Reds' Pokey Reese (R)s tagged out while trying to steal in the third inning by Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones during their game at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA 23 August. The Braves won the game 10 to 3. (Photo credit should read STEVEN R. SCHAEFER/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 26: Houston Astros Russ Johnson (L) is tagged out by Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones after Johnson tried to make it to third base on a Brad Ausmus second inning single during their game at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA, 26 August. (Photo credit should read STEVEN R. SCHAEFER/AFP/Getty Images) ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 18: Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones just misses catching a fourth inning line drive off the bat of Florida Marlins player Todd Zeile during their game at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA 18 June. The Marlins beat the Braves 3-2. (Photo credit should read STEVEN SCHAEFER/AFP/Getty Images) CHICAGO - AUGUST 30: Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves fields a throw during their game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 30, 1996 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Braves 3-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
"That would have to be a decision me and the little lady would have to come to," Chipper said referring to his wife, Taylor Higgins.
"If she was okay with it, I would consider it," he said.
Higgins recently asked Jones if he wanted to be the Braves' next manager. He said he told her what he told the radio show:
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"No comment."
Jones is currently a special assistant for the Braves. He goes to the ballpark a couple times a week to be a "third set of eyes" on the guys in the hitting cage.
He's also been acting as a scout for the organization traveling to local high schools. He said it's not the easiest task because he's so recognizable and can't fly under the radar.
The Atlanta Braves fired manager Fredi Gonzalez Monday after the team started a franchise-worst 9-28 through 37 games. Triple-A manager Brian Snitker will be the interim manager until the end of the season.
"He's the greatest," Jones said about Snitker.
The pair worked together in the early 90s when Snitker was a first base coach. Snitker has been with the Braves for nearly 40 seasons, and Jones said that proves how strong of a developmental coach Snitker is and his worth to the organization.
"I think this was a particular strong move."
To hear more of Jones on 680 The Fan, click here.
PHOTOS | Former Braves' manager Fredi GonzalezDETROIT –All NHL teams braced for more injuries during this lockout-shortened season, but the Detroit Red Wings already have experienced more than their share.
Their latest injury had nothing to do with a short training camp and compressed schedule, however, as defenseman Ian White will be out for two-to-three weeks following surgery Wednesday morning to repair a deep laceration in his left leg.
It was a freak injury, as White was cut just above his knee by the skate blade of Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard midway through the third period of Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Dallas.
“He had a very deep laceration,'' Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “No damage to any tendons, but some of the muscle was detached. During surgery, Dr. (Doug) Plagens reattached some of the muscle.
“All went well.''
Holland said he will not sign another defenseman or recall anybody from the Grand Rapids Griffins because Jakub Kindl (groin) is due back for Friday's game against Minnesota at Joe Louis Arena.
Holland said he is not certain if defenseman Jonathan Ericsson will be ready for Friday. An MRI on his hip showed a little inflammation. He's taking anti-inflammatory medicine.
The six defenseman the Red Wings will dress on Friday are Niklas Kronwall, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith, Brian Lashoff, Kent Huskins and Kindl.
Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo is out 3-4 weeks with a Grade 2 shoulder separation suffered in Monday's 4-3 shootout win at Columbus. Three of the team's top six defensemen are idled.
“Injuries are a part of the game,'' Holland said. “Some years you get good luck with them. Early on we've been hit with a rash.
“When we get bodies back, it takes a while to get them going. We have to find a way to grind out wins.''
Forwards Darren Helm (back) and Todd Bertuzzi (flu) are expected to make their season debut on Friday.
Holland said forward Mikael Samuelsson and backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson, each out with a groin pull, are questionable for Friday. If Gustavsson can't dress, the club will recall Tom McCollum from the Griffins. He was sent down after Tuesday's game so that he can dress for Grand Rapids' game Wednesday at home against Oklahoma City.
Also, forward Jan Mursak is out a month with an injury to his collar bone.Disappearance of child on Greek island in 1991 remains unsolved but family want British police to pursue suspects
Ben Needham’s family is preparing to take the home secretary to court in an attempt to secure funding for British police to pursue suspects who might be linked to the toddler’s disappearance 23 years ago.
South Yorkshire police requested Home Office funding 10 months ago to enable them to travel to Greece to follow up leads in the investigation, which is one of the longest running missing person’s cases in British history.
But the force has heard nothing positive in response to its request.
Lawyers for the Needham family are preparing to go to the high court to force the home secretary to make a decision on the application for financial support.
The Home Office has spent more than £7m on the investigation being run by the Metropolitan police into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, officials said on Friday. British officers were in Portugal this week supporting their Portuguese counterparts as they interrogated 11 individuals – seven Portuguese and four Britons – as part of |
been a momentous time in the history of our Nation and the world. They have been a time of achievement in which we can all be proud, achievements that represent the shared efforts of the Administration, the Congress, and the people.
But the challenges ahead are equally great, 'and they, too, will require the support and the efforts of the Congress and the people working in cooperation with the new Administration.
We have ended America's longest war, but in the work of securing a lasting peace in the world, the goals ahead are even more far-reaching and more difficult. We must 'complete a structure of peace so that it will be said of this generation, our generation of Americans, by the people of all nations, not only that we ended one war but that we prevented future wars.
We have unlocked the doors that for a quarter of a century stood between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
We must now ensure that the one quarter of the world's people who live in the People's Republic of China will be and remain not our enemies, but our friends.
In the Middle East, 100 million people in the Arab countries, many of whom have considered us their enemy for nearly 20 years, now look on us as their friends. We must continue to build on that friendship so that peace can settle at last over the Middle East and so that the cradle of civilization will not become its grave.
Together with the Soviet Union, we have made the crucial breakthroughs that have begun the process of limiting nuclear arms. But we must set as our goal not just limiting but reducing and, finally, destroying these terrible weapons so that they cannot destroy civilization and so that 'the threat of nuclear war will no longer hang over the world and the people.
We have opened the new relation with the Soviet Union. We must continue to develop and expand that new relationship so that the two strongest nations of the world will live together in cooperation, rather than confrontation.
Around the world in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the Middle East-there are millions of people who live in terrible poverty, even starvation. We must keep as our goal turning away from production for war and expanding production for peace so that people everywhere on this Earth can at last look forward in their children's time, if not in our own time, to having the necessities for a decent life.
Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good and, by the world's standards, even abundant lives. We must press on, however, toward a goal, not only of more and better jobs but of full opportunity for every American and of what we are striving so hard right now to achieve, prosperity without inflation.
For more than a quarter of a century in public life, I have shared in the turbulent history of this era. I have fought for what I believed in. I have tried, to the best of my ability, to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me.
Sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have failed, but always I have taken heart from what Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
I pledge to you tonight that as long as I have a breath of life in my body, I shall continue in that spirit. I shall continue to work for the great causes to which I have been dedicated throughout my years as a Congressman, a Senator, Vice President, and President, the cause of peace, not just for America but among all nations-prosperity, justice, and opportunity for all of our people.
There is one cause above all to which I have been devoted and to which I shall always be devoted for as long as I live.
When I first took the oath of office as President 5 1/2 years ago, I made this sacred commitment: to "consecrate my office, my energies, and all the wisdom I can summon to the cause of peace among nations."
I have done my very best in all the days since to be true to that pledge. As a result of these efforts, I am confident that the world is a safer place today, not only for the people of America but for the people of all nations, and that all of our children have a better chance than before of living in peace rather than dying in war.
This, more than anything, is what I hoped to achieve when I sought the Presidency. This, more than anything, is what I hope will be my legacy to you, to our country, as I leave the Presidency.
To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.The McNamara fallacy (also known as quantitative fallacy[1]), named for Robert McNamara, the United States Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968, involves making a decision based solely on quantitative observations (or metrics) and ignoring all others. The reason given is often that these other observations cannot be proven.
The first step is to measure whatever can be easily measured. This is OK as far as it goes. The second step is to disregard that which can't be easily measured or to give it an arbitrary quantitative value. This is artificial and misleading. The third step is to presume that what can't be measured easily really isn't important. This is blindness. The fourth step is to say that what can't be easily measured really doesn't exist. This is suicide. Daniel Yankelovich "Corporate Priorities: A continuing study of the new demands on business." (1972)
The fallacy refers to McNamara's belief as to what led the United States to defeat in the Vietnam War—specifically, his quantification of success in the war (e.g. in terms of enemy body count), ignoring other variables.[2]
Examples in warfare [ edit ]
Vietnam War [ edit ]
The McNamara fallacy originates from the Vietnam War, in which enemy body counts were taken to be a precise and objective measure of success. War was reduced to a mathematical model: by increasing enemy deaths and minimizing one's own, victory was assured. Critics[who?] note that guerrilla warfare and widespread resistance can thwart this formula. McNamara's interest in quantitative figures is seen in Project 100,000. By lowering admission standards to the military, enlistment was increased. Key to this decision was the idea that one soldier is, in the abstract, more or less equal to another, and that with the right training and superior equipment, he would factor positively in the mathematics of warfare.
Global War on Terror [ edit ]
Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush, sought to prosecute wars with better data, clear objectives, and achievable goals. Writes Jon Krakauer,
...the sense of urgency attached to the mission came from little more than a bureaucratic fixation on meeting arbitrary deadlines so missions could be checked off a list and tallied as 'accomplished.' This emphasis on quantification has always been a hallmark of the military, but it was carried to new heights of fatuity during Donald Rumsfeld's tenure at The Pentagon. Rumsfeld was obsessed with achieving positive'metrics' that could be wielded to demonstrate progress in the Global War on Terror.[3]
In modern clinical trials [ edit ]
There has been increasing discussion of the McNamara fallacy in medical literature.[4][5] In particular, the McNamara fallacy is invoked to describe the futility of using progression-free survival (PFS) as a primary endpoint in clinical trials for agents treating metastatic solid tumors simply because PFS is an endpoint which is merely measurable, while failing to capture outcomes which are more meaningful such as overall quality of life or overall survival.
See also [ edit ]On Monday we didn’t just see the debut of the first College Football Playoff Championship Game. We also witnessed the first appearance of AT&T’s new LTE-Broadcast technology, which uses the 4G network to send the same content to multiple devices simultaneously.
While the Oregon Ducks got crushed by the Ohio State Buckeyes at [company]AT&T[/company] Stadium at Arlington, Ma Bell used its hometown advantage to run a limited trial of the new technology. AT&T and partner [company]MobiTV[/company] broadcast two ESPN video streams from the game showing replays from different angles as well as a data stream that delivered a constantly updating feed of stats and trivia, according to FierceWireless.
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AT&T sent those streams from its cellsites in and around the stadium, which network supplier [company]Ericsson[/company] upgraded for the event. But as with Verizon’s demos at the Super Bowl last year, regular AT&T customers couldn’t access them as their phones don’t yet support LTE-Broadcast technology. Instead AT&T, [company]Qualcomm[/company] and [company]Samsung[/company] rigged up a few dozen Galaxy Note 3 devices with the necessary firmware to receive the multicast signal and demoed them at the event. LTE-Broadcast, however, is part of the LTE standard so future smartphones and tablets should support the technology natively.
So why mess around with LTE-broadcast when 4G networks are perfectly capable of delivering the same content over individual streams to today’s devices? It’s a much more efficient way to deliver high-bandwidth content to masses of people in the same place.
Consequently big events like football games are the ideal use case. Everyone wants to see the replay of that touchdown. Instead of thousand devices requesting the same content as individual streams from the same few cell towers – overloading the network in the process – the LTE-Broadcast network sends it as a single transmission. Everyone sees a high-quality video and the network uses only a fraction of its overall bandwidth.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
April 14, 2015, 5:02 PM GMT / Updated April 14, 2015, 9:57 PM GMT / Source: NBC News By Lisa Riordan Seville
A private company in south Georgia has threatened, detained and jailed poor residents who could not pay court-ordered fees and fines, according to a new civil rights lawsuit — the latest of more than a dozen cases against money-making probation firms across the southeast.
The federal lawsuit filed Friday by the non-profit Southern Center for Human Rights claims employees of Red Hills Community Probation, which contracts with courts to collect fines, coerced payment from indigent residents of Pelham and Bainbridge, Georgia.
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Residents have been illegally detained within court buildings and jails, until they or a family member paid a portion of their debt to get them freed, the suit charges. In one case, an intellectually disabled man who admitted burning leaves was locked up when he couldn’t come up with the cash.
“Red Hills probation officers hold poor people for ransom over traffic tickets, while their families scramble to come up with money to secure their release,” said attorney Sarah Geraghty of the Southern Center. “Practices like this one erode public confidence in law enforcement and undermine the integrity of the court system.”
Across Georgia and other southern states, probation companies contract with courts to supervise ensure people convicted of low-level crimes pay court debt. Probationers must also pay a monthly supervision fee to the company, typically between $20 and $40. Those who do not keep up with payments may be found to be in violation of their probation, and sent to jail.
Supporters of the industry say it allows courts to collect much-needed revenue, and lets probationers to pay over time. Opponents have likened private probation to a “debtors prison.”
The Southern Center alleges that unlike many companies, Red Hills demanded money immediately. Those who could not pay were illegally detained or jailed, it claims, in violation of laws that require defendants have a hearing to determine that they had “willfully” failed to pay before they can be locked up.
Adel Edwards was one such case.
In April 2013, 54-year-old Edwards, who is intellectually disabled, pleaded guilty in the municipal court of Pelham to burning leaves in his yard without a permit. The judge, who also oversees the court in Bainbridge, fined him $500. Edwards’ sole income comes from food stamps, and he could not pay his fine that day. He was placed on probation for a year, adding $44 a month in supervision fees to his debt.
After sentencing him, the judge told Edwards to meet with representatives of Red Hills, who work in the courtroom. According to the lawsuit, they told him he owed not $500 but $1,028 -- his fine, plus 12 months of probation fees. Edwards had no money, so he went to jail, where he remained for several days until a friend paid $250 to get him released.
Vera Cheeks was not jailed, but she too claims she was detained until she paid. In 2014, the 52-year-old was fined $135, plus $132 in supervision fees and costs, for failing to fully stop at a stop sign in Bainbridge.
In the probation room behind the courtroom, Red Hills employees allegedly told her she could not leave until she paid $50. According to the complaint, Cheeks’ fiance pawned her engagement ring and his lawn equipment to set her free.
Georgia has the nation’s largest misdemeanor private probation system. More than 30 licensed companies oversee about 140,000 probationers. But it has faced increasing criticism, including from a state audit last year that found widespread flaws.
At least one company, now shuttered, is under criminal investigation, and more than a dozen lawsuits against several companies are pending.
Last week, one of Georgia’s largest companies agreed to settle one of the earliest suits, which had dragged through the courts for five years.
It was the case of Hills McGee, a mentally ill veteran, who was jailed for two weeks in 2010 because he could not pay $186 in fees the company said he owed in fees. More than a dozen other cases against the company were filed after McGee’s.
While Sentinel did not respond to request for comment, McGee’s attorneys said he will receive a settlement of nearly $75,000. Other lawsuits are ongoing.CBS Senior Political Correspondent Jeff Greenfield, left, and CBS Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer discuss the upcoming election during an Oct. 31 rehearsal. Networks ready Election Night gizmos
Election night technology has come a long way since Tim Russert memorably held up a white board with three words scrawled on it: “Florida! Florida! Florida!”
But when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer talks with Candy Crowley from the Obama headquarters in Chicago on Tuesday evening, the correspondent could simultaneously appear in the New York studio—at least as a 3-D hologram. Really.
Story Continued Below
Although CNN's takes the prize for most extravagant election-night bells and whistles, each network will pack studios with their entire stable of anchors, pundits, analyst and correspondents, while bringing out every gizmo in their arsenals to break down the results—including such primary night favorites as CNN’s “Magic Wall and Fox’s “Bill-board.”
Outside of the studios, NBC transforms Rockefeller Plaza’s ice rink into a giant U.S. map, while ABC takes over three massive screens in Times Square to display results in real time.
But despite the fanfare and the heightened viewer interest that's propelled ratings all year—64 million viewers tuned in on election night four years ago, and expectations are high that ratings will be even higher this time—the networks still come into election night with plenty of baggage from the past two cycles.
Network executives and political directors always say that being first doesn’t matter, but there are bragging rights that come along with calling a state, or the country, before one’s competitors. Of course, as 2000 proved, such rushes to judgment can be disastrous. And in 2004, exit poll data leaked during the day to the Internet seemed to indicate that John Kerry was in the lead, an unexpected development the networks had to deal with on the air.
Sam Feist, political director of CNN, said that while new technology “allows the network to bring information to our viewers in a way we haven’t done before,” in the end “election night is really a night about data.”
Political junkies, exhausted by endless pundit speculation, won’t have exit poll data until early evening if all goes according to plan. Following a post-2004 agreement, there’s a strict embargo for all exit poll data until 5 p.m. All five networks, along with the Associated Press, have pooled resources in conducting the polls, and each will have a representative in what’s been dubbed a “quarantine room,” which won't expose the poll data until 5 p.m.
It’s at that time that MSNBC's election night coverage begins with David Gregory anchoring, along with Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann—the more outspoken duo that anchored through the conventions—in the secondary role. At 6 p.m., Fox News starts off with Brit Hume anchoring the last election of his lengthy career, along with Chris Wallace. And Blitzer takes the lead on CNN, with Anderson Cooper and Campbell Brown also taking on additional anchor duties.
Among the Big Three, each nightly newscast will be stretched to a full hour, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. On the broadcast networks, CBS’s Katie Couric, NBC’s Brian Williams and ABC’s Charles Gibson will sit in the chairs warmed by Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and the late Peter Jennings four years ago. As it did during the debates, Fox goes with Shepard Smith in the anchor spot.Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. is the North American operation of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, overseeing sales, manufacturing and research and development functions. The company manufactures and sells Mitsubishi brand cars and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 450 dealers in Canada and the United States.
Its administrative headquarters is in Cypress, California, along with its California research and development office, while the Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Inc. (MRDA) head office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
History [ edit ]
MMNA was formed in 1981 after tensions arose between Mitsubishi and its then U.S. import partner, the Chrysler Corporation, over conflicts in the international subcompact market, leading the ambitious Japanese company to establish its own sales network.[1] The first year's allocation of 30,000 vehicles in 1982 were the $6,500 Tredia sedan, and the $7,000 Cordia and $12,000 Starion coupes, followed shortly by the Mighty Max pickup truck, and were sold through 70 dealers in 22 states.[1]
1980s: Diamond-Star Motors [ edit ]
Diamond-Star Motors Logo
The Diamond-Star Motors joint venture with Chrysler in Normal, Illinois, began in 1985, as American-built cars would not be subject to the same restrictive quotas as vehicles imported from Japan. The company sold 67,000 cars in the United States in 1987, but by the time the new factory came onstream the next year, it offered a capacity of 240,000 vehicles. With this new capacity, Mitsubishi made a fresh push to expand its U.S. operation in 1989, increasing its sales network by 40 percent to 340 dealerships and producing its first nationwide advertising campaign.
1990s: Fastest growing U.S. brand [ edit ]
1991 was a landmark year for Mitsubishi in the United States. It bought Chrysler's share of Diamond-Star for $100 million, and became the first Japanese owner of a U.S. car rental agency when it purchased Value Rent-a-Car[2] Sales of Mitsubishi-badged vehicles reached almost 190,000.[1] The remainder of the 1990s provided both ups and downs for MMNA. The rising yen and a weak global economy caused a drop in production and profits, but it weathered the storm better than its Japanese competitors.
While its global operations were suffering in the wake of the 1997 East Asian financial crisis, MMNA reported banner results, breaking its sales records every year between 1999 and 2002 and seeing growth of 81 percent to 345,000 vehicles, while the company improved its position in Harbour and Associates' Assembly Productivity Ranking from last to first.[3][4] At this point Mitsubishi was the fastest growing auto brand in the United States.[5]
2000s: Decline and expansion [ edit ]
In 2002 MMNA expanded to Canada and Puerto Rico.
Troubles began to emerge in 2003. One of the roots of their rapid growth was a "0–0–0" finance offer—zero percent down, zero percent interest, and nothing per month (repayments deferred for 12 months)—aimed at increasing MMNA's annual sales to 500,000 vehicles. However, numerous credit-risky buyers ended up defaulting at the end of the year's "grace period", leaving Mitsubishi with used vehicles for which they'd received no money and which were now worth less than they cost to manufacture.[6][7] The company's U.S. credit operation was forced to make a $454 million provision against its 2003 accounts as a result of these losses.[8] In the wake of this, as well as a Japanese recall cover-up scandal, sales plummeted from 2003 to 2005,.[9] New introductions had mixed success, with the Outlander and Eclipse models showing sales growth in 2006, but the Endeavor SUV failing to meet expectations. A new Lancer compact car debuted in 2007,[10] and in an effort to exploit unused capacity at its Normal, Illinois, plant more Galant sedans were produced for the export market.[11] In 2008 Puerto Rico operations were moved to their Central and South America region division.
2010s: Turnaround begins [ edit ]
2015 was a record setting year for MMNA, selling their 5th million vehicle in the United States, continuing a streak of 22 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases and a 23 percent sales increase over the previous year.[12][13] Additionally many changes were made in 2015; MMNA ended their captive finance subsidiary Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America, Inc. (MMCA).[14][15] In July, MMNA announced that they would be closing their sole North American production facility in Normal, Illinois, known Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America which built the Outlander Sport model, to focus more on the growing Asian market. Production at the plant ended in November 2015, and the plant produced replacement parts until final closure in May 2016. Electric carmaker Rivian Motors has taken over the facility.[16] However, Mitsubishi will still be selling cars in North America thereafter, but is retiring the Lancer Evolution.[17]
2016 was another big year for MMNA as the Mirage, Lancer, Outlander and RVR/Outlander Sport were all refreshed in addition to releasing the Mirage sedan (G4). This contributed to increased year end sales, the largest retail sales year ever in Canada and the 4th consecutive year of sales growth in the United States. In Canada the Lancer had the largest year-over-year increase at 9.4% followed by the RVR at 7% and Outlander at 3.5%.[18] In the United States the Outlander drove the largest sales increases year-over-year at 39.5% followed by the Mirage at 3.3%.[19]
Sales [ edit ]
Year Canada United States Total 2000 - 314,417 314,417 2001 - 322,393 322,393 2002? 360,149 360,149+ 2003? 237,548 237,548+ 2004 10,783 127,359 138,142 2005 10,391 99,600 109,991 2006 10,957 107,640 118,597 2007 16,759 106,719 123,478 2008 18,639 67,910 86,549 2009 19,786 39,970 59,756 2010 19,504 55,683 75,187 2011 20,511 79,020 99,531 2012 19,671 57,790 77,461 2013 21,104 62,227 83,331 2014 22,704 77,643 100,347 2015 21,384 95,342 116,726 2016 22,293 96,267 118,560 2017 22,706 103,686 126,392 2018 25,237 118,074 143,311
Sources: [13] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
NOTE: Mexico sales are not included, because distribution and sales are handled by FCA Mexico.[36]
Current vehicle lineup [ edit ]
Cars [ edit ]
CUVs [ edit ]
Past Notable Vehicles [ edit ]
Controversies [ edit ]
In 1994 MMNA was the subject of two lawsuits brought against it. The first, filed by 29 women in December 1994, accused the company of fostering a climate of sexual harassment at its Normal, Illinois plant. Then, in April 1996 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a class action suit on behalf of approximately 300 other women who worked at the plant. Mitsubishi initially denied any problems at its plant but later hired former U.S. Labor Secretary Lynn Morley Martin to recommend changes to its policies and practices. The 1994 suit was settled for $9.5 million in August 1997, and an agreement with the EEOC was reached later that year as well.[37]Delivering a victory speech in New York, President-elect Donald Trump thanked Hillary Clinton for her service and called for the nation to come together. (The Washington Post)
Delivering a victory speech in New York, President-elect Donald Trump thanked Hillary Clinton for her service and called for the nation to come together. (The Washington Post)
It was a Donald Trump that many Americans had never seen.
Shortly after 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, just after he was anointed president-elect, Trump strode on stage to an adoring crowd, soaking in his surprising, pollster-defying victory.
Instead of lashing out, as he did countless times on the campaign trail, Trump praised his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, lauded the nation’s ethnic diversity, and promised to represent all people.
“Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country,” Trump said. “I mean that very seriously. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division... I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.”
Just minutes earlier, the crowd had been reprising a signature chant of the campaign targeting the Democratic nominee, “Lock her up!”
1 of 48 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × What Election Night looks like View Photos Donald Trump, 70, will be the 45th president of the United States. The real-estate developer and former reality-TV star is the first person to win the presidency without having previously held public office or served in the U.S. military. Caption Donald Trump, 70, will be the 45th president of the United States. The real-estate developer and former reality-TV star is the first person to win the presidency without having previously held public office or served in the U.S. military. Nov. 9, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump addresses supporters at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
And Trump had, in recent weeks, even said he would appoint a special prosecutor and seek to put her in jail for her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
[Live updates on the presidential race and other contests]
But in the hours after Clinton’s concession, a different Trump showed up — at least for this moment.
He was conciliatory, soft-spoken, gracious. There was no mention of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, or of banning Muslims, or of mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
Instead, it was Trump who was victorious, capping one of the most improbable presidential runs in U.S. history.
Standing before a row of American flags, appearing in front of hundreds of people wearing Make America Great Again Hats, Trump smiled and waved, clapping along with the crowd. He was accompanied by his wife, Melania, a former model who was born in Slovenia and became a U.S. citizen in 2006.
Trump thanked many of his high-profile supporters, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He brought Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus onto the stage, declared him a “star,” and handed over the microphone for a few seconds.
Supporters hugged each other, waved Trump signs over their heads and erupted in cheers after the race was officially called. Trump was introduced by his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who told the crowd that “This is a historic night. The American people have spoken and the American people have elected their new champion.”
Trump, after promising the heal the nation and rebuild the economy, teased the audience that he would seek to serve “maybe even eight years,” a suggestion that he would run for reelection. He made grandiose promises, saying “every single American” will be able to prosper.
“We must,” he said, “reclaim our country’s destiny.”
[How Donald Trump won: The insiders tell their story ]
It was a triumphal moment for the man who was raised in Queens, and whose father, the developer Fred Trump, had warned him about the difficulty of making it in Manhattan. Yet the son made his mark, built Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, and plotted his presidential bid there.
The crowd had waited for hours for Trump’s arrival.
At 1:30 a.m., a Fox News reporter said on the broadcast playing on a big screen that House Speaker Paul Ryan reached out to Trump. The crowd did not react. At 2 a.m., the crowd booed as they watched on television screens as Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said there would be no concession speech until all the votes were counted.
Carol Minor, 70, of Hemet, Calif., sat contentedly against a wall in the back of the ballroom. “I really felt in my heart that he was going to win,” she said.
Sajid Tarar, a Muslim man who spoke on behalf of Trump at the GOP convention. said he has been a nervous wreck lately, and had not slept for three days.
“There was no doubt in my mind this was an election against the system,” said Tarar, dressed in a suit and a bow tie.
Read more:
The utter heartbreak of Hillary Clinton’s supporters, in 14 photos
How Donald Trump broke the old rules of politics — and won the White House
They were sure Trump would be the next presidentImmortals have acquired Lucas "destinyy" Bullo from Tempo Storm, the team announced Tuesday.
destinyy is the fourth confirmed member of the primary roster after the team was forced to rebuild their squad after Vito "kNgV-" Giuseppe was removed and twins Henrique "HEN1" Teles and Lucas "LUCAS1" Teles were benched indefinitely.
With a majority of IMT's roster in limbo, this puts a big question mark over who their fifth player will be as it will determine whether they retain their direct invite to the next CS:GO Major.
RELATED: ELEAGUE to host next CS:GO Major, playoffs in Boston from Jan. 26-28
IMT technically retain their Major slot due to HEN1 and LUCAS1 still being part of the org, albeit on the bench. But if neither player are fielded for the coming season, IMT will not have a majority of their roster from the Kraków Major, therefore ceding their direct invite. If that happens, they will be relegated to the qualifier into the Americas Minor.
News of IMT's fifth player is expected in the coming days, as the Americas Minor closed qualifier kicks off on Oct. 15.OTTAWA – The Senate will no longer hear from two speakers Wednesday who were scheduled to help denizens of the maligned upper chamber “feel better about themselves.”
But a Senate spokeswoman says a “discussion” about their appearance is still set to take place.
“The staff sessions scheduled for tomorrow have been cancelled until further notice, pending discussion with the full committee of internal economy,” spokeswoman Annie Joannette said in an email.
At the request of the Liberal leader in the Senate, James Cowan, the new chair of the internal economy committee Gerald Comeau cancelled the speakers Tuesday, hired in the midst of a raging scandal over the abuse of taxpayers’ money by senators.
It is not yet known who made the final decision to hire them.
Former chair of internal economy, Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk, said he never approved it.
“I did not hire anybody. I did not approve of this nor did steering (committee) approve,” he wrote in an email.
Marjory LeBreton, government leader in the Senate, said the idea was discussed in principle at a meeting of the internal economy committee’s steering committee. But it was never approved by members of the committee.
“I was shocked when I saw that (email invitation),” LeBreton said outside the Senate chamber.
Asked if she thinks hiring speakers is a waste of money, LeBreton responded: “At this point in time, I certainly do.”
All senators, their staff and Senate employees were invited to attend talks by communications consultant Barry McLoughlin and motivational speaker Marc-Andre Morel.
It was not immediately clear how much the Senate was going to pay for the speakers, but a representative from McLoughlin’s office said he would not be charging a cancellation fee.
According to an email sent out by the Senate clerk’s office, the pair were to talk about what it describes as “the enduring value of the Senate and help bring a little perspective to the current situation.”
The subject line of the email invitation told recipients that “the Senate values you and the work you do – come find out why.”
However in a subsequent email to Global News, a Senate representative said that the purpose of the event was not to provide “motivational” messages about the Senate or to discuss issues involving individual senators.
“Instead it was focused on helping bring perspective to recent issues facing the Senate,” read the email.
The talks were scheduled for Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET – when the Senate is supposed to be sitting.
McLoughlin’s biography bills him as “one of North America’s leading communications consultants;” his company specializes in training politicians, governments and corporations in how to deal with the media.
Morel is touted as an internationally-renowned expert on “the themes of personal and professional success.”
The Senate has been rocked for the past six months by a scandal involving four senators and their alleged abuse of living and travel expenses.
In the case of Sen. Mike Duffy, the scandal is now under investigation by the RCMP. Duffy accepted a $90,000 “gift” from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s then-chief-of-staff, Nigel Wright, which he used to reimburse his improper expense claims.
Both Liberal and Conservative senators seemed dumbfounded that the pair had been hired to give discouraged Senators a pep talk.
“It’s an outrageous approach to a very serious issue which has taken place in the Senate of Canada,” said Liberal Sen. Jim Munson.
As a member of the internal economy committee, Munson was particularly furious that the committee had not been consulted on the matter.
“It’s a comedy of errors what’s going on here in the lack of consultation. We’re talking taxpayers’ money and this wouldn’t come cheap.”
During the expenses scandal, it emerged that the Senate administration had rejected numerous expense claims from Duffy but had not alerted the internal economy committee to his noticeable pattern of invalid claims.
Comeau, who became chair of the internal economy committee last week, said he knew nothing about the hiring of speakers.
“I don’t need a motivational speaker to tell me what I have to do here,” said Conservative Sen. Jacques Demers. “I just come here and try to do the best I can every day.”
James Cowan, the Liberals’ Senate leader, confessed to being surprised, and said he was not interested in attending the talks.
“I intend to be in there (the Senate chamber) tomorrow afternoon, not at some session for motivation.”
Still, Cowan acknowledged that the scandal has discouraged everyone who works in or for the Senate.
“When these kinds of controversies arise, then inevitably it tarnishes everybody’s reputation, the good and the bad. So, it’s not good but we’ll get over it.”Pages:
Date: Newest First Date: Oldest First Rating: Highest First Rating: Lowest First
Sunday, 19 July 2015 08:42 PM 8 “ I'm thinking about losing my virginity to a man I've dated for a while. He's 32 years older than me. I'm so attracted to him it just feels right to do it.
Saturday, 23 May 2015 05:05 PM 7 “ I gave my bf oral sex a few times now. Recently I heard guys like their butthole touched so I did that to him and he came so hard. Afterwards he cried though and said it made him feel gay. So I didn't do it next few times. Now a couple days ago he whispered that he wanted my finger again but all the way in. Huh?
Tuesday, 03 March 2015 01:01 PM -6 “ Those of you that go around campus on sexual escapades and then go and bare your testimony and act like your an innocent Mormon you are directly contributing to propping up an organization that makes its money by oppressing people, especially LGBT youth, and those born into this brainwashing cult.
You are all no better than church leadership. Grow some balls.
Sunday, 01 February 2015 08:20 PM 0 “ You all people all full of crap.I bet this forum is 90% lies if this were true you were not being here telling this,you should be ashamed of yourself.Get real with your life.you guys suck so much is not even funny the things youn say is sad.
Saturday, 17 January 2015 02: |
for use in future cryogenic stage designs. These included a free-coast experiment to observe and control the negative acceleration of the fuel caused by the small amount of aerodynamic drag on the vehicle; a rapid fuel tank depressurization test; and a closed fuel tank pressurization test.
The closed fuel tank experiment involved pressurizing the hydrogen tank by closing its vents, while depressurizing the oxygen tank by allowing it to continue venting. It was expected that the pressure difference between the two tanks (measured as high as 39.4 pounds per square inch (272 kPa)) would collapse the common bulkhead separating them, as confirmed in a ground test. The rupture must have occurred during the two-minute loss of signal between the Manned Spacecraft Center and the Trinidad tracking station. The Trinidad radar image indicated the vehicle was in multiple pieces, and telemetry was never re-acquired. NASA concluded that a spark or impact must have ignited the propellants, causing an explosion.
Despite the destruction of the stage, the mission was classified as a success, having achieved all of its primary objectives and validating the design concept of the restartable S-IVB-500 version. In September Douglas Aircraft Company, which built the S-IVB, declared that the design was ready for use on the Saturn V to send men to the Moon.
References [ edit ]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.The wind shrieked and the hearth’s flame danced as the howling winds battered the small wooden shack. Rainwater blew in from underneath the small door serving as the entrance to the building. Sitting on a ratty old rug, a young child played with a set of wooden toy soldiers. An ancient man sat in an old rocking chair near the hearth, the creaking of the wood rhythmically echoing in the small chamber. Peals of thunder boomed suddenly, causing the young child to start and the old man to pull the cowl of his robes closer over his ancient frame. The boy looked up, all thoughts of his King Gabriel figure forgotten as he listened to the storm raging outside. Another crash of thunder exploded and was this time accompanied by the flash of lightning.Too excited now to simply sit and continue playing, the child walked over to his grandfather and tugged at his sleeve.Rainwater dripped in from a hole in the ceiling, and a flash of lightning again illuminated the chamber. The old man chuckled, though the sound quickly deteriorated into a series of wet rasping coughs. He brought two of his arms up and used his sleeves to wipe away the phlegm. When the episode finished at last, he looked over to the child at his side waiting patiently. With an ancient voice barely louder than a whisper, he croaked out his reply.The boy shuffled nervously. Sweat appeared on his brow, and he reconsidered the wisdom of pestering his grandfather further. His grandpa was often known for his temper when he was in a foul mood after all. Before he could speak, though, the old man continued.The old man cleared his throat once more and began.The old man paused for a moment, lost in thought. He glanced over at the boy, gauging his reaction. As was the norm, the boy held a featureless expression and the old man could not tell the emotions no doubt racing through the lad. With a sigh that sounded more like the croak of a frog, the old man continued his tale:The old one finished his tale quietly, as though the retelling had taken all of his energy. He slumped back into the creaking rocking chair and resumed his rocking. The boy sat nearby, and seemed unbothered by the rain that was now drenching him from the hole in the ceiling.The old man opened one of his many eyes and his lips curled up in what could have been a grin. He paused to look through the hole in the ruined building and regard the shambling beings in the streets outside, wandering around in the middle of the storm. Never stopping his rocking, the old one spoke again:Aquaman gained a new cast members today as Deadline announced that Power Ranger star Ludi Lin will join the DC project as Murk.
In the comics, Murk is the leader of the front-line army of Atlantis known as the Men-of-War and Aquaman’s trusted ally.
Aquaman was recently pushed back from October to December of 2018 and just began its production. The movie is being directed by James Wan and stars Jason Mamora, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, and Temuera Morrison. It’s also the first major role for Lin after Power Rangers which debuted in March.
Summary: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and to be a hero to the world.
Aquaman will be released on December 21, 2018.
About Kaitlyn Booth Kaitlyn is the Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. She loves movies, television, comics, and political satire. She's a member of the UFCA and the GALECA. Feminist. Writer. Nerd. Follow her on twitter @katiesmovies and @safaiagem on instagram. She's also a co-host at The Nerd Dome Podcast. Listen to it at http://www.nerddomepodcast.com
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NEW STREET CRIES OF THE WORLD A collection of out-of-copyright material on street cries and street life which I'm scanning and transcribing. Many are from 19th-century London but others bring to life the sounds of Peking, Damascus, Bombay and elsewhere. More will be added each month throughout 2018.
LONDON UNSEEN A new series of sound graphics featuring field recordings from anonymised London districts, with the only clues being the distances between recording points given as walking times and the sounds themselves. Do you know London well enough to guess where these places might be?
ANDRE'S LONDON Hear the city's busy thoroughfares and quieter corners through the ears (and Jecklin disc stereo array) of musician and recordist Andre Louis. His thoughts on why he records are rendered in braille to form the basis for a new London sound graphic.
THE HACKNEY YEAR A hundred recordings of birdsong and city ambience captured by wide-awake wildlife recordist Richard Beard in a back garden in Hackney, north-east London. Part of a series made each morning around 6.30am between March 2012 and March 2013.
12 TONES OF LONDON London's geography and demographics explored by using statistics to sort 2011 Census data into clusters. 12 archetypal council wards are then selected to record sound profiles which, touch wood, can be generalised across much of the city.
RADIO ACTUALITY The sounds of London events and street life from the 1920s to the 1950s in old BBC radio broadcasts, digitised for the first time from their original 78 rpm transcription discs. Now with a new, layered sound map. Reproduced by kind permission of BBC Worldwide.
WATERWAYS SOUND MAP Recordings collected along London's canals, lesser rivers and streams and made into a pastiche of the London Underground map. Man-made noise, the calls of wildlife and the restless voice of water passing through culverts, weirs and channels.
RICHARD BEARD'S HACKNEY WILDLIFE High-quality urban wildlife recordings made by Stoke Newington- based recordist Richard Beard. This addition to the original London wildlife section features birdsong and the calls of some other animals from Abney Park, Walthamstow Marshes and elsewhere.
SOUND MAP RECORDINGS Stereo recordings of ambient sounds all across London, including a grid series of recordings made at regular points on the map. From woodland and suburban streets to steam museums and night-time West End crowds.
THAMES ESTUARY RECORDINGS Recordings made along the Kent and Essex shores of the Thames estuary, as well as further inland, capturing the sounds of industry, wildlife, marshland, and towns from Dartford to Sheerness.
SOUND ACTION RECORDINGS Stereo recordings of sounds designed and made to have an impact on other people, and also of events where there's a main focus of attention. Includes traders' cries in London markets, voices of officialdom, hustlers, buskers, pub singalongs, carnivals and parades.Image copyright AP Image caption There were angry scenes when a validation centre in Caracas closed with many still waiting outside
Venezuelan opposition leaders say they have validated enough signatures on a petition to move to the next stage in a process to remove President Nicolas Maduro in a recall referendum.
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have given fingerprints to authenticate signatures on the petition.
Referendum co-ordinator Vicente Bello said the number of signatures had "clearly exceeded the minimum needed".
The process must now be validated by electoral officials.
If that step is passed, a second petition must be signed by four million people before a recall referendum can be held.
What has gone wrong in Venezuela?
Chavez backer decries anarchy
The opposition blames Mr Maduro's socialist policies for rampant inflation and shortages of food and basic goods.
The initial petition handed in on 2 May gathered almost two million signatures but election officials said 600,000 of those were fraudulent.
Those who signed the petition had until Friday to have their identity cards and fingerprints checked in centres set up by the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Image copyright AFP Image caption Fingerprints were taken using electronic scanners
Image copyright AFP Image caption Friday was the last day to authenticate signatures
Only 1% of the electorate, or 194,729 voters, is needed to endorse the referendum in the first phase.
Many people queued for hours to have their signatures authenticated by electronic fingerprinting.
"Prices are going up every day, on top of the shortages," said civil servant Felix Rodriguez, who skipped work to give his signature.
He said he had no flour, milk or meat in his kitchen and there were no spare parts to repair his car.
Opposition leaders want the recall vote to be held this year, as its timing is key for what happens next.
If the referendum is held before 10 January and goes against Mr Maduro, fresh elections will be triggered.
But if the vote were to be held after 10 January - in the last two years of Mr Maduro's mandate - he would be replaced by his vice-president and supporter, Aristobulo Isturiz.
Mr Maduro was elected in April 2013 and his term runs until 2019.
Steps towards the recall referendum
Image copyright AP Image caption For the recall referendum to be successful, almost 7.6 million people will have to vote to oust Mr MaduroPsych: The Movie premieres on television screens tonight, bringing fans amusing callbacks, heartfelt moments, and a pretty awesome tie to the DC Extended Universe.
Spoilers for Psych: The Movie below!
The TV movie, which serves as a follow-up to the fan-favorite USA Network series, follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton Guster (Dule Hill), two men who have made a name for themselves running a fake psychic service. Shawn, Gus, and their friends end up being dragged into a unique case, one that brings them face-to-face with the Thin White Duke (Zachary Levi).
As those familiar with the DCEU know, Levi is one of the franchise's newest additions, and is set to play the adult alter-ego of Billy Batson/Shazam. And on its own, that might not be too interesting of a tidbit for fans... if it weren't for the other cameo that occurs later in the film.
In Psych: The Movie's final scene, Shawn and Gus are bombarded by the return of Ewan O'Hara, Jules' brother who is played by John Cena. Cena's name definitely brings up memories for many DCEU fans, as the wrestler-turned-actor was probably the biggest "fan cast" to play Shazam.
Cena has been linked to the role of Shazam since 2014, when a film surrounding the character and Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) was first announced. At the time, many assumed that Cena and Johnson's shared career paths would make them a dynamic worth seeing onscreen. Since then, those rumors have persisted, spawning fanart and a whole lot of speculation among DC fans.
Ultimately, Levi was cast in October of this year, a choice that was pretty well-received by fans. Still, the fact that both Levi and Cena (arguably the two actors most tied to Shazam in one way or another) appear in Psych: The Movie is a pretty awesome coincidence. After all, Psych: The Movie filmed between May and June of this year, long before the role of Shazam was announced.
Shazam! is set to premiere on April 5, 2019.The Commission on Presidential Debates have confirmed Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein will not share the stage with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for the highly anticipated first presidential debate.
Read more
The third-party candidates didn’t register enough support in various polls to qualify, the commission said Friday.
There is a 15 percent polling average threshold the commission sets, based on five polls of its choosing. Clinton averaged 43 percent, and Donald Trump 40.4 percent. Johnson averaged 8.4 percent, while Stein was trailing at 3.2 percent, according to the Associated Press.
Three televised presidential debates, starting with one on September 26 at Hofstra University in New York, will feature the presidential nominees from the Republican and Democratic parties, as has been the case since 1992.
But there is still a chance for the two long shots in the second and third presidential debates, if they can reach the 15 percent standard.
“I would say I am surprised that the CPD has chosen to exclude me from the first debate, but I’m not," Johnson, former Republican governor of New Mexico said in a statement, according to The Hill. "After all, the Commission is a private organization created 30 years ago by the Republican and Democratic parties for the clear purpose of taking control of the only nationally-televised presidential debates voters will see. At the time of its creation, the leaders of those two parties made no effort to hide the fact that they didn’t want any third party intrusions into their shows."
The Stein campaign has not released a statement.
Both campaigns have railed against the commission's criteria, saying that it unfairly limited voters' options in an election cycle where the two major-party nominees are both historically disliked.
The October 4 vice presidential debate will also be limited to the two major party nominees, Democratic Senator of Virginia Tim Kaine and Republican Governor of Indiana Mike Pence.
The Guardian reported Johnson and Stein filed a lawsuit against the CPD in September 2015, in which they argued they should be included in the debates if they were on the ballot in enough states to have a chance of securing 270 electoral college votes and are eligible to serve. The suit was dismissed by a federal judge in August.Modern icebreakers are the most marvelous of civilian ships. They are huge, they are strong, they are powerful, and their history is amazing. Without them, there would be no safe waterways for other ships in the icy waters around the poles of the Earth. Here is a spectacular look into their evolution, from steamers and diesel vessels to nuclear powered ships.
The SS Bear, launched in 1874 was the forerunner of modern icebreakers. The steam-powered and sailing ship had six inch thick sides, and was decommissioned in 1948.
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1911: Yermak, a Russian (later Soviet) steam powered icebreaker, the world's first polar icebreaker built with strengthened and special shaped hull.
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USCGC Northland, circa 1944. She was sold to the Israel in 1946. Renamed as Matzpen, became the first warship of the new Israeli Navy. She was decommissioned in 1962 and sold for scrap.
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Photo: U. S. Coast Guard
USCGC Northwind, a diesel-electric icebreaker of the US Coast Guard was launched in 1945, and had been serving for 44 years.
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Voima, a Finnish state-owned diesel-electric icebreaker, built in Helsinki in 1954, was the first icebreaker in the world to be equipped with two bow propellers. She is the oldest and smallest icebreaker in service in Finland.
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Photo: Attila Nagy/Gizmodo
Lenin, the first Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker (and the first atomic ship in the world). She cleared sea routes from 1959 to 1989, when she was officially decommissioned because ice friction eroded the hull. Now she serves as a museum ship in Murmansk.
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Photo: Our country. Geograficheskoi literaturui, Moscow, 1961
Moskva, a diesel-electric Soviet icebreaker, built in 1960, in Finland. She had four sister ships: Leningrad, Kiev, Murmansk and Vladivostok.
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Three U.S. Navy icebreakers pushing an iceberg out to sea to clear a channel leading to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 29th December 1965. The ships are, left to right: the USS Burton, USS Atka and USS Glacier.
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Humble Oil and Refining Co.'s icebreaking tanker, the SS Manhattan, and the Canadian Ministry of Transport's newest icebreaker, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, crunch through the snow covered ice of northern Baffin Bay on May 22, 1970.
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Urho, the flagship of the Finnish icebreaker fleet since 1975.
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NS Arktika is a retired nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Soviet Arktika class, served from 1975 to 2008. She was the first surface ship to reach the North Pole, on August 17, 1977. The Arktika class ships are the largest and most powerful icebreakers ever constructed.
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Photo: Rosatom Flot
USCGC Polar Star is a United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker, commissioned in 1976.
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Photo: National Archives
Sisu, a Finnish Urho class icebreaker built in 1976 in Helsinki, powered by five diesel engines, equipped with two rear and two fore propellers.
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Photo: Attila Nagy/Gizmodo
Kapitan Khlebnikov, a diesel powered Russian (formerly Soviet) icebreaker, built in Finland in 1981, now operates as a cruise ship. It was first ship to circumnavigate Antarctica with passengers in 1996-97
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Magadan, a Russian diesel powered icebreaker, completed in 1982.
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RV Polarstern is a diesel-powered german research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven. It was commissioned in 1982.
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Photo: Hannes Grobe, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research/Wikimedia Commons
Rossiya (Russia), an Arktika-class nuclear-powered icebreaker, built in 1985, the oldest nuclear-powered icebreaker in service.
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Photo: Vladimir Chistyakov/AP
Aurora Australis is an Australian diesel powered research icebreaker, launched in 1989.
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Photo: Royal Australian Navy
Oden, a large Swedish icebreaker, built in 1988 for the Swedish Maritime Administration, now a research vessel. In 1991 it was the first non-nuclear surface vessel to reach the North Pole, together with RV Polarstern, a German icebreaker.
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Taymyr is a shallow-draft nuclear-powered icebreaker, built in 1989 for the Soviet Union in Finland. Her sister ship is Vaygach.
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The diesel powered Nathaniel B. Palmer is a US research ship purpose-built for the National Science Foundation in 1992.
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The NS Yamal is a Russian built Arktika class nuclear powered icebreaker. Launched in 1992, has been carrying passengers on arctic excursions since then.
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The Estonian multipurpose icebreaker Botnica was built in Finland in 1998 and sold to the Port of Tallinn in 2012.
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Photo: Jukka Koskimies/Wikimedia Commons
USCGC Healy is a United States Coast Guard medium icebreaker, commissioned in 1999.
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Photo: Joe Boyle, PencilNews.com/U.S. Coast Guard
Photo: Prentice Danner/U.S. Coast Guard/AP
The diesel-powered HMS Protector survey and ice patrol ship is one the newest additions to the British navy. She was built in Norway in 2001 as MV Polarbjørn, and now is on loan to the Royal Navy after losing the long-serving Antarctic patrol ship, HMS Endurance, near-sinking in 2008.
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The diesel powered Norwegian Coast Guard icebreaker and offshore patrol vessel KV Svalbard (W303) was launched in 2001. Svalbard is the heaviest ship in Norway's military armed forces.
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Photo: Haakon Kjollmoen/Sjøforsvaret/Forsvarets mediesenter
Arkona, the diesel powered multi purpose German Arctic vessel was commissioned in 2004, and can break ice up to the thickness of one meter.
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Photo: Frank Hormann/APN
50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of the Victory) was built from 1989 to 2007. The nuclear powered Russian vessel carried the Olympic flame to the North Pole in 2013.
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Photo: Sergei Dolya/AP
Top photo: the USCGC Polar Star in 1983 (National Archives)by Stephen Lendman
Previous articles discussed institutionalized NSA spying. It's a rogue agency. It's out-of-control. It operates lawlessly. It manufactures fake security threats. The only real ones are state-sponsored.
NSA subverts fundamental freedoms. It targets dissent. It wants whistleblowers silenced. It conducts espionage on allies. EU nations are prime targets.
On August 10, Der Spiegel headlined "Secret Documents: NSA listens to EU representations with bugs." More on that below.
A previous discussed NSA spying on Europe. It's longstanding practice. Enormous amounts of meta-data are collected. It's unrelated to national security.
It's pure espionage. It's for economic advantage. It's to be one up on foreign competitors. It's for information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations.
Foreign embassies, consulates and missions are bugged. NSA calls them "targets." Extraordinary spying methods are used. Bugs are planted in electronic communications gear.
They monitor cable transmissions. They use "specialised antennae." Targets include EU nations, Russia, China, Iran, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Turkey and others.
One bugging method is codenamed "Dropmire." It's implanted in the EU's Washington embassy Cryptofax.
It's a bug placed in an encrypted fax machine. It's used to send cables back to foreign affairs ministries in European capitals.
NSA bugs the EU's Brussels-based Justice Lipsius building. It hosts summit and ministerial meetings. Bugging's handled from nearby NATO headquarters. Washington bears full responsibility.
Another covert operation copies everything on targeted computer hard drives.
Bugging the EU's UN headquarters mission is codenamed "Perdido." Documents Snowden revealed show a floor plan. Data collection methods include bugs inside electronic devices.
EU's Washington's location is bugged. Multiple operations target 90 embassy staff members. EU nations spy on each other. It's standard practice.
Some do it better than others. NSA's perhaps most sophisticated of all. It spies. It hacks. It does so globally. It operates extrajudicially. It's a rogue power unto itself.
It works cooperatively with Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intelligence agency. It funds some of its operations. It influences them.
GCHQ goes out of its way to please its paymaster partner. NSA accepts no other way. They jointly wage war on fundamental freedoms.
They work cooperatively with other Western spy agencies. They do it secretly, destructively and lawlessly. It's longstanding practice.
It's worse than ever now. It persists despite promises of reform. None whatever are coming. Obama spurns them. He intensified NSA spying on his watch.
He won't roll back what he authorized. He released two unclassified white papers. He called doing a step toward transparency.
Candidate Obama promised it. In office, he spurned it straightaway. His administration's the most secretive in US history. He exceeds the worst of George Bush.
He says one thing. He does another. He does it every time. His promises ring hollow. They lack credibility. He's a serial liar. He can't be trusted.
Documents he released explained little. One was a legal analysis of bulk telecommunication collections. The other was a generic explanation of NSA's foreign surveillance activities.
It said little more than what's already known. Neither release has much value. They're more show than tell.
Meta-data mining violates core constitutional provisions. Checks and balances don't exist. All three branches of government are complicit.
Congress is largely dismissive. Courts look the other way. Rule of law principles don't matter. Right wing extremists run America. Democrats are complicit with Republicans. Obama's worst of all. His rhetoric belies his policies.
Anything goes is policy. The worst is yet to come. Police states operate that way. America's by far the worst.
On August 10, Der Spiegel said NSA "not only monitors the communications of European citizens, but apparently (targets) the EU building."
"This is clear from secret documents that the whistleblower Edward Snowden owns and Der Spiegel could see in parts."
"A 'top secret' classified NSA paper in September 2010 describes how (NSA) attacked the EU's diplomatic representation in Washington."
"Not only bugs were installed in the building in the US capital, but also the internal computer network was infiltrated."
"In this way, the Americans not only get access to meetings at the premises of the EU, but also to e-mails and internal documents on the computers."
According to SPIEGEL-obtained documents, "EU representation has been attacked in like manner as those in Washington and at the United Nations."
US Secret Service operatives are involved in bugging Brussels. EU security experts discovered a US-controlled NATO telecommunications system. It targets EU nations. It does so secretly.
Spies "R" us defines US policy. Everyone's watched everywhere all the time. Freedom's on the chopping block for elimination. War on humanity rages. It's ongoing at home and abroad.
It persists militarily, politically, financially and repressively. It made America a pariah state. It threatens humanity's survival.
Lawlessness is the new normal. Rule of law principles don't matter. Democracy's a figure of speech. It's a convenient illusion. Tyranny approaches full-blown.
America's no fit place to live in. Federal Register figures show expatriate numbers rose exponentially. In March through June, they increased sixfold year-over year.
They did so from 189 to 1,131. It's nearly five times more than throughout 2008. Millions of expats want no part of returning.
It's for good reason. Supporting what's right is criminalized. Obama heads a repressive police state apparatus. The late Chalmers Johnson said it's too late for scattered reforms. Tyranny's too firmly entrenched.
-###-
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity "
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hourMy guest on this episode is Kevin B. Grier of the University of Oklahoma.
Our topic for today is a paper Kevin wrote on the economic consequences of Hugo Chavez along with coauthor Norman Maynard.
I had Francisco Toro on the show last year to discuss Venezuela’s economic history, so you can listen to that episode if you want a refresher on Chavez. For this episode, our main topic is the empirical method Kevin used to quantify Chavez’ effect on Venezuela: synthetic control.
Synthetic control is a relatively new empirical technique. It grew out of an older technique called difference in differences (or diff-in-diff). Diff-in-diff is simple and intuitive: Given two statistics with parallel trends, we can compare their changes before and after some intervention affecting only one of them to see the effect of the intervention. So for instance, if you wanted to know the effect of Hugo Chavez’ rise to power, you could compare the GDP trend in Venezuela to the same trend in Columbia. Then assuming Venezuela and Columbia would have had similar trends if not for Chavez, we say the difference between the GDP growth in the two countries is attributable to Chavez.
But what if Venezuela and Columbia don’t have similar trends? What if there’s no national economy similar enough to Venezuela’s to provide a valid comparison? That’s where synthetic control comes in. Venezuela might not be like Columbia, but it might be like a weighted average of Argentina, Iran, and several other countries. We could construct this weighted average and call it a synthetic Venezuela; it is designed to mimic the dynamics of Venezuela’s economy before the rise of Chavez. Then if the synthetic Venezuela deviates from the real Venezuela after the rise of Chavez, we can attribute that difference to his policies.
This is what Kevin has done to study the impact of Hugo Chavez on Venezuela. Listen to the episode to find out his results!
Download this episode.
Photo credit: Victor Soares/ABr – Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br
Subscribe to Economics Detective Radio on iTunes, Android, or Stitcher.This Sunday, the New York Times asked a panel of economists, "When Will the Recession Be Over?" A few panelists offered hopeful words, 'Perhaps later this year... if there are no more surprises.' The eternally pessimistic Nuriel Roubini suggested three years... or more. One sage observer offered the wisdom of bubbles past: You don't reach the bottom until people stop asking.
We are having a hard time accepting that recovery will take time. Leveraging, or getting into debt, is a lot of fun. For twenty years or so, as interest rates declined and lending standards loosened, America went on a debt-funded spending spree. Across the country, as housing prices rose and the home-equity lending came into vogue, Americans used their access to money to live beyond their current incomes, creating an illusion of prosperity and growth.
Deleveraging, on the other hand, is not fun. It ultimately requires reducing debt. Actually getting rid of it. For American households--whose real incomes have been flat for a decade or more--it means returning to the standard of living that they could afford before the borrowing spree started, adjusted further downward to allow them to pay off the debts they accumulated during the boom years.
So far, our public policy responses to the housing collapse and banking crisis have largely amounted to various strategies for shifting the debt burden around. In the name of stability, the TARP program socializes the losses from our financial sector. Now, in a similar vein, we are proposing to tackle the problem of home foreclosures. But unlike the TARP program that puts the bank losses on the broad shoulders of the Federal government, the strategies to boost the housing market will shift the losses experienced by current homeowner onto the next generation of homebuyers.
Consider this. In 1981, the median home price was $62,000, and the annual cost of funding the purchase of that home at the then-current 16.6% mortgage rates, and with a 20% down payment, was $8,900 per year. $8,900 was 47% of the median family income at the time of $19,000, indicating that the median priced home was not affordable for most families.
As interest rates declined through the 1980s and 90s, home prices escalated as affordability increased. By 1998, the cost of carrying an 80% mortgage on a $128,400, median priced home dipped to $8,228, or just 21% of the 1998 median family income.
By 2007, median home prices increased a further 70% to $217,800. 30-year mortgage rates only dip another 1% or so, but home priced increases were aided by the advent of all sorts of "creative" mortgages, that continued to reduce buyer monthly payments.
For more than two decades, the growth in home prices was made possible by the long-term decline in mortgage interest rates, and at the late stage of the bubble by interest only, variable rate, and teaser-rate mortgages. Despite all hopes for a revival of the real estate market, and particularly a new period of growth in home prices, this is not likely to happen.
Current Federal strategies to re-stimulate the housing market to address the foreclosure problem are ill-advised. Over the past several months, the Federal Reserve has initiated efforts to push long-term mortgage rates down toward 4.5% by purchasing mortgage-backed securities. In addition, the newly enacted stimulus package included an $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit.
The problem with these efforts is that they will not fix the fundamental problem, but instead will simply push the problem--the loss of home equity--onto the next generation of homebuyers.
Consider this example. Take the median US home that was worth $220,000 during the years 2005 to 2007, but which might be worth $180,000 today, reflecting a loss in value of nearly 20%. This reduced home price, with a market-rate, 6% mortgage and 80% down, would cost the new owner around $10,500 annually. However, with a 4.5% mortgage rate and the $8,000 tax credit, this new owner can afford to pay $215,000, and still owe only $10,500 annually.
This is the same game that we have watched for the better part of two decades. The buyer--who has been taught to focus on the monthly payment as the measure of "affordability"--is willing to pay the higher price for a home because of the availability of low-cost financing. The seller is happy, because they receive close to the 2005-2007 price of their home. For two decades, this logic worked, because interest rates were continuing to drop and home prices were continuing to rise.
But the situation today is different, creating two very real problems. First, these policies constitute deliberate inducements to entice homebuyers to pay over-market prices for homes, as a matter of public policy. It is reasonable to expect that once the Federal actions that induced the purchase are ceased--the artificially low mortgage rates and the tax credit--the market price of the home the buyer purchased for $215,000 in the example above will fall back to its current value of $180,000.
Therefore, the impact of these policies will be to benefit--or "bail out"--the current homeowners who are facing substantial losses, by passing those losses on to the new homebuyers.
Second, and equally important, new homebuyers should be on notice that the "great deals" that they might see in the real estate market today are only great in comparison to prices at the high point of the real estate bubble. The implied suggestion is that once the current mess is behind us, home prices will continue to rise once again. But that is not likely to be the case.
There are two simple reasons for this. First, tightened rules governing mortgage banking will end the lending practices that artificially lowered the carrying costs of purchasing a home and supported the run-up in home prices. Traditional conforming mortgages with real down payments and more conservative underwriting standards will once again tie home affordability to household incomes and long-term mortgage costs.
Second, long-term mortgage rates are more likely to rise than fall, once the Federal Reserve Bank curtails its market intervention to suppress mortgage rates, and particularly if Congressional action allows judicial rewriting of mortgage contracts, which will undermine the security of--and therefore increase the cost of--mortgage loans.
Many will argue that since we have chosen to bail out the banks, it is only fair that we bail out homeowners. That is a fair argument, and one that Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke and Congress should have considered before we began our long walk down this path.Comedy
Snuff Box
Snuff Box Music
Matt Berry on the Music of Snuff Box Matt Berry on the Music of Snuff Box Matt Berry on the music of Snuff Box Q: You composed, scored and performed all the music in the series yourself. Was that always the intention? A: Yes, definitely. I composed and performed the music for the BBC THREE rock opera AD/BC last year, and although it was a large undertaking, I realised I could do it. That was twenty-eight minutes of non-stop music, so six half hours was going to be a further challenge. I played all the instruments myself - not because I'm a control freak but because I tend to work at around 4am, and realised I would have trouble getting other musicians to join me at that time of the morning. I always knew due to my own tastes that music would feature heavily in Snuff Box. Music is a very important aspect in any visual idea, but it seems to be something of an afterthought in TV at the moment. Q: Did you approach the composition of the incidental music in a different way to the dance set piece numbers? A: Not really. I've always been a fan of noticeable incidental film music (the James Bond films and Yan Tiersen |
Donald Trump’s inauguration day ceremonies grabbed 30.6 million viewers on Friday, significantly lower than the crowd that turned out for Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009.
Nielsen measured the 12 networks that aired any live coverage of inaugural events between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET. Obama’s history-making first time out averaged 37.7 million viewers. The highest-rated inauguration remains Ronald Reagan in 1981, which brought in 41.8 million viewers.
The Trump inauguration drew 2.8 million viewers 18-34, 7.2 million 35-54, and 19.2 million 55 and over. Nielsen measured viewership on ABC, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business Network, Fox New Channel, Galavision, HLN, and MSNBC. Fox News was the most watched network, averaging 8.8 million viewers from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
Trump’s inauguration ranked as the fifth highest in total viewers, behind Reagan 1982, Obama 2009, Jimmy Carter 1977 (34.1 million), and Richard Nixon 1973 (33 million). The 2013 Obama inauguration drew an audience of 20.6 million. Trump edged out Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration (29.7 million) and George W. Bush 2001 (29 million).
Related Ken Burns on Why He Would Make a Trump Documentary Key Antitrust Lawmaker Sees 'Reawakening' in Congress to Perils of Big Tech
In household ratings — percentage of households tuning in — Trump ranks a mere ninth with a 20.1 rating. That puts him behind Reagan 1981 (37.4), Nixon 1969 (33.5), Carter 1977 (31.5), Nixon 1973 (28.5), Obama 2009 (25.5), Clinton 1993 (24.5), Reagan 1985 (22.3), and George W. Bush 2001 (20.8). It puts him barely ahead of Georg H.W. Bush’s 1989 inauguration (20.0).
Trump has shown himself to be sensitive to television ratings. Earlier this month, he blasted the rebooted “New Celebrity Apprentice,” on which he serves as executive producer, because its premiere rating fell short of the standards set by the show when Trump served as its host (and when ratings across television, due to lack of competition, skewed far higher). “Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got ‘swamped’ (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT,” the then-president-elect tweeted. “So much for being a movie star — and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1.”I know I’m not the first one to point out the similarity between the two, but really, take a look: Could there be much doubt that John Hodgman and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew were separated at birth? This is clearly the explanation for Hodgman’s instant appeal to geeks.
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Hodgman’s first appearance: June 3, 1971. Honeydew’s first appearance: October 25, 1976. But we have it on good authority that Honeydew, presumably due to his extraordinary abilities as a scientist, came into the world looking much as he does today. As far as we are aware, Hodgman was a fair bit smaller, a great deal nakeder, and was not wearing glasses. While there are reports that Honeydew regressed to a baby around 1984, they cannot be confirmed due to the sketchy nature of the pictures used as corroborative evidence.
Hodgman’s eye color: appears blue from most photographs. Honeydew’s eye color: we have no eye-dea. Sorry about that.
Hodgman’s regular companions: while most often seen on television with Justin Long, has been known to pal around with Jonathan Coulton and They Might Be Giants. Honeydew’s regular companions: nearly always seen in the company of talking frogs, bears, pigs, and whatever Gonzo is (I refuse to believe Muppets from Space), but most often in the company of his lab assistant Beaker. There are unconfirmed, but certainly plausible, rumors that Honeydew and Beaker are in a relationship of the sort we don’t typically discuss on GeekDad, if you get my drift (think of the 19th and 13th letters of the alphabet). In any case, it seems clear to me that both Hodgman and Honeydew prefer to surround themselves with geekiness similar to their own.
Hodgman is known for delivering facts and opinions in a calm and mostly uninflected voice, and for pretending to be a PC in order to sell Macs. Honeydew is known for inventing incredible but dangerous machines and discussing them in a calm and mostly uninflected voice, though he has never to my knowledge appeared in a TV commercial. There are rumors that many of the facts Hodgman relates and many of the machines Honeydew invents are actually complete fabrications. This seems highly unlikely, but we must consider the possibility — still, they both seem equally plausible, so there is still no firm contradiction of the separated-at-birth theory.President Trump on Monday blasted ObamaCare, saying it is "dead" and "finished."
"ObamaCare is finished. It's dead. It's gone," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting.
"You shouldn't even mention it, it's gone. There is no such thing as ObamaCare anymore. It is a — and I said this years ago — it's a concept that couldn't have worked."
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Trump added that in the law's "best days," it couldn't have worked.
The comments come after the White House announced last week that it would end key payments to insurers selling ObamaCare plans.
The decision marked Trump's most aggressive move yet to dismantle the law.
The Trump administration has continued making the disbursements to insurers, known as cost-sharing reduction payments, on a monthly basis. But Trump had consistently threatened to end the payments, which were worth an estimated $7 billion this year.
In response, several states signed onto a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in California to oppose the move.
However, ObamaCare isn't "dead" or "finished." Open enrollment begins Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 15.MANILA — He was a member of a hit squad that killed hundreds over the years, taking part in about 50 of the murders himself. One victim was fed to crocodiles, he recalled, and four others were hanged and thrown into the sea.
The self-described hit man, Edgar Matobato, said that Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, presided over the extrajudicial killings of about 1,000 criminal suspects and political opponents when he was mayor of Davao City for most of the past two decades — even ordering some of the killings himself.
“We were tasked to kill criminals every day,” Mr. Matobato said Thursday at a televised Senate hearing investigating extrajudicial killings under Mr. Duterte in Davao City.
Mr. Duterte’s promise during his presidential campaign to pursue his antidrug push nationally has alarmed human rights groups, which fear that extrajudicial killings are eroding the rule of law in the Philippines, an important American ally in Asia.The European Women's Gymnastics Championships are an artistic gymnastics championships for female gymnasts from European countries organised by the European Union of Gymnastics. They are held annually, though rotate between two different formats.
Originally held biannually in odd-numbered years, the championships moved to even-numbered years in 1990. In 2005 a second set of championships was introduced, titled the "individual championships". Although numbered as a separate event, winners in either event are considered European champions, and the championships as a result have in effect become an annual event, but in two formats: in even-numbered years, a stand-alone women's event incorporates the European Junior Artistic Gymnastics championships (an entirely separate men's competition is held in the same years, although occasionally at the same venue), while in odd-numbered years, the separately numbered 'individual championships' are held in conjunction with the men's competition of the same description, but without juniors, as a single event.
As a result, there is no individual all-around title awarded in even-numbered years (except for juniors), and similarly no team all-around title awarded in odd-numbered years. Otherwise the apparatus and titles are identical. In effect, the juniors championships remain biannual.
List [ edit ]
All-time medal count [ edit ]
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Romania (ROU) 53 50 45 148 2 Soviet Union (URS) 51 40 26 117 3 Russia (RUS) 37 32 27 96 4 Ukraine (UKR) 13 12 20 45 5 Germany (GER) 11 19 26 56 6 Czechoslovakia (TCH) 11 2 9 22 7 Great Britain (GBR) 9 11 5 25 8 France (FRA) 6 5 5 16 9 Italy (ITA) 6 4 5 15 10 Switzerland (SUI) 6 1 4 11 11 Hungary (HUN) 3 2 4 9 12 Netherlands (NED) 2 8 5 15 13 Sweden (SWE) 2 4 2 8 14 Yugoslavia (YUG) 2 2 2 6 15 Belgium (BEL) 2 1 3 6 16 Poland (POL) 2 0 2 4 17 Belarus (BLR) 1 2 1 4 18 Bulgaria (BUL) 0 3 6 9 19 Spain (ESP) 0 2 5 7 20 Azerbaijan (AZE) 0 1 0 1 Czech Republic (CZE) 0 1 0 1 22 Greece (GRE) 0 0 1 1 Totals (22 nations) 217 202 203 622
Best results by event and nation [ edit ]
Current events [ edit ]
Event BEL BLR BUL ESP FRA GBR GDR GER HUN ITA NED POL RUS ROU SUI SWE TCH UKR URS YUG W
A
G TF 6 4 7 4 - 4 6 10 4 12 - - - AA 6 4 VT 4 UB 4 5 - 6 BB 7 6 4 4 FX 5 6 4
See also [ edit ]Brewers Blog The Journal Sentinel sports staff brings fans the latest news and inside information on the Brewers SHARE Video Loading...
By of the
Citing information from "somebody involved in the process," sports commentator Dan Patrick said on his radio show Monday morning that "Ryan Braun may be an innocent man" and "may be exonerated."
If this happens, obviously it would be tremendous news for the Brewers and Braun, who tested positive for a banned substance in October and appealed the finding before an arbitration panel in New York last week. It also would make it an even bigger atrocity that news of the positive test was leaked to ESPN, which reported it in early December.
Patrick said he was told Sunday, again, by "somebody involved in the process" that the MLB test might be at fault and that Braun could be found innocent. The arbitration panel, with independent arbitrator Shyam Das expected to cast the decisive vote, has 25 days to render a verdict but it could come as soon as later this week.
Some of Patrick's comments:
"There were whispers that this was a personal medical issue, that he was taking something for that, that may have spiked his test. I since found out (Sunday) that that is not the case.
"Ryan Braun may be exonerated here. He may be found innocent. And judging from all of the information I was told, there's a good chance that he should be."
Patrick went on to say that MLB is "cut and dried" about what is allowed to be in a player's system but said what Braun tested positive for "wasn't a masking agent."
"The bigger issue here is the testing and was Ryan Braun a victim of the testing by Major League Baseball," added Patrick. "Let's see how this plays out... The feeling I got (Sunday) from somebody involved in the process in this, it's not as cut and dried as people would think. And Ryan Braun may be an innocent man."
This is the podcast of the segment in which Patrick talked about Braun. You have to go about 29 minutes in to get to the part on Braun.The final day of the conference was much shorter, only one full session and then the closing with the capstone. Here is a report on a few more papers, the capstone, a panel left over from Thursday, and a few random tidbits.
Running Wrap-Up
The running “club” started out well with five runners on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the rain Tuesday night seemed to have convinced a lot of people that Wednesday morning would be bad for running. It wasn’t. There was a very light drizzle, but it was really pleasant weather to run in otherwise. Only one other person showed up, unfortunately. Same on Thursday, which was a bit colder (and the morning after the West Coast Party), but also a spectacular sunrise.
I realize that it was early (6:30am), but I had hoped for a few more people. If anybody has an idea how to get more people to run, I’m all ears.
The Velo Club de VIS seems to have done well, despite the rain on Saturday.
Education Panel
This actually took place on Thursday, but that posting was already kind of long. I was invited to play the moderator on the panel Vis, The Next Generation: Teaching Across the Researcher-Practitioner Gap together with Marti A. Hearst (organizer), Eytan Adar (organizer), Tamara Munzner, Jon Schwabisch, and Ben Shneiderman (who unfortunately couldn’t make it). This was unusual because I wasn’t even one of the organizers, and I am an odd choice given that I’ve been out of academia for four years.
I still have opinions though, and it was an opportunity to have some fun moderating. I had plenty of that, and we discussed some interesting topics, like the different approaches people take, the projects they assign, how much work they do in class, etc.
One topic that came up was the question of how to disseminate knowledge about teaching. This is clearly an issue in visualization right now, with many new people starting to teach but few places to get information about teaching visualization from, share materials, etc. I really hope that there will be some sort of tutorial or other platform next year to remedy this.
The panel ended up being very popular (the room was packed), and we had to cut off the discussion as the session was ending (there were about five people in line at the microphone at that point).
Several of the presenters’ slides are available online: Marti Hearst’s, Tamara Munzner’s, and Eytan Adar’s.
Time
Time Curves: Folding Time to Visualize Patterns of Temporal Evolution in Data by Benjamin Bach, Conglei Shi, Nicolas Heulot, Tara Madhayastha, Tom Grabowski, Pierre Dragicevic uses multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) to arrange items by similarity, and then connects them with lines. The effect is that it can show things like small and large differences between adjacent time steps, as well as circular changes like in Wikipedia edit wars.
Not only is their system quite nice (and has a beautiful and interactive website), it also happens to be based on a technique called the connected scatterplot. Steve Haroz, Steven Franconeri, and I just got a paper about that technique accepted at TVCG that should be published soon. In it, we look at how well the technique works for journalism and understanding, and how well people can read the different patterns when comparing time series.
ThemeDelta: Dynamic Segmentations over Temporal Topic Models by Samah Gad, Waqas Javed, Sohaib Ghani, Niklas Elmqvist, Tom Ewing, Keith N. Hampton, and Naren Ramakrishnan is an extension of the ThemeRiver idea for showing topics in text corpora over time. Their technique looks a bit more like parallel coordinates and seems to be more scalable and easier to add interaction to than the original.
Capstone
The capstone talk this year was given by Molly Wright Steenson, a professor of design and architecture. She gave a very interesting talk on some of the history of computing and how it relates to architecture, and vice versa. I knew some of the examples she showed, but had not made the connections she was making for us. While there was no clear takeaway or common idea, I found it very inspiring to think about the way technology works and how it differs from architecture (technology tends to be much more short-lived, architecture is much more steady and – at least more recently – has become quite adaptable to very different uses).
She did of course mention Christopher Alexander and his Pattern Language, but she also had some criticism of his methods and it was interesting to see her perspective on him.
Christopher Alexander is adored by software engineers and designers, and he is hated by architects – Molly Wright Steenson
The capstone meshed really well with the keynote, as several people observed in the Q&A afterwards. Both talked about the history of computing from an art/design/architecture point of view. And they were both really interesting talks, too.
The Next Years
Besides the obvious announcement of next year’s conference, there was also some unexpected news in the closing session: VIS is coming back to Europe in 2018; it will take place in Berlin. Last year’s conference in Paris apparently made a big enough impression on the executive committee to take that step.
Next year’s conference will take place in Baltimore, from October 23–28. Among the changes from this year is that BioVis will be coming back after being attached to a bioinformatics conference for the last few years, and there will be another BELIV workshop.The Kahnawake Mohawks are running out of land.
Any other problem that might plague Kahnawake pales in comparison to this one simple fact: the reserve’s growing population is exhausting what remains of its territory. With nearby South Shore suburbs inching to the reserve’s borders, finding a resolution to the land question seems increasingly difficult.
Last week the Kahnawake band council finalized a report outlining the demands of its community members as it moves toward a new round of land claim negotiations with the federal government. Though the report is confidential, Grand Chief Joe Norton made it clear there’s one point the Mohawks won’t back down from.
“This is our land, we’re not surrendering any of it,” Norton told the Montreal Gazette. “A lot of these negotiations come down to a cash settlement in return for the surrendering of lands. That’s unacceptable to us.”
This may present a serious problem to the federal government. Kahnawake’s 45,000-acre claim stretches from Châteauguay to St-Lambert — a swath that encompasses nine Montreal suburbs. Most of the land Kahnawake wants to recover has already been converted into housing, strip malls, factory farms and gas stations.
But one expert says that while finding a solution may be difficult, it isn’t impossible.
“There are certainly precedents where urban lands can be recovered,” said Christa Scholtz, who teaches aboriginal politics at McGill University. “The Kahnawake issue is in line with the modern reality of land claim negotiations. Money is simply not enough. Compensation is part of the package but it can’t be seen as the only way forward. Reconciliation requires more than writing a cheque.”
Scholtz points to the 2008 Tsawwassen Agreement as an example of how an urban land claim settlement can work. Under the agreement — signed with the British Columbia and federal governments — the Tsawwassen’s land base doubled and potential new revenue streams could make the reserve independent from federal transfer payments.
However, the deal is not without its critics and some provisions have been controversial. Under terms of the agreement, the Tsawwassen First Nation is absorbed into Metro Vancouver and it will lose its tax-exempt status before the end of the decade.
Asked about the prospect of giving up tax-exempt status, Norton dismissed the idea outright.
The Kahnawake claim dates back to the 17th century, when the King of France granted roughly 45,000 acres to the Mohawks south of Montreal. Since that decree was signed, much of Kahnawake’s land base has been eaten up by neighbouring suburbs, the construction of the Mercier Bridge, Highway 30, the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Canadian Pacific Railroad. Today, only about 13,000 acres house Kahnawake’s 8,000 residents. With a population that’s doubled since 1974, locals say there’s little space left to accommodate young families.
Further complicating matters is a disputed slither of land slated for development just south of Kahnawake. The provincial government was meant to return 300 acres to the Mohawks in 2013 to compensate for territory lost during the construction of Highway 30.
But a group of neighbouring municipalities, led by Châteauguay, are blocking the transfer in court and, last December, the provincial Liberals tabled a bill that would convert some of that land into a “development corridor.”
“This undermines the whole negotiation process,” said Norton. “It’s disruptive and it throws uncertainty into the mix.”
The dispute appeared to boil over shortly after Norton’s election as Grand Chief last summer, when he called for a community-wide boycott on Châteauguay businesses in response to the court battle. Kahnawake residents inject an estimated $40 million into the economies of neighbouring cities each year and employ 1,000 non-Mohawks in a variety of jobs inside the reserve, according to band council statistics.
If the transfer of 300 acres is a such a flashpoint, it begs the question of how the question of how 30,000 could conceivably be returned to the Mohawks.
At a press conference last week, council Chief Christine Zachary-Deom said Kahnawake is “nowhere near” a settlement agreement with Ottawa but that the process is moving along.
Last summer the federal government offered Akwesasne — a sister community of Kahnawake’s —$239 million to surrender its land claim. The money could be used to buy 7,400 acres in land from neighbouring communities but only on a voluntary basis.
However, Akwesasne is mostly bordered by farmland rather than the suburban sprawl that encircles Kahnawake.
While Norton appeared unwilling to make major concessions on the band’s land claim, he insists his goal is to ensure the future of his people and also develop a better working relationship with nearby South Shore cities.
“We’re contributors and we’re neighbours and I hope some people can open their hearts and minds and see that,” said Norton. “Nobody’s totally sovereign, we all depend on each other for something.”
ccurtis@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/titocurtisSERIAL rapist, paedophile and diagnosed sexual sadist Graham Loughlan Harrison smiled as he entered a Sydney court for sentencing on multiple charges of rape, child sex, indecency, kidnap and pornography charges.
Harrison, 48, who has a decades long history of sex offences including soliciting underage girls for prostitution and hurting teenagers, is a self confessed “paraphiliac” or sadist, the court was told.
He is undergoing sentencing for 36 charges, some committed while under strict community supervision wearing a satellite tracking anklet.
Harrison — whose barrister Suse Kluss told Judge Jane Culver in Parramatta District Court her client was an intelligent man — has a history of using his charm to lure underage teen victims.
Dressed in a sports coat, shirt and tie and dark pants, Harrison sat in the dock as Judge Culver described his “wilful” and highly planned offending while free in the community on supervision orders.
Harrison also set up a brothel, Paradise Thai Massage in the Sydney suburb of Drummoyne, and breached supervision orders after going off his prescribed anti-libidinal medication.
“There’s no real spontaneity. There’s a degree of planning,” Judge Culver said of the offences.
She said the community had to be protected, and that after previous convictions and court orders Harrison had continued offending in a “flagrant” manner.
“Something that is looming large... is the assessment of future risk,” she said.
“I’d be interested in whether or not this is one of those cases where history will reveal despite... previous intensive monitoring, despite all that, nonetheless here we are again.”
Harrison, now in custody, is facing further prison time for six charges of rape following deprivation of the victim’s liberty, kidnap with intent to gain sexual gratification and threatening to use a weapon for sexual intercourse.
He has also pleaded guilty to inciting an act of indecency, producing child abuse material, assault during indecent act, demand with menaces person to induce a child for prostitution and inducing a woman to assist in sexual intercourse with a child.
The charges were committed between December 2012 and January 2013 in and around his Maroubra flat in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
Harrison has also pleaded guilty to 16 charges committed while he was on a strict community supervision order when he filmed women in sexual acts.
Other breaches of his supervision order include downloading pornography and knowingly permit prostitution at the Drummoyne Paradise Thai Massage.Emporio Profile Blog Joined December 2010 United States 2808 Posts Last Edited: 2011-11-21 08:18:26 #1
The most memorable part of MLG this weekend for me as a Zerg was Leenock's ZvP build where he would fake an expo to roach rush an FFE, against Naniwa he used it a couple times, to varying degrees of effectiveness.
I don't think this is going to be a standard build, but it'll be a nice BO to keep in the pocket, similarly to a Fake-expo 4gate, just to bust out in a BoX competition.
From what I could see in the VODs, the build order looks like this:
10 Overlord
14 Extractor
14 Pool
15 Overlord
@100% Pool - 2 sets of Zerglings, Queen, Metabolic Boost
Remove 2 drones from gas
20 Hatchery
Put 2 drones back on gas
19 2 Overlords
19 Roach Warren
Cancel hatchery when near completion
@ 200 gas - pull 2 drones from gas
@ 100% Roach Warren - 8 Roaches
As larva allows:
6 Zerglings
1 Overlord
Reinforce with pure zerglings
Leenock does not seem to remove the drone from gas after making the roaches
Also, after making ~12 Zerglings as the third wave of lings (4, 6, then 12), he goes into droning, not sure if this is part of the build or a response to what happens in both games
Game 1 - Shakuras Plateau
+ Show Spoiler + Leenock spawning at 7, Naniwa spawning at 2
Naniwa goes Nexus first
Naniwa scouts the lings and roaches with 2 zealots in the middle of the map, allowing him time to put up three cannons, further away from his wall
-I'm pretty sure the Zealots would have just seen the roaches within their vision
Push hits at 6:50
Naniwa has two sentries with what seems like one forcefield each
Leenock kills the cannon and the gateway, but the cannons prevent him from moving forward so he has to retreat and try to macro up
At this point, I assume Leenock is dead so I don't analyze the rest of the game.
Game 3 - Tal'darim Altar
+ Show Spoiler + Spawning Leenock at 11, Naniwa at 7
Naniwa goes Nexus first
First zealot that is at the xel'naga tower is taken out by the initial 4 Zerglings
The second zealot comes out later and is killed by the 4 initial Zerglings + 6 additional Zerglings, so a 10 Zergling army, without seeing the roaches
After making ~12 reinforcing Zerglings during the attack, he goes into pure droning, I'm not sure if this is his normal follow up or a response to seeing Naniwa's front wall.
The push reaches the wall off at 6:50
He easily kills the cannon, the gateway and streams in and wins the game, while Naniwa has only that cannon and 2 sentries defending
Some points I noted about the games
-The key to this build is the first four lings preventing any scouting. You have to make sure the initial scouting probe is killed or scared off back to the base. Then you have to defend against any scouting Zealots or probes to make sure they don't see the Roach Warren, the Hatch cancel or the advancing Roaches. It is critical to control the scouting paths and the Towers, especially when you start moving out with the push
-Leenock goes straight 10 overlord. I assume this build works regardless of overlord timing, so this seems more like stylistic choice than anything. I'm not entirely sure what the rationale for this overlord time is though, so the build may not flow as smoothly if you do something else, though I haven't tested this.
-Leenock does not seem to scout with a drone. Even on a map like Dual Site, where you can't necessarily expect an FFE, he only uses an Overlord to scout. This may only because he knows Naniwa always FFE. I can't find the VODs of his games against Huk, I don't even know if that was streamed, so I can't compare his scout patterns against other Protoss. Also, on Shattered Temple, they spawned close air, so he might have had to use a drone to scout if they were cross positions.
-The engagement with the Roaches at the wall first targets the cannon, then the pylon, then the gateway. This is to prevent damage to Roaches, then the pylon unpowers the gateway and any emergency cannons so that Protoss cannot make anything to defend other than what units they managed to eek out before the attack
-Game 2 on Shattered Temple, he loses his first four lings without doing any damage, so he can't prevent scouting, which might be why he doesn't go for a full Hatch-cancel all-in. He also makes three drones before the 2 Overlords, presumably because he can since he lost the lings
-The hatch cancel just gives you money for the reinforcing lings. In game 2 against Naniwa, Leenock still makes the 8 roaches, just with no lings, otherwise it doesn't make the push any stronger or faster
-Probably my favorite part of the build is that if Protoss is one-basing, you still have a perfectly fine build against normal one base plays. I think this build would also be really strong against a 3gate expand or 4gate. Otherwise, you're just opening 14/14 which is completely normal for a ZvP build Maybe spoilers for MLG ProvidenceThe most memorable part of MLG this weekend for me as a Zerg was Leenock's ZvP build where he would fake an expo to roach rush an FFE, against Naniwa he used it a couple times, to varying degrees of effectiveness.I don't think this is going to be a standard build, but it'll be a nice BO to keep in the pocket, similarly to a Fake-expo 4gate, just to bust out in a BoX competition.From what I could see in the VODs, the build order looks like this:10 Overlord14 Extractor14 Pool15 Overlord@100% Pool - 2 sets of Zerglings, Queen, Metabolic BoostRemove 2 drones from gas20 HatcheryPut 2 drones back on gas19 2 Overlords19 Roach WarrenCancel hatchery when near completion@ 200 gas - pull 2 drones from gas@ 100% Roach Warren - 8 RoachesAs larva allows:6 Zerglings1 OverlordReinforce with pure zerglingsLeenock does not seem to remove the drone from gas after making the roachesAlso, after making ~12 Zerglings as the third wave of lings (4, 6, then 12), he goes into droning, not sure if this is part of the build or a response to what happens in both gamesGame 1 - Shakuras PlateauGame 3 - Tal'darim AltarSome points I noted about the games-The key to this build is the first four lings preventing any scouting. You have to make sure the initial scouting probe is killed or scared off back to the base. Then you have to defend against any scouting Zealots or probes to make sure they don't see the Roach Warren, the Hatch cancel or the advancing Roaches. It is critical to control the scouting paths and the Towers, especially when you start moving out with the push-Leenock goes straight 10 overlord. I assume this build works regardless of overlord timing, so this seems more like stylistic choice than anything. I'm not entirely sure what the rationale for this overlord time is though, so the build may not flow as smoothly if you do something else, though I haven't tested this.-Leenock does not seem to scout with a drone. Even on a map like Dual Site, where you can't necessarily expect an FFE, he only uses an Overlord to scout. This may only because he knows Naniwa always FFE. I can't find the VODs of his games against Huk, I don't even know if that was streamed, so I can't compare his scout patterns against other Protoss. Also, on Shattered Temple, they spawned close air, so he might have had to use a drone to scout if they were cross positions.-The engagement with the Roaches at the wall first targets the cannon, then the pylon, then the gateway. This is to prevent damage to Roaches, then the pylon unpowers the gateway and any emergency cannons so that Protoss cannot make anything to defend other than what units they managed to eek out before the attack-Game 2 on Shattered Temple, he loses his first four lings without doing any damage, so he can't prevent scouting, which might be why he doesn't go for a full Hatch-cancel all-in. He also makes three drones before the 2 Overlords, presumably because he can since he lost the lings-The hatch cancel just gives you money for the reinforcing lings. In game 2 against Naniwa, Leenock still makes the 8 roaches, just with no lings, otherwise it doesn't make the push any stronger or faster-Probably my favorite part of the build is that if Protoss is one-basing, you still have a perfectly fine build against normal one base plays. I think this build would also be really strong against a 3gate expand or 4gate. Otherwise, you're just opening 14/14 which is completely normal for a ZvP build How does it feel knowing you wasted another 3 seconds of your life reading this again?
Que Profile Joined October 2011 Australia 20 Posts #2 if the earliest 4 lings completely deny the P scouting, like in game 3 you described, then what is the advantage of faking the hatch and then cancel? the whole thing turned into a 6:50 timing push period.
SCfallacy Profile Joined November 2011 United States 2 Posts #3 The first probe scout you can't stop with lings. You want that first probe scout to scout you putting down your hatchery. You have to use the 4 lings to stop the second probe scout or the first zealot scout; basically you need to stop the protoss from scouting that you cancelled your hatchery.
You also need to use these initial lings to make sure that there is nothing that is in the middle of the map that the protoss can use to see your roaches coming halfway. In the first game Naniwa scouting the roaches in the middle of the map and had plenty of time to throw down mass cannon and Leenock got destroyed. In the second game Leenock cleared out naniwa's zealots in the middle of the map with his zerglings and naniwa had no idea the roaches were coming, Leenock proceeded to destroy naniwa.
firehand101 Profile Blog Joined March 2011 Australia 3126 Posts #4 If the protoss goes 15 or 16 nexus like nani did, then it can punish them very severely if no more than one or two cannons are made, it was a great BO choice, thanks for copying it down
I think that if protoss goes that greedy, they must be punished and this is a beautiful way to do so The opinions expressed by our users do not reflect the official position of TeamLiquid.net or its staff.
T.O.P. Profile Blog Joined January 2009 Hong Kong 4680 Posts #5 In General vs FFE, zergs should not get zergling speed vs FFE. it serves no purpose other than to deny scout. It also costs a ton of money (1 drone + 200 minerals). If you're playing a macro game, you'll be much much better off just making queens and hatcheries.
The purpose of getting speedling is to threaten an all-in. Because of that Protoss should blindly add cannons vs a speedling opener because of the threat of all-in, as well as the fact that zerg's economy is heavily damaged by getting zergling speed early on. Oracle comes in, Scvs go down, never a miscommunication.
Robinsa Profile Joined May 2009 Japan 1331 Posts #6 On November 21 2011 17:59 Que wrote:
if the earliest 4 lings completely deny the P scouting, like in game 3 you described, then what is the advantage of faking the hatch and then cancel? the whole thing turned into a 6:50 timing push period.
They cant deny the first probe |
only that were true.
Not only did Canada vote against starting negotiations for a nuclear weapons ban treaty this fall, but now that the international community is moving ahead with the negotiations beginning March 27, Canada is boycotting them.
This is a travesty and a massive failure in Justin Trudeau's foreign policy.
There is no excuse for Canada to be following President Trump's lead on this issue.
I have asked the Canadian government to participate fully in the nuclear weapons ban negotiations no less than five times in Question Period since September, and I still don't understand their reasoning behind their position. The Liberals have given three different excuses, but none of them make much sense.
First, the Liberal response has consistently been to hide behind the fissile material cut-off treaty. It is fine that Canada is working towards an FMCT. But how dare the government use this to distract from the very serious issue of working with others towards a treaty that would ban nuclear weapons for good.
Second, it appears that the Liberals are hiding behind Canada's NATO membership and succumbing to pressure from the United States, who have told their NATO allies to oppose the negotiations. There is no excuse for Canada to be following President Trump's lead on this issue. Nor does Canada's membership in NATO mean we should only vote with nuclear states, most of which are not NATO members. Canada should take a lesson from the Netherlands, also a NATO member, who are attending the negotiations.
Third, the Liberal government seems to think there is no point to the negotiations. As a spokesperson from Global Affairs told the Globe and Mail, "The negotiation of a nuclear-weapon ban without the participation of states that possess nuclear weapons is certain to be ineffective and will not eliminate any nuclear weapons."
This last point may be the most ridiculous of them all. All international negotiations worth their salt are difficult. The Ottawa Treaty on landmines took political will. The creation of the International Criminal Court took political will. Work on the Kimberley Process, which I participated in while a Canadian diplomat, took political will. Not all states participated in these negotiations, but we got results. And in those cases, Canada adopted an ambitious approach and took the lead on the international stage. What on earth has happened to us?
I am ashamed of the Liberal position on nuclear disarmament. We need to be working towards a comprehensive nuclear weapons treaty if we want to achieve significant progress.
A government with ethics would participate in this week's historic negotiations for a nuclear weapons ban treaty. If we truly want nuclear disarmament, we have to work hard for it, along with over 120 countries that are committed to banning the bomb. It's time the Liberals grow a backbone and do what's right. They should get to work and attend the nuclear weapons ban treaty negotiations.
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Also on HuffPost:New evidence is emerging that virtual currencies and distributed ledgers, like bitcoin, are gaining strength in emerging economies by cutting out huge fees charged by local banks and financial institutions.
Developed markets make up only 43 percent of global gross domestic product and are generally not required to hold much foreign exchange reserves, yet they have been able to issue 87.5 percent of the world’s bonds. It is emerging market central banks that buy 80 percent of those bonds as foreign exchange reserves to gain market credibility.
Because of financial immaturity, emerging market banks can charge huge fees, and — except for a small band of powerful elites — offer little local access to capital. The general population and the small local merchants remain largely unbanked or underbanked.
The most egregious example of emerging market banks financially hammering the population is the percentage costs for wire transfer and currency exchange fees associated with remittances paid by the more than 250 million people living outside their countries of origin, and the 750 million that live outside their ancestral communities.
The remittance market was $588 billion in 2015 and could reach $1 trillion by 2020, according to the World Bank. Although every country on earth receives remittances, the largest markets were India at $71 billion; China at $64 billion; Philippines at $25 billion; Mexico at $22 billion; Nigeria at $21 billion; Egypt at $17 billion; and Vietnam at $11 billion.
According to the IMF, the percentage cost for receiving $200 remittance transfers in emerging economies averages about 10 percent. But it can be much higher for certain emerging economies:
Germany to Serbia = 20.9 percent South Africa to Mozambique = 22.4 percent United Arab Emirates to India = 13.1 percent United States to Colombia = 17.5 percent
Transaction costs are usually not an issue for international trade, investment, or aid. But severe emerging economies’ overregulation and lack of competition keep bank fees high. Most countries have access to some type of money transfer organization (MTO), like Western Union. But these MTOs are very slow and have a vested interest in shadow pricing banks to maximize their percentage fees.
But these brutal emerging economy costs are motivating local people to embrace virtual currencies and distributed ledgers, because bitcoin transaction costs are almost free. Unlike international banking, which rewards scale transactions with lower fees, the current distributed ledger fee on the “blockchain” for any size digital money transfer and validation is 0.0001 bitcoin, or about 4.2 cents.
This cost arbitrage has created the demand for a huge number of local entrepreneurs to leveraging a dial-up or satellite Internet connection in even remote locations to provide extremely secure, efficient and low-cost remittance transfers.
TechCrunch featured a recent story about this “virtual currency revolution,” which has come to impoverished Africans. BitPesa, for example, started out as an East Africa-based bitcoin remittance service.
Relatives in the U.K. can send money through BitPesa by opening a Bitcoin wallet account, exchanging British pounds for bitcoins, and initiating a transfer. BitPesa then sends a message through their “gateway” to deposit Kenyan shillings into a recipient’s bank or an M-Pesa account.”
By refining prices, improving user interfaces and matching product attributes with consumer needs, the company has become an accepted financial institution in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania for millions of local consumers in just four years.
The coming scale of the distributed ledger opportunity associated with a $1 trillion remittance market has spurred major international banks to try extend their ability to drive down transaction costs.
Nine “bulge-bracket” banks – Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, State Street, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), BBVA and UBS – have funded R3, a New York-based group of trading and technology executives, which aims to create a bitcoin-based transaction structure.
In addition to developing commercial applications, the project is seeking to establish consistent standards and protocols for this emerging technology across the financial industry in order to facilitate broader adoption and gain a network effect, according to an R3 press release.
If the banking consortium is successful in designing and engineering “state-of-the-art enterprise-scale shared ledger solutions to meet banking requirements for security, reliability, performance, scalability and audit,” emerging economies and billions of emerging economy residents will gain access to cost-competitive banking solutions.YouTube turned six years old this month, and to celebrate, the Official YouTube Blog posted some interesting numbers about how much video makes it onto the site every day, and how many people come to YouTube for Web video on a regular basis. It turns out that the number of videos uploaded has doubled over the past year and now stands at 48 hours of video posted every single minute.
Additionally, YouTube noted that the weekend of May 21st saw YouTube’s daily views hit their highest number ever, over 3 billion views per day. That represented a 50% increase over the same number of views at the same time last year.
YouTube attributed some of its rapid growth to the explosion of videos posted to the site from popular uprisings in Syria, Egypt, and Libya, as well as protests in Wisconsin earlier this year, and footage from the earthquake in Japan. All of these events resulted in huge video uploads from mobile devices and people who wanted to share their experiences with the world. People around the globe who were far away went straight to YouTube to see the events as they unfolded.
The growth in YouTube’s popularity isn’t only due to videos of historic and newsworthy events abroad. Google also credits improvements in its video processing speed, the release of full episodes of TV shows, and movie rentals as key to its rapid growth. They also noted that the launch of self-service live streaming for partner accounts has been a growth factor, with some music festivals and other events choosing to stream live over YouTube.
It doesn’t hurt that YouTube is pretty much the only major player in the Web video market. Most competing services target specific niches, like Vimeo does for amateur and independent moviemakers. No one’s really challenging YouTube’s dominance, and as more users find out how easy it is to upload video, they’re taking advantage of the platform as a simple way to share video with their friends.
Read more at the Official YouTube BlogTo watch one of today's live streaming broadcasts, find your desired program to the leftabove and click the "play" button. Today's programs are listed by their scheduled start time.
If you experience problems or you have questions about streaming video broadcasts, please see our FAQ page. For a list of recommended system requirements and other helpful information, please see these video streaming suggestions.
You can find notifications of future public hearings and other Capitol events on our Hearings and Events page. If you missed a broadcast or would like to view a program again, you may access the complete archive at the Senate Audio/Video Archives page.
Due to technical limitations, most out-of-town committee hearings and all "desk meetings" held on the Senate floor can not be carried live. For such events, audio recordings will be posted to the Senate Audio/Video Archive, as well as the relevant committee pages, as soon as possible.
You may access the complete archive at the Senate Audio/Video Archives page.Tokyo Electric on Sunday confirmed lethally high radiation levels inside the primary containment vessel of reactor 1 at the heavily damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant but found they were not nearly as high as those recently logged in reactor 2.
Using a camera-equipped robot on Saturday, Tepco logged 7.8 sieverts per hour on some grating inside the vessel and 1.5 sieverts per hour in water pooled at its bottom.
Those figures are far lower than the 210 sieverts per hour measured at one spot in the PVC of the No. 2 reactor last month, but they are still extremely high.
The four-day probe launched by Tepco on Saturday is aimed at locating the melted fuel rods inside the No. 1 reactor building.
The primary mission of the robot is to investigate the bottom of the containment vessel to see if it can capture images of the melted fuel. Debris is believed to have penetrated the vessel and fallen into the surrounding containment vessel as a result of the heavy damage inflicted by the March 2011 tsunami that devastated eastern Tohoku.
The pressure vessel is the main component of the reactor and contains the fuel rod assemblies. Finding the exact location and condition of the melted fuel is considered critically important to dismantling the reactors.
However, the high radiation inside poses a daunting challenge for those involved in the decommissioning work.
In photos handed out to the media, a valve is shown covered in a yellowish substance that the utility said could be rust.
Another photo shows the grating that the robot, which is attached to a cable, was traveling on.
The utility had sent the robot into the PVC of reactor 1 two years ago but it could only capture images of the grating at the time.
Tepco said the robot can withstand up to 1,000 sieverts before malfunctioning. It traveled about 5 meters on Saturday and will eventually make its way to the other side of the concrete structure through a space that runs beneath the pressure vessel, which houses the core.
If the robot reaches its goal, computer simulations by Tepco show that there is a chance that melted fuel rods could be found there, Tepco said.
In January and February, Tepco investigated the containment vessel of the No. 2 reactor.
It is now preparing to conduct a similar robot probe of the reactor 3.The Toronto Blue Jays, ostensibly expanding their search for a starting pitcher, have had discussions with the Cleveland Indians regarding right-hander Carlos Carrasco, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The Blue Jays would have to surrender "quite a haul" to obtain Carrasco, Rosenthal notes. Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos has a bevy of young talent to potentially offer, including pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Daniel Norris, and outfielder Dalton Pompey.
The report comes just days after Cleveland general manager Chris Antonetti said the Indians are unlikely to trade any of their starters, but it's possible the wealth of young talent in Toronto caused a change of heart.
Carrasco is sporting a 10-7 record with a 3.94 ERA in his sixth major-league season with Cleveland. The 28-year-old signed a four-year extension in April worth $22 million with two team options that could allow an acquiring organization to control him until 2020.Starting at quarterback in major college football is an immense challenge. Doing it as a true freshman? It can be overwhelming.
Talk to a highly regarded quarterback recruit and playing early is often the goal. Now more than ever, quarterbacks want to see the field quickly.
Some hit it big, but most don’t. According to ESPN Stats and Information, in the past five seasons only 13 true freshman quarterbacks at Power 5 programs ranked in the top 100 nationally in passing efficiency at the end of their debut season. Only three -- UCLA’s Josh Rosen (2015), Miami’s Brad Kaaya (2014) and Cal’s Jared Goff (2013) -- threw for 3,000 yards as true freshmen, while two others came close (Washington’s Jake Browning this past season and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg in 2013 each passed for 2,955 yards).
Yet every season a few teams will turn to an 18- or 19-year-old to lead the way at the most important position. Georgia, with No. 1 quarterback recruit Jacob Eason, could be next in line.
No. 1 quarterback recruit Jacob Eason could be in line to start for Georgia as a true freshman. Tom Hauck for Student Sports
What does it take to do it? What challenges do they face and how do coaches know when they're ready? The answer varies.
"It's like a rookie quarterback in the NFL: Can he handle it?" Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. "You don't know those things because the test hasn't been given yet."
One reason the trend is increasing is quarterbacks are more prepared to play immediately now than they were 20 years ago.
“Guys have a chance to work on their skill sets -- it's almost specialized -- all year long,” Texas A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said. “They have [private] quarterback coaches, they're going to all these camps... they're going out every weekend and throwing 7-on-7. It didn't used to be like that in the old days. You'd play other sports and there weren’t all these 7-on-7 leagues, or the Elite 11 or The Opening and all this stuff.”
For some prep passers, working year-round is the reality. Private coaching -- which has become big business -- allows quarterbacks to spend extra time outside of their regular high school football season improving their games.
That’s not the case for everyone, though. Marshall quarterback Chase Litton, who started 11 games as a true freshman in 2015, played three sports in high school.
“When I finished football I went into basketball season. When I finished basketball I went into track,” Litton said. “I was always active. I felt like basketball and high jump really helped me with my feet and conditioning on the football field and helped me stay in shape.”
Litton worked with a private coach in the offseason to improve his footwork but didn't throw every day. It didn’t appear to hinder him: He threw for 2,605 yards, 23 touchdowns and only eight interceptions as a true freshman for the Thundering Herd last season.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock was good enough on the hardwood to earn Division I basketball offers, and while he said playing hoops in the summer may have sometimes taken time away from improving as a quarterback, he has no regrets.
In most cases, enrolling early in college is key. Getting an entire semester of classes, work in the weight room and spring football is something most coaches feel is beneficial for a starting quarterback-to-be.
“I think it really, really helps them, without a doubt, because then they're not a freshman when they get to camp,” Mazzone said. “They've gone through all this stuff. They know your offense, they know what's expected of them. They've been going to class, they've been living the college life, so it's not thrown on them all of a sudden.”
Rosen, Browning, Litton and Boise State’s Brett Rypien are all examples of players who arrived on campus in January 2015. Litton said, “I couldn't even imagine being able to play [right away] without it.
“When spring came, obviously, the first week, two weeks, you've got to adjust to the speed, the stature of the guys, the knowledge of the game, the coverages you're going to get, the looks you're going to get,” he said. “I remember thinking after the first day of spring ball: 'Dang, I really have to improve, because this is college football.'”
It’s not always the case: Lock didn’t arrive at Mizzou until June. That's also when Lamar Jackson, who finished the season with the highest Total QBR (72.0) of any true freshman in 2015, arrived at Louisville. Jackson started eight games for the Cardinals and had a landmark performance in their bowl win over Texas A&M (227 passing yards, 226 rushing yards, four combined touchdowns). He set single-season school records for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (11) and rushing yards by a quarterback (960) in 2015.
In most cases, coaches recommend getting the extra time in the spring if the quarterback has his sights set on playing immediately.
Stepping on the field for the first time can be dizzying. Lock said the first time he saw the field, as a backup against Southeast Missouri State, he was “practically hyperventilating.” When he made his first career start a month later against South Carolina, he also had to calm his nerves. Once he settled in, the next thing he had to do was adjust to the speed of the game, which many freshmen say is one of the most challenging parts of starting.
“You have 300-plus-pounders moving at the speed of the fastest guys in high school you would see,” Lock said. “You have corners out there that you've ever seen in your life. You're throwing at targets that are faster than guys you ever have. And it's hard not to think about pressure out there. You have a whole state and university relying on you. You're the face of it. That was difficult.”
For some, like Rosen, it’s easier to digest. Mazzone, who coached Rosen at UCLA last season, said Rosen's transition was smooth.
“One of the most gifted kids I've ever been around,” Mazzone said. “Very, very smart. He gets the game. [Some freshmen are] waiting for the day that the game slows down. It's been slow for Josh forever.”
Injuries often dictate timing. In Boise State’s case, Harsin wanted to redshirt Rypien behind Ryan Finley, who was the starter heading into 2015. After an early-season injury to Finley, Rypien stepped in and responded with 3,353 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games (10 starts).
“Sometimes having young players, or in this case a true freshman, it's not all that bad,” Harsin said. “Young players don't know all the bad. I don't want to say this in a negative way, but they're just dumb enough to find ways to win because there's that confidence. I think we all have that instinct in things that we do.”The new Discovery Sport is a young, baby Land Rover. Land Rover has set this car up to be aimed at the youthful generations. It still has the look and capability of a Land Rover, but in making it more affordable, those who thought they could never own one, now may be able to do just that!
Now…I only had the car for two hours, but I certainly found what I did like and what I did not. So, here is a brief first drive experience of the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Let’s start with the good stuff, shall we?. The design still keeps its ‘Land Rover’ style while bringing new elements into play. The new headlights and tail lights are detailed and delightful!
The gigantic panoramic sunroof is gorgeous and really sets the car up for upscale luxury. Just sitting in the car and looking up is a huge treat. There is a lot of room inside the cabin- even more than some of its segment rivals. So, there should be no problem fitting pretty much anything in this car. The interior is spacious and plush, while the seats are comfortable and supportive.
Sadly, there are a a few downers. I think some of the plastics could have been of a better quality. The other thing that got me when driving was the turbo lag. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with 240 hp and 250 lb-ft is quite sufficient for the Disco Sport and even though peak torque comes at a low 1750 rpm, there’s still a hint of turbo lag. Acceleration is brisk but that’s only after the turbo kicks in. The Discovery Sport manages to hit 60 mph in 7.8 sec and it can easily do speeds up to 124 mph. The transmission in this SUVs is 9-speed automatic and is no slouch either.
So we had our ups and downs with the car but overall, I was impressed. The Discovery Sport is definitely a true Land Rover- it has the looks and the off road capabilities. Though it might not be as capable off road as its bigger and older brothers, it was totally composed over the rough stuff I encountered along the way. Hopefully over time, we could see more of the advanced capabilities trickling down to the Discover Sport.
The steering is responsive and the Disco feels nimble quite nimble on its feet since it has less weight to lug around compared to its siblings. The unique rotary gear selector knob is a brilliant piece of engineering and design. The satellite navigation and entertainment system seem pretty decent, though I did not get to play too much with it. I had to film and photograph the car, you see.
If you’re looking to take a step into the Land Rover family but do not want to drop a fortune, then the Discovery Sport may very well be your best bet. Though I only had two hours with the car, and some gripes with it, I really did enjoy every moment of the driving experience.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Image gallery:Caught in a wild and gyrating market, crude oil prices briefly returned to triple-digit territory on Thursday, but gave up most of their gains to fall below $100 a barrel by the end of the day.
Crude oil futures settled at $97.88 a barrel, up 72 cents for the day, after jumping above $102 when trading opened on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The rise followed a 6.6 percent jump on Wednesday when panicky investors fled the stock market to seek shelter in the perceived safety of commodities.
After spending six months above $100, oil prices slumped earlier in the week because of concerns that the financial turmoil on Wall Street would slow economic growth and hurt oil demand. Prices fell to $91.51 a barrel on Tuesday, but since then they have made up some of their losses.
The worry in the markets now centers on efforts to restart production and refining operations on the Gulf Coast, the nation’s largest energy hub, which was battered by two powerful hurricanes in recent weeks. The disruptions forced oil companies to draw on their inventories, pushing stockpiles to their lowest levels in years.
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Oil inventories are now below their five-year average and gasoline stockpiles are at their lowest since 1969. Retail gasoline prices spiked in recent days but fell slightly Thursday, to about $3.84 a gallon on average, according to the automobile club AAA.
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To make up for short-term disruptions in fuel supplies, the government is considering appeals to the International Energy Agency to release emergency fuel stocks. The agency, whose role is to coordinate energy policies for 27 industrialized nations, last released emergency supplies after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Even without government action, refiners are already exporting extra gasoline from Europe.Automated speed cameras, installed around area schools three years ago with the goal of punishing dangerous drivers and making the streets safer for children, have caught hundreds of school buses speeding near the schools they serve, often with children aboard, a Baltimore Sun analysis has found.
Privately owned buses have received at least 800 automated speed citations in Baltimore City, while city-owned buses have accumulated more than 50, records show. And Baltimore County public school buses have triggered speed cameras more than 100 times over the past two years.
The $40 tickets are issued only to vehicles recorded driving at least 12 mph over the speed limit. More than two dozen school buses were clocked 20 mph or more over the limit in the city, including one that hit 74 mph one afternoon in February on West Cold Spring Lane near the Poly-Western high school campus.
Protecting schoolchildren was a key justification when the General Assembly voted in 2009 to allow speed cameras statewide. In addition to highway work zones, the devices are permitted in designated "school zones," defined in the law as being within a half-mile radius of a school.
Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke called the volume of school bus citations in the city "a very serious issue." Many city students who ride school buses — as opposed to taking mass transit or other means — have special needs or are in elementary school, which Clarke said heightens her concern.
"If we don't do something about the companies and the drivers picking up these tickets, we're not helping to prevent accidents," said Clarke, who chairs the City Council's education committee. "There will be accidents if these habits are not turned around."
Officials at both the city and the county school systems say it is unacceptable for buses to speed.
Both districts say they require their drivers — not taxpayers — to pay the citations, and ticketed drivers face a graduated series of disciplinary measures.
But the city school system's own records show that officials have an uncertain grasp on the issue. For example, a Jeep Liberty registered to the city schools' police program has accumulated 28 speed camera tickets in the city and Baltimore County, records show. Yet the school system said this week it has a record of just 15.
City school officials also acknowledge they have no way of knowing how many privately owned buses have gotten tickets while carrying public school students, because the companies aren't required to notify the district when their buses receive citations.
Using partial speed camera data provided by City Hall, The Sun identified 122 citations that were issued to privately owned buses that have each gotten five or more tickets. School district officials checked their records and found that 96 of the violations occurred with children on board.
Barber Transportation Inc.'s buses got 24 of those tickets. Company representative Veronica Robinson expressed surprise at the numbers, saying Barber monitors tickets its drivers receive. "Anything that goes beyond two, they're reprimanded and they lose their [bus] run," she said. The most that any driver has gotten was four, she said, and "he's no longer working here."
A Barber bus that has gotten 15 citations, at least eight while students were aboard, is a "spare bus and is driven by numerous drivers," Robinson said. On Jan. 13, a camera detected that bus going 57 mph in a 25 mph zone on Hillen Road, not far from Yorkwood Elementary School.
Rams Bus Service owner Karen Vora questioned school system figures showing four of her company's buses amassed a combined 25 speed camera tickets with students aboard (and five more with none aboard). Asked about the tickets, she said none of her drivers have gotten more than two, and she said her six or seven current drivers rotate driving duties among the buses.
Any speed camera ticket is unacceptable, Vora said: "Whether there are kids or not, they should not be speeding — that's the bottom line."
Representatives of several other companies whose buses got tickets declined to comment or did not return calls.
In a statement to The Sun, the city school system said it will begin requiring contractors to report speed camera tickets, at least when a driver gets more than one. As school bus contracts are renewed, "we will be asking that they monitor and respond swiftly and appropriately to speeding by their drivers and that they inform our transportation office of drivers who have received multiple citations."
The absence of such a reporting requirement alarms the Parent and Community Advisory Board, a city schools' parent organization.
"The contractual agreement between City Schools and the private bus companies should include an agreement to report on speed camera tickets," the board said in a statement. "We urge City Schools to expedite the process of inclusion of this reporting in these agreements for the safety of all involved, especially our children."
"We are quite concerned as our children receiving bus service are typically the city's most vulnerable student populations," the statement added.
A camera overlooking a stretch of Greenspring Avenue near Kennedy Krieger High School, which serves special education students, has recorded 57 school buses speeding, most in the city. Tops in Baltimore County was the camera at 3800 Washington Ave., site of Milford Mill Academy, with 22.
The city and Baltimore County have the largest speed camera programs in the region. Howard County has a smaller program, with two cameras, while Carroll, Harford and Anne Arundel counties don't have automated speed camera devices. Unlike the city and the county, Howard refused to provide citation data containing license tag numbers, claiming that state law forbids it.
"Student safety is paramount and the district's position is that speeding is not acceptable under any circumstance," the city school district said in its statement, issued by spokeswoman Edie House-Foster. "Our expectation is that vendors take traffic violations in school zones with utmost seriousness."
City school officials said buses contracted or owned by the system made more than 800 trips a day last year, logging some 23,000 miles each day.
All district employees are required to pay traffic tickets and to show proof to their supervisors. Yet in "limited instances," officials say, the system has had to pay tickets incurred by workers whose employment ended with tickets unpaid. The district paid Baltimore County $280 to satisfy seven tickets that one employee got while driving the school police Jeep Liberty on Putty Hill Avenue.Paula Fox (April 22, 1923 – March 1, 2017) was an American author of novels for adults and children and of two memoirs. For her contributions as a children's writer she won the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978, the highest international recognition for a creator of children's books.[1][2] She also won several awards for particular children's books including the 1974 Newbery Medal for her novel The Slave Dancer;[3][b] a 1983 National Book Award in category Children's Fiction (paperback) for A Place Apart;[4][c] and the 2008 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for A Portrait of Ivan (1969) in its German-language edition Ein Bild von Ivan.[5][d]
In 2011, she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame.[6] The NYSW Hall of Fame is a project of the Empire State Center for the Book.[7] Her adult novels went out of print in 1992. In the mid nineties she enjoyed a revival as her adult fiction was championed by a new generation of American writers.[8]
Early life [ edit ]
Paula Fox was born in New York City on April 22, 1923. Her mother, Elsie De Sola, was Cuban and a screenwriter.[9] Her father, Paul Hervey Fox, wrote screenplays[9] and taught English. After he divorced Elsie, he had 3 sons and a daughter with his second wife, Mary.[citation needed]
Elsie De Sola Fox rejected her daughter Paula at birth and left her in a foundling home. Her maternal grandmother, Candelaria de Sola, temporarily visiting New York City, rescued her and she was moved around Florida, Cuba and the US. Unable at the time to provide a home herself, Candelaria gave the infant to Reverend Elwood Corning and his bedridden mother in Balmville, New York.[10]
Corning treated Fox kindly and taught her important lessons. When she first visited her parents at age five, her mother treated her like a prisoner of war. As she wrote in her memoir Borrowed Finery, the reunion was so traumatic that "I sensed that if she could have hidden the act she would have killed me."[11]
In 1944, Fox was living in the household of famed acting coach Stella Adler and became friendly with another of Adler's students who was living there.[12][13] She became pregnant and reportedly gave the child up for adoption.[9] This daughter, Linda Carroll, became an author and psychotherapist and gave birth to musician Courtney Love. Visual artist Frances Bean Cobain is Fox's great-granddaughter.[14]
Career [ edit ]
Fox attended Columbia University and married Richard Sigerson, by whom she had 2 sons. She later married literary critic and translator Martin Greenberg, and worked for years as a teacher and tutor for troubled children. Only in her 40s did she begin her first novel, Poor George, about a cynical schoolteacher who finds purpose—and ruin—in mentoring a vagrant teenager.[15] The novel was received well (Bernard Bergonzi in the New York Review of Books calling it "the best novel I've read in a long time") but sold poorly, a pattern that all her adult novels would follow. Desperate Characters came next with Alfred Kazin calling it a "brilliant performance" and "quite devastating" while Lionel Trilling described it as "a reserved and beautifully realized novel". By 1992 all six of her novels were out of print.[11]
In 2011 she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame.[16] The Writers Hall of Fame is a project of the Empire State Center for the Book.[7] She was championed by the author Jonathan Franzen, who saw that some of her books were re-issued.[9]
Fox died at age 93 in Brooklyn on March 1, 2017.[17]
Works [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Paula Fox at Boyds Mills Press
Paula Fox at Library of Congress Authorities, with 57 catalog recordsThe deals attract many shoppers from across the state and the nation, but those spending the most at the two outlet malls in San Marcos, Texas are coming from across the border in Mexico.
A recent study published by Texas State University shows Mexican shoppers are spending twice as much at the outlets as Americans who live outside Austin and San Antonio.
“It’s the merchandise, prices and selection that is really the appeal,” said Dr. Ann Dupont, a professor with the School of Family and Consumer Studies at Texas State. “They’re not just coming to visit family and friends and happen to go by the mall, they’re coming to do that. It’s a destination.”
Marco Ochoa is a prime example.
For the second straight year, he and his family made the 11-hour drive from their home in Mexico to buy clothes and accessories to last the entire year.
Texas State students surveyed families during the holiday shopping season in 2008 and found the average Mexican-National family spent $1,568 per trip, while domestic shoppers spent $746 on one trip.
“We found that the people who stayed in hotels, motels and condos spent the most,” said Professor Pauline Sullivan with the School of Family and Consumer Studies at Texas State.
San Marcos Premium Outlets say shoppers from Mexico are drawn to the high-end brands, and it is getting easier to travel.
“We do work with shuttle services out of San Antonio,” said Lorena Garcia, marketing director for San Marcos Premium Outlets. “We work with some of the airline shuttles that have just launched in the San Antonio area as well that bring people in from Mexico.”
Retailers aren’t the only ones reaping the rewards.
The study also found for every dollar spent at a retail shop, an additional 44 cents was added to the local economy through other purchases such as fuel, food, lodging and entertainment.
Getting a better idea of who is coming to town can also help city leaders plan for the future.
“What isn’t here that would have the most appeal to them? Would it be a golf course which we’ve talked about for years? Would it be a certain type of family entertainment venue?” said Dupont. “When you know that there’s this big of a market staying that many days they can’t shop all the time.”
Texas State professors are trying to get additional funding to expand the study.
They would like to survey shoppers again now that the economy is recovering and study shoppers who come from Europe, China and India.One morning I woke up and found that my husband had spoken this poem into my iPhone while I was sleeping. I asked him if I could share it on my STUFF page. He loves the STUFF page and is even on occasion, a silent, anonymous contributor! He said I could post it as long as I explained the way you catch a unicorn! So here goes. The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it has for fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters capture it.
Susie Cave
Your browser does not support the audio element.It has been a little over a year since former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner carried the torch of transgender issues into the national spotlight with a very public transition. Now Lea T, a transgender model in Brazil, will be the first transgender person to be prominently featured during the lighting of the actual Olympic torch.
Lea T, the professional name of Brazilian model Leandra Medeiros Cerezo, will be the first transgender person to play a major role in an Olympics opening ceremony Friday in Rio. While the specifics of her role in the ceremony remain under wraps, her inclusion is a powerful show of diversity on the world stage. It also represents a reversal for the International Olympic Committee, which until 2015 recommended countries not include transgender athletes on their rosters.
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#include "Allocator.h" class FreeListAllocator : public Allocator { public : FreeListAllocator ( size_t size, void * start ); ~ FreeListAllocator (); void * allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) override ; void deallocate ( void * p ) override ; private : struct AllocationHeader { size_t size ; u8 adjustment ; }; struct FreeBlock { size_t size ; FreeBlock * next ; }; FreeListAllocator ( const FreeListAllocator &); //Prevent copies because it might cause errors FreeListAllocator & operator =( const FreeListAllocator &); FreeBlock * _free_blocks ; };
#include "FreeListAllocator.h" FreeListAllocator :: FreeListAllocator ( size_t size, void * start ) : Allocator ( size, start ), _free_blocks (( FreeBlock *) start ) { ASSERT ( size > sizeof ( FreeBlock )); _free_blocks -> size = size ; _free_blocks -> next = nullptr ; } FreeListAllocator ::~ FreeListAllocator () { _free_blocks = nullptr ; } void * FreeListAllocator :: allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) { ASSERT ( size!= 0 && alignment!= 0 ); FreeBlock * prev_free_block = nullptr ; FreeBlock * free_block = _free_blocks ; while ( free_block!= nullptr ) { //Calculate adjustment needed to keep object correctly aligned u8 adjustment = pointer_math :: alignForwardAdjustmentWithHeader ( free_block, alignment, sizeof ( AllocationHeader )); size_t total_size = size + adjustment ; //If allocation doesn't fit in this FreeBlock, try the next if ( free_block -> size < total_size ) { prev_free_block = free_block ; free_block = free_block -> next ; continue ; } static_assert ( sizeof ( AllocationHeader ) >= sizeof ( FreeBlock ), "sizeof(AllocationHeader) < sizeof(FreeBlock)" ); //If allocations in the remaining memory will be impossible if ( free_block -> size - total_size <= sizeof ( AllocationHeader )) { //Increase allocation size instead of creating a new FreeBlock total_size = free_block -> size ; if ( prev_free_block!= nullptr ) prev_free_block -> next = free_block -> next ; else _free_blocks = free_block -> next ; } else { //Else create a new FreeBlock containing remaining memory FreeBlock * next_block = ( FreeBlock *)( pointer_math :: add ( free_block, total_size ) ); next_block -> size = free_block -> size - total_size ; next_block -> next = free_block -> next ; if ( prev_free_block!= nullptr ) prev_free_block -> next = next_block ; else _free_blocks = next_block ; } uptr aligned_address = ( uptr ) free_block + adjustment ; AllocationHeader * header = ( AllocationHeader *)( aligned_address - sizeof ( AllocationHeader )); header -> size = total_size ; header -> adjustment = adjustment ; _used_memory += total_size ; _num_allocations ++; ASSERT ( pointer_math :: alignForwardAdjustment (( void *) aligned_address, alignment ) == 0 ); return ( void *) aligned_address ; } //ASSERT(false && "Couldn't find free block large enough!"); return nullptr ; } void FreeListAllocator :: deallocate ( void * p ) { ASSERT ( p!= nullptr ); AllocationHeader * header = ( AllocationHeader *) pointer_math :: subtract ( p, sizeof ( AllocationHeader )); uptr block_start = reinterpret_cast <uptr> ( p ) - header -> adjustment ; size_t block_size = header -> size ; uptr block_end = block_start + block_size ; FreeBlock * prev_free_block = nullptr ; FreeBlock * free_block = _free_blocks ; while ( free_block!= nullptr ) { if ( ( uptr ) free_block >= block_end ) break ; prev_free_block = free_block ; free_block = free_block -> next ; } if ( prev_free_block == nullptr ) { prev_free_block = ( FreeBlock *) block_start ; prev_free_block -> size = block_size ; prev_free_block -> next = _free_blocks ; _free_blocks = prev_free_block ; } else if (( uptr ) prev_free_block + prev_free_block -> size == block_start ) { prev_free_block -> size += block_size ; } else { FreeBlock * temp = ( FreeBlock *) block_start ; temp -> size = block_size ; temp -> next = prev_free_block -> next ; prev_free_block -> next = temp ; prev_free_block = temp ; } if ( free_block!= nullptr && ( uptr ) free_block == block_end ) { prev_free_block -> size += free_block -> size ; prev_free_block -> next = free_block -> next ; } _num_allocations --; _used_memory -= block_size ; }
Pool Allocator
This allocator only allows allocations of a fixed size and alignment to be made, this results in both fast allocations and deallocations to be made. Like the FreeList allocator, a linked-list of free blocks is maintaied but since all blocks are the same size each free block only needs to store a pointer to the next one. Another advantage of Pool allactors is no need to align each allocation, since all allocations have the same size/alignment only the first block has to be aligned, this results in a almost non-existant memory overhead.
The block size of the Pool Allocator must be larger than sizeof(void*) because when blocks are free they store a pointer to the next free block in the list.
Allocations
The allocator simply returns the first free block and updates the linked list.
Deallocations
The allocator simply adds the deallocated block to the free blocks linked list.
Implementation
PoolAllocator.h
#include "Allocator.h" class PoolAllocator : public Allocator { public : PoolAllocator ( size_t objectSize, u8 objectAlignment, size_t size, void * mem ); ~ PoolAllocator (); void * allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) override ; void deallocate ( void * p ) override ; private : PoolAllocator ( const PoolAllocator &); //Prevent copies because it might cause errors PoolAllocator & operator =( const PoolAllocator &); size_t _objectSize ; u8 _objectAlignment ; void ** _free_list ; };
#include "PoolAllocator.h" PoolAllocator :: PoolAllocator ( size_t objectSize, u8 objectAlignment, size_t size, void * mem ) : Allocator ( size, mem ), _objectSize ( objectSize ), _objectAlignment ( objectAlignment ) { ASSERT ( objectSize >= sizeof ( void *)); //Calculate adjustment needed to keep object correctly aligned u8 adjustment = pointer_math :: alignForwardAdjustment ( mem, objectAlignment ); _free_list = ( void **) pointer_math :: add ( mem, adjustment ); size_t numObjects = ( size - adjustment )/ objectSize ; void ** p = _free_list ; //Initialize free blocks list for ( size_t i = 0 ; i < numObjects - 1 ; i ++) { * p = pointer_math :: add ( p, objectSize ); p = ( void **) * p ; } * p = nullptr ; } PoolAllocator ::~ PoolAllocator () { _free_list = nullptr ; } void * PoolAllocator :: allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) { ASSERT ( size == _objectSize && alignment == _objectAlignment ); if ( _free_list == nullptr ) return nullptr ; void * p = _free_list ; _free_list = ( void **)(* _free_list ); _used_memory += size ; _num_allocations ++; return p ; } void PoolAllocator :: deallocate ( void * p ) { *(( void **) p ) = _free_list ; _free_list = ( void **) p ; _used_memory -= _objectSize ; _num_allocations --; }
Proxy Allocator
A Proxy Allocator is a special kind of allocator. It is just used to help with memory leak and subsystem memory usage tracking. It will simply redirect all allocations/deallocations to the allocator passed as argument in the constructor while keeping track of how many allocations it made and how much memory it is "using". Example: Two subsystems use the same allocator A. If you want to show in the debugging user interface how much memory each subsystem is using, you create a proxy allocator, that redirects all allocations/deallocations to A, in each subsystem and track their memory usage. It will also help in memory leak tracking because the assert in the proxy allocator destructor of the subsystem that is leaking memory will fail.
Implementation
ProxyAllocator.h
#include "Allocator.h" class ProxyAllocator : public Allocator { public : ProxyAllocator ( Allocator & allocator ); ~ ProxyAllocator (); void * allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) override ; void deallocate ( void * p ) override ; private : ProxyAllocator ( const ProxyAllocator &); //Prevent copies because it might cause errors ProxyAllocator & operator =( const ProxyAllocator &); Allocator & _allocator ; };
#include "ProxyAllocator.h" ProxyAllocator :: ProxyAllocator ( Allocator & allocator ) : Allocator ( allocator. getSize (), allocator. getStart ()), _allocator ( allocator ) { } ProxyAllocator ::~ ProxyAllocator () { } void * ProxyAllocator :: allocate ( size_t size, u8 alignment ) { ASSERT ( size!= 0 ); _num_allocations ++; size_t mem = _allocator. getUsedMemory (); void * p = _allocator. allocate ( size, alignment ); _used_memory += _allocator. getUsedMemory () - mem ; return p ; } void ProxyAllocator :: deallocate ( void * p ) { _num_allocations --; size_t mem = _allocator. getUsedMemory (); _allocator. deallocate ( p ); _used_memory -= mem - _allocator. getUsedMemory (); }
Allocator Managment
A large block of memory should be allocated when the program starts using malloc (and this should be the only malloc made) this large block of memory is managed by a global allocator (for example a stack allocator). Each subsystem should then allocate the block of memory it needs to work from the global allocator, and create allocators that will manage that memory.
Example usage
Allocate 1GB of memory using malloc and create a FreeList allocator to manage that memory.
Create a Proxy allocator that redirects all allocations to the FreeList allocator.
Initialize the Resource Manager by passing a pointer to the Proxy allocator in the constructor.
Register the Proxy allocator in the memory usage tracker so it shows how much memory the Resource Manager is using.
Allocate 16MB of memory using the FreeList allocator and create a Linear allocator to manage that memory and register it in the memory usage tracker.
Use the Linear allocator to make small temporary allocations needed for game logic, etc, and clear it before the end of each frame.
The Resource Manager will create a Pool allocator for every ResourcePackage it loads.
Tips & Tricks
Depending on the type of allocator, keep the number of individual allocations to a minimum to reduce the memory wasted by allocation headers.
Prefer using allocateArray() to individual allocations when it makes sense. Most allocators will use extra memory in each allocation to store allocation headers and arrays will only need single header.
to individual allocations when it makes sense. Most allocators will use extra memory in each allocation to store and arrays will only need single header. Instead of making small size allocations from allocators with large amounts of memory available, allocate a single memory block capable of holding all the small allocations and create a new allocator to manage the memory block and make the small allocations from this block.
Performance Comparison
To test the performance of each allocator compared to malloc I wrote a program that measures how long it takes to make 20000 allocations (you can download the program in the end of the article), the tests where made in release mode and the results are averages of 3 runs.
Malloc vs Linear Allocator
10k 16 bytes allocations + 1k 256 bytes allocations + 50 2Mb allocations/deallocations (allocations made using the linear allocator are deallocated in a single call to clear().
Allocator Time (s) Malloc 0.639655 Linear 0.000072
Malloc vs Stack Allocator
10k 16 bytes allocations + 1k 256 bytes allocations + 50 2Mb allocations/deallocations
Allocator Time (s) Malloc 0.650435 Stack 0.000289
Malloc vs FreeList Allocator
10k 16 bytes allocations + 1k 256 bytes allocations + 50 2Mb allocations/deallocations
Allocator Time (s) Malloc 0.673865 FreeList 0.000414
Malloc vs Pool Allocator
20k 16 bytes allocations/deallocations
Allocator Time (s) Malloc 1.454934 Pool 0.000193
Conclusion
There isn't a single best allocator - it's important to think about how the memory will be allocated/accessed/deallocated and choose the right allocator for each situation. Full source code and performance tests in the attached file
Reference
http://bitsquid.blogspot.pt/2010/09/custom-memory-allocation-in-c.html Game Engine Architecture, Jason Gregory 2009 http://molecularmusings.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/memory-system-part-1/
Article Update Log
04 March 2014: Rewritten FreeListAllocator, added support to x64. (Also updated code style and added a new test).
16 November 2013: Fixed two errors in lines 48 and 60
14 April 2013: Fixed an error in allocateArray
13 April 2013: FreeList and Pool allocators added
12 April 2013: Performance comparison & test project added
11 April 2013: Initial releaseSource: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on well data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on well data from the North Dakota Industrial Commission
In North Dakota’s Bakken region, the ratio of natural gas production relative to crude oil, known as the gas-oil ratio, has been gradually increasing since 2008 and has increased at a faster rate since 2014. More than 90% of North Dakota’s crude oil and natural gas production comes from the Bakken region, which includes the Bakken and Three Forks formations.
Total North Dakota crude oil production peaked at more than 1.2 million barrels per day (b/d) in December 2014, but production has since dropped to 1.07 million b/d (as of August 2017), based on data in EIA’s Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production Report. The record crude oil production in late 2014 was the result of increasing crude oil production from the Bakken and Three Forks formations. Despite production declines in 2016, North Dakota remained the second-largest oil-producing state, accounting for 11% of total U.S. crude oil production.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Drilling Productivity Report
While oil production has slowed in North Dakota, natural gas production has continued to grow, reaching a record high of 1.94 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in August 2017, or the energy equivalent of about 334,000 b/d of crude oil. Despite the increasing gas-oil ratio, North Dakota still produces more than three times as much energy from crude oil as from natural gas.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on North Dakota Industrial Commission
In tight oil formations like the Bakken and Three Forks—which have low permeability—the gas-oil ratio tends to increase only gradually over an extended period of time before reaching a certain point at which it then increases significantly. As producers extract hydrocarbons from a rock formation, the pressure in the formation eventually falls below the point at which natural gas naturally separates from the gas-saturated crude oil—a threshold known as the bubble point. More oil relative to natural gas tends to be produced during the initial phases of production, after which natural gas production can increase once pressure in the formation reaches the bubble point.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on North Dakota Industrial Commission
In previous years, insufficient infrastructure to collect, gather, and transport North Dakota’s increasing natural gas production meant more than 35% of the state's gross withdrawals of natural gas was flared rather than marketed. In an effort to reduce the amount of flared gas, North Dakota's Industrial Commission established new targets in 2014 to limit flaring to 10% by October 1, 2020. Based on data from North Dakota's Industrial Commission, the volume of flared natural gas has declined from more than 0.35 Bcf/d in 2014 to about 0.20 Bcf/d in 2017—about a 40% decline.
Principal contributors: April Volke, Emily Geary, Neal DavisChristians and Muslims have been engaged in Inter-faith dialogues for many years now.
In our modern age, this dialogue, which started around fifty years ago, has witnessed a big increase during the last two decades.
Often taking the form of debates, Muslim and Christian scholars compare the texts of the Bible and the Qur’an, and often discuss details regarding Jesus, peace be upon him, as understood by both sides.
Before going into details, I suggest that it may be useful to look at the wider picture, as this approach can help both sides reach a better understanding of many of the topics where they disagree, notably whether Jesus, peace be upon him, was the son of God.
And one core issue in this perspective is a correct understanding of the concept of human sin.
The Prophet’s Hadith
The following is a very important Hadith which I consider a key introduction for our Christian friends to understand two of God’s most important attributes; His Mercy and His Forgiveness.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
“If you did not commit sins and turn to God, seeking His forgiveness, He would have replaced you with another people who would sin, ask God’s forgiveness and He would forgive them” (Hadith in Sahih Muslim)
God All-Mighty created us for His Mercy and Forgiveness. He says in the Qur’an:
{And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ. Except whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them …} (11:118-119)
God created human beings different than the way He created angels. Had He so willed, He could have easily created us similar to angels, who can only obey God and can’t disobey.
But He didn’t.
He created us with a free will and He sent us His guidance in order for us not to go astray.
With free will and Divine Guidance, we human beings living on this earth are free to believe in the existence of a Creator or disbelieve.
And if we believe, we are also free to follow the Divine Guidance sent to us, or not follow this Guidance.
God created us in a way which is suitable for us to populate and live on this earth, and to survive here as a human species, in the same way that He created angels in a way that is suitable for their main role, which is to praise Him.
He therefore gave each human soul “angelic” aspects that allow us to stay connected to Him by following His Guidance, though we can’t see Him, while at the same time He gave us other earthly attributes and human desires to enable us to survive as a species, and He guided us on how to use these earthly attributes in a way that pleases Him, like marriage for example.
God knows that having such earthly attributes and desires, and having free will, will often lead us to use them in the wrong way, especially with the constant insinuations we receive from Satan, our worst enemy.
He knew before He created us that we would use our free will to sin, but that is not the end of the world, as there is a way out of sin, which is to repent and ask God to forgive.
And this is the main purpose of our creation in the first place: we were created for God’s mercy and forgiveness, as mentioned in the Hadith above.
So if and when a believer sins, all what he or she is required to do is to feel sorry for that sin, to repent to God and ask Him to forgive.
And this is exactly what happened to our father Adam.
Adam committed a sin by disobeying God’s command of not eating from the forbidden tree in Heaven, and was misguided by his worst enemy, Satan, to fall into that sin.
But that was not the end of the world.
God knew Adam would sin before He created him, and He taught him how to repent, something Adam did, and God forgave him.
End of story.
As God is a Merciful and Forgiving God, He accepted Adam’s repentance, and He forgave him.
Adam, and all of God’s prophets who came after him, taught their followers how to repent, and to directly ask God for forgiveness. And He forgives us by His mercy, which is the original purpose of our creation.
Conclusion
The journey of human beings on earth is to search for God using the advanced intellect we have, which God gave us, reflect, read His Guidance, and if convinced believe in Him by our free will.
We should then show our love for Him by following His guidance and ask Him to guide us and forgive us on a daily basis in order that we live a happy life here and an eternal happy life in the Hereafter.
God does not need Jesus, peace be upon him, to die for the sins of mankind, as He created us with a free will and He guided us to repent directly to Him when we use this free will in the wrong way.
He is a Forgiving and Merciful God, and He forgives all sins when we repent, as He is the Most Merciful, Al-Rahman, Al-Rahim, the Most Kind.
May Allah guide us all to His Straight Path.
AmeenSecretary General Ban Ki-moon, VP Joe Biden Talk LGBT Rights at the UN
The U.S. vice president called protections for LGBT people “the civil rights issue of our time.”
“What do you gain by making others less equal?”
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked that question Wednesday afternoon during a passionate address to heads of state on global LGBT rights.
The meeting included the leaders of 20 countries, as well as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Ban, who will leave his post as U.N. chief next year, decried the discrimination against LGBT people, particularly youth.
“I especially worry about children and youth who are bullied or thrown out onto the street,” Ban said. “There is no room in our 21st century for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Biden called LGBT rights “the civil rights issue of our time” and spoke of the battles that remain to be fought in the U.S.
“We still have a great deal to do. We have a long way to go,” he said. “A gay couple can get married today and fired in the afternoon. The Orlando shooting this summer showed us that LGBT people are still targeted in the U.S.—as they are throughout the world.”
Biden, who leaves office next year as well, reminisced about the first time he saw a gay couple kiss when he was a senior in high school—and what his father said to him.
“They love one another, Joe,” he said. “It’s simple.”Russia called on Ukraine on Tuesday to fully observe the rights of jailed Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has complained of poor health and serious mistreatment by prison personnel.
Russia called on Ukraine on Tuesday to fully observe the rights of jailed Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has complained of poor health and serious mistreatment by prison personnel.
“Moscow has treated with concern media reports about the deteriorating health of jailed ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who urgently needs medical treatment,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Ukrainian opposition leader has been jailed for seven years for abusing her power by pushing through a 2009 gas deal with Russia. She has maintained her innocence. Both Russia and the European Union have declared her trial politically motivated, an allegation the Ukrainian government has dismissed.
Tymoshenko has complained of serious health problems since her arrest in August 2011, but has rejected treatment in a penal colony in the eastern city of Kharkov where she is serving her term. A team of German and Ukrainian doctors who inspected her in mid-February said she had serious problems with her spinal column.
Last week, Tymoshenko was taken to a local clinic, which she said was against her will because she did not trust Ukrainian doctors. The Kharkov regional Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed as untrue her claim that prison personnel dragged her to the clinic using a bed sheet, with her legs and arms twisted, and beat her in the stomach, which caused her to temporary lose consciousness.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow expected the Ukrainian authorities to “take all necessary measures to fully observe Yulia Tymoshenko’s rights, to show humanity and find ways to adequately resolve the situation without making the domestic political situation more complicated.”
Tymoshenko said on Tuesday she has been on a hunger strike for four days in protest against what she described as a crackdown on the opposition by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. She said her move was designed to draw the world’s attention to what she called a “concentration camp” being creating by Yanukovych in the middle of Europe.Get the biggest Newcastle United FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Alan Pardew has blamed the World Cup for Newcastle United’s poor end of season run last season.
The Magpies chief feels that some of his players were focused on international selection ahead of the finals in Brazil and this impacted United’s form.
Top scorer Loic Remy missed a large chunk of games while Moussa Sissoko suffered injuries in the run-in.
Both Tim Krul and Cheick Tiote were also eager to make it into the squad of Holland and Ivory Coast respectively.
Pardew told one of United’s media partners the BBC: “We were affected by the World Cup, there’s no doubt about that in my mind.”
Pardew also stated that failure by the club’s board to replace Yohan Cabaye proved to be a hammer blow to the club.
He said: “We weren’t as strong then as we were in the first half of the season when we lost Yohan Cabaye and didn’t replace him, but certainly I’m expecting the team to be much stronger.”
United’s work in the transfer market has suffered a few hits with Remy Cabella at the World Cup with France and the figures talked about for Clement Grenier falling short according to Lyon sources.
Pierre-Michel Lagossa is also thought to have snubbed a move to Tyneside as Newcastle’s wage offer wasn’t acceptable in his eyes.
But Pardew hopes to send out a stronger squad next term.
He said: “That will give our fans some encouragement and some optimism as it all got very negative towards the end.
“The key ingredient is optimism and that’s something we need to give back to our fans.”Bartmania is a project that sees artists creating pop-culture mash-ups with the lovable yellow characters.
As one of the longest running shows in television history, The Simpsons have inspired many-a-homage, with CSS experiments, animations and more showcasing the iconic characters in an entirely new light. This new exhibition sees illustrators and artists mash-up the Simpsons with pop-culture favourites.
Taking the idea of ‘Bartmania,’ Be Street have organised The Bootleg Bart exhibition, asking artists to step up and create the new face of Bart Simpson. The exhibition took place in Los Angeles from 25 – 26 July but will be at the Be Street Weekend in Paris in October 2015.
Tributes include mash-ups with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Charlie Brown, Tintin and even the poster for Jaws. Take a look at some of our favourites below and be sure to vote for your favourite on Be Street’s Facebook page.
The original exhibition took place in Los Angeles
You can vote for your favourite mash-up on the Be Street Facebook page
Artists have been reimagining the character of Bart
We love this simple Jaws tribute
We have a feeling this one could make it to a few t-shirts
A lot of the illustrations have kept the style of The Simpsons
The competition has seen some amazing entries from across the world
Remember Fido? We love this nostalgic Bart tribute
Tintin gets the Bart Simpson mash-up treatment
There’s even room for Homer in the exhibitionLiverpool not scared of making big bids for the right players, says Klopp
The Merseysiders have demonstrated a willingness to shatter their record spend for players they are confident will enhance their assertive approach
EXCLUSIVE
Jurgen Klopp says the ballooning transfer fees in football will not inhibit the work want to do in the summer window, but the club will recruit surgically and not for the sake of appearances.
The Reds have already surpassed their record spend with the initial £36.9 million signing of Mohamed Salah from, and have been foiled in their efforts to make ’s Naby Keita one of the biggest purchases in history.
Odds on LFC to win the league
The German side rejected a £66m offer for the midfielder last week, which equalled the benchmark for a transfer fee, and have refused to negotiate at any price.
Another proposal for the Guinea international will not materialise unless Die Roten Bullen alter their hardline stance.
Latest LFC transfer rumours
Liverpool, meanwhile, were prepared to make Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in the world, before having to publicly apologise and end interest in Klopp’s priority rearguard target due to a tapping-up fiasco.
The centre-back, who has informed he is unavailable to feature for them as he wants to depart St. Mary’s, has not been included in their squad for a pre-season training camp in.
Saints maintain that the 26-year-old is not for sale, but Liverpool will be primed should they decide to do business rather than keep an unhappy player.
The Merseysiders, who have also added Under-20 World Cup winner Dominic Solanke and left-back Andy Robertson to their roster ahead of 2017-18, have demonstrated a willingness to sanction huge outlays this summer for players they are confident will enhance their approach.
“We are not afraid of big numbers at the club, we are not afraid to spend,” Klopp told Goal as part of an exclusive interview.
Mane and Ings boost for LFC
“But we have to do the right things, look at the right players and negotiate with the right clubs.”
The 50-year-old explained the club’s strategy in the window as Liverpool look to further advance in the new campaign, having finished in the top four during the German’s first full season in charge at Anfield.
“There’s two possibilities to strengthen the squad: one is to get better players, the other is to get players with similar quality to what you have,” Klopp said.
“It’s difficult to get better players, because the ones we have are already really good. If you get the same quality, then the age group that they’re in means that very big steps are possible for everyone - the new players and the ones already at the club.
“That’s what then gives the push in the performance, that’s what we’re looking for.”This was from the Second Season of American Horror Story a quote from the head nun played by Jessica Lange. She is an actress in all three seasons, playing different characters in each.
This is from the first season of AHS and also the first season I had watched. A quote from the maid played by Frances Conroy. These are quotes from the seasons that have really stood out to me.
This is Tate from Season one of AHS played by Evan Peters. I was very skeptical in the beginning of this show, not really knowing what to expect. Although it has some “inappropriate scenes” and I don’t really suggest it for viewers under the age of 12, it is quite entertaining.
To be completely honest, this show is some what disturbing and if you aren’t into scary, mysterious shows, you probably wouldn’t like it. Not only is it a confusing and disturbing show, it plays with your mind. It’s difficult to decipher the good characters from the evil ones, lots and lots of twists.
This Kit from season two of AHS, its weird each season of this show is separate from the other, different plot, different characters. However they include a lot of the same actors and actresses in different seasons. To find out more about the season and the show I suggest watching it yourself. For anyone who has seen the second season, I think we can all agree that Kit is a favorite character. Evan peters does a phenomenal job with the roles he plays.
AdvertisementsThe Syrian Army offensive to liberate the city of Aleppo and its surrounding province continues; RT Syria correspondent Murad Gazdiev returned home to share his impressions about the situation on the ground there, the city's history before the war, and its fate since the ill-fated Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
"Before the civil war began," Gazdiev recalled, "Aleppo was Syria's largest city [population 2.3 million]. It is really something of a mixing pot; you had all sorts living together there – Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Turks, all living together peacefully."
Before the war, the city's ancient splendor and cultural diversity made it a source "of hundreds of thousands of tourists; there was also business, industry, finance, jobs – it was a bustling metropolis. And then of course, the civil war began…"
Before and after pictures of Aleppo, Syria. pic.twitter.com/riNqPCYFmi — raya (@xrayaax) 4 февраля 2016
Unfortunately, the correspondent noted, "there's not a street left unmarked by fighting in Aleppo." None of the factions which emerged during the course of the so-called Arab Spring could stay out of the conflict, even though many tried.
"As for the belligerents – given how much of a mixing pot the city was, you had all flavors of rebels in Aleppo at one point or another, from the'moderate' FSA [Free Syrian Army], the Nusra Front [Al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise], to even ISIS [Daesh] in the city at one point."
Recalling that the city was also once a prosperous industrial hub, Gazdiev pointed to a video by the Eretz Zen Syria news channel showing "rebels moving heavy machinery across the Turkish border, apparently selling it, [saying] they 'liberated' this machinery – you know, stole it."
"Apparently, according to the Syrian government, one year into the'revolution', a thousand factories just in and around Aleppo were robbed –pilfered, stripped of all valuables, and all the stuff sold across the border in Turkey."
"And this is not even going into the roving bands of bandits or'rebels' – whatever they were at that point, walking around the city when they first went into it, robbing whoever they didn't like. And if they didn't like you enough, it didn't just stop with robbery or mugging –it could be fatal," the journalist said.
"Mass executions in Aleppo were not a rarity, – they weren't a unique thing They happened often," Gazdiev added, pointing to a gruesome video from 2012 showing rebels "throwing postal workers off of a roof because they worked for the government."
"At one point, rebels actually turned off electricity and water supplies to the entire city, because they couldn't just [turn off] just the government-controlled areas – so they disconnected everything, even areas that they controlled. So it is at all surprising that so many people fled Aleppo?"
So much talk about Syrian army surrounding #Aleppo but no one uttered a word when rebels surrounded Aleppo 2 years ago, cutting water & elec — Bassem (@BBassem7) 11 февраля 2016
Commenting on the one-sidedness of Western media coverage of the situation in Aleppo, Gazdiev complained that they have devoted "nowhere near as much" coverage to the rebels' misdeeds, described above, as they have for example to government forces' alleged barrel bombing.
Ultimately, the journalist noted, "Syrians themselves have grown tired of the war; all they really want is just an end to it all – just an end to the fighting."Iraq's prime minister has warned Turkey against provoking a confrontation while saying he does not want war.
Haider al-Abadi made the comments after Turkey deployed tanks and artillery near the Iraqi border and insisted that any Turkish involvement would be a violation of national sovereignty.
Turkey wants a a role in the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, by virtue of being a member of the anti-ISIL coalition.
However, Abadi rejected this assertion and repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw troops it has deployed near the northern city.
"The invasion of Iraq will lead to Turkey being dismantled," Abadi said in a televised news conference on Tuesday.
"We do not want war with Turkey, and we do not want a confrontation with Turkey.
"But if a confrontation happens, we are ready for it. We will consider [Turkey] an enemy and we will deal with it as an enemy."
Turkish reaction
Ini response, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Wednesday the military build-up on the border with Iraq was a precaution, not a threat, and called on Abadi to lower tensions.
"We recommend that Abadi sees the big game, as well as the big picture," he told Turkish private news channel NTV.
"I regard Abadi's words as overstepping the mark," he added.
"Making Sunni and Shia forces clash against each other in this region […] means fanning the flames of ethnic and sectarian unrest in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
"Abadi must make statements lowering the tension. This is for the benefit of Iraq, Turkey and the region."
On Tuesday, Turkish military sources said that tanks and artillery were being sent to southeastern districts near the Iraqi border.
The 30-vehicle convoy left Ankara for Silopi, the sources told AFP news agency, adding that it was now close to Adana province in southern Turkey.
Fikri Isik, Turkey's defence minister, said the deployment was part of Turkey's preparation for "important developments in the region", referring to Kurdish fighters inside the country and events in Iraq.
"Turkey is preparing in advance for whatever happens [and] this is one element of that," he was quoted by the official Anadolu news agency as saying.
Just over two weeks into the ongoing offensive to retake Mosul, ISIL's last major stronghold in Iraq, soldiers managed to push within city limits.
The Iraqi army said its forces have advanced to the eastern edge of Mosul for the first time since the ISIL, also known as ISIS, overran the city more than two years ago.
The country's Joint Operations Command said in a statement on Tuesday that its forces had entered Judaydat al-Mufti, an area on the outskirts of Mosul, about 3km away from the city's airport.
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successful South Korean clothing line is fascinating. And it’s definitely counter-intuitive. It says a lot about black-owned businesses and the structure within which they’re forced to operate in. That’s a topic for another time. But in the context of K-pop it also highlights the potential power K-pop has for branding and re-branding. K-pop is cool, prolific, and aimed at the youth, something that hip-hop is as well. But K-pop has something that FUBU needs and hip-hop doesn’t have: a young and less cynical consumer base willing to purchase products in droves for the simple fact that their favorite K-pop artists are featured in the product’s CF.
“For Us, By Us” doesn’t mean what it once used to because we live in a post hip-hop era. Or, as Daymond John explains:
A big misunderstanding was that “For Us, By Us” was only for a certain color. FUBU stood for people who loved the culture… A lot of people don’t know that the first places that FUBU sold were in Japan and in Seattle, Washington. And they weren’t people of color. It was energized by a music and a generation that started with people of color. I first thought of FUBU because I felt like it was a market being neglected by other clothing companies. I wouldn’t [start] another clothing company with the same prejudices. It was all-inclusive of everybody. It was really closely attached to a culture, to music and that’s how it spread around the world because one thing that all things had in common was music.
When all is said and done, it is music and culture that brings people together. FUBU is no longer a brand specifically aimed at a an African American base or even a hip-hop consumership because, let’s face it, that just wasn’t working from an economical standpoint. It’s bittersweet. But if anything, I think it’s pretty telling that the “Us” in “For Us, By Us” has shifted to include even our favorite K-pop artists.
(Brother Seoul, Forbes, Rather Dapper, Mouth to Ears)Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who resigned this morning, achieved the previously unthinkable during his short time in office: unity in the eurozone.
During a tumultuous five months in office, all 18 of Yanis Varoufakis's counterparts managed to round on the rookie politician, accusing him of being a "gambler" who had withered away the trust of his partners.
But time is now up for the iconoclastic Mr Varoufakis, who has been accused of everything from sticking his middle finger up at Berlin, to nearly coming to blows with eurozone chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem in a Brussels corridor.
After falling on his sword, he wrote on his blog: "Soon after the announcement of the referendum results, I was made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted ‘partners’, for my… ‘absence’ from its meetings; an idea that the Prime Minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement. For this reason I am leaving the Ministry of Finance today."
"I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride."
But who is the man replacing him? Euclid Tsakalotos, Greece's minister for international economic affairs, who took over from Mr Varoufakis as Greece's lead negotiator in April.
Here's what we know about the man who has been touted as the acceptable face of the hard Left Syriza government.
• Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Creditors will gain nothing from toppling Varoufakis
Diametrically opposed to Yanis?
An Oxford-educated economist, Mr Tsakalotos has much in common with the political elite of Westminster, having attended St Paul's school, before going on to read politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) as an undergraduate. He later completed his PhD in economics from Oxford in 1989.
The 55-year-old, who was born in Rotterdam, has served as the chief economic spokesman and effective shadow finance minister for the Syriza-led government.
Unlike Mr Varoufakis, Mr Tsakalotos is no party outsider. He has been a member of Syriza for nearly a decade, serving as an MP in the Greek parliament since 2012.
New Greek FinMin is Tsakalotos. Brilliant man. My view (not consensus) more hardline than @yanisvaroufakis who is a passionate pro-European — A Evans-Pritchard (@AmbroseEP) July 6, 2015
Like many of his fellow Leftist parliamentarians, Mr Tsakalotos's background is as a jobbing Western academic rather than a career politician, having taught at the universities of Kent and Athens.
Greece's ex finance minister and his successor? (Source: Reuters)
Described as the "brains behind Syriza's economic policy", he has authored and co-authored six books, the most recent of which seeks to debunk the causes of Greece's economic turmoil.
Published in 2012, Crucible of Resistance: Greece, the Eurozone and the World Economic Crisis, argues that far from being an economic laggard, Greece underwent two decades of neo-liberal modernisation before the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. The result, he argues, was a widening in social inequality and a gaping democratic deficit.
"Syriza and Sinn Fein as well as Podemos are part of a great realignment in European politics" Euclid Tsakalotos
In a refrain that will be familiar to many, the Marxist economist diagnoses Greece's ailments as not simply the consequence of "an economic crisis" but a "crisis of democracy" in the eurozone.
But far from advocating a "Grexit", as some of the more radical elements within Syriza, Mr Tsakalotos thinks Greece should maintain its membership of the euro.
"A Greek road to socialism where you exit the euro and do your own national strategy seems to be a straight re-run of Britain in the 1970s and France in the 1980s," he told an audience last year.
"The national roads seemed to have failed. We need an international flavour to any alternatives."
Can he really square the circle?
In one of his most recent public speaking appearances, Mr Tsakalotos addressed a conference of Sinn Fein's political delegates in March.
Receiving a rousing reception from leader Gerry Adams, the economist proved he was not immune to rhetorical flourishes of his more flamboyant finance ministry counterpart.
"We are not asking for special treatment, but for equal treatment in a Europe of equals," thumped Mr Tsakalotos, in perfectly polished English.
Euclid Tsakalotos with Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams earlier this year
His visit to Dublin was part of Syriza's wider policy to court the support of its fellow Leftist governments in Europe's southern states.
"Syriza and Sinn Fein as well as Podemos are part of a great realignment in European politics," he told republican supporters, describing the Irish as "honourary southerners" in the fight for a more equitable monetary union.
The polarising Mr Varoufakis's resignation is likely to be greeted with delight in Brussels.
However, it is substance, rather than style, that will bridge the chasm that still exists between Greece's lenders and its Leftist government.
On the substantive points of imposing recessionary reforms on the economy and securing debt relief, Mr Tsakalotos seems to be aligned with his former boss Mr Varoufakis.
In the words of Greek journalist Nick Malkoutzis, whether it is Mr Tsakalotos "delivering the bitter pill to Syriza, or Mr Varoufakis, makes little difference; they are not going to swallow it easily either way".
• Tim Stanley: Now the EU should forgive and restructure the debt
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A mile-long Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed in Minnesota on Wednesday, spilling 15,000 gallons. Reuters reports that 11 of the 94 train cars came off the tracks about 150 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
Officials did not say whether the oil was from Canada’s tar sands, but the derailment is sparking still more debate over the controversial proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil into the US. Here’s a relevant excerpt from another Reuters piece:
Some experts have argued oil-by-rail carries a higher risk of accidents and spills.
“It is good business for the rails and bad safety for the public,” said Jim Hall, a transportation consultant and former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
“Railroads travel through population centers. The safest form of transport for this type of product is a pipeline. This accident could—and ought to—raise the issue for discussion,” he added.
Others note that spills from rail cars are rare, and that delivering crude by rail has opened up opportunities in recent years for producers to develop huge volumes of oil production in areas of the United States that are not connected to markets by pipeline.
“It’s not very good publicity, but railroads are incredibly safe, they don’t spill often,” said Tony Hatch, independent transportation analyst with ABH Consulting in New York who has done work for major railroads. “It should not change the opportunity railroads have to make us more energy independent.”
We import more oil from Canada than any other country, so it’s worth noting that with or without the pipeline, we’re already moving oil into the US and there is a potential for spills.Teenagers need at least nine hours sleep a night, say experts Going to bed earlier protects teenagers against depression and suicidal thoughts, New York research suggests. Of 15,500 12 to 18-year-olds studied, those who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went before 2200. And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depression than those who slept eight hours, the journal Sleep reports. It is estimated 80,000 UK children and young people have depression. The researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York looked at data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s. One in 15 of those studied were found to have depression. Enough sleep, good food and regular exercise are all essential to stay emotionally healthy
Sarah Brennan, YoungMinds As well as the higher risk of depression, those who were set a bedtime by their parents of after midnight were 20% more likely to think about suicide than those whose bedtime was 2200 or earlier. Those who had less than five hours sleep a night were thought to have a 48% higher risk of suicidal thoughts compared with those who had eight hours of sleep. Teenagers who reported they "usually get enough sleep" were 65% less likely to be depressed. Depression and suicidal thoughts were also more likely in girls, older teenagers and in those who had a lower self-perception of how much parents care about them. Most of the parents of the adolescents in the study set a bedtime of 2200 or earlier. A quarter set a bedtime of midnight or later. On average the teenagers were having seven hours and 53 minutes sleep a night - less than the nine hours recommended at that age. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Study leader Dr James Gangwisch said although it was possible that youngsters with depression struggle to sleep, the fact that parental set bedtimes were linked with depression suggests that a lack of sleep is somehow underpinning the development of the condition. He said a lack of sleep could affect emotional brain responses and lead to moodiness that hindered the ability to cope with daily stresses. This moodiness could affect judgment, concentration and impulse control. Regular exercise "Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression," he added. Sarah Brennan, chief executive at the mental health charity YoungMinds, said: "Enough sleep, good food and regular exercise are all essential to stay emotionally healthy. "Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer with depression, yet we are still failing to provide our young people with the help and support to cope with it and prevent it. "Providing parents with information about how to look after your body, for example by getting enough sleep, and how to get help if they are worried about their teenager, will ensure problems are tackled early and prevent serious mental health conditions such as depression."
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionWell, this is charming as hell.
In the tiny Nova Scotian town of Sandy Cove (population 65), 12 women, a toddler and two men took to the street on Saturday. They played instruments, and brought posters and smiles as they marched in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington.
Gwen Wilson and Melissa Merritt, two friends who have lived in the remote Canadian town their entire lives, organized the march after realizing that their closest local march was in Halifax, which is a two-hour drive away, reported CBC News.
The friends told the Toronto Star that they made a Facebook event for their march and expected about three people to show up. They were elated when 13 people came.
In drizzly weather, the group walked along Highway 217 — the only road that runs through Sandy Cove — for about an hour as cars passed by.
“We had a great crew — it was really uplifting,” Merritt told the Toronto Star. “We had a few cars that were honking at us, supporting us… and a couple that probably weren’t.”
Later that day, Kadijah Photiades, a local woman who showed up for the march, posted a video of the tiny protest to her Facebook page.
Since Saturday, the video has been viewed more than 157,000 times.
One woman said she had looked at all of these marches all around the world,” Photiades. “And it wasn’t until she saw our little tiny march in Sandy Cove that she actually burst out crying" Kadijah Photiades, one of the marchers.
Viewers also left some very lovely comments underneath the video.
“I’m so proud of you women. Thank you for the support… from Sacramento, California, where we were 20,000 strong. But I’m certain your group had had every bit as much spirit as we,” one commenter wrote.
Photiades told CBC that online their little march has had a much bigger impact.Terry Gilliam is ready to take a steam-powered journey into the the alternate world of 1884, with a steampunky story written (and soon to be directed) by Gilliam's protégé Tim Ollive. Watch these amazing animation/puppet tests by Ollive himself.
Variety is reporting that while Gilliam's latest project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has died out due to lack of funds (again!), the director has found a new project to co-produce with Ollive, 1884. The film takes place in 1884, even though it's supposed to have been made in 1848, in a sly reference to George Orwell's 1984, written in 1948.
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The steampunk adventure is reportedly "a story of outstanding heroism in the face of deception, subterfuge and treachery. Conjuring up the belief that it was made forty years before film was even invented, 1884: Yesterdays Future tells of a future that might have been but never was."
The movie will mix puppets, miniatures, CG animation and fuse the mouths and eyes of actors onto the the little heads of the puppets. Also it's apparently going to utilize four voices from the cast of Monty Python, though we don't know which actors Gilliam and Ollive will be using just yet.
To get a better idea of what this project will look like, check out these teaser trailers that were made by a special effects forum in France. According to the youtube information page, the teasers were directed by Ollive and seem to utilize the same CG mouths and eyes technique described above. As of right now, no release date has been set.
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The late 1990s marked the beginning of Iowa City’s independent rock glory years and the emergence of Vidablue, a four-piece, hardcore punk band that would eventually become one of the most important musical acts to ever come out of Iowa.
In 1998 there was a strong venue scene in Iowa City. More national acts were playing at local venues as they travelled through the midwest corridor and more local bands were leaving the nest and going out on the road. Bands could sell merch at a show, they could afford gas and they could do things only larger acts can afford to do these days. And, many of them did it all themselves.
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There were quite a few very talented punk rock bands of various sub-genres that were making the scene. Burmese was at the top, along with USA USA, Canary in the Mine, Island Woman, The Horrors, Bottle Dog and others. Vidablue, which would eventually change its name to Ten Grand, was formed by members of some of these bands, but there was something unique about them.
Ten Grand artwork by Luke Tweedy
“Everyone who came together [in Vidablue] was hungry for music at the time,” explained Luke Tweedy, who started ft(the Shadow Government) with Vidablue alumni. “They were more than your average, cookie-cutter screamo band. They had more melody, they were closer friends, they had more inside jokes.”
Vidablue’s first show was October 23, 1998 at Gabe’s Oasis. The band consisted of Zach Westerdahl on bass, Bob Adams on drums, Joel Anderson on guitar and vocals and a handsome, 21-year-old, black punk rocker named Matt Davis on guitar and lead vocals. He was an intelligent, self-aware, socially-charged punk from Wichita, Kan., who lived and breathed music. Davis would keep a detailed record of every show the band played from that first show on, for the next four and a half years.
Vidablue also had a network of friends like no other band in the midwest. In the spring of ‘99, they adopted a young banjo player with the “world’s tiniest suitcase” who listened to the same music and went to the same shows as the band members. This musician, William Elliott Whitmore, became a close friend of the four musicians and soon joined Vidablue, touring with them as their opening act. Performing with just his voice and banjo, Whitmore was a contrast to Vidablue’s sound.
“Everyone was supporting everyone else, there was a true sense of community. The mingling of art and music, people trading their work with each other,” said Tweedy. “They could feel the sense of friendship and how much they loved each other was very clear. That really drew people into their scene. Not that there wasn’t little problems. But, they rarely showed.”
As Vidablue began to play more shows together, they took a loose, raw, cacophony of punk noise and honed it into a tight, frenetic, emotional frenzy. Then they began to record.
“We were fairly prolific, so we’d record stuff and be ready to put it out,” explained Westerdahl. “But labels would make us wait, so we had to sit on songs for quite awhile. By the time they came out on record we’d be sick of them.”
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Vidablue’s first full-length album, Our Miracle Point of Contact, was a 10-song collection recorded in a dark Chicago basement with wild-eyed rock and roller Mike Lust. The title was a reference to a religious poster Anderson found that showed a bright red hand enticing the viewer to touch it to receive a miracle. The Minneapolis label Blood of the Young released Our Miracle Point of Contact, along with many other midwestern hardcore records at the time, with money won during a single night at a casino.
Their second full-length record, The Comprehensive List of Everyone Who Has Ever Done Anything Wrong To Us, was recorded in October 2000, again with Lust in Chicago, though it would not be released until 2002. It had songs with titles like “Never Let Your Girlfriend Go Camping With That Guy She Met In Pottery Class” and “The Face I Make While You’re Crying.” The record is smart, funny and wholeheartedly aggressive.
At that point, Vidablue was touring constantly, playing at least several out-of-town shows a month. The four band members and Whitmore developed roles on the road.
“Joel had the contacts, put together the tours, booking. I did t-shirts, websites, photos and layouts. Matt initially kept all the shows jotted down in a notebook and had his journal and Zach kept the morale up,” said Adams.
“Will was different. But, even though he was different, kids understood genuine, real music no matter what genre it was, and they loved it,” said Adams. “At the merch table they would buy his records and totally gloss over ours. I really think of Ten Grand as Ten Grand and Will.”
Then on September 22, 2001, Vidablue played their first Farm Party.
The Farm Parties were massive, private soirees that acted as part political rally (with a heavy Libertarian slant, although the band members shared many different political viewpoints), part balls-to-the-wall rager, part concert festival. They were held on the Whitmore/Tweedy family farm (Will and Luke are cousins) on most occasions and they were a celebration of friends and freedom. The members of Vidablue would make long standing friendships and musical connections over the years at the annual Farm Parties, including Jenny Hoyston of Erase Errata, the Minneapolis band STNNNG and Tom Loftus, owner of the Modern Radio Record Label.
“The band had different ideas of what politics were about. But we dug the fact that the Lee County folks had super strong ideals, even if they were different,” said Westerdahl. “... And, it was the closest thing to home without having to sleep in your mom’s guest bed.”
Vidablue began to gain momentum from their relentless touring after the release of their second album, leading the band to make several life-changing decisions. In 2002, all four members decided to ditch their safety net, quit their jobs and devote an entire year to the band and nothing else. They released The Comprehensive List on Chicago’s Sickroom Records—the label’s sixth release and their biggest one to date. A third LP, This Is The Way to Rule—a unique, catchy and flawless hardcore record—came out on Southern Records later the same year. And, they changed their name.
Southern Records contacted the band one day in 2002 and warned them that there was another band called Vidablue that was stealing their press.
“This was in the earlier days of internet, so Bob did some research and found out it was a guy—Page McConnell—from Phish using the name Vida Blue,” explained Anderson. “At that point, we were picking up momentum with Southern, and there was an article about them in Rolling Stone. So, it was getting in the way of what we were trying to accomplish.”
With a few recordings under their belt, Anderson and the other members of Vidablue had already solidified the copyright to the name before the Phish side project ever started. Meanwhile, Phish’s Vida Blue had received permission to use the name from Oakland A’s southpaw pitcher, Vida Blue. After much deliberation, Vidablue decided to change their name to Ten Grand and forget about McConnell and his noodling side project. Anecdotal and numerous online accounts suggest a connection between those deliberations and the band’s new name, but the official story leaves those details to the imagination.
As Ten Grand started anew, they continued to tour with Whitmore—who had started his own successful solo career—in tow, in their van, Lucy. They played shows with Paul Cary from The Horrors, Indiana indie-heroes Murder By Death, Minneapolis mainstays Signal to Trust and others. As they toured, they built close ties and strong relationships with the people they crossed paths with.
In the spring of 2003, they went on their first overseas tour. They blazed across Europe, playing 30 shows in one month. Their last show, with Whitmore opening, was in Kortijk, Belgium, a beautiful town with elaborate bell towers, giant bowls of potato fries covered in gravy and cavernous record stores. Davis tallied it as their 394th show.
“One Night in France” footage by Will Whitmore and Ten Grand.
Ten Grand returned from Europe triumphant. There was talk of renting a cabin in the woods and seeking solitude to write and record another album. Larger labels were beginning to contact the band and court them with offers. Adams went to New York and got to meet Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars, to talk about the possibility of making a record.
Ten Grand started to realize that what they loved more than anything in the world could become sustainable and actually support them.
Then, sometime during the night of Aug. 10, 2003—the night before the band’s homecoming gig at Gabe’s—Davis passed away in his sleep.
“In a blink of an eye it was all over. When Matt passed we had started to cross this threshold, we were starting to lock-in on another level,” said Anderson. “We had to figure out how to start our lives over again.”
“We were supposed to play a show the next day at Gabe’s and Bob and Joel and I went into Joel’s bedroom in his house on Church St. and talked about it,” said Westerdahl. “It wasn’t really a meeting. It was obviously over and it was very confusing. I thought I was going to drive around in a van with my friends forever, so I was extra lost.”
Without their singer, guitarist and friend, Ten Grand knew that they couldn’t go on. The band members eventually split and moved to Chicago one by one.
There were other amazing bands like Tornavalanche and ft(the Shadow Government) that rose from the ashes of Ten Grand. But no subsequent group could capture the musical, emotional urgency and deep friendships that Davis introduced to the members of Ten Grand and their many friends and fans.
“Matt was, without a doubt, the most committed musician I’ve ever met,” said Anderson. “Others came close, but nobody I’ve met could just let go of everything but the music like him. He gave music all he had. I know if he was still around today, he’d be on his way to a show or practice or studio this very day. He lived the DIY ideology until his last breath.”
On August 10, 2013, the 10-year anniversary of Matt Davis’ death, the remaining members of Ten Grand started a website in honor of their friend. At ten-grand.com, the band is curating rare footage, photos, show flyers, entries from Davis’ tour diaries and other ephemera. The site is also taking contributions from friends and fans. Material has been added almost every day since it’s inception, but the band wasn’t always sure that they should look into their past.
“We struggled with the idea of having a retrospective,” explained Anderson. “It sounds vain that we’re putting out all this stuff. For me it seems silly. But, over the years we talked to people who were interested in our stuff. And, when we found out that even a couple people cared we were surprised. It was flattering and gave us the final push to do the website.”
Ten Grand doesn’t have grandiose plan for any re-issues. As Adams mentioned, the band is compiling some original recordings for re-release and is thinking about including live tracks and unreleased recordings as well. But nothing has been set in stone.
“We wouldn’t have felt comfortable (releasing) a five CD box set with a 500 page book,” said Adam. “We’ve done the records, artwork, flyers, etc. for all these years on our own and we’re just used to doing everything ourselves and having it be ‘us’ doing it. It was a group participation thing between the band and our friends.”
So whatever the band chooses to release, and whatever medium it may be, we can rest assured that it will stay true to the Ten Grand DIY style.
In Their Own Words
Ten Grand members, friends and fans sound off on their experiences with Matt Davis and the band.
Molly Freeman (Sergio Leone)
“Matt and I had a little band called Sergio Leone. I played keyboard and Matt did everything else – guitar, drum machine and vocals. We made some dark, poppy and melodic noise jams. We were influenced by Joy Division and The Cure.”
“It was an amazing experience for me to just travel around the Midwest meeting dear friends, eating pizza, drinking pop, laughing a whole lot and crossing our fingers that our tiny car wouldn’t break down.”
Luke Tweedy (ft(the Shadow Government), Flat Black Studios, poster artist)
“The farm parties, many times referred to as ‘Freedom Fest’ because of some of the political content tied in with the fest (and the anarcho-libertarian and volunteer-ist speakers we had), were a great place to showcase liberty and co-existence on some interesting, social experimentation levels.”
“One prime example of this was having a festival, in the middle of the sticks, in rural, backwoods Iowa and having a hardcore screamo punk band with a black lead singer/guitar player come and violently thrash around and scream and holler on stage to an audience of 1,000 people, many of whom were straight-up, red-necked hillbillies.”
“Matt was a champ. He did not change his stage show for anybody. He carried himself with a self confidence that allowed him to capture even the most skeptical and jaded audience member.”
“A lesser man would have not agreed to play. Or, once they realized the situation they had gotten themselves into, would have backed out. They played the fest multiple years, and everybody always loved it.”
Zach Westerdahl (Ten Grand, Tornavalanche, Sweet Chariot)
“Luke’s dad was the patriarch of the whole farm deal. I remember meeting him and the first thing he said was that he dug our music. He was such a huge contrast to meeting other people‘s parents, who would usually say, ‘you guys are really loud.’ We really gravitated towards that.”
“There was a weird thing in (Lee County) that I had never seen, coming from Cedar Rapids, where people had this pride from being from a particular place. It was kind of a cool change.”
“You could literally do anything you wanted, whether is was blowing things up or playing all night or drinking yourself to oblivion. It was a weird Disneyland kind of thing for us knuckleheads to experience. You could just go fucking crazy. And, it was the closest thing to home without having to sleep in your mom’s guest bed.”
“The band had different ideas of what politics were about. But we dug the fact that the Lee County folks had super strong ideals, even if they were different.”
“I was the last guy in the band to see Matt. We went to the university discount store to buy an apple computer and he was going to return to Normal, Illinois, where he was living with his girlfriend, Molly. My old man actually passed along the news to me because he worked for the City of Normal.”
“We were supposed to play a show the next day at Gabe’s and Bob and Joel and I went into Joel’s bedroom in his house on Church St. and talked about it. It wasn’t really a meeting. It was obviously over and it was very confusing. I thought I was going to drive around in a van with my friends forever, so I was extra lost.”
Joel Anderson (Ten Grand, Tornavalanche, ft(the Shadow Government))
On the lyric, “the National Guard has surrounded the farm” during the song “Sometimes You Say The Wrong Thing” from the Mike Lust/Ten Grand split 7” single.
“At the height of the Farm Party era, they were huge events with big top circus tents. There was a scenario in my head where we were playing a Farm Party show and the National Guard surrounded the farm and (I wondered) ‘what would happen then?’” (laughs)
“We spent those first five years busting our humps doing everything on our own. Then we were at a point where a booking agent was helping us. We were going to New York to check out some interest from some bigger label. It was a point where all our hard work would allow us to... It’s not as if everything was going to “pay off.” But, we could concentrate on the music more.”
“In a blink of an eye it was all over. When Matt passed we had started to cross this threshold, we were starting to lock-in on another level. We had to figure out how to start our lives over again.”
On William Elliott Whitmore
“Will was at all the same parties and shows with us. But when his mom passed away, he went off the radar during the winter and spring around ‘98 to ‘99. Then, all of a sudden, this CDr shows up at the Record Collector in a bag of oregano to make it look like a bag of marijuana. It said William Elliott Whitmore and had six songs that he recorded during that time away. Red Buds, an instrumental – early stuff.”
“We were getting ready for a tour with the Plastic Constellations, our second summer tour, and it’s always great to have another influence, another personality in the car. Here’s this guy with the world’s tiniest suitcase and a banjo and it just worked out so incredible well. So, eventually the band just let him start playing a couple songs before the set.”
Bob Adams (Ten Grand, Tornavalanche)
On the band’s last few weeks
“This was the first time where we were going to let someone help us, and then it never really happened. It sort of solidified how sad everything was. I got to talk to Rick Ocasek (about producing our next record). How cool is that? Rick Ocasek likes our band. What a proud moment. But we didn’t want to jinx it, so we didn’t tell anyone. Just the possiblity of the band allowing us to support ourselves was exciting. It was a one-two punch, we had the biggest meeting we could ever have and then a second later it was over.”
“But, Vida Blue’s only goal was a 7” and a tour, which we accomplished in 6 months.”The owner of a watchdog website has said popular fundraising platform GoFundMe is set to "crash and burn" as the lack of transparency on the website is "dangerous".
The owner of a watchdog website has said popular fundraising platform GoFundMe is set to "crash and burn" as the lack of transparency on the website is "dangerous".
'GoFundMe is set to crash and burn' - Meet the woman behind the watchdog website that's receiving tip-offs everyday
Adrienne Gonzalez, who set up GoFraudMe in 2015 to highlight fraudulent fundraising campaigns on the platform, said the possibility for scams is increasing with the website's growth.
GoFundMe has raised over $3bn (€2.7bn) in the last three years. A campaign is posted on the platform at an average of every 18 seconds.
Speaking to Independent.ie, Adrienne said the website is "really snowballing", but the company need to start investing in security measures for users.
"I think the concept is fantastic, that we’ve been able to centralise charity," Adrienne said.
"In the past, if you had a real need to donate you would go to a state agency, a government agency or church, but now we’re empowered to skip all that, and to bring that need to friends and family and the internet at large.
"There is potential there, I’m not going to deny that, but I think the way it is currently going it will crash and burn with a big lawsuit.
"GoFundMe hit the $2bn mark after five years, and then hit the $3bn mark after just another nine months. It’s really snowballing, but that means the possibility for fraud and scams is that much more increased," she continued.
"If GoFundMe could address that and make it safer, the potential is unlimited. It is a powerful tool and says a lot about people’s generosity. I think it’s fantastic, but I think it’s still dangerous.
"It’s missing that layer of security. When you give to a charity, the records should be kept and you can see where the money is going, but you don’t have that transparency that you have with charities and that is a bit dangerous."
Adrienne Gonzalez, from Richmond, Virginia, launched GoFraudMe on Facebook in 2015, and developed the concept into a website in April 2016.
The former accounting writer began her investigations after realising a campaign on the GoFundMe website was fraudulent.
A campaign was launched to raise money for medical fees for a 'zombie' cat in Florida. The feline hit headlines after climbing out of a shallow grave he had been buried in by his owner who believed he had been killed in a car accident.
Adrienne said she notified the website, claiming the page was fraudulent. She said her and a group of others presented evidence of the fraud, but GoFundMe refused to cancel the campaign.
"It was all about holding people accountable, our reports from so many people were blatantly ignored, somebody even did a petition, there was no shortage of evidence and it should have been taken down," Adrienne said.
"Initially it started as a go-between, a place to curate these cases that were popping out."
Tip-offs
Now Adrienne receives up to 50 tip-offs a week from users all over the world.
"People say they need help and they’ve seen this thing going on, but they don’t always provide you with the information.
"Unfortunately, I do get a lot of cases that I can’t investigate without the police getting involved.
"Ultimately, with a lot of them there needs to be a lawyer or police involved.
"A lot of it is talking people through the process and then advising them to report it to GoFundMe or the police."
Other times, Adrienne undertakes an investigation and then a mediation process with the fundraiser and the person involved.
"I check stolen pictures from Google, they’re no-brainers," she said.
"Some other ones, it starts with a complaint and I dig around on social media and then contact the person involved. A lot of those don’t get reported, I guess I just try to mediate and get people to come to a resolution.
"Ultimately, it’s not putting people on the blast, it’s about getting people justice and, if something is fraudulent, getting someone to hand the money over.
"With others, I can’t just call up the hospital and ask about medical conditions, so I do direct a lot of them to the police."
Adrienne believes that the website is growing so fast, the company needs |
the classroom, but also—I add—towards revolutionary action on the streets, because there are limits to transformative education, especially within the confines of state institutions. Working towards a liberatory education model within state educational facilities is not enough, since although there might be a minor shift in method, any major revolutionary expansion will meet up against the walls of the state. Even major transformations in a nationwide or international educational paradigm will be short-lived if these internal institutional changes are not accompanied by external social changes. Unless revolutionary change manages to dismantle oppressive power structures—by means of which the state justifies its domination and violence—any move towards a nonhierarchical and more democratic education will be failing to mirror the society that is “supporting” it, and therefore will be forced to buckle under external pressures. If educators fail to join the struggles in the streets and support the international struggles that are working to transform wider society, then any project towards emancipatory pedagogy will continuously challenge the authority of the state. Then there is only so long that this challenge can be maintained if not coupled with a whole network of complex dissidence, direct action on the streets, and projects to dismantle state power and hierarchies across institutions and societies.
While engaging in the transformation of education within institutions is vital to the transformation of society, it does not in itself lead to such transformation. In order for a revolutionary education project to succeed, it must manifest as part of a larger revolutionary project that is rhizomatic and anarchistic. The radical historian and educator Howard Zinn understood this when he wrote about the possibilities of anarchism as a model for revolution. Succeeding in the struggle for a more equal society will mean taking part in the struggle on the streets, in our homes, in our classrooms; we cannot be part of shifts towards equality and liberation without adopting a holistic approach to revolutionary social theory—it must inform our teaching materials, our teaching methods, our place in the classroom, and our place in society:
The anarchist sees revolutionary change as something immediate, something we must do now, where we are, where we live, where we work. It means starting this moment to do away with authoritarian, cruel relationships—between men and women, between parents and children, between one kind of worker and another kind. Such revolutionary action cannot be crushed like an armed uprising. It takes place in everyday life, in the tiny crannies where the powerful but clumsy hands of state power cannot easily reach. It is not centralized and isolated, so that it can be wiped out by the rich, the police, the military. It takes places in a hundred thousand places at once, in families, on streets, in neighborhoods, in places of work. It is a revolution of the whole culture. Squelched in one place, it springs up in another, until it is everywhere. (Zinn 2009, 653)
Imagining Anarchist Educations
When attempting to envision the possibilities for an education that lives up to the standards of an almost impossible ideal, most anarchist theorists advocate a questioning of the very nature and purpose of education to begin with. This questioning involves investigating what philosopher Judith Suissa calls “the optimal vision of ‘the good life’” (2010, 4) and then going on to really ask ourselves what would be the purpose of an education system within such a model, or whether the very idea of an education system is incompatible with these visions. There have been many attempts to develop anarchist models of education within universities, creating spaces and conversations that are fraught with “tensions and ambiguity” (Haworth 2012, 2). Because even though “[on] the one hand the role of the university is (increasingly) about social reproduction: creating docile, debt-ridden workers for capital,” on the other hand “the university is a potential space of community and commons”—a small site of resistance against capitalism (Noterman and Pusey 2012, 180).
However, even an examination of these anarchist university projects cannot provide us with any purely replicable template, since each project of learning must be entirely student-driven and will change shape even as it is in progress. In his experiments in anarchist education models at the University of Mary Washington, Farhang Rouhani attempted to become an active student-participant in the very classes on anarchist theory that he was facilitating, and regarding this experiment he says: “For me, our pedagogical experiments turned me into an anarchist, in ways that have greatly improved my abilities to teach, learn, live, and act in the world” (Rouhani 2012, 1738). In this revelation, Rouhani makes clear that the divisions between teaching and learning or theorizing and acting become diminished, and a transformative education becomes truly possible. For him, there existed a chance of a liberatory pedagogy within university institutions, even if dwarfed by the larger hierarchical model in place: “In this sense, the attempt to build an anarchist pedagogy within the context of an otherwise primarily coercive institution shares many of the same challenges as building an intentional anarchist community in a capitalist society, though on a smaller and more limited scale” (1735).
Though confined by administration and preexisting templates for pedagogical models, the university acted as a launchpad for students to take the antihierarchical practices they had learned in the classroom and apply them to direct action that attempted to transform the city. One student involved in Rouhani’s project explains: “We were ready to take on the city, the university had become too small” (Rouhani 2012, 1735). These testimonials offer me hope that, farcical as our attempts of revolutionizing education may seem, there may develop a method for action from modeling antihierarchical practices and teaching against hierarchies in our classrooms.
Like Rouhani and countless others who have been influenced by anarchist pedagogies, I work to not only bring anarchist theories into my classrooms but to apply the very method of my “teaching” to the aim of removing the authority of the instructor and creating a sense of empowerment as I encourage my students to take control and responsibility over their own learning. And although students seem to respond positively to these methods as part of a larger and more rigid framework, I remain skeptical of the university and school system’s ability to exist in any way resembling its current form if there is to be revolution in education. Inequality and violence seem too entrenched in the system’s very understanding of itself, and imagining a substantial school system where hierarchies are not reproduced is like trying to imagine a fair prison system. To me, the barbed wires around prisons appear analogous to the walls around schools and the gates leading into universities, and perhaps as long as schools and prisons exist there will be that cord which connects them.
Note
1. For a review of this development, see Zammito 1993 and Roth 2012.
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There have been many layers to the career of retired wrestling icon Diamond Dallas Page, and the amalgamation of everything he has achieved has come together to build his growing legacy.
Page, 60, who was announced Monday as the fourth member of the 2017 class of the WWE Hall of Fame, has an underdog backstory unlike many others in his transformation from nightclub owner to professional wrestling manager who, at the advanced age of 35, decided to become a wrestler.
The WCW veteran, who held the world heavyweight championship on three occasions, went on to a successful run as a main eventer, eventually transitioning to WWE in 2001 for a brief run after the fallout from the "Monday Night Wars."
But the most satisfying stretches of Page's career just might be the impact he has made outside of the ring, as a friend and creative mentor to so many people in the wrestling business. When you consider how many of the bodies (and lives) of wrestling stars past and present that Page has helped transform through the creation of his DDP Yoga workout system, his impact is staggering.
"If I could have had the opportunity coming into [WWE] in 2001 doing what I did and maybe doing a people's champion versus people's champion angle [against The Rock] or choose what has happened to me over the last six years, I would take this run every single time," Page told ESPN.com. "Every single time. It's like being reborn at 60."
Making dramatic changes for the better is nothing new for Page, who will be featured as part of WWE 2K17's new Hall of Fame Showcase, which was announced Tuesday. Players of the WWE's annual video game can use him in a tag team match alongside Cactus Jack against Fabulous Freebird members Michael "P.S." Hayes and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin, in a re-enactment of their WCW match from 1992. The downloadable content, available for PlayStation and Xbox systems, also includes the likes of Ric Flair, Sting, The Von Erichs, Bret Hart and The Big Boss Man.
With no shortage of humorous stories about life on the road from his WCW days, when he originally managed a repackaged version of The Freebirds, it's that same time frame when Page first transitioned to becoming a wrestler. In 1991, WCW road agent and announcer Magnum TA approached Page backstage and told him his 6-foot-3 size and outsized personality were overshadowing the wrestlers he was managing and encouraged him to try his hand in the ring. Out of desperation, with seven months left in his WCW deal, Page took the advice. Moments before walking through the curtain for his final appearance as a manager, Page stopped The Freebirds to tell them the news.
"[Michael] and Jimmy started laughing so hard, 'P.S.' fell down on his back belly laughing," Page said. "So I gave him a 'you're No. 1' salute and walked out to the ring."
Page soon went to the WCW's Power Plant in Atlanta to begin training. But his eventual happy ending wasn't without its steep hurdles, the biggest of which was a period where he was cut by WCW in 1996 after tearing his rotator cuff. All in all, Page embraces the underdog label he ultimately acquired in almost everything he does.
Diamond Dallas Page celebrates his first WCW championship win at their "Spring Stampede" pay-per-view in 1999. WWE Network
"How could I not be the underdog, starting at 35 and a half and going from a manager and a fourth-string color commentator to being a wrestler?" Page said. "I got my ass kicked. A lot. But I learned from all of the mistakes that I made."
It was during the his time away from WCW that Page enjoyed the turning point of his career. With Jake "The Snake" Roberts out of wrestling at the same time and going through a divorce, Page opened up his house to the wrestler he first met in 1986 when Roberts was a customer in Page's Florida nightclub.
"I always say that without Dusty Rhodes, there is no Diamond Dallas Page," he said. "But without Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, there's no three-time world champion, and there's no Hall of Fame."
Page used the time living with Roberts to soak up the wisdom, experience and unmatched in-ring psychology from Roberts. Years later, he would repay the favor to Roberts by using his overbearing positivity and fitness program to help break Roberts, and eventually Scott Hall, from years of substance abuse by inviting them to live in his house (now dubbed "The Accountability Crib") and document their turnaround.
For as much as Page gives credit to the late Rhodes for his career taking off, joining so many of today's current WWE superstars who also got to work with the legendary "American Dream" in NXT, Page is humbled by the idea that he is building a similar legacy as someone who so selflessly gives back to the business.
"Wow, I never really thought about it like that," Page said. "I know I helped guys and helped like 30 people get jobs [in WCW]. I was sort of like a scout for Eric Bischoff if I saw people who had the talent. Sometimes I wouldn't bring people to him until they had the gimmick, like Raven.
"I'm grateful on a lot of levels. But when you compare me to Dusty in helping out, that's a new job because I know I helped [in WWE] with what I'm doing today with DDP Yoga. It's a whole new genre."
Not only has Page invested personal time helping old friends Roberts, Hall and, most recently, Mick Foley substantially alter their quality of life, there is a growing number of current superstars who have extended their active careers thanks to his program too, from Chris Jericho, to Goldust and even AJ Styles.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts, along with Scott Hall, was able to kick his addictions thanks to fellow wrestler and good friend Diamond Dallas Page, as seen in the documentary "The Resurrection of Jake the Snake", which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images/Sundance
"When I saw Chris jump off the top of the cage [against Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules last May], I'm thinking, 'No Chris! No. You're 45. No!'" Page said. "Then he jumps off the top and I'm like, 'Yes! He did it! He's not hurt! Awesome.' If that doesn't give DDP Yoga the biggest props ever, I don't know what."
Jericho began using the product in 2012 after a back injury put his career in jeopardy. According to Page, three months after starting the program, Jericho was 100 percent pain free and wrestling CM Punk for the WWE championship at WrestleMania XXVIII.
From that point forward, Jericho began to spread the word, eventually calling Page to tell him about Styles, who had one more match on his contract in Japan before coming over to WWE in January 2016 and was experiencing significant pain of his own.
"I called AJ and said, 'Get your ass down here,'" Page said, referencing his DDP Yoga workout studio at his home outside Atlanta in Smyrna, Georgia. "I did a whole video on it. I don't know how much he's using it now, but I know [DDP Yoga] was the catalyst as far as him getting back into the ring. I don't think there is anybody, including Jeff Hardy, who puts their body through as much abuse as AJ Styles."
Page's new passion as a teacher and motivator began during his first days as a wrestler with WCW.
"People don't understand that, when I was at WCW, if I wasn't wrestling that night I was down at the Power Plant teaching," Page said. "I was teaching people how to do stuff, but every time you teach someone you learn more. The more you learn, the more you teach. The more you teach, the better you get."
Page said he was completely caught off guard in the manner in which he received the news about the Hall of Fame. While filming an upcoming WWE DVD on his life, "Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living," Page was finishing up a long day of sit-down interviews when a phone rang on set.
"They hand me the phone and say, 'The boss wants to talk with you,'" Page said. "I realized it's Triple H [WWE executive Paul Levesque] and said, 'Paulie, what's up, man?' I had called him a couple of weeks ago so I was expecting his call."
While Triple H made small talk, Page says he was distracted by the fact that he couldn't remember the original reason he had called him. Soon enough, as Levesque began to recall their early days working together in WCW, Page became suspicious.
"He was down there with me at the Power Plant; he was Terra Rizin down in WCW," Page said. "We rode together, we hung together. He's talking about, 'I never thought you could do it. This guy was like 35 and a half. What were you thinking? But you did it.'
"He put me over to such a degree that I said, 'Hey, wait a minute. Is it that call? I started getting choked up and I couldn't even talk."
The moment was captured as part of the DVD, which will be released on April 4. It's a fitting celebration of his underdog journey, as it comes out just one day before Page's 61st birthday and four days after his Hall of Fame induction.Mark Lause Mark Lause is a Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati. Author of 10 books, including most recently Free Labor The Civil War and the Making of an American Working Class, published in 2015 by the University of Illinois Press and Free Spirits: Spiritualism, Republicanism, Radicalism published in 2016 by University of Illinois Press. View all posts by Mark Lause »
I can feel a certain sympathy for people who get hoodwinked into fighting for a Lost Cause that could never be worthy of the blood and treasure spent on its behalf. After all, as a child of the Cold War, my own closest brush with toting a gun to war came during Vietnam. In that conflict, the government, both political parties, the military, the media, the universities, the corporations, and the entire power structure insisted that the triumph of a Vietnamese effort to control of their own country would start toppling dominoes that would end in Anytown, U.S.A. By the end, most Americans actually doubted this. In hindsight, there’s no real issue as to whether the power structure of the people were correct, though some feel obligated to pretend otherwise.
Responses to the Free State of Jones by Gary Ross, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Mahershala Ali demonstrate that such denials of experience can last a long time. The movie offers a fictionalized version of the revolt of poor Southerners against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi. Newton Knight worked on medical duties at the front until his disgust with the war inspired his desertion and return home. “Captain” Knight held that title for his role as the leader of guerilla forces that successfully made parts of southern Mississippi a no-go zone for Confederate tax gatherers and conscript officers. It is based on Victoria E. Bynum’s superb historical account The Free State of Jones: Mississippi’s Longest Civil War (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002), and aims to be much more truthful than Hollywood’s first attempt at the subject in 1948, Tap Roots.
Free State of Jones directly confronts the issues of class and race that Tap Roots downplayed or avoided. This fact, in part, explains the mixed reviews.
A movie is not a documentary, of course. The page dedicated to Free State of Jones at “History vs. Hollywood” provides a useful corrective, and I would urge everybody who liked the movie to read Bynum’s book.
The set battle scenes (including civilians employing a battery against trained troops) provide an emotionally gratifying and crowd-pleasing symbol of the triumph of enthusiastic victory over tyranny. In reality, the success of the revolt in Jones reflected the weakness of the Confederate authorities as much as the bravery and determination of those rebelling against them. Too, the love story between Knight and the slave Rachel or the depicted fraternization among black and white victims of the Confederacy is, of necessity, a matter of guesswork, but its presentation in the film rings true.
What the critics get wrong
Charles M. Blow’s widely touted view in the New York Times essentially dismisses the film as another entry to the “white savior” genre. However, the movie clearly depicts African Americans as saviors of Newt Knight. Their role is not that of bit players but as vital characters that move the story forward. As was true across the South, Confederate deserters heading into the hills or swamps found clusters of runaway slaves already present and would scarcely have done as well as they did without black assistance.
In the movie, Newt Knight nudges these deserters to reconsider their racial assumptions, but what really forces the point is their comradeship with African Americans in their status and active resistance. When Newt decides to address the question publicly among his band, he chooses not to do so himself, but questions his black comrade, Moses Washington, a composite of figures which surely did participate in the Jones County revolt.
In reality, of course, while the scholarly rediscovery of “whiteness” as a cultural function has undeniable merits, we need to emphasize that the invention of the white race represented a top-down process, imposed by law. One of the first original capital crimes promulgated in colonial Virginia threatened English settlers with death should they run away to live with the Indians. A few decades later, the same authorities applied “Black Codes,” mandating the different treatment of African and European subjects. There were good reasons for this. Neither king and country or Jesus or race could keep English settlers eager to live more than a short while from lighting out for the nearest Indian town. Not only has evidence of interracial mingling before the “Black Codes” survived, but, had it not been widespread enough to make the owners seem a bit less secure, they would have probably not bothered making it illegal.
American history is not just a record of what took place in the lines of white-dominated settlement. It’s not just the European colonies or the United States. From the onset, native peoples who avoided extermination or removal took to the hills or retreated into the marshes and swamps, forming maroons that also came to shelter runaway slaves and self-exiled whites discontented with their marginalization in the U.S. This had been going on for years in the Deep South, most dramatically in Florida, but certainly reflecting practices elsewhere along the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico. Seeing the history of race in the Americas as something strictly institutional and two-dimensional ignores the reality of such alternatives.
But the strongest criticism of Free State of Jones comes from those defending a comforting “Lost Cause” mythology for Southern whites. These mythologies grew in the wake of the war, creatures of the Democratic Party acting on behalf of the “Redeemer” Bourbon dynasties that returned to power after the demise of Reconstruction. It ignored or misrepresented the entire question of slavery in favor or a fanciful slogan “states’ rights” against the feared tyrannies of a central government.
“States’ rights” doesn’t bear up to serious thought either. In its “original intent,” the natural rights theory vests human beings with rights, while human political institutions are regarded as tools. The government, the courts, the military—none of these have any more “rights” than a screwdriver. More practically, over the decades when the Southern political machines dominated the country, one of its central concerns had been imposing a Federal Fugitive Slave Law on Northern states that had long decided against slavery. Even today, those railing against Big Government are actually objecting to Federal responsibility in one area, while they will whine endlessly about the weakness of that government on other matters. It’s a way to avoid addressing the particulars and policies.
In the end, the “Lost Cause” came to center on an almost religious adulation for the heroism of the Confederate soldiery and their political leaders—the very people restoring their power in the wake of Reconstruction. Of course, those gray-haired elder statesmen resuming their authority across the South in the 1870s and 1880s had initiated a war that cost nearly a million Americans in an effort to destroy the United States order to save that oh-so-lucrative institution of enslaved labor. So the bronze statues would have to wait a bit until there were fewer one-legged veterans hobbling about.
So the iconization of the Southern volunteer becomes the oldest and most reliable cornerstone of “the Lost Cause,” an essential dimension of popular interest in the Civil War. It must, of necessity, owe less to history—the effort to understand the past—so much as “heritage”—the production of marketable nostalgia for things like Southern identity and martial “glory.” Not surprising then, the handful of people with whom I sat in a darkened theatre to see Free State of Jones provided a vast contrast with the audiences that packed into Gettysburg, including rows of uniformed reenactors.
The myth of the Southern volunteer
Nothing entirely explodes the myth of the Southern volunteer as what happened in places like Jones County.
The “Lost Cause” folks have explicitly denounced Free State of Jones. To state the obvious, when the arbiter of “real history” becomes the comfort of heritage, we are surely in trouble. But this is really a matter of witnessing for the, like denouncing global warming or evolution or anything that makes the denouncer uncomfortable.
The brutal fact is that secessionists didn’t care a good damn for any Southerners not in the elite. Only four of the thirteen Confederate states even had the fig leaf of an election. Yes, thirteen states—look at the flag. Given the secessionist concept of sovereignty, what they advocated had nothing to do with the people or any modern idea of self-determination. As far as the government in Richmond was concerned, Missouri and Kentucky constituted Confederate states. When their armies passed through, the confiscated farm produce and property as taxes and kidnapped unarmed white civilians as conscripts. This concept of sovereignty did not rest at all with the people and did not grow from any sense of the will of the people. And this was really no more outrageous in Missouri as in the western part of Virginia, where the state government had seceded despite the unwillingness of the people. Where the authorities did permit a referendum on secession, it came only after the political machines had made the decision or after the war was underway.
Secessionists justified their action based on alleged violations of their “rights” by a Lincoln administration that had not even taken power when the process began. So we have Gettysburg giving voice to a Confederate in the movie’s tableaux of Winslow Homer’s “Prisoners from the Front.” The Federals clearly have some trouble with his accent when the man insists that they fought to protect their “rats,” but that film does not explore the concept or its implications, while Free State of Jones makes it central.
Every state of the Confederacy contributed actual volunteers—white as well as black—to the specific Union forces. If one sees mention of the Seventh Virginia, the question has to be asked whether we mean the regiment in the Union Army or the Confederate Army. The Confederacy never had the benefit of a Seventh Ohio and (excluding Southerners temporarily residing in the state) probably not really a seventh Ohioan. But the numbers in specifically designated Southern regiments in blue grossly understates the contribution of Southern arms to the defeat of the Confederacy, because many joined units identified with other states.
Early on, with politicians, press and pulpit beating the drum for war, many Southern whites did volunteer, but the unexpectedly massive bloodshed of the battlefields dampened enthusiasm by the Spring of 1862, when the Confederacy turned to conscription to fill its ranks. (The Union followed in 1863, but relatively far fewer draftees made it to the front in the Federal armies.) As part of that, “the twenty Negro rule” exempted those with enough slaves or enough responsibility for maintaining the institution from having to bear arms for it. What this made the conflict recalls the title of David Williams’ 1999 study, Rich Man’s War: Class, Caste, and Confederate Defeat in the Lower Chattahoochee Valley (University of Georgia Press, 1999). Scholars have been revisiting how we need to think about deserters from a cause not worth the fight.
Too, that cause looked increasingly lost as the war unfolded. If a volunteer went to war to protect their home and firesides, what was to be their course when Union arms prevailed and occupied their homes and firesides—usually with nothing like the dire consequences predicted? Tens of thousands from Missouri, Kentucky, western Virginia, Tennessee, southern Louisiana, the Atlantic coast and elsewhere simply began to fade away. By 1864, an entire company of Federal militia in Missouri would be known as “the Reb company” because they had started the war on the other side.
The example of Jones County goes much farther. In the movie, we meet Newt Knight on the battlefield of Corinth, Mississippi in a setting that looks more like a World War I, with men in trenches preparing to go over the top. New arrivals from home—particularly Newt’s drafted nephew—carry stories of the hardships imposed on the people by the military authorities. Increasingly, the men in gray drifted home.
We’re really not talking about exceptions so much as the rule.
Consider this. Soldier demographics for the Confederate Army are not available due to incomplete and destroyed enlistment records, but the Federal authorities kept track of the big numbers that surrendered in April and May, 1865. These amounted to 25,000 on April 9 around Appomattox Court House, around 30,000 on April 26 at Durham Station, North Carolina, 10,000 on May 5 at Citronelle, Alabama, and an allegedly 43,000 on May 26 at Shreveport, Louisiana. Larger numbers existed only on paper. If the Confederacy actually had the tens of thousands men in Georgia and Florida, Sherman would have probably had a much tougher time and the thousands claimed on the Red River actually amounted to a few hundred or less, eventually turning themselves in on June 23. So that accounts for about 110,000 of enlistment numbers that ran as high as 1,227,890.
So where were the rest?
Some 258,000 Confederates deaths managed to get recorded, along with a bit over 194,000 wounded, though this figure isn’t important to us in this because they weren’t necessarily taken out of the war. Certainly, a lot of that 1.2 million figure reflect multiple enlistments—someone joining more than one unit in the course of the war—but the numbers of supplemental militia and home guard—or of those conscripted by an army on its way to battle—are hazy if not nearly invisible.
That leaves the largest single component of the Confederate military missing. It leads us to wonder whether most of the participants in those strange later Confederate Memorial Day parades were men who had shown more sense than Jeff Davis, Robert E. Lee and the lot of their “betters.” Certainly, the Southern counties sporting what was once |
the summer,” he said.
But, Dr. Portier said, there was no mechanism set up to provide research money in the event of an oil spill. “We always seem to be reacting and reacting and reacting, rather than being proactive,” he said.
Dr. Suatoni said the federal agencies that scientists normally looked to might not get significant allotments from Congress for spill research. “The government is afraid it’s going to look like we’re asking taxpayers to pay to study a spill that was a result of BP’s actions,” she said.
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Right after the spill, gulf research institutions exhausted their budgets, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for sea voyages and sampling. Scientists used their personal credit cards to begin research projects.
After complaints about the scarcity of research dollars, BP announced that it would spend $500 million over 10 years in a program it called the Gulf Research Initiative. The original structure of the initiative, with an international panel of scientists appointed to review proposals, was applauded by many scientists, who were persuaded that BP genuinely intended to distance itself from the choice of projects and would set no limits on the publication of results.
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But gulf scientists and state officials expressed fears that the process would take too long and that the money would go to large, well-financed research institutions outside the gulf region.
So BP wrote checks for $30 million to research centers in the region for “high-priority studies” — $10 million to the Florida Institute of Oceanography, $10 million to the Northern Gulf Institute, and $5 million to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama, all university consortiums, and another $5 million to Louisiana State University. Last week, BP announced that $10 million of the initiative money had been awarded to the National Institutes of Health.
The money was in high demand — the Florida Institute of Oceanography, for example, received 233 proposals and gave awards to only 27.
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BP promised that guidelines for disbursing the rest of the money were imminent, but politics intervened. Governors of the Gulf States still wanted more local control of the money, and in mid-June the White House backed them up, announcing, “As a part of this initiative, BP will work with governors, and state and local environmental and health authorities to design the long-term monitoring program to assure the environmental and public health of the gulf region.”
A White House spokesman said that statement was never intended to delay the financing process, but the announcement forced BP to rethink its plans and caused anxiety among scientists. Some feared that the delay would extend indefinitely, and that as the spill receded from the public eye, the money would never materialize. Others divined a money grab by governors for their own cash-starved environmental departments. BP has said little, other than that it is following the “White House directive” to consult with the states.
At least three of the governors have signed on to a proposal that a group called the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a partnership led by state natural resource and environmental agencies, administer the money. Under the plan now being worked out, BP would appoint 10 members of the peer review board and each governor would appoint two members, said William W. Walker, the director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the co-chairman of the alliance. In Mississippi’s case, he said, there would most likely be one appointee from a state agency and one from a research institution.
But scientists are skeptical of the gulf alliance, in part because it is controlled by agencies rather than universities, and the public silence surrounding the negotiations has raised suspicions.
“It looks like maybe BP caved,” said Gary M. King, a microbial ecologist at Louisiana State University. “There’s no sense of trust that a group of governors are actually going to do the right thing and ensure that there will be good science.”These concerns are entirely justified. Ahmad al-Mohammed and one other of the jihadis who murdered 130 people in Paris in November 2015 had just entered Europe as refugees.
In February 2015, the Islamic State boasted it would soon flood Europe with as many as 500,000 refugees. And the Lebanese Education Minister said in September 2015 that there were 20,000 jihadis among the refugees in camps in his country. Meanwhile, 80% of migrants who have come to Europe claiming to be fleeing the war in Syria aren’t really from Syria at all.
So why are they claiming to be Syrian and streaming into Europe, and now the U.S. as well? An Islamic State operative gave the answer when he boasted in September 2015, shortly after the migrant influx began, that among the flood of refugees, 4,000 Islamic State jihadis had already entered Europe. He explained their purpose: “It’s our dream that there should be a caliphate not only in Syria but in all the world, and we will have it soon, inshallah.” These Muslims were going to Europe in the service of that caliphate: “They are going like refugees,” he said, but they were going with the plan of sowing blood and mayhem on European streets. As he told this to journalists, he smiled and said, “Just wait.”
On May 10, 2016, Patrick Calvar, the head of France’s DGSI internal intelligence agency, said that the Islamic State was using migrant routes through the Balkans to get jihadis into Europe.
“FEARS hundreds of ISIS terrorists could have snuck into Germany,” by Allan Hall, Express, June 10, 2016:
A GERMAN politician is calling for a review of all security procedures in the state housing the most refugees – as fears grow that hundreds of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists have sneaked into the country disguised as migrants. The security expert of the conservative CDU party in North Rhine-Westphalia called for the review after it was discovered that three of four terror suspects plotting mass carnage in the city of Duesseldorf were all living in refugee camps and had travelled from Syria disguised as refugees. He said it was “naive” to believe statements from members of his own party that no terrorists had inveigled their way into the country disguised as asylum seekers. He said: “Even now we do not know the identity of everyone. “The security authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia have to organise an immediate security review of all refugees living in the state.” North Rhine-Westphalia has Duesseldorf as its capital and Cologne as its biggest city. Dozens of migrant men robbed and sexually molested hundreds of women on New Year’s Eve in Cologne in scenes which forever changed the German perception of refugees. Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s internal intelligence agency, had previously said that ISIS did not need to smuggle people into the country in the refugee wave because they had “other means” of launching attacks – including radicalising disaffected converts and Muslims already living in Germany. But the Duesseldorf cell arrests have changed all that. Justice minister Heiko Maas said: “Our investigating authorities must crack down on suspected terrorists with all means available to them under the law.”…
Great idea! Why didn’t anybody think of that before?Thousands of customers were unable to access their money, but observers say it is the banking industry that has stopped serving those who are ‘too poor’
It’s a sad truth of American life that the poorer you are the more you pay for banking. And as thousands of Americans have discovered this month, it can also be very perilous to live outside the mainstream banking system. But there may be a solution on the horizon – one unused since the 1960s.
Thousands of holders of one of the most popular prepaid debit cards in circulation, the RushCard, founded in 2003 by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, found themselves unable to access their funds for the better part of two weeks. Blocked from buying groceries and medication, getting hold of cash they needed to pay their rent or purchase gas for their cars, they have been venting their fury at both the card and the organization on social and traditional media.
There are certainly plenty of reasons for RushCard’s holders to be livid, especially given the initial vague response: the company blamed a “technology transition”, while Simmons himself simply said he was “praying” for those affected, in a since-deleted tweet.
But this isn’t a problem limited to RushCard. The Pew Charitable Trusts reported in June that about 23 million Americans use prepaid cards such as RushCard regularly, up about 50% between 2012 and 2014, with many treating them like bank accounts and having their pay checks directly deposited to the card. That backfired badly when those direct deposits went through, only for cardholders to find that their money is now in limbo, inaccessible.
It’s not the first time that a prepaid debit card backed by a celebrity and marketed directly at the financially most vulnerable segment of Americans has encountered flak. Last year, Suze Orman and Bancorp Bank shut down their Approved Card project, a two-year-old venture that differed from some of the prepaid rivals in that Orman had convinced TransUnion, one of the big credit rating agencies, to look at the data collected from cardholders. Part of the card’s marketing pitch was that this might be a way for Americans with poor credit to rebuild their all-important FICO scores. Not only did that not seem to happen, but the layers of fees left many observers shaking their heads in disbelief: the $3 initial monthly fee might seem lower than rivals, but by some calculations, the minimum annual cost to use Orman’s product for a typical “unbanked” American came closer to $81.
Still, for some observers, the real problem isn’t with prepaid debit cards, but with the reason they exist at all, and the reason so many millions of Americans are flocking to them, and treating them as (costly and high-risk) alternatives to plain vanilla checking accounts at ordinary banks.
“For many individuals, using one of these cards is a rational choice,” argues Mehrsa Baradaran, associate professor of law at the University of Georgia, and author of a new book, How the Other Half Banks, published by Harvard University Press. “As the banks are set up currently, the fees they charge are meant to dissuade small accounts, or accounts by people whose incomes are minimal and very uneven.”
As Baradaran writes in her book’s introduction, the banking industry has stopped serving those who are “too poor to bank”, pushing them into the arms of non-bank service providers to provide the most basic services: to cash pay checks, pay bills or transfer money. In exchange, she calculates that they fork over up to 10% of their income for these services.
In some cases, they don’t have an option: a bank may refuse to open an account for them. And banks have long been trying to “discourage” their smaller customers: fees on accounts where balances dip below a specified level even briefly can look extremely costly to a low-income household.
It’s the uncertainty that is particularly pernicious, says Baradaran, and that ends up propelling many former bank customers to prepaid cards. “At the bank, you have to a stable amount of money in the account to manage the costs well,” she explains. “If you can’t do that, you can’t predict how much you’ll end up paying in fees or overdraft charges, and they’ll pile up. So people opt out of the system, because with the prepaid cards, the fees are spelled out clearly, up front, and they’ll say, well, at least I know what they are, and I pay them as I incur them.”
There’s also a psychological element. Even if it’s cheaper to pay one $35 overdraft fee every six months than a bunch of $3.95 reload and transaction fees, Baradaran notes that customers are more comfortable paying transaction costs than anything that they see as a penalty, or punishment. “They become angry or resentful.”
Baradaran is scheduled to testify to the Senate Banking Committee next week on her book’s big idea for fixing the whole mess on 4 November: a return to postal banking, which at its peak, just after the second world war, had four million users and $3.4bn in assets. It is, she argues, a middle way – striking a balance between the potential for abuses and the mistakes of payday lenders, check cashing shops and the prepaid card industry, on the one hand, and the apparent reluctance of the banking industry, on the other, to lose money serving the least affluent and least profitable segment of US populace.
Most of us can’t recall the last time the US post office last offered banking services, other than selling us a money order, if we need one. Community banks and credit unions drove it out of the business back in the 1960s, by being able to offer higher interest rates than the 2% maximum that the post office legally could provide depositors. In 1966, the 55-year experiment with postal banking ended.
So, why bring it back?
Easy, says Baradaran. With a bricks-and-mortar infrastructure already in place in most of the neighborhoods already underserved by traditional banks, the post office wouldn’t have to develop a costly new infrastructure. “In some rural areas, the only places that people can go to are check cashing outlets or payday lenders – but they also have a post office,” she says. It consistently ranks high on the listed of trusted companies and remains the most trusted government agency (the latter, admittedly, not being a high hurdle).
“We may see them as a bit of a dinosaur, but we don’t see them as being a shark,” says Baradaran of the USPS. “They’re not going to screw you.”
Baradaran argues that we find ourselves in the same kind of environment that prevailed in 1910, before the original postal banking system was created, and she isn’t dissuaded by the apparent ignorance of some legislators of its very existence. At a recent conference, she says, California Republican congressman Darrell Issa commented dismissively that the United States isn’t Denmark or Belgium, and shouldn’t care about “Belgian solutions”. “He just didn’t seem to be aware that postal banking was first proposed here in the 1870s,” she says.
Two high-profile figures do support Baradaran’s idea: Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts and architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has been pushing for additional protections for holders of prepaid cards such as RushCard.
The CPFB’s attempt to bring order to the system is laudable, but it would be better to at least open up the postal banking experiment. While Baradaran would like to see that include lending (at least in small sums of, say, $500), the fact is that most of the “unbanked” are most in need of basic banking services: savings and checking accounts, rather than loans; indeed, the Pew Report suggests they’re trying to use prepaid cards to avoid debt. So, starting out with the plainest vanilla of products would make implementing the plan easier, and minimize the strain on the agency’s resources, too.
If we’re going to push forward beyond regulating and criticizing the system that exists – the banks and the businesses that have sprung up to fill the void that the banks’ reluctance to serve certain groups has created – than we need to think creatively about a cost-effective way to serve, equitably, a large and growing proportion of the American population, rather than stripping them of 10% of their income just in order to access the money they’ve earned.
“If we don’t have the public will to force the banks to do it, then maybe it’s time to try something else,” says Baradaran.
Let’s hope the Senate banking committee is listening to her next month, with open minds as well as open ears.Watch also in iWant or TFC.tv
Hiniling ng mga nakaligtas sa bagyong Yolanda na huwag sanang tanggihan ng gobyerno ang ayuda mula sa European Union (EU). Ilang Yolanda survivors kasi ang nabigyan na ng bahay na pinondohoan ng EU.
Naipatayo ang mga pabahay sa UNDP Village sa Tacloban para sa 55 pamilyang nakaligtas sa hagupit ng bagyong 'Yolanda' noong 2013 dahil sa ayuda mula sa EU.
Kaya para sa isa sa mga residenteng si Ruth Grefiel, kung wala ang tulong mula sa ibang bansa, hindi pa siguro umano sila magkakaroon ng matibay na bahay.
"Hindi naman masama kung may maitutulong 'yung European Union sa atin sa Pilipinas, kasi ang bahay naman, maganda," ani Grefiel.
Umaasa naman ang isa pang residenteng si Erlinda Pilapil na may magbibigay pa ng tulong sa kanila. Sila umano ang sapul sa pagtanggi sa ayuda.
"Kung hindi na sila magbibigay ng tulong, hindi na kami makatatanggap ng tulong, at malaki ang epekto sa amin," ayon kay Pilapil.
Hiling nila ngayon ay tanggapin ng kasalukuyang administrasyon ang anumang tulong mula EU, kagaya ng makatutulong sa kanilang kabuhayan.
Dinepensahan naman ni Foreign Affars Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano ang desisyon ng pangulo na tanggihan ang 250 milyon euros o P13.89 bilyon na tulong mula sa European Union.
Tinanggihan ito ng administrasyong Duterte dahil may kalakip umano itong kondisyon na maaring maging mapang-himasok sa internal affairs ng bansa.
Ang pondo ay gagamitin sana sa mga development projects mula taong ito hanggang 2020.
Giit ni Cayetano, kailangan nang tumayo ng bansa sa sariling mga paa.
"The Duterte administration will remain open to the idea of accepting a future EU assistance, provided that there is 'no strings attached' on the help being offered," sabi ni Cayetano.
Hati naman ang ilang mambabatas.
"While he rejects assistance from the European Union (EU) because of alleged conditions related to his bloody campaign against drugs, he accepts Chinese pledges of aid and investments despite the overriding condition that the Philippines must not enforce against China the UN-supported arbitral decision of the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal," puna ni Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman.
Pinapatukuyan ni Lagman ang pagtanggap ni Pangulong Duterte sa ayuda mula sa Tsina sa kabila ng pagbalewala nito sa pagkapanalo ng Pilipinas sa kaso nito laban sa pag-angkin ng mga Tsino sa halos kabuuan ng South China Sea.
"Self-determination and sovereignty do not have a price, which was what the Duterte administration had shown in its decision to stop aid from the European Union. That has strings attached that interferes in the internal affairs of the country," sabi naman ni Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo na pabor sa desisyon ng Malakanyang.
Kailangan din umano munang pag-aralan ng foreign governments kung may basehan ang mga alegasyong sangkot ang pangulo sa extra-judicial killings. -- Ulat ni Ranulfo Docdocan, ABS-CBN NewsI remember at a team dinner once Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s Chairwoman and “Chief Lizard Wrangler”, talked about the importance of storytelling. She talked about how telling stories in the open source software community helps us to reflect on shared experiences and learn from them.
Well, I’m Ben and I’m a Mozillian. I’m a Software Engineer who worked on the “Boot to Gecko” project full time for five years and I have a story to tell.
As an engineer on the project I don’t quite have the full picture when it comes to the high level decision making, financials and business partnerships. But I was involved in the project for a long period of time, longer in fact than any of its co-founders, and gained quite a lot of insight at the engineering, design and product levels.
So I’d like to tell you my version of the story of Firefox OS, from the birth of the Boot to Gecko open source software project as a mailing list post and an empty GitHub repository in 2011, through its commercial launch as the Firefox OS mobile operating system, right up until the “transition” of millions of lines of code to the community in 2016.
During this five year journey hundreds of members of the wider Mozilla community came together with a shared vision to disrupt the app ecosystem with the power of the open web. I’d like to reflect on our successes, our failures and the lessons we can learn from the experience of taking an open source browser based mobile operating system to market.
This is not a short version of the story, in fact it’s over 7,500 words long, so below is a summary of the key points in case you don’t make it to the end! Hopefully it goes without saying that these are just my personal opinions.
Summary
Biggest Achievements
Design — Designed a simple and fresh looking mobile OS with some innovative features like edge gestures for switching windows. Came up with some great designs for how a browser based OS could work, even if the vision was never fully realised.
Designed a simple and fresh looking mobile OS with some innovative features like edge gestures for switching windows. Came up with some great designs for how a browser based OS could work, even if the vision was never fully realised. Engineering — Built a mobile operating system from scratch, entirely in the open, and got it to market in less than two years. As far as I know no other team has ever done this. Got web content rendering very close to bare metal on mobile devices with a very lean technology stack, in many cases beating the performance of native code on equivalent hardware. Pushed the envelope of the web with 30 experimental new web APIs and helped create new web app trends.
Built a mobile operating system from scratch, entirely in the open, and got it to market in less than two years. As far as I know no other team has ever done this. Got web content rendering very close to bare metal on mobile devices with a very lean technology stack, in many cases beating the performance of native code on equivalent hardware. Pushed the envelope of the web with 30 experimental new web APIs and helped create new web app trends. Product — Successfully launched 20 devices in over 30 countries, mobilised the Mozilla community to help run launch parties and created slick branding and marketing campaigns. Sold the message that “the web is the platform”, even if we failed to live up to it.
Successfully launched 20 devices in over 30 countries, mobilised the Mozilla community to help run launch parties and created slick branding and marketing campaigns. Sold the message that “the web is the platform”, even if we failed to live up to it. Partnerships — Won unprecedented support from the mobile industry. Repeatedly stole the show at MWC, the world’s biggest mobile event, and got big telecommunications corporations on board with Mozilla’s mission, with competing companies working together towards common goals.
Biggest Mistakes
Design — Started out by imitating what already existed, not something simpler, unique and focused on the web. Assumed we could change direction later, which turned out to be harder than we thought.
— Started out by imitating what already existed, not something simpler, unique and focused on the web. Assumed we could change direction later, which turned out to be harder than we thought. Engineering — In a rush to get to market we imitated the app store model with packaged apps, adding to the problem we set out to solve. Lost focus on what makes the web the web (URLs). Too much focus on the client side rather than the server side of the web stack.
— In a rush to get to market we imitated the app store model with packaged apps, adding to the problem we set out to solve. Lost focus on what makes the web the web (URLs). Too much focus on the client side rather than the server side of the web stack. Product — After realising “open” on its own doesn’t sell, ultimately chose a strategy to compete mainly on price, which is just a race to the bottom. Suffered from a lack of product leadership and direction after the initial launch.
— After realising “open” on its own doesn’t sell, ultimately chose a strategy to compete mainly on price, which is just a race to the bottom. Suffered from a lack of product leadership and direction after the initial launch. Partnerships — Treated carriers and OEMs as our customers with a tick box approach to feature prioritisation, lost sight of the needs of end users and the original mission. Failed to secure a license to distribute updates directly to users.
What I Would Do Differently Today
Design — Start out with a very simple browser based design with a focus on web content rather than try to recreate every feature that other operating systems have. Be ruthless about leaving features out and not even attempt to play catch up.
— Start out with a very simple browser based design with a focus on web content rather than try to recreate every feature that other operating systems have. Be ruthless about leaving features out and not even attempt to play catch up. Engineering — Have a clear separation between “chrome” and web content rather than try to force the web to do things it isn’t suited to. Create device APIs using REST & WebSockets on the server side of the web stack rather than privileged JavaScript DOM APIs on the client side. Create a community curated directory of web apps on the web rather than an app store of submitted packaged apps.
Have a clear separation between “chrome” and web content rather than try to force the web to do things it isn’t suited to. Create device APIs using REST & WebSockets on the server side of the web stack rather than privileged JavaScript DOM APIs on the client side. Create a community curated directory of web apps on the web rather than an app store of submitted packaged apps. Product — Not try to create the cheapest smartphone. Create a mid-range tablet (and later possibly a smart TV stick) with a focus on web content, gaming and entertainment. Carve out a niche in developed markets first, rather than try to tackle emerging markets at scale.
— Not try to create the cheapest smartphone. Create a mid-range tablet (and later possibly a smart TV stick) with a focus on web content, gaming and entertainment. Carve out a niche in developed markets first, rather than try to tackle emerging markets at scale. Partnerships — Be a lot more forceful with partners about Mozilla leading the direction of the product roadmap and be willing to turn down opportunities if they don’t fit with our strategy. Provide software updates directly to end users and walk away from any chipset vendor who blocked us from distributing binaries of our own OS (this would have been very hard back then, but easier now).
Booting to the Web
The “Boot to Gecko” (B2G) open source project was announced in July 2011 with the goal of building “a complete, standalone operating system for the open web.”
“Mozilla believes that the web can displace proprietary, single-vendor stacks for application development. To make open web technologies a better basis for future applications on mobile and desktop alike, we need to keep pushing the envelope of the web to include, and in places exceed, the capabilities of the competing stacks in question.”
The key areas of work were identified as:
New web APIs: build prototype APIs for exposing device and OS capabilities to content (Telephony, SMS, Camera, USB, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.)
Privilege model: making sure that these new capabilities are safely exposed to pages and applications
Booting: prototype a low-level substrate for an Android-compatible device
Applications: choose and port or build apps to prove out and prioritize the power of the system
The first (unofficial) B2G project logo, by Sean Martell
There was no mention of commercial smartphones or mobile market share at this stage, merely the desire to “push the envelope of the web” to prove what it was capable of.
The Co-founders
The four co-founders of the project were Andreas Gal, Chris Jones, Brendan Eich and Mike Shaver.
B2G project co-founders (From left to right: Andreas, Chris, Brendan, Mike)
Andreas is a super smart engineer who wrote his PhD thesis on just-in-time compilation of high level programming languages and joined Mozilla in 2008 to build TraceMonkey, the first JavaScript just-in-time compiler. He’d recently finished writing PDF.js, a PDF renderer written in JavaScript, and wanted to show what else JavaScript was capable of.
Chris got his PhD in Computer Science from Berkeley, joined Mozilla in 2009 and had worked on PDF.js with Andreas.
Brendan invented JavaScript and co-founded Mozilla in 1998. When B2G was announced he was Mozilla’s CTO, and the executive sponsor of the project.
Mike was a founding member of Mozilla in 1998 and had served as the VP of Engineering and VP of Technical Strategy, but left Mozilla shortly after the B2G project was announced.
I applied to work on the B2G project at Mozilla the day after it was announced so I wasn’t employed there at the time of the announcement, but my understanding is that it ruffled some feathers. Partly because it was announced on a public mailing list before any significant internal discussion, and partly because most people (including senior executives) didn’t know much about the project and weren’t expecting the announcement.
It had the feel of a skunkworks project and was run a lot like a startup, partially outside the normal operation of the Mozilla Corporation.
The Building Blocks
Starting from an empty GitHub repository the co-founders built a small initial team to work on “Gonk” (a “low-level substrate” based on the Linux kernel and Android Hardware Abstraction Layer), “Gecko” (an app runtime and device APIs built on the web engine of Firefox) and “Gaia” (a smartphone user interface built with web technologies HTML, CSS and JavaScript).
B2G Architecture
Some code was re-used from the Android Open Source Project but what was unique about this architecture was that it cut out the entire Java layer of Android, with Gecko rendering web content as close to bare metal as the team could get it. This would give B2G a real edge when it came to performance and would help put web content on a level footing with native code.
This distributed and small but growing team had their first in-person work week in Taipei in December 2011 where Mozilla’s Taiwan office was in the process of being fitted out, in a building overlooking the iconic Taipei 101. It was at this work week at the Grand Hyatt Hotel that the first ever phone call was made from a web page without the use of a browser plugin. The basics were starting to come together.
Taipei, December 2011
The Prototype
At a follow-up work week in Paris in February 2012, the team (now including Michael Vines from Qualcomm and our one-man UX team Josh Carpenter) raced up until the last minute to put together a prototype to showcase at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that same month.
Paris, February 2012
We succeeded in delivering the initial components described in the original B2G announcement far enough to have a proof of concept demo running on existing Android hardware. We went to MWC with a prototype running on a Samsung Galaxy II smartphone. This was revealed in a joint announcement with our first partner, Telefónica, with additional support pledged from Adobe, Qualcomm and Deutsche Telekom. At the press conference Telefónica demoed B2G software running on Qualcomm reference hardware.
B2G prototype, MWC 2012, Barcelona
This caught the eye of other mobile carriers who were on the lookout for a platform with the potential to challenge Android, to create more choice in the mobile operating system space and wrangle some control back from the dominant Google and Apple.
As a non-profit with a mission to “promote openness, innovation & opportunity on the web” Mozilla was selling a unique vision — not that our own app platform would somehow become the “third platform” on mobile, but that the open web could fulfil that role. Like on desktop, the ubiquity and scale of the web could make it the only viable contender to the incumbent app platforms, with Mozilla leading the way.
Partnerships
With the support of new partners, Mozilla promised to return the following year with commercial devices ready to go to market.
One of the first partners was Telefónica, who had been working on their own “Open Web Device” project. At first the idea was that Mozilla could provide the underlying Gecko-based platform and Telefónica would add their own Open Web Device front end and contribute their expertise in certifying and taking devices to market.
Working with a huge telecommunications corporation like Telefónica was new ground for open source shop Mozilla and I’d say initially there was a bit of a culture clash. There were a few points of tension and for a while Mozilla and Telefónica worked on their own competing front ends.
Telefónica and Mozilla alternative B2G front ends
It quickly became clear that it made more sense to pool our resources and work on a single mobile front end, and soon Mozilla and Telefónica engineers were working side by side. Both teams of engineers really embraced this approach and it soon felt like we were all one team.
Deutsche Telekom was another partner who made big early contributions and with mobile carriers on board it became easier to get OEMs interested. The first two OEMs were Chinese manufacturing competitors ZTE and TCL.
One of the reasons these partnerships were so important was that Qualcomm, the first chipset manufacturer we were working with, would not license their firmware and device drivers to us directly, it had to be through a carrier or OEM. This meant that we legally couldn’t ship complete builds or updates of the OS directly to users, which due to the economics of mobile OS updates would turn out to be a serious problem for us.
Firefox OS 1.0
For the next year Mozilla worked intensively with our partners to build a full production quality mobile operating system.
Design
The brief given to the UX team was basically not to do anything too surprising for the first iteration. Stick to a grid of app icons like Android and iOS and keep it simple, we’d figure out how to differentiate the user experience later on. First we would prove it was possible to build the kind of UI that already existed using web technologies.
The designs the team came up with were pretty slick, but in retrospect starting out by imitating what already existed on the assumption we could change direction later turned out to be a mistake.
Implementation
On the Engineering side we would prove that it was possible to build a smartphone using open web technologies, with the whole user interface written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
It was a requirement for all of the built-in Gaia apps to function offline when an Internet connection was patchy or unavailable, so that the user could continue to make phone calls, take photos and listen to music etc. At first we started to use AppCache for this purpose, which was the web’s first attempt at making web apps work offline. Unfortunately we soon ran into many of the common problems and limitations of that technology and found it didn’t fulfil all of our requirements.
We also needed to invent lots of new APIs to talk to the underlying hardware of a smartphone from JavaScript, and a privilege model which made that possible. The existing security model of the web allows browsers to safely execute untrusted code by restricting it to a very limited sandbox. In order to provide web content access to much more privileged functions like making phone calls and sending text messages it was thought a new security system was needed.
In order to ship version 1.0 of B2G on time, it was decided that the simplest way to achieve both the offline and security requirements was to introduce the concept of packaged apps to Gecko. A package of resources could be “installed” onto the device to work offline and cryptographically signed to verify that its code is trusted.
Packaged apps solved our immediate problems but they are not truly web apps because they don’t have real URLs on the web and they ultimately have to be signed by a central authority (like Mozilla) to say that they’re safe. I argued against the packaged app approach at the time on the basis that it wasn’t really the web, but nobody could come up with a more webby solution we thought we could implement and ship on time.
At a work week in Telefónica’s offices in Barcelona in July 2012 it was decided to go ahead with packaged apps as a stop-gap solution until we came up with something better. This was another decision which I think turned out to be a mistake because, as well as creating significant technical debt, it set us on a path which would be difficult to turn back from.
Race to the Finish
Anyway, all of this effort culminated with a buzzing work week in Berlin in January 2013 where Mozilla worked side by side with partners, including chipset maker Qualcomm, carrier competitors Telefónica and Deutsche Telecom and manufacturing competitors ZTE and TCL, with the common goal of shipping version 1.0.
This event, hosted by Deutsche Telekom, turned out to be one of the most memorable moments in B2G’s development. Everyone worked together in the same room with a super fast Internet connection, and a friendly competition had been set up between the front end and back end teams to see who could fix all of their bugs first. The results were displayed in real time on a projector so everyone could monitor our progress. There was incredible energy in the room for the whole week while over 200 bugs were fixed.
Berlin work week, January 2013
By the end of the week Andreas Gal declared “zarro boogs” and Firefox OS version 1.0 was born. (The front end team won, by the way!)
Mobile World Congress 2013
The first commercial version of Firefox OS to ship was actually 1.0.1, once all of the necessary testing and certification had been completed. The first commercial devices were announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (the biggest mobile conference in the world) in February 2013. They were the ZTE Open and the Alcatel One Touch and they would launch via Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. LG and Huawei had also committed to shipping devices.
ZTE Open & Alcatel One |
on your cell phone gives you cancer, it will be a miracle if you don’t drop dead in the next 30 seconds. [via Gawker]
AdvertisementA man with muscular dystrophy crossed the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon early Monday morning. Emily Florez reports on his triumphant finish. (Published Monday, Oct. 14, 2013)
With an entourage of support, a man with muscular dystrophy crossed the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon early Monday morning -- nearly 17 hours after he started.
With a time of 16 hours and 46 minutes, Maickel Melamed, of Caracas, Venezuela, was the very last of the more than 39,000 participants to finish the race.
The 38-year-old passed the 26.2 milestone at around 1:30 a.m., surrounded by about 100 people.
"My message is: If you dream it, make it happen. Your life is the most beautiful thing that could happen to you. Make the best with that, and share the best of that," he said shortly after finishing the race. "We come here to share. We come here to make a team. We come here to construct the best world that the children -- our children -- deserve."
Dennis Kimetto Talks to Stefan Holt
The newly minted owner of the Chicago Marathon course record talks to Stefan Holt after crossing the finish line. (Published Monday, Oct. 14, 2013)
Officials said 40,230 people started the race and 39,115 finished it.Christy O'Donnell and her daughter Bailey. (Photo: Screengrab from YouTube video)
(NEWSER) – Christy O'Donnell knows how she will die, should her body have its way: "Most likely... my left lung will fill with fluid, I'll start drowning in my own fluid." Doctors could drain the lung, painfully; ABC News reports she has a morphine intolerance that makes pain management especially tough for her. But the process will repeat itself until death comes, the 46-year-old explains in a video recorded in March and posted online Monday by Compassion & Choices. That's not the way the terminally ill single mother—the non-smoker has Stage IV lung cancer that has spread to her brain, liver, rib, and spine—wants to go. She's one of three plaintiffs who on Friday sued California for the right to die as she wishes: in her Santa Clarita home with daughter Bailey, 20, holding her hand. "I don't want my daughter to come home and find me dead," she says.
It's a very present fear. "Every day, when my daughter is coming home from work, she calls me on the phone to talk to me. You know why? She wants to know before she gets home if I'm still alive." O'Donnell says she's lived "10 people's lives"—the practicing lawyer is a former sergeant in the LAPD who tells ABC7 she investigated hundreds of suicides. KFOR reports that the California state Senate is considering Bill 128, the End of Life Option Act, and has until June 5 to pass it; in which case the Assembly would have a Sept. 11 deadline. O'Donnell says that timeline is too long for her, and wants to be able to get a prescription that she could use when she feels the time has come. A press release from Compassion & Choices, which filed the suit on the plaintiffs' behalf, says the suit asserts "that the California constitution and existing state law allow the medical practice of aid in dying." (A well-known right-to-die opponent succumbed to cancer in March.)
This story originally appeared on Newser:
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Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1ShSoUGDissecting the argh-scape: An exercise in 4 dimensions
What is the argh-scape?
When people express frustration, they sometimes emit a sound that English-speakers would spell "argh". The problem with the written transcription is that it is impossible to express the richness and emotion of the utterance. Writers have taken to using capital letters or longer versions of the word for emphasis, e.g. "ARGHHHH" or "AARRRGH!" I am interested in the variations of the number of letters people use to express this word. It consists of four different letters, each of which can be repeated an arbitrary number of times. Since writers rarely permute the ordering of the letters (e.g. "ARGHGR!"), most instances of "argh" can be expressed as a 4-tuple, where each value is the number of times each letter is repeated. So "argh" is (1,1,1,1), "aargh" is (2,1,1,1), and so on. These tuples can also be thought of as coordinates on a tesseract, or 4-dimensional hypercube.
The argh-scape is the 4-dimensional matrix representing the observed frequencies of the variants of the written word "argh". Each index of the matrix represents one of the four letters, and the matrix entries contain the frequencies with which the corresponding spelling is used. I used Google's search engine to estimate these frequencies in the World Wide Web's content.
Because the space is 4-dimensional, it is not obvious how to visualize it. One can present summary statistics or take two- and three- dimensional "slices" of the hypercube. I took a few small samples of argh-space from Google (small so as not to annoy the Google sysadmins again), and I will try to convey this information to you. My main source of data is one 4x4x4x4 sample, a few 8x8 slices, and several 1-dimensional transects of argh-space on Google.
A few common spellings of "argh"
spelling # of hits on Google argh 121000 aargh 18600 arrgh 15700 aaargh 15500 arrrgh 10200
I believe these to be the five most common spellings of "argh". The longer variants drop in frequency rapidly. The graph below is the ranked frequency distribution of the 256 arghs in the 4x4x4x4 corner of argh-space which encompasses all spellings of argh that contain 4 or fewer of each letter. Note that the y-axis is log scale.
The flatness in the middle of the curve is probably due to the fact that the 4x4x4x4 tesseract has only one word with length 4 ("argh"), one of length 16 ("aaaarrrrgggghhhh"), and the most words of intermediate length, which likely have similar frequencies.
One-dimensional transects of the argh-scape
The 4 one-dimensional transects fix three of the coordinates at 1, while varying the remaining coordinate. Thus, one of the transects samples "argh", "aargh", "aaargh", etc., while another traverses "argh", "arrgh", "arrrgh", and so on. The plots below are the frequencies sampled along these transects.
a
r
g
h
These plots provide a rough idea of which letters are more likely to be repeated. The curves approximately follow an exponential decay (thank god it's not a power law), and, judging from the slopes, "a" and "h" decay the slowest, followed closely by "r", and "g" takes a distant fourth. In other words, people are more likely to write "aaaaaaaargh" than "arggggggggh", which looks stupid.
Two-dimensional slices of the argh-scape
I took six 8x8 2-dimensional slices of the argh-scape, keeping the numbers of two letters fixed at 1 and varying the number of the remaining two. The red squares represent high values, blue low, and gray intermediate. Brightnesses in all plots are scaled the same. The axes represent the number of one of the letters varying. For the first plot: the top left corner is "argh", the bottom left corner is "aaaaaaaargh", and the bottom right is "aaaaaaaarghhhhhhhh", which was found only once by Google. The brightest red square in all plots represents coordinate (1,1,1,1), the word "argh".
H
A R
A G
A G
R H
R H
G
The values along the axes appear to be higher than their neighbors, implying that people typically pick one letter to repeat and only type one of each of the other three.
If there were only three plots, they could be attached along their common edges to form the faces of half a cube. As there are six, they would form three inverted half-cubes that meet at one corner.
Three-dimensional slices of the argh-scape
Quaternary trees
DiscussionSmorrebrod are truly the Danish national dish, prized for their contrasts of earthy rye bread, sweet butter, salty toppings and bright garnishes. They are served on every occasion and for no occasion, often with a shot of aquavit or a beer, or both, and for lovers of bread, fish and salt there is no better bite.
But whether New Yorkers will appreciate the effort here, or be left wondering how a few slices of bread the size of a playing card and some chunks of cold herring can be considered dinner, remains to be seen.
Did I mention the herring? At least three kinds are served on any given night as a trio ($24), of which the most delicious has been the firm “Christmas” style. It comes in a little round jar with pickled red onion, sour cream and many spoonfuls of capers that are just the right accent.(By contrast, the herring in a viscous curry sauce with chopped egg, though perhaps authentic, is not going to attract many converts.) Another Danish Christmas classic, rice pudding with cherries ($9), is wonderful, rich with almond slivers that almost melt into the rice; another dessert, honey cake with tangy oranges and yogurt sauce ($7) is great with the strong coffee brewed to order all day. (Breakfast is probably the most satisfying meal served here.)
The bread, a crucial component of any self-respecting smorrebrod, is worth whatever tweaks were required to get the combination of sour, chewy, sweet and nutty flavors into the chocolate-brown dough. Studded with rye berries and sporting a shiny, fragrant crust, it’s wonderful with cheese, butter and a peppery apple compote ($17). Toasted, it’s even used here to flavor an aquavit, with surprising success. The aquavit list ($7 each) is a high point: traditional infusions like lemon, cranberry or dill, and more adventurous ones like beet, roasted pumpkin and parsley. All match well with the smorrebrod, cutting through richness with the zip of alcohol and leaving behind a fragrant breath of spice, earth or citrus.
One of the best smorrebrod is also the slimmest: kale tartare, with the greens chopped so finely that they are almost a spread, then bound in a creamy dressing and studded with bits of apple and walnut. Unfortunately, too many are top-heavy with proteins: thick layers of cured salmon, pork terrine, smoked cod or braised duck, in such large portions that a knife and fork have to be called in. Perhaps this is to justify the high price point: each costs $8 to $10, and it’s hard to imagine being satisfied by less than three.Copy and paste this link into an e-mail or instant message: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Assassins-Creed-Revelations/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80255530879?cid=SLink Click to create and send a link using your email application
(Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) The Games on Demand version supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish. When a man’s battles have been won and his enemies destroyed, what then? Where does he find purpose and meaning? To find answers to these questions, Ezio Auditore will travel east in search of the lost library of the Assassins. In Assassin’s Creed® Revelations, master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of the legendary mentor Altair, on a journey of discovery and revelation. It is a perilous path – one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region. In addition to Ezio’s award-winning story, a refined and expanded online multiplayer experience returns with more modes, more maps and more characters, allowing you to test your assassin skills against others from around the world.Planets
Decent size
Gravity (affecting ships too if possible)
Atmosphere
Terrain (mountains, canyons)
Vegetation (trees, bushes, grass)
Visible from big distance (1000+ km)
Scenarios
New Multiplayer
Hello, I am Ondrej Petrzilka, for those who don't know me I am the lead developer for Space and Medieval Engineers. I joined Keen Software House in 2011 as a game programmer for Miner Wars 2081 and since then I have worked on various projects in the studio mostly on the development of Space Engineers. In this blog post I would like to put some light on our current and future plans with Space Engineers. Currently we’re working on three big things:Planets have been discussed many times and players have wanted them for a long time. I would like to give you more information about our intentions and the background of the idea.When Space Engineers was released to Early Access, we were very pessimistic about planets, but that changed by the end of 2014, when the procedural asteroid generator was created. We realized that it could be possible to create bigger asteroids – more than 8 km across. When we discussed planets in the team, we’ve realized we don’t just want just big asteroids, we want planets with ‘everything’.Currently we’re able to create ‘planets’ with a size of around 20 – 50 km. It’s quite small compared to Earth and technically, it’s not a planet. Even Pluto has a radius 1184 km and it’s classified as a dwarf planet. When we tried first prototypes of big asteroids, 8 km in diameter, it looked pretty big. With bigger sizes, gameplay issues emerged.. You’ll get close to the planet to fill your screen from top to bottom. When you have default field of view (FOV in video options), you’ll be still 73 km away from the planet surface! When traveling at the maximum speed of 104 m/s, it will take you almost 12 minutes to reach the surface. That seems like too long.How long would it take to fly around a 100 km planet? The circumference of a 100 km planet is 628 km. When traveling at maximum speed, it would take more than 90 minutes to fly around.. First we were thinking about changing the maximum speed, but it’s too problematic. We’re limited by physics stability, bullet-through-paper issues and other problems. We’ve decided to make planet size configurable in world options (minimum and maximum planet size). This way we can release planets soon and satisfy players who want small planets and also players who want huge planets. It’s possible that we will reevaluate maximum speed in future.. Planets will have gravity which is similar to earth gravity. With distance from a planet, gravity will gradually decrease; bigger planets will have more gravity. We plan to apply planet gravity to ships as well.. We plan to add atmosphere to certain planets; when there’s atmosphere, there will be vegetation. Other planets will be barren, without atmosphere. Vegetation should be very similar to what you see in Medieval Engineers. To achieve nice atmosphere effects, we’re planning to use a special shader which takes into account sun direction, air density, the distance light travels through air and other parameters. It will be possible to breathe freely and refill the oxygen tanks on a planet with atmosphere.. Space Engineers has a default view distance of 20 km. If you were to fly toward a 30 km asteroid or planet, you would see nothing…nothing…nothing…and then suddenly a big planet would appear in front of you. This feels very weird and it would break the experience, so we had to come up with a solution.One option was increasing view distance, but there’s still a limit of 50-70 km, because of Z-buffer precision. We wanted players to see planets from 1000 km distance or more. We’ve decided to render distant planets‘separately’. This allows players to see planets 10.000 km away, while other objects like ships and small asteroids are visible only to 20 km.In last 15 months, we’ve added a large amount of game features, but we haven’t added much of the gameplay. Space Engineers is now sandbox game where you can do many crazy things…without any goal. We’re planning to add goals soon; you’ve probably seen the first scenario a week ago, this was just a testing scenario. More scenarios will follow; both single-player and multi-player.The primary purpose of scenarios is to entertain players who seek goals and achievements in the game. The secondary purpose is to teach new players how to play the game and introduce them slowly to most of the game mechanics. A game like this, with a lot of features available at once, can be confusing for new players.will consist of a series of objectives with possible branches (sometimes the player will be able to choose how to progress). Scenarios will take advantage of features which are already in game. First scenarios will be very straight-forward, to teach players certain mechanics, like mining or repairing the station. Then there will be more advanced scenarios with multiple ways of reaching the goal. An example can be: ‘destroy military output’. It will be up to the player to decide whether to build a heavily armored ship with missile launchers or to build decoys for distraction, blow one turret with a warhead and hack the rest of outpost. We haven’t decided yet whether it will be possible to play single-player scenarios in cooperative mode.will be designed to bring some competitive gaming to Space Engineers. We’re discussing the designs of these scenarios in the team. There are ideas for classic scenarios like "defend station", "capture the flag", "death-match" and less common scenarios, for example where players compete in mining to deliver the largest amount of gold ore from a big gold asteroid to a merchant. Some scenarios will be team-based while others will be free-for-all.. We want to make scenarios fully modable, it should be possible for modders to create and script both single-player and multi-player scenarios. There will also be a simple scenario editor directly in-game; modders will be able to prepare a world and select victory conditions in the UI. Modders will be able to use prepared infrastructure, like victory/game-over screens, scoring screens, team selection, define player inventory, possible respawn count and more.Update 01.015, which added multiplayer was released on Jan 16th 2014, more than a year ago. Multiplayer itself was written in 5 weeks. We knew it’s far from being perfect, there were connection issues, lags, desync issues, jittering, hackers and many many other issues. We didn’t want to spend 2 months rewriting multiplayer from scratch, so we decided to fix the things we could fix and focus on ‘better’ multiplayer later. We also knew that if we add infinite worlds, we’ll have to change multiplayer again.The game has many more features and we can take these into account when rewriting multiplayer, especially infinite and procedurally generated worlds. We also have a bigger team, so we can keep adding features and also work on multiplayer.In the current version of multiplayer, every client knows everything. When somebody is drilling 100.000 km away, the client gets this information from the server. It’s not necessary for the client to know it; the client should only get this information when he gets close to the drilled asteroid. In new multiplayer, clients will only receive information which is necessary and related to an area close to their position (or camera position in case they are looking through camera). This will reduce required bandwidth a lot; it will also allow many more players in the game (depending only on the server’s internet connection).Information sent to the client will be prioritized; important things like position updates will have high priority. Less important things like battery capacity update or inventory changes will be sent with lower priority. This should reduce lags and make multiplayer more smooth.Every client is now sending position updates to all other clients (it’s not going through server). This can reduce lag a little, but it also requires a bigger upload, because it’s necessary to send messages to every other client (not only to the server). It also makes connection issues much worse, because it’s necessary for each client to be connected to every other client. With more players on server, this issue has a much bigger impact.In new multiplayer, the client won’t be connected to every other client, but only to the server. The server will validate data sent from the client (e.g. position updates) and send it only to other clients who need this information (clients who see the original client). This will prevent connection issues and reduce network bandwidth. It’s also a necessary step for increasing the number of players on server.The current multiplayer uses the Steam Networking layer which allows us very easily to send data between players and it’s very easy to use. On the other hand it’s missing some advanced features. To get advanced features, we’ve decided to switch to RakNet. RakNet is a popular networking layer; it’s robust and it supports many platforms including Xbox, PlayStation, Linux, Android and other.New multiplayer will work technically in a similar way to Halo Reach or the Tribes series (way of synchronizing objects and its properties). We’ve been working on the new multiplayer for a month now. The work will continue for at least several weeks or a few months before it’s done.Stay tuned for more information about ship AI, Xbox, game controller and Medieval Engineers.Note: All images are public domainThanks!Ondrej Petrzilka---Thank you for reading this! For the latest news on our games, follow us on Facebook or on Twitter.Medieval Engineers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedievalEngineers Medieval Engineers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MedievalEng Space Engineers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceEngineers Space Engineers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaceEngineersGThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) plans to release water from their Environmental Account (EA) to benefit the endangered whooping cranes. Whooping cranes use the Platte River in Nebraska as a stopover site during their migration in the Central Flyway north to Canada for the summer. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of other migratory birds, including over half a million sandhill cranes, use the Platte River to roost and feed during the months of March and April.
Established in 1999, the EA is water stored in Lake McConaughy in western Nebraska and is managed by the Service to benefit four federally listed threatened or endangered target species on the Platte River – these species include the whooping crane, interior least tern, piping plover and pallid sturgeon.
This year the Service’s highest priority water release from the EA is to benefit whooping cranes during their spring migration. The Service plans to release water beginning March 23 with a target flow of 1,900 cubic feet per second at Grand Island, Nebraska. The release will provide and maintain adequate roosting and feeding habitat for whooping cranes on the Platte River, and is expected to continue through April and into early‐May.
For more information on this release, please contact:
Eliza Hines, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service EA Manager
Office Phone: (308) 382-6468 Ext. 204 E-mail: eliza_hines@fws.gov
Jerry Kenny, Executive Director, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
Office Phone: (308) 237-5728 E-mail: kennyj@headwaterscorp.comThe Realm of Midgard is a fantasy / medieval RPG setting, that I intend to expand indefinitely.
It has ruins, cities and villages and castles - explore for yourself!
It also has its own lore and several guilds & factions.
I began work on Midgard with "Seven Hills", a medieval / fantasy themed city. It's a massive city.
Since then, I've added the cities of "al'Atreide" (a desert city), "Port Bloodsand" (the squalid "city of thieves") along with several smaller settlements and villages. I'm currently working on the elven city of "Don-Golin".
The realm of Midgard is an ideal setting for an RPG game.
See more pics of the "Realm of Midgard" on my Imgur account, here:
https://drussrua.imgur.com/
If there any YouTubers interested, I'd appreciate video reviews, as it's a great source of feedback.
Updated cinematic trailer:
Original cinematic trailer:
I'm uploading other videos of my build on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTcLISxMbvXSVdCbRIB6gKQ
I strongly recommend using medieval style resource packs such as "Conquest" or "John Smith Legacy" as the build style is best experienced in these (though obviously that's at your own discretion!).
***IMPORTANT NOTE: Turn fire spreading OFF as soon as the world is loaded. Most houses have fires on in chimneys! ***
Feel free to download and explore my world. However, do not distribute this build or claim it as your own.
I hope you enjoy my little project, please leave any feedback / suggestions.
SPOILERS BELOW - locations of several places not accessable by road! (highlight to view):
Locations outside Seven Hills (approximate):
Co-ordinates: X Y Z
Port Bloodsand 592 67
Marawaka (Jungle) -144 76
The Smials (Halflings) -428 70
Ravenfang Hold 174 69
Wranna (swamp village) 594 64
Ruined (Ice) tower -547 93 55
Hermit's Cave -482 84 -26
Ruined House -452 64 201
Fisherman's Hut -353 65 -143
Witch Hut (improved) -334 66 293
Dagda Tomb -288 85 -231
Elven House -457 79 -360
Smuggler's Cave -250 67 -281
Cairn Tomb -293 66 -470
Edgemere -195 76 -506
Cairn of Druss 85 71 261
Hendge -295 63 704
Desert House -140 70 758
Battleborn Castle -351 68 -765
Desert Tomb 248 70 -689
Nissus' Tower -82 182 1047
al'Atreide 76 69 1529Sheet music cover page for "Shoo Fly" (1869)
"Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me!" is a song that was most likely written by T. Brigham Bishop[1] and first published in 1869 by White, Smith & Perry. It has remained popular since that time. Today, it is commonly sung by children, and has been recorded on many children's records, including Disney Children's Favorite Songs 3, performed by Larry Groce and the Disneyland Children's Sing-Along Chorus.
The song remained popular over the decades, and was commonly sung by soldiers during the Spanish–American War of 1898, when flies and the yellow fever mosquito were a serious enemy.
Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album Join Bing and Sing Along (1959)
Composition [ edit ]
According to Bishop's account, he wrote "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me" during the Civil War while assigned to command a company of black soldiers. One of the soldiers, dismissing some remarks of his fellow soldiers, exclaimed "Shoo fly, don't bother me," which inspired Bishop to write the song, including in the lyrics the unit's designation, "Company G". The song was reportedly "pirated" from Bishop and he made little money from it.[2] Bishop did publish a sheet music version of the song in 1869, which includes the caption, "Original Copy and Only Authorized Edition."[3]
Other sources have credited Billy Reeves (lyrics) and Frank Campbell, or Rollin Howard, with the song.[4] The first group to popularize the song was Bryant's Minstrels in 1869-70.[2][5] An early publication appeared as "Shew! Fly, Don't Bother Me. Comic Song and Dance or Walk Round. Sung by Cool Burgess and Rollin Howard, melody by Frank Campbell, words by Billy Reeves, arr. by Rollin Howard." [6][7]
Lyrics [ edit ]
The lyrics are public domain:[8]
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
For I belong to somebody.
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star,
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star.
Oh, shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
Shoo, fly, don't bother me,
For I belong to somebody.
The lyrics have been altered to remove content from the original song long considered offensive, so that today only the chorus is sung. The original version reads thus:[6]
I think I hear the angels sing,
I think I hear the angels sing,
I think I hear the angels sing,
The angels now are on the wing.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
That's what my mother said,
The angels pouring 'lasses down,
Upon this nigger's head.
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
I belong to Comp'ny G.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star,
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
If I sleep in the sun this nigger knows,
If I sleep in the sun this nigger knows,
If I sleep in the sun this nigger knows,
A fly come sting him on the nose.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
That's what my mother said,
Whenever this nigger goes to sleep,
He must cover up his head.
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
Shew! fly, don't bother me,
I belong to Comp'ny G.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star,
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
I feel, I feel, I feel,
I feel like a morning star.
In popular culture [ edit ]
In the 1998 Disney/Pixar film A Bug's Life, one of the characters references the song's title. The Australian children's show Play School recorded a version for the albums There's A Bear In There, sung by Noni Hazlehurst, and In The Car, sung by John Hamblin.Red Bull’s initiative that will see its cars run with liveries featuring the faces of fans at the British Grand Prix has proved a major success with the world champion team announcing that it has raised €1 million for its spinal cord injury charity.
To get their picture onto the one-off collages that will run on Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber’s RB8s at Silverstone next month fans had to upload a picture of their choosing onto a special website and pledge €15 (£12) to the Wings of Life charity, which funds worldwide research into spinal cord injury, with Red Bull Racing promising to match every donation made. With many people donating more than the miniumum amount, and many famous F1 names giving their backing to the scheme, RBR has now confirmed that the campaign reached the spectacular €1m mark at the close of play.
Bernie Ecclestone, Niki Lauda, Damon Hill, Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard were among the F1 figures to make their own donations to the scheme and Wings for Life says the money raised will prove invaluable to the charity’s work.
“Scientific research is very cost intensive and Faces for Charity is going to make a huge difference to our ability to fund the most promising research projects,” said the charity’s managing director Anita Gerhardter. “I can’t overstate how much this will help us progress towards our goal to find a cure for spinal cord injury.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added: “Faces for Charity is going to make this year’s race at Silverstone extra special. It will be a privilege for the drivers and the team to race with thousands of fans by our sides. Most importantly, it will create a real buzz for Wings for Life and spread awareness about their vital work.”News arrived yesterday informing the world that M2’s Akira Saito passed away at 43 due to cancer.
The cancer was diagnosed at some point last year.
Saito was largely known in Sega fandom for his involvement in the Sega 3D Classics line of Nintendo 3DS remakes and Sega Ages 2500 series on the PlayStation 2. His main role for M2 was sound programming on many of it’s remakes and emulation projects.
M2’s president Naoki Horii noted in his emotional blog post (Japanese language) that “He [Saito] lived his life with video games” and would gladly take on any new project for the company.
He also worked on Konami’s line of Rebirth releases, including Castlevania Rebirth, Contra Rebirth, and Gradius Rebrith for the Nintendo Wii.
In one of interviews posted to Sega’s official blog, SEGA producer Yosuke Okunari and Naoki Horii spoke of Saito’s dedication and passion for the Sega 3D Classics project.
YO: There’s this gentleman who’s really been a main player behind the scenes for the 3D Remaster Project. His name is Saito-san*, a programmer who we’ve spoken about in the interviews before. Had he not been around, this project may have never existed. NH: When I would have meetings with Okunari-san, I would say, “We’ve come this far, and if we don’t make Thunder Blade, Saito is going to flip a table.” He really would have (laughs). I had to have something to keep him motivated (laughs). When you hang the carrot in front of the horse, he’s gonna go for it, you know?
He is often mentioned in many of the interviews posted on the official blog that focus on the 3D Classics line.
As someone who experienced some commercial emulated Sega games released with terrible audio, I can attest to the quality of Saito and his co-workers quality of work. All of the games he worked on that I have played sounded great.
Sega fans worldwide are expressing their grief this weekend for a developer who’s work they admired.A US doctor working with Ebola patients in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly virus.
Relief organisation Samaritan's Purse says Kent Brantly, aged 33, is being treated at a hospital in the capital, Monrovia.
Brantly is the medical director for the aid organization's case management center in the city.
He has been working with Samaritan's Purse in Liberia since October 2013 as part of the charity's post-residency program for doctors, said the group's spokeswoman Melissa Strickland.
The organization's website says he had worked as a family practice physician in Fort Worth, Texas.
Strickland says that Brantly's wife and children had been living with him in Africa, but they are currently in the US.
Robert Earley, president and CEO of the JPS Health Network said: "There’s an incredible level of braveness in Kent. You don’t meet people like this every day."
Dr Brantley reportedly recognized the symptoms and had confined himself in an isolation ward.
He followed safety protocols strictly when he was treating patients, and investigations are being carried out as to how he contracted the disease.
The highly contagious disease has killed almost 700 people in West Africa since the outbreak began earlier this year. Ebola outbreaks can have a case fatality rate of up to 90%, although the fatality rate of the current outbreak is lower at around 60%.
Patients suffer from vomiting and diarrhea as well as internal and external bleeding.
Health workers are at serious risk of contracting the disease, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids.
A senior doctor working at Liberia’s largest hospital has died of Ebola. Tolbert Nyenswah, an assistant health minister, said Dr Samuel Brisbane died on Saturday at an Ebola treatment centre on the outskirts of the capital, Monrovia.
He is the first Liberian doctor to die in an outbreak the World Health Organisation (WHO) says has killed 129 people in the country.
The WHO says the outbreak, the largest ever recorded, has also killed 319 people in Guinea and 224 in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone’s top Ebola doctor fell ill with the disease last week.McDonald's is shaking up its menu with some new options and saying farewell to some unappetizing items as they try to compete with other fast food chains. Post food writer and $20 diner Tim Carman shows you what to expect. (Tim Carman and Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)
McDonald’s knows you’re not lovin’ it anymore, and it thinks it’s got a great new plan to win you back.
The world’s biggest burger chain plans to restructure its globe-spanning empire, slash costs and spruce up its menu in hopes of becoming what a turnaround plan released Monday called “a modern, progressive burger company.”
The 60-year-old Golden Arches has struggled to regild itself amid competition from “better burger” rivals, global scandals and America’s changing tastes for fresh and healthy. A typical McDonald’s has seen sales crumble for six straight quarters, and even company leaders are admitting the fries have gone cold during its bleakest sales slump in years.
“No business or brand has a divine right to succeed, and the reality is our recent performance has been poor,” chief executive Steve Easterbrook said in a |
, let’s go look at those churches. Let’s look at some of the sermons he gave to get an understanding, a feel, of what he thinks about some issues, theological and public affairs issues, which often enter into sermons. And Jonathan Stein, my colleague, called several of — two of those churches. And one said, “Well, we went through remodeling a few years ago, and we can’t find any of his sermons.” And the other said, “Well, we’re not going to help you.” And then we went to his campaign and said, “Will you provide copies of his sermons?” And the campaign sent back a very brief one-sentence remark saying, “We will not be accommodating such requests.”
Now, if a columnist or a journalist ran for office, it should be fair game to look at what they wrote and said for twelve years of their professional life. And sermons are public matters; they’re not — you know, we’re not talking about what happens within a confessional booth or, you know, private communications. So I thought it was kind of weird. So I started looking at other things, other places where we might find Huckabee talking about his beliefs and ideas and what that might mean if he were to become president.
And it turns out there’s a book he wrote in 1998 called Kids Killing Kids. It was a small book put out maybe even by sort of a vanity publishing house, not a big deal. He wrote it very quickly in the months after the Jonesboro school shooting, which happened in Arkansas in March of 1998. And the book is really very much an attack on American culture, blaming the “demoralization of America” — that’s his phrase — for the violence in schools, such as the school shooting in Jonesboro. And it was very much, you know, a common critique of American culture that you would expect from a fundamentalist Christian.
But throughout the book, there are some pretty hard-edged remarks. For instance, he writes about the things that are fracturing our society, and he says — in a whole list he lumps together AIDS, drug abuse, pornography, homosexual activism and environmentalism. And I would wonder: what does environmentalism have to do with pornography? In another section of the book, he bemoans that, as he calls them, “aberrations” are being publicly endorsed and supported by institutions in America. In the list of aberrations are homosexuality, pedophilia and necrophilia. And again, lumping homosexuality with pedophilia and necrophilia, you know, indicates a certain mindset. But I think throughout the book, too, there is — he, of course, is against sex outside of marriage, against no-fault divorce, but he also pooh-poohs the whole notion of workplace equality for women, sort of indicating that he doesn’t really care too much about it and that it’s not a good idea.
And then, towards the end of the book, he has a passage in which he literally says that if you do not believe in God and you do not walk in faith, well, then you’re prone to do immoral — you’re prone to be immoral, improvident and impure. That’s saying that if you don’t believe in God and you’re not religious, you tend to do evil things or you tend to be immoral and, as he says, engage in destructive behavior.
Now, as I wrote in the piece for Mother Jones, which is on motherjones.com, I say he’s entitled to all these beliefs, and they’re not out of sorts with many Christian fundamentalists, but last week in the final debate before the Republican caucuses in Iowa, he got on the stage, and he literally said that “This is a very divided country; it’s very polarized. And I can unite it, I can bring it together.” The question I would pose to Governor Huckabee is, given that you view homosexuals to be akin to people who practice necrophilia, that you lump together environmentalists with pornographers, and that you say that people who don’t believe in God and don’t walk in faith, you know, tend to be immoral, it seems to me that you’re one of the factors, you’re participating in the division of American society, you’re adding to the divisiveness, which again you’re free to do —-
JUAN GONZALEZ: David, I’d like ask you also -—
DAVID CORN: Sure, Juan.
JUAN GONZALEZ: — about the immigration issue. He’s been hit on that in several debates, on his stand, while governor of Arkansas, on immigration. Some of the contradictions in terms of what he said and what he actually did?
DAVID CORN: Well, yeah. Well, you know, Romney, looking — Mitt Romney, who has, you know, fallen to second place behind Huckabee in the latest polls in Iowa, has been looking for some way to whack Huckabee over the head again and again, and he certainly can’t do it on the social conservative issues, because he’s flip-flopped in those areas, and Huckabee, you know, does seem to have integrity in terms of his stance. But what he’s gone after Huckabee on is this hot-button issue for Republicans of immigration.
And, you know, what he’s — basically, there’s one policy issue. Huckabee, when he was governor, supported the idea of giving college tuition assistance to children who were the children of illegal immigrants — now, not especially for them, he just allowed them to participate in a program that would go to all children in Arkansas, on what is actually kind of the Christian notion that you don’t punish the children for the sins or crimes or actions of their parents.
And Romney is just, you know — keeps hitting him over the head, that he’s — he wants to give away state money, taxpayer money, to children of illegal immigrants! And it, so far, hasn’t worked. You know, for all the attacks that Romney has leveled on Huckabee in ads and on the campaign trail and talking to reporters, Huckabee has continued to grow in strength in Iowa. Maybe — you know, maybe there will be some trailing off at some point in the next week or two.
And then, of course, Huckabee, looking to be not vulnerable in this position, what is he doing? He has now released a plan that basically calls for all people who are here not legally — eleven to twelve million people, as you know, Juan — to go back to where they came from within 120 days, four months. Certainly not a realistic plan and nothing that, you know — but just this is Huckabee’s entry into the demagoguery in the Republican Party on immigration matters.
AMY GOODMAN: David Corn, we’re going to leave it there. We thank you very much for being with us, D.C. bureau chief of Mother Jones magazine. When we come back from break, we turn to another controversy around Mike Huckabee’s past. Stay with us.Four Questions with Rule the Waves designer Fredrik Wallin By Owen Faraday
Despite taking its graphic design cues from software used to operate industrial lathes, Rule the Waves is certifiably the year's biggest indie grognard game sensation. Just about every gaming forum where war nerds congregate has a highly-trafficked thread about the game, and for good reason. Underneath that lo-fi look is a wickedly original grand strategy game set in the early 20th century, casting the player as a Grand Admiral for one of the great powers.
In that narrow window of time after the perfection of the ironclad warship and before the ascendancy of the airplane, the ocean-going warship was the most powerful weapon on Earth. Fear of great navies was almost the equal of the Cold War tensions over nuclear warheads, and every bit as closely regulated. In Rule the Waves, you're in charge of directing your fleets in tactical combat -- but you're also tasked with directing research, designing ships, and ordering their construction. You're constantly playing on the brink here: you might have your newly-laid class of dreadnaughts suddenly forbidden by a new treaty, or you might be pushed into a war you don't want to fight by an over-eager head of state.
Rule the Waves is such a unique lens for viewing a little-explored period of history that I just had to reach out and talk to designer Fredrik Wallin. Wallin is by his own admission "a private kind of guy" -- no Twitter account, no blog -- but he kindly took time out of his day to talk to us about Rule the Waves.
What's your background as a game designer? What other games have you shipped?
I have been playing games for a long time, and once upon a time I designed several boardgames that were unpublished but heavily used in my various gaming groups. I then started to tinker with my own computer games, building on programming skills acquired when I was working as a software developer. The first game I published was an addon to Fighting Steel that provided a strategic layer and context to that game. That was about 10 years ago. Then I did Steam and Iron (SAI), which was my first complete standalone game, which portrayed WW1 naval combat. That developed into SAI Campaign which was a campaign development of that, and then lastly there was the Russo Japanese War version of SAI. All of them covered naval combat in the 20th century as you see.
I might add that developing games is not my full time job, it is more of a hobby.
Tell me about your interest in the period -- it's clearly a singular focus for you. It's a cousin to to the Cold War nuclear stockpile race, but it's different insofar as these weapons actually were used.
I have always been interested in military history, particularly naval history focussing on WW1 and WW2. My interest in gaming the period really started when I bought my first wargame, which was Avalon Hill's "Jutland". I played that over and over again, and made my own expansions to it with other navies than the German and British fleets provided in the game. That was my inspiration when I made Steam and Iron, 30 years later! Another game that inspired me for Rule the Waves was my all-time favourite computer game, Master of Orion. MOO let you design and develop your own spaceships and explore and conquer the galaxy. I think by now you see where this is leading. It became my dream to marry WW1 naval games and the functionality for researching and developing naval technology and building your own ships. The early 20the century actually lends itself well to this, as the technical development was very fast. Ships were sometimes obsolete by the time they were launched.
To this I had to add the political environment of the time, to add a background to the fleet race. And, as you observed, it has many similarities to the cold war or other arms races, so there are some lessons that you can draw from the period that are more or less universal.
When I did Steam and Iron, I made some design decisions that would make it possible to develop the tactical game into a design and build your ships simulation. For example, I never specified the exact calibres like 13.5 in guns or 8.2 in guns. Instead I settled for even calibres in inches and added a quality value to represent the relative quality differences between gun models. This made it easy to add a research model where your gun designs turned out to be more or less good.
What is it about RTW that you think captures the period well? What game mechanics are you most proud of?
I am not sure really, what captures the period best. The game both gives the atmosphere of the period and captures the technical development, as well as has a decent tactical resolution system. It even includes revolutions if you ignore the plight of the common people and push your naval ambitions too far. One measure of succes in capturing the period might be that I learned one thing while developing and testing the game. To have a decent arms race worth its name, you need good economic growth! I had to add a 3-5% yearly growth in the economies to make it possible to sustain the growth in both size and numbers of warships that occured at the ebginning of the 20th century.
One mechanism I am proud of is the command system, that realistically captures the way fleets were organised and how they deployed and fought, with light cruiser screens, supporting destroyer flotills etc. It also makes it possible for the player to delegate to subordinate AI commanders and to handle a Jutland size fleet without getting swamped by the details. That was already in SAI, but I think that is the feature that I am most proud of in the series.
I am also fairly satisfied with the tactical AI. I never liked games where the AI was apparently "cheating". I wanted the AI to have the same information as the player, and to think in the same way. And the AI is exactly the same for a AI controlled subordinate division in the player fleet as for a AI controlled division on the AI side.
Another thing I an satisfied with in RTW is that it emphasises the role and usage of every type of ship in the navy. Battleships are of course the queen of the seas and the centrepiece of the fleet in fleet battles, but you need cruisers for colonial stations or trade warfare and protection, destroyers have their place supporting heavier units, and even lowly minesweepers are needed to patrol the coasts. This evolved to a large extent as a result of suggestions and comments from the play-testers.
What are the future plans for the game? Any expansions in mind? Any chance of a port to tablets?
I was actually a bit surprised by the interest shown so far. Theses games are niche products, published by the small company NWS. They have never been immense sellers, but catered to a small group of enthusiasts and grognards. Especially considering the rather basic graphics, the strength of the games is their attention to realism. I assumed that only a fraction of the SAI players would want to play an even more complicated game which added ship design, but doing a game about developing your own early 20th century fleet was my dream, and I wanted to do it. Somewhat to my surprise, it seems that RTW is well on it's way to become more popular than SAI.
A port to tablets is unfortunately not on the cards as far as I can see. Many of the screens are rather fiddly with a lot of information on them, and I don't think it would lend itself well to an adaption to tablets. With the proviso that I never designed a phone or tablet game. A friend of mine who does sometimes complains that while screen resolution gets better and better, the limitation of the size of a human finger remains the same.
A logical development of RTW would be going forward in time, and doing a sequel covering the development of naval aviation and carrier warfare up until 1950 or so. But there has also been suggestions of extending it backwards to the ironclads period, which also offers an environment with plenty of technical development. Nothing is decided yet.
You can pick up Rule the Waves as a PC digital download from NWS' website. There's a very good (and unofficial) YouTube Let's Play series for the game being produced by Baloogan right now -- I've embedded the first installment above.Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds an LGBT flag given to him by a supporter at a campaign rally in October 2016. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Following the Trump administration's latest decision to prohibit the use of certain words, gay rights activists are convinced that its lack of support for gay rights will be its downfall in the midterm elections. The latest example, some say, suggests the administration's attempts to erase transgender Americans from public-health conversations.
The Washington Post recently reported that the Trump administration is prohibiting officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using a list of seven terms, including “transgender” and “diversity,” in official documents being prepared for next year's budget.
Policy analysts at the nation's top public-health agency were told that the other terms they would not be able to use are “fetus,” “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”
The Post reported:
The question of how to address such issues as sexual orientation, gender identity and abortion rights — all of which received significant visibility under the Obama administration — has surfaced repeatedly in federal agencies since President Trump took office. Several key departments — including HHS, as well as Justice, Education, and Housing and Urban Development — have changed some federal policies and how they collect government information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's largest LGBT rights groups, called the move “ignorant” and predicted it will lead to real political repercussions for the Republican leaders.
“A promise to Trump & Pence: your ignorant attempts to erase transgender people will backfire. We will counter your hatred by being louder and more visible than ever before. Don’t take my word for it — ask Roy Moore & Pat McCrory. You’re next. #2018 #2020,” he tweeted.
Members of Alabama's LGBT community were among the liberal activists who helped defeat Republican Roy Moore last week in the U.S. Senate race there after he ran on a campaign of promoting traditional "Christian” values. Moore had previously suggested that homosexuality should be illegal.
A promise to Trump & Pence: your ignorant attempts to erase transgender people will backfire. We will counter your hatred by being louder and more visible than ever before. Don’t take my word for it—ask Roy Moore & Pat McCrory. You’re next. #2018 #2020 https://t.co/WYTgjBIHIa — Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) December 16, 2017
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a supporter of gay rights who represents one of the country's largest LGBT communities, claimed that the Trump administration wants to delete some of these people from Americans' consciousness.
Republicans want to deliberately control your thoughts and words.
‘vulnerable,’
‘entitlement,’
‘diversity,’
‘transgender,’
‘fetus,’
‘evidence-based’ and
‘science-based' are some of which they want to delete from your mind. — Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) December 17, 2017
Gabrielle Bellot expanded upon this idea in a column for Them, an LGBT news publication:
“Language shapes our map of the world. If 'transgender' ceases to exist as a term in official government documents, we, too, begin to vanish. It is easier for a cisgender administrator, who we might hope to have as an ally, to forget about our concerns when the government mandates that we be forgotten ourselves.”
After much criticism of the decision, CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald took to social media to argue that agency is still committed to addressing the topics its budget documents won't mention.
You may be understandably concerned about recent media reports alleging that CDC is banned from using certain words in budget documents. I want to assure you that CDC remains committed to our public health mission as a science- and evidence-based institution. — Dr. Anne Schuchat (@CDCDirector) December 17, 2017
The GOP made gay-affirming strides at the Republican National Convention in 2016, including with a gay speaker and an acknowledgment of the LGBT community in Trump's speech accepting the party's presidential nomination.
“As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology, believe me,” he said.
But since then, gay activists argue, the Trump administration has made multiple decisions detrimental to LGBT Americans and their supporters. Trump would not recognize National Pride Month in June and did not highlight the unique challenges the LGBT community faces in his World AIDS Day proclamation. The U.S. Census does not plan to include LGBT-related questions in its 2020 count.
Following recent losses by Trump-backed candidates whose views on LGBT issues are arguably hostile, Griffin and others like him have predicted that the administration's positions could hurt the GOP at a time when most Americans support at least some gay rights.
While Trump sought to halt transgender people from military service, most of the country opposes him. Nearly 6 in 10 — 58 percent — of adults agreed that “transgender people should be allowed to serve in the military” in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. And while many Americans who voted for Trump do not support same-sex marriage, most Americans — 62 percent — do, according to a Pew Research Center poll.
After recent elections, transgender politicians — including newly elected Virginia Del. Danica Roem (D-Prince William) — and those working on policy issues affecting them are increasingly visible. If more voters see the Trump administration as treating members of the LGBT community as lesser Americans, it could be disastrous for a political party that is already struggling to remain popular with the electorate.Guests: Anna Sale Anna Sale
New to The Turnaround? Subscribe in Apple Podcasts or with your favorite podcatcher to make sure you automatically get two new interviews a week through August 15th.
Anna Sale is the host of WNYC Studio's Death, Sex, and Money. As she puts it, her show is about "The things we think about a lot, and need to talk about more." Anna sits down with celebrities like Kevin Bacon or Mahershala Ali, but more often than not she's talking to someone you've never heard of. She is interested in the stuff that sometimes gets skipped over in other interviews. The downfall before the success, and poverty before the wealth.
Photo by Amy Pearl
Before Death, Sex & Money Anna was a political reporter for 9 years. She worked for news outlets like CNN and MSNBC, covering elections and talking to voters and elected officials alike. She was interested in learning why people vote the way that they do, which was one of the inspirations for her show. Since its debut in 2014, Death, Sex, & Moneyhas been on all sorts of "Best Of" lists, and Anna herself won a Gracie Award for best podcast host in 2016.
Anna and Jesse talk about her past career covering politics and elections, and how her decade doing that work aids her in the kind of interviewing that she does now. They get into how to ask really sensitive questions without it feeling exploitative, and why it is important to talk about the hard or shameful parts of a person's life.
New episodes of Death, Sex & Money come out every other Tuesday. You can listen and subscribe here.
The Turnaround is a production of Maximum Fun in partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review. Visit their website to learn more about their "mission to encourage excellence in journalism in the service of a free society," and to read edited transcripts of our other Turnaround episodes.
Hosted and created by Jesse Thorn
Produced by Kara Hart and Nick Liao
Senior Producer: Laura Swisher
Managing Director: Bikram Chatterji
Music for The Turnaround provided by Mobius Van ChocStraw.
Special thanks to Kyle Pope and his team at CJR, Darrel Frost, and Emilie Erskine."I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life," he wrote on his personal account.
Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York who established a reputation for prosecuting white collar crime and political corruption, was fired Saturday, he announced on Twitter, after refusing to comply with a request from Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he tender his resignation.
I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Bharara is no longer the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
His dismissal came after he told reporters in November that President Donald Trump had asked him to stay on in the role.
In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Bharara said "absolute independence" was the "touchstone" he tried to serve:
Today, I was fired from my position as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Serving my country as US Attorney here for the past seven years will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life, no matter what else I do or how long I live. One hallmark of justice is absolute independence, and that was my touchstone every day that I served. I want to thank the amazing people of the Southern District of New York, the greatest public servants in the world, for everything they do each day in pursuit of justice. They will continue to do the great work of the Office under the leadership of Joon H. Kim, the current Deputy US Attorney, who will serve as Acting US Attorney.
Sessions on Friday asked for the resignations of all 46 remaining presidentially nominated and Senate-confirmed federal prosecutors from the Obama administration, effective immediately.
While new presidents generally replace most of the US attorneys across the nation, the timing — seeking to have the US attorneys leave office immediately and before a successor is nominated, let alone confirmed — appears to be unusual.
The request is understood to have come at the direction of President Donald Trump, according to two US attorneys.
Bharara met with the president at Trump Tower in November, telling reporters that he had been asked by Trump to continue as US attorney.
His office has been investigating the administrations and associates of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, as well as Fox News.
Watchdog groups also wrote to Bharara on Wednesday to ask him to investigate the president to ensure he was not receiving payments or benefits from foreign countries in violation of a clause in the US constitution.
Bharara and the White House did not respond to requests for comment on Friday and Saturday. The Department of Justice declined to comment.
Eric Schneiderman, the New York attorney general, criticized Trump for his "abrupt and unexplained decision" to fire the federal prosecutors, including Bharara.
"Preet Bharara, like many of the US attorneys dismissed this week, served with honor and distinction," he said in a statement. "His integrity, tenacity, and commitment to rooting out wrongdoing — whether in the boardroom, the halls of government, or anywhere else — will be sorely missed."
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, a Democrat, also criticized the firing in a statement as "just another reminder that the independence of the Justice Department is at risk under this administration.”
The president’s nominees for replacement, he added, "will have a high bar to prove they have the necessary courage and fidelity to the law, like Sally Yates, to say ‘no’ to a president who will need to hear it regularly.”
Leahy was referring to Trump's decision to fire Yates as acting attorney general after she refused to enforce his original travel ban on refugees and seven Muslim-majority nations entering the US.
The Daily Beast reported late Friday that Bharara had been trying to force Sessions to fire him.
On March 3, Bharara created a personal Twitter account, fueling speculation of his future.Making the rounds now is a GIF by Android Police alumnus Ron Amadeo. In it, Ron uses our leaked photo of the 2016 "Sailfish" Nexus device and frames it against a perspective-shifted image of the HTC One A9. The comparison has absolute merit: there is clearly some relationship between the front panels and overall proportions of these two devices.
But there are now claims that Sailfish has simply "recycled" the HTC One A9's design. In short: the growing sentiment is that Google phoned it in with Sailfish. But I would argue strongly that, aside from proportional similarities, dismissively calling Sailfish a reworked 2015 HTC phone is doing an unreleased handset a complete disservice and ignoring a vast, gaping chasm of nuance in favor of tired arguments about Nexus phones just being OEM leftovers that have persisted for years. So, let's see if these claims of derivation hold water.
If you recall, we showed you what these devices would look like over a month ago. Our renders do fudge some of the shaping around the glass "window" area (it's hard to get this stuff right when you're not literally working from a manufacturer's CAD assets a la @OnLeaks). At the time, I recall no one drawing HTC One A9 comparisons. Admittedly, our version seems to have slightly undersized the lower bezel, which may be marginally larger than the upper one. We also may have very slightly exaggerated the vertical bezels, giving the phone a more "squat" look. But the basic proportions are there.
The alleged donor frame
Then we leaked the physical photos, and all hell proceeded to break loose. Ron's image just added fuel to an already-burning fire, based on the fact that the phone has fairly large bezels proportional to its size and bears a passing resemblance to a not-even-especially-noteworthy HTC design from the fall of 2015. But the moment you tell people something new and shiny bears similarities to something old and unloved, you're going to have a problem. The thing people wanted to love as its own, special object with its own identity has been sullied by shouts of "derivative!" - derivative of something widely considered subpar, no less.
Let's discuss what these phones, the HTC One A9 and the unreleased 2016 Nexus Sailfish, have in common.
The overall proportions of the front of both devices, and perhaps the length and width generally, appear exceptionally similar.
The screens are probably the same size.
There's an antenna band across the lower portion of the back.
They're made of aluminum.
The sensor window on the front panel is the same shape.
They're both phones made by HTC.
And what makes them dissimilar?
Chamfer and edge design of the Nexus device is completely different.
The rear design, particularly the glass panel, is quite different from the One A9, apart from aforementioned antenna band.
The camera modules, front and rear, are placed differently. The rear module is a totally different design and completely flush with the body.
The Nexus lacks the A9's top-mounted antenna window (you can't see it, but trust me).
The headphone jack is on top, not the bottom.
USB-C, not micro-USB.
The earpiece speaker is a different shape and style.
Power and volume rocker keys are swapped (power on top on Nexus), the power key has a different texture.
Said sensor window is in a different location.
The fingerprint scanner is in a completely different place (the back) and has the standard Nexus circular design.
Literally every part actually inside the phone is probably different.
It's not as though HTC had a pile of unused One A9 shells lying around and decided and Google said "yeah, those will do." That's not how smartphone development and industrial design work. More likely? Google knew it wanted a 5" smartphone and had a basic design language in mind. HTC had already gone through the trouble of designing an adaptable device frame and built tooling (read: $$$) to construct a 5" display device on this "platform" - the One A9 (much like a car). HTC likely conveyed to Google that its existing tooling and platform could be modified to suit the design language and elements Google wanted on the device, and at a substantially lower cost than building an entirely new phone from the ground up.
How you paint this - as "being cheap and unoriginal" or "an intelligent, savvy business choice" - is largely dependent on how much you actually care about whether or not your new phone bears some fleeting resemblance to another, older one. I'll leave that to you.
Go to the back, and the similarities are far less obvious
But this is the mere skeleton of a phone, and the various changes Google has made no doubt necessitated getting out the design bonesaw. These aren't "minor" adjustments for the mere sake of branding: Google's Sailfish is clearly a new and unique device with a look all its own. To say that Sailfish will be nothing but a "recycled" A9 is clearly subject to silly and destructive oversimplification.
It's sillier yet considering that likely every component inside the device is new and completely unrelated to the nearly year-old One A9. The battery is nearly 30% larger. The processor will be leagues quicker. The technology all around will be newer, better, and more modern. The software will be the very bleeding edge of Android. Sure, these two phones share some elements, but this is the sort of argument that could be applied to literally any phone as long as we're willing to cherry-pick our parts - what makes the shape of the front shell, suddenly, the end-all-be-all?
If it's the bezels you're going to pick apart, well, we know how that's going. They're big, proportional to the size of the device. This seems to very much upset some people. I don't really understand it, and am done trying to. But please, don't go throwing the whole phone under the bus now that the One A9 makes for a convenient rallying cry of "see, they're just lazy." If you knew this would help cut the phone's MSRP, would you be so quick to consider this a drawback? I think that might change opinions on the matter considerably.
And let's not forget: while it does have a smaller display, this phone will still be narrower (easier to hold) and shorter than the outgoing 5X. If you wanted a small Nexus, this is probably going to be the smallest one in three years. Is it really worth going on a "recycle" witch hunt?Compile Heart announces Divine Prison Tower: Mary Skelter for PS Vita
A Compile Heart x Dengeki Bunko x Dengeki PlayStation collaboration.
Compile Heart announced Kangokutou Mary Skelter for PS Vita during the Dengeki Game Festival today.
The game, a 3D “active dungeon RPG,” is a collaboration between Compile Heart, Dengeki Bunko, and Dengeki PlayStation. The story is written by Yomoji Otono and character design is by Kei Nanameda. Dengeki Bunko will publish a novel based on the title, and Dengeki PlayStation will begin serializing a prequel starting April 14.
Mary Skelter is set in Japan. In September 1999, a living prison, Jail, suddenly appeared, and submerged a great city 666 meters underground, and went on developing. As a result of Jail’s birth came the appearance of monsters known as “Marchen,” who began seizing and imprisoning humans. The protagonist and heroine were born several decades after this incident and aim to escape the jail in which they were confined.
The living jail possess three great desires by which it grows: appetite, sexual desire, and the desire for sleep. To escape above ground, you must grow the jail more than 666 meters.
The town is imprisoned in jail, and several girls are born after the humans are imprisoned by the Marchen. For some reason, these girls react to the Marchen’s blood and their physical abilities greatly increase, and they form the “Chishiki Girls Squad” in order to plan a jailbreak. This group consists of Akazuki (Little Red Riding Hood), Oyayubihime (Thumbelina), Shirayukihime (Snow White), Nemurihime (Sleeping Beauty), and so on—all members that don the name of fairy-tale heroines.
Here are the currently revealed characters:
Jack – The protagonist. He’s a little timid, but he takes action when the situation calls for it.
Alice (voiced by Sumire Uesaka) – A girl imprisoned together with Jack. The two provide each other mutual support.
Akazukin (Little Red Riding Hood) – An older sister-type who breaks Jack and Alice out of Prison. She saves them because they both possess a special power.
The pink blood that Marchen bleed in battle are involved with the game’s battles, dungeons, and training. In dungeons, there are puzzle-solving elements that involve using items like bows and arrows, bombs, and such. One particularly panic-inducing part of exploring dungeons is when the Merchen boss, “Nightmare,” appears. Nightmare disregards the general ‘one turn, one move’ rule and chases you in real time.
More information is due out in the March 31 issue of Dengeki PlayStation.
Watch the teaser trailer below.Tim Palmer reported this story on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 18:38:00
TIM PALMER: In the space of a little over a decade, Afghanistan moved from being a country where news and even pictures were banned to hosting a bewildering variety of media: from Taliban twitter feeds, to warlord-run TV stations and most popular of all, that dominant form of the modern media age - the soap opera.
But how free is the press in Afghanistan, and what will happen to it should the Taliban swing back into power in one form or another?
The Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid is considered one of the world's pre-eminent writers on the Taliban, and on the so-called nation-building that Afghanistan has witnessed over the past 12 years.
He describes Afghan society as experiencing an enormous flowering of public expression over that period, but he says it will all be up for grabs again when the Western forces leave the scene in 2014.
I asked Ahmed Rashid how critical the resilience of Afghanistan's new-found media will be once Kabul is left to its own devices.
AHMED RASHID: Yes, it's absolutely critical. The media has played an enormous role in allowing Afghanistan to develop democratic institutions, literacy.
The concept of a free media encourages the process of education, encourages young people to work and send their children to school so that they can read the newspapers and watch and understand the television.
And television has become now the number one source of entertainment for the first time, after many decades of war.
So all this is off course at risk, because the future is uncertain. We don't know what kind of government we're going to get in Afghanistan. Are they going to censor the press? Are the Taliban coming back to power either as a power-sharing partner or as something more?
And in which case, will they revert back to disallowing everything they consider un-Islamic?
So all these questions are being grappled with by the Afghan TV satellite channels and with the newspapers and magazines, all of which have been shown an enormous flowering in the last 12 years.
TIM PALMER: How free is the expression of the press across Afghanistan, because with warlords dominating various regions of the country, are journalists essentially subject to their whim, or are they able to operate however they wish?
AHMED RASHID: Well in many areas that is very true. You've got very powerful warlords who dictate what can be reported and can't be reported by the local (inaudible) or local reporters.
Many of the warlords have their own TV channel by the way: this is quite an extraordinary development.
But certainly independent press has been harassed a lot in the past, and if there's going to be a collapse of |
which of course was soaked. A drunk, but even Italian drunks dressed well.
"Who were those thugs? I want to kick their collective asses again," Yang asked without thinking on it much. She felt good. Her hands were shaking violently, her blood dotted lightly across her scraped up fingers. Bare knuckle fighting was intense, the painful sting harsh, but so lively. She felt invincible in spite of, because of, the way her hands cried out for relief.
"Don't worry about them, street gang called the White Fang. Once a anti-foreign group trying to protect Venice locals from being pushed out by big businesses, now they're a bunch of street punks." Punks was right, the most uncourteous of the otherwise gentle people of this sinking city. Yang stepped beside the man, sitting down on the step to someone's home, but just out of the rain.
"Why White Fang?" Yang asked, wanting a break. Turning to the Italian man, he was more collapsed than seated below the balcony, a spray painted red wolf with crossing lines behind him. He rested beneath its jaw, the sprayed fangs biting into him.
"A White Fang, Like a griffin's fang? Like our flag," the man answered. If he thought Yang knew what the flag of Venice looked like, he was clearly under a rather wrong impression of what she was about.
"Then why is a wolf their thing?" Yang questioned, pointing to the spray.
"Back when I ran things it was a griffin, but the Roman changed it to the wolf, you know like Romulus? The fucking Roman is why those kids are trying to pickpocket you instead of causing the right kind of trouble." The slurred speech told Yang very little about the street punks but plenty about him. A drunk whose life's greatest achievements drifted away into a twinkle on the horizon, sucked out of the lagoon and into the sea.
"You ran things? You look more ghetto than gangster, drunk dude. If you get me?" Yang criticized, unafraid of this former mafioso status. He could barely stand, even with a weapon, she could ruin him.
"And you look more tourist than Italian. Why the hell are you on this side of La Giudecca? The hostels are on the nicer half of the sestieri, this is the one part of Venice not turned into a tourist trap," he grunted, though the complaint was similar to ones Blake had mumbled over pictures of her home, "Also, I said I use to run them when I was just out of highschool. I'm a shitty waiter now. Adam is my name. Not 'drunk dude'."
"I'm here 'cause someone important to me grew up here. Her last name was Belladonna if you know her family." Yang wasn't afraid to get to the point. Maybe he knew her, maybe he didn't, but she wasn't going to find out by skirting around it. If he didn't feel like talking, she could just drag him around by the balls until he did. "And I'm Yang."
"Shit, you know Blake?" he called out, sobering them both on the sound of the Venetian girl's name. As if summoned the rain picked up, the black droplets moving aggressively towards them, darkening the tips of her shoes as they approached. "I know her and her family real well. She was one of my girls. She was part of the gang and everything. She not tell you about me?"
"No," Yang answered harshly, disgusted in her taste in men, though all of his story was suspicious, except for knowing Blake. How many Italians had an old English name? "Or the gang. No offense, but she doesn't seem the type." Yang was too frustrated to hide that contempt though, despite wanting more info. "Also what do you mean one of your girls?
"Like I said, different time. We grew up together, both our families were glass blowers, it's a big business here, least until the Schnee's bought the glass factory on Murano. Our families lost their jobs. Went from artisans to tourist servers. We, Blake and I, we stood up for Venice. Did until I overreached," he spoke with despondent tinge, though Yang didn't consider it good enough for anything close to rapprochement. He seemed to pick up on this with the way she glared at him. "And yes, don't give me that dirty look, I slept around. Different time."
"I can see why she left you," Yang admitted, unafraid to be perfectly real with him, maybe even a little jealous, seeing what kind of person her peer was. "Blake deserves the best, and me on my bad days are better than anything I'm seeing here."
"It was a different time, Blake never understood what we were becoming, she never got out of her little dreamworld." Yep, he was sorry about how it ended, not sorry for what he had done.
"Boy," Yang cut off, hands and head boiling, her fingers twitching as she balled them into firsts, "Say one thing about Blake, other than she is a goddess you were blessed to even know, and I will call the cops on your little gang and beat you till they send me to jail."
"I don't care. I haven't seen her since she skipped town. Whatever Blake you know hasn't been a thing in Venice for years," he didn't seem afraid. Difficult to beat down what was already at the bottom. Still, that was a shock. Years was wrong for someone in their second year. What was in between? Why hadn't Blake mentioned that? Never actually explaining why she left.
"I hate to ask, judging from the kind of company she kept, why did she leave?" Yang thought maybe it was a piece of the puzzle, something to figure the girl out. Though, from what she could see, there was a bull headed pig related to it, "And if you hurt her I will murder you."
"Well," he laughed, "can't tell you then."
"Fine, keep it gentle or I murder you," Yang lied. She wanted to know. Why leave a place of immaculate beauty like Venice. Why abandon everything she knew for a small city in northern Spain half a continent to the west. That was something suited to a vagabond like Yang, but Blake always moved with purpose.
"We had just got out of mandatory schooling, she was on the fast track for academy, I was bound for the working world. Neither of us cared. We were busy striking back against the company that ruined our families. I sent her on a mission with some of the other kids to take the automated machinery at the glass factory and dump it in the lagoon. I didn't tell her that some of the other kids were going to firebomb the inside. She called it off soon as she found out and confronted me while I was," Adam paused his story to cough, an awkward moment to find the right word to follow through with the gentle command, "relieving some stress with a mutual friend. Few days later she was off with peace corps and never came back." That was real shit, stealing, vandalizing, firebombing? None of these things matched the pacifistic Blake. She was a huge activist for sure, but to work with a gang like that? Blake kept much from her.
"You're forthcoming for an asshole," Yang spit with rage. She wanted to see Blake now, get what the fuck happened for real. More than that she wanted to know, what exactly made her change. Was it him? This Adam? Was Yang the same as him in her eyes? In real life? Were the choices they made permanent? The keys were coming together. Just a little.
"What are you going to do? Call the police to arrest me for what I almost did years ago?" Adam, a drunk relic in a suit laughed, proud of the only actions of his life that carried weight. Perhaps in his head, he was still fighting the fight. Didn't matter.
"I could drown you," Yang openly considered as she stood.
"The entire city already is," he said, chuckling, but it wasn't funny. The rain was heavy, she had to get a water bus, return to the hotel. This was the most beautiful city in all of Europe. Singular, unique, the town that rose from the sea, and it was washing out her flame. Tomorrow, see the sights and escape. They had more places to be, more things to find, more worlds to see and give Yang the time to unwind her mind. She would not become like Adam, living in the lime light of events growing ever distant.
"I don't know what I expected to find here." Why she left and why you should, too.
"Where is she now? I want to see her again," Adam called out, mourned really, as Yang stepped away toward the grand Venetian canal.
"Where you'll never find her."
****Well I am sorry for the long wait! I was rushing through to finish up MV before RTX and now I am back to work on Choice, but good news is next chapter should be finished (though editing takes time too!) by the end of the week! Back to back choice! While I don't know if I will start a new project some time soon, I do know Choice is my number one priority with the Vale series finished. (though Summer's Vale is still being considered.)
This chapter was fun, especially moving to Venice for a small bit. Honestly I mean it when I say it's the most beautiful city in Europe. From my experience it is like nothing I've ever seen and I feel awful fictionalizing a gang in what is a fairly safe community!
Thanks so much again to LazyKatze for her edits. She's been so kind to help despite a lot of stress so really pour out some love for my best bud and all her hard work!Divock Origi calls it his “resource” – a memory bank of highs and lows that is extensive for a 22-year-old and drawn upon regularly. It contains a World Cup emergence offset by European Championship torment, a leading role at Liverpool snatched away by injury and now, as Jürgen Klopp’s team inch towards Champions League qualification, fierce and occasionally unforgiving scrutiny. It allows Origi to handle the emptiness of a bad day at the office and will, he insists, aid his development into a world-class striker. It also reflects his fascination with the workings of the mind.
Origi is fluent in four languages. “That’s not bad,” he admits, modestly. He learned Swahili and English in the family home (his father, Mike, played 120 times for Kenya and enjoyed a successful club career in Belgium), Flemish growing up in Ostend and French after signing for Lille aged 15. He reads three books a month “sometimes in English, sometimes in Dutch and mostly about psychology. Maybe if I wasn’t a footballer I’d be a psychologist.” And he is not averse to bringing his hobby into work.
Daniel Sturridge in line to feature for Liverpool against West Ham Read more
“I’m very interested in how the brain works and the different personality types,” he explains. “I get my friends to do personality tests and I see what type they resemble. At Liverpool I can say who is an introvert and who is an extrovert. We have both. I started to study psychology but had to stop when I got into the first team. I’m still really interested and watch a lot of TED TV, where people speak for 15 minutes about how they communicate or the subjects they study. Maybe when my career is over I’ll go back to it, you never know.”
It did not require an amateur psychologist to gauge what was on Liverpool minds following Sunday’s goalless draw with Southampton. Klopp’s forward line was criticised for failing to break through overtly defensive opponents as Liverpool failed to win a third consecutive home game. Sadio Mané’s absence with a knee injury was again telling with pace and fluidity missing in the final third and Origi, as the Senegal international’s replacement, attracted much of the flak.
A fit-again Daniel Sturridge threatens Origi’s starting role at West Ham United on Sunday but, after he spent the majority of the season on the bench as Mané, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino led the Champions League pursuit, it was always a difficult ask for a striker with Origi’s different attributes to fit seamlessly into the attack.
“Difficult is a big word,” he says on his transition from the bench. “It is different. For a big part of the season the team played with the same front three and it is different if I’m in the middle from when Roberto is there. I’m lucky that we have so many quality, intelligent players who can go deep, come to the ball, pass, score; but it is different. I think I’ve had some good games and some less good games. It is important for me now to play and to get more consistency. The more you play with the other players the more you understand them and they understand you, and that’s very important.”
Unsurprisingly, given his cerebral nature and high ambitions, the off days linger with Origi whether they occur on a match day or in training at Melwood. He admits: “When you are a footballer you eat, sleep and breathe football. If I have a bad training session I can go home and do whatever I want but you still feel an emptiness. The one thing you want to do is play and perform good. Even after a training session when you don’t play as you wanted to, you go to sleep and when you wake up the morning isn’t the same. You played badly, you feel an emptiness. But I think whenever I’ve had a less good period I’ve come out of it stronger. You analyse even more what you didn’t do well, you start focusing more on the things you can do better and you push yourself to improve.”
Jürgen Klopp claims Liverpool are closer to Chelsea than 14 points suggest Read more
It is then that Origi delves into his invaluable resource. Just as Liverpool’s tally of 70 points and position above both Manchester clubs and Arsenal can be overlooked in the aftermath of a disappointment such as Southampton, so the young striker’s contribution and experience are worth considering amid the tension of the Champions League race. Origi has made more appearances in all competitions for Liverpool this season than any other player – 41 – and with 10 goals he has reached double figures for the second time since arriving from France in 2015.
Belgium’s youngest World Cup goalscorer says: “At Lille I played one season there as the No9 who was leading the team, and that was a hard time, then I played in the World Cup quarter-finals as a 19-year-old main striker, played big games in the Europa League, had less good moments, injuries, going to the Euros and not playing – all of these things are now coming together and giving me a resource to go back to. It is not the same as when I was 20 and it’s more like playing off excitement.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Divock Origi has scored 10 times for Liverpool this season. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
It is only 13 months since Origi made himself indispensable to Klopp with a series of outstanding performances, not least home and away against Borussia Dortmund in an epic Europa League quarter-final. A starting role beckoned in a European final for his club and a European Championship for his country until an appalling foul by Everton’s Ramiro Funes Mori damaged the striker’s ankle ligaments. Both the injury and the defeat by Sevilla, one that cost Liverpool a ticket to this season’s Champions League, strengthened Origi’s resolve before this campaign.
“For me at the time it was a hit,” says Origi of the Funes Mori foul, one he recovered from in time to make the bench in Basel. “I worked so hard off and on the pitch. I could see every game that I was working better – the Stoke game, Dortmund and then the derby. Sometimes you need a bit of luck but I could see things I had been working on starting to come off and at that time there was even talk in Belgium of me being the main striker going into the Euros. The Europa League final was coming up too. I was close to achieving a very big thing but then the injury comes. These are things you cannot predict.
Divock Origi: ‘I came to Liverpool to play in big games … it has inspired me’ | Andy Hunter Read more
“I wanted to do everything I could to be involved in the final but I still had problems with the ankle. The ankle was still shaky when I went to the Euros so I needed time to recover but the people closest to me were very supportive. I am also a religious person and these things made me stronger. If I look back now, I am sure I am not far from reaching that level again. I think I am definitely stronger than I was last year because of this experience. For the club it was very disappointing to reach two finals and lose them both but we came into this season knowing we had fewer games and had to use this to our advantage and try for the Champions League. We all have big ambitions as players and as a club Liverpool always has to think big. We will give everything to make it happen in the next two games.”
The Champions League represents the next step in the development of Klopp’s Liverpool. On an individual level the target is equally clear in Origi’s eyes. “For me it is simply to be a world-class striker,” he says without arrogance. “I know it is a hard road but I am already in a big club, I know how it works, I’m already in my second year and I have the experience of the Euros and the World Cup. I have performed in big games, had less good periods, I have the experience of playing as a No9 for Liverpool and having the weight and pressure of a really big club on you. In the first six months these are all things that hit you hard but in the end it helps you. I am only 22 and I have processed all these moments and they will help me to reach my goal.”Howard Webb tries to stop the war of words between Robin van Perise and Yohan Cabaye
The Manchester United striker was seen to strike a blow towards Cabaye, felling the Frenchman in the 84th minute of their 3-0 win over the Magpies, which sent them up to second in the Premier League.
Referee Howard Webb did not see the incident during the game but he is allowed to look at TV replays and could recommend a charge of violent conduct to the FA.
TV footage shows that Van Persie clearly used his elbow, having rowed with several Newcastle players throughout the match, including Cabaye.
During the game, Newcastle’s assistant boss John Carver pointed the offence out to fourth official Kevin Friend, who confirmed that the referee would look at the incident on video.
An FA disciplinary commission will receive Webb’s report and can also independently view TV coverage of the game. If they decide the footage is conclusive, they will retrospectively hand the Dutchman a three-match ban.Top 5 Comeback Player of the Year candidates for 2016
By Ryan M Smith • Jun 11, 2016
In the past three seasons, the challenges each winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award was tasked to overcome differed dramatically. Philip Rivers struggled mightily in 2012 by his standards, posting just the 21st-highest grade among QBs, but bounced back in a big way in 2013, jumping to fourth overall and a Comeback Player of the Year honor. Rob Gronkowski suffered a devastating injury late in the 2013 season when he tore his ACL in a game against the Cleveland Browns, but was healthy throughout the 2014 season and was PFF’s top-graded TE. Eric Berry was forced to leave the Kansas City Chiefs late in 2014 due to his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and remarkably returned to the field in 2015, where he posted the sixth-best grade among all safeties in the NFL.
Prior to Gronkowski (2014) and Berry (2015), a quarterback had won the award six straight seasons from 2008-2013. With this in mind, let’s take a look at five players who will likely contend for NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2016.
1. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
Although the NFL has morphed into more of a running back-by-committee league in recent years, there are still a few backs that can rightfully earn the “bell cow” label, most notably Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For his career, Bell has been on the field for 80.8 percent of the possible snaps (for comparison purposes, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is at 66.5 percent for his career). He is truly a three-down workhorse, and one that is a rare breed in today’s game.
Unfortunately for Bell and the Steelers’ organization, a torn MCL midway through the 2015 season left Pittsburgh without one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL; a year which still resulted in 10-win regular season and a road playoff victory at Cincinnati.
Though he appeared in only six games, Bell earned the highest grade of any NFL running back this past season. Now healthy and part of one of the most explosive offenses in the league, there is little reason to doubt Bell will be a favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year this season.
2. Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers
Although the Green Bay Packers went 10-6 and won the NFC wildcard game at Washington before ultimately falling to the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round, it seemed as if they never fully clicked without star wide receiver Jordy Nelson in 2015.
Nelson, who accounted for 183 catches, 2,833 yards, and 21 touchdowns in 2013/2014, was lost for the entire 2015 season when he tore his ACL in a preseason game against the Steelers. The Packers’ offense finished 15th in the league in points per game (23.0) and 25th in passing yards per game (218.9), just one year removed from leading the league in points per game (30.4) and ranking eighth in passing yards per game (266.3).
In terms of PFF grades, Nelson ranked second among WRs in both 2013 and 2014. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2014 with Nelson on the field, had a good—but not elite—season in 2015, finishing with the 12th-highest grade among QBs.
The return of a healthy Jordy Nelson should help Rodgers reclaim his status as one of the game’s best and make the Packers’ offense dangerous once again in 2016.
3. Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
From 2012–2014, Andrew Luck was not a top-tier quarterback, but certainly was in the discussion, posting PFF grades of that ranked 13th, ninth, and sixth, respectively. 2015 was a disaster season for Luck and the Colts, though, as he graded out as PFF’s 38th quarterback out of 38 qualifiers.
Luck’s season can largely be blamed on the various injuries he endured. It is believed that he sustained torn cartilage on two of his ribs early in the season, before suffering a lacerated kidney and a partially-torn abdominal muscle on a massive hit by Denver Broncos LB Danny Trevathan in Week 9 that ultimately ended his season.
Luck has been one of the most-pressured quarterbacks in the NFL since entering the league in 2012 as a result of poor offensive line play. In terms of pass-blocking efficiency, the Colts ranked dead last (32nd) in 2012, 29th in 2013, 21st in 2014, and 23rd in 2015.
To help the cause, the Colts selected Alabama center Ryan Kelly with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 draft. Kelly figures to be a significant upgrade at the position and a day-one starter (he surrendered no sacks and allowed just five hits and eight hurries the last two years in college). A healthy Luck and solidified offensive line should help the Colts regain their composure on offense in 2016.
4. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, Cardinals
A torn ACL is difficult to come back from once; Cardinals defensive back Tyrann Mathieu will be trying to do it for a second time in 2016.
Mathieu, who was in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year before suffering the injury late in Week 15 at Philadelphia, tore his other ACL as a rookie in Week 14 of the 2013 season.
Viewed more as a safety coming out of college, Mathieu has transitioned into a hybrid defensive back for the Cardinals, one who has played more cornerback (particularly in the slot) than deep safety through the first few years of his career. In 2015, Mathieu played 512 snaps in coverage (56 percent), 367 of which came from the slot (40 percent).
PFF ranked Mathieu as the top cornerback in the NFL last year by a significant margin (91.6 overall grade, compared to Darius Slay’s 87.7, the second-best mark). He was a key piece to a defense that ranked seventh in the league in points allowed per game (19.6), and his absence was evident down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Mathieu is expected to be ready at or near the beginning of the 2016 season, and should help lead one of the best defensive units in the league again, making him a legitimate contender for the Comeback Player of the Year.
5. Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys
Led by a dominant ground-and-pound rushing attack, a bend-but-don’t-break defense, and efficient quarterback play, the Dallas Cowboys were minutes away from the NFC Championship Game in 2014 before falling late to the Packers in the divisional round.
One year later, the Cowboys were a 4-12 team that was dismantled by injuries to key players, most notably quarterback Tony Romo. A broken collarbone sidelined Romo for two months, who returned with a win at Miami in Week 11, only to re-injure the same collarbone just a few days later against the Panthers on Thanksgiving.
Romo has been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the league the last five years, earning season grades that ranked 11th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and seventh from 2010–2014 before his injury-plagued season of 2015.
While the injury history is a concern, Romo will return to arguably the best offensive line in football, an elite wide receiver in Dez Bryant (who is also overcoming a serious injury from last season), and a rookie running back who was taken fourth overall, Ezekiel Elliott.
There is reason to believe that Dallas will be much closer to their 12 wins of 2014 than their four of 2015, and if this is the case, Romo will deserve a lot of the credit and could be deserving of consideration for Comeback Player of the Year.UN chief António Guterres says he is ‘very sorry’ as he announces no agreement reached in the early hours of the morning
What had been billed as the best chance to reunify Cyprus has collapsed spectacularly, fuelling fears that the Mediterranean island is heading towards permanent partition.
UN-sponsored talks held in the Swiss Alps for the past 10 days were brought to an abrupt halt on Friday after negotiations descended in the early hours into “yelling and drama,” ending the greatest hope yet of resolving the 43-year dispute.
The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı, who had staked his political career on a solution, predicted that future efforts to reunite Cyprus under a federal umbrella would be exceptionally difficult.
Addressing reporters hours after the visibly despondent UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, announced the failure, he said: “I wish the next generation good luck on this and that one day maybe Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots will decide together that there is no longer a need for troops on the island.”
The issue of maintaining military intervention rights – insisted upon by Turkey – under a tripartite “guarantor power” security system conceived when Cyprus won independence from Britain, lay at the crux of the collapse.
While the UN special adviser Espen Barth Eide, who had chaired the talks, described the positions of both sides as “close but not close enough”, diplomats said it was sparring over troop presence and guarantor status that ultimately scuppered progress.
'Remove the poison of nationalism': readers' hopes for Cyprus' reunification Read more
Turkey has kept an estimated 40,000 soldiers on the island since invading and seizing its northern third in response to a rightwing coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece in 1974.
The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, attributed the breakdown to the insistence of Athens and Greek Cypriots that Ankara pull out the entire military force, saying: “For Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side it is not acceptable for troops to be withdrawn.”
Greece’s foreign ministry spokesman Stratos Efthymiou said it was similarly impossible for the Greek side to countenance an envisioned federal Cyprus with occupation troops on its soil and Turkey clinging to the right of unilateral intervention.
“This is a non-starter for us,” he told the Guardian before departing Switzerland. “We were willing to negotiate [troop numbers] but Cyprus is an independent EU state. It is not acceptable for a third state to have the unilateral right of [military] intervention in 2017.”
Memories of Turkish invasion are vivid among the majority population of Greek Cypriots, one in three of whom became refugees overnight in 1974. Britain and Greece had argued in favour of abolishing guarantor status, seen by both as anachronistic in the 21stcentury.
The collapse of talks was met with unbridled disappointment. Veteran diplomats voiced fears of possible annexation of the north by Turkey. Others expressed concerns that under the ever-unpredictable leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ankara could also pursue the path of further partition by pushing for international recognition of the rump state currently recognised solely by Turkey.
Pro-unification supporters, who had also converged on Cans-Montana in anticipation of a settlement finally being announced, described a mood of dismay.
“Everyone is a bit numb. We are in a scenario where everyone loses,” said Pavlos Nacouzi, a member of the Unite Cyprus Now group. “It was the first time where we really thought the outcome would be different, where we had two leaders who so seemed to want a solution. It’s hard to know where things are heading, but what is sure is that we are not going to give up.”
Euripides Evriviades (@eevriviades) Bleak day 4 #Cyprus & all its people. In diplomacy there's no full stop; just a comma. Must continue 4 solution. Cyprus 4 Cypriots ONLY 🇨🇾🇪🇺 https://t.co/JC1X8mjIRV
Older Cypriots, who still harbour memories of common coexistence, expressed anguish that the island was now heading irrevocably towards partition. “This is the end of the road for Cyprus as we knew it,” said Lakis Zavallas, a National Guard platoon commander during the invasion.
“Thousands of years of history will be forgotten and rewritten and the north of our island turned into a Turkish province. And we shall continue squabbling among ourselves squashed in the part we are left with until we make the next mistake and lose it too.”
Cypriots from both sides of the ethnic divide announced that they would protest in the UN-patrolled buffer zone dividing the island’s capital, Nicosia.
But echoing Guterres, the Greek Cypriot government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides insisted the failure of the talks wasn’t “the end of the road”.
“The existing, unacceptable situation can’t be Cyprus’ future and the president will redouble his efforts,” he said referring to Nicos Anastasiades, who had also assumed office promising to reunite the island.
Britain’s minister for Europe, Sir Alan Duncan, said the UK also remained unwavering in its commitment to a deal on Cyprus. “This is a disappointing outcome,” he said in a statement. “The UK continues to be a strong supporter of a settlement. Now is a time for calm reflection and consideration of future steps.”Save the Great British Bee! Why the mysterious disappearance of billions of bees could mean us losing a third of the food we eat
Bees fan: TV chef Valentine Warner says that a world without bees would have an effect on the food we eat
Just four years. That’s how long Albert Einstein reportedly said the human race would last in a world without bees. For the master of relativity, the equation was relatively simple: no more bees = no more people. And while there is debate over whether the great physicist made the claim, no one disputes that we would be in serious trouble were bees to disappear.
I feel a particular affection for bees. My first food memory is of my second birthday cake: an iced sponge beehive, crawling with delicious sugar bees. As a child, the sound of an English summer was defined for me by the hypnotic drone of bumblebees clambering over the lavender heads in our garden, giving the sense that every second was valuable. I also used to lie for hours watching the comings and goings of the tawny mining bees from their holes in our lawn.
I had no idea then that these extraordinarily productive creatures, whose very name is a byword for busyness, whose hives are synonymous with ‘industry’, do far more than just make honey. In fact, they are responsible, via pollination, for one third of the food we eat.
Bees are vital to the success of about 90 crops worldwide. Most fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are dependent on bees, as are crops used as cattle and pig feed. And if we can’t feed cows, we can say farewell to dairy produce. Nor is it only the food we eat that is inextricably linked to bees. The cotton plant that provides so much of what we wear also relies on bee pollination.
But bees are now in danger of dying out. In the winter of 2008, one in three hives were lost. A survey by the British Beekeepers’ Association in May 2010 revealed their members had lost 19 per cent of their colonies (the population that inhabits a hive) in the previous year alone. The precise reasons still baffle scientists, but a combination of factors is thought to be to blame.
Honeybees sterilise their hives by coating all surfaces with propolis, a resin they produce. But the arrival of the varroa mite, a tiny rust-coloured crab-shaped parasite, in a hive compromises this healthy home. This mite, which has spread across the world in the past two decades, sucks the blood of bee pupae and bees, and a whole colony can be destroyed in two to four years.
It is also believed the chemicals in pesticides interfere with the bees’ personal electrical and chemical signals, causing problems for their navigation systems. And just as a varied diet is good for human health, it is also essential for a bee’s immune system. Unless it can feed on a variety of pollens, the bee becomes more susceptible to disease. The monoculture practices of modern farming, in which vast acreages are dedicated to one crop, are not helping matters.
In a single winter, one in three of the nation's hives were lost...the precise reasons still baffle scientists
When we talk about bees we usually mean honeybees, but in fact there are two other general types of bee in the UK: the bumblebee (of which six species are commonly found here) and the solitary bee (of which there are dozens of species, the tawny mining bee among them).
The honeybee and the bumblebee are social creatures, living in colonies in man-made hives of up 70,000 in the case of the former, and cavities in the ground containing, typically, about 300 in the case of the latter.
The solitary bee usually lives in pairs in narrow holes in walls and in decaying wood. All three types make honey by mixing nectar from flowers with various enzymes and then evaporating much of the moisture by fanning the mixture with their wings.
They use the honey to feed their offspring and to fuel their wing muscles – a honeybee flaps its wings about 230 times a second and would get about seven million miles out of a gallon of honey.
However, few go as far as four miles from the hive and their top speed is about 22mph. To collect a pound of honey, a bee would have to fly more than 50,000 miles – equivalent to twice around the world. It would involve visiting many tens of thousands of flowers in hundreds of expeditions foraging for nectar and pollen.
By the way, bees are usually amiable creatures and sting only in defence, but a stinging bee often releases chemicals summoning its fellows to its aid. If you are stung, it’s a good idea to go indoors.
Although a bee’s brain is about the size of a grass seed, some scientific research suggests that bees may be able to distinguish between different human faces, and folklore certainly credits the creatures with a degree of intelligence.
It has long been traditional among beekeepers to talk to their charges. If there was a death in a beekeeping family, it was thought polite and proper to ‘tell the bees’. Some believed the bees would swarm in indignation if the sad news was not formally and promptly delivered. Similarly, the bees would be informed of a wedding and possibly even presented with some wedding cake.
So we need to do all we can to help them. How can we fight back? The most obvious answer, in the case of honeybees, is to keep hives. It is estimated that one in every three British households kept bees for honey to supplement the table until the 20th Century.
In the case of bumblebees, gardeners can deploy a range of bee-friendly plants to keep them in nectar and pollen throughout the year. Fruit trees, crocuses, poppies, comfrey and pea crops are important in spring. Thyme, geranium, buddleia, lavender, rosemary and salvia are good for autumn. You would think nothing of giving a bunch of flowers to a valued friend, so why not say it with flowers to a bee?
Also, try not to be excessively tidy in your garden. A pile of sticks or leaves might make a home for bees, as might an overturned flowerpot.
A teapot that is filled with dry moss or grass and buried in the soil with just the spout |
there*. We’ve got the season’s worst called strike identified. And maybe the most amazing thing about it: no one cared. You couldn’t even bring yourself to care today. It’s impossible. You’ll see what I mean. But first, a brief statement.
I hate SunTrust Park. I’ve never been there. It’s brand new. I’m sure a lot of thought went into its design, and I’m sure it has its perks. All the new ballparks have their perks. I don’t care about the SunTrust Park design or amenities. I care about the SunTrust Park technology. And the pitch-tracking data from SunTrust Park is garbage. It’s horribly calibrated, and it makes a project like this super annoying. I looked at dozens and dozens of potential worst called strikes. The bulk of the candidates were thrown in Atlanta, and all of them were off. By, like, several inches, in different directions. That’s been aggravating for me, today, but there are also some broader implications.
Pitch locations feed into a lot of the data we like to use. And if you can’t trust the pitch locations, you can’t trust the data. Incorrect locations would affect, say, zone rates. They’d affect chase rates. They’d affect framing metrics. I hope that people smarter than me are aware of this. I hope they’re working to fix this, if they haven’t already. There’s no excuse. In its initial year of existence, SunTrust Park was messed up. Not in a way many people would ever notice, but *I* noticed, and right now I’m the one writing.
Okay, now back to the worst called strike. We’re not going to Atlanta. We’re going to Detroit!
Think about what you’re going to see. You’ve probably read posts like this before. You can already picture the season’s worst called strike, in the same way you can always picture the season’s worst called ball. The worst called ball will always be a ball on a pitch thrown somewhere over the middle. Can’t get worse than the absolute worst. And the worst called strike will pretty much always be a strike on a pitch outside. Won’t be a pitch inside — the batter would move out of the way, and the umpire would see that. Won’t be a pitch too low or too high — the umpire would see that. Umpires are better about the high ones and the low ones. Where umpires make the wackiest mistakes is with pitches away. And there’s no limit. There’s a limit with the worst called balls — it’s a pitch exactly middle-middle. Anything could technically be called a strike. It makes these calls, I think, a little less interesting, but I can’t very well write one post without the other. So let’s just get to it. Here’s the worst called strike of 2017. A full 9.8 inches outside. Not a single damn was given.
That video is pulled from the Astros broadcast. It returned to game footage just in time. Here now is video from the Tigers broadcast.
The worst called strike of the season, and fans in Detroit didn’t even see it. They saw an instant replay of a home run, and then, when that was over, the Astros’ catcher was throwing the ball back to the mound, after a first-pitch strike to Andrew Romine. Tigers fans were given only one single clue. The pitch itself was entirely missed. But there was a graphic on the screen.
That’ll get your attention. The graphic told no lies. And yet there was only so much attention available. And that’s because–
When the inning began, the Tigers were up 11-0. Alex Avila then hit a ball off the wall, and James McCann hit a ball beyond it. Two more runs, to add on to all the others. And although those were technically runs against the Astros’ pitching staff — the Astros’ eventual world-champion pitching staff! — they were also, more precisely, runs against first baseman Tyler White. White was a position player pitching. The Astros had long since given up.
It used to be, even recently, that position-player pitching appearances were fun. They’re still more fun than any other pitching appearance toward the end of a blowout, but as these pitching appearances have grown more common, they’ve lost a lot of their novelty. One is less inclined to pay attention to every single pitch, and so few eyes would’ve been actually fixed on the screen when White’s first pitch to Romine was given the benefit of the doubt. It would’ve easily escaped notice. White was working quickly; the next pitch was on the way within the next 10 seconds.
When position players come in, though, there’s still something of a breakdown of the rules. This is one area where the human element is most probably good for the sport. When someone like White is pitching, the game is over. It’s still being played, but, it’s over. And so while all the rules should still, in theory, apply, they no longer mean anything. Why be so strict about rule enforcement when the actual competition is finished? Umpires will still call guys safe if they’re safe, and they’ll still call guys out if they’re out. But the strike zone gets huge. Batters are pressured into swinging, because there’s no glory in taking pitches from a guy who doesn’t pitch. White has made three professional pitching appearances. He’s allowed eight runs in 2.1 innings. You don’t take pitches from Tyler White. Even if they’re balls. You swing, and you swing because it doesn’t matter. I think, in this case, the umpires have it right.
The off-center camera angle is stupid, but here is the best screenshot I could manage.
To try to be of some help, here is the same screenshot, but this time with a red line I drew in MS Paint.
You can see home plate, just barely, and so you can see where it ends. This pitch was nowhere close to where it ends, and that’s just plainly true, even if no one involved batted an eye. White just wanted to pitch until he could stop pitching. Romine was thrust into a no-win situation. Hitters will tell you these are always no-win situations. No one actually ever wants to have to hit against a position player. What was Romine to do? Even after the strike call, what’s he going to do, turn around and protest? Slump his shoulders and sigh? Even if Romine was bothered, he couldn’t have a tell. And I don’t think he was particularly bothered. Strike one. Fine. It’s not like he was going to see a strike three.
If there’s a hero to be found anywhere, I’d say it was Brent Strom. The Astros’ pitching coach couldn’t help but follow along. Now, when you’re in uniform in the dugout, you kind of have to be there. You might as well keep watching the game, because, what else is there to do? But if you’re a pitching coach, it’s not often you get a break from having to watch every pitcher closely. Strom was given such a break, but he just couldn’t avert his eyes.
My actual current favorite thing about position-player pitching appearances might be the havoc they wreak with the automated services. According to the TV broadcast, the pitch that White threw to Romine was a curveball.
According to Gameday, it was a slider.
According to Texas Leaguers, it was a knuckleball.
And according to Baseball Info Solutions, it was a changeup. And yet, according to Tyler White, it was actually a nothing.
There was no true pitching mix from White, though Statcast™ tried to credit him with an array of knuckleballs, changeups and the occasional cutter. He simply threw the ball over the plate, until the results from the first two hitters made him reassess how hard to throw. “I was trying to just throw it normal, and then the first two guys hit it pretty good,” he said. “So I just threw one really slow and then a little bit harder, and then I’d either slow it back down or throw it a bit harder than that.”
White’s first six pitches of the inning all ranged between 76 to 84 miles per hour. The first pitch to Romine clocked in at 66. It wasn’t a fastball, because White was throwing well below his maximum fastball speed. But it also wasn’t technically a changeup, because White didn’t use any kind of changeup grip. He just…threw slower. The pitch was a nothing. Strike one. He should throw that pitch more.
The Tigers’ TV broadcast had checked out. Who could blame them? Here’s the call of the pitch.
Mario Impemba: There’s a strike called on the outside corner.
Credit, at least, for acknowledging that a pitch had been thrown in the first place, but, outside corner? Impemba gave the umpire the benefit of the doubt. Compare that call to the Tigers’ radio broadcast. The radio broadcast was on it.
Dan Dickerson: Now a knuckleball strike to Andrew Romine. That was four balls’ width off the plate away. Four! Strike one. Swing and a foul past the screen…I mean, I know it’s a position player, and maybe you feel bad for him, and I know it’s 13-0, but that pitch was a foot off the plate.
Words don’t do a great job of conveying the tone. Dickerson wasn’t outright complaining that the Tigers got jobbed, or anything. He was just telling the truth, as he saw it, and as it was. He was kind of chuckling along the way, in amazement. I don’t know if he had any idea he’d just seen the worst called strike of the season. Perhaps he had exactly that idea.
Minutes later, the Tigers wrapped it up, and the Astros licked their wounds. They were in the earlier bit of a stretch that would see them lose 12 out of 16 games. The Astros’ first-place standing was never threatened, but there was a mounting uncertainty. A mounting concern that, maybe, actually, the team wasn’t good enough. That same team won the World Series last week. Granted, that same team also traded for Justin Verlander. So I don’t know which lesson you could learn is the right one.Telstra hires 200 specialists for asbestos inspections, takes responsibility for clean-up
Updated
Telstra is hiring an extra 200 safety specialists to inspect all asbestos-related work at sites where the National Broadband Network (NBN) is to be rolled out.
Several sites in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia have been shut down and some residents have been moved from their homes over concerns about asbestos exposure.
Telstra's chief operations officer Brendon Riley says an audit of all the underground pits will be finished by tomorrow.
As part of the NBN rollout, Telstra is required to repair and modernise the telecommunications pits around the country.
While Telstra has strict guidelines concerning asbestos management and removal, it has outsourced the job in Penrith to sub-contractors Service Stream.
There have been similar breaches at NBN sites in Ballarat, Victoria and Mandura, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. But Mr Riley says the asbestos at those two sites has already been removed.
Mr Riley says Telstra takes full responsibility for the clean-up.
"We are going to be taking responsibility for all field supervision of asbestos-related remediation. We're going to take on responsibility for all of the training in terms of asbestos handling for ourselves and our contractors... we already do it for ourselves," he said.
Federal workplace safety regulators have shut down work on parts of the NBN while they investigate the asbestos safety breaches.
"One situation like this is one too many and I think we saw a lot of strong feedback from the community, particularly in Penrith," Mr Riley said.
"Asbestos is a serious issue, not just for us but as a national issue, and we thought it was time to take some steps and that's what we announced today."
The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union wants Telstra to set up a James Hardie-type fund for workers who suffer from asbestos-related diseases in the future.
NSW Assistant Secretary Shane Murphy says Telstra is to blame for subcontracting the work to companies who failed to properly train their workers to handle the toxic material.
"Some years ago, when Telstra used to manage this work and do these work functions in-house, its workers were put through proper safety and training courses in relation to handling asbestos," he said.
"What's now happening is - and for some time - Telstra has outsourced those responsibilities to the contractors, who then outsource it to other contractors down the food chain.
"And again, it's as simple as we've got the processes and policies in place, but there's actually no real training going on other than people signing off and saying 'I've worked with asbestos or been trained in its safe handling'."
Topics: telecommunications, industry, business-economics-and-finance, australia
First postedThe movie A Beautiful Mind contains a memorable transition: the mathematician John Nash (played by Russell Crowe) rides his bicycle in an infinity sign, which slowly solidifies into part of a mathematical formula from the next scene.
Watching the movie the other day, there occurred to me another way to effect this transition. Imagine John juggling the basic three ball pattern. Then the balls in this pattern automatically trace an infinity sign...
Hit your escape key if you are sick of seeing me juggle (Firefox and IE).
It would have been natural for John Nash to be attracted to juggling: in real life many mathematically inclined people find the pure and tight patterns of juggling as irresistible as those of mathematics. In fact, it is likely that the majority of readers of Plus magazine know how to juggle three balls, and that quite a few can juggle at a semi-professional level.
As with any real mathematician, John sees mathematics everywhere. We see him drawing on library windows, and trying to capture the mathematics of real-life scenarios: the feeding patterns of pigeons; a mugging; dating. Let's imagine what John might have discovered about juggling if observing that infinity had led him to ponder further.
Juggling numbers
John juggles to a regular beat, with his left and right hands taking turns catching and tossing at most one ball on a given beat. Each tossed ball travels for a certain number of beats before returning to hand. Then, since juggling patterns eventually repeat, recording these beat numbers produces a periodic sequence. For example, the basic three ball pattern above has sequence... 3,3,3,3,3..., or simply 3. By comparison, three balls juggled in a circle has sequence... 5,1,5,1,5,1,5,1..., or simply 5,1. Mathematical jugglers refer to strings of numbers such as 3 and 5,1 asor. Juggling sequences are for juggling what musical scores are for music.
There are a number of excellent, freely available computer programs, which can juggle any conceivable pattern. Below is an incarnation of the Java based simulator Juggling Lab by Jack Boyce. Choose a sequence from the list on the left, and then watch a virtual juggler perform it for you. (Click on the juggler to stop and start the animation. Moving the mouse around while clicking on the juggler will rotate the view of the juggler.) All the juggling sequences mentioned in this article, and many more, are listed.
Java not available
I recommend playing with this simulator for a while before reading on. A standalone program, with many more features, can be downloaded here. To discover what is possible in terms of simulating multiple jugglers manipulating chainsaws while riding unicycles in 3D, have a play with JoePass! by Wolfgang Westerboer, or Jongl by Werner Riebesel.
Back to John, who's trying to figure out whether his favourite sequence 5,0,1 is a juggling sequence ("favourite" because John is also a "501 darts" fan). To do this he draws a diagram — on a library window, of course. This diagram consists of a row of equally spaced dots, representing the beats on a timeline, and labelled with the corresponding throw durations. A dot labelled with 0 means no ball is thrown on that beat. From each dot with a positive number he draws an arc, extending that number of dots to the right.
This is a juggling sequence.
There is now a simple test of whether the diagrammed sequence is a juggling sequence: on every beat either nothing happens, or exactly one ball lands and is then tossed again immediately. Also, for a juggling sequence, the arcs join to form exactly as many curves as there are balls being juggled. This all tells us, for example, that 5,0,1 is jugglable and that we need two balls to juggle it.
Next, John checks whether 1,2 is jugglable.
This is not a juggling sequence.
In order to juggle 1,2, John would have to catch two incoming balls in one hand on every second beat. Moreover, John would need to have balls mysteriously materialise and vanish. None of this is possible within our simple juggling formulation, and therefore 1,2 is not a juggling sequence.
An algebraic juggling detector
Is 100000,1,1 a juggling sequence? Fancy drawing gazillions of dots and arcs? Obviously, nobody but a mathematician such as John would really care whether this monster sequence can (in theory) be juggled. However, there is a very good point to asking this kind of question. By taking things to extremes it is often possible to uncover shortcomings in ones understanding of what is going on. In this case, John's graphical method turns out to be inadequate for dealing with extreme sequences. Not satisfied, he digs deeper and succeeds in distilling the essence of his graphical method into a very simple algorithm.
Suppose we want to determine whether 4,4,1,3 is jugglable. We create a second sequence, by adding 0,1,2,3 to the elements of the first sequence. This gives 4, 5, 3, 6. Then (buckle your seat belts), we form a third sequence whose elements are the remainders of the elements of the second sequence when divided by the length of the original sequence. Our sequence has length 4, and so the new sequence is 0,1,3,2. It turns out that the original sequence is a juggling sequence exactly if this final sequence consists of distinct numbers. That is true for the sequence 0,1,3,2, and so 4,4,1,3 really is a juggling sequence. The monster 100000,1,1 is as well, as you can check. (You can find out why this works in the articles and books listed below).
Also, it turns out that the number of balls necessary for juggling a sequence is simply its average. So, we need (4+4+1+3)/4 = 3 balls to juggle 4,4,1,3, and it takes 3334 balls to juggle the monster.
Usually jugglers write 4413 instead of 4,4,1,3. This makes sense, as long as it is understood that all the digits stand for different throws. To be able to record throws of greater than nine beats it is common to let A stands for 10, B for 11, and so on. Of course, to a playful mathematical mind this immediately invites one to check whether their name is jugglable. In fact, people have checked all the words in the dictionary for jugglability. It turns out that very few real words are jugglable, though curiously both "theorem" and "proof" are. Which do you think is harder, to come up with a conjecture for a theorem or to prove it? Well, our virtual juggler thinks that "proof" is harder than "theorem", because it takes 23 balls to juggle the first word, whereas "only" 21 are required to juggle the second.
A graphical juggling generator
A juggling state diagram.
After making these discoveries (and cursing fate that his name is not jugglable), John has been spending countless hours practising, and analysing juggling patterns. He can now juggle any three ball sequence, as long as it only contains throws of at most 5 beats. He has also figured out a neat way to generate all of these sequences, based on the following "simple" (for him). Time for some more graffiti on those remaining library windows...
The diagram above contains all three ball juggling sequences with throws that last at most 5 beats. Here is how we extract them. Starting at any of the rectangles, we follow any path of arrows, recording the numbers in the orange circles along the way. Once we return to the beginning rectangle, the string of recorded numbers is a juggling sequence.
For example, beginning at the brown rectangle and walking along the red, green, and purple loops produces the juggling sequences 3 and 4,4,1 and 5,5,1,5,0,5,3,0. We can also combine the red and green loops into a longer loop that visits the brown rectangle twice, giving the juggling sequences 4,4,1,3. Importantly, even if you are familiar with the two patterns 4,4,1 and 3, the combined pattern 4,4,1,3 will look and feel completely different.
Peeking into a beautiful mind
Why does this work? Let's rewind, to the moment when John gains the inspiration for his diagram. We see him practising an incredibly complicated three ball pattern, when suddenly a heckler shouts "Is that all you can do?" This triggers a brainstorm similar to the one in, when the beautiful blonde enters the bar. Time stands still, in between two beats, and we see the three balls suspended in the air. With the balls suspended, John is muttering to himself, trying to determine his throw options for the next beat.
"There are three balls in the air, and they are scheduled to land in 1, 3, and 4 beats from now. This means that on the next five beats there are scheduled to be 1, 0, 1, 1, 0 balls landing. So, I am currently in the juggling state 10110."
"On the next beat I catch the red ball, corresponding to the first 1. This means that on the following five beats there are 0, 1, 1, 0, 0 balls scheduled to land. Consequently, if I want to avoid collisions, I can only choose between throws of 1, 4, and 5 beats duration, corresponding to the positions of the 0s in this last sequence. If I decide on a 4 beat throw, then I have to replace the 0 in the fourth position by a 1 and my new juggling state becomes 01110. If I go for a 1 beat throw, my juggling state changes to 11100, and if I perform a 5 beat throw my state becomes 01101."
Brilliant! This calculation demonstrates the connection between the original state 10110 and the three arrows leading from it to the states 01101, 11100 and 01110. Repeating the same for all possible states gives the complete juggling state graph. It should be clear that by juggling along the arrows of this juggling state graph, on each beat either nothing happens or exactly one ball lands and is immediately tossed again. This is exactly what we want to ensure. Only if we complete a loop, can we be sure that we can repeat the numbers we come across over and over again, which is necessary for a sequence of numbers to be jugglable. In fact, it is fairly easy to see that all the three ball juggling sequences that John can juggle correspond to loops in his state graph.
So, constructing the state graph for a given number of balls and given limits on the duration of throws is a completely automatic task and can be performed easily by a computer. Similarly, finding loops in graphs is a routine exercise for a computer.
To infinity and beyond
What John has discovered so far is all he'll ever need to recognise juggling patterns, communicate juggling patterns effectively, come up with complete lists of juggling patterns satisfying various real-life constraints, and even program one of these amazing juggling simulators. So, does he stop here? No, for our mathematician there still remain many intricate and unanswered questions, going well beyond the immediately applicable. Let's see what might happen if he follows his mathematical nose.
Consider John's three ball jugging diagram above. There are infinitely many ways to choose a loopy journey in the diagram, corresponding to infinitely many ways of juggling three balls. However, there are only 26 loops that visit no rectangle more than once. Examples are the red, green and purple loops highlighted earlier. Similar to the manner in which numbers factor into primes, all possible loopy journeys are composed from these 26 prime loops. For example, the juggling sequences 3, and 441 are prime, but 4413 is not.
In the later part of A Beautiful Mind, John Nash is working on the Riemann hypothesis which is one of the greatest unsolved problems in mathematics today. It is all about the distribution of prime numbers. It would have been great fun if the film makers had John make progress towards this difficult problem, by discovering a connection between prime numbers and prime juggling sequences.
This is not as far-fetched as it may sound. It turns out that the mathematics of juggling really has many exciting connections with other areas of mathematics. This includes the theory of knots, combinatorics, linear algebra, and permutation groups.
Back on Earth
At this point we leave our fictitious hero John to his musings and wrap up with a few remarks that connect our story with juggling reality.
The earliest historical evidence of juggling is a 4000 year old wall painting in an ancient Egyptian tomb. In real life, juggling sequences were developed independently by at least three groups around 1985. Juggling state graphs were discovered in 1988 by Jack Boyce who is also the author of Juggling Lab featured above.
This article is only intended to be an introduction to the basics of the mathematics of juggling. In particular, there are ways of juggling multiple objects with one hand, and with both hands simultaneously. It is even possible for a number of jugglers to pass props back and forth between them. They can even juggle themselves while they are doing so, by moving around in intricate patterns. All these more complicated scenarios can be investigated with extensions to the simple mathematical model presented here.
For another popular account, focussing on many scientific aspects of juggling, read The science of juggling by Peter Beek and Arthur Lewbel. For more detailed mathematical treatments I recommend the article Fountains, showers, and cascades by Joe Buhler and Ron Graham, or my book, The mathematics of juggling.
About the author
Burkard Polster is Monash University's mathematical juggler, origami expert, bubble-master, shoelace charmer, and Count von Count impersonator. He is the author of a number of books, including The Mathematics of Juggling (see below), Q.E.D: Beauty in Mathematical Proof, The Shoelace Book (which has been reviewed in Plus) and Eye Twisters (a book on ambigrams). When Burkard is not playing with mathematics he has fun investigating perfect mathematical universes and turning his uni students into maths demons.
Burkard and his colleague Marty Ross are Australia's tag team of mathematics. They write the,Maths Masters column for the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. For many years they have been delivering the mathematics lecture series at the Melbourne Museum, visiting schools and touring the country with their Mathematical Mystery Tour.
Check out what else Burkard is up to at www.QEDcat.com.It’s an infamous story of Internet history as well as business lore, but in 1999, the search engine Excite.com—then running number two to the reigning champion of search in the dot-com era, Yahoo—had the opportunity to purchase Google, the site that would eventually dethrone Yahoo as the king of search, for the low-low price of $750,000.
Excite passed.
On Monday’s episode of the podcast, I got the chance to speak with George Bell, who was the CEO of Excite at the time. He was the guy who nixed the Google deal. And he gives a very compelling reason for why he did so.
In short? Larry Page drove a hard bargain. In the end? Too hard for Excite’s taste.
Why Excite Said No To Google
Again, in 1999, Excite was running a distant number two to Yahoo in terms of “search” traffic. But Excite was a technology play, a true search engine, as opposed to Yahoo’s vaunted directory. Both companies, in addition to most of the other search engines out there (Lycos, Alta Vista, et al) had been busy transforming themselves into “portals,” the business model favored by Wall Street at the time.
Back in the dawn of the Internet days, Excite had been the “search play” backed by Kleiner Perkins (as opposed to Yahoo, which had gotten its original funding from Sequoia Capital). So when Kleiner, and Khlosa specifically, began to get interested in Google, they came to Excite first, as a matter of etiquette.
Here’s George Bell, from our interview:
I got a phone call from Vinod Khosla one day at Kleiner, saying he had an opportunity to invest in a new search engine. Maybe it’s 1998? I think it’s around that time. And Vinod said they would not do it if we objected because they made a lot of money on Excite. And they were still on our board and they were big supporters of Excite. I said, “Well, why don’t you make the introduction. I’ll talk to the guys and we’ll see.”
According to Bell, they arranged a technological bake-off, in order to see which technology was superior, Excite’s or Google’s (at that point called BackRub). Again, here’s Bell:
And, we probably—over a period of several weeks—developed a capacity to run hundreds of queries of reasonably common searches… of one versus another… of Excite versus another… Excite versus Google. And, we really, frankly, couldn’t see much difference. There wasn’t a clear delineation. I think if you talked to Graham Spencer [Excite’s technical founder] he would tell you that they’d done some very clever things in technology, that he thought would allow them to scale with real speed. But that if you looked at results and looked at the way consumers would look at it, it really wasn’t that differentiated to us. And actually, all of us at Excite have a pretty common recollection of that.
But here’s the real reason Bell says he turned down the deal. Again, despite the small terms of the proposition, at least in terms of cash and equity, Larry Page had stipulations that would be—at least, technologically speaking—a “takeover” of Excite. George Bell:
Ultimately, Larry said, “Look, I like the engineers at Excite. I really like the company. I get that you don’t see a lot of difference.” And, I think we struck a price. I believe that the price was $750,000 in cash, and something like 1% of Excite. The economics of that were really ok to us. The thing that Larry insisted on that we all do recall, is that Larry said, “If we come to work for Excite, you need to rip out all the Excite technology and replace it with Google’s search.” And, ultimately, that’s, in my recollection, where the deal fell apart. Because, we had hundreds of engineers at that point, and culturally, we really were driven by technology. And I didn’t think we could survive… or the differentiation in search results were clearly not dramatic enough to justify the cultural risk that Larry would insist on. So, ultimately, we passed.
So, according to Bell, Excite passed on purchasing the technology that would eventually become Google because Larry Page insisted on a sort of Trojan-horse takeover of the company’s root engineering and technology.
The Other Side of the Story
In the book In The Plex, the author Steven Levy has a different version of events. According to Levy, Larry Page wanted to get back to his doctoral studies at Stanford. But he figured that his Back Rub algorithm would increase Excite’s revenues by about $130,000 every day. So, if he implemented his technology, and worked at Excite for just a few months, he figured he should be compensated for his time, and thus, his price was about $1.6 million, for what he figured was a one-off gig before he went on to bigger and better things.
And in Levy’s telling, Excite had no interest in making a search engine perform better. This is from Levy’s book, describing the technological bake-off:
When the team got to Bell’s office, it fired up BackRub in one window and Excite in the other for a bake-off. The first query they tested was “Internet.” According to Hassan, Excite’s first results were Chinese web pages where the English word “Internet” stood out among a jumble of Chinese characters. Then the team typed “Internet” into BackRub. The first two results delivered pages that told you how to use browsers. It was exactly the kind of helpful result that would most likely satisfy someone who made the query. Bell was visibly upset. The Stanford product was too good. If Excite were to host a search engine that instantly gave people information they sought, he explained, the users would leave the site instantly. Since his ad revenue came from people staying on the site—“stickiness” was the most desired metric in websites at the time—using BackRub’s technology would be counterproductive. Levy, Steven (2011-04-12). In The Plex (pp. 29-30). Simon & Schuster, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
George Bell disputes this:
Steven Levy has written that we never wanted to purchase Google because it was a better search engine. And we didn’t want the search engine to be “too good” because it would send people off our site. To other places. I think that’s baloney. In my own recollection… and ultimately, of course, I did make the decision… that’s a factor that never occurred to me, frankly. We would always try and buy or partner with the best product in the best area we could, and figure out the business model later.
Either way, it’s a fascinating bit of alternative history. What if Excite HAD bought Google?
Here is the entire George Bell interview. His explanation of the Google deal begins at minute 45. And a transcription of his entire quote on the matter is below that…Endorsements have traditionally been a sought-after trophy for presidential candidates, but this time around - at least so far - they seem to be having little if any impact.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, for example, has appeared to pull in by far the most endorsements of any Republican candidate. Former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas, are among the many GOP notables backing his campaign. Yet Bush's support in presidential polls, once near the top, has steadily declined in recent months.
Donald Trump, who has been leading the Republican field among primary voters in national polls and in several key early voting states, hasn't received any official endorsements from members of Congress or governors. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson peaked in the polls earlier this fall, but his support has since faded. He hasn't received any traditional endorsements, either.
But it's not just political outsiders who are short on endorsements. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, whose conservative proposals and sharp-edged tactics have alienated some of his Senate colleagues, has won almost no support from Capitol Hill. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is one of the few Republicans who have endorsed him.
Despite the lack of endorsements, Cruz has surged in recent polls measuring voters' preferences in Iowa. A CBS News Battleground tracker poll released Dec. 20 found Cruz is leading the GOP field in the nation's first caucus state with 40 percent support. Trump trailed Cruz with 31 percent support, and 12 percent said they would back Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
In both New Hampshire and South Carolina, Trump leads, Cruz is running second and Rubio third.
While endorsements have been less important in the early part of the race, they could play a more significant role in the nominating conventions and as the general election draw closer.
If the GOP, for example, faces a brokered or contested convention, endorsements could play a key role because many of the major figures who will make endorsements will be heading their respective state delegations. Those delegations, in turn, could help swing a contested nomination in favor of a particular candidate.At last the fight everyone wants to see. Floyd Mayweather has called out Manny Pacquiao to fight him on May 2 - but only if he receives a much bigger share of the purse.
"We are ready. Let's make it happen. May 2. Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. Let's do it," he said in a Showtime interview broadcast from San Antonio.
Mayweather, unbeaten in 47 fights, calls himself TBE - The Best Ever - yet Pacquiao has been waiting to fight him for what seems an eternity. Behind the scenes, Showtime, who have given Mayweather a $250 million six-fight contract, have demanded that he put up or shut up.
Behind the scenes, influential Top Rank promoter Bob Arum revealed he has been in talks with leading executives from CBS, the owners of Showtime. Now it looks as if pressure is being applied for Mayweather to earn his corn.
A Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, on and off around the negotiating table, is estimated to be worth upwards of a quarter of a billion US dollars.
"I would love to fight Manny Pacquiao. We tried to make the fight happen years ago; we had problems with random blood and urine testing," Mayweather added. "I just want to be on an even playing field. Now he's in a very, very tight situation. He's lost to Marquez (the great Mexican), he lost to Bradley. Pay-per-view numbers are extremely low. He's desperate. I wanted that fight a long time ago. I'm just waiting on them.
"Of course, we have to make the fight happen on Showtime pay-per-view, because 'Showtime Championship Boxing' is No 1 and will remain No 1. I'm the man. I'm here to stay.
"Floyd Mayweather is not ducking or dodging any opponent |
pressure of debt and allowing more freedom of choice upon completion of college. Additionally, the UK writes off the debt after 30 years if it has not been paid back. Compare that to the US, where nothing, not even bankruptcy, erases college debt.
3. Maternity leave.
We hear a lot of wistful nostalgia from the right-wing political establishment about the good ol' days, when mothers were home taking care of their children and parents were ever-present in their lives. Yet the same politicians gnash their teeth at any hint of government help that would go a long way to realizing their nostalgic dreams. Maternity leave policy in the United States is left entirely to the whims of individual states, and in many cases, to the whims of individual employers. The federal government guarantees only unpaid leave. Meanwhile, the burden of paying bills forces many mothers to get back to work as soon as they are able.
In many other countries, maternity leave is guaranteed and even paid for. Denmark guarantees a full year of paid maternity leave, to be split between mother and father, for all public sector employees. France, Spain, the Netherlands and Austria offer four months fully paid leave. Croatia, a year. Russia, 20 weeks. Serbia, a year. And on it goes.
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4. The rights of the Earth.
The recent Supreme Court decision struck a blow against clean air, allowing coal-fired power plants to emit minimal amounts of mercury and other poisonous pollutants into the atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency is in a constant battle against conservatives who are tirelessly working to cripple the agency’s power to limit air, water and ground pollution.
In Ecuador, they have a different perspective. In 2008, Ecuadoreans rewrote their constitution and became the first country to recognize the rights of natureto defend itself against humankind. The constitution recognized nature’s right to “exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles.” Citizens have the right, by law, to enforce nature’s rights, and nature itself can be named as the defendant in Ecuador’s court system. Nature is acknowledged not as the property of humans to do with as we please, but as an equal partner in the protection and health of the planet.
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5. Wi-Fi service.
In the United States, as in much of the developed world, Wi-Fi access to the Internet is considered a private service for which we pay to use. And we pay dearly. Not only is Wi-Fi service slower in America, we also pay twice as much or more than our world counterparts. The reason for this is pretty clear. In the U.S., most of our Wi-Fi infrastructure is controlled by a very few monopolistic companies, like Time Warner and Comcast. No competition equals high prices and lousy service.
In the tiny country of Estonia, Wi-Fi access is free to all. In Estonia, you can walk outside for miles and never lose your Internet connection. And 97% of schools have Internet. Compare that to only half the schools in the United States, a country infinitely richer. Ninety-four percent of tax returns in Estonia are done online. Voting can be done online. Doctor’s prescriptions are issued online. Access to information. Banking. All this and more in a country where half the citizens literally had no phones 20 years ago.
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6. Vacation time.
The United States is the only developed nation without any legally required paid holiday or vacation day. Zero. Conservatives have often argued that vacation time reduces productivity, and that in order to remain productive, American workers must outperform and out-work the rest of the world.
Then again, working constantly and productivity are not always linked. The US is the fifth most productive country, lagging behind Switzerland, Singapore, Finland and Germany, all of which mandate paid vacation and holiday time. In the European Union, every single country grants its citizens a minimum of four paid workweeks of vacation time per year. Experts have shown that productivity on the job increases after a prolonged vacation. John Schmitt, a senior economist at Center for Economic Policy Research told the business website 24/7 Wall Street, "paid vacation and holidays don't appear to have any meaningful impact on macroeconomic outcomes."
7. Bike friendliness.
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In 2015, 150 cities were ranked for their bicycle-friendliness. Factored in, among other things, were political leadership, facilities, culture, and traffic reduction. The top city in the world for bike friendliness, no surprise, is Amsterdam, where cycling is safe, relaxing and efficient. Other cities ranking high are Copenhagen, Utrecht, Berlin, and Barcelona. Only one city on this top 20 is an American city, Minneapolis, ranked 18th. (At least during the non-frigid months.)
Studies have shown the enormous benefits of a bike-friendly environment. For every dollar spent building a new bike lane, cities save as much as $24, leading to lower health costs, reduced pollution and reduced traffic.
8. Tipping practices.
The reason that tipping in our culture has evolved is that we simply do not pay our service sector anything approaching a living wage. A hundred years ago, tipping was not common in America. We considered ourselves a classless society, and tipping pointed to a troubling attitude of a servility that was the opposite of the American ideal of class mobility. This changed with Prohibition. With the reduced revenue restaurants suffered from the elimination of alcohol service, tipping was encouraged to help servers make ends meet. The practice took off from there, and restaurant lobbyists went further, uncoupling tipped employees from minimum wage requirements. Since 1991, tipped employees’ federal minimum wage has been frozen at $2.13. In effect, the food industry has shifted the responsibility for paying its employees to consumers.
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In most other developed nations, waiters, cab drivers and other service employees, who are paid decent salaries, do not expect to be tipped, and if they do, they are pleased with much less than the typical 15-20% tip Americans fork over to their service providers. In fact, in other countries, tipping can occasionally be considered an insult to an employee, as it is inJapan.
9. The metric system.
Outside of Burma and Liberia, the United States is the only country in the world not using the metric system. We got close to metrification during the Jimmy Carter years, when Congress mandated a switch to the system. However, the switch was scuttled with the election of Ronald Reagan, who deemed it too expensive and presumably un-American. Meanwhile, in an increasingly globalized economy, the refusal to go metric has begun to affect the U.S. bottom line. In a global economy, businesses expecting to prosper need to be speaking the same language, the universal language of science, medicine and commerce. The metric language.
In 1991, the Mars Climate Orbiter project, a NASA initiative to study weather on Mars, literally went up in smoke. Its orbit was too low, causing it to burn up from the friction in the Martian atmosphere. The reason behind the low orbit was eye-opening. While Lockheed Martin, a NASA subcontractor that helped design the Orbiter, was using American imperial units, the rest of the designers, from partnering countries, were using metrics. Conversion errors were made, and $328 million evaporated.
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10. Belief in science.
A Gallup poll in 2014 revealed that 42% of Americans, 4 out of every 10, reject evolution. This huge swath of the country believes that God created humans just 10,000 years ago. How backward is that? Contrast that with Europe, where more than 80% of the population accepts evolution as fact. Right-wing American politicians use the rejection of science as a wedge issue to gain office and power, polarizing the country and perhaps endangering the planet, since the same Americans who reject evolution also reject the science behind climate change.
With the US lagging far behind many European and Asian countries in science and math education, in an increasingly competitive world where science and economics are intertwined, it bodes poorly for the future of the country and its standard of living.
11. Abortion rights.
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Abortion is becoming an increasingly difficult medical procedure to obtain in the US. Right-wing lawmakers, who decry government intervention in the workplace or air quality control, have no objections to government intrusion into a woman’s body and personal reproductive decisions. Republicans have passed state laws making it more and more difficult to even find an abortion clinic. Some states have only a single clinic in the entire state. Clinics are closing in record numbers due to the difficulties of jumping through the hoops conservative lawmakers have set up in order to deprive women of their rights.
We all already know that most Western democracies would not dream of intruding on a woman’s right to choose, but even the tiny country of Nepal outperforms the U.S. in this area. Formerly a country that outlawed abortion outright and prosecuted women who received abortions, Nepal legalized the procedure in 2002, setting aside the issue of religion and putting women’s health front and center. From that point on, Nepal worked to integrate abortion into the rest of women’s health rights, becoming a model for the rest of the world. Abortion clinics are available in all 75 districts of Nepal, 50,000 female volunteer counselors are available to help pregnant women, abortion-inducing medications are distributed widely, and midwives are trained to perform abortions.StreetPass Mii Plaza is getting a refresh today, and it's bringing with it a heavily requested feature. Alongside new games, the Premium upgrade will at long last allow players to meet the Miis of way more people at once.
In fact, Nintendo 3DS owners will be able to pass 10 times as many other 3DS users as before — 100, up from 10 initially. That's huge for longtime players of the minigame, which required that they clear out their visitors with great frequency in order to meet new ones. At conventions or other crowded places, this could be annoying, if not exhausting.
Anyone who downloads the update can also grab one of two new games for free: Slot Car Rivals and Market Crashers. Feed Mii, Mii Trek and Ninja Launcher are also launching today, and all five can be purchased for $2.99 each. A bundle of four games, free title excluded, is offered for $8.99.
Only those who put money down to upgrade to StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium will have access to the new "Line" feature. Launched in 2015, the extra feature-filled version of the minigame costs $4.99.A slang word originating from Shakespeare's use of the word " swaggering " in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It is not used in the same manner, but that's the first time it appears in the English language.It was not created by the Scottish, by men in the United States to express their sexuality, by Jay Z (lol yes, people actually say this stuff), the unintelligent, by teenagers, or younger children. The word "swagger" was made by Scandanavians as early as the 1530s, but Shakespeare's use of the word gave it a new meaning (as early as 1590 ).Many hate this word because they believe that black rappers made it, and so many people use it so often. It compels them to get on the internet with the sole purpose of bashing others for using the word.It's very sad how so many people who insult others for using this word don't understand the word's origin, nor the basics of any language... As time passes, languages evolve.If you think I'm wrong, use the internet to learn something. Do your own research, don't take my word for it.Pretty women tend to be 'less stressed and more fertile', say scientists who say beauty isn't just skin deep
Attractive women have less of the hormone cortisol, associated with stress
Stress can also adversely effect fertility - so 'facial attractiveness signals reproductive potential,' say the researchers
But unlike men - where attractiveness is linked to a strong immune system - this may not be the case for women
Attractive women are more than just a pretty face - they also have less of the hormone cortisol, which is associated with stress, a study shows.
Researchers point out that stress can also adversely effect fertility, and suggest one explanation may be that 'facial attractiveness signals reproductive potential'.
Attractive women also carry just the right amount of fat in their bodies - not too much and not too little, according to the research.
But, contrary to recent research in men, a strong immune system may not be associated with being beautiful.
Attractive women, such as former model and mother-of-four Jools Oliver (with children Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo, Petal Blossom, Buddy Bear and husband Jamie) may also be more fertile, say scientists
A study of Latvian women found links between facial attractiveness and their amount of cortisol and fat, but not responsiveness to infection.
Sometimes described as our 'life-sustaining hormone', cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands and is responsible for metabolism, energy levels, blood pressure and combating illness.
It is especially important at times when the body experiences intense stress such as surgery, trauma or serious infection.
To test the immunity of good looking women, researchers photographed a selection of participants, vaccinated them against hepatitis B and measured the amount of antibodies produced.
Surprisingly, immune function did not predict facial attractiveness. Instead, those with lower cortisol levels in the blood tended to be more beautiful, suggesting stressed women are plainer.
Also having high or low amounts of fat reduced allure, showing being too slim can be as big a turn off as carrying to many pounds.
Recent research has suggested that facial attractiveness indicates immune responsiveness in men - but being pretty doesn't necessary mean a woman has a strong immune system
Dr Markus Rantala, whose findings are published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, said: 'Interestingly, facial attractiveness correlated negatively with plasma cortisol level suggesting stress reduces attractiveness in women.
'This supports previous findings from male faces, which show cortisol is inversely related to facial attractiveness.
'This has been interpreted as a mediator of condition dependent cues in the face (e.g. to health) or as a signal of the ability to cope with stressors.
'Perhaps, then, low levels of cortisol also signal health in female faces. This would be consistent with many studies in humans that have found stress has strong negative effect on health, including immune function, heart disease and susceptibility to cancer, etc.
Research is beginning to uncover that beauty really is connected to reproductive health and fertility. The model Heidi Klum has four children
'An alternative explanation is facial attractiveness signals reproductive potential, which is mediated partly by stress hormones, because many studies have demonstrated stress disturbs fertility.'
For decades, scientists believed when men gaze at women they are merely using facial clues such as large eyes, a small nose and full lips to check their prospective mate has high 'fitness' and can efficiently pass their genes to the next generation.
But research is beginning to uncover that beauty really is not just skin deep and is connected to reproductive health and fertility.
Earlier, the same team found men who were best at producing antibodies in response to a hepatitus B jab were considered better looking by women.
In the latest study Dr Rantala, of the University of Turku, Finland, and colleagues photographed 52 young women with an average age of 20 and asked 18 heterosexual male undergraduates to rate their attractiveness.
Dr Rantala said: 'In contrast to findings in men, we found women's immune response is not associated with their facial attractiveness.'
But because the system is so complex it would be premature to say a pretty face does not signal a strong immune defence in women, because there may be different trade offs in components going on.
Dr Rantala said: 'It is possible facial attractiveness signals a different arm of the immune defence in women than men. This remains to be tested in future studies.'
He added: 'Our study suggests facial attractiveness in women does not indicate immune responsiveness against hepatitis B but is associated with two other aspects of long term health and fertility, circulating levels of the stress hormone cortisol and percentage body fat.'
Ironically, a study by Spanish researchers published three years ago found being in the company of a beautiful woman can be bad for men's health - by increasing their cortisol.
just five minutes alone with her raised amounts of the hormone, too much of which can cause heart disease. The effect was worst in those who believed she was 'out of their league'.What I learned from Jeff Bezos after reading every Amazon shareholder letter
Parsa Saljoughian Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 20, 2017
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In every Amazon annual report, Jeff Bezos publishes a shareholder letter where he provides a broad overview of the company’s operations throughout the year. His letters are incredibly thought-provoking and are a must-read for anyone working in tech or interested in business. Bezos knows how to communicate with Wall Street and is both clear and concise in his writing. Recently, I discovered a link that included the complete set of these letters (from 1997 to 2016) in one handy PDF. Here are a few of my key takeaways from reading through it.
It’s all about the long-term…
In his 1997 shareholder letter, Jeff Bezos issued a manifesto “It’s all about the long-term” where he laid out his approach to business and to running Amazon. He pledged that decisions would be made with a long-term lens and with a focus on market leadership. This manifesto has been included in every single shareholder letter for the last 20 years! After reading these letters, it is clear that the fundamentals of how Amazon does business remain the same. Talk about commitment and consistency.
A focus on the long-term is important for several reasons. First, for a company that drives growth through innovation, a long-term approach allows for experimentation and an acceptance of short-term failures. “Failure comes part and parcel with innovation. It is not an option.” A lot of Amazon’s growth has been driven by AWS, Marketplace, and Prime. Each of these offerings was a bold bet at first, with many skeptics. In Bezos’ 2014 letter, he noted that sensible people “worried (often!)” that these initiatives could not work. Bezos believed in his vision and stayed heads down.
“If you’re going to invent, it means you’re going to experiment, so you have to think long term”
Second, having a long-term orientation reduces the impact of stock price fluctuations on decision-making. In 2000, the company’s shares were down 80%. It would be natural to become reactive in this situation. Bezos, however, made decisions to build a “heavier company” against the vision that 15% of commerce eventually would move online (he made this statement in 2000 when e-commerce was less than 1% of total retail sales). Even though the stock had dropped dramatically, Bezos felt Amazon was better positioned than it was the year prior and marched forward with the same strategy.
“In the short-term, the stock market is a voting machine; in the long-term it’s a weighing machine” — Benjamin Graham
Third, when you are long-term oriented it aligns customer and shareholder interests. In the short term, this is not always the case. Some skeptics have criticized Amazon for being a “charitable organization being run by the investment community… for the benefit of consumers.” Bezos argues that long-term thinking “squares the circle” and that proactively delighting customers creates trust and more business.
“Proactively delighting customers earns trust, which earns more business from those customers, even in new business arenas. Take a long-term view, and the interests of customers and shareholders align.”
Customer centricity as a north star
There are many different ways to structure a business: competitor-focused, product-focused, technology-focused, business model-focused, or customer-focused. From the outset, Amazon’s goal was to build the world’s most customer-centric company. Bezos would constantly remind employees to wake up every morning terrified… not of the competition, but of Amazon’s own customers. Customers are fickle; they are loyal to a company until a competitor offers a better service. Amazon designed its core value proposition around keeping customers happy by constantly offering more selection, better convenience, and lower prices.
Jeff Bezos’ napkin sketch outlining Amazon’s strategy
A low-cost structure leads to lower prices, which combined with a large range of products leads to a better customer experience. These happy customers return to purchase more items on Amazon sites, driving traffic and attracting more third-party sellers. This leads to more selection, which further contributes to a better customer experience.
Amazon’s energy internally comes from its desire to impress its customers. This means reinventing normal and delivering products before customers even know they want them. Some companies may rely on customer surveys and market research to understand their users. This is especially dangerous when designing and inventing new products. “Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer. They spend tremendous energy developing that intuition.”
“A remarkable customer experience starts with the heart, intuition, curiosity, play, guts, taste. You won’t find any of it in a survey.”
High-quality, high-velocity decision-making
While it is important to make high-quality decisions, Bezos stresses the importance of making these decisions at high velocity. Speed matters in business and slow decision making is de-energizing and a competitive disadvantage. Bezos offers a set of guidelines for how to make decisions at high-velocity:
Understand that decisions can be reversed: These “Type 2 decisions” are two-way doors that can be reversed. If you make a suboptimal Type 2 decision, you can reopen the door, and unwind the consequences. Because of this, these decisions should be made quickly. As organizations grow, there is a tendency to turn all decisions into Type 1 decisions that are made methodically and with great deliberation. The end result is slowness and diminished innovation.
Bias towards action: Most decisions should be made with close to 70% of the information needed. Waiting for 90%+ information will slow you down.
“Disagree and commit”: When consensus is not possible but you have conviction in a particular direction, “disagree and commit”. This means that while you disagree with the decision, you remain committed to a successful outcome. Staying focused on trying to change the team’s mind is too slow of an approach.
Recognize when an agreement isn’t achievable: Sometimes different teams have different objectives and see the world differently. No discussion will change these views. A quick escalation in these scenarios is much better than constant argument, which will lead to exhaustion.
“If you’re good at course correcting, being wrong is less costly than you think, whereas being slow is going to be expensive for sure”
Put effort into inputs, not financial outputs
While Amazon takes financial outputs seriously, 100% of the company’s time is focused on inputs. This is because these inputs are controllable and are the most effective way to maximize financial outputs. Bezos has instilled a rigorous annual goal-setting process at Amazon which is lengthy, spirited, and detail-oriented. In 2010, the company had 452 detailed goals with individual owners, deliverables, and target completion dates. Interestingly, however, across all these goals, the word ‘revenue’ was only used eight times and ‘free cash flow’ only four times. ‘Net income’, ‘gross profit’, and ‘operating profit’ was never used.
As an exercise, let’s apply this logic to the goal of increasing the company’s stock price. We must work backward until we find something that is controllable as an input.
No reasonable person would know how to drive up the stock price, but by working backward we identified a tangible input of improving picking efficiency to manage towards. This will drive down costs, which will increase free-cash-flow, which will drive up the stock price. This is only one of many strategies.
“Focusing our energy on the controllable inputs to our business is the most effective way to maximize financial outputs over time”
Build a disciplined, patient, and nurturing culture
Today, Amazon’s main growth engines are largely AWS, Prime, and Marketplace. Each of these established businesses is a well-rooted tree that enjoys high returns on capital and operates in a large market. Each of these businesses was however once a tiny seed itself. Many large companies fail to launch new businesses from scratch because of the patience and nurturing required. One of Amazon’s competitive advantages is its culture which is supportive of small businesses with large potential.
While Amazon’s culture demands that these businesses be high potential and differentiated, it does not require them to be large the day they are born. In 1996, Amazon crossed $10 million in book sales, a monumental feat for the company at the time. Today, a new business crosses that threshold would increase the company’s overall sales from $136 billion to $136.01 billion. Executives don’t scoff, but support these milestones. Celebrating wins and progress is important!
AWS, Prime, and Marketplace are three big ideas which continue to be nurtured internally at Amazon. The company is actively searching for its fourth pillar which some claim could be Alexa. There’s clearly a growing trend toward using voice search and interacting with digital assistants. Some analysts predict Echo and Alexa-family revenue to generate over $11 billion by 2020. Only a couple years ago this category didn’t exist.
Raise the bar on hiring… again and again
Setting the bar high on hiring has been the single most important element of Amazon’s success. During the interview process, Amazon asks each interviewer to consider three questions before making a hiring decision:
Will you admire this person?
Will this person raise the average level of effectiveness of the group they’re entering?
Along what dimension will this person be a superstar?
Leaders recognize exceptional talent and take seriously their role in coaching others. Recently, Amazon developed the ‘raising the bar’ method by getting employees more involved in the interview process. The goal is to make sure every new hire is as good as, if not better than the one before.
“You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon.com you can’t choose two out of three”
Final Thoughts
Not only did Jeff Bezos predict the future, he helped shape it. In the 20 years since Amazon’s IPO, the company has grown from $148 million in revenue to over $136 billion. That’s close to 1000x! We are lucky that Jeff Bezos takes the time each year to share his knowledge with the world in these shareholder letters. As an investor (late-stage VC at IVP), in order to improve, I have to read… a lot. Bezos’ shareholder letters are a must-read for anyone interested in business. I have relinked the document here. It’s only 66 pages!
“Our approach remains the same, and it’s still Day 1” — Jeff BezosA few months back, Michael wrote about reconnecting orphaned *.ibd files using MySQL 5.6. I will show you the same procedure, this time for partitioned tables. An InnoDB partition is also a self-contained tablespace in itself so you can use the same method described in the previous post.
To begin with, I have an example table with a few orphaned partitions and we will reconnect each partition one by one to the original table.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SHOW CREATE TABLE t1 G *************************** 1. row *************************** Table: t1 Create Table: CREATE TABLE `t1` ( [...] KEY `h_date` (`h_date`) ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 /*!50100 PARTITION BY RANGE (year(h_date)) (PARTITION p0 VALUES LESS THAN (2006) ENGINE = InnoDB, PARTITION p1 VALUES LESS THAN (2010) ENGINE = InnoDB, PARTITION px VALUES LESS THAN MAXVALUE ENGINE = InnoDB) */ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t1; +----------+ | COUNT(*) | +----------+ | 0 | +----------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 176M Oct 8 08:41 t1#P#p0.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 612M Oct 8 08:41 t1#P#p1.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 932M Oct 8 08:42 t1#P#px.ibd
The first step is to create a dummy table and remove partitioning so that we can reattach individual partitions to this table.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > CREATE TABLE t1_t LIKE t1; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t1_t REMOVE PARTITIONING; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.01 sec) Records: 0 Duplicates: 0 Warnings: 0 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t1_t DISCARD TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.05 sec)
Once the tablespace for our dummy table has been discarded, we copy one of the partitions to take the place of the dummy table’s tablespace. For example, we copy t1#P#p0.ibd as t1_t.ibd into the MySQL data directory, of course taking into account the permissions afterward. The next step is to import the tablespace to the dummy table. Once the tablespace for our dummy table has been discarded, we copy one of the partitions to take the place of the dummy table’s tablespace. For example, we copyasinto the MySQL data directory, of course taking into account the permissions afterward. The next step is to import the tablespace to the dummy table.
1 2 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t1_t IMPORT TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected, 1 warning (7.34 sec)
And for the secret sauce, we will exchange our dummy table recently imported tablespace to replace the target partition in our original table. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t1 EXCHANGE PARTITION px WITH TABLE t1_t; Query OK, 0 rows affected (6.42 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t1; +----------+ | COUNT(*) | +----------+ | 8523686 | +----------+ 1 row in set (2.50 sec)
You can do the same with subpartitions, too! Here’s my slightly different table with subpartitions where I reconnect one of the orphaned tablespaces t2#P#px#SP#pxsp1.ibd. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SHOW CREATE TABLE t2 G *************************** 1. row *************************** Table: t2 Create Table: CREATE TABLE `t2` ( [...] KEY `h_date` (`h_date`) ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 /*!50100 PARTITION BY RANGE (year(h_date)) SUBPARTITION BY HASH (u_id) SUBPARTITIONS 2 (PARTITION p0 VALUES LESS THAN (2006) ENGINE = InnoDB, PARTITION p1 VALUES LESS THAN (2010) ENGINE = InnoDB, PARTITION px VALUES LESS THAN MAXVALUE ENGINE = InnoDB) */ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t2; +----------+ | COUNT(*) | +----------+ | 0 | +----------+ 1 row in set (0.94 sec) -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 92M Oct 8 08:44 t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp0.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 92M Oct 8 08:44 t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp1.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 304M Oct 8 08:44 t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp0.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 316M Oct 8 08:44 t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp1.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 480M Oct 8 08:45 t2#P#px#SP#pxsp0.ibd -rw-rw----. 1 revin revin 460M Oct 8 08:45 t2#P#px#SP#pxsp1.ibd mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > CREATE TABLE t2_t LIKE t2; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t2_t REMOVE PARTITIONING; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec) Records: 0 Duplicates: 0 Warnings: 0 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t2_t DISCARD TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.04 sec)
Once again, after copying t2#P#px#SP#pxsp1.ibd to replace t2_t.ibd in the MySQL data directory and setting the correct permissions, we can import it into our dummy table and exchange the same to our original table. In this case, on a table with subpartitions, a tablespace is a combined unit of partition and subpartition, hence in our partition name above P#px is our main partition and SP#pxsp1 the subpartition name. For our exchange command below, we will only need the later portion. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t2_t IMPORT TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected, 1 warning (2.49 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > ALTER TABLE t2 EXCHANGE PARTITION pxsp1 WITH TABLE t2_t; Query OK, 0 rows affected (3.11 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (recovery) > SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t2; +----------+ | COUNT(*) | +----------+ | 4546036 | +----------+ 1 row in set (0.94 sec)
But wait there’s more: Do you know that in MySQL 5.7, you can take the full shortcut? Directly t2 table above, DISCARD TABLESPACE, copy the partition tablespaces from my test 5.6 instance and IMPORT TABLESPACE And done! 🙂
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (test) > SELECT COUNT(*) FROM t2; +----------+ | COUNT(*) | +----------+ | 0 | +----------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (test) > ALTER TABLE t2 DISCARD TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.02 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (test) >! cp -v /sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#* /sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/ `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp0.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp0.ibd' `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp1.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp1.ibd' `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp0.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp0.ibd' `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp1.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#p1#SP#p1sp1.ibd' `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#px#SP#pxsp0.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#px#SP#pxsp0.ibd' `/sbx/msb/msb_5_6_210/data/test/t2#P#px#SP#pxsp1.ibd' -> `/sbx/msb/msb_5_7_5/data/test/t2#P#px#SP#pxsp1.ibd' mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (test) > ALTER TABLE t2 IMPORT TABLESPACE; Query OK, 0 rows affected, 6 warnings (11.36 sec) mysql [localhost] {msandbox} (test) > SHOW WARNINGS G *************************** 1. row *************************** Level: Warning Code: 1810 Message: InnoDB: IO Read error: (2, No such file or directory) Error opening './test/t2#P#p0#SP#p0sp0.cfg', will attempt to import without schema verification [...]
But wait there’s more: Do you know that in MySQL 5.7, you can take the full shortcut? Directly import all partitions back to the original table |
, saying that he wanted to build on the achievements of the current president, not overturn them. "No one is tearing this up, we are going to go forward," Sanders said, his voice rising in anger. "That is nonsense." Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Democratic debate in Charleston A new NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll on Sunday showed Clinton leading Sanders 59% to 34%, with the third candidate in the race, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, at 2%.
Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Democratic debate in Charleston Martin O'Malley delivered a dig at the GOP candidates, recounting a voter asking him to not refer to her son, who serves in the military, as a pair of boots on the ground. O'Malley said Republicans use, "boots on the ground," when they're "trying to look all bravado and macho sending other peoples' kids into combat." Hide Caption 6 of 6
"People did not pay as much attention to him or take him seriously in the beginning because he is an older politician from a small state who they did not know much about," said April Ryan, the Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks.
The dismissal of Sanders, including on occasion by CNN as well as other outlets, is especially palpable for his supporters, who feel like the candidate was written off because of both his temperament and his political beliefs.
When Sanders announced his bid, a Washington Post profile described the "unlikely presidential candidate" as "an ex-hippie, septuagenarian socialist from the liberal reaches of Vermont who rails, in his thick Brooklyn accent, rumpled suit and frizzy pile of white hair, against the 'billionaire class' taking over the country." The New York Times — which had afforded its front page to similar candidacy announcements from Clinton, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and others — buried the Sanders story on page 21.
Sanders, however, immediately began drawing thousands of supporters, and then tens of thousands, to his rallies. The media acknowledged the large crowds, but the Sanders campaign felt that pundits came up with endless ways to dismiss their importance.
"At every stop, the media had an explanation for why the crowds weren't significant," Weaver said. "5,000 people here? 'Oh, that's Bernie's home city.' New Hampshire, 'Oh, that's next door.' We went to Minneapolis and had 4,000 people -- 'Oh, well, that's the Frost Belt. Frost Belt people like him.' Then we went to Denver, and it was 'college liberals.'"
"Wherever we went, there was always an explanation about why what we were doing seemed to be significant, but really wasn't," Weaver said.
It wasn't that there weren't reporters or cameras at these events, Weaver explained. It was that, very often, none of the coverage showed up on the front page or on television. If you looked to the mainstream media, he said, you would have no idea that Sanders would one day be running even in Iowa or leading New Hampshire.
JUST WATCHED Here's what happens if Sanders wins IA & NH Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Here's what happens if Sanders wins IA & NH 03:29
Weaver noted two exceptions: Local media, which he said did a much better job of focusing on policy over process; and the progressive media — but neither of those could rival the overwhelming national narrative that Sanders was merely an also-ran.
Jonathan Tasini, a Sanders surrogate, called the coverage "a professional failure."
"It's both astonishing and understandable," Tasini said. "The understandable part is, too many journalists are too enthralled with conventional wisdom and establishment thinking. They just repeat things without any notion of what's happening on the ground."
Many reporters, who asked to speak on background so as not to offend their news organizations or their colleagues, agreed.
"Among 'big-time' reporters, there's an almost pathological fear of looking unsophisticated," one veteran political reporter explained. "Journalists are supposed to look 'wised-up' and with it. I think this ingrained tendency often causes us to miss things that should be as plain as the noses on our faces — and that are apparent to 'civilians.'"
Now that Sanders is a real contender in some early states, he is forcing the media to recognize the vast liberal base that exists to the left of the Democratic establishment, much as the rise of the tea party forced the press to focus on the vast conservative base to the right of the Republican establishment.
The media has not always been receptive to this wing of the Democratic party, the veteran journalist explained. "The media has an instinctive bias against ultra-liberals. The real hard liberals are not taken seriously by our tribe," he said. "No socialist from Vermont is going to be president, in the same way Howard Dean was written off."
The Clinton factor
Weaver also believes the media has an inevitable pro-Clinton bias because so many of the "Democratic consultants" who serve as pundits have relationships with the Clintons.
"Look at the political consultants on the air and Democratic pundits across the media. They're often Hillary Clinton supporters, right? Or former employees," he said. "That's not an indictment of anybody, but that makes them more open to a message that says, 'She's going to be successful. Bernie is not going to be successful.'"
If there was a moment in 2015 when Sanders could have wrested control of the media's narrative, Weaver said, it was in mid-October, when the Democrats met for their first debate, Biden was eyeing getting into the race, and Clinton was called to testify on the 2012 Benghazi attacks. But Clinton acquitted herself well in the debate and during the day-long congressional testimony and Biden decided not to run. Sanders, again, appeared an unworthy challenger.
"The Secretary had a very good October," Weaver conceded. "The first debate she performed very well, she showed well at the Benghazi hearing, and the media viewed the Vice President's decision not to run as favorable to her. That again created a narrative about Hillary's inevitability, which all the pundits repeated."
Several journalists on the campaign trail also conceded that the media had been too consumed by Donald Trump and the seismic Republican primary race that is dividing the GOP. Trump's dominance, the establishment's fear and disbelief, and the emerging fight for an alternative — coupled with the belief in Clinton's inevitability as the Democratic nominee — drew much of the media's attention away from the Democrats.
"The incredible and uncontrollable obsession with all things Trump has moved almost all of the scrutiny and focus to the GOP side of the equation once Clinton survived the Benghazi hearing and Biden dropped out," Pfeiffer said.
When asked to explain why the media had failed to anticipate Sanders' rise, one political editor at a Washington news outlet replied: "We knew Hillary was going to win, and we went chasing after Donald Trump."
That disparity has not been lost on Sanders. "A recent study showed on ABC evening news, Trump over a period of time got 81 minutes of time. Bernie Sanders got 20 seconds," Sanders said in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo in December. "Now, you tell me why."
Now that Sanders is giving Clinton a run for her money in Iowa and New Hampshire -- although he still trails badly in national polls, including one by NBC released Sunday that found Clinton with a 25-point edge -- things are changing.
At the Hotel Vermont, CBS's John Dickerson was there to interview Sanders for "Face The Nation" -- while Bloomberg's John Heilemann was busy setting up cameras for his own interview.
"I've never been in an avalanche, but I'm beginning to think I know what it feels like," Michael Briggs, Sanders' spokesperson, said of the media requests he was receiving.
Still, many members of the media maintain that while Sanders may win Iowa and New Hampshire, he cannot amass enough support, particularly among minorities, in subsequent states to actually put up a real fight against Clinton. (Sanders is already trying to remedy that with a media blitz in South Carolina focused on African Americans.)
Pfeiffer argued that Sanders is still "a very long shot to win the nomination" and likened him not to Barack Obama but to Howard Dean or Bill Bradley: "Anti-establishment candidates with a strong base in the largely white, progressive community who can do very well in Iowa and New Hampshire with no clear path to expanding their base."
But whether Sanders can win the nomination may be beside the point. The fact may be that, after being written off by the media, the 74-year-old Democratic socialist from Vermont is threatening to take both Iowa and New Hampshire from Hillary Rodham Clinton, a towering political figure with unparalleled experience, vast financial resources, and the backing of the Democratic establishment.
In other words, Sanders has come a long way from Page 21 and "the liberal reaches of Vermont" — and the media is finally taking note.Startup: Musk’s 'hyperloop’ is feasible and should be nationwide
A cutaway view of the hyperloop, a high-speed transit system initially proposed by Elon Musk. Passengers ride within capsules that travel inside sealed tubes, with the capsules reaching 760 miles per hour. The first proposed hyperloop would link San Francisco and Los Angeles. less A cutaway view of the hyperloop, a high-speed transit system initially proposed by Elon Musk. Passengers ride within capsules that travel inside sealed tubes, with the capsules reaching 760 miles per hour. The... more Photo: Hyperloop Transportation Tech. Photo: Hyperloop Transportation Tech. Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Startup: Musk’s 'hyperloop’ is feasible and should be nationwide 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Elon Musk’s proposed “hyperloop” system for whisking travelers between San Francisco and Los Angeles inside elevated tubes is technically feasible and should be expanded into a nationwide network, even though it would cost more per mile than initially thought.
That’s the conclusion of an unusual startup company formed to pursue the idea, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. The startup, really a collection of unpaid volunteers with day jobs at some of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies, will release an update on its efforts Friday.
So far, the group has found no reason the hyperloop wouldn’t work. As envisioned by Musk, the serial entrepreneur behind Tesla Motors and SpaceX, the system would ferry passengers inside capsules hurtling through sealed tubes at more than 760 mph. Musk pitched the idea last year as an alternative to California’s planned high-speed rail system, which he said would look like Amtrak in comparison.
“We can say that it’s completely feasible,“ said Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation. “We know we can build it.“
The company on Friday will release an interim feasibility study that fleshes out and refines Musk’s idea. Although Musk suggested the hyperloop could be built for $6 billion — far less than the high-speed rail system’s current $68 billion price tag — Ahlborn and his colleagues say the price would be more like $7 billion to $16 billion for the San Francisco-Los Angeles route.
Still, they argue that the hyperloop shouldn’t be confined to a single route. They suggest building a nationwide network, one that could revolutionize long-distance travel. The system would be fast enough and cheap enough, with tickets costing $20 to $30, that users could live in one metropolitan area and work in another, even if it’s hundreds of miles away.
“It’s not really so much about the technology at this point,“ Ahlborn said. “It’s more about how would we integrate the hyperloop into our daily lives.“
The startup is, in itself, unique.
While Musk came up with the idea, he openly invited other people to develop it, saying he was too busy with Tesla and SpaceX to do so himself.
Ahlborn and his colleagues have pursued the hyperloop idea as a huge crowdsourcing project. While Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is an incorporated company, none of its people are getting paid. Instead, the company’s “core team” consists of more than 100 professionals volunteering their time and expertise in return for a share of the company’s future profits, should any materialize.
The volunteers work at companies including Airbus, Boeing, Cisco Systems, Salesforce, Yahoo — and yes, Tesla and SpaceX. The head of its design team, Craig Hodgetts, teaches architecture and urban design at UCLA and has brought his students into the process, working on station designs. The company actively solicits strangers to critique its ideas and offer their expertise.
“We believe that people, when they get together and they’re passionate about something, money is not always necessary at the beginning,” Ahlborn said.
It will be at some point, however. Right now, the team is trying to refine the concept enough to know exactly how much a prototype would cost. At that point, the company will start raising money. Ahlborn said he has already been approached by venture capitalists interested in funding the project. So far, he has turned them down, he said.
“It’s too early — we don’t know how much money we’ll need,” he said. “It didn’t feel right to take on any money right now.“An armed U.S. soldier watches over an unarmed Afghan counterpart during a visit to this checkpoint staffed by the Afghan National Army. Concerns about insider attacks involving rogue Afghan forces that kill NATO troops prompted a temporary pull-back from joint patrols in mid-September and heightened security efforts.
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The sun pounds down on the U.S. Marine sergeant and the tribal elder in this faceless, bone-colored plain.
“We haven’t seen any Taliban,” the silk-bearded Afghan says, with a grin too large. The sergeant, broiling in his bulletproof vest, anticipates crackling gunfire at any minute. He knows the man is lying and he expects him to lie.
This barren, anonymous-feeling landscape matters because it sits outside the biggest U.S. military and coalition base in Helmand province, known as Camp Leatherneck, a miniature city built in the middle of nowhere. The camp has served as the restive province’s command center for American forces during their two-year troop buildup aimed at disrupting the Islamist militants.
Now, with those additional troops having departed, American forces cannot leave Camp Leatherneck without getting fired at or bombed on any given day. An unprecedented assault on their base in mid-September saw 15 Taliban fighters enter Leatherneck, blow up six Harrier jets and three refueling stations and kill two Marines before they were stopped.
The daily fight right beyond the wire is bitter and unwelcome evidence of the stalemate that exists in southern and eastern Afghanistan. U.S. officers commend their forces for fighting bravely and they praise the growing strength of their Afghan counterparts, who they say will be able to take on the Taliban when the last of the U.S.-led coalition forces leave Afghanistan in 2014.
“We are still a province at war, there is no doubt about that. We have been for a while and it will continue to be, but it is a province where things have improved a lot over the course of three, four years,” said Marine Maj. Gen. Mark Gurganus, the commanding U.S. officer in Helmand. “I am watching these young (Afghan) guys step up and take the fight.”
But today, the Americans confront an enemy still capable of absorbing punishing hits and then turning around to attack when it suits them, including the assassination of Afghan politicians and security officials. If the Americans hope another year of training will result in Afghan security forces strong enough to push the Taliban back, the militants appear to believe today belongs to them, and tomorrow, without the Americans, does so even more.
It is in this atmosphere that the Marines patrol Boldak, the current name of this no-man’s land, home to as many as 20,000 people scattered across dry ravines and gulches about five miles from Camp Leatherneck. As the armored trucks chug down the road, children in white and brown robes spot the Americans and rush after them, trying to strike the convoy with stones, a daily ritual the Marines have become used to. In Iraq, even in the worst of days, children would see a U.S. convoy and chase it in hope of receiving a soccer ball or candy. Here, youngsters use the American vehicles for target practice.
The convoy stops in the middle of Boldak’s brown igloo-like huts dotted across the ghostly hills that encircle Camp Leatherneck.
The Marines are relieved to be here and not stuck on the road for hours, lest a 60-pound bomb explode beneath one of their armored vehicles.
As the Marines walk into the narrow alleys between compounds, some of them stand poised with M-16s aimed toward the horizon. They expect sniper fire, or a rocket shot off by a fighter hidden from view, who will then speed away on a motorcycle. At the same time, battle casualties are rare on either side.
The sergeant and an Afghan interpreter wade through a sea of tiny boys, and the elder, with his white robe and cane, approaches. The dry terrain is home to Bedouin hamlets, where people settle during the cooler months to cultivate poppies, then move away in the withering summer heat. The U.S. military has opted to tolerate it rather than infuriate the local population by destroying lucrative crop so close to their base.
The elder shakes the sergeant’s hand, seemingly happy to welcome him.
The sergeant breaks the ice by asking, through the interpreter, what the villagers are growing. The interpreter, unrecognizable in sunglasses and armor, afraid of allowing his identity becoming known to the Taliban, stands between them.
The elder says they are cultivating wheat, but the sergeant sees dried-out poppies that look like small garlic bulbs scattered on the ground. He chooses not to mention it.
“Ask him if he wants to help us out at all,” the Marine tells the interpreter.
“Sure, why not? I’ll help you as much as I can,” the elder wheezes. “We know you guys. We can’t be friends with the Taliban.”
Like all villagers here, the sergeant thinks, the elder’s primary concern is to remain safe while waiting to see who wins the war.
The sergeant says he is going to speak with other villagers.
The elder smiles again. “If you want to speak to someone, tell me,” he says, addressing the interpreter. “I can bring him anywhere you want. If you go to the houses, people will be scared. The kids will be scared.”
The sergeant walks up the narrow, dry brown pathway. He comes up to another old man and his middle-aged son. The elder trails behind with the help of his cane.
The son says they are just poor people in desperate need of work and have never seen the Taliban. The father, frail and exhausted, lets his son do all the talking.
In the dirt is a pile of rusty bullet shells. The sergeant asks where they came from. “These aren’t American bullet casings,” he says to his interpreter.
The elder has caught up with them and answers cheerfully that they can only be the U.S. military’s. “Nobody else is here,” he adds. “For seven years, I haven’t seen anything happen in this village.”
A friend in a black turban, who is chewing a brown tobacco product from a tin, distracts the elder, and the two disappear together.
The sergeant circles back to the father and middle-aged son. A fly buzzes. The sergeant informs the son that the Marines are watching Boldak from the sky with surveillance cameras. “If we see any Taliban in this village, we’re coming back for you. I have your name.”
The interpreter tells him, the son nods.
“At the same time, if he sees Taliban any time, feel free to come to the base and ask for Sgt. Matt. Do you have kids?”
“Yes,” the son says.
“Feel free to come over to the base for medical attention.”
The sergeant moves on. He takes a child to the side and whispers to him confidentially about letting the Americans know if he sees the Taliban and gives him a pen he has been eyeing.
The Marines decide they will come back again to this hamlet in a week. But for now, they say, they’d better leave before taking gunfire or allowing time for a bomb to be planted on the road. The next village will be no different.
“They’ll tell you all kinds of ridiculous stuff,” a Marine lieutenant says. “They’ll lie to us, and then they’ll lie to the Taliban. They are caught between two sides.”
———
©2012 Los Angeles Times
Distributed by MCT Information ServicesIn an experimental attempt to increase the heap's ability to maintain and store a supply of hot liquid, a 30-gallon water heater tank was ""plumbed in" to the line, and then buried in an outer three-foot layer of chicken-wire-supported compost. MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Mother's second experimental compost heater began with a "core" of material to be composted (consisting of three parts wood chips for every one part manure) that was held in place by a pole-supported chicken-wire cage. (This inner heap measures a full six feet wide by eight feet tall). PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
As many of you undoubtedly know, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has for some time now been researching the use of large mounds of (primarily) vegetable matter to produce heat. We first introduced our readers to the concept in the story "The Genius of Jean Pain," which described the pioneering work done in France by M. Pain... a noted energy experimenter and one of Europe's foremost organic gardeners.
Inspired by what we'd seen and heard while visiting Jean, we soon decided to begin doing a little compost-heat experimentation on our own. It wasn't long before MOTHER EARTH NEWS' researchers had a prototype heap "up and running." That initial pile was completed on December 14, 1979 and by the 24th of that same month had reached a core temperature of 120°F.
Our experimenters were somewhat disappointed to note, however, that the heap never got any hotter than 120°F (although Jean Pain's mounds were reportedly able to achieve temperatures of 140°F). Furthermore, MOTHER EARTH NEWS' "decomposition oven" held its peak heat for only 5 1/2 weeks before a long cold snap caused the internal temperature to drop slowly. The French researcher's compost piles, on the other hand, are said to be able to maintain their higher temperatures for as long as nine months!
The discrepancies between M. Pain's results and ours, we decided, could be attributed to several factors. For one thing, the Gallic gardener uses massive 50- to 100-ton heaps, while our initial experimental pile probably weighed no more than five tons. In addition to that, we were sure that the exceptionally cold—for North Carolina—winter temperatures (below freezing, night and day, for over a week) played a part... as, perhaps, did our compost "recipe." (It seems that Jean Pain uses very thin wood chips, and allows the brush's own foliage to provide the compost's "starter." We, on the other hand, worked with larger chunks of wood... combined in a four-to-one ratio with manure.)
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Try, Try Again
Spurred on by what was certainly a successful—if not overwhelmingly so—initial test, MOTHER EARTH NEWS' researchers soon set to work putting together a second experimental pile which would, we hoped, produce results more nearly equal to those that M. Pain has been able to achieve. Our first thought was to obtain a shredder which could reduce raw underbrush to the 1/16" slivers that the Frenchman uses for his compost. Unfortunately, reasonably priced chippers capable of such fine work aren't available in this country (at least we couldn't find any), and the cost of importing a machine as massive as those of M. Pain's design was prohibitive.
So, being unable to duplicate Jean's heating structures, we decided to modify our own previous design. To do so, MOTHER EARTH NEWS' researchers first built an inner enclosure of chicken wire that was six feet wide by eight feet tall. The cage was then filled with a 3-to-1 wood-chip/manure mixture (as opposed to the 4-to-1 mix that made up our first heap) and wrapped with coils of 1" black semi-flexible plastic pipe.How to dispose of large, bulky or other items
Use the Waste Explorer to find out where to bring large, bulky or other items, electronics and hazardous materials for proper disposal.
Appliances
The City does NOT pick up appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dryers, dishwashers, hot water tanks, furnaces or oil tanks at the curb. These appliances contain recyclable parts. Residents must make their own arrangements to have them taken away. Check the Yellow Pages under "recycling" for a list of businesses providing this service, or take them back to participating retailers - electronic or household items.
Remember all refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning units and dehumidifiers must have cooling chemicals removed and be tagged by a certified technician prior to being brought to a landfill site. Any items that are not tagged will be refused entry into the site.
Batteries
Many retailers will accept AA, AAA batteries and rechargeable batteries. Also, check out our household hazardous waste depots.
Construction material
Plaster, wood (including pressure-treated lumber), drywall, concrete, asphalt or other waste resulting from building construction, renovation or demolition ARE NOT collected with regular garbage. Bring this material to the Trail Road Landfill Site or to another landfill.
The following companies offer a program for recycling some construction and renovation materials:
Residents must phone ahead before returning an item.
Flares, bullets, explosives, guns and fireworks
Flares, bullets, explosive devices, ammunition, firearms and fireworks can cause severe injury or death, and should never be thrown out with your regular garbage. To dispose of these materials safely, contact Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222. Police will come and make sure all necessary safety precautions are taken to dispose of these items.
Glass (windows, drinking glasses, dishes, coffee pots, mirrors, light bulbs, etc.)
For the health and safety of waste collectors, please securely package glass items in a cardboard box and label the box "glass" so that the operator is aware of its contents when placing it in the truck.
Energy efficient light bulbs
Energy efficient light bulbs can be returned to some local businesses. Visit the Waste Explorer for a retailer near you. The item can also be brought to a household hazardous waste depots.
Fluorescent light bulbs
Bring fluorescent light bulbs to household hazardous waste depots. Or carefully wrap and tape fluorescent light bulbs in the original cardboard container or wrap them in packing material to prevent breakage and you can dispose them in the regular garbage.
Large, bulky items
Large items such as sofas, mattresses and furniture are picked up at the curb. Please put the item out before 7 am on your collection day. Check the Waste Explorer for opportunities to recycle.
Medication
Unused prescription drugs can pose a health risk if not properly disposed. Visit any of our participating pharmacies to have it disposed of.
Motor oil
Used motor oil can be conveniently returned in your community to a number of business partners.
Paint
Paint should be disposed of at one of the City's household hazardous waste depots or by returning it to a retailer.
Pet waste
The best way to dispose of pet waste is to flush it down the toilet, it will be properly treated when it reaches the sewage plant. Place your cat litter material in the green bin. Otherwise, put it in your regular garbage as long as it is properly wrapped in absorbent paper and placed in a sealed, leak proof bag, mixed with your regular garbage. Quantities should be no more than 10 per cent of your garbage bag or can.
Smoke alarms
Smoke alarms are not hazardous. Place them in your regular garbage for collection. Smoke alarms are not recyclable.
Tires
Should be recycled at participating retailers. For free disposal of used tires, visit greenmytires.ca.When it comes to Criminal Minds‘ latest one–two punch of cast changes, this is by no means Paget Brewster‘s first rodeo. Rather, it’s almost become BAU (that is, business as usual) for the ever-evolving CBS crime drama. Fall TV Cast Changes: Leaving & New Actors Launch Gallery Launch Gallery
Speaking with Michael Ausiello at the San Diego Comic-Con — where she was promoting the digital release Batman and Harley Quinn (in which she voices Poison Ivy) — Brewster shared, “It’s always hard when someone is gone, whether by choice or not by their choice… but you roll with it.” Being the tight-knit cast they are, “you can’t not miss the people who are gone.”
In fact, Brewster says that the idea of in some small way replacing a longtime cast member weighed on her almost a year ago, when her short-term return blossomed into a full-time gig. “The con was the situation in which it happened, which was Thomas Gibson no longer being with the show. That was unfortunate.”
RELATEDCriminal Minds Adds Beyond Borders Star as Series Regular
Given the seemingly annual cast shake-up, Criminal Minds is “a wacky place,” she acknowledges, “but I’m really happy to be back.”
Elsewhere in the video Q&A above, Brewster teases the outcome of the season finale (including a strong/sad hint at who didn’t survive), updates us on Reid’s status with the BAU and reveals the one thing on her “wish list” for Season 13.
Criminal Minds returns Wednesday, Sept. 27, now airing an hour later at 10/9c.Source: BSIP SA / Alamy
Tobacco companies rely heavily on packaging to create and drive brand image in order to attract new consumers to their products and create brand loyalty. Standardising pack appearance by introducing laws that enforce plain tobacco packaging may contribute to a reduction in smoking rates and improve public health.
Why packaging is important
Since the late 19th century, product packaging has been a valuable communications tool for tobacco companies[1], and it has become increasingly important in recent years for several reasons. Firstly, bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship have left packaging as one of the few remaining ways for a tobacco company to distinguish its brand with consumers and create interest in its products — the ‘last chance marketing saloon’ as it has been referred to by tobacco industry analysts[2]. Secondly, there are now a large variety of tobacco brands on the market, which was not always the case, and a growth in brand families, where a single brand can have more than a dozen variants. This makes packaging crucial for inter- and intra-brand differentiation. Thirdly, technological advancement has allowed greater innovation in pack appearance, especially in terms of pack structure (size, shape, closing mechanism) and non-visual sensory elements intended to create a multisensory appeal (such as textures or coatings to create tactile effects, aroma technology or auditory cues). Packaging innovation can reduce risk perceptions and enhance brand appeal, purchase interest, sales and market share[3],[4].
The public health argument
The issue with fully branded tobacco packaging, from a public health perspective, is that it can increase the appeal of the pack, the product and smoking, mislead consumers about how harmful the product is, and distract from the on-pack government health warnings. It was for these reasons that Australia implemented plain cigarette packaging in 2012 in accordance with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control[5],[6]. A number of other countries, including New Zealand, France, Finland, India and South Africa, are reported to be considering plain (also referred to as standardised) packaging. While Ireland appears firmly committed to introducing this measure, the UK government has yet to make a similar pledge; the Scottish government maintains that it will proceed independently should the UK government fail to do so.
Despite recent announcements, Australia remains the only country to have implemented plain packaging, which is surprising considering that the idea that all tobacco products come in “plain brown wrappers” was proposed by a group of Canadian doctors in the mid-1980s[7]. This slow progress may be explained, at least in part, by the response of tobacco companies. Since the early 1990s, when the Plain Pack Working Group was established by tobacco companies to develop a global strategy against plain packaging, it has strongly opposed this measure and attempted to shape the debate. Within the UK, for instance, tobacco companies have lobbied the government and manipulated media coverage to claim plain packaging will have an adverse impact on retailers and boost the illicit tobacco trade, and have done so via misrepresentation of findings and use of third-party evidence (without disclosing financial links to this evidence)[8].
A lack of research on the potential impacts of plain packaging, at least until recently, is also a contributory factor. As of March 2014, the vast majority of primary plain packaging studies (53 studies out of a total of 62) have been conducted since 2007[9]. There is now a body of evidence, with new research being published regularly, with findings that are generally consistent, irrespective of study date, location, design and sample. Results suggest that introducing plain packaging would: reduce the attractiveness and appeal of tobacco products; increase the noticeability of health warnings; and, at least for darker coloured plain packs, reduce the ability of packaging to mislead consumers about the harmful effects of smoking[10],[11]. Regarding the potential impact on smoking-related attitudes, beliefs, intentions and behaviour, findings are mixed but tend to support plain packaging having a deterrent effect on smoking, with younger people, non-smokers and less heavy smokers more likely to think that plain packs would discourage smoking initiation, encourage cessation or reduce consumption[10],[11].
Smoking behaviour in Australia
Assessment of the impact of plain packaging on smoking prevalence is reliant upon recent findings from Australia, since it is the only country to have implemented this measure. The latest wave of the triennial National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), with a nationally representative sample (N=23,855) of the Australian population aged 12 years and older, shows where there have been changes in smoking behaviours in Australia, including prevalence, between 2010 and 2013. The NDSHS found that for those aged 14 years and older — most analyses are conducted with those aged 14 years and older to allow for comparison with earlier surveys — fewer people reported smoking (18.1% to 15.8%) with fewer smoking daily (15.1% to 12.8%), weekly consumption of cigarettes decreased (111 cigarettes to 96 cigarettes), and there was an increase in average age of initiation (15.4 years to 15.9 years) and never smoking (57.8% to 60.1%)[12]. Overall, the key indicators point to tobacco control in Australia being a resounding success.
There are several relevant points to consider when interpreting the NDSHS findings: smoking prevalence and consumption is in long-term decline in Australia; plain packaging was not introduced until late 2012; and, aside from plain packaging, other relevant tobacco control measures introduced from 2010 included a mass-media campaign, which accompanied the initial implementation of plain packaging[13], and a large (25%) increase in sales tax. Although this tax increase was introduced some months before the previous survey wave, in 2010, it may be a relevant factor.
The balance of evidence
Packaging is clearly an important and multipurpose marketing tool, a fact that has not been disputed by tobacco companies in the plain packaging debate. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that the accumulating evidence suggests that plain tobacco packaging may have, and is having, a number of potential public health benefits, particularly because there is evidence that plain packaging is associated with cessation-related behaviours[14],[15],[16],[17],[18]. Between 2010 and 2013, smoking prevalence in Australia experienced the greatest percentage decline as a proportion of the smoking population since the NDSHS began. This will serve to encourage policy interest in plain packaging elsewhere.
The case for plain packaging is now stronger than it has ever been.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Parents look set to be punished if they fail to get their children immunised
Parents in Germany who fail to seek medical advice on vaccinating their children could face fines of up to €2,500 (£2,175; $2,800).
Health Minister Hermann Gröhe said it was necessary to tighten the law because of a measles epidemic.
A mother of three died of measles in the city of Essen this week.
The government wants kindergartens to report any parents who cannot prove they have had a medical consultation.
However, Germany is not yet making it an offence to refuse vaccinations - unlike Italy.
Speaking to the popular daily Bild, Mr Gröhe said: "Continuing deaths from measles cannot leave anyone indifferent."
Under the plan, the children of parents who fail to seek vaccination advice could be expelled from their daycare centre. The law is expected to be adopted next month.
The upper house of the German parliament, the Bundesrat, said forcing kindergartens to report some parents to the health authorities might breach data protection laws.
Italy health campaign
Italy has recorded nearly three times more measles cases so far this year than for all of 2016.
Last week the Italian government ruled that parents must vaccinate their children against 12 common illnesses before enrolling them at state-run schools. The list includes measles, polio, whooping cough and hepatitis B.
Measles outbreak across Europe
WHO information on measles
By mid-April this year Germany had 410 measles cases, compared with 325 for the whole of 2016, the Robert Koch Institute reported.
The institute said that besides children, all adults born since 1970 should get immunised against measles, if they had not had the measles jab or had had it only once.
Last week a German court ruled that a father could insist on having his child vaccinated, over the objections of the mother. The case concerned a separated couple, and the child was living with the mother.
Italian officials have attacked what they call "anti-scientific" theories which have led to vaccination rates falling well below levels deemed safe to prevent outbreaks.
Those theories include a long discredited link between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.
Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Infant with measles rash: The infection sometimes causes serious complications
Vaccination - the picture across Europe
A 2010 survey of vaccinations EU-wide and in Iceland and Norway found much variation in policy. The Venice project survey reported that 15 countries had no mandatory vaccinations, and the rest had at least one mandatory vaccination.
The level of compliance was high, including in countries where vaccinations were recommended, not mandatory.
The report concluded that "the label'mandatory' is not the only driver behind achieving a high vaccination coverage, and many other factors can play a role, such as the use of combined vaccines, prices for the recipient, kind of offer, information and promotional campaigns".
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that since the introduction of two doses of anti-measles vaccine across Europe the number of cases has dropped sharply. The total in 2016 - about 5,000 - was the lowest ever recorded.
But 14 European countries |
point. With or without religion, good decent people will continue to be good decent people, embracing irrational superstitious myths is not a magical force that enables people to be good, they can be and are capable of altruism regardless of such superstitions.
Mr Harker also claims that he would, “rather have this regular reminder of what I should be striving for than to hear no message at all“. Having attended such services myself in the past, I’d personally rather not see people exposed to constant reminders that being homophobic is fine, men are superior and in authority over woman, everybody is wicked and only by believing in some nonsense can you be saved and become good. Thats not a code for morality, its a gullibility test.
I confess that I am also bemused by his use of the term, “Atheist evangelist”, where he holds up Richard Dawkins as an example. I do wonder who he thinks appointed Richard to that role. But then he also goes on to describe “Saint Stephen Fry, or Cardinal Polly Toynbee”. Why all this? Well apparently because he thinks we should not “create our own rules”. Well where exactly does he think his religious rules came from? The magic man in the sky perhaps
As for belief being a force for good, well think seriously about the direction this force would push you in. Anybody who today chooses to literally follow the teachings of the Old Testament would be a criminal (slavery, homophobia, genocide, etc…) and anybody who would strictly follow the teachings of the New Testament would be insane – give all you have to the poor, don’t plan ahead, insist that woman must be silent, the end of the world is imminent, everybody is born wicked, but don’t worry because god gave birth to himself so that he could sacrifice himself to himself to appease his own anger towards us because a talking snake tricked your ancestor.
The fact that religion exists is understandable, our ancestors once struggled to grasp meaning and understanding. Natural things such as thunder, weather and seasons were attributed to supernatural entities. It was not at first a moral code, that only came about later. Having first decided that “gods” existed, it was a natural step to then decide what these gods wanted us to do, and so these beliefs evolved, but tragically such tribal codes were hammered into stone and deemed beyond criticism.
Today, we have evolved beyond such primitive moral codes and no longer deem slavery or homophobia to be appropriate or moral … why? was it because religion acted as a force for good? No, not at all, we deployed logic and reason to work that out. It was the religious that needed to be tamed and dragged kicking and screaming into the light out of the darker morals they insisted upon inflicting by force upon the rest of us.
If we truly wish to have a force for good, then we must abandon irrational beliefs that are firmly rooted to primitive moral codes and instead embrace humanism where logic and reason are deployed to work out what is truly moral and right.
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Like this: Like Loading...I'm simple and easy to please. I said that I like vintage ponies, toys, and geeky little things. I mentioned that I'm a beginner ukulele player and that I needed something to put it in.
And Santa was good to me!
I got a fabulous gig bag for the uke. It's much better than the thin cloth one it came with, and I can fit extra stuff in there if I wanted. Not that I'll ever do any gigs, but it's nice to have something good.
Santa sent along a pack of My Little Pony stickers. I'm not sure where I'll put them, but I'll find a place for them. Possibly my laptop.
Last, but no less awesome, I received a little English flag, my only clue about my Santa's identity. I've got to find a spot for it where I can see it and be reminded of my first Reddit gift exchange.
Thank you AnonySanta!Thank you Mr. Drance and Ian McCoshen!
1. What was it like being picked in the 2nd round by the Panthers in 2013?
“It was really exciting. It’s something that you work towards as a hockey player, it’s a goal that you want to achieve, but it’s just a stepping stone. You’re still trying to make it in the NHL.”
2. Which defenseman would you compare your game to?
“I really like Ryan McDonaugh’s game, from the New York Rangers.”
3. Who has been your biggest influence so far in your hockey career?
“My Dad. He got me into hockey, coached me growing up, and helped me get to where I am today. I’m forever grateful for my dad.”
4. What was it like suiting up for your 1st career NHL game?
“It’s a dream come true. I know everyone says that, but it really is. You get butterflies before the game, you’re just so happy, you just try to enjoy the moment.”
5. Would you say you are an offensive, defensive or two way defenseman?
“I’m a two-way defenseman, I try to contribute however I can.”
6. What is your favorite food? (Personality Question)
“Sushi, hands down.”
7. How do you think Bob Boughner will impact your game?
“I think he’ll help out a lot. I know he was a top shutdown defenseman in his career, so I’m hoping he’ll give me some pointers on how to stay in the NHL!”
AdvertisementsI swear this was done yesterday, however it was much too late to post it :)
Wishing to make my interrupt handling mechanism portable to other architectures in the future, I’ve tried to collect information on how interrupts work on as much past and current architectures as possible. Here’s a condensed forms of what I’ve found…
PDP 11
In order to prioritize interrupts, there are some “Interrupt priority” bits in the processor’s control registers. Interrupts can have 4 priority levels, and there’s level 0 for normal software. An interrupt is not handled until its priority is strictly higher than the current value of the “Interrupt priority” bits, and when it occurs those bits’ values are raised to the interrupt’s priority level. This way, higher-priority interrupts can preempt lower-priority interrupts, but interrupts at a given level do not preempt themselves, which could have lots of unwanted consequences.
The PDP-11 uses a variant of vectored interrupts where each piece of hardware which may generate interrupt has got the vectors stored in some memory-mapped registers.
Before running an ISR, the processor saves its PSW (status information which changes on execution of very common instructions) and PC (previously executed code location) on the stack. All other registers must be saved manually as needed.
VAX 11
This system is made by the same company as the PDP 11 (DEC) and is viewed by said company as its successor, so most things work roughly in the same way, only with more available interrupt priority levels.
A major difference, though, is that vectors are not stored at a fixed and directly visible location in memory. Instead, the OS stores them on a page, whose location is indicated to the CPU through a special register.
Another difference is that it is now possible to use a separate stack to handle interrupts, which comes particularly handy when the stack of some software is corrupted, intentionally or not.
MIPS on the PIC32MX
There are two ways the processor may operate. In single-vector mode, all interrupts are handled by the same code. Multi-vector mode offers the option to have different pieces of code manage different interrupts, but not quite in the same way as above since there’s not enough available interrupt vectors to manage each interrupt with a unique ISR. Even there, there will still be some vector sharing. The location of the interrupt vector(s) is configurable.
When several interrupts share the same vector, there must be a way to identify which interrupt exactly has been triggered. The MIPS way to do this is to have a look at some special processor registers, where one bit corresponding to the recently triggered interrupt is set.
Similar registers may be used to deactivate (“mask”) specific interrupts, unlike on above architectures where they only is a standard way to deactivate interrupts according to their priority.
In multi-vector mode, it is also possible to use an interrupt priority mechanism similar to the one described above.
Unlike above, the processor saves its full state on the stack before entering the ISR. Interrupts are handled on the same stack that’s used by other software.
ARM (in 2001, more up to date information needed as it seems to have changed!)
On all previous architectures, the processor could see interrupts coming from a wide range of hardware locations. On ARM, however, the processor only sees two external interrupt sources : IRQ (Interrupt ReQuest) and FIQ (Fast Interrupt reQuest). It is not recommended by ARM to manage FIQ at the OS level, as it should be reserved to hardware where speed is a critical issue, requiring first-class interrupt handling by a specialized driver. FIQ interrupts can preempt IRQ interrupts, and benefit from some other performance optimization.
Vectors for FIQ and IRQ, along with vectors for exceptions (interrupts from the interior of the CPU, generally caused by a faulty instruction), are located at a specific location of memory, in the first few bytes.
Each source of interrupts may be processed on its own separate stack. However, ARM, in a very original way, does not save the processor state on said stack, but uses extra registers instead. As usual, the information that’s saved is relatively minimal, only including minimal status information, the location of the previously running code, and that of its stack.
The OS has to manage one interrupt pin (IRQ), where interrupts are coming from various sources, so this is akin to the “single-vector mode” of the PIC32MX. However, as the ARM architecture holds the current world record of standardization minimalism, there’s no standard way to do that. The ISR must contact an external chip called the Interrupt Controller (IC) and communicate with it in an unspecified way in order to discover where the interrupt comes from.
x86_64
There’s a range of interrupt vectors (256 to be precise) which are managed like on MIPS independently from the hardware they relate to. The first 32 are reserved for exceptions like divide by zero, overflow, or invalid instruction, and for NMI (Non Maskable Interrupt), a special kind of external interrupt that, as the name says, can’t be disabled. Other vectors are available for use by software (typically to call kernel functions) or hardware.
The vectors are stored on a table, where ISR locations are strangely entangled with configuration information for various legacy reasons, in a way that only x86 gurus master.
It is possible to disable all external interrupts but NMIs by clearing the IF bit of the processor’s control registers, which is done automatically by hardware when an interrupt occurs. So there’s no interrupt priority mechanism in the manner described above : only NMIs may preempt running interrupts. NMIs can’t be disabled, as said before, but if one occurs further ones are blocked until the associated ISR is done.
On the other hand, using the external PIC or its IO-APIC successor, along with some other routing hardware for more advanced manipulation, it is possible to use a weaker kind of interrupt prioritization (also available on MIPS, although I didn’t mention it) which affects the order in which interrupts will be processed.Mapping external interrupts to interrupt vectors is also done via PICs, and PICs may also be used to mask individual interrupts. Thankfully, although much more complicated to operate than they should, these devices are standard and relatively well documented. A similar priority mechanism is used for exceptions, but their relative priorities cannot be changed.
Interrupts can optionally be handled on a separate stack. On said stack, x86 processors save the same minimal state information as most other CPUs, along with an error code including some information on what has happened for exceptions.
Alright, now it’s time to build an interrupt handling scheme which works on all of this :)
AdvertisementsStanding the Watch: Everyone Counts In Homeland Security
TheWatch Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 30, 2016
The Coast Guard cutter was on a law enforcement patrol in the northern part of the Mona Passage — the ocean strait separating Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic. The sea was more or less calm with swells less than a foot. A refreshing Caribbean wind blew through the pilot house keeping us bridge watch standers delightfully cool.
A floating blanket of clouds blocked out the moon making it hard to see far into the night.
A quiet voice filled with doubt and hesitation broke the silence. It was the lookout — one of the cuter’s most experienced seaman.
“Sir — there might be something off of the starboard bow. I saw it once and am having trouble finding it again.”
I acknowledged his report. I and other bridge watch standers quickly scanned the area off the starboard bow with our binoculars. Nothing…..
I checked the ship’s radar. No blips…..
I called the Combat Information Center and asked them to check their radar screens- No contacts…….
I visually scanned the area again and rechecked the radar. Again Nothing….
After gathering my thoughts, I called the Captain who was asleep in his cabin.
“Good morning Captain — it is 2 a.m. The lookout has reported a contact off the starboard bow. The bridge crew cannot visually confirm anything there. We do not have any radar contacts. I recommend we come right 15 degrees to a course of 000 to investigate.”
The captain replied “Sounds good — I will be coming up to the bridge shortly.”
“Yes sir” I replied and then gave the order “Helmsman come right 15 degree steady-up on course 000.”
Less than a minute passed and helmsman reported “Steady on course 000.”
“Roger” I replied.
We slowly sailed forward in the darkness, scouring the sea with our eyes when the lookout excitedly reported, “Sir there is something in front of us. Permission to turn on the spotlight.”
“Yes” — I replied.
Suddenly a ray of light streamed from the top of the pilot house over the bow and down to the ocean.
Instantly, a white billowing object began emerging from the darkness … about five hundred yards ahead off the starboard bow.
What is it?… I thought for a second.
“It is extremely close. Helmsman all stop!” I commanded.
All at once, we heard a multitude of voices. It was a sail boat riding extremely low in the water and filled with more people than I could count. These people had a high likelihood of dying if they continued on their voyage.
I called the captain. “Sir, I believe we have found a migrant vessel heading from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. It is full of people.”
The captain replied — “I was getting ready to call you. Get the rest of the crew up. Set the Migrant Interdiction Bill.”
We spent the rest of the morning transferring the migrants from their overloaded vessel.
It turns out they had been at sea for days and had run out of food and water. They were in trouble and some would have perished at sea if we had not found them.
We spent the rest of the day working with U.S. immigration officials determining how these migrants would be processed.
I often think about that night. The lookout to me was the night’s hero. He was one of the cutter’s lowest ranking crew members. His eyes and not the cutter’s sophisticated radars found the migrants. He decided to make his report despite not being completely sure of himself and it made all the difference. There are people still alive because of his initiative.
The lookout report speaks to a bigger challenge we face as Americans. Homeland Security is an all hands affair. We cannot truly succeed if we are not looking out for each other. If we see something, we need to say say something in order to prevent harm to our communities, friends, and family.
The Watch — Keeping an Eye on Homeland SecurityApple could be switching things up, if a couple of purported iPhone dummy models are to be believed. 9to5Mac received a couple images from leak specialist Sonny Dickson that depict next iteration of iPhones with a glass backing, which could mean that the models could have inductive charging as a feature.
Apple is expected to announce three new iPhone models next month: the iPhone 8, which will be a major overhaul for the phone — and which might not arrive until 2018, as well as a refresh to the iPhone 7 models.
Wireless charging is already expected for the overhauled iPhone 8, and if accurate, it seems as though Apple could be bringing that feature to consumers a bit early: earlier this summer, a couple of Foxxconn employees claimed that the 7S model would have an aluminum unibody instead of a glass chassis and that they wouldn’t have wireless charging.The news of Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton came as a surprise to many. And for a sizeable number of Hillary Clinton’s voters, the reality of a Donald Trump presidency is just sinking in. That said, one question puzzles most American citizens on both sides of the divide – how did Donald Trump win? Well, a combination of factors is said to have helped him achieve this.
The Hillary Clinton email scandal is believed to be one of them. According to a recent statement Clinton offered while speaking to donors, the FBI Director James Comey greatly contributed to her loss when he sent a letter to Congress on October 28, highlighting that he would be reopening the investigation into her emails, in light of new evidence. The announcement is said to have lowered people’s trust in her, especially the silent majority, and nine days later when he absolved her of any wrongdoing, the decision appeared suspicious.
It seemed to confirm what many thought – the government was attempting to help Hillary in a cover-up, further depressing her lead over Donald Trump.
According to CNN,” She [Hillary Clinton] said the FBI development was too much to ‘overcome,’ but she acknowledged there were other headwinds facing her campaign that they didn’t adequately combat”.
That said, another powerful element is now being highlighted as one of the main contributors to Hillary Clinton’s loss, and that is the media. There have been numerous online debates as to whether Hillary Clinton was doing better at the polls before the elections primarily because mainstream media was backing her. She was largely lauded by new networks to be the better candidate. On the other hand, Donald Trump received significant airtime, but this was while the media attempted to throw shade at him.
The result was Donald Trump and his supporters versus mainstream media. His war against the media is said to have appealed to many Americans, who viewed it as a propaganda machine controlled by the elite, motivating them to join his “revolution.” According to research undertaken by the American Press Institute, a candidate that is largely supported by the media (in this case Hillary) is likely to lose trust among the population. The following is an excerpt of the report indicating this.
“Over the last two decades, research shows the public has grown increasingly skeptical of the news industry. Designed for today’s saturated media environment, this new study from The Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the American Press Institute and the Associated Press‑NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, helps establish that trust is an important differentiator for building an audience.”
“If there is no trust, there is no relationship,” said Brandon, a lifestyle news consumer, during a focus group in the Philadelphia area. “Why put energy into something I can’t trust when there are other resources that I can trust?”
As such, Donald Trump may have had an edge over Hillary thanks to the media supporting her. It also didn’t help when Wikileaks leaked Hillary Clinton’s emails, revealing collaboration between some media houses and her team, sometimes supplying her with debate questions in advance. Considering the fact that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the election, some of her supporters are currently taking steps to try and convince members of the Electoral College, who number 538, to change their stance on their decision to vote Trump come December 19.
This is when they officially cast their votes. A minimum of 270 electoral votes are needed to win the presidency and Donald Trump got 290. A series of petition drives have been launched towards this by Hillary Clinton supporters including on Change.org.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]Star Wars Battlefront news continues to trickle out and it seems there still is more to learn. This time about the authenticity that DICE hope to bring to Star Wars Battlefront in the very first developer diary.
The first Star Wars Battlefront developers diary comes in via the GAME Youtube, where it is apparently exclusive. In it, the developers over at DICE talk about the long journey to the point where they are at now. This includes going to Lucasfilm and utilizing a lot of their assets and viewing an array of props they have kept from the various Star Wars films to create a much more realistic Star Wars experience for fans.
Many fans have already picked apart the Star Wars Battlefront developer diary and managed to scrape together two screens that show off split-screen, one of first-person mode and the other of third-person.
Star Wars Battlefront is set to release on November 17th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.In just a few weeks, the mobile app Flappy Bird became a global phenomenon. It was a simple game, but frustrating and endless. Sharing many similarities with the famous Helicopter Game — only with Super Nintendo-style graphics — it's safe to say Flappy Bird took over the web.
The game was designed and built by Dong Nguyen, a developer who lives in Vietnam. Nguyen previously made a number of iOS and flash games for his mobile studio.Gears.
The story of Flappy Bird — its sudden rise and equally sudden fall — is hard to pin down. That's partially because Nguyen, overwhelmed by the popularity of the game, has declined press requests for interviews. [Update: Shortly after we posted this story, Forbes tracked down Nguyen in Hanoi, where he revealed that Flappy Bird is "gone forever' because, essentially, it was addictive.]
Still, using Twitter data from Topsy, Nguyen's Twitter stream and app-ranking data from App Annie, we've managed to put together a timeline of the game.
Much of the data surrounding Flappy Bird and its viral success came courtesy of Zach Williams, a developer who analyzed the numbers behind the game.
Williams scraped all of the written app reviews from Flappy Bird in iTunes before the game was removed; this yielded a database of more than 68,000 written reviews, and he was kind enough to share a CSV file of that data with Mashable. Using it, we were able to look for trends around when the app started to gain traction, its ratings and the general user sentiment surrounding it.
The game's sheer success has led some critics to accuse Nguyen of using shady practices — including buying traffic or paying for fake reviews — in order to help Flappy Bird ascend the app charts. After looking at the data that corresponds to when Flappy Bird started to build word-of-mouth buzz, however, we can't find any signs of impropriety, or manipulation of reviews or ratings.
The fact that Flappy Bird wasn't a scam — but a naturally occurring spectacle that came out of nowhere — only makes its triumph that much more incredible and its removal from the App Store that much more bittersweet.
What follows is a strange story about a simple game called Flappy Bird and the roller-coaster ride that followed.
The Beginning
The digital origins of Flappy Bird date back to November 2012. At the time, Nguyen shared an image of a game he was working on via Twitter:
If you look at the left side of the image, you can see what looks like an early version of Flappy Bird's protagonist.
Nothing more about the game was mentioned. Later, Nguyen would say that the character originated from a game he started working on, but scrapped.
Then, in April 2013, Nguyen shared the first splash screen for a new iOS game called Flap Flap:
New simple game. Flap Flap. pic.twitter.com/Dmt9AXsYzY— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) April 29, 2013
The game had Nintendo-style graphics, and looked inviting. Nguyen said he managed to build Flap Flap in just two days.
Managed to submit Flap Flap for approval in 2 days.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) April 29, 2013
A month goes by with no update on Flap Flap. As it turns out, there was already another app with that name in the App Store. Nguyen renamed the game Flappy Bird.
@buzznben Flap Flap was the name of an exist app and I had to rename it.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 31, 2014
Flappy Bird made its App Store debut on May 24, 2013. Nguyen tweeted his high score from the game's share screen. Note that the hashtag is #flapflap — the name of the original game.
He also shared a direct download link to the game.
Flappy Bird is out now! http://t.co/bnU1g2vGSb— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) May 24, 2013
The Calm Before the Storm
After releasing Flappy Bird, Nguyen appeared to abandon both it and his Twitter account. According to app-review data pulled from the App Store (before the game was removed), the game attracted just 13 reviews between May 25 and Oct. 31. Written reviews aren't a perfect measure of download figures — as far more users download a game than take the time to write a review — but the app was practically invisible.
In September 2013, Nguyen released his first update to Flappy Bird. It fixed a few bugs, and he added a new icon for iOS 7.
The game continued to toil in obscurity for another six weeks. Then, something interesting happened. Flappy Bird entered the "Family" category at 1469 on Oct. 29, 2013, which means it was the 1469th most popular Family game in the App Store, according to App Annie.
A few days later, Flappy Bird made its first appearance on Twitter aside from Nguyen's initial tweets.
Fuck Flappy Bird üò°üò°üò°— Alexiss. (@alexisbaskervil) November 4, 2013
This tweet, sent on Nov. 4, is emblematic of the reviews, tweets and commentary many others would share three months later.
On Nov. 14, Flappy Bird entered the U.S. game charts, coming in at 1368, according to AppAnnie. By this time, the game had climbed to 393 in the Family category.
The game started to gain traction in those two categories through the month of November. Reviews increased, too. Flappy Bird managed to earn 20 reviews in November. Many of those reviews expressed a love-hate relationship with the game.
One review, entitled "Love/hate/live," sums it up:
I have a love/hate relationship with this game and it's so addicting
It's a great game though. I can't get past 15:(
Gaining Traction
On Dec. 3, 2013, Flappy Bird officially entered the overall App Store charts, coming in at 1308 in the U.S. At this time, the game was ranked 74 in Family and 395 in U.S. games.
The game continued to rise in popularity. On Dec. 11, Nguyen returned to his Twitter account, and replied to a user asking for an Android version of the app.
@craicalaic7 Hi, sorry for late reply. It will be on Google Play soon.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) December 11, 2013
By Dec. 13, the game had cracked the top 250 for free apps in the U.S., the top 80 for U.S. games and ranked 14 in Family.
Twitter users started to tweet more about the game, creating rage graphics and memes related to their frustrations. Nguyen retweeted some of the more humorous images:
Me after playing flappy bird for over a minute.üò´üò° pic.twitter.com/XP156YedpP— C-bear (@BarlowConnor) December 16, 2013
Flappy bird and I have an extreme love/hate relationship— Madeleine Fuertes (@malenlovesjb) December 19, 2013
Flappy Bird also started gaining 20 reviews a day. The game proved polarizing, with most of the ratings either a full five stars or one star, with many expressing the "I hate this game, but cannot stop playing" sentiment.
Finding Success
Flappy Bird's popularity continued to climb into January 2014. On Jan. 10, the app achieved a major milestone: It became a top-10 app in the United States. It was ranked the eighth-most-downloaded free app in the U.S. and the sixth-most-downloaded free game.
"Flappy Bird" breaks into the top 10 in the App Store. Image: App Annie
Other game developers took notice, and asked Nguyen if he did anything to promote Flappy Bird to get it into the top 10. Nguyen replied that he "doesn't do promotion." He also expressed excitement, as the app continued to climb higher in the App Store.
@SideResult Thank you. Great to know people like my game :-). I don't do promotion.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 12, 2014
Wow, my game got in top 10 US free apps. Thank you, people. pic.twitter.com/CiCuHRjfjR— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 12, 2014
Flappy Bird download levels swelled on Jan. 13, increasing 136% day-over-day. On Jan. 17, the app became the number-one free app in the U.S. App Store, according to app-analytics company Distimo.
Thank you people for playing 'Flappy Bird'. It is now #1 in free app chart in the US. Cam on moi nguoi.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 17, 2014
Flappy Bird was a bonafide hit. And it would only get bigger.
On Jan. 22, Nguyen announced that an Android version of the game was available in Google Play.
I just uploaded 'Flappy Bird' to Google Play store. Sorry for the wait. pic.twitter.com/8tosETkuso— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 22, 2014
Finally, here is the link https://t.co/ZbpzDGUy84 I hope you enjoy it :-)— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 22, 2014
Within a week, it became the most-download app on Google Play.
By Jan. 24, the media was finally starting to take notice of Flappy Bird. Buzzfeed and Kotaku wrote articles expressing surprise at the app's level of success. Developers began dissecting the game, and praising its virality.
It's here that Flappy Bird really started to take off on Twitter. Tweets with the phrase "Flappy Bird" passed the 500,000 a day mark as of Jan. 25, according to Topsy.
The flurry of media coverage intensified, with a significant uptick happening at the end of January. Publications such as The Huffington Post, The Telegraph and Mashable all wrote about the game that appeared out of nowhere.
By Feb. 1, Flappy Bird was the number-one free game in 53 countries in the App Store.
On Feb. 6, Apple even acknowledged the game's success, tweeting about it from its official App Store Twitter account.
Asking Why
As January became February, Flappy Bird was responsible for millions of downloads a day on iOS and Android. As it became a success, media outlets started to reach out to Nguyen to talk to him about the game.
Nguyen was fairly guarded with most press, but did do a few interviews, including with game blog Chocolate Lab Apps and TechCrunch. In both interviews, Nguyen chalked up the game's success to pure luck.
He told TechCrunch, "I don't know how my games can be so popular. Most of my players are kids in schools. I would like to thanks them for playing my game and sharing it to other people."
Reporters started looking into the psychological reasons behind Flappy Bird's success, and app developers also wanted to know its secret. Once the app reached the top 10 in the App Store, developers started asking Nguyen about his strategies for making it successful.
A common question was whether he bought traffic (i.e. paying for exposure that leads to downloads) for Flappy Bird, or used cross-promotional techniques to raise the download counts on his other apps.
@GaborFuredi Thank you. I'm not so sure of that since I didn't add cross-promoting ads in game.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 15, 2014
@GaborFuredi I don't think I can afford that when I made these games.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 15, 2014
@sergeytyo It is hard to believe, I understand. I have no resources to do anything else beside uploading the game.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 31, 2014
@Dillan_S I never created any fan pages or twitter accounts for my games. Those are not mine :-)— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 31, 2014
For his part, Nguyen maintained that he did nothing to help juice the ratings or download figures for Flappy Bird.
However, some commentators were skeptical. On Feb. 1, app marketer Carter Thomas speculated that Flappy Bird's success was due in part to reviews left by bots.
It's not uncommon for some developers to try to juice rankings or ratings for an app by paying for bots to leave positive reviews. However, this pattern usually becomes obvious because the reviews all contain the same sentence, phrase or group of phrases.
When asked about Thomas' post via Twitter, Nguyen responded diplomatically.
@h_a_l_e_x @RaimonZamora @bluecloudonline I respect his own opinions. It is a good read including those comments.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 1, 2014
Thomas' blog post was picked up by The Telegraph and Newsweek.
Nguyen refused to answer any questions about his methods, asking the press to leave him alone.
@joekloc Hi Joe, I think press should give my game some peace. Its success is really overrate! I'm sorry, I refuse to answer questions.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 4, 2014
Press people are overrating the success of my games. It is something I never want. Please give me peace.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 4, 2014
In one of his tweets to a Newsweek reporter, Nguyen made a valid point: If he was cheating, why would he still be in the App Store?
@joekloc It doesn't matter. Don't you think? If I did fake it, should Apple let it live for months?— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 4, 2014
The Price of Success
Questions over how Flappy Bird achieved such dizzying success became even more frequent when it was revealed that Nguyen was making $50,000 a day in ads off of the game.
That figure was first revealed to The Verge, and it immediately increased backlash against the game.
Kotaku was especially harsh on the game, writing an op-ed originally entitled "Flappy Bird is Making $50,000 a Day Off of Ripped-Off Art." (Kotaku has since changed the headline and parts of the article.)
Some users began calling out Nguyen over Twitter. In the beginning, he seemed to take the attention with good humor.
@kai_lebo haha, I know. I got so many mean tweets, I'm getting used to it now :-)— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) January 31, 2014
By the time February rolled around, however, it was clear that Flappy Bird's success and the attention Nguyen got as a result, was impacting his life for the worse.
@sherpa I'm trying hard to do but things are out of my control. Press people are looking for me right here in my country too!— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 4, 2014
Nguyen said he was receiving hate tweets, death threats and repeated harassment over the game.
@NikoWavy @yungkamehameha Yes, the #1 makes a lot of visibility, more profits and also getting more haters :-(— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 7, 2014
@WickedGavel I think those assets are truly mine but it might be unoriginal.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 7, 2014
Nguyen appeared overwhelmed by the app's popularity, which he expressed via Twitter on Feb. 7.
@ArabicGamers I am really sorry. I am overloaded now. One man cannot handle all of these.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 7, 2014
These tweets were mocked by some outlets, which only exacerbated the negative attention toward Nguyen.
After originally promising to build a Windows Phone version of the game, Nguyen seemed ready to throw in the towel last week.
I would like to sorry WP users for the late of WP build. I am trying hard to make it happen.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 7, 2014
Nguyen had uploaded an update to Flappy Bird for iOS on Feb. 3. The update was approved on Feb. 8. It included graphical changes to the game, and actually made it a bit easier. Because the update was released when Flappy Bird was at its peak popularity, feedback from some users was negative.
@bigperrydog Well, I am sorry. It is for the mass. A lot of people like it to be easier.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
The End
A few hours after the 1.2 update for Flappy Bird for iOS was released, Nguyen seemed dejected on Twitter.
I can call 'Flappy Bird' is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
@misterlukeherb @kotaku Not because of them but because how people use my game. They are overusing it.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
Then, at around 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 8, Nguyen made a stunning announcement: Flappy Bird was going to go away.
I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
It is not anything related to legal issues. I |
a highly motivated, successful coach to lead the National Greco-Roman Program. The Head National Greco-Roman Coach is responsible for all facets of the Greco-Roman program, including the recruitment, development, and training of the country’s top athletes.• USA Wrestling seeks and individual who:- Has developed national champions and world medalists- Is experienced in leading teams overseas- Motivates and inspires athletes- Understands long-term athlete development- Communicates effectively- Creates a positive and enthusiastic environment- Works well in a team environment- Effectively evaluates athlete talent, strengths, and weaknesses- Follows and respects organizational policies and procedures• To work with USA Wrestling staff, Greco-Roman athletes, volunteers, and personal coaches to lead the Greco-Roman team to prominence in world-level competitions.• Assist in the development of a 4-year High Performance Plan for each Olympic Quadrennium.• Assist National Teams Staff in developing and maintaining an annual budget.• Recruit and cultivate a coaching network from the pool of Greco-Roman coaches who are proficient and up-to-date on the latest rules, procedures, techniques and training methods.• Create both short and long-term individual training plans with Elite Athletes and their personal coaches to help them attain excellence in world-level competitions.• Serve as media spokesman and liaison for the Greco-Roman program.• Organize, and coordinate all training and competition activities of the National Greco-Roman Team.• Maintain consistent communication with all Greco-Roman stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, volunteers, and officials.• Work with the National Coaches Education Manager to further develop the Greco-Roman portion of USA Wrestling’s Core Curriculum Series.• Represent USA Wrestling at international coaching clinics and conduct domestic grassroots promotional activities.• Work with the Greco-Roman sport committee to resolve issues and assign volunteer coaches to touring, developmental, and championship teams.• Work closely with United States Olympic Committee Sports Performance Staff to apply successful sports science principles to the sport of wrestling.• Develop and coordinate an international scouting system designed to determine world-wide technical and scoring trends, identify weaknesses in foreign opponents, and recognize areas of improvement for U.S. athletes.• Assist USA Wrestling National Teams and Events Staff in development of the domestic and international training / competition calendar.• Establish a recruiting program aimed at drawing top-level NCAA athletes to Greco-Roman wrestling.• Work with existing clubs that support Greco-Roman wrestling and encourage all national clubs to support Greco-Roman.• Collaborate with USA Wrestling staff and volunteers to raise funds for the Greco-Roman program.• Other duties as assigned.Extensive Domestic and International travel is required.Commensurate with qualifications and experience.USA Wrestling is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and/or questions to Les Gutches via email at lgutches@usawrestling.org.Shiner, Texas-based Texas Black Rifle Co is offering a new take on AR lowers designed to showcase Second Amendment rights in a non-politically correct way.
With the latest craze in placing blame for terror attacks on AR-15s and similar piston-guns, TBRCI has debuted their A Salt Rifle multi-caliber lower. Sure, it’s Milspec, made from high quality 7075 T6 aluminum forgings and finished with True Type III Hard Anodizing with proper STANAG magazine dimensions, but it’s the markings that show up for the win.
The company does make clear on their webpage this stripped lower is an FFL item saying, “Now, don’t forget, regardless of what the Libtards say, you can’t just buy this A Salt Rifle online and have it sent to your house. You must have your A Salt Rifle sent to the gun store of your choice.”
MSRP is $150.00.
[ TBRCI ]"Manaos" redirects here. For other uses, see Manaos (disambiguation)
Municipality in North, Brazil
Manaus (; Portuguese: [mɐˈnaws, mɐˈnawʃ]), previously known as Manaós before 1939 and formerly Barra do Rio Negro, is the capital city of the state of Amazonas in the North Region of Brazil. It is situated near the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. With a population of more than 2 million, it is the most populous city of both the Brazilian state of Amazonas[2] and the Amazon rainforest.
The city was founded in 1669 as the Fort of São José do Rio Negro. It was elevated to a town in 1832 with the name of "Manaus", an altered spelling of the indigenous Manaós peoples, and legally transformed into a city on October 24, 1848, with the name of Cidade da Barra do Rio Negro, Portuguese for "The City of the Margins of the Black River". On September 4, 1856 it returned to its original name.[3]
Manaus is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and access to the city is primarily by boat or airplane. This isolation helped preserve both the natural environment as well as the culture of the city. The culture of Manaus, more than in any other urban area of Brazil, preserves the habits of Native Brazilian tribes. The city is the main access point for visiting the fauna and flora of the Brazilian Amazon. Few places in the world afford such a variety of plants, birds, insects, and fishes.[4]
It was known at the beginning of the century, as "Heart of the Amazon" and "City of the Forest".[5] Currently its main economic engine is the Industrial Park of Manaus, a Free Economic Zone. The city has a free port and an international airport. Its manufactures include electronics, chemical products, and soap; there are distilling and ship construction industries. Manaus also exports Brazil nuts, rubber, jute and rosewood oil. It has a cathedral, opera house, zoological and botanical gardens, an ecopark and regional and native peoples museums.[6]
With a population of 2,145,444 people in 2018, Manaus is the most populous city in the Brazilian Amazon area and the 7th most populous in the country. It is located on the north bank of the Negro River, 18 km (11 mi) above the meeting of the rivers where the Negro merges with the Solimões, to form the Amazon proper. Manaus is 1,400 km (900 mi) inland from the Atlantic Ocean. It is the hub of tourism for the rivers, the jungle lodges and the river cruises.[7]
The Solimões and Negro rivers meet just east of Manaus and join to form the Amazon River (using the Brazilian definition of the river; elsewhere, Solimões is considered the upper part of the Amazon [8]). Rubber made it the richest city in South America during the late 1800s. Rubber also helped Manaus earn its nickname, the "Paris of the Tropics". Many wealthy European families settled in Manaus and brought their love for sophisticated European art, architecture and culture with them. Manaus is also a duty-free zone, which has encouraged development in the region.[9]
History [ edit ]
1562 map of Amazonas river
Manaus in 1865
Public Library of the Amazon
Etymology [ edit ]
The name Manaus comes from the native people called Manaós, which means Mother of the Gods.[10]
Early settlement of Manaus [ edit ]
The history of the European colonization of Manaus began in 1499 with the Spanish discovery of the mouth of the Amazon River. The Spanish then continued to colonize the region north of Brazil. Development continued in 1668-1669 with the building of the Fort of São José da Barra do Rio Negro by the Portuguese in order to ensure its predominance in the region, especially against the Dutch, at that time headquartered in what is today Suriname. The fort was constructed in rock and clay, with four cannon guarding the curtains.[11] It continued to function for more than 100 years. Next to the fort there were many indigenous mestizos, who helped in its construction and began to live in the vicinity.[11]
The population grew so much that in 1695, the missionaries (Carmelite, Jesuit, Franciscan) built a nearby chapel dedicated as Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), who in time became the patron saint of the city.[12] A Royal Charter of March 3 of 1755, created the captaincy of São José do Rio Negro, with capital in Mariuá (now Barcelos), but with the governor, Lobo D'Almada fearing a Spanish invasion, the seat went back to Lugar de Barra in 1791. Being located at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers, it was a strategic point. On November 13 of 1832, Lugar da Barra was elevated to town status and named Manaus. On October 24 of 1848, under Law 145 of the Provincial Assembly of Para, it was renamed City of Barra do Rio Negro. On September 4 of 1856 the governor Herculano Ferreira Pena finally gave it the name "Manaus".[13]
Cabanagem [ edit ]
Public Market, 1906.
The Cabanagem was the revolt in which blacks, native americans and mestizos fought against the white political elite and took power in 1835. The Cabanagem reduced the population of the then state of Grão-Pará from about 100,000 to 60,000.[14] The involvement of rebels from the Upper Amazon (Manaus today) in what was originally a movement based in Belém was crucial for the birth of the current state of the Amazon. During the brief period of revolution, the Cabanos of the Upper Amazon, bands of rebels, roamed throughout the region, occupying Manaus twice, and in most settlements their arrival was greeted by the non-white population spontaneously joining their ranks, leading to a greater number of adherents to the movement. With that there was an integration of people in the region thus forming the state.[15]
Rubber boom [ edit ]
The Bridge Benjamin Constant built between 1892 and 1895 with parts imported from England
Manaus was at the center of the Amazon region's rubber boom during the late 19th century. For a time, it was "one of the gaudiest cities of the world".[16] Historian Robin Furneaux wrote of this period, "No extravagance, however absurd, deterred" the rubber barons. "If one rubber baron bought a vast yacht, another would install a tame lion in his villa, and a third would water his horse on champagne."[17] The city built a grand opera house, with vast domes and gilded balconies, and using marble, glass, and crystal, from around Europe. The opera house cost ten million (public-funded) dollars. In one season, half the members of one visiting opera troupe died of yellow fever.[18] The opera house, called the Teatro Amazonas, was effectively closed for most of the 20th Century. However it was used in scenes of the Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo (1982). After a gap of almost 90 years, it reopened to produce live opera in 1997 and is now attracting performers from all over the world.[19]
When the seeds of the rubber tree were smuggled out of the Amazon region to be cultivated on plantations in Southeast Asia,[Note 1] Brazil and Peru lost their monopoly on the product. The rubber boom ended abruptly, many people left its major cities, and Manaus fell into poverty. The rubber boom had made possible electrification of the city before it was installed on many European cities, but the end of the rubber boom made the generators too expensive to run. The city was not able to generate electricity again for years.[19]
Free Zone [ edit ]
In the 60's during the establishment of the military dictatorship in Brazil, the newly installed government concerned about the "demographic gap in Brazil", began to introduce numerous projects in the interior of the country, especially in the Amazon region, with the introduction of the Manaus free trade zone in 1967,[20] and with the opening of new roads within the region, the city had a wide period of investments in financial and economic capital, both national and international, attracted by the tax incentives granted by the free zone, in this period, Manaus had enormous demographic growth becoming one of the most populous cities in Brazil.[21]
Recent events [ edit ]
Manaus was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and one of the seats of some Olympic football games.[22] It was the only host city in the Amazon rainforest and the most geographically isolated, being further north and west than any of the other host cities. A massive prison riot occurred in January 2017, having begun in Manaus and later spreading to two additional cities in Brazil,[23] thus unleashing security problems within the country.[24][25]
Geography [ edit ]
The largest city in northern Brazil, Manaus occupies an area of 11,401 square kilometres (4,402 sq mi), with a density of 158.06 inhabitants/km². It is the neighboring city of Presidente Figueiredo, Careiro, Iranduba, Rio Preto da Eva, Itacoatiara and Novo Airão.
Vegetation [ edit ]
The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia.[26] As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than one-third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.[27]
Green areas [ edit ]
Jefferson Peres Park
Despite being located in the Amazon, Manaus is densely developed and has few green areas in the city. The largest green areas are:
Climate [ edit ]
Manaus has a humid tropical monsoon climate (Am)[32] according to the Köppen climate classification system, with average annual compensated temperature of 27.6 °C (82 °F) and relatively high air humidity, with a rainfall index around 2,300 mm (90.6 in) annually. The seasons are relatively well defined with respect to rain: the winter is relatively dry (July to September), and the summer is very rainy. There have been occasional occurrences of hail rain in the city.[33]
Due to the city's proximity to the Equator, the heat is constant in the local climate. There are no cold days in winter, and rarely very intense polar air masses in the South-Central part of Brazil and in the south-west of the Amazon have some effect on the city, as occurred in August 1955. But although they are rare, they influence the climate, causing the temperature to drop to 18 °C (64 °F) or below.[34] The proximity to the forest usually avoids extremes of heat and makes the city wet.[35]
On November 26, 2009, a case of acid rain was recorded in Manaus. Air pollution, caused in large part by the accumulation of smoke from burning, associated with the carbon dioxide emitted by cars, was the cause of this phenomenon. Although the incidence of acid rain is common in some Brazilian capitals where there is a great concentration of cars, in Manaus and other cities of Amazonas the situation is aggravated by the prolonged period of drought with the smoke from forest fires.[36]
Climate data for Manaus (1981–2010, extremes 1872–present) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 37.0
(98.6) 37.8
(100.0) 36.2
(97.2) 35.4
(95.7) 34.7
(94.5) 34.9
(94.8) 35.7
(96.3) 37.6
(99.7) 38.3
(100.9) 38.1
(100.6) 38.2
(100.8) 37.3
(99.1) 38.3
(100.9) Average high °C (°F) 30.9
(87.6) 30.8
(87.4) 30.9
(87.6) 31.0
(87.8) 31.1
(88.0) 31.4
(88.5) 32.1
(89.8) 33.1
(91.6) 33.5
(92.3) 33.4
(92.1) 32.6
(90.7) 31.7
(89.1) 31.9
(89.4) Daily mean °C (°F) 26.3
(79.3) 26.3
(79.3) 26.3
(79.3) 26.4
(79.5) 26.6
(79.9) 26.7
(80.1) 27.0
(80.6) 27.6
(81.7) 28.0
(82.4) 28.0
(82.4) 27.6
(81.7) 26.9
(80.4) 27.0
(80.6) Average low °C (°F) 23.1
(73.6) 23.1
(73.6) 23.2
(73.8) 23.2
(73.8) 23.4
(74.1) 23.0
(73.4) 23.1
(73.6) 23.4
(74.1) 23.7
(74.7) 23.9
(75.0) 23.7
(74.7) 23.5
(74.3) 23.4
(74.1) Record low °C (°F) 18.5
(65.3) 18.0
(64.4) 19.0
(66.2) 18.5
(65.3) 14.3
(57.7) 17.0
(62.6) 12.1
(53.8) 18.0
(64.4) 20.0
(68.0) 19.4
(66.9) 18.3
(64.9) 19.0
(66.2) 12.1
(53.8) Average precipitation mm (inches) 287.0
(11.30) 295.1
(11.62) 300.0
(11.81) 319.0
(12.56) 246.9
(9.72) 118.3
(4.66) 75.4
(2.97) 64.3
(2.53) 76.3
(3.00) 104.1
(4.10) 169.2
(6.66) 245.6
(9.67) 2,301.2
(90.60) Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 19 18 19 18 16 11 7 7 6 8 11 15 155 Average relative humidity (%) 86.4 86.0 86.9 86.8 85.6 83.1 80.2 78.4 77.2 78.1 80.7 84.2 82.8 Mean monthly sunshine hours 112.7 93.4 95.8 107.3 144.2 186.8 218.5 215.7 183.8 158.1 140.0 118.5 1,774.8 Source #1: Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) (climatological normals from 1981-2010;[37] (temperature extremes: 1961-present).[38][39] Source #2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[40]
Hydrology [ edit ]
The urban area covers all or part of four river basins, all tributaries of the Rio Negro. The São Raimundo and Educandos streams are completely contained in the city. The Tarumã Açu forms the western boundary of the city in its lower reaches, and is fed by several tributaries that originate in the Ducke Reserve and run through the north and west of the city. The Puraquequara forms the east boundary of the urban area in its lower section.[41]
Demographics [ edit ]
Manaus Skyline
St. Sebastian Church
According to the IBGE, in 2018 there were 2,145,444 people residing in the city, and 2,631,239 people in the Metropolitan Region of Manaus. The population density was 158.06 inhabitants per square kilometre (409.4/sq mi).
Total population: 2,145,444 inhabitants (87% urban, 13% rural, women 52.07% and 47.93% men)
Population density: 158,06 inhabitants per square km
Manaus is the seventh largest city in Brazil, after São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Brasilia, Fortaleza and Belo Horizonte.
The city's population growth is above the national average, and 10% above the average for the capital (Brasilia). Most of the population is located in the North and East regions of the city, and the New Town (northern area) the neighborhood is the most populous, with more than 260,000 residents.
According to the results of the last census, the city's population increased from 343,038 inhabitants in 1960 to 622,733 in 1970. By 1990 the population grew to 1,025,979 inhabitants, increasing its density to 90.0 inhabitants / km².
According to a 2013 genetic study, the ancestry of the inhabitants of Manaus is 45.9% European, 37.8% Native American and 16.3% African.[43]
Religion [ edit ]
Although it has been developed along a predominantly Roman Catholic social matrix, both because of colonization and immigration – even today the majority of Manauenses are Catholic – there are nevertheless dozens of different Protestant denominations in the city. Judaism, Candomblé, Islam and spiritualism, among others, are also practised.[11] The city's Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Conceição is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manaus.
The city has a very diverse presence of Protestant or Reformed faiths, such as the Presbyterian Church, Calvary Chapel, For Christ International Church of Grace of God, Pentecostal Church of God in Brazil, Methodist Church, the Anglican Episcopal Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Baptist Church, an Assembly of God Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and the Jehovah's Witnesses among others. These churches are experiencing considerable growth, mainly in the outskirts of the city. An LDS temple has been built in the city, the 6th in Brazil.[44]
Districts and regions [ edit ]
São Sebastião square
Metropolitan region [ edit ]
The Metropolitan Region of Manaus (RMM) is a metropolitan area that comprises eight cities of the Amazonas state, but without conurbation.
Regions [ edit ]
Manaus is divided into seven regions: North, Southern, Central-South, East, West, Mid-West and Rural area. The eastern region of the city is the most populated, with approximately 600,000 inhabitants (2007).[45] The northern region of the city has had the highest rate of population growth in recent years, and has the largest neighborhood of the city, the Nova Cidade neighborhood. The Center-South region has the highest per capita income.[46] The Eastern Zone is known for having a large number of hills.
Neighborhoods [ edit ]
The first neighborhood (bairro) established in Manaus was Educandos. From there, other areas of the city began to be occupied, with the arrival of migrants from other regions of Brazil.
Manaus has the largest neighborhood of Latin America, the neighborhood of Cidade Nova, which has 264,449 inhabitants, but it is estimated that the population exceeds 300,000 inhabitants. Cidade Nova is larger than all the cities inside the Amazonas state.[47] With the permanence and the strengthening of Free Economic Zone of Manaus, the city began to receive investments and constant migration of people from many parts of the state and northern Brazil.
The wealthiest neighborhood in Manaus is Adrianópolis, located in the Central-South Area of the city. Downtown Manaus is located in the Southern area of the city, next to Rio Negro River. After years of development, the historical center has been neglected by the authorities and it has become an area mostly for commerce and poor housing. There is a plan to restore the city centre to its former glory by removing beggars and irregular sellers from sidewalks and by doing that provide more safety for tourists and locals who are trying to walk in the historical areas of the city. All these plans were prompted by the 2014 World Cup.
Economy [ edit ]
Corporate Trade
Financial district of Manaus
Manaus is the sixth largest economy in Brazil. According to IBGE in 2014, its GDP was R$67,5 billion.[48] The per capita income for the city was R$33,446.[49] Although the main industry of Manaus through much of the 20th century was rubber, its importance has declined. Given its location, fish, wild fruits like Açaí and Cupuaçu, and Brazil-nuts make up important trades, as do petroleum refining, soap manufacturing, and chemical industries. Over the last decades, a system of federal investments and tax incentives has turned the surrounding region into a major industrial center (the Free Economic Zone of Manaus).
Manaus sprawls, but the center of town, the Centro where most of the hotels and attractions are located, rises above the river on a slight hill. As the largest city and a major port on the river, Manaus is commercial. Local industries include brewing, shipbuilding, soap manufacturing, the production of chemicals, computers, motorcycles and petroleum refining of oil brought in by barge and tourism.[50][51]
The mobile phone companies LG, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens, Sagem, Gradiente and BenQ-Siemens operate mobile phone manufacturing plants in Manaus.[52][53] Plastic lens manufacturer Essilor also has a plant here. The Brazilian sport utility vehicle manufacturer Amazon Veiculos is headquartered in Manaus.[54] Two airlines, MAP Linhas Aéreas and Manaus Aerotáxi, have headquarters on the grounds of Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus.[55][56]
Free Trade Zone [ edit ]
The initial idea of a Free Trade Port in Manaus, came from Deputy Francisco Pereira da Silva and was subsequently formalized by Law No. 3.173 on June 6, 1957. The project was approved by the National Congress on October 23, 1951 under No. 1.310 and regulated by Decree No. 47.757 on February 2, 1960. It was then amended by rapporteur Maurcio Jopper, engineer, who by agreement with the original author, justified the creation of a Free Trade Zone instead of a Free Trade Port.
For the first ten years the ZFM (Manaus Free Trade Zone) was located in a warehouse rented from Manaus Harbour, in the Port of Manaus, and relied on federal funds. It was perhaps due to this lack of its own resources that there was little credibility in the project. On February 28, 1967, President Castello Branco signed Decree-Law No. 288, which redefined the Manaus Free Trade Zone in more concrete terms. The new Decree-Law stipulated that the Manaus Free Trade Zone would have a radius of 10,000 km (6,200 mi) with an industrial center as well as an agricultural center and that these would be given the economic means to allow for regional development in order to lift the Amazon out of the economic isolation that it had fallen into at that time.
On August 28, 1967, the Manaus Free Trade Zone Authority, SUFRAMA, was created. SUFRAMA is an independent body with its own legal status and assets and having financial and administrative autonomy. Tax incentives and the subsequent complementary legislation created comparative advantages in the region with respect to other parts of the country and as a result the Manaus Free Trade Zone attracted new investment to the area. These incentives constituted tax exemptions administered federally by SUFRAMA and SUDAM.
Government and politics [ edit ]
Education [ edit ]
Educational Institute of the Amazon
As in all Brazilian cities, according to the Brazilian Constitution, education is a basic right given by the government for free to the population. Unfortunately, public education is very weak and wealthier inhabitants normally enrol their children in the numerous private schools of the city. On the other hand, although there are several private universities, Public Institutions are the most prestigious and the hardest ones to be accepted by due to heavy competition.
Federal University of Amazonas - Universidade Federal do Amazonas;
University of the State of Amazonas - Universidade do Estado do Amazonas;
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas;
Centro Universitário do Norte - UNINORTE;
Lutheran University of Brazil - Universidade Luterana do Brasil;
Centro de Educação Integrada Martha Falcão;
Unilasalle (Faculdade La Salle - Manaus);
Universidade Nilton Lins;
Centro Universitário de Educação Superior do Amazonas - CIESA;
Escola Superior Batista do Amazonas;
Faculdade Boas Novas;
Faculdade Metropolitana de Manaus;
Universidade Paulista.
Transportation [ edit ]
Airports [ edit ]
Eduardo Gomes International Airport is the airport serving Manaus. The airport has two passenger terminals, one for scheduled flights and the other for regional aviation. It also has three cargo terminals.
Eduardo Gomes International Airport is Brazil's third largest in freight movement,[57] handling the import and export demand from the Manaus Industrial Complex. For this reason, Infraero invested in construction of the third cargo terminal, opened on December 14, 2004. TAM Airlines also inaugurated their own cargo terminal near the airport in 2008, which claims to be their largest cargo terminal in Brazil. The country's major dedicated freight route is between Manaus and Viracopos International Airport, which is operated by wide-body jets. Other freight routes include North America and Europe.
The passenger terminal had been fully refurbished and expanded in time for the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup, which held 4 games in Manaus. The airport currently operates daily international flights to Miami, United States, by American Airlines and LATAM Airlines Brasil, to the city of Panama, by Copa Airlines, to Willemstad, Curaçao, by Insel Air and to Barcelona, Venezuela, by Avior Airlines. The airport has direct flights to all major airports in Brazil, operated by the three major carriers: Gol Transportes Aéreos, TAM Airlines and Azul Brazilian Airlines. The airport's IATA code is MAO.
Manaus Air Force Base, a base of the Brazilian Air Force is at the former Ponta Pelada Airport.
Apart from the Eduardo Gomes International Airport and Ponta Pelada Airport, Manaus still has an operational airstrip used by small propeller aircraft and helicopters about 6 kilometres (4 miles) north of the city centre, simply known as the "Aeroclube" ("airclub"). On Sundays, it is used for parachuting and where flying classes can be hired. Due to the fact that it is surrounded by residential areas, and has a recent history of crashes, it is under constant pressure to be moved.
Highways [ edit ]
There are two federal highways that intersect Manaus. There is a paved road heading North (BR-174) connecting Manaus to Boa Vista, capital of the State of Roraima and to Venezuela. Strictly speaking, Manaus is connected by road to the rest of Brazil, as it is possible to drive continuously from Manaus into Venezuela, and then reenter Brazil in the state of Acre by passing through the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. As such a route is impractical for most motorists, the vast majority of transportation to and from Manaus is by boat or plane, except for journeys to Roraima. The Independent noted that "there are still no roads to Manaus" from the rest of the country.[58]
The BR-319 heads South connecting Manaus to Porto Velho, the state capital of Rondônia. However, the access to this highway requires a ferry crossing to Careiro, across the Rio Negro and River Amazon, which takes about 40 minutes, and then is only paved for about another 100 km (62 mi) to Castanho. After that, the highway is not paved, and can not be used. Various governments have promised to recover this land-link with the rest of the country, but environmental issues, high costs and complicated logistics have impeded any progress so far.
The two major state highways are the AM-010 and the AM-070. The AM-010 heads east, to Itacoatiara, Amazonas at the banks of the River Amazon, which is the third largest city of the state. The AM-070 heads south, starting on the other side of the new bridge spanning the Rio Negro at Manaus, and reaching Manacapuru which lies at the banks of the Solimoes River, also known as the upper River Amazon, and which is the fourth largest city of the state. Both roads are paved and operate all year round.
Port [ edit ]
Ships dock at the main port in Manaus directly downtown on the banks of the Negro River. The terraced city is home to a network of bridged channels that divide it into several compartments. Several mobile phone companies have manufacturing plants in the port area, and other major electronics manufacturers also have plants there. Major exports going through the port include Brazil nuts, chemicals, petroleum, electrical equipment, and forest products.[citation needed]
Taxis [ edit ]
Regular Manaus taxis are white and can be stopped anywhere. They're organised into separate cooperatives, each with their own contact phone numbers. All taxis are metered, which doesn't necessarily mean the meter will be used.
The 'especial' taxi cars are typically black and of a higher quality than the white taxis, and will charge a fixed rate for all journeys or daily hire. Most can only be booked locally; however, the reputable Brazil Airport Transfers[59] has recently started providing airport transfer and general transportation services in Manaus.
Bus [ edit ]
The bus system in Manaus is quite extensive and there are buses and vans that go to most destinations, including the popular tourist destinations. There is a very simple bus website that permits planning of routes. Pickpocketing and other crime is pervasive.
Events and holidays [ edit ]
Tropical Hotel
The annual calendar of festivals in Manaus starts in late February/early March. The Manaus carnival (carnaval) celebrations are a good start to upcoming events and include traditional processions and samba dancing at the Sambódromo in the Centro de Convenções (Convention Centre). May is a popular time to pay a visit to Manaus, since the city hosts both the Ponta Negra Music and the Amazonas de Opera festivals during this month. Staged at the Teatro Amazonas, the Opera Festival lasts around three weeks and usually runs into early June. The Floclorico do Amazonas (Amazonas Folklore Festival) is in June, and this has grown to become a major event, involving a huge array of folk dancing and music, culminating in the Procissao Fluvial de São Pedro (St. Peter River Procession), when hundreds of riverboats sail along the Rio Negro, honouring the patron saint of fishermen.
October 24 was the day in 1848 that Manaus legally became a city. This anniversary is always cause for a party, culminating in fireworks at the end of the day. In November is the week-long Amazonas Film Festival, with films and documentaries often emphasising ecology, ethnology and human relationships.[60]
February – Amazonas Carnival – samba schools parade at the "sambódromo" in the Convention Center
May – Ponta Negra’s Music Festival
May - Amazonas Opera Festival
June – Amazonas Folklore Festival
June 29 – São Pedro Fluvial Procession
July - Amazonas Jazz Festival
September 5 - Elevation of Amazonas to the category of Brazilian Province
October 24 – Anniversary of Manaus
November - Amazonas Film Festival
December 31 – Ponta Negra's New Year's Eve Party
Sights and attractions [ edit ]
Amazonas Theatre
Because of Manaus' location next to the Amazon rainforest, it attracts a substantial number of Brazilian and foreign tourists, who come to see wildlife on land and in the rivers. It is also home to one of the most endangered primates in Brazil, the pied tamarin.
Tour boats leave Manaus to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the black waters of the Negro River meet the brown waters of the Solimoes River, flowing side by side without mixing for about 9 km (6 mi). Visitors can also explore river banks and "igarapes", swim and canoe in placid lakes, simply walk in the lush forest or stay at hotels in the jungle.
About 18 km (11 mi) from downtown is Ponta Negra beach, a neighbourhood that has a beachfront and popular nightlife area.[61] A luxurious hotel is located at the west end of Ponta Negra; its zoo and orchid greenhouse as well as preserved woods and beach are open for public visits.
The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, founded in 1882, is the city's oldest marketplace, trading in fruit, vegetables, and especially fish. It is a copy of the Les Halles market of Paris.[62] Other interesting historical sites include the customs building, of mixed styles and medieval inspiration; the Rio Negro Palace cultural |
eyes Dona got up out of her chair. “Oh, to heck with this table!” she laughed, and came around and hugged Isaac. During the long embrace she whispered something in his ear and then went back and sat down.
“And I want to apologize to you,” she said looking in my direction.
“To me?” I asked, looking very surprised.
“Yes, over all these years I have hated you and I felt guilty for being so cruel to you during the trial. You were kind to me, but I acted like a bitch to you. Everyone said that under the circumstances my behavior was perfectly understandable, but I knew different and I want to apologize.
“Well, I remember it differently,” I told her. “During the recess before the verdict came back, you and I were left alone in the hallway. I approached you and we hugged. “I’m really sorry about what happened to your son,” I said. ‘We are in this together, you know.’ And you answered, ‘Yes, but I must go now. My family is coming back and they will not understand my being here with you.’
That night I felt so alone I cried myself to sleep. Just near morning I dreamed you were leaning over my bed saying, “I’m really sorry about what happened to your son. We are in this together you know.” And just as you leaned over to hug me I woke up with my arms suspended in midair.
“Really?” she asked, looking delighted. “I’m so glad you remember it that way.”
After everyone left Isaac and I were taken downstairs. “Do you know what she said while hugging me?” he asked.
“No, what son?” I responded.
She said, “I forgive you.”"Late Night with Seth Meyers." YouTube/NBC The Democratic National Convention has so far had moving speeches by Michelle Obama on Monday night and Bill Clinton on Tuesday night. But the passionate group of Bernie Sanders supporters known as the "Bernie or bust" movement has also grabbed headlines for chanting and booing during speeches.
Some "Bernie or bust" folks have been seen with tape over their mouths that say "silenced," and some on Tuesday staged a walkout of the convention.
So on Tuesday, late-night host Seth Meyers decided to address the Bernie die-hards in a new segment he's calling, "Hey!"
Noting that Trump is leading Clinton in the latest presidential polls, he pleaded to Bernie supporters, "We don't have time for this."
"Guess what? You know how you have that crazy uncle you only see at Thanksgiving? Well this country is about 48% crazy uncles and it's about to be Thanksgiving all day every day," Meyers said.
Sanders has attempted to unify the Democratic Party by stating numerous times, including in his speech Monday night, that he is fully endorsing Clinton. But it looks like there are still devoted followers who will not jump to the Clinton side.
"Your passion changed the Democratic Party and that is no small thing. You should be proud of yourselves for his campaign," Meyers said. "But also you have to be quiet now."
Watch the full segment below.Previously: hockey, soccer, basketball.
[Bryan Fuller]
This is about college football. The NFL list is "why are you the way you are" ten times.
10. Fumbles out of the endzone are treated like other fumbles.
Nonsense that a fumble that goes out at the one stays with the team that fumbled but one that brushes the pylon is a game-changing turnover. Way to emphasize the essentially arbitrary nature of both football and life, rule. You suck!
9. Count intentional grounding as a sack, and count sacks against pass yardage.
This doesn't do anything to help on-field things but hoooooo boy do I want to throttle whoever came up with these inane statistical quirks that I shake my fist at every week during the season. If I was a defensive end and saw the QB fling the ball moments before I engulfed him and then I didn't get credit for a sack I would send a sternly-worded letter to someone. You better believe that.
8. Actually enforce illegal man downfield rules.
that's two count-em two Air Force OL seven yards downfield on a pass
It's three yards in college and one in the NFL, except it's more like infinity yards in college since refs don't bother calling it*. The lack of enforcement here has created an indefensible subset of run/pass option plays. Those are fine, as long as they stay within the rules. If OL are allowed to go downfield and cut block linebackers, which I have seen multiple times in UFR, you might as well bury defensive coordinators alive. They'll enjoy it more than defending RPOs.
*[Except once when Taylor Lewan engaged a guy on a pass block and blocked him so dang good they ended up a few yards downfield. In the aftermath the announcers admonished him for not being aware enough of where he was on the field; I swore so hard at these gentlemen that an iceberg shaped like a middle finger broke off of Greenland.]
7. College overtime starts at the 35.
The 25 is so close that even a three-and-out gives the offense a reasonably makeable field goal. Moving the start back to the 35 would make each overtime period more likely to be decisive and help prevent 6 OT marathons.
6. Adopt NFL punt coverage rules.
Spread punting and its seven gunners have made the punt return an increasingly boring exercise in watching several people surround a ball until it ceases moving.
That percentage doesn't include balls that aren't fielded at all.
The NFL prohibits all but two people from leaving until the ball is gone; adopting similar rules in CFB would restore some of the drama when man kicks ball to Jabrill Peppers-type object.
6. Adopt MGoPlayoff and never change it.
In a nutshell: 6 team playoff with home games the first two rounds and the championship at the Rose Bowl. Six teams allows all reasonable contenders in almost every year without much if any filler. Byes for the top two and home games help preserve the importance of the regular season despite the slight expansion of the field. Having things at the Rose Bowl is just obvious man. All things should be at the Rose Bowl.
5. Change the scholarship cap to an annual one.
I'm ignoring Title IX and the absurd ways it funnels money from poor to rich here, so that objection is noted.
Virtually all of the problems with oversigning and medical redshirts and not-so-voluntary transfers go away if the incentives change. With an annual cap of new scholarship players instead of an overall one, schools are incentivized to keep everyone around in case they work out. I'd set it at 25 since there would be attrition still; you could tweak it if that ended up being insufficient.
4. Allow players to sign an early, non-binding LOI.
Moving Signing Day up is a dumb idea, but it's one that gets pushed on the regular because some people think the current "offer" environment is bad for player and program. They might have a point, but allowing people to sign mostly-binding LOIs before hiring and firing gets done just increases the chances that bad fits get locked in.
Instead, create a system where recruits can sign an early LOI. Parameters:
The team must offer a scholarship on Signing Day.
Team and recruit can have unlimited contact; other teams can have none.
Recruit cannot take officials to other campuses; gets second to team he signs with.
Recruit can withdraw NBLOI at any time until Signing Day.
A NBLOI offers more certainty for both player and program without the deleterious effects of locking players in early.
3. Add an FCS exhibition before the season. Other FCS games don't count.
Doesn't count against redshirts. Doesn't require players who are actually going to see the field to play. Adds another chunk of revenue with which schools can play more meaningful nonconference games. Prevents that week where everyone in the SEC plays Chattanooga at the same time.
2. Kickoffs that go through the uprights are worth a point.
Yeah buddy. Put some bite in those personal fouls after touchdowns.
1. Multiball allows you to score as many touchdowns as you need.
In the last two minutes you can snap as many balls as you please as long as they're all snapped at the same time. You get the outcome of the worst ball, but if you score with both you get two touchdowns.Description: Bandai interview about LR election and LR gohan.............
So we just finished up the LR election
People really want to know if SSB Vegito
is a dokkan or new card
They keep asking, well heres your answer...
its a new unit
Tickets
Tickets
We are making him a ticket only summon
tickets
They gave us thousands of dollars for LR gohan
They would keep buying stones
For summon tickets
But all they got were
UR Hercule statues
And elder kai's
and teq bulmas
tickets
ticket summons made us rich
And they didn't even get LR gohan
People were on reddit complaining.
People "quit" dokkan
But we saw them play the very next day
No but serouisly
We care about the players
We gave them compensation tickets
More UR Hercule statues
They got all excited
Thinking they would pull gohan
Will be the same exact story
SSB vegito
tickets
LR Vegito will have
shit rate
hardcores will go cry on reddit
And watch casuals get LR vegito
LR vegito will be meta changing card
meta changing?
yea meta changing!
He will be broken
knowing they will pull for it
LR Vegito will release on 200mil download celebration
you giving people free stones?
yea of course we want people to think we care
Heres your free 10 stones
Stop crying reddit
he won't be featured
Just that much lower chance
Have fun redditAndroid Volley is used to manage HTTP connections in your Android app. Follow this tutorial to know how to post data and download images
This Android Volley Tutorial describes how to use Android Volley library. Android Volley is an Google library that helps developers to build HTTP clients in Android. This library handles HTTTP request and response. This library simplifies the Android app development.
In the previous post, we talked about HttpUrlConnection It is valid and useful but using Volley we can simplify our work.
To use Android Volley in your Android project, it is necessary to add it using gradle:
dependencies {... compile 'com.android.volley:volley:1.1.0' }
Alternatively, Android Volley is a library that can be downloaded from git using:
git clone https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/volley
Once we get the code, we can build up our project. If you notice the code you download is meant for Android Studio. Don’t forget to set the project as library.or you can add it to your project using gradle.
You can download the project code from here:
Why use Volley in Android?
We may ask why we need to use another library if we have already everything we need to handle network connection (i.e Http connection). Well, if you read the previous posts, you notice we have some work to do. For example, we have to create an AsyncTask, handle the network connection errors and so on. Volley simplifies the development process and increases the app performances. The main features provided by Volley are:
Efficient network management
Easy to use request management
Disk and memory cache management
Easy to extend and customize to our needs
These points are enough to choose Android Volley as our base networking library. In this post, I will show some basic operations with Volley while in some other posts I will show some other more “complex” operation.
Android Volley core
When we use Android Volley there are some classes that play an important role. They are the classes we will use more often. These classes handle:
RequestQueue
Android Http Request
Android Http Response
RequestQueue is the core class of Android Volley lib. It manages all the requests we make in our app. It takes care of queuing the requests and handle the responses. Usually, we create an instance of this class calling:
RequestQueue rq = Volley.newRequestQueue(this);
This code line creates a RequestQueue instance with default parameters. If we want to have more control, we can instantiate this class directly. Once we have our request queue instance, we can add our requests. Network requests are instances of Request class. Usually, we have everything we need under the toolbox package, but we can always customize our request extending Request class and providing our logic. Response class is the class we use when we want to listen to the response data or to the error events.
We will see it in more detail later. If we don’t have special needs, we can use some classes in the toolbox package. These classes help us handling common requests: string request and image request for example.
How to make an HTTP Post request in Android Volley
One of the most common requests we usually make is the HTTP POST request. With this HTTP method, we send a payload containing some information according to the server specification. In this scenario, we can use a StringRequest, because we expect to send a payload that is a String and receive a String as the response. So we have:
RequestQueue rq = Volley.newRequestQueue(this); StringRequest postReq = new StringRequest(Request.Method.POST, "http://httpbin.org/post", new Response.Listener<String>() { @Override public void onResponse(String response) { // We set the response data in the TextView tv.setText(response); } }, new Response.ErrorListener() { @Override public void onErrorResponse(VolleyError error) { System.out.println("Error ["+error+"]"); // handle the error here } }) ;
At line 1, we create a request queue handler. At line 2, we instantiate the StringRequest. You can notice that the code seems a bit too complex, but it is very simple. The first thing we specify that this request is a POST request, then the destination URL (http://httpbin.org). Looking at the code, you can notice we have two different listeners:
Response.Listener
Response.ErrorListener
The first one is called when the response is received and is ready. In this case the onResponse method is called. This method runs in the main thread so we can update, for example, some UI widgets. If something goes wrong, the ErrorListener.onErrorResponse is called. In this method, we have the chance to handle the error and notify it to the user.
Until now, we didn’t send any parameter. If we want to post some data to a remote server we have to override getParams method. In the Request class, getParams is a method that returns null. If we want to post some params, we have to return a Map with key-value pair. In this case, we can override this method:
RequestQueue rq = Volley.newRequestQueue(this); StringRequest postReq = new StringRequest(.....) { @Override protected Map<String, String> getParams() throws AuthFailureError { Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<String, String>(); // param1 is the name of the parameter and param its value params.put("param1", param); return params; } };
In this case, we create a key called param1 and pass the value stored in param parameter. At the end, we need to add our request to the request queue.
rq.add(postReq);
Running the code, we have:
How to download binary file – Download Image using Android Volley
What about if we want to download binary data? Well if we want to download an image from a remote server, we can use the ImageRequest. In this case, we have:
ImageRequest ir = new ImageRequest(url, new Response.Listener<Bitmap>() { @Override public void onResponse(Bitmap response) { iv.setImageBitmap(response); } }, 0, 0, null, null);
As before, in the onResponse method, we set the image we receive from the remote server (line 4). We could set the image width and height and other parameters. In this case, we didn’t implement the error listener. In this case, we have:
How to make a Custom request in Android Volley
As said, we can extend the base Request class, so that we can implement our logic. In this case, we to override two methods:
parseNetworkResponse
deliverResponse
In the first method, we have to extract the data from the response while in the other one we notify the response. We will cover these aspects in some other posts.
At the end of this post, you know how to implement an Android app that uses HTTP connection to send and retrieve information from a remote server. You can use this knowledge to invoke APIs.The Quezon City jail in the Philippines is jammed with suspected drug offenders who have been imprisoned under President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called drug war.
There were 2,650 inmates when the CBC visited in March — in a facility that was built for 800. And that's down from it's a peak of over 4,000 inmates last fall.
Still, the place is so crowded that men sleep in stairwells and on the basketball court.
One 46-square-metre room, incredibly, slept 130 men, two to a bunk three bunks high.
One might imagine the men would complain about the overcrowding, but some said they are happier in jail than out on the street where an estimated 7,000 drug offenders have been shot dead since Duterte was elected last summer.
Another oddity here is that each inmate and guard has to learn the prison dance, and when visitors like the CBC crew arrive they are asked to perform it. The lyrics to the song encourage the men to keep fit and strong and reassures those facing court dates.ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – More than 80,000 Pakistanis, including 48,000 civilians, have been killed in the decade-long US war against terrorism in Pakistan, according to a report. The report titled “Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10 Years of the
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – More than 80,000 Pakistanis, including 48,000 civilians, have been killed in the decade-long US war against terrorism in Pakistan, according to a report.
The report titled “Body Count: Casualty Figures after 10 Years of the War on Terror” was released by the Nobel Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War along with Physicians for Social Responsibility and Physicians for Global Survival.
The report, dealing with the conflict from 2004 until the end of 2013, shows that a total of 81,325 to 81,860 persons – including 48,504 civilians, 45 journalists, 416-951 civilians killed by drones, 5,498 security personnel and 26,862 militants – lost their lives in the US-led war on terror.
It also said that around 1.3 million people were directly and indirectly killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as a result of US-led wars in the regions during the the same period.
One million people were killed in Iraq and 220,000 in Afghanistan as a result of the war, it said.
“The figure is approximately 10 times greater than that of which the public, experts and decision makers are aware,” the authors of the study said.
“And this is only a conservative estimate. The total number of deaths in the three countries could also be in excess of 2 million,” they said.
The report scoured the results of individual studies and data published by United Nations organisations, government agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Pakistan government, however, has officially maintained that around 60,000 civilians and security personnel have been killed in the war on terror.Yesterday, the Vikings promised a review of Chris Kluwe's allegations that he was released in part due to his public comments supporting gay rights, and that assistant coach Mike Priefer used homophobic language in team meetings. Today the team revealed more details, and they're bringing in the big guns to investigate.
In a statement, the Vikings announced that the investigation will be led by Eric Magnuson, a former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and Chris Madel, a former DOJ trial lawyer. Madel was involved in the investigation of the Fiesta Bowl for illegally forcing its employees to make campaign contributions, a probe that led to six guilty pleas.
"It is extremely important for the Vikings organization to react immediately and comprehensively with an independent review of these allegations," said Vikings president Mark Wilf.
The investigators will speak with former and current Vikings players and personnel, which sounds fairly straightforward, at least as far as Priefer's alleged comments go. Whether Kluwe's release was due to football, politics, or both, seems destined to remain a matter of opinion, unless someone was dumb enough to leave a paper trail.Previously
With my number six spot I think I’ll take a look at all the great moments from the episode in story order. To start we have the mock Star Wars credits telling us about Kryten and the Red Dwarf crew. Backwards feels to some like the episode of Red Dwarf where the team really is together, and for their first time on screen the new crew of four work superbly.To start us off with the third series, we get a new mix of scenes for the title sequence but also the legendary guitar rendition of the Red Dwarf theme.The episode starts with Lister and the Cat discussing Wilma Flinstone, whilst Kryten takes his driving test. Recently the driving test scene seems even better to me as I will be taking my test soon and feel that I, like Kryten, may mess up everything possible.I really love the concept of the big crunch and it plays in perfectly with the tone of the show, which is one of the reasons why this episode makes it to this spot on the list. I love the initial scenes in Nodnol (London) where we first have Kryten and Rimmer who figure out that it’s English backwards, but it gets even funnier when Lister and the Cat arrive, and Lister tells the Cat that they’re in Bulgaria. They go on to steal a bike, which goes backwards, they get in a car, which goes backwards and eventually drink two pints of beer... backwards. The most disgusting bit is when they 'eat the pie' together, with pieces of it coming out of their mouths until the uneaten pie sits on the table.Lister and the Cat watch as Kryten and Rimmer, the Sensational Reverse Brothers, do their novelty show which consists of eating an egg, and drinking a glass of water, forwards! Kryten and Rimmer take Lister and the Cat to their dressing room and explain that they want to stay, that everything makes more sense backwards, no death, disease or famine. And best of all, the Second World War is a wonderful event where millions of people spring back to life, Hitler retreats across Poland and disbands the Third Reich. Lister brings up the other side of the coin, Saint Francis of Assisi, goes around and maims small animals, and worst of all, Santa Clause, who is a fat git that breaks into people’s houses and steals their kids’ favorite toys.After discussing the pros and cons of living in a backwards universe, Kryten and Rimmer get fired for a fight they will start in the future, Lister figures out that the fight starts after he un-eats some guys’ pie. They have a bar room brawl which really turns out to be a bar room cleanup.The best part is at the very end of the episode when the crew are about to leave and the Cat makes a pit stop in the bushes. As everything is backwards, the effect is hilarious and makes a great end for a fan-smegging-tastic episode!It’s well known that Donald Trump wants to build a wall. Radical environmentalists in the US seem to support his plan. From their point of view, more people means more environmental destruction. You have also warned against over-population. So is Trump right?
No. We can’t stop people who are fleeing from war, famine and poverty to a better world. That's what my book The Tortilla Curtain was about. And we will see new waves of refugees again and again in the years to come. The migrant flows are due not least to global warming. Trump’s wall, as well as the barbed wire fences in Hungary and Greece, will only lead to more chaos. As far as over-population is concerned, I really see only one solution: we all have to stop having sex for the next hundred years. Who’s with me?
Has the drought in your state, California, at least led to the last skeptics starting to take climate change seriously? Or in other words, is America finally going green?
In Montecito where I live, we were called on to use 30% less water. But my neighbors’ lawns are still as green as if we were in Ireland. Some have started drilling for water on their own land so they don’t have to give up their daily swim. The super-rich will always do what they want. On the other side, the poor can’t even afford environmental protection. In crises such as in Syria or Venezuela, where the stakes are life and death, global warming suddenly becomes a very distant concern. Despite the increased environmental consciousness, I’m pessimistic.
But the climate agreement in Paris shows that real progress can be made.
But global warming is not reversible. The oceans will never get cleaner, the forests are not going to expand. I, like all environmental activists, am condemned to a life of pessimism. But ok, there is one piece of good news: in 3.5 billion years at the latest, the sun will expand and turn the earth into a piece of charcoal. It’ll be a while yet, but from that point of view there’s nothing to worry about. Not even Donald Trump. Before we get that far, another species will have taken over. Many futurologists prophesy the rise of the rat. They’ll outlive us all. During the climate conference in Paris, a newspaper asked me to write a letter to the people of the future. So I wrote: «Dear rats of the future...»
That really is pessimistic. From the deck of your house, the forest looks pretty intact.
Due to the five-year drought in California, every second tree here will die. They’ve been attacked by a parasite that was able to spread because of the dryness. There’s a massacre going on. But most Americans don’t know what they’ll be losing when the forest is no longer there. The feeling of being alone in nature is hard to describe. Not even my kids understand what I’m doing out there for hours on end.
And what is that?
It’s like when you’re writing or reading; you step outside your body. My spirit starts to wander, but my senses sharpen. I’m often asked what wild animals I meet during my excursions on the woods, to which the answer is mainly ants. Sometimes I see a fox or a coyote. The mountain lions are rarer. Yesterday I saw 20 fat cows in the woods. The farmers bring them up here in the summer and then rustle them up when it gets colder. The cows that I saw yesterday were the escapees, the fugitives, the freedom-lovers. I spent hours with them. Such moments in the woods do me good, far away from people.
You don’t seem to be a misanthrope.
I’m not. But I need this time away to keep things in balance. I’m also more productive here. Writing is my addiction now; I used to have others. Up here nothing holds me back. I write until three in the afternoon and then I head out to the woods. Once when I had been alone for weeks, I suddenly heard a car while out walking; instead of waving at the car, I hid behind some trees.
Do you love your country?
Oh, yes. But that doesn’t stop me criticizing a lot of things. I grew up in a working-class family and once had a very intimate relationship with a damaging substance. Now I teach at a university and my new book is coming out this fall. How cool is that? Writing saved my life. I have the great good fortune of living in a democracy in which I can say anything and in which I don’t have to worry that someone’s going to push me off a cliff for my words.A year ago, no one saw Arkansas-Little Rock coming. Chris Beard took over the program, signed seven guys and wound up winning the Sun Belt, pulling the upset over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament and getting the Texas Tech (after he took UNLV) job.
Brad Underwood and Stephen F. Austin weren’t nearly as much of a surprise as the Lumberjacks had been dominant the previous season and returned standout Thomas Walkup and key pieces from a team that won 29 games and finished 17-1 in the Southland. Stephen F. ran the table in the league last season and Underwood pulled off another NCAA upset, this time over West Virginia.
Tre' McLean led Chattanooga to 29 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance last season. Frank Mattia/Icon Sportswire
There were others: Monmouth with its play on the court and its entertaining shenanigans on the bench. Yale with its Ivy League crown and upset over Baylor in the first round of the NCAA tourney.
Who are the mid-major teams that will make some noise this season?
We’re going to start with Chattanooga, a team that went 29-6 last season and doesn’t just return four starters from a year ago – but also brings back Casey Jones, who led the team in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (7.0) two years ago and was leading the Mocs in scoring, rebounding and assists when he went down with a season-ending ankle injury eight games into the year.
Second-year coach Matt McCall will trot out a starting lineup of five seniors: Jones, Tre’ McLean, Justin Tuoyo, Greg Pryor and Chuck Ester. Three of those guys are in their fifth year of college.
The long and athletic McLean wound up leading the team in scoring after Jones went down and was the SoCon Player of the Year runner-up. The 6-foot-10 Tuoyo is a force on the defensive end, Pryor runs the team and brings toughness, while Ester is a stretch four who can also put the ball on the floor.
McCall said this team will obviously have a different set of expectations than the one that beat Georgia, Illinois and Dayton in the nonconference slate last year. This time around the Mocs start the year at Tennessee and then in Chapel Hill against UNC.
While we don’t consider Gonzaga a mid-major, we will include another WCC team that hasn’t had the success and doesn’t boast the budget of the ‘Zags: Saint Mary’s.
Randy Bennett went with the same starting lineup for all 35 games last season: Aussies Emmett Naar and Dane Pineau, forward Calvin Hermanson, BC transfer Joe Rahon and 6-foot-10 big man Evan Fitzner.
All five are back from a team that won 29 games and narrowly missed on getting to the NCAA tourney. Not only that, but Bennett also returns his top three reserves from a year ago.
No one knew quite what to expect from this fairly young and unproven bunch last season. The Gaels had lost all five starters, and Naar was the team’s most proven player, having averaged 6.3 points per game.
The 6-foot-1 Naar was terrific a year ago as a sophomore, Pineau emerged as a double-double threat and Hermanson and Rahon were both double-figure scorers. Fitzner averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 boards in 23 minutes per game as a frosh, so he should take a step forward.
Princeton is the preseason favorite to win the Ivy, but I’m still going with Harvard – which gets back standout point guard Siyani Chambers and also adds four freshmen ranked in ESPN’s Top 100. This will be a completely different team from the won that went 14-16 last season. Zena Edosomwan averaged 13.1 points and 9.9 boards last year as a junior, and Tommy McCarthy got experience as a freshman filling in for Chambers. Coach Tommy Amaker also found a shooter with Corey Johnson, who started 26 games, averaged 9.8 points and made 40 percent of his 3s.
Monmouth brings back diminutive senior guard Justin Robinson from a team that won 28 games last season, Belmont has 6-foot-7 senior Evan Bradds (17.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg) and UNC-Wilmington returns Chris Flemmings and Denzel Ingram from an NCAA tourney team.
It’s never easy to try and figure out the next Cinderella, but those are a few teams to keep an eye on throughout the season.(This was originally posted on Code As Craft, Etsy’s engineering blog. I’m re-posting it here because it still resonates strongly as I prepare to teach a ‘postmortem facilitator’s course internally at Etsy.)
Last week, Owen Thomas wrote a flattering article over at Business Insider on how we handle errors and mistakes at Etsy. I thought I might give some detail on how that actually happens, and why.
Anyone who’s worked with technology at any scale is familiar with failure. Failure cares not about the architecture designs you slave over, the code you write and review, or the alerts and metrics you meticulously pore through.
So: failure happens. This is a foregone conclusion when working with complex systems. But what about those failures that have resulted due to the actions (or lack of action, in some cases) of individuals? What do you do with those careless humans who caused everyone to have a bad day?
Maybe they should be fired.
Or maybe they need to be prevented from touching the dangerous bits again.
Or maybe they need more training.
This is the traditional view of “human error”, which focuses on the characteristics of the individuals involved. It’s what Sidney Dekker calls the “Bad Apple Theory” – get rid of the bad apples, and you’ll get rid of the human error. Seems simple, right?
We don’t take this traditional view at Etsy. We instead want to view mistakes, errors, slips, lapses, etc. with a perspective of learning. Having blameless Post-Mortems on outages and accidents are part of that.
A Blameless Post-Mortem
What does it mean to have a ‘blameless’ Post-Mortem?
Does it mean everyone gets off the hook for making mistakes? No.
Well, maybe. It depends on what “gets off the hook” means. Let me explain.
Having a Just Culture means that you’re making effort to balance safety and accountability. It means that by investigating mistakes in a way that focuses on the situational aspects of a failure’s mechanism and the decision-making process of individuals proximate to the failure, an organization can come out safer than it would normally be if it had simply punished the actors involved as a remediation.
Having a “blameless” Post-Mortem process means that engineers whose actions have contributed to an accident can give a detailed account of:
what actions they took at what time,
what effects they observed,
expectations they had,
assumptions they had made,
and their understanding of timeline of events as they occurred.
…and that they can give this detailed account without fear of punishment or retribution.
Why shouldn’t they be punished or reprimanded? Because an engineer who thinks they’re going to be reprimanded are disincentivized to give the details necessary to get an understanding of the mechanism, pathology, and operation of the failure. This lack of understanding of how the accident occurred all but guarantees that it will repeat. If not with the original engineer, another one in the future.
We believe that this detail is paramount to improving safety at Etsy.
If we go with “blame” as the predominant approach, then we’re implicitly accepting that deterrence is how organizations become safer. This is founded in the belief that individuals, not situations, cause errors. It’s also aligned with the idea there has to be some fear that not doing one’s job correctly could lead to punishment. Because the fear of punishment will motivate people to act correctly in the future. Right?
This cycle of name/blame/shame can be looked at like this:
Engineer takes action and contributes to a failure or incident. Engineer is punished, shamed, blamed, or retrained. Reduced trust between engineers on the ground (the “sharp end”) and management (the “blunt end”) looking for someone to scapegoat Engineers become silent on details about actions/situations/observations, resulting in “Cover-Your-Ass” engineering (from fear of punishment) Management becomes less aware and informed on how work is being performed day to day, and engineers become less educated on lurking or latent conditions for failure due to silence mentioned in #4, above Errors more likely, latent conditions can’t be identified due to #5, above Repeat from step 1
We need to avoid this cycle. We want the engineer who has made an error give details about why (either explicitly or implicitly) he or she did what they did; why the action made sense to them at the time. This is paramount to understanding the pathology of the failure. The action made sense to the person at the time they took it, because if it hadn’t made sense to them at the time, they wouldn’t have taken the action in the first place.
The base fundamental here is something Erik Hollnagel has said:
We must strive to understand that accidents don’t happen because people gamble and lose.
Accidents happen because the person believes that:
…what is about to happen is not possible,
…or what is about to happen has no connection to what they are doing,
…or that the possibility of getting the intended outcome is well worth whatever risk there is.
A Second Story
This idea of digging deeper into the circumstance and environment that an engineer found themselves in is called looking for the “Second Story”. In Post-Mortem meetings, we want to find Second Stories to help understand what went wrong.
From Behind Human Error here’s the difference between “first” and “second” stories of human error:
First Stories Second Stories Human error is seen as cause of failure Human error is seen as the effect of systemic vulnerabilities deeper inside the organization Saying what people should have done is a satisfying way to describe failure Saying what people should have done doesn’t explain why it made sense for them to do what they did Telling people to be more careful will make the problem go away Only by constantly seeking out its vulnerabilities can organizations enhance safety
Allowing Engineers to Own Their Own Stories
A funny thing happens when engineers make mistakes and feel safe when giving details about it: they are not only willing to be held accountable, they are also enthusiastic in helping the rest of the company avoid the same error in the future. They are, after all, the most expert in their own error. They ought to be heavily involved in coming up with remediation items.
So technically, engineers are not at all “off the hook” with a blameless |
must be the same so that this assembly * fits into something else, perhaps that part radius should be moved to that * assembly file. */ PART_RADIUS = 20; HOLE_RADIUS = 5; SLOT_WIDTH = 3;
contents of file: part1.scad
// constants specific to part1 PART_HEIGHT = 10; SLOT_DEPTH = 5; module part1() { difference() { rotate([90, 0, 0]) cylinder(h=PART_HEIGHT, r=PART_RADIUS, center=true, $fn=100); rotate([90, 0, 0]) cylinder(h=PART_HEIGHT + 1, r=HOLE_RADIUS, center=true, $fn=100); translate([0, HOLE_RADIUS / 2, 0]) cube([SLOT_WIDTH, SLOT_DEPTH + 2, PART_RADIUS * 2 + 1], center=true); } }
contents of file: part2.scad
PART_HEIGHT = 1; PART_RADIUS = 20; SHAFT_RADIUS = 5; SHAFT_HEIGHT = 55; SLOT_WIDTH = 3; SLOT_HEIGHT = 5; module mypart4() { union() { rotate([90, 0, 0]) cylinder(h=PART_HEIGHT, r=PART_RADIUS, center=true, $fn=100); rotate([90, 0, 0]) cylinder(h=SHAFT_HEIGHT, r=SHAFT_RADIUS, center=true, $fn=100); translate([0, -PART_HEIGHT, 0]) cube([SLOT_WIDTH, SLOT_HEIGHT, PART_RADIUS * 2 + 1], center=true); } }
contents of file: assembly1_doc.scad
DOC_SCALING_FACTOR = 10; DOC_HEIGHT = 25; include <dimlines.scad> include <sample_part4.scad> include <sample_part3.scad> DIM_LINE_WIDTH =.025 * factor; DIM_SPACE =.1 * factor;... the rest of file where the document is generated...
By maintaining a clear separation between the constants used and the coding that creates the parts, when a dimension is changed, the change will ripple through any parts that share that dimension and the dimensioning documentation as well.
Also, while a minor point, suppose you have a large number of parts that you are maintaining with your system and a dimension changed. You could easily see which parts are affected by grepping the dimension constant to see which part shares that dimension.
Finally, in a larger system, you could maintain a hierarchical tree structure:
/organization layer/ | |-- logos |-- title block formats |-- common parts library | |-- product layer | |-- product 1 | |-- assembly layer | |-- common constants | |-- assembly1 |-- part1 | | | |-- part doc |-- part2 | | | |-- part doc | |-- assembly1 doc
By doing a little organizing up front, you would get a lot of consistency with less on-going effort.
Future Directions
There are a number of symbols that would be helpful to include in the documentation. This might involve modifying text generating file or exploring a swap from some other source.
Scaling remains an issue because there is not an effective method for generating an image that would be exactly a certain size. If there was a function for specifying a viewport that would help. Also, you would need more control over specifying the expected pixels per inch on your output.During her Saturday “Opening Statement” on Fox News Channel’s “Justice,” host Jeanine Pirro responded to the rise in the left’s calling for violence against President Donald Trump, calling the Democratic Party a “party of hate and destruction.”
“[W]e are now in a danger zone of complete hatred and chaos unlike anything we’ve witnessed in American history,” Pirro stated. “The normalization of calling for the assassination, decapitation or the beating of any president is simply shocking. And it is the extension of this hatred that trickles down and motivates people like the shooter of Congressman Scalise. That shooter wasn’t crazy. That’s too easy. He hated Republicans and thought they should die.”
“I worry, though, and you should all worry for our president and all elected officials… The trickling down of hate is a danger to us all,” she added.
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrentNew footage has emerged showing the gunman who murdered 49 people in an Orlando nightclub in a mosque just days before the massacre.
Omar Mateen was seen on surveillance footage inside a mosque in Kissimmee, Florida, on June 8 - four days before he carried out the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando on June 12.
In the video, Mateen can be seen sitting in prayer before he gets up and walks out of the mosque.
Omar Mateen (pictured) was seen on security footage praying alone in a mosque for about 10 minutes just days before killing 49 people at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando
Omar Mateen (pictured) visited the American Muslim Leadership center in Kissimmee, Florida, on June 8
Imam Helmi Elagha, who released the footage from the American Muslim Leadership center, said he could not understand how Mateen could be praying while he was potentially thinking about the shooting.
'I'm just thinking, "How are you praying?... You were contemplating killing people in a couple of days",' Elagha said in a press conference, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The imam went on to say Mateen was inside for about 10 minutes, and that it was not unusual for unknown people to visit the center as it is next to a highway.
'People will come here as travelers … and they'll pray and walk out,' he said.
Mateen was filmed as he got up from praying and walked past a group of men to leave the center
Imam Helmi Elagha, who released the footage from the American Muslim Leadership center, said his mosque is in no way associated with 'the terrorist' Mateen (pictured)
'The majority of the time, no interaction takes place.
'We're not associated with this terrorist. We're not associated with this murderer.'
Elagha added the center has been the subject of abuse since the shootings, with people making threatening phone calls and 'ranting' about ethnic cleansing on its Facebook page.
It comes after it was revealed Mateen blamed the shooting on a U.S. airstrike in May that killed an ISIS leader.
Phone conversations between the shooter and an FBI negotiator were released by a Florida court after a lawsuit filed by several news organizations.
The June 12 Pulse nightclub attack claimed 49 lives (pictured) and seriously injured 53 others
Mateen carried out the shooting at the Pulse nightclub (pictured) in Orlando on June 12, 2016
During the calls, Mateen blamed the attack on a bombing in May which killed Iraq's ISIS leader, Abu Wahib.
'That's what triggered it, OK?' Mateen told a police negotiator. 'They should have not bombed and killed Abu Wahid.' The transcript spelling of 'Wahid' is believed to be an alternative translation of the ISIS leader's name.
He also demanded the U.S. stop its air strikes, telling the Orlando police negotiator he had to, 'Tell America to stop bombing Syria and Iraq.
'They are killing a lot of innocent people,' Mateen, a New York-born son of an Afghan immigrant, said.The Elizabethan age is celebrated for its literary and dramatic culture, its music and chivalry. The Elizabethan nobility loved to have a good time, and knew just how to have it. The wealthy of the land would entertain each other with great banquets of rich foods, wine, music and dancing. They would play games against each other, play sports such as tennis or bowls, and they would ride and hunt. Women too would participate in some of these sports, aswell as play musical instruments, draw, sew and embroider.
When Queen Elizabeth was not busy with matters of state, she too would enjoy some of these pleasures. Evenings at court were full of entertainments, often dedicated to the Queen, and when she was travelling special performances were often put on for her, but the Queen also enjoyed less public activities.
Elizabeth loved to horse ride. She would spend many an hour riding fast through the Palace grounds. Her love for the sport terrified her Councilors, who feared that she would seriously injure, or even kill herself, from a fall. But Elizabeth was undaunted, and continued to ride long distances and at great speed until the end of her life. Even in her sixties she could ride a distance of ten miles, which she once proved to a courtier who advised the aging Queen to take the carriage. Elizabeth would tire out her ladies by riding hard, and early in her reign, Robert Dudley, her Master of Horse, had to bring over some new horses from Ireland, as the Queen's own horses were not fast or strong enough for her. Elizabeth and Dudley would ride together often. He was probably the most accomplished horse-man in England, and could match the Queen's speed and vigor. In the summer of 1560, Elizabeth and Dudley rode together almost everyday, while some of her ministers bewailed that the Queen was neglecting matters of state.
Queen Elizabeth Hunting
The Queen also loved to hunt. On horseback, she would hunt deers and stags with her courtiers, and when the unfortunate animal was caught, she would be invited to cut its throat. In 1575, the French Ambassador reported that she had killed "six does" with her cross bow. Hunting was quite an event, and would take several hours, so the Queen and her courtiers would often have a picnic in the forest.
Hawking was another hunting sport that Queen Elizabeth enjoyed. Again on horseback, the Queen and her courtiers would watch as a trained hawk took to the skies in search of prey, would wait for it to dive in for the kill, and then they would race to recover the hawk and its prey.
The Elizabethans had no concept of animal cruelty, and enjoyed a whole manner of violent animal sports, such as bear baiting, cock-fighting, and dog fighting. Elizabeth was particularly fond of bear baiting, in which a bear would be chained up in a pit and tormented by dogs. However, animals were also kept as much loved pets, and pets were well looked after. Elizabeth's horses were well cared for, and in all likelihood, Elizabeth had her favorite horses that meant a lot to her. She also had a little dog (perhaps several over the course of her long reign) that she loved very much, and who went everywhere with her.
As well as participating in sports, the Queen also enjoyed watching them. She would occasionally watch a game of tennis, especially if one of her favorite courtiers was playing, and once she even dressed up as one of her ladies so that she could secretly watch Robert Dudley compete in a shooting match, and afterwards surprised him by revealing her identity. Sometimes tournaments would be held, and from 1572 onwards, a very grand tilt tournament was held to celebrate the Queen's accession day.
Elizabeth loved the outdoors, and was especially fond of taking long walks in her beautifully ornate gardens. In one of her many palaces, she even had a terrace built so that she could walk away from prying eyes.BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria’s main rebel group said on Monday that it wanted an Islamic court to investigate the killing of one of its top commanders at the hands of foreign Islamist fighters last week.
The call is the first official reaction by the Western-backed Supreme Military Council to the killing of Kamal Hamami, also known as Abu Bassir al-Ladkani, which has set liberal rebels and Islamists at each other’s throats.
Rebel sources said Abu Ayman al-Baghdadi, the main suspect, is in hiding and there is no sign that he will be handed over to the court in the northern city of Aleppo by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked group in Syria to which he belongs.
“The Sharia court will look into the case... all sides have been informed about this, the military council wants the killer to be handed over to the Sharia court,” Qassem Saadeddine, spokesman of the Supreme Military Council, said after a meeting of the body.
“The Council also took a decision to ban checkpoints on main roads and also to ban masked gunmen from being present or manning checkpoints.”
It was not immediately clear how the Council would be able to implement its decisions, which appeared to target Islamist militants who often wear black masks.
Rebel sources said the Council was trying to avoid direct confrontation with radical groups who are known to be fierce fighters and better trained and equipped than its own soldiers.
More than two years since the start a revolt-turned-civil war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has become a magnet for foreign Sunni Muslim fighters who have flocked to the Middle Eastern nation to join what they see as a holy war against Shi’ites.KHAZER CAMP, Iraq — By the time the jihadists had finished, not even a woman’s eyes were legal. Showing them was a punishable offense.
The dress code imposed on the women of Mosul started soon after the Islamic State overran the city more than two years ago. It was carried out gradually, until every part of the female body was erased, starting with the face, then the rest of the body — including the hands, which had to be covered with gloves, as well as the feet, which had to be hidden by socks. It ended with an announcement blared over loudspeakers, telling women to wear a film of black cloth over their eyes.
Halima Ali Beder, 39, said she had resentfully made each new addition to her wardrobe, starting with the niqab to cover her face, and the abaya, also known as a jilbab, a loosefitting gown. Yet she still ran afoul of the Islamic State’s increasingly harsh enforcement of its codes when she stepped into the lane outside her home, planning to pop over to her neighbor’s house.Lying to borrowers, lying to banks, falsifying official documents, and exploiting conflicts of interest: Enforcement actions taken in the past year by the province’s financial services regulator provide a look at a handful of B.C. mortgage brokers behaving badly.
While only a few cases result in formal disciplinary actions, new figures show the number of complaints about B.C. mortgage brokers has increased dramatically over the past two years.
The number of complaints this year is running about 85 per cent higher than the total from two years ago, according to information from B.C.’s Financial Institutions Commission, or Ficom, the body regulating the province’s 3,400 registered mortgage brokers, who arrange mortgages and facilitate interactions between borrowers and lenders.
The regulator received 109 complaints about mortgage brokers in 2013, and the same number in 2014. For 2015, they received 136 complaints, a year-over-year increase of about 25 per cent.
This year, Ficom surpassed that total months ago. By Nov. 30, Ficom had received 185 complaints about mortgage brokers, meaning if the pace remains consistent for this month, the regulator could receive more than 200 complaints for the calendar year.
The surge in complaints could be connected to the higher level of activity in the local real estate market in recent years, said Samantha Gale, CEO of the Mortgage Brokers Association of B.C.
“As we all know in this province, particularly in the Lower Mainland, the real estate prices have gone sky-high, and what you have are a lot of borrowers under stress, because of difficult decisions that are made in difficult, high-stress circumstances,” Gale said. “People are often making complaints when they’re in trouble. Often you’ll find that the mortgage was funded two years ago, but now they’re having trouble paying, and that’s when they’ll make a complaint.”
Chris Carter, registrar of mortgage brokers at Ficom, said in an email: “The increase in mortgage broker complaints can be attributed to a number of factors. We have strengthened our proactive engagement in the marketplace, which has generated an increase in investigations and conduct reviews. There is also heightened public awareness of potential misconduct in the real estate market, and we have been actively encouraging the reporting of misconduct by brokers, lenders, and the public.”
At the end of last month, Ficom had 29 investigations open into mortgage broker conduct, with most relating to allegations of unregistered activity or application fraud.
About 65 per cent of cases so far this year resulted in what Ficom calls “non-enforcement outcomes.” But of the 51 enforcement outcomes by Nov. 30, 40 cases led to conditions being placed on the broker’s licence, six led to warnings, and five resulted in formal enforcement actions. Over the last four years, Ficom has had an average of four formal enforcement actions each year.
Those formal enforcement actions are the only cases made public by Ficom, and they provide a look at the kinds of broker misconduct investigators have uncovered in a hot real estate market.
This year’s enforcement actions include Jorawar Singh Gosal, who admitted to falsifying Canada Revenue Agency documents for “several” clients, in some cases without the borrower’s knowledge, and Indeep Singh Aulak, who took the real estate licensing exam in someone else’s place, the registrar found. Gosal, who is not currently registered, agreed to a consent order earlier this year stating he would be ineligible to apply for registration for the next 10 years, and Aulak was suspended “until further order of the Registrar.”
“Low income, bad credit? WE DO IT ALL!” read the ad printed last year in a Metro Vancouver real estate publication. “When everyone says ‘NO,’ call Rani Gill and get your mortgage done.”
However, there was a problem with the ad, according to the registrar of mortgage brokers: Gill was not a registered broker.
An undercover investigator, pretending to be a real estate investor, met Gill and recorded the meeting, during which she encouraged him to lie to get “a better deal from the bank,” according to a February cease-and-desist order.
“Gill not only demonstrated a willingness to be deceitful, dishonest, and misleading with lenders, she encouraged a potential client to do so as well,” Carter wrote in the order.
In another recent case, broker Robert John Emil Hensel testified he was “offering advice as a friend.”
But Hensel had placed himself in a situation “entirely rife with conflicts of interest,” wrote then-registrar Carolyn Rogers in a February suspension order, when he sent falsified documents to the “friend,” a desperate homeowner for whom Hensel had arranged three mortgages. Hensel had also launched three foreclosure actions on the friend’s family home, for which Hensel, also a licensed realtor, acted as the listing agent.
“Hensel demonstrated little remorse and did nothing to convince me that he would change his behaviour in the future to either avoid putting himself in such a position of extreme conflict of interest or that he would behave differently if he found himself in a similar position,” Rogers wrote after the hearing, adding Hensel’s conduct “shows a high level of contempt for the regulatory framework in place to protect the public.”
Hensel’s mortgage broker licence was suspended for 24 months, but he remains a licensed real estate representative for Vancouver brokerage Maude, MacKay & Company, according to Real Estate Council of B.C. records. His real estate license is subject to 14 conditions and restrictions, including that he remain under a managing broker’s “direct supervision.”
This year, the mortgage industry has experienced significant regulatory changes. Last month, Ficom released new mortgage broker conflict of interest guidelines, outlining rules coming next year requiring brokers to disclose to borrowers the specific dollar value of their commissions, and in October, the federal government tightened mortgage lending requirements.
Gale described some of the new restrictions as “quite draconian,” saying they could affect mortgage brokers’ ability to compete with alternative mortgage specialists, who are employed by banks and work to connect borrowers with outside lenders. While those alternative mortgage specialists are not subject to the same regulations as licensed brokers, Gale said, “They’re engaging in mortgage brokering, and they ought to be governed by provincial mortgage brokering licensing legislation.”
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The office of the registrar of mortgage brokers encourages the public to report potential misconduct to brokerconduct@ficombc.ca.
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.YouTube A new Steve Jobs tribute statue designed by Serbian sculptor Dragan Radenovic was revealed in Belgrade yesterday, according to Serbian news site Netokracija.
The date chosen for the unveiling was symbolic, as yesterday would have been Jobs' 59th birthday.
A scale model of the work features a metal representation of Jobs' head perched on the top of an obelisk. Cyrillic letters sprout from the side of the pillar, while the numbers 1 and 0 make reference to the binary system.
The whole thing is slightly weird. Netokracija
The interesting design was selected from more than 10,000 entries in an international art competition.
YouTube
According to Apple Insider (with original reporting by Marko Mudrinic at Netokracija), "Apple management appreciated the imperfections of the piece over more computer-centric design entries."Groundbreaking :: Campus Walk Student Housing Complex Please use a modern browser to view this video. Video: Mayor Brown, Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner, Jim Swiezy and Cheryl Swiezy Greenleaf and Co. recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new Campus Walk student housing development on Grant Street. The project is comprised of two buildings, 162,000 sq. feet of space of housing, and 5,000 sq. feet of retail space. The development will position more than 300 students firmly on the West Side of the city, where they will have immediate access to Grants Street and Amherst Street amenities. This student housing advancement is tremendously exciting for those who have wanted to see Buffalo State students interact with more streets and neighborhoods than simply the Elmwood Village. Hopefully Buffalo State capitalizes on this progressive development by creating its own residential and commercial thoroughfare on Grant Street. There is opportunity to continue on with this type of expansion, by developing upon sprawling parking lots that reside to the west of the campus. This stretch of housing, combined with the existing Buffalo State dorm complex at the northeast corner of Grant and Rockwell Road, creates the first semblance of density and infill needed to spur economic development on the street. The addition of retail shops, a computer room, fitness center, etc., will also be welcome – the retail component is especially exciting to see.
- culled from Buffalo Rising
Greenleaf ready to start Buffalo State housing project: The first phase of a proposed student housing project just west of the SUNY Buffalo State campus has cleared a development milestone. The Buffalo Planning Board, on Sept. 22, gave the green light to Greenleaf & Co. to begin the $75 million project’s initial phase, allowing for the construction of a pair of buildings at 643 Grant Street and some neighboring properties. The buildings, each five stories tall, would house 80 apartments and have room for approximately 300 students. A small retail component is also part of the project. Developing the first phase carries a $30 million price tag, said Doug Dimitroff, Greenleaf’s attorney and a Phillips Lytle partner.
Construction is expected to start early next year Read full article
Update BOSCHE: Click photo for details Greenleaf & Company is excited to update everyone on our progress with the BOSCHE building at 916 Main Street. The custom window installation is nearly completed and the upmost care has been taken to ensure historical accuracy throughout this process. Restoring the façade of this historic building to its former glory has been one of the most exciting steps of this adaptive reuse project. Maintaining historical accuracy was of paramount importance during this crucial phase of development and our architects at Carmina, Wood & Morris have done an excellent job of achieving this difficult task. Aside from the windows we have begun hanging drywall and starting our finish work. Installation of the mechanicals and framing out the individual apartments is also nearly complete. Our crew is working at a torrid pace to have these luxury units available as soon as possible. Interest is growing not only in the residential portion of the project but the commercial space in the building as well. Any inquiries regarding either can be directed to the Greenleaf & Company office at 716 885 8538.
On Saturday April 11th Greenleaf & Company is proud to unveil our new and improved fitness center at 1040 Delaware Ave. Residents of the building are welcome to come take full advantage of our new equipment including a self-generating stationary bike, set of dumbbells and a pro style functional trainer.
Our state of the art facility features two 40-inch TV's and air conditioning for working out during the upcoming summer months. We encourage all of our tenants at 1040 Delaware to stop into the fitness center and take a look at these upgrades.
On April 5, 2014 Greenleaf & Company hosted an Open House featuring our beautiful building at 1040 Delaware Avenue. Throughout the day, we enjoyed the company of a diverse crowd of individuals and couples either currently living in the City of Buffalo or re-locating here for new opportunities. This Open House provided good exposure for Greenleaf and also gave us a chance to market the apartments currently available at 1040 Delaware Ave. We are glad to say the event was a success as perspective tenants took tours of the building and apartments throughout the day. Many of those who talked with us at the Open House provided positive feedback about the quality of the building and the apartments within. Gift bags containing a water bottle, a pen, and additional information about the building and our company were available for those who attended the event. We hope to see those items, all featuring the Greenleaf logo, when we are out and about in the city. Thank you to all who attended the event!
Greenleaf leads Bosche Building preservation Ten years ago, the 800 block of Main Street was a poster child for urban blight, bounded by vacant and dilapidated nineteenth-century commercial buildings and underutilized low-income housing, with one or two hardy businesses keeping up a brave front amid the decay. Much has changed since then. The handsome Graniteworks complex holds the southern end of the block; all five buildings that comprise this mixed-use development were in danger of demolition at one time or other, but fortunately the wrecking crews were staved off long enough to achieve successful reuse. Further north, other vacant properties have been repurposed into restaurants and office spaces, while Hyatt’s wonderful palace of art supplies continues to survive and thrive Read more.
Greenleaf & Company has been awarded designated developer of the City-owned Summit Bosche Building at 918 Main Street. This historic four –story property will be re-developed along with a Greenleaf owned three – story building at 916 Main Street. Greenleaf purchased 916 Main Street in November 2008. 918 Main Street Richardsonian Romanesque masonry building is located next to the Red Jacket Apartments, south of Allen Street, one block across the Street from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the historic streetscape is currently intact. It is a former carriage factory built in the 1880"s and designed by Cyrus K Porter, a well-known architect. It is one of the last remaining intact nineteenth century blocks of three to four story row-type buildings that once characterized much of downtown Buffalo. Reuse of 918 Main in the Allentown Historic Preservation District has been a neighborhood goal for years. In 2004, the City applied to the Buffalo Preservation Board for approval to demolish the building but was turned down. A hole in the roof has steadily grown and many feared the building would collapse due to neglect or fall under an emergency demolition. The path to reuse was assisted last fall when the City received grant funding through the Restore New York program to stabilize and restore the building's façade. The company's $9 million reuse plan for the building is being developed by architecture and planning firm Carmina Wood Morris. A mix of conventional financing and state and federal tax credits will be utilized. Greenleaf plans to use the first floor for commercial space and thirteen market rate apartments are planned. Many of Greenleaf's current 650 apartments are in renovated buildings where the original character is retained and kitchens, bathroom and mechanical systems are upgraded... The firm's properties are concentrated in the Buffalo State, Linwood, Elmwood Village, Delaware Park and North Buffalo Areas.
The Real Estate section of Buffalo Rising featured:
1040 Delaware Nears Completion, Benefits from Medical Campus Growth. Mouse over photos for bigger version
The American Planning Association (APA) announced Oct 2, 2007 that the Elmwood Village, located in Buffalo, New York, has been designated as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007 through APA's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.Bryan Fogel in the Netflix documentary, "Icarus." Sundance Institute Bryan Fogel became one of the biggest success stories at Sundance in 2017, when his doping scandal documentary "Icarus" sold to Netflix for a staggering $5 million (unheard of for a documentary sale). But his journey actually goes back 14 years, when his claim to fame was being the creator of an off-Broadway hit show.
Struggling to get into the business as an actor, writer, or director, Fogel co-wrote the stage play "Jewtopia" with Sam Wolfson in 2003. It's a comedy about two friends navigating the Jewish and Gentile dating scenes. It became a surprise hit, with Fogel and Wolfson starring as the male leads during runs in Los Angeles, and then off-Broadway for three and a half years.
That play then had a touring production, was put into book form, and even spawned a movie version starring Jennifer Love Hewitt in 2012 directed by Fogel.
But that's when the party stopped. The movie barely got a theatrical run, and was thrust into streaming limbo following its 10% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Following that disappointment, and known around town only as "The Jewtopia Guy," Fogel was stuck in the bubble Hollywood likes to put people in.
"There was nothing coming at me that was exciting," Fogel told Business Insider. "In a way, I would call it director's jail."
"Icarus." Netflix But there was one thing that gave him comfort: cycling.
Fogel constantly rode his bike, sometimes even riding and doing competitions alongside pros. Around the time of accusations running wild in 2012 that Lance Armstrong was doping throughout his seven consecutive wins of the Tour de France, Fogel, who idolized Armstrong, began to wonder if the blame should be put on Armstrong or the entire system. Armstrong wasn't the only one doping, though he finally admitted to doing it in 2013.
That led to Fogel to an idea.
"I like to make films and I like to ride my bike, so I set out on this journey to evade positive detection," Fogel said. "Show on a bigger level how this anti-doping system essentially doesn't work and hopefully make a cool movie in the process."
In 2014, Fogel used $350,000 given to him by a friend and began to make "Icarus" (available on Netflix Friday). He hired a team of nutritionists and trainers to chart his progress, and through that he befriended the man who would be in charge of his doping process, a Russian scientist named Grigory Rodchenkov.
It took years to find what the movie was. Fogel admitted that the first two years of material hardly even made it in the finished version of the movie. But his "Super Size Me"-like journey to see how performance enhancing drugs bettered his cycling led to a friendship with Rodchenkov, which inevitably became his movie.
As shown halfway through "Icarus," Fogel begins to realize through his Skype conversations with Rodchenkov that he's a major player in Russia's doping of its athletes. In fact, he's the guy.
It turns out Rodchenkov is the director of the Moscow laboratory, the Anti-Doping Centre, which does the complete opposite on a daily basis of what its name says it does. The lab, as Rodchenkov shows in the movie, doped the athletes and then carried through methods to make sure they got through the Sochi Winter Games in 2014 undetected.
Grigory Rodchenkov and Bryan Fogel in "Icarus." Netflix Around the time Fogel got this bombshell from Rodchenkov, producer Dan Cogan and his team at Impact Partners joined the movie, and gave Fogel the financing and support to complete it. This included Fogel's trip to Moscow to see Rodchenkov at his lab for the final stage of his doping.
But then the movie took a drastic turn.
Doping allegations toward Russian Olympic athletes begin to come out in the news, with involvement tracing all the way up to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Fearful for his life, Rodchenkov devised a plan with Fogel to get him to the US.
"I had so many sleepless nights in that period," Fogel said. "I had a responsibility. This story had to come out, and Grigory was the only person on planet earth who had this evidence."
Fogel and Rodchenkov's faces were suddenly plastered all over Russian television, and Fogel claiming his Facebook and email were constantly trying to be hacked into. This led to the movie's most dramatic moment, Rodchenkov getting in touch with the New York Times in May 2016 to deliver the whistle-blowing story that rocked the sports world. Fogel was there to capture it all on camera. In fact, some of that footage has only recently been included in the movie, as Fogel didn't have enough time to get it into the Sundance cut.
"The movie has the same running time, but we lost 20 minutes of material that was in the Sundance cut, and replaced that with 20 minutes of material that is bringing this story together emotionally. Showing and not telling," Fogel said, who adds that the story also now goes quicker into Rodchenkov's story. "So at Sundance we had a lot of [text] cards because we didn't have the time to put that together." Also different from the Sundance cut, there's now animation in the movie.
Many will likely connect the events in "Icarus" to the allegations that Russia interfered in the US 2016 presidential election. And Fogel is 100% on board with that thinking.
"You think to yourself, if they have been doing this to win gold medals and they had this entire laboratory that was basically a front for this spectacular criminal operation, is there any question what else they're capable of?" Fogel said. "Whether they hacked our election or whether there was collusion, I think the writing is right there on the wall. How much more evidence do you need?"
"Icarus" is available on Netflix beginning August 4.Before Donald Trump‘s inauguration even took place, legal action was taken regarding his potential conflicts of interest between his business dealings and his new presidency. The ACLU announced that they filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Thursday, asking the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, the Office of Government Ethics, the General Services Administration, and the office of Personnel Management to turn over documents related to any potential conflicts of interest. They also revealed plans to continue bringing the fight to the 45th President of the United States.
The request specifically asks for the agencies to release legal opinions, memoranda, advisories, and communications, between November 9, 2016, to January 20, 2017.
Trump and his attorney addressed the question of conflicts of interests at a press conference last week, saying that Presidents are not subject to conflict of interest laws, and that there are no constitutional issues presented by his business.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said in a statement obtained by LawNewz.com:
Freedom of information requests are our democracy’s X-ray, and they will be vitally important to expose and curb the abuses of a president who believes the rules don’t apply to him and his family. We also know that more legal action will be needed when the new administration attempts to enact some of their unconstitutional proposals.
To that effect, Romero announced his organization’s plan for potential legal battles during the Trump administration. That plan includes demands of government transparency and accountability, protection of immigrants’ rights, upholding the First Amendment and civil liberties, defending reproductive rights, and working to achieve progress for the LGBT community.
[Image via Shutterstock]Peter Maddox and his yellow Vauxhall Corsa (Picture: SWNS)
A village in Cotswold was awash in colour today after dozens of yellow cars drove through it in support of a local pensioner.
Peter Maddox, 84, had been targeted in Bibury because he owned a yellow Vauxhall Corsa.
Pharmacist who treated Isis fighters begs to be allowed back into Britain
People visiting the village claimed it ruined their photos and someone even vandalised his car causing £6,000 worth of damage.
Mr Maddox had decided to get rid of the Corsa but his fellow villagers have now come out to support of him.
A video taken from one of the yellow cars showed the village being besieged by brightly coloured vehicles.
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Tourists said the car kept on ruining their photos (Picture: SWNS)
Peter Maddox was overwhelmed by the yellow car protest (Picture: SWNS)
A hundred yellow cars drove through the village (Picture: SWNS)
The car protest, which involved around 100 vehicles, happened in the same week Vauxhall said it would name their yellow colour after the pensioner.
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The car manufacturer said: ‘When we heard Peter’s story we were inspired at the way it captured the heart of the public.
‘We wanted to show our support for Peter, which is why we’re renaming our yellow shade to “Maddox Yellow”.’
Mr Maddox was overwhelmed by the procession of yellow cars, according to the organiser of the protest, Matty Bee.Amazon has confirmed previously-reported plans to open a big new office in downtown Bellevue, Wash.
GeekWire reported last year that the online retail giant had leased all 354,000 square feet of office space at Schnitzer West’s Centre 425 project in Bellevue. Amazon did not comment at the time and continued to stay quiet about the lease until it confirmed today. An Amazon spokesman said Monday that employees will start moving in this summer.
It is unclear why Amazon, which is headquartered in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, is establishing a presence east of Lake Washington, and the company has yet to comment on the strategy.
Puget Sound Business Journal first reported the lease confirmation.
Amazon accommodated employees on the Eastside by creating a new commuter shuttle pilot program last year with stops in Bellevue, Redmond and Issaquah, and it has since |
that he enjoys the protests today in DC. – Dr. Jim Garrow, Nov. 19, 2013
Interesting.
Is it truth? I don’t know but it is very interesting.
As bizarre as this story may be, there are some things in place that might tend to support it. Check out CNN’s entry called Top nuclear missile commanders fired. I kind of doubt that they were fired for “alcohol and gambling” as the story suggests. I would have to assume some sort of insubordination was in play. You don’t fire a highly-decorated career officer because he is a drunk. These firings happened before Garrow posted, so if he is out of his mind he could have constructed a story around these events.
And if you want to check out actual radiation levels you will see that there are areas of elevated radiation on the East Coast in the general vicinity of South Carolina. Here is a good source for that: http://www.netc.com/ Compare it to the West Coast which is purportedly suffering the effects of Fukushima and it doesn’t look all that bad, however. And since I don’t check those reports daily it could be that the Carolinas have had elevated or rising radiation levels for awhile, and that could have gone into the creation of a story as well.
My gut feeling is that this story is not true and that Garrow has slipped off into another reality. If it is true then why has no one else come forward and why is an “ex-CIA” Agent the only one willing to expose the planned slaughter of 300 million Americans? Wouldn’t you hope that at least one of the three who were relieved of command would have something to say as well? If not them, then surely someone would have been so guilt-ridden that they had to tell someone. We are talking about 300 million lives. It seems like Garrow is off his rocker, but…
…if I was 100% confident of that I would not have bothered to even print this story. I still have a hard time believing that someone could make claims like this and not find themselves behind bars or worse. Do you think this administration would allow that? Brandon Raub got arrested for some pretty harmless Facebook posts and this seems far from harmless. Does Garrow really have the goods and is he using that as leverage to keep himself from the same fate?
I can’t help but think about all of the unbelievable conspiracies that became reality in 2013. Do I believe that Obama would nuke this country to benefit from a “false flag?” Unfortunately yes I do believe that he would stoop to anything that would get him closer to his goals, but I just have a hard time believing that it’s true this time. Garrow just seems to be at the center of too many big stories that no one else seems to come by. Are his connections that strong? Or is he just crazy?
I keep going back to wondering whether of not I believe Obama would do this. I believe he would. Is Garrow credible though? I am starting to have serious doubts.
What do you think?2590 shares
The 500-page transcript from the El Faro’s voyage data recorder bridge audio was released Tuesday along with four other factual reports added to the NTSB’s El Faro investigation docket as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the maritime tragedy.
The U.S.-flagged cargo ship El Faro sank Oct. 1, 2015 off Crooked Island, Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin, resulting in the loss of all 33 crew members.
Entered into the docket were factual reports from the Electronic Data Group, Meteorology Group, Survival Factors Group, Engineering Group and the Voyage Data Recorder Audio Transcript Group, the NTSB said Tuesday.
NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart was joined by the agency’s Director of the Office of Research and Engineering, James Ritter, and Brian Curtis, Director of the Office of Marine Safety, in a press briefing in which they described the documents within the docket and provided highlights of the information contained within the docket.
According to the NTSB, the Engineering Group Factual Report contains information about the El Faro’s machinery system, a description and history of the vessel, maintenance histories for the plant, survey and inspection information, the vessel’s safety management system, and information about the training and experience of the El Faro’s engineering staff.
The Survival Factors Group Factual Report contains information about the U.S. Coast Guard’s search efforts, the El Faro’s survival equipment, crew preparedness, lifeboat standards and regulations, and information about distress transmissions.
The Electronic Data Group Factual Report provides a system overview and discussion of data recovered from the El Faro’s voyage data recorder and other onboard electronic systems. The ship’s voyage data recorder captured 26 hours of data in 11 parameters leading up to the sinking of the vessel. The 11 parameters were: Bridge Audio; Date; Time; VDR power supply status; Position and other GPS data; Heading; Course; Speed; Rate of Turn; Wind data; and Automatic Identification System data.
The Meteorology Group Factual Report provides information about what meteorological information was available to the El Faro’s crew.
The Voyage Data Recorder Audio Transcript Group Factual Report contains the transcript of the discernable and relevant bridge audio captured by the VDR. Members of the group included the NTSB, the U.S. Coast Guard and Tote Services – the owner of the El Faro.
Bridge Audio Recording
The NTSB says it considers the information captured in the VDR’s bridge audio recording critical to determining the events leading up to the loss of the El Faro along with its 33 crew members. The NTSB characterized the bridge audio as “poor quality” and containing high levels of background noise; however, this is not considered unusual, the NTSB said.
There were six microphones positioned throughout the El Faro’s bridge, according to the NTSB. Extensive digital audio filtering was necessary to enhance the audio. The entire 26-hour recording was reviewed many times, with some statements reviewed more than 100 times by the VDR audio transcript group to ensure they understood what was being said in the recording. About 10 hours of audio was determined to be relevant to the investigation and therefore transcribed by the VDR audio transcript group. T
The transcript required more than 1,100 work hours to complete. The transcript report is more than 500 pages and is the longest transcript ever produced by the NTSB.
The following is a summary of the characterization of the bridge audio transcript provided by the NTSB:
The bridge audio recording began about 5:37 a.m., Sept. 30, 2015, roughly eight hours after the El Faro departed Jacksonville, Florida.
The first recorded conversation about the forecasted weather was captured the morning of Sept. 30, between the captain and chief mate, who agreed on a course diversion they believed would keep them sufficiently clear of the eye of Hurricane Joaquin. There were multiple conversations regarding weather and route planning throughout the day and evening of Sept. 30.
The captain departed the bridge at about 8 p.m. Sept. 30, and returned at about 4:10 a.m. Oct 1. At about 4:37 a.m. the chief mate received a phone call from the chief engineer regarding the vessel’s list and engine oil levels. This appears to be the first recorded conversation about these issues. The information was related to the captain. The alternate chief engineer is heard stating at about 5:12 a.m. that he’s never seen the ship with such a list.
At about 5:43 a.m. the captain takes a phone call and indicates there is a problem in the number three hold of the ship and sends the chief mate to investigate. They discuss suspected flooding over UHF radio, which appears to be the first recorded conversation about a flooding condition on the ship.
The captain indicates at about 6:13 a.m. that the ship lost propulsion. Numerous conversations are heard throughout the remainder of the recording about the ship’s flooding condition, attempts to rectify the ship’s list and attempts to regain propulsion.
The second mate began formatting a GMDSS distress message at about 6:32 a.m. as directed by the captain. At 7:07 a.m. the captain notified Tote Service’s designated shoreside representative of the critical situation and that he was preparing to send an electronic distress signal. The captain instructed the second mate to send the distress message at about 7:13 a.m. The captain gave the command to sound the ship’s general alarm at about 7:27 a.m. and about two minutes later the second mate exclaimed there were containers in the water and the captain gave the command to sound the abandon ship alarm. About four minutes later the captain relayed over the UHF radio to put the life rafts in the water.
The bridge audio recording ended at about 7:40 a.m. Oct. 1, 2015, with the captain and one of the helmsmen still present on the bridge.
The full bridge audio transcript and other factual reports are available online in the docket at http://go.usa.gov/x8p9j
Here’s a link directly to the bridge audio transcript: LINK
WARNING: The VDR bridge audio transcript contains details from the final moments before the El Faro sank. It may be difficult or inappropriate for some readers.
The National Transportation Safety Board stresses that the public docket contains only factual information collected by NTSB investigators. It does not provide analysis, findings, recommendations or probable cause determinations, and as such, no conclusions about how or why an accident occurred should be drawn from the docket. Providing the docket affords the public the opportunity to see what information has been gathered about the accident. Any analysis, findings, recommendations, or probable cause determinations related to the accident will be issued by the NTSB at a later date.
El Faro: Event SummaryThe materials market for 3D printing is turning into a hotbed for innovation. More than likely the material science behind 3D printing will be just as, if not more important than the 3D printing technology itself. There are already dozens of different types of filament that one can print with. There are the pure plastics like ABS and PLA, but then there are plastics infused with other materials, that give prints unique looks and feels.
One company, 3DXTech which is a division of Global Polymer Group, has come out with some pretty incredible filaments. The company, located in Byron Center, Michigan, has recently begun selling carbon nanotube (CNT) composite filament. That’s right, you can now 3D print objects made out of a material which has actual CNTs within it.
For those of you who are not aware, carbon nanotubes are the incredibly strong, light weight, highly conductive tubes, which are made of only carbon atoms. Basically if you were to take a sheet of graphene, roll it up, and connect the ends, you would have a carbon nanotube.
3DPrint.com was able to speak with Matthew Howlett, president of Global Polymer Group, and talk a bit about the materials he has been working on for 3D printing. His ESD carbon nanotube filament, called 3DXNano™ is targeted towards the automobile, and semiconductor industries. Carbon nanotubes, by themselves are extremely strong, however as Howlett explains, “composites don’t translate into strength, as polymers won’t bond to the carbon atoms in the nanotubes.”
Since the filament has an ABS base with multi-walled carbon nanotubes mixed in, and is not just one giant CNT, the properties of strength do not transfer into the filament.
“The practical uses of carbon nanotubes and thermaplastics have largely been related to their electrical properties,” Howlett explained
If a high enough load of CNT’s are in the filament, the objects printed will be conductive. Howlett revealed to me that two materials are currently being tested, one with a much larger load of CNT’s than the other. The obstacles which they are running into, which are being worked on currently, is the fact that once the load of CNT’s increases, the density of the filament makes it difficult to print with.
I asked Howlett to give me a couple of examples of just what these filaments and their resin counterparts could be used for. He believes that CNT composites have exceptional uses within hard drives, which traditionally use a material called ‘carbon black’ for their conductive properties.
He explained, “Carbon black can contaminate the hard drive or circuits while carbon nanotubes don’t do that, so they are ideal. The CNT composites retain a lot of the base resin’s mechanical properties like impact and elongation.”
Howlett explained that you can put 2.5% by weight of CNT’s in a material and get the same conductivity as that of 15% by weight carbon black, and the carbon black will be brittle, while the CNT composite filament would be very flexible, taking on the properties of the underlying ABS plastic.
Clearly the market will be there for this material. However, the market for those using FDM based 3D printers, needing a CNT composite filament is extremely small at this time. Howlett has a plan though.
“We don’t anticipate the carbon nanotube filaments to be huge players, but we sell the resins also, so if Seagate for example prototypes in the filament, and they like the part, they can then contact us and we will sell them the base resin for their production quantities. We are able to bridge that gap between prototyping and production. We have the ability to supply the material in filament or in boxes [of resin] for injection molding” he stated.
3DXTech is seemingly at the forefront of the materials industry, especially for those used in FDM based 3D printers. They are working on, and already have available, several unique filament composites, all which can be found on their website. Their next generation material is already nearing launch and it’s a PETG+CNT compound. Discuss this incredible new material at the 3DXTech carbon nanotube filament forum thread. The 3DXNano CNT composite filament can be purchased for $42 for a 0.5 kg spool.It’s not quite a full-blown automobile – at least not as we know it – and not quite a motorcycle, but it’s cheap and gets unbeatable fuel economy.
A sleekly designed three-wheeled two-passenger vehicle from startup manufacturer Elio Motors in Troy, Mich. is planned for introduction sometime during 2015 that promises up to 84 mpg on the highway and a sticker price starting at just $6,800. Being developed as an economical low-cost commuter car – ideally the second or third model in a family’s fleet – the as-yet unnamed “autocycle” will include amenities like three airbags, power windows and door locks, an audio system with an iPhone/iPod interface, air conditioning and a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
“As a commuter, 93 percent of the time you’re in a car by yourself,” explains Jerome Vassallo, the company’s V.P. of sales. “You’d drive a small car like this to and from the office and leave a larger vehicle parked back home in the driveway for when you need to carry additional passengers or have more cargo room.”
We recently had a chance to drive a prototype of a bright orange Elio and discuss the fledgling automaker’s plans with Vassallo as part of a multi-city tour being conducted to show off the vehicle, gather impressions and take reservations, of which the company has racked up more than 22,000 thus far.
For starters, the Elio looks like no other car on the road. It’s about the length of a Honda Civic, but is nearly half as narrow, with a long hood, tall roof and back end and only a single conventionally hinged side door. The front wheels extend beyond the front-end bodywork, with an exposed suspension and individual aerodynamic fenders reminiscent of the hot-roddish Plymouth Prowler from the 1990’s.
The interior is about as basic as could be imagined (at least in 1968), with simple gauges and controls adorning a color-keyed dashboard. Designed with a suitable solo commute in mind, it can nonetheless accommodate one additional passenger sitting directly behind the driver in what some might find to be a claustrophobic back seat. A solid hatchback covers a small backpack-sized trunk, with the rear seatback able to fold flat when additional cargo space is needed, say to carry a set of golf clubs to the links.
Officially classified as a motorcycle because it has fewer than four wheels, the Elio is nonetheless mechanically more car than it is bike and is every bit as instinctive to operate. It has a conventional steering wheel, foot pedals and shift lever and will come powered by a three-cylinder, 0.9 liter, 55 horsepower, fuel-injected automotive engine that drives the front wheels via either a five-speed manual or automatic transmission. Traction control, stability control and antilock brakes will come standard. A 70:30 front-to-rear weight ratio should benefit foul-weather traction for those living in the Snow Belt (see the embedded video at the bottom of this post).
With a curb weight around 1,200 pounds, the Elio would be the lightest passenger car on the road. For those nervous about driving such a small and lightweight car on the highway, Vassallo says it’s engineered to achieve a five-star crash rating by automotive standards with unibody construction, a hardened steel roll cage, crumple zones at the front and rear and added side impact protection. It would typically require motorcycle registration and plates but whether it would require a motorcycle license in most states to legally operate has yet to be determined.
Founded by automotive engineer Paul Elio in 2008, Elio Motors plans to build the new three-wheeler – ironically perhaps – at the former General Motors’ plant in Shreveport, La that used to crank out Hummers. Production is scheduled to begin next March with an initial hire of 1,500 workers. The company hopes to sell 50,000-60,000 cars during its first full year on the road, and as many as 250,000 units annually after five years. “Admittedly that’s a big number, but they’re so affordable that – at least theoretically – we could put one of these in every household’s garage,” Vassallo suggests. “If someone’s spending more than $150 a month on fuel just going to and from work this vehicle will indeed save them money.”
Plans are to sell the three-wheeler through a network of Elio-owned stores in the top 60 U.S. markets with multiple locations in each area. Since the vehicle is officially classified as a motorcycle and not a car, Vassallo says the company can side-step state laws that govern new-car sales and sell the vehicles themselves without facing the same legal pitfalls as Tesla has encountered for its efforts at bypassing the traditional franchised dealer arrangement. Sales in Canada and Mexico are planned moving forward, with expansion into emerging world markets an eventual possibility.
Options, which will include items like a sunroof, leather seats and audio upgrades, would be installed to order at one of as many as nine regional “marshalling centers,” with a next-day turnaround promised. “This allows us to build all the cars alike at the factory to maximize our efficiency,” Vassallo explains. In another departure from the norm, the cars will not be serviced at the company’s dealerships, but rather via Pep Boys car care centers. “That means we’ll have over 800 service locations nationwide from day one.”
Though its primary market will be commuters, Vassallo says the car will likely also appeal to cash-strapped buyers who might otherwise only be able to afford a well worn used vehicle. “At this price we can draw business from what would otherwise be the ‘clunker’ market and offer them a new car with a full warranty.” The company is actively reaching out to car sharing companies and fleet buyers and has been talking with hotels about the possibility of owning one or more Elios for rental to travelers for a few hours’ use at a time.
In Pictures: Elio Motors' $6,800 84 MPG Car.
So how’s the car drive? We took what turned out to be a very rough prototype out for a spin in suburban Chicagoland and found it to be, shall we say, interesting.
For starters, entry and egress is about on a par with most small cars, and once inside there’s generous headroom with adequate leg and headroom for taller drivers to stretch out, though its narrow fighter jet-like cockpit takes some getting used to. Forward visibility is good, but small side mirrors and a lack of a back window and rearview mirror conspire to make backing up more of a challenge than we’d like. Novice drivers should put up Post-It notes around the cabin to remind themselves that the front wheels are set significantly apart from the body to help avoid scraping the fenders on other cars, curbs or at ATMs, tollbooths and fast food drive-through windows.
Unfortunately we could only approximate the driving experience afforded by the final production version, as the prototype we piloted was fitted with a crude carbureted engine rescued from an old Geo Metro, and lacked an exhaust system of any kind. Still, with an ultra-low curb weight, the 55 horses with which it will roll off the assembly line should suffice, albeit barely. We’re told the car’s brakes, which faded faster than a black shirt in a bucket of bleach when asked to bring the car to halt, were mercifully not to final spec. Ride quality seemed adequate, at least over the well-paved roads to which we had access. While the Elio felt stable at higher speeds, low-speed handling was unpleasantly heavy, given the car’s unfortunate lack of power steering. This would definitely not be our choice for careening around twisty roads, though our biceps could probably stand the workout they’d get by maneuvering the vehicle into tight urban parking spaces.
Still, the Elio is all about providing basic transportation on a budget, and from that standpoint we anticipate the final production version should indeed deliver the goods. Whether sufficient U.S. commuters, otherwise accustomed to larger and more powerful rides, will embrace the tiny three-wheeled Elio in sufficient numbers for the company to turn a profit remains to be seen.
“We’ll never get around the need for a big vehicle – there will still be boats to be towed to the lake and kids to be driven to soccer practice or school,” Vassallo pitches. “But the kids and the boats don’t come to the office with us every day, and it’s wasteful to drive a big sedan or SUV with most of the seats unoccupied to travel maybe 10 or 20 miles at a time.”
For more information, log onto the company's website: www.eliomotors.com.
Follow us on Forbes.com, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.Pic Gameplay streaming site Twitch.tv says it will be launching a dedicated channel for live videos of people eating.
The Amazon-owned website says its "Social Eating" channel will allow its army of amateur and professional video broadcasters to "socialize with their viewers over their favorite meals".
Twitch says you have South Korea to thank for this cyber-graze-craze. The San Francisco-based upstart says the country's infatuation with watching people (mostly young ladies, but a surprising number of blokes) tuck into nosh helped push its decision to create a dedicated online corner for real-time, live-streamed eating.
You can also thank Twitch's "creative" category, where streamers would show videos of themselves preparing and cooking food. However, under the rules of the category, they were only allowed to create and not consume, so streamers were banned from actually chowing down on their creations. Apparently, Twitch management realized this was a large enough problem to open an actual "eating" category and [Am I paying you to write this? – ed.]
"In the case of Social Eating, we were getting a lot of demand from our Korean users given how this is a huge cultural phenomenon in their part of the world. We were also receiving feedback from our users who had embraced our platform's Creative category for cooking, but lamented they couldn't spend an equal amount of time eating what they prepared," Twitch APAC director Raiford Cockfield said in what sounds a lot like an apology.
"While it is definitely a unique request, the Twitch community is nothing, if not unique, and we support their passion and interests."
Tell your parents you're having pizza with friends, and leave it at that
Cackle if you must, but in a world where people are paid money to stream themselves playing games online, or are producing and consuming erotic fanfic about turmoil in Europe, what's a bit of noodle-slurping between friends? ®Fully-nude bareback riding and "genital-to-genital touching" are among the acts that background performers on the show may be tasked with at a Wednesday shoot.
Background actors — extras — for HBO’s Westworld were being required Tuesday to sign a nudity and sex consent form that reads like the Kama Sutra and that has SAG-AFTRA officials worried that performers won’t realize that if they get cold feet on set they have the right to withdraw.
Indeed, cold feet may be the least of a performer’s worries.
The explicit consent form itself wouldn’t pass standards reviews at a broadcast network as it recites that the performer "may be required to perform genital-to-genital touching, simulate oral sex with hand-to-genital touching, contort to form a table-like shape while being fully nude, pose on all fours while others who are fully nude ride on your back, [and] ride on someone's back while you are both fully nude."
Less strenuously, others might simply "have [their] genitals painted."
The consent form is on Central Casting letterhead. On Wednesday, HBO issued a statement disavowing the notice and some of the details: “The document that the background actors were given was created by an outside extras casting vendor. It was not requested, written or approved by HBO, Warner Bros. Television, or the producers, and contains situations that we do not require of any actor. We are rectifying immediately the discrepancies in this vendor’s document with our actual on-set practices, which provide a professional and comfortable working environment for all performers.”
Later on Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA fired back: "SAG-AFTRA sent the consent form to HBO yesterday afternoon and requested that the document be changed to more accurately reflect the contractual provisions. HBO had every opportunity to rectify this situation and it was only after their direct refusal to remedy this that we posted the notice on our website. The Union is very pleased to hear that HBO is doing the right thing now, but it is disappointing that we had to take such public measures to ensure compliance with our contracts and protect our background actors."
Like all lists drafted by a lawyer, the consent form list includes catch-all language at the end, indicating that the actor may also be pressed into service to perform "other assorted acts the project may require." The imagination wanders at that phrase, but an omission from the form suggests that whips and chains may be off the table: the union contract requires advance notice of "rough or dangerous" work, and no such warning appears on the form.
Still, if any of those "assorted acts" verge on stunt work — as seems within the realm of possibility — the union contract may entitle the actor to be upgraded to principal performer, which brings with it residuals and a boost in pay.
The union agreement also requires additional payment when a background performer is asked to bring specified wardrobe. However, no additional payment is required when the performer is told to bring no clothing whatsoever.
The 2016 Westworld, described as "a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the future of sin," is inspired by the eponymous 1973 Michael Crichton film that starred Yul Brynner and is produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, Jerry Weintraub Productions and Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Kilter Films in association with Warner Bros. Television. The star-studded cast includes Anthony Hopkins,Ed Harris,Evan Rachel Wood,James Marsden,Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright.
A SAG-AFTRA member alert advises background performers that they have the right to withdraw consent at any time except as to scenes already shot, and that the set must be closed and still photography prohibited without the actor’s consent. The shoot takes place Wednesday, and a SAG-AFTRA representative will be at or near the set. The guild only tends to send member alerts when it is concerned.
Those protections only apply to union extras who are the first 19 on a television show. They’re usually referred to as "covered background performers," though in this case it seems that they’ll be covered by almost nothing except the union agreement.
The consent form includes a Central Casting logo that indicates the company was established in 1925, about a decade before SAG itself. The form is no doubt of more recent vintage and would not have been necessary in a pre-union era when movie companies were free to demand table-like nude contortions with abandon.
But today, the union agreement requires that producers obtain the performer’s advance written consent to nudity and sex acts, so the attorney who dutifully drafted the unusual form was apparently simply following the rules. The result, more risque than the usual boilerplate waivers, was probably not just another day at the office for its creator.
9/30/15 3:50 pm updated with HBO comment.
9/30/15 5:50 pm updated with SAG-AFTRA response to HBO comment.
Bookmark The Hollywood Reporter’s Labor Page for the most in-depth coverage of entertainment unions and guilds.
Email: jh@jhandel.comThe New York Yankees are on the verge of clinching their 41st World Series appearance in franchise history with a win over the Houston Astros tonight. Right now the Yankees’ success is New York City FC’s greatest enemy as the Yankees will force NYCFC to find an alternate venue for their MLS Cup run. Below is a breakdown of when NYCFC would have to play matches as well as where they’d be able to play in the coming weeks.
The Stadiums
The following are the stadiums most likely to be on NYCFC’s short list. Each stadium holds over 15,000 spectators and they are all located relatively close to New York City. The first five stadiums are all natural grass fields which was mentioned by Patrick Vieira as a crucial factor in selecting an alternate venue.
Yankee Stadium
NYCFC plays their home games at Yankee Stadium, which makes it the preferred venue for most fans and season ticket holders. It’s easily accessible and familiar territory for fans, players and staff. The New York Yankees deep playoff run has been an issue, and will continue to be an issue going forward.
CitiField
From one baseball stadium to another. CitiField is home of the New York Mets and no stranger to soccer, having hosted 4 matches prior to the upcoming NYCFC match this weekend. The last soccer match hosted at CitiField was a friendly between Israel and Honduras on June 2, 2013 which drew 26,170 fans. Capacity for the baseball stadium is 41,800; smaller than Yankee Stadium but still large by MLS standards.
The natural grass pitch and willingness to work with NYCFC despite being part owned by cross-town MLB rivals New York Yankees may be a sign of things to come for the MLS side.
Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field
NYCFC had to relocate a regular season match against the Houston Dynamo on September 23 from Yankee Stadium to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut to accommodate the Yankees. Poor attendance in the 40,000 seat venue and outrage from most fans and season ticket holders over the distance to the stadium makes this an unlikely choice at first glance, however the grass field and general availability may be too much to pass up.
Yale Bowl
The college football stadium is closer to Yankee Stadium than Pratt & Whitney Stadium and has a natural grass surface. However much like the UConn stadium, Yale’s campus isn’t easily accessible by mass transit from New York City and fans would have to take the MetroNorth to New Haven and find transportation to the stadium from there. The grass field and capacity up to 61,446 could make it a tempting draw for NYCFC’s front office.
Red Bull Arena
Some NYCFC season ticket holders would rather forfeit a match than play a home game in Harrison, New Jersey, however Red Bull Arena is the closest soccer specific stadium to New York City. The biggest issue for NYCFC, aside from the fact that they’d face massive fan backlash is the fact that the Red Bulls are also in the playoffs making this scenario dead on arrival.
Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium
The college football stadium is easily accessible for New York City residents with Subway and MetroNorth stations within walking distance. The location is familiar to NYCFC as well, with the New York Times reporting that the team had considered building a stadium in the residential Manhattan neighborhood in 2015.
Despite the easy access via mass transit, the stadium has the lowest capacity of all stadiums on this list at 17,000. In addition to the reduced capacity, there is a track which would separate fans from the action, which while giving a match a “European feel” may not play well on national television.
MetLife Stadium
The massive 82,500 seat NFL stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey has hosted a slew of international soccer matches and is in the running to be a potential venue for the United State’s 2026 World Cup bid. Access to New Jersey transit, which departs from Penn Station makes reaching the venue more palatable than a match in Hartford, however with both the Jets and Giants in their NFL season it would be extremely difficult to convince either team to let NYCFC borrow the stadium for a day. The short availability windows and FieldTurf surface make this a less likely option.
Michie Stadium
The football stadium at the United States Military Academy at West Point seats 38,000 in a beautiful setting alongside the Hudson River less than 50 miles from Yankee Stadium. Of course there are many drawbacks, the most apparent is the lack of public transportation to the stadium which would force fans to drive to the stadium. A synthetic surface and the lack of alcohol sales in the stadium make this even more unlikely for NYCFC and MLS.
Princeton University Stadium
The 27,800 seat college football stadium is less than 60 miles away from midtown Manhattan, however the lack of public transportation and FieldTurf field likely place this stadium towards the bottom of the list as far as NYCFC’s options are concerned as it would please neither Patrick Vieira or fans as they would likely be opposed to a home match in New Jersey so far from public transportation, but given the lack of large venues in the area, it bears consideration.
High Point Solutions Stadium
The 52,454 seat Rutgers University stadium has the availability throughout most of the MLS playoffs and is less than 40 miles away from midtown Manhattan, as with Princeton difficult access via mass transit and a synthetic field this becomes less of an option. As per Christian Araos of Empire of Soccer the site is not under consideration as an alternate venue, but for argument’s sake it will be included.
The Dates
Here is where it begins to get complicated, NYCFC could finish anywhere between second and fifth place in the Eastern Conference depending on how this weekends’ slate of matches finish. So this becomes a game of musical chairs with stadiums, dates and availability.
October 25th & 26th
If NYCFC finish third or fourth, they will host a knockout round match on one of these two dates.
October 30th & 31st
If NYCFC finish third through fifth and advance out of the knockout round they will host their home leg of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on one of these two dates. (If NYCFC finish fourth or fifth they would not host a game in the knockout round)
November 1st
If NYCFC finish second they will host their home match in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on November 1st as Yankee Stadium will be unavailable on the pre-scheduled MLS date of November 5th.
November 5th
If NYCFC finish third, fourth or fifth and advance to the Eastern Conference Semi Finals they would host the second leg on November 5th, for which Yankee Stadiums is unavailable.
Got it? Ok, so now we look at all the possible dates and all the possible venues to see where NYCFC could host this slew of matches.
Possible Playoff Dates & Venues
Given the wide possibility of date ranges and different dates of availability for certain stadiums, it would seem NYCFC’s front office has been tasked with an impossible mission. However upon closer examination it seems the most obvious answer, and the one NYCFC seems to have already taken steps to prepare for is CitiField in Queens.
With the Yankees looking likely to clinch a World Series berth with a 3-2 lead in the best of 7 series, Yankee Stadium won’t be available to NYCFC until after the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The crosstown Mets are out of the playoff picture which makes CitiField available for all dates except October 3rd through 5th as they are hosting a golf event. The hospitality shown by the Mets may be a sign of things to come for the immediate future.
NYCFC already announced that they would move up a possible home match from November 5th to November 1st, and as noted in the graph above CitiField would likely be available on November 1st for NYCFC given that 2 days is sufficient for the grounds crew to set up the driving ranges by November 3rd.
CitiField ‘ticks all the boxes’ when it comes to NYCFC’s requirements. A grass playing surface, in New York City with subway access and sufficient parking may be too much for NYCFC to pass up. The team is expected to announce playoff venues and scheduling next week. If Patrick Vieira’s side finishes 3rd through 5th and advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals the picture becomes far more complicated, with Yankee Stadium CitiField and MetLife all in use that day and Rentschler Field, the Yale Bowl and Columbia University’s stadium all being used the day prior.
One thing is clear, NYCFC need to finish second for the sanity of the front office and season ticket holders alike who would like to attend NYCFC’s second ever home playoff match.
Following the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, if NYCFC are still in the playoffs they can return to Yankee Stadium for the remainder of the year.
(UPDATED – 2:30PT – 10/20/17)
Rutgers University today announced that it had moved the previously scheduled November 5th game back to their campus. Rutgers’ High Point Solutions Stadium would be unavailable for this date, freeing up Yankee Stadium for NYCFC.Three Israeli universities are among the top 100 institutions of higher learning in the world, according to rankings |
6 | Found a runed door. 62487 | Lair:6 | Gained mutation: You occasionally shout uncontrollably at your foes. [mutagenic glow] 62959 | Lair:6 | Found a staircase to the Slime Pits. 62977 | Lair:6 | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas. 64232 | Lair:6 | Learned a level 5 spell: Silence 64692 | Slime:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Pits of Slime 64729 | Slime:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Pits of Slime 64744 | Slime:5 | Paralysed by a floating eye for 2 turns 66390 | Slime:1 | Identified a scroll of acquirement 69644 | Vaults:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Vaults 70021 | Vaults:1 | Noticed Nikola 70051 | Vaults:1 | Reached XP level 20. HP: 85/105 MP: 31/42 70346 | Vaults:2 | Found a bloodstained altar of Trog. 70917 | Vaults:2 | Found a staircase to the Crypt. 70988 | Vaults:1 | Your ally died 72642 | Vaults:2 | Reached XP level 21. HP: 109/109 MP: 43/43 72643 | Vaults:2 | Reached XP level 22. HP: 114/114 MP: 44/44 75078 | Vaults:4 | Found Koig's Weapon Emporium. 75633 | Vaults:4 | Reached skill level 5 in Earth Magic 78133 | Elf:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Elven Halls 79200 | Elf:1 | Found a portal to a secret trove of treasure. 79848 | Elf:2 | Learned a level 5 spell: Bolt of Magma 79856 | Elf:2 | Learned a level 4 spell: Sticky Flame 80159 | Elf:2 | Reached skill level 5 in Conjurations 80588 | Elf:2 | Found a runed gate. 80590 | Elf:2 | Found a runed gate. 80593 | Elf:2 | Found a runed gate. 80632 | Elf:2 | Reached XP level 23. HP: 119/119 MP: 15/45 81367 | Elf:2 | Found Hamuwob's Book Shoppe. 83654 | Elf:3 | Entered Level 3 of the Elven Halls 83746 | Elf:3 | Found Yrood's Magic Scroll Shop. 83998 | Elf:3 | Noticed BuddyTheOgreElf's ghost (adept OgBe) 84905 | Elf:3 | Got a clouded platinum ring 85079 | Elf:3 | Identified Sif Muna's Arcane Secrets of Witchcraft 85096 | Elf:3 | Noticed Louise 85097 | Elf:3 | Killed Louise 87105 | Elf:1 | Identified the ring "Ofyd" {rElec rF+ rC+++ Dex-5 Slay-5} (You found it on level 3 of the Elven Halls) 87859 | Vaults:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Vaults 89066 | D:15 | Found a staircase to the Depths. 89190 | Depths:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Depths 89213 | Depths:1 | Reached skill level 1 in Fire Magic 89291 | Depths:1 | Found a magical portal. 89300 | WizLab | Entered Doroklohe's Tomb 89658 | WizLab | Noticed an ancient lich 90511 | Depths:1 | Found a shadowy altar of Dithmenos. 90532 | Depths:1 | Found a one-way gate leading to the halls of Pandemonium. 90722 | Depths:1 | Found a gateway to Hell. 90862 | Depths:1 | Reached skill level 5 in Charms 90939 | Depths:1 | Got an ancient cloak 90950 | Depths:1 | Identified the +2 cloak of the Eleven Stars {Str+2} (You found it on level 1 of the Depths) 91831 | Depths:2 | Noticed Jorgrun 92151 | Depths:2 | Found a runed door. 92159 | Depths:2 | Noticed the Enchantress 92179 | Depths:2 | Killed the Enchantress 93028 | Depths:2 | Your ally died 93169 | Depths:2 | Reached XP level 24. HP: 111/124 MP: 32/46 93543 | Depths:2 | Got a ripped robe 93554 | Depths:2 | Identified the +2 robe "Famom" {+Fly Int+3} (You found it on level 2 of the Depths) 95469 | Depths:3 | Found a gateway to a ziggurat. 95970 | Depths:3 | Noticed Jory 96059 | Depths:3 | Killed Jory 96476 | Depths:3 | Identified the Disquisition on the Escort 97150 | Depths:3 | Got a brightly glowing rapier 97160 | Depths:3 | Got a shimmering granite ring 97161 | Depths:3 | Identified the cursed ring of Equivalence {rF+ Dex-3 Slay+4} (You found it on level 3 of the Depths) 97162 | Depths:3 | Identified the cursed +1 rapier "Gontau Fokka" {speed, rPois Dex+4} (You found it on level 3 of the Depths) 97733 | Depths:4 | Found Unaduud's Jewellery Shop. 97733 | Depths:4 | Found Guj Bacu's Gadget Shoppe. 97734 | Depths:4 | Found Lavumu's Jewellery Shop. 98014 | Depths:4 | Found a flickering gateway to a bazaar. 98023 | Bazaar | Entered a bazaar 98037 | Bazaar | Found Ade Addo's Food Emporium. 98062 | Bazaar | Found Item's Antique Weapon Shoppe. 98062 | Bazaar | Found Lainkil's Antique Armour Emporium. 98085 | Bazaar | Found Sinin's Magic Scroll Shoppe. 98085 | Bazaar | Found Ikesch's Book Emporium. 98122 | Bazaar | Bought 2 scrolls of brand weapon for 280 gold pieces 98122 | Bazaar | Bought a scroll of holy word for 52 gold pieces 98385 | Depths:4 | Reached skill level 5 in Fire Magic 98481 | Depths:4 | Noticed Sojobo 98502 | Depths:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Depths 98891 | Depths:5 | Found a flickering gateway to a bazaar. 99004 | Bazaar | Entered a bazaar 99004 | Bazaar | Found Lenwa Doile's Weapon Emporium. 99004 | Bazaar | Found Zaud's Food Shoppe. 99004 | Bazaar | Found Temun's Book Shoppe. 99004 | Bazaar | Found Farul's Antique Armour Emporium. 99004 | Bazaar | Found Xyixt's Book Emporium. 99004 | Bazaar | Found Cuhail's Magic Scroll Shoppe. 99017 | Bazaar | Bought 2 scrolls of enchant armour for 120 gold pieces 99017 | Bazaar | Bought a scroll of blinking for 60 gold pieces 99046 | Bazaar | Bought a heavily jewelled robe for 131 gold pieces 99046 | Bazaar | Identified the +1 robe of Jalal {Regen+} (You bought it in a shop in a bazaar) 99067 | Bazaar | Bought the +5 dagger of Kith {freeze, Str+4} for 572 gold pieces 99522 | Depths:5 | Found a gate to the Realm of Zot. 100180 | Depths:4 | Reached skill level 10 in Charms 100526 | Depths:1 | Identified a +0 rod of inaccuracy (14/14) (You found it on level 4 of the Depths) 100532 | Depths:1 | Learned a level 2 spell: Blink 101231 | Depths:2 | Reached XP level 25. HP: 100/130 MP: 22/46 103198 | Orc:2 | Bought an uncursed ring of protection from fire for 325 gold pieces 104222 | D:11 | Gained mutation: Your spells are a little easier to cast, but a little less powerful. [mutagenic glow] 104274 | D:11 | Gained mutation: Your magical capacity is low. (-10% MP) [mutagenic glow] 104379 | D:11 | Gained mutation: You expend magic power (3 MP) to strengthen your wands. [mutagenic glow] 104455 | D:11 | Gained mutation: You are clumsy. (Dex -2) [mutagenic glow] 104480 | D:11 | Gained mutation: You are very clumsy. (Dex -4) [mutagenic glow] 104554 | D:11 | Lost mutation: Your magical capacity is low. (-10% MP) [potion of cure mutation] 104554 | D:11 | Lost mutation: You expend magic power (3 MP) to strengthen your wands. [potion of cure mutation] 104554 | D:11 | Lost mutation: You occasionally shout uncontrollably at your foes. [potion of cure mutation] 104554 | D:11 | Lost mutation: Your spells are a little easier to cast, but a little less powerful. [potion of cure mutation] 104554 | D:11 | Lost mutation: You are very clumsy. (Dex -4) [potion of cure mutation] 105819 | Vaults:4 | Gained mutation: You are frail. (-10% HP) [mutagenic glow] 111160 | Vaults:5 | Got a clouded granite ring 111944 | Vaults:5 | Found Hypsaunt's Magic Scroll Shoppe. 112334 | Vaults:5 | Identified the Reference Book on Earthen Illusion 112708 | Vaults:5 | Identified the ring of Biacian {+Fly rC+ Int+7 Dex-3} (You took it off a yaktaur captain on level 5 of the Vaults) 112781 | Vaults:5 | Identified Lumiodd's Compendium of Quantum Air 112834 | Vaults:5 | Found Miodapren's Food Shop. 112839 | Vaults:5 | Found Xuits's Distillery. 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of curing for 36 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of curing for 36 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of cure mutation for 300 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of curing for 36 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought 2 potions of cure mutation for 600 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of curing for 36 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought 2 potions of curing for 72 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought a potion of curing for 36 gold pieces 112844 | Vaults:5 | Bought 2 potions of magic for 192 gold pieces 112858 | Vaults:5 | Bought a bread ration for 65 gold pieces 112858 | Vaults:5 | Bought a royal jelly for 26 gold pieces 112858 | Vaults:5 | Bought a bread ration for 65 gold pieces 112858 | Vaults:5 | Bought 4 fruits for 78 gold pieces 112858 | Vaults:5 | Bought 2 fruits for 39 gold pieces 113945 | Vaults:5 | Got a silver rune of Zot 114030 | Vaults:5 | Identified the Almanac of Unstable Dark Secrets 114040 | Vaults:5 | Learned a level 6 spell: Bolt of Fire 114128 | Vaults:5 | Reached XP level 26. HP: 121/121 MP: 44/47 114348 | Vaults:5 | Got an iridescent rapier 114350 | Vaults:5 | Identified the +4 rapier "Heomagy" {drain, +Blink Str+3} (You found it on level 5 of the Vaults) 114932 | Zot:1 | Entered Level 1 of the Realm of Zot 115267 | Zot:1 | Gained mutation: Your body sometimes deteriorates upon taking damage. [mutagenic glow] 115370 | Zot:1 | Gained mutation: Your body often deteriorates upon taking damage. [mutagenic glow] 118085 | Depths:4 | Bought a wand of heal wounds (3/9) for 672 gold pieces 118308 | Depths:4 | Found a one-way gate to the infinite horrors of the Abyss. 119539 | Depths:4 | Voluntarily entered the Abyss. 121496 | Depths:4 | Escaped the Abyss 124119 | Zot:3 | Identified the Handbook of the Cloudy Escort 124226 | Zot:3 | Identified the Grimoire of the Frostbite and Contamination 125193 | Zot:3 | Reached skill level 10 in Earth Magic 125941 | Zot:4 | Reached skill level 15 in Evocations 126008 | Zot:4 | Reached XP level 27. HP: 126/126 MP: 47/47 126960 | Zot:4 | Reached skill level 15 in Charms 127402 | Zot:5 | Entered Level 5 of the Realm of Zot 127404 | Zot:5 | Noticed an orb of fire 127411 | Zot:5 | Gained mutation: You tend to lose your temper in combat. [an orb of fire] 127494 | Zot:4 | Gained mutation: You are weak. (Str -2) [an orb of fire] 127498 | Zot:4 | Gained mutation: You are very frail. (-20% HP) [an orb of fire] 127656 | Zot:4 | Gained mutation: You are occasionally teleported next to monsters. [an orb of fire] 127663 | Zot:3 | Gained mutation: You are extremely frail. (-30% HP) [an orb of fire] 127674 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are occasionally teleported next to monsters. [potion of cure mutation] 127674 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are extremely frail. (-30% HP) [potion of cure mutation] 127674 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: Your body often deteriorates upon taking damage. [potion of cure mutation] 127674 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are very frail. (-20% HP) [potion of cure mutation] 127674 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: Your body sometimes deteriorates upon taking damage. [potion of cure mutation] 127675 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You tend to lose your temper in combat. [potion of cure mutation] 127675 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are frail. (-10% HP) [potion of cure mutation] 127675 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are clumsy. (Dex -2) [potion of cure mutation] 127675 | Zot:4 | Lost mutation: You are weak. (Str -2) [potion of cure mutation] 129033 | Zot:3 | Gained mutation: Potions and wands are less effective at restoring your health. [an orb of fire] 129545 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 129547 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 129555 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 129562 | Zot:5 | Killed an ancient lich 129566 | Zot:5 | Noticed an orb of fire 129602 | Zot:5 | Killed an orb of fire 129726 | Zot:5 | Got a spiked cloak 129737 | Zot:5 | Identified the +1 cloak "Gikh" {rElec Dex+4} (You acquired it on level 5 of the Realm of Zot) 129802 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 129814 | Zot:5 | Killed an ancient lich 129820 | Zot:5 | Noticed an orb of fire 129886 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 129920 | Zot:5 | Killed an ancient lich 130270 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 130275 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 130291 | Zot:5 | Noticed an orb of fire 130300 | Zot:5 | Noticed an ancient lich 130331 | Zot:5 | Got the Orb of Zot 130341 | Zot:5 | Noticed an orb of fire 130425 | Zot:4 | Noticed Arizxo the pandemonium lord 130538 | Zot:4 | Noticed Usol the pandemonium lord 130705 | Depths:5 | Noticed Isyqoebe the pandemonium lord 130727 | Depths:5 | Gained mutation: You occasionally shout uncontrollably at your foes. [a cacodemon] 130750 | Depths:5 | Gained mutation: Your flesh is cold resistant. (rC+) [a cacodemon] 130863 | D:14 | Gained mutation: You are weak. (Str -2) [mutagenic glow] 131190 | D:$ | Escaped with the Orb! Skill XL: | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 | ---------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+----- Spellcasting | 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | 19.7 Hexes | 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 | 19.4 Stealth | 5 6 7 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 | 24.5 Short Blades | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 13.1 Ice Magic | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 6.1 Dodging | 4 6 7 8 9 10 13 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 | 24.5 Throwing | 2 | 2.0 Fighting | 2 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 13 | 13.2 Charms | 1 3 7 10 12 14 15 | 15.7 Evocations | 2 5 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 | 15.4 Transmutations | 2 | 2.1 Shields | 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 9.3 Conjurations | 2 3 5 6 7 8 | 8.6 Earth Magic | 2 4 6 7 8 9 10 | 10.3 Fire Magic | 3 5 7 9 | 9.8 Necromancy | | 0.6 Action | 1- 3 | 4- 6 | 7- 9 | 10-12 | 13-15 | 16-18 | 19-21 | 22-24 | 25-27 || total -------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------++------- Melee: Dagger | 46 | 97 | 366 | 413 | 338 | 1296 | 590 | 1489 | 1882 || 6517 Short sword | | | | 63 | | | | | || 63 Rapier | | | | 2 | 22 | 186 | 83 | 148 | || 441 Fire: Blowgun | | 15 | | 2 | | | | | || 17 Cast: Corona | 7 | 2 | 1 | | | | | | || 10 Ensorcelled Hiber | 20 | 77 | 57 | 183 | 107 | 500 | 241 | 53 | 36 || 1274 Pain | | 5 | | | | | | | || 5 Confuse | | 2 | 77 | 112 | 96 | 427 | 181 | 594 | 186 || 1675 Tukima's Dance | | | 10 | 2 | | 114 | 34 | 55 | 6 || 221 Dazzling Spray | | | 1 | 12 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 9 | || 71 Ozocubu's Armour | | | | 2 | | 54 | 42 | 37 | 54 || 189 Freeze | | | | 2 | 11 | 1 | | 12 | || 26 Passwall | | | | | 2 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 9 || 27 Throw Frost | | | | | 1 | 2 | | | || 3 Repel Missiles | | | | | 1 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 8 || 32 Summon Mana Viper | | | | | | 140 | 120 | 216 | 219 || 695 Inner Flame | | | | | | 5 | | | || 5 Throw Icicle | | | | | | 4 | | | 6 || 10 Swiftness | | | | | | 1 | | | || 1 Recall | | | | | | | 5 | 3 | || 8 Silence | | | | | | | 1 | 5 | 2 || 8 Sticky Flame | | | | | | | | 103 | 223 || 326 Conjure Flame | | | | | | | | 18 | 5 || 23 Bolt of Magma | | | | | | | | 19 | 32 || 51 Blink | | | | | | | | | 35 || 35 Invok: Renounce Religion | | 1 | | | | | | | || 1 Potion Petition | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | || 3 Call Merchant | | | | | 2 | 1 | | | || 3 Bribe Branch | | | | | | | 2 | 3 | 2 || 7 Abil: Evoke Flight | | | | | | 44 | 1 | 8 | || 53 Evoke Invisibilit | | | | | | | 17 | 8 | 18 || 43 Evoke: Wand | | | | | | 11 | 1 | 13 | 33 || 58 Use: Potion | | 5 | | 1 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 22 || 62 Scroll | | 15 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 10 | 21 | 30 || 113 Stab: Sleeping | 12 | 60 | 47 | 159 | 93 | 322 | 158 | 74 | 68 || 993 Confused | | 2 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 164 | 56 | 255 | 84 || 705 Distracted | | | 3 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 64 | 62 || 173 Invisible | | | 1 | 5 | | 9 | 16 | 12 | 5 || 48 Eat: Bread ration | | 1 | 1 | | | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 || 20 Fruit | | | 1 | 9 | 11 | 14 | | 18 | || 53 Pizza | | | | | | 9 | | | || 9 Royal jelly | | | | | | 1 | | | || 1 Armor: Robe | 6 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 9 | 59 | 29 | 45 | 73 || 271 Shadow dragon sca | | | | | | 9 | | | || 9 Dodge: Dodged | 40 | 69 | 189 | 275 | 198 | 1037 | 558 | 1055 | 1581 || 5002 Deflected | | | | | 1 | 50 | 33 | 35 | 38 || 157 Block: Buckler | | | | | | 242 | 188 | 345 | 692 || 1467SHARE
The Beauties of Lucknow contains twenty-four portraits of women with descriptive text, and was aimed at an Indian clientele. The book, which exists in two editions, one in English and one in Urdu, states in the preface that its patrons are ‘the nobility and gentry of Oudh’. The photographs show a few of the women in theatrical costumes for a version of the ‘Indar Sabha, a dramatic production popularly attributed to the Lucknow-based poet Amanat Ali, written in 1853. The play incorporated many of the different musical, literary and dramatic styles that were popular at the court of Wajib Ali Shah and, while the origins of the ‘Indar Sabha are still debated, what was important in the 1870s was that the audience ‘believed they were beholding a direct link to the Awadh court and its sumptuous ambience’. The photographs function as glimpses of this now-extinct court, particularly given the traditional reading of the ‘Indar Sabha as a metaphor for the court of Wajid Ali Shah¹
Before British rule in Lucknow, the courtesans were the chief preservers and performers of high court culture. They shaped the development of Hindustani music, fashion and narrative dance. The sons of nobility were sent to their salons to learn etiquette, the art of elegant conversation and the appreciation of Urdu poetry. An invitation to a salon for a cultural soiree brought great prestige, indeed ‘until a person had association with courtesans he was not a polished man.’² Nobility lavished these women with jewels and gold coins and they became among the highest earners in Lucknow. High cultural standing and financial freedom gave them the power to manipulate courtiers and nawabs for their own social and political ends. Despite being under their patronage these ‘Beauties of Lucknow’ were able to subvert the equation of power and gender in the society of their time.
After the British seized Awadh in 1856, many courtesans were penalized for their pecuniary assistance to the rebels (though not necessarily the ones seen photographed here). Their property was seized and the women were relocated for the convenience of the soldiers. The cultural function of the profession quickly faded as the women were forced into common prostitution. The photographs, taken by Darogah Abbas Ali, may well have been done at the request of the British Government who had placed a hundred women in the Lucknow Cantonment bazaar for the “comfort” of the European garrison. The women were exposed to venereal disease, which quickly spread and it has been revealed that European casualties during the mutiny and rebellion of 1857 were caused more by this than combat.
Colonial authorities called the women ‘singing and dancing girls.’ So at odds with their previous wealth and position in society, the classification demonstrates a profound cultural misunderstanding. Colonial rule was to forever mar the reputation of a group of women who once sustained the manners and distinctiveness of Lucknow culture and society. The opulence and grandeur of the photographs give us hint to the tremendous respect and standing these women once enjoyed, but they also provide a terrible reminder of the destructive powers of colonial rule.
– Tyga Helme
References
Markel, Stephen, India’s Fabled City: The Art of Courtly Lucknow (London: Prestel, 2010), p 161-2. Abdul Halim Sharar, Lucknow: The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture, trans, and ed. E.S. Harcourt and Fakhir Hussain (London: Paul Elek, 1975), p. 172.
Further reading: Lifestyle as Resistance: The Case of the Courtesans of Lucknow by Veena Talwar Oldenburg (1990)
IMAGES © Amit Ambalal collection and cannot be copied or reproduced in any way without prior permission.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Susan Rice: "History will judge harshly" the UN's inaction on Syria
Susan Rice has called the UN Security Council's inaction on the Syrian war "a stain" on the body, in final remarks as US ambassador to the organisation.
She criticised Russia and China for vetoing three resolutions that would have increased pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
But the US envoy said the post had been "the best job I've ever had".
Ms Rice is leaving the ambassadorship to become President Barack Obama's national security adviser.
Mr Obama has nominated Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former White House adviser, to replace her. Ms Power must now be confirmed by the US Senate.
'Moral, strategic disgrace'
The departing US ambassador described her time at the UN as "a remarkable period", but said she regretted more was not done to stem the bloodshed in Syria.
"I particularly regret that the Security Council has failed to act decisively as more than 90,000 Syrians have been killed and millions more displaced," she said.
"The council's inaction on Syria is a moral and strategic disgrace that history will judge harshly."
On Wednesday the UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll was even higher than the UN figure used by Ms Rice, putting it at 100,191.
More than 36,000 of those killed in the 27-month conflict were civilians, it said, including more than 3,000 women and more than 5,000 children under 16.
It cautioned that the true number of combatants killed could be twice what it had documented due to both sides' secrecy in reporting casualties.
Ms Rice said the council's failure to act could not be laid at the feet of the United States.
"I don't know how in any circumstance one could ascribe that to a failure of US policy or US leadership," she said, "when the vast majority of the council was ready and willing to move ahead."
Russia and China used their Security Council veto powers once in 2011 and twice in 2012 to prevent the body from adopting resolutions that condemned the violence in Syria, demanded an end to human rights violations by Syrian government forces, and threatened non-military sanctions.
The Russians criticised the resolutions as tantamount to taking sides in a civil war.
Despite Ms Rice's criticism of Russia on Syria, she said it was not inevitable that "complex and multifaceted" relations between the two countries should sour.
"On issues as important as Iran and North Korea, and many others, we have been able to find common ground," she said.Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
Protests have swept Iran in the last few days leading to clashes with security forces and the first protester deaths reported on December 30th. Videos have emerged from inside the country showing protesters in the streets and the government has sought to shut them down by warning against “illegal gatherings.” Train service and schools were ordered shut on Sunday. The Telegram messaging app, with 40 million users in Iran, on Saturday blocked a channel that Iran's telecommunications minister had accused of encouraging violence in the unrest. The US government has released statements indicating support for the protesters. After seventy-two hours, here is what we know so far.
When did the protests start?
They began in earnest on Thursday December 28th in a series of cities across the heartland of Iran. They spread on Friday to at least a dozen cities and continued on Saturday, reaching Tehran.
#Update58- #Saveh joined.
People are gathering and chanting “ Death to the Dictator”.
“Khamenei step down and leave the country”
Security forces tried to arrest a few protesters but didn’t manage.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/5AyW7JSYju — news_kurdii (@1newss_kurdishh) December 30, 2017
Protesters in the capital #Tehran took down a poster of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, chanting “Death to You!" pic.twitter.com/DPwd44V1kl — IranWire (@IranWireEnglish) December 30, 2017
Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching! #IranProtests — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017
For too long, the Iranian people have been oppressed by their government, which cares more about sowing instability abroad than its own citizens. The U.S. stands with the brave protesters who yearn for freedom, peace, and an end to corruption in Iran. https://t.co/taDmyE1w7k — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) December 30, 2017
#IranianProtests: The crowd shouts "Shame on you!" as security forces beat protestors at Tehran University earlier today in #Iran. pic.twitter.com/UucJEFi8qG — IranHumanRights.org (@ICHRI) December 30, 2017
Where are the protests?They have taken place across Iran, from border cities such as Mashhad in the far east to Rasht on the Caspian. By the second day they had spread to at least a dozen cities including Isfahan, Qom, Qzvin, Sari, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Hamedan, Rasht, Shahrud, Nowshahr and Kashmar. These include a diverse grouping of cities, including those known for religious devotion such as Qom. They include areas with large numbers of minorities such as Kurds in Kermanshah and Arabs in Ahvaz, as well as those in the Persian heartland. On Saturday night and Sunday, the protests also spread to Bandar Abbas on the southern coast and to the Kurdish region’s cities of Ilam, Baneh and Sanandaj.How were they organized?Iran’s regime has alleged that social media, especially Telegram has been used to spread the protests. The Minister of Information and Communications Technology asked Telegram to shut down accounts being used to inflame the people. A Telegram channel named Amadnews was suspended as a result.What are the protests saying?A variety of chants have been heard in videos of the protests. These include “Death to the dictator,” which conjures up images of the 2009 protests when the green-clad supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi took to the streets in September of that year. They have also called on the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to step down.They have also spoken out against economic woes and inflation. One man said that the protesters come from a broad spectrum of society. They speak about students graduating without a stable future. Protesters have also said that many who took to the streets are lower class, which would be in contrast to some of the 2009 protests. The protesters have also targeted government involvement in Syria, calling on the government to “leave Syria, think about us,” and also condemned the government’s obsession with supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran,” they said. Videos show protesters ripping down posters of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani who is in charge of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s operations abroad. They have also removed posters of the Ayatollah. At Tehran university they condemned the “oppressive” government on December 30th and protesters chanted, “Independence, freedom, Iranian Republic,” a slight twist on the 1979 motto that called for an “Islamic Republic.”What are leaders saying?US President Donald Trump tweeted on December 30: “Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption and its squandering of the nation’s wealth.” He said the world was watching.The IRGC has said they will “not allow the country to be hurt.” Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Ayatollah Khamenei have been silent so far. Former Swedish Prime Minister and Co-Chair of European Council on Foreign Relations Carl Bildt wrote on December 29: “There is no doubt that protests are spreading in Iran. Might have been started by hardliners to undermine [President Hassan Rouhani] but have now clearly changed character. So far soft regime response, but highly likely forces inside it calling for brutal methods.” Other European voices such as French President Emmanuel Macron have been silent so far. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted on December 31: "Watching events in Iran with concern. Vital that citizens should have the right to demonstrate peacefully."The support for Iranian protests crosses party lines. “The Iranian people, especially the young, are protesting for the freedom and future they deserve,” tweeted Hillary Clinton. US Senator John McCain shared the following thoughts on Twitter "The US stands with the brave protesters who yearn for freedom, peace, and an end to corruption in Iran."How has Iran’s regime responded?On Saturday tens of thousands of pro-regime supporters were called out on the |
case of the residential sector.
The average home used 183 million Btu in 1981 and 188.7 million in 2011; energy intensity did fall in 2012, to a preliminary read of 174.7 million Btu, but that was mainly due to weather. (Other factors, including geographic population shifts and changes in housing type, have had relatively little impact on overall energy intensity.) Think of someone scarfing down a chili cheeseburger and fries after an hour on the elliptical, and then wondering why he never seems to lose weight.
What has changed, though, is how households use energy. According to the Energy Department’s quadrennial Residential Energy Consumption Survey, in 1993 more than half (53.1%) of total household energy consumption went to heating living spaces, versus 41.5% in 2009 (those are the earliest and latest years, respectively, for which comparable data are available). Conversely, the share of energy consumption that goes to appliances, electronics and lighting rose from 24% to 34.6% over that same period. (The energy shares for water heating and air conditioning didn’t change much.)
Topics: Energy and Environment, LifestyleThough he has not seen the film yet, Glenn Beck is not a fan of the new “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” movie because Batman and Superman are heroes who would never fight each other.
“The reason why these morality plays [i.e, superhero movies] are winning right now at the box office is because they are morality plays,” Beck said, “good winning over evil, the unity of the principles of America: truth, justice and the American way.”
“When Batman starts to fight Superman and Captain America starts going against Iron Man, these things are going to fall apart,” he warned. “They are taking 2016 values and superimposing them on 1940s values and it’s going to destroy these franchises. They’ve got to stop.”
People want to see movies in which good conquers evil, Beck explained, not movies in which the good guys are turned into bad guys.
“We have no heroes any more,” he complained. “Why does Hollywood want to take our heroes and destroy them? They’ve already done all of the real heroes, they’ve destroyed those guys; now they’re going to go and take on our Superman and our Batman. They’re going to destroy it … The people in Hollywood do not understand America at all. At all.”
The reason Superman and Batman are fighting in this new film, Beck concluded, is in order to “reflect the turmoil that is happening here in our country, people fighting and the division between us.”NO, I take that back. Books shouldn’t ever be burned. Instead recycle the paper, use for wrapping vegetables or fish, or dispose of in some environmentally friendly way. But please keep our students away from the rotten science textbooks published by the Sindh Textbook Board (STB), an entity operating under the Sindh Ministry of Education. Else yet another generation will end up woefully ignorant of the subjects they study — physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Tragically they will see these magnificent human achievements as pointless, boring, and dry as dust.
I have a pile of STB books before me at the moment. Both in English and Urdu, they are the officially prescribed texts for classes 4 to 10 (ages 10 to 16) and are in current use. In addition, I have two manuscripts on general science for classes 4 and 5, scheduled for publication this year or next. My blood pressure is steadily rising as I turn the pages, and I take careful sips of water.
Imagine the torture inflicted on a class 4 kid from Sindh, a non-native speaker of English, when confronted with difficult words (no explanations provided) like ‘obesity’, ‘ulcer’, ‘characteristics’, ‘interpret’, ‘deficiency’, ‘osteoporosis’, ‘decomposers’, ‘ecoregion’, ‘translucent’, ‘trough’, ‘lukewarm’, ‘constriction’, etc. In class 5, he will be haunted by monster words like ‘monocotyledonous’ and ‘dicotyledonous’. Strewn across these unattractive books are hazy diagrams, hundreds of capitalisation and spelling mistakes, plus countless grammatically incorrect sentences.
Keep our students away from the rotten science textbooks published by the Sindh Textbook Board.
More serious than the get-up or language is the frequently wrong or nonsensical content. A doctorate in physics did not prepare me to deal with questions like: “Explain how one state of matter (solid, liquid and gases) dissolves in the other”, or with, “Explore that the greater the force, the greater the change in the distance covered by the object”. Or with an electric circuit described as, “The device that uses electricity converts it into other forms of energy such as heat, light and other forms”. Evidently someone who lacks common sense, not just knowledge of science, wrote this.
The science books in Urdu are no better. This underscores that lack of conceptual understanding — not language — is the real problem. Most teachers, and these textbook authors, don’t understand what they teach. Hence every science subject is reduced to dull drudgery and rote memorisation.
Mathematics, a beautiful subject that sharpens reasoning and logical thought, becomes a meaningless mind-deadening exercise, devoid of reason and motive. Why learn logarithms? Or matrices? I fruitlessly scoured the class 9-10 textbooks to find out. If our 15-year-olds know less math than a nine-year old Korean kid, you should know why.
The biology book (Urdu) for classes 9-10 is impossibly bad. A full-page tree chart of biological evolution, with English letterings, was obviously stolen from some unacknowledged text. But items in the chart find no mention in the text. Beyond reiterating the religious view that all life evolved from water, the book doesn’t say how life started. There are countless names of plants, animals and detailed descriptions; one dry fact follows another. But how any fact was established is not explained.
The class 9-10 physics book takes the cake. This book is so comprehensive, it says, that a student doesn’t need another. A couple of pages later the reader is told that uttering just one word brought this universe into existence “kuch lakh sal pehlay” (around 100,000 years ago). This misses the correct age of the universe by a whopping 13 billion years — so it’s wrong by more than one hundred thousand times.
Reader: ask yourself why STB books have a minimum of six authors (most have nine to 12 authors). That’s because everyone wants a share of the plunder — let consistency and pedagogy be damned! If this results in some awful gobbledygook with things scattered higgledy-piggledy, don’t be surprised. For example, one book introduces multi-cellular organisms in an earlier chapter and single-celled ones in a later one!
Let’s look at the economics of crookery. Sindh’s population is about 30 million, so each class 4 textbook title would have a print run of around 300-400 thousand. Multiplying by the number of titles, and about Rs150 per title, you see that billions of rupees are involved. The publishers, distributors, authors, and managers know the weaknesses of a public monopoly. In an opaque system, who profits how much is anybody’s guess.
It is time to dissolve the Sindh Textbook Board, and possibly its sister organisations in Punjab and KP too. Poor production quality proves that STB does not have the intellectual capacity, or organisational integrity, to deliver quality science books. Although PIA and Pakistan Steel Mills are said to be inefficient public-sector organisations, even they deliver better products.
Authorship of science textbooks by our college professors is seriously problematic. College professors, through no fault of their own, have generally received a poor education in science. Most don’t understand their subjects, and cannot solve the exercises in any decent ‘O’ or ‘A’ level textbook. Yet these badly educated persons have been entrusted with educating Sindh’s young.
The solution: instead of futilely experimenting with local authors, the government should purchase rights to adapt, translate, or cheaply reprint those books which have a good international track record. It is absurd to assume that science and math are Pakistan specific — water is H2O everywhere, and two plus two makes four even in Timbuktu. Pakistan’s universities and colleges already use books by foreign authors at the BSc, MSc, MPhil, and PhD levels. So why not extend to school books and make our science curriculum exactly that in other countries?
Pakistan needs to provide good, cheap books to its children through open competition. That only local authors are permitted violates this principle. Authors and their agents cleverly appeal to national or provincial pride but the real reason is the fat pickings. These vested interests have successfully thwarted reform and will keep doing so. The tiny number of Sindh’s children privileged to access British ‘O’ and ‘A’ level schools — and use their books — are doing okay. For the rest, one can only weep.
The writer teaches physics and mathematics in Lahore and Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2015Neurotoxic viral protein TAT may contribute to deficits in dopaminergic and cognitive function in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Transgenic mice with brain-specific doxycycline-induced TAT expression (TAT+, TAT- control) show impaired cognition. However, previously reported TAT-induced deficits in reversal learning may be compromised by initial learning deficits. We investigated the effects of TAT expression on memory retention/recall and reversal learning, and neurotransmitter function. We also investigated if TAT-induced effects can be reversed by improving dopamine function with selegiline, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Mice were tested in the Barnes maze and TAT expression was induced after the task acquisition. Selegiline treatment continued throughout behavioral testing. Dopamine, serotonin and glutamate tissue levels in the prefrontal/orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus and caudate putamen were measured using high performance liquid chromatography. Neither TAT expression nor selegiline altered memory retention. On day 2 of reversal learning testing, TAT+ mice made fewer errors and used more efficient search strategies than TAT- mice. TAT expression decreased dopamine turnover in the caudate putamen, increased serotonin turnover in the hippocampus and tended to increase the conversion of glutamate to glutamine in all regions. Selegiline decreased dopamine and serotonin metabolism in all regions and increased glutamate levels in the caudate putamen. In the absence of impaired learning, TAT expression does not impair spatial memory retention/recall, and actually facilitates reversal learning. Selegiline-induced increases in dopamine metabolism did not affect cognitive function. These findings suggest that TAT-induced alterations in glutamate signaling, but not alterations in monoamine metabolism, may underlie the facilitation of reversal learning.Real-time view data is not available at this time. Learn more.
With Steve Aoki, Axwell ^ Ingrosso, Borgore, Brazzabelle, Crookers, Destructo, Martin Garrix, Gladiator, Ryan Hemsworth, Keys N Krates, Moby, Ookay, R3hab, Nile Rodgers, What So Not, and Alison Wonderland. Coming this fall to CBS.
Actor Alison Wonderland Actor Steve Aoki Actor Axwell ^ Ingrosso Actor Borgore Actor Brazzabelle Actor Crookers Actor Destructo Actor Gladiator Actor Keys N Krates Actor Martin Garrix Actor Moby Actor Nile Rodgers Actor Ookay Actor R3hab Actor Ryan Hemsworth Actor What So Not Director/Show Lead Mike Bernstein Writer Dashiell Driscoll Executive Producer Ben Sheehan Executive Producer Christian Heuer Producer Matt Pittman Producer Dan Bernstein Sound Designer BoTown Sound Visual Effects Shawn James
Actor: Steve Aoki, Axwell ^ Ingrosso, Borgore, Brazzabelle, Crookers, Destructo, Martin Garrix, Gladiator, Ryan Hemsworth, Keys N Krates, Moby, Ookay, R3hab, Nile Rodgers, What So Not, Alison Wonderland
Director: Mike Bernstein
Writer: Dashiell Driscoll
Executive Producer/Concept By: Ben Sheehan
Executive Producer: Christian Heuer
Producer: Matt Pittman
Assoc. Producer: Dan Bernstein
Production Supervisor: William Cubbon
Production Manager: Nathan Vaughan
Production Coordinator: Rebecca Ma
1st AD: Tiffany Soto
D.P.: Yuki Noguchi
Steadicam: Ross Coscia
Steadicam: Jessica Lopez
1st AC: Alexander Paul
2nd AC: Becca Basaure
Gaffer: Ben Salvetti
Key Grip: Dan Chapman
Swing: Jacques Shy
Production Designer: Libby Wampler
Stylist: Ashly Miller
Key H&MU: Brenna Haukedahl
Truck PA: Addison Bryan
PA: Chris Arias
PA: Alaska Wagoner
PA: Ivan Power-Kronick
PA: Jordan Coleman
Sound Mixer: Bo Town Sound
Editor: Casey McClelland
Title VFX: Shawn James
VO Sound Mixer: Jamie Hill for Secret Agent Audio
Post Sound Mixer: Sean Oakley
Colorist: Trevor Durtschi
Special Thanks: Project LA, Tim Hrycyshyn, David Miller, Hillary Hawkins, Amy Thomson, Matt Langille, Matt Colon, Derek Dolin, Michael George, Sarah Weinstein
Featuring “Time Capsule” by Steve Aoki. Get it here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/neon-future-ii/id980761087Mr Obama said national security and the US economy would be top priorities US President-elect Barack Obama has promised to rebuild his country's "moral stature in the world". In his first television interview since the election, Mr Obama told CBS he would pull troops out of Iraq, shore up Afghanistan, and close Guantanamo Bay. "I'm going to make sure that we don't torture," he said of the prison camp. Mr Obama also promised to do "whatever it takes" to stabilise the US economy, including rescuing the struggling auto industry and assisting homeowners. On Saturday, he said the US was facing "the greatest economic challenge of our time" and urged Congress to help with "at least a down-payment on a rescue plan that will create jobs". His advisers later said he would support the co-ordinated response to the global financial crisis agreed by the G20 on Saturday. 'No torture' The BBC's Sarah Morris in Washington says Mr Obama appeared relaxed in the interview he gave to CBS's 60 Minutes programme. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. He answered questions about national security, the economy and about future appointments to his administration ahead of his inauguration on 20 January. Mr Obama said getting a national security team in place as soon as possible was one of his top priorities, "because transition periods are potentially times of vulnerability to a terrorist attack". When asked about his promise to withdraw from Iraq, he said that as soon as he takes office he will "call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security apparatus, and we will start executing a plan that draws down our troops". "Particularly in light of the problems that we're having in Afghanistan, which has continued to worsen. We've got to shore up those efforts," he added. Mr Obama also said a top priority would be "to stamp out al-Qaeda once and for all" and that capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden was "critical" to US security. He later confirmed that he intended to close the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and "make sure that we don't torture". "Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world," he explained. Mr Obama pledged to help for the struggling US auto industry The president-elect went on to discuss how he had been talking to top economic advisers about how to create jobs and get the economy back on track. He said he intended to put into place new stimulus packages and help for the troubled US auto industry and struggling homeowners. He said the consensus among economists from both the left and right was that "we're going to have to spend money now" to get the economy moving again. "And that we shouldn't worry about the deficit next year or even the year after; that short term, the most important thing is that we avoid a deepening recession," he added. Mr Obama also confirmed he had met his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, last week, but refused to comment on speculation linking her to the post of secretary of state in his cabinet. However, he did say the Republican Party would be represented. Dog delay For the last portion of the interview, Mr Obama was joined by his wife, Michelle, who talked about her priorities as First Lady and how her family would cope with the pressures of living in the White House. The primary focus for the first year will be making sure that the kids make it through the transition
Michelle Obama Mrs Obama said she was looking forward to moving to Washington, where the family would be under one roof again after 18 months, during which her husband had been travelling around the country. "The primary focus for the first year will be making sure that the kids make it through the transition. But there are many issues that I care deeply about," she said. "I care about military families and the work-family balance issue." Mrs Obama also revealed that their daughters, Malia and Sasha, would have to wait at least two more months for the puppy which her husband publicly promised them on election night. "We're on call mode on the dog front. Because the deal with the dog was that we would get the dog after we got settled. Because as responsible owners we - I don't think it would be good to get a dog in the midst of transition," she said. "We cut that deal with the kids before America knew about it. So they're good with it," she added.
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionOAKLAND (CBS SF) — Some residents in Oakland say their landlord is playing dirty.
Tenants who live at 901 Jefferson St. in Oakland say they’re mourning. On Monday, they wore black and released balloons to say farewell to their neighbors who can no longer afford the sky-high rent.
“For me, my increase was about 100 percent,” says Chijoke Amah, who was paying about $1,500 a month for rent but then got a letter notifying him his rent would jump to more than $3,000 a month.
“A reasonable increase is fine,” he says. “No one is complaining about that. But 100 percent is not fair. That’s not OK.”
RELATED: San Francisco Woman ‘Repulsed’ After Landlord Demands $6,700 More In Rent Each Month
Amah and his neighbors say the Berkshire Group, the Boston real estate company that recently bought their building, isn’t playing fair.
“They raised rents up to 110 percent after they told us they might do 40-50 percent,” says tenant Mia Medcalf. “They also had some very underhanded tactics, very questionable things that they did.”
Medcalf says Berkshire based its new rental fees on inflated market rates and is forcing tenants to pay a host of new fees.
“It’s displacing people,” Medcalf says. And it’s not just these tenants who are having the problem. The website Trulia reported that last year Oakland had the second highest rent increase nationwide.
These tenants want to change the law to allow rent control for buildings newer than 1983.
It the meantime, Amah is uncertain about the future.
Tenants say Berkshire did reach out to some people with slightly better offers after they complained.
KPIX 5 reached out to the company for comment and have not yet heard back.In a fairly damning report the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body that monitors international religious freedom, warned that India was on a negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom.
The USCIRF made the observation in its annual report and said that it would closely monitor the situation in the year ahead to determine if India should be recommended to the U.S. State Department for designation as a “country of particular concern,” under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom. The report covers the period from February 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016 and addresses issues in 31 countries.
The Indian government sharply rebutted the report and said, "we take no cognizance of the report."
"The US Commission on International Religious Freedom once again fails to show proper understanding of India, its constitution and its society," India's foreign ministry reportedly said in a statement. "India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles. The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion," the statement said, adding that the government "does not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens' constitutionally protected rights."
In key findings, the report said: "In 2015, religious tolerance deteriorated and religious freedom violations increased in India. Minority communities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs, experienced numerous incidents of intimidation, harassment, and violence, largely at the hands of Hindu nationalist groups. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tacitly supported these groups and used religiously-divisive language to further inflame tensions. These issues, combined with longstanding problems of police bias and judicial inadequacies, have created a pervasive climate of impunity, where religious minority communities feel increasingly insecure, with no recourse when religiously-motivated crimes occur."
Firmly pinning the blame for the deterioration of religious tolerance on the Narendra Modi government, the report said: "Since the BJP assumed power, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by BJP politicians and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by affiliated Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sangh Parivar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)."
The report also mentioned Modi's close confidant and party president Amit Shah, pinning the call for anti-conversion laws on Shah and other party leaders.
What didn't hurt the government's case was the fact that in March when a USCIRF delegation tried to visit India, it was denied a visa.
Keeping in mind the strategic relationship between India and the U.S. the USCIRF has some suggestions for the U.S. government to improve matters:Alberto Contador has confirmed he will target victory in the Tour de France in 2013 and has said he will soon decide if he will also ride the Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta a España. Related Articles Contador keeps his grand tour option open for 2013
Dubai to create new stage race for 2014
2014 Dubai Tour to be held in February
Contador in Argentina prepping for Tour de San Luis
Giro d'Italia organiser Michele Acquarone continued to try to convince Contador to return to the Giro d'Italia while both were in Dubai for the opening of the Dubai Cycling Course this week. However, logic seems to indicate that Contador will defend his Vuelta title and perhaps use his home Grand Tour to peak for a shot at the world championship on the hilly and testing course in Florence, Italy.
Contador missed the 2012 Tour de France because he was serving a ban for his positive test for clenbuterol from the 2010 Tour. He rode and won the 2011 Giro d'Italia while waiting for a final verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport but was then disqualified from the result as a consequence of being found guilty of doping in 2010. He seems indebted to the Giro d'Italia organisers RCS Sport but is clearly keen to return to France and prove he's the best stage race rider of his generation.
"I have a lot of dreams and objectives for 2013 and my biggest objective this year will be the Tour," Contador told Cyclingnews in Dubai.
"I haven’t decided my full race program yet. I haven't decided 100% if I do the Giro or the Vuelta. But what’s sure is that my season will centre on the Tour."
Contador is expected to attend the official presentation of the 2013 Vuelta route in Vigo on Saturday, January 12 before traveling to Argentina to ride the Tour de San Luis. He will study the race routes, his goals and talk with team manager Bjarne Riis before making a final decision on the second Grand Tour of his 2013 season.
"Hombre. It's not an easy decision because there are a lot of factors," he explained.
"The 2011 Giro d'Italia was too hard. To do both (the Giro and the Tour) was really difficult that year. This year’s Giro is much more straightforward, with fewer kilometres of racing per stage, so that could make it better to build for the Tour than the Giro of 2011. Later this month I'll sit down with the team and we will decide. Then we’ll organise things."
After competing in San Luis, Contador will return to the Middle East to ride the Tour of Oman, followed by Tirreno-Adriatico and Critérium International. He virtually ruled out riding the Ardennes Classics.
"I'd rather focus on Critérium International. I've ridden it but never been at my best. It's a good, prestigious race and I'd like to have a good shot at it. I'll also be able to ride the roads of the Tour de France Grand Depart, which is important."
Riding in Dubai
Contador spent a week training in Dubai and celebrating New Year in the Emirate, with his wife Macarena and some friends. He tweeted a photo of himself training in the sun and Contador won the exhibition race sprint race against Vincenzo Nibali and Ryder Hesjedal on Friday night. He was keen to take part in the new Dubai Tour announced for 2014.
"I think the creation of the new race is good news; anything that creates interest in the world of cycling is good," he told Cyclingnews.
"It's very important in these countries that there's more interest in cycling. There's the Tour of Qatar, the Tour of Oman and if we have the Dubai tour too, it's good for cycling. Things aren't great in Europe at the moment because a lot of races don't have sponsors and so can't continue. That's another reason why this race is important."
"The winter weather in Dubai is perfect for training at this time of year. It's about 25C. A friend in Madrid sent me a photo at 10:30 in the morning and it was zero degrees. That’s a huge difference."
Contador was relaxed and jovial in Dubai, joking with Nibali and Hesjedal before their early season race and enjoying a boat tour of the Dubai skyline.
He has passed the last two winters under a cloud, fighting against a ban for doping and then serving his time for much of the 2012 season. Contador made a strong comeback in the late summer, winning the Vuelta and getting his career back on track.
"It's been a happy winter, but not because I won the Vuelta," he pointed out. "Maybe not every one will agree with me but happiness in life is not about if you finish first, second or third in the Vuelta, but for other, more personal reasons. That's why I try to enjoy every moment in life and live every day to the maximum. In that sense it's been a good winter and I'm ready for the new season."The SEC’s tagline this year, “It Just Means More,” has an accompanying ad campaign. This is one of those ads. We’re going to talk about it, because oh dear, there are so many things to talk about in just a minute of video that doesn’t feature one kinda racist gameday banner hanging off an LSU frat house balcony.
Do you know what it really means to be a part of the SEC?#ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/D4gQbnCvPk — SEC (@SEC) December 4, 2016
All of these ads put Wynn Everett in some fantastical location you cannot afford, but stop to take family photos at on the way to the place you actually can afford.
In this case it’s probably somewhere along Grayton Beach in the Florida panhandle, where you stop before checking in at a tiny, cramped condo a few miles down the road in Destin. The Bass Pro Shops there is massive, y’all, and the kids can run around it for hours! This is actually true, don’t sleep on the value of just turning your savage kids loose in a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s for a few hours when you get tired of thinking of ways to amuse them.
I vow this: I cannot stop talking and will not stop talking about the hilarity of Americans doing this without thinking about what they’re doing, and just going “well we’re at the beach, let’s wear white clothes and take a family photo because the Fergusons had one, and dammit I guess that’s what people do to show how rich and clean they are.”
Maybe going to the beach shows you’re wealthy, which you’re probably not. Maybe wearing white shows you’re clean, which you’re definitely not, especially if you’re an SEC fan. It’s dirty here, the plants are poisonous and leave stains and are absolutely everywhere. The mildew is so, so real. All-white clothing in the south is for the institutionalized, drunken wealthy eccentrics, rapper shooting a “WE MADE IT” video, or for certain social clubs exclusively favoring the “economically anxious.”
The point: Stop taking the Hamptons photo when you vacation in Okaloosa County. Take an honest family portrait in the parking lot of a Pensacola Publix and live your truth. Save your lies for Facebook and be free.
2.
The image of LSU is a chemistry lab where the lights are off due to lack of state funding. We have no problem with the accuracy of this image, let’s keep going.
That’s not a member of Alabama’s gymnastics team. That’s Vanessa, an ordinary sophomore majoring in anthropology, up at 4:30 in the morning not because she wants to but because Nick Saban requires every student on campus to be part of the strength and conditioning program. You may be listed as the 1,857th free safety on the depth chart, Vanessa. But you’re on the damn depth chart.
This is also accurate since Vanderbilt is in Nashville, and nothing says Vanderbilt or Nashville more than “I have spent thousands of dollars to train my child in a dead but prestigious discipline like opera singing or climbing the social ladder at an expensive private institution.”
Also never forget that Vanderbilt is for the wealthy, who do not pay taxes. No one in the SEC pays taxes, mind you, but Vandy people don’t pay them for the wrong reasons. They do it as a tax sheltering strategy, not because they’re still mad the ATF shot their great-uncle for keeping a still in Blount County.
You gotta get audited for the right reasons, Bubba, and not because you paid someone to set up a Panamanian shell corporation for your opera-singing daughter’s inheritance.
“It’s the Sound...and the Fury.” Just dropping a reference to a novel about suicide, incest, racism, and nihilistic alcoholism when you show the Ole Miss image. That’s also accurate, we have no objections to this, or to Ole Miss students stealing sips of William Faulkner’s bottles of booze on display at Rowan Oak.
Let’s come back to Wynn. She is an actor picking up a check here and huzzah for that. This is not aimed at her, but at the character, who’s clearly supposed to be something representative of the conference. Rephrase: who’s clearly supposed to be something an SEC fan would believe their conference to be.
I have never seen this person at an SEC tailgate or at a game. If you boiled the SEC down to its spirit lady, it would not be a tiny blonde lady in a white dress reciting Pinterest poetry on the beach while wearing a white dress.
The more representative person would be the LSU mom I saw—probably around forty-five, definitely drunk but managing it well, and wearing a visor and a yellow LSU golf shirt—screaming at the Tiger defense to kneecap Cam Newton in front of her horrified son during the Auburn game in 2010.
That woman keeps this conference alive. She brings three pounds of Popeyes to the tailgate. She has bourbon somewhere in the car and maybe carries a gun—or at least wants you to think she carries a gun.
Her son is kind of embarrassed and terrified/proud of her and will be for life. He will marry someone either exactly like her, or categorically opposite of her. Either way, mom will hate her to the marrow, even when daughter-in-law sends well-composed shots of the family wearing all-white on the beach.
She does not care what her son says: sportsmanship is for baseball. She wants you to break that man’s leg because he does not play for the Tigers. She doesn’t know what her husband’s doing right now, and doesn’t care because that man hasn’t mowed the yard in three months, and she’s getting better at it anyway.
No, she doesn’t know where Randy is either. If you find him tell him he owes her forty bucks for gas and beer. Worthless man. Absolutely worthless.
That woman, and multiple variations thereof, is the SEC’s female avatar. The It Just Means More Lady was an acceptable villain on Agent Carter for a season, and wanders state parks reciting ad copy. She is not the lady-genie you get when you rub the magical Coleman Camping Lantern buried deep within a hillside vault in Birmingham that contains the spirit of the SEC.
“It’s...geography.” South Carolina gets two golf references. This is appropriate, though it’s also very SEC to suggest that golf courses are some kind of organically created landscape because it’s a.) grossly inaccurate, and b.) could be used as an argument for some kind of conservation trust-based fraud when a legislator gets them classified as protected wetlands.
The water hazard on seventeen at Boonwaggle Plantation Run is an endangered heron nesting area, and don’t you tell Representative Kayden Whitley from Moncks Corner any different. He’s trying to be an environmentalist, dammit.
(The accompanying neighborhood is called The Villas at Boonwaggle. HOA rules state “no families with kids in public school allowed.”)
Oh man, this is the scariest part.
First, that’s a Southern judge, you should already be terrified. He probably went to law school somewhere where they like to say things like “property is the only Constitutional basis of citizenship” and “the Founders didn’t believe in the right not to be torn apart by donkeys for stealing a spoon.” This judge has sent eight year olds to adult prison and then played eighteen that day without blinking. This judge wears a Santa Suit on Christmas Eve and fools everyone into thinking he’ll sentence gently that day.
SPOILER: He does not.
But then it gets scarier:
For the record: If I wind up in any trial situation and see that the judge has an SEC logo on their sound block, I am trying to grab the bailiff’s gun and committing suicide by cop—or by judge, actually, since a lot of judges carry under their robes. Not all of them, but definitely a judge with an SEC logo somewhere on the podium, because they wakes up wanting to shoot someone.
You’re already a dead man at that point, and not even Face Tat Lawyer can save you from a judge thinking quietly about how pisspoor the Razorbacks defense was this year. They’ll be mad and you’ll be in jail for ten years for simple securities fraud. Maybe five if you’re buddies—if you’re committing securities fraud in Arkansas you’re definitely buddies with a judge, or are a judge yourself.
Please do not tell us who this judge actually is because he is probably scarier in real life than he could ever be on paper.
Kentucky gets horses. What more can you know about horses at this point? They’re not that hard. Equine Research should be a finite science at this point. The discoveries at this point can only be things like “oh wow, no, you thought it was this one, but it’s this kind of plastic grocery bag that REALLY freaks the hell out of this giant, dumb, and perpetually terrified animal.”
The Auburn School of Dessert Torture is one of the nation’s best.
Georgia’s imagery focuses on their history. Bold move, but shouts out to Eugene Talmadge anyway. GO DAWGS.
The judge is the most terrifying part of this ad. The second most terrifying part of it are a bunch of dudes from Mississippi with a rocket in their hands.
The SEC putting out an ad that makes Florida a baseball school pisses off Gator fans AND LSU fans simultaneously. This may be the only truly SEC part of this ad, so well done.
The final thing we’ll say about this: It’s a great Southern Living ad, and no one can take that away from it. Subscribe now and receive floorplans for houses your parents thought about building and three recipes for pecan pie you won’t use because buying one in the store is way, way easier than actually making a mediocre one of your own. Buying it at the grocery store because IT JUST MEANS MORE. Nothing more SEC than that, y’all.Green buildings can both protect the environment and benefit the people using them. But to do so, users should be involved in the planning from the very beginning
Efforts to make buildings environmentally sustainable often focus on the technical side, such as energy efficiency. But there is more to sustainability than just energy efficiency.
Sustainability is also about the people using the building. Awareness of non-environmental benefits of green buildings is growing. A recent working paper by the European Joint Research Centre identifies “healthy and comfortable spaces” as one of the key factors necessary to judge the environmental performance of a building.
According to a report published in 2014 by the World Green Building Council, there is great potential for green office buildings to provide comfortable and healthy workspaces for their users.
“There is some evidence suggesting that people are happier in these buildings,” says Andrew Smith, senior lecturer in facilities management and the built environment at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. This is often attributed to factors like the amount of daylight or natural material used within the building, according to Smith. Workplace wellbeing might in turn increase workers’ productivity and eventually customer satisfaction, he points out.
Energy efficient office buildings do not automatically provide better workplaces than conventional buildings, according to a study of office buildings in Switzerland by Lukas Windlinger Inversini, professor for workplace management at the |
narrowly passed the Senate and was included in the bill. There is no House counterpart, and industry is gunning for this one. But the House does provide that credit rating agencies are legally liable for deceptive practices.
Cover Auto Dealers: New and used car dealers are among the most notorious purveyors of deceptive bait-and-switch financing. But the auto industry, which operates in every congressional district, worked with Senate Republicans on a parliamentary maneuver to win an exemption for car dealers; a similar provision is in the House bill. There is an outside chance that this could be reversed. Both Dodd and Frank are sympathetic to reversing this outrageous carve-out.
Bring Back Glass-Steagall: Among the crucially important provisions that did not make it into either final bill is the Merkley-Levin amendment which would draw a bright line separating taxpayer-insured commercial banks from financial firms that gamble and trade derivatives and other risky other securities for their own accounts (the "Volcker Rule.") There is still a decent chance that this could make it into the final bill.
Break up the Biggest Banks: Another key provision that developed significant support but that was defeated in a floor right was the Brown-Kaufman amendment to limit the percent of deposits held by any one bank, and thereby break up the biggest banks. But this measure will be back another day.
Duty to Clients: Among the most instructive revelations of the hearings, investigations and debates was the disclosure that big Wall Street houses routinely bet against their own customers. An amendment providing that investment banks have a fiduciary duty to their clients was not included in the final senate bill, but has increasing support.
Fix the Mortgage Mess: The House and Senate bills both have modest reforms to tighten mortgage standards but no major breakthrough to end the logjam on refinancing distressed mortgages so that besieged homeowners can keep their homes. This is also a fight for another day.
Despite its limitations, the financial bill is a start that progressives need to defend. Given where we began, this process has come a long way. At the outset, the administration was backing a far weaker bill. House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank was hobbled by the presence of fifteen pro-industry "New Democrats" on his committee who weakened the bill at every opportunity. As recently as March, Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd was on the verge of making a bipartisan deal with Committee Republicans for a measure that would have been reform in name only.
But as the public has begun paying more attention, as AFR has grown into the most effective financial reform coalition ever; and as heroic progressive legislators have moved their colleagues, the bill has gotten better over time. Other progressive leaders such as Elizabeth Warren and AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka have pushed public opinion, key legislators, and the Obama Administration. All of this is no small achievement, given how esoteric most of these issues are to most voters… [emphasis added]I was exited to finally participate in Reddit Secret santa this year. I waited eagerly for my gift not knowing where it came from or what it is exactly. Then i got that glorious tracking number that gave me my first clue to where it was from: Central Europe. Lets just say i live in the middle of Texas so i dont get to experience most european cultures. Nevertheless i was very excited.
Fast forward to Monday, Dec. 20th. I get a letter from my post office to come pick up a package. I pick it up and open it to find a handmade beer mug! I thought this was perfect since i turn 21 in a couple months so the timing couldnt be better. Then i look inside. To my surprise its filled with various chocolate includind Kinder Eggs! (Note: kinder eggs are kind of illegal so knowing that made the contraband chocolate taiste that much sweeter :P.) They also included a wonderfully written personal letter.
I couldnt have wished for a better secret santa! Thank you sooo soo much!The idea of organising a televised 'presidential showdown' between the two leading candidates in the European election campaign is up in the air, as EU parties fail to agree over the format.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced last Wednesday that it would hold two televised debates in the run-up to the elections, publicised with the Twitter hashtag #TellEurope. A general debate, which includes all parties’ candidates for the EU Commission presidency as participants, is planned for 15 May.
The EBU planned to hold a “showdown” between the two candidates leading the race to become the next Commission president, in a second televised debate on 20 May – just two days before the polls open.
>> Read: Officials seek greater EU election turnout with televised ‘presidential debate’
Martin Schulz, the Socialist frontrunner, would have likely faced the centre-right European People Party’s candidate in this two-man debate. The centre-right candidate is set to be elected at the EPP congress, which begins today (6 March) in Dublin.
But the EBU has now cancelled this second debate in a communiqué that did not state the reasons for the change of plan.
Holding one debate “was the original plan, anyway,” Ben Steward of the EBU told EURACTIV. “We’re now sticking to this first debate, with as broad a range of candidates possible.”
‘Showdown’ format ‘not fair’
In meetings following last week’s announcement by the EBU, smaller parties like the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the European Greens have criticised the format, saying it excludes them from fair visibility ahead of the election, which takes place on 22-25 May across EU countries.
Johannes Hillje, campaign manager for the European Greens, told EURACTIV: “These debates [including the ‘showdown’ debate] are co-organised by the European Parliament. We were expecting that political groups would get visibility according to their representation.”
Observers have argued this could render the televised discussion rather dull. Simon Hix, a professor of European studies at the London School of Economics (LSE), said earlier: “What voters and the media need now is to see a difference between these candidates. Tsipras has a clearly different stance on things, but we need someone on the right as well.”
The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) expressed their interest in joining the debate if they are invited, but this goes beyond the EBU’s plan to invite only those who have been nominated officially by a party as candidate for the EU Commission presidency.
The ‘showdown’ debate on 20 May now is up in the air and European parties are unsure whether it will be held.
Too much limelight for Schulz?
Parliament insiders told EURACTIV that the socialist candidate Martin Schulz and his team have decided to back down from the two-man debate due to fears of losing political support from smaller European parties.
This follows an earlier move by the Greens’ co-chairs in the EU Parliament, Rebecca Harms and Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who released a statement over the weekend criticising Schulz for using his position as European Parliament president for campaigning purposes.
“The role of head of the Parliament – the only democratically elected institution in the EU – should not be mixed up with the clear party politics involved in a candidacy-role for European Commission president,” they said in a joint statement.
For EU commissioners running in the election, a rule was agreed for them to step down and be replaced in the last stretch of the EU executive’s mandate. But no such rules exist for the Parliament president.
Single candidates (almost) in place
Meanwhile, new polling data released yesterday show the Socialists still lead in the opinion polls. But their lead has shrunk and they are now neck-and-neck with the EPP. Remarkably, the far-left European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) has seen a surge in voting intentions, with opinion polls placing the group in third spot, ahead of the liberal ALDE group.
At the EPP congress, which opens today in Dublin, member parties are expected to adopt their election manifesto and elect a common candidate. Three candidates are in the running – the Luxemburger Jean-Claude Juncker, Frenchman Michel Barnier and the Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis – as EURACTIV reported earlier.
On the socialist side, Schulz was officially confirmed as their frontrunner at the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Rome, last Saturday (1 March).
Guy Verhofstadt campaigns for the ALDE party and the Greens have two MEPs, José Bove (France) and Ska Keller (Germany), as their frontrunners. The Greek Alexis Tsipras is the common candidate for the radical European Left party.
The last four have little chance of being nominated for a top EU position after the elections, however.
>> Read our LinksDossier: The EU top jobs: Who’s next?Summary: Researchers trace the Pavlovian response to a small cluster of neurons in the striatum.
Source: UCLA.
Same neurons malfunction in Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Tourette syndrome.
In his famous experiment, Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov rang a bell each time he fed his dogs. Soon, the dogs began drooling in anticipation when they heard the bell, even before food appeared.
Now, a UCLA study has traced the Pavlovian response to a small cluster of brain cells — the same neurons that go awry during Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Tourette’s syndrome. Published March 22 in the journal Neuron, the research could one day help neuroscientists find new approaches to diagnosing and treating these disorders.
“Species survive because they’ve learned how to link sensory cues like specific sounds, smells and sights to rewards like food and water,” said Sotiris Masmanidis, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “We wanted to uncover the brain circuitry that encodes reward-based learning and behavior.”
The UCLA team focused on cellular activity in the striatum, a part of the brain associated with reward, movement and decision-making.
In a modern version of Pavlov’s experiment, Masmanidis and colleagues repeatedly exposed mice to the unfamiliar scent of banana or lemon, followed by a drop of condensed milk. Eventually, the mice learned that the fragrances predicted the arrival of a sweet reward and began fervently licking the air in anticipation.
“The mice learned to associate the new scent with food, just like Pavlov’s dogs,” said Masmanidis, who is also a member of UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute and Brain Research Institute. “Our next step was to uncover what happens to the Pavlovian response when we silence different groups of cells in the striatum.”
Based on clues from earlier studies, the team zeroed in on a tiny group of cells that support the principal neurons in the striatum. Although these supporting players comprise fewer than 2 percent of the cells in the region, the scientists were surprised to discover that they play a disproportionately important role.
“When we switched off the support cells, the mice licked the air in anticipation of the milk only half as often as normal,” Masmanidis said. “We suspect that the support cells enhance the brain circuits that encode Pavlovian response.”
The support cells’ influence appeared strongest when the mice were first learning to pair the unfamiliar scents with a reward. The change was less dramatic in mice who had already mastered the connection.
“These cells were most essential to inexperienced mice who hadn’t yet mastered the Pavlovian response,” Masmanidis said.
The findings suggest that malfunctioning support cells could lead to neurological disorders, and that restoring the cells’ function could eventually help people with these diseases.
More than a century after Pavlov’s classic study, there is still much to learn about Pavlovian responses. “Our findings open up exciting opportunities for further studying the roles of different types of neurons in health and disease,” said joint first-author Kwang Lee, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in neurobiology.
About this neuroscience research article
The paper’s other co-authors are joint first-author Sandra Holley, Justin Shobe, Natalie Chong, Carlos Cepeda and Michael Levine, all of UCLA.
Funding: The study was funded by the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, and the National Science Foundation.
Source: Elaine Schmidt – UCLA
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to Boston University Medical School Center for Biomedical Imaging.
Video Source: The video is credied to UCLA Health.
Original Research: Abstract for “Parvalbumin Interneurons Modulate Striatal Output and Enhance Performance during Associative Learning” by Kwang Lee, Sandra M. Holley, Justin L. Shobe, Natalie C. Chong, Carlos Cepeda, Michael S. Levine, and Sotiris C. Masmanidis in Neuron. Published online March 22 2017 doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.02.033
Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article
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Chicago UCLA “Study Identifies Brain Cells Involved in Pavlovian Response.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 22 March 2017.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/pavlovian-brain-cells-6277/>. UCLA (2017, March 22). Study Identifies Brain Cells Involved in Pavlovian Response. NeuroscienceNew. Retrieved March 22, 2017 from http://neurosciencenews.com/pavlovian-brain-cells-6277/ UCLA “Study Identifies Brain Cells Involved in Pavlovian Response.” http://neurosciencenews.com/pavlovian-brain-cells-6277/ (accessed March 22, 2017).
Abstract
Parvalbumin Interneurons Modulate Striatal Output and Enhance Performance during Associative Learning
Highlights
•Examined PV cell function with large-scale neural recordings and optogenetics
•Suppressing or over-activating striatal PV cells reduces projection neuron firing
•A disynaptic inhibitory circuit couples PV cells to projection neurons
•The influence of PV cells on striatal output and behavior declines with experience
Summary
The prevailing view is that striatal parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons primarily function to downregulate medium spiny projection neuron (MSN) activity via monosynaptic inhibitory signaling. Here, by combining in vivo neural recordings and optogenetics, we unexpectedly find that both suppressing and over-activating PV cells attenuates spontaneous MSN activity. To account for this, we find that, in addition to monosynaptic coupling, PV-MSN interactions are mediated by a competing disynaptic inhibitory circuit involving a variety of neuropeptide Y-expressing interneurons. Next we use optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches to show that dorsolateral striatal PV interneurons influence the initial expression of reward-conditioned responses but that their contribution to performance declines with experience. Consistent with this, we observe with large-scale recordings in behaving animals that the relative contribution of PV cells on MSN activity diminishes with training. Together, this work provides a possible mechanism by which PV interneurons modulate striatal output and selectively enhance performance early in learning.
“Parvalbumin Interneurons Modulate Striatal Output and Enhance Performance during Associative Learning” by Kwang Lee, Sandra M. Holley, Justin L. Shobe, Natalie C. Chong, Carlos Cepeda, Michael S. Levine, and Sotiris C. Masmanidis in Neuron. Published online March 22 2017 doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.02.033
Feel free to share this Neuroscience News.The case against Amethyst anti-redemption
.(I’m avoiding calling it Amethyst corruption because that could be confused with something else entirely)
Warning: Too Far spoilers ahead!
The idea that Amethyst might go rougue, join the Homeworld Gems, or otherwise leave the Crystal Gems at some point isn’t new, though the list of Season 2 episode titles (I’m looking at you, Steven vs. Amethyst), and more recently, Peridot’s comments about Amethyst’s form in Too Far have given this theory new life. In its latest incarnation, the argument is that Yellow Diamond, or someone else aligned with Homeworld will convince Amethyst to defect with promises of making her stronger, or making her into what a “normal” Quartz is like.
In a sense, these theories aren’t all that unreasonable. After all, Amethyst is very self-conscious about her strength and size (see: literally every time it’s bought up). Except, that’s not the whole story. Amethyst doesn’t want to be huge. She wants to be respected for who she is, to not be considered weak just because she isn’t the size of Jasper. That’s not to say she wasn’t self-conscious about her size and strength – that’s what Reformed was about. But that episode ended with Amethyst being able to be introspective about herself and her appearance, to be proud and confident in her size and strength. To amethyst, an offer to become stronger is inherently a suggestion that she is weak. An offer to fix her is inherently saying that she’s defective. And Amethyst will not take either suggestion well.
What’s the difference between this and fusion, you might ask? After all, the above paragraph is a pretty apt explanation of why Jasper hates fusion (as opposed to Peridot, who merely doesn’t understand it the way the Crystal Gems do). Yet, unlike Jasper, Amethyst sees the value of fusion. and She revels in it, and, in particular, in the strength she gains from forming Sugilite. How does this mesh with what I wrote above? The answer is teamwork. Amethyst gains just as much strength from being a part of the team as she does from fusing with Garnet, albeit not quite as literally. Gaining strength from a teammate is not the same as gaining strength on one’s own. One is aboutr being part of something that’s more than the sum of it’s parts, and the other is about self-improvement. (For this reason, actually, I see Jasper as a very poor team player – she’s a lone wolf). For Amethyst, fusing with Garnet is simply not an admission of weakness.Children of She ethnic group sit in front of a monument that reads "China's No. 1 Poverty Relief Village" at Chixi Village, Panxi town, Fuding city in East China's Fujian province, Feb 14, 2016. The village has shaken off poverty thanks to assistance from Party and government officials at all levels over the past 30 years. [Photo/Xinhua]
An ambitious goal of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), which entered its second year, is to eliminate extreme poverty by 2020. The progress is well on track, as 10 million people had been lifted out of poverty by the end of 2016. This success is very encouraging as it is an indication of China's continued contribution to global development goals.
The strategy consists of a variety of approaches, including ecological civilization, education, social protection and industrial development, all focusing on rural poverty. The strategy is making at least three important contributions to society.
First, the approaches adopted are highly focused on providing public and social services, which are vital to build up an asset portfolio of the poor, and thus address the root causes of poverty. This means poverty is increasingly being considered as a multi-dimensional problem. The root cause of poverty is not merely a lack of income or necessities for material well-being such as food, housing and land, but also other factors such as access to education, healthcare and inclusiveness in society. All these are essential to address inequalities beyond mere poverty numbers.
Second, the approaches are well in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. If implemented effectively, the strategy will help create jobs, provide more and better public services, and promote sustainable urbanization and natural resources conservation. Doing so means not only lifting millions of people out of poverty, but also helping them stay above the poverty line.
Third, China's poverty reduction experience provides valuable lessons for other developing countries. As the causes of poverty have evolved over time due to changes in socio-economic and environmental conditions, China's poverty-alleviation programs have become more precise. This is manifested in various aspects of China's poverty-alleviation drive, including for instance how the poor are identified, how programs and instruments are designed, and how financial resources are managed and monitored.
However, making poverty reduction inclusive remains a challenge, particularly looking beyond 2020, when other patterns of poverty may emerge in different parts of China. While strategies to address future poverty and inequality trends are yet to be devised, an integrated approach that helps address inter-linked SDGs can be adopted now to reduce inequalities and the causes of unequal access and opportunities for all.
This is where the United Nations system can play a vital role in supporting China. First, the UN can help implement the SDGs at the sub-national level where most of the actions are needed for overall national-level results. This entails integration of sectoral approaches and convening of necessary partners and resources, for which the UN System is well built. It can also bring in various tools to help assess the needs for financing and budget planning－all with an integrated view, which ultimately leads to mainstreaming the SDGs as a key development principle.
Second, the UN can continue offering international perspectives and experiences to China. For example, through the Belt and Road Initiative (the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road), which provides a promising channel to expedite the exchange of knowledge, the UN can help China and other countries to share their experiences in development and trade in services－such as infrastructure, education and healthcare－to promote economic transformation and inclusive growth.
And third, to make the implementation of the targeted poverty-reduction strategy more effective, the UN can help monitor and assess the poverty-alleviation measures. For instance, with more financial resources being allocated for poverty reduction, the UN can help evaluate the cost-effectiveness of public spending by setting up an overarching appraisal system. To prevent people from falling back into poverty and identifying those who have to be lifted out of poverty, real-time and real-place tracking is very important. On this front, the UN can assist China experiment with innovative instruments, such as big data, to monitor poverty dynamics, which complements the traditional household surveys that feed the national database.
China is at the "last mile" of poverty reduction. The UN looks forward to supporting and working with it to consign poverty to history in the near future.
The author is resident coordinator of the United Nations System in China.David Brooks, the New York Times columnist who is billed as the conservative op-ed voice at the paper, reached back into the far regions of American political history the other day in search of a bit of advice for President Obama. He
said the president should embrace the tradition of the American Whig Party, which operated on the country’s political scene from about 1834 to 1856. ="#permid=11059531">
This is a curious analytical illustration for any conservative, which raises the question whether Brooks is truly a conservative. The answer is that he isn’t one. He is a thoughtful and often creative political commentator with some conservative instincts but also an overarching penchant for sidestepping the messy political clashes of our time and pursuing instead ancillary lines of thinking that keep him above the fray. Nobody ever seems to make him mad, certainly not liberals.
The columnist’s sojourn back to the time of the Whig Party illustrates this aspect of Brooks’s work—but also offers an occasion to ponder just what might be the lessons to be derived from the brief story of the Whigs, founded by Henry Clay as a counterweight to the hated Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson, and crushed just two decades later in the crucible of the country’s fearsome slavery debate.
Brooks portrays it as focused on "enhancing opportunity and social mobility" and dedicated to giving "marginalized Americans the tools to compete in a capitalist economy." It fought against the "divisive populist Jacksonians" in championing big public-works projects—roads, canals, bridges—designed to propel America into greatness. Brooks adds the party "believed in expanding immigration along with assimilation and cohesion."
Even allowing for its brevity, this is not a particularly accurate rendition of the Whig political sensibility, and it finesses some of the lessons of the party’s brief history, particularly for conservatives. In point of fact, the Whigs were the forerunners of today’s big-government Democrats. They believed in high taxes (tariffs), flexibility in interpreting the Constitution so government could be expanded, relatively easy money, government-corporate alliances and the ability of governmental elites to shape the country’s future.
They were not for social mobility, as it was understood in that time, or for loose immigration policies. Indeed, the greatest lever of social mobility in those days was government-owned land—more than a billion acres of it in the West and the South. The Whigs wanted to make it available to the highest bidders, meaning well-heeled Easterners, in order to generate massive federal monies that could be used for governmental projects. For them, these lands represented a great infusion of cash for greater federal activity and control.
Democrats, led by Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, advocated a system of graduated prices, with free grants to actual settlers who would promise to develop the land. Benton argued the country could benefit most by making these lands readily available to ordinary citizens who would raze the foliage, till the soil, build wealth through hard work, establish communities, and, in the process, expand the culture of American democracy. Elites weren’t needed, in this view, because the people would build up the nation from below. The Whigs took a particularly rough political hit when an internal report was leaked indicating some party leaders also wanted the land sold at high prices in order to keep cheap labor in place for Eastern manufacturers. Social mobility hardly seems to be the motivation here.
As for immigration and assimilation, Michael F. Holt, author of the most comprehensive recent history of the Whig Party, has written, "To immigrants and Catholics, the Whig party seemed impossibly hostile and bigoted." The Whigs nominated for U.S. vice president in 1840 a former New Jersey senator named Theodore Frelinghuysen, described by Holt as being associated with not only "zealous Protestant do-gooders but also fanatical anti-Catholic bigots." Although Holt does note that the country’s most virulent nativists "found the Whigs’ anti-Catholic and anti-foreign credentials too suspect," it was the Democrats of the day, not the Whigs, who most heartily welcomed immigrants.
The purpose here is not to malign the Whig Party, or particularly to set Brooks straight on some important American history, but to take a cue from Brooks and channel the Whig experience of fifteen decades ago into lessons for our own time. Brooks’ portrayal of the Whigs as genteel politicians, however overblown, leads him to suggest Obama should modernize the Whig impulse and then "travel the country…questioning current divisions and eroding the rigid battle lines." He wants the president to foster probing inquiries into whether the government can "improve family patterns so disadvantaged young children grow up in more ordered environments." He wonders if there are ways to improve Head Start, expand early childhood education intelligently, restructure neighborhoods so teenagers can more likely thrive, subsidize the lives of young men so they can afford to get married, or craft job-training programs for middle-aged workers.
He also suggests the president should stock his White House staff less with former campaign workers, who are adept at passing legislation, and more with "social entrepreneurs," who may be more suited to an agenda strategy based on bypassing a recalcitrant Congress. These social entrepreneurs would seem to be rather akin to the people described by the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in his 1970 book entitled Maximum Feasible Misunderstanding, which the author described as a "cautionary tale about the role of university-based experts in the formulation of social policy."
Thus it can be seen that in one important respect Brooks has the Whigs down pat. No doubt they would be inclined, once brought forward to our own day, to applaud the idea of inserting the federal government into ever greater aspects of American life, including schools, neighborhoods, family activity, the marital prospects of young men, and the like. But it’s worth noting that the Whigs were never particularly successful with their governmental agenda. In their brief twenty-two-year span, they elected just two presidents, both military heroes. Neither survived his presidential term, and the Democrats reclaimed the White House four years later in each instance.
Later, at the instigation of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, the country shook off its aversion to governmental expansion and interventionist policies designed to address pressing problems of national scope. In that sense, the Whigs were more successful in giving the country a philosophy of governmental potential than they were in implementing it themselves.
But the people have been wary of going much beyond the legacy of those four presidents. Indeed, Obama’s Affordable Care Act may represent the last hurrah for Democratic welfare-state liberalism in America. If so, the Democrats will have to craft a new approach to governing; but, then, in like manner, so will the Republicans have to move beyond their own obsessive opposition to Democratic welfare-state liberalism. For both parties, new thinking will have to emerge to reflect the new political realities of our time.
And there’s maybe one area where the two parties can come together in this emerging new era—the national need to smash corporate cronyism. It’s everywhere. When Andrew Jackson thwarted the Whigs by killing the Second Bank of the United States, it was because he hated the idea of an expansive government aligning itself with a corporate entity that subsisted on governmental largesse—and then perpetuated itself by extending in turn special emoluments to members of Congress and other government officials. (Daniel Webster was particularly avid in pursuing interest-free loans.)
But now we have this situation in spades—big Wall Street banks getting special treatment from Treasury and the Fed and extending in turn huge infusions of cash into selected political campaigns; Fannie and Freddie, playing a big role in creating the financial crisis of 2008 (like the big banks) and then continuing to thrive based on special governmental loan guarantees and sophisticated lobbying; start-up renewable-energy companies, run by friends of the Obama administration, operating artificially on infusions of governmental funding; a tax code ripe for the plucking by big corporations and rich fat cats with legions of highly compensated lawyers and accountants; potent public-employee unions with the money and influence to fire their members’ employers and hence to wring from governments special health and retirements benefits that taxpayers can’t afford—and can’t get at their own places of employment.
Students of the Whig era know that all this is in part a legacy of the Whig impulse, which favored expansive government aligned with big societal institutions—all in the name of national progress. But is it possible that an effort to address this problem could scramble up the old political fault lines, as Brooks seems to favor, and create a new coalition bent on saving the country from this ongoing strangulation? And could the country actually embrace some of the zeal of those "divisive populist Jacksonians" who went after the Whig outlook with such zeal?
Difficult to know. But this may be the real lesson of the Whig era. Maybe even David Brooks could embrace this challenge, notwithstanding its boldness.
Robert W. Merry is political editor of The National Interest and the author of books on American history and foreign policy. His most recent book is Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians.Nebraska @ Miami
Miami, why you do dis?
Top Plays
Play.Number Offense Down-Distance-Spot Quarter Play Description Home Team Win Probability Before Play Home Team Win Probability Added 215 Nebraska 1-10-25 5 Tommy Armstrong Jr. Pass INTERCEPTED 0.524 0.345 222 Miami (Florida) 4-9-11 5 FIELD_GOAL 0.697 0.303 211 Nebraska 2-4-8 4 Tommy Armstrong Jr. Pass to Stanley Morgan Jr. for 8, TOUCHDOWN 0.821 -0.280 220 Miami (Florida) 3-6-8 5 Team Rush for -3 0.857 -0.160 214 Miami (Florida) 1-10-75 4 Team Rush for -2 0.619 -0.095
In regard to the play bolded above... STOP ELECTING TO KNEEL WITH SO MUCH TIME REMAINING, COLLEGE COACHES. No, Miami didn't have any timeouts left (and I don't believe the play-by-play data we receive includes timeouts, so Matt's probability tool can't do anything about that), so maybe the Hurricanes' real win probability wasn't quite 61.9%. Maybe it was only about 55%.
But like when I stay at 15 on blackjack even when the odds are slightly in my favor -- yes, I'm a chicken, just like the coaches I'm calling chickens -- coaches are forgoing odds out of fear more than reality (i.e. fear of what happened to Kansas City against Denver last week). But the worst-case scenario doesn't actually happen very often. You've got an awesome young QB and a fun receiving corps. Give them a chance to win the game.
Miami 36, Nebraska 33
Confused? Visit the Advanced Stats glossary here.
Basics Miami Nebraska Nat'l Avg Total Plays 75 77 Close Rate (non-garbage time) 80.3% Avg Starting FP 30.6 25.4 29.6 Possessions 16 15 Scoring Opportunities*
9 7 Points Per Opportunity 3.67 4.43 4.82 Leverage Rate** 72.7% 60.7% 68.7% Close S&P*** 0.656 0.574 0.587 * A scoring opportunity occurs when an offense gets a first down inside the opponent's 40 (or scores from outside the 40).
** Leverage Rate = Standard Downs / (Standard Downs + Passing Downs)
*** When using IsoPPP, the S&P formula is (0.8*Success Rate) + (0.2*IsoPPP) EqPts (what's this?) Miami Nebraska Total 49.6 42.6 Rushing 14.2 15.4 Passing 35.4 27.1 Success Rate (what's this?) Miami Nebraska Nat'l Avg All (close) 48.5% 37.5% 41.8% Rushing (close) 45.2% 47.6% 42.8% Passing (close) 51.4% 31.4% 40.7% Standard Downs 52.1% 44.1% 47.3% Passing Downs 38.9% 27.3% 29.8% IsoPPP (what's this?) Miami Nebraska Nat'l Avg All (close) 1.34 1.37 1.26 Rushing (close) 0.99 1.02 1.06 Passing (close) 1.62 1.69 1.49 Standard Downs 1.33 1.11 1.10 Passing Downs 1.38 2.01 1.81 Line Stats Miami Nebraska Nat'l Avg Line Yards/Carry (what's this?) 2.87 3.54 2.83 Std. Downs Sack Rt. 4.6% 5.9% 4.7% Pass. Downs Sack Rt. 0.0% 5.6% 6.6%
Turnovers Miami Nebraska Turnovers 1 3 Turnover Points (what's this?) 6.0 18.7 Turnover Margin Miami +2 Exp. TO Margin Miami +1.32 TO Luck (Margin vs. Exp. Margin) Miami +0.68 TO Points Margin Miami +12.7 points Situational Miami Nebraska Q1 S&P 0.801 0.412 Q2 S&P 0.613 0.600 Q3 S&P 0.723 0.553 Q4 S&P 0.584 0.714 1st Down S&P 0.743 0.555 2nd Down S&P 0.722 0.505 3rd Down S&P 0.657 0.690 Projected Scoring Margin: Miami by 19.7 Actual Scoring Margin: Miami by 3
Basically, the projected scoring margin is saying "Surely Miami didn't blow that many scoring chances..." Alas, they did! Going 5-for-5 on field goals is a lovely accomplishment for any college kicker... but asking him to kick five field goals is an admission of failure. But first-and-goal from the 1 turned into fourth down from the 6. First-and-goal from the 8 turned into fourth down from the 10. Third-and-1 from the 19 turned into fourth-and-6 from the 24.
And then, of course, the Hurricanes asked Michael Badgley to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the 11, up 30-10, even though a touchdown would have completely put the game out of reach.
There's risk involved in going for it, and I don't really blame Al Golden and company for not being confident in their ability gain one yard on fourth-and-1... but fourth-and-1 odds are always in an offense's favor. Miami dropped the dagger in like four different ways, and then Nebraska's offense found a rhythm against a depleted secondary late.
And then, naturally, Miami won anyway. Weirdest game of the week.If you've passed the iconic Hass-Lilienthal house at 2007 Franklin St. in Pacific Heights over the past few weeks, you might have noticed three generations of its former residents in the home's bay windows.
The digital projections that depict the lives of the Haas-Lilienthal family over the decades was created by visual artist Ben Wood, who specializes in highlighting unique architecture and human stories throughout the city using photographs and film.
"It’s an art project within an existing building with a museum," Wood told Hoodline over the phone. "I’m excited about the bridge between and animating a building with its history, how it relates to preserving history, and by telling a story. We're talking about a space in the past and the present," he said.
The historic house was commissioned by William Haas and designed by architect Peter R. Schmidt in 1886.
It was one of the few homes in the area to survive the 1906 earthquake, but later sustained fire damage in the aftermath. It's said to be the only intact, private home of the period to be operating as a museum and has been open to the public since 1972.
Video: Ben Wood
Wood received help from nonprofit San Francisco Heritage, whose offices are in the attic and also |
ario de Desarrollo Social, José Antonio Meade, para pedir su colaboración e investigar la coordinación de estancias infantiles en Tlaxcala y al centro “La Casita feliz”, ya que “de forma ilegal han falsificado mi firma en las listas de asistencias de mi hijo Cristian Damián Díaz Gómez, toda vez que yo nunca he firmado lista alguna de asistencia de mi hijo.
“El único documento que he firmado ha sido la inscripción de mi hijo, [cuyo] original se quedó la maestra”, escribió Anita Díaz Gómez el 17 de marzo y detalló que su hijo asistió sólo unos días en diciembre de 2015.
Otra carta entregada a personal de la Sedesol Tlaxcala, cuyos portadores prometieron enviar a la oficina central, denuncia que “sin su consentimiento y autorización firmaron listas de asistencias de mi hija Dulce Paola Hinojoza Serrano, ya que del mes de noviembre que la inscribí nunca firmé una lista de asistencias”.
Pilar Serrano Zamora expuso en su carta que su hija acudió a la estancia en noviembre y unos días de diciembre de 2015. Mencionó que el único documento que firmó fue la inscripción de su niña “que de forma particular y con su contacto en la delegación tramitó la maestra de la estancia Gloria María Ramos Arellano”.NSA casts massive surveillance net over Latin America
By Bill Van Auken
11 July 2013
Secret National Security Agency documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have exposed a massive spying operation covering all of Latin America.
The NSA’s interception of billions of telephone conversations, emails, Internet searches and other forms of communication made by Latin American individuals, companies and government agencies has provoked a wave of protests and demands for explanations by the Obama administration.
Snowden, the source of the secret documents, remained confined to the transit zone of Moscow’s international airport Wednesday, with conflicting reports about the prospect of his finding asylum in Venezuela or elsewhere.
According to the documents reported in the Rio de Janeiro-based daily O Globo, the most intensive surveillance has been conducted against both US allies—including Brazil, Colombia and Mexico—and against Venezuela, whose bourgeois nationalist regime has in the past come into conflict with US aims in the region.
Also subjected to the NSA surveillance net have been Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and El Salvador, according to the O Globo report.
The spying has involved two programs: PRISM, which collates email, Internet chats, searches and other material directly from the servers of IT companies such as Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Skype; and “Boundless Informant,” which collects telephone calls, faxes and other communications.
Also in use has been a program code-named Silverzephyr, which an NSA power-point slide explains is aimed at “accessing lines for information transmission through a partner,” referring to an unnamed private corporation with access to satellites, telephone networks and data transmission systems.
The revelation that telephone and Internet communications in numerous Latin American countries have been exposed to constant surveillance by the NSA has given the lie to US officials who have defended the agency’s wholesale spying on the populations of both the US itself and other countries as a necessary weapon in the so-called war on terror.
There is no evidence that the countries subjected to this spying were the source of terrorist threats against the US. Moreover, as the documents made public by Snowden make clear, much of the US surveillance has been directed at uncovering “commercial secrets,” arms purchases and other matters designed to further the interests of US-based banks and corporations in their struggle to dominate the region’s economies.
“One aspect that stands out in the documents is that…the United States doesn’t appear interested in military affairs alone, but also in trade secrets—‘oil’ in Venezuela, and ‘energy’ in Mexico, according to a list produced by the NSA in the first quarter of this year,” O Globo reported.
In its surveillance of Venezuelan communications, for example, the NSA has focused both on military procurements and the oil sector, while conducting intense spying operations following the death of President Hugo Chavez, who headed the country’s government for 14 years.
In Mexico, in addition to a focus on drug trafficking, the surveillance has been directed at securing information on energy policy and deals.
Significantly, among those protesting the spying operation was the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most powerful business lobby. Paulo Skaf, the president of the federation, said that “any espionage is condemnable and an abuse, whether it is against individuals or against companies, no matter what government commits it.” He added that the US government should be compelled to “make some kind of reparation.”
The NSA documents make clear that Colombia, which is Washington’s closest ally in the region, receiving more military aid than any other countries save Israel and Egypt, has trailed only Brazil and Mexico as a target for US espionage. Even the right-wing government of President Juan Manuel Santos found itself compelled to issue a formal protest.
Mexico’s government demanded that Washington provide “ample information” on its spying operation and affirmed that “relations between countries must be conducted with respect and observance of legal frameworks,” while “energetically condemning any deviation from this practice.”
Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, declared that she “felt a shiver going down my spine when we learned that they are spying on us all through their services in Brazil.”
Certainly all of these bourgeois governments have carried out their own spying programs, several of them in collaboration with US intelligence.
Colombia’s secret police agency, the Department of Administrative Services, was revealed to be involved in a wide-ranging wire-tapping operation two years ago, targeting members of parliament and Supreme Court justices.
Fernandez de Kirchner was compelled to dismiss a close political ally as minister of security following revelations that the agency was overseeing “Project X,” in which the national police were spying on social activists and dissident trade unionists.
Until a recent decision by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, CIA personnel worked directly alongside their Mexican counterparts in “intelligence fusion centers” set up inside Mexico.
And among the reports based on the leaked NSA documents published in O Globo was the revelation that so-called “Special Collection Service” centers were set up by the CIA and the NSA in Brasilia, Bogota, Caracas, Panama City and Mexico City to monitor information from foreign satellites.
Nonetheless, the exposure of the wholesale espionage by US intelligence has escalated tensions between the various Latin American governments and Washington, fueled in no small part by conflicting economic interests under conditions where the historic hegemony of US imperialism in the region has been eroded by increased trade and investment from China and Europe, as well as the growing role of Brazilian capital.
It is expected that the NSA spying operation as well as the recent incident in which the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced down in Europe over alleged suspicions that it was carrying Edward Snowden from Moscow to asylum in Bolivia will figure prominently in the deliberations of a summit meeting of the Latin American trade bloc, Mercosur, which convenes in Montevideo Friday.
The Organization of American States, a body traditionally dominated by Washington, passed a resolution Tuesday condemning the act of state air piracy conducted by European governments at the behest of the CIA against Morales. Only the US and Canada failed to join in backing the statement, which demanded apologies from the governments of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal and explanations for their actions.
Spain, which initially refused such an apology, changed course Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo declaring, “If any misunderstanding has taken place, I don’t have any objection to saying sorry to President Morales.”
Under questioning by reporters. Garcia-Margallo confirmed that the false information that Snowden had been aboard Morales’s plane had come from the US.
The Bolivian government has charged that Washington knew its allegations to be false, but spread them as a means of retaliating against Morales for saying he was prepared to offer Snowden asylum and using the incident to intimidate him and anyone else contemplating aid to the ex-NSA contractor.
Despite relentless government and media vilification of Snowden, the latest opinion poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found a clear majority, 55 percent, identifying him as a “whistle-blower,” i.e., someone who exposed government crimes, while barely one third agreed with the Obama administration in classifying him as a “traitor.”
While it is far from clear whether the offers of asylum made by the governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua will amount to more than left-nationalist rhetoric, it is clear that Snowden enjoys massive popular support both in the US and among working people all across the globe. It is only in the political mobilization of this support that his real defense lies.If you’re ever in the market for a choice example of bureaucratic obfuscation, look no further than the following section in the slightly amended version of city council’s newly unified transit vision, which was approved last week, and will be returning to the executive committee in June in a somewhat more detailed guise.
Appropriate sequencing of the range of projects will be the subject of further analysis. The resulting outputs will need to be further consulted upon with the TTC, Metrolinx and the public. This includes determining where there is alignment between the City’s priorities and Metrolinx’s regional planning and prioritization [italics added by me].
Three passively constructed, cryptic sentences which, when read together, point ever so delicately towards the gaping chasm that lies between all the beautiful maps and an action plan that actually begins to deliver a more coherent vision of rapid transit in Toronto.
Most observers believe the looming psycho-political hump has to do with financing and revenue tools. Indeed, there’s no doubt in my mind that the near unanimity we saw in council last week will erode noticeably when the members get down to the hot potato work of figuring out how to pay for all these projects.
But the element in all this visioning that is consistently AWOL — or at least is kept hidden from public scrutiny in a basement vault marked “radioactive” — is any frank discussion of prioritization.
The map comes with many new lines, and about ten of them, City staff readily concede, are more important than the others. The City and/or Metrolinx can’t build all of them at the same time, nor, indeed, should they. Some are critically important, in terms of the health and viability of the network, while there are others that, if built first, could serve to exacerbate the crowding pressures we all know exist.
In short: must haves and nice-to-haves. Let’s build them in order, in the way that the TTC and the City now prioritize capital projects (e.g., state of good repair, regulatory or statutory improvements, service expansion).
Maybe I’m asking for the impossible, but I have not yet seen a staff document that clearly states the order of importance of the proposed lines and provides a clear rationale based on an evaluation of what happens as different routes come on line.
Alternatively, I haven’t seen a document that compares scenarios — here’s what happens if we do things in order A, compared to order B or order C. Rather, we’re expected to play along with the fiction that the high priority lines will all be built in the next 15 years, and that Toronto, circa 2031, will have some variation of the Network 2011 transit plan that Metro Council approved in 1985, almost half a century earlier.
I understand the three bureaucratic sentences above were written by worldly mandarins who know perfectly well where their work ends and where the politicking begins. I also realize that the very difficult discussion about how to fund all these projects is intimately connected to the question of prioritization. The men and women at City Hall need to think about elections and providing their constituents with hope that the world, or at least their corner of it, is improving.
Yet it seems to me that City and TTC staff, at some point, need to provide both the public and their own political masters with a rigorous technical analysis that openly tackles the question of prioritization, or at least provides some options and a means for council to judge. It’s a report that should identify the points in the system that show the greatest degree of vulnerability, as well as opportunity, and then offer three or four explicitly phased build-out strategies that, if implemented in order, would systematically move the city towards a more sustainable network.
By dancing around this problem, the City’s bureaucrats are leaving the field open to the kind of horse-trading that allowed us to spend almost a generation tied up with subway extensions leading to nowhere instead of building lines that relieve pressure on the over-taxed sections of the network with measures that go beyond productivity enhancements (signal replacement, re-jigged trains, etc.).
The City has extensive forecasting and modeling capabilities, so council should know what happens if we build the east and west extensions on the Crosstown LRT, for example, before the Relief Line. Or what happens if the City does Smart Track before the Scarborough extension. And so on. These phased scenarios, of course, are dynamic, because it’s possible that one project will render another one less urgent or (perish the thought!) unnecessary. It’s also possible that funding will dry up mid-roll out, so surely it makes sense to start with the projects that provide the most high impact solution the soonest.
The phasing also has a bearing on future financial discussions. After all, if we prioritize lines that will get relatively little ridership early on (which can last for decades, as the Spadina subway has shown), the increased burden on the TTC’s operating budget will factor into subsequent debates about how much the City can borrow or levy for later projects. Again, a highly dynamic scenario.
I have not a shred of doubt that the senior planners tasked with stick-handling this epic undertaking through city council are acutely aware of the phasing and prioritization issues. But rather than hide from this most critical part of the debate, I want to see the City’s planners and technical experts present council and the public with competing scenarios and the network/ridership implications for each one.
Everyone knows that at some point, city council will have to choose an order. The onus is on the City’s top officials to impose some order on the debate about order.
photo by Chris PorterFor years, doctors told John Young that because he had achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, he couldn't run.
Young, a 47-year-old teacher at the Pingree School in South Hamilton, Mass., is 4-foot-4-inches tall.
But on Tuesday, Young finished the final half mile of his first Boston Marathon more than two weeks after the April 15 bombing ended it half a mile early for him. As he reached his family near the finish line, his son put the marathon medal over his head.
"I lost it," he told ABCNews.com. "I was just weeping."
His 10-year-old son, Owen, had been waiting at the finish line with Young's wife, Sue Casey, when the bombs exploded. They were unharmed, but Young said he wanted to give Owen a happy memory of the area.
"He said, 'Dad, all I want to do is put the medal around your neck when you cross the finish line,'" Young said. "I'm amazed at how strong he was."
But Young was strong, too. His journey to the marathon started seven years ago, when his wife suggested he might have sleep apnea -- or difficulty breathing during sleep --which is a common complication of dwarfism. It's also common in people who are overweight, which Young was at the time.
Not long after he sought treatment for sleep apnea, he started to feel more energetic, so he started to exercise by swimming and riding his bike. He didn't run, but he was losing weight.
RELATED: World's Smallest Dwarf Siblings Live Large at College
One day Young came across a YouTube video of Team Hoyt. Rick Hoyt, 51, has cerebral palsy, but his father, Dick Hoyt, 72, pushes him in a wheelchair during runs, pulls him in a special boat during swims and rides with him on a tandem bike. They did dozens of distance races a year, including 247 triathlons and 70 marathons -- 30 of which were in Boston.
"I got very emotional watching," Young said. "I thought if this father can do this with his son, I think I can do a triathlon."
He signed up for his first triathlon in 2009, but he skipped the running part.
"When I saw everyone else getting off the bike and running, I thought, 'I really need to do a full triathlon,'" he said.
Because people with achondroplasia have narrow spinal columns at the base of the spine, they can experience numbness or back pain during running. But Young said running never hurt him. Although many doctors tell people with dwarfism to avoid running entirely, Young's doctor was supportive.
"His adage is, If it doesn't hurt, don't stop," Young said.
John Young poses with his wife and son at the Boston Marathon finish line, April 30, 2013. (Image credit: Courtesy/John Young)
Four weeks later, Young raced in a triathlon with a 3-mile running portion. Since then, he's done more than 20 triathlons, including two half-"Iron Man" distances, which included a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a half marathon, which is 13.1 miles. It takes him about 8 and a half hours to complete.
To prepare for a full Iron Man, he would need to do a marathon, so he signed up for the New York City Marathon, which was canceled because of Superstorm Sandy. So two weeks later, he did one in Plymouth, Mass., finishing in 6 hours and 20 minutes.
To his surprise, he qualified for the mobility-impaired division of the Boston Marathon. Young and 26-year-old Juli Windsor were to be the first people with dwarfism to ever compete in it, which didn't surprise him because he often looks for athletes like himself, but he almost never finds them. Windsor is 20 years his junior, but she reminded him that he could push himself to run faster.
"What she showed me is there's probably more inside of me where I can probably run faster," he said. "I think a lot of people limit themselves either by what other people are telling them or other people's ideas. A lot of times, limits are false, and you can push yourself a lot further."
Young was on "Heartbreak Hill" five miles from the Boston Marathon finish line on marathon day when he felt proudest of his athletic achievements. He passed a young son and his father. Like many children who see him, this boy said loudly, "Look at that little man running."
"Sometimes parents ignore them or get embarrassed," Young said.
But this father turned to his son and explained that he'd read about Young in the newspaper, and that he was going to be the first man with dwarfism to complete the Boston Marathon.
Young was so proud, he could have stopped right then, he said.
"There's no type of marathon body," Young said. "If you train, put in hard work and follow through, you can do it."Polymers Are Not Chemicals, CNN says
That’s right folks, you heard it here first: Polymers are not chemicals. Polymer scientists, all those years of chemistry classes you took are worthless. I’m sorry.
I was informed of this factoid this morning while I was eating my breakfast and watching CNN’s coverage of the oil spill in the Gulf. Reynolds Wolf (no relation, thank goodness), a meteorologist and CNN correspondent, was reporting from Louisiana on another chemical being used to help in the clean-up efforts: C.I. Agent.
We’ve already reported about the dispersants being employed down there, but I hadn’t heard of this substance until this morning. It seems clean-up crews are now also going to be using C.I. Agent, a petroleum-based blend of polymers that encapsulates oil (or any hydrocarbon, really), turning the whole complex into a rubberlike substance that can be scooped out of the water. This polymeric powder compound comes from Louisville, Ky.-based C.I. Agent Solutions, which says that the solidified oil-polymer product “can be used as a fuel or sold to companies … as a filler to add strength and flexibility to their products.”
This is not exactly what Reynolds Wolf told me this morning. He stressed that the C.I. Agent is “a polymer, not a chemical” and that the final solid is “biodegradable.” I can’t find a video clip of this, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but I nearly choked on my cereal bar when I heard it. I’m guessing that what you were supposed to get out of all of this is something like: Chemicals are bad, but this polymer thing is good because it’s eco-friendly and helpful.
I talked all of this over with colleague Melody Voith, who authors the “Cleantech Chemistry” blog for C&EN. She’s already reported about other efforts to clean up the Gulf, such as stockings filled with hair, and looked further into this C.I. Agent here.
I leave you with a video of C.I. Agent in action. It reminds me of one of those OxiClean commercials.It is no secret the World Junior Hockey Championships provides an outstanding opportunity for scouts to evaluate prospects – both drafted and undrafted.
Part 1 of this series highlighted the top 10 performances (with a bonus prospect and a couple of sleepers) by first-year 2012 draft eligible prospects.
Part 2 focuses on the top 10 over-agers that have been previously passed over in the draft at least one year.
*Please note that this is not a ranking of the prospects for the 2012 NHL draft, but simply rating their performance at the World Juniors.
2012 NHL Draft Overagers
(Prospects who have passed through at least one draft undrafted)
1. Tanner Pearson: Forward, Canada (OHL)
Pearson’s meteorological rise this season has taken him atop the OHL scoring lead and he has yet to give it up despite joining Team Canada for the World Juniors. His 2.09 PPG is the best in the league by quite a margin. Pearson is the classic late bloomer and is a case in point that hockey scouting is far from an exact science. He has been passed over twice already in the NHL draft, but don’t expect that to occur a third time. He had 6 points in 6 games for Canada putting his very good hockey sense on fine display.
Draft Stock: Unchanged to slightly elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 3rd round with an outside chance of landing in the first round.
Statistics:
2. Nikita Gusev: Forward, Russia
As I stated in my article coining him “Picasso” – a hockey artist.
Team Russia’s #8 is an extremely crafty and savvy forward who is equally adept at scoring or playmaking. He is very elusive and exhibits laser-like precision shooting and passing.
Size and the Russian Roulette Factor are his biggest obstacles should he want to cross the pond to tackle the NHL. He finished tied for 6th in scoring at the World Juniors.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 5th round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
3. Andrei Makarov: Goalie, Russia
Makarov’s gold medal game exploits against Sweden are well documented. He was the somewhat surprise starter for that game – named by Coach Bragin after Makarov came in for the yanked phenom Andrei Vasilevski to hold off Canada and the miracle comeback attempt with 5 minutes left to play in the semi-final game. He is a cool, calm and collected netminder who reminds some of Evgeny Nabokov.
Draft Stock: Skyrocketed
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 4th round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
4. Tomas Hyka: Forward, Czech Republic
While he didn’t necessarily have a stand-out World Juniors per se, Hyka is on the radar of many NHL scouts. Hyka was involved in some offseason hockey intrigue as the Flyers seemingly mistakenly thought they could simply sign him as a free agent after a strong training camp rather than drafting him.
Broad Street Hockey reported in September, 2011:
Flyers knew Hyka was on the board in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, they thought about drafting him, and then decided to take big goon Derek Mathers instead.
Draft Stock: Unchanged
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 7th round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
5. Tanner Richard: Forward, Switzerland
Richard led Switzerland in shots with 25 and chipped in 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games. He’s also averaging well over a PPG for the Guelph Storm of the OHL.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 6th round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
6. Daniel Krejci: Defense, Czech Republic
Krejci impressed me throughout this tournament with his solid and sometimes dynamic play at both ends of the rink. Amongst blueliners who have yet to be drafted in the NHL, Krejci was tied for 1st in points with Finland’s Ville Pokka – both notching 4 points.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 7th round sleeper pick
Statistics (Up-to-date):
7. Erik Thorell: Forward, Sweden
Thorell is ranked 17th by NHL Central Scouting amongst International Skaters despite being passed over in the draft last year. Thorell was tied for 4th in tournament scoring with 6 points in 6 games amongst players who have not yet been drafted by a NHL team. Thorell is a speedy, slightly undersized forward with good hockey sense and a fearless approach to the game.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 7th round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
8. Matus Chovan: Forward, Slovakia
Chovan was also tied for 4th in tournament scoring with 6 points in 6 games(with 5 goals) amongst players who have not yet been drafted by a NHL team. Chovan is a physical winger and while not the fastest player, he is a diligent worker and has tremendous determination.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: late round sleeper pick
Statistics (Up-to-date):
9. Alessio Bertaggia: Forward (Switzerland)
The Brandon Wheat King is yet another CHL Swiss import player having success. The diminutive winger is averaging nearly a PPG in the WHL and notched 4 points in 6 games in the World Juniors. His size doesn’t stop him from playing a physical game. He is a shifty skater with good offensive instincts.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: mid to latter round sleeper pick
Statistics (Up-to-date):
10. Joel Vermin: Forward, Switzerland
Vermin is known as a streaky scorer, but was hot for the Swiss scoring 4 goals in 6 games and added 1 assist. Puckhandling and his shot are the obvious strengths of his game.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: late round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
Bonus:
Thomas Spelling: Forward, Denmark
Spelling was 3rd in scoring for Denmark and finished tied for 16th overall in scoring amongst players not yet drafted in the NHL.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: late round
Statistics (Up-to-date):
***My 5-year-old son loves Star Wars. He would love it if the three Star Wars t-shirts he owns could be on a constant rotation. He likes to "talk" like R2-D2. He owns his fair share of merchandise, some of it new and some of it left over from my partner's childhood. He's watched some of the Clone Wars TV show. He can hum the Imperial March. He's a fan. Up until this week, he hadn't actually seen any of the movies. In fact, I'm not sure he even knew that there were six whole movies that take place in a galaxy far, far away that he loves to imagine, and it gave me a great idea: What if we watched all six Star Wars movies together?
My earliest memories of playing with my brother involve lightsabers and pretending we were Luke and Leia and sometimes R2-D2 and C-3PO. My partner has similar memories with his brother, who was always really into Star Wars: the movies, the books, the action figures, the whole nine yards. Both of us feel like Star Wars really sparked our imaginations early on in life. For me, Star Wars was as much a part of my childhood lore as any fairytale. And we couldn't wait to introduce our kids to the magic.
The Experiment
My partner and I had high expectations of screening the movies with him. We hoped that (if they weren't too terribly scary) we'd be able to bring him to the theater to see The Force Awakens premiere. And, as any true fan will tell you, he can't see the new movie until he's up to speed on the previous six. After much deliberation about the order in which we should watch them, we decided to go in the order they were released. (Even if that meant saving the worst for last.)
Here's what my son thought about the movies.
And for anyone who hasn't seen them, there are *spoilers* ahead.
Episode IV: A New Hope
My partner was a bit nervous to get started. Mainly because I had made a grievous (not Count Grievous... har har) error when my son was 3: I let him check a book out from the library that was all about Angry Birds Star Wars. For over a year, my son was convinced the beloved characters were R2-EGG2 and C-3PYOLK, and that the Dark Side was actually The Pork Side and was populated by angry green pigs. No amount of telling him the correct names would convince him. He'd read it in a book. He was an expert.
Through much coaching, he had finally gotten the names right. My partner was thrilled that Angry Birds didn't come up once.
I took a backseat to my partner and enjoyed watching him explain things to our son. His attention was rapt. He squealed when R2-D2 and C-3PO showed up for the first time. He couldn't wait to see Tatooine. He listened intently as his dad explained the Empire and why the Rebels were fighting them.
I couldn't wait to show him the next movie, which is definitely my favorite.
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
This film is notably darker and scarier than the first. So we weren't sure how he'd react. And in a couple instances, he was a bit frightened. The cave on Dagobah where Darth Vader just seems to show up and Han getting frozen in carbonite were the most notable moments of shock. (Somehow the monster on Hoth didn't scare him.)
But there was as much delight as nervousness. I mean, we get to meet Yoda. And finally Luke is wielding the lightsaber full time. C-3PO and Chewbacca have some lovely bonding moments.
Somehow the "I am your father" line had not been spoiled for him, which... WOW. He didn't realize Darth Vader was Luke's father. My partner and I looked eagerly at each other as that fact was revealed. Then we explained it to our son. He accepted it easily. His mind was not blown. We were a little disappointed. It was a moment where we wondered if we shouldn't have waited a little longer to show him the movies.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
It's safe to say that my son was really invested in the world of Star Wars. In fact, he started using the Force to do lots of things.
Mom! I'm using the Force to make you walk up the stairs!
Did you see that car that just drove by? I was moving it using the Force.
This movie had been my favorite when I was a kid, and my son already knew he had Ewoks to look forward to. (They are so cute!)
He was really engaged in this movie too. He was disgusted by Jabba the Hutt. He was sad when Yoda was dying. And he finally really seemed to get that Luke was Darth Vader's son.
In the moments where Vader chooses to help Luke and redeems himself, my partner got a little choked up talking about fathers doing anything for their sons.
Overall, it was a really sweet experience. But how would my son react to the prequels, which — by all accounts — lack the magic of the original trilogy?
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Confession time: I was 14 when this movie came out. And I loved it. (OK, I definitely reached a limit after seeing it five or so times where I couldn't stomach watching the podrace one more time.) But let's be real, what I really loved was Ewan McGregor.
My partner and I were very much relieved when our son wasn't instantly charmed by Jar Jar. We had both been fearing what having a Jar Jar fan in the family would be like.
Again, he was super excited when his beloved droids showed up and was thrilled when the characters found themselves on Tatooine.
In general, he thought the Jedi were awesome. I have to admit, that's something I loved about the prequels. The Jedi weren't an extinct order. They were still around, led by Yoda and Mace Windu. So many more lightsabers.
He hadn't pieced together that Anakin was Darth Vader, and my partner and I planned on explaining that to him, so it didn't shock him in the subsequent movies when he was super evil.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
My son really started to lose interest in this one. It's OK, I did too. In fact, after seeing Episode I so many times, I had only ever seen this one once. Ewan was pretty cute with a beard, but I had moved on to his other works at this point. (Hello, Moulin Rouge.)
My son was as unaffected by the love story as everyone else who has seen this movie. But he also didn't cringe. My partner admitted he was distracted from enjoying the movie because he was too busy cringing. The only time my son perked up was when things were really dangerous for the characters, like when Obi-Wan fights Jango Fett on Kamino.
It was sort of too bad my son was losing interest, because at this point, we were committed, and we were watching Episode III no matter what.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
This film is PG-13 and yeah, we were letting our 5 year old watch it. Why? We knew there were spots we might need to skip over or distract him from. (The murder of adorable young Jedi being chief among them.) But remember, guys: We. Were. Committed! We'd started this experiment with one goal in mind, and we were so, so close to finishing! You can't go to opening night (or even any night after) and see The Force Awakens without knowing the full backstory. What kind of parents would we be — what kind of Star Wars fans would we be — if we threw in the towel now?
Despite our best efforts, he was really losing focus. He conveniently wasn't even looking at the screen when Anakin marched into that room in the Jedi Temple. (!?!!?!?!?!?!?!) In a way, I understood his lack of interest: So much of the movie is political maneuvering and saccharine love declarations. At some point, I don't remember when, my partner stopped trying to explain all the politics.
To our delight, my son perked up when there was the big lava fight scene. (I mean, hello, lava.) And when Anakin's legs are cut off, it was one of the biggest moments of shock and horror that my son experienced in all six movies. Oddly enough, after I was biting my nails about that, he didn't seem that upset by it. Maybe because lots of limbs go missing in the previous movies?
Despite his waning attention, my son got the biggest moment: Anakin Skywalker transforming into Darth Vader. It suddenly all clicked for him. Like Oh! This is why I was watching all these movies! To get to this!
Should We Have Waited To Watch The Movies?
If I had to do it again, I don't know if I'd wait on showing him the movies. Certainly he was into the original trilogy, and I'm happy he got to experience the story before he had absorbed all the big plot points from other sources.
That said, I think it's safe to say we could have waited on the prequel trilogy. But I also feel like it would be a shame to let him see the original trilogy and then the new movie without knowing the backstory. Plus, if he'd seen the great films then all he'd have to look forward to would be the worst ones. In a way, my partner and I felt like we were getting them out of the way. Don't get me wrong, we're fans, but there just isn't as much magic to those movies.
I am so hopeful that the new movie is going to be stellar, and I'm thrilled that my son will get to enjoy a whole new trilogy along with everyone else. The original trilogy was such a huge part of my childhood, and it was exciting to get to see the prequel trilogy as each film got released.
We will probably watch the original trilogy again one more time before seeing the new movie. But that's mostly because I am so excited to see it and to share that experience with my son, who seems to get the important things about Star Wars: Jedi are awesome, droids are the best, and spaceships are cool.
Images: Courtesy of Olivia Hinebaugh (2), Giphy (6)dentin Member
Join Date: Apr 2008 Home MUD: Alter Aeon Posts: 245
Alter Aeon 2015 Halloween Havoc
Our annual Halloween Havoc is just around the corner!
Festivities kick off next weekend, on the morning of Thursday, October 29. We've got lots of stuff lined up this year, including the traditional pumpkin cannon contests, pk and monster arena battles. The main event storyline runs through saturday, with other events planned through sunday. To finish things off, we'll be opening a new high level area near the end of festivities.
For up-to-date information and schedules, check the in-game'show event' |
AE is limited to Python and that has put off a lot of people from trying it. I decided to bite the bullet and learn Python and I have been so happy that I have. I see Python as a great compromise between PHP and Ruby on Rails in that python is more explicit like PHP but cleaner in code and still has many of the productivity benefits of RoR with the GAE framework (or Django framework if you choose).Unfortunately I encountered some serious bugs in GAE during my development. One bug prevented any web request in production from returning multiple cookies. Unfortunately many APIs use cookies for authentication and it was impossible to read from certain APIs without implementing hacks. I filed the bug, complained to my contacts at Google, and it still took months for this issue to be addressed. GAE is still clearly a work in progress and the bleeding edge developers who are willing to engage with it now will have to continuously invent hacks to get around these kinds of bugs for some time to come.In addition the restrictive exceeding high CPU quotas and inflexibly short time-outs make it VERY difficult to reliably build on top of third party APIs with varying response times. I ended up having to build in retry logic and significant caching to try to work around these time-outs. At the same time, without the ability to run long run processes and cron jobs, a developer is forced to continue to host a server outside of the GAE environment to perform batch processing and more.Probably the greatest detractor from Google App Engine though is the propriety stack that it is built on and the resulting lock-in. This creates significant technology risk for a startup to build on top of GAE since its going to be extremely costly to move to a different infrastructure if necessary. Hopefully some of the projects third parties are working on to port the GAE web framework and datastore will mitigate some of the issues associated with this lock-in.While Google App Engine has become my web development platform of choice for all my weekend projects, I would not yet take the risk of running a production web business on top of GAE. The platform though is very promising and I hope to see my concerns addressed over time as well as large web app success stories built on top of this cloud platform.The thing I liked best about the ceremony? The inclusion of Dasani Coates, the ambitious homeless girl recently profiled in the New York Times, in the festivities. What a change from Bloomberg! I wish Mayor DeBlasio the best in the enormous task of making one city out of two:
Bill de Blasio claimed his place as the 109th mayor of New York City shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, delivering an inaugural address at City Hall in front of luminaries like Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as hundreds of ordinary New Yorkers.
“We are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love,” Mr. de Blasio said. “And so today, we commit to a new progressive direction in New York. And that same progressive impulse has written our city’s history. It’s in our DNA.”
Mr. de Blasio, 52, was formally sworn in shortly after midnight in a brief ceremony in front of his family’s rowhouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn. On the steps of City Hall, he was ceremonially sworn in by former President Clinton, in whose administration he served as a regional official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. de Blasio was sworn in using a Bible once owned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
“There are some who think that now, as we turn to governing – well, that things will just continue pretty much like they always have,” Mr. de Blasio said. “So let me be clear: When I said I would take dead aim at the tale of two cities, I meant it. And we will do it.”
A Democrat, the new mayor begins his term as an emblem of resurgent liberalism, offering hope to progressive activists and officeholders across the country — but also as an untested chief executive whose management of the city will be closely scrutinized.
Previously the city’s public advocate and before that a city councilman, Mr. de Blasio rose out of obscurity in a crowded Democratic primary field as he shaped his campaign around the “tale of two cities” — a succinct summation of the rising income inequality he vowed he would urgently address as the next mayor.
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He won a landslide victory on Nov. 5 over the Republican candidate, Joseph J. Lhota, seizing on an anxiety among voters that the city was increasingly becoming a gilded enclave for the rich, and vowing a sharp turn from the administration of his predecessor, Michael R. Bloomberg who served for 12 years.
Mr. de Blasio appeared at City Hall on Wednesday with his wife, Chirlane McCray; his 19-year-old daughter, Chiara; and his 16-year-old son, Dante.
Mr. de Blasio’s inauguration team last week made 1,000 tickets available to the public. They were claimed within two hours.
Dozens of other New Yorkers were invited to join Mr. de Blasio on stage at the event, including an engineer from Queens who emigrated from Bangladesh; a Staten Island couple whose home was damaged by Hurricane Sandy; and a fast-food worker from Brooklyn.
Mr. de Blasio’s successor as public advocate, Letitia James, who had been a city councilwoman, was also inaugurated on Wednesday, as was the new city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, who had been the Manhattan borough president.
Children played an unexpectedly prominent role in the swearings-in of both Ms. James and Mr. Stringer.
Dasani Coates, the 12-year-old girl at the center of a recent New York Times series about the plight of the 22,000 homeless children in New York City, was called upon by Ms. James to hold the Bible while she was being sworn in.
In the series, Dasani and her family — her parents and seven siblings — were living in a decrepit room in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn.
On Wednesday, Dasani looked happy but slightly nervous, chewing gum as she solemnly watched Ms. James take the oath of office.
Afterward, Ms. James held Dasani’s hand during her speech, and referred to her as her “new BFF.”A pair of 5-0 teams square off Monday night at 5 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena when No. 21 Oregon hosts Fresno State.
1 - New Kid on the Block. Chris Boucher set a school record with nine blocks last Wednesday versus Arkansas State. Boucher currently leads the nation at 4.2 blocks per game. He also helped Oregon set a team single-game record with 13 blocked shots. Both marks were also Matthew Knight Arena records.
2 - In exceptionally early RPI reports - which will fluctuate dramatically the first few weeks of the season - Oregon is currently No. 16 in both the ESPN and CBS Sports indexes. By means of comparison, Valparaiso, a team the Ducks defeated 73-67 on Nov. 22, is No. 1 in the ESPN RPI, while the Crusaders are No. 3 in the CBS rankings.
3 - Duck connections. Several members of the Fresno State contingent attending Monday's game are close to the Oregon athletic department. FSU athletic director Jim Bartko was a long-time senior associate athletic director for the Ducks, while current Bulldog staffers Franklin Alegria (senior associate AD), Lauren Thompson (assistant director of development) and Drew Abel (administration intern) all have Oregon roots. Abel was a student manager for the UO basketball team and graduated last year.
4 - The Ducks lead the Pac-12 and rank 40th nationally in scoring defense at 62.6 points per game. The Ducks are also sixth in blocked shots per game (6.8) and are committing just 15.8 fouls per game, 11th fewest in the nation.
5 - Oregon is off to a 5-0 start for the third time in the last four years. A win Monday would move the Ducks to 6-0 for just the second time in the last nine seasons.
BOUCHER SETS BLOCKS MARK
Senior Chris Boucher broke one of Oregon's longest standing records last Wednesday when he blocked nine shots versus Arkansas State. That was one better than the eight blocked by Blair Rasmussen Dec. 27, 1984, versus Davidson, and matched last season by Jordan Bell against Arizona State. Boucher helped Oregon break the school single-game record for blocked shots with 13, which was one better than the 12 against Portland State last year. Both marks were Matthew Knight Arena records.
BENJAMIN BOUNCES BACK
After being held scoreless against Valparaiso, senior Dwayne Benjamin bounced back in a big way with a career-high 25 points against Arkansas State. Oregon's sixth man also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
BROOKS STEPS UP
Sophomore Dillon Brooks had his best game of the season Nov. 22 versus Valparaiso. He recorded his third career double-double with 26 points - a personal best - and 13 rebounds. He scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half to lead the come-from-behind win.
CONSISTENT COOK
Not to be outdone by his younger teammates, senior Elgin Cook is the only Duck to reach double figures in all five games this season.
EARLY RETURNS
Newcomers Tyler Dorsey and Chris Boucher are already polling well in early returns. Boucher was one rebound and one block shy of a triple-double Wednesday against Arkansas State. He had 17 points, nine rebounds and a school-record nine blocks. Dorsey had his second 20-point game of the season last week against Valparaiso, chipping in 21 on 7-of-9 shooting. Boucher impressed Nov. 20 against Savannah State. He scored 11 of his 17 total points in the second half to lead the Ducks in scoring. He also added seven rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. That was after he scored 15 points with a team-best eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over No. 20 Baylor. Dorsey added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in that game. Dorsey also scored 20 points - 18 in the first half - in the season opener against Jackson State on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting from the floor (4-of-5 on threes). Boucher filled the JSU stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots.Bloomberg Endorses Obama, Cites Marriage Equality Among Reasons
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced his endorsement of Barack Obama for president, citing marriage equality as one of the reasons for his decision.
"One recognizes marriage equality as consistent with America’s march of freedom; one does not. I want our president to be on the right side of history," Bloomberg wrote of Obama and challenger Mitt Romney in an editorial for Bloomberg View, a website owned by the billionaire media mogul.
Bloomberg has taken an active role in fighting for marriage equality, not only by vocally advocating for its passage in his own state but also with big donations to state ballot campaigns.
In October he launched his own super PAC, called Independence USA PAC, and said it would spend between $10 million and $15 million this election cycle to advance causes including marriage equality. Very quickly afterward, the PAC donated $500,000 to campaigns for marriage equality in Maine, Minnesota, and Washington. That came on top of $250,000 he had already given to a campaign in Maryland.
Bloomberg began the endorsement by citing the damage and flooding brought to his city by Hurricane Sandy, saying the consequences had brought the contrast between Romney and Obama into "sharp relief." He just couldn't support a Republican for president who denies the effects of climate change and puts his city at risk.
Bloomberg is an independent and was critical of Obama for at times being too partisan during his presidency. But he cast Obama as the one most likely to succeed in creating cooperation in Washington.
"Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan both found success while their parties were out of power in Congress — and President Obama can, too," he wrote. "If he listens to people on both sides of the aisle, and builds the trust of moderates, he can fulfill the hope he inspired four years ago and lead our country toward a better future for my children and yours. And that’s why I will be voting for him."Looks like it's the Dawn of a new era: Comedienne French shows off her svelte figure at the Galaxy National Book Awards
She was often referred to as a 'roly-poly' comedienne at the height of her fame.
But nowadays'slimmed down' is a far more appropriate tag for Dawn French.
The 53-year-old showed off her svelte new figure at the Galaxy National Book Awards in London this weekend.
Slim pickings: Dawn French beams as she proudly displays her svelte new figure at the Galaxy National Book Awards in London
Miss French beamed as she posed for pictures on the red carpet, having shed a staggering four stone in recent months.
Big and buxom: Dawn ballooned to 19st a few years ago
She looked great in her black dress which ended just above her knees, matching the number with a black handbag and black heels.
Miss French won the 2011 Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year with her fiction book A Tiny Bit Marvellous.
The novel is about the comedic struggles of mother-of-two Mo Battle and her chaotic family.
Her new look was a far cry from the Dawn French of old, who once famously said: 'There are two types of women: the ones who like chocolate and complete bitches’.
However, that attitude has completely changed and she is now 16 stone, down from 20.
In her first interview since shedding the pounds, she explained how she achieved her new look.
‘I’m eating healthily, taking care of myself and feeling very happy indeed,’ she said. ‘Life is good. I want to go to Pilates classes, actually.’
Now Miss French, whose Vicar Of Dibley character Geraldine Granger shared her penchant for chocolate, is restricting herself to an occasional Fruit & Nut bar. She has also given up chips, opting instead for salads.
Miss French announced she had separated from husband Lenny Henry, 52, in April last year after 25 years of marriage. The couple – who have an adopted daughter Billie, 19 – saw their divorce finalised six months later.
Speaking in the latest issue of Woman magazine, she revealed that she is still single – though admitted she had been enjoying the company of new men and ‘gentlemen callers’.
‘The only thing that’s new is meeting new chaps,’ she said. ‘But what is that other than extremely exciting and very good fun? I don’t even want to call it dating, like some teenager.
‘I’m just trying to have a bit of fun every now and again. I’m taking some people up on offers and I’m not taking up other people.’
Miss French admitted she would consider marrying again but insisted she enjoys being single.
‘I’m open to marrying again but I’m certainly not thinking about it right now,’ she added.
‘I’m absolutely not finding it hard to be single. It’s all great.'The company, based in Salisbury, Md., is still growing most of its organic chickens in Pennsylvania, which is home to Coleman Natural, the organic grower Perdue purchased in 2011. But with demand strong, Perdue is looking to expand its organic and no-antibiotics offerings.
If it does, it may well look to the 1,100 growers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where Arthur Perdue began selling eggs nearly 100 years ago. That move could prompt Big Chicken’s other large companies, Tyson’s and Pilgrim’s Pride, to offer more organic choices. And although organic growing standards have little to do with water quality, raising chickens differently could be good for the streams and rivers that often bisect poultry farms.
Those include some of the nation’s most troubled rivers, among them the Potomac as it courses through West Virginia and an Illinois River that is choking on pollution from poultry operations in Arkansas. The excess pollution from chicken manure has fueled algae blooms in the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and is partly responsible for the large swaths of dead zones on both those bodies of water – areas of low or no-oxygen where few critters can live. It is also partly to blame for a recent increase in Lake Erie’s pollution; things have gotten so bad there that the state has put the lake on a phosphorus diet.
Local environmental groups like to blame leaking wastewater plants and unsavory development practices for the sorry state of many waterways. But the truth is that farming is often the culprit. Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, and manure is the largest source of agricultural pollution. The EPA estimates that manure accounts for 19 percent of the nitrogen and 26 percent of the phosphorus entering the Chesapeake. That’s one of the highest concentrations in the nation, but others are not far behind, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent farm census. Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin have high concentrations of chickens, as do Alabama, the Carolinas and the area along the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, and manure is the largest source of agricultural pollution.
The Chesapeake Bay remains so vulnerable to agricultural runoff because the lands that make up its Eastern shore are flat, and the water table is low. But every part of the country that grows chickens could be soon counting high phosphorus levels. That’s because of the three-legged stool of Big Chicken.
It works like this: Contract chicken growers raise thousands of birds in long, narrow chicken houses. When the flock is grown, workers clean out their manure from the chicken houses, and farmers apply the manure to nearby grain farms. The manure fertilizes the corn, which is ground into feed for the chickens. The chicken farmer picks up the feed to nourish a new flock, and the process begins again.
So the first leg is raising the birds, the second is applying their waste to fields that grow corn, and the third is grinding that corn into chicken feed for the birds.
Those three legs have meant work in an area where jobs are hard to find: Work for the chicken growers, the staff at the grain elevators, the cleanout crews, the grain farmers and the agronomy consultants. It means that farmers who have manure don’t have to buy expensive, petroleum-based fertilizers, and chicken farmers without any crops have another commodity to sell. It’s been great for Salisbury, which has transformed from a sleepy town into a relatively cosmopolitan city, with a first-rate university that includes many buildings named for Perdue. And it’s meant that the land in Maryland, much of it a commutable distance from Washington, D.C., has remained agricultural instead of turning into more houses.
But there has been a price to pay. In 2012, those Maryland poultry farms generated 332,000 tons of manure, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The bulk of it remained on Maryland’s jangly Shore peninsula, feeding the three-legged stool – fertilizer for corn and grain that feed chickens, which in turn generate waste as they grow, which is destined to be applied to fields and make yet more corn that will be milled into chicken feed.
In the process, manure becomes an ingredient in the toxic soup. Manure runoff, along with stormwater, excess pollution from sewage and leaking septic tanks, has fueled algae blooms, led to high counts of fecal coliform, and contributed to low-oxygen conditions in the waterways.
Many Marylanders decry the pollution, but hold a soft spot for the farmers. In 2010, the Waterkeeper Alliance sued Perdue and one of its growers, Alan Hudson, accusing them of polluting a tributary of the Pocomoke River via a pile of chicken manure. The pile wasn’t manure – it was biosolids, or treated human waste – and the lawsuit unraveled. A judge ruled for Perdue and Hudson in 2012.
Post-Hudson, manure remains a problem in the Chesapeake and elsewhere. Farmers apply manure to meet their nitrogen needs, which means they almost always over-apply phosphorus. That’s because the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus is not consistent with the crops’ production needs, according to Royden Powell III, assistant secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
For decades, the science indicated that phosphorus would stay put. Today, Powell said, agronomists know that not only can phosphorus run off the land, but it can also travel through sub-surface pathways.
To address that, Maryland authorities want to roll out new regulations that would limit the phosphorus farmers could apply to their fields. Under the new parameters, half the farms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore would exceed those limits. The phosphorus rules have been delayed three times because of farmer protests, and will be delayed again because of another new law requiring an economic study.
While the state waits, the concentrations of phosphorus are increasing in many Maryland rivers running through Chicken Country. Researchers who work on phosphorus issues have noted that the process of setting limits is challenging everywhere. Rarely, though, has it become as political as it has in Maryland, where a decade of wrangling over limits still hasn’t led to any firm ones.
It’s important to focus on what the birds eat, not what comes out the other end.
Intuitively, the organic-means-less-manure theory seems correct because organic chickens do grow more slowly, said Russ Brinsfield, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Agro-Ecology and a farmer himself. But it hasn’t been studied; the organic standards, Brinsfield said, focus on what the birds eat, not what comes out the other end. Other factors in reducing the manure burden include raising chickens in less confined quarters, diversifying an operation to include eggs and changing the feed to something less corn-intensive.
More organic production could mean less airborne pesticides and herbicides. But, Brinsfield said, Perdue is moving in this direction because of its bottom line.
“They see this as an emerging market, and they’re trying to capitalize on it.”
Anything that reduces the amount of manure would be a positive for America’s poultry-producing regions. A robust organic operation would not knock over Big Chicken’s three-legged stool, but it might at least hobble it.
Rona Kobell is a staff writer for the Chesapeake Bay Journal and co-producer of the monthly show Midday on the Bay on WYPR radio.The prevailing view of the major employers at a STEM workforce conference here is that there is a shortage, or gap, in the science, technology, engineering and math workforce. Indeed, a large list of corporate leaders recently sent a letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to make computer science training a national priority.
But, some suggest, maybe these firms aren't looking hard enough.
"We have to recruit from within," said Sharon Wibben, Walmart's senior vice president of global HR, "and shame on us" if it continues to look for these STEM workers only from the outside.
Wibben, who was speaking at the STEMconnector conference, an industry consortium, said Walmart sent out a communication to all its 2.4 million workers in its stores and distribution centers. It told the employees that the company was seeking people who graduated with certain STEM skills in the last 24 months. It identified about 1,000 employees with STEM skills.
"We were stunned at the number of STEM graduates working at our stores and distribution centers," said Wibben. Walmart now views its own workforce as a "phenomenal channel for us" in terms of STEM hiring, she added.
The STEM workforce is an area of controversy for a lot of reasons. Some academic researchers and think tanks, such as the Economic Policy Institute, believe there is no shortage of STEM workers. Last year, Walmart, was criticized by the AFL-CIO because of its use of IT contracting firms that employ H-1B visa workers. The company, at the time, took exception to the report and said the vast majority of its technologists were U.S. citizens.
A point made by Matt Sigelman -- CEO of Burning Glass Technologies -- at the conference: Many STEM jobs are now in occupations that have not been traditionally considered STEM, such as marketing positions. These roles are now being filled with people who have technical skills, he said.
The conference focused on hiring and retaining and how many jobs now require technical skills. Offshore outsourcing, and the impact that displacements may be having on the STEM workforce, were not scheduled topics.
Among those speaking at the conference was George Moore, the CTO of Cengage, which produces educational materials. He said the company's shift to new technologies has led to the hiring of hundreds of software developers, with many jobs yet to be filled. The company recently laid off some IT staffers as work was shifted to an outsourcing firm.
Surya Kant, the president of North America, UK and Europe at Tata Consultancy Services, spoke at the conference about the need to increase STEM education, and made a point of telling the audience that "there are no legacy people, only legacy technologies."
At New York Life, which is shifting its IT workers to Tata, one IT employee -- a computer science graduate -- is training Tata workers to take over her job. The emotional pain of this effort has been so great that she advises young people not to major in computer science. IT work has become like "factory work," in that the work is being moved overseas, she said.Advocates of bigamy — who argue that anybody should be able to have more than one spouse
— have just had a legal leg-up from the courts in a decision which has helped their cause.
A Federal Court judge has ruled that relationship status can be described in many ways. Apparently, one of those ways includes bigamy.
Egyptian man Mahmoud Mahdy Mahmoud Salama is a Muslim who was married to two women. When he completed his Australian visa application form, he didn’t tick all the boxes — because there weren’t enough “wife” boxes to tick.
When his visa was cancelled on the grounds of false information, he sued the government. And he backed a winner — the government now has to pay his costs.
The judge ruled it was a “jurisdictional error” to assume that when it comes to declaring one’s marital status — with a wife in one country and an ex in another — there is only one correct answer.
We have been playing around with the meaning of marriage for a long time. In 2004, the Howard Government enacted a legal definition of marriage: the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.
The government said the aim of the law was “to reinforce the basis of this fundamental institution.” Even Penny Wong went through the “ayes” lobby when the Senate voted.
Since then, the meaning of marriage has been a political football. Same sex marriage is, of course, out of play — kicked into the long grass by sulking proponents of so-called “marriage equality.”
But the sands of marriage are still shifting beneath us. Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, a new kind of marriage equality is being promoted — in the courts.
Polygamy, of course, is bigamy. And bigamy is unlawful. We know that polygamy finds favour with some people — such as some of the Australian Greens — who have no religious beliefs.
But a number of polygamy activists are religious; and many of them are Muslim. Keysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, is one keen proponent.
media_camera Keysar Trad and wife Hanifeh. Trad believes that Australia should follow Britain’s lead by allowing legal recognition of polygamist marriages. (Pic: Supplied)
Back in 2009, Mr Trad called on the government to recognise polygamous marriages on religious and cultural grounds. He also said it would protect the rights of women.
Although polygamy is not legal in Australia, some Muslim clerics turn a blind eye and perform marriages below the lawful radar.
Centrelink also turns a blind eye because it already pays out generous welfare benefits to the wives of polygamous Muslim men.
Next there will be a push to legalise polygamous marriages on the grounds of cultural and religious sensitivity. We will be told that existing marriage law is “a barrier to true love”.
And we can expect those who oppose this push for bigamy — or polygamy, if you prefer — to be condemned as racists and bigots under 18C. What will the judges say then?
Peter Kurti is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent StudiesIn a 2007 online interview, the Plano man arrested this week for possession of an explosive device suggested Americans have to oppose overreaching federal agencies and “slay the head off.”
Investigators suspect that Anson Chi, 33, was tampering with an above-ground gas main Monday when a bomb he was carrying detonated.
He suffered critical injuries and is believed to be recovering in an area hospital.
Federal authorities continued to decline to comment Friday on their investigation.
Chi is a self-published author who has expressed deep mistrust of the U.S. government.
In the online audio interview for an anti-government website, he said he was a member of the “tax honesty movement.” He contended there is no law requiring the “average American to pay the income tax.”
While detailing his anti-government beliefs, he described a vast interlocking conspiracy.
“It’s not just the IRS. It’s also the government, the Federal Reserve,” he said. “It’s everything tied together, and they are all working as one and so we can’t just attack one part of the dragon. We have to attack the whole dragon and slay the head off.”
Chi said the conspiracy wasn’t confined only to the federal government but also encompassed the nation’s banks.
“It’s like this one intertwined web,” he said. “That’s pretty much what the income tax does; it just pays for the interest that goes to the banks.”
FBI agents searched his family’s Plano home Tuesday, removing and destroying a suspicious device. They also returned Thursday for reasons that have not been explained, though items were seen being removed from the home’s garage.
Chi obtained a business degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2000. In his online résumé, he states he wound up as a grass-roots “campaign director” for the 2008 presidential campaign of Libertarian Ron Paul.
Chi has been a fugitive from California since 2009 for violating his probation on a concealed-weapon conviction, authorities said. Chi was taken into custody in Collin County in April where he faced a charge of failing to identify himself.
Staff writers Avi Selk and Kira Witkin and Steve Stoler of WFAA-TV contributed to this report.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
Tens of thousands of London children face missing out on a secondary school place by the end of the decade, stark new figures revealed today.
A shortage of almost 35,000 places across the capital is expected by 2020 in a growing capacity crisis for schools.
Town hall bosses warned that more cash was "urgently" needed from the Government to fill a funding gap of about £1 billion.
They said councils were already "straining" to cope with the largest growth in secondary school population in the country.
It is expected to increase by a further 15 per cent — up to 560,880 from 488,160 — by the end of the decade, meaning an extra 72,730 places will be needed. There is currently capacity for fewer than 40,000.
The figures from London Councils, the umbrella body for the capital’s boroughs, showed there would be a 34,830 shortfall.
Councillor Peter John, the body’s education and schools spokesman, said: "London will be missing tens of thousands of secondary places by the end of the decade unless boroughs receive the funding needed to provide them.
"In recent years there has been a shortfall of about £1 billion between the real costs of school places and the money councils receive.
"Boroughs have received just 59 per cent of the cost of the new school places provided — closing the gap by selling assets, borrowing or drawing from other sources of funding within the council.
"As London moves towards a dual pressure on both primary and secondary school places, a significant improvement is urgently required in the basic-need funding to make sure parents and pupils get the school places they deserve."
London Councils is calling on ministers to fund new places in the capital at a level that reflects the real cost of providing them.
Its report reveals that boroughs have spent approximately £1 billion between 2010 and 2015 making up a shortfall in education funding. That is equivalent to more than a third of all the annual council tax bills in London.
In primary schools, pupil growth of three per cent is forecast up to the end of the decade — about 80,000 additional pupils. But due to higher-than-average pupil growth at primary level for a number of years, the pressure is now emerging in secondaries.
London will not only have a larger secondary pupil population than the rest of the country but its rate of growth will almost double by the end of the decade — increasing by 15 per cent, compared with nine per cent across the rest of England.
Councillor John added: "Council budgets are straining from a 70 per cent real-terms reduction in core government funding, as well as additional pressures of rising demand for social care."
The Department for Education said that almost 151,000 primary and secondary school places were created in London between 2010 and 2014.
There are currently 70 mainstream free schools in the capital and a further 62 in the pipeline, which will create nearly 95,000 additional places once full.
A DfE spokesman said: "We want every parent to have access to a good school place for their child. That is why we doubled the funding for school places to £5 billion in the last Parliament, correcting the 200,000 decline in places between 2004 and 2010.
"Significant investment during the last Parliament has helped create almost 500,000 new school places between 2010 and 2014 across England. A further £7 billion has already been committed to create even more places over the next six years.
“London has benefited significantly from this investment, receiving almost £2 billion in the last four years – almost 40 percent of all the funding provided to local councils for new places.”Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report citing Iran's violations of the rights of Afghan refugees.
The report was released in Kabul on November 20 and criticizes Iran for deporting "thousands of Afghans to a country where the danger is both real and serious."
The report points out many of the Afghan refugees had been living in Iran for years but says that recently Iranian authorities have been pushing them to go home.
"Iran has shouldered a pretty heavy burden, for the past 30 years or so, of refugees in the country. In the beginning, the Iranian government actually allowed them to live in the cities amongst Iranians, there weren't that many restrictions, they had access to education, life wasn't perfect for them but there weren't that many barriers," HRW researcher Faraz Sanei tells RFE/RL.
"In the last 10 to 15 years, however, the situation has changed quite a bit. And because the numbers have increased over time and also because of the problems that the Iranian government has had because of economic sanctions and lots of other political issues within the country, there's been an increasing pressure to essentially get rid or push out many of these Afghans."
HRW says that in some cases families have been separated, with parents and older children sent to Afghanistan while minors were kept in Iran.
The report also notes new Afghan refugees fleeing the surge in violence in their home country are not being granted asylum by the Iranian authorities.
"The biggest criticism, I would say, of Human Rights Watch regarding Iran's policy towards the Afghan refugees and migrant workers, is that at this point no Afghan has the opportunity to request refugee status, any newly arriving Afghans don't have the opportunity to seek refugee status in Iran, even if they have problems going back to Afghanistan because of insecurity and lots of other issues," Sanei says.
"Also, any Afghan that is going to be deported because he or she is an unlawful, undocumented migrant worker doesn't have the chance to seek asylum."
The report urges Iran to meet international standards for the refugees' treatment.
With contributions from RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari
RFE/RL RFE/RL journalists report the news in 25 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. webteam@rferl.org LIKE FOLLOW Subscribe via RSSby Akansha Agrawal
I met Melanie Chandra three years ago on set for a movie called “For Here or to Go.” I spent my Saturday afternoon as an extra in a scene that was filmed at my local yoga studio (my tree pose was perfect by the end). At that time, I interviewed Chandra, an up-and-coming actress who had recently quit her job as an analyst at McKinsey to pursue acting.
Three years later, as I interview her again, I find that Chandra has a list of accomplishments to share: She worked alongside Jack Black and Tim Robbins in “The Brink,” landed a recurring role in CBS’s “Code Black,” and she got married! To add even more to that list, the actress also shot for “Brown Nation,” an Indian-American comedy show that was recently released on Netflix.
Chandra has definitely become an artist who needs no introduction. So without further delay let me, share with you snippets of my most recent conversation with the actress:
[Photo via: Elle.in.]
I know you filmed “Brown Nation” a couple of years ago. What was going on in your life back then and what led you to your role on the show?
“‘Brown Nation’ was shot before I filmed ‘The Brink’ and before I got casted in ‘Code Black.’ It was at a very different point at my career, still very up and coming. I happened to know the cinematographer for ‘Brown Nation’ and he connected me with Abi, the director, who wanted me to audition for the role—I didn’t realize it was going to be on Netflix one day!”
[The actress essayed the role of Fareeda Khan in “The Brink,” totally channeling her inner Brown Girl. Photo via: Anokhi Media.]
So if I understand correctly, “Brown Nation” was independently produced and then later picked up by Netflix?
“Exactly and it’s actually one of the first Netflix shows that they picked up, that was independently produced and financed. Abi wasn’t sure if the show would cater to an Indian audience, an Indian-American audience, or mainstream viewers. But Netflix came across it and |
in cells of animal origin, plants use an entirely different quinone moiety (plastoquinone) for photosynthesis, while still using CoQ 10 within their mitochondria. Open in a separate window Open in a separate window A synthetic quinone with similarities to the naturally occurring CoQ 10 is idebenone ( ). Idebenone shares its quinone moiety with CoQ 10, but at the same time differs from CoQ 10 by the presence of a much shorter, less lipophilic tail. However, despite its similarity to CoQ 10, idebenone is not synthesized by any organism and can therefore not be isolated from any natural sources. Thus, idebenone is a novel chemical entity, which was selected from a medicinal chemistry programme conducted in the 1980s by Takeda Pharmaceuticals as a pharmacologically active compound purely based on its pharmacological properties. Here, we describe the molecular and pharmacological features of idebenone that are shared with and at the same time separate it from CoQ 10 to answer the question if idebenone is merely a CoQ 10 analogue as frequently perpetuated in the literature or a drug with entirely different pharmacological properties.
Pharmacokinetics Despite the structural relatedness of CoQ 10 and idebenone, both molecules differ significantly in their physicochemical properties ( ) ( ). The ten isoprenyl units of the tail (50 carbon atoms) of CoQ 10 make this molecule practically insoluble in aqueous solutions, which is represented by a partition coefficient of nearly 20 [1]. Idebenone on the other hand has a much shorter tail (10 carbon atoms) and unlike CoQ 10, also harbours a terminal hydroxyl group which provides the molecule with polarity. Both of those features are responsible for a partition coefficient of 3.9 for idebenone, which leads to a much higher solubility in aqueous solution. It is this difference in solubility that is largely responsible for all the functional differences between two molecules that are discussed in detail below. Table 1 Parameter CoQ 10 Idebenone Chemical formula C 59 H 90 O 4 C 19 H 30 O 5 Molecular weight (g/mol) 863.49 338.44 Solubility; log D (pH 7.4) 19.12 3.91 Ability to cross membranes No Yes In vivo t max 6–8 h 1–3 h In vivo t 1/2 About 33 h 10–15 h Complex I inhibitor No Yes Complex II substrate Yes Yes Complex III substrate Yes Yes Reduction by NQO1 very low Yes Activation of G3PDH shuttle Not reported Yes Rescue of ATP levels in the absence of functional complex I (the higher the better) 0% up to 80% Reduction of lipid peroxide levels (the lower the better) 93±5% 45±7% Effect on mitochondrial. membrane potential (ΔΨm) 106% 116% Proposed mode(s) of action Membrane-localized antioxidant, electron transport activity in mitochondrial respiratory chain Antioxidant in multiple cellular compartments; redox function and energy rescue via alternative pathways Open in a separate window It has to be stressed that CoQ 10, unlike idebenone, is a physiological molecule that is synthesized by all cells of the body. The biosynthesis of CoQ 10 is complex and shares some of the early steps with the cholesterol synthesis pathway [2]. Due to the very high lipophilicity of CoQ 10 eleven specialized enzymes are presently known. These enzymes are crucial for the biosynthesis of the lipophilic CoQ 10 and hand the synthetic intermediates of CoQ 10 from one enzyme to the next. As a final step, these enzymes ensure that CoQ 10 is effectively inserted into cellular membranes as no soluble form of CoQ 10 exists [2]. Consequently, dietary CoQ 10 faces a number of hurdles with regards to transport to reach its proposed site of action in cellular membranes. Despite its frequent use as food supplement, there are only few reports on the pharmacokinetics of CoQ 10 in humans. Dietary CoQ 10 is slowly absorbed from the intestinal tract, evidenced by a plasma T max of 6–8 h [3] and it is eliminated with a half-life of about 33 h [4]. A second plasma peak was described to occur about 24 h after oral administration, which likely reflects enterohepatic recycling. There is some suggestion that using chronic ingestion of high doses via the diet can increase CoQ 10 concentrations at least in heart and brain tissue of rodent models [5], although it has to be noted that CoQ 9 and not CoQ 10 is the predominant form found in rodents. In rodents CoQ 10 levels are kept at about 10% of those of CoQ 9 under physiological conditions and it is long known that dietary CoQ 10 is converted back to CoQ 9 in rats [6]. Furthermore, there is some evidence for metabolism of dietary CoQ 10, which highlights that the results described above cannot be easily translated to the human situation where CoQ 10 is the predominant quinone. Consequently, due to the lack of data of CoQ 10 metabolite production, reliable information on tissue levels for dietary CoQ 10 is not available. Based on the synthetic nature of idebenone, detailed investigations that took metabolic conversion into account by separately measuring the intact idebenone and metabolites provided reliable data for unmodified idebenone levels in plasma and tissues. Studies in animal models have demonstrated a wide biodistribution of intact, unmetabolized idebenone with the highest levels found in liver and kidney and the lowest in heart and brain [7]. In patients, idebenone is rapidly absorbed with a t max of 1–3 h and also eliminated faster than CoQ 10, with a half-life between 10 to 13 h [8]. Although there is uncertainty around the relevance and accuracy of CoQ 10 measurements and metabolism, the reported pharmacokinetic differences between idebenone and CoQ 10 are likely a direct consequence of the major difference in solubility of both molecules.
Different roles in electron transport The most prominent role of CoQ 10 is as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). Under physiological conditions, CoQ 10 accepts electrons mainly from complexes I and II and transports them to complex III. Upon donating the electrons to complex III, CoQ 10 is able to be reduced by complexes I and II again. This cyclic activity is essential for the mechanism of mitochondrial energy production and hence lower CoQ 10 levels negatively impact on cellular energy levels, which is evidenced by the severe phenotype of the reported CoQ 10 -deficiency disorders. Biochemical evidence suggests that throughout this cyclic electron transport process CoQ 10, due to its highly lipophilic nature, is firmly anchored to and embedded within in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Given the structural similarity to CoQ 10 at the level of the quinone moiety ( ), it was always assumed that idebenone also has similar properties with regards to cellular electron transport. Contrary to this notion however, there is evidence that in the presence of physiological levels of mitochondrial CoQ 10, idebenone directly modulates mitochondrial respiration and energy production, which suggest that idebenone has characteristics that are distinct from those of CoQ 10. It has to be noted that the majority of reports that observed effects of idebenone on respiratory activity used isolated mitochondria. Since we now know that idebenone also facilitates important redox-functions outside the mitochondria [9], these studies using isolated mitochondria not only misrepresent the activity of idebenone but are also responsible for many conflicting reports, Therefore only the most relevant studies will be mentioned briefly below. Roles in the electron transport chain Sugiyama et al. [10] were the first to observe in isolated rat brain mitochondria that idebenone decreased state 3 respiration in a concentration-dependent manner when using a complex I substrate. However, when using a complex II substrate, the authors described that the respiratory and phosphorylating activities of isolated mitochondria were left unchanged. Sugiyama et al. [10] also demonstrated that in line with CoQ 10, reduced idebenone is rapidly converted back to the oxidized quinone form through oxidation by complex III of the respiratory chain. Although idebenone markedly inhibited complex I−III (NADH-cytochrome c reductase) activity in this system, the authors also reported a surprising stimulation of complex I activity by idebenone. However, given the low basal NADH-ubiquinone reductase activity observed, rather than measuring mitochondrial complex I activity, it is more likely that other quinone oxidoreductases such as NQO1 were detected, which co-purified with the mitochondrial preparation [9]. Overall, despite the use of different experimental systems by different investigators, there is consensus that idebenone is an efficient substrate for the complexes II and III and in contrast to CoQ 10, a relatively slow substrate for complex I [10], [11], [12]. Idebenone as complex I inhibitor In fact, more than just being an inefficient substrate, multiple studies consistently detected inhibition of complex I by idebenone, in contrast to the function of CoQ 10 [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [19], [20]. Recent data confirm this inhibitory activity of idebenone using the sophisticated electrochemical detection of proton translocating activity of isolated mitochondrial membranes [16]. This inhibition of complex I by idebenone is thought to be based on the slow release of reduced idebenone from the CoQ 10 binding site within complex I, which therefore interferes with the physiological reduction of CoQ 10 [15]. One possible explanation for this inhibitory activity is based on the size of the quinone binding pocket of complex I. The long lipophilic tail of CoQ 10 safely secures the molecule in the mitochondrial membrane, while still allowing the quinone moiety to enter into the quinone binding pocket of complex I. Idebenone on the other hand can be expected by its much shorter tail to completely enter the binding pocket, which likely results in a much longer time within the pocket [15]. This difference in tail size and the arising difference in its interaction with complex I make idebenone, quite contrary to CoQ 10, a competitive inhibitor of complex I. Activation of alternative pathways by idebenone Given the importance of complex I for energy production, it appears counterintuitive that inhibition of complex I by idebenone could be associated with any beneficial therapeutic effects, unless idebenone could compensate this inhibition by utilizing other metabolic pathways to generate energy. In fact, there is evidence from several studies that idebenone can activate different complex I-independent metabolic pathways. One of those idebenone-preferred pathways facilitates complexes II–III based respiration; a mechanism that could support mitochondrial energy production in the presence of dysfunctional complex I [11]. Indeed, this activity was substantiated and later extended by several reports illustrating that idebenone utilizes and activates further complex I-independent metabolic pathways in the presence of CoQ 10 [1], [9], [17], [18] ( ). One of those is the glycerophosphate (G3PDH) shuttle. This mechanism supplies extra energy from a non-mitochondrial source into the mitochondria and is predominantly active in tissues with high energy demand. First described by James et al. [12] and studied in more detail by Rauchova et al. [17], [19], [20], idebenone efficiently activates this metabolic pathway in vitro and in vivo in the presence of physiological levels of CoQ 10 by a so far unknown mechanism. Open in a separate window An additional idebenone-dependent metabolic pathway that transfers energy equivalents from the cytosol directly into the mitochondrial respiratory chain, was reported recently [1,9,18]. Here, upon entering the cell, idebenone is efficiently reduced by the cytoplasmic enzyme NADH-quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) as part of the cellular response to detoxify quinones and to prevent production of ROS. The resulting active form of idebenone subsequently enters the mitochondria to become re-oxidized by complex III of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. In line with this “catalytic” model of repeatedly donating electrons derived from the cytoplasma directly to complex III, idebenone is able to directly circumvent complex I−III‐dependent electron transport [9], [18] ( ). Indeed, under conditions of acute rotenone treatment, which efficiently inactivates complex I function and abolishes cellular energy levels, this NQO1-dependent activation of idebenone is able to increase mitochondrial membrane potential and restore cellular ATP levels in the presence of physiological levels of CoQ 10 ( ) [1,9,18]. Overall, in the presence of CoQ 10, idebenone treatment leads to a shift away from complex I-dependent respiration towards alternative pathways that either use complex II dependent substrates or utilize cytoplasmic electron equivalents, which are fed directly into complex III. The combined results of this idebenone-modified metabolism lead to a largely complex I-independent form of respiration. It is again important to state that the ability of idebenone to activate these alternative pathways is absolutely dependent on a balanced solubility that allows it to shuttle between cytosol and mitochondrial membranes [1]. Consequently, at present there is no evidence to suggest that dietary CoQ 10 can activate the alternative modes of energy production described for idebenone above. Given that complex I dysfunction is the major cause of mitochondrial dysfunction in a multitude of disorders ranging from classic mitochondrial diseases to neuromuscular disorders such as Duchene Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and neurological disorders such as glaucoma [21], this functional difference between CoQ 10 and idebenone rationalizes the use of idebenone.
Antioxidative activities of idebenone and CoQ 10 The naturally occurring CoQ 10 is described by numerous reports as a potent physiological antioxidant (reviewed by Littarru and Tiano [22]). Within the cell, CoQ 10 can detoxify radicals and is important to protect cellular membranes against lipid peroxidation. This information is based on the study of human CoQ 10 deficiency disorders that are associated with low levels of CoQ 10, high levels of ROS and most importantly, which can be treated with exogenous CoQ 10 supplementation. Consequently, CoQ 10 is widely used in indications that are thought to be associated with elevated levels of oxidative stress [22], although its effectiveness as oral supplement or therapeutic compound is still disputed [23]. Since idebenone shares the identical quinone group with CoQ 10, it is not surprising that it is also reported to be a potent anti-oxidant. The effects of idebenone on oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation were investigated by numerous studies that consistently reported a high degree of protection against oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo [17], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35]. Concentrations needed to achieve protection against ROS-induced toxicity by idebenone varied extensively depending on the cellular model used. Idebenone concentrations as low as 10 nM efficiently inhibited mitochondrial ROS formation [17], while using an ex-vivo retina model 1 µM idebenone fully protected against acute oxidative stress and cell death [28]. Importantly, lipid peroxidation-induced changes to mitochondrial membrane integrity are thought to directly inhibit mitochondrial respiratory function. Several studies demonstrated an inverse relationship between the extent of experimentally-induced lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial respiration, which could be normalized by idebenone treatment [10], [36]. Although, lipid peroxidation impaired the activity of complexes II, III and V, in this study idebenone treatment specifically protected complex III function, which is likely based on the interaction of reduced idebenone with complex III [36]. The authors therefore suggested that lipid peroxidation is a major contributing factor leading to impairment of complex III function and therefore, lipophilic antioxidants like idebenone are more likely to prevent this particular type of macromolecular damage. This protective activity of idebenone in preventing ROS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction was also tested in human tissue [37]. However, in contrast to the results by Cardoso et al. [36], idebenone also protected complex II activity against ROS-induced injury in this system [37]. The authors noted that this protective effect was dependent on the conversion of idebenone into the reduced quinol form by the respiratory chain. It is important to point out that evidence for the antioxidant activity of both idebenone and CoQ 10 are largely derived from in vitro and ex vivo studies. The few studies that looked at antioxidant function in vivo did so by demonstrating reduced biomarkers of oxidative stress in intact organisms in response to treatment with both molecules. This obviously harbours the possibility that both molecules could prevent oxidative stress by indirect mechanisms such as the upregulation of endogenous antioxidative defence mechanisms. However, at least one paper has reported a direct anti-oxidative activity of idebenone in vivo using electron spin resonance in the presence of CoQ 10 [26], which suggests that at least idebenone can act as a bona fide antioxidant in vivo. Overall, most biochemical studies agree that both CoQ 10 and idebenone can inhibit the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), however, given the differences in solubility and therefore cellular localization of both molecules, no information is available if their antioxidative activities are restricted to only certain cellular compartments. In this context, it is important to point out that nearly all described antioxidant effects of idebenone have been demonstrated in systems that display physiological levels of CoQ 10. Positive effects of CoQ 10 administration in cells with physiological levels of CoQ 10 could suggest that the amount or localization of quinone, CoQ 10 or idebenone, are the rate limiting factors for detoxification of ROS and that the quinone-dependent antioxidative activity is not saturated under physiological conditions. However, it could also suggest that idebenone is able to detoxify ROS in a manner distinct from that of CoQ 10 or that the conditions for bioactivation of both molecules differ significantly based on their significant physicochemical differences described above.
Differences in bioactivation It is important to point out that both idebenone and CoQ 10 are only active as antioxidants or electron donors in the fully reduced hydroquinone form [32]. Therefore, both molecules can be regarded as pro-drugs that require bioactivation to become antioxidants. For their function as electron donors, the same requirement applies since only the activated hydroquinones can donate electrons into the electron transfer chain. Consequently, next to tissue distribution and cellular concentrations of both molecules, bioactivation appears to be a rate limiting step for their specific activities. In this context the extreme difference in the solubility of both molecules has to be remembered. As a consequence of its very high lipophilicity, CoQ 10 is only present within cellular membranes [38], while idebenone with its much lower lipophilicity is found equally distributed in mitochondria and cytoplasm as shown for example in brain tissue [7], [39]. This difference in localization determines the access of both molecules to different reductases that localize to different cellular compartments. After entering the cell, idebenone, with its much higher solubility compared to CoQ 10 is rapidly and exclusively activated by NQO1 [9]. On the other hand reduction of CoQ 10 within mitochondrial membranes is dependent on the activity of the respiratory complexes I and II. Despite a report that CoQ 10 can also be activated by NQO1, this activity, if at all specific, is at least 1000-fold lower compared to the reduction of idebenone by NQO1 [9], [40] and it is likely that extra-mitochondrial CoQ 10 is reduced by another reductase altogether [41]. Therefore, in the context of mitochondrial disorders, it appears likely that efficient reduction of CoQ 10 cannot be achieved since this bioactivation is largely dependent on intact mitochondrial activity. On the other hand, based on its mode of bioactivation by cytoplasmic NQO1, idebenone can still be efficiently reduced under conditions of mitochondrial dysfunction since NQO1 utilizes mitochondria-independent electron equivalents that are generated for example by glycolysis in the cytoplasm.
Can idebenone substitute for CoQ 10? As pointed out before, most studies on the activities of idebenone have been carried out in cells and tissues that contained physiological levels of CoQ 10. Although, reduced CoQ 10 levels have been described for the process of ageing, for most mitochondrial disorders and also in nearly all experimental systems where idebenone was tested, there is no evidence to suggest that CoQ 10 levels are altered. Measurable results of idebenone-treatment therefore indicate that either idebenone has different protective activities compared to those of CoQ 10 or that under physiological conditions only suboptimal levels of CoQ 10 are available. The latter option would imply that idebenone simply acts by substituting for CoQ 10. This possibility was tested and López et al. [42] clearly showed that in cells deficient in CoQ 10 biosynthesis, idebenone was unable to substitute for CoQ 10 in terms of normalizing electron flow or restoring ATP levels, which are the main functions of cellular CoQ 10. Similar results were obtained in CoQ 10 deficient mouse cells (genetic Coq7 mutants) where idebenone was also unable to rescue viability [43]. These pre-clinical results are strongly supported by a report of idebenone supplementation in a patient with CoQ 10 deficiency [44]. After switching a young patient with a CoQ 10 deficiency syndrome from CoQ 10 supplementation to idebenone, his clinical and metabolic symptoms worsened markedly. Only after returning the patient to CoQ 10 supplementation did his condition return to the state before idebenone treatment had commenced [44]. In another case, a patient with Leigh disease was treated with CoQ 10, which coincided with a worsening of his condition that only normalized after commencing treatment with idebenone instead [45]. These results highlight that idebenone cannot be used as a CoQ 10 replacement and that the protective activities of idebenone are unrelated to the activities shared with CoQ 10. Based on these functional differences CoQ 10 can therefore also not substitute for idebenone.
Conclusions Based on their partial structural relatedness, CoQ 10 and idebenone share the ability to act as potent antioxidants and to donate electrons to complex III of the ETC. Beyond this however, both molecules differ significantly with regards to pharmacokinetics, bioactivation and modulation of cellular energy production mainly due to their different tail structure resulting in different solubility in aqueous solutions. This feature leads to different subcellular localization of both molecules, which in turn affects their interactions with different proteins, enzymes and pathways. As a consequence, bioactivation of mitochondrial CoQ 10 is strictly dependent on mitochondrial function, while idebenone is bioactivated predominantly in the cytoplasm and is not dependent on mitochondrial function. As another consequence of different molecular structure, CoQ 10 largely drives complex I dependent respiration in contrast to idebenone, which favours alternative, complex I-independent pathways. Therefore, based on the current scientific information, including the studies and results described above, the synthetic idebenone harbours an entirely different repertoire of molecular activities compared to the natural CoQ 10. As a consequence, idebenone and CoQ 10 are unable to substitute for each other. Thus, the currently used habit of many authors of scientific publications and internet sites of referring to idebenone as a CoQ 10 analogue lacks any scientific evidence.
Conflict of interest N. Gueven acts as scientific consultant to Santhera Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland) that seeks to obtain market authorization for the use of idebenone in several neuromuscular indications. K. Woolley and J. Smith have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Schools of Chemistry and Medicine (Pharmacy) for their financial support.Calgary police said they suspect alcohol was a factor in a serious collision in the community of Woodbine on Thursday that injured two people.
The crash happened on 24 Street S.W. just south of Anderson Road S.W. at around 6:30 p.m.
According to police, a Ford Escape was travelling southbound on 24 Street when it crossed over the median and into oncoming traffic, colliding head-on with a Toyota Highlander.
The driver of the Ford, a man in his 60s, was rushed to hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
The driver of the Toyota, a woman in her 60s, was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they received a call just moments before the crash about a driver who was possibly impaired and leaving an area restaurant, later identifieyd as the Oakridge Boston Pizza.
“Calgary police were called by witnesses at a restaurant north of this location, saying that someone was leaving there who had had far too much to drink and was insisting on getting into his vehicle,” Sgt. Joerg Gottschling said.
Gottschling added that the description of both the impaired driver and his vehicle was the same as the driver of the Ford.
The Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission has launched its own investigation into the actions of staff at the Oakridge Boston Pizza, following a complaint from a concerned citizen.
Boston Pizza issued a statement Friday morning, saying they couldn’t comment on the incident as it’s part of an active police investigation.
“Boston Pizza takes the service of alcohol in our establishments very seriously for the safety of our guests, our staff and our communities,” reads the email from spokesperson Jordan Holm. “All Boston Pizza restaurant employees that are involved with the service of alcohol must complete the government training program mandated by their province (e.g. Alberta is Pro Serve). In addition, Boston Pizza has developed an internal training program regarding the service of alcohol which all staff in that capacity must complete annually.”
With files from Jill CroteauWales fell seven places a month after reaching their highest-ever ranking
Wales have dropped out of the top 10 in the Fifa world football rankings despite qualifying for Euro 2016.
Chris Coleman's side fell to 15th from an all-time high of eighth in October.
Northern Ireland are up six places to 29th, two below their highest ranking, after also qualifying for Euro 2016.
England move up one place to ninth, Scotland fall four places to 44th, while Belgium top the rankings for the first time in their history, ahead of Germany and previous leaders Argentina.
Republic of Ireland, who face a Euro 2016 play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, rose 12 places to 42nd.
Wales qualified for their first major tournament since 1958 despite a 2-0 defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina last month, before beating Andorra.
Fifa rankings top 10
1 Belgium, 2 Germany, 3 Argentina, 4 Portugal, 5 Chile, 6 Spain, 7 Colombia, 8 Brazil, 9 England, 10 Austria
Selected others
16 Netherlands, 24 France, 29 Northern Ireland, 42 Republic of Ireland, 44 ScotlandTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A member of Iran’s team of nuclear negotiators that struck the 2015 deal with world powers has been sentenced to five years in prison on espionage charges, a semi-official news agency reported on Wednesday.
While unnamed in the report, the only negotiator known to be facing criminal charges is dual Iranian-Canadian national Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani.
His detention, if confirmed, would make him the latest dual national to be arrested in Iran, part of what a United Nations panel of experts has called an “emerging pattern” since the atomic accord.
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The sentencing was only reported by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a hard-line force answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Guard has been involved in nearly every case involving dual nationals or those with Western ties being detained.
“The conviction of a member of the nuclear negotiation team who has been arrested before and released on bail has been confirmed in the Tehran provincial appeals court,” the short report read. “This person has been sentenced to five years in prison.”
In August 2016, hard-line news outlets said authorities detained Esfahani, who reportedly worked as a member of a parallel team focusing on lifting economic sanctions against Iran as part of the nuclear deal. He was later granted bail, which is rare in Iran for those accused of having committed a serious crime.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Esfahani reportedly served as a member of the Iranian team working at The Hague on disputes between Iran and the United States over pre-revolution purchases of military equipment from the US by Iran. He is a member of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada. He also has served as an adviser to the head of Iran’s Central Bank.
Esfahani’s family could not be reached for comment. Canadian officials did not immediately return a request for comment, nor did Iran’s mission at the UN.
Iran does not recognize dual nationalities, meaning that those it detains cannot receive consular assistance. In most cases, dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings before Iran’s Revolutionary Court, which handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government.
Others with ties to the West detained in Iran include Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran for allegedly “infiltrating” the country while doing doctoral research on Iran’s Qajar dynasty. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman, was sentenced to five years in prison on allegations of planning the “soft toppling” of Iran’s government while traveling with her young daughter.
Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi and his 81-year-old father Baquer, a former UNICEF representative who served as governor of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province under the US-backed shah, are both serving 10-year prison sentences on espionage charges.
Iranian-American Robin Shahini was released on bail last year after staging a weeks-long hunger strike while serving an 18-year prison sentence for “collaboration with a hostile government.” Shahini is believed to still be in Iran.
Also in an Iranian prison is Nizar Zakka, a US permanent resident from Lebanon who advocates for internet freedom and has done work for the US government. He was sentenced to 10 years last year on espionage-related charges.
Former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in Iran in 2007 while on an unauthorized CIA mission, remains missing as well.Sometime this summer, President Obama will have to start thinking about one of the big decisions of his presidency -- whether to reappoint Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve when his term expires next January. What complicates the choice is that the other obvious candidate is Lawrence Summers, the White House economic czar.
Bernanke has emerged as one of the few heroes of the financial crisis, widely praised for his innovative stewardship of the Fed. He's still something of a sleeper in Washington, so low-key that the frequent descriptions of his "soft-spoken" manner don't do justice to just how quiet he is. But in fixing the financial breakdown, he has been a veritable tiger. The Bernanke Fed is so much more powerful than its predecessors that it's almost a different institution.
Bernanke agreed to sit down for a luncheon interview last week to talk about lessons learned. Behind him through the picture window of his private dining room was a majestic view of the Mall, but the Fed chairman was as reserved and fastidious as ever -- even as he described his battle to contain the greatest financial crisis of the past half-century.
I asked him what message he might leave for his successor to explain what these two tumultuous years have taught him. Bernanke offered a surprising answer: For all the computerized financial engineering that preceded the meltdown, he thinks it resembled a classic 19th-century bank panic. Investors thought their money was parked in securities that were as safe as bank deposits. When these securitized assets proved to be riskier than expected, investors panicked.
"We were seeing variants of classic panic behavior," Bernanke said, remembering the wild days of 2007 and 2008, when supposedly safe markets suddenly locked up as frightened investors rushed to get their money out.
Bernanke recommended studies by Gary Gorton, a Yale economist who has analyzed the ways the recent panic resembled those of the late 19th century. In his latest paper, "Slapped in the Face by the Invisible Hand," Gorton explains that the long-ago panics typically came at the height of the business cycle and involved new information that frightened depositors into withdrawing their money. Such bank panics disappeared for nearly 75 years after the enactment of federal deposit insurance in 1934.
The panic psychology returned with stunning force in 2007, when Wall Street suddenly lost confidence in new instruments created by the shadow banking system, such as mortgage-backed securities. It's hard to imagine now, but these exotic instruments were embraced by risk-averse investors such as money-market funds, pension funds and corporate treasuries. When that safety proved illusory, people rushed for the exits.
As Fed chairman, Bernanke scrambled for innovative ways to pump money and confidence back into these markets. If one tactic didn't work, he quickly tried another. When the panic first hit in August 2007, Bernanke took the unusual step of sharply cutting the discount rate for lending directly to banks. Banks proved wary of using the discount window, so Bernanke created a less-stigmatizing "Term Auction Facility."
Next came special Fed facilities to bolster money-market funds, the commercial-paper market, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities -- all with complicated names and strategies. But the mission was consistent: to lend into the panic, and to reassure the markets that the Fed was really, truly committed to maintaining liquidity, no matter what. Gradually, the panic eased.
More jury-rigged rescue programs may be on the way. Barney Frank, chairman of the House banking committee, is drafting a bill to provide federal insurance for the municipal bond market, which could add hundreds of billions of dollars in new federal obligations. The Fed hasn't objected, saying this is a fiscal problem for Congress, not a monetary issue. A muni bailout would increase the immense debt hanging over the economy and the risk of future inflation.
The challenge ahead for the Fed is to clean up the debris -- including all the special structures created to contain the crisis. Obama will want a Fed chairman who can convince the markets that the central bank will crush inflation, regardless of the short-term pain or the howls from politicians. He will need someone who can reverse gears in a hurry and who can say no convincingly.
Is that person likely to be the quiet radical, Bernanke; or the outspoken, market-savvy former Treasury secretary, Summers; or some dark-horse candidate? Each would have strengths and liabilities at a post-crisis Fed, but there's a strong argument for not changing what, right now, looks like a winning team.
The writer is co-host of PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues.
His e-mail address is davidignatius@washpost.com.The Raid Boss
Baron Nashor is a large creep that spawns at 15 minutes into the game, and has a large health pool that increases with the duration of the game. The "raid boss" title is a running joke in that it usually takes a full group to take him down and it has some gimmick mechanics tacked on. Killing Baron gives your team an "Exalted with Baron Nashor" buff for 4 minutes, which radically increases health regeneration, mana regeneration, and provides bonus AD and AP. Alongside the buff, your entire team receives some global experience and 300g each with a little bonus gold for the person to last-hit Baron.
The buff alone is enormous. It gives your team insane advantage in terms of poke battles (Whittling each other down from range without engaging), allowing you to whittle the enemy team down on their tower and force them to give it up or engage on them with advantage. The gold alone is what makes people dive in and suicide in the attempt to steal baron, though, as that's essentially 5 kills worth of gold for the team that gets it, along with some free experience.
I'm going to go over some basics of baron, and then go more in-depth and explain when to fight baron and more importantly how to fight baron.
When Do We Fight This Thing?
Baron is a large objective on the map. It supercedes just about every objective besides inhibitors and nexus towers I'd say. It comes with some massive drawbacks, though, which make it a bit more complex of a decision to make. First off, never ever fight Baron without some type of advantage for your team. Advantages include:
- A key member or members of the enemy team are down for a long enough period of time that they won't be able to contest baron. Downing the opposing team's jungler, especially, is a large advantage as enemy smite is out of the picture.
- Your team is stronger in a straight up battle. Baron dishes out a large portion of damage to anyone tanking it. If you're even with the other team, or the carries on your team aren't performing as well as the enemy carries then you'll be at a disadvantage and probably wipe and/or give away Baron. A gold advantage will put this back in your favor.
- You clear sight of the opposing team on Baron either forcing the enemy team to check and re-ward Baron, or allowing you to take it uncontested.
- A member or members of the enemy team are seen out of position to contest baron in time. If you see their ranged AD bottom, for instance, then if you fight baron you force the remaining enemy team members to fight man-down or give up Baron. Be warned if the enemy team has advantage and it's a support that's out of position you might still be in danger, or teams with heavy amounts of poke abilities could stall your progress long enough to make the teams even.
- Certain key abilites are down on the opposing team that can even out teamfights. This can range from Ashe's ultimate to summoners. Judge how strong the enemy team is without these, and if you think they could still beat you, then Baron is a bad idea.
Why Are We Doing This Again?
There are actually |
," said defence lawyer Michael Deutsch, who criticised prosecutors for filing charges.
Odeh was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the conviction was overturned. She chose to make a deal with the government rather than face a second trial.
Detroit federal Judge Gershwin Drain praised Rasmea Odeh for her years of service to Palestinian women in the Chicago area but said the immigration system relies on honesty.
One hundred of Odeh's supporters travelled from Chicago to attend the court hearing.
One of them, Hatem Abudayyeh, said Odeh was treated unfairly by the US justice system.
“This woman is going to be deported, only because she’s Palestinian, only because she has served her community and the cause of the liberation of Palestine for 50 years,” Abudayyeh told The Associated Press news agency.
More than 1,000 people also attended an event last weekend to honour Odeh.
"I will raise my voice to say this: We have the right to struggle for our country," said Odeh of the occupied Palestinian territories.Here’s the thing about West Hollywood: Yes, it’s technically a “city.” But it’s plagued by the kind of small-town amateur-hour politics that seem more suited to the comment section of a YouTube video than the halls of government.
The latest nonsense: a sexual harassment lawsuit against a longtime City Council member was just settled for a half million dollars, according to our friends at WEHOville, which broke the story. Great job, WeHo.
A little backstory: Councilmember John Duran met a guy on Grindr named Ian Owens. They hooked up, and then Duran gave Owens a job at City Hall. At the time, WeHo had a deputy system where politicians could give out cushy jobs, and for some reason everyone hated everyone else. It was an insanely hostile environment where people were always either shouting at each other or refusing to speak to each other. Awesome.
Owens thought he overheard another deputy engaging in illegal electioneering, so he eavesdropped and took notes on her conversations. When he brought his complaints to Duran, he says, they were ignored and he was suspended. His claim is that he was punished for not being sexually available to Duran after getting the job. Duran and the city deny all that, and although an investigation said there was no evidence of sexual harassment, the settlement closes the book with no firm admission from either side.
Since then, the dumb deputy system has been eliminated, thanks to incoming City Council Member Lindsey Horvath, one of the only adults to serve on City Council in many years.
Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for the gay bars and brunch places and all-night-underwear shops — residents and tourists none the wiser about how the place is being run, and probably not caring.
Why are WeHo politics so backward? Because it’s really not a “city,” as it claims, but a small town that lucked out with some super-wealthy businesses — hotels and nightclubs, luxury boutiques, that sort of stuff.
So there’s a lot of money flying around, and a lot of talented artists, but a drought of political talent.A woman's vaporizer pen battery explodes inside her purse at a New Jersey Sunglass Hut store. Screenshot: WPIX-TV
FREEHOLD, N.J., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- A surveillance camera at a New Jersey mall captured the moment a woman's vaporizer battery exploded inside her $1,900 purse at Sunglass Hut.
The video shows Mara McInerney getting ready to make a purchase Sunday at the Sunglass Hut inside the Freehold Raceway Mall when an apparent loud noise sends people running for cover and thick black smoke comes out of her purse.
"Terrifying, scary. It sounded like a gunshot. It sounded like a bomb went off," McInerney told NBC New York.
She said the incident was particularly terrifying because it happened on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The video shows the shopper dump out her smoking purse and discover the culprit, the melted remains of her vape pen and its charred battery.
"I had a battery in this pocket by itself," McInerney told KTRK-TV. "It exploded through the pocket, charred everything, melted everything in the bag."
There were no injuries from the incident, but McInerney said the explosion destroyed her $1,900 Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM tote.The Blackphone, unveiled last week by Spanish startup Geeksphone, enables users to make encrypted phone calls, send encrypted texts and browse the web anonymously. But will it be NSA-proof?
Age: Due to launch in June.
Appearance: Initially shiny, then covered in greasy fingerprints.
Is this the new iPhone? I've heard Apple is working on a revolutionary design that will last a whole morning without recharging. Sadly not. This is indeed a smartphone, but it comes from a Spanish startup called Geeksphone. It's aimed at users who want increased protection from eavesdroppers and hackers.
Drug dealers and terrorists, in other words? Among many others who don't want their credit-card details stolen or their sexts intercepted. According to Geeksphone's CEO, 21-year-old Javier Agüera, "Blackphone is meant for people from all walks of life who are concerned with privacy. It can be normal users from the street, or politicians or whatever."
And what will they be able to do with it? Make encrypted phone calls, send encrypted texts and browse the web anonymously, thanks to a partnership with American security company Silent Circle. The Blackphone, which was unveiled at last week's Mobile World Congress, will run a version of Android called PrivatOS, which patches a number of security holes and offers greater control over the information that can be harvested by third-party apps.
In English? It will be harder for a game you download, for example, to steal the contents of your address book.
What about government spies? Will they still be able to shove their pointy noses where they're not wanted? In theory, yes. The maker admits that the phone will not be NSA-proof. "Bad guys wanting to talk to each other probably shouldn't be using a phone at all," Blackphone's general manager told the technology blog TechCrunch. That presumably also applies to good guys who would rather keep their confidential conversations confidential.
What's the competition? The aerospace company Boeing is working on its own Android-based smartphone for government agencies, the military and their contractors. As well as offering encryption, the Boeing Black is designed to self-destruct if anyone attempts to tamper with the hardware.
Where can I get one of these? You can pre-order Geeksphone's Blackphone now for $629 (£375), for delivery in June. The Boeing Black will only be available to members of approved organisations.
Does that include the Guardian? We've had some fascinating collaborations with the security establishment. Er … Almost certainly not.
Do say: "Does it offer end-to-end encryption?"
Don't say: "Does it come in white?"ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Since militants killed 179 people in an assault on Mumbai, India has withstood internal pressure to unleash a military attack on Pakistan soil.
Internal dynamics and diplomatic responses are still evolving since the November 26-29 attack. With relations fraught between rivals who have fought three wars, here is a look at some scenarios that could unfold.
WAR
Highly improbable. No one, except the militants, would want it. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee says India is keeping all options open, comments the Indian media have widely interpreted to mean that a military response is still possible. But he has also said that war “is no solution” and accused Pakistan of creating “war hysteria” to deflect blame.
Tensions flared when Pakistan accused Indian warplanes of air space violations on December 13 and said its own fighter jets were scrambled. India denies any incursion. Pakistan has canceled army leave and shifted some troops from its western border with Afghanistan to the eastern border with India.
The two countries went to the brink of war in 2002 after Pakistani jihadi groups attacked the Indian parliament in 2001, but ultimately the risk of nuclear conflict made it a crazy option. Any kind of Indian military action is likely to provoke retaliation, either from jihadis or worse the Pakistani military. India’s strength lies in its ability to win global diplomatic support to pressure Pakistan to clean its house of jihadis.
Pressure on New Delhi to pursue a military option would rise if India was attacked again.
PEACE PROCESS
India has imposed a “pause” on a peace process begun in 2004, which had brought better ties, and also canceled a cricket tour to Pakistan next month. India wants Pakistan to crack down on groups analysts say have been favored by the Pakistani military’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
Pakistan denies any links to the Mumbai attacks, blaming “non-state actors,” and says India has provided no evidence for it to investigate. India says it has given Pakistan specific details, including an account by the lone surviving gunman.
A crackdown like one by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf in 2002, which was widely regarded as a sham, will satisfy neither New Delhi nor Washington.
In what was seen in India as a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan media reported that several Indian nationals had been held after a bombing in the city of Lahore. India then warned its citizens it would be unsafe to travel to or remain in Pakistan.
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming administration is expected to encourage settlement of the Kashmir dispute, a step seen as part of the process to stabilize Afghanistan.
India probably realizes it’s better to engage Pakistan than ignore it in the long-run, and it would like to help civilian leaders establish authority over the generals.
U.S. pressure to move more swiftly in peace talks won’t cut much ice with India, so long as it feels uncomfortable about the durability of Pakistan’s democracy. In the short-run the Indian government has an election to fight by May, and will need to show its public results before it resumes the peace process.
NO WAR, NO PEACE
If, analysts say, the Pakistani military refuses to abandon old jihadi assets, there will be no war and no peace. Instead there’s a real danger both sides could use non-state proxies to destabilize each others’ borders. It would be a return to the pre-2002 era, and the world will be haunted by periodic crises between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
That, in turn, will complicate the West’s efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Some jihadi groups that had been fighting Indian rule in Kashmir have built ties with al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun tribal belt on the Afghan border, which the Pakistan army is struggling to control.
If these groups are allowed to thrive they will continue to provide gateways for alienated young Muslims to join a global jihad against their own governments.
REPERCUSSIONS FOR INDIA
The Indian government faces widespread voter anger at the security and intelligence failures that led to Mumbai. The opposition BJP has made it a major campaign issue and many analysts expect an election backlash against the ruling Congress party. But recent state poll wins by Congress, as well as the high-profile appointment of former Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram as the new home minister, have helped take the wind out of the BJP’s sails.
The BJP has also been criticized in some quarters for being opportunistic in making terrorism an election issue.
The government has rushed through a tough anti-terrorism law, seen as a bid to allay public anger.
REPERCUSSIONS FOR PAKISTAN
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s offer on November 28 to send the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency to New Delhi following a request from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went down badly in some quarters of the military. But since then there has been no indication the civilian government and military leadership are out of step, even if they disagree on whether the militants should be protected or dumped.
If the crisis worsened, it might bring any differences into the open, risky for a young civilian government dependent on army support for Pakistan’s transition to democracy.
Pakistan already reels from an Islamist insurgency in the northwest. A crackdown on militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad based in the central province of Punjab could end up driving more of their fighters into the arms of al Qaeda and the Taliban in the northwest. That would reinforce the insurgency in Afghanistan and pose more dangers for Pakistan.I write this post in response to “ Letter to a CES Director: Why I lost My Testimony ” by Jeremy T. Runnell, submitted April 2013. This post just deals with the Book of Mormon challenges, although I may write responses to other portions of the letter.
Errors in the Book of Mormon
Runnell asks why the Book of Mormon has errors from the Bible (specifically the edition of the King James version that Joseph Smith would have had).
This website indicates that Joseph Smith wasn't necessarily shown the precise words to write in English. One of his scribes, Oliver Cowdery, tried translating like Joseph did, probably assuming that the words would pop out at him, nice and easy. But it turned out to be more complicated than that (D&C 9). So while it's clear from the history that Joseph could claim divine guidance, it's also clear God made Joseph struggle and work for the translation, at least to a degree.
I myself am a professional translator, so I know what it's like to be presented with an idea in a foreign language. Usually I know of equivalent English expressions right off the bat. Other times I have to do some research in order to find a satisfactory equivalent. And once in a blue moon, there is absolutely no equivalent in English. Then I have to make a decision: do I give a literal but awkward sounding translation? Do I copy the word from the original language and make a translator's note explaining the meaning of the word or phrase?
Back to the point: why are those errors from the Bible in the Book of Mormon? Perhaps Joseph was given an idea and had to turn to the Bible in order to figure out the best way to put those ideas into words. I'm not going so far as to say that he definitely did, but I'm not dismissing the idea either.
To be fair, most of the passages in the Book of Mormon that almost totally coincide with Bible passages are attributed as such. For example, Nephi quoted extensively from Isaiah, and straight up says within the text that he is copying the words of Isaiah.
Another point: above I said almost totally coincide. Many of those passages have significant differences from what's in the Bible. For example, use this list to find the aforementioned Book of Mormon passages and compare them to Isaiah.
So one cannot make the claim that Joseph flat out copied and pasted from the Bible he had on hand.
Another concern the letter expresses is that if the Book of Mormon is "the most correct book," then why are the passages in the Book of Mormon passes that are similar to the Bible significantly different from the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible?
The Joseph Smith translation of the Bible was a continual work in progress. He worked on it off and on for many years. He wasn't completely done even when he died. There's no claim that it didn't need any further revision; and therefore it was imperfect.
Another thing: Are you defining "most correct" as "flawless"? If so, the problem with that is even the Book of Mormon text itself acknowledges that it is imperfect:
Mormon 8:12 "And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you."
Mormon 9:31-32 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
And on the title page of the Book of Mormon, written by Moroni: "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ."
So what does "most correct" mean? It would imply that any other book is less correct in some degree. Or that if there is other literature out there that is also supremely correct, it would be on equal footing but not more correct than the Book of Mormon (there's no reason to say they can't share such a distinction).
So if Joseph Smith were to be asked if the Book of Mormon were more correct than his translation of the Bible, I think he would have said that either the Book of Mormon is still more correct, or they are equally correct.
Apparent Trinitarian views in the Book of Mormon
The apparent discrepancies of Trinitarian doctrine in the Book of Mormon can be addressed by the Book of Mormon itself, Mosiah 15. Abinadi, before being killed, explains how Christ is both the father and the son. It explains how Christ can simultaneously have the title of "Father" and "Son," yet be a different person from Heavenly Father. Furthermore, the Book of Mormon never once asserts that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father share the same body (which is central to the doctrine of the Trinity according to the Nicene and Athanesian creed).
DNA and linguistic evidence
It seems like science is constantly coming out with new evidence for the ultimate origin of Nat ive Americans. There is no scientific consesus on where they all originally came from. Further, DNA studies seem to be an inexact science, especially when dealing with ancient history. Further, cultural intermingling (which would have inevitably happened among the descendants of Lehi) can easily muddy the genetic waters.
But let's assume that scientists have irrefutably proven that no modern Native Americans have a single drop of Middle Eastern blood. That would not trouble me. Why?
Consider this:
The peoples who are recorded in the Book of Mormon must have been a fraction (a small one at that) of all the peoples living in the Americas. A nthropologists and historians can attest to the disappearance entire tribes of people.
Even the peoples who were counted as descendants of Lehi could not all possibly have been his literal descendants. Are all Americans (even those of European descent) literal descendants of the Mayflower pilgrims or of George Washington? Yet all Americans can be counted as figurative descendants of those people because we have inherited their cultural legacy.
And if the Book of Mormon itself has “mistakes of men,” then certainly supplementary information added to it certainly may have “mistakes of men,” too. That's why there is the change in the intro from “the principal ancestors” to “among the ancestors” of the American Indians.
The lack of linguistic influence among modern Native American languages from Hebrew is easily accounted for: linguists know of languages that disappear completely. And since the peoples of the Book of Mormon were probably in a geographically limited area (more on that later), it's reasonable to assume the language of the descendants of Lehi would have only influenced a fraction of the dozens of the indigenous languages spoken in the Americas. Of the indigenous languages that haven't disappeared, the European legacy of discouraging natives from speaking those languages and their tendency to neglect a thorough linguistic study of all those languages means we still don't know everything about surviving indigenous languages.
Hebrew influence may yet be found, or it may have disappeared with the dozens of indigenous languages that have disappeared.
Archeological evidence
I am not disturbed that no archeological evidence has been found that indisputably proves the existence of the descendants of Lehi. It's not like every square inch of the earth's crust has been excavated, and groundbreaking discoveries concerning ancient peoples are made all the time.
Also, consider that in ancient times:
-Communications technology was primitive.
-Transportation technology was primitive
This means that any record made in those times could not have been supplemented by information from means that we take for granted in modern times : travel, telephone, newspaper, television, internet, etc.
Thus, most of the events of the Book of Mormon likely took place within a radius of a few hundred miles, and maybe not even that far. Just think of all the stories that can be told in the past 100 years in just the town you live in.
Many records of the past were destroyed by the invading Europeans. Who knows what kinds of questions (related and unrelated to the Book of Mormon) we could have answered had those records and artifacts been preserved?
And let's be honest, even if archeologists found definitive proof of the existence of the descendants of Lehi, that still wouldn't be enough to convince the naysayers. How many people know they can find Jerusalem on a map yet don't believe in Jesus?
Concerning the Hill Cumorah
Have archeological excavations been done at the hill in New York? If so, please tell me. I'd be intrigued to hear who did it and what they found.
"This is in direct contradiction to what Joseph Smith and other prophets have taught.” What did Joseph Smith teach? What did the other prophets teach? Which prophets? I'd like to see sources cited for this so I can provide an adequate response.
In the account in the Pearl of Great Price that Joseph Smith gives about the origins of the Book of Mormon, he never calls the hill in New York where the plates are deposited “Cumorah.” It would appear that name was given later by someone other than Joseph Smith.
Also, in the text of the Book of Mormon, Mormon 6, there is a battle that is to take place in the “land Cumorah” (verse 5). Mormon urges his son Moroni to hide the Book of Mormon, such as it was, in the “hill Cumorah” (verse 6). This indicates that the hill where the record was hidden was not necessarily in the exact same location as the battle field. I mean, would you want to hide a one-of-a-kind collection, one that you know your enemies want to destroy, right where your enemies might stumble upon it?
We know that after Mormon's death at the battle of Cumorah, his son Moroni compiled the Book of Ether and the book of Moroni and added them to the Book of Mormon. This means that eventually Moroni went back to the hiding place that Mormon had picked out. Did he leave the record in the hill Cumorah for good? It's not clear from the text. The beginning of the Book of Moroni indicates that Moroni was on the run, so it's not unreasonable to surmise that, for his personal safety and the safety of the record, the last hiding place for the Book of Mormon may not have been the same as the hiding place described in Mormon 6:6.
I don't understand why the author has this concern: ”Nevermind that the Church has a visitor's center there in New York and holds annual Hill Cumorah pageants.”
Regardless of the location of the battle of Cumorah, the hill in Palmyra that we now call Cumorah is unquestionably historically significan t to Mormons. Why not make it a tourist attraction (for lack of a better term)? And in any case, the church can build a visitor's center and perform a play anywhere it wants. The location doesn't necessarily mean anything.
Anachronisms
It has been noted that the Book of Mormon mentions materials and animals which modern historians assert did not exist in pre-Columbian times. Let's ignore the fact that our understanding of the past is always evolving (history can be even murkier than science), and assume that those historical assertions are 100% correct.
I mentioned before that it's likely that Joseph Smith was not handed a word-for-word translation. What's more likely is that he was given an idea and had to work hard to find an equivalent in English. So it's not unreasonable to think that Joseph gave one word when another word would have captured the idea better. Or, as I noted whenever I do translation, perhaps there was absolutely no English equivalent for certain concepts, and a rough approximation was the best he could come up with.
Geography
The Book of Mormon is hazy on exact dimensions, distances, and sizes of landmarks. Remember, cartography was primitive, and distances were measured in phrases like “day's journey.”
Thus, I find it highly unlikely that an artist would create a sketch that happens to look like the Great Lakes area. There are no measurements that happen to lead one to coincidentally create an approximate map that parallels the Great Lakes area.
Who created the map that this author uses? What was the artist's method? How did that person come up with the sizes of the bodies of water and the distances of landmarks in relation to each other?
Similarity of Book of Mormon to other literature; similarity of place names
If one does not believe that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon with divine assistance, then some other argument has to be put forth in order to account for the existence of the Book of Mormon. One would have to believe that Joseph Smith was a copycat and/or a clever writer of fiction.
I don't know of any historical evidence that shows that Joseph Smith ever wrote novels, short stories, or even poetry. You know, the kind of literature that the author confirms are works of fiction meant for entertainment. Even if you believe all of his revelations were made up, none of them is as sophisticated as the Book of Mormon. So the case that he had the imagination to invent all or part of the Book of Mormon is pretty weak.
Now on to the argument that he was a copycat.
What evidence is there that Joseph Smith had access to The First Book of Napoleon? Or to View of the Hebrews? What evidence is there that Joseph Smith had access to atlases to copy place names? And what about the longer list of place names and proper names in the Book of Mormon that don't coincidentally sound like names used outside of the Book of Mormon?
This is acknowledging the fact that The First Book of Napoleon has a similar writing style, even though the ultimate premise of the two books are different (testifying of Jesus Christ versus the history of Napoleon), and they discuss entirely different groups of people. This is also acknowledging the possibility that Oliver Cowdery (who supposedly read The View of the Hebrews) might have been scribe at the time Joseph translated Helaman 13-16.
I should mention the part of The View of the Hebrews where this author compares to Samuel the Lamanite in Helaman 13-16 has only one similarity: a prophet scaling a wall to prophesy. In the former, the prophet is struck dead after prophesying destruction. In the latter, the prophet's life is spared after prophesying of destruction, AND preaching repentance, and foretlling the signs of Jesus Christ's birth. Among other differences...
Remember, the work of translation took place within a few months. Was it possible that Joseph Smith did extensive research, creative collaboration, learned perfectly how to emulate multiple authors' styles, then used his imagination to fill in the rest? I have been writing as a hobby for years, and I know that if I were to undertake such a venture described above, it would take me years to do so, and I certainly would not be able to flesh out a well-formed story on the first go. That's ignoring the fact that I have the advantage of a bachelor's degree and years worth of writing instruction.
You could say that Joseph Smith, on the other hand, was “not smarter than a 5th grader.” Seriously, though, historians know Joseph Smith learned just the basics of his ABCs and 123s. Very uneducated (but not stupid).
Based on the historical evidence, I think it's actually more of a stretch to argue that Joseph Smith made it up and/or copied from other sources. The principle of Occam's razor, which favors the simplest explanation, would point toward the validity of Joseph's claim. Granted, Occam's razor is not a hard-and-fast rule because sometimes the more complicated answer is correct. But I think in this case critics are more hard-pressed to come up with a definitive, believable, plausable, water-tight, and most importantly, simple, alternative to explain the existence of the Book of Mormon.
The exact method of translation
The Church publishes a lot of paintings that are historically inaccurate. So? The paintings arent's scripture. The Arnold Friberg painting of body-builder Moroni talking to despondent old Mormon is inaccurate, too. Even though it's a cool painting: the sky is red, Moroni is sporting Roman-esque weapons.
Painters of LDS stories are capturing the essence of the story, what their personal image of the story is, but aren't pretending to create a life-like photograph.
If you read the Pearl of Great Price account of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith talks about the seer stones being used in translation. So I always knew that the pictures of him translating with just the plates and no seer stones weren't totally accurate (or perhaps complete would be a better word). And where are the plates in those paintings of Joseph looking into a hat (which makes those pictures incomplete, too)?
In any case, if Joseph Smith truly translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, does the precise methods and instruments he use in translation change that fact?
The Church isn't lying about how Joseph Smith translated. If anything, the Church simply doesn't have some of the information (Joseph was still a kid in his early twenties when he translated the book of Mormon; what college-age adult makes a habit of keeping precise records?).
Conclusion
I can see the wisdom of praying to know the Book of Mormon is true (a directive given in the Book of Mormon itself; Moroni 10:3-5). It can be overwhelming and confusing to read and analyze the entire history, then weigh everything the critics have to say against everything the apologists have to say—and the literature in both camps grows every year. From an intellectual perspective, It can be difficult to prove or disprove the Book of Mormon.
Appealing to God for the truth is actually a fairly rational thing to do. If there is a personage out there who knows EVERYTHING, woulnd't it be smart to take that being's word for it? Instead of trying to figure out on your own whether the critics or apologists are right? And the critics or apologists may be right about some things, wrong about others, and they may be totally objective, or they may be biased by an agenda.
Wouldn't it be simpler if an omniscient being personally told you if it were true or false? Wouldn't that trump any intellectual argument for or against it?
It has been my experience that people who believe deep down that the Book of Mormon is false will never be convinced that it is true even if they are presented with an overwhelming amount of well-researched and well-reasoned defenses. It has also been my experience that people who believe deep down that the Book of Mormon is true will never be convinced that it is false even if they are presented with an overwhelming amount of well-researched and well-reasoned criticisms.
So at the end of the day, you really do have to ask yourself—and God—is this book for real? Therein lies the answer.
If you believe deep down that it's false, then it's easy to see how it falls apart under scrutiny. If you believe deep down that it's true, it's easy to see how it stands up to scrutiny.
The only way a person really can be swayed is if they allow themselves to doubt what they already believe deep down.
“ Letter to a CES Director” is long and I may or may not get around to providing my own responses to the rest of it. I'm positive that apologists, like the people at fairmormon.org, have or will come up with responses that are equally well-researched and well-reasoned. This is neither the beginning nor the end of the intellectual debate.
For my part, I have allowed myself to doubt that the Book of Mormon is true. Every time I do so, without fail, its truthfulness speaks to me for itself. My belief is made that much stronger because I genuinely believe instead of forcing myself to believe.SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA — Cellphone entrepreneur Nathan Eagle has most of Kenya on call, waiting for a small job. Millions of them, in fact.
Eagle, an MIT research scientist who has been living and teaching in East Africa since 2006, hopes to enlist cellphone users in developing countries to perform small text-based tasks in return for micro-payments. Think of it as the mobile phone equivalent of Amazon's Mechanical Turk, which pays humans to do such things as transcribe audio and tag photos.
If successful, Txteagle could provide an important source of income to rural and low-income populations. What Eagle needs now is for companies in the West to figure out how to use this literate but underemployed mass of people to take care of tedious tasks that humans are better at than computers.
"We have transformed the majority of phones in East Africa into a platform that people can use to make money," Eagle told conference goers Tuesday at the O'Reilly Emerging Tech conference being held this week in San Jose, California. "There are 15 million Africans ready to start working on their mobile phones."
Mobile phones are the most-dominant modern technology in the developing world, and now the majority of cellphone subscribers live outside developed countries.
"This is their technology. The mobile phone is theirs," Eagle said. "It has had a far greater impact on their lives than it has on ours."
For instance, Safari Com in Kenya has a well-developed payment system called MPesa that can be used to pay for a taxi or water from a remote village's well. Electricity is sold on a pay-as-you-go basis in
Kenya, and a startup there lets people buy prepaid cards and authorize them using their phone. Thirty percent of the population now pays that way, instead of standing in line.
Eagle's system uses text messages or a low bandwidth, interactive protocol known as USSD
(typically used to check prepaid phone balances). Participants get paid in small blocks of money or in chunks of airtime.
Kenyans in the trial — security guards, taxi drivers and high school students — have already translated more than 15 local languages into English for Nokia, which will use the results to make phone menus.
Now Eagle is in California trying to find tasks that can be broken down into small chunks and sent to people in Kenya. He's also got partnerships lined up to deploy Txteagle in the Dominican Republic and Rwanda.
He's convinced that the platform will work and has algorithms that tell companies how they can be 95 percent sure their answers are right. Still, he admits that the real challenge will be in finding work that can be broken into little chunks.
Cheap airtime would let Txteagle tap into the medical transcription market — estimated to be a more than $15 billion industry that is dominated by outsourcing to India.
Already, Txteagle has found some cheap time is letting Africans call and listen to targeted radio ads and be paid for it, Eagle said, adding that it wasn't as bad as it sounds.
Photo: Top: Flickr/Ed Schipul Eagle speaks at the ETech conference Tuesday; bottom: Africans use cellphone/photo courtesy Nathan Eagle
See Also:According to a legit-looking leaked document leaked from Sega, Sony is planning on launching their PS3 motion controller this March in Japan with the US release coming sometime in spring. From the document:
Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.
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PS3 and PSP interoperability? I could imagine a bundle with the motion controller and a PSP to replace the Dual Shock 3...if only it had all the necessary buttons.
The other potentially big piece of news here refers to Dreamcast titles coming to PSN (PS2 games are technically mentioned as well). Apparently Sony is courting Sega for their old games.
DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they're interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they'll give us more marketing support.
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Note that the "long period of exclusivity" is not permanent exclusivity, meaning that a slew of Dreamcast titles may be on their way to other platforms as well. [Objectif Sega via NeoGAF via Kotaku]BY:
During testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, liberal constitutional professor Jonathan Turley said that the growth of executive power is "accelerating" and that the growth of such power has brought us to a "constitutional tipping point".
"I believe we are now at a constitutional tipping point in our system," Turley, who teaches law at George Washington University, said. "It’s a dangerous point for our system to be in, and I believe that your response has to begin before this president leaves office. No one in our system goes it alone."
Turley noted that while he agrees with the president on most of his policies, it still "does not alter the fact that I believe the means he is doing is wrong" and that the continued acceleration of executive power can be "a dangerous change in our system."
Turley flatly rejected the Obama administration’s reason for using more executive powers, which the president claims is a gridlocked Congress. "It is simply untrue that we’re living in very different or unprecedented times. The framers lived in these times," Turley said, noting that back then Congress used the Alien and Sedition Act to arrest opponents and Thomas Jefferson referred to his opponents as the "reign of witches."
"This is not a different political time, and it shouldn’t be used as an excuse for extra-constitutional action," Turley warned.In the 1970s, an American special forces officer turned academic called Brian Michael Jenkins declared that ‘terrorism is theatre.’ The logic was that politically minded terrorist organisations were keener to disseminate their message than cause deaths. The deaths were part of the way to attract attention, with the priority being visibility to advance their message. High-profile hijackings or public murders were the norm, with the 9/11 attacks the apex of this approach.
Previously the medium to disseminate this message was the television news. Now, with video cameras ubiquitous in our phones, we are all mediums through which terrorists can transmit and broadcast.
The brutal murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013 was a turning point in terrorist messaging |
the lead in explaining the false story that he would tell to justify the shooting, and the other officers discussed what they would say in order to remain consistent with that story.
Immediately after the meeting, defendant HUNTER met with homicide detectives and provided a false account of the shootings that was consistent with the false stories the shooters had just discussed.
In his audiotaped statement, defendant HUNTER told numerous lies, and concealed the fact that he knew of and participated in a cover-up of the Danziger Bridge shootings. Specifically, HUNTER lied when he said that he saw civilians with firearms on the bridge; he lied when he said that Sergeant A or any other officer yelled "police" before shooting; he lied when he said that officers were "taking fire" on the Danziger Bridge; he lied when he said that Lance and Ronald Madison were armed and that one or both fired at police; and he lied when he said that he continued on foot to the west side of the bridge. HUNTER also intentionally misled investigators when he omitted any reference to the fact that he and other officers had ridden down the bridge with an LSP trooper; when he omitted that he and the LSP trooper were present during the shooting of Ronald Madison; when he omitted that he had seen officers shoot unarmed civilians; and when he omitted that Sergeant A had repeatedly and violently kicked or stomped a wounded and dying man.
False Statements to the State Grand Jury
On or about October 25, 2006, defendant HUNTER testified before a state grand jury investigating the Danziger Bridge incident. Under oath, HUNTER again lied about what happened on the bridge, and again concealed the fact that he knew of and participated in a cover-up of legally unjustified police shootings.
On the day defendant HUNTER was indicted by the state grand jury, a female officer from the Budget truck called defendant HUNTER's home and stated that she had been on the bridge on the day of the shooting, and that things would be okay because she saw the civilians' guns on the bridge and saw someone kick them off. Defendant HUNTER knew that the statement from the officer was a lie.
Miscellaneous Matters
At no point during the investigation of the Danziger Bridge incident did defendant HUNTER make any compelled statement to an NOPD investigator. At no point did defendant HUNTER learn of any administrative interviews done in the Danziger Bridge investigation.
Defendant HUNTER, like every sworn officer with NOPD, had been trained about the proper use of physical force, including deadly force, and about the consequences for a use of excessive force. The defendant, along with every other sworn NOPD officer, was taught that one of the consequences of an excessive use of force was that the FBI could investigate the incident as a criminal matter. The defendant and every other sworn NOPD officer also learned that an incident of excessive force could result in a federal civil suit and/or criminal prosecution in federal court.
Defendant HUNTER never heard anyone mention a suspect who had gotten away during the incident on the Danziger Bridge, and never heard anyone mention a civilian on the bridge with an assault rifle. And at no point did anyone ever mention Lance Madison having admitted that either he or his brother had possessed or fired a gun on the bridge that day.
Both the Government and the defendant, MICHAEL HUNTER, do hereby stipulate and agree that the above facts are true, and that they set forth a sufficient factual basis for the crimes to which the defendant is pleading guilty. Both the government and the defendant also agree that this factual basis does not contain all of the relevant information known to the defendant. This is a sufficient factual basis, but it is not an exhaustive statement by the defendant.
READ AND APPROVED
MICHAEL HUNTER Defendant
TOWNSEND MYERS Counsel for Defendant
BARBARA "BOBBI" BERNSTEIN Deputy Chief, Civil Rights DivisionThe Clinton camp says San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick deserves “respect,” but the feeling may not be mutual.
Sen. Tim Kaine, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, defended the NFL player’s refusal to stand for the national anthem just a few days after Mr. Kaepernick said that Mrs. Clinton would be in jail if she were someone else.
“You know, you’ve got to respect people’s ability to act according to their conscience,” Mr. Kaine told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in a Thursday interview.
“I’d do it differently,” Mr. Kaine said. “I think if you really thought about issues and about this country, you’d do it differently, and when I heard him explain his rationale, it didn’t really make that much sense to me. But you’ve got to respect people’s ability to act according to their conscience, so I wouldn’t presume to tell him what to do.”
His comments came a few days after Mr. Kaepernick unloaded on the presidential candidates during an Aug. 29 locker-room press scrum.
“You have Hillary, who’s called black teens or black kids ‘super predators,’” Mr. Kaepernick told reporters. “You have Donald Trump, who’s openly racist. I mean, we have a presidential candidate who has deleted emails and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me because if that was any other person, you’d be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?”
Mr. Trump responded by blasting the 28-year-old quarterback for his ongoing pre-game protest, calling it a “terrible thing.”
“I have followed it and I think it’s personally not a good thing, I think it’s a terrible thing. And maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try. It won’t happen,” Mr. Trump told KIRO-FM’s Dori Monson in Seattle.
Mr. Kaepernick, who has said he will refuse to stand for the flag as a protest against racial injustice and police brutality, has come under fire from police and military supporters, but he also drew a rebuke from liberal commentator Clay Cane.
In a column for CNN, Mr. Cane said he was “on board” with the quarterback’s demonstration until the anti-Clinton jab.
“It’s irresponsible for Kaepernick to insinuate that Clinton should be in jail, with words that skirt close to the shouts of ‘Lock her up!’ from the crowd during Governor Chris Christie’s remarks at the Republican National Convention,” said Mr. Cane in his op-ed.
Meanwhile, the conservative Media Research Center accused Mr. Stephanopoulos of avoiding Mr. Kaepernick’s anti-Clinton comments during the Kaine interview.
“Maybe Stephanopoulos would have found the time to ask Kaine about Kaepernick bashing Trump if it wasn’t so inextricably sandwiched between two anti-Hillary rants,” said News Busters’ Mike Ciandella.
Mr. Stephanopoulos is a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton and a donor to the Clinton Foundation.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.” -The Rifleman’s Creed
Walk into a room of coders and ask what the best tools of their trade are—keyboards, text editing software, etc,—and you’re bound to start a war.
But in a world where programmers are fanatically divided, advocating fiercely for their favorite window managers and text editors, there’s one thing many engineers agree on. It’s called Solarized, and for four years, it’s reigned supreme as the color scheme of choice for many coders and the text they have to stare at all day.
Solarized was designed by aesthetic obsessive Ethan Schoonover to be a bespoke color scheme just for programmers for whom staring at black text on a white background is simply not an option. When Mr. Schoonover hunkered down for half a year to hand pick the 16 colors, he knew he was going to have a hit on his hands.
The result was one of the most meticulously developed, well-documented and beloved color palates in computer science history.
Color Coded
Mr. Schoonover is a true obsessive when it comes to design. He tried his hand at being a Bhuddist monk in Thailand nearly 20 years ago, but had to give it up after a great struggle with the decor of his concrete space.
“The core problem of my entire life is the struggle between minimalism and aesthetics,” Mr. Schoonover told the Observer. “One of the more jaded monks said it was probably not the life for me.”
The project began in 2010. Mr. Schoonover, who’s been a designer, coder, marketer and photographer, had just gotten back to the U.S. from a seven-year stint running a photo studio in Hong Kong. He switched to a new text editor, and arrived at the mouth of a rabbit hole where so many programmers find themselves: He was unable to find a color scheme he liked.
He immediately began work on Solarized, which took him six months of research and tweaking. He’d never seen a color scheme that exhibited any “design rigor,” so he set out to make something that would be beautiful and soothing, and would work with any programming syntax.
Certain colors presented unique challenges. Solarized’s raspberry red, for example, only appears very sparingly as a zest, and red is particularly difficult to work with for optical reasons. Because of how computers display red, and how the human eye sees it, it’s tougher to discern different shades of red than other colors.
“I spent probably three weeks looking at red,” Mr. Schoonover said, “I would get very, very focused on A/B testing different reds, just booting up [my text editor] and tweaking.”
Not everything about Solarized is a necessary choice, per se, in that any one color is objectively the “best” choice. Solarized’s base colors of blue and yellow aren’t somehow better colors than any other. Those are just Mr. Schoonover’s preferences, and the justification behind those particular choices is extremely personal.
The pale yellow taps into Mr. Schoonover’s narrow synesthesia—it’s a color he associates with pleasant sounds, shapes and pieces of music. The deep blue, when viewed at 96 percent opacity, taps into one of his long-held phobias.
Speaking of aesthetic beauty, we’re currently living through the Golden Age of art in indie games—click here for the full story.
“I have a very strong, long term fear of death by drowning and this correlates to what I imagine is the green blue of deep ocean water, filled with the sediment stirred up by the ocean liner as it impacts on the seabed,” Mr. Schoonover wrote when he first developed the palette. “I realize there would be no visible light there, but that hardly matters.”
The combination of the two, he says, is a sort of “pleasant, fearful symmetry” that reminds him of his childhood, which was partially spent living near a forest lake.
Eventually, he settled on eight hazy monotones and eight hazy background colors. The color scheme is built for “syntax highlighting”—a sort of labeling system that colors certain elements of the code—and has a light mode and a dark mode, so that you can switch between them depending on the ambient light in the room.
When he finally released the project into the wild, it reached the top percentiles of Github projects for the week.
The World is Solarized
Since 2011, no other color scheme has been able to supplant Solarized as the crowd favorite. Wherever developers go to congregate on the web and ask what the “best” color scheme might be, the answer is usually something like, “It depends on your preferences, but probably Solarized.”
It’s an astounding feat to create something so ubiquitously liked for a community often at odds with itself over any number of issues. Still, Solarized pops up everywhere, and it’s hard to find a large development house that doesn’t have its trademark pale yellows and blues on at least one of its screens. In a recent commercial for Facebook, if you look closely at the monitors, you can see their engineers working on Solarized text editors:
Solarized has been made a default settling for text editor Sublime Text, and shows up baked into certain apps as the native color scheme. It’s become almost a special cue to other members of the initiated—people have customized their keyboards with Solarized paint jobs and even created Solarized-inspired nail art.
And as Solarized has become the most popular bespoke color scheme of all time, it’s also come to publicly define Mr. Schoonover more than any of his other works—he is forever known as The Guy Who Made Solarized.
“You’re kind of doomed by your last success,” Mr. Schoonover said. “I’m happy to have that as an issue.”
The project is totally open to the public and available for free download. Mr. Schoonover receives offers for donations all of the time, but he doesn’t want to even feel as if anyone else has a stake, or can demand that he work more on the project, make changes or update Solarized.
After all, coders have, well, rather extreme thoughts about things like color schemes and text editors.
“This is close to people’s hearts,” Yale Spector, a senior developer for WeWork, told the Observer. “People take this shit real seriously.”
Holy Wars
In the quest to maximize performance, no feature of the engineer’s workspace is unworthy of examination. In a world where “monotheism” is more the dogma of monospaced typefaces, battles over fonts like Monaco versus Inconsolata can be tense.
“It gets heated,” Aaron Brocken, a program director for HappyFunCorp’s coding academy, told the Observer. “Developers by nature are pretty opinionated, but you get into text editors, and people will be like ‘If you work with that, you’re a fucking idiot!'”
There are color schemes to fight over, but then there are the text editors themselves—BBEdit, Vim, Sublime Text, Emacs—each with their own zealots.
Oh, and it doesn’t stop at text editors.
“This is… an enormous topic,” Josh Schneier, a freelance developer from Brooklyn, told the Observer. “There are literal holy wars fought over window managers and multi-monitor displays.”
Sure, not everyone participates. There are exceptions to the rule, coders who couldn’t care less either way. But a tricked out workflow is as much a focus of obsession as it is a signal that a particular coder is wonky enough to be particular about their craft.
“Sometimes I’ll see coworkers in default black text over white,” Mr. Spector said. “I judge them, sure, but I also pity them. Like, do they even know about syntax highlighting?”
At this point, you’re probably asking yourself, “Why, why do these people care so much about the most minute details?” It’s because coders, who are also just very particular in nature, have no other tools of their trade but their computer and their mind.
“Text editors are where we live, where we spend so many hours in our day,” Mr. Spector said. “It’s so personal to us, it’s our home. When you get a house, you spend time making it comfortable, because you’re going to be there a long time.”
And, as Mr. Brocken puts it, it’s not just hot rodding—or tricking out your equipment for the sake of ostentatiousness. No, this is about building the perfect tool.
Yak Shaving
Developers may be overly opinionated, but they are also, by virtue of their work, obsessed with efficiency. For programmers who are building programs and designs right from their imagination, every additional advantage in their work environment is one less barrier between their mind and the machine.
“If I use my neighbors computer, there’s dissonance,” Mr. Spector said, “But on my own computer, there’s zero friction between my mind and my screen.”
Mr. Spector and Mr. Brocken, for example, use Vim as their text editor—their respective coworkers mostly use Sublime—because using Vim allows him to code without switching to their mice, a small change that Mr. Spector describes as giving him “super powers.”
And it accounts for the success of Solarized—ultimately, the color scheme is meant to be pleasant, easy on the eyes and, eventually, disappear completely.
Mr. Schoonover, for his part, added keyboards to the list of things coders told us were essential to their performance. To build his keyboard, Mr. Schoonover dremeled out the circuit board of the one he had and installed a new microcontroller with custom coding outsourced by other obsessives in Japan and Missouri.
“I spent several evenings on it,” Mr. Schoonover said. “It still is ‘just a keyboard,’ but now it’s also more of an extension of my mind when I am coding.”
Still, we’ve spoken to managers and CTOs who wish that their teams would stop obsessing over their terminals and just get to work. Mr. Schneier used the term “yak shaving” the describe the endless, futile nitpicking in lieu of actually being productive.
“People can get caught up with doing things the ‘right’ way,” Mr. Brocken said. “But the only right way to do something is the way that’s most productive.”
Mr. Schoonover makes no apologies for this kind of obsession, and sees no point in shaming developers from squeezing every inch of efficiency from their workspace. To him, the best coders are like Olympic athletes—sprinters for whom each minuscule increase in performance means the difference between a good developer and a truly great one.
“It may looks ridiculous to the outside observer, but it’s about eliminating that invisible barrier between you and the tool that you’re using,” Mr. Schoonover said. “It’s the carpenter making his own work bench.”Bamako: Jihadists launched a shooting rampage in the Radisson Blu hotel in the centre of the Malian capital Bamako on Friday, security sources and an AFP journalist said.
Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel, where security forces have set up a security cordon.
"It's all happening on the seventh floor, jihadists are firing in the corridor," a security source told AFP.
The shooting follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.
Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed.
Islamist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.
Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013.
Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.
AFP
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.Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss say they would love to continue the BBC hit show with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman for a long time, but getting everyone together is a challenge.
LONDON -- The storylines of season four of BBC hit show Sherlock are already broadly mapped out, co-creators and writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss said here Tuesday night.
After season three of the detective series aired on the BBC early in the year, the fourth season is expected to be ready for 2016, but no official airdates have been announced.
Speaking at an event organized by the Royal Television Society, Gatiss said he and Moffat have mapped out "what will happen in the next season" of the show, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor Watson. But he said those plans will "get more detailed" as production for the next three-episode season draws nearer.
PHOTOS: 'Sherlock' Season 3 Premiere: 10 Funniest Quotes
Asked if they see the show continuing long into the future, Gatiss said: "The idea of growing older with it would be great. But it is hard to get everyone back together, because they have become extremely famous -- except for us." The remark drew laughs.
Moffat, who is currently working on the first Doctor Who season with Peter Capaldi in the lead role, echoed that the writing duo sees enough material from the original Holmes stories that could be addresses and modernized.
While they dropped no specific hints about the fourth season, Moffat and Gatiss confirmed that Holmes' arch enemy Moriarty (Andrew Scott), who was revealed to be alive at the end of the third season, would be featured in the new season. They said his return was not added last-minute due to fan demand, but they had long planned it.
Meanwhile, the show is also likely to see increased roles for female characters Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) and Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), the creators said. They also hinted that new female characters could be added.
Gatiss said that as the show continues, "It's about keeping it new" and introducing new characters, as well as continuing "Sherlock's gradual humanization."
During the Tuesday evening event, entitled "Sherlock -- Anatomy of a Hit," Moffat recalled that he didn't have high expectations for ratings when he started the show. "I thought it would be a little niche show that would win an award in Poland," he said.
Added Ben Stephenson, controller of drama commissioning at the BBC: "Did we know we had a phenomenal hit? No."
He recalled that when he and his team watched the original 60-minute pilot for Sherlock, they concluded: "There was just something about it. We actually controversially, according to newspapers, decided not to show it," but wanted to reshoot a 90-minute version and do a three-episode first season.
Asked if they cast Cumberbatch to get a star, Moffat and Gatiss said he was a respected actor, but not yet a star at that time. They said the creators and BBC executives had Cumberbatch in mind and loved his performance when he did his first reading.
Stephenson said: "Nobody had a clue who he was. I did." He added: "Great shows are not about stars, but about great shows. And they make stars."
The BBC executive said he has often been asked why the first season of Sherlock launched in the summer, explaining that this shouldn't be seen as the U.K. public broadcaster not giving the detective series proper support. "The autumn is not better," Stephenson said. "There are not more people available to watch."
The role of social media, including Twitter, in the creative writing process for TV was also part of Tuesday's discussion. Gatiss and Moffat said that they used all the fan discussion -- on social media and elsewhere -- about Holmes' fall from the roof of a building at the end of season two as inspiration to present different versions of what could have happened early in season three.
Does Twitter affect Sherlock storylines? "It can't," Moffat said, emphasizing that creatives must focus on their stories and can't constantly look for input on social media.Overview (2)
Mini Bio (1)
John Doe was born on February 25, 1953 in Decatur, Illinois, USA as John Nommenson Duchac. He is an actor, known for Road House (1989), The Bodyguard (1992) and Ten Inch Hero (2007). He has been married to Gigi Gonzalez since 1987. They have three children. He was previously married to Exene Cervenka.
Spouse (2)
Gigi Gonzalez (1987 - present) ( 3 children) Exene Cervenka (6 April 1980 - 1985) ( divorced)
Trivia (3)
Was the founder and bass player for the influential 1980s punk rock band X
Personal Quotes (4)
The one thing that doing the scene study and going to classes taught me is that you gotta take it really seriously. There are several amateurs, several musicians, several people who just kind of get into movies, and they're very cavalier about it, and I'm not okay with that. I think that's not respecting something that's been around forever. You should respect the work you're gonna do and get there. Find a way to meet your character. Find a way to uncover how you want to play him or her. And respect it. Don't just go in there with the attitude of, "Yeah, whatever."
[on his prerequisite on taking a film role] It has to be some little nugget that I can latch onto, that can help me feel that I get it and do it; where I don't have to go someplace that's so uncomfortable that I'm going to fail. So it's a lot about success and a lot about... Not success in the traditional sense, but knowing that you can capture the character, that you can find where the character wants to go. You can do it right. You can do justice to it. So maybe it's about justice.
And, for me, usually the time line or the evolution of getting the [acting] job is like 15 minutes of unbridled joy and 15 days -- if you're lucky enough to have that much time before you start shooting -- of ultimate terror. You realize, "I got the part! I got the part!" and you're running around, jumping up and down. But then you realize, "Holy shit! I got the part! Holy shit. What do I do?!" So it's 15 minutes of joy and 15 days of terror, because you realize you have to develop the character, understand what you're supposed to do, learn your lines, and do all of this serious preparation.The Petrodollar just died. Zero Hedge ran an obituary notice for the Petrodollar last week.
Reuters reports energy-exporting countries are set to pull their “Petrodollars” out of world markets this year. This shift is likely to cause global market liquidity to fall: “this year the oil producers will effectively import capital amounting to $7.6 billion. By comparison, they exported $60 billion in 2013 and $248 billion in 2012. This is according to BNP Paribas calculations. Petrodollar recycling peaked at $511 billion in 2006.”
The Petrodollar began with the Arab oil embargo during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Henry Kissinger devised a plan that allowed the US to finance foreign wars and to force colonized nations to pay for their own occupation. The US went off the Gold Exchange standard when President Nixon said on Sunday August 15, 1971 that the dollar would no longer be converted to gold on demand by foreign nations. He had to do that because America had over populated itself and had to begin importing natural resources. Over population meant wages were supposed to be lowered so we could compete with cheap overseas labor to earn cash from exports. And then there was the problem of paying for the Vietnam war and all those troops stationed overseas from Germany to Korea.
The immediate solution was to print more dollars. The Bretton Woods agreement in 1944 had made the US dollar the international reserve currency. Dollars were to be treated as if they were gold bullion. Nixon reneged on gold convertibility but Kissinger and the Arabs rescued the American voters from the harsh reality of the real world for four decades. Americans were allowed to live inside their Petrodollar Bubble.
Henry Kissinger’s plan was called the Petrodollar. The US would protect the Saudis and the Gulf oil states. In exchange for protection, the Arabs agreed to price oil only in dollars and to buy US Treasury bonds. This enabled America to run perpetual budget deficits. The Arabs also bought stocks which made the US balance of trade deficit look better than it was. This allowed the Federal Reserve’s Printing Press to continue Wall Street’s Empire of Debt policy.
So what happens next now that the Petrodollar has died?
The US Dollar is still holding on to the reserve currency title if only for just a little longer. Oil prices have dropped significantly. The Saudis could cut oil production to firm up prices. Some think the Saudi oil production boost and price cut was designed to hurt Russian oil income. If that is true, why give lower oil prices to the US than to the rest of the world? Some say that the Saudis want to keep prices low to bankrupt shale oil production in the US so America will be even more dependent on imported oil.
But we should stop being so America centric. There are other nations in the world. The Saudis saw Alan Greenspan on TV saying that gold will protect you against Central Bank manipulation. Maybe the Saudis are smart enough to figure out that the decline in the value of their Petrodollars can be remedied by finding new friends in Moscow and Beijing who can offer both protection and superior currency values.
Turkey, a NATO member, has accepted observer status at the Russo-Chinese Shanghai Cooperation Organization which is their version of NATO even if they seem to be far less belligerent. Turkey is helping Iran and Russia to beat US sanctions. Iran, Pakistan and India have joined the SCO alliance. They have also joined the BRICS alliance of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.) They have combined together to establish an alternative to Dollar Hegemony and the Bretton Woods agreement.
The BRICS nations have created their own versions of the World Bank and the IMF. They are the New Development Bank and the “Contingent Reserve Arrangement” (CRA).
The US has refused to ratify an agreement made in 2010 to lessen the favoritism given to the West at the IMF. The BRICS nations have only 11% of the votes at the IMF. At their summit in Brazil, BRICS issued a warning to the US that they would give America until the end of 2014 for the US to reform the system.
Foreign countries have to work very hard to produce products that the US will buy. But America refuses to give value for value. All they give is I Owe You Nothing Federal Reserve Notes. Their politicians are not interested in reform.
China has said they would like to participate in the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights ( SDR) program and to be given a presence in the basket of currencies used to determine exchange values.
This is the interesting part. To do that China will have to allow the IMF’s observers to see just exactly how much gold they do have. The Chinese have said their goal is to surpass America’s gold supply which is something of a joke. China several years ago said they had 1,054.1 metric tonnes of gold. Sun Tzu warned the Chinese many centuries ago ‘when you are many, pretend to be few. When you are near, pretend to be far.’ In other words nobody knows how much gold they have until they are ready to show us.
And according to Sun Tzu, the war should be won before the first battle has been fought.
Contrast this with the United States which is supposed to have 8,133.5 metric tonnes of gold. The US could barely scrape together 5 tons of gold that Germany had asked to be returned from their deposits in New York. The US has been letting bullion banks lease our gold reserves which they have sold five times or more as paper certificates of gold deposits. It has been alleged that Robert Rubin and Bill Clinton substituted gold plated tungsten bars for bullion. Though some say the US gold supply was first looted during the Johnson era. America had been taken over by a coup when President Kennedy was assassinated.
We do not have to assay the bars at Fort Know or to audit the reserves at the NY FED. All we have to do is to let the Chinese open their vaults in 2015 so foreign observers count and verify their bullion supply. The lowest estimate I have seen is 4,500 metric tonnes of gold. I have seen estimates of 8,000 tonnes and even more. One financial writer has a source who works for the Chinese in their bullion acquisition program who says the real number is a lot higher than most believe. He says over 8,0000 tonnes. If the Chinese have anywhere near 8,000 tonnes, then the world will know America has no gold and China bought it all for pennies on the dollar. at that point even the dimmest bulb will figure out that America is run by psychopathic Bankers.
Perception is everything in Bubbles and even more so when they burst. People were willing to pay one billion dollars for the stock of an IPO that went bankrupt six months later. That is perception on the upside and on the downside in half a year. That company was not around long enough for me to even remember their name. America’s Dollar was on the upside for a long time but it could drop very quickly.
The Petrodollar’s death has done great harm in the Third World. This will come back to haunt America. The Reuters article said that the oil exporting countries are net importers of money. That means the lack of liquidity will take down stock and bond markets all over the world. The US has such large markets that people fleeing one part of the world will seriously consider parking their billions in America however briefly.
The stock market crash in October 1929 did not get serious until liquidity dried up in 1931. That is what is happening now around the world. This current Depression began in 2007. There has been no recovery. If you deflate America’s cooked GDP numbers with real inflation numbers from Dr John Williams at Shadow Stats, then GDP has contracted steadily for the past six years.
Japan responded to this current Depression initially with their 2-2-2 plan. Double the money supply in 2 years and hope for a 2% increase in inflation. They have now said they will respond with an accelerated money printing program and buy all Japanese Treasury debt.
This US is in the same position as Japan now that the Petrodollar has collapsed. NAFTA sent 56,000 manufacturing plants and 12 million jobs overseas. America has been in a constant state of war. The US has no means of earning foreign cash to pay for its Treasury deficit and for the imports the country needs to survive. The only source of American liquidity is Money Printing. Once the world sees the results, they will look for the exits.
Former FED Chair Alan Greenspan said the exit is gold bullion. That is for the rich. For the middle class it is silver. When China opens its gold vaults to inspection to the IMF in 2015, the Dollar will Die. Of course it could die before the IMF ever gets to China to count their gold.
We will have, according to Jim Rickards, an 80% dollar devaluation when the Dollar Dies. This means imported goods will increase 500% in price. We can expect to enter the Hard Phase of this current Depression sooner rather than later. We have more Unpayable Debt to cancel than anytime in 500 years. That means we are entering the worst Depression in five centuries.
This need not be. Arrest the Bankers. Seize their assets. Use that money to fund worldwide Debt Cancellation. Issue a debt free, non-interest bearing currency like Lincoln’s Greenbacks. And ban fractional reserve banking.
We can either choose to resist or we can choose to die.
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The article below is Zero Hedge’s obituary for the Petrodollar.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-03/how-petrodollar-quietly-died-and-nobody-noticedBillionaire investor Peter Thiel, Donald Trump's most prominent Silicon Valley supporter, came to Washington, D.C., to make his case for his candidate.
'No matter what happens in this election, what Trump represents isn't crazy and it's not going away,' Thiel told a crowd gathered at the National Press Club today.
Thiel, who also spoke at this summer's Republican National Committee, didn't support every move Trump has made, including the infamous 'p****' tape calling it 'offensive and inappropriate,' but said on the 'big things' Trump gets it right.
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Billionaire investor Peter Thiel spent his Monday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., making a compelling argument for Donald Trump
Addressing the crowd with a brief speech, before participating in a Q&A session with National Press Club President Tommy Burr, Thiel noted the many zany twists and turns of this election cycle.
'Real events seem like the rehearsals for "Saturday Night Live,"' he admitted.
But then he added a caveat.
'A lot of successful people are too proud to admit it because it seems to put their success in question, but the truth is, no matter how crazy this election seems it is less crazy than the condition of our country,' Thiel said.
Pointing to the Baby Boomer generation, and how many are financially unprepared to retire, and the millennials, steeped in student loan debt, Thiel talked about the country's problematic financial reality and suggested that those in Washington and Silicon Valley are out of touch.
With those inside the beltway thinking that 'people are doing just fine' and people in the tech belt believing that 'people are doing just great.'
'Most Americans are not part of that prosperity,' Thiel said, pointing to the ritzy Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and the prominent communities around San Francisco.
Thiel called both Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton 'imperfect people,' while condemning what Trump said when he was caught on hot mic as part of an 'Access Hollywood' interview.
'But I don't think the voters pull the lever in order to endorse a candidate's flaws,' he suggested.
'It's not a lack of judgment that leads Americans to vote for Trump,' he continued. 'We're voting for Trump because we judge the leadership of our country to have failed.'
Thiel suggested that that's not what 'the country's most fortunate, socially prominent people' want to hear.
'It's certainly been hard to accept in Silicon Valley, where many people have learned to keep quite if they dissent from the coastal bubble,' he said.
'Louder voices |
negotiate for some reasonable amount of bonus but they knew the tax would take quite a chunk,” a player said.
The player alluded the contract they were meant to have signed was an old one.
“They used the terms of the previous contract but the letter only stated how much we were to be paid and a bonus if we reached the main cup quarters, semis and final. But when bonus came, we were deducted tax.”
A lawyer we contacted said it is a legal requirement that all income is taxable unless it is stipulated otherwise in the contract.
It is not clear how the players were supposed to voice their grievances. Under the present arrangement, the communication of any grievance by the players is channeled through the team manager by senior players.
The team manager then forwards the issues to the KRU director in charge of national squads.
Player knew the contents
A former KRU Director shed light saying the players knew the contents of their contracts. “They (contracts) even delayed for so long after being drafted because the players were reading them.”
He also hinted on how the players’ disputes were handled.
“The Director met with the senior players and solved the issues before they went out of hand. No scandals.”
During his tenure, the players signed the contracts, a code of conduct and letters of employment.
In summation, the lawyer we contacted said it is the right of the players to have copies of the contracts.
"I know over the years the Union often doesen't bother to supply copies and also players don't usually bother to ask for them.
What I saw often happening was that players signed the contracts but, the Union often didn't sign their part. So the contracts remained signed only one part and thus not completed legally. Even now, you will be surprised that the contracts are still unsigned by the Union and that is why they won't give the players their copies."
He advised players to demand their contracts or employment letters and then check what is provided.
"Any breach can be taken up at the Industrial Court. By law, an employee is entitled to notice before termination (unless a summary termination for misconduct) and all payments due made."It didn't take long. With the outbreak of a global health crisis on the scale of the current Ebola epidemic, there was bound to be a flurry of conspiracy theories.
And the internet's finest have been hard at work.
From the prospect of the Ebola-based zombie horror film 28 Days Later becoming reality to the US government deliberately releasing the virus, there's plenty out there for the tin foil hat brigade to sink their teeth into.
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Hoax: This picture, which went viral last week,; turned out to be nothing more than a screen grab from the zombie film World War Z, starring Brad Pitt
Last week a picture purporting to be that of the first Ebola 'Zombie' went viral over the internet with the title 'Ebola victim back from the dead'.
A caption reads: 'For the first time in human history, confirmed footage is captured of a man who scientists watched die from Ebola then only several hours later, regain life and rise from the dead'.
It then cites Bible passage Isaiah 26:19-20: 'Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise.'
The picture was later revealed to be nothing more than a screenshot of an actor in the movie World War Z starring Brad Pitt.
The zombie hoax appears to have been inspired by several real-life reports of Ebola victims coming back from the dead.
One story which appeared on the TheNewDawnLiberia.com website recently told of two Ebola patients who died of the virus in separate communities coming back to life two days later.
One conspiracy theory, which claims the current Ebola strain is hybrid of Ebola and Rabies, has drawn several comparisons with the 2002 Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later
Conspiracy? Many believe that the Ebola virus was created in a laboratory by unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies hoping to profit from the sale of vaccines
The website reported: 'The late Dorris Quoi of Hope Village Community and the second victim only identified as Ma Kebeh, said to be in her late 60s, were about to be taken for burial when they resurrected.
'Ma Kebeh had reportedly been in door for two nights without food and medication before her alleged death.'
Another story from Liberia last week tells of a man thought to have died from Ebola in the middle of a street who started waving his arms when funeral workers arrived to pick up his body.
That has led some to suggest that the virus is man-made and has been designed either as a weapon or simply so pharmaceutical companies can profit from selling vaccines and cures.
Some users insist the current Ebola strain is hybrid of Ebola and Rabies, drawing comparisons with the film 28 Days Later and raising the unlikely prospect that the film's plot may become reality.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan claims Ebola is a 'race-targeting bioweapon created by white people'
In the 2002 film directed by Danny Boyle, a highly contagious virus known as the Rage virus is released after animal liberation activists break into a laboratory where tests are being conducted on chimpanzees.
Scientists in the movie were attempting to create an anger management drug and had decided to use the Ebola virus as a delivery system.
But Ebola mutates the drug, causing it to have the oppposite effect and send people into fits of constant, uncontrollable rage with physical symptoms resembling rabies - leading them to attack other humans and pass on the virus at a rapidly increasing rate until only a small minority have escaped infection.
Exponents of this theory point to research conducted in 2012 by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) which developed an Ebola vaccine based on the established rabies virus vaccine.
The scientists first tested the vaccine on mice before moving on to monkeys and claim the research was extremely successful.
Speculation has been further fuelled by a 2012 report of a rabies-like virus that has all the symptoms of and lethality of Ebola and which killed two teenagers in Congo in 2009.
Believers of this theory warn people not to take the vaccine which will soon be rolled out.
In the US, Firebrand Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan claims the Ebola virus is a 'race-targeting bioweapon created by white people'.
He says the US government 'has a desire for world depopulation' and is intent on going about it by using bioweapons'such as Ebola and AIDS, which are race targeting weapons.'
He wrote: 'There is a weapon that can be put in a room where there are Black and White people, and it will kill only the Black and spare the White, because it is a genotype weapon that is designed for your genes, for your race, for your kind.
'This means that these wise scientists of death are making pathogens, which is something that can cause a disease.
'They are creating this as a means of depopulating our planet of undesirables, a process called culling the population. … So, if you are poor and ignorant; if you are Black or Brown, you are being selected for destruction.'
History: The Ebola virus as discovered in 1976 following major outbreaks that year in the Sudan and Zaire
Health workers say the fight against the outbreak is being hindered by claims of miracle cures such as rubbing limes and onions over your body and by unscrupulous merchants selling bogus treatments.
The World Health Organisation has issued several warnings over bogus cures and precautionary measures.
SKY CRITICISED FOR UPLOADING 28 DAYS LATER FOR PAY PER VIEW A scene from Zombie horror film 28 Days Later Twitter users have slammed Sky Movies, accusing the broadcaster of uploading the Ebola-related zombie film 28 Days Later to its on-demand movie service as concerns over the outbreak grow. Twitter user Mitchell wrote today: 'World's going Ebola mad and Sky decides to show World War Z and 28 days later and 28 weeks later in the last 2 days..bad timing or what...' And user 'luna' wrote:'sky movies have decided to upload 28 days later while the ebola virus is breaking out, thanks for terrifying me'. The film features in the'recently added' section of the Sky Movies 'On Demand' service. The channel did not respond to requests for a comment.
In Liberia healers have suggested rubbing the body with limes and onions can combat the virus while across the region merchants are profiting from the panic by selling fake Ebola vaccinations and cures.
One rumour that has been widely circulated is that drinking saltwater can prevent or cure the disease, an entirely false claim that is believed to be responsible for the deaths of four people.
A spokesman for WHO said: 'Another source of public misunderstanding, especially in affected areas, comes from rumours on social media claiming that certain products or practices can prevent or cure Ebola virus disease.
'Decades of scientific research have failed to find a curative or preventive agent of proven safety and effectiveness in humans, though a number of promising products are currently under development.
'All rumours of any other effective products or practices are false. Their use can be dangerous. In Nigeria, for example, at least two people have died after drinking salt water, rumoured to be protective.'
Ebola was discovered in 1976 following major outbreaks that year in the Sudan and Zaire. In the 1990s, the disease saw a resurgence with an outbreak in Gabon in 1994, followed by another in Zaire in 1995.
The current outbreak, the worst in recorded history, began last December and has killed more than 3,800 people mainly in West Africa and is threatening to spread across Europe and the Americas.
Between 2000-2004, close to 500 people died from Ebola in Uganda, Gabon, the Republic of Congo and Sudan.
The vast majority of those deaths have been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.For me the best way to learn something is by example, so instead to create HelloWords I’ve been translating my Java Reactive Spring 5 Webflux example into Kotlin, and now that is done is time to analyze the results.
I’m not going to talk about performance here, I’ve done JMeter load tests on both services and they virtual identical, response times are just decimals apart. However sometimes Kotlin seams to perform better, I’ll not get into conclusions until I research more.
First lest look at how many life of code we have create for each project:
Lines of Code Src Test Java 1004 1172 Kotlin 721 1017
This is a expected result since Kotlin syntax will be always shorten and easer to understand.
Now when we look at the maxim complexity reported by https://codebeat.co
Complexity Max Java 45 Kotlin 8
I think we need to do a deep down on this.
I’ve need to modify some line breaks in order to fit the web, please check the repos
Let’s look at one of the methods in the more complex class in Java:
Mono < SunriseSunset > createResult ( final Mono < GeoTimesResponse > geoTimesResponseMono ) { return geoTimesResponseMono. flatMap ( geoTimesResponse -> { if (( geoTimesResponse. getStatus ()!= null ) && ( geoTimesResponse. getStatus (). equals ( STATUS_OK ))) { return Mono. just ( new SunriseSunset ( geoTimesResponse. getResults (). getSunrise (), geoTimesResponse. getResults (). getSunset ())); } else { return Mono. error ( new GetSunriseSunsetException ( SUNRISE_RESULT_NOT_OK )); } }); }
And the equivalent method for the same class in Kotlin:
open internal fun createResult ( geoTimesResponseMono : Mono < GeoTimesResponse >) = geoTimesResponseMono. flatMap { with ( it ){ if ( status == STATUS_OK ) with ( results ) { SunriseSunset ( sunrise, sunset ). toMono () } else GetSunriseSunsetException ( SUNRISE_RESULT_NOT_OK ). toMono () } }
Many times this is because of the extensions system that allow to write really tide code.
Let’s look at one of the methods in one of the handler class:
Mono < ServerResponse > serverResponse ( Mono < LocationResponse > locationResponseMono ) { return locationResponseMono. flatMap ( locationResponse -> ServerResponse. ok (). body ( Mono. just ( locationResponse ), LocationResponse. class )); }
And the equivalent method for the same class in Kotlin:
fun serverResponse ( locationResponseMono : Mono < LocationResponse >): Mono < ServerResponse > = locationResponseMono. flatMap { ok () withBody it }
In fact spring framework has create custom extensions for Kotlin.
Let’s look at our api router function class:
static RouterFunction <?> doRoute ( final ApiHandler apiHandler, final ErrorHandler errorHandler ) { return nest ( path ( API_PATH ), nest ( accept ( APPLICATION_JSON_UTF8 ), route ( GET ( LOCATION_WITH_ADDRESS_PATH ), apiHandler: : getLocation ). andRoute ( POST ( LOCATION_PATH ), apiHandler: : postLocation ) ). andOther ( route ( RequestPredicates. all (), errorHandler: : notFound )) ); }
And the equivalent class in Kotlin:
fun doRoute () = router { ( accept ( APPLICATION_JSON_UTF8 ) and API_PATH ). nest { GET ( LOCATION_WITH_ADDRESS_PATH )( handler :: getLocation ) POST ( LOCATION_PATH )( handler :: postLocation ) path ( ANY_PATH )( errorHandler :: notFound ) } }
Definitely Kotlin is more simpler and readable, but this is not only the main code lest check the test for our tests.
Testing our ThrowableTranslator in Java
@Test void translatePathNotFoundExceptionTest () throws Exception { assertThat ( PathNotFoundException. class, translateTo ( HttpStatus. NOT_FOUND )); }
And the same test in Kotlin
@Test fun translatePathNotFoundExceptionTest () { PathNotFoundException :: class ` translates to ` HttpStatus. NOT_FOUND }
But lets use a more complex test that includes mocking.
Testing one of the services error in Java
@Test void getLocationNotFoundTest () { ServerRequest serverRequest = mock ( ServerRequest. class ); when ( serverRequest. pathVariable ( ADDRESS_VARIABLE )). thenReturn ( GOOGLE_ADDRESS ); doReturn ( LOCATION_NOT_FOUND ). when ( geoLocationService ). fromAddress ( any ()); doReturn ( SUNRISE_SUNSET ). when ( sunriseSunsetService ). fromGeographicCoordinates ( any ()); ServerResponse serverResponse = apiHandler. getLocation ( serverRequest ). block (); assertThat ( serverResponse. statusCode (), is ( HttpStatus. NOT_FOUND )); ErrorResponse error = HandlersHelper. extractEntity ( serverResponse, ErrorResponse. class ); assertThat ( error. getError (), is ( NOT_FOUND )); reset ( geoLocationService ); reset ( sunriseSunsetService ); }
And the same test in Kotlin
@Test fun getLocationNotFoundTest (){ ( geoLocationService ` will return ` LOCATION_NOT_FOUND ). fromAddress ( any ()) ( sunriseSunsetService ` will return ` SUNRISE_SUNSET ). fromGeographicCoordinates ( any ()) val serverRequest = mock < ServerRequest >() ( serverRequest ` will return ` GOOGLE_ADDRESS ). pathVariable ( ADDRESS_VARIABLE ) val serverResponse = apiHandler. getLocation ( serverRequest ). block () serverResponse. statusCode () ` should be ` HttpStatus. NOT_FOUND val errorResponse : ErrorResponse = serverResponse. extractEntity () errorResponse. message ` should equal to ` NOT_FOUND geoLocationService reset ` mock responses ` sunriseSunsetService reset ` mock responses ` }
In these cases the number of lines is not the key factor but the readability of the Kotlin test is great.
Conclusions
With a syntax that make things simpler and more readable I’ll stick with Kotlin for my personal projects for a while meanwhile I still learning Reactive Programming.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Do UltraSonic Algae Control Systems Live Up To Their Claims? This is our experience, dating back over ten years now, with using ultrasonic sound waves for algae control in ponds, lakes, and industrial settings. Be sure to review our latest updates at the bottom of this report. Late in the summer of 2006 and into the spring and summer of 2007 we began getting questions about using ultrasonic waves for pond algae control. Some pond owners thought it was a great idea overall but had concerns about what it might do to fish or other aquatic wildlife and really wondered if it worked. Other owners wrote to us about the use of beneficial bacteria products and in their feedback indicated that they were using a sonic system with very good affect. This fact peaked our interest in the product as well since KLM Solution's business and philosophy is based on using non-chemical algae controls whenever possible. And it appeared that the sonic systems would fit into that model. One thing that's true of all the products we sell is that we don't market or suggest the use of something we have not had success with ourselves. So one of our first priorities was to test out a brand of sonic algae control and compare our results to the claims that surround these units. In late May of 2007 we decided to do several short run tests on ponds measuring approximately 1/2 acre or less in size. We wanted to evaluate how the sonic treatment worked on not only green water, but also string algae and other mass types of growth. Our findings were encouraging... Although we decided to test out a mid-range unit for a 1/2 acre pond, there are systems available that have been used to treat small water garden and koi ponds (but we no longer recommend them for small ponds) and others up to multi-acre lakes. We were particularly interested in the large water capacity models since treating these types of ponds with additives can get very expensive over time. Each sonic system, regardless of it's recommended pond capacity, is made up of several parts. There is an electronic box that is land based and plugs into an electrical outlet. A transducer cable connects the electronics with the transducer or "emitter" that actually goes in the water. In the larger units the transducer is suspended under a float to keep it at the correct depth. For smaller ponds the transducer is simply lowered into the water. This is one aspect we liked a lot. The unit is very easy to install in even the largest ponds. You simply need to get the emitter into the water and have it point out from a corner of the pond. Plug it in and it begins working. Other very positive things that came away from our testing was the fact that the product seemed to work very well on green water, or planktonic algae and it did not appear to affect the fish at all. In terms of green water elimination the sonic system worked quite quickly. Usually after a few days of running the unit the water was much clearer. It makes sense in a way that this would be the case. UltraSonic algae control uses sound waves at specific vibrational frequencies. Like an opera singer can hit just the right pitch to break a wine glass, the ultrasonic vibrations pass through the water in an all around pattern causing the vacuoles inside the algae cells to resonate and break. It's in this way that the unit actually kills or damages the algae. Since green water is made up of many, very small individual algae cells, the sonic wave cuts through this growth very quickly. String algae on the other hand is very dense and it can take more time for the sonic sound waves to work it's way through this thicker mass. It will continually work to damage the "outer wall" off the algae growth and slowly work to eliminate the algae over time. One of our big concerns early on was what affect the device might have on fish. We're happy to report that we couldn't find any indication that the fish were bothered by the sonic waves at all. In most applications they swam up to it, looked it over, then swam away in an unhurried fashion. This observation, which we quite frankly, trust more than anything one might read, does back up the scientific reports that the product is safe for aquatic wildlife.
Is this the perfect tool for algae control? So is sonic algae control the best remedy for algae in a pond? This system has quite a few advantages and benefits.
It's relatively easy to install.
It's one of the most cost effective algae treatments for large ponds and multi-acre lakes.
It's safe for fish and other aquatic wildlife
It works quickly on green water in most cases and including many toxic algae blooms.
It can limit film and surface algae as well as underwater string algae
Kills root parasitic fungi like Pythium and Fusarium (in water).
Sonic systems work great with aeration and beneficial bacteria products
Low power consumption (from 7 to 12 watts); Solar Capable.
But sonic algae control isn't the one stop solution to algae control. It really should be looked at as one tool in an arsenal of options, either alone or in combination that can help rid a pond of algae. Sonic devices attack algae growth directly but they are limited in what they can do for the aquatic environment. Pond aeration will always be one of the most useful ways to add oxygen to a pond system which benefits the fish and the pond greatly. For smaller ponds, adequate filtration is an absolute, particularly if you have fish. If you've used or are using beneficial bacteria products which are highly recommended for helping reduce organic sedimentation in a pond, the sonic system works well with that as well. In a sense, the sonic waves help to stimulate a hyper activity in the bacteria which helps them perform better and more efficiently. So, on it's own, a sonic system won't add oxygen to the pond, filter the water, or work like beneficial bacteria to clean the pond bottom up (although it will help any existing bacteria to do so). We also found that, while we try to keep things simple and categorize algae in three main types (planktonic or green water, string, and floating mat or scum) the fact is there are many other types and species as well. Macrophytic algae which includes plants like Chara make up another family of algae altogether. There are actually thousands of species of algae that come in a variety of forms and colors. And other aquatic weeds such as duckweed or milfoil which can affect a lot of ponds throughout the U.S.. Our findings indicate that the sonic systems won't kill them all and in other cases it may take longer to eliminate certain species from the water. Chara for instance, will not be harmed by a sonic wave, and other plants like duckweed are resistant as well. As we mentioned earlier, filamentous or string algae is often found in thick clumps or masses. When you have algae like this and treat it with a sonic system, be prepared to wait awhile. It's not a quick fix. Our findings showed that it may take several months before the device can work it's way through the growth and it wasn't uncommon for the pond to look a bit worse before it started to appear better. Also, odd or irregular shaped ponds may be harder to treat with the system. Although the units will emit sound waves over a 180 degree radius the sonic wave must have a direct line to the algae mass to kill it. Obstructions like small islands will block or divert the wave which can lessen it's effect. Mechanical devices like fountains or aerators don't appear to cause any problems. The good news is that once the algae was successfully reduced, it did not regrow. We think the same could be said for treating a pond early in the season before algae starts to develop. With a sonic system in place a pond owner will likely keep algae down if they get a jump on it. As noted earlier, most green water issues were dealt with quite readily. Normally in less than a week the pond appeared to be clearer and the treatment was not affected by a high pH reading in the test pond. How do you know if the ultrasonic algae control will work in your pond? Simply said, with the naked eye you probably won't know for sure. It's safe to say that your odds of success are still pretty good as the sonic system we tried worked in most of the more common algae types we see in the Midwest, apart from the more plant like Macrophytic types. In the end, we haven't found any preliminary test that can be 100% accurate, however actually running a system in a pond for about 60 days will provide conclusive proof of whether the technology will work appropriately for your needs. To conclude this report on the ultrasonic algae control systems, we found that the products do work well on certain types of algae. They have the ability to limit or eliminate the use of any chemical applications to a pond, which we're totally in favor of. You may still want to use underwater aeration or a beneficial bacteria product in conjunction with the sonic systems since they serve other purposes that the sonic treatment cannot. On a positive note, all of these applications do work well together. In smaller ponds, things like UV filtration and Bio-filters will work fine with a sonic treatment. Other issues such as a very high or low pH which can affect bacteria treatments will not impede the sonic systems. In some cases, treating with the sonic device may also lower the pH a bit. So UltraSonic algae treatments are versatile and can work in a variety of ponds and water applications. In most cases the units are sized according to the surface area of the pond being treated. Latest Updates For 2017
Over the last 10 years or so, we've seen several brands and models of ultrasound systems come onto the market. All of them have worked, to some extent, to help with algae reduction in ponds, waste water operations, and other industrial settings. We've worked with, or studied most of the top brands and in later years, we began to look at other factors, such as the country of origin, or manufacture, frequency densities, and overall reliability. We concluded we wanted to work with American made devices. And perhaps more importantly we wanted to insure that if any repairs ever had to be made, they could be done here in the states. In the past, in some instances, owners would have to ship devices to Europe for repairs. It should go without saying that reliability is very important, and with our original product line, some circuit boards were problematic. So we ended up switching to the first brand of ultrasounds made in the US, which had a more dense frequency range (79 vs 16), and we carried this line for seven years. For the most part, performance was good with about a 75% success rate, mostly due to the frequency improvements. Reliability was good, but not entirely without a few problems. Most concerning though, was a general stagnation in developing out the technology, in any appreciable way. Other than some minor modifications to limit breakdowns (which is still a good thing), there was no significant work to improve the performance on algae species. This is all changing for 2017! What you're looking at in the above illustration is the all new Quattro DB ultrasound system. In our review, it's, by far, the most advanced ultrasonic algae control device currently available for the consumer. Here's a few of the specs which stand out... Frequency ranges: Bandwidth 1 - 24-58 kHz Bandwidth 2 – 195-205 kHzTotal Frequencies per cycle: 2024 Time per cycle: about 34 minutes Power consumed: about 12 watts, Peak power 50 watts
3 year manufacturer's warranty.
Green Algae and Diatom Algae Control Range: 150 meters radially from the device or about 17.5 acres. Blue-green Algae with gas vesicles Control Range: 400 meters radially from the device or about 124 acres.
Here's a few things to note. Remember, we made the switch some years ago when the frequency density improved from 16 to 79, which was monumental at the time. Why? Because the closer you can match the resonant frequency of the algae cell, the more vibration you'll create in it, and the more damage you'll do. Often, close, is good enough for reasonable control. But to maximize the control and performance you need to match those resonant frequencies.
And with the Quattro DB, we see an increase in frequency density from 79 to a massive 2024 per cycle using dual bandwidth ranges!
The effective control range has also been increased substantially over any existing ultrasound system due to the 360 degree coverage of the Quattro-DB.
Historically there would be a handful of models and sizes to fit various ponds. That's now been reduced to just two distinct units. The Quattro is the larger of the two new systems being introduced. For smaller ponds, the single directional Mezzo will cover ponds up to about 2+ acres in size.
Both systems now use variable length power cables, much like you would see used on a pond fountain. As well, an all new solar package is available that works great in really large ponds and lakes.
All in all, we expect to see better control of a wider array of algae types, improved performance and range, and lower costs to the pond owner by making the switch.Frontex, the EU's external border agency, is being given a 54 percent budget rise next year as part of a new European Commission package of initiatives to tackle the continent's refugee and migrant crisis.
Frontex executive director Fabrice Leggeri disclosed the agency's budget uplift, which will reach €176 million in 2016, at a House of Lords committee hearing in Westminster on Wednesday (16 September). The agency is also being allowed to increase its headquarter staffing levels in Warsaw from 304 to about 340.
Data protection issues means personal details of suspected people smugglers cannot at present be shared between Frontex and Europol. (Photo: Frontex)
Its budget at the start of this year was €114 million, although it received an extra €27 million in emergency funds in April.
Leggeri told the Lords home affairs committee members that more money would allow the agency to strengthen its work with European organisations such as Europol in returning illegal migrants, providing safe passage for genuine refugees and disrupting people-smuggling rings.
And in what has the potential to spark security fears for European countries, he also said some countries experiencing huge flows of refugees and migrants are still not always taking fingerprints as part of the asylum screening process.
It would mean that many refugees and migrants may be difficult to track and threatens to undermine the Dublin convention that tries to ensure people make only one asylum claim throughout the EU.
New fingerprinting technology
The situation has forced Frontex to develop new fingerprint processing technology with the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Eurodac, the system that establishes an EU asylum fingerprint database.
He said once the technology was ready, it would be used to help provide support to member states in their screening processes. He said there had been "some shortcomings" about fingerprinting in this regard in a number of unspecified countries.
"There is a need to strengthen the agency," Leggeri told UK peers. "We need an enhanced integrated border management."
At the House of Lords' EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee, Leggeri described how Frontex is to be part of a coordinated effort featuring a host of EU organisations aiming to create safe routes to Europe for genuine asylum seekers as well as swiftly returning people back to their countries of origin.
The agencies will include Europol, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and European Union Naval Force Atalanta (EU Navfor) which will form an EU Regional Task Force and will support and work with countries experiencing huge influxes of refugees and migrants.
According to the plan, Frontex will screen and debrief refugees and migrants. Those considered eligible for asylum will be passed to EASO. Information on suspected people-smuggling rings will be passed to Europol.
The plan builds on a determination by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, expressed at his State of the Union address last week, "to manage the refugee crisis" after months in which Europe has failed to agree a coherent response.
An EU "hotspot" pilot scheme involving Frontex, EASO, EU Navfor and Europol in Catania, Sicily, currently screens and interrogates refugees and migrants alongside Italian authorities. Information on people-smuggling networks are quickly shared, Leggeri told the Lords committee.
Data sharing with Europol
But data protection issues means personal details of suspected people-smugglers cannot at present be shared between Frontex and Europol. Leggeri said that Giovanni Buttarelli, the European Data Protection Supervisor, has agreed the principles of personal data-sharing between the two agencies and that Buttarelli may grant full permission by the end of the year.
The hotspots – there are plans for ones in Greece and possibly Hungary as well – could also be used as bases for illegal migrants to be sent back to their country of origin. This is an area in which Frontex's powers are set to increase, with new Commission proposals due to be published by the year end.
Dana Spinant, the head of the European Commission's irregular migration and return policy unit, was also at the Lords committee. She told the hearing: "We’re looking at expanding (Frontex's) legal mandate to substantially scale up its support to member states in carrying out returns."
Leggeri emphasised the need for gathering intelligence on and from each migrant from the outset. He said: "Screening of migrants can be used to (establish) what is the nationality of the migrant. This is extremely important to do it immediately right on arrival at the external border so then we can start the negotiation with the country of origin to get the travel documents because to return migrants we need the travel document."
There has been a significant shift in how Frontex both combats people traffickers and processes the details of refugees and migrants entering Europe in recent months, Leggeri also told Lords' committee members.
Previously, information was initially shared with host country agencies, but now the priority is ensuring EU agencies act together in a coordinated way alongside member states.
Frontex and other EU agencies will also work with Turkey and countries in north Africa such as Tunisia and Egypt, in an effort to prevent refugees and migrants travelling to Europe.
At present such initiatives are impossible in Libya – where thousands of migrants are sailing to Italy – because the security situation is too unstable, the Frontex chief said.
Mandatory Frontex contributions
Frontex, which is responsible for coordinating the management of Europe's external borders, neither directly owns surveillance planes, patrol vehicles and vessels, nor employs its own border guards.
Instead, it relies on member states to release to it equipment and personnel in return for reimbursements by the agency.
Despite an emergency increase in Frontex's budget, it was still short of border guards on the Greek islands, the land border between Greece and Turkey, in Hungary and also Bulgaria.
EU Commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, last month wrote to interior ministers throughout Europe, urging them to co-operate with Frontex appeals after the agency requested his intervention.
Leggeri played down statements from senior Frontex officials that his agency needed more border guards in key locations. But the Frontex boss did raise the possibility of member states being forced by the EU to release assets to his agency.
"In the future one could imagine to enhance the possibility for the EU to use Frontex deployments to encourage mandatory contributions from member states to Frontex operations," he told MEPs.
This week will see crucial meetings in Brussels (22-23 September) that will go a long way in determining Europe's response to the refugee crisis.
European leaders have been summoned to an emergency meeting in Brussels to agree how many refugees they will take from Italy, Greece and Hungary, as well as discussing external border policy following the recent reintroduction of border controls by several countries.
Also on Wednesday, MEPs will grill a wide number of EU agencies, including representatives from Frontex and EASO, over how they are working together to secure safe passages for genuine refugees and return migrants.
This report is part of a larger investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, based at City University London. The Bureau works in collaboration with other groups to get its investigations published and distributedThe hiring experience for engineers isn’t what it used to be–and that’s partly by design. Here at Google, we’ve intentionally broadened the number of schools where we actively recruit, from 75 a few years ago to 305 today. We’re as interested in English or philosophy majors as we are in computer science degree holders. We don’t really care if you have a 4.0 GPA, and we’re not interested in whether you can figure out how many golf balls fit inside a 747.
But here’s what we do look for in engineering candidates in 2016–and why we look for it.
Recent experience has taught us that we can find great tech talent in a much wider range of places than previously thought. For one thing, there are far more qualified college applicants than there are spaces for them at top universities. And for another, computer scientists aren’t always aware of their talent for coding by the time they’re 18 and have to declare a major.
Give us details about your experience at hackathons, coding competitions, or programming assignments at work.
Google is also trying to challenge some of the industry’s stubbornest stereotypes about what computer scientists look like and do in their spare time. Our Google in Residence program, for instance, embeds Google engineers at historically black colleges and universities to teach computer science and coach students about how to position themselves for engineering careers. We have similar initiatives in the works aimed at improving Hispanic diversity, too.
It’s important to know this because, too often, the tech sector’s well-documented demographics are enough to discourage some of the best talent from imagining themselves as future Googlers. My job is to help change that; your job is to apply.
More broadly, Google’s CS in Education initiative works to develop programs, resources, tools, and community partnerships to make computer science accessible to more students during their formative educational years. The goal is to make sure tomorrow’s tech industry mirrors the demographics of the people it actually serves.
In the meantime, don’t assume you’re unqualified on the basis of your educational, professional, or personal background and decide against applying (or, for that matter, let self-doubt get the better of you when you do show up for an interview). Trying to land a competitive tech job is daunting, but it’s only impossible if you don’t compete.Opening up the delicate question of how much help the State of Michigan ought to provide its ailing largest city, state leaders are weighing whether to devote hundreds of millions of dollars to help spare the pensions of Detroit retirees, while also saving the city’s prized art collection from the risk of sale in bankruptcy.
Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican who is expected to seek re-election this fall, raised the prospect of state financing with legislators in closed-door meetings this week. Details of the proposal, including the precise source of the money, are in flux. But one option would be for Michigan to provide $300 million to $400 million over several decades, according to people with knowledge of the meetings who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of privacy rules surrounding mediation talks in Detroit’s bankruptcy case.
The state money would augment an effort by private foundations, which have pledged to pool $330 million to help cover part of the city’s underfunded pensions and relieve the city-owned Detroit Institute of Arts of its responsibility to sell some of its collection. Detroit’s pensions are underfunded, by some estimates, by $3.5 billion, leaving them at risk of being reduced in bankruptcy court.
But given Detroit’s deadlines for its bankruptcy proceedings in court, state lawmakers will have a relatively short time — perhaps only a few weeks — to ponder the idea. And the issue is fraught with |
ai.component(ofType: CastleComponent.self) { coin2Label.text = "\(aiCastle.coins)" }
Here you call the update(_:) method on the entity manager. Then you find the castle (and castle component) for each team, and update the labels with the current coin values for each castle.
Build and run, and see the money begin to roll in!
Spawning The Monsters
This game is ready for some monsters! Let’s modify the game so you can spawn Quirk monsters.
Right-click your Entities group, select New File.., select the iOS/Source/Swift File template, and click Next. Name the new file Quirk and click Create.
Open Quirk.swift and replace the contents with the following:
import SpriteKit import GameplayKit class Quirk: GKEntity { init(team: Team) { super.init() let texture = SKTexture(imageNamed: "quirk\(team.rawValue)") let spriteComponent = SpriteComponent(texture: texture) addComponent(spriteComponent) addComponent(TeamComponent(team: team)) } required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") } }
This is very similar to how you set up the castle entity. Here you set the texture according to the team and add the sprite component to the entity. Additionally you also add a team component to complete all this entity needs.
Now it’s time to create an instance of the Quirk entity. Last time, you created the Castle entity directly in GameScene, but this time you’ll move the code to spawn a quirk monster into EntityManager.
To do this, switch to EntityManager.swift and add this method to the bottom of the class:
func spawnQuirk(team: Team) { // 1 guard let teamEntity = castle(for: team), let teamCastleComponent = teamEntity.component(ofType: CastleComponent.self), let teamSpriteComponent = teamEntity.component(ofType: SpriteComponent.self) else { return } // 2 if teamCastleComponent.coins < costQuirk { return } teamCastleComponent.coins -= costQuirk scene.run(SoundManager.sharedInstance.soundSpawn) // 3 let monster = Quirk(team: team) if let spriteComponent = monster.component(ofType: SpriteComponent.self) { spriteComponent.node.position = CGPoint(x: teamSpriteComponent.node.position.x, y: CGFloat.random(min: scene.size.height * 0.25, max: scene.size.height * 0.75)) spriteComponent.node.zPosition = 2 } add(monster) }
Let's review this section by section:
Monsters should be spawned near their team's castle. To do this, you need the position of the castle's sprite, so this is some code to look up that information in a dynamic way. This checks to see if there are enough coins to spawn the monster, and if so subtracts the appropriate coins and plays a sound. This is the code to create a Quirk entity and position it near the castle (at a random y-value).
Finally, switch to GameScene.swift and add this to the end of quirkPressed() :
entityManager.spawnQuirk(team:.team1)
Build and run. You can now tap the Quirk button to spawn some monsters!
Agents, Goals, and Behaviors
So far, the quirk monsters are just sitting right there doing nothing. This game needs movement!
Luckily, GameplayKit comes with a set of classes collectively known as "agents, goals, and behaviors" that makes moving objects in your game in complex ways super easy. Here's how it works:
GKAgent2D is a subclass of GKComponent that handles moving objects in your game. You can set different properties on it like max speed, acceleration, and so on, and the GKBehavior to use.
is a subclass of that handles moving objects in your game. You can set different properties on it like max speed, acceleration, and so on, and the to use. GKBehavior is a class that contains a set of GKGoals, representing how you would like your objects to move.
is a class that contains a set of, representing how you would like your objects to move. GKGoal represents a movement goal you might have for your agents - for example to move toward another agent.
So basically, you configure these objects and add the GKAgent component to your class, and GameplayKit will move everything for you from there!
Note: There is one caveat: GKAgent2D doesn't move your sprites directly, it just updates its own position appropriately. You need to write a bit of glue code to match up the sprite position with the GKAgent position.
Let's start by creating the behavior and goals. Right-click your Components group, select New File.., select the iOS/Source/Swift File template, and click Next. Name the new file MoveBehavior and click Create.
Open MoveBehavior.swift and replace the contents with the following:
import GameplayKit import SpriteKit // 1 class MoveBehavior: GKBehavior { init(targetSpeed: Float, seek: GKAgent, avoid: [GKAgent]) { super.init() // 2 if targetSpeed > 0 { // 3 setWeight(0.1, for: GKGoal(toReachTargetSpeed: targetSpeed)) // 4 setWeight(0.5, for: GKGoal(toSeekAgent: seek)) // 5 setWeight(1.0, for: GKGoal(toAvoid: avoid, maxPredictionTime: 1.0)) } } }
There's a lot of new stuff here, so let's review this section by section:
You create a GKBehavior subclass here so you can easily configure a set of movement goals. If the speed is less than 0, don't set any goals as the agent should not move. To add a goal to your behavior, you use the setWeight(_:for:) method. This allows you to specify a goal, along with a weight of how important it is - larger weight values take priority. In this instance, you set a low priority goal for the agent to reach the target speed. Here you set a medium priority goal for the agent to move toward another agent. You will use this to make your monsters move toward the closest enemy. Here you set a high priority goal to avoid colliding with a group of other agents. You will use this to make your monsters stay away from their allies so they are nicely spread out.
Now that you've created your behavior and goals, you can set up your agent. Right-click your Components group, select New File.., select the iOS/Source/Swift File template, and click Next. Name the new file MoveComponent and click Create.
Open MoveComponent.swift and replace the contents with the following:
import SpriteKit import GameplayKit // 1 class MoveComponent: GKAgent2D, GKAgentDelegate { // 2 let entityManager: EntityManager // 3 init(maxSpeed: Float, maxAcceleration: Float, radius: Float, entityManager: EntityManager) { self.entityManager = entityManager super.init() delegate = self self.maxSpeed = maxSpeed self.maxAcceleration = maxAcceleration self.radius = radius print(self.mass) self.mass = 0.01 } required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) { fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented") } // 4 func agentWillUpdate(_ agent: GKAgent) { guard let spriteComponent = entity?.component(ofType: SpriteComponent.self) else { return } position = float2(spriteComponent.node.position) } // 5 func agentDidUpdate(_ agent: GKAgent) { guard let spriteComponent = entity?.component(ofType: SpriteComponent.self) else { return } spriteComponent.node.position = CGPoint(position) } }
There's lots of new stuff here as well, so let's review this section by section:
Remember that GKAgent2D is a subclass of GKComponent. You subclass it here so customize its functionality. Also, you implement GKAgentDelegate - this is how you'll match up the position of the sprite with the agent's position. You'll need a reference to the entityManger so you can access the other entities in the game. For example, you need to know about your closest enemy (so you can seek to it) and your full list of allies (so you can spread apart from them). GKAgent2D has various properties like max speed, acceleration, and so on. Here you configure them based on passed in parameters. You also set this class as its own delegate, and make the mass very small so objects respond to direction changes more easily. Before the agent updates its position, you set the position of the agent to the sprite component's position. This is so that agents will be positioned in the correct spot to start. Note there's some funky conversions going on here - GameplayKit uses float2 instead of CGPoint, gah! Similarly, after the agent updates its position agentDidUpdate(_:) is called. You set the sprite's position to match the agent's position.
You still have a bit more to do in this file, but first you need to add some helper methods. Start by opening EntityManager.swift and add these new methods:
func entities(for team: Team) -> [GKEntity] { return entities.flatMap{ entity in if let teamComponent = entity.component(ofType: TeamComponent.self) { if teamComponent.team == team { return entity } } return nil } } func moveComponents(for team: Team) -> [MoveComponent] { let entitiesToMove = entities(for: team) var moveComponents = [MoveComponent]() for entity in entitiesToMove { if let moveComponent = entity.component(ofType: MoveComponent.self) { moveComponents.append(moveComponent) } } return moveComponents }
entities(for:) returns all entities for a particular team, and moveComponents(for:) returns all move components for a particular team. You'll need these shortly.
Switch back to MoveComponent.swift and add this new method:
func closestMoveComponent(for team: Team) -> GKAgent2D? { var closestMoveComponent: MoveComponent? = nil var closestDistance = CGFloat(0) let enemyMoveComponents = entityManager.moveComponents(for: team) for enemyMoveComponent in enemyMoveComponents { let distance = (CGPoint(enemyMoveComponent.position) - CGPoint(position)).length() if closestMoveComponent == nil || distance < closestDistance { closestMoveComponent = enemyMoveComponent closestDistance = distance } } return closestMoveComponent }
This is some code to find the closest move component on a particular team from the current move component. You will use this to find the closest enemy now.
Add this new method to the bottom of the class:
override func update(deltaTime seconds: TimeInterval) { super.update(deltaTime: seconds) // 1 guard let entity = entity, let teamComponent = entity.component(ofType: TeamComponent.self) else { return } // 2 guard let enemyMoveComponent = closestMoveComponent(for: teamComponent.team.oppositeTeam()) else { return } // 3 let alliedMoveComponents = entityManager.moveComponents(for: teamComponent.team) // 4 behavior = MoveBehavior(targetSpeed: maxSpeed, seek: enemyMoveComponent, avoid: alliedMoveComponents) }
This is the update loop that puts it all together.
Here you find the team component for the current entity. Here you use the helper method you wrote to find the closest enemy. Here you use the helper method you wrote to find all your allies move components. Finally, you reset the behavior with the updated values.
Almost done; just a few cleanup items to do. Open EntityManager.swift and update the line that sets up the componentSystems property as follows:
lazy var componentSystems: [GKComponentSystem] = { let castleSystem = GKComponentSystem(componentClass: CastleComponent.self) let moveSystem = GKComponentSystem(componentClass: MoveComponent.self) return [castleSystem, moveSystem] }()
Remember, this is necessary so that your update(_:) method gets called on your new MoveComponent.
Next open Quirk.swift and modify your initializer to take the entityManager as a parameter:
init(team: Team, entityManager: EntityManager) {
Then add this to the bottom of init(team:entityManager:) :
addComponent(MoveComponent(maxSpeed: 150, maxAcceleration: 5, radius: Float(texture.size().width * 0.3), entityManager: entityManager))
This creates your move component with some values that work well for the quick Quirk monster.
You need a move component for the castle too - this way they can be one of the agents considered for the "closest possible enemy". To do this, open Castle.swift and modify your initializer to take the entityManager as a parameter:
init(imageName: String, team: Team, entityManager: EntityManager) {
Then add this to the bottom of init(imageName:team:entityManager:) :
addComponent(MoveComponent(maxSpeed: 0, maxAcceleration: 0, radius: Float(spriteComponent.node.size.width / 2), entityManager: entityManager))
Finally, move to EntityManager.swift and inside spawnQuirk(team:), modify the line that creates the Quirk instance as follows:
let monster = Quirk(team: team, entityManager: self)
Also open GameScene.swift and modify the line in didMove(to:) that creates the humanCastle :
let humanCastle = Castle(imageName: "castle1_atk", team:.team1, entityManager: entityManager)
And similarly for aiCastle :
let aiCastle = Castle(imageName: "castle2_atk", team:.team2, entityManager: entityManager)
Build and run, and enjoy your moving monsters:
Congratulations! At this point you have a good understanding of how to use the new Entity-Component system in GameplayKit, along with using Agents, Goals, and Behaviors for movement.
Where to Go From Here?
Here is the finished example project from this GameplayKit tutorial.
At this point, you can repeat the process described here to add more components to your game - for example a component to deal melee damage, a component to fire lasers, a component to display a health bar, etc.
I thought about extending the tutorial to show how to do all this, but this tutorial has gone on long enough. So instead, I created a project for the complete game that you can download and take a look at for reference.
Update: Christian Lysne has ported this game to tvOS - I thought I'd post it here in case it's useful for anyone. Thanks Christian! :]
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and if you have any questions or comments, please join the forum discussion below!In an extraordinarily outspoken speech last night, the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, described the regulatory system framed by Gordon Brown in 1997 as "inadequate", claimed that wrongly incentivised bankers had been "playing with fire", and said that a central tenet of the Financial Services Authority's new approach was a "delusion".
Such failures had, suggested Mr King, meant that "we shall all be paying for the impact of this crisis on the public finances for a generation".
Close to £1 trillion of public money has been devoted to supporting the financial sector. Mr King called the sums "breathtaking" and "not sustainable in the medium term".
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
"Anyone who proposed giving government guarantees to retail depositors and other creditors, and then suggested that such funding could be used to finance highly risky and speculative activities, would be thought rather unworldly. But that is where we are now.
"It is important that banks in receipt of public support are not encouraged to try to earn their way out of that support by resuming the very activities that got them into trouble in the first place," he said.
The current "tripartite" system of regulation was framed by Gordon Brown when he became Chancellor in 1997, at which point banking supervision was transferred from the Bank to the FSA. The basic architecture of the system has been recently reaffirmed by the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, while the Conservatives have said that they will return oversight of banks to the Bank of England.
Despite the risk that the Bank itself is being politicised by this controversy, Mr King laid into the Brown-inspired "inadequately designed regulatory system", which, he said, "ignited the fuel" that led to the conflagration that has engulfed the nation. Mr King added that "the past two years have shown how dangerous it is to let bankers play with fire", adding that "it is a matter of the incentives they face", pouring fuel of his own on to the debate about bankers' pay and bonuses.
Mr King also expressed thinly veiled contempt for the proposals made in the Turner review and the Treasury's White Paper on banking. He said that the structure and regulation of banking in the UK still "need reform" and called for a "serious review of how the banking industry is structured and regulated". The Governor did not so much as pay lip service to the chairman of the FSA, Lord Turner's review, or the White Paper. Indeed, Mr King explicitly ridiculed the notion, central to the Turner review, that increasing capital adequacy requirements on banks would be sufficient to deal with the widely acknowledged "too important to fail" problem. It is, said Mr King, "worth a try", but Mr King was still scathing – "the belief that appropriate regulation can ensure that speculative activities do not result in failures is a delusion".
Mr King repeated his call for a separation of so-called "utility banking", covered by a state guarantee to depositors, from other forms of investment banking. Such a system prevailed for many decades in the US under the Glass-Steagall Act, finally abolished in the 1990s, and, less formally, in the UK before the Big Bang reforms of 1986. He said that resolution of the issue was inevitable – "the sheer creative imagination of the financial sector to think up new ways of taking risk will in the end, I believe, force us to confront the 'too important to fail' question".
Mr King said that there are now too few banks and that they yield too much market power, implying that they should be broken up. "By international standards UK banking is highly concentrated. There are four large UK banking groups. Of these four, two are largely in state ownership and their assets are a multiple of the assets of the next largest bank. As in the English premier league, getting into the top four will not be easy for those outside it."
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
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Subscribe nowBy Roger Bolton
What is probably the oldest known Bible is being digitised, reuniting its scattered parts for the first time since its discovery 160 years ago. It is markedly different from its modern equivalent. What's left out? The world's oldest surviving Bible is in bits. For 1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery, until it was found - or stolen, as the monks say - in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany and Britain. Now these different parts are to be united online and, from next July, anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access will be able to view the complete text and read a translation. FIND OUT MORE Roger Bolton presents the Oldest Bible on Radio 4 on Monday, 6 October, at 1100 BST For those who believe the Bible is the inerrant, unaltered word of God, there will be some very uncomfortable questions to answer. It shows there have been thousands of alterations to today's bible. The Codex, probably the oldest Bible we have, also has books which are missing from the Authorised Version that most Christians are familiar with today - and it does not have crucial verses relating to the Resurrection. Anti-Semitic writings The fact this book has survived at all is a miracle. Before its discovery in the early 19th Century by the Indiana Jones of his day, it remained hidden in St Catherine's Monastery since at least the 4th Century. The monastery at the base of Mt Sinai It survived because the desert air is ideal for preservation and because the monastery, on a Christian island in a Muslim sea, remained untouched, its walls unconquered. Today, 30 mainly Greek Orthodox monks, dedicated to prayer, worship there, helped as in ages past by the Muslim Bedouin. For this place is holy to three great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam; a land where you can still see the Burning Bush where God spoke to Moses. The monastery itself has the greatest library of early manuscripts outside the Vatican - some 33,000, and a collection of icons second to none. Not surprisingly, it is now a World Heritage Site and has been called a veritable Ark, bringing spiritual treasures safely through the turbulent centuries. In many people's eyes the greatest treasure is the Codex, written around the time of the first Christian Emperor Constantine. When the different parts are digitally united next year in a £1m project, anyone will be able to compare and contrast the Codex and the modern Bible. Firstly, the Codex contains two extra books in the New Testament. One is the little-known Shepherd of Hermas, written in Rome in the 2nd Century - the other, the Epistle of Barnabas. This goes out of its way to claim that it was the Jews, not the Romans, who killed Jesus, and is full of anti-Semitic kindling ready to be lit. "His blood be upon us," Barnabas has the Jews cry. Discrepancies Had this remained in subsequent versions, "the suffering of Jews in the subsequent centuries would, if possible, have been even worse", says the distinguished New Testament scholar Professor Bart Ehrman. The suffering of Jews in the subsequent centuries would, if possible, have been even worse had the Epistle of Barnabas remained
Professor Bart Ehrman And although many of the other alterations and differences are minor, these may take some explaining for those who believe every word comes from God. Faced with differing texts, which is the truly authentic one? Mr Ehrman was a born again Bible-believing Evangelical until he read the original Greek texts and noticed some discrepancies. The Bible we now use can't be the inerrant word of God, he says, since what we have are the sometimes mistaken words copied by fallible scribes. "When people ask me if the Bible is the word of God I answer 'which Bible?'" The Codex - and other early manuscripts - omit some mentions of ascension of Jesus into heaven, and key references to the Resurrection, which the Archbishop of Canterbury has said is essential for Christian belief. Other differences concern how Jesus behaved. In one passage of the Codex, Jesus is said to be "angry" as he healed a leper, whereas the modern text records him as healing with "compassion". Also missing is the story of the woman taken in adultery and about to be stoned - until Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (a Jewish sect), inviting anyone without sin to cast the first stone. Nor are there words of forgiveness from the cross. Jesus does not say "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". Fundamentalists, who believe every word in the Bible is true, may find these differences unsettling. But the picture is complicated. Some argue that another early Bible, the Codex Vaticanus, is in fact older. And there are other earlier texts of almost all the books in the bible, though none pulled together into a single volume. Many Christians have long accepted that, while the Bible is the authoritative word of God, it is not inerrant. Human hands always make mistakes. "It should be regarded as a living text, something constantly changing as generation and generation tries to understand the mind of God," says David Parker, a Christian working on digitising the Codex. Others may take it as more evidence that the Bible is the word of man, not God. Below is a selection of your comments: It never ceases to amaze me that people can take what has been written by man, and altered by man, over the centuries, as being the 'inerant' word of God. People copy manuscripts. People are fallible, and people make mistakes. Surely, if there is any 'word of God' around, it should not be possible to make any mistakes when transcribing what is there, it should not be possible to change it in anyway, and the latest version should therefore the be same as the first version.
Anne Boyce, Halifax, England A rather mocking piece. Why doesn't Roger Bolton lay his cards on the table first rather than weave them into a BBC article on the Bible? His final sentence summarises his opinions; the subject and story becomes irrelevant.
Cynicus, Glasgow This is an interesting article, but I would object to the BBC's use of the term "fundamentalists" when you write of people who "believe every word of the Bible is true" in this article. As a person who is a Christian and believes the message of the Bible I am of course both open and interested to read this article, but I am deeply unhappy that such a term has been used due to its modern day pejorative nature. There are plenty of other terms that the BBC could use for this type of people which avoid the pejorative connotations of 'fundamentalist'. How about - evangelical Christians/Christians with a traditional understanding of the authority of Scripture?
Bible Believing Christian, Cambridge, UK Unfortunately the Bible has always been altered by the hand of man. The Reformation decided to leave out entire books of the Bible including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Maccabbees 1& 2. Large chinks of Esther and Daniel also made it to the "cutting room floor."
Paddy, Liverpool "...a land where you can still see the Burning Bush where God spoke to Moses." Or perhaps, a bush exists which is claimed to be the one where the biblical god is alleged to have spoken to someone (for whom there is also not a shred of evidence).
Sion Hughes, Northampton, UK "For those who believe the Bible is the inerrant, unaltered word of God, there will be some very uncomfortable questions to answer." I doubt it. The topic has been dealt with many times through the centuries. The best discussion IMO is in St Augustine's 'Confessions'; it boils down to the argument that the contemporary bible is the true and only bible. The fact that older ones were different is irrelevant.
bob, london Would it be too much to ask for a balancing voice in this article? The codex has been studied for years and globally the evangelical church is growing faster than ever so there must be a response. My understanding is that this codex was compiled by a Christian sect who even then was considered unorthodox and whilst it is the oldest complete bible many earlier copies of the gospels predate this codex. It is these gospels from which modern bibles are translated. They are both more numerous and closer in age to the events describe in the New Testement.
Frank Hill, Bristol I welcome this (and any other) compilation and comparison of ancient texts. As soon as hardline views on scriptural infallibility are debunked, then Christianity will be forced to take a more organic approach to their faith, gaining some much needed credibility with agnostics in the process. Next stop, Creationism!
Ceri Sambrook, Warwick, Great Britain Christians have known all of this for a while. Most bibles place the story of the woman taken in adultery in brackets and state that the earliest and most reliable manuscripts do not contain the story. They also state that the ascension account in Mark's gospel is unreliable. This is old news and there were other reasons why the 2 "extra" books were not passed by the council of Nicea. Please check your facts before publsihnig the story.
Emma, Sheffield Concerning "His blood be upon us", the distinguished New Testament scholar Professor Bart Ehrman needs to get his facts right before making such bold assertions. Obviously he's never read Matthew 27:25, which is exactly the verse he states is missing from modern versions of the Bible (unless he's been misquoted of course).Martin Could we have a balanced article, please? Christians have known about these documents for over a century and yet there are still many of us, evangelicals (not necessarily fundamentalists) who believe the bible is God's word. Could we not have had a response in your article explaining some of these things?
Robin, Winsford Asking Bart Ehrman for objective comment on Biblical matters is rather like asking Sarah Palin to provide a Presidential job appraisal for Barack Obama. It's long been known that the story of the woman taken in adultery was not in all copies of the Bible so why does anyone think it's an issue? Professor Ehrman is doing precisely what he accuses others of doing, trying to make a point in support of his own opinion.
Philip Thomas, Merseyside Didn't they also find the missing page that says 'All characters depicted in this book are purely ficticious and any resemblence to anyone alive or dead is purely co-incidental.'
George, Maidenhead The current Bible is God's word. Of course it was written by man, but it was breathed into life by God. The way that it has over time, evolved into is present form is not important. Only those scriptures, in the form that God intended, have presently become the Bible. What is important is that the message that God intended is there for us all, and it has the power to change lives.
David, Leicester
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StumbleUpon What are these?A man who claimed he was mistaken for a neo-Nazi and stabbed because of his buzz cut admits he made it all up — and says the stabbing was just an accident, according to a report.
Joshua Witt, 26, told cops recently that he was getting out of his car in the parking lot of a Steak ‘n Shake in Sheridan, Colorado, when he was attacked by a knife-wielding man.
But when presented with evidence that his story was sheer nonsense, Witt came clean, BuzzFeed reported.
Witt told The Post last week that his alleged attacker asked him, “Are you one of them neo-Nazis?”
“I threw my hands up and once the knife kind of hit, I dived back into my car and shut the door and watched him run off west, behind my car,” he said.
“The dude was actually aiming for my head,” he added. “I was more in shock because I was just getting a milkshake.”
Police questioned his story because surveillance video did not show anyone running from the scene, as Witt had claimed, and because they interviewed someone who matched Witt’s description of the attacker.
A transient who lives in the area was cleared as a possible suspect, BuzzFeed reported.
Investigators also examined video from a nearby sporting goods store, which showed Witt buying a small knife minutes before the alleged attack.
“Mr. Witt subsequently admitted to accidentally cutting himself with the knife while parked in his car in front of the sporting goods store and admitted making up the story about being attacked,” Sheridan police said in a statement.
He was charged with falsely reporting an incident and released on a summons.Coming Soon
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THE STRANGER
Secrets, violence and a conspiracy send family man Adam Price on a desperate quest to uncover the truth about the people closest to him.
Unbelievable
After a teen reports being raped, then recants her story, two female detectives follow evidence that could reveal the truth. Based on a true story.
Over the Moon
In this animated musical, a girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess. Legendary animator Glen Keane directs.
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In this animated feature, four kids who are abandoned by their selfish parents learn how to adapt their old-fashioned values to the contemporary world.
The Stranded
When a tsunami strands dozens of teens on an island at their private school, they soon realize no rescuers are coming and they must save themselves.
Baahubali: Before the Beginning
Based on Anand Neelakantan’s book, this prequel series to India’s epic fantasy franchise traces the dramatic rise of Queen Sivagami and her empire.
Kid Cosmic
In this animated series from the creator of "The Powerpuff Girls," an odd, imaginative boy acquires superpowers after finding five cosmic rings.ZigguratOfUr Profile Blog Joined April 2012 Iraq 13345 Posts Last Edited: 2014-12-19 08:06:47 #2 No soO vs TaeJa. Too bad.
And CJ vs Samsung being all mirrors :/
Inflicted Profile Blog Joined January 2011 Australia 14846 Posts Last Edited: 2014-12-19 08:06:20 #3 Easy win for Jin air
Those mirrors in CJ vs Samsung tho Liquipedia "Expert"
kochanfe Profile Joined July 2011 Micronesia 1287 Posts #4 CJ vs Samsung all mirrors lol. Especially excited for the Dark/MarineKing rematch, the soO/YongHwa rematch (both SKT players looking for revenge here), as well as every single match of KT vs JinAir! "Rarely is the question asked – 'Is our children learning'" – George W. Bush
Musicus Profile Joined August 2011 Germany 22505 Posts #5. KT vs Jin Air is so sick, hoy shit. Jin Air wins 3-1! Sadly I won't be able to watch most of PL until new years since I am at my parent's house. I will have so many vods to watch though Baguette lover | I recognize the might and wisdom of my Otherworldly overlord | Serral is overrated, NaNiwa would beat him | Lilbowjwa > Maru | Make SC2 great again, bring back the old Swarm Hosts | ROACH ROACH ROACH
Wolf Profile Blog Joined April 2010 Korea (South) 3272 Posts #6. :< Center. : Commentator http://twitter.com/proxywolf
lichter Profile Blog Joined September 2010 1001 YEARS KESPAJAIL 22175 Posts #7 frickin center won't tlpd-ize unless I capitalize his name, so demanding Administrator YOU MUST HEED MY INSTRUCTIONS TAKE OFF YOUR THIIIINGS
stargunner Profile Joined July 2014 United States 135 Posts #8 putting Flash up against a zerg after his horrible performance vs Life? hope he brushes up on the matchup before then. or just uses some common sense.
Edpayasugo Profile Joined April 2013 United Kingdom 1622 Posts #9 Proleague starts a week before I thought, wish I wasn't going to be at work FlaSh MMA INnoVation FanTaSy MKP TY Ryung | soO Dark Rogue | HuK PartinG Stork State
The_Red_Viper Profile Blog Joined August 2013 18352 Posts #10 On December 19 2014 17:10 stargunner wrote:
putting Flash up against a zerg after his horrible performance vs Life? hope he brushes up on the matchup before then. or just uses some common sense.
Rogue is pretty good in ZvT i think, will be hard for KT to win there :/
But JinAir is my second favorite team, so it's "ok" Rogue is pretty good in ZvT i think, will be hard for KT to win there :/But JinAir is my second favorite team, so it's "ok" BLΛƆKPIИK in your area | Rosé | IU | Yuna Kim | SoHyang || soO | Maru | Alphastar || Jaedong | Larva | Calm | Rain | Snow || There is no God and we are his prophets | Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional
Phredxor Profile Joined May 2013 New Zealand 14939 Posts #11 Love all the KT vs JAGW matchups. Gonna be awesome.
Also Prime is gonna rekt ST.
HolydaKing Profile Joined February 2010 18308 Posts #12
CJ vs Samsung
+ Show Spoiler + Byul < Solar
Hush > eMotion
herO > Dear
Bbyong > Bravo
3-1 for CJ, where's STORKU??
ST-Yoe vs PRIME
+ Show Spoiler + Bomber < YoDa
Life > TerrOr
Leenock > Creator
Curious > MyuNgSiK
3-1 for ST-Yoe, might also be 3-0.
KT vs JIN AIR
+ Show Spoiler + Zest > Maru
TY < sOs
FlaSh > Rogue
Stats > Cure
KT 3-1 JAGW, but perhaps Flash will lose again so it goes Ace. Maru could win too, but I wanna believe that Zest does
SKT vs MVP
+ Show Spoiler + Dark < MarineKing
INnoVation > Center
Classic > Seed
soO < YongHwa
ACE: INnoVation > MarineKing
3-2 for SKT, but maybe soO will win and in general I can see this one go either way. MVP might just win. Prediction game!CJ vs SamsungST-Yoe vs PRIMEKT vs JIN AIRSKT vs MVP
Seeker Profile Blog Joined April 2005 Where dat snitch at? 31887 Posts #13 TerrOr, this is like, your last chance to prove you're actually worth something... I'd MUCH RATHER see B4 than you to be honest... Moderator PM me if you want translations done | twitch.tv/dankshrine Weekly SC2 Podcast!
LongShot27 Profile Joined May 2013 United States 2084 Posts #14 No one going to mention Bomber putting himself out as his first move? the balls If all men were created equal there would be no reason to declare it.
Dodgin Profile Blog Joined July 2011 Canada 38849 Posts #15 Bomber is playing!!!
Prime is still fielding terror haha
sudete Profile Joined December 2012 Singapore 1572 Posts Last Edited: 2014-12-19 08:22:55 #16 So pumped for KT vs Jin Air!
Also, I think Bomber vs Yoda has the potential to be one of the best matches for this week. Can't see much hope for Prime tbh Merk.
Zerg.Zilla Profile Joined February 2012 Hungary 4903 Posts #17 herO-Dear,Bomber-Yoda,Zest-Maru awww yeah! (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■) ~Keep calm and inject Larva~
munch Profile Joined July 2014 Mute City 2334 Posts Last Edited: 2014-12-19 08:30:33 |
, godlike being in comics. Saying it was “designed to be a super-hero’s battlesuit,” it wants to “exercise my full potential,” but accuses Peltier: “Instead of saving lives and averting disasters, you spend all your time moaning about how difficult your life is. Well, I’m bored!” Possibly Morrison is satirizing the way that Marvel heroes in the Stan Lee tradition soliloquize about their angst. It’s as if Spider-Man’s costume got fed up with listening to Peter Parker complain all the time.
Is it possible that Morrison also read and recalled writer Robert Kanigher’s “Case of the Curious Costume” from The Flash #161 (May 1966), in which Barry Allen quit being the Flash, but then heard—or imagined hearing—his Flash costume asking him to put it on and resume his costumed career?
The Captain Granbretan costume is also engaging in projection: complaining that it is tired of Peltier’s complaining. So perhaps the costume can be seen as symbolizing a side of Peltier’s psyche, his conscience.
Morrison’s story turns quite serious when Peltier makes what the narration rightly calls an “impassioned speech,” begging for understanding. “I can’t go on like this. Do you realize how much crime there is in this world? How many earthquakes and oil slicks and air crashes there are? How many wars and riots? How much terrorism? I’m only one man. I’m expected to sort everything out on my own, because of these powers, but there’s just me, you know? I can’t deal with it all.” Peltier concludes, “My life’s not my own anymore.”
The helmet replies, in an ominously matter-of-fact way, “That’s true.” The helmet overrides Peltier’s nervous system, taking complete control of his body. The narration refers to Captain Granbretan as “jailed in his own clothing” and as “a hijacked prisoner.” The human being is trapped within his uniform, the outward sign of his public image and career.
Now Morrison’s comedy turns dark and even macabre, as the helmet takes pleasure in enslaving its wearer, and breaks into song, as if this were a musical comedy, as it forces the Captain to fly through the air. “’Come fly with me, come fly, let’s fly away...’ the helmet hummed tonelessly. ‘You like Frank Sinatra, don’t you, Paul?’ it asked, not waiting for a reply. ‘How about this one?’ It took an electronic breath and began, ‘I’ve got you, under my skin...’”
The helmet compels Captain Granbretan apparently to work nonstop: “from kittens trapped in trees”–a possible reference to an incident in the 1978 Superman movie?– “to foundering oil tankers, Captain Granbretan was there to save the day.” Morrison finally lets the reader know that the helmet has forced Peltier to work through exhaustion and perhaps starvation to death. But that would wreck the Captain’s heroic image if the public found out. “It knew it could animate him for only so long, before his glassy eyes and decomposing flesh gave the whole game away.”
And so the helmet decides to “return to Darkmoor, digest Peltier’s body and then wait” for “someone who’d always fancied the idea of superpowers” to come along and don the costume. The helmet and costume is like a spider, weaving its web in order to catch its next victim. Morrison concludes with grim irony: “Happy again, the real Captain Granbretan swooped and soared and sailed, then settled gently in a ring of stones. And began to feed.”
At Marvel in the 1960s Stan Lee had pioneered the idea of the super-hero who is driven by his mission, at harsh costs to his personal life, the hero whose super-powers seem to be a curse rather than a blessing. In this story Morrison takes that concept further, presenting the man who is literally destroyed by his role and career as super-hero, as symbolized by the sentient helmet and costume. Moreover, through this image of the hero “jailed” by his own costume, Morrison devised a metaphor for dilemmas that affect people in everyday life. Peltier is like any person who is ruined by the pursuit of his ill-conceived ambitions, especially those for fame and fortune. He is a man who makes the wrong decision, not recognizing the consequences it will have, and who suffers as a result. He is a potentially tragic figure who sets his life on a self-destructive course that proves to be irreversible. Peltier is an everyman who finds himself weighed down by the burden of moral responsibility. And he is an ironic figure, a man who thinks he has the key to supreme power, who is instead ground down and destroyed by forces he did not even know existed.
Revealing his prowess at exploring the dark potential of the super-hero genre, this story is a small gem in Morrison’s early career. Imagine how surprised readers must have been in 1986 to get to the end of this text story in a Captain Britain comic, if they even noticed it.DALLAS — As gas prices spike across Texas and fuel runs short at some gas stations, officials say there's no shortage of fuel in the state because of Harvey.
Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said consumers are putting undue demand on fuel and that's making it difficult to resupply gas stations in a timely fashion. He called the problem simply one of demand and logistics.
"There's plenty of gasoline," he said. "This will subside."
According to Sitton, the concerns started when refineries began shutting down along the Gulf Coast due to Hurricane Harvey. As news spread, so did concern over a potential shortage, leading to large rushes to stations.
Sitton says he understands the worry as people drive up to gas stations and see high prices, long lines and red bags covering gas pumps.
But here's why this is happening, the commissioner says:
• Rumors spread of shortage, spurring rush to gas stations
• Gas stations see higher demand than usual
• Stations run out of gas at a high rate due to demand
• Station owners become concerned about supply, raise prices
• So many stations run out of gas it takes longer to resupply
"Remember the old stories of runs on the bank?" he said in a phone interview broadcast on WFAA's Facebook page. "If everyone goes to the bank at the same time and tries to get their money, then it causes a panic and the bank doesn't have enough cash in the drawer to give everyone their money... The bank has your money, it's just not sitting at that one [branch]."
LINKS:
• Report price gouging to attorney general's office
• GasBuddy: Find gas prices near you
• GasBuddy: Find gas stations with available fuel near you
Just like the banks, Sitton said there's plenty of supply, but it will take longer to get that gasoline to the stations due to the high demand.
This is what Sitton says about supply:
• The entire world uses 100 million of refined product daily
• The U.S. refines 18 million of those 100 million barrels
• Six million of that 18 million is refined in Texas
• About half of that six million is currently offline or at reduced capacity due to Harvey
"So, yes, that's a lot," Sitton said. "However, we have 230 million barrels of gasoline in storage in the United States right now. So if that three million barrels of refined capacity stayed offline for an entire month that would be 90 million barrels that wouldn't be produced. That would be less than half of what we have in inventory."
And Sitton said that shouldn't even be a concern.
"We don't expect these refineries to be down that long," he said. "We expect that there might be a couple that stay down that long, but some of them, like in Corpus Christi, are already working to go back online."
So what is the bottom line according to Sitton?
"Concerns and even panic over gasoline shortages are leading to a sense that there's a gasoline shortage," he said. "When in fact, there isn't one."Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during an interview in Luque Thomson Reuters President-elect Donald Trump spoke with the president of Taiwan by phone on Friday, in a move likely to infuriate Beijing.
A call by the US president to any president of Taiwan would risk endangering China-US relations, but the situation is particularly fraught because Taiwan's current president, Tsai Ing-wen, has stated that she believes Taiwan is independent from China.
Tsai, who took office in January, is a member of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party and is openly against the "one-China principle."
The "One China principle" states that "there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China."
Beijing views Taiwan as a province of China, whereas Taiwan — which has its own democratically elected government — has a more complicated view of the relationship.
"I am not clear what the U.S. means when they use the term 'entity.' For us here in Taiwan, we believe that we are a country, a democratic country," Tsai said in a Washington Post interview in July, referring to Washington's view of Taiwan as an entity, not a country.
"It is indeed unfair," Tsai said of Taiwan not being independently recognized in the world.
China suspended diplomatic talks with Taiwan in June.
Chinese president Xi Jinping publicly snubbed the Taiwan government during a high-profile meeting with Taiwan's opposition leader last month, warning that Taiwan will be limited in access to the mainland's highest levels of power unless it accepts the idea of being part of China, the Associated Press reported.
The US suspended formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 after establishing a One China position in an effort to promote diplomatic channels with Beijing.
The US' unofficial diplomatic office in Taipei is called American Institute in Taiwan, and its counterpart in Washington is called Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.After some light teasers earlier this week, Rockstar Games has officially announced Red Dead Redemption 2, a followup to the 2010 Western-themed game Red Dead Redemption. According to an image on Twitter, the game will be released in the fall of 2017, and a trailer is coming on Thursday, October 20th at 11AM ET. There’s also a website, although it doesn’t provide much more detail.
People have been speculating about a sequel or prequel to Red Dead Redemption — which itself followed the 2004 game Red Dead Revolver — for some time. The only real hints about its content so far are the seven silhouettes in the image above, which my colleague Chris Plante previously suggested could reference either The Magnificent Seven or online multiplayer features. And indeed, the website describes the game as “an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland,” whose “vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.” We’ll have to wait until later this week to learn more.Montini: Inmates offered ‘do-it-yourself’ execution
Arizona's execution chamber (Photo: The Republic)
The Arizona Department of Corrections has had trouble killing people.
It hasn’t been able to get the drugs it wants, and the drugs that it has gotten have transformed the already gruesome act of executing a person into a ghoulish, unacceptable freak show.
But the department persists.
The latest move, unique in – the world – offers Arizona death-row inmates the opportunity to perform a kind of do-it-yourself execution.
Last month, The Arizona Republic’s Michael Kiefer reported on a new execution protocol announced by Corrections Director Charles Ryan.
Like many policy decisions in Arizona government, the process begins with the implausible and ends with the bizarre.
You pick up the drugs, we'll use them
Executions, the Department of Corrections says, are to be carried out using either of two barbiturates, pentobarbital or thiopental.
Except there’s a small problem. Neither of those drugs can be obtained legally. Thiopental is no longer manufactured in the United States and is banned from importation, and the manufacturers of pentobarbital refuse to sell the drug for the purpose of execution.
Will the state find a compounding pharmacy that will produce the deadly mixture for the department?
We’ll see.
In the meantime, the new execution protocol says that if defense attorneys choose to do so, they can pick up the drugs on their own and the department will use it to kill their clients.
Really.
“This is a bizarre notion that calls for actions that are both illegal and impossible,” said Dale Baich from the office of The Federal Public Defender in Arizona.
Arizona is alone in this lunacy (surprised?)
“A prisoner or prisoner's lawyer cannot legally obtain these drugs or legally transfer them to the Department. Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, we cannot imagine a way to obtain the drug. Those that obtain controlled substances illegally, go to prison.”
As far as Baich or anyone else can determine, Arizona is the only state to even suggest such a thing.
Hey, America, who says the best (meaning worst) governmental craziness is coming out of Washington, D.C.?
Arizona is still in this game, baby!
Not too long ago the DOC got caught trying import from a sketchy foreign source some killer drugs that it hoped to use in executions.
Now, it’s actually suggesting that the condemned inmate get his attorneys to participate in his killing.
Beat that, Donald Trump!
NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters
“It is hard to comprehend what the ADC was thinking in including this nonsensical, unprecedented provision as part of its execution procedures,” Baich told me. “If the state wants to have the death penalty, it has the duty to figure out how to do it constitutionally. The state cannot pass its obligation on to the condemned prisoner.”
Maybe any other state cannot or would not do such a thing, but this is Arizona.
We can give it a try.
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2l2f3vBMarika Hietala, Ph.D. researcher from The University of Sheffield, discusses and compares how the news of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was distributed in West Cumbria (UK) and Satakunta (Finland).
Fukushima: Initial reception
When the nuclear disaster occurred in Fukushima in March 2011 I was busy with my undergrad dissertation and as a result, oblivious to the world. But I do remember seeing the before and after satellite photos of the coastlines, which had been devastated by the tsunami, and those of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The word “Chernobyl” crossed my mind once or twice as it did in the minds of others, as evident from the media and public discussions at the time. I hardly paid attention to these discussions back then, but I have since had a chance to study them in two nuclear regions, West Cumbria (UK) and Satakunta (Finland).[1] At the time of Fukushima, West Cumbria was in the middle of a siting process for a UK Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). In Satakunta – home for the now infamous Olkiluoto plant – excavations and underground characterisation of the Finnish GDF were underway. In these regions local nuclear stories hardly changed as a result of Fukushima. If anything, Fukushima underlined the dependency of West Cumbria and Satakunta on nuclear technologies and the disaster was utilised to embolden existing,positive, stories about nuclear.
Expertise and employment
While many West Cumbrian reports on Fukushima focused on human link stories between Cumbria and Tohoku, nuclear stories of the disaster reflected West Cumbria’s reputation as a hub of nuclear expertise as well as concerns over local jobs. In economic terms, Fukushima was presented as a double-edged sword for West Cumbrian nuclear fortunes. On one hand, the local media described relations building between the expert communities at Sellafield and the Fukushima sites. In connection to this the disaster was seen to create business opportunities (such as decommissioning, for example) for the Cumbrian region and local companies. Whilst on the other hand, the media highlighted a threat to jobs at Sellafield following the shutdown of Japanese nuclear plants in the aftermath of Fukushima, which meant the cancellation of spent fuel imports from Japan – one of Sellafield’s major reprocessing customers[2]. The risk talk about nuclear power in general and its technologies that could have followed Fukushima seemed, to a great extent, to be overshadowed by local concerns. The risk posed by Fukushima was not so much perceived in terms of radiation or technological risks as it was in terms of local wellbeing.
Engineering and safety culture
In contrast to West Cumbria, where Fukushima was partly seen as a business opportunity, local media in Satakunta did all it could to distance the Finnish nuclear industry from its Japanese counterpart. Stories about a perceived superiority of Finnish safety culture and engineering capability proliferated in the local media feeding into a narrative of “this could never happen here”. A representative of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) was quoted in a local newspaper saying that “Fukushima wouldn’t have been built in Finland even in the 1970s” – a period of more lenient regulations[3]. The local press also compared the safety arrangements at the Olkiluoto and Fukushima plants. The greater number of backup turbines at Olkiluoto was seen as a manifestation of Finnish engineering and regulatory capability as well as Japanese indifference to safety. As in the West Cumbrian case, the local media highlighted local expertise. Unlike the UK, Finland possessed no post-Fukushima relevant knowhow (such as decommissioning and clean-up experience). Thus, the media in Satakunta contained the negative effects of Fukushima by underlining relevant safety expertise in the prevention of future nuclear accidents.
(Hardly) shaken or stirred
Overall views of nuclear power dipped briefly in the aftermath of Fukushima only to bounce back in both the UK and Finland. The UK Energy Research Centre even reported: “UK public attitudes to nuclear power have become more favourable” since Fukushima[4]. In Finland trust in the nuclear industry has remained high since Fukushima, and a local paper in Satakunta reported that 5 out of 6 people in the region hadn’t changed their views on nuclear power and continued to support it[5].
In West Cumbria as well as Satakunta the reporting on Fukushima was as much about their futures as nuclear communities as it was about the disaster itself. The fortunes of both regions are very much tied into those of the nuclear industry. In West Cumbria a message from a local MP was “don’t panic” in the immediate aftermath of Fukushima, highlighting the region’s sensitivity to its identity as hub for nuclear expertise and its overall dependency on nuclear. Also, in Satakunta a local politician asserted that nuclear was like “winning the lottery” and the region would maintain its commitment to nuclear power, regardless of the Fukushima.[6] It seems that a disaster on the other side of the world has not been enough to shake views on nuclear technologies. Instead, local concerns interacted with the repercussions of Fukushima as opposed to being simplistically dominated by them, whilst existing nuclear stories not only survived, but were strengthened in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.
[1] Molyneux-Hodgson S, and Hietala M, 2016. Socio-technical Imaginations of Nuclear Waste Disposal in the UK and Finland. In R. Hindmarsh and R. Priestley (eds.) The Fukushima Effect: A New Geopolitical Terrain. London: Routledge. Ch. 8.
[2] News&Star, 2014. Deal signed between Sellafield and Japanese firm http://tinyurl.com/z8w3y2l; News&Star, 2011. “Japanese threat to Sellafield’s Mox plant”, http://tinyurl.com/j7oknyn.
[3] Suni, K, 2011. “Riskistä tuli totta (Risk became reality).” Satakunnan Kansa, http://tinyurl.com/q8sf66d.
[4] ESRC, 2013. “Less opposition to nuclear power”, http://tinyurl.com/gt2jfgk.
[5] Energiateollisuus, 2014. “Suomalaisten Energia-asenteet 2013 (Finnish Energy Attitudes 2013”), http://tinyurl.com/kbcp5uv, Pesonen, A, 2011. “Mitä mieltä? (What do you think?).” Satakunnan Kansa, March 14, 2011: 5.
[6] News&Star, 2011. New report highlights links between nuclear industry and Cumbria’s wellbeing, http://tinyurl.com/z8w3y2l; Bourley, A, 2011. “Cumbrian MP warns against knee-jerk reaction to japan nuclear crisis.” News & Star, March 15, http://tinyurl.com/jb5j6ur; Ståhle, J, 2011. “Keskustan päättäjät eivät kadu päätöksiään (Centre Party do not regret their decisions).” Satakunnan Kansa, http://tinyurl.com/q7xetga.The television side of the MCU got a boost this past year from a much improved second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the debut season of Agent Carter. Even with the Netflix original series Daredevil garnering much of the praise on the television front, both of these properties showed why Marvel has faith in them, so much so that they were both renewed earlier this year.
Old and new fans alike can currently watch the first two seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Netflix, while Agent Carter, which finished in February, has only been available to re-watch through Amazon’s Instant Video or iTunes.
Many have been curious as to when the shows would be released on DVD & Blu-Ray and it looks as though we finally have an answer. According to Amazon.com, season 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and season 1 of Agent Carter will both be available on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 18, 2015. This release date would see both shows getting home releases a week before season three of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season three premieres on ABC. No details have been included so far in terms of special features, but expect plenty of deleted scenes, gag reels, and hopefully, a tease for each of the next seasons.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC at 9 p.m. EST starting September 29, 2015, with Agent Carter season two set to premiere during S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mid-season break.
Source: Amazon 1 and 2Home » Industry Watch FBI Banned from Iceland Attempted to infiltrate country in hunt for WikiLeaks.
Buy It
Try It REYKJAVÍK (Rixstep) — FBI agents landed in Reykjavík without prior notification in an attempt to investigate WikiLeaks operations in the country, but Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson found out about the visit and forced them to leave the country, with the Icelandic government then issuing a formal protest to US authorities, according to Islandsbloggen.
The hunt for WikiLeaks by the US has on several occasions involved private individuals and companies on Iceland. Authorities in the US have for example succeeded in obtaining account information from Twitter on parliamentarian Birgitta Jónsdóttir. Jónsdóttir today refuses to travel to the US out of fear of being arrested for her connections with WikiLeaks.
Birgitta Jónsdóttir is also one of the people behind a new piece of Icelandic media legislation which will make the country a bastion for freedom of speech and source protection. The law proposal is still a long way from being completed and can still take years before it's ratified by the Icelandic parliament.
This past summer the credit card company Valitor was forced by a court decision to again offer the opportunity to donate to WikiLeaks. Their payment channel had previously been closed off after massive pressure was brought to bear by international credit card companies which in turn was fueled by US efforts to stop the organisation. An appeal of the ruling is expected.
The Icelandic government have already protested against the activities of the US in Reykjavík. It's been found, for example, that the US embassy there is monitoring people who enter the immediate area, and they also attempt to thwart people taking pictures of their building, this despite it being perfectly legal.
A private plane landed at the Reykjavík airport in August 2011. Onboard were FBI agents who'd flown directly to Iceland from the US. Their mission was to investigate WikiLeaks operations in the country as part of a larger investigation of the whistleblower organisation. The FBI agents contacted the head of the national Icelandic police and the head prosecutor in an effort to gain access to all available information on WikiLeaks.
Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson learned of the visit and summoned the FBI agents. They were told that the Icelandic government would not permit a foreign power running their own investigations in the country. Jónasson admonished the FBI agents to return to the US. Foreign minister Össur Skarphéðinsson was given the task, after a special meeting of the cabinet, to formally protest against the behaviour of the US.
The story was revealed in an Icelandic national broadcaster RUV report on 30 January 2013 by WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson. Hrafnsson explains. 'The FBI arrived in private planes and landed at the Reykjavík airport. According to my sources, which are highly reliable and which I have been able to corroborate, news of the visit reached Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson who reacted sharply, as it was unbelievably presumptuous to come to Iceland that way. According to my sources, Jónasson demanded that the FBI agents pack their bags, get back onboard, and leave the country. The matter was then brought before the cabinet and a formal protest was issued to US authorities.' Ögmundur Jónasson corroborates for Morgunblaðið that FBI agents arrived on Iceland and remained in the country a few days. He claims he doesn't know how many there were, but that it was out of the question that a foreign power be allowed to conduct private investigations of Icelandic citizens and their activities in the country: 'I can corroborate this took place in August 2011. Agents from the FBI arrived in Iceland. They'll have to answer for what their plans were. I can also corroborate that they wanted to get the cooperation of the national police and the national prosecutor's office.' Read more about surveillance by the US embassy in Reykjavík here. See Also
Islandsbloggen: FBI portade från Island av minister - ville utreda WikiLeaksWe have many porters engaged in HADK execution #link https://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Adaptations/libhybris/porters on #sailfishos-porters vgrade_, 16:13:13)
Community builds for Nexus5, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note are out with many more in various stages of port vgrade_, 16:13:28)
multiROM support for N5 after help from the multiROM author vgrade_, 16:13:37)
we have some take up by xda forum members and on the whole good constructive comments. More engaement with that community planned vgrade_, 16:13:57)
The main requests are around official store, OTA updates and android app support. vgrade_, 16:14:06)
there will be a Jolla and sailfish community presence at xda:devcon in Manchester next month, #link http://xda-devcon.com/ vgrade_, 16:14:16)
a big thanks to everyone vgrade_, 16:14:35)
requests on camera, too; and gps (gps is blocked by a non-oss sailfish geo component plugin missing for non jolla devices) sledges, 16:15:05)
we need gpu experts *cough* stskeeps for https://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Adaptations/libhybris/gpu, blocking many more amazing devices from reaching uiatm sledges, 16:16:12)The Origin 890 Jump is HERE!
The 890 Jump is the crown jewel in Origin's spacecraft line. A fully-equipped interstellar yacht, the 890 Jump isn't just a beautiful silhouette: it's ready for dozens of potential roles, from high-security trading to organization leadership to command and control.
The Origin 890 Jump is a rare sight, but a lasting one. Its very presence signifies power: used as a personnel transport, the 890 Jump is the prized possession of CEOs, politicians, holo stars and the like. Whether they’re traveling from Earth to Terra or exploring uncharted stars, the 890 leads the way in everything it does.
Need more guns? Heavier shields? More powerful thrusters? The 890 Jump is also fully customizeable, to the same degree as any ship in Origin’s lineup! The company has built their most complex starship to date… now it’s up to her captain to choose what happens next!The Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft S.S. John Glenn is encapsulated in its protective payload fairing on March 9 ahead of its planned cargo launch to the International Space Station. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 27.
Update for March 23: The launch of Orbital ATK's next cargo ship bound for the International Space Station has been delayed yet again, this time by a different hydraulic issue on the spacecraft's United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The mission, which was scheduled for a March 27 liftoff, is now postponed until the booster issues can be resolved.
"The ULA team is developing a plan to resolve the issue and a new launch date will be determined," NASA officials wrote in a status update.
Meanwhile, labor unrest at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana has continued to delay the planned launch of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying two new communications satellites for Brazil and South Korea. On Thursday (March 23), Arianespace representatives said the upcoming launch has been delayed "indefinitely" pending the labor dispute protests.
"The evolution of the situation does not permit the restart of operations for the Ariane 5 launch scheduled for today, Thursday, March 23, Arianespace has decided to postpone the launch," the company representatives said in a statement.
Original March 21 story: Launches Delayed for Next Orbital ATK Cargo Ship, Ariane 5 Rocket
Two rocket launches scheduled for this week, one for Orbital ATK and the other for European launch provider Arianespace, have been delayed.
An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket was scheduled to launch two communications satellites for Brazil and South Korea today (March 21) from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. But Arianespace representatives said that mission has been delayed to Thursday (March 23) due to a "social movement."
Meanwhile, the U.S. aerospace company Orbital ATK was expected to launch NASA cargo on Friday (March 24) using a Cygnus cargo ship and an Atlas V rocket. That mission, which has already been delayed due to rocket hydraulic component issue, will now launch from a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida no earlier than Monday (March 27), NASA officials wrote in a status update.
According to an update from Arianespace, the Ariane 5 rocket is now scheduled to lift off Thursday at 4:31 p.m. EDT (2031 GMT). The mission will launch the Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications satellite for Brazil's VISIONA Tecnologia Espacial S.A. (on behalf of the Brazilian operator Telebras S.A.) along with the Koreasat 7 communications satellite for KTSAT of South Korea. The "social movement" blamed for the delay by Arianespace caused by a labor strike at the spaceport, according to Spaceflight Now.
The ULA Atlas V rocket is now scheduled to launch Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo ship at 7:49 p.m. EDT (2349 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Orbital ATK initially aimed to launch Cygnus' next NASA delivery mission, called OA-7, on March 16. But that flight was delayed to March 19 — and later to March 21, then March 24 — due to a hydraulic component issue on the Atlas V rocket's first stage.
Yesterday, NASA officials wrote in an update that the new delay to March 27 " allows the ULA team to troubleshoot a hydraulic issue discovered on ground support equipment needed for launch."
The OA-7 mission will deliver about 7,600 lbs. (3,447 kilograms) of food, equipment and other NASA supplies for astronauts living on the International Space Station.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+.Unveiled four days ago as the new star of the Italian marque, Lorenzo will travel to Sepang in the coming days ready to take part in the first official pre-season test, which begins on January 30.
Two weeks later he will be on the Desmosedici again, this time at Phillip Island, before he wraps up the winter tests in Qatar a few days before the start of the season at the Losail circuit on March 26.
"I signed with Ducati to finish my career here, although you never know what's going to happen in life, let alone in racing," Lorenzo told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.
"But my intention is to retire as a Ducatista and, if possible, as a legend."
Although he finds it hard to admit openly, sharing a garage with Valentino Rossi was very hard for him over the past two years, something that helped him decide to change teams.
Lorenzo, however, insists in separating one thing from the other.
"Staying at Yamaha was a very good option, both from a financial point of view as well as the package the team and the bike form," added Lorenzo. "But I chose Ducati.
"I understand the importance Rossi has for Yamaha, for everything he has given to them, for his victories, his titles, and the relevance a character like him has on marketing.
"It's normal for a manufacturer like Yamaha to focus on him.
"But they always gave me the same technical level. Every time we re-signed, Yamaha and especially [team boss] Lin Jarvis acknowledged my value."
Lorenzo wrapped up his nine years as a Yamaha rider in the best possible way, with a win in the 2016 finale at Valencia. and a handshake with Rossi.
"Someone suggested it, but it was a good idea," Lorenzo said of the gesture.
"It's very difficult to have a good relationship with your teammate, because he's your main rival.
"If he beats you, there are no excuses. But in the end it's good [to shake hands] because it helps you understand that he is someone like you, who has feelings like you."Best-selling NFL jerseys since the draft, according to Dick's Sporting Goods:
TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
Steelers rookie James Conner continues to be one of the NFL’s most popular players — even before participating in his first official practice.
Conner, the former Pitt star running back who battled Hodgkin Lymphoma, has the best-selling jersey among rookies and is No. 3 overall in jersey sales since the NFL Draft, according to figures released by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Conner’s No. 30 jersey trails only New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in sales. He is the only rookie listed among the top 20 players in jersey sales.
A hamstring injury has limited Conner since rookie minicamp. He is expected to be healthy when the Steelers open training camp July 27 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
Linebacker T.J. Watt ranked No. 5 among rookies, and as a team, the Steelers ranked No. 2 behind the Patriots.
The Steelers have two other representatives in the top 20: wide receiver Antonio Brown ranks No. 9 and running back Le’Veon Bell ranks No. 19.
Conner was selected in the third round after an accomplished career at Pitt, where he was the ACC Player of the Year in 2014. After overcoming a knee injury and rehabbing from a Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis, the McDowell graduate returned to the field and earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2016. He ran for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
He continued to work out with teammates throughout chemotherapy treatments and was declared cancer free May 23, 2016.
He signed a four-year contract with the Steelers in May.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review steelers reporter. You can contact Joe via Twitter.SundanceTV’s latest original series is set in Australia, but don’t expect surf and sun from Cleverman, a sci-fi thriller steeped in Australian Aboriginal mythology. You won’t find much sun on Sundance: Since entering the original content market with the excellent Jane Campion-directed Top of the Lake in 2013, the channel has cemented its brand of globe-spanning tales of corruption and disenfranchisement in moody, waterfront towns.
The premise of Cleverman recalls District 9, the 2009 film set in a Cape Town overrun by alien creatures that the government has cordoned off into a shantytown. Cleverman is set in the near future, and centres on the Hairypeople, the first inhabitants of Australia, who resemble humans but have different DNA. The Hairypeople are restricted to the Zone, a slum on the edge of the City once inhabited by the poor and now a tenuous haven for Hairypeople. Humans can move in and out of the Zone through heavily guarded checkpoints, but Hairypeople are forbidden from entering the City.
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ARM servers, don't seem to be in any hurry to do such rigorous tests. ®The Clinton campaign is confident they can “run out the clock” on the latest developments regarding the Clinton Foundation and the ongoing email fiasco. Team Hillary feels that voters are sick of the email controversy, labeling it a fake scandal. Politico reported this back on August 24:
According to allies and operatives close to the campaign, Clinton’s team thinks “they can ride out” any negative reaction to a set of new emails that show Clinton Foundation officials trying to set up State Department meetings for donors during her tenure as the nation's top diplomat. “That doesn’t mean no response,” one Clinton team insider said, “but a muted one rather than a five-alarm fire.” It's a strategy borne, in part, of a belief held deeply by Clinton herself that the email controversy is a fake scandal and that voters are as sick of it as the candidate herself — and by the profound weaknesses of Clinton's opponent. […] Plus, the campaign thinks Clinton’s commanding lead over Donald Trump in both national and battleground state polls gives her freedom to not comment — indeed, largely ignore — the disclosure this week that the FBI found nearly 15,000 new emails Clinton did not voluntarily hand over to the State Department last year. […] Some Democrats, including close Clinton allies, have started to warn that their nominee might be underestimating the danger lurking in the fall as Trump and Republicans prepare to launch negative ads on these twin controversies and remind American voters just how little they trust the former secretary of state. Their best hope is that Trump continues to veer wildly off script.
That’s probably not the best strategy. Trump’s dismal post-Cleveland week was virtually erased, with national polls showing Clinton taking a dip in support. A Reuters/Ipsos poll had her dropping seven points in three days after the new Associated Press story showed that more than half of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meetings with those outside of government were donors to her nonprofit. On August 31, it became official that she lost support, though Trump is still trailing. That could be enough for some Clintonites to continue this strategy of ignoring the glaring ethical issues surrounding the Democratic nominee since she's still in the lead. Yet, Trump is within striking distance. He’s gained ground in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and is behind Clinton by less than three points in Florida (though he only has one field office).
He also hasn’t been going off script. He came off as presidential and capable in Mexico, and remained disciplined in his speech on immigration. The rest of Trump’s deficit in the polls is nothing a good debate performance (or performances) could fix, though there are many concerns about his lack of a ground game operation across the country. Seems like both campaigns are taking big gambles. The only exception is that voters seem to care about Clinton’s email fiasco and her alleged ethical shortfalls at the Foundation, hence the drop in support over the past week.“Spalling” is the tendency for flecks or shards to come off of the surface of a material; it’s the bane of anyone working with protective surfaces, since many of these–from concrete to ballistic glass–tend to spall under impact, and those little fast moving flecks can be dangerous. When it comes to ballistic glass, a great deal of a laminator’s art is invested in combining materials and membranes in order to get the full advantage of the strength and clarity of materials like acrylic while minimizing spall. But there’s one situation where laminators can turn spalling to their advantage, and that’s “one-way” ballistic glass.
Exotic Ballistic Glass
As the name implies, “one-way” (or “unidirectional”) ballistic glass stops bullets heading one way, but let’s them through the other. For example, a soldier at a checkpoint is protected from a spray of small-arms fire, but able to shoot back without leaving the safety of his post.
At first brush, this seems pretty counterintuitive. After all, most structural surfaces are basically symmetrical: a cinderblock wall stops a bullet regardless of which direction it’s headed, and flying through a windshield is just as uncomfortable if you’re coming or going. As Shawn Thomas explains it, spalling is what makes one-way glass’s counter-intuitive behavior possible.
Shawn Thomas works for Protective Armored Services, a world-class laminator producing all manner of protective transparencies for government, transportation, commercial, and residential applications. According to Thomas, the secret to making one-way glass is using layering and lamination to control how the material spalls and absorbs shock. In this way the glass forces bullets heading in one direction to waste significantly more energy than those headed the other way.
“It was through trial and error that we came up with these make-ups [that] absorb energy in one direction, but don’t going the other way... it’s the actual combination and layering of the glass that makes this possible.” For example, Thomas might start with an exterior layer of hard, brittle acrylic, and laminate that to several thin sheets of durable, bullet-resistant polycarbonate using adhesive sheets of incredibly thin polyurethane. “What the urethan does is it allows that laminate to absorb the bullet’s energy” by holding the exterior sheet of acrylic together when it is shot, rather than allowing shards to fly out of the bullet’s path. “If you have a piece of 3/8 [acrylic] in the front, that will flatten the bullet more, and the bullet will be wider, making it easier to absorb all that energy.”
Bullets are meant to cut through a surface like a skilled high-diver, whose sharp, smooth posture allows her to cut through the surface of the water and slice to the bottom of the deep end. Contrast this to a bellyflopping goof, who makes a big slapping splash, but can’t go deep into the water. When a bullet pancakes against the hard acrylic exterior layer, it’s like that bellyflopper: It makes a big messy splash on the surface but doesn’t have the energy to go anywhere. Having spent its energy on cracking through the acrylic, the bullet can easily be caught by the thin sheets of polycarbonate.
When the people behind the barrier return fire, their bullets do not have to contend with the hard acrylic: they pop through the softer polycarbonate and burst out of the acrylic, throwing off shards and emerging largely undeterred.
One-Way Ballistic Glass in Action
The following video, prepared by Israeli ballistic glassmaker B.P. Developments, is a great introduction to one-way ballistic glass.
As you can see at the 1:35 mark (when the announcer rubs his hand along the interior surface of the shot glass) there has been absolutely no spalling on the secure side of the barrier. There are tons of sharp shards on the exterior of the window, but the inside is perfectly smooth, with no debris to harm those within the protected area. When they flip the glass and simulate security personal returning fire, you can see how smoothly the bullet passes through the glass. Note that, for security personal, the chipping and flaking actually work to their advantage, flying like shrapnel. The shattered acrylic might make it a little harder to draw a bead for an accurate shot, but the shards certainly contribute to the physical and psycho-emotional impact of the return fire.Staff members are paid hourly rates of between $9.50 at the age of 16 to $17.70 as adults over 21, which are similar to those in the fast food industry award. But without penalty rates, employees could be more than $40 worse off on 4.5-hour weekend shifts compared to the award. Grill'd franchises that have opened since the unpopular WorkChoices legislation was dumped are required to include higher wage rates in their agreements, and some include overtime pay. But enrolment in retail training programs – which Grill'd contracts stipulate as a "compulsory and a condition of ongoing employment – allows the company to continue paying its young workforce below full wages. Grill'd employee Ellie Schuler, who works at the company's main Brisbane restaurant, is the latest to speak out. The 21-year-old says Grill'd traineeships are used as an "excuse" for keeping wages so low.
Ms Schuler, a former team leader, said she was instructed to put a "positive spin" on traineeships when she was quizzed by younger workers about their meagre pay cheques. "If an employee ever came to us questioning their wages or why we don't get penalty rates, we were told that we had to say whatever we could to put a positive spin on it and abolish any negativity in the store about pay," she said. "Whenever it was brought up to management, questions about why we are paid so low, they would put it down to 'you are doing the traineeship through us, that's why'." Ms Schuler said any information or training sessions to do with the Grill'd-mandated certificates III and IV traineeships were scarce and the programs were rarely completed by anyone. Grill'd founder and managing director Simon Crowe the Grill'd training program was the fabric of the company and its values.
"We believe in young people, and are proud to give them a pathway that extends right through to owning a stake in their own business," he said. Chief operating officer Jon Swann said all Grill'd employment agreements were legally valid, ensuring lawful rates of pay for employees including trainees. He said the flat hourly pay rates had been tested against the award at the time the deal was struck in 2005. "Rates of pay have been reviewed annually, including relevant increases, to ensure that they do not fall below any base rate of pay in the otherwise applicable award," he said. An 18-year-old employee at a Melbourne Grill'd franchise told Fairfax Media she was forced to drop out of university due to the strain of living on the traineeship wage of $11 an hour. The employee said she had never participated in any training activities since starting at the franchise store earlier this year.
"I have never done any training the whole time I have been there," said the worker, who did not want to be named. "We think the traineeships are a way of exploiting young workers who need the work." Another Melbourne worker said the training was "at best, inconsistent, at worst, non-existent". Hospitality union United Voice said the Grill'd agreements were not illegal but were unfair. State secretary Jess Walsh said "alarm bells are ringing" over the use of mandated traineeships at Grill'd. Ms Walsh said the union had received complaints that the traineeships involve little or no training and appeared to be a "calculated effort to suppress wages".
"We are looking closely into making a complaint to the training authority," she said. n.toscano@fairfaxmedia.com.auCanadian first base coach Larry Walker, a former NL MVP, said he held back Mexico star Adrian Gonzalez during the altercation. The solidly built Walker also tried to restrain Aceves.
"I had a hold of him and I thought I saw Satan in his eyes," Walker said.
Despite the ugly incident, World Baseball Classic, Inc., the event's governing body, issued a statement condeming the fight while failing to discipline any players or the teams.
"Because at least one club -- and potentially both -- will not advance to the second round, WBCI has determined that disciplinary measures would not have a meaningful corrective impact," the statement read. "Thus, discipline will not be imposed beyond today's seven game ejections."
There had already been several borderline plays on the bases when things got out of hand. A bunt hit by Chris Robinson heightened the tension -- a WBC tiebreaker relies heavily on runs and the Canadians wanted to score again in the ninth. Third baseman Luis Cruz fielded Robinson's bunt and seemed to tell Leon to hit the next batter.
Managers from both teams blamed the tiebreaking rule that uses run differential to determine what team moves on to the next round.
"It was just simply a misunderstanding," Mexico manager Rick Renteria said. "In a normal setting, a normal professional setting I should say, a 9-3 bunt in that particular fashion would be kind of out of the ordinary."
Right as the game resumed, someone in the crowd hurled a baseball that almost hit Canada first base coach Larry Walker in the head.
"That's when I went out to the umpire and I said, 'Another thing comes out, we're going to pull our team off the field,' " Canadian manager Ernie Whitt said.
The collision of WBC rules and the unwritten rules of the game led to the blowup, Renteria said.
"I think in just in the heat of the moment you lose sight of it," he said, "and maybe that's how it occurred."
Whitt said WBC officials need to look at the tiebreaking rule.
"There's got to be another method other than the scoring runs, running up the score on the opposing team," he said. "No one likes that. That's not the way baseball's supposed to be played. There's professionalism that we're all accustomed to here in North America. And unfortunately teams are knocked out of the tournament because other teams run up the score on them. Unfortunately that's what you have to deal with when you have that type of format."
Morneau, Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto were among the big-name, high-priced stars playing in the game. The fight was exactly the kind of thing that must have made major league managers and general managers cringe at the thought of one of their players getting hurt in such a fracas.
"There's a point you got to stand up for yourself," said Morneau, a former MVP with the Minnesota Twins. "We got hit for playing the game, and that happens, but at the same time you got to stand up for yourself. You can't just get pushed around.
"Obviously, everyone wishes it didn't happen, but it happens in the game sometimes. I think we have all learned from being in the minor leagues that, especially in low-A ball, high-A ball, those things get real crazy. There's not as much security. It starts to get out of control pretty bad, and I think you learn from that, you learn to keep your head on a swivel."
Aceves was among four Mexican players thrown out -- the angry Boston reliever was tossed to the ground by Philadelphia minor league outfielder Tyson Gillies during the height of the altercation, then rushed to rejoin the fray.
"I did see it on video. I saw it afterward. I saw the altercation, yes," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after Saturday night's exhibition game against Baltimore in Fort Myers, Fla. "I think we all hope our players don't get injured when they go off to a tournament, especially in that type of melee."
As for Aceves, "It looks like he came out of it OK, with the exception of a couple of welts on his head," Farrell said. "We had a message from their trainer that he came out of it OK despite taking a couple of left hooks to the head."
Also ejected were Leon, Oliver Perez and Eduardo Arredondo of Mexico and Tosoni, Pete Orr and Jay Johnson of Canada. A statement from organizers said tape of the incident would be reviewed for possible disciplinary action.San Francisco: Uber Technologies Inc. executive Amit Singhal resigned after the ride-hailing company learned of a sexual harassment allegation from his previous job at Google.
Singhal stepped down just a month after joining Uber as senior vice president of engineering, where he oversaw software development, the company said. After he started on 20 January, Uber became aware of an investigation at Google into a sexual harassment allegation that Singhal didn’t disclose and that wasn’t discovered during the hiring process, said people familiar with the matter.
Singhal denied the allegation on Monday. “Harassment is unacceptable in any setting," he said in an emailed statement. “I certainly want everyone to know that I do not condone and have not committed such behaviour. In my 20-year career, I’ve never been accused of anything like this before, and the decision to leave Google was my own."
Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive officer, asked for Singhal’s resignation. Uber declined to comment further. Google also declined to comment.
Singhal was head of search technology at Alphabet Inc.’s Google, a high-profile role running development of one of the world’s most profitable products. He left last year after 15 years with the company. At the time, Google said Singhal was retiring. In meetings with Google’s CEO and head of human resources in late 2015, Singhal disputed a sexual harassment complaint made by a female employee, according to Recode, which reported Singhal’s departure earlier Monday.
The matter surfaced as Uber tries to deal with its own sexual harassment crisis. Susan Fowler, a former Uber software engineer, penned a devastating blog post on 19 February alleging that, among other things, she’d been propositioned by her manager and that the company had protected him because he was a “high performer." Uber hired the former US attorney general Eric Holder to help conduct an investigation, and Kalanick held a tense all-hands meeting in which he teared up and apologized to the company for its lack of diversity and poor response.
Uber hired Singhal amid a deepening rivalry with Google’s parent company over self-driving cars, mapping data and ride-hailing software. Uber recruited Brian McClendon from Google in 2015 to work on maps and last year acquired Otto, an autonomous trucking startup founded by former Google employees. Alphabet chief legal officer David Drummond stepped down from Uber’s board of directors last year, though Alphabet venture capital arm GV remains a shareholder. Last week, Alphabet’s Waymo sued Uber claiming a former employee stole secret designs and technology to start Otto. Uber called the allegations “baseless." BloombergOn Saturday, Feb. 25, the New York Times published an article about Israel’s denial of a work visa to Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine Country Director for Human Rights Watch (HRW). It also dealt with UN criticism of the prison sentence given to an Israeli soldier who shot dead a Palestinian assailant after he lay on the ground. Reporting was Ian Fisher, the New York Times’ relatively new Jerusalem bureau chief.
As is often the case with the New York Times, readers were not provided with an objective presentation of the facts from a neutral standpoint. Nor were they given sufficient information to allow them to draw an informed opinion on the matter. Instead they were presented with a view from an off-center vantage point where the Israeli government and courts are seen as extremists and wrongdoers, while the controversial HRW and its staff are portrayed as honest and noble, and the UN is treated as an impartial source about Israel. The article was narrowly focused on the viewpoints of these biased sources about Israel, while omitting the larger story.
How Were the Players Presented?
*Human Rights Watch was presented positively as “a prominent advocacy organization” which “shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 1997” and which “works in 90 nations and has official offices in 24 of them.”
*Omar Shakir was described as “an investigator for HRW” who was accused of having a ‘pro-Palestinian’ bias.
*B’tselem and Peace Now were described positively as “rights groups” that “monitor Israeli settlements and the conditions of Palestinians.”
*The UN high commissioner for human rights was presented without any qualifiers.
By contrast, the Israeli government and leaders were depicted as ‘right wing,’ obstructionist and ‘hostile.’
How Were the Different Perspectives Balanced?
The vast majority of the article cited or quoted the critical perspective of the above-mentioned groups which are known for singling out Israel for condemnation (10 of 16 paragraphs cited or quoted anti-Israel accusations alone. An additional two paragraphs included the perspectives of both sides).
By contrast, only three paragraphs cited or quoted the perspective of the Israeli government, in addition to the two paragraphs that included both sides’ viewpoints. (Another paragraph mentioned Israeli representatives who would not comment on a particular point.)
What was Omitted From the Story?
Completely missing from the story were the following relevant details:
1) It is not simply “right-wing” Israeli officials who accuse Human Rights Watch (HRW) of being biased against Israel, as the article suggests. HRW staffers’ writings and actions reveal an obsession with singling out the Jewish state for delegitimization. The group’s own founder, Richard Bernstein, condemned the organization for its obsessive attempts to delegitimize Israel. More than seven years ago, the New York Times itself published an Op-Ed by Bernstein explaining why he had decided to distance himself from the organization he founded. He began:
As the founder of Human Rights Watch, its active chairman for 20 years and now founding chairman emeritus, I must do something that I never anticipated: I must publicly join the group’s critics. Human Rights Watch had as its original mission to pry open closed societies, advocate basic freedoms and support dissenters. But recently it has been issuing reports on the Israeli-Arab conflict that are helping those who wish to turn Israel into a pariah state. (New York Times, Oct. 19, 2009)
CAMERA’s Alex Safian has written about the extremism of the organization’s Middle East staffers. Joe Stork, the deputy director of HRW’s Middle East and North African division, revealed his radical anti-Israel leanings as early as 1970, when he and several others started MERIP, the Middle East Research Information Project, because they deemed existing leftist critiques of U.S. support for Israel “inadequate.” Stork wrote about the “revolutionary potential” of Palestinian violence and of “liberating Palestine” through the “struggle against (Zionist) imperialism.” He took part in a “Zionism and Racism” conference in Iraq under Saddam Hussein and has repeatedly attempted to delegitimize Israel in his writings and pronouncements, with false characterizations and allegations. Safian concluded that from Stork’s writings “it is clear that he considers Israel to be illegitimate and to have no right to exist, and that he supports its destruction, with violence if necessary.”
Stork is just one of several radical anti-Israel activists who staff HRW, as Safian points out. For additional details, see NGO-Monitor’s documentation of HRW’s bias promoting false, distorted, and unverifiable allegations against Israel.
2) Nor did the article contain any hint that Omar Shakir’s involvement in anti-Israel activism extends far beyond simply being an “investigator” with a “pro-Palestinian” bent. Shakir, whose application for a work visa was rejected, is an activist against the peace process and a two state solution. For example, speaking to students at UC Irvine in 2010, Shakir can be seen criticizing the peace process and the Palestinian leadership for not coming down strongly enough on Israel, as he describes his strategy for achieving an international consensus around the replacement of a Jewish state.
Shakir is also a fierce proponent of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign to delegitimize the Jewish State. The BDS tactics for which Shakir actively campaigns are considered anti-Semitic by many, including the French Supreme Court, the UK’s Secretary of State for Justice, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, with the latter comparing the BDS campaign to the Nazi boycotts of the 1930’s. BDS has also been condemned for its ties to terrorist organizations.
(For more details about Shakir’s involvement in radical anti-Israel agitation, see here.)
3) Although the article extensively quoted and cited the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) criticiz
ing Israeli courts, it mentioned nothing about that UN agency’s penchant – like that of HRW – for singling out Israel for criticism and condemnation. As Hillel Neuer of UN-Watch points out, it is “an agency that stands out even within the UN as a bastion of hatred for Israel.”
The current high commissioner, Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra’ad al Husseini, in his first speech to the UN, accused Israel of a variety of human rights violations, while either ignoring or giving short shrift to the world’s worst human rights violators.
A press release by this UN office, following a June 2016 deadly Palestinian terrorist attack on civilians in a Tel Aviv shopping center, refused to label the attack “terrorism” or mention the Palestinian identity of the perpetrators. In fact, its primary focus was to criticize “the response of the Israeli authorities” as they tried to protect Israelis from terrorism, rather than the terror attack itself.
But the NYT avoids mentioning anything about the double standards of this critic, relaying its accusations of Israeli wrongdoing at face value, as if it were an impartial observer.
How can readers assess the truth of what actually transpires in the Middle East when it is reported through the New York Times’ heavy filter?As the software developers, our job is mostly at the bottom line. We often talk about brevity and simplicity in code. We also care about user experience and interactions. We often adjust ourselves to rapidly changing frameworks, unclear requirements, noisy open workplaces, unrealistic deadlines and legacy code.
After all, we are normal people. We take pride and show off our work. And to be honest, most of us have to do job for food and family. But, we often forget the bigger picture of the software. We often ignore what is being played with lives of normal people.
1 out of every 4 internet users is a victim of stolen privacy on the internet.
30% of all internet traffic is porn.
More than 79% of internet users use social media
Nearly 33% of people have reported things like isolation and anxiety due to use of social media.
More than 1/4th of us, ‘software developers’ are also involved in the process of above things, directly or indirectly. These are not small numbers and that’s horrifying. This is how languages, frameworks and systems we have built are being used.
Let us put our x language vs y language religious wars aside. Let us put those complaints about noise in our open workplaces aside. Let us put our “we are developers and we rule the world” this kind of shitty attitude aside. Are we really adding any value to what have been built by humans?
We are making people isolated. We are stealing privacy. We are blindly working for companies who can do anything with people and their data for money. Only 10% of software have added value to society. If you wrote that kind of software, then feel happy. Others have fucked up their entire lives for meaningless work.
Life was somehow better before these technological revolutions. What we are doing is making a world of virtual fantasies, nothing else.
Software is not eating the world. It is just killing humanity and we are part of the process!Benjamin Carle chez lui à Paris le 20 février 2014 - Pierre Andrieu/AFP
Peut-on vivre en consommant des produits exclusivement fabriqués en France? C’est le défi que Benjamin Carle s’est lancé durant neuf mois. Sensible au débat actuel sur le made in France, qui s’est renforcé depuis la crise, ce jeune journaliste a décidé de remplacer chacun des produits qu’il possédait et consommait par un équivalent conçu et fabriqué dans l’Hexagone.
La première étape de son film, « Made in France, l’année où j’ai vécu 100% français“– co-réalisé avec Benjamin Audour et Karine Dusfour – consiste à se débarrasser de tous les produits étrangers, et donc de la majorité des biens qui composent son appartement. Résultat? Il se retrouve dans son deux-pièces vide, prêt à relever le défi.
Enfant de la mondialisation, le but de Benjamin Carle n’est pas de tester sa résistance face à tous types de frustrations, mais de voir si en consommant made in France, on peut sauver des emplois. Car, au-delà du fait de passer sa vie à scruter les étiquettes et chercher un smartphone made in France qu’il n’a jamais trouvé, le journaliste nous amène, à travers ce documentaire, au cœur de la production française d’aujourd’hui.
Et ce n’est pas tout : le défi atypique de Benjamin Carle nous fait aussi prendre conscience de la dépendance dans laquelle nous sommes entrés face aux objets de notre quotidien. D’autant qu’il a inclus la culture dans son champ d’expérimentation, et ne s’est autorisé que de la musique le cinéma français. Il nous raconte à quoi ressemble une vie sans canapé et sans Arcade Fire.
Cheek magazine : Comment as-tu eu une idée aussi bizarre?
Benjamin Carle : En suivant tout le débat sur le made in France. Que ce soit dans les médias ou chez les politiques, depuis la crise, ils ne cessent de mettre en avant cette thématique et nous poussent à revenir à la fabrication française parce que, d’après eux, c’est ça qui va nous sauver.
Du coup, je me suis demandé si c’était possible de vivre en ne consommant que des produits fabriqués géographiquement en France et par des entreprises qui fabriquent sur le territoire français. Finalement, c’est devenu un prétexte pour faire cette enquête autour du made in France.
Quelles sont les trois choses qui t’ont le plus manqué pendant ces neuf mois?
Tout d’abord, la liberté de pouvoir acheter n’importe quoi, n’importe quand et sans regarder l’étiquette. Pendant un an, je n’ai fait que retourner les étiquettes et c’était un peu compliqué.
Ensuite, un couple frigo-canapé. C’est un couple un peu bizarre mais le frigo m’a manqué parce qu’il est très pratique au quotidien et le canapé pour son coté social. Quand on n’a pas de canapé, on ne reçoit pas les gens à la maison.
Le dernier truc qui m’a manqué, c’est David Bowie. Je n’ai écouté que de la musique française pendant un an et lui m’a particulièrement manqué!
Tu n’as pas eu un petit coup de cœur pour des artistes français?
J’ai eu un petit coup de cœur pour Jacno, La Femme et Rien, pas mal du tout. Mais Michel Sardou, par contre, je ne suis pas du tout convaincu!
Au niveau du cinéma, je connaissais tous les Louis de Funès, mais il y a plein d’autres références culturelles que je n’avais pas, comme Vincent Macaigne et Pierre Richard. J’ai découvert ce cinéma et c’est vachement bien.
Par contre, j’en ai marre que dans tous les films français, il y ait soit une scène de repas, soit à la fin, quelqu’un qui regarde à l’horizon puis plus rien et ça se termine comme ça.
Faut-il être riche pour vivre 100% made in France?
Pour vivre 100% made in France, il faut être riche. Mais pour vivre en achetant des produits français au quotidien, pas besoin : un pantalon français par exemple, ce n’est pas facile à trouver, mais quand on sait où l’acheter, il ne coûte pas plus cher que des vêtements de marque comme The Kooples.
D’ailleurs, cette année, j’ai eu plein de compliments sur mon look. Je m’habillais français, donc je m’habillais différemment des autres. C’est bizarre de se dire qu’aujourd’hui, pour être différent, il faut consommer français.
Tu as dû renoncer à quoi pour acheter ton parapluie à 140 euros?
Le principe même de l’expérience a été de renoncer à beaucoup de choses. Mais j’étais dans un mode de défi, comme quand tu veux arrêter de fumer et que tu te dis que ce n’est pas grave de compenser en mangeant des bonbons. En fait, ce sont les dommages collatéraux. Ce qui est frustrant, ce n’est pas de devoir renoncer, c’est de ne rien trouver tout de suite.
Qu’est-ce qui a été le plus frustrant durant ton expérience?
La frustration suprême, c’est que je ne verrai jamais Gravity en 3D et que je vais mettre presque un an à rattraper tous les films que j’ai ratés cette année.
Ensuite, j’ai manqué plein de concerts et de soirées avec mes potes. Et aussi, niveau technologie, la seule tablette française, c’est une tablette de cuisine. C’est un très bon produit mais, putain, pourquoi la France, c’est toujours la cuisine?
Comment as-tu géré l’absence de smartphone?
C’est un peu comme quand tu casses ton téléphone et que tu te retrouves avec un ancien. Moi, ça m’est arrivé pendant neuf mois. C’est marrant de réécrire des textos avec les touches mais aujourd’hui, pour être opérationnel, il faut avoir un smartphone.
Niveau hygiène, entre le savon 100% made in France, le rasoir jetable et le couteau en guise de coupe-ongles, c’était quoi le plus pénible?
Ça a été compliqué dans la salle de bains! Le couteau, tu t’y reprends à deux fois, tu n’y vas pas à l’arrache. Mais, les autres pays ont beau dire qu’on est sale, on fabrique plein de crèmes par exemple en France. Le problème, c’est que les industriels ne mettent pas en avant leurs produits et que la plupart des gens ne regardent pas l’origine de ces produits-là.
Quand c’est de la nourriture, on va prendre le temps de regarder l’étiquette car on aime savoir ce qu’on met dans notre bouche. Par contre, du gel douche ou des vêtements, on ne s’en occupe pas. Puis, quand il y a un immeuble qui s’effondre au Bangladesh, tout le monde pleure.
Cette expérience t’a marqué au point de te faire tatouer un coq sur le bras…
C’était dans l’idée que je devais toujours aller plus loin. J’aime bien l’idée qu’un truc définitif vienne d’une idée aussi folle. C’est pour dire à quel point j’ai été pris par le défi.
Et sinon, qu’est-ce que tu as le plus apprécié durant cette expérience?
Quand j’achète un produit fabriqué par mon voisin ou un membre de ma famille, j’ai l’impression de participer à la vie sociale et économique du pays et c’est très gratifiant. Ce n’est pas l’économie française que je soutiens mais surtout les gens que je croise tous les jours dans la rue et qui se battent pour garder leur job.
Si tout le monde consommait made in France, on pourrait sauver des emplois?
Sauver des emplois, c’est sûr, mais si on veut aller plus loin, ça permet d’innover sur des nouveaux produits, de moins polluer, et de faire en sorte que des savoir-faire ne soient pas perdus. En fait, que la France ne soit pas juste un musée avec des touristes et des grosses boîtes qui font de la finance.
Maintenant, libre à chacun de consommer ce qu’il veut, mais quand on consomme français, on est content. Quand je vois à quel point les employés des usines sont passionnés, je préfère les aider à entretenir cette passion que de filer dix balles à une association.May 29, 2016
in Series Recaps
The series at Jingu left a sour taste in the mouths of Hanshin fans, and facing the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo – where the Tigers won just 2 of 13 in 2015 – had the potential of either lifting our spirits or dashing our hopes heading into interleague play. As it turns out, it was a little bit of both.
Game 51 – Friday, 5/27: The series started off about as well as the Tigers could have hoped for: an infield single by Mauro Gomez resulted in a run scored when Giants shortstop threw a ball away trying to get the force out at third. A plunked Fumihito Haraguchi loaded the bases, but their pitcher induced a 6-4-3 double play out of Shun Takayama, and the threat was over. Young stud pitcher Yuta Iwasada continued his dominance of everyone this year, keeping the Giants bats silent pretty much the entire game. The only trouble he got in was in the fourth, when he walked three guys (but also induced a double play). Otherwise, no runners reached second base until the seventh, when they required a sacrifice bunt to accomplish the feat. Iwasada went the distance, recording his first career complete game shutout. The Tigers bats did not get anything going against star pitcher Sugano, threatening only in the seventh inning, when they got runners on second and third with two outs. Still, when the top two pitchers in the Central (as far as ERA goes) face off, one run will often be enough. No earned runs in this one, but the Tigers drew first blood thanks to the Giants captain’s error and a gutsy start by Iwasada. Final Score: Tigers 1, Giants 0.
Game 52 – Saturday, 5/28: Another young lefty would take the mound in this one for the Tigers. Suguru Iwazaki pitched a great game last week but lost his shot at a win when the bullpen collapsed (as it has done countless times this month). In the bottom of the third inning, starting second baseman Fumiya Hojoh fielded a ground ball cleanly, then threw a one-hopper four feet wide of its target. The result was a run against, and then another came when the next batter got a hit. Down 2-0 heading into the fourth, the Tigers bats fought back hard, recording four straight hits (Gomez, Haraguchi, Matt Hague and Ryota Arai) following a leadoff walk and an out, and the lead belonged to the visiting team. Iwazaki showed faint signs of the pitcher he was last year, unable to finish out his assignment, as he walked the last batter he faced and put the bullpen in a precarious position |
Pts. 54.15 B+ A A+ A+ A BlSh 39.2 A- B B C+ B Tot. GF 74.16 C+ B+ A A+ A- Hits 38.1 D- F F F F 5v5 Rate 0 B- A A A+ A Ost% 28.8% A- A- B C B 5v4 Rate 0 C B- B+ A B- Dst% 33.5% A- B B- C B 4v5 Rate 0 F F D+ B- D+ O/DSt% 46.2% A- B+ B C B Overall 0 B A A A+ A- QoC% 29.2% D A- A+ A+ B+
Ryan Strome Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 448.7 PP Goals 8 A- A A- A- A 5V4Min 75.1 PP Asst. 3.5 F F F D- F 4V5Min NQ PP Pts. 11.5 D C C+ B- C- Goals 7.1 F F F C- F PPGF 29.3 A A- A+ A+ A Asst 18.9 D+ C- C+ B+ C+ iC/PP 0.453 F D D- C- D- Pts 26 F F D B- D iSH/PP 0.293 D- C D+ C+ D+ GF 40.2 F F D- B D PP ON% 64.7% A- B B C B GA 33.2 A A A B A- PP Csh% 17.6% A+ A A+ A A+ Mod+/- 7 C C+ B A- B- CF/PP 3.0373 D- C- C C- D+ iC/15 3.56 C+ B+ A- A B+ FF/PP 2.2114 F C- C- C- D iSH/15 2.27 B+ A A+ A A- PK Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ On Net% 63.6% A A A+ B+ A PK Asst NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CorSh% 2.7% F F F F F PK Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF/15 14.42 C- C+ B+ A+ B iC/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF/15 10.73 D+ C B+ A+ B- PK GF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FA/15 10.14 C+ C D+ D+ C- PK GA NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CA/15 13.32 C+ B- C C+ C+ PK +/- NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF% 52.0% C B- B A- B CA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF% 51.4% C- C+ C+ B+ C+ FA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CFRel% 3.5% B B+ A A+ A- Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% 2.4% C+ B- B+ A B Tot. Goals 15.12 F D+ C+ A C Pen+/- 0 D D D C+ D+ Tot. Asst. 22.38 F D- C A- C- FO% 44.1% F F F F F Tot. Pts. 37.50 F D C A C- BlSh 14.7 F F F F F Tot. GF 69.46 C- B- A- A+ B Hits 68.6 C C- D F D 5v5 Rate 0 F F C- B+ D+ Ost% 33.1% D+ D+ C- F D 5v4 Rate 0 D C C B+ C- Dst% 35.1% A A- B+ B- B+ 4v5 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ O/DSt% 48.5% B B- B- C- C+ Overall 0 F C- B- A+ C+ QoC% 27.7% F F F B+ D-
Bailey's troubles are well documented. He has the second lowest shot tendency on the team after Casey Cizikas. When he does shoot, the puck doesn't go on net and when it goes on net the puck doesn't go in. He's still a fantastic assist man and he's actually a fantastic defender generating positive possession while being buried in the defensive zone, but the scoring issues are still bothersome. Bailey is a pedestrian third liner or a great fourth liner, but with a 3.3 million dollar cap hit that's tough to swallow. He was above average on the power play which might take some of the sting out.
Nielsen was a surprise scorer last year. He came out as the second best forward on the team after Tavares. He managed to put up all of his points while being a little above average in possession despite being started in the defensive zone. Is the shooting percentage sustainable? Not likely, but time will tell. He was above average with his power play time which is another added bonus, but was below average on the penalty kill. Unlike the others on the team thus far he's a penalty drawing machine. Nielsen was fantastic on the second line this year and actually fared well compared to first line players.
Strome didn't have the largest of sample sizes, but from what we saw it wasn't too terrible. He clearly doesn't need to get better defensively like the coaching staff thought. Despite starting in the defensive zone over 33 percent of the time the possession for and against were slightly above average while the goals against number was phenomenal and the relative possession numbers were great particularly for a rookie. The power play numbers were hit and miss, but they did score at a very high clip with him on the ice and he did score in his limited minutes. He probably should have seen more favorable ice time which would have likely boosted his confidence and his numbers. That being said, Strome didn't really show that he belongs on the second line yet.
Third Line
Michael Grabner Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 701.9 PP Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 5V4Min NQ PP Asst. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 4V5Min 130.1 PP Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Goals 9.1 F D- D B- D PPGF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Asst 20.2 C B- B A- B iC/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Pts 29.4 F D+ C A- C- iSH/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GF 40.3 F F D B D PP ON% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GA 51.7 F F F F F PP Csh% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Mod+/- -11.4 F F F F F CF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iC/15 3.34 D+ B- B+ A- B- FF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iSH/15 2.13 B- A- A A A- PK Goals 2.306 A B+ A+ A+ A On Net% 64.0% A A A+ A- A PK Asst 0 C+ D+ B- C+ C+ CorSh% 3.7% F F D- C- F PK Pts. 2.306 B- C B+ A- B CF/15 13.57 F D C A- C- iC/PK 0.507 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ FF/15 9.53 F F D- C+ D- PK GF 2.306 C+ D+ B B+ C+ FA/15 9.65 B B+ B- B- B PK GA 6.804 A- B+ A- A- A- CA/15 13.15 B- B C+ B- B- PK +/- -4.49 A- B- B+ A B+ CF% 50.8% D+ C- C B+ C CA/PK 2.551 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ FF% 49.7% D- D D+ B C- FA/PK 1.890 A+ A A+ A+ A CFRel% 2.2% C B- B+ A+ B Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% 1.2% D+ C+ B- A B- Tot. Goals 11.42 F F D B D Pen+/- 6.3 B B- B A- B Tot. Asst. 20.23 F F D+ B D FO% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Tot. Pts. 31.65 F F D B+ D BlSh 17.2 F F F F F Tot. GF 42.55 F F F B D- Hits 92.5 B C+ C- F C- 5v5 Rate 0 F D+ B- A C Ost% 27.9% A A B+ C+ B+ 5v4 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Dst% 34.9% A- A- B+ B- B+ 4v5 Rate 0 A- B+ A- A+ A- O/DSt% 44.4% A A A- B- B+ Overall 0 F F C- A C- QoC% 28.8% F C A A+ C+
Brock Nelson Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 793.7 PP Goals 4.7 C C+ C+ B- C+ 5V4Min 127.4 PP Asst. 7.6 C- C+ B- B C+ 4V5Min 59.4 PP Pts. 12.3 D+ C+ B- B C Goals 13.4 D+ C+ B A- B- PPGF 17.3 F D+ C D D Asst 14.3 F F F C- F iC/PP 0.644 C B B+ B+ B- Pts 27.8 F D- C- B D+ iSH/PP 0.314 D C+ C B- C- GF 45.7 D- C B A C+ PP ON% 48.8% F F F D- F GA 44.5 D D D D- D PP Csh% 7.3% C- C- C- C- C- Mod+/- 1.2 D- D C B- C- CF/PP 3.2662 C- C+ B C+ C iC/15 3.55 C+ B+ A- A B+ FF/PP 2.4025 C- C+ B- B- C iSH/15 1.76 D- C- C+ B C PK Goals 0 D+ D C- B C- On Net% 49.5% F F F F F PK Asst 0 C+ D+ B- C+ C+ CorSh% 5.2% D C C B C PK Pts. 0 D F D D+ D CF/15 14.16 D+ C B A+ B- iC/PK 0.202 D+ C A- A- B- FF/15 10.11 F D C+ A- C PK GF 0 D F D- D- D- FA/15 8.78 A+ A+ A+ A A PK GA 7.452 B B- B+ B+ B CA/15 12.44 A- A- A- A- A- PK +/- -7.45 D+ D C C C- CF% 53.2% B B B+ A+ B+ CA/PK 3.165 D D+ C B C- FF% 53.5% B B+ A- A+ A- FA/PK 2.255 C+ C B B+ B- CFRel% 4.5% B+ A- A+ A+ A Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% 5.4% A A A+ A+ A+ Tot. Goals 18.14 D B- B A+ B- Pen+/- 12.5 A A- A+ A+ A Tot. Asst. 21.89 F F C A- C- FO% 42.4% F F F F F Tot. Pts. 40.04 F C- B- A+ C+ BlSh 36 B+ C+ B- C B- Tot. GF 62.98 D- C- B A+ C+ Hits 92.9 B C+ C- F C- 5v5 Rate 0 F D B- A- C Ost% 32.3% C C- C F D+ 5v4 Rate 0 D C+ B B+ C Dst% 33.4% A- B B- C B- 4v5 Rate 0 D- D C+ C+ D+ O/DSt% 49.2% B- B- C+ D+ C+ Overall 0 F C B+ A+ B- QoC% 28.4% F F B- A+ C-
Cal Clutterbuck Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 790.2 PP Goals 0 F F F D- F 5V4Min 92.5 PP Asst. 0 F F F F F 4V5Min 128.2 PP Pts. 0 F F F F F Goals 8.1 F F D- C+ D- PPGF 4.3 F F F F F Asst 13.3 F F F C- F iC/PP 0.779 B+ A- A+ A+ A- Pts 21.4 F F F C- F iSH/PP 0.389 C+ B A- B B GF 37.4 F F F C+ F PP ON% 50.0% F F F D- F GA 37.6 B B B- C B- PP Csh% 0.0% F F F D- F Mod+/- -0.3 D- D D+ C+ D+ CF/PP 3.2444 D+ C+ B- C+ C iC/15 3.81 B A- A A A- FF/PP 2.2711 D- C C C+ D+ iSH/15 2.37 A- A A+ A A PK Goals 1.561 B+ B- A A+ A- On Net% 62.3% A A- A- B+ A- PK Asst 1.45 B B B+ A- B+ CorSh% 2.9% F F F D- F PK Pts. 3.011 B+ B A A+ A- CF/15 13.43 F D- C B+ C- iC/PK 0.421 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ FF/15 9.95 F D C A- C- PK GF 3.011 B C B+ A B FA/15 9.95 B- B- C C- C+ PK GA 7.895 B- C+ B B B- CA/15 14.08 F D D D D- PK +/- -4.88 A- C+ B+ A- B+ CF% 48.8% F D- D+ B- D+ CA/PK 3.355 F D D+ D+ D FF% 50.0% D- D+ C- B C- FA/PK 2.465 D- D+ D+ C+ D+ CFRel% -0.9% F F C- B+ D+ Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% 0.9% D C B- A C+ Tot. Goals 9.656 F F F B- D- Pen+/- 9.7 A- A- A- A A- Tot. Asst. 14.75 F F F C- F FO% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Tot. Pts. 24.41 F F F C F BlSh 12.5 F F F F F Tot. GF 44.71 F F D- B+ D- Hits 349.4 A+ A+ A+ A A+ 5v5 Rate 0 F F D- B D- Ost% 30.0% B+ B B- C- B- 5v4 Rate 0 F F F F F Dst% 35.9% A A B+ B A- 4v5 Rate 0 A- B+ A+ A+ A O/DSt% 45.5% A A- B C+ B+ Overall 0 F F F B- D- QoC% 28.5% F D- B A+ C
Even strength Grabner played similarly to Bailey with an increased shot tendency and a better ability to get the puck on net. The team simply couldn't score with him on the ice and they got scored on at a very high pace leading to a poor adjusted plus minus. Could this be a fluke? Possibly, but even with his speed the Islanders didn't exactly push the pace with him on the ice. The possession numbers were decent enough and the zone starts weren't exactly favorable, but the end result wasn't good. He's still a fantastic penalty killer and still had above average numbers for a third liner so he's still pretty useful.
Nelson was an absolute possession machine this season, but it didn't yield great scoring results. He's still a rookie and played well enough to get more looks. There are multiple train of thoughts as to how to use him; one is to let him develop on a lower line and gradually move him up while another is to move him up in the lineup, but either way he would likely be better served playing with more talented players. He was a pedestrian power play guy that should improve with time. His penalty killing wasn't great, but he's along the same par as Nielsen and the team is somewhat short on options there. The third line is probably the best spot for him, but the talent on the line needs to be improved.
That leads into Cal Clutterbuck who didn't perform well at even strength this year. The shooting percentage was very low, so there's a chance for improvement there and he does get the puck on net a lot, but the possession was mediocre. He hits a lot and draw a lot of penalties but there's something to be said for those being the biggest takeaways. He obviously shouldn't and won't be on the power play next year. While Clutterbuck is a fantastic penalty killer, he is best served on the fourth line. Along with Bailey that would be over six million dollars in salary for two forth line players which might not make sense for a salary floor team, but the fourth line could use improvement.
Fourth Line
Matt Martin Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 849.7 PP Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 5V4Min NQ PP Asst. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 4V5Min 54.3 PP Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Goals 10 F D D+ B D+ PPGF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Asst 9.9 F F F D- F iC/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Pts 19.9 F F F D+ F iSH/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GF 36.4 F F F C F PP ON% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GA 32.8 A A A B+ A- PP Csh% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Mod+/- 3.6 D+ C- C+ B C CF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iC/15 2.98 D- D C B C- FF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iSH/15 1.9 C- B- B B+ B- PK Goals 0 D+ D C- B C- On Net% 63.8% A A A+ B+ A PK Asst 0 C+ D+ B- C+ C+ CorSh% 4.6% F D D+ B- D+ PK Pts. 0 D F D D+ D CF/15 11.64 F F F D+ F iC/PK 0.184 D+ C- B B C+ FF/15 8.73 F F F D+ F PK GF 0 D F D- D- D- FA/15 10.18 C C D+ D+ C- PK GA 12.81 F F F F F CA/15 14.29 F D- D- F D- PK +/- -12.8 F F F F F CF% 44.9% F F F D F CA/PK 3.685 F F F F F FF% 46.2% F F F D+ F FA/PK 2.653 F F F F F CFRel% -6.0% F F F D- F Fights 11.70 A+ A+ A+ B A FFRel% -4.0% F F F C- F Tot. Goals 10.03 F F F B D- Pen+/- -3.9 F F F C- F Tot. Asst. 9.879 F F F D- F FO% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Tot. Pts. 19.91 F F F D+ F BlSh 45.3 A+ A- A- B A- Tot. GF 36.38 F F F C- F Hits 460.9 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ 5v5 Rate 0 F F F C F Ost% 27.2% A A+ A- B- A- 5v4 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Dst% 32.9% B+ B- B- C B- 4v5 Rate 0 F F F F F O/DSt% 45.3% A A- B+ C+ B+ Overall 0 F F F C- F QoC% 27.3% F F F C- F
Casey Cizikas Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 837.4 PP Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 5V4Min NQ PP Asst. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 4V5Min 183.5 PP Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Goals 6.4 F F F D+ F PPGF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Asst 21.2 B- B+ B+ A B+ iC/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Pts 27.6 F D- C- B D+ iSH/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GF 33.7 F F F D F PP ON% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GA 32.2 A A+ A B+ A PP Csh% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Mod+/- 1.5 D- D+ C B- C- CF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iC/15 2.15 F F F F F FF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iSH/15 1.18 F F F D- F PK Goals 0 D+ D C- B C- On Net% 54.8% D- D- D- F D- PK Asst 1.145 B- C+ B B B- CorSh% 4.0% F D- D- C D- PK Pts. 1.145 C- F C C+ C- CF/15 11.13 F F F D- F iC/PK 0.109 F F F D+ F FF/15 8.37 F F F D- F PK GF 2.29 C+ D B B+ C+ FA/15 9.91 B- B- C C C+ PK GA 7.582 B B- B+ B+ B CA/15 13.68 C- C- D+ C- C- PK +/- -5.29 B+ C+ B B+ B CF% 44.9% F F F D F CA/PK 3.400 F D- D+ D D FF% 45.8% F F F D F FA/PK 2.485 D- D+ D+ C- D+ CFRel% -6.1% F F F D- F Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% -4.6% F F F D+ F Tot. Goals 6.366 F F F D F Pen+/- 1.3 D+ D+ D+ C+ C- Tot. Asst. 22.38 F D- C A- C- FO% 48.4% F C- C D D+ Tot. Pts. 28.75 F F D- B D- BlSh 34.2 B+ C+ C C- C+ Tot. GF 35.97 F F F C- F Hits 164.2 A A- A- C- B+ 5v5 Rate 0 F F D- C F Ost% 26.4% A A+ A- B A- 5v4 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Dst% 33.1% B+ B- B- C B- 4v5 Rate 0 D+ D+ C+ B C- O/DSt% 44.4% A A A- B- B+ Overall 0 F F D- C+ F QoC% 27.3% F F F C- F
Colin McDonald Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 811.4 PP Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 5V4Min NQ PP Asst. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 4V5Min NQ PP Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Goals 10.5 F D C- B C- PPGF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Asst 15.1 F F D C D- iC/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Pts 25.6 F F D B- D iSH/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GF 39 F F D- B D- PP ON% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ GA 51.6 F F F F F PP Csh% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Mod+/- -12.6 F F F F F CF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iC/15 2.78 F F C- C D FF/PP NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ iSH/15 1.67 F D- C- C+ D+ PK Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ On Net% 60.0% B B B+ C+ B PK Asst NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CorSh% 5.2% D C C B C PK Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF/15 12.13 F F F C F iC/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF/15 8.96 F F F C- F PK GF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FA/15 10.05 C+ C+ C- C- C PK GA NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CA/15 13.58 C C C- C C PK +/- NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF% 47.2% F F D- C- D- CA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF% 47.1% F F D- D+ D- FA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CFRel% -3.0% F F D- C+ F Fights 2.536 A+ A A C- B+ FFRel% -2.4% F F D- C+ D- Tot. Goals 10.51 F F D- B D- Pen+/- 16.3 A+ A A+ A+ A+ Tot. Asst. 15.06 F F F C F FO% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Tot. Pts. 25.58 F F F C+ F BlSh 17.6 F F F F F Tot. GF 38.97 F F F C+ F Hits 292.8 A+ A+ A+ A- A+ 5v5 Rate 0 F F D B D- Ost% 28.4% A A- B C+ B+ 5v4 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Dst% 34.9% A- A- B+ B- B+ 4v5 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ O/DSt% 44.9% A A- B+ C+ B+ Overall 0 F F F B- F QoC% 27.7% F F F B+ D-
Matt Martin hits a lot, fights a lot and blocks a lot of shots while bringing next to nothing to the table offensively and facing easy talent even compared to fourth average fourth liners. Simply put he's a terrible advanced stats guy. He's a terrible penalty killer and has no business being there either. He's a grit guy for old school hockey fans, but doesn't bring anything to the table otherwise and is probably better off being the occasional call up enforcer.
Casey Cizikas is a poor man's Bailey. He doesn't shoot enough, when he does shoot it doesn't go on net and when it goes on net it doesn't go in. He actually shoots at a lower rate than Bailey does. The possession numbers are the worst on the team out of qualified forwards, but he does get some difficult zone starts. He's below average on the penalty kill, but there's possibly room for improvement there. He's a below average fourth liner with below average penalty kill ability. It should be interesting to see how much he gets as a restricted free agent. It shouldn't be much more than 750 thousand at the most. Is there room for improvement? Probably, but not beyond an above average fourth liner.
Colin McDonald was the only individual that excelled on the fourth line. While the possession numbers were mediocre, he was able to put up points at a decent pace and the only real knock against him would be the amount of goals against. He didn't get special team time, but fourth liners generally shouldn't.
The Rest
Anders Lee Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 277.1 PP Goals 7.3 B+ A- B+ B+ A- 5V4Min 54.9 PP Asst. 0 F F F F F 4V5Min NQ PP Pts. 7.3 F F F F F Goals 23.1 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ PPGF 14.6 F D- D- D F Asst 17.9 D- D+ C B C- iC/PP 0.692 B- B+ A- A B+ Pts 41 A- A+ A+ A+ A+ iSH/PP 0.51 A A A+ A+ A GF 54.4 A- A A+ A+ A PP ON% 73.7% A+ A A- A- A GA 33.6 A A- A B A- PP Csh% 10.5% B B- B B- B Mod+/- 20.8 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ CF/PP 3.0228 D- D+ C C- D+ iC/15 3.94 B+ A- A+ A A FF/PP 2.1487 F D D+ D D- iSH/15 2.62 A A+ A+ A+ A+ PK Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ On Net% 66.7% A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ PK Asst NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CorSh% 8.0% A- A A A+ A PK Pts. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF/15 14.22 D+ C B A+ B- iC/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF/15 10.86 C- B- B+ A+ B PK GF NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FA/15 8.61 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ PK GA NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CA/15 11.81 A A A+ A+ A+ PK +/- NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CF% 54.6% B+ A- A A+ A CA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ FF% 55.8% A- A A+ A+ A FA/PK NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ CFRel% 5.6% A- A A+ A+ A Fights 0 B+ B- B+ D- C+ FFRel% 6.1% A A A+ A+ A+ Tot. Goals 30.37 A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ Pen+/- -11.9 F F F F F Tot. Asst. 17.88 F F D- C+ D- FO% NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ Tot. Pts. 48.25 C- B+ A A+ B+ BlSh 7.9 F F F F F Tot. GF 68.94 C- C+ A- A+ B Hits 170.7 A A- A C B+ 5v5 Rate 0 A A+ A+ A+ A+ Ost% 33.6% D+ D D+ F D 5v4 Rate 0 F D- D D D- Dst% 30.4% C D+ C- D C- 4v5 Rate 0 NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ O/DSt% 52.5% C- D+ C- D- D+ Overall 0 B- A- A+ A+ A QoC% 29.0% F B- A+ A+ B
Eric Boulton Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League Statistic Numbers Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 League 5V5Min 145 PP Goals NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 5V4Min NQ PP Asst. NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ NQ 4V5Min NQ PP Pts. |
will now support migrating from a Windows-based vCenter Server running either vSphere 5.5 or vSphere 6.0 to VCSA 6.5.Creating one interesting character is hard enough — but when it comes to writing a whole novel or series of books, you have to create dozens of them. How can you keep your supporting cast from seeming like cookie-cutter people? There's no easy answer, but a few tricks might help you create minor characters who don't feel too minor.
Here are 10 secrets for creating a supporting cast that sticks in your readers' minds.
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Top image: Ejay Mercado II. All other images by Stanley Von Medvey.
It's the curse of science fiction and fantasy — these genres need worldbuilding. And worldbuilding means lots of people. Your spaceship needs crewmembers, your magical kingdom needs knights and warrior nuns. A world that's populated by stick figures will feel like a barely sketched world.
And most really beloved books have one thing in common — minor characters, who get a fraction of the column inches of the protagonists, wind up becoming audience favorites. This isn't really an accident: A main character needs to be sympathetic and engaging, but a supporting character needs to do much more — the supporting cast hold your scenery up and either sell the fundamentals of your story, or fail to. If they fail, you fail.
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This is something I've struggled with for years, and have been grappling with a lot lately. Out of all my obsessing over how to create a supporting cast with staying power, here are some guidelines I've come up with:
1) Give them at least one defining characteristic.
The master of "sprawling supporting cast," for my money, is Dickens. He probably created a few thousand people, out of thin air, over the course of his career, and many of them are so recognizable they've become words in the English language. One thing you'll notice about Dickens is, his minor characters often just have one really weird quirk that defines them — a weird way of talking, or a strange habit. Think the Aged Parent. People are like this in real life, too — lots of people have one or two habits that you notice the first time you meet them, that stand out in your mind even after you learn more about them.
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2) Give them an origin story.
And by origin story, I don't mean "She was born in Somerset, to a family of glove-makers, and she grew up with the scent of glove dye and the endless fingers of unsold gloves, hanging from the ceiling over her crib." I mean, an origin story like a superhero has an origin story. Your main character doesn't necessarily need an origin story, because you've got the whole book to explain who he/she is and what he/she is about. But a supporting character? You get a paragraph or five, to explain the formative experience that made her become the person she is, and possibly how she got whatever skills or powers she possesses. This is more important that bullshit like what her favorite color is, or what she eats for breakfast. (I don't care what most people's favorite color is in real life, much less in fiction. Unless it's like infrapurple or something.)
3) Make sure they talk in a distinctive fashion.
This goes back to making sure all your characters don't talk alike. Possibly, if you followed the advice in item #1, you've already given your character a verbal quirk, like he always says "wellum" before every declarative sentence. Either way, you still have to make sure your characters don't all talk the same. Some of them talk in nothing but short sentences, others in nothing but long, rolling statements full of subordinate clauses and random digressions. Or you might have a character who always follows one long sentence with three short ones. Some of your characters talk mostly in Anglo-Saxon words, others mostly in Latin words. Some of them only talk in sentence fragments, or avoid nouns almost entirely. ("Gone to war. Won't be back." He looked at his feet. "Sorry to break the bad news.") It's a disaster if your main character talks the same as all your other characters — but it's also pretty terrible if all the supporting cast speak the same way. One dirty shortcut is to hear the voice of a particular actor or famous person in your head, as one character talks. (In my current novel in progress, I have one person who speaks with the voice of Ricardo Montalban. In my head. I'm hoping this isn't going to look too pathetically obvious in the finished product.)
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4) Avoid making them paragons of virtue, or authorial stand-ins.
People who have no flaws are automatically boring, and thus forgettable. And there's nothing worse than a character who is obviously the voice of the author, or a way for the author to wander into the story and interact with the other characters. (This is another reason to make sure your characters all have a distinctive way of speaking — that makes it much less likely that one of them will seem like your mouthpiece.) You can solve both these problems by giving a supporting character a real, identifiable flaw, that threatens to make him unsympathetic but winds up making him more sympathetic in the end. Any character who has foibles, or bad habits, or destructive urges, will always stand out more than one who is pure and wonderful in all ways. And nobody will believe that you've chosen to identify yourself, as the author, with someone who's so messed up. (Because of course, you are a perfect human being, with no flaws of your own.)
5) Anchor them to a particular place
This sounds like a no-brainer — after all, the main reason you need this annoying supporting cast in the first place is, to help with the worldbuilding and stuff. But once you've got your world and you're populating it with random characters, it's all too easy to have them float around with no particular location to call their own. Like, they just hang out on the street, at the corner of Nondescript and Dull. And then the next time you see them, they're out in the forest, near that tree, with the leaves and the branches. (You know the one.) A huge part of making a supporting character "pop" is placing her somewhere. Give her a haunt — some place she hangs out a lot. A tavern, a bar, an engine room, a barracks, a dog track, wherever. It works both ways — by anchoring a character in a particular location, you make both the character and the location feel more real.
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6) Introduce them twice — the first time in the background, the second in the foreground.
This is a trick I've been experimenting with. You mention a character in passing: "And Crazy Harriet was there too, chewing on her catweed like always." And you say more about them. And then later, the next time we see that character, you give more information or detail, like where she scores her catweed from. The reader will barely remember that you mentioned the character the first time — but it's in the back of the reader's mind, and there's a little "ping" of identification. It feels like you've seen someone at a party or in a group of friends, and then later you had a conversation with them. It creates a sense of familiarity, when you vaguely remember that you've heard about this character before, and now they're suddenly in focus. (Oh, and by the way, catweed is called that because it makes a "meow" noise when you chew on it.)
7) Focus on what they mean to your protagonists
Again, it sounds like a no-brainer — but this is easy to forget. You're so in love with your world, and with all of the characters and how they interact, that you can rathole. But your main characters are your readers' way into the world — and what matters to your protagonists matters to your readers. (If you've done your protagonist-crafting right, anyway.) We don't care what Blind Simeon thinks of Randolph the Grifter, nearly as much as what your viewpoint character thinks of both of them. (Of course, sometimes having one minor character talk about another can tell you something interesting about both of them.) What does this minor character mean to your hero? What role does he fulfill? What does your hero want or need from Randolph the Grifter? If you know what your hero finds memorable about Randolph, then you're a long ways towards finding what your readers will remember, too.
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8) Give them an arc — or the illusion of one.
Arcs are hard. But faking an arc is easy. Writers on television do it all the time. Shakespeare did it all the time, too — read Henry IV, Part 2 and look for Hal's arc. You can create the appearance of an arc by establishing that a character feels a particular way — and then, a couple hundred pages later, you mention that now the character feels a different way. Admiral Hargroves hated children on page 100, but on page 400 he suddenly likes children. We don't get to see Admiral Hargroves' attitudes evolve, or even necessarily find out what changed his mind — we just know that over the course of the story, Admiral Hargroves has been having a whole mental process about children. That's all a fake arc needs: a starting point and an end point. A minor character who changes in some way is automatically more interesting than one who remains constant — even if we take it on trust that Admiral Hargroves wasn't just brainwashed by a cabal of evil children with a brainwashing ray. (Or maybe that's a plus — your readers can construct "evil children" conspiracy theories and mine your text for clues.)
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9) The more minor the character, the more caricature-like they may have to be.
This one is debatable — you may be a deft enough author that you can create a hundred characters, all of whom are fully fleshed out, well-rounded human beings with full inner lives. But again, think of Dickens — many of his supporting cast are, frankly, cartoons. Henry Fielding also comes to mind, and so does Douglas Adams. To some extent, this is a stylistic choice, too — some writing styles simply can't support or abide cartoony minor characters. But for your third ensign, who appears for a grand total of two pages, on page 147 and page 398, you may have to go for cartoony if you want him to live in the reader's mind as anything other than a piece of scenery. The other alternative is...
10) Decide which supporting characters you'll allow to be forgettable after all.
And this is probably inevitable. You only have so much energy, and your readers only have so much mental space. Plus, if 100 supporting characters are all vivid and colorful and people your readers want to go bowling with, then your story runs the risk of seeming overwritten and garish. Sometimes you need to resign yourself to the notion that some characters are going to be extras, or that they're literally going to fulfill a plot function without having any personality to speak of. It's a major sacrifice they're making, subsuming their personality for the sake of the major players' glory. And maybe, if your book hits a home run, you can reward them for their selflessness by giving them a beefed-up role in the sequel. Or at least, that's what you can tell them while you exploit their thankless dedication. You selfish bastard.Pay Your Bill
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Frequently asked questions about cost of careNat Wolff (Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars) is in final negotiations to star in Warner Bros. live action film adaptation of Death Note, according to Variety.
Wolff will play a young boy, name Light in the source material, who finds a mysterious supernatural journal that kills anyone whose name is written inside of it. This leads to game of wits between Light and a genius, eccentric, and reclusive police detective.
Death Note was originally created as a manga series by Takeshi Obata. The popularity of the series spawned an anime adaptation and a Japanese live action film, which was itself successful enough to warrant a sequel. The Warner Bros. project is being directed by Adam Wingard (V/H/S), and produced by Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka. Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four) wrote the most recent draft of the script.It started with a complaint about a shoplifter, but it ended with an act of kindness.
A London police officer took it upon himself to help a suspected shoplifter after realizing the man was in a difficult situation.
"As a police officer, it's not black and white for us," said Officer Justin Roby. "There's a lot of gray. And you have to cipher through everything and you really need to figure out the whole story."
Roby was called to the Kroger on North Main Street in London on Saturday, Jan. 17 after a loss prevention officer stopped a man who was shoplifting.
The suspect was a single father who had fallen on hard times, Roby said. The man was caught stealing baby formula for his six-month-old son, who was with him at the time.
The store's loss prevention officer told Roby he did not want to press charges, and Roby agreed.
"Me citing him for court wouldn't have done any good for him," he said. "He's already short on money, can't afford formula, so me making him appear in court, he's still not going to have any food for that baby."
But what Roby did next showed the shoplifter what it truly means "to protect and serve" one's community.
He bought some formula himself, giving it to the man for his baby.
"You put yourself in the situations," he said. "I think, 'Well, what if me and my son, what if this was us?"
Roby also gave the man a message, saying he told the man there are a lot of people and organizations - including the police department - that are available to help those in need.
Roby told WKYT's Garrett Wymer that there was nothing special about what he did, saying that his fellow officers do selfless acts - changing tires, giving people rides to homeless shelters - every day. It is just not always seen.
"I think when [a lot of people] look at us, they see just the uniform and just the car, just the tools that we have on our belt," Roby said. "But behind the uniform, I'm a human being and I'm a person out in this community just like any of them. I have a little boy. I'm a father just like that gentleman was.
"We're not these robots," he said. "There's a human behind the badge."
Officer Roby says a lot of people are struggling, and you do not have to be a police officer to offer a helping hand.There’s a lot of zombie stuff out there, and most of it is crap. People like to jump on bandwagons and produce quick tie-ins rather than investing love and effort into their creations. Luckily for you, I’m here to help separate the wheat from the chaff. Check back every Friday, when I’m going to share the coolest zombie-related creation I can find out there on the web.
This week’s creation, “Take the Shot“, is all about perspective. Two fellas are playing a game called Early Bird Apocalypse about, yes, zombie birds. The build is a two parter, with the zombie birds doing their thing in the background, and our two gamers in the foreground. It’s a pretty clever setup if you ask me, but judge for yourself:
And here are our gamers:
I really like their sofa.
Good stuff, no? Check out the rest of the photos for some more great details, and don’t forget to check out the rest of Michael Davadilla’s (the builder) profile on MOCpages.
Have you seen a great zombie-related creation out on the web? Are you working on the next great zombie MOC as we speak? Well you had better let us know right away, otherwise we’ll never be able to include it here.Air Force will be making their scheduled to trip to Navy on Saturday, and they will have the United Services Automobile Association to thank for it. The USAA is picking up the entire travel fare to send the program to Navy this weekend.
According to a report by USA Today, the cost to send Air Force to the game is $230,000.
“They did a great job for us,” Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation CEO Derm Coll said to USA Today. “They’re picking up the bills for everything we need.”
Air Force’s ability to fund the trip was up int he air as a result of the government shutdown. While enough resources were available to fund the trip by Air Force, there were some questions as to whether the funds would be eligible to be used under the circumstances related to the government shutdown. As a result the Air Force needed to raise enough funds through private sources that would not be tied to any government funding. A conversation with the USAA resulted in a bigger offer than Air Force had been hoping for.
“I was expecting we’d get $50,000 or $100,000,” Coll said to USA Today. “They came back and said they’re picking up the whole thing; let’s get this game going, it’s important for us to support the military.”
The USAA is a major sponsor for each of the service academies as well as the annual Army-Navy Game.
Photo: Flickr
Follow @KevinOnCFBPer Friday’s NFL Transaction Report, the New Orleans Saints waived offensive lineman Collin Buchanan with a left squad, partially guaranteed contract designation.
I can’t exactly recall seeing a ‘left squad’ as a reason for being waived, so I had to do a little digging into it. According to The Football Educator (and no, I’m not ashamed to use this for a rare case like this one), here’s the essence of it:
If a player leaves his club without permission after reporting to training camp, the club may place the player on its Reserve List as Left Squad, pursuant to the restrictions and procedures that appear in this section.
A player who is placed on Reserve/Left Squad shall remain on the Reserve List of his club for the remainder of the regular season and postseason and shall not be eligible to be reinstated to the Active List of the club or any other club until the year following the season in which he was placed in such category. He is ineligible to play, practice, or attend meetings of his club or any club in the League or to use the facilities of his club or any other club in any manner whatsoever for the remainder of the regular season and postseason. No player in the category of Reserve/Left Squad may be traded to another club in the League in the same season in which he is placed in such category, nor may a club request waivers for or terminate a player who is on Reserve/Left Squad in the same season in which he is placed in such category.
If a player is placed on Reserve/Left Squad by his club, the obligation of the player to perform services as a player for the club in that season shall be tolled, and the term of such player’s contract to his club for the balance of that season shall be extended and shall not commence until the player returns to professional football for such club. Any renewal option for such player’s services shall be tolled and shall remain in effect until the end of such extended term of the contract. During the period that the player is on Reserve/Left Squad, he shall not be allowed to play football for any other club engaged in professional football, and such player shall not be entitled to any compensation, expenses, or other payments from his club under his contract.Please GGG, i'm begging, put the file "content.ggpk" in an external link site, my poor 6mb broadband can't handle major patchs, and your servers died soon when all players want update the game at the same time.
1. Awakening patch 6hs to download
2. Talisman Patch 4hs to Download
3. Ascendancy patch?
With the previous patches the download start very well and died at half patch, downloading between 15-20 kbps. When Talisman update was ready and i login was players at level 56!!!
Hell my own guild left me behind last patch.
Please Chris I wash your car for two entire months!
Ask "Kimdotcom" for an account with discount at Mega "This Is A Buff" (Bex_GGG august 30, 2016) Last edited by diegodgo87 on Mar 4, 2016, 1:57:40 AM Posted by diegodgo87
on on Quote this Post
Im a Fraud Last edited by k1rage on Mar 4, 2016, 1:54:23 AM Posted by k1rage
on on Quote this Post
" k1rage
mmm nice one, but I have the best internet connection available in my place, fuck it's the only one.
mmm nice one, but I have the best internet connection available in my place, fuck it's the only one. "This Is A Buff" (Bex_GGG august 30, 2016) Posted by diegodgo87
on on Quote this Post
" diegodgo87 " k1rage
mmm nice one, but I have the best internet connection available in my place, fuck it's the only one.
mmm nice one, but I have the best internet connection available in my place, fuck it's the only one.
hense the move out of the sticks part lol
where do you live where there is no real internet?
Ive not heard of a place where one cant get better satellite internet than that hense the move out of the sticks part lolwhere do you live where there is no real internet?Ive not heard of a place where one cant get better satellite internet than that Im a Fraud Posted by k1rage
on on Quote this Post
Spoiler By the way those 6MB are the 10% of my salary Well there is a first time for everything, and not just one place, the entire "Patagonia" are like me, and in my little town i'm one of the few lucky's who has such amazing broadband, the rest of the mortals just 1MB. "This Is A Buff" (Bex_GGG august 30, 2016) Posted by diegodgo87
on on Quote this Post
You may have an ISP that allows a high download for the first 100 megs or so and then bandwidth throttles the speed down after that (Comcast does this) so the rest of the download is much slower. If that's why your PoE update slows down at around 50% then GGG can't do anything for you. "You've got to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone..."
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but poor QoP in PoE is the father of frustration.
The perfect solution to fix Trade Chat:
www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2247070 Posted by Arrowneous
on on Quote this Post
We've increased the patching time from two hours to three hours. We're also trying create a torrent that will be 500mb less than the entire patch, which will hopefully be available soon. When the realm goes down you would still have to patch the remaining data, but you would at least be closer. Posted by Bex_GGG
on Grinding Gear Games on Quote this Post
" Bex_GGG We've increased the patching time from two hours to three hours. We're also trying create a torrent that will be 500mb less than the entire patch, which will hopefully be available soon. When the realm goes down you would still have to patch the remaining data, but you would at least be closer.
Omg ty! Can we get a size estimate of the patch itself? Around 2 gb? Omg ty! Can we get a size estimate of the patch itself? Around 2 gb? IGN: Arlianth
Check out my LA build: 1782214 Posted by Nephalim
on on Quote this Post
It's estimated to be between 1.2GB and 1.5GB. Posted by Bex_GGG
on Grinding Gear Games on Quote this PostST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Early today law enforcement officials again converged on a family farm near where young Jacob Wetterling disappeared more than 20 years ago.
By 10:20 a.m., a large Stearns County dump truck had made two trips on and off the property. It appeared to have been loaded with light brown dirt.
The day’s activity started around 7 a.m., when roughly a dozen vehicles from the Stearns County sheriff’s office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension drove onto the property where Daniel A. Rassier and his parents live. Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner, a K-9 unit and a BCA mobile crime lab vehicle were on the scene. The dump truck and a backhoe showed up about 8:30 a.m.
Rassier and his parents drove off the property about 7:30 a.m.
This was the third time since Wetterling’s abduction in 1989 that investigators converged on the family farm near the site of the boy’s disappearance.
Neighbors reported seeing several unmarked law enforcement vehicles Wednesday morning on the property. Aerial photos showed as many as 17 vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and trailers. Earth-moving equipment was also reported.
Rassier, 54, who lives with his parents at the farm, has previously submitted DNA and undergone hypnosis as well as a lie-detector test in connection to the Wetterling investigation, Rassier’s brother said.
Stearns County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold said he could not comment on the case.
“All I can tell you is we’re conducting an investigation in the St. Joseph area, and the details of that investigation are restricted by a court order,” Bechtold said.
The order, he said, was issued by a Stearns County judge Tuesday or Wednesday. No arrests have been made in the case.
Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner told the St. Cloud Times today that he’s “optimistic” investigators will finish their activity at the property by day’s end.
The FBI was taking part in the investigation, said FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson.
Jacob’s mother, Patty Wetterling, who was attending a workshop on preventing sexual violence Wednesday at the University of Minnesota, said she had been notified in the morning about the search.
“When these things happen, it just upsets my stomach,” she said, referring to the media attention and the search itself.
The property is owned by Robert and Rita Rassier. Rita Rassier hung up the phone when called by the Pioneer Press on Wednesday afternoon. She is 81; Robert Rassier is 85.
Daniel Rassier is the couple’s son and lives with his parents, said Anna Reischl, the St. Joseph Township clerk. Daniel Rassier is a band teacher and the township treasurer; his parents are retired farmers, she said.
The man who identified himself as a brother of Daniel Rassier but wouldn’t give his own name said his parents were “pretty upset” by the latest search.
“They’ve been there their whole life,” he said. “It really bothers me because it really hurts them.”
He said police also had been to his parents’ property in 1989 and 2005. The second time, they dug and “tore the place up,” doing “a very thorough investigation,” the man said.
He noted that officials also have searched other properties in the area.
When his mother called Wednesday, the man said, and told him investigators were at the farm again, he thought she was joking.
“It’s the third time; it just won’t end,” he said. “It’s getting to the point of harassment.”
He said he thought his brother had given a DNA sample around 2005.
Asked why police were at his parents’ property now, the man said his family didn’t know.
“I have no idea what sparked (Wednesday’s search),” he said. “Their whole theory was there wasn’t a car there, and they think somebody did it on foot, and they keep coming back to that same thing.”
Rassier’s brother continued: “I just hope it clears his name. He’s been through the ringer.”
In a 2008 profile of Daniel Rassier published after he had run a marathon, the St. Joseph Newsleader newspaper said he had lived in St. Joseph for all but two years in college. The article described him as “arguably one of the best trumpet players in central Minnesota.”
Daniel Rassier is an elementary school band teacher and has worked for the Rocori school district since 1978, Superintendent Scott Staska said today.
Staska said he’s been in the district for eight years and, during that time, “we’ve had no complaints” about Rassier.
The students call Daniel Rassier “Mr. Be-Bop,” Staska said.
“You don’t get nicknames like that without being well liked by the kids,” he said.
Staska said he hasn’t been “contacted by anyone in regard to any of the things happening now” with the search and said there is no change to the teacher’s employment status.
Daniel Rassier is also an adjunct music professor at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, holding the position since 1997, a spokeswoman said.
Former St. Joseph Police Chief William Lorentz had only positive things to say about Robert Rassier on Wednesday. He said he had known Rassier for decades.
“He was very much a hard-working farmer at the time and very much a strong Christian,” Lorentz said. “He goes to church, I think, daily.”
Of the search on the Rassiers’ property, Reischl said: “It’s just kind of unbelievable because that’s one of the nicest families. They’re very caring people.”
Jerry Wetterling, Jacob’s father, said: “I really don’t want to get into any particular suspects or people, because I really don’t know what’s going on over there. I just know there’s lots of activity.
“When I drove to work this morning, there were five or six squad cars on that driveway, and I was extremely surprised.”
Wetterling said previous leads have led nowhere.
“There’s been leads that have been pursued aggressively for months at a time,” he said. “There’s been over 30,000 leads in this case. … I just know when there have been leads in the past, law enforcement will do whatever they think is necessary to pursue that particular lead. We’ve just been so grateful for all the interest and support, in people helping out and trying to find out what actually happened to Jacob.
“We’ve kind of learned for survival that we can’t get too high or low over any particular leads,” he said. “Otherwise, we’d be emotional wrecks.”
Wetterling said he often shares a neighborly wave with Robert Rassier on his way to work in the morning as the elder man picks up the mail at the end of his driveway, but he was less familiar with Daniel Rassier.
“That’s their driveway, where Jacob’s last steps were seen,” Wetterling said. “That’s the last evidence of Jacob being in the area, was right there. I’m guessing that’s why the activity is going on there.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had “some people on the ground” in St. Joseph, “working in support of the sheriff and the FBI,” said Bob Lowery, executive director of the center’s missing children division.
He said the center has had representatives “in and out of St. Joseph regularly over the last many years.”
“We’re always encouraged by any new leads, but we don’t want to provide false hopes,” Lowery said.
Lorentz, who was St. Joseph’s police chief when Jacob was abducted, said he had no knowledge of the latest investigation. He retired from the police department years ago, with the Wetterling abduction still hanging over his head.
“I hope they find something,” Lorentz said. “(I was) always looking forward to having a good lead on something, but nothing develops. I just wish them luck.”
Lorentz said that over the years, credible leads in the Wetterling abduction have been rare. “Not as often as I’d like them,” he said.
A group of local children, riding dirt bikes and exchanging wild theories, noted Wednesday how it had been drilled into them since birth never to ride alone.
“Never go out by yourself. When I’m down here, I come with a friend,” said Braden Koopmeiners, 14, parked across a field of soybeans from the road where a masked gunman took Jacob in October 1989.
Neighbors came from miles around, milling in pairs or driving slowly past the farm. Many said they didn’t know what to think, but they just had to see.
“This is nuts. I can’t believe this right now,” said Nick Berg, 28, who went to the same school as Jacob.
Lawrence Nichols, an Eagan-based defense attorney who was a childhood neighbor of Patty Wetterling, said the burden of proof necessary to excavate private property was no greater than what is needed for a typical police search of a home or office.
“You just need a search warrant. … Haven’t you ever seen ‘Cops’? They can go in with a sledgehammer,” Nichols said.
“They need probable cause to get a warrant, and probable cause is basically, ‘It’s likely that fruits, evidence or instrumentality of the crime might be found here,’ ” he said. “It’s the judge’s call.”
The last development in the case came in January 2009, when news broke about a Milwaukee man with a possible link to Jacob’s case. Vernon Seitz, who had confessed to killing two children in the 1950s and died in December 2008, was found to have news clippings and photos of young Jacob, along with child pornography and books on cannibalism, in his home.
But Milwaukee police said they found no connection between Seitz and Jacob’s abduction or any other child abduction. Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner said in January 2009 that his office worked with Milwaukee police and agreed there was no reason to believe Seitz was involved in Jacob’s kidnapping.
The fate of Jacob Wetterling, who would now be 32, remains unknown. His is the most notorious missing-child case in Minnesota.
Jacob was with his brother and a friend when he was abducted just a half-mile from his home in St. Joseph, in central Minnesota. A gunman stepped out of the woods and disappeared with Jacob.
The missing boy’s name has become synonymous with missing and vulnerable children, leading to the formation of the Jacob Wetterling Foundation by his parents in 1990.
The foundation, which later became the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, merged with the National Child Protection Training Center in February. Its staff members lead community sex offender notification forums, among other efforts aimed at raising awareness of child sexual exploitation and abduction.
The Wetterlings organized a children’s concert last year at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph to mark the 20th anniversary of their son’s abduction.
Patty Wetterling last year wrote and published a book, “Jacob’s Hope,” which she said was aimed at helping her grandchildren understand what happened to their uncle.
Interviewed by the Pioneer Press in October, she said she remains as dumbfounded as anyone as to how such a crime could take place in small-town America.
“We don’t know what happened,” she said. “It’s just a whole bunch of ‘we don’t knows.’ There’s no such word as ‘closure.’ Answers. We need answers.”
This story contains information from the Associated Press.Despite plenty of paddock chatter that Darrell Lea – owned and run by long-time motor racing man Tony Quinn – would walk after Shane van Gisbergen left the Tekno team, it was confirmed today that the brand will in fact stay put.
That means new recruit Will Davison will suit up in colours very similar to what the team ran in 2015.
“We’re very pleased to renew our association with Darrell Lea and the Quinn family,” said Tenno’s |
like other kings in the world. He placed his throne in Damascus and refused to go to the seat of Muhammad." AG 972: A severe frost. Once Mu'awiya had consolidated power, "he reneged on the peace with the Romans and did not accept peace from them any longer, but said: 'If the Romans want peace let them surrender their weapons and pay the tax (gzita).'" (Folio Missing) AG 974: Raid of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya upon Constantinople. AG 975: Raid of Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid, commander of the Arabs of Hims, into Byzantine territory.
The text stops here, but it is probable that it extended further in the original document. The author belonged to the Maronites. The anonymous author has been variously identified as Qays al-Maruni (tenth century) and Theophilus of Edessa (d. 785). Mitigating against an early (7th century) date is the reference to minting of coins by Muslims, which is not reliably attested before Abd al-Malik in the 690s.
Isho'bokht, Metropolitan of Fars (ca. 730-780)
[From the preface of his "Composition on the Laws," explaining that his reason for writing is different from that of earlier authors concerning natural science:] Rather I came to this composition for the following reasons: I have observed that there are many differences among people in the matter of laThere is no Kieran Foran but Manu Vatuvei will make his first appearance for the Warriors this year in Friday's 'away' clash against the Bulldogs in Dunedin.
Foran was given the final clearance by the NRL on Saturday to resume his playing career after proving that he has sufficiently dealt with his off-field problems.
But, as expected, concerns over a long-standing shoulder problem has seen coach Stephen Kearney keep him on ice for at least another week.
ANTHONY AU-YEUNG/GETTY IMAGES Manu Vatuvei has replaced Tuimoala Lolohea on the wing for Friday's game against the Bulldogs.
After missing the pre-season trials due to a knee injury, Vatuvei was forced to start the season in NSW Cup where a couple of strong performances has seen the star winger push Tuimoala Lolohea to an extended bench.
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His recall, along with the elevation of Jacob Lillyman and Bodene Thompson to the starting side for Charlie Gubb and Bunty Afoa respectively, gives the Warriors a much more experienced look as they attempt to bounce back from last week's 26-10 defeat to the Storm.
ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT Kieran Foran won't be playing against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Although, skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck still has to pass a concussion test on Wednesday before he is cleared to take the field.
"I've liked what Manu's been doing for a long time. He's played over 200 games of NRL and he's done the business in the past," Kearney said.
"He's carries the ball pretty strong. He's had a couple of games now in NSW Cup and done really well. He didn't get the opportunity to play any of the trials so the idea was to give him some game time and I'm happy with that."
Foran's absence means Ata Hingano will continue to partner Shaun Johnson in the halves.
The coach gave little away on Foran's condition at training on Tuesday, other than that he was "ticking along well" and is "a chance" of featuring next week against the Dragons.
Asked if the Kiwis playmaker would be given a run in NSW Cup before returning to first grade, Kearney said: "I'll worry about that when he's a good chance to play.
"But my focus this week is on the Bulldogs. He won't be available this week so happy to talk about that next week."
Friday night's clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium is the first NRL competition match to be played in Dunedin and comes after the Bulldogs opted to relocate their home match from Sydney.
The Des Hasler-coached side cross the Tasman having lost their opening two games.
But both defeats were close affairs against the highly-rated Storm and Roosters and Kearney is expecting a fierce challenge.
"They're always a very well coached side," he added. "Des is a very experienced football coach. You just look at their record over the past few years so we know what we're in for."
Meanwhile, a week after Shaun Johnson overtook him as the Warriors' leading points-scorer, Stacey Jones is set to lose another club record on Friday.
Veteran back-rower Simon Mannering has been named to make his 261st career appearance to draw level with the assistant coach for the most games for the club.
"I can't say enough about Simon. He represents everything we want this club to be," said Kearney.
"It's a wonderful achievement for him to play that many games and throughout he has consistently maintained the highest standards. You could count on half a hand the number of games he hasn't been up to his usual level."
WARRIORS: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c), Ken Maumalo, David Fusitu'a, Solomone Kata, Manu Vatuvei, Mafoa'aeata Hingano, Shaun Johnson, Albert Vete, Issac Luke, Jacob Lillyman, Bodene Thompson, Ryan Hoffman, Simon Mannering. Interchange: Erin Clark, Sam Lisone, Charlie Gubb, Bunty Afoa, Blake Ayshford, James Gavet, Tuimoala Lolohea, Mason Lino.History
2009-10: Mark Alt attended Cretin-Derham High School in Minnesota. Scored 6 goals with 19 assists in 22 regular season games with 12 PIM. Added five assists in two Section 3AA games as Cretin-Derham defeated Eastview before falling, 2-1, to Woodbury, a team they had beaten earlier. Alt also played in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League with 1 assist in seven games for Team North East while at the same time playing quarterback for his high school football team. Invited to USA Hockey’s 2010 junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid.
2010-11: Alt appeared in 35 of 36 games for the University of Minnesota as a freshman on a Gophers team that finished an uncharacteristic fifth in the WCHA. After assisting on the game-winning goal in his first game, an early season win over Massachusetts, Alt finished with 2 goals and 8 assists and was +3 with 22 PMs.
2011-12: Alt stepped into a leadership role for the University of Minnesota as a sophomore as part of a group of underclassmen defensemen who were key to the Gophers’ first-place finish in the WCHA regular season. He played 43 games and was plus-18 with 5 goals and 17 assists and had 43 penalty minutes. The Gophers fell to North Dakota in the WCHA semifinals but avenged that loss in the NCAA West final to reach the Frozen Four.
2012-13: Alt signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in April of 2013 following his junior season at Minnesota and made his pro debut with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Adirondack. Obtained by the Flyers in January as part of the Brian Boucher trade, he skated in six games with the Phantoms, scoring 1 goal with 1 assist, and was minus-1 with 2 penalty minutes. Adirondack missed the playoffs after finishing last in the Northeast Division. The Gophers finished tied for first in the WCHA with St. Cloud State in what would be Alt’s final season of college hockey. Partnered with freshman Mike Reilly (Columbus) for much of the season, Alt had 7 assists and was plus-18 with 20 penalty minutes in 39 games. Minnesota’s season came to a disappointing ending with a loss to Colorado College in the WCHA semifinals and an overtime loss to eventual national champion Yale in the NCAA West Regional.
2013-14: Alt skated for Flyers’ AHL affiliate Adirondack in his first pro season. One of three Phantoms defensemen with 25 points or more, he scored 4 goals with 22 assists in 75 games and was minus-16 with 31 penalty minutes. Adirondack missed the playoffs; finishing fourth in the Northeast Division.
2014-15: Alt made his NHL debut on March 28th in a game against the San Jose Sharks, spending most his second pro season with Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. He was -1 with no points nor penalties in 9:25 minutes of ice time in his only game with Philadelphia. An early season shoulder injury kept him out of the Phantoms’ lineup for most of November and he was injured again in December, missing more time. He played 44 games with Lehigh Valley, finishing -15 with 2 goals, 8 assists and 18 penalty minutes. The Phantoms missed the AHL playoffs, finishing fourth in the East Division.
2015-16: Alt skated in 72 of 76 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in his third pro season. He scored 4 goals with 15 assists and was +11 with 46 penalty minutes. The Phantoms finished seventh in the Atlantic Division, missing the AHL playoffs.
Talent Analysis
Alt was a two-sport star in high school, as he led Cretin-Derham to a state title as a football quarterback. The son of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jon Alt, he was entertaining offers to play football in college until he committed to playing hockey at the University of Minnesota. Like his father, Alt is a tall man, but despite his height is a fluid skater with good speed and agility. He is still developing in terms of tactical play and positioning but is a strong two-way player.
Future
Alt had a bounce back season for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2015-16, skating in 72 games after missing significant time the previous year and finishing +11, the best mark of his three-year pro career. At the end of his original entry-level contract, he would become an unrestricted free agent if not tendered a qualifying offer by the Flyers. With high profile prospects Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim expected to begin their pro careers the defense picture in the Philadelphia organization could be a crowded one. Alt's play with the Phantoms suggests he could have some potential in a lower line role — though possibly with another club.Christy Mathewson was one of the first baseball victims of total war. When America joined the Great War, the sport deployed its athletes to the cause, with hundreds of players donning the uniform and serving the country, albeit mere weeks before the armistice. Mathewson, at this point 38 and managing the Cincinnati Reds, was among them; after battling influenza during the sea voyage, he was assigned to the Chemical Warfare Service and tasked with instructing American recruits how to survive that horror of the infantry, mustard gas.
The “Use of Projectiles with the Sole Object to Spread Asphyxiating Poisonous Gases” was outlawed by the Hague Convention of 1899, one of the earliest organized attempts to limit the increasingly destructive effects of warfare. It was signed by all major parties, except (somewhat prophetically, given the fate of the League of Nations) the United States. The convention covered the gamut, providing guidelines on the war on citizens through naval blockades to the grisly possibility of bombs dropped by hot air balloons. A second convention was held in 1906 to update some of its tenets, including a strengthening of those balloon prohibitions. After the terrors of nationalism brought by Napoleon, and the bloodbaths of the American Civil War, these conventions were considered the only salvation of the growing threat of total war.
They failed. The Germans employed tear gas as early as 1914, in scarcely noticeable portions, and the French and English responded in turn. Soon, both sides were producing chlorine gas and employing it with impunity. British Lieutenant General Ferguson summarized the feelings of guiltlessness in what was officially a criminal act, by saying:
It is a cowardly form of warfare which does not commend itself to me or other English soldiers … We cannot win this war unless we kill or incapacitate more of our enemies than they do of us, and if this can only be done by our copying the enemy in his choice of weapons, we must not refuse to do so.”
In other words, once war had begun, all the rules were useless; it must be won at all costs.
It was into this miasma that the American soldiers were thrust, and Mathewson, too valuable for the front line, was one of the men tasked with teaching soldiers how to deal with it. As Philip Seib relates in his biography, The Player, his role was both useless and disastrous. The soldiers were trained in two-day courses on the use of detecting gas and using respirators, with drills that used real gas. The instructors, barking instructions to their young charges, were always the last to put on their masks. Mathewson performed countless numbers of these drills, including one botched exercise where the signal was never given and, according to Ty Cobb, some of the soldiers were killed. Mathewson told him: “I got a good dose of the stuff. I feel terrible.”
Mustard gas is a languorous thing. Mathewson toured France before returning to the States and attempting to rebuild his life. But his lungs were razed by influenza and gas, and tuberculosis occupied the void. He died at the age of 45.
…
As long as there have been wars, there have been philosophers trying to stop them. Diplomats confronted the state of war directly, in their time; historians recorded the horrors of wars past, providing perspective. There have also been political philosophers, men like Cicero, Locke and Walzer, whose appeal is not that war is always evil, but that it is often unjust. Their developing idea was that some wars were more justified and more morally acceptable than others, and it was the duty of politicians and generals to steer toward a moral, just method of declaring and fighting each other. They divided the philosophy into two halves: jus ad bello, the morality of going to war, and jus in bello, the morality of conduct within war. The former concerns itself with when a country can bear arms against another, or intervene military during an internal conflict; the latter, about when you can shoot that nation’s civilians while sorting it out.
As long as there have been just war theorists, or perhaps before, there were also the men who scoffed at such talk. Realists, as we categorize them, believe that there is only one truth to war: that it is, as Sherman so succinctly put it, hell. Once the war starts, there are no rules, no manners. It’s kill or be killed, by any means necessary. Burn the villages, if it denies your enemy an advantage. Bomb the cities. Winning is the only thing that matters, and anyone who holds anything back is a coward or a fool.
The trouble with this gritty, cynical outlook is that if war really were an extension of politics by other means, we would constantly be sliding into it. (Insert your smirking about contemporary American foreign policy here.) Every skirmish would escalate; every political divide down to the scheduling of the neighborhood summer bake sale would come to blows. And yet history has proven that this isn’t the case; World War 3 never happened, and nations divide and combine peacefully sometimes, if not often enough. People throughout history have shown the capability, if not the habit, of fighting with conscience.
Baseball is an example of this self-regulation. The game has had its epidemics: umpire abuse in the early decades, gambling in the early 1900s, the rise of beanballs in the 1950s and 1960s. In each case, the danger that seemed to threaten the game found its own natural cure. Its players sought ways to moderate their behavior for the long-term interests of the game and their livelihood. Over time, passed down by word of mouth like classes of elementary school kids, baseball built a code of conduct bigger or at least as big as winning and losing. In youth leagues they call it sportsmanship; in the bigs, they get addressed by that nebulous concept called the “unwritten rules.”
…
Like all sports, baseball is defined by its rules, and creates most of its attraction through them. Not its particular rules, which are often considered arcane or ridiculous, Rule 7.13 being this year’s favorite. It’s the fact that there are rules at all, that in our fractured culture we have an event where the results are relatively indisputable. We all witness the same wins and losses, bathe in the same Yoenis Cespedes throw, track the same Aroldis Chapman fastball. But without the material and arbitrary boundaries of baseball, these actions have little meaning or perspective.
The Streaks: Drysdale and Hershiser in Parallel by Shane Tourtellotte Two consecutive scoreless innings pitched streaks bound two hurlers together in history.
Everyone loves Calvinball because no one has ever watched it being played. The first time would probably be enjoyable, might even ascend (if conducted capably) to an art form under the guise of improv. But it could hardly survive a 162-game season, in stadium or off-Broadway.
The march of baseball has been toward the increased specificity of rules, as technology and innovation have permitted. Where sports often fail is in their blurriness: when the results of a play can be contested by both sides (and their fans) as having happened differently. Relativism is a deadly threat to the reputation of any sport, and though all our advances have shaved it away, they never seem to disappear completely. The improvement of slow-motion replay created a minor controversy when we looked into the microscope and found, that like atomic weight, there was no such thing as a real catch, just a ball wobbling around in a leather glove. Baseball has surprisingly been fluid in its reconsideration of the rules, especially this year, in an attempt to maintain the validity of its rules with the players and the fans. In short, the rulebook of baseball has generally been a wild success.
It’s the restrictions that define baseball, as with all sports, and those who control the rules, the way the game must be played, control the game itself. Jus ad bello is left to the schedule makers, and does not need to be considered (except perhaps in a debate over the unbalanced schedule). But jus in bello is a source of eternal struggle: the battle over how battle is made. It’s difficult to regulate this aspect of conduct with rules alone.
…
On August 14, 2001, while the Mariners were at the height of their baseball powers, the mild-mannered Jamie Moyer was pitted against the less mild-mannered Red Sox outfielder, Carl Everett. The two began sparring early, when Moyer complained to the umpire about Everett’s well-worn habit of wearing down the chalk of the batter’s box. Moyer tried to brush him back and instead plunked him with an 83 mile per hour fastball. In the fifth, Everett responded by hitting a home run off Moyer, and upon reaching the plate, he grabbed his crotch and spit toward the mound. It was not a shining moment for the game.
The rulebook contains nothing about the handling of one’s genitalia on the field of play, nor the flipping of bats or the vast majority of conduct that goes into a baseball player. Still, most people would recognize that copious lewd gestures and unprintable language might damage its station as the National Pastime. The rules mention sportsmanship four times; three of them relate to dangerous collisions or contact (a runner interfering with a fielder making a play, sliding out of the baseline to cleat an infielder, and a pitcher intentionally throwing at a batter). The final, an umbrella for all the rest, gives the umpire carte blanche to eject anyone for conduct deemed detrimental toward the game. Instead, they generally employ it to eject anyone for conduct deemed detrimental toward umpires.
Baseball has various methods for modifying behavior. The commissioner dictates this with fines, as he did with Carl Everett. The umpires control it with their power of ejection. Teams and their managers exude philosophies and train their employees to a certain type of behavior. And the players have their own laws that dictate conduct, enforced by their own system of judgment and sentencing.
…
One of the interesting aspects of the unwritten rules is how often they get written about. Multiple books have been devoted to the subject, not to speak of hundreds of newspaper and internet articles. The lore of this code of ethics, and its M.C. Escher-like foundations, fascinates the baseball fan.
One common refrain heard is that the unwritten rules should just be, you know, written. Make them clear to everyone. (Who would do this is left to the imagination; I enjoy the image of a congress of athletes selecting their own Thomas Jefferson and handing him a quill. Brandon McCarthy, perhaps?) But they never will be written down, because transcribing anything contains its power. When Dallas Braden invoked the unwritten rules to castigate Alex Rodriguez for jogging across the mound, many other players noted that they’d never heard of this rule before. They hadn’t, because it didn’t exist; Braden was creating it on the spot. It’s because the rules are so cloudy and amorphous that he was able to cite them, as if in a forgotten paragraph, like the commerce clause.
Many of the rules are arcane and unnecessary, and often generally harmless. A whole subset belongs to the category of inspiring a sense of teamwork in what is, compared to other team sports, a series of largely individual achievements. (“Everybody joins a fight” is my favorite maxim; while most people witnessing a fight look for action, my instinct is to hunt for the half-hearted bear-holds in the periphery.) The silliest often pertain to a man or a team’s sense of honor, such as earlier this season when Bo Porter felt disgraced by the Athletics bunting against the shift.
We read about this outdated sense of honor and generally, we laugh. The democratic process of evolving the unwritten rules generally involves sniping and complaining through the media, a difficult task to carry out with nobility. The younger generation in particular delights at the spontaneous joy of the bat flip and the pride of the slow home run trot, and grow infuriated when the grizzled old manager arranges a brushback in the next plate appearance. But there’s a purposeful, if nebulous and often wrongheaded, reason for all this posturing: a battle for control over how baseball presents itself. If rules shape baseball, the unwritten rules are the attempt by the players to fight for their game as their own.
…
The general comparison of sports to warfare is a tiresome and troublesome thing, a blurry romanticism of false ideals, and this article will do nothing to help this. But the conduct of warfare, its rules, have been presented as a parallel to athletics since Homer threw that chariot race in at the end of the Iliad. Both require competition, duress, a victor and a loser; only one seems to allow, and even occasionally expect, fair play.
One reason for this, and a reason why the rules of war were seemingly easier to follow in centuries past, is the development of power. The idea of “all costs” warfare didn’t exist because war didn’t require all costs; rarely was the sovereignty of a nation threatened. When Alexander threw his flags over the known world, they were pulled down almost immediately, because the logistics of actively destroying and replacing the sovereignty of a people was impossible. (It still isn’t easy today.) Nations were conquered often enough, but they generally continued on as old, with perhaps a stiffer tax rate and some forced parade attendance.
Napoleon, Hitler, and nuclear weaponry changed all this, allowing nations and people to each be obliterated permanently through warfare. Unless relegation catches on, baseball is immune to this threat. One could argue that a truly terrible performance can eventually salt the earth and lead to their forced relocation, as was the case for the Spiders and Pilots. But without that specter of dissolution, baseball players are never forced to the brink; at worst they’re thrown into the reparations of rebuilding. At the end of a bad loss, the victims pick themselves up off the (battle)field and get ready to fight again.
In a sense, the best parallel for the modern athlete is the ancient mercenary. At first glance that looks like an ugly comparison, given the modern private armies and their lawless, often immoral corporate soldiers of fortune. But in the days before nationalism, basically all soldiers were paid professionals, whether they were land-owning knights with their personal retinues fighting for their benefactor, or Swiss pikemen putting themselves on the open market. The key is that our soldier-athletes are consenting to their participation, and are free to make or cease making war on their own terms, based on their contracts.
These mercenaries, like baseball players, had incentive to see their team win; with victory came greater glory and, of course, greater spoils. But they also had their own interests at stake, and so they developed warrior or honor codes to conduct and protect themselves. Much like the unwritten rules, these focus on the importance of camaraderie and respect, courage and loyalty. So much of the code revolves around eliminating the freeloading aspect of the collective action problem that comes with any example of teamwork: essentially, making sure that the guy next to you is doing his or her job so that you can be free to worry about your own. In baseball, it’s about sticking up for your own guy, which leads to those bench-clearing brawls with 100% turnout, and the obvious retaliations that are as much about being obvious as they are about being retaliations.
But a more subtle aspect of the warrior code relates to one’s enemies, rather than one’s colleagues. “Treat the enemy with respect” is a tenet which, in some form or another, shows up in many of these doctrines. This is more than just an effort to instill a sense of honor in the troops. It’s designed with the knowledge that the guys on the other line are pretty much identical, except for the color of their laundry. And if you do something backhanded, or if you go a little too cutthroat…well, they’re likely to do it back to you next time. Mercenary codes ensured that a defeated army, their political value destroyed, were allowed to flee the battlefield, since they were about to become free agents anyway after the war.
In baseball, the nation-state owners have always insisted on preventing camaraderie between opposing players, partially for the business of creating a sense of competition on the field, and partially for a sense of preventing it with the union off the field. A hundred years ago, this distrust of collusion was a wise counterattack against potential fixes, but Curt Flood and Marvin Miller largely lifted this economic incentive off the players, with Pete Rose being the one notable exception.
Baseball’s warrior code is far from perfect, or even good. As with soldiers, it’s often used as a form of coercion by one group of players against another, typically veterans against rookies, in direct contrast their theoretical spirit of cohesion and camaraderie. Nowhere is this more true than with the beanball, baseball’s version of mutually assured destruction, and the treatment that is often given to players who refuse to endanger the health of others. Once the unwritten rules cross over into intentional physical harm, we tread beyond the boundary of sport into something real and disturbing. As Dirk Hayhurst writes:
This kind of thinking illustrates a point you see again and again int he unwritten code – that baseball, and the way you behave while playing it, is more important than the laws we ask society to abide by. How else can you rationalize breaking someone’s wrist, hand, or skull with a beanball as an acceptable form of punishment?
The unwritten rules cannot exist alone, or even supreme; if they did, baseball would burn itself out in its pride. It is a check against limitless warfare, but it must be balanced against in turn.
…
We want to think of the baseball game in its simplest form, the one we first approached as children: one in which the guys in the red shirts are fighting the ones in blue. But each baseball player is in conflict with various sources at all times: with the opponent, with his bargain-seeking owner, trying to leverage his usage with an eye toward arbitration; to the manager who knows he’ll be gone next year, wringing the value out of his arm or knees; to the twenty-two year old who plays the same position and whose grounders always seem to find their way into the hole. It’s a happy coincidence for baseball that during the game itself, most of these forms of interest focus on the singular task of scoring runs. But the way in which they’re scored, and the sacrifices they require, demand different costs at different times.
Bunting with a five-run lead seems like a harmless, trivial thing. But expending maximum effort at all times, winning for the team at all costs, grows into a greater demand each of a 162 times a year. Cleating a second baseman in June, with its necessary repercussions, becomes the type of warfare that Carl von Clausewitz, history’s favorite realist, envisioned: a series of endless revenges and preemptive injuries. Currently our society treats sports as though there is a code of conduct that applies to youth sports and another to professional, and the latter is bleeding into the former. If winning becomes the only thing, the only possible outcome is inexorable escalation, of harder play and higher spikes, ignored concussions and broken bones, a return to John McGraw baseball.
It isn’t good for the players, and it isn’t good for the game. At no time has it been more clear that a sport of violence and aggression, of militarism and hate, is not the direction baseball should follow. Total war must, at all costs, be avoided. There is a middle ground between lawlessness and fascism, of an activity without winning and an activity where there is nothing except winning. The unwritten rules, imperfect and wrongheaded as they often are, seek a third outcome: of an honor in the fighting. It’s not sportsmanship in itself, but there’s something noble in its moderation.
References & ResourcesIt may well be a myth that Eskimos have 40 words for snow, but I can vouch for the fact that the old Sussex dialect in the U.K. had at least 31 words for the local meteorological effect that most directly affects the people there. The one you might be familiar with is MUD. Of course nowadays most people only have a passing relationship with the glorious stuff, while walking across the village green, say, or driving their 4x4 across a farmers wheat field. The resulting conversation is likely to be limited to something like "just look at all that mud".
Ah! but our wise forebears lived with the stuff, spent their days up to their knees in it, perhaps even fed on it a bit more than we. They really knew their mud. Even the beauty of local girls was ascribed to the amazing qualities of Sussex mud. Everyone knew that Sussex girls had the longest legs because they had to pull them out of the mud at each step. Tarmac has a lot to answer for.
The proud owner of a state of the art 4x4 returning home from a carve up of the local farmers land would have immense riches at his disposal when it came to describe his adventure. No "look at the mud" for him, you could expect something more like:
"I slubbered a bit, crossing the pug to get to my vehicle, and once inside I couldn't help but get the carpet all spanneled and grabby with slob. Anyways I drove up the smeery track looking for some good clodgy going, a few miles up the track I spun on some slab right into the field, you know where the stoached stodge is all paunched and the beasts have poached it. What a great time I had getting the car all slommocky with slabby gubber. The ike got really slobby down towards the slough at the bottom. Stoachy! It was more like slubby gawm, everything gromed and slubbed-up till the thing was gormed up completely. I had to get out and dig, but me shovel got cledgy in the stoach. So here I am, I had to walk back through the sleech and slurry down by the stuggy swank. And to prove it I've stabbled the whole house with stug slub".
The nimble witted amongst you will of course have noticed that'stug slub' is a contradiction in terms, but what do you expect from someone driving a 4x4 50 years before they were invented?
Glossary
cledgy - earth sticking to the spade when digging is cledgy. clodgy - muddy and wet like a field path after heavy rain. gawm (gorm garm) - especially sticky foul smelling mud. gormed up - stuck seized with mud. gubber - black anaerobic mud of rotting organic matter. grabby - grimy, filthy with mud. grom - to make dirty or muddy. ike (hike) - a mess or area of mud. paunch - to break up fairly coherent mud "those cows they do paunch about the mud so". poach - to tread the muddy ground into holes as do cattle. pug - a kind of loam - particularly the sticky yellow Wealden clay. slab - thickest mud. slabby - sticky, slippery, greasy, dirty mud. sleech - mud or river sediment used for manure - especially from the River Rother. slob - thick mud. slobby - a sate of muddiness where it is difficult to extricate the boot at each step "the way here was very wearisome through dirt and slobbiness". slough (slogh) - a muddy hole. slub - thick mud - used as slush is elsewhere. slubby - dirty with stiff and extremely tenacious mud. slub-up - to make stiff with mud, he come ome all of a slub. slubber - to slip in mud. slurry - diluted mud distinct from slub, saturated with so much water that it cannot drain, churned up into a cream or paste with water. slommocky - made dirty with mud. smeery - wet and sticky surface mud, not clodgy or slobby. spannel - to make dirty with mud as would a spaniel on a floor. stabble - to walk thick mud into the house. stoach - to trample ground, like cattle, also the silty mud at Rye Harbour. stoachy - dirty, mildly muddy. stoached -an entry to a field in bad weather is stoached (and poached). stodge - thick puddingy mud. stug - watery mud. stuggy - filled with watery mud. swank - a bog.Sorry that I haven't been updating very often. This semester was incredibly taxing, and I've finally managed to sit down and write some more. I'll be updating as soon as possible now, especially since finals are almost over.
Thank you all so much for your patience. It's greatly appreciated
Elsa hands Anna a mug of tea as Anna helps Olaf with some homework at the dining room table. Snow is falling outside, December now making its presence known. Elsa sits beside Olaf and watches them work, liking that Anna only leads him to figuring out the answer, never giving it to him. Elsa occasionally helps out to give Anna a small pause so she can sip her Earl Grey, which has become their common tea to share whenever Anna comes over.
Since the holidays are right around the corner, Elsa has really gotten into the spirit of the season. In the front room, there's a lovely Christmas tree that's decorated to the nines. When Anna had seen it that evening, she had stared at it in awe. Even the house is beautifully decorated, incorporating everything from tinsel along the mantle to a bundle mistletoe hanging from the beam between the living room and foyer. Elsa had winked at her when she noticed that Anna spotted it. Anna has plans to kiss Elsa under it later.
As Olaf works out a math problem on his own, Elsa takes a look at the clock. It's nearly six, which means it's almost time for her an Olaf to get ready. She looks to Anna, who is watching Olaf write with careful eyes, her own mind working the problem out in her head.
"Anna," Elsa snaps Anna out of her concentration.
Anna looks up. "Yes?"
"Tonight Olaf and I are going to the Holiday in the Park. Would you like to join us? It's technically dinner tonight so I'm buying," Elsa says, affectionately rubbing the back of Olaf's head.
"What's Holiday in the Park?" Anna asks.
"They block off Lett Drive and have food trucks, fundraisers for the high schools' sports teams, live entertainment, and all the shops are open."
"It's really fun!" Olaf adds.
"Uh... I dunno," Anna seems apprehensive.
"Hey, if anyone from the school sees us, we'll just say we ran into each other and decided to hang out. Punz and I hang out all the time, and she has mom friends from the school, too, so it's not such a big deal." Elsa smiles. "Besides, people are usually so invested in the event that they don't care too much about what others are doing."
"So there's no actual park involved?" Anna jokes, managing a smile.
"Not really, no. They just call it that for whatever reason. But we can go to a park and have a snowball fight after dinner," Elsa offers.
Olaf perks up. "Yeah!"
"Alright, that does sound fun," Anna admits. "I'll go with you."
"Does that mean I can stop doing my homework?" Olaf asks hopefully.
Elsa laughs and ruffles his hair. "No. Finish your homework and then we can go."
Olaf pouts but turns back to his math homework. Anna giggles, patting his shoulder as she stands to follow Elsa into the kitchen. As she sips her tea, she looks at the Christmas cards on Elsa's fridge. Anna's own fridge is also covered in cards, though it's less than |
hours. He died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, after a collision with a pickup truck in the Grand Rapids area.
DAVISON TWP, MI -- Burton police and firefighters stood watch from an overpass and Davison-area first responders gathered outside Allen Funeral Home Thursday afternoon as Michigan State Police Trooper Timothy O'Neill was brought home.
The 28-year-old Lapeer East High School graduate died Wednesday, Sept. 20, after the motorcycle he was driving while on duty collided with a pickup truck at Wolverine Boulevard NE and Belding Road in the Grand Rapids area.
Funeral arrangements are pending at this time at Allen Funeral Home.
A Metamora native, O'Neill enlisted with the Michigan State Police in January 2014 and was part of the 126th Trooper Recruit School graduation class.
He served at the state police's Rockford Post for the entirety of his career.
State police trooper dies of injuries in motorcycle crash The trooper was assigned to the Rockford post.
"I ask that you please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers in the difficult days ahead," said Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, director of the MSP, in a news release.
Mary O'Neill, Timothy's grandmother told an MLive-Grand Rapids Press reporter her grandson was "a great kid, a straight shooter and never in trouble."
Lapeer Community School posted a Facebook message Thursday morning stating "Our hearts are broken for the family and friends of MSP Trooper Timothy O'Neill." Additionally, they called him "a friend to many in our community."
"Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as they remember his life and honor his public service," reads the message.
O'Neill was set to be married Oct. 7, according to the Michigan State Police.
"We're all having a hard time dealing with it," his grandmother Mary O'Neill said. "We are a very close family."
Timothy O'Neill is survived his parents, brother, sister, and fiancee.For Democrats, many questions remain on what went wrong during the past election. One certainty is that millennials overwhelmingly voted for Democrats up and down the ticket.
The fact is, millennials are the most diverse generation in American history, yet they are starting to abandon the Democratic party, and not by their own choosing.
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Sarah Audelo, former Director for Millennial Votes on the Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE campaign, put it best. “For four years, the DNC has no line item budget for College Dems, and less than a full-time staff person dedicated to supporting these students. The College Republicans spent over $6 million in 2016.”
If Democrats want to secure more victories, it’s imperative they pump more money into millennial outreach, internship programs and education. The clearest example of how both parties view millennials differently is that the RNC offers a paid summer internship program called the Eisenhower Program, while the DNC does not.
Last month, the DNC chair candidates were hosted at a forum by Democracy in Color, Inclusv and we are mitú at George Washington University. It was a tight-knit space where dozens of college students and recent college graduates, like myself, had the opportunity to hear from the candidates.
Listening to the candidates’ platforms and hearing about the aspirations they have for the DNC was a great opportunity, but questions remained unanswered.
Out of curiousity, I explored each of the candidate’s websites to get a better understanding of their platforms and views on investing in millennial growth. Some had more expansive visions of millennial engagement, however, none of the candidates highlighted methods to develop a paid internship program.
Following this realization, Pay Our Interns (POI), an organization that advocates for paid internships, reached out to the candidates explaining the need for paid internships, and how it affects lower income students. Since initial outreach and going back and forth with several of the campaigns, we can proudly say Jehmu Greene, Tom Perez, Keith Ellison and Pete Buttigieg have all committed to creating a paid internship program at the DNC.
Some detractors might say this move is unnecessary and that interns are being paid with “experience”. Sadly, experiences do not pay the bills and especially not when the average cost of an internship is $6,000. That pricey number, coupled with the abundance of unpaid internships, is the reason that thousands of talented and diverse youth from across the country are being shut out from the intern to staffer pipeline here in DC.
Another argument that has kept the status-quo at the DNC is the belief that there simply isn’t enough resources to go around. There never seems to be money to pay a full-time intern who’s a pell-grant recipient but there is always money to pay for lavish fundraisers in San Francisco and to spend millions of dollars in ad buys that aren’t needed. If Republicans can spend millions on Millennials why can’t the Democrats do the same? If Democrats want to stand by their ideals of leveling the playing field then they can start by paying their interns.
No matter the dedication from the elected DNC chair, we need to ensure the entire party is on board to create a lasting paid internship program. At a time when Democrats are relying on Millennials to win elections and run for office, taking them for granted is no longer an option.
Carlos Mark Vera is the founder of Pay Our Interns and previously interned for free in Congress, the European Parliament and the White House. He can be reached at carlos@payourinterns.com or on twitter @carlosangeles25
The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.Before the advent of recording media, a piece of music could be quite long without its duration meriting much notice, but when the mechanical limitations of the 7” 45rpm single codified the length of a song at about 3 1/2 minutes, the pop-listening western world really adapted its musical mindset to that standard, to the point where even a massive hit like “Hey Jude” drew anxious notice from radio for being 7 minutes long. And now there’s QuickHitz (“Twice the music, all the time”), a radio format that cuts off every song at the two-minute mark, which, if it catches on in a big way—and face it, have stranger things not caught on?—will surely result in loads of pop singles being produced at under two-minute lengths.
The Residents are prophetic yet again.
But in avant-garde classical and artrock circles, songs that seem crazy long by pop radio standards are a perfectly normal part of the listening experience. After all, what impact would Oneida’s infamous 14-minute, one note song “Sheets of Easter” have had if it were three minutes long? How about Television’s “Marquee Moon?” King Crimson’s “Starless?” Flaming Lips’ 24-hour song “7 Skies H3?” And those examples are all well within the rock idiom—I haven’t even broached the New Age, noise, and ambient genres. So many of us have been acculturated to think of long pieces of music as “pretentious” or “indulgent,” products of anti-populist ivory tower navel gazers who are hostile to average listeners. Well you know what? Fuck your shitty attention span.
The Fayetteville, AR composer Cheesy Nirvosa has been making glitchy, drony compositions since the mid-oughts, and under the name “crysknife007,” he’s established a YouTube channel to disseminate conceptual pieces of lengths that could fairly be seen as downright punitive to many listeners. These are often the sorts of things that, in a LaMonte Youngish kinda way, can be more interesting to talk about than actually listen to, especially since many of these works are 12 hours in duration. “12 Hours of Pi Being Dialed on a Rotary Phone.” “Yoda Laughs for 12 Hours.” “PSY Says HANGOVER for 12 Hours.” “6 Tone Car Alarm for 12 Hours.” (I recommend city dwellers skip that last one, it’s waaaaaaaay too much like ordinary life.)
But while a few of these ideas come off as overly winking and even mildly irritating noise-artist stunts, some of them are absolutely lovely—specifically, pieces made from looped ambient sounds culled from science fiction movies. The general thrum of Ridley Scott’s dystopian future Los Angeles filtered through Rick Deckard’s apartment windows in Blade Runner? That absolutely holds up as drone music, as does the TARDIS sound effect from Doctor Who and various spaceship engine sounds from the Alien and Star Wars franchises. I endorse playing more than one of these at once, remixing them yourselves in your browser with the pause and volume controls, whatever. Knock yourself out. Maybe even, I dunno, listen to one of ‘em for 12 hours.
Previously on Dangerous Minds
Lou Reed and Brian Eno together at last: it’s ‘Metal Machine Music for Airports’
Heavy meta: Scott Walker teams up with Sunn O))) to form Scott O)))The First “Home Pod”: Keecker Robot
http://wallstreetdaily-1.wistia.com/medias/quz1my628p?embedType=seo&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=530
Forget your iPhone, iPad, and other everyday gadgets… technology has reached a new level.
Meet Keecker Robot, the first “Home Pod” – an all-encompassing computer and home entertainment device that moves with a user from room to room.
It’s the creation of Pierre Lebeau, a former product manager at Google (GOOG), who became weary of the limitations of fixed screens and sound systems when watching movies and surfing the web.
So he designed the Keecker Robot to make home life more convenient.
The mini-bot comes loaded with an array of systems – such as a high-resolution projector, 360-degree surround sound speakers, and panoramic fish eye camera.
As Lebeau says, it’s “something that can move and go to any room to give me a kind of TV-like experience anywhere I want without the cables and the complexity.”
It also allows owners to keep tabs on their homes while on vacation.
And thanks to its cameras and sensors, it can navigate from room to room without bumping into furniture.
Stairs are more challenging! But it’s not too shabby for a home-inspired computer.
Lebeau says, “We’d like to call it a ‘home pod,’ which is like an iPod, but instead of the ‘i’ version, it’s the home version, so the home pod is like the first computer designed with the house in mind – for a collective use, as opposed to a personal computer. This is a kind of collective computer.”
The system will only operate wirelessly via Android or iOS apps.
The Keecker will hit the market sometime next year and will cost around $5,000.
If only it could cook and clean, it definitely would have landed a premier role in The Jetsons.
Ahead of the tape,
Tech Research TeamEgyptians shout slogans against President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi during a recent protest in Cairo over the decision to hand over control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. (Amr Nabil/AP)
In Egypt, April 25 is Sinai Liberation Day, a holiday marking Israel’s 1982 withdrawal from the territory, which it occupied after the 1967 war. Usually, this day is a source of national celebration, but this year it was marred by tension, with security forces on high alert and citizens warned against participating in demonstrations.
The source of regime concern proceeded from what had been expected to be both a high-profile and successful five-day visit to Egypt earlier this month by Saudi King Salman. However, during the visit, the Saudi monarch and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi signed not only economic agreements but also a provision to “return” Tiran and Sanafir, two islands at the mouth of the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba, to Saudi control. In Egypt, the opposition was immediate, vocal and, perhaps most importantly, high-profile. Social media and traditional media alike were full of outrage at this territorial concession.
The agreements – worth about $25 billion – come at a time of widespread economic dissatisfaction in Egypt. Indeed, scholars and other analysts agree that the country is fast approaching economic collapse. The Egyptian pound (LE), long pegged to the dollar, traded at 7.83 LE to a dollar in February. A month later, when allowed to float briefly to offset the black market value, the currency immediately dropped to 8.95 LE/dollar. Another devaluation may soon be necessary, since its black market value continues to drop.
With each devaluation, prices of everyday goods rise and dissent grows. Salaries of the small middle class — not to mention the tens of millions trapped in poverty — cover fewer and fewer daily needs. The pension system for the bloated 6.5 million-strong state sector is increasingly meaningless as prices rise and the LE drops.
Meanwhile, tourism on the Red Sea beaches has declined since the bombing of a Russian jet in October, and the Nile Valley tourism that focuses on pharaonic Egypt has yet to recover from the 2011 uprisings. Even the military, with its vaunted economic empire, has become just the most recent subsidizer of the Egyptian state rather than profiting from it.
Part of the regime’s formula for distracting the citizenry — the flip side to the growing repression that has characterized the period since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 — has been mega-projects, initiatives intended to appeal to popular patriotism and enhance national pride. Among grand plans Sissi has announced are the construction of a new capital and a million new housing units. The companies of “Military Inc.” widened the Suez Canal at breakneck speed, at a cost of $8 billion. However, most of these projects seem likely to remain either on the drawing board or, as in the case of the highly touted Suez Canal extension, fall far short of the promised revenue projections.
The literature on the rentier state has examined the complex relationship between economic crises and the prospects of instability or reform in rent-dependent authoritarian states. However, as the late Samer Soliman demonstrated in his book “Autumn of Dictatorship,” the Egyptian regime, when on the brink of economic disaster in 1990, managed to avoid significant reform and remain in power thanks to significant debt forgiveness received for participating in international military coalitions against Saddam Hussein. Now, Sissi seems to be banking, literally, on a combination of aid and investment from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to keep Egypt’s economy afloat.
Until now, the post-July 2013 Egyptian military-security regime had been largely successful in repressing dissent, whether through its brutal assault against members, both real and imagined, of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, or through harassment, arrests and worse of laborers, civil society activists and human rights workers. Using a legitimation strategy that wrapped various policy initiatives in hyper-nationalism and portrayed opponents of any sort as traitors, the regime managed to convince large swaths of the population that it was the only force powerful and patriotic enough to defend the country against the remnants of the Brotherhood or the even bloodier insurgents in Sinai claiming affiliation with the Islamic State militant group, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh.
However, Sissi and his advisers failed to appreciate the implications or logical outcome of a legitimation strategy so completely grounded in nationalism when they announced the return of Tiran and Sanafir. The history of the control and sovereignty over the islands is complex, evidenced by the flurry of justifications and stinging critiques that followed. But for the vast majority of average Egyptians, these islands are part of the national territory. School instructors were reportedly flummoxed by the announcement that what they had been teaching from government-approved textbooks for decades was suddenly incorrect and were uncertain how to respond to their students’ questions.
None of this would matter much if the islands had remained solely a source of “academic” controversy. They did not. While popular dissatisfaction is very important, the fact that this opposition was quickly and widely promoted by what had previously been a slavishly sycophantic Egyptian media suggests that a red line has been crossed. With many top political commentators taking the president to task for this agreement, opposition has been legitimized for the first time, opening greater space for dissent by those emboldened by the effective defection from regime ranks of some of its most stalwart supporters.
Why is this case of the islands so provocative? Quite simply, there is nothing more central to the civic identity and national narrative than the borders and geography of the national territory.
The literature on national narrative construction across regions has shown that significant changes in the official story — whether interpretation of historical events, national mission or societal values — are likely to occur only during periods of crisis — political, economic or socio-cultural. However, the research also shows that even in such circumstances, there are limits to which elements in the narrative may be modified (and how) short of a major change in regime.
What happens most often is a kind of re-scripting — a reinterpretation of national symbols or key events, a redefinition of existing orientations to allow for policy innovation. In other words, leaders, political elites and regimes may make concessions on less tangible forms of sovereignty, such as national economic decisions in the form of structural adjustment agreements. Ceding national territorial sovereignty, absent conditions of extreme duress is extremely rare, however — and potentially dangerous.
Such a move is particularly problematic in the Egyptian case. Since the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952, successive governments have made Egyptian control of its national territory a central part of the country’s story and mission. This emphasis on sovereignty over national territory was one of then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s justifications for nationalizing the Suez Canal Co. in July 1956. Then, after the devastating June 1967 war, while Egyptians reeled under the impact of the defeat, Nasser’s driving policy message was to “erase the remnants of the aggression,” meaning restoring Egyptian sovereignty over the Sinai, which Israel occupied as a result of the war. In the same vein, Anwar Sadat sold his controversial peace treaty with Israel in 1979 on the grounds that it would result in Israeli withdrawal from Egyptian territory, a promise that was finally completed on April 25, 1982.
As a result, Sissi — who has repeatedly likened himself to Nasser — cannot both promote a nationalism that has deep roots in the identity cultivated over decades among Egyptians through a range of educational, governmental and media sources and violate one of the most basic pillars of that same patriotic national identity with impunity. Some of the slogans in the numerous protests that have taken place since the announcement of this agreement make clear these bases of the popular rejection of the agreement: “Land is honor” (al-ard ‘ard) and a variation on the January 2011 classic “Bread, freedom, social justice” to (the equally rhyming in Arabic) “Bread, freedom, these islands are Egyptian.”
When Egyptians revolted on Jan. 25, 2011, they chose the Hosni Mubarak-designated National Police Day to launch their protests. Ironically, the issue of the islands, just off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula, is at the core of Sinai Liberation Day protest demands. This is not to suggest that a national insurrection will follow today’s demonstrations — extensive preemptive security measures prevented large, mass gatherings — and there is no question that the deteriorating economy is the greatest challenge to the subsistence of millions of Egyptians. But this episode does underscore how potent the central elements of a national narrative can be in challenging a leadership, opening otherwise closed space for expressing opposition to a repressive regime.
Laurie A. Brand is the Robert Grandford Wright Professor of International Relations and Middle East Studies at the University of Southern California and author most recently of “Official Stories: The Politics of National Narratives in Egypt and Algeria,” (Stanford University Press, 2014). Joshua Stacher is an associate professor of political science at Kent State University and author of “Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria,” (Stanford University Press, 2012).This email has also been verified by Google DKIM 2048-bit RSA key
Re: Next step on ISIS - medium post?
That was a weird ad-lib and we should cut it. On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:10 PM, Lauren Peterson < lpeterson@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: > I edited the title and added the "too dangerous to fly" line. > > Dan - I couldn't tell if this was a typo or just me not understanding, but > can you look at the last sentence in paragraph 4? > > On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:06 PM, Laura Rosenberger < > lrosenberger@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: > >> Great. I do think to dan's question it would also be good to get full >> text of speech posted on the website. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Dec 7, 2015, at 12:04 PM, Teddy Goff <tgoff@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >> >> agree >> >> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:02 PM, Lauren Peterson < >> lpeterson@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >> >>> My two cents would be to just let it stand on its own to get the people >>> who didn't watch the speech or even know that it happened. >>> >>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:02 PM, Dan Schwerin < >>> dschwerin@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I'm fine with adding that line, as she's been saying it pretty >>>> regularly. Would we want to reference that this is adapted from a longer >>>> speech or just let it stand on its own? >>>> >>>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:00 PM, Lauren Peterson < >>>> lpeterson@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> We could get this up on Medium pretty quickly. Do we want to add >>>>> anything about the "if you're too dangerous to fly..." line? Apparently >>>>> that's been getting a lot of traction on social so it might be worth >>>>> squeezing in there if it didn't throw a wrench in everything. >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 11:58 AM, Laura Rosenberger < >>>>> lrosenberger@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> I'm game for whatever folks think will get the most lift but do think >>>>>> we should try to do quickly. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 11:55 AM, Lauren Peterson < >>>>>> lpeterson@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> We could also do on Medium and have Dan or Laura annotate -- you can >>>>>>> create a Medium account super easily and it's connected to your Twitter. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 11:50 AM, Teddy Goff < >>>>>>> tgoff@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> that's a good thought. or we could do on genius and have you, jake, >>>>>>>> or laura annotate (if we think there is contextual information worth >>>>>>>> conveying). >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 11:49 AM, Dan Schwerin < >>>>>>>> dschwerin@hillaryclinton.com> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> What if we pulled out the San Bernardino & ISIS excerpts from >>>>>>>>> yesterday's speech and adapted them into a Medium post? Might be a way to >>>>>>>>> give them more lift than they got. Possible draft attached and below. >>>>>>>>> (Not sure if we should also link to the full speech, or if that >>>>>>>>> even exists anywhere on our website yet or not.) >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Defeat ISIS >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> By Hillary Clinton >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> These past few days, all of us have tried to make sense of yet >>>>>>>>> another senseless terrorist attack. I know that Americans are anxious and >>>>>>>>> fearful, and we have reason to be. The threat is real. The need for >>>>>>>>> action is urgent. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies will continue >>>>>>>>> learning about what led to the massacre in San Bernardino just as French >>>>>>>>> and Belgian authorities are doing so in Paris and Brussels. But this much >>>>>>>>> we do know: The threat from radical jihadism has metastasized and become >>>>>>>>> more complex and challenging. We’re seeing the results of radicalization >>>>>>>>> not just in far-off lands but right here at home fueled by the internet. >>>>>>>>> It’s the nexus of terrorism and technology, and we have a lot of work to do >>>>>>>>> to end it. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> As hard as this is, Americans now have to move from fear to >>>>>>>>> resolve. America has beaten bigger threats before, and we will defeat this >>>>>>>>> one as well. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Resolve means depriving jihadists of virtual territory just as we >>>>>>>>> work to deprive them of actual territory. They are using websites, social >>>>>>>>> media, chat rooms, and other platforms to celebrate beheadings, recruit >>>>>>>>> future terrorists, and call for attacks. We should work with host >>>>>>>>> companies to shut them down. It’s time for an urgent dialogue between the >>>>>>>>> government, and not just our government – government and the high-tech >>>>>>>>> community to confront this problem together. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Resolve means supporting also our first responders, like the >>>>>>>>> officer in San Bernardino who said he would take a bullet for the civilians >>>>>>>>> he was rescuing. We owe them our support and gratitude and whatever help >>>>>>>>> they need. Local law enforcement should get the support, training, and >>>>>>>>> coordination they need in their communities from counterterrorism experts >>>>>>>>> in Washington. It also means taking a close look at safeguards in visa >>>>>>>>> programs and working more effectively with our European allies on >>>>>>>>> intelligence and information sharing. And yes, Congress must act to ensure >>>>>>>>> that no one who is a suspected terrorist can buy guns anywhere in America. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Resolve means going after the threat at its source in Iraq and >>>>>>>>> Syria and beyond. Our goal must not be to deter or contain ISIS; our goal >>>>>>>>> must be to defeat ISIS. And I have put forth a three-prong plan to do that. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> First, deny ISIS territory in Iraq and Syria by leading an >>>>>>>>> intensified air campaign and working with local and regional forces on the >>>>>>>>> ground. Second, dismantle the global infrastructure of terror, the >>>>>>>>> networks that supply radical jihadists with money, weapons, and fighters, >>>>>>>>> and stop them from recruiting and inspiring. And third, toughen our >>>>>>>>> defenses at home and those of our partners against external and homegrown >>>>>>>>> threats. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> An effective fight on the ground against ISIS is essential, but >>>>>>>>> that does not mean deploying tens of thousands of American combat troops. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It does mean stepping up efforts to get more Arabs and Kurdish >>>>>>>>> fighters into the fight against ISIS on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian >>>>>>>>> border, supporting the Iraqi Security Forces while pressuring Baghdad to >>>>>>>>> pursue a more inclusive and effective approach, and immediately deploying >>>>>>>>> the Special Operations Forces that President Obama has already authorized >>>>>>>>> with more to follow as more Syrians get into the fight. We also have to >>>>>>>>> demand that our Arab and Turkish partners carry their share of the burden >>>>>>>>> with military, financial, and diplomatic contributions. We will do our >>>>>>>>> part, but it’s their fight too, and they need to act like it is. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Dealing with the conflict in Syria with respect to Assad is >>>>>>>>> central to this whole effort. We need to continue Secretary Kerry’s >>>>>>>>> efforts to move toward a diplomatic solution to the civil war in Syria that >>>>>>>>> paves the way for new leadership and enables Syrians from every community >>>>>>>>> to take on ISIS. Investing the Russians in this outcome and getting them to >>>>>>>>> step up and do their part will be difficult but essential. And we have to >>>>>>>>> pursue a transition away from Assad and an intensified fight against ISIS >>>>>>>>> simultaneously. We’re not going to get Syrian opposition forces to fight >>>>>>>>> ISIS in earnest without the credible prospect of a transition, and that’s >>>>>>>>> going to take more pressure and leverage. It’s one of the reasons why I >>>>>>>>> have proposed creating a no-fly zone as well as safe havens and more robust >>>>>>>>> support for opposition forces. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> And finally, it’s crucial that we embed our mission to defeat ISIS >>>>>>>>> within a broader struggle against radical jihadism. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Extremist groups like ISIS feed off instability and conflict, and >>>>>>>>> there is no shortage of that in the Middle East today. Decades of >>>>>>>>> repression, poverty, corruption, a lack of pluralism and tolerance turn the >>>>>>>>> region into a powder keg. That’s why we have to keep working with our >>>>>>>>> friends and partners to support economic and political modernization; train >>>>>>>>> effective and accountable local intelligence, law enforcement, and >>>>>>>>> counterterrorism services. And once and for all, the Saudis, the Qataris, >>>>>>>>> the Kuwaitis, and others must stop their citizens from funding extremist >>>>>>>>> organizations and stop supporting radical schools and mosques around the >>>>>>>>> world that have set too many young people on a path toward extremism. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> So across the board, we must act with courage and clarity. And >>>>>>>>> it’s important to remind ourselves that Islam itself is not our adversary. >>>>>>>>> This is not and we should not let it become a clash of civilizations. It >>>>>>>>> is a clash between hate and hope -- and the vast majority of Muslims are on >>>>>>>>> our side of the battle unless we drive them away. We can’t buy into the >>>>>>>>> very narrative that radical jihadists use to recruit new followers or >>>>>>>>> alienate partners we want and need at home and abroad with reckless >>>>>>>>> rhetoric. Declaring war on Islam or demonizing the Muslim American >>>>>>>>> community is not only counter to our values; it plays right into the hands >>>>>>>>> of terrorists. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Muslim Americans are our neighbors, our co-workers, loved ones, >>>>>>>>> friends. Many are working every day all over our country to prevent >>>>>>>>> radicalization. We should be supporting them, not scapegoating them. But, >>>>>>>>> at the same time, none of us can close our eyes to the fact that we do face >>>>>>>>> enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people. We have to >>>>>>>>> stop them and we will. Radical jihadists, like so many adversaries in our >>>>>>>>> history, underestimate the strength of our national character. Americans >>>>>>>>> will not cower or cave, and we will not turn on each other or turn on our >>>>>>>>> principles. We will defeat those who threaten us. We will keep our >>>>>>>>> country safe and strong, free and tolerant. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> ### >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >An Essential Guide to "Weird Al" Yankovic
Published Feb 02, 2016
A topical satirist of "Weird Al" Yankovic's ilk is rare enough, but considering he's been relevant and popular for almost 40 years, he's inarguably also one of music and comedy's greatest superstars.When he saw the Knack's "My Sharona" become a chart-smashing phenomenon in 1979, Yankovic recognized an opportunity to capitalize on the mania. His parody, "My Bologna," became an underground hit, a calling card, and a balm for anyone cynical of mainstream success stories. Yankovic set upon a path, emerging as a subversive musical beacon, absorbing trends in mainstream pop culture, and spewing them back at us, charmingly highlighting the absurdity of it all.From "Beat It" to "Blurred Lines," Yankovic's comedic genius lies in taking the trendiest songs and genres and reflecting them in a funhouse mirror, exposing their demented potential like few before him. With his nerdy, exacting nature, he changed music videos and song parodies forever. Here's an overview of where to begin exploring the weird, weird world of "Weird Al" Yankovic.(1992)A curiously compelling document of the musical sea change that was the early '90s, when bubblegum pop, cheesy rap and hair metal gave way to the rise of subversive, challenging punk and a grittier lo-fi aesthetic across all genres. "Weird Al" taps into the teenage girl hysteria for New Kids On the Block and MC Hammer while saluting Generation X's flannel, freak flag and the angst-y sarcasm it represents via something of a comeback in "Smells Like Nirvana," and its spot-on video parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." If the era's co-existing chart toppers seem absurd in retrospect, it's that much funnier filtered through Off the Deep End.(1988)Written off after the poorly received Polka Party, Yankovic hit back with a vengeance, crafting funny parodies of songs by friends like Michael Jackson and George Harrison, not to mention crafty, hilarious originals like poppy "Melanie," the Beastie Boys pisstake, "Twister," and darkly whimsical "Good Old Days." His gift for perceiving cultural trends, capturing their essence, and mocking the hell out of them shines here and within Even Worse's corresponding videos.(2006)Whether it's the hot raps or eagle-eye lyrics about nerds and their proclivities, "White & Nerdy" is the ultimate, undeniable display of Yankovic's ridiculous artistic range (and the video features a pre-fame Key & Peele). And what of the Pet Sounds-styled paean to the "Pancreas"? The "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" R. Kelly rip is side-splittingly funny, not to mention "Don't Download This Song," a mock "We Are the World" charity song dedicated to the faltering music industry. Just priceless.(2014)Yankovic rolled out his most recent (and possibly final) album like a pop culture-dominating boss, with on-point videos for each of the (by his own admission) somewhat dated song parodies on his first-ever record to debut at number one. He got over the whole "Wasn't this Iggy Azalea song a hit a year ago, though?" thing by taking the basic structures and nuances of tunes by her, Robin Thicke, Pharrell and Lorde, ignoring their original content completely and composing new songs that are actually way more timeless and universal ("Handy," "Word Crimes," "Tacky" and the batshit crazy "Foil") than their sources. It's not an exaggeration to suggest that Yankovic actually improved every song he parodied. He's done this before, but he was particularly pervasive and on the mark beyond a couple of album singles here.(1984)On his second album, Yankovic really laid the foundation for one of the most unlikely artistic trajectories ever. It's the blueprint for virtually every Yankovic record to follow, which contain outright parodies of specific hit singles, a slew of style parodies where another artist's idiosyncratic sound (and not a particular song) is emulated, and the by-now classic medleys, which evoke the hooks of many recognizable classics but in the style of polkas. "Eat It" put Yankovic on the map. Not only did he dare mock Michael Jackson at the peak of his popularity, he adapted a gritty song about violence into one about food. For some reason, Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" inspired a full-scale attack on commercial television and sitcoms like "The Brady Bunch." Confident in his course, Yankovic was edgy and anti-authority here but more than anything, he was simply timelessly funny.After a great deal of success and Grammy nominations for his previous efforts, Yankovic was likely due for a backlash and Polka Party remains his least impactful album to date. Its first single, "Living with a Hernia," a parody of James Brown's unlikely hit "Living in America," didn't even chart and the record essentially came and went rather quickly.This is no particular fault of Yankovic's, as it's executed about as well as any of his previous efforts by the same team that helped him garner so many accolades. If anything, it might simply be the era in question. Yankovic thrives when he can tap into something that has cultural heat and tweak it sharply, but in a way that anyone can relate to. One of the biggest bands in the world at the time, Talking Heads, were still pretty niche when Yankovic recorded the style parody, "Dog Eat Dog," so it didn't appeal to the masses the way re-working Madonna or Michael Jackson did.So, if Polka Party is any indication, Yankovic's crossover parody pickings were slim; aside from Brown, he tackled a forgettable Mick Jagger single, El DeBarge's "Who's Johnny," and spoofed Robert Palmer's omnipresent "Addicted to Love" with another food-based homage, "Addicted to Spuds." Not prime fodder for a hungry satirist and Yankovic struggles to get these jokes to really stick.More than his records and videos, Yankovic's extracurricular comedy work tweaks the self-seriousness of those who trade in the business of being rock stars |
from getting worse, and the speech went ahead as planned. The violence and chaos resumed, however, as soon as the Turkish leader departed.
Erdogan’s speech had been heavily publicized and attracted an overflow crowd, so a last-minute cancellation would have been an embarrassment for both Brookings and the Turkish leader, who had hoped to use this week’s visit to Washington to rebut criticism of his increasingly authoritarian policies back home. Instead, the trip will be clouded by photos and videos of his guards — members of a security system already accused of trying to muzzle journalists and political opponents — literally clashing with reporters and protesters.
In a statement to Foreign Policy, Brookings spokesperson Gail Chalef said Talbott “took up the matter of the Turkish security agents’ behavior toward our guests at the event.”
“Following a stiff exchange between Mr. Talbott and Turkish officials, the security agents complied with our demand to stop their actions,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Turkish embassy didn’t reply to an email seeking comment.
The chaos outside Brookings erupted roughly an hour before Erdogan was scheduled to begin his speech when some of Erdogan’s bodyguards physically removed a Turkish journalist from the building. A Western reporter who tried to film the altercation was shoved and then kicked by a guard.
Matters deteriorated from there, with the Turkish guards grabbing the arms of a female protester and throwing her to the ground while other members of Erdogan’s security detail got into a shoving match with a Brookings employee. A Foreign Policy reporter and others holding cameras outside the event were also scolded by Turkish security and told to stop filming even though they were standing on a public sidewalk. One cameraman was chased across the street by Turkish guards before a police officer stopped the guards from chasing him.
Some of the small group of protesters who had gathered across from Brookings — and were chanting that Erdogan was a “baby killer” — also seemed to be spoiling for a fight. At one point, several of the protesters flipped over their signs so they would function as sticks and started to make their way towards the Turkish guards. Washington police officers blocked traffic and physically separated the two sides.
This is happening outside Brookings pic.twitter.com/dG4QQZ32xd — Yochi Dreazen (@yochidreazen) March 31, 2016
Later, a police officer angrily confronted several Turkish security guards in the middle of the street, telling them, “you’re part of the problem, you guys need to control yourselves and let these people protest.” Another Turkish security official pulled his colleague away after he began arguing with the officer. Other members of Erdogan’s team stood in front of the Brookings building, motioning for the protesters to come closer, and making obscene gestures.
The chaos outside Brookings led several critics to accuse Erdogan of trying to use the same harsh tactics he employed within Turkey against Americans gathered in the heart of the U.S. capitol.
“We have increasingly seen disrespect for basic human rights and press freedom in Turkey,” said Thomas Burr, the president of the National Press Club. “Erdogan doesn’t get to export such abuse.”
During his speech, Erdogan was unapologetic about his treatment of Turkish journalists, dozens of whom have been imprisoned by his regime. The Turkish government also seized control of the country’s largest newspaper recently after accusing it of maintaining overly close ties to a one-time Erdogan ally now charged with attempting to overthrow the government.
Most of the journalists, Erdogan said, had ties to terrorist organizations, though press advocates around the world believe such allegations to be groundless and the Turkish leader offered no evidence to support his sweeping characterization.
After Erdogan left the building, a white van pulled up outside of Brookings and let out a handful of Turkish men who began handing out pro-Erdogan t-shirts that read: “Dear Syrian Refugees You Are Not Alone. You have Erdogan.” The people passing out the shirts, signs, and Turkish flags declined to say who they were or who had paid for the merchandise. When a Foreign Policy reporter asked if they worked for the Turkish government, one of the men flipped his middle finger and threatened a fight.
Photo credit: DREW ANGERER/Getty ImagesA U.S. District Judge ruled that the National Security Agency’s phone-record-collection program is constitutional [PDF]. “The right to be free from searches and seizures is fundamental, but not absolute,” New York’s Judge William Pauley wrote.
This stands in direct contrast to a decision earlier this month declaring the very same program is likely unconstitutional. “We are pleased with the decision,” said Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr.
In essence, Pauley was convinced that countermeasures to investigate terror plots justified mass collection of data.
The government learned from its mistake and adapted to confront a new enemy: a terror network capable of orchestrating attacks across the world. It launched a number of counter-measures, including a bulk telephony metadata collection program — a wide net that could find and isolate gossamer contacts among suspected terrorists in an ocean of seemingly disconnected data.
He went a bit further, arguing that collection from private firms was likely more invasive, yet few consumers care. The government, moreover, has only had isolated instances of abuse.
Every day, people voluntarily surrender personal and seemingly-private information to trans-national corporations, which exploit that data for profit. Few think twice about it, even though it is far more intrusive than bulk telephony metadata collection. There is no evidence that the government has used any of bulk telephony metadata it collected for any purpose other than investigating and disrupting terrorist attacks. While there have been unintentional violations of guidelines, those appear to stem from human error and the incredibly complex computer programs that support this vital tool. And once detected, those violations were self-reported and stopped.
As I’ve noted before, ultimately, these decisions will likely have to be decided by the Supreme Court. Or Congress could decide to end bulk collection sooner.
The short of it is that, practically speaking, this decision won’t mean much, but could provide compelling arguments for the Supreme Court, should it decide on the controversial practice.
Until then, please have a wonderful holiday weekend and feel free to enjoy this joke.
[Image Credit]Author: Ruth Hawk
Last revised: April 19, 2018
Pet ashes to diamonds?
Immortalizing your pet’s beautiful life with a Heart In Diamond will allow you to feel like your best fur friend is with you every day.
Recovering from your dog’s passing can seem unreal. Waking up to realize that your best friend is gone can cause people to go into the seven stages of grief, whether the being passing was human or an animal. Once your pet is gone you are left wondering what to do with your animal’s ashes. You know that you want to honor your fur friend’s wonderful life but burying them in the ground can seem unbearable. Losing a pet can feel like you have lost an important member of your family. Our pets are loyal and playful and bring joy to our everyday lives. It can be difficult to process, but losing a domesticated pet can evoke similar feelings to losing a loved one. Author, Moira Anderson, M.Ed., explains that only recently, however, have researchers come to realize that a pet may also be considered a loved one and a family member, and that its death may evoke similar and often equally intense emotions”.
Many people are now choosing to convert their pet’s ashes to diamonds which allows them to carry their pet with them everywhere they go. The process of converting your furry friend’s ashes to diamonds is much easier than you think. Heart In Diamond uses a precise and scientific method that allows them to develop gem grade diamonds using your pet’s ashes.
Heart In Diamond provides cremation jewelry that allows our pets to live on happily ever after in our hearts and minds.
Upon losing a pet it can be difficult to know what to do with their body. Burying your beloved pet can be a heartbreaking situation as you are physically forced to leave them behind. This can lead to a feeling of guilt for some owners as they can feel like they are abandoning their pet in that spot. However, it can difficult to take all of your loved ones to the same burial site when you want to share the passing of your beloved fur baby. Others choose to cremate their pet but are still left wanting to share the memory of their pet with the people around them. A cremation diamond allows you to take your pet with you on all of your new life adventures so they never have to miss a moment of your life.
People choose different ways to commemorate their pet’s ashes but an increasingly popular trend is to have your animal’s ashes immortalized with cremation jewelry. It doesn’t matter if you owned a pet labrador or a rambunctious rodent, your pet’s ashes can be made into a diamond via the process of memorial cremation jewelry. Many people are surprised when they find out that you can have an exotic pet, such as a rat or rabbit’s ashes turned into a diamond but it’s true. It may not be first choice for some pet owners but love is felt by all pet owners no matter what species their pet belong to. Pet lovers of exotic animals want to remember their pet, as much as a cat and dog owner, and they can do this through memorial jewelry. A piece of memorial jewelry is a great way to keep your pet with you without needing to bury your pet and say good-bye forever.
It doesn’t matter if you are a cat, dog or bird lover! Heart In Diamond has a cremation diamond that will honor your pet’s memory.
Typically, people usually fall into one of two categories: cat or dog lover. Heart In Diamond doesn’t take sides on which is the better pet. We love all pets! Instead, we work hard to preserve the memories of pets who have passed on by creating jewelry that is meant to last a lifetime. Some people argue that cat people are the most dedicated to their pets, from buying them special cat food to having extra stock of their favourite toys stashed away. They also love to joke about how hard a person has to work to make a cat love them. Sadly, after your cat passes away you are left with their cremation ashes as one of the few reminders of your kitty’s ‘purrfect’ life. Cremation diamonds are a great way to celebrate your kitty’s memory and make a great conversation piece to talk about the wonderful times you shared together.
Dogs deserve as much attention as their beloved kitty counterparts. Dogs are energetic, outgoing and share their owner’s enthusiasm for life. Most dog owners will tell you that their best friend was always waiting for them when they got home and was excited to go out and experience the world around them. Memorial jewelry allows you to continue taking your favourite pooch on these adventures by developing a diamond in their honor and is created from a piece of them.
Heart In Diamond makes your choices for memorializing your pet simple and easy.
A gem grade diamond means that the diamond meets the standards of clarity, cut, color and carat. Heart In Diamond produces diamonds that can be created in colors such as white, blue, orange-yellow, yellow-green and red, like those diamonds found and processed during today’s regular mining process. You can almost envision a rainbow of colors, like the rainbow bridge your dearly departed pet will be travelling over, when you think about the options that Heart In Diamond can offer you when deciding the best option for your pet’s final resting place.
You are going through a difficult time when your pet passes, so you need as much support as possible when deciding how to honor their memory. This may be surprising to some people but pet owners understand that the pet care they provided consumed large amounts of their time, making the pet a major part of their life. Here at Heart In Diamond we are passionate about our pets and each of us has either a rescue rascal or a pampered pedigree and we never under estimate that void left when we have to say goodby to our faithful friend.
Heart In Diamond allows pet owners to transform those beautiful memories into everlasting works of art that can be taken anywhere.
Heart In Diamond follows a five step process that takes your pet’s ashes from cremation ashes to an everlasting jewel. You will begin by deciding which diamond best represents the spirit of your beloved pet. Perhaps you owned a horse and are drawn to the yellow-green color that represents the fields and sunshine that they spent their many days in. Perhaps you lost a bird and the color blue speaks to you as it reminds you of the open blue sky that your friend is now enjoying. No matter what color, the Heart In Diamond consultant will be able to work with you to decide on the color that best mirrors your pet’s presence in your life.
The Heart In Diamond consultant will then help you to decide which cut and carat fits the image of how you want to commemorate your pet. Once you have made these decisions you will then decide on the best setting to store the diamond.
A setting can come in the form of a pendant, earrings or ring. Here are few examples as provided by Heart In Diamond.
The next step in the process is to send Heart In Diamond 3.5 oz (? cup) of your pets ashes or.07 oz (½ cup) of fur. You can also combine these two samples and even add a locke of your own hair which will allow you to feel united with your pet. If you don’t have enough sample, Heart In Diamond can combine additional generic carbon to create your stunning memorial piece. Your diamond is inspected, polished by a diamond polisher and the 4C’s ensured so that the diamond is gem grade. Finally, you can relax and wait for your personalized piece to arrive. Depending on the color you choose you can expect to wait anywhere from 70-120 days for your package to arrive.
Another great feature of Heart In Diamond is that their creation process is environmentally friendly. Traditional diamond mining can be hard on the environment and large companies, like De Beers, are engaged in multiple variations of mining both on land and in the sea. Heart In Diamond can provide a colorless gem cut diamond or a rainbow of choices to ensure that your pet’s memory will last forever without impacting the environment. It is important to note that some of the colors that Heart In Diamond does not include are brown, black, pink or purple.
CREATING A PET MEMORIAL
Celebrate the Life of Your Faithful Friend
When a loved one dies, friends and family recognize that there will usually be a considerable amount of grief accompanying the loss. Many people try to bend over backwards to accommodate the bereaved during their grief process. Employers will usually offer paid bereavement time away from work so that the employee can attend a funeral or memorial service to honor their loved one who has passed away. Friends send flowers and bake casseroles to feed the family. However, when a beloved pet passes away, some people tend to overlook the loss that has been suffered and/or minimally acknowledge it.
Following the death of a pet, the bereaved may not be given the opportunity to speak about their pet or their loss. They aren’t treated to the same level of care and concern as with other human losses. They suffer in silence, alone without the support they would have garnered had it been the loss of a human life. As many dedicated pet owners know, the loss of a pet is just as traumatic as any other; however, it is up to them to cope with the grief and manage their pain.
Since they have to cope with their pet’s death on their own, pet owners sometimes create personal memorials to remember their pets in happier times and to help ease their grief. Some make video tributes timed to music to share on social networking sites or their blogs. Others purchase an urn to keep their pet’s ashes on the mantle. Still others may buy a small monument to signify their pet’s burial place in their yard. However, a growing trend that many pet lovers have discovered is a bit more of an elaborate way to celebrate the life of their pet. They are keeping their pet’s memories and essence close to them forever in a memorial diamond.
Created from the ashes of a cremated pet, memorial diamonds capture the essence of a beloved pet. Companies like Heart In Diamond, who is a premier provider of memorial diamonds and cremation jewelry, create beautiful, loose diamonds by combining a unique carbon source (your pet’s hair or ashes) with a diamond seed. In 70-120 days, a genuine diamond will have been grown in a laboratory setting that mirrors the exact conditions of extreme heat and pressure in which natural diamonds are grown deep in the Earth’s core. These man-made diamonds however, are not only eco-friendly, unlike earth mined diamonds, but they are also the most personal diamonds in the world because they forever contain the essence of your pet.
A unique twist to these memorial diamonds is that pet owners can combine their own hair with their pets to symbolize their forever bond. Having lost a pet, owners can now create their own memorial and proudly wear these beautiful gems as a symbol of a transcendent love. Even though they may be grieving without the support of their friends, family, and co-workers, creating one of these diamonds can be a catalyst to help the bereaved move through the stages of grief. At the same time, they are able reflect on the happier moments of their pet’s life as they wear their personal diamond set in a ring, a pendant, or earrings. These cherished memorial diamonds will forever enable pet owners to hold on to the love of their faithful companion and have them with them always.
PET DIAMONDS
One-of-a-kind Diamonds for a One-of-a-kind Bond
Our pets are amazing and loyal animals that form a one-of-a-kind bond with us.
It’s human nature to form bonds with animals that positively transform our lives. Whatever their species, these constant companions are not just pets – they are family. They share our joys during good times and comfort us in times of grief and pain. Through walks in the park or just sitting by the fireside, they help us find the beauty in life’s simple pleasures and show unconditional love.
Now, with a cremation diamond, you can cherish your pet’s life in the most personal way possible. Turning your pet’s hair or ashes into diamonds, Heart In Diamond provides you with a diamond keepsake that is a shining reminder of their unique spirit and personality. Every time you look at your diamond, you will be reminded of the wonderful experiences you shared and your special bond of friendship.
Our pets can save someone from a burning building, be a champion in a race or at a show, or simply provide you with unconditional love that can’t be found anywhere else. Honor your special pet, hero, or champion with a one-of-a-kind Heart In Diamond.
PET MEMORIES
Losing a pet is more than losing an animal; it’s losing your companion, your friend, a part of your family. Whether they were loyal defenders, prize-winning champions, or quiet companions, their presence provided irreplaceable comfort, selfless friendship, and unconditional love.
Remember your companion’s devotion in a cremation diamond. Custom created from your pet ashes or hair, our one-of-a-kind diamonds are a lasting tribute to their devotion.
With your one-of-a-kind Pet Memories diamond, you can smile blissfully as you remember those walks in the park and mischievous pranks, how they comforted you while you were sick, or got mad if you left them for a vacation, their best-in-show achievements, or the quiet moments you spent together simply enjoying each others’ company. Our man made diamonds are a way to forever remember and celebrate the special bond that will always exist between us and our devoted pets.
We make diamonds in a variety of cuts, colors, and sizes. View our diamond options and our jewelry options to find the perfect Heart In Diamond diamond for you.
Our diamonds are guaranteed and certified gems.
Find the comfort that Heart In Diamond has already given to so many grieving pet owners.If you have trouble getting to sleep quickly, whether at night or nap time, try this little mind hack: Imagine your body feeling like it does when you're completely, going-to-pass-out tired.
Zane Claes writes on his Life by Experimentation blog that he's trained himself to fall asleep in 2 minutes or less—down from the typical 15-30 minute range—by using visualization:
What I mean is to engage your mind in thinking about the physical sensation of tiredness. Not falling asleep, not how nice it would be to sleep, not the next day. I mean visualizing the physical sensation of tiredness. Do your eyes droop and your mouth hang open? Do your arms feel heavy and useless? Do you feel like you’re sinking into your bed and falling into darkness? Research has shown that the simple act of smiling can make us feel more happy, visualizing sports events can aid athletes’ performance, and so on. Why not put this power to use? I like to think of a weight pressing evenly across my entire body, as if some unseen hand was “pushing” my consciousness out of me and into the depths of the bed. Think of the phrase “falling asleep:” there’s a reason the verb “falling” is used. We’ve all felt the sensation, and the power of the mind-body connection is such that simply imagining it is enough to help induce it.
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He notes that this technique would likely be easier for those who meditate or use visualization. It's definitely worth a try to avoid the spiral of not being able to sleep then stressing about when you have to wake up, which keeps you up even longer. Alternatively, you could do some math.
Sleep Hack: Fall Asleep in 2 Minutes or Less | Life by Experimentation
Photo by agoode.Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, confirms she’s not playing a young Princess Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Fisher’s 22-year-old daughter is set to have a role in the upcoming Star Wars flick – and for obvious reasons, much of the Internet speculated she would play a young Leia in a flashback sequence. But the Scream Queens actress put those rumors to rest when she sat down with ET’s Cameron Mathison.
“That's a lie. That's a rumor,” said Billie. “I wish I played a young princess.”
WATCH: Oscar Isaac Talks ‘Moving’ Moment at ‘Star Wars Celebration’: ‘I Definitely Got Emotional’
This leaves us with plenty more speculating to do – and while Billie couldn’t say much about her role, she did tell us what she could about the anticipated film.
“I can't talk to you about the character, or the lack of character,” she admitted. “I didn't even say that. That was too much.”
There you have it, folks. No flashback Leia scenes for us!
What kind of character do you think Billie Lourd will play? Let us know in the comments below – or chat with our full-time Star Wars fanatic and part-time Jedi @AshCrossan on Twitter.The wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen broke her silence since her husband’s deadly rampage in June, insisting in her first media interview that she was “unaware” of his plans and that she has been left broken by the tragedy.
Noor Salman, 30, told the New York Times that she has moved three times since the Pulse nightclub massacre to avoid media attention and sometimes finds herself too shattered to get out of bed. But now she wants to speak out to relay a message to the public: “I just want people to know that I am human. I am a mother,” she told the newspaper.
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Salman recounted her abusive relationship with Mateen, whom she met on an Internet dating site in 2011. The two had a 3-year-old son together. The violence she recalled, which included him punching her and threatening her, is similar to the accounts Mateen’s ex-wife Sitora Yusufiy has described.
Still, Salman said she did not know what her husband had planned. “I was unaware of everything,” she said. “I don’t condone what he has done. I am very sorry for what has happened. He has hurt a lot of people. How can someone be capable of that?”
[NYT]
Contact us at editors@time.com.The move is designed to curb the practice of smurfing -- when a high-ranked player creates a new account and jumps into competitive matches against people of vastly lower skill levels.
"Players using multiple accounts create a negative matchmaking experience at all skill brackets, so our goal is to add just enough friction to this process that the number of players doing this will be noticeably reduced," the Dota 2 team writes.
Notice the developers don't promise to stop smurfing entirely. The (non-virtual) phone number requirement makes it really difficult to establish more than one ranked Dota 2 account, but Valve seems to recognize some players will inevitably sneak their way around it.
Smurfing isn't a problem just for Dota 2. Valve previously implemented Prime Matchmaking in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive requiring a phone number for ranked play, but that program is opt-in. The developers of other competitive online titles, including League of Legends' Riot Games, are also looking for ways to combat harmful smurfing practices. Meanwhile, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan recently said he didn't think smurfing was a big deal at all.Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Today's tech emperors insist they're making the world a better place.
Why, then, are they so worried that our planet is on the verge of explosion? Or, perhaps, implosion.
On Thursday, Elon Musk was taken to musing about the world's population. On Twitter, he replied to a 2016 New Scientist article titled: The world in 2076: The population bomb has imploded.
"The world's population is accelerating towards collapse, but few seem to notice or care," he tweeted.
Currently, as the article states, the population is still growing. There will be another billion or more humans -- barring a fit of pique leading to nuclear war, that is -- by 2050. In some countries, though, the fertility rate is dipping below the level at which a population can actually grow.
"After hitting the demographic doldrums, no country yet has seen its fertility recover. Many demographers expect a global crash to be under way by 2076," says the article's author, Fred Pearce.
Pearce specifically mentions Japan, where the fertility rate -- based on the population of women aged 15 to 44 -- is 1.4 children per woman. The generally accepted replacement rate for developed societies is two children per woman.
Japan already has the second-lowest birth rate in the world, at 7.31 per 1,000 people. Monaco tops the list at 6.94 per 1,000. But Germany stands at number 4 with 8.3. Singapore is fifth at 8.5, with South Korea right behind at 8.55.
The US hovers around the 12 mark. In 2016, the US fertility rate reached its lowest ever level.
The New Scientist article offers that as populations age, they become less dynamic, less prone to innovation and more prone to recession. It also suggests that the old are less likely to start wars. Is that really true of, say, the US?
Still, there is another side.
If there were fewer people, there would be less of a strain on the ecosystem. Plants and wildlife might be able to breathe more easily. We might slowly return to some long-gone, idyllic former state that likely wasn't as idyllic as it's now sold to us.
All these timelines, though, are vexing. There might well be a population implosion bomb by 2076. But Stephen Hawking insists that we're destroying the Earth to such a degree that we'll have to leave within 100 years.
Perhaps it's better if we accept the facts and let the population decelerate, so that we'll have fewer people to ship out of here. Wouldn't that be the caring thing to do?
The world's population is accelerating towards collapse, but few seem to notice or care — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2017Is Sarah Gadon The Amazing Spider-Man's New Mary Jane Watson? By Sean O'Connell Random Article Blend
The casting carousel for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been spinning out of control lately, and The Amazing Spider-Man franchise” in a role that they do not specify. Connect the dots, though, and it appears that Gadon will be the new Mary Jane.
Huge news for @sarahgadon - she just confirmed to us that she is joining The Amazing Spider-Man franchise pic.twitter.com/HpRcAMhQGU — ET Canada (@ETCanada) June 21, 2013
How did we get here? Rumors have been flying around for the past 48 hours that Sony Pictures planned to recast the role of M.J. in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 after news broke that Shailene Woodley Spectacular Now starlet would simply see the footage she’d already shot for Webb pushed back to The Amazing Spider-Man 3, which recently was plugged in to a
Then the news pattern shifted. It was suggested – for reasons that have not been confirmed – that Woodley’s footage would be scrapped (she’d Amazing Spider-Man 2 set, filming what we hear is two or three small scenes), and the role would be recast for Spider-Man parts three and four. The prevalent notion was that Woodley was committed to the multi-part Divergent film adaptation, and her schedule would conflict with what was now a sprawling Spider-Man franchise.
Enter Gadon.
What do we know about the actress? Her credits include two David Cronenberg movies, A Dangerous Method and the recent Cosmopolis. Keeping it in the family, she also starred in Brandon Cronenberg’s disturbing thriller Antiviral. And her biggest roles, at least in her native Canada, were on the television programs The Border, Being Erica and Happy Town. None of those are quite as big, though, as playing Spider-Man’s love interest in a major superhero franchise.
Where does this leave Mary Jane, as a character? We thought she might surface in the background of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but now that sounds like the immediate sequel will be devoted to the Peter-Gwen storyline – a classic that deserves all the time it needs to develop.
The news that Sony is greenlighting three Spidey sequels, though, suggests that the studio is backing the development of a Sinister Six story … and M.J. could be a huge part.
The Mary Jane Saga has been taking several turns recently. ET Canada says Gadon’s involvement is confirmed. We’re hoping Webb or Sony weighs in, and soon, but for now, it sounds like we might have found Woodley’s Spider-replacement. Meet the new Mary Jane Watson … Canadian actress Sarah Gadon! Maybe...The casting carousel forhas been spinning out of control lately, and ET Canada now confirms via Twitter that Gadon “is joiningfranchise” in a role that they do not specify. Connect the dots, though, and it appears that Gadon will be the new Mary Jane.How did we get here? Rumors have been flying around for the past 48 hours that Sony Pictures planned to recast the role of M.J. in Marc Webb’safter news broke that Shailene Woodley no longer would be in the upcoming Spidey sequel. At the time, speculation suggested that thestarlet would simply see the footage she’d already shot for Webb pushed back to, which recently was plugged in to a June 10, 2016 release date Then the news pattern shifted. It was suggested – for reasons that have not been confirmed – that Woodley’s footage would be scrapped (she’d only spent a few days on theset, filming what we hear is two or three small scenes), and the role would be recast forparts three and four. The prevalent notion was that Woodley was committed to the multi-partfilm adaptation, and her schedule would conflict with what was now a sprawlingfranchise.Enter Gadon.What do we know about the actress? Her credits include two David Cronenberg movies,and the recent. Keeping it in the family, she also starred in Brandon Cronenberg’s disturbing thriller. And her biggest roles, at least in her native Canada, were on the television programsand. None of those are quite as big, though, as playing Spider-Man’s love interest in a major superhero franchise.Where does this leave Mary Jane, as a character? We thought she might surface in the background of, but now that sounds like the immediate sequel will be devoted to the Peter-Gwen storyline – a classic that deserves all the time it needs to develop.The news that Sony is greenlighting three Spidey sequels, though, suggests that the studio is backing the development of a Sinister Six story … and M.J. could be a huge part.The Mary Jane Saga has been taking several turns recently. ET Canada says Gadon’s involvement is confirmed. We’re hoping Webb or Sony weighs in, and soon, but for now, it sounds like we might have found Woodley’s Spider-replacement. Blended From Around The Web Facebook
Back to topI really can’t decide whether I should hate Al Gore… or thank him for giving me something to write about.
He has caused the spread of more pseudo-scientific incompetence on the subject of global warming (I’m sorry — climate change) than any climate scientist could possibly have ever accomplished. Who else but a politician could spin so much certainty out of a theory?
As someone who has lived and breathed meteorology and climate for 40 years now, I can assure you that this winter’s storminess in the little 2% patch of the Earth we like to call the ‘United States of America’ has nothing to do with your SUV.
Natural climate variability? Maybe.
But I would more likely chalk it up to something we used to call “WEATHER”.
Let me give you a few factoids:
1) No serious climate researcher — including the ones I disagree with — believes global warming can cause colder weather. Unless they have become delusional as a result of some sort of mental illness. One of the hallmarks of global warming theory is LESS extratropical cyclone activity — not more.
2) If some small region of the Earth is experiencing unusually persistent storminess, you can bet some other region is experiencing unusually quiet weather. You see, in the winter we get these things called ‘storm tracks’….
3) Evidence for point #2 is that we now have many years of global satellite measurements of precipitation which shows that the annual amount of precipitation that falls on the Earth stays remarkably constant from year to year. The AREAS where it occurs just happen to move around a whole lot. Again, we used to call that “weather”.
4) Global average temperature anomalies (departures from seasonal norms) have been falling precipitously for about 12 months now. Gee, maybe these snowstorms are from global cooling! Someone should look into that! (I know…cold and snow from global cooling sounds crazy….I’m just sayin’….)
I could go on and on.
Now, I know I’m not going to change the minds of any of the True Believers…those who read all of Reverend Al’s sermons, and say things like, “You know, global warming can mean warmer OR colder, wetter OR drier, cloudier OR sunnier, windier OR calmer, …”. Can I get an ‘amen’??
But I hope I can still save a few of those out there who are still capable of independent reasoning and thought.
NOW can I go to bed?Education in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea General details Primary languages Korean System type State
Mangyondae Schoolchildrens Palace in Pyongyang
Education in North Korea is universal and state-funded schooling by the government. The self-reported national literacy rate for citizens at age of 15 and older is 100 percent (approx.).[1][2] Children go through one year of kindergarten, four years of primary education, six years of secondary education, and then on to university.
In 1988 the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that North Korea had 35,000 preprimary, 59,000 primary, 111,000 secondary, 23,000 college and university, and 4,000 other postsecondary teachers.[1]
History [ edit ]
Formal education has played a central role in the social and cultural development of both traditional Korea and contemporary North Korea. During the Joseon Dynasty, the royal court established a system of schools that taught Confucian subjects in the provinces as well as in four central secondary schools in the capital. There was no state-supported system of primary education.
During the 15th century, state-supported schools declined in quality and were supplanted in importance by private academies, the seowon, centers of a Neo-Confucian revival in the 16th century. Higher education was provided by the Seonggyungwan, the Confucian national university, in Seoul. Its enrollment was limited to 200 students who had passed the lower civil-service examinations and were preparing for the highest examinations.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed major educational changes. The seowon were abolished by the central government. Christian missionaries established modern schools that taught Western curricula. Among them was the first school for women, Ehwa Woman's University, established by American Methodist missionaries as a primary school in Seoul in 1886. During the last years of the dynasty, as many as 3,000 private schools that taught modern subjects to both sexes were founded by missionaries and others. Most of these schools were concentrated in the northern part of Korea.[3]
After Japan annexed Korea in 1910, the colonial regime established an educational system with two goals: to give Koreans a minimal education designed to train them for subordinate roles in a modern economy and make them loyal subjects of the emperor; and to provide a higher-quality education for Japanese expatriates who had settled in large numbers on the Korean Peninsula.[3]
The Japanese invested more resources in the latter, and opportunities for Koreans were severely limited. A state university modeled on Tokyo Imperial University was established in Seoul in 1923, but the number of Koreans allowed to study there never exceeded 40 percent of its enrollment; the rest of its students were Japanese. Private universities, including those established by missionaries such as Sungsil College in Pyongyang and Chosun Christian College in Seoul, provided other opportunities for Koreans desiring higher education.[3]
After the establishment of North Korea, an education system modeled largely on that of the Soviet Union was established. According to North Korean sources, at the time of North Korea's establishment, two-thirds of school-age children did not attend primary school, and most adults, numbering 2.3 million, were illiterate. In 1950, primary education became compulsory for children. The outbreak of the Korean War, however, delayed attainment of this goal; universal primary education was not achieved until 1956. By 1958 North Korean sources claimed that seven-year compulsory primary and secondary education had been implemented.[4]
In 1959 "state-financed universal education" was introduced in all schools; not only instruction and educational facilities, but also textbooks, uniforms, and room and board are provided to |
book deal. He also has a rivalry with Señor Chang and cheerfully antagonizes Chang over being fired and subsequently becoming a student at Greendale. At the end of the first season, he is suspended by Dean Pelton for his drunken behavior at a school function, prompting Chang to punch Dr. Duncan in the face. Because of this, he gets a restraining order against Chang, while chasing him around and preventing him from getting to places. After Greendale suspended Professor Bauer, he took over her anthropology class, despite his complete lack of knowledge about the subject. In "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas," Dr. Duncan played a prominent role in guiding Abed through his suppressed feelings about Christmas. It is also implied in that episode that Dr. Duncan had an unhappy childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family in Islington. As is alluded to several times over the course of his appearances, Dr. Duncan appears to have a drinking problem. Dr. Duncan did not appear in the third season, although Britta is now enrolled in his Intro to Psychology class, and his name is seen on the cover of her textbook as the author. The fourth season makes reference to his unexplained disappearance when Troy asks the group if anyone had seen him lately.
In the Season 5 episode "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics", Dr. Duncan returns, explaining that he had been taking care of his ailing mother, although he stopped because he had "put in [his] time". It is clear that his alcoholism and infatuation with Britta have both returned. He gives up on pursuing Britta after sharing an intimate conversation with her in "Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality".
Prof. Michelle Slater [ edit ]
Prof. Michelle Slater (Lauren Stamile) is a statistics professor at Greendale.[14] She had a strict policy against dating students, but became romantically involved with Jeff, after he begged her to sleep with him during a Halloween party ("Introduction to Statistics"). She and Jeff share a similarly tough sense of humor and cynicism. Later on, she breaks off their relationship. She later reacquires interest in Jeff, consequently developing a rivalry with Britta for his attention ("Pascal's Triangle Revisited"). Jeff later states that if he did pursue a relationship with her, it would evolve him, while a relationship with Britta would help him know more about who he really is. In addition to Jeff, she draws interest from other members of the faculty such as Señor Chang and Dr. Duncan, who have made comically bad attempts to seduce her. It is later noted by Troy and Abed's closed-circuit television show of the student body elections ("Intro to Political Science") that she is actually missing.
Prof. Eustice Whitman [ edit ]
Prof. Eustice Whitman (John Michael Higgins) is an accounting professor at Greendale Community College, the college's debate coach and a strong believer in carpe diem.[15] Despite believing that Whitman would be an easy teacher, Jeff had trouble passing his accounting class in "Introduction to Film" since Whitman grades his students not on their academics but on how well they "seize the day". In "Debate 109," he instructs Jeff as coach of the debate team and offers him unsolicited advice on how to lead his life fully in different circumstances.
Prof. Sean Garrity [ edit ]
Prof. Sean Garrity (Kevin Corrigan) is the theatrical drama instructor at Greendale. He gets involved in a conspiracy intrigue with Jeff, Annie and Dean Pelton, when he mysteriously poses as Jeff's fake Conspiracy Theories night school class teacher, "Professor Professorson" in the episode "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design." He later teaches Troy and Britta in an elective acting class and directs Troy in an all-black cast stage production of Fiddler on the Roof, entitled, "Fiddla Please". In "Introduction to Teaching", he teaches a two-day course called "Nicolas Cage: Good or Bad?" that Abed finds very difficult.
Prof. June Bauer [ edit ]
Prof. June Bauer (Betty White) is an anthropology professor at Greendale introduced in "Anthropology 101." Though very old, she a surprisingly good fighter ("Anthropology 101"). Bauer has engaged in many worldly yet strange pursuits, such as hunting monkeys with a blow gun in the Amazon and drinking her own urine for its health benefits. She is also not afraid of attacking her students, shooting a disrespectful Star-Burns with a blow gun and nearly killing Jeff with her weapon of nine weapons, after which she gets suspended from teaching. She then leaves Greendale to go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Dr. Marshall Kane [ edit ]
Dr. Marshall Kane (Michael K. Williams) is the biology teacher at Greendale, noticeably more serious and intense than other professors. He just came off of a twenty-year prison sentence and is baffled by some of the ways in which the world has since changed. Unlike his peers, Dr. Kane often tries to veer away from some of the more ridiculous antics that take place at the school. After some hesitation, he lets Jeff join his class after Star-Burns approaches him about starting a drug operation and is consequently kicked out. He resigns his job after the events of "Basic Lupine Urology," making the study group's Biology credits invalid. He also has a hard-line policy against accepting bribes, but only Jeff and Pierce know of this.
Prof. Noel Cornwallis [ edit ]
Prof. Noel Cornwallis (Malcolm McDowell) is Greendale's stern, manipulative history professor who teaches the group in the fourth season after having been fired from his long-term post at Oxford University because of a "slip-up with a co-ed". The Englishman is baffled by the school's eccentricities and dislikes the study group. It is revealed off-screen in "Intro to Felt Surrogacy" that he gave Annie the answers to a test in exchange for letting him rub her feet. He plays a very prominent role in "Intro to Knots" when he is tied up by Chang and the study group at a party at Jeff's apartment for supposedly giving them a failing grade on a group assignment. He narrowly misses out when his efforts to get the study group to turn on each other for a few better grades fails to break them, then admits he wasn't really tied up and simply stayed put because being "held hostage" was more enjoyable than his usual friendless and boring holidays, and decides to give the entire group mediocre passing grades.
Buzz Hickey [ edit ]
Prof. Buzz Hickey (Jonathan Banks) is a criminology professor and Jeff's officemate in season five. Hickey is a military veteran and former police officer, and his gruff demeanor is a result of his fifteen-year tenure at Greendale. He serves as a mentor to Jeff, helping him to make the transition from student to teacher. Hickey is a member the Save Greendale student-teacher alliance and Annie's criminology teacher. Hickey is also an aspiring artist and writer, and he is currently working on a comic strip entitled "Jim the Duck". He becomes film partners with Abed in "Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality". It is revealed that Hickey once had a sexual encounter with Duncan's aunt while stationed in England, and it is implied that he may have fathered Duncan's cousin. He has a strained relationship with his son Hank, resulting in his being excluded from his grandson's life. They tentatively restore their differences in the episode Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Hickey is not seen again after season five, and in the season six episode "Basic E-mail Security" one of the Greendale Lunchlady's hacked e-mails has the subject line "Buzz Hickey Memorial Services," seemingly implying that Hickey died off-screen.
Frankie Dart [ edit ]
Francesca "Frankie" Dart (Paget Brewster) is a consultant hired to help improve Greendale in "Ladders". The group initially ostracizes her for altering the fabric of the Greendale they know, as well as the dynamic of the group itself, but she is soon integrated into the group as a friend.
Frankie often acts as a stabilizing element for the group, referring to their relationship as "codependent" ("Wedding Videography") and immediately recognizing issues such as the unhealthy "will they/won't they" between Jeff and Annie, the absurd fact that Chang was once the group's teacher, and Jeff's troubles with alcohol.
Beginning with the episode "Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing," the question of Frankie's sexuality becomes something of a running gag and a curiosity among the group, who even place bets on it ("Basic Email Security"), with Jeff guessing "Chapstick lesbian" and Annie apparently making a guess so disgusting that no one will repeat it.
Students [ edit ]
Alex "Star-Burns" Osbourne [ edit ]
Alex "Star-Burns" Osbourne (Dino Stamatopoulos) is a middle-aged student at Greendale known for his star-shaped sideburns as well as other idiosyncrasies, such as wearing a top hat and owning a lizard later in the series. He takes a number of classes with the main characters, including Spanish and Boating. He is a music lover.[16] Though Star-Burns is habitually laid back and sloppily dressed, he has a son who, in stark contrast to him, is incredibly businesslike. In "Intro to Political Science," he admits that he is a drug dealer. He worked in the school cafeteria until the events of "Contemporary American Poultry," when the group causes him to be fired for siphoning off chicken fingers—the most edible foodstuff served by the cafeteria—for his friends (afterwards, though, they to do exactly the same thing for themselves). For the most part, however, he is disconnected from the group and he sometimes seems confused as to who the individual members in the group actually are. He does, however know who Jeff is. Though he enjoys the attention he receives because of his sideburns, he craves an identity beyond them and begins wearing the aforementioned top hat at the beginning of the second season to draw attention away from them. He is assumed dead when a meth lab that he has been operating out of from the trunk of his car explodes in the episode "Basic Lupine Urology". As per his wishes, his body was cremated. In the third-season finale it is revealed that he faked his death and had been attempting to start a new identity. To this end, he is shown sporting a new haircut, albeit still with star-shaped sideburns. He returns in "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics," when he is found hiding in the stables, where has apparently lived while hiding, eating garbage, and trying to develop a "cat car." He ends up being accused of being the Greendale Ass-Crack Bandit, only for Jeff to find out this was a ruse by the Dean to deflect attention, in exchange for the Dean hiding Star-Burns' meth charges, and allowing him to remain in the stables. In season 6, he briefly appears in the episode "Modern Espionage" as a participant in the underground paintball game. As Frankie removes him from campus, he is flattered that she knows his real name.
Magnitude [ edit ]
Magnitude (Luke Youngblood), short for "Magnetic Attitude", is a student at Greendale who is described as a "one-man party." His catchphrase is "Pop, pop!", which gains him laughter from his peers. It is implied that he is disliked by the faculty staff, particularly Professor Marshall Kane ("Competitive Ecology"). In the episode "Intro to Political Science" Magnitude runs for the office of Student Body President. He is one of the final two candidates, opposing Leonard in "the political debate of the century" which consists of Magnitude repeating his "Pop, pop!" catchphrase, while Leonard blows raspberries as a retort.[17] When Dean Pelton and Annie take the "Pop, pop!" phrase away from him to give to a lazy potential student with rich parents in "Economics of Marine Biology," he is left broken and speechless, and they're so horrified that they tell the student he cannot have Magnitude's catchphrase (though to everyone's surprise, that ends up leading him to enroll at Greendale, because he's tired of having his ass kissed and never getting any better at anything) and Magnitude happily declares "POP, POP!"
Magnitude attended high school with Annie and Troy. It was revealed that Magnitude's use of "Pop pop!" as a catchphrase began at the high school party where Annie had her mental breakdown ("Heroic Origins"). In season five ("Geothermal Escapism"), he admits that he is actually British. He briefly appears in the season six episode "Intro to Recycled Cinema" as an extra in Abed's sci-fi film, Raiders of the Galaxy.
Leonard Rodriguez [ edit ]
Leonard Rodriguez (formerly Leonard Briggs, played by Richard Erdman) is an elderly man who is studying business at Greendale Community College.[18] He and Jeff have a comically antagonistic relationship resulting in Jeff and other members of the study group to only say "Shut up, Leonard..." followed by a comment (for example "Shut up, Leonard. No one knows what you're talking about."; "Shut up, Leonard. I talked to your son on Family Day. I know all about your gambling."). Though noticeably older than the other students at Greendale, he acts in as reckless and laid-back a fashion as many young adults, often using slang and engaging in such activities as playing pranks and bass guitar and encountering "pregnancy scares". He leads a rowdy, disobedient band of elderly Greendale students called the "Hipsters" (because they all apparently have hip replacements), which Pierce temporarily hang out in "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples." He has children, though they are never seen on camera. In the season two finale he claims to have been one of the Little Rascals, to have been in "a few real wars" that were less scary than the all-out paintball battle raging on campus, and to have been banned from the Denny's near the fifteen exit. During "Intro to Political Science" he ran for the student presidency, using the surname "Rodriguez" in an attempt to court the Latino vote. It is revealed in multiple episodes from Season Three that Leonard still has the last name Rodriguez in a title card.
Leonard has a series of videos on YouTube in which he reviews food products. One such video is shown in the closing scene to "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism," where he declares Eugenio's Four Cheese Pizza to be "a buy." He does this again in the episode "Introduction to Finality" with a bag of potato chips he also likes. While Leonard briefly held valedictorian status in Season 4, Dean Pelton (empowered by a pseudo body-swap where he was acting and talking like Jeff Winger) learned that after earning an A in a brainless course he took in 1968, Leonard simply made all of his subsequent classes Pass/Fail, taking him out of the running for a title now coming down to a showdown between Annie and Shirley ("Basic Human Anatomy").
In the season six episode "Ladders," it is revealed that Leonard has been a student at Greendale since it opened in the 1970s under the name "Greendale Computery College."
In the episode "Pillows and Blankets", it was rumored that Leonard fought in the Korean War for the North Koreans.
Vaughn Miller [ edit ]
Vaughn Miller (Eric Christian Olsen) is a usually shirtless, earth-friendly, mellow "neo-hippie" student who is the lead singer of a light-reggae band at Greendale Community College.[19] A frequent hacky sack and Ultimate Frisbee player, he has had several notable interactions with the show's main characters, as he initially dated Britta and was in a band with Pierce. Though he at first seems very laid-back and peaceful, he started writing popular hate songs about Britta and Pierce after his relationships with them turned sour ("Home Economics"). However, he and Annie began a relationship, much to the bemusement of Jeff, Britta, and Troy and later, Shirley.[19] At the end of the first season, he transfers to a community college in Delaware because of their strong hacky-sack athletic program, and Annie initially decided to join him there before changing her mind. He was the cause of the bond between Jeff and Shirley in the first season, due to his small nipples, which Shirley finds hilarious. This is also referenced by them in season 3.
Rich Stephenson [ edit ]
Rich Stephenson (Greg Cromer) is a student who is in Jeff's pottery class, of whom Jeff grows jealous for his sculpting skills ("Beginner Pottery"). A doctor who is friendly and well-liked by everyone, he stands in stark contrast to Jeff who tries to catch him as a ringer. Nicknamed "Doc Potterywood" by Jeff, it is implied that Jeff may actually have been right and Rich had secretly taken previous pottery classes at different colleges. It is hinted at the end of "Beginner Pottery" that his relationship with his mother is extremely strained. Rich had a brother who died in a roller-coaster accident ("Beginner Pottery"). He spends time with the study group again in "Epidemiology," when he attempts to treat the infected students while dressed as a banana and causes Jeff to openly admit his hatred for him. After spending winter break volunteering with Annie, he joins Duncan's anthropology class and unsuccessfully competes against Chang for a spot in the study group. When he turns down a date with Annie due to her youth, Jeff begins to admire his ethics and seeks life advice from him, although he wants to abuse the power Rich gets from everyone loving him.
Neil [ edit ]
Neil (Charley Koontz) is a student ostracized for being fat. Jeff, who accidentally coined the name "Fat Neil" ("Advanced Dungeons & Dragons"), attempts to make it up to him after he thinks Neil is considering suicide. Jeff organizes a Dungeons & Dragons game with the study group (without Pierce) where Neil, a huge D&D fan, will save the day. Though Pierce attempts to sabotage the event and mocks Neil, Neil still regains his confidence after winning the game. It is implied in "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" that he and Vicki have feelings for each other. Though his fate after the D&D game seemed unsure, Neil later emerged in "Pillows and Blankets" as the DJ for Greendale's campus radio station, calling himself "Real Neal." As revealed in "Basic Lupine Urology" he and Vicki have, at some point, begun dating. In season 5, Neil is shown to be friendly with the group, and Jeff expresses pride at the fact that the group saved his life so that he could return to "doing stuff in the background." In the season 6 episode "Basic Email Security," the group force Neil to sit through the performance of a comedian who insults him about his weight, and as a result, Neil decides never to speak to the group again.
Garrett Lambert [ edit ]
Garrett Lambert (Erik Charles Nielsen) is a nerdy and out-of-shape student at Greendale with a frighteningly screechy and anxious-sounding way of speaking. He takes several classes with some of the main cast. There have been several student-led movements to "save" Garrett, despite the fact that he has no apparent illnesses, and Jeff and Annie have been left wondering if those saviour plans actually worked or not ("Digital Exploration of Interior Design"). His middle name is revealed as being Xander in the credits for Abed's documentary in the season 4 episode "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking". In the season 6 episode "Wedding Videography," Garrett is married to classmate Stacy (Erin McGathy), who turns out to be his cousin.
Todd Jacobson [ edit ]
Todd Jacobson (David Neher) is a student at Greendale who takes biology with the study group in "Competitive Ecology". Forgiving and good natured, he responds to insults with "None taken". The group picks on him after he is paired with Pierce on a class project, and inadvertently upsets the natural balance of the group. He eventually explodes at the study group, calling their love for each other "weird" and "toxic" and ending with "Offense taken". Todd is a married Iraq War veteran who has a newborn daughter. Todd also states that he needs insulin shots. He also appears in "Basic Lupine Urology," in which he is accused of destroying the study group's biology project. Todd's relationship with the group is more amicable in season 6, wherein he works at Shirley's Sandwiches ("Ladders"), participates in the underground paintball game ("Modern Espionage"), and even officiates Garrett's wedding ("Wedding Videography"), during which he muses that he himself "could be God."
Rachel [ edit ]
Rachel (Brie Larson) is a cute quirky girl that Abed meets while on a date with two other girls at a school dance ("Herstory of Dance"). The two connect, although Rachel would only return a season later, on "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking," when they go on a date. She makes another appearance when she is Abed's girlfriend in "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing." In the season six premiere "Ladders," Abed, in reference to the fact that Brie Larson's film career keeps her from making frequent appearances on the show, comments that anyone observing the narrative of the study group may have questions such as "What happened to that girl I'm dating?"
Other recurring students [ edit ]
Staff [ edit ]
Robert Laybourne [ edit ]
Vice Dean Robert Laybourne (John Goodman) is head of Greendale's air conditioner repair annex and the true power behind Greendale, as revealed in "Biology 101." When Dean Pelton decides to confront Laybourne over the annex purchasing an espresso machine, Laybourne shows him that the air conditioning annex is the main source of Greendale's funding and that he thus holds complete power over the dean's office. Later, upon learning Troy's plumbing abilities, Laybourne tries to recruit him to the air conditioner annex. He instigates a pillow war between Abed and Troy, hoping to divide their friendship and motivate Troy to enroll in the air conditioning repair school. He is later killed by Murray, something which is revealed to the air conditioner repair school by Troy in "Introduction to Finality."
Jerry [ edit ]
Jerry (Jerry Minor) is the head janitor at Greendale. After he witnesses Troy's supreme innate plumbing abilities, he makes several attempts to convince him to become a plumber ("English as a Second Language"), which he regards as a noble profession. While attempting to recruit him, he later warns him against becoming an air-conditioning repair man, calling the air-conditioning men "elitists." He has appeared several times since, often in a cranky mood when the study group asks him for help finding or fixing things in the school.
Crazy Schmidt [ edit ]
Crazy Schmidt (Eddie Pepitone) is a janitor at Greendale, who is best known for his odd, erratic temperament.
Murray [ edit ]
Murray the AC Repairman (Dan Bakkedahl) is, as his name implies, a member of the Greendale Air Conditioning Repair Annex. He kills Vice Dean Laybourne, briefly becoming the new Vice Dean before being exposed by Troy, who is revealed as the "truest repairman."
Sgt. Nuñez [ edit ]
Sgt. Nuñez (Mel Rodriguez) is the chief of campus security for Greendale College. All of Nuñez's officers quit when Dean Pelton informs them that the college no longer has funds to pay them, and they can only be reimbursed in class credits. Nuñez stays because he needs SCUBA certification, and Chang becomes his new underling. He eventually quits after Dean Pelton sides with Chang.
Carl and Richie [ edit ]
Carl Bladt (Jeremy Scott Johnson) and Richie Countee (Brady Novak) are two inept, often drunk members of Greendale's board of directors. Though they are generally laid-back and friendly, they have repeatedly lowered standards for the school and fail to realize when Chang replaces the Dean. They hate the school and later sell it briefly to Subway Sandwiches. Richie also believes that he can read people's minds.
Elroy Patashnik [ edit ]
Elroy Patashnik (Keith David) is a failed inventor who decides to enroll at Greendale to reinvent his life in "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care", joining the "Save Greendale Committee" shortly after. He is hired as head of Greendale's IT Department in "Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing". In "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television", Elroy leaves Colorado for California after getting a job at Linkedin.
Other [ edit ]
The Greendale Human Being [ edit ]
The Greendale Human Being is the "ethnically neutral" school mascot created and designed by Pierce and Dean Pelton in "Football, Feminism and You." Though intended to embody a spirit of inclusiveness and to avoid derogatory stereotypes, its featureless appearance is distinctly uncanny, like a neutral gray gimp or zentai performer. It appears in a number of different events and initiatives sponsored by the Dean as the school's mascot, and fumes from the magic marker used on its costume have been known to make it unusually aggressive. It has been seen with both female and child versions of itself. Items have been added to the costume, such as angel wings for Valentine's Day and icicles in "Regional Holiday Music," which the students say only make it look creepier. In an episode of Dean Pelton's Office Hours, a series of mini-episodes featuring the Dean, it's revealed that at least one of the mascots is played by a woman.
Andre Bennett [ edit ]
Andre Bennett (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) is Shirley's ex-husband, and a store manager. Though he had cheated on her, he becomes her boyfriend again after learning of her pregnancy; he remains loyal to her even after discovering that Chang could be the father ("Asian Population Studies"). It ultimately turns out that the baby is Andre's and he remarries Shirley at the middle of the third season. During the fifth-season premiere, "Repilot," Shirley reveals that Andre has once again left her, and has taken the kids with him, as she put too much focus on her sandwich shop at Greendale, inadvertently neglecting her family.
Alan Connor [ edit ]
Alan Connor (Rob Corddry) is a lawyer and former colleague of Jeff's who attends Narcotics Anonymous sessions at Greendale, where he had once met Annie. Though he does not admit it to Jeff after they meet again in "Accounting for Lawyers," the study group knows that he had sent an email message to his law firm exposing Jeff's credentials, which got him fired. Alan returns in "Introduction to Finality" working as Pierce's lawyer in a court case between Pierce and Shirley for ownership of a sandwich shop in the cafeteria. Alan reveals that he now heads the law firm that Jeff worked at and threatens Jeff to drop the case or not come back to work at the law firm. After an inspirational Winger speech, Pierce fires Alan, and Alan reveals that he did send the e-mail that got Jeff disbarred for which Jeff thanks him. He appears again in "Repilot" when he tries to convince Jeff to help him launch a major lawsuit against Greendale.
Gobi Nadir [ edit ]
Gobi Nadir (Iqbal Theba) is Abed's father, with whom Abed has a rather difficult relationship. While Mr. Nadir wants Abed to take over the family's falafel restaurant, Abed plans to become a film director. Abed also thinks Gobi blames him for his mother leaving them. Gobi is a very protective yet argumentative father, but he learns to accept the fact that his son needs filmmaking to express himself. Gobi appears on Family Day and disapproves of the more lenient way in which Shirley raises her boys. He is equally controlling of his niece Abra.
Officer Cackowski [ edit ]
Officer Cackowski (Craig Cackowski) is a local police officer, repeatedly visiting Greendale in the line of duty. He originally appeared as a member of campus security before inexplicably becoming a police officer. He seems to be friends with Professor Sean Garrity, referring to him by his given name. He appears in "The Science of Illusion" to investigate a body Britta drops out of the biology labs; in "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design", he teaches Jeff and Annie the dangers of fake gun shootouts. He later returns in season 3 to investigate Troy and Abed's landlord in "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism," and in "Curriculum Unavailable" to assign Abed to a psychologist for sneaking onto Greendale Campus to investigate the Dean's Doppelganger Chang has in control. Cackowski returns in the season 6 episode "Basic Email Security" to help investigate a hacking attempt on the school, treating the group as old friends and acting surprised that they want to keep a cop they've known for five years "at arm's length."
Steven Spreck [ edit ]
Dean Steven Spreck (Jordan Black) is the dean of rival City College, who makes several subversive efforts to shut Greendale down, including the instigation of an all-out paintball war on Greendale's campus. Like Dean Pelton, he seems to have an ambiguous sexuality. He appears briefly during a montage at the end of season three, apparently forming another plot. In the Season 4 episode "Heroic Origins," it is revealed that he is working with Chang to sabotage Greendale, and has blueprints for a giant mechanical spider. Spreck's last-ditch effort to harm Greendale occurs in the season 6 episode "Basic Crisis Room Decorum" - although Spreck himself does not appear, City College runs an attack ad that defames Greendale by claiming that it gave a degree to a dog. Jeff and the group foil City College again by releasing their own ad, which instead of attacking Spreck back, provides an honest commentary on how Greendale needs to "get its shit together." Spreck and City College do not appear again in the series.
Gilbert Lawson [ edit ]
Gilbert Lawson (Giancarlo Esposito) is Cornelius Hawthorne's personal assistant, executor of estate, and illegitimate son (thus Pierce's half-brother). According to Cornelius' will, he has Pierce and the study group play "Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne" to claim his inheritance. After learning that Cornelius refused to accept Gilbert when he was alive, the group agrees to allow Gilbert to claim the inheritance in the episode "Digital Estate Planning." He later becomes Pierce's roommate in his mansion.
Annie's Boobs [ edit ]
Annie's Boobs (Crystal) is Troy's pet capuchin monkey. Annie's Boobs was reportedly named by a competition held via the monkey's personal Twitter account. Troy maintains that the account belongs to Annie's Boobs and thus Troy cannot legitimately change the monkey's name. Since he was set free by Abed, he has spent his time collecting items owned by the study group and storing them in a nearby air vent.
Faux-by (J. P. Manoux) is an underemployed Moby impersonator that Chang hires to impersonate and replace the Dean after he takes over the school.
Guest characters [ edit ]
Fictional characters within Community [ edit ]
Inspector Spacetime [ edit ]
Inspector Spacetime (Travis Richey) is the protagonist in a British science-fiction television program called Inspector Spacetime that has been on the air for fifty years, and has many similarities to Doctor Who (both are British science-fiction television programs that have been running for approximately fifty years). With his sidekick (similar to that of a companion in Doctor Who) Constable Reggie, he travels through space and time while fighting creatures such as "Blorgons." Starting in the third season, Troy and Abed become major fans and often impersonate Reggie and the Inspector.
Constable Reggie [ edit ]
Constable Reggie (Derwin Reggie) is the secondary character in Inspector Spacetime, who acts as the Inspector's sidekick. Unlike the Inspector, who is an alien, Reggie is human.
Kickpuncher [ edit ]
Kickpuncher (Derek Mears), whose punches have the strength of kicks, is the titular hero in a series of cheesy action movies that Troy and Abed like to ridicule, while still being fans. He is a cybernetically enhanced police officer, reminiscent of Robocop. His first name is David.
The Helicopter Pilot [ edit ]
The Helicopter Pilot (Andy Dick) is a tiny man that Pierce hallucinates when he takes his painkillers after breaking his legs on the trampoline in the second season. He often gives Pierce bad advice.
Evil Abed [ edit ]
Evil Abed (Danny Pudi) is (implied to be) a figment of Abed's imagination who torments Abed as his nemesis. Identical to Abed except for an evil-looking felt beard, he is originally from the darkest timeline in the episode "Remedial Chaos Theory" and makes a return appearance in the episode "Contemporary Impressionists." He returns to seek revenge against Abed and the study group in the season 3 finale "Introduction to Finality." His beard mimics that worn by "Mirror Spock" in the classic Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror."
Webisode characters [ edit ]
Dr. Pat Isakson (Dan Harmon in "The Five A's of Greendale") is Greendale's awkward, short-tempered dean of admissions and professor of women's studies. The mustachioed man stars in a series of Greendale admissions videos.
(Dan Harmon in "The Five A's of Greendale") is Greendale's awkward, short-tempered dean of admissions and professor of women's studies. The mustachioed man stars in a series of Greendale admissions videos. Brody Leitz (Randall Park in "The Five A's of Greendale") is Greendale's student body president. Park later appears in the sixth season of the show as himself.
Character appearance summary [ edit ]
(Characters sorted by episode count)This article is over 3 years old
Daniel Andrews reaffirms a pledge to build Australia’s third-largest wind farm of its type, adding 70 new turbines to the farm in Ararat
The Victorian premier has reaffirmed a pledge to build Australia’s third-largest wind farm of its type, and took aim at Tony Abbott’s stance on renewable energy.
Daniel Andrews visited the wind farm in Ararat on Wednesday where he said more than 70 new turbines would be built.
The Coalition's push against renewables is bizarre, contradictory, risky nonsense | Giles Parkinson Read more
“Tony Abbott thinks wind farms are ugly but there’s nothing ugly about a clean environment and there’s nothing ugly about hundreds of new Victorian jobs,” he said. “These projects create jobs... green energy gets the green light.”
The visit comes as the Coalition defended banning Clean Energy Finance Corporation funding for wind farms and roof-top solar projects, saying the $10bn body should focus on emerging technologies.
Andrews added Victoria had not been deterred from setting its own renewable energy target.
He said it was still possible to legislate a state-based target, despite a lack of federal support, with his government working on measures to boost Victoria’s renewables industry and clean energy demand.
“We’re doing a power of work to look at ways in which we can encourage more clean energy in our state, and the jobs that come with it,” Andrews said on Wednesday.
“Everything ranging from the way the government purchases energy, who it purchases from, investment opportunities, grants that we might make, partnerships we might form,” he said.
Renewables account for about 12% of Victorian energy generation and Andrews wants a “much higher number”.
The Australian Capital Territory government said on Wednesday wind farm projects would have another chance to bid to supply Canberra.
It said a second reverse wind auction, enabling projects to secure supply contracts, would be held before the end of the year.
It follows a similar auction earlier this year which approved three wind farms – two in Victoria and one in South Australia – to supply about a third of Canberra’s energy needs.
Successful bidders are guaranteed a feed-in tariff for electricity over 20 years.
The ACT’s environment minister, Simon Corbell, told a clean energy summit states and territories could not rely on the federal government for ambitious renewable policies.
He said 65% of ACT’s energy would come from renewables in less than two years and the territory was aiming for 90% by 2020.
Corbell called on other state and territory governments to push their own renewable policies, saying more had to be done if Australia was going to play a role in meeting the international target of limiting global warming to two degrees.
“States and territories can and must play... a critical role,” he told the summit in Sydney on Wednesday.
He also called on the ALP to adopt a policy of 50% carbon emission reductions by 2030 and a 50% renewable energy target in the same year.
The party will debate its climate platform at its conference next month.
Victoria’s Ararat project, backed by a global consortium including Renewable Energy Systems, GE, Downer, Partners Group and OPTrust, will employ up to 285 workers and inject more than $7m into the local economy over the next two years.
The farm is expected to have a life span of 25 years and will generate enough electricity to power about 123,000 households across the state.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report.Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton said Patriots coach Bill Belichick was the Richard Nixon of the NFL on Thursday morning, adding his voice to the criticism the coach has received due to the deflated balls the team used during its AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
The incident has come to be known as Deflategate, a reference to Nixon's Watergate scandal, which eventually forced him to resign from office in 1974.
The Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 on Sunday, earning a Super Bowl match-up against the Seattle Seahawks.
• SI's complete coverage of Deflategate
However, it was reported Tuesday night that the 12 balls the Patriots were using were under-inflated. The NFL is investigating the incident, but at this time it is not known what, if any, punishment Belichick and the Patriots will face.
In a press conference Thursday morning, Belichick addressed the issue, saying that he did not know anything about the deflated footballs until Monday morning.
Belichick then said quarterback Tom Brady's "...personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide."
• Andrew Luck on AFC Championship Game loss: 'You feel deflated'
- Jack JorgensenLars Osberg is McCulloch Professor of Economics, Dalhousie University. Craig Riddell is Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of British Columbia |
more Indian IT professionals and denounced any form of protectionism in global trade, amid anxiety in India over the Trump administration’s possible clampdown on H1B visas.
Pushing for deeper trade ties with India, a delegation of European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs also expressed “regret" over failure by both sides to resume the stalled dialogue to firm the long-pending EU-India trade and investment pact.
Criticising the new US government’s protectionist rhetoric which triggered fears in Europe as well, head of the delegation David McAllister said Europe is “open" for allowing more Indian professionals who are high on demand.
“Europe is open for people with high demand. Indian people are highly skilled. Our IT sector would not have been successful if we did not have skilled professionals from India," he said.
Soon after taking over last month, Trump had decided to overhaul the work visa programmes like the H-1B and L1, a move that will adversely hit the lifeline of Indian tech firms and professionals in the US.
Pressing for early resumption of negotiations for the EU -India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), McAllister said the delegation urged the Indian leaders to resume the talks as the pact will significantly boost two-way trade.
“We deeply regret that we are not being able to move ahead. We will use the visit to call for resumption of talks for the agreement," he told reporters. The EU delegation, the second one here, will hold talks with a number of Union ministers, national security adviser Ajit Doval, the vice chairman of NITI Ayog Arvind Panagariya and Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan among others.
An European Parliament Delegation for relations with India is also in the country and it had strongly sought resumption of talks for the trade pact during its meetings with finance minister Arun Jaitley and commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The BTIA talks have been stalled since May 2013, when both sides failed to bridge substantial gaps on crucial issues, including data security status for IT sector. Launched in June 2007, negotiations for the proposed agreement have witnessed many hurdles as both the sides have major differences on crucial issues.
Delegation member Urmas Paet said the EU would like to have the trade pact with India on the lines of the recently concluded EU-Canada trade deal, which features a new mechanism on investment protection and dispute settlement.
India has already made it clear that it will not allow investment to become part of any global agreement that allows investors to challenge governments in an international tribunal. In the EU-India Summit in Brussels last year, the two sides had failed to make any announcement on resumption of the negotiations as many bottlenecks still remain.
The two sides are yet to iron out issues related to tariff and movement of professionals but the EU has shown an inclination to restart talks. Besides demanding significant duty cuts in automobiles, the EU wants tax reduction in wines, spirits and dairy products, and a strong intellectual property regime.Slaven Bilic says Club are determined to keep hold of Dimitri Payet
Manager reveals Carroll and Sakho are approaching imminent first-team returns
Part Two of exclusive interview will appear on whufc.com on Wednesday evening
In Part One of our exclusive interview with Slaven Bilic, the Hammers manager talks about the future of Dimitri Payet and has positive news surrounding the return of influential forwards Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll.
Payet's future has dominated a number of headlines following his amazing exploits for France at the European Championship Finals during the summer when he was one of the star performers at the tournament.
After being nominated for the Ballon d'Or Award, Payet is now hoping to have another successful campaign with the Hammers and help the team move towards the top half of the table.
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan stated on Monday that he hopes to see Payet stay at West Ham for many years to come and Bilic says they are thrilled to have him at the east London Club.
Bilic said: “The Chairman came out and said during the Euros (that he was staying) when the speculation started.
“We are delighted to have him and he is our player. We want him to stay as our player.
“It would help us a lot if he could score another big goal against Tottenham on Saturday!”
We are delighted to have him and he is our player. We want him to stay as our player. Slaven Bilic
Bilic will be hoping to see his side get back on the winning trail at White Hart Lane following disappointing results against Everton and Stoke in the last two games.
The Hammers boss is thrilled to see Sakho back in contention for the big London derby after he was forced to miss the start of the season with a back problem.
The Senegal forward has worked hard to regain full fitness and Bilic hopes he can regain the form which saw him play such a crucial role in the Club's success last season.
Bilic added: “We are delighted that he is back. We have been missing him since the start of pre-season so it has been a very long period, but he is back now.
“He started doing rehabilitation treatment, then he did individual training on the pitch and then he spent a week with the U23s.
“He has been training with us since the Stoke game and looks good. He might need a few games to find his top form but some hit it straight away like Aaron Cresswell did when he came back.
“We rate Diafra very highly because he gives you something different. He runs deep and is really good at running behind the defences and opens the spaces for other players to run into that zone. It is a big boost for us to have him back.”
Bilic also has good news surrounding the comeback of fellow forward Carroll who is also close to making a first-team return.
“Andy is progressing really well and maybe in a couple of weeks he will be able to train with us – it might even be earlier.
“It looks very good and if he continues to progress then I am expecting to have him back soon.
“We have been missing so many players and now they are all coming back. It is great for them to come back at such a crucial period and for us to have as many players as possible.”
Supporters should visit whufc.com on Wednesday evening to check out Part Two of Slaven Bilic's exclusive interview!Reality television (love it or hate it) has come knocking on Andersonville’s door. More specifically the door at 5402 N. Clark which belongs to Andersonville Brewing.
The local restaurant and bar, which is connected to Hamburger Mary’s next door, will be featured on this Sunday’s episode of ‘Undercover Boss’ on CBS at 8 p.m. Andersonville Brewing will be hosting a viewing party of the episode as it airs live May 15 on the network.
The twin co-owners of Andersonville Brewing and Hamburger Mary’s, Ashley and Brandon Wright, will be in attendance at the party. On the event website, they say, “Come share in the ups and downs, as the twins go “undercover” at a few Hamburger Mary’s franchises around the country… The good, the bad, and the OMG!”
According to CBS, their reality show ‘Undercover Boss,” follows ‘high level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the lowest level jobs within their companies.” CBS continues, “Once undercover, they’ll get their hands dirty with the rank and file, find out what their employees REALLY think of them and discover how smoothly their companies are REALLY run. In the process, these senior executives learn about themselves, the perception of their company and the spirit of their work force.”
There are currently 13 Hamburger Mary’s in the U.S. and one in Berlin, Germany. These include the restaurants in Andersonville and another in Oak Park, Illinois.
See the hilarious preview below!Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the 'Start Up India' initiative aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in India. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was also present at the event held in Noida.
PM Narendra Modi launches 'Stand up India' initiative in Noida. pic.twitter.com/xQBHV9td9y — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 5, 2016
The Stand Up India initiative will promote entrepreneurship among women, SC & ST communities. It is expected to benefit a large number of such entrepreneurs, as it is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per bank branch (Scheduled Commercial Bank) on an average one for each category of an entrepreneur.
The scheme was launched in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism and Union Minister of State for Finance among others.
Arun Jaitley said, "Through Stand Up India initiative, we intend to encourage entrepreneurship among woman and SC and STs."
Through Stand Up India initiative, we intend to encourage entrepreneurship among woman and SC and STs- Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/lDBnIhG9HP — ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2016
Speaking at the event, PM Modi paid tribute to Babu Jagjivan Ram, who served the nation for years. He even said that his vision for 'Stand Up India' is to give opportunities to Dalit and poor people to being reforms in India.
Dalits & poor people if given an opportunity can bring in various reforms in the country. Thats my vision for Stand up India: PM Modi — ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2016
Through 'Stand Up India' initiative, we intend to turn job seekers into job creators, said Modi.
Through 'Stand Up India' initiative, we intend to turn job seekers into job creators- PM Modi pic.twitter.com/fzYm75NErF — ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2016
'Stand up India' aims to empower every Indian and enable them to stand on their own feet: PM @narendramodi https://t.co/Iy8hu3vQmx — PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 5, 2016
PM Modi also flagged off 5100 e-rickshaws under MUDRA Yojana and interacted with beneficiaries, besides inaugurating a Kaushal Vikas Kendra in Noida.
The overall intent of the proposal is to leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to these undeserved sectors of the population by facilitating bank loans in the non-farm sector set up by such SC, ST and Women borrowers. The initiative will also develop synergies with ongoing schemes of other departments.
The process would be led by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with involvement of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and various sector-specific institutions across the country.
The offices of SIDBI and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) shall be designated Stand Up Connect Centres (SUCC).
(With Inputs from ANI)One the country’s biggest local Labour parties is to be split into three following a period of suspension triggered by allegations of abuse and intimidation.
Brighton and Hove district Labour Party was suspended in July, after accusations of intimidatory behaviour at the annual general meeting (AGM), at which Mark Sandell was elected chair. However, that result was voided along with the suspension of the branch amid a raft of allegations were submitted to the Labour Party, and Sandell has now been expelled.
Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn in the area have now called for a public meeting to discuss the situation, which they claim is undemocratic. Sandell says that the move is a “desperate and undemocratic manoeuvre” to return Labour to be the “party of Tony Blair”. He was featured in an episode of Channel 4’s Dispatches last month, where he was shown saying local MP Peter Kyle has “every good reason to feel nervous” about the threat of deselection.
But Labour insiders have defended the decision to split the local party into its three component constituency branches, saying that the party has to prioritise keeping members safe from abuse, and arguing that the membership rise to almost 6,500 in the area makes maintaining a single branch unsustainable. Figures familiar with the inquiry claim that evidence was submitted showing that many of the new members attending the July AGM were in fact ineligible to vote at the meeting.
This move follows the leaking of a report into Angela Eagle’s local party earlier this week, which was also suspended following allegations of abuse. The inquiry there found that Eagle did face homophobic abuse, and that the bricking of her constituency office was “very likely” linked to her leadership bid this summer.
In a statement following the decision, Mark Sandell claimed that the accusations of harassment and intimidation were “lies”, saying:
“My expulsion is a direct attack on the hundreds of Labour Party members who attended the annual meeting of Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party (BHDLP) on July 9.
“Members voted overwhelmingly for me and other supporters of Jeremy Corbyn as the new leadership team to represent more than 6,200 members across our city.
“Those who lost the election could not accept this decision. They immediately spread lies and false allegations — about ‘spitting’ and ‘abusive behaviour'”.
He added: “My expulsion is another desperate and undemocratic manoeuvre by those in the Labour Party who have lost the political argument against Corbyn and who want to silence the majority of Labour Party members.
“This small clique of career politicians and spin doctors will never accept socialist politics that put working-class people’s interests first. They want to return to the Labour Party of Tony Blair and are willing to crush party democracy in order to achieve their goal.”Share
If you were looking forward to dual-booting Windows 7 on the brand new Mac Pro, you’re out of luck. According to allegedly leaked support documents, Apple has dropped Boot Camp support for Windows 7, making Microsoft’s most popular desktop operating system incompatible with Cupertino’s cylindrical powerhouse.
The documents reveal that the Mac Pro, which will sport Boot Camp 5, will only support Windows 8. The Twocanoes blog published screenshots of the Boot Camp setup assistant for the new Mac Pro, indicating that the program only supports “Windows 8 or later.”
Apple is definitely forcing Windows-booting Mac Pro users to run Windows 8: The question is why? The public’s incredibly slow adoption rate of Windows 8 paired with the popularity of Windows 7 makes this a curious decision. The most recent stats from Net Marketshare indicate that Windows 7’s desktop OS share sits at roughly 47 percent, while Windows 8 and 8.1’s is roughly 10 percent. We wonder whether future MacBooks and iMacs released later this year and beyond will also refuse to support Windows 7 in Boot Camp.
Will the lack of Windows 7 support in the new Mac Pro prevent you from buying Apple’s newest workstation? Or are you willing to live with using Windows 8/8.1 alongside OS X? Let us know in the comments below.Two Slovenian men have been taken into custody after a man who was beaten up live on Facebook died from his injuries, authorities said on Wednesday.
The footage showed one of the suspects kicking and punching Andrej Cekuta, 26, even as he lay unconscious on the ground on Monday night, while the other filmed and live-streamed it.
Cekuta was still alive when police found him in the early hours of Tuesday in the eastern village of Podbocje but he succumbed to his wounds in hospital in the afternoon.
Ales Olovec, 20, and Martin Kovac, 29, were arrested at the scene, according to the Slovenske Novice.
Ales Olovec, 20, and Martin Kovac, 29, were arrested on Tuesday after Andrej Cekuta, 26, was beaten up in a Facebook Live stream and later died from his injuries. The footage showed one of the suspects kicking and punching Cekuta even as he lay unconscious on the ground
'The investigating judge ordered the detention of the two suspects after questioning them,' police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik said.
The Dnevnik newspaper reported that police intervened following an anonymous phone call and needed hours before getting the 20-minute video removed from the internet.
Cekuta was still alive when police found him in the early hours of Tuesday in the eastern village of Podbocje but he succumbed to his wounds in hospital in the afternoon
By that time it had received more than 250,000 views and garnered 400 'likes' on the social media website.
The Slovenske Novice daily reported in an article titled 'Died as Slovenia watched' that Cekuta and the two alleged attackers knew each other and were drunk when they fell into a quarrel.
It is not the first time that Facebook's Live tool, launched last year, has caused controversy.
Last month Swedish police arrested three men on suspicion of gang-raping a woman live on Facebook to a closed group with 60,000 members.
The film has been removed from Facebook but after it circulated on the internet.
The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala, 45 miles north of Stockholm, in the presence of their 30-year-old victim.
The arrest were made after members of a Facebook group saw the attack streamed live and alerted police.
Josefine Lundgren, 21, was one of the witnesses who watched the incident online and reported it.
She said she saw the victim being stripped and then sexually assaulted by several armed men and said the attack only ended several hours later when police arrived and switched off the webcam.
Swedish media published excerpts of the footage, showing at least one of the suspects holding a revolver.
Earlier in January four people in Chicago were accused of holding captive and assaulting a man with special needs live on the site over 30 minutes.
The gang shouted: 'F*** Trump' and 'F*** white people' during the attack.
In June last year gang member Antonio Perkins, 28, unwittingly live streamed his own death on Facebook after he was shot dead in Chicago while using the real time video app.The last time Christianity Today talked to Scott Stapp, Creed, the popular rock band he had fronted for nearly a decade, had just broken up after years of internal bickering.
It was the summer of 2004, and while his three bandmates went off to form their own group, Alter Bridge, Stapp pursued a solo career and, by his own reckoning, God. Fans had long speculated about Stapp's faith, but he was never very vocal about it because Creed didn't want to be pigeonholed as a "Christian band." But in that conversation with CT, Stapp came right out and said, "I am a Christian." He had just watched The Passion of the Christ and recorded a song for an album inspired by the film.
But shortly thereafter, Stapp started making news again for the wrong reasons. He got into a drunken brawl in a hotel lobby. He showed up intoxicated for a TV interview. Even after marrying a Christian woman in 2006, he was arrested for public drunkenness on the day after his wedding. A year later, he was arrested for domestic abuse after a night of partying; his wife, Jaclyn, dropped the charges after Stapp publicly apologized.
Today, Stapp has been sober for just over one year, and he's telling his story in a new memoir, Sinner's Creed (Tyndale), to be released October 2. In the book, Stapp confesses his many misdeeds and how he is now right with God. But he also reveals a troubling family background. When Scott—born Anthony Scott Flippen—was 8, his single mother married Steve Stapp, who was emotionally and physically abusive, according to Scott.
The singer writes that Steve Stapp told him God made man as "priest and prophet of the household. I make...
1Dead Woman Insists On 'Wizard Of Oz' Obit
Joanna Scarpitti loved that movie so much that she made her daughter promise that when she died that a famous line would be used in her obituary. Scarpitti's obit began: "Ding dong the witch is dead."
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Good morning. I'm David Greene. Seventy-five years ago today was the world premiere of "The Wizard Of Oz." A movie Joanna Scarpitti loved. So much so she made her daughter promise that when she died she'd use a famous line for the obituary - ding dong the witch is dead. Scarpitti died two weeks ago. Her daughter fulfilled the promise, adding that her mom was sweet with a side of zest. Sure enough, Scarpitti insisted on being dressed in all black with white stockings and red ruby slippers after her death. You're listening to MORNING EDITION.
Copyright © 2014 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.Could Tennessee be state number 29 to say yes to marijuana legalization measures? Yesterday it was reported that two Republican congressmen introduced a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Tennessee. For patients in Tennessee with a qualifying sever medical condition, they might have some hope in the future.
While the lawmakers say this will not lead Tennessee closer to legalized recreational marijuana, this would still be a major step for the state as well as a win for the overall legalized marijuana movement. With 28 states in the U.S. now having some form of legalized cannabis, Tennessee might very well be the next one to join.
The bill lays out everything from the licensing of cultivation operations to the specific medical conditions that would qualify a patient for access to cannabis. Here's a break down of the highlights of this proposed bill.
Republicans Leading the Charge
Representative Jeremy Faison and Senator Steven Dickerson are leading the charge to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis for the people of Tennessee. Although the bill is being spearheaded by Republicans, it is likely to hit resistance when it comes to winning over other members of the GOP.
Push Against Opioids
This bill is proposed in an effort to fight the rising opioid epidemic in Tennessee and the overall United States. According to Senator Dickerson, "I think there are significant anecdotes and some data that substantiate the proposition that medical cannabis will have a decrease on the consumption of opiates."
There has been a proven decrease in deaths attributable to opiates in the states that have granted patients access to medical marijuana, and Tennessee would presumably be no different.
Severe Medical Conditions
Medical marijuana in Tennessee would not be for people with a bad back or trouble sleeping according to the proposed bill announced this week. The bill would extend access to those with conditions including HIV/AIDS, cancers, Lou Gehrig's disease, PTSD, epilepsy and more. Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission would have the power to add conditions to the list based on medical findings.
Licensing
The proposed Tennessee medical marijuana bill would allow for 50 licensed cultivation operations in the state. The first 15 are supposed to be in so called "distressed" parts of Tennessee. These licenses will also provide a revenue stream for the state. Each cultivation operation will be allowed to have one onsite dispensary as well as two separate storefronts. This means as many as 150 dispensaries could pop up across the state of Tennessee.
As far as recommending/prescribing the marijuana, under the proposed bill doctors and nurse practitioners who prescribe other medicines would need to apply to get a license to prescribe marijuana. These licenses will also provide a revenue stream for Tennessee.
Last but not least is the patients, who would have to get a medical marijuana card similar to other states' systems. These $35 cards will provide yet another stream of revenue for the state.
Revenue Distribution
The revenue from medical marijuana legalization would go to a handful of different causes within the state. The breakdown is as follows:
20% - Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
10% - Sheriffs' Association
10% - Police Chief Association
20% - Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
20% - K thru 12 education
20% - Governor's office
Conclusion
For more information on the proposed bill, be sure to check out the story in The Tennessean. Also, check back soon as we will be adding a Tennessee marijuana news section to our growing coverage of state marijuana news. Also, don't forget to connect with us on social media using the links to the right of this article.Pictured: Truck driver who perished after hitting family's car and plunging from bridge... as rescuers reveal 10-week-old baby slept through entire accident
Killed: Charles Allison Jr. lost his life when his truck plunged from a 100ft-high bridge into a creek
The trucker who perished after his vehicle clipped a family's car and plunged into a creek from a 100ft-high freeway bridge has been pictured for the first time.
Charles Allison Jr., 48, was driving a gravel truck when it rear-ended a BMW on Highway 101 in California, causing the car to spin out of control and teeter perilously on the edge of the bridge.
Mr Allison's vehicle ploughed through the guardrail and plummeted to the creek below, bursting into flames and killing the driver - while the mother and two young children inside the BMW looked on.
Dangling over the edge of the bridge, Kelli Lynne Groves, a 36-year-old first grade teacher, and her two young children - Sage, 10, and Milo, ten-weeks old - awaited rescue.
It has now emerged that baby Milo did not stir once, despite the massive impact that caused Ms Groves’ car to land on the centre of the concrete guard rail.
Even when emergency services arrived on the scene, she slept through the commotion and never cried once, the California Highway Patrol told KSBY.com.
They credited the tot's mother for helping to save her life by placing the baby in a rear facing car seat behind the driver seat.
Scroll down for video
Dramatic: Fire crews rescued Kelli Lynne Groves, 36, from her car after a truck rear-ended her BMW, leaving the mother and two daughters dangling precariously over the edge of a bridge
Intense moment: Fire crews use a US Navy SEEBEE heavy forklift to stabilize the BMW that was dangling over the side of the bridge
The terrified family waited for an hour for rescue crews to extricate them from the wreckage, and received help in the meantime from a group of Navy Seabees who were stuck in southbound traffic.
The Seabees used a forklift they were transporting to stop the BMW from going over the bridge, KTLA reports.
Photos capture ten-year-old Sage Groves looking terrified as rescue workers fight to bring her to safety, and her mother, wearing a red top, crying as firefighters help pull her from the wreck.
The three Groves' were taken to hospital. Ms Groves and Sage suffered moderate injuries and Milo had only minor injuries. All were said to be in stable condition.
Rescued: The ten-year-old girl is wheeled from the scene to a medivac helicopter. She and her mother and ten-month-old sister are all listed in stable condition
The California Highway Patrol said Allison lived in Grover Beach, California and his truck was registered to R&R Wrecking Company in Arroyo Grande.
The accident, which is currently under investigation, occurred along U.S. Route 101 in rural Buellton, about 25 miles north of Santa Barbara.
Because of the accident, the highway was closed in both directions.
The San Juan Capistrano family was taken to nearby Cottage Hospital with moderate injuries, 920kvec.com reports.
Ended in flame: The big-rig fell over the 100-foot bridge in Southern California and burst into flame after landing in the creek. Its driver died at the scene
See below for videoLast Wednesday, I had a lively discussion with Msgr. Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, on Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani Show, on whether or not Islam was a religion of violence. Msgr. Swetland argued not only that Islam was a religion of peace, but that to believe otherwise was to place oneself in opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Now, I’m a Catholic. But if Msgr. Swetland is correct, I may not be one for long.
Msgr. Swetland has now helpfully supplied me with remarks clarifying his position and supporting it with statements of various Popes and the Second Vatican Council. Msgr. Swetland contends that statements of recent Popes to the effect that Islam is a religion of peace fall into the category of teachings to which Catholics must give “religious assent,” as per the Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium, which states: “In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent.”
If Msgr. Swetland is correct that this “religious assent” must be given to Pope Francis’ claim that Islam is peaceful and rejects violence, then I am, as he puts it, “a dissenter from the papal magisterium.” So also, then, would be millions of other Catholics, including those from the Middle East who have borne the brunt of Muslim persecution of Christians and know what Islam teaches, such as a gentleman from Lebanon who phoned in to the Mariani Show during my discussion with Msgr. Swetland.
If Msgr. Swetland is correct, then Catholics must affirm that Islam is a religion of peace as part and parcel of being Catholic, and the Catholic Church will be requiring that its faithful affirm the truth of what is an obvious and egregious falsehood, as I demonstrated here and in many other places.
If Msgr. Swetland is correct, and it is Church teaching that all Catholics must accept that Islam is a religion of peace, then the Catholic hierarchy will have demonstrated that it does not have the authority or reliability in discerning and transmitting the truth that it claims to have; Papal claims to speak in the name of Christ will be eviscerated; and the Catholic Church as a whole exposed as a fraud.
Thus the stakes are extremely high in this question. This is why I do not think he is correct, and do not believe that Catholics are bound to affirm that Islam is a religion of peace:
Msgr. Swetland says: “At least in the area of morals, Robert seems to be a dissenter from the papal magisterium.” The cornerstone of his case is that statement from Lumen Gentium, that “in matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent.”
Msgr. Swetland seems to think that affirming that Islam is a religion of peace is a matter of morals. But is it really true that the affirmation that Islam is a religion of peace really a matter of Catholic faith or morals? I don’t see how: it’s a statement about the teachings of a different religion altogether. Is the content of the Buddhist or Hindu faith also a matter of Catholic morals? My contention is that the statements about Islam by the Second Vatican Council and recent Popes are not matters of faith or morals, and so do not fall within the realm of those matters upon which Catholics must assent to the statements of Popes and bishops.
If, as Lumen Gentium says, “this religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra,” and “must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will,” the question then becomes, which Roman Pontiff? Pope Francis, who declared that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence,” or Pope Callixtus III, who in 1455 vowed to “exalt the true Faith, and to extirpate the diabolical sect of the reprobate and faithless Mahomet in the East”?
Are Catholics to believe that Islam is a “diabolical sect” because Pope Callixtus III said it was, and simultaneously believe that it is “opposed to every form of violence” because Pope Francis said so? Or must Catholics go with Francis and reject Callixtus as a “dissenter from the papal magisterium” because he believed Islam to be diabolical? What authority does Francis have that Callixtus did not have? Or does Francis trump Callixtus solely by virtue of being of the present day and not forgotten? The Church fought Crusades against Muslims for several hundred years. Are all the Popes who called for and approved of those expeditions to be accorded “submission of mind and will,” or do only John Paul II, Benedict XVI (whom Msgr. Swetland numbers among the Islam-is-a-religion-of-peace crowd, but may not really belong there) and Francis get that?
Msgr. Swetland’s claim that Catholics must as a matter of obedience affirm that Islam is a religion of peace would require the Church to repudiate much of its history. Will Santiago Matamoros be repudiated and no longer regarded as a saint? Will St. John of Damascus be rejected for his eighth-century criticism of Islam? Will the Dantescan fresco of Muhammad in hell in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna be whitewashed? Will the Church call on Catholics not to celebrate the victories at Tours in 732, Lepanto in 1571 and Vienna in 1683, and others over Islamic jihadis, and express regret for them?
Will Hilaire Belloc’s writings on Islam as “the most formidable and persistent enemy” of the Church be officially repudiated by the hierarchy? From the beginning of Islam, Muslims have warred against Christians and the Church, as numerous saints and martyrs attest. Were all of them out of step with the Church’s teaching? No, the Church’s teaching on Islam was vastly different then from what it is now. Will all of these saints and martyrs be repudiated as well?
There are other problems with Msgr. Swetland’s statement. He quotes a statement of the U.S. bishops and the American Muslim Council to show that “mainstream Muslims reject terrorism and violence.” The fact that numerous Muslim groups condemn jihad terror attacks is not really at issue, and just raises the further question of why there are no programs in any U.S. mosque to teach young Muslims why they should reject the understanding of Islam taught by al-Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) and other jihad groups.
But aside from that, I wonder if Msgr. Swetland is aware that Abdurrahman Alamoudi, the founder of the American Muslim Council, is now in prison for financing al-Qaeda. How could it be that the founder of a group that shows how “mainstream Muslims reject terrorism and violence” ended up financing al-Qaeda? Might the sanction that the Qur’an gives to religious deception shed any light on that question? This is not to say that there are no Muslims who are sincere in rejecting jihad terror, but Msgr. Swetland’s choice of an example to illustrate that was unfortunate in the extreme.
Msgr. Swetland includes in his statement to me an article in which Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo says: “It would be naive to pretend that there are not certain episodes in the Koran and the Hadith that may lend themselves to a violent interpretation…how the Muslim community worldwide can give a peaceful hermeneutic to these passages is a task which I imagine will be made more difficult with too much pressure ‘from outside’…I wouldn’t dream of telling Muslims how to interpret their faith. But those who want to work towards that end from within will find a strong ally and friend in the Catholic Church, ready to accompany on the way.”
Great. But Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo has thus tacitly admitted that “a peaceful hermeneutic” of the Qur’an’s violent passages does not now exist, and that the task of formulating it will be “difficult.” Islam is 1,400 years old. Why doesn’t this “peaceful hermeneutic” already exist? Why is it yet to be developed? Isn’t its non-existence telling?
Msgr. Swetland also included in his clarifying remarks some highly insulting and defamatory things to say about me personally. One is that I’m an ISIS recruiter: he claims that “Spencer’s interpretation also allows these radical groups to say to potential recruits, mostly disaffected young persons who are susceptible to radicalization, ‘See, even our most vocal opponents agree with us that our interpretation of Islam is the correct one.'”
The idea that jihadis invoke non-Muslims in recruiting is absurd, albeit held not just by Msgr. Swetland but by Barack Obama, John Kerry and a host of others. In reality, Muslims do not look to non-Muslims for validation of what is Islam and what isn’t, any more than Christians look to non-Christians to tell them what Christianity is and isn’t. If Msgr. Swetland knew anything about Islam, he would know that “the best of people,” which is what the Qur’an calls Muslims (3:110), do not look to “the most vile of created beings” (98:6) to explain Islam to them.
Msgr. Swetland also says that I have failed to “avoid hateful generalizations.” This is a false charge, and I challenge him to produce even one example of a “hateful generalization” in any of my fifteen books, hundreds of articles, and 40,000+ website posts about Islam. He can also consult hundreds of YouTube videos of me speaking in all sorts of contexts. There is so much material, he shouldn’t have any difficulty finding one. When he fails to find one, however, as he will certainly do, I respectfully request that he retract that charge.
Whether or not Msgr. Swetland’s analysis is correct, he certainly reflects the way the winds are blowing. And so the Church hierarchy, and perhaps Pope Francis himself, needs to clarify whether there is still any place in the Catholic Church for those who do not believe that Islam is a religion of peace. Since it is a readily demonstrable fact that it isn’t, if affirming Islam as peaceful is now required of Catholics, then I will follow in the footsteps of another notorious Catholic detested by the hierarchy, the monk who said, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”
But those in the Catholic Church who agree with Msgr. Swetland may find my departure from the fold, however devoutly they may desire it, |
is seeking advice from financial advisers on how to best spend the money. He shows off receipts for recent purchases like new padlocks. He says he wants his donors to know he’s not wasting their money.
Another reason Bosire hopes to stay in her current location is that it’s adjacent to a cinderblock elementary school that many of her kids attend. When Hardwick walked over during recess this week, he was swarmed by little girls in gray dresses. Bosire calls Hardwick an angel, the type of comment that shades the Penn State student’s face in red.
“If they want to say God sent me, that’s fine. I think Reddit did it,” Hardwick said.
___
On the Internet:
http://www.longonoteducation.org/faraja-childrens-home.htmlLike most of America, the first time I ever saw Adam Driver was on Girls, back in my immediate post-collegiate days in early 2013. If you had asked me if he was a talented actor, I would have been like, "yes, duh, look at him," but I was also far too blinded by my RIDICULOUS AND CRIPPLING ANXIETY for all the FICTIONAL CHARACTERS getting into shenanigans on that show to think that thought independently. (Legit, I'd have to hit pause and whisper, "No, Hannah, no" into the darkness of my midnight Girls binge until I felt emotionally ready to hit play and watch her burn all her fictional bridges again. I'm such a weenie.)
Cut to Christmas 2015. As an avid Star Wars fan, I was beyond ready for The Force Awakens — but alas, I was not ready for the OTHER thing that awakened by the time I had left the theater. And by other thing I mean a ridiculous obsession with Adam Driver's entire being.
I need to differentiate between infatuation and obsession here. Like, don't get me wrong — if an unmarried Adam Driver clone came over with a box of glazed donuts and was like, "You. Me. Right here, right now," I'd be all in, because duh. But my fixation with him goes so much deeper than my usual level of mild fangirl. In fact, I've gone straight from Mild Fan all the way to Trash Person re: Adam Driver's existence in several weeks flat. Watching him act is so weirdly captivating and personal that you feel like a rubbernecker, like the things he is doing and saying are actually happening and you're the asshole watching a stranger in some deeply intense and private moment. You forget you're watching a movie, you forget there's a script, because there is something so raw and unpredictable about literally every performance he gives that you just kind of... well, end up writing articles about how bizarrely obsessed with him you are, that's what.
If you have also delved as deep into this existentially confusing rabbit hole with me, then you too will recognize the stages of your spiraling Adam Driver obsession, including and not limited to:
You Justify It By Saying It’s About Kylo Ren
“I just dig bad guys,” you tell yourself, figuratively fist-bumping your edgy, eyeliner-smushed 15-year-old self for coming to this conclusion. “And Kylo Ren is a bad mamma jamma.”
“But you hated Draco Malfoy. And Spike. And Loki,” your unhelpful, stupid, sh*t of a brain reminds you. “Why would this baddie be any different?”
"Because," you tell yourself petulantly.
Well. At least you got the last word.
You Seriously Scared Your Neighbors During His SNL Stint
I like to keep things fresh in my 'hood by engaging my neighbors in a rousing round of, "Is That A Woman Laughing, Or Someone Illegally Harboring A Dying Whale In Their Shoebox Apartment?" Driver slayed too hard for my lung capacity. Also, Matt the Radar Technician is bae.
You Are Possessed To Re-Watch Literally All Of Girls So You Can Watch His Character Arc
God bless my parents' generosity with their HBOGo password and the seven hour train ride I took upstate last weekend, because I binge-watched all four seasons of that show so intensely that when I got back home to NYC I briefly forgot I was not, in fact, Lena Dunham. (Foiled again.) For real, though, the arc Driver takes with this character is cuh-rrussshhinggggly on point, even though I will probs end up pulling all my hair out from the secondhand stress of these characters living their lives.
You Are Devastated That You Did Not Adopt The "Adam Driver Cat"
Honesty hour: I HATE cats. But I could have loved this one. We could have been so happy together. I... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just need a moment.
You Keep Finding Not-So-Casual Ways To Uncasually Bring Him Up In Conversation
Friend: Do you want to split an app?
You: A buddy of mine said he saw Kylo Ren take his shirt off in the shower and he said that Kylo Ren had an eight pack.
Friend:...
Friend: Come on.
You Gut His Entire Netflix History Over The Course Of One Night
You possibly skip past some Non-Adam Driver scenes to get to the Adam Driver scenes faster. And then aggressively YouTube the trailers for all the movies that aren't on there just to cover as many bases as you can.
You Will Fight Anyone Who Says One Slightly Critical Thing About Him To The Death
*Ignites lightsaber*
What the hell did you just say about this precious f*cking gift to mankind? YEAH PUNK YOU BETTER RUN.
You Have Had Some Genuinely Bizarre Dreams About Him
Not just that kind of dream, but like, weird dreams. "Episode of Girls meets your effed up Freudian subconscious" type dreams. The other day we co-adopted a dog with Obama. I suspect we will all be very happy together.
You Have Delved Frighteningly Deep Into Kylo Ren Backstory Theories
My tally of published Bustle articles on the psyche of Kylo Ren has already reached eight, and I have no intention of slowing down or logging the hell off the blackhole that is Tumblr any time soon.
You Have Watched This Video Approximately 8,000 Times
Movieclips Coming Soon on YouTube
Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren are in a space boy band with Justin Timberlake and guys the sequel to Force Awakens looks so good.
Hair
Nobody knows their way around a bottle of conditioner quite like a Skywalker man. (Help.)
Images: Giphy; Getty ImagesUPDATE: Collins delivered her most dominant performance yet on Friday, adding $30,800 to her winnings for a new total of $314,900. She is now the third winningest non-tournament 'Jeopardy!' champion ever.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW
Julia Collins has been making history for the past week on "Jeopardy!" But few people seem to have noticed.
Collins, a 31-year-old supply-chain specialist from Kenilworth, Illinois, had won 14 games in a row as of Thursday night, demolishing the record for most games won by a female contestant -- previously seven. She has amassed a total of $284,100, the most money ever won by a woman on the show, and is currently fourth on the all-time list of "Jeopardy! champions. She's averaging a healthy $20,293 per episode.
Yet her remarkable run has received a fraction of the attention accorded to Arthur Chu, the 12-game-winner whose run ended in March.
Collins, who graduated from Wellesley College in 2005 and attended graduate school at MIT, has been profiled by websites affiliated with those institutions (“I've watched the show since I was a little kid, maybe 8 or 9,” she told Wellesley's official site), as well as CNN Money and The Miami Herald. But that pales in comparison to the onslaught of media surrounding Chu, who won $297,200, for a per-game average of $24,767.
Gender may factor into the disparity. But Chu was also a divisive champion, both for his manner and style of play. He chose to attack the "Jeopardy!" board with a strategy known as the "Forrest bounce," which involves jumping between categories to look for Daily Doubles. This aggressive yet logical maneuver inspired a raft of commentary, as did Chu's sometimes brusque manner.
Collins also had to contend with a two-week programming gap in the middle of her run, during which "Jeopardy!" aired a special "Battle of the Decades." Chu, however, went three weeks between games during his streak. So perhaps America simply has post-Chu "Jeopardy!" fatigue.
Collins plays a more traditional style of "Jeopardy!," but has been no less dominant for it. Seven of her games have been "runaways," meaning that she was so far ahead by the Final Jeopardy round that she was assured victory. And like Chu, she's accessible. Collins livetweets her games, and frequently responds to questions from Twitter users. (Unlike Chu, she doesn't appear to be the frequent target of insults.)
Since "Jeopardy!" rules were changed to allow contestants to win more than five games in a row, only the legendary Ken Jennings, who won 74 games in 2004, Dave Madden, who won 19 in 2005, and Chu now stand above Collins on the all-time earnings list. Whatever happens next, Collins has already achieved something remarkable.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
Chancellor George Osborne has made a fortune by secretly flogging his second home which the taxpayer helped pay for.
Neighbours say the top Tory has made about £450,000 profit from the sale of the Cheshire farmhouse.
The bumper payday for Mr Osborne is mainly thanks to public cash used to pay interest on monthly payments for the exclusive property.
News of the deal comes as the Chancellor and David Cameron face a Tory backlash over the huge sums they are making renting out their London homes while living in Downing Street.
Mr Osborne bought Harrop Fold Farm, near Macclesfield for £445,000 in 2000.
Using his Commons allowances, he was claiming up to £1,900 a month in interest payments on the mortgage.
He then tried to rent the property before managing to sell it, without it going on the open market, for up to £900,000 this year.
Taxpayer-funded home loans were banned under a new Commons expenses system brought in to restore public trust in politics after the 2009 expenses scandal.
MPs were given until this summer to stop claiming but those who carried on after the election in 2010 have to pay a slice of the profit back to the Parliamentary authorities.
But because Mr Osborne stopped claiming expenses after the election he does not have to pay a penny back to the Parliamentary authorities.
Labour MP John Mann said it showed Mr Osborne was “unfit to govern”, adding: “People across the country have been forced to bear the brunt of his economic failures and brutal cuts. They will be disgusted by George Osborne’s greed.”
Mr Osborne bought the second home a year before he was elected MP for Tatton in 2001.
He quietly sold it in January when it looked like Government plans to change constituency boundaries meant he could lose the seat.
The MP had been expected to flee for a Tory constituency like Kensington and Chelsea before the Liberal Democrats scuppered the boundary shake-up.
He made the decision to sell in Cheshire because the demands of his job meant he was spending much less time in the constituency, allies insisted.
A neighbour at the sprawling complex, which includes several other houses, revealed that Mr Osborne had planned to let it out but a local couple made an offer.
The neighbour said: “He was going to rent it because he didn’t want it going on the open market. Fortunately for him these two people are local.
“They have always admired it and wanted to rent it but George wanted to sell. So they managed to buy it without it going on the market.
“I don’t think George has bought another house in the constituency. He had the house here and now he’s sold it.
"It would fetch between £800,000 and £900,000.”
Mr Osborne was caught over-claiming for the property before the last election.
He was ordered to repay £1,666 after Westminster’s sleaze watchdog found he had breached the rules by saddling taxpayers for a £450,000 mortgage on the house that cost £5,000 less.
The Tory, who has a trust fund worth an estimated £4million, originally bought the property by extending the mortgage on his London home.
He took out the loan on the Cheshire property and started billing taxpayers after he was elected the following year.
He breached his second home expenses limit with a series of claims that included a £121 bill for servicing his posh Aga stove.
This took him over the then limit of £24,006.New Orleans, LA - Christopher Parsons, MD, Director of the HIV Malignancies Program at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the senior author of a paper that is the first to report that specialized fat (lipid) molecules, called sphingolipids, play a key role in the survival of aggressive lymphomas caused by viruses. The paper also reveals a new therapy for preventing production of sphingolipids by lymphoma cells, thereby killing these cells, which are often resistant to standard therapies. The study is published in the January 2014 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The research team focuses on primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), an aggressive and deadly variant of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that frequently occurs in people infected with HIV. Though scientists have known that the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes PEL, development of effective therapies has proven difficult. PEL tumors arise within body cavities and progress rapidly with an average survival of around 6 months. Combination chemotherapy represents the current standard of care for PEL, but side effects (including bone marrow suppression) and drug resistance (generated through virus-associated mechanisms) continue to limit the effectiveness of standard therapy.
After documenting the role of an enzyme called sphingosine kinase (SK), in the generation of biologically active sphingolipids in PEL tumors that keep the tumor cells alive, the researchers tested a novel clinical-grade small molecule that selectively targets SK. The molecule, called ABC294640, was developed by Apogee Biotechnology Corporation. Previous studies found antitumor effects for ABC294640 with kidney, prostate, and breast cancer cell lines. In the current study, ABC294640 not only inhibited SK function and induced PEL cell death, it worked selectively for virus-infected cells while sparing uninfected cells.
"It is still early in our understanding of how these special lipids contribute to viral cancers, but this is a major potential advance. There are no therapies available to fight viral tumors by selectively blocking these pathways, all while not harming normal, uninfected cells," notes Dr. Parsons, who is also a member of the LSUHSC Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center.
Dr. Parsons' research group partnered with Apogee several years ago to develop and test new small molecules targeting lipid synthesis pathways, especially those in viral lymphomas, which have high rates of relapse or failure with standard therapies and higher mortality than non-viral lymphomas.
"Our research thus far indicates that this molecule is safe, with the potential to stand alone as a single, orally administered drug with no need to combine it with other toxic drugs now routinely used but which fail to work for many patients," concludes Dr. Parsons.
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In addition to Dr. Parsons, the LSUHSC research team also included Drs. Zhiqiang Qin, Lu Dai, Thomas Reske, Karlie Bonstaff, Luis Del Valle, and Paulo Rodriguez, who are all members of the Copeland-LSUHSC Partnership in Viruses, Cancer, and Immunotherapy. Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina and Tongji University School of Medicine also participated. Charles D. Smith, President and CEO of Apogee Biotechnology Corporation, is a co-author.
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the LSUHSC New Orleans School of Medicine, and China's National Natural Science Foundation.The Golden Arches landed in HK in on January 8th, 1975 and they’ve pretty much enjoyed a city-wide monopoly ever since. The original American grease-pushers are not so much a fast-food outlet as an institution here, being, as they are, so ubiquitous as the sole cheap, 24-7 Western food option for Hong Kongers.
Here is a glimpse of their 1980s menu and prices…
In HK… “McDonald’s was the first restaurant to consistently offer clean restrooms, driving customers to demand the same of other restaurants and institutions.” (Indeed, this gave rise to the pheneomena of the ‘McShit and lies’, whereby one enters a restaurant and informs the staff that you’ll make a purchase after using the facilities.)
They also spearheaded other changes in local culture – before their arrival, it was somewhat of a taboo to eat in public, especially on the streets of conservative HK. Plus, it apparently whipped people into shape with regards to the civilised notion of queuing.
Despite the relatively late arrival of KFC and Burger King to the territory, Ronald’s monopoly has meant the chain has not had to innovate or ‘reinvent’ itself in the same way it has in waning Western markets. In Britain and the US particularly, McDonald’s is trying to re-brand itself with a healthier image in line with changing attitudes to food.
HK branches have not been totally immune to evolving attitudes. They do offer salads in HK (though they’re rarely advertised). Also, there have been some highly tokenistic efforts to appear environmentally friendly, such as their laughable, short-lived and largely-ignored ‘No Straw Day’…
There are many reasons behind the love affair with a chain which still remains an exclusive novelty in other parts of China. Like Ocean Park, McDonald’s is a nostalgic brand which people associate with their childhoods. But most of its local success stems from our existing addiction to fast food outright…
Furthermore, it remains so popular because it’s so affordable. The Economist rates the HK menu as the 2nd cheapest in the world. Their ‘Big Mac Index’ is “an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity (PPP) between two currencies and provides a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries.”
This affordability is, in turn, partly down to the availability of cheap labour. McD’s were rightly held up as the poster-child for the city’s long-standing lack of minimum wage law.
In the years preceding 2011, they were notorious for paying workers less than $20 an hour. In 2006, activists hit the front page of the Ming Pao on International Worker’s Rights Day to highlight the exploitative plight of fast food workers…
It is unfortunate that the consumption of such ‘faux food’ is normalised in HK and that – unlike in other countries – they are allowed to advertise to children, set up where-ever they wish and even build direct relationships with schools.
But even visitors and expats who’d normally avoid Macky D’s back home, find themselves succumbing to the instantly available, cheap cheerfulness of “Mak Kee”. You can even get McMarried, as so colourfully illustrated here by the bastions of journalism, Apple Action News…One of the country's leading journalists has written a searing critique of the media's coverage of global warming, especially climate economics.
The well-documented study, How Much Would You Pay to Save the Planet? The American Press and the Economics of Climate Change, is by Eric Pooley for Harvard's prestigious Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Pooley has been managing editor of Fortune, national editor of Time, Time's chief political correspondent, and Time's White House correspondent, where he won the Gerald Ford Prize for Excellence in Reporting. Before that, he was senior editor of New York magazine.
In short, Pooley has earned the right to be heard. Journalists and senior editors need to pay heed to Pooley's three tough conclusions abut how "damaging" the recent media of the climate debate has been:
The press misrepresented the economic debate over cap and trade. It failed to recognize the emerging consensus... that cap and trade would have a marginal effect on economic growth and gave doomsday forecasts coequal status with nonpartisan ones.... The press allowed opponents of climate action to replicate the false debate over climate science in the realm of climate economics. The press failed to perform the basic service of making climate policy and its economic impact understandable to the reader and allowed opponents of climate action to set the terms of the cost debate. The argument centered on the short-term costs of taking action-i.e., higher electricity and gasoline prices-and sometimes assumed that doing nothing about climate change carried no cost. Editors failed to devote sufficient resources to the climate story. In general, global warming is still being shoved into the "environment" pigeonhole, along with the spotted owls and delta smelt, when it is clearly to society's detriment to think about the subject that way. It is time for editors to treat climate policy as a permanent, important beat: tracking a mobilization for the moral equivalent of war.
Precisely.
Pooley is one of the few major journalists in the country who understands that global warming is the story of the century -- and if we don't reverse our emissions path soon, it will tragically be the story of the millennium, with irreversible impacts lasting for many, many centuries (see "Hadley Center: Catastrophic 5-7°C warming by 2100 on current emissions path").
Pooley told me, "I think this is the only story going forward." That's why, although he remains a contributor to Time magazine, he is devoting most of his time now to researching and writing a book on the politics and economics of climate change.
The first step for Pooley was an analysis of media coverage over the previous 15 months. In a long introduction to the different roles reporters can play, Pooley notes:
Being a referee is harder than being a stenographer because it requires grappling with the substance of an issue in a way that many time-pressed journalists aren't willing or able to do.
He decided to examine media coverage surrounding the 2008 Senate debate over the climate bill put forward by John Warner (R-VA) and Joseph Lieberman (??-CT):
News coverage of the Lieberman-Warner debate included some shoddy, one-sided reporting and some strong work that took the time both to dive into the policy weeds-evaluating the economic assumptions used by the various players-and step back to portray those players as com-batants in a war for public opinion. But most of the reporting was bad in the painstakingly balanced way of so much daily journalism-two sides, no real meat.
He then explains his research:
My analysis of news articles published in national and regional newspapers, wire services, and newsmagazines between December 2007 and June 2008 suggests that for most reporters covering this story, the default role was that of stenographer-presenting a nominally balanced view of the debate without questioning the validity of the arguments, sometimes even ignoring evidence that one side was twisting truth. Database searches yielded a sample of 40 published news and analysis stories that explored the cost debate in some de-tail (see appendix). Of these, seven stories were one-sided. Twenty-four stories were works of journalistic stenography. And nine stories attempted, with varying degrees of success, to move past the binary debate, weigh the arguments, and reach conclusions about this thorny issue.
The bottom line:
The media's collective decision to play the stenographer role actually helped opponents of climate action stifle progress.
He makes another interesting point, one I would not have expected from a journalist
Mainstream news organizations have accepted the conclusions of the IPCC but have not yet applied those conclusions to the economic debate. The terms of that debate have been defined by opponents of climate action who argue that reducing emissions would "cost too much." So the battle has been fought over the short-term price of climate action and its impact on GDP, while overlooking an extremely important variable, the long-term costs of inaction and business as usual.
Although Pooley doesn't make the point, the problem he identifies is compounded by the fact that the mainstream economic community also overestimates the cost of action and underestimates the cost of inaction, a central point of my ongoing series on voodoo economists (see, for instance, Part 3: MIT and NBER (and Tol and Nordhaus) -- the right wing deniers love your work. Ask yourself "why?" and Part 2: Robert Mendelsohn says global warming is "a good thing for Canada.").
That means when the media goes out looking for a well-known climate economist to quote in an article, they typically end up with someone who doesn't understand the scientific urgency and those who misunderstand the economics.
Pooley's whole paper is a must read, especially for advocates of climate action. Yes, the media bears much culpability for the fact that, as Pooley says, "the tipping point for climate action has not yet been reached." But so do scientists, environmentalists, and progressives. The general state of our messaging remains lousy (see, for instance, Part 4: The idiocy of crowds or, rather, the idiocy of (crowded) debates and Does the "Reality Campaign" need new Mad Men?
One clear message from this study is that the climate science activists need to do a better job of spelling out the cost of inaction. Until that cost is clear to the public, the media, and policymakers, the country will never be able to mobilize to do what is needed to preserve a livable climate.
Related Post:Posted March 6, 2017 at 11:01 am
The above comic is a direct link to sales, but we also have a website for the book here. Please check it out!
Now then:
Thank you everyone. THANK YOU! For real, I mean it, thank you for giving me the last 10 years to do comics full time. In some ways, this feels like the culmination of an adventure that started back in 2006 when I decided to start work on a degree in science.
For the last two years or so, Kelly and I have spent every spare moment sneaking in time to read articles, journals, and textbooks for this book. In retrospect, this was a little crazy, given that we both had full time jobs, and were raising a small kid while creating an even smaller kids! Thanks to getting very little sleep and a LOT of help from our parents, we managed to get it done.
Think of this book as a sort of optimistic skeptic’s guide to a bunch of technologies that might be important in the next century or so. We picked emergent technologies we were interested in, which we also thought were not really covered well in media. Then, we dove in, trying to learn as much as we could, reading lots of technical papers and books, and interviewing experts in these new fields.
The result is a book that, we hope, gives you a full picture of these ideas, so that you’ll know what news to be excited about and what news is missing the point. This is *not* a book offering a philosophy of the future or a prediction of life in the year 2050. It’s really just a Mary Roach style investigation of a bunch of neat stuff. Think of us as people who are really interested in the future, but who approach it with a deeply skeptical lens.
If you go to the Soonish website, you’ll note that we’re offering a bunch of pre-order incentives - signed bookplates, bonus comics, etc. It’s important to me that we’re as transparent as possible about how we run things, so here’s why we’re structuring the launch this way:
Having healthy preorders is really beneficial for us, especially as people who are new to writing pop science. Because we’re new, nobody knows how popular the book will be, so bookstores and other sellers don’t know what to buy from us. Having good preorder sales means that sales representatives have a clear picture of our audience size, and it makes it easier for us to publicize the eventual proper release.
More importantly - for the purposes of the various “bestseller lists” all preorders count as if they happened during the first week. So, having a big backlog of preorders helps our chances of getting on these lists, and then getting the media coverage that comes with it.
So, for this project more than others, it’d mean a lot to us if you’d consider buying a copy. And, if you plan to buy a copy, it’d really help us if you bought via preorder. And, if you wanna be especially nice to us, buying on day one is probably best, because it helps us run up numbers on the various online seller sites.
I usually try not to get into this inside baseball stuff, because it feels vaguely sordid to tell you about our marketing strategy, but I figure it’s best to be straight with y’all about our hopes and plans.
Also, we *are* providing a lot of incentives for early buyers! On the book page, you’ll see the Space Elevator tab. You *only* get these if you buy through the preorder. So, see, there are some benefits to participating in the preorder now.
Thanks again, everyone. Thanks to all of you, I have this fantasy career of reading and writing most of the time. I’m doing my best to earn this job every day.
With gratitude,
ZachMan charged with slapping loud kid in Kent theater
An Auburn man accused of smacking a loud 10-year-old at a Kent movie theater could face months in jail if convicted of the felony assault charge now filed against him.
King County prosecutors contend 21-year-old Yong Hyun Kim knocked out one of the boy’s teeth after the child and several other youths refused to quiet down and stop throwing popcorn in April.
According to charging documents, Kim admitted to hitting the boy and appeared ashamed when confronted by police with the boy’s age. Kim allegedly said he thought the boy was an adult when he slapped him in the face.
The Associated Press reports the incident occured during a screening of "Titanic" in 3-D.
At 10:40 p.m. on April 11, Kent police were called to the AMC Theater at 426 Ramsay Way following a complaint that a man had attacked a child there.
Officers arrived to find to find the 10-year-old, his mother and several friends in the theater lobby. The boy was bleeding from the nose and missing a tooth.
The boy told police he wasn’t sure why Kim struck him. He said he was seated in the theater when a man with “long hair and … 3D glasses” stepped over a row of seats and confronted him.
According to the boy’s account, Kim said something to the effect of, “You know what, I paid a lot of money to see this movie” and punched him in the face.
For his part, Kim said the boy and others were talking loudly during the movie and throwing popcorn, some of which landed on him and his girlfriend, a Kent detective told the court.
Kim told police he confronted the group about their behavior, to no avail, the detective continued.
“The group laughed at him and did not quiet down,” the detective said in court documents. “Yong (Kim) said he hit one of the subjects in the face with an open hand.”
“I got so mad that it just happened,” Kim told police, according to charging documents.
Kim was arrested and later gave a lengthy statement to police. The detective noted Kim claimed he didn’t know the boy was so young until police informed him.
“When (the arresting officer) asked Yong (Kim) if he was aware that the person he struck was 10 years old … Yong hung his head down and said he thought the person was a grown man,” the detective told the court.
Kim has been charged with second-degree assault, a felony. Kim, who has no criminal record, was briefly jailed and has since been released.
Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.Getty Images
Some confusing lingers regarding precisely what it is that happened in Seattle when quarterback Colin Kaepernick came to town. Despite a suggestion in at least one corner of the NFL universe that Kaepernick would be working out for the Seahawks, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that Kaepernick merely visited the team.
Significant because it was the first free-agency visit of Kaepernick’s first free-agency tour, it was still only a visit, with no eyeballing of Kaepernick’s current running or throwing abilities. Some would say that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll knows as well as anyone what Kaepernick can do, but it would make sense before signing him to a contract to be the understudy to Russell Wilson to kick the tires a bit.
It’s still unclear what the Seahawks will do, or whether any other team will bring Kaepernick to town for a visit or a workout or, ultimately, an indefinite stay as an employee of the team.The University of Akron has received a $20 million gift from the estate of a longtime community volunteer and philanthropist, making it the largest donation in the university's history.
UA President Matthew Wilson made the announcement during the University of Akron Foundation's annual meeting early Thursday afternoon. The massive gift comes from the estate of Jean Hower Taber who passed away at the age of 94 this past summer.
"What Jean has been able to do for the university is truly going to be enabling and empowering our students to go out and do great things, particularly those who come from limited means," said Wilson during a news conference.
About two-thirds of the gift will support scholarships for honor students and students studying audiology. The remaining amount will help support maintenance of the Hower House, which was gifted to the university by Taber’s father, John B. Hower, in 1973.
Taber is the great granddaughter of John H. Hower, one of the founders of the Quaker Oats Company and the builder of the 1871 Victorian Hower House.
Kathy Hower, Taber's sister-in-law, called Thursday's announcement "incredible" and a memorable moment to remember Taber as a "kind and generous soul."
Prior to the most recent donation, Taber has gifted more than $7.7 million to UA over the years.
Taber's family members were among those who attended Thursday's announcement.
The first scholarships made possible by the donation will be awarded to students in the fall semester of 2019.
UA officials estimate that up to 50 students will benefit from the scholarship each year.SANTA CLARA, Calif. – A few quick thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers’ first-round draft pick.
The pick: Arik Armstead, defensive lineman, Oregon
My take: The epitome of need meeting best player available. With the likelihood of Justin Smith retiring rather than returning for a 15th NFL season growing stronger, the 6-foot-8, 290-pound Armstead checks the boxes. The tallest defensive player selected in the first round of the NFL draft in the common draft era, Armstead is more run-stopper than edge rusher, and that’s fine for a defense retuning itself in the wake of the retirements of inside linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland. In 2014, the Niners allowed an average of 4.0 yards per rush for the first time since 2006.
And then some: The Niners had been linked to Armstead for some time in many mock drafts -- I selected him in our NFL Nation mock draft on Monday -- and the Niners were able to pick up two more picks, a fourth-rounder this year and a fifth-rounder next year, by trading with the San Diego Chargers. So yeah, the Niners got their man, so to speak, and were still able to get more. As such, the Niners now have 10 picks overall -- No. 17 (first round), No. 46 (second round), No. 79 (third round), No. 117 (fourth round), No. 126 (fourth round), No. 132 (fourth round), No. 151 (fifth round), No. 190 (sixth round), No. 246 (seventh round), No. 254 (seventh round) -- in this draft.
On-the-job training: The Niners are breaking in a new coach in Jim Tomsula, and he knows defensive linemen, so with Armstead’s skills being a good match for the Niners’ 3-4 scheme, the learning curve should not be that pronounced. His athleticism -- he also played basketball at Oregon -- will be a plus, and while many see him as a project, the presence of the newly signed Darnell Dockett, Tank Carradine and Tony Jerod-Eddie will help Armstead's development while hiding some shortcomings as a pass-rusher. He had the fewest tackles for loss (5.5) and the third-fewest sacks (2.5) among the top 10 defensive line prospects, according to Scouts Inc. And his 49.8 percent defensive snap rate is the lowest of any top DL/OLB prospect, per Stats LLC, as he played in 13 of Oregon’s 15 games. Still, he’s already played at Levi’s Stadium twice, against Cal and in the Pac-12 championship game last year. He’s 2-0 in Santa Clara. And he’s from nearby Sacramento.ATLANTA (AP) - As “Underground” starts its second season, it remains firmly rooted in history - but it also very much reflects on present-day American issues.
One of the show’s stars, Aldis Hodge, says the political commentary is unintentional by “Underground” co-creator Misha Green, who was highly critical of President Donald Trump during his candidacy, calling him “a racist and sexist.”
The series delves into the back story of the Underground Railroad. The second season, which premieres at 10 p.m. EST Wednesday on WGN America, explores the divide in the U.S. as the roots of the Civil War take hold.
“Call it a serendipitous coincidence,” said Hodge, who plays Noah, a blacksmith who helped fellow slaves escape. “It’s scary how the truth of 1858 still resonates so symmetrically to what we are going through today, especially in this political climate.”
J |
now through different social media platforms. I've seen screenshots and what they're referring to now as a win, so they're asking if there's any wins on this wook, referring to me and posting again photos of my social media.
[00:21:00] Speaker 2: Wook is a derogatory term for female Marines. Erica knew about the posts well before the press conference, but she stayed quiet at first.
Erica: We're taught as women in the Marines at least, to go with the grain, just accept it, be one of the boys. This is what it is, so yeah of course... I never came forward with any of it when I was in the Marine Corp because I thought it was part of the culture.
[00:21:30] Speaker 2: But then in January, she reached out to military authorities after she realized how many other women's photos were being posted.
Erica: I learned about the share drive with the essentially smorgasbord of naked women that was being shared. I had multiple people contact me and say, "Oh my god. Look at this." So what I did was I took the link, and it's not like this link is private. If you had this link and you clicked on it, you can see everything. Now I reported it to NCIS, and I never heard anything back from NCIS at all.
[00:22:00] Speaker 2: NCIS. That's the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. They now say they're investigating since the story became huge national news. We're going to hear more from Erica in a minute, but first, let's turn to the former Marine who uncovered it. Thomas Brennan first broke the story on our website. He fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and joined the Marines United Facebook page to stay in touch with other Marines.
[00:22:30] Thomas Brennan: I wasn't even looking for a story. I was sitting on the couch with my daughter the first time that I saw the Google Drive come across my Facebook feed. I didn't look at it at first obviously because I was sitting next to her, but when I looked at it, I knew what it was when I first saw it. I absolutely knew what it was.
Speaker 2: And he knew it wasn't good for the women or for the Marines. These weren't family friendly photos, and a lot of those pictures were of his fellow Marines.
[00:23:00] Thomas Brennan: Some of them were screenshots from the woman's social media accounts, you know, Facebook, Instagram, whatever else is out there. Other ones looked like people may have submitted nude photographs that were sent consensually between two people. Then the other part of it... There were instances where it appeared as though a woman was performing their basic military duties and they had been photographed unknowingly. So there was a wide array of stuff that was included in there, and it wasn't until I saw somebody that I knew in the folder that it really hit home for me.
[00:23:30] Speaker 2: Men were commenting on all of these. While some of the pictures in there were not sexual in nature, men were commenting in sexual ways.
Thomas Brennan: Uh, yes, yes. There was one instance in particular in the comments sections where a man... where a member of Marines United commented something to the effect of, "I always knew that so-and-so had great breasts." Even if the argument was like, "I was joking," obviously if you look at the progression of how things went from being just talk in the comment section to a Marine standing behind another Marine stalking them on base, that wasn't just inappropriate comments that people were writing. That was straight up criminal.
[00:24:00] Speaker 2: So you put this report out. What happens?
[00:24:30] Thomas Brennan: It was very surreal for me watching it unfold because just the anxiety that was building up on top in me was insane because I knew that lots of people were seeing it, and I was beginning to see the... The media outlets were starting to share it. People were talking about it. It was the exact outcome that I had been hoping for, like I truly wanted the victims of this to have a voice, and victims of other crimes like this to have a voice. I've gotten more of a response from victims than I have from the haters.
[00:25:00] Speaker 2: The haters were pretty nasty. My understanding is that part of that harassment has been aimed at your wife and your kids, with people offering a bounty to get explicit photos of your wife. How are you handling that?
Thomas Brennan: I don't know how I'm handling that. There's a lot of guilt that goes along with publishing this story, and I don't want to make it about me, but I made my wife and daughter a target. That doesn't make you feel good as a husband and as a dad. It really doesn't. It feels like I signed my wife and daughter up to becoming a victim. I don't know of what yet, but it feels like I've stirred the hornet's nest enough to where they're going to be the target from now on.
[00:25:30] Speaker 2: Are you scared?
Thomas Brennan: No, I'm not scared. I'm nervous. I'm not scared. The reason I'm not scared is because I know what Marines are capable of, and Marines also know what Marines are capable of, and I'm a Marine.
[00:26:00] Speaker 2: So through all of this... You write this big story about men both sexually harassing women and but also commenting on women on a Facebook group in some really lewd ways. But at another time, you've made comments about women that are questionable at best.
[00:26:30] Thomas Brennan: I have said stuff, and I'm going to own up to it right now. There's stuff out there that is real. I have written stuff on Facebook that I regret, that I am sorry for, like my daughter will read these for the rest of her life. When I wrote them, I did not expect them to get out. I've said dumb stuff. I've written dumb stuff. I've written gross stuff. So yes, I am going to completely take ownership of this. This story came about because people were complacent about what they were putting online. Some of the screenshots that are factual, that are out there right now, like they came out in a similar fashion. Somebody took screenshots, just like I did, but my screenshots weren't condoning rape and stalking. My daughter will read them for the rest of her life, and I will need to own that in front of her. She's the person I'm going to take accountability with.
[00:27:00] Speaker 2: So let me ask you this. Just a couple of months ago, in January, three women were allowed into a Marine infantry unit for the first time. Given everything you just said to me-
[00:27:30] Thomas Brennan: That's my old unit. I was with one eight.
Speaker 2: So your old unit, now... You've got a personal connection to this unit.
Thomas Brennan: Yeah.
Speaker 2: How do you think they're going to be treated?
Thomas Brennan: I think they're going to be treated like shit. No, I think there's going to be... Back when I was still in uniform, and I was serving in the infantry, I had no interaction with women. I believed all the terrible stereotypes. I reinforced a lot of them with things I would say on my own. I think a lot of what the problem was was a lack of exposure on my part. I never got to work with women in uniform. I never got to see what the dynamic was like because we were an all male unit. Then of course, when the women would come with the female engagement teams or back when we were in Iraq, and it was called Lioness, all those kind of negative perceptions that I had reinforced over time...
[00:29:00] I really hope there's not footage of the way I may have said things about them in the past, but once I started working as a reporter, and I began interacting with a lot of the public affairs officers and interviewing women Marines and other women in uniform... is very eyeopening for me. They have to work harder to run just as fast. They have to work twice as hard to get half as much credibility.
Speaker 2: So you talked a lot about how in the Corp, when you're in a war zone, whether you're at war or not, there's a certain camaraderie that comes out there, like a closeness between the people there. Will that closeness extend to the female members of the unit? Because if it does extend to the female members of the unit, then they should be protected and loved just like everybody else is. But if it doesn't extend, then these women are going to have problems.
[00:29:30] Thomas Brennan: I think it will. I think that there's going to be growing pains, but I think that in the long run, we're going to be okay. I know that for me personally, I have never made the argument about women in the infantry being about women not being able to do it. For me personally, the reason why...
Section 3 of 5 [00:20:00 - 00:30:04]
Section 4 of 5 [00:30:00 - 00:40:04]
(NOTE: speaker names may be different in each section)
Thomas Brennen: Me personally that the reason why my objection to women in the infantry is because I'm not ready for it. I personally do not think that I would have it in me to hear a woman screaming for her life. That to me... When I try to imagine something like that because I've been in those situations before. I've heard men screaming for their life. I've seen the blood and I've seen the body bags and I've seen the bullets going both ways. I've been there. To me, and maybe it's because I was raised in a Marine Corp that was all male infantry. To me, I imagine it as having to listen to my daughter and my wife scream for their life. I would rather not have to listen to that.
[00:30:30] Speaker 2: Haven't the Israelis been doing that for years?
[00:31:00] Thomas Brennen: I'm taking accountability for how I feel. They have and they may have very different... I'm sure they've had time to do it. It's just not the Marine Corp that I was in. So for me it's just an extremely foreign idea. I'm not saying it can't be done. I've worked with plenty of women that seem to be far more locked on as Marines than some of the Infantry men I've worked with. Let them prove themselves. If they can do it, let them do it.
[00:31:30] Speaker 2: It sounds to me like it's not the question of them proving themselves. The question is the male Marines proving themselves.
Thomas Brennen: Oh yeah. It works both ways. It's a two way street. I think that those women who are actively working in those Infantry roles right now they are paving the way for future generations. Whether you agree with it or not, it's happening. These three women are going to be in the history books of the Marine Corp or for however long the Marine Corp is left.
Speaker 2: Thomas [Brennon 00:32:01] thank you so much for coming in.
[00:32:00] Thomas Brennen: No. Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 2: Thomas Brennon is a veteran Marine Sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was our lead reporter on this story. He gave military investigators the names of 55 people who were involved in the Marines United page. The names include dozens of Corporals and Sergeants, at least 3 drill instructors, and two commissioned officers.
[00:32:30] Let's bring Erica Budner back into the conversation. The 23 year old former Marine was one of dozens of women whose photos were posted on the Marines United page. She said the photos are a symptom of a bigger problem.
Erica Budner: I could tell you that this type of behavior in the military leads to sexual harassment and sexual violence.
Speaker 2: Have you talked to other women about it like while this was happening to you?
Erica Budner: Absolutely. It's ridiculous. You know you have people who are saying, "Oh why are they coming forward now?" Well they have been coming forward. The issue is either their commands laugh at them and victim blame them or they just don't feel safe coming forward.
[00:33:00] Speaker 2: It sounds to me like it's not a few bad eggs. It sounds to me like it's the culture.
Erica Budner: Yeah. Absolutely. It's a culture problem. It's not just a Marine Corp culture problem. It's a society issue as well.
Speaker 2: So you take a culture that is pervasive in America, you apply that to the military and then you add this engine of testosterone and machismo and all of that stuff. This is the result of it. If you are not policing that it's going to get out of control.
[00:33:30] Erica Budner: Yes. Absolutely. This has been going on since the Internet was a thing. Since MySpace was around. It's women's photos are being taken from their social media accounts and then further being degraded. That's the issue at hand here. It's the proof of the rape culture and the victimization and objectification of women in service.
[00:34:00] Speaker 2: When we were talking to Thomas Brennon who broke the story, he's a former Marine. He has an issue with women being on the front lines because he does not want to hear a woman screaming for their life in the middle of war time. He says when you're in war time that type of stuff happens and he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his job if he heard a woman screaming it would make him think of his daughter. What's your response to that?
Erica Budner: His personal relationship with women has nothing to do with what women want to do in my opinion. I thank him for bringing this story to light. As far as women in Infantry go, if she can do it, I don't see why not. People give the excuse that there'll be plenty of pregnancies and plenty of rape accusations if that happens. Well maybe focus on the mission. I feel like those are shit excuses.
[00:35:00] Speaker 2: Were some of the comments that were posted, were they about your decision to join the Marines as a woman?
Erica Budner: I know there was one comment that basically said female Marines aren't real Marines. Then something about we belong in the kitchen.
Speaker 2: How does that make you feel when you're out there risking your life just like they are?
Erica Budner: I haven't seen combat but you bet your ass, if I was deployed, I would die for a person next to me. Man or Woman. When are we going to be accepted? How many women have to die in combat for it to be enough? How many of us have to prove that we'll die for you in or for our country?
[00:35:30] Speaker 2: I want to play a clip from a recent Senate hearing. Marine Corp Commandant Robert Neller was called to testify about this story. Here's some of what he had to say.
Robert Neller: This is a problem with our culture. I'm still in the process... I don't have a good answer for you. I'm not going to sit here and duck around this thing. I'm not. I'm responsible. I'm the Commandant. I own this and we are going to have to, you know you've heard it before, but we are going to have to change how we see ourselves and how we treat each other. That's a lame answer but man that's the best I can tell you right now. WE've got to change and that's on me.
[00:36:30] Erica Budner: I understand and I can tell that he is very frustrated with what is going on because yes the Marine Corp does have bigger things to worry about but this has gone on so long that it needs to be addressed. It needs to be fixed. I don't blame the Commandant for what's happening but if we want change, it has to start with him.
Speaker 2: Do you think that any substantial change will happen?
Erica Budner: I really hope so. I really hope I didn't put myself out there for nothing. I've received a lot of backlash over the Internet. I really hope something happens but it's almost as if... I reported this back in January and nothing became of it. NCIS didn't contact me. Why did it take publishing this article for this to get recognition and for it to get fixed or attempt to get fixed? What would've happened if the war horse never published this article? Would it even be getting fixed right now? It's very frustrating.
[00:37:30] Speaker 2: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. Thank you for your service. I'm really sorry you had to go through this.
Erica Budner: It is what it is and I'm just glad it's getting the recognition it deserves.
Speaker 2: I know you're tougher than me.
Erica Budner: No. Thank you.
Speaker 2: That was Erica Budner, a Marine veteran. Her pictures were posted without her permission on the Marines United Facebook page. Military investigators are still looking into the incident. As a result of Thomas Brennon's reporting, the Marine Corp put out a new directive to Marines to quote, "Always use their best judgment and avoid inappropriate behavior and to never engage in commentary or published content that discredits themselves, their unit or the Marines."
[00:38:00] When we come back, a pretty dramatic update to a story we brought you last month. At the time, a man named Brian Shepherd was serving a life sentence for an arson fire that killed 6 firefighters. He's now been released from prison.
[00:38:30] Brian Shepherd: It really was a blessing that this took place. I'm walking around out here a free man.
Speaker 2: He's still considered a guilty man. That story when we come back on Revealed from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX.
[00:39:00] Just a quick thing before we get back to the show. If you're like us, you might be a little bit obsessed with podcasts but there's still plenty of people out there who haven't listened to one. I know, crazy right? We along with our friends at PRX and NPR and a bunch of other podcasts across the country, we're teaming up to spread the word about how great podcasts are. Want to help? It's easy.
Think about someone you care about. What podcast they would really love. It doesn't have to be Reveal but it could be. Tell them about it and if they need help, show them how they can listen. Tell us what you recommended by using the hashtag Trypod. You can use it on Facebook, Twitter, even on Instagram. That's T-R-Y-pod. You could also use the hashtag Al is the best host ever if you want. I'm just saying you could do that. Thanks for spreading the word and remember that's hashtag Trypod. T-R-Y-pod and Al is the best host ever.
Section 4 of 5 [00:30:00 - 00:40:04]
Section 5 of 5 [00:40:00 - 00:54:56]
(NOTE: speaker names may be different in each section)
Al - Narrator: T-R-Y pod, and Al is the best host ever, just putting it out there.
From the Center for Investigative Reporting in PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Letson.
Earlier this month, a white van passed through the gates of a federal prison in Leavenworth, KS. It went about a mile and pulled up in a parking lot of a K-Mart store. It was twilight. A tornado was brewing, and the lot was nearly empty. Out of the van stepped a 46 year old man, Bryan Sheppard, with a fresh crew cut, and a neatly trimmed mustache. He was leaving prison after serving more than 20 years for a crime he says he didn't commit. Within minutes, other people arrived, including Brian's daughter, Ashley.
[00:40:30] Bryan: Very excited, nervous, anxiety is killing me. Been stressing all day, and had no sleep. I didn't know if it was going to come or not.
Ashley: I was starting to wonder today with all the waiting, [inaudible 00:41:04]
[00:41:00] Al - Narrator: This happened just a few weeks after we aired a show about Brian's case. It was a story of an arson fire explosion, almost 30 years ago, that killed six firefighters in Kansas City, Missouri. Five people were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Bryan Sheppard was the youngest, 17 years old when the firefighters were killed early one morning in November 1988 at a highway construction site.
[00:41:30] Fire Dept: Fire Department.
Caller: Yes, I want to report a fire-
Al - Narrator: Security guards had reported two fires burning at the site.
Caller:... Yeah, there's a fire on both sides of the highway. It's at 87th street.
Fire Dept: 87th and 71, what apartment?
Okay, [inaudible 00:41:48] Thank you.
Caller: Uh-huh (affirmative)
Al - Narrator: Two fire trucks were dispatched to the scene.
Fire Dept 2: There appears to be two arson fires out here, send the police.
Dispatcher: Pumper 41, use caution on your call, we have information there may be explosives. It's in a construction area-
[00:42:00] Al - Narrator: Nearly 50,000 pounds of anfo, ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil, was stored in two trailers on the site. As the firemen got to work, the flames reached the trailers.
Fire Dept 3: [inaudible 00:42:16] reports a major explosion, we heard it here. Firefighters are involved out of that 71 Hwy at 87th. Apparently a large explosion.
Pumper 41 and Pumper 30, answer. Pumper 41 or Pumper 30.
[00:42:30] Al - Narrator: Both fire trucks and their crews were obliterated. It was the worst tragedy in the history of the Kansas City Fire Department. Local police and federal agents spent years trying to solve the case. They put up a $50,000 reward, and plastered posters across Kansas City, including in jails and prisons. Nine years after the explosions, prosecutors indicted Bryan Sheppard, two of his uncles, and two friends, not for murder, but for the arson that led to the deaths of the firefighters.
[00:43:00] Prosecutor: If convicted of this felony, each defendant could be subject to a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, and a $250,000 fine.
Al - Narrator: A jury found the five guilty. Now, Bryan has always maintained his innocence, and over the years filed many appeals, all of them denied. Then, in 2012, another window opened up, that would have nothing to do with whether he was guilty or innocent. The Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to give people mandatory life sentences without parole if they were juveniles when the crime was committed. Since Bryan Sheppard was just 17 when the explosions happened, he got a re-sentencing hearing.
[00:43:30] On March 3rd, a federal judge threw out his life sentence, changing it to 20 years. Time served. Bryan could go free.
Al - Interview: Okay, how you doing, man?
Bryan: Nervous.
Al - Narrator: Three days after his release, Bryan Sheppard went into a studio in Kansas City to speak with me. It was his first interview as a free man.
[00:44:00] Al - Interview: You've only been out of prison for what? Three days now?
Bryan: I was released on Monday.
Al - Interview: So, what's it been like? I mean, the world is completely different from when you went into prison.
Bryan: Yeah, it's pretty strange. It's pretty overwhelming, too. I've never had a cell phone before, and it gets frustrating just trying to dial.
Al - Interview: So, while you were in prison, your daughter has grown up. She's an adult now. What is that like?
[00:44:30] Bryan: Well, my granddaughter now is seven and a half. My daughter was six when I got locked up. She was eight when I got indicted. Phone calls, letters, pictures, it was very difficult.
Al - Interview: Do you have any bitterness towards the community?
Bryan: Of course I do. Who wouldn't, you know? You'd be bitter, too. They put up reward posters in all the jails in Missouri and Kansas, and on the overpasses and stuff, and a lot of people came forward to make deals, or try to collect on that $50,000 reward. You know, I don't want to go back to that community because I don't want to run into the people that helped place us in prison for a crime we didn't commit.
[00:45:00] Al - Interview: The case of the prosecution brought against you and the others, it was trouble from the beginning. There was no physical evidence linking you to the crime scene. Some of the witnesses who testified you were convicted felons, jailhouse informants. A lot of their testimony just... it didn't make sense. It put you and the other defendants in different places at the same time. Now, why do you think you were convicted with that type of evidence?
[00:45:30] Bryan: Because this was such an intense case, you know, they wanted closure, they wanted to close this case. The family members were pushing for something to happen, and we were used as a scapegoat.
Al - Interview: After all of these years, what would you say to the federal agents and the prosecutors who handled your case?
Bryan: I've thought about that before, and I really don't know what I would say to them, personally, because I believe that prosecutors are the devil, man. They just went around the neighborhood finding people that were in trouble with the law, or threatening them, or bribed them with the $50,000 reward money to get testimony. And those people came out of the woodwork. Some of them are trying to contact me right now to probably make amends.
[00:46:00] Al - Interview: Are you interested in that?
Bryan: If they're willing to come forward now and tell the truth about why they lied, yes.
Al - Interview: People have recanted their testimony, correct?
Bryan: Yes, they have. There are a few people willing to come forward. We just have to push forward with it. If I gotta come in here and keep doing this on a regular basis, I'm looking for the truth.
[00:46:30] Al - Interview: Obviously you're happy to be free, but you're still considered guilty of this crime. The judge didn't clear you. He re-sentenced you because of a Supreme Court decision on juvenile sentences. How do you feel about that?
Bryan: It really was a blessing that this took place, and I'm walking around out here a free man, but everyday I'm gonna continue to think about my co-defendants that are still suffering in prison, because I was a juvenile and they weren't.
[00:47:00] Al - Interview: Now, maintaining your innocence could have jeopardized your chance to get out of prison early, because the judge may have seen that as a sign that you just weren't remorseful of the crime you were convicted of. I want to play you some tape from our original story. This is a phone call you had from prison with Reveal's Jenna Welch, and you're reading a letter you wrote the judge before your re-sentencing hearing. It's about the plea deal you offered back in 1995.
[00:47:30] Bryan - jail: Many years ago I was given the chance of freedom if I would have... get on the witness stand and point to my uncles and my best friend, and tell the jury what they... that they were guilty. If I had lied to myself I would have instead corrupted my soul. I could have been free many, many years ago if I had taken the deal. I hope the families of the honorable men that died that terrible night can understand why I must again assert my innocence.
[00:48:00] Al - Interview: If you had accepted one of the plea deals, then you would have gotten out of jail earlier, and you would have been able to see your daughter grow up. You would have been able to see your granddaughter be born. Does that stick with you? The fact that you made a really hard decision.
Bryan: If I would have took the deal and lied for the government, then I would have been sending four other innocent people to prison. Even though I'd have been free, they would have been locked up, as well. Just like right now. I'm free, they're not.
[00:48:30] Al - Interview: I cannot imagine the weight that you must have felt in making that decision.
Bryan: It feels like there's a ton of bricks on my shoulders right now.
Al - Interview: So, families of the firefighters who were killed came to your re-sentencing hearing. They told the judge you should stay in prison for the rest of your life. After the judge's decision to set you free, this is what one of the daughters of the firefighters, Cassie McKarnin, said to reporters.
Cassie: We are very, very disappointed in this judgment today. I think that this individual was 17, almost 18. I was nearly the same age at the time of this crime, and I knew right from wrong. I don't think he'll ever take responsibility for that, because he's going to claim his innocence, and my philosophy on that is this is not a conspiracy. He was convicted. There's evidence. If someone retracts a statement, they're either a liar then, or they're a liar now.
[00:49:00] Al - Interview: Does it bother you at all that so many people think that you're guilty of this.
Bryan: Of course it bothers me. It's going to bother me until the truth comes out. That's why I'm here. I want the truth in this thing to come out. If I've got to stand on top of this building and scream it, let's get up there.
[00:49:30] Al - Interview: Have you tried to reach out at all to any of the families of the fallen firefighters?
Bryan: Well, back when I got locked up, I was young and dumb, and I didn't know any better. But my Uncle Frank started writing letters to the families, to the witnesses, and our attorneys advised him to stop doing that, because they were getting phone calls from them. Then, I wanted to do the same thing, but my attorneys told me not to do that. I'm not trying to stir any trouble up, I don't want... you know, more than likely if I had have wrote them, they would have just thrown it in the trash anyway.
[00:50:00] Al - Interview: You understand these people lost somebody that was important to them? As much as this has shifted the trajectory of your life, it's shifted the trajectory of their life as well.
Bryan: Right. That's why I got up on the stand and testified. I wanted everybody to hear what I had to say. I think about their families everyday, and I will for the rest of my life.
[00:50:30] Al - Interview: So, I understand that as you were leaving the prison, you were handed your mail, and there was a card from someone who belongs to one of the families of the firefighters.
Bryan: I was getting dressed out in some street clothes, they brought my mail to me, and I had like four cards, or a couple cards, and a couple letters. One of them, we looked at the return address, and I was like, "What?" I couldn't believe it. I can't believe I've made it this long without getting emotional.
[00:51:00] Al - Interview: You didn't want to name the person because it's a private letter, but can you read part of it to us?
Bryan: I've read this card many times. The first two times I read it I couldn't control myself. I get emotional reading this stuff, and especially when people like this come forward, it's heartbreaking, it really is. I don't think I can do this. Let me try to get it under control, here we go.
[00:51:30] The card says, it says, "Bryan, there are so many things I want to tell you that written letters can't convey. I encourage you not to think about the firemen everyday. We all have to let go. That's part of life. We all have to move on. Not all the families feel the same way as you see on the news. There's much more I'd like to say that can't be written. Maybe some day we can talk. I hope"...
[00:52:00] Al - Interview: You got it.
Bryan:... all right... "I hope you adjust well when you get out and make the most of every day."
Al - Interview: Bryan, thank you so much for coming in and talking to us today.
[00:52:30] Bryan: Thank you.
Al - Narrator: In the eyes of the law, Bryan Sheppard is a convicted felon who paid his debt to society. As for the other three surviving defendants, they're still serving life sentences, and still maintain their innocence. We asked the U.S. Attorney's office in Kansas City for a comment, but they declined.
[00:53:00] Our interview with Bryan Sheppard was produced by Michael Montgomery and Jenna Welch. Special thanks to the Kansas City Star, and to reporter Mike McGraw of Kansas City Public Television.
Before we go, I want to tell you about a podcast that we're listening to, and you should definitely check out. It's called "HerMoney" with Jean Chatzky. Jean does amazing interviews with inspiring women like Arianna Huffington, Joanna Coles, Brene Brown, it's a place to learn about earning more, saving more, investing wisely, and building the financial life you want. You can find "HerMoney" on iTunes, Stitcher, or on JeanChatzky.com. Give it a try.
[00:53:30] Our production team this week includes Emily Harris, Amy Walters, Mwende Hahesy, Julia B Chan, Michael Montgomery, Jenna Welch, and David Ritsher.
[00:54:30] Our stories were edited by Deb George, Robert Rosenthal, and Andy Donohue.
Our sound design team is the wonder twins, my man Jay Brezee, Mr. Jim Briggs, and Claire "C-Note" Mullin.
This week we had help from Katherine [Raymondo 00:54:10], and Mary Lee Williams. Our head of studios Christa Scharfenberg, Amy Pyle is our Editor in Chief. Susanne Reber is our Executive Editor, and our Executive Producer is Kevin Sullivan.
Our theme music is by [Camarado 00:54:21], Lightning. Support for Reveal is provided by the Reva and David Logan Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and The Ethics in Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Reveal is a co-production of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and PRX. I'm Al Letson, and remember, there is always more to the story.I decided that I wanted to try a few beers before buying my next kit as I try to expand my beer palate. This was made easier by Hyvee’s mix-and-match section.
My mom only recently started drinking beer and is currently obsessed (that might be a bit of an embellishment)with all things lager.
At her suggestion, I tried a Pacifico Clara.
After I opened the bottle and we sat down for dinner, Shannon, my wife, took the first sip and didn’t immediately shake her head no in disapproval. To me, this meant it wasn’t going to be a full-bodied, robust beer. I took a sip and my initial assessment was correct. Taste is a very personal thing, so I could sit here and tell you the beer was great or terrible and that would be my opinion. It would be neither right or wrong. I can tell you that when I drank it, I felt as though I’d had that beer before. It tastes like somebody poured a glass half full of Budweiser and topped it off with a Corona. It’s a light, crisp beer with a very light hoppy flavor. There’s very little to distinguish this beer from the countless other “American style lagers.”
Next up was a Schlafly coffee stout.
To preface this, I really like stout beers. I feel like the brewing process extracts more flavor from the grain in these darker beers and they don’t tend to be full of adjuncts, which–in my opinion–just muddy the taste. With that said, you better really like coffee if you’re going to enjoy this, uh, beer. Shannon was my guinea pig once again for the first taste. That did not go too well. She nearly spit it out and I thought, “wow, that’s going to be a flavorful beer!” She then described what she was tasting and nailed it. “Uh oh,” I thought. “This may not be good.” The only real reason I thought that is that Shannon is not typically the best at describing the subtle flavors a beer may possess, so |
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Directors: Will Hoffman and Julius Metoyer
Production Company: MJZ
Agency: DDB Chicago
Mill Colourist: Luke Morrison
MUSIC: “Wide Open” Performed by The Chemical Brothers / Courtesy of Virgin EMI / Under license from Universal Music Operations LimitedSecretary of State Rex Tillerson made clear on Wednesday that the Trump administration strongly opposes the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal struck by the Obama administration and world powers.
But he also signaled that the US would not immediately tear up the deal, as Donald Trump repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail.
Instead, the Trump administration will conduct a “comprehensive review” of US policy toward Iran, Tillerson said, leaving one of Barack Obama’s signature policies in place — for now.
“An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea, and take the world along with it,” Tillerson said. “The United States is keen to avoid a second piece of evidence that strategic patience is a failed approach.”
The remarks follow Tillerson’s notification to Congress on Tuesday that the Trump administration has determined that Iran is complying with the Iran nuclear deal, which put curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. As a candidate, Trump called the agreement the “worst” deal ever made.
Aside from the nuclear deal, Trump accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East and wreaking havoc in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.
“The evidence is clear: Iran’s provocative actions threaten the United States, the region and the world,” Tillerson said.
In Yemen, he specifically called out Tehran for devising a "complex Iranian network to arm and equip" the Houthi rebel movement battling Saudi Arabia and its allies for control over the impoverished country. By contrast, President Barack Obama had said Iran's support for the rebels was overstated.
Tillerson did not say why the Trump administration was not immediately pulling out of the Iran deal, but analysts have pointed out that such action would likely provoke Tehran to begin developing its nuclear program again, and it's far from certain that the US would have the global support to rebuild an international sanctions regime in that context. Key US allies and adversaries strongly support the agreement, including Germany, Britain, Russia, China, and France.
So faced with the choice of ripping up the deal immediately, or keeping it in place, the Trump administration has opted to kick the can down the road while voicing its displeasure with the status quo.
The Iran deal "fails to achieve the objective of a non-nuclear Iran; it only delays their goal of becoming a nuclear state," Tillerson said.
For the Trump administration, the hope is that this middle path will prevent Iran from sprinting toward a nuclear weapon while tempering criticisms from Republican hawks in Congress who wanted to pull out of the agreement immediately and reimpose sanctions.
Thus far, the strategy appears to have the support of at least some influential Republicans on the Hill, such as Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Secretary Tillerson made clear that regardless of Iran’s technical compliance with the nuclear deal, the administration is under no illusion about the continued threat from Tehran and is prepared to work closely with Congress to push back,” he said in a statement.
The certification on Tuesday that Iran is in compliance with the deal extends sanctions relief to the country in exchange for continued limits on its nuclear program. The administration now has 90 days to finish its review.SEATTLE -- Queen Anne is latest Seattle neighborhood planning to hire private security to solve what they call a growing crime problem with little police presence and response in their neighborhood.
"I don't remember the last time I saw a police car on Queen Anne, including the avenue," said John Compatore, the man leading the charge to get the "Queen Anne Patrol Association" off the ground.
Compatore, a former police officer with the Oakland Police Department, says he realizes officers in Seattle are strapped. That's why neighbors on Queen Anne want to hire private security or off duty police to help reduce crime in their community.
"This is only going to get worse if somebody doesn't take control," said Compatore. "If somebody else doesn't step up - we will."
Seattle Police say they want to understand the concerns of residents, and do their best to help solve the issues neighbors are concerned about.
"Public safety comes first and I don't think anybody could dispute that," said Compatore.
Some say the homeless living near and around Nickerson Street have brought problems into the neighborhood with trash dumping, illegal RV parking and drug issues.
But neighbors like Evan Conklin say it's property crimes like burglaries, package thefts and car prowls that aren't priority for police, and that has neighbors angry and worried.
"It makes me want to stop paying my taxes," said Evan Conklin who lives on Queen Anne. "Quite honestly I feel like I'm paying for a service I'm not getting."
Every member of Conklin's family has been the victim of a car prowl. Even Conklin's work truck was stripped of $30,00 dollars worth of equipment while parked in his backyard. He says the police response to the theft was slow and in some case there was no response at all.
"It's a bad feeling," said Conklin. "It makes me want to consider moving somewhere else."
Queen Anne joins the ranks of other Seattle communities like Magnolia, Laurelhurst, Windermere and Whittier Heights who pay out of pocket for security to keep their neighborhood safe.
A meeting organized by the Queen Anne Patrol Association will be held at the Queen Anne Baptist Church on January 14 at 7 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, and the group is seeking professionals to help get the patrols organized.The topic of luck in competitive gaming always ruffles a lot of feathers, leading to never-ending complaints and hostility from many different types of gamers: players whining about losses caused entirely by randomness, fans whining about their favourite pros being knocked out of tournaments due to bad luck, and everyone else whining about all the whiners. The subject arises frequently in discussions surrounding card games like Hearthstone, where the issue has become a hotly debated topic in the wake of serious complaints from professional players concerning the role of randomness in the game.
In developing Prismata—a competitive turn-based strategy game sharing many features with card games—we’ve questioned whether the presence of luck was really worth all the fuss, raging, and drama. Could a game like Hearthstone still be as popular and fun if the element of luck was removed?
Over the years, we’ve talked to many professional gamers and expert game designers, including folks from Hearthstone’s design team, about the role of luck in card games. When asked whether it would be possible to design a card game without luck, they all told us the same thing:
“Bad players will never think they can win, and they will stop playing.” “Your game can’t thrive if it doesn’t have luck.” “You’d be fucking crazy to try and make it a commercial success.”
Challenge accepted. I guess we’re fucking crazy.
Of course, it’s no secret that there are many benefits to having elements of luck in competitive games. Randomness can create exciting moments for players, alleviate balance issues, and provide losing players with an excuse to avoid feeling bad about their performance. As a design decision, it has become the de facto standard in card games, copied from one game to another throughout the industry. But are luck-based game mechanics the only method of achieving these goals?
After four years of struggling over this issue, the answer is finally clear: a resounding NO.
The Secret
What took us four years to understand is that luck-based game mechanics are not necessary to achieve excitement, balance, or consolement. All of these objectives are reachable through other means, without the player frustration or toxic community behaviour that inevitably arises in games featuring a high amount of randomness.
In a nutshell, we’ve concluded that it’s possible to design a compelling competitive game without luck. Possible. Not easy. Not necessarily doable in a manner consistent with the breakneck pace and intolerance of failure that characterizes much of AAA game development. But possible.
In some sense, this doesn’t sound too surprising. Most of the world’s most famous traditional competitive tabletop games—like chess and go—have fascinated people for centuries despite possessing no luck whatsoever. But it would be naive to assume that their success should translate to the modern-day gaming audience, with their short attention spans and insatiable addiction to novelty. Accordingly, throughout the four-year process of designing Prismata, we encountered many roadblocks in trying to meet our goal of having no randomness in the game whatsoever.
Before discussing those roadblocks, or even our reasons for wanting to avoid luck-based game mechanics in the first place, let’s take a look at different types of luck found in video games, and their effects in games like Hearthstone.
Forms of Luck in Gaming
Most types of uncertainty or variance in competitive gaming fall into one of the following four categories:
(1) Absolute Luck
Examples: coin flips, die rolls, waiting for the result after going all in pre-flop in poker
In games with absolute luck, there comes a point where no amount of skill or knowledge can prevent you from losing. You’re at the mercy of the dice, the cards, or the random number generator (RNG) used in a video game. You have no way of reacting to what happens; you simply win, or lose.
Absolute luck is seldom a wise choice when designing video games, because it often leaves players feeling frustrated and helpless when they become unlucky.
(2) Execution Luck
Examples: basketball shooting, bowling, headshots in first-person shooters
Execution luck refers to unavoidable variance in performance due to imperfect skill, such as basketball players who sink only 70-90% of free throws.
Execution luck can have huge effects on player psychology. Players feel bad when they lose 3 consecutive all-in bets in poker due to unlucky river cards. But they can feel much worse when they’re playing a competitive shooter and miss 3 consecutive headshots that they are usually able to make. Execution luck feels different from most other types of luck because players blame themselves when they exhibit short bursts of sub-average performance, even if those bursts are statistically inevitable due to random variations in human performance (a person who makes 80% of their shots will miss three in a row about 1% of the time). Players often question their own skill when this happens, leading to them feeling extremely demotivated (“Am I playing like crap today? Did I get worse at the game? Should I just quit?”). Worst of all, it’s statistically unavoidable. Players will inevitably feel demoralized at some point in all games where execution luck is a huge factor.
For these reasons, designers need to be very careful when incorporating game mechanics that result in heavy penalties for poor execution. It’s important that players are given ample opportunities to demonstrate their skills so that random variations in performance are “averaged out” over the course of a full match.
(3) Yomi Luck (i.e. “mind games”)
Examples: rock-paper-scissors, build order selection in real-time strategy games, move selection in fighting games or pokemon
Yomi is the Japanese name given to the “mind-reading” skill that allows people to win at games like rock-paper-scissors, in which both players simultaneously select an action. Despite having no true randomness associated with them, these situations exhibit large amounts of variance; no player can win 100% of the time at rock-paper-scissors.
Yomi situations show up often in real-time strategy games. The correct units to build often depend on what the opponent chooses to get, and that information may not be available at all times due to the fog of war and inability to scout the opponent’s base. In fighting games, human reaction time itself creates a natural “fog of war”; you won’t have enough time to counter your opponent’s move if you wait until it animates on the screen; you must predict what your opponent will do in order to counter it.
Games rich in yomi often provide a multitude of options to players: safe plays, risky gambles, all-ins, hard counters, soft counters, and the ability to trade resources for information (for example, by scouting with a worker in StarCraft). The blending of play skill and yomi luck can create a complex web of interaction that rewards experienced players. Many yomi situations allow experts to crush new players by exploiting their natural tendencies or lack of understanding. However, in expert vs expert games where both players have a mastery of the rules and mechanics, yomi situations often devolve into purely arbitrary outcomes that depend highly on luck rather than skill. Nevertheless, this can have some benefits: players feel accomplished when they “outplay” their opponents, even if they simply got lucky.
(4) Soft RNG Luck
Examples: backgammon, most card games
RNG stands for “random number generator”. In the context of gaming, RNG refers to any situation in which an outcome is random. Games like Hearthstone have RNG effects every turn when card drawing occurs, as well as randomized in-game effects (such as spells that deal random amounts of damage, or minions that automatically attack a random enemy). However, these RNG effects are soft in that players are given an opportunity to react to the different situations that occur. In theory, better players should be better at planning their turns around the randomness that occurs, so the increased amount of in-game luck should theoretically be counterbalanced by an increase in the skill ceiling of the game itself.
As we’ll see, this theory can break down in practice.
How Luck can Fail
To see a key example of where the presence of RNG can have a strongly negative effect on some players’ enjoyment of the game, we shall examine Hearthstone.
As the Hearthstone metagame has become more fully explored, many strong players have become frustrated at the lack of opportunities for skill expression. Unlike in chess—where the best player in the world is a 91% favourite when playing a single match against the 100th-best player—in Hearthstone, the best player is often only a marginal favourite when playing any reasonably good player with a good deck. Gosugamers reports that popular player Tidesoftime, who is currently ranked 4th in the global ELO rating, has won only 63% of his matches. With that win rate, a player will lose a best-of-five series over a quarter of the time, meaning that most tournaments (televised ones in particular) don’t have nearly enough games to have a high likelihood of rewarding the most skilled players. Worst of all, unlike in poker—where a talented player will inevitably see a profit from playing millions of hands over the course of his or her career—skilled Hearthstone players have only a few opportunities each year to do well in a meaningful tournament, where winning requires an enormous amount of luck. Being good isn’t enough.
Of course, many players insist (rightfully so) that this is how card games typically are—luck is a part of the game. But it’s also abundantly clear that at least some fraction of players are very unhappy with the current state of the game.
This week, popular streamer Reynad announced he was taking a break from Hearthstone, complaining that the game, in its current state, doesn’t reward skill enough. Kripparrian—another renowned gaming celebrity who streams Hearthstone regularly—posted a video of his own in the wake of Reynad’s announcement, in which he stated the following:
Kripparrian: In Hearthstone, in constructed, at this time, it’s pretty much just about draw RNG, and that really dictates who wins the matches.
Gaara, a teammate of Reynad, had similar concerns, which he made clear in a video:
Gaara complains that Hearthstone has too many auto-win hands and situations where there is little decision making involved. If the opponent gets a good draw and you don’t, there’s often very little you can do.
For those familiar with Hearthstone, one picture says it all:
In the scene above, which we shall refer to as the awful zoo hand, the player on the bottom has drawn too many high-cost cards. These cards don’t work well together, and none of them can be played during the first few turns of the game anyway. The player on top is in a much stronger position, and is virtually guaranteed victory. All the skillful decision-making in the world cannot save the player on the bottom from losing. These situations are not fun at all, and fairly common with the current set of decks that are most effective in Hearthstone.
Are We Better Off Without Luck?
Mark Rosewater, head designer of Magic: The Gathering, has written extensively about the different types of RNG effects found in card games, and their effects on player enjoyment. Though he stresses that most players of card games don’t enjoy too much randomness, he also emphasizes several key benefits of RNG: increased surprises and excitement, the ability for losing players to make comebacks, the ability for weaker players to win, and the increase in opportunities for strong players to demonstrate skill by accurately preparing for random events and reacting to them.
We’ll look at several of these points. In each case, the question we’re asking is “can the same effect be obtained without any luck?”
Comebacks
Mark lists a catch-up feature as the fourth entry on his list of ten things every game needs and describes how the random card draw system in Magic and other card games ensures that players who are behind can always draw a key card required to make a dramatic comeback.
However, I think Mark is missing the bigger picture here (he loves to say “every game needs X”, where X is a feature that Magic has.) Having talked to our players, we’ve learned that what they truly want is NOT comebacks. They simply want to avoid being dragged along for many turns in an unwinnable position. Comeback mechanics are one way of achieving this, but not the only way.
Let’s go back to our “awful zoo hand” from above. If you’re in this situation, you’re faced with an uncomfortable decision: do you play on, knowing that the chance of winning is likely under 2 percent? Or do you resign, saving yourself some time, but costing yourself a chance to win. Many players choose to play on, unable to resist the urge to eke out every last percentage point of possible winnings. But players who do so seldom have a good experience during the remainder of the game, often just sitting there cursing the RNG gods for dealing them such an awful hand.
Another common example can be found in League of Legends, where teams often play on for 20 minutes or more in situations where they have an extremely low probability of winning, but are forced to cling on in hopes that their opponents make enough mistakes for them to catch up:
The key insight is that lack of a comeback mechanic is NOT the problem. Indeed, these games both have comeback mechanics. The problem is that regardless of the strength of the comeback mechanics, there will always be situations where your chance of winning lies in the single digit percentages, and it shouldn’t take 20 minutes for your opponents to close out the game when they have such a monstrous advantage. Your opponent should be able to swiftly terminate you, and the game rules should be designed so that they are strongly incentivized to do so, rather than to play conservatively and torture you for another 20 minutes.
In many games, luck has the opposite effect of facilitating this. In games like League of Legends, fear of bad Execution Luck or Yomi Luck results in teams playing conservatively when they’re ahead, exacerbating the problem that comeback mechanics are meant to solve.
Balance
In a tabletop game like Magic: the Gathering, in which players must physically meet up to play and don’t have the luxury of choosing from hundreds of online opponents, players aren’t always able to find opponents of exactly equal skill. Consequently, it’s important that weaker players stand a chance against stronger ones so that weaker players don’t quit when they have no balanced opponents to play against and get crushed every game. Thus it makes a lot of sense for games like Magic to be balanced so that weaker players can get lucky and win against stronger players.
With modern online matchmaking and rating systems, any player of any game with a sufficiently large audience should be able to quickly find a match against an opponent that they can beat 50% of the time. There’s absolutely no reason to deliberately increase the role of luck in determining who wins. Richard Garfield, one of the creators of Magic, made a similar point in a talk given at the 2012 Magic Cruise.
Excitement
Random events in card games can be very exciting and have produced some extremely memorable moments like Craig Jones’s famous topdeck of the century in Magic: the Gathering.The hearthstone subreddit is filled to the brim with videos displaying amazing instances of RNG completely turning the tide of a game, or yielding funny or ironic results.
However, many of the most popular video clips are not acts of luck. They are acts of skill, like Reynad’s brilliant highmane sacrifice, which won him a key match in a Dreamhack tournament from earlier this year when all hope was lost:
One of the most famous hearthstone plays ever made. No RNG was involved.
You can find many other examples of truly amazing feats of skill in Hearthstone, often yielding clutch victories. Check out some of Amaz’s crazy board clears and lethal combos if you haven’t seen them already. One thing is obvious: highly skilled plays are just as exciting, if not more exciting, than lucky plays.
Skill
Here, I won’t argue with Mark. It’s certainly true that much of the skill expressed in games like Magic: the Gathering is centered around preparing for, and reacting to, random events. Any Shaman player in Hearthstone will tell you the same thing. Playing well under situations where a lot of random events can occur requires a lot of planning, calculation, and ingenuity.
That said, there is no shortage of skill to be displayed in games that have no randomness at all. In games like chess or StarCraft, players can concretely understand every aspect of the game at incredible depth because of the ability to replay deterministic openings or build orders and study the situations that result. In games like Hearthstone, it’s much harder to argue that a person “made the optimal play”, because merely calculating the percent chance of winning is incredibly complicated in all but the simplest of positions. So randomness can make it harder to obtain satisfying answers to what the optimal move in a particular situation is.
Just Imagine…
Given our understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of luck in card games, let’s perform a thought experiment to see what it might be like if we tried to design a card game in which all of the luck was removed.
Imagine a game like Hearthstone or Magic: the Gathering where there was no draw phase at all; you simply drew your whole deck on the first turn, and could play any card from your deck as if it were in your hand. Let’s call this imaginary game DeckHand. In DeckHand, there are no mulligans, no bad draws, no RNG, and you can “live the dream” every game. You can always play a perfectly optimized (“on curve”) sequence of cards, and you always have access to whichever cards are necessary to deal with whatever your opponent is plotting.
What would DeckHand be like?
If your answer is, “broken as hell”, you’re probably right, but let’s think a bit about how the metagame in DeckHand would play out, supposing that the cards were balanced around the new format, and appropriate steps were taken to ensure that the player going second wouldn’t be too disadvantaged (for example, by providing something similar to Hearthstone’s “coin” card).
We can already predict several problems with DeckHand. Many of them were also issues with Prismata during the early days of its development:
Problem 1: openings
DeckHand players would quickly settle on a few optimal decks, and learn precise opening sequences for each deck. This would lead to an “opening book” like chess, where the best players memorize deep sequences of moves to play in the early stages of the game. Optimal play would depend heavily on huge amounts of study and memorization rather than game knowledge or strategizing. Many players would not find this to be fun.
Problem 2: repetition
There would likely be a few popular decks in DeckHand, and players would quickly learn all of the basic matchups. Without randomness to naturally create variation in each game’s opening sequence of moves, each matchup would proceed quickly and predictably through the first few turns as players “played out the book”. A player of a specific deck in DeckHand might only really ever find themselves in 3 or 4 different situations over the course of all of the early turns in all of their games. This would cause games to get very repetitive. Not fun at all.
Problem 3: balance
In most card games, if your opponent is playing a deck that “counters” your deck and is favoured to win, then despite being an underdog, you seldom have a probability of winning below 25%. Your opponent can always get unlucky with their draws, giving you the opportunity to win despite playing a disfavoured deck. In DeckHand, this would no longer be the case. Your opponent would have complete access to all of the cards that counter your strategy, and you could easily find yourself in situations where your odds of winning are effectively zero if your opponent plays correctly. Many games in DeckHand could simply be decided by which deck you get matched up against. The “automatch RNG” would simply take over as the dominant factor in determining the winner. Definitely not fun.
Solution Step 1: use randomized decks
The problems listed above are inherent to the constructed metagame in any card game, but they are mitigated by random opening hands, which add variety to games, discourage deep memorization of openings, and help boost the win rate of underdog decks. Without random opening hands, we need another trick up our sleeves. The solution is simple: don’t randomize the opening hands, randomize the whole deck! Providing each player with a randomized, but balanced decklist would make each game of DeckHand fresh, with new strategies to uncover in every match. A game that does something similar to this is Dominion, in which players build decks over the course of the game using cards from a randomly generated pile.
You might be thinking, “Wait, I thought we wanted to remove luck from the game; why are we adding random decks” You’d have a point, but we’ll address that later.
Solution Step 2: use the same deck for both players
Of course, randomized decks vary greatly in strength, meaning that many games of DeckHand would be unfair if one player’s randomly generated deck was stronger than the other. So for fairness, let’s give both players the same randomly generated deck. Unfortunately, this leads to a further problem: if every match features the same cards on both sides, won’t both players just play identical cards every game? DeckHand won’t be too interesting if every game is a mirror match, which can be common in games like Dominion when experienced players square off.
Solution Step 3: build diversity by forcing players to make tech choices
This step is a bit harder to explain, but I’ll summarize what we did in Prismata. In Prismata, there are three different technologies that players can invest in. Each unit in the game has different technology requirements, so you can’t buy a unit whenever you want; you have to purchase the prerequisite technologies first. Upon seeing a player invest in a particular technology, the opponent will often react by investing in a different technology to have access to the units that counter those of the first player. This process continues as the two players jockey for position, making their tech investments in response to those of their opponent. This naturally promotes tech diversity, and hence mirror matches are uncommon. We could easily imagine doing something similar for DeckHand, though it might require a non-trivial revamp of the game’s economy.
Let’s try DeckHand?
Of course, DeckHand was an imaginary game, and many changes to the cards and abilities would likely be necessary to ensure that everything worked well. We can’t say for sure that DeckHand would be a good game, but it should be conceivable that the key problems induced by removing card draw RNG can be overcome.
So What About Prismata?
Of course, the whole discussion about DeckHand is very much an analogy of some of the struggles we faced in designing Prismata. Prismata is essentially just DeckHand with modified combat rules, and an economy that feels a bit more like a turn-based version of what you’d find in a real-time strategy game. Prismata isn’t completely free of RNG, but the only randomness present lies in the random selection of units available for purchase in each game, and the selection of which player goes first. Once the game begins, there is absolutely no luck involved.
There is one last point that we didn’t address. As I mentioned at the very outset of this article, there was one serious doubt that was much harder to shake:
“Bad players will never think they can win, and they will stop playing.”
Back when Prismata was our pet project and we were still in school, we never intended for it to be a game for “bad players”. We were massively addicted to it and tried quite hard to play well! But before quitting school to work on Prismata full time, we needed to be absolutely sure that players inexperienced with strategy games wouldn’t have a bad time. We did several rounds of user testing, and what we discovered was quite astonishing.
Despite Prismata having no randomness, beginners who lost actually thought they were unlucky.
As it turned out, beginners had not formulated any concrete strategies when deciding which units to buy, and had just chosen some at random. If their units happened to be strong against whatever their opponent chose, they would win. If not, they would lose. And they didn’t blame themselves for losing, because they had just chosen randomly.
The best explanation that I have for this phenomenon is that it exemplifies a fifth type of luck in games:
(5) Outcome Uncertainty
Examples: strategy games, in which players choose a strategy without knowing whether it will work.
Outcome uncertainty is sometimes called opaqueness luck as it refers to situations in which the final outcome of a choice is not visible to players, even though it may be deterministic. A quick example would be a contest in which the goal is to guess the closest date to a chosen person’s birthday. Such a contest involves no RNG in any sense, but to the participants, the results are essentially random. Opaqueness luck is not unique to beginners; in fact, much of the variance in performance among chess grandmasters can be attributed to it. Strong chess players may make a move thinking, “this is probably good for white”, but they seldom know for sure.
As it turns out, opaqueness is the key source of luck in games like Prismata. With a near-infinite number of possible combinations of initial configurations, games of Prismata present limitless opportunities for players to be placed in unfamiliar situations. While still learning the game, beginners often buy the wrong thing and lose. Frequently, they develop a favourite unit as a result of getting lucky with it, and then continually purchase that unit whenever it’s available, regardless of whether a unit countering it can be bought by their opponents. Confronted with a loss, they actually tend to blame the RNG for providing their opponent with a counter to their favourite unit.
In any case, I’m now wholeheartedly convinced that strategy game players will never change. Despite our best efforts to make a luck-free game, there will still be threads in which people claim that going second is OP, or whine that the randomly generated card sets are rigged, or complain that there are too many whiners. In the end, such discussions are a healthy part of most strategy game communities, as excuses help protect players’ egos. However, we think players are good enough at coming up with excuses on their own, so we’ve come down firmly against the idea of adding more randomness for its own sake. Instead, our highest priority (on top of creating an enjoyable game) is to provide a quality matchmaking service guaranteeing that our players genuinely have a 50% chance of |
. So how do you become more productive when working longer hours won’t do the trick? By working smarter, not harder. Do this by stepping back from your work, spending more time on planning (not just executing), scheduling less time for things, guarding and nurturing your energy levels at all times, being more honest with yourself, and by reminding yourself of what’s most important. : Working long hours has been shown to make you no more productive than working 40-hour weeks in the long-term. So how do you become more productive when working longer hours won’t do the trick? By working smarter, not harder. Do this by stepping back from your work, spending more time on planning (not just executing), scheduling less time for things, guarding and nurturing your energy levels at all times, being more honest with yourself, and by reminding yourself of what’s most important. Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes, 1s. It’s pretty skimmable, though :)
If you’re anything like me, you have way more than 40 hours of work to do every week.
On the surface, it would appear that there are two answers to this problem:
Continue working 40 hours a week, and fall behind Work more than 40 hours every week, and try to catch up to become more productive
But in practice, the choice isn’t this simple. Even though working longer hours would appear on the surface to make you more productive, I think it is the exact wrong approach to take–not because you’ll have less time to relax and recharge, even though you will–but because this approach has been proven time and time again to make you much less productive in the long-run.
I consider myself a productive person, but aside from being a total slob for a week, I don’t recall being as unproductive as when I worked 90-hour weeks last month.
For the entire month of February, I alternated between working 90 hours one week, and then 20 hours the next, to see how working extreme hours would affect my productivity. Here are 10 of the biggest lessons I learned from that experiment!
1. Working longer hours will make you more productive, but only in the short-run
This is my biggest finding of this productivity experiment: There are huge productivity benefits to be gained by investing more time into your work, but only in the short-run.
In the long-run, working long hours pushes you to procrastinate more, work less efficiently, and causes you to get less done, usually without you realizing it. In fact, after 40 hours, research has shown that your marginal productivity begins to drop, until “at approximately eight 60-hour weeks, the total work done is the same as what would have been done in eight 40-hour weeks”. And with 70 and 80-hour weeks, you reach the break-even point in just three weeks.1
When I was working 90-hour weeks, I got a lot done, but only during the first few days of the week; after that I didn’t have the time or mental space to recharge, so my productivity practically fell off a cliff.2
It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking working longer hours will make you more productive; after all, for a while it does. But I personally believe, very strongly, that there are fundamental limits to how much work you can get done, and that past a certain point most of your productivity gains come from working smarter–not harder.
Most studies seem to conclude that the magical amount of hours you should work a week is around 40 hours. After this experiment, I would tend to agree.
2. Just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you’re productive
There is a big difference between being busy and being productive, though sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish between the two.
In my view, productivity has absolutely nothing to do with how much you do; it has everything to do with how much you accomplish. After all, you can do a lot over the course of a day without actually accomplishing anything. For example, if you work 60-hour weeks, but you mindlessly chat with your coworkers, check your email all day long, and work on low-leverage tasks most of the day, you’re going to be a lot less productive than someone who works half that time, even though you do more actual work than they do.
Productivity isn’t about how much you get done over a day–it’s about how much you accomplish.
define the three outcomes One of my favorite ways to stay focused over the course of a day is toI want to get out of the day each morning. These three outcomes are what I channel my time and energy into over the day.
3. Just because you feel productive, doesn’t mean you’re productive
Just because you feel productive, doesn’t mean you’re actually productive. In fact, I can think of several where the opposite is the case:
When you multitask, you feel more productive than when you unitask, even though studies have shown time and time again that you’re not
more productive than when you unitask, even though studies have shown time and time again When you drink caffeine, you feel more productive because your mind is more stimulated, but your body adapts to how much caffeine you consume, and caffeine can make you less productive with creative tasks
You feel more productive when you check your email 10 times an hour instead of writing a report, because you receive more feedback from what you’re working on. But you’re probably not paid to check your email; you’re paid to produce and achieve specific outcomes for who you work for
The same is true for when you consistently work long hours. I think working longer hours makes you feel more productive, and a lot less guilty about the mountain of work you have to accomplish.
But working extra hours may only feel that way, especially when you’re not investing your time and energy into the smartest, highest-leverage tasks.
4. Schedule time where you completely separate from your work
I think scheduling time where you completely disconnect from your work allows you the time and space to question the value of what you’re working on, so you can work smarter, and not just harder. As a simplified example, if you work as an accountant, you could be busy sharpening pencils all day (or checking your email–a close digital equivalent), or you could decide to work smarter by stepping back from your work, reflecting on what the highest-leverage activities in your work are, and then working on those instead.
Completely separating from your work makes you more creative, focused, and energized, because it allows you to see your work from an elevated, 10,000 foot perspective. That lets you see what you should be doing differently, and get more done in less time, because you’ll be working smarter, not just harder. You may feel less productive doing so, but like with unitasking and not doing busy work, you’ll get a lot more accomplished.
When I forced myself to work 90-hour weeks, I constantly found myself working on low-leverage, bullshit activities that didn’t lead to meaningful results at the end of the day–something I only discovered when I stepped back from my work the week after.
A challenge for you: Open up your calendar right now and schedule two one-hour breaks tomorrow where you’ll completely separate from your work. You’ll thank yourself later on.
Interlude: My 10 favorite productivity experiments from my year of productivity
10 of my favorite experiments from my year of productivity, in no particular order. Just click on any picture to visit the experiment’s article.
5. For every minute you plan, you’ll save 5 minutes in execution
One my favorite productivity quotes is from Brian Tracy:
“Every minute you spend in planning, saves 10 minutes in execution.” – Brian Tracy
I’d argue the number is a bit smaller than 10, but regardless, the principle is the same.3 When all you do is execute and you never step back from your work to plan, it’s more difficult to work smarter. Even if you consistently work harder than everyone else, if you’re not working on the smartest, highest-leverage tasks, you’re not going to be as productive as someone who works half as much as you do.
When you take a step back from your work and plan what to do instead of simply executing all of the time, you become more focused, and will find it easier to channel your time and energy into a few concentrated targets, making you much more productive. When you simply hunker down and dedicate a lot of time to a task, I think it becomes very difficult to determine which targets you should focus on.
6. To get more done in less time, schedule less time to do something
Throwing more time at your tasks is the exact wrong way to get more done. A much more productive strategy? Throw more energy at your tasks.
My favorite way to do this is to dedicate less time to what I have to do.
An interesting thing happens when you dedicate less time to what you have to do. The less time you schedule to complete a task, the more you push yourself to expend more energy over less time so you can get it done. Conversely, when you schedule more time to complete a task, you give yourself more room to slack off and procrastinate.
During this experiment I alternated between working 90 hours one week, and then 20 the next. Interestingly, when I only had 20 hours to do 40 hours of work in, I got way more done in less time. Since I had a lot less time to accomplish everything in, I essentially forced myself to channel all of my energy and time into what I had to accomplish.
The more work you have to do, the more time you naturally want to dedicate to getting that work done. It’s the approach most people take, and it’s the approach that makes the most sense on the surface. But I would argue that scheduling less time for a task, not more, is what will allow you to get more done in less time.
7. Guard and nurture your energy levels at all times
According to Brian Tracy, author of the fantastic book Eat That Frog, “[o]ne of the most important requirements for being happy and productive is for you to guard and nurture your energy levels at all times.” For example, when you have a lot to do, if you’re running on just a few hours of sleep, sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to go to bed early and get a full night’s sleep.
Brian offers up four questions that will let you reflect on your energy levels (I took these straight from Eat That Frog):
What am I doing physically that I should do more of? What am I doing physically that I should do less of? What am I not doing that I should start doing if I want to perform at my best? What am I doing today that affects my health that I should stop doing altogether?
I think of energy as the fuel you burn throughout the day to get work done, and unfortunately during this experiment I removed many elements from my life that recharged and energized me, simply because I didn’t have time for them. Especially if you want to push yourself to get more done in less time, guarding and nurturing your energy levels at all times is a fantastic way to become more productive.
8. Working long hours will drain your willpower reserves
Every time you force yourself to work when you don’t want to, you use up some of your willpower–a mental resource that can be depleted.4
Pushing myself to work 90-hour weeks amidst a significant amount of mental resistance completely drained my willpower reserves, particularly since so much of my motivation for AYOP is intrinsic. This had a number of disastrous effects on my productivity:
I procrastinated more than I ever have before–as much as 3-4 hours on some days 5
My productivity crashed on Wednesday and Thursday of my 90-hour weeks, after which my mind simply resisted doing more work
I found myself wanting to focus on low-leverage, bullshit tasks (like checking Google Analytics, Twitter, and Email) instead of doing stuff that actually mattered
Though you may not work weeks as long as 90 hours, I think when you push yourself to work hours longer than you feel comfortable with, you begin to deplete your willpower reserves, which zaps you of your energy and motivation, both key contributors to how productive you are.
9. One of the worst (and least productive) things you can do is be dishonest with yourself
One of the topics I write about quite often on AYOP is the importance of being honest with yourself, because I think pretty much every productivity tactic and hack is useless if you’re not honest with yourself. For example:
Is your to-do list doable, or do you keep putting things off to another day?
Do you make goals or New Year’s Resolutions
Do you hit the snooze button 5 times every morning instead of setting an alarm for when you actually will get up?
Do you ignore your body when it tells you that it’s full?
Do you ignore your mind when it tells you it’s overworked?
Do you spend several hours in front of the TV, and then try to forget about where your time went?
During this experiment, the more pressure I put on myself to be productive, the more dishonest I became with myself. I tried to blindly will myself into being productive when I didn’t have the energy to be, which caused me to procrastinate and make excuses for doing less work every day. Instead of being honest with myself and thinking about how much energy I had to be productive, I pushed myself too hard, which made me even less productive at the end of the day because I burned out from not taking enough breaks.
I think the more pressure you put on yourself to be productive, the less honest you become with yourself. That can harm your productivity more than you think.
10. There are way more important things in life than being productive
It goes without saying, but every single second you spend working is a second you don’t get to spend doing something more meaningful, like spending time with your loved ones. Sure, this point is total common sense, but unfortunately common sense isn’t always common action.
Even when I spent a little time with my girlfriend when working 90-hour weeks, I felt incredibly energized afterward. But these types of commitments–the ones that are more important, but not as urgent as the things on your to-do list–are unfortunately the first things many people stop doing when they get busy at work. I’ll admit that I’m guilty of this as much as anyone.
When you work excessive hours, that extra time has to come from somewhere, which may force you to push away the very things that reenergize you, like working out and spending time with loved ones. After you stop doing the very things that reenergize you, you begin to fight a losing battle, and become stressed out, unmotivated, and ultimately less productive.
Particularly when working long hours has been shown to make you no more productive than working 40-hour weeks (especially in the long-term), I think that often one of the most productive things you can do is take a step back from your work. Doing so will help you reenergize, work smarter, come up with better solutions, guard yourself against low-leverage tasks, and best of all, regain control over your work. It’s counterintuitive, but separating yourself from your work and focusing on the things in your life that are more important might just make you more productive in the long-run.$\begingroup$
It basically depends on how the particular musical performance is perceived by the listener. Cognitive process of listening seems to be comprise several layers, which follows a bottom-up direction.
First step is to decode relevant signal(s), among a complex package of sound. This is where the irrelevant noise is eliminated. Can music be eliminated in this level? Highly unlikely, but still possible. I do not know of a particular experiment but when the music is being played in a far destination, or with a low volume, or if the participant is highly concentrated to the task; then it may be eliminated in this step. But the key point in this step is that the term "noise" refers to aperiodic background sounds. Therefore, my first impression is that music, being periodical, must decrease the task performance. Cutler and Clifton (1999) gives an overview on the entire listening process. Second step is the grouping of different sound sources. There is also modelling studies that aims to explain this phenomenon (Bregman, 1990). Steps in listening continues further, but those steps are beyond the scope of this question.
But there are other studies also. Ylias and Heaven (2003) showed that the background noise negatively effects reading comprehension. So far so good. Cassidy and MacDonald (2007) showed that task performance on silence is greater than in low arousal music, and that is greater than noise, and that is even greater than high arousal music conditions. This is interesting, because it now introduces the affective state of the listener into the equation, which makes it a lot more difficult to handle. Another result is that the effect of the noise here is comparable to the effect of background music. But we have to note that the details of the noise in this experiment is not given in detail, only commented as "the everyday noise". It would be more conclusive if we just know whether it is the background sound of a television (periodic) or a traffic noise (aperiodic).
Combining these references, I cannot easily conclude that music is taken as a "noise". It seems that music reduces the task performance, by negatively affecting a later step in the listening process.
Ending note: There are several semiformal-informal studies on the web also. They study directly the "work/office performance", therefore I must say that they lack a little bit of a controlled environment. In such environments we can even confidently say that music improves our performance in particular situations. But what we miss is that office environments comprise several unhandled parameters that makes it hard for scientific experimental setup (i.e. listening music may improve the performance if your office mates chit chat next to you).
Ending note 2: I was interested in this topic a time ago. So I welcome more recent references or comments.Mana series Twitter account relaunched, new information teased
Twitter icon changed. New header image also coming.
Square Enix has updated the official Mana series Twitter account (known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan), which was previously used to promote the February-launched Adventures of Mana, with a new profile image celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary.
There is also a new tweet from the account: “Starting today, we will renew the official Adventures of Mana account as the official Mana account. We will announce information on the Mana series, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, so please stick with us. The icon has been changed to the 25th anniversary logo. And we also plan to change the header image in the coming days.”
Seiken Densetsu first launched for Game Boy in Japan on June 28, 1991.Using an enormous X-ray laser — one of only two such machines on Earth — University of Nebraska-Lincoln physicist Matthias Fuchs and scientists from around the world beat formidable odds to observe one of the most fundamental interactions between X-rays and matter.The findings can aid future studies and may lead to novel new ways to diagnose matter in the future.Fuchs and his colleagues induced two X-ray photons to simultaneously collide with a single atom, which converts them into a single higher-energetic X-ray photon. It’s a phenomenon that doesn’t occur under normal circumstances, and the results of the first-ever experiment were published in the journal Nature Physics.
Fuchs, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, is the article’s lead author. Others involved are from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.”The experiment was the very first investigation of this kind, which means that we were entering what you would call ‘Neuland’ (German for uncharted territory),” Fuchs said.
Scientists first observed a similar process involving high-intensity visible light in the 1960s, resulting in a technology used in most laser laboratories and even with many laser pointers available to consumers. However, it had not been possible until recently to observe such interactions at X-ray wavelengths because there was no X-ray source that could produce X-rays of sufficient intensity.
Because they have a small wavelength that allows scientists to resolve matter down to the size of its constituent atoms, X-rays are routinely used to take a “deep look” into matter, Fuchs said. The double-helix structure of DNA was one of the most famous discoveries using X-rays. The field of X-rays has generated at least 15 Nobel Prizes and as many as 28, if discoveries that indirectly use X-rays are counted.
Fuchs and other team members used a new source of X-rays, an X-ray free-electron laser at the National Accelerator Laboratory in California, to conduct experiments. Measuring more than a kilometer in length, the only other machine like it is in Japan.
Focusing the machine’s full output into a spot of only 100 nanometers in size, the team generated an X-ray beam with intensity equivalent to all of the sun’s radiation that is striking Earth’s surface but concentrated in an area with the diameter of a human hair.
“We needed such extreme intensities to improve the chances of both of the two photons meeting up at exactly the right place and exactly the right time on one of the many atoms that were illuminated,” Fuchs said. “Even so, the probability that this nonlinear interaction occurs on any given atom is less than winning the lottery.
“The scientists found some unexpected results, however. The energy of the converted photons was much lower than expected, indicating that the physics of the interaction may be richer and more interesting than anticipated.
One scientist who anonymously reviewed the research said that when the phenomenon becomes better understood, it will become a part of textbooks on X-ray physics and nonlinear optics.
“This experiment is just beginning,” Fuchs said. “If our new understanding of this fundamental process can be confirmed by future experiments, it can have significant impact on future experiments that are performed with high X-ray intensities and can lead to novel diagnostic methods of matter.”
Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference: Matthias Fuchs, Mariano Trigo, Jian Chen, Shambhu Ghimire, Sharon Shwartz, Michael Kozina, Mason Jiang, Thomas Henighan, Crystal Bray, Georges Ndabashimiye, Philip H. Bucksbaum, Yiping Feng, Sven Herrmann, Gabriella A. Carini, Jack Pines, Philip Hart, Christopher Kenney, Serge Guillet, Sébastien Boutet, Garth J. Williams, Marc Messerschmidt, M. Marvin Seibert, Stefan Moeller, Jerome B. Hastings, David A. Reis. Anomalous nonlinear X-ray Compton scattering.Nature Physics, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nphys3452
Source: Team harnesses intense X-ray beam, observes unusual phenomenon for the first time: Findings may lead to novel new ways to diagnose matter in the future — ScienceDaily6 years ago
(CNN) - President Barack Obama says he and the first lady have a good strategy to prevent their daughters from getting tattoos.
"What we've said to the girls is, if you guys ever decide to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo in the same place. And we'll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo," he said in an interview that aired Wednesday on NBC's "Today."
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He said his daughters, Sasha and Malia, have kept him "posted on what's cool and what's not," but argued he and Michelle know how to make things look not so cool.
Their tattoo threat, for example, is a good tactic to "dissuade them from thinking that that's somehow a good way to rebel," he said.
The president also answered a question about the first lady's recent slip-up in which she described herself a "single mother" during a television interview earlier this month.
"As somebody who has stumbled over my lines many times, I tend to cut my wife or anybody some slack when it comes to just some slips of the tongue," he said. "But there's no doubt there were times where Michelle probably felt like a single mom."
When he campaigned for the Senate and White House, he said he would often be gone for a week at one time.
"She was still working and having to look after the girls. She definitely, I think, understands the burdens that women in part tend to feel if they're both responsible for child-rearing and if they're responsible for working at the same time."
- CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.National policy, guidance and publications relating to EPA's enforcement of environmental laws.
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Top of pagePhysico-chemical characteristics
The locations where the samples were taken are shown in Supplementary Figure S1. Some physico-chemical and biological properties of the samples are described in Supplementary Table S1. Salinity, as represented by electrical conductivity, is much higher in Mar Menor than in the Mediterranean Sea. Albufera waters, however, appeared as highly mineralized freshwaters, showing a certain influence of the sea, with values of 2.8 mS cm−1, as compared to freshwaters from the area, which commonly show conductivities of around 1 mS cm−1. Even though Albufera is well separated from the sea, open inlets controlled by hydraulic gates sometimes allow some connection, and aquifers providing water to the lagoon are slightly influenced by marine waters. This demonstrates that we have chosen the two sides of the main environmental condition in determining the ecology of coastal lakes, this is, salinity, with both a highly saline and a freshwater lagoon. Similar to well mineralized waters, both samples were mildly alkaline (pH was 8.4 for Mar Menor and 7.69 for Albufera), but alkalinity (and bicarbonate concentrations) in Albufera was lower compared to surrounding freshwater systems. The lower alkalinity in Albufera is mainly due to the high rates of planktonic primary production of such hypertrophic system that uses large amounts of inorganic carbon, thus decreasing the alkaline reserve mainly formed by bicarbonate. Saline content of Albufera, though much lower than that of Mar Menor, is quite balanced in anions between bicarbonate, chloride and sulphate, whereas that of Mar Menor is much higher, and mostly due to chloride. These data indicate the differences in relative importance of continental and marine inputs in these two systems.
Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, taken together with chlorophyll concentrations, better reflect the extent and effects of eutrophication on both lagoons, as they show the amount of nutrients that are incorporated into biomass, mainly phytoplankton, in the form of particulate nutrients. Both TN and TP were around two and a half times higher in Albufera than in Mar Menor, showing that, in addition to salinity, these two systems also maintain a large difference in another quite important environmental feature, namely, the trophic status.
Chlorophyll-a concentration reveals even higher differences than TN and TP, as the chlorophyll levels of Mar Menor (3.94 µg/l) are actually very similar to that of the DCM of the Mediterranean7 (3.4 µg/l), while Albufera displayed levels corresponding to extremely hypertrophic conditions (271.31 µg/l). Following OECD criteria47, all these values categorized Albufera as a hypertrophic system, whereas those of Mar Menor correspond to a mesotrophic system but with a strong trend towards eutrophication as indicated by concentrations of soluble nutrients. Remarkably, when considering both nitrogen and phosphorus, these nutrients are mostly included within the particulate fraction in the Albufera, with comparatively low amounts in the soluble forms of phosphorus (soluble reactive phosphorus, mainly orthophosphate) and, even lower, of nitrogen (ammonia), compared to overall amounts that are mainly owed to the biomass of phytoplankton, as shown by Chl-a concentrations. Because of its long residence time during most of the year, Albufera acts as a bioreactor that converts most of the incoming nutrients in phytoplankton biomass, most of which is later retained in the sediments and represents a strong internal load that further supports hypertrophic conditions. Moreover, most of this phytoplankton biomass is composed by cyanobacteria, as shown by the dominance of taxa-specific carotenoids (Supplementary Table S1) from these phytoplanktonic organisms, such as zeaxanthin, as was further confirmed by microscopic and molecular analyses. Contrastingly, most nitrogen and phosphorus in Mar Menor was detected as soluble forms, with relatively low levels of phytoplankton biomass that are still comparable to productive areas of the sea, such as the DCM, but much poorer compared to Albufera. Ammonium is, in contrast to Albufera, the main form of nitrogen in the waters of Mar Menor. The very high planktonic biomass in Albufera quickly assimilates available nutrients, especially those which are limiting, and ammonium is the preferred form of nitrogen to be assimilated by organisms as it has the same redox status than organic nitrogen. In Mar Menor, however, the high availability of soluble (biologically available) forms of nitrogen and phosphorus compared to the low chlorophyll levels indicates the occurrence of recent peaks of nutrient inputs into this lagoon, occurring briefly before the sampling, that have not yet had the time to be converted into biomass. Massive occasional nutrient inputs are a common feature of this lagoon and are associated to time-restricted discharges of wastewaters48 or increased agricultural runoff linked to heavy rains. These inputs commonly cause algal blooms that are associated with such nutrient dynamics4. Recent modelling estimated that, only accounting from agriculture sources associated to irrigations procedures, more than 2000 tonnes of nitrogen and around 60 tonnes of phosphorus enter per year in the Mar Menor, which, together with other sources, such as urban wastewaters, explain the high levels of soluble nitrogen found in this lagoon. Additionally to this modeling, previous empirical evidence of the high amounts of nutrients received by Mar Menor was given by Velasco et al49, who during a hydrological cycle measured nutrient inputs as high as 2010 tones of inorganic nitrogen and 178 tonnes of soluble reactive (biologically available) phosphorus in a year. Thus, our measurements of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, even if chlorophyll concentrations are not so high, reveal a relatively high (mesotrophic to eutrophic) trophic status of Mar Menor compared to the coastal waters of the nearby Mediterranean Sea, though much lower than that of Albufera, where nutrients are likely quickly bioconverted into phytoplankton biomass.
Phytoplankton diversity and abundance
In contrast to the very different abundance of phytoplankton (quantified as Chl-a concentration), both systems showed similar densities of heterotrophic bacterioplankton (in the range of 4–5 106 cells per ml), higher than those commonly found in surface waters of the Mediterranean Sea50,51. However the abundance of phototrophic picoplankton, mainly unicellular Synechococcus-like cyanobacterial cells, was almost twenty times higher in La Albufera than in Mar Menor. These autotrophic picoplankton (APP) cells are similar to those of surface waters, phycocyanin-rich cells mostly lacking phycoerythrin52. However, although APP abundance is much higher in Albufera, they represented up to 9.4 % of phytoplankton biomass (biovolume) in Mar Menor. This contribution was 3.3 % in Albufera, where filamentous cyanobacteria, diatoms and chlorophytes accounted for most of the biomass (Supplementary Figure S2). The relatively high diversity of phytoplankton in Albufera (Figure 1, Supplementary Figure S3) revealed by our sampling is a relative novelty in this lake within the last years associated with sewage diversion53 compared to the previous decades, when filamentous cyanobacteria, like Planktothrix agardhii, Pseudanabaena galeata and Geitlerinema sp. widely dominated the community54. This relatively high diversity related to increased relevance of chlorophytes and diatoms compared to cyanobacteria is also shown by taxa-specific pigments. In addition to the high concentrations of the cyanobacterial-specific carotenoid zeaxanthin, high concentrations of the diatom-marker carotenoid fucoxanthin were also found (Supplementary Table S1). The high contribution of chlorophytes in terms of total phytoplankton biomass, mostly due to the presence of very big colonial species of Pediastrum (P. boryanum and P. duplex), which at the time of sampling accounted for 46.6% of total phytoplanktonic biovolume (Figure 1; Supplementary Figure S2) but only for 1.3 % of phytoplankton individuals, is likely the reason that chlorophyte-specific carotenoids are not so abundant. Sewage diversion, together with increased flushing during some periods associated to rice cultivation, sometimes promotes clear water phases in late winter and spring, as it occurred in 2010, when sampling was performed and the more evident clear water phase has been reported for the last four decades. Contrastingly, Dinoflagellates dominated by far phytoplankton in Mar Menor, both in terms of total phytoplankton biomass and number of cells (excluding APP for the later count), with also relevant contributions of diatoms and unicellular picocyanobacteria (Figure 1; Supplementary Figure S2). These are also reflected in the abundance of the taxa-specific carotenoids (Supplementary Table S2), which, although at much lower concentrations than those of Albufera, also shows the relative importance of the dominant phytoplankton groups. Neither Albufera nor Mar Menor hold planktonic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria, as revealed by the absence of bacteriochlorophylls.
Figure 1: Pairs of microphotographs, DAPI stain (blue, up) and photosynthetic pigment autofluorescence (red, down) of samples from Albufera (A and B) and Mar Menor (C and D) showing different microorganisms. A) a colony of unicellular picocyanobacteria B) several filamentous cyanobacteria and coenobia of the chlorophytes Pediastrum sp. and Scenedesmus sp. C) Different morphologies of heterotrophic bacterioplankton (cells not showing red autofluorescence in lower pictures) and autotrophic picocyanobacteria (cells showing red autofluorescence in lower pictures). D) Heterotrophic bacterioplankton and autotrophic picocyanobacteria with a eukaryotic nanoflagellate. White bar corresponds to 10 μm in all pictures. Full size image
GC Content
We obtained nearly equal amount of sequence data from each one three different filter sizes for each dataset (0.1, 0.8 and 3.0 µm, See Supplementary Table S2). The sequence data from the three filters of Mar Menor shows some differences in GC content (Supplementary Figure S4), with the 3 µm filter showing a high GC peak, likely because of the increased number of eukaryotic sequences captured in this filter. A comparison of the GC content of the two smaller filter sizes (0.1 and 0.8µm) with other available marine and hypersaline metagenomes (DCM, PC6 and SS19) is shown in Supplementary Figure S4. The Mar Menor metagenome shows a single distinct peak at ~50%, similar to the marine metagenome in being unimodal, but of very different GC% and a broader GC range, and also distinct from the other hypersaline datasets which have clear bimodal GC distributions (both PC6 and SS19). All the hypersaline metagenomes do have at least a single peak at around 50% GC. The figure indicates that across a range of salinities, (from 3.5% to 19%) a diverse range of GC content may be found. Moreover, Mar Menor GC distribution appears to be quite different from PC6, although both habitats have nearly identical salinity (however, as no other physical-chemical data is available for PC6 dataset apart from salinity so the factors relating to these differences cannot be adequately discussed). There does not appear to be an abundance of very high GC organisms (~70% GC as in PC6) in Mar Menor (Supplementary Figure S4). On the other hand, sequences from all three filters of Albufera tended to show a GC profile skewed towards high GC content (Supplementary Figure S4). Comparison to three other freshwater datasets (Lake Gatun in Panama, Lake Lanier in Atlanta,US46, and the River Amazon24) (Supplementary Figure S4), does not show any kind of clear pattern, apart from a low GC peak (~45–50%) in all datasets except Albufera. So in this initial examination, the GC% profiles of both Mar Menor and Albufera appear quite different from other metagenomic datasets, and this already is an indication of the different communities in these ecosystems compared to other related available datasets.
Community Structure
Among prokaryotes, the results of classification of the 16S rRNA sequences and all reads comparison to the NR database indicated almost exclusively the presence of Bacteria (Supplementary Figures S |
sing along with the song, use your instrument to keep the beat, use the time to tune, drink something or take a break. And afterward, you could ask the other players to show you the chords so you know better next time. Check out these Blues jamming tracks and Beatles jamming tracks to prepare for often played tracks.
5. Relax and let the leader lead
Let the song or band leader lead you. Doesn’t matter if the sheet you have says different chords or words. That’s the point of a jam session: To experiment with famous songs (or new chords) and change parts of them. So follow the leader with breaks, change of tunes, lyrics etc.
6. Listen to the others
A jam session is not your private moment to shine. You’ll enjoy jamming a lot more if you start listening to the whole sound, not just your instrument or voice. You’ll notice there are moments where you can play more or less, hear when chords are needed or a melody. Give whatever is needed to the whole sound and you’ll be the jam player everybody wants to play with.
This is how a jam session might sound like:
7. Don’t be afraid of mistakes
If you hit the wrong note, make sure to follow it up by moving a half note up rhythmically. That way you can make your little mistake seem like a grace note. And most of the time nobody notices unless you stop playing because of the mistake.
8. Share your jamming knowledge
If you play with beginners, don’t try to outdo them. We all started somewhere, so try to help them out with tips. Don’t be rude and show how awesome you can play already. You know it, and nobody else cares. By sharing your jamming knowledge you’ll make sure the session works out fine.
And last but not least: Download this free infographic to have all tips available:
Are you looking for some additional musician tips?Once more into the breach goes the government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, resubmitting its sweeping revision of Canadian digital copyright law for Parliament's consideration.
"Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to put in place measures to ensure Canada's digital economy remains strong," declared James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages as he introduced the announcement of law C-11—The Copyright Modernization Act. "This bill delivers a common-sense balance between the interests of consumers and the rights of the creative community."
News accounts say that C-11 is an exact duplicate of Bill C-32, which croaked when the 2010 Parliament dissolved without passing the bill. Now, as then, one of the biggest points of contention will be the provisions regarding "digital locks." These add up to a Canadian version of the United States' Digital Millennium Copyright Act, with its DRM anti-circumvention provisions that make a variety of fair dealing (or fair use) activities untenable.
But critics of that portion of the legislation, such as Canadian law professor Michael Geist, suggest that this time around, the government will get its way.
"After years of false starts, it is clear that this copyright bill will pass, likely before the end of the year" Geist writes. "While there is much to like in the bill, the unwillingness to stand up for Canadians on digital locks represents a huge failure. Moreover, it sends the message that when pressed, Canada will cave."
The pressure to give in comes in part from the White House, revealed by a WikiLeaks cable to have been quite actively lobbying Canada to get on the IP enforcement bandwagon for years. Around 2007, the Canadian Prime Minister's office went so far as to share with the US the mandate letters it sent to two key ministers on copyright, according to the dispatch.
Designed to hack
Here are some of the highlights of digital lockdown section of the proposed law. C-11 makes unlawful the "manufacture, sale and distribution of devices that are primarily designed to hack digital locks." No circumventing or bypassing technologies allowed, and no offering services that do this bypassing either, with civil and criminal penalties for offenders. Even if the resulting use of the material would be legal, digital locks trump user rights.
Digital locks can only be hacked under the following conditions:
law enforcement and national security activities;
reverse engineering for software compatibility;
security testing of systems;
encryption research;
personal information protection;
temporary recordings made by broadcast undertakings;
access for persons with perceptual disabilities; and
unlocking a wireless device.
As that last bullet point indicates, the bill allows consumers to unlock their mobiles to switch carrier services. "However, this will not override any contractual or other agreement that may exist between consumers and their service providers," the announcement adds.
As for flexibility in the digital lock provisions? The notice says that the government "will also retain the ability, through regulatory power, to provide new exceptions to the digital lock prohibition to ensure access where the public interest might be served or where anti-competitive behaviour arises." So presumably the issue will be thrown to various Ministries to consider, following C-11's passage.
Notice and notice
The proposed law also ups the pressure on ISPs regarding accusations of copyright infringement by subscribers:
Because ISPs are often the only parties that can identify and warn subscribers when they are being accused of infringing copyright, the new provisions will compel all ISPs to participate in the "notice and notice" regime. In other words, when an ISP receives notice from a copyright owner that one of its subscribers is allegedly hosting or sharing infringing material, the ISP will be required to forward the notice to the subscriber and to keep a record of such relevant information as the identity of the alleged infringer. ISPs that fail to retain such records or to forward notices would be liable for civil damages.
But there are also measures friendly to journalists, artists, librarians, and educators:
Wider fair dealing exemptions: Parody and satire are added to the list.
Parody and satire are added to the list. Half a century: The bill sets performer/production copyright protection for sound recordings at "50 years from the time of publication of a musical performance. "
The bill sets performer/production copyright protection for sound recordings at "50 years from the time of publication of a musical performance. " Internet mashups: They're ok as long as done for non-commercial purposes, the material was "legitimately acquired," and "the work they create is not a substitute for the original material, and does not have a substantial negative impact on the markets for the original material, or on the creator's reputation. "
They're ok as long as done for non-commercial purposes, the material was "legitimately acquired," and "the work they create is not a substitute for the original material, and does not have a substantial negative impact on the markets for the original material, or on the creator's reputation. " Online classrooms: Copyrighted material used in lessons conducted over the 'Net permitted for teachers and students. The summary offers examples: "This allows music students—both those in the classroom and those who are participating from a remote location—to perform a copyright-protected song together as part of a lesson. "
Copyrighted material used in lessons conducted over the 'Net permitted for teachers and students. The summary offers examples: "This allows music students—both those in the classroom and those who are participating from a remote location—to perform a copyright-protected song together as part of a lesson. " Current events: Schools won't have to pay royalties to record a broadcast of a news or public affairs program for educational purposes. Big exception—this doesn't count for documentaries.
Schools won't have to pay royalties to record a broadcast of a news or public affairs program for educational purposes. Big exception—this doesn't count for documentaries. Libraries: The law lets librarians digitize content and electronically send it to patrons via interlibrary loan. "The requesting client could either view the material on a computer or print one copy." Also, libraries, archives, and museums will be able to duplicate copyright material in an "alternative" format "if there is a concern that the original is in a format that is in danger of becoming obsolete. "
Geist takes solace in these more positive aspects of the legislation. But, his post concludes, "if global intellectual property developments over the past two decades teach anything, it is that efforts to reduce foreign pressures invariably lead to a brief respite before escalating demands and political pressures. The failure of C-11 is that the government isn't relieving the copyright pressure. It is asking for more."Surface Makes Microsoft a Top 5 Tablet Vendor … With 1.8 Percent Market Share
“I don’t think anybody has done a product that is the product that I see customers wanting. You can go through the products from all those guys … and none of them has a product that you can really use. Not Apple. Not Google. Not Amazon. … [Surface] is a first-class tablet that people can enjoy and appreciate. It’s a PC; it’s a tablet. It’s for play; it’s for work. It’s got a great price. That product doesn’t exist today.” — Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Microsoft is now one of the Top 5 tablet vendors worldwide, thanks to its Surface RT and Surface Pro devices — but not because either one is selling particularly well.
Research firm IDC says Microsoft shipped about 900,000 Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets in the first quarter of the year. That was enough to claim a fifth-place ranking on IDC’s latest worldwide tablet tracker, but with a very low percentage of the tablet market — just 1.8 percent.
That’s a pretty poor showing for a device that has been available since last October, though, to be fair, the Surface Pro didn’t begin shipping in North America until February. That late start almost certainly hampered sales.
That said, Microsoft shipped “just shy” of 900,000 Surface units last quarter, according to IDC, so the availability of the Pro version of the device doesn’t seem to have done all that much for sales. With both the Pro and the RT on the market, Microsoft’s tablet sales don’t even begin to come close to market leaders like Apple and Samsung, which shipped 19.5 million and 8.8 million tablets, respectively.
Not that anyone expected them to. Surface is a latecomer in a highly competitive market dominated by a company with a massive first-mover advantage. Still, you’d think that if Surface really did hit the sweet spot that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer described in the quote above, shipments would be a wee bit higher, no? Clearly, the company has got a lot of work ahead of it if it hopes to change users’ expectations for tablets.
Microsoft, which has not yet disclosed any Surface sales data or guidance, did not respond to a request for comment.The Chilean architect pitches activism against starchitecture in his central pavilion and uncovers the architect’s role in drone warefare – leaving Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano distinctly out of place
“The only animal that can defeat the rhinoceros is the mosquito,” says Alejandro Aravena, the Chilean architect curating this year’s Venice architecture biennale. “Or a cloud of mosquitos, actually.”
He is standing in the former rope factory that serves as the exhibition’s main venue, a 300-metre-long promenade of installations, where robotically milled stone vaults compete with teetering bamboo frames, made by dozens architects from far-flung corners of the world. These are Aravena’s mosquitoes.
Venice architecture biennale review – a souped-up pre-school playground Read more
“Architects often think they are too small to make a change, but together they can smother the big animal.”
The beast in question is the capitalist machine, responsible for the slew of “banality and mediocrity” in our built environment. It’s one of the battlegrounds Aravena’s biennale aims to tackle, along with migration, segregation, traffic, waste and pollution, and a host of other “urgent issues facing the whole of humanity”, as he puts it, “not just problems that only interest architects”.
It is a refreshing premise for the biennial bonanza, which too often indulges the rarified realms of architectural theory and form-making. But does it make for an engaging show, or a tedious traipse through holier-than-thou humanitarianism and architectural self-flagellation – the latest attempt to convince the public that designers have a conscience?
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena speaks at the opening of the 15th international architecture exhibition in Venice on May 25. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
Thankfully the moralising is kept at a relatively low volume. What shines through is a dazzling range of ingenious responses to situations of scarcity and insecurity, along with a good number of beautiful things that have no worthy pretensions at all.
Aravena is keen that his show should not simply be taken as a biennale of the poor
A display of Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu’s work near the Chinese city of Fuyang sets the tone, with tactile pallets of reclaimed tiles, crushed rubble and rammed earth laid out on the floor, showing the handmade materials used in their recent restoration of the village of Wencun. Wang was approached by the city to design a lavish cultural complex, following his Pritzker prize win in 2012, but insisted on upgrading the crumbling historic village as a condition of the project, using his trademark twist on traditional craft techniques and local labour.
This cocktail of simple, earthy materials and canny subversion of the client’s brief is a recurring theme here. There are many rugged, rustic constructions of brick, stone and earth to admire and fondle, from Paraguayan architect Solano Benítez’s parabolic brick arch to the CNC-sawn stone vaults by the Block Research Group at ETH Zurich. The former mobilises two of the cheapest and most abundant resources in the world, clay and unskilled labour. The latter is at the cutting edge of digital form-finding and robotic manufacture. Nearby stand a pair of prototype concrete slabs, modelled on gothic fan vaults, that use 70% less material than a conventional flat slab – and are a good deal prettier.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A project made in Berlin by architect studio Bel Architects. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
“We shouldn’t forget beauty in our battles,” says Aravena, who is keen that his show should not simply be taken as a “biennale of the poor.” His own work on low-cost housing in Latin America has earned him the position of poster boy for activist architects, but his practice, Elemental, is as obsessed with achieving the perfect finish of poured concrete on its expensive commercial buildings as it is with revolutionising models of affordable housing. The biennale reflects this, which means, at times, it can feel a little erratic.
Alejandro Aravena: the shape of things to come Read more
In the Central Pavilion, German architect Anna Heringer has crafted an alluring earthen cocoon (or “mud nugget” as she calls it) with Martin Rauch and Andres Lepik, that makes you envious of earthworms, tempting you to curl up inside its womblike form. More eye candy and guilt-free architectural indulgence comes in the form of Raphael Zuber’s shrine of bronze models, Renato Rizzi’s exquisite plaster casts and Aires Mateus’s elegant studies in form and light. Their rooms are a welcome salve after some of the more challenging work on show, places you might go to recover from the perilous battlegrounds that other exhibitors are confronting head on.
One of the most powerful confrontations comes from Forensic Architecture, an NGO led by London-based Israeli architect and writer Eyal Weizman, whose team has been compiling evidence for prosecutors in the International Criminal Court and the UN General Assembly into bombing campaigns in the Middle East.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wang Shu & Lu Wenyu Photograph: Italo Rondinella - http://www.it
“War is now almost exclusively urban in nature,” says Weizman. “The majority of civilian casualties occur in buildings, so architects are the best-placed to offer their expertise in tracing how these events happened.”
One project demonstrates how his team analysed reams of video footage from social media of Israeli military attacks on Gaza in 2014 to prove the army was using one-tonne bombs in heavily populated residential areas, resulting in high civilian casualties. By overlaying images of bomb clouds from multiple viewpoints, they generated a 3D model and triangulated the exact location of the strike.
The centre of their space is occupied by a full-scale mock-up of a room bombed-out from a US army drone strike drone attack in Pakistan, with strings extending from the shrapnel pock-marks in the walls back into the centre of the room to determine the point of explosion of the bomb. The model proves the damage was the result of an “architectural missile”, capable of being detonated on a specific floor of a building, while the “shadows” – where there are no shrapnel marks – denote the locations of the victims killed in the attack.
War is now almost exclusively urban in nature. The majority of civilian casualties occur in buildings Eyal Weizman
This forensic process – what Weizman calls “architecture in reverse” – shows how the analytical and presentational skills of architects can be deployed in graphic, damning detail, in circumstances that extend way beyond the comfort zone of the drawing board. Forensic Architecture’s 3D-printed bomb clouds also feature in a satellite exhibition organised by the V&A. Curated by Brendan Cormier, A World of Fragile Parts investigates 200 years of copying since the museum’s first director Henry Cole wrote the charter on Reproductions of Works of Art to encourage the international exchange of copies between museums.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A structure made by Block research Group from Zurich. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
Cormier calls it “the first manifesto for sharing”, and his team has mined a rich seam of reproductions from the museum’s archive as well as unearthing inventive contemporary takes on copying, from the Institute for Digital Archaeology’s reproduction of part of the Palmyra arch, destroyed by Islamic State, to Sam Jacob Studio’s model of a temporary shelter from the Calais “jungle” refugee camp, digitally milled from artificial stone.
The monumental rendering of such a flimsy, ephemeral structure stands in poignant contrast to another refugee encampment on show, which occupies an ambiguous place in Venice’s Giardini between the national pavilions and the central pavilion.
“The ambiguity is no accident,” says Manuel Herz, who has been researching the urbanism of the Western Sahara’s refugee camps for the last decade. “By positioning the pavilion here I am staking a claim for their nationhood.”
A former Spanish colony, occupied by Morocco since 1975, the Western Sahara remains a contested zone, on whose fringes 160,000 Sahrawi refugees live in camps that have taken on the structure of formalised towns. A series of hanging carpets, woven by the National Union of Sahrawi Women, together with photos by Iwan Baan, explain the architectural structure of these informal towns, which have developed schools, cultural facilities, ministry buildings and even their own parliament – decorated with jazzy giraffe-patterned walls. “If they were western architects they would have won the Pritzker prize by now,” says Hertz, who has revealed a peculiar sculptural beauty in their low-key provisional buildings, which speaks of the powerful national pride of a state in exile.
It's time to rethink the entire role and language of architecture Read more
For all of this provocative work from the lesser-known fringes of architectural culture, there are also the usual suspects, who feel like they’ve been included out of deference to age and stature rather than because they have anything meaningful to add. Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano feel particularly out of place, using their rooms as corporate showcases to display their greatest hits.
An opportunity has also been missed to cast the net further beyond the profession and bring in more voices from the worlds of planning and property development, lawmaking and governance- – the real forces that shape our cities. Where the work of public authorities is featured – such as in a transformative public space initiative in the crime-ridden Colombian city of Medellin – the results err on the stodgy side, as if lifted from a generic conference on city marketing.
While Aravena’s initial rallying cry hinted that he might be radically reinventing the biennale format, cracking open the hermetic architectural club to let the real world flood in, there is still too much of the usual fodder, too many exhibitors resorting to the default setting of enigmatic installation and video without much substance. It is to be expected given the time constraints: Aravena had just 10 months to pull the show together, less than half the time the previous director Rem Koolhaas demanded.
Still, with a little patience, there are enough mosquitoes with bite to be found in the swarm, providing optimism that the rhinoceros may yet be toppled.We could all use a little motivation from time to time. As Zig Ziglar suggests in one of the quotes below, we could probably use it daily. Here are some quotes you can use as motivation to succeed for the next 50 days.
1. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain
2. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll
3.The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. –Alice Walker
4. The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha
5. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb
6. An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates
7. Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being. –Kevin Kruse
8. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
9. Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein
10. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. –Robert Frost
11. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. –Florence Nightingale
12. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
13. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
14. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Amelia Earhart
15. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
16. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone
17. We must balance conspicuous consumption with conscious capitalism. –Kevin Kruse
18. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon
19. We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale
20. Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen
21. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs
22. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi
23. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey
24. Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso
25. You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus
26. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou
27. Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn
28. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
29. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain
30. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
31. Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. –Booker T. Washington
32. Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb
33. Believe you can and you’re halfway there. –Theodore Roosevelt
34. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair
35. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. –Plato
36. Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thous shalt progress. –Maimonides
37. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe
38. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon
39. Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb
40. When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. –Helen Keller
41. Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. –Confucius
42. The best revenge is massive success. –Frank Sinatra
43. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Ziglar
44. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. –Anais Nin
45. If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh
46. There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle
47. Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. –Jesus
48. The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
49. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau
50. When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me. –Erma BombeckRecently, in an effort to embarrass Republicans pandering to their scientifically challenged base, Senate Democrats proposed a series of votes on climate change. While most Americans and the overwhelming majority of scientists believe climate change is real and people are the primary cause of it, Republican voters are evenly divided on whether it exists at all, and reject the idea that we are responsible.
One amendment, by the Democratic senator Brian Schatz, stated simply that climate change is real and human activity significantly contributes to it. Republican senator John Hoeven offered a compromise: take the word “significantly” out. When asked why, he said: “It was about finding that balance that would bring bipartisan support to the bill.”
Reaching across the aisle in search of compromise and consensus is the professed goal of almost every candidate for public office in the US, particularly in recent times, when presidents have come to personify not unity but division. Over the past six decades, the 10 most polarising years in terms of presidential approval have been under either George W Bush or Barack Obama.
As a means, bipartisanship is, of course, an admirable goal: the more politicians are able to work together, put the interests of their constituents first and get things done, the better. The grandstanding, bickering and procedural one-upmanship that characterises so much of what passes for politics is one of the things that makes electorates cynical and drives down voter turnout.
But as an end in itself, bipartisanship is at best shallow and at worst corrosive. For it entirely depends what parties are joining together to do. This is particularly true in America, where constituencies are openly gerrymandered, both parties are funded by big money, and legislation is often written by corporate lobbyists.
Bipartisan efforts over the past couple of decades have produced the Iraq war, the deregulation of the financial industry, the bank bailout made necessary by that deregulation, the slashing of welfare to the poor, and an exponential increase in incarceration. As the hapless Steve Martin says to his hopeless travel companion, John Candy, in Planes, Trains and Automobiles: “You know, I was thinking, when we put our heads together … we’ve really gotten nowhere.”
Comity in the polity is overrated and should certainly not be mistaken for what is right or even popular. And even if it wasn’t overrated, bipartisanship is not always possible. Half of Republicans still believe the US did find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, over half believe climate change is a hoax, and almost half do not believe in evolution. There is a limit to how much agreement you can reach with people with whom you disagree on fundamental matters of fact, let alone principle.
But if the parties cannot work together, they are at least supposed to work separately. What has become evident since Republican victories in November’s midterm elections, which delivered them both houses of Congress, is that they don’t just have a problem compromising with Democrats – they cannot even compromise with each other. For the past four years they have revelled in their dysfunctionality, using Obama as a foil. Apparently unaware that brinkmanship is supposed to take you to the edge, not over it, they have shut down the government and almost forced the nation to default on its debts through a series a spectacular temper tantrums.
As the Republican congressman Marlin Stutzman pointed out in a particularly candid moment 18 months ago, when Republican obduracy caused a government shutdown, “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”
These hissy fits have invariably been aimed at forcing Obama to undo the very things he pledged to do if elected, and to which Republicans have no plausible, coherent response: during his first term that was Obamacare; now it is immigration reform. Opposition, in short, had become not a temporary electoral state but a permanent ideological mindset in which their role was not to produce workable ideas but to resist them.
When they won the Senate as well as the House, they were supposed to work together to produce Republican legislation that Obama would be forced to veto, definitively exposing the real source of the gridlock. In fact, they are simply imploding under the weight of their own obstinacy. They’ve run out of people to blame for not compromising with them. So now they’re blaming each other.
“The Republicans are like Fido when he finally catches the car,” the Democratic senator Charles Schumer told the New York Times. “Now they don’t have any clue about what to do. They are realising that being in the majority is both less fun and more difficult than they thought.”
Their current internal feud was prompted by Obama’s executive order for modest immigration reform, which was enacted last November. It aims to prevent the deportation of up to 5 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, provide many with work permits, and shift the focus of immigration control to deportations of convicted criminals and recent arrivals.
The Republican-controlled House, where funding bills must originate and legislation can be passed by a simple majority, has voted for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bill that would eviscerate Obama’s reforms. But to get the bill through the 100-seat Senate they need 60 votes. Senate Republicans have only 54 seats and Democrats, who are unanimously opposed to the bill, keep filibustering it.
In a functional party the Republican Speaker, John Boehner, would work out what changes he could make to the bill to give the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, a fighting chance of getting the requisite majority to pass legislation they could both take credit for. Instead, Boehner has offered McConnell not compromise but commiserations. “He’s got a tough job over there; I’ve got a tough job over here. God bless him, and good luck.”
The House has sent the same bill to the Senate twice. The Senate has failed to pass it several times. In effect, they’ve treated the Republican-controlled Senate no differently to how they treated its Democratic predecessor, with similar results. Reflexively, House Republicans have their bottom lip extended and at the ready. “We sent them a bill,” representative Michael Burgess told Politico, “and they need to pass it. They need to pass our bill.” A tantrum is not far off. “Politically, [McConnell] needs to make a lot of noise,” says representative John Carter.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, roll their eyes, count to 10 and wait patiently for the noise to give way to reason. “We can go through the motions, sure, but I don’t think we’re fooling anybody,” said Republican senator Jeff Flake about the prospect of another doomed vote. “Because we need [Democratic] support to get on the bill.”
If they don’t find a solution by 27 February, then the DHS will be shut down and Obama won’t have had a thing to do with it. The true source of the gridlock over the past six years will be clearer than ever. The emperor will be out there, twerking, in the buff.
“It’s not an issue of commitment, it’s a matter of math,” said the Republican senator John McCain – perhaps failing to realise that math, like science, is no competition for blind faith and bad politics.AS A state senator in Massachusetts, Scott Brown voted for a regional pact to ratchet down power companies’ carbon dioxide emissions. But as a US senator in Washington, Brown last week voted to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of the authority to regulate any greenhouse gases. This is not the first time Brown has done a Jekyll-Hyde switch between Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill — in 2006 he voted for Mitt Romney’s health care plan, only to oppose the national version of it in 2010. But the turnaround on greenhouse gases is especially disappointing to any Massachusetts voters who thought they saw in Brown a conservative on fiscal issues who was also a conservationist when it comes to protecting the environment.
Instead, Brown has marched in lockstep on this issue with fellow Republicans who are against government regulation across the board. Many congressional Republicans do not even acknowledge that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change and need to be curbed. Clearly, Brown did not share that view when he voted in favor of Massachusetts’ participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which requires utilities to reduce carbon dioxide emissions or face financial penalties.
The bill Brown backed would also prohibit any improvement in auto fuel-efficiency standards after 2016. Advances in car mileage prompted by the fuel-efficiency standards that began in the ’70s have been a rare success in this country’s halting effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Fortunately, the bill Brown supported did not pass. If it had, and survived a likely Obama veto, it would have dealt a blow to the Massachusetts and regional economy. The state is home to a promising clean-energy sector, with many companies working on new-generation batteries, sustainable biofuels, and solar technology. Between 2006 and 2009, the Northeast received more than 20 percent of all venture capital investment in clean energy.
Voting to strip the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases is a favor to Big Oil and Big Coal and the states where they are dominant, not to Massachusetts clean-energy firms struggling to compete with companies in Europe and Asia. When Brown voted for the regional pact on utility emissions in 2008, he said, “Passing this legislation is an important step... towards improving our environment.’’ He was right then, and wrong now.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.I hate reading the ads that marketing companies post over some urinals. I would much rather have something else to look at — like a skyline view. Here’s a round-up of 13 of the world’s best (urinal) views.
Probably the most dramatic is the view inside the headquarters of Frankfurt’s Commerzbank. It just screams “power.”
This shot of the urinal in Hong Kong’s Felix Hotel is blurry, but still noteworthy.
Who said the best views had to be from skyscrapers? This view from Ecuador’s eco-friendly Black Sheep Inn is pretty breathtaking.
This is from the Forty One, which I believe is in NYC. is in Sydney, Australia.
There are no buildings to obstruct a wide field of vision looking out from Melbourne’s Sofitel Hotel (here’s another view).
Aboard the Norwegian Star, the sunsets are awesome.
The views on this Croatian ferry are pretty cool, too.
The views from Tokyo’s Mandarin Oriental are good, (though people like to stand around in the facilities).
Personally, I really enjoy this rustic view from South Africa’s Kaapsche Hoop, (and here’s the actual view of the waterfalls that you can see through that window).
Though the door reads “urinal,” I don’t think it is, technically. Nevertheless, the view is just too good to pass up. This is from the water’s edge in Belize (and don’t miss the view looking down). Seems kinda pointless, huh?CIA link emerges in Pakistan double shooting
Updated
Pakistani officials say an American man in custody for the killing of two men in the Pakistan city of Lahore last month is a CIA agent.
In remarks bound to inflame tensions between Islamabad and Washington, a Pakistani intelligence official told a news agency Raymond Davis was working as an undercover CIA contractor when he shot two Pakistani men who he claims threatened him.
The anonymous Pakistani official reportedly said it is "beyond any shadow of a doubt" that Davis was working for the CIA.
Davis says he acted in self-defence when he shot two motorcyclists on a busy street in the eastern Pakistani city late last month.
A separate report in The Guardian newspaper claims Pakistani officials were well aware of the American's CIA status but have so far kept quiet under pressure from the US |
graveyard under the supervision of DSP Tando Bago.
The relatives of the Hindu man, who was buried in the graveyard, spoke to Dawn.com and claimed that the deceased was buried near the grave of his father.
The people of various rights groups voiced their concern over the issue and demanded that the government functionaries should take security measures for the minority communities.
On Oct 6, in a similar incident the body of another Hindu man was dug out of the grave and thrown away, in a local graveyard of Haji Fakir in Pangrio town of Badin district.For some time now I’ve speculated about the Oregon Ducks’ defense. I’ve had my concerns about it but I was having a difficult time picking on a team that was 13-0. I also couldn’t pinpoint the issue. If any at all. Perhaps I need to up my criticism game? But since winning their lucky thirteenth, the Ducks have stopped exactly no one from scoring.
Without the advantage of having watched a ton of Oregon basketball and with the advantages of having a social life and a highly analytical mind (which behooves me in sports and torments me in dating), I’ve come to the following conclusion about Oregon’s defense: they’re the perfect storm of bad. I’ll explain.
On Dana Altman’s roster, there are just a shade under two million guards. Loyd, Artis, Joseph, Calliste, and Dotson make up one of the most formidable back courts I’ve ever heard of. Offensively that is. Otherwise they’re a group contributing to the nation’s 152nd best defense. My assumption has been that the guards aren’t carrying their weight considering four of their top five players in terms of %min are guards. So I don’t think they’ve done their light front court any favors.
I’ll begin anecdotally and tell you that, certainly in their conference games, this perimeter group hasn’t done much to limit dribble penetration. It’s what my Buffalo friends told me. My Cal friends told me it had to do with an inability to protect the paint. Even my Oregon compatriots confirmed.
Porous perimeter defense theory confirmed anecdotally? Check.
But anecdotal tales of a perimeter defense lost at sea aren’t going to cut it here. This is PacHoops and while I talk to some of the most brilliant and trusted minds in Conference of Champion theory – seriously, my g-chat windows are to Pac-12 thought what Cafe Trieste was to the Beatniks – we need more than perception. This is some Ginsberg, Kerouac shit.
Let me begin by saying we’re going to go ahead and agree and assume that Oregon’s front court is already not the best defensively. They’re undersized and undermanned with Mike Moser (6’8″) and Richard Amardi (6’8″) getting the lion’s share of big man tick. Size doesn’t dictate defensive prowess but sometimes being the 11th worst defensive rebounding team in the conference (and 230th worst in the nation) while combining to commit more than 11 fouls per forty minutes can support that assumption. Ben Carter was expected to have a bit more impact but he sold his shoes and so he’s just now getting to lace them back up. Let’s move on.
Here is what Oregon’s defense breaks down to:
I’ll get this started with the jump shooting defenses and leave the rim stuff for later. The rim stuff is my favorite so we’ll call it dessert. The shooting D is slightly below average. The yellow indicates they allow an average amount of twos and threes as well as an average 3FG% against (158). That’s fine. Average defense masked by a superior offense can get things done. But that’s only on threes which is generally not the most exciting defense to discuss because, as KenPom explains, sometimes taking a three is like playing the lottery. Thus, three point defense becomes an interesting point of defensive philosophy. For the Ducks it seems to be a shot they’ll let opponents take a comfortable amount of, letting them gamble a little but not a lot.
So with regards to my porous perimeter theory, I’m left to see that against that very average number of two-point jumpers, teams are hitting a very un-average percentage of them. Opponents are shooting 37.3% in the two-point jumper range and that ranks 251st in ‘Murica. To me, and in an effort to support my theory, this suggests that the already undersized and undermanned front court is being confronted with the defensive challenge of stopping dribbling guards. To stop the same guys who’ve just blown past a Duck guard and who are now able to do one of two things:
Hit a relatively uncontested two point jumper that teams are doing at a relatively high level, OR Getting to the rim!
Oregon is allowing 39% of shots against them to come at the rim which ranks 205th in the nation and 11th in the Pac-12. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean they do a poor job of defending the rim so we can cite their opponents’ FG% at the rim. This is 59.1%, 186th in the nation and 9th in the conference. Those powers combined – high percentage of shots at the rim and high percentage being made – and you have the perfect storm of bad defense. Penetration leads to easy jumpers or a shot at the rim.
Furthermore – and this might be the toughest part of it all – the Ducks are allowing the 226th highest free throw rate in the nation meaning – and this is a very loose description – opponents are getting to the line on about 43.1% of their possessions. This of course isn’t taking into account all of the factors that define a game’s possessions but it’s how I’ve chosen to explain FT rate in this context. It gives us an idea not a fact, chill out.
But why it further contributes to this poor Duck defense is that Oregon is playing with the 18th most possessions per game in the nation. Ipso facto, Duck opponents are getting more possessions too and if they’re getting fouled on those – or easily to the rim – then they’re going to score more points. More points = bad defense.
Porous perimeter defense theory confirmed quantifiably? Meh.
Defense is so difficult to quantify and it’s really tough to pinpoint a single weakness without watching all of their games, breaking down tape. I’m not going to watch all of their games. And I won’t soon tell you Oregon is a good defensive team. We’ve gone pretty extensively into a few reasons why they struggle. Areas in which they can and need to improve.
I can say that Oregon is an average defensive team. Their defensive efficiency ranks just a few tenths of a point above average (103.3 vs. 104.1) and prior to entering Pac-12 play, Oregon had played a very average schedule. Their non-conference strength of schedule ranked 211th. Average opposition + average defense + elite offense = 13-0. Note that the Ducks’ three conference losses are to 3 of the 4 highest KenPom rated teams they’ve played. It’s why the Duck SOS was on my Fourteen Things to Watch list (#5).
This isn’t a Duck death certificate. As good friend and Duck fan Matt told me, “Altman’s defense is a process, not a formula.” I love this concept and believe he’s right. There were going to be growing pains with such turnover and Altman should be applauded for what he’s done. A season ago he was coaching a top-10 defense and a season later he’s coaching a top-10 offense. He’s done both successfully. Their current slide perhaps supports the adage that defense wins championships. The Ducks, after all, did win the 2013 Pac-12 Tournament.
The best part about defense, however, is it can often be a simple test of fortitude. Sometimes you can just choose to be a better defender. With Arsalan Kazemi not soon to walk into Matt Knight, I wonder what direction these Ducks will take?Spread the love
According to KTVB.COM – “A Boise family is outraged over the death of their 5-year-old dog. Sunday afternoon, a Boise Police officer fired his weapon at the dog, killing it.
For years, Gabrielle Stropkai found companionship in her dog, Kita, calling her a lover and a friend for her son Hayden to grow up with.
“We have kids who run up and pull her tail and grab her by the back of the neck and get in her face and she does nothing but love on them,” said Stropkai.
However, as two Boise patrol officers were investigating a theft that was reported in the area of Woodlawn and 28th Sunday afternoon they felt threatened by Kita.
According to Boise Police spokesman Charles McClure, Kita began running toward them and the officers felt forced to protect themselves.”Julia Louis Dreyfus Net Worth is
$17 Million
Julia Louis Dreyfus Bio/Wiki 2018
She’s best known for her television work on television on Seinfeld, The New Experience of Old Christine and her present show Veep. She dropped the class after she got professional playing job offer. Louis Dreyfus first appearance in the area of theater was when the couple was 21 years old, as part of her comedic training she appeared in The Second City, one of Chicagos best known improvisation theater group for the Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee of Practical Theater group. This caused the couple join of the cast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Julia Louis Dreyfus Net Worth $200 Million
In 2002, she and her husband Brad Hall developed Watching Ellie, which ran just for two seasons. Again in 2012, the couple was seen as Selina Meyer in Veep, that has been recently renewed for another season on HBO. After the couple did many movies like Woody Allen, Soul Man, C. Thomas Howell and a lot more. The Couple’s profession roused to visibility when she began playing for the character of Elaine Benes on NBCs Seinfeld in early 1990s. The couple got critical and commercial success because of this job. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born in Nyc, USA and is the oldest daughter of the billionaire Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. She’s the great-great granddaughter of Leopold Louis-Dreyfus, who was the creator of the Louis Dreyfus Group. Louis Dreyfus has spent her youth in several states and nations, in connection with her step fathers job. She got married to Bard Hall, Saturday Night Comic in 1987. The couple has two kids Henry born in 1992 and Charles produced in 1997. Julia Louis-Dreyfus substantial amount of the awards’ gains come in the most important fiscal occasions including annual wages, contracts, earn outs, sanctions, stock ownership and considerably more. It’s also discovered that in future Seinfeld may be affluent after inheriting her dad property and cash. In 2009, Louis Dreyfus brought in $275,000 per episode salary with New Adventures of Old Christine until 2010.
The Awards won her first award Viewers for Quality Television under the class of Best supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Show in 1992. In the exact same year she was nominated for the Emmy Awards. Lately in 2014, Louis Dreyfus has won Screen Actors Guild Awards for Veep under the category Outstanding Performance by a Female Performer in a Comedy Show. Additionally in 2013 the awards won Critics Choice Television Award under the category Best Actress in Comedy Show and Emmy Awards. The Awards is one of the most nominated performers in the history of the Emmy Awards. More about Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Three things Julia Louis-Dreyfus cant live without: Abraham Lincoln husband, her kids and a great bar of chocolate. Julia Louis-Dreyfus counts Mary Tyler Moore among her inspirations. Now plastic surgery has becomes so popular for Hollywood stars. News says that Louis Dreyfus has experienced some plastic surgery so thats the reason she still seems so impressive with youthful look though her age isn’t young anymore. News say it’s difficult to believe for girls to don’t have any treatment and have this kind of tight and radiant face with no hint of wrinkles, age lines etc. Dreyfus doesn’t only apparently have anti-aging treatments but she’s also rumored to have nose job or rhinoplasty operation. Dr. Paul S. Nassif ensured by demonstrating the evidence that her new nose form now appears more slender and leaner than before. Although Louis Dreyfus has firmly denied that she’s some occupations done to improve her youthful face. She says I will consistently follow my moms footstep to keep the natural attractiveness and becoming older naturally.
Julia Louis Dreyfus is regarded as among top 10 most celebrated heiresses, because it’s anticipated that in close future she’ll be inheriting a substantial amount of her fathers property and cash. Louis Dreyfus in addition has involved herself in politics throughout her life. Dr. Paul supported Al Gores 2000 US presidential play, as well as backed Barack Obama bid for the presidency in 2008 and 2012. Herself also appeared in a video which encouraged President Obama to reject the suggestion of the Keystone XL pipeline, claiming when the pipeline ever were to leak it’d cause mass pollution across the US. She’s among the top 50 most affluent star. Julia Louis Dreyfus is having an extremely lavish life with all the fancys of the world around herself. It’s been seen that she’s having many cars along with many houses.Steely Dan's Aja is one of the finest albums of the 1970s and easily one of the group's most exotic and captivating works. The title track has always been particularly special, since it features an extended robust solo by tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter [pictured]. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker specifically wanted Shorter, but he almost wasn't on the album. More on how that came to be in a moment.
New subject: Dick LaPalm is one of the greatest living legends of the record business. He worked with Nat King Cole in the '50s up until the singer's death in 1965 to promote his Capitol records. Dick's many clients during this period included Sarah Vaughan, Woody Herman, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme and the Modern Jazz Quartet. Dick also worked as a jazz consultant to Chess Records before joining the Chicago label fulltime in the '60s. In the '70s, Dick ran the Village Recorder, one of Los Angeles' finest recording studios where many rock albums of the era were made.
Rather than let any cats out of the bag, let me have Dick take over from here:
"I first met Donald Fagen and Walter Becker through Gary Katz, Steely Dan's producer. He had run Bobby Darin’s music publishing company in New York when I was there working with Nat as his record promoter and partner in his company, KC Records.
"After Nat died in February 1965, I worked for Chess Records in Chicago in the '60s. But when the label was sold in 1969 to GRT [General Recorded Tape], I quickly realized I wasn’t happy. The new owner was focusing more and more on its 8-track and cassette tape formats rather than the music itself. Today, it's easy to forget how radical those formats were when they first came out. They were the iTunes or iPod of their day. For the first time, you could travel around with your music in cars and on headsets.
"But GRT wasn’t for me, and I soon handed in my letter of resignation. Afterward, I called Mike Maitland [pictured], president of Warner Bros. Records. Mike asked me to come to L.A. to meet with him. When we met, Mike talked about me joining the company. We talked about everything except salary. When he finally got around to asking me what I wanted, I told him. But we couldn’t come to terms. I finally said I’d think about his offer.
"When I left Mike’s office, I called Geordie Hormel [pictured], an old friend since 1952. Geordie was the grandson of George Hormel, who had founded the giant meatpacking company. Geordie was a musician and owner of a recording studio in L.A. called the Village Recorder. Geordie said on the phone, “Why don’t you come over to the house.” When I arrived, I told him about the Warner Bros. offer and that I was considering it.
"Geordie then drove me over to the Village Recorder [pictured], which he had started in 1968. Geordie took me on a tour. He said the studio was state of the art, with Dolby systems no one else in town had. I told him, 'I know music and how to move records but virtually nothing about Dolby or recording studios.'
"Geordie said that didn’t matter and asked if I would be interested in running the Village Recorder. Again, I told him, 'Geordie, I don’t’ know anything about studios.' He said, 'Yeah, but you know everyone in the record business and that matters for what you’ll need to do here.'
"So I took the job as general manager. The first group I brought in to record was Steely Dan in August 1972. One day, just before Donald and Walter had started to record Can't Buy a Thrill, their first album, I was in the studio talking to Gary [Katz], telling him a story that involved legendary disc jockey Mort Fega.
"All of a sudden, Donald turns around and says, 'You know Mort Fega?' Donald and Walter apparently knew all about him. They had grown up listening to Fega and were huge fans. We all talked at length, and I couldn’t believe the depth of Donald and Walter’s knowledge of jazz.
"In the years that followed, all went well with the Village Recorder. We had all the major rock groups of the day in to record—including the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and Supertramp. Then in 1977, Donald and Walter were in to record Aja.
"During the session, I was in my office sitting at my desk one day when Gary came up. He said, 'Dick, are you still tight with Wayne Shorter?' I told him that I was and that Wayne and I had spoken just a few weeks earlier.
"Gary said, 'Well Donald and Walter need a favor. They want Wayne to do the solo on the title track. Will you call him? They’d appreciate it so much.' I said, 'Sure, Gary, happy to.' But on his way out of my office, Gary wheeled around and said, 'Oh, I guess I had better tell you that Wayne turned us down a couple of days ago.' Gary told me that Steve Diener, president of ABC Records, Steely Dan’s label, had called him.
After Gary left, thought about what he had said and realized that Steve must have called Wayne and proudly said something like, 'Wayne, will you do an overdub for Steely Dan?'
"Now from Wayne’s perspective, that’s like saying Iron Butterfly or the Purple Cabbage. It’s just another odd-named rock group to him, nothing special. Wayne didn’t realize who Steely Dan was and how good Donald and Walter were.
"So I picked up the phone and called Wayne. I had known him for years and loved his writing and playing. We chatted for a bit, and I said, 'Listen, are you available to come into the Village Recorder and do an overdub for me this week in Studio A?' That’s where we recorded all of our top acts.
"Wayne asked me who the group was. I said, 'I don’t remember. But you’re going to love the music.' He said, 'When? I said, 'You tell me.' He said, 'How’s Friday at 1 p.m.?' I said, 'Great.'
"So I walked down to the studio, Roger Nichols, Steely Dan’s engineer; Gary; Donald and Walter were in there. I said, 'Wayne will be here on Friday at 1 p.m.' That's when someone cracked, 'Yeah, sure he will.' Gary jumped in and said, 'Hey, Dick isn’t going to say Wayne is going to be here unless Wayne is going to be here.'
"That Friday, I walked down to Studio A. Donald was dressed in a starched striped shirt—white with blue stripes—pretty spiffy compared to the T-shirts he customarily wore in the studio.
"When Wayne arrived at the Village Recorder, I met him before Donald and Walter. Wayne asked if before he got started he could chant. I said, “Sure” and sent him into Studio C. When he was done, he came into Studio A.
"I introduced him around and then walked out. Wayne did his solos—six passes in all. He loved the music, and was gone in 35 minutes. The guys were sitting around watching, stunned. After he left, Donald and Walter spliced together the six passes, and that’s what you hear on the album. Donald and Walter couldn’t thank me enough.
"During the same recording session, the second engineer, Lenise Bent [pictured], came into my office. She said, 'Dick, I have to talk to you.' She put her head down on the desk in her arms and said, 'Well-the, well-the, well-the.' I said, 'What are you doing?'
Lenise looked up and said, 'Dick, I have to get off the Aja session. They worked on the words ‘well the’ for six hours last night. It's on Home at Last, for the the line, Well the danger on the rocks is surely past. All they did was work those two words for just the right sound for hours. I really have to get off the session.'
"I said, 'Look Lenise, if you want off, that’s no problem. I’ll get another second. But it will be the biggest mistake you will ever make. You’re going to have a credit on Aja, and the album is going to be huge.' So she stayed, and to this day she thanks me as a running joke [laughs]."author: Michael Cheng
License plate scanning has become an incredibly popular method of identification for law enforcement groups, tollbooth stations, intersections and automated checkpoints on public roads. The technique is widely used, due to its ability to accurately detect alphanumeric characters with very limited human intervention.
In London, 10 speed cameras installed over busy roads bring in a whopping $3.89 million worth of fines and tickets annually.
Over the years, drivers have developed a plethora of sneaky tactics to disrupt license plate scanning cameras around cities. Some add a dark film over their plates, while others go as far as installing infrared LED lamps around the borders (this reduces the effectiveness of cameras that utilize non-visible infrared beams for detection during nighttime conditions).
New Solutions
In a move to maintain order on busy roadways, Chinese researchers have uncovered a new technique that identifies cars based on unique characteristics. Unlike traditional license plate scanning, this method does not focus on the vehicle's license plate characters. Instead, it leverages robust cameras that identify cars using scratches, inconsistent markings and other uncommon features.
According to Peking University researchers, the group responsible for the AI-powered system, the new technique is capable of catching criminals who frequently change their license plates in order to mislead cameras. Moreover, it can reduce detection errors during periods of low visibility, such as during fog, rain or snow. Without needing to decipher alphanumeric characters, systems would never be in a position to confuse the number ‘8' with the letter ‘B' or the letter ‘O' with the number ‘0'.
"We want the deep network to generate two independent sub-features from two different levels," wrote the scientists. "Each sub-feature can embed more discriminative information for that level and can be better used to perform precise retrieval tasks."
Repression Network
Interestingly, the identification method can also be used to track the faces of humans. The AI-powered network that underpins the system continuously scans images fed into the network by the cameras. It keeps track and "remembers" the images, so that when it "sees" the object again, it will simply recall the classification. According to researchers, this method is effective in detecting vehicles moving at extremely fast speeds.
"Precise vehicle search, aiming at finding out all instances for a given query vehicle image, is a challenging task as different vehicles will look very similar to each other if they share same visual attributes," said the Peking University researchers. "The growing explosion in the use of surveillance cameras in public security highlights the importance of vehicle search from large-scale image databases."
At the moment, the cutting-edge platform is still being tested and developed. It is not being utilized or trialed on public roads at this time. A major hurdle in deploying the identification method is the generation of false results. A car with leaves and debris could be improperly identified, when solely using this technique.
During the early stages of deployment, it is likely that the repression network will be used as a secondary form of identification, should license plate scanning fail or generate erroneous results.After making the news with its secure Linux-based laptops that have been selling relatively well over the past year, Purism has now reached its $1.5 million funding goal for developing its Librem 5 smartphone.
The device promises total protection of your privacy, thanks to custom hardware, support for Linux-based software platforms (including PureOS), and features like end-to-end encrypted communications as well as hardware killswitches for the camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and baseband.
While it’s great to see a brand focusing on a product that’s all about security and privacy, its appeal will likely be limited to folks who can live without mainstream apps and services from Google, Facebook, Twitter et al.
That doesn’t mean it’ll be a barebones device: in addition to supporting 2G/3G/4G bands and offering voice/video calling, Purism says the Librem 5 will eventually work with ‘thousands’ of apps that run on PureOS.
It’s also worth noting that the $600 phone, which is expected to start shipping in January 2019, is also offered in bundles that include a monitor, keyboard and mice – implying that you should be able to run productivity apps on a larger screen, similar to how you could dock a Samsung Galaxy S8 and get some work done.
Another challenge Purism will have to contend with is creating a device that will be truly compelling in 2019 – even if it’s not targeting mainstream phone users. Consumers’ expectations of what a smartphone should look like and how fast it should be are changing constantly, so hopefully the fledgling firm will be able to keep pace with those demands as it builds the Librem 5.
Read next: WhatsApp exploit can reveal how much you sleep and who you talk toNEW DELHI: Moving forward with its grand plan of linking rivers across the country, the Centre on Monday announced that it will take up the task of connecting Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. The three states will soon be approached for their consent.This project, if implemented, will not only provide irrigation and water supply benefits to the three states but also make provide large quantity of surplus water for transfer to the southern states.Once these three states agree for to the plan, the Centre will take up the task of preparing a detailed project report (DPR), including the modalities of implementation, water sharing and actual cost of the project. The Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga link will be the fifth interstate project. While actual execution work on the first project, Ken-Betwa link, will begin by the end of this year, three others are at various stages before being taken up for the Cabinet approval.All these are part of the total 30 interlinking of rivers (ILR) projects, which was conceived during the earlier NDA regime (1999-2004) under the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It includes both interstate- and intrastate-river linking projects.Decision to take up the Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga for linking was announced by the minister of state for water resources Sanwar Lal Jat after the fifth meeting of the special committee for ILR.Updating the committee on the status of the ILR projects, Jat said, “Various clearances related to environment, wildlife and forest for the Ken-Betwa link project are in an advanced stage of processing. I hope with all statutory clearance, we will be able to start the actual execution of work on the project by the end of this year”.He said the government would implement this national project as a model for the entire ILR programme which will go a long way in enhancing water and food security of the country.Water resources/irrigation ministers from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, UP, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh attended the meeting as members of the committee. Some of them were of the view that the ILR projects should be implemented within a definite timeframe.The water-sharing issue between Maharashtra and Gujarat also came up for discussion during the meeting as both the states had recently taken a tough stand over the ILR projects. It had become a bone of contention between the two states when Gujarat had in April demanded that Maharashtra must agree to share more water from Tapi if it wanted more water from the proposed Damanganga-Pinjal link, which will supply water to Mumbai.Referring to those links, Jat said the work for preparation of DPR of Par-Tapi-Narmada link project was in concluding stage and it was expected to be completed by this month end. He said the issue of water sharing between both the states in respect to Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada project would be addressed after the completion of the DPR of the Par-Tapi-Narmada link project.Arguably the most sought after NBA free agent ever, Kevin Durant, has met with each of his five personally selected free agent suitors over the Independence Day weekend. He met with the Oklahoma City Thunder one final time on Sunday.
Durant will reportedly announce which team he will be signing with on The Player's Tribune on July 4.
Kevin Durant will make his decision tomorrow, I’m told. — David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 4, 2016
Allegedly, Durant has narrowed his initial pool of teams from five teams to just two. After meeting with the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Thunder, he has reportedly narrowed his decision down to the Warriors or the Thunder.
Durant, who is the Deputy Editor of the Players' Tribune, will make his formal announcement via an article on the site. It's a very unique way to announce his free agent decision. Ironically, it resembles that of LeBron James back in 2014.
It's likely that teams are going to start making moves once Durant's decision is official. Each of the teams that were pursuing him had to put their offseason on hold in order to ensure that they had enough cap space and money to woo Durant.
By the end of July 4, there will be fireworks all across the United States. Fireworks will also be going off all over the NBA as Durant's decision will affect how the rest of the offseason plays out.
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See the best photos of the NBA Playoffs"Not Guilty": Verdict in latest officer charged in Freddie Gray's death Judge Barry Williams declared Officer Caesar Goodson is not guilty of second-degree murder
Circuit Judge Barry Williams said that he would render a decision on the fate of Officer Caesar Goodson -- who was charged with "depraved-heart" murder, manslaughter, assault, and misconduct stemming from his prominent role in the death of Freddie Gray -- by 10 a.m. today, but as of 10:30 a.m., he had yet to do so.
When he finally shared his decision at 9:40 a.m., he declared that Goodson was not guilty of "depraved-heart" murder, the most serious charge against him.
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Goodson is the third police officer to stand trial for Gray's April 2015 death. Officer Edward Nero was acquitted in May of being criminally complicit in Gray's death.
The decision is significant, given that the remaining officers charged in relation to his death were not as directly involved in it. Prosecutors may be less inclined to pursue the cases against them if Judge Williams decides in favor of Officer Goodson.
There are a handful of protesters outside the courthouse, but many more are expected at rally that will commence tonight.
Watch a live report on the verdict via ABC 4 News.“Further confirmation that things are not running normally in Washington D.C. came from the recent visit by US Secretary of States John “stole the Heinz fortune” Kerry to Russia where he announced he supported the Minsk peace agreements: a 180 degree change in policy… It is also no coincidence that Kerry’s turnaround at the same time as the Chinese government once again started buying US government bonds and once again surpassed Japan to become the largest holder of these cabal debt notes. Clearly the Chinese told the Americans: “if you want us to pay your bills you have to stop being a bad boy in the Ukraine.” “Sources at the Asian Development Bank say the right to produce US dollars has already been taken away from this family mafia. The international US dollar is now controlled by a combination of the Chinese government, Asian royal families and European royal families. The US dollars issued inside the United States are now issued by the Treasury Department, he says. “There are also fresh indications the Greek crisis is going to mean the end of the Euro. The announcement last week that Greece staved off bankruptcy by using IMF money to pay money it owed to the IMF was clearly bizarre. This is nothing more than a delaying tactic. The Chinese are offering to back both the German Deutschemark and the Greek Drachma with gold if they dump the cabal controlled Euro. ” In these circumstances the military industrial complex needs to start taking urgent action to prevent a total Western rout. The key is to push for a meritocratic world federation as an alternative to trading Khazarian hegemony for Chinese hegemony.”
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Khazarian mafia wants to donate funds to humanity in exchange for amnesty
Posted by benjamin, May 18, 2015
A representative of the G7 group of nations has been approached with a proposal by the Khazarian mafia banking community to “repurpose their funds for the benefit of humanity,” in exchange for “amnesty for certain Jewish bankers.” Russia and “certain foundations” would be involved in this plan, the source said.
The background for this offer may be found in an article in the Japanese language edition of the Reuters News Wire that claimed Reuters had obtained documents showing the Federal Reserve Board has made contingency plans for the bankruptcy of the United States of America.
http://sp.m.reuters.co.jp/news/newsBodyPI.php?url=http://jp.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idJPKBN0NW28U20150512
We were unable to find an English language version of this article but the Japanese version says the documents were obtained from Jeb Hensarling, the Head of the US House Financial Services Committee. The documents call for delaying payments on bonds issued by the US government and for giving priority to certain bond holders over others in repayment.
Further confirmation that things are not running normally in Washington D.C. came from the recent visit by US Secretary of States John “stole the Heinz fortune” Kerry to Russia where he announced he supported the Minsk peace agreements: a 180 degree change in policy. This came on a visit to Russia that started immediately after Kerry snubbed the Russian May 9th parade in celebration of Russia’s victory over the Nazis in the great patriotic war (World War 2). The fact the Chinese and Indian armies both marched in that parade appears to have rattled the Washington DC gangsters.
It is also no coincidence that Kerry’s turnaround at the same time as the Chinese government once again started buying US government bonds and once again surpassed Japan to become the largest holder of these cabal debt notes. Clearly the Chinese told the Americans: “if you want us to pay your bills you have to stop being a bad boy in the Ukraine.”
There was also an unusually blatant propaganda shouting match that followed the Kerry visit. Here are two headlines that appeared after this meeting:
“Poroshenko says there is no alternative to complete fulfilment of Minsk agreements”
http://tass.ru/en/world/795019
“Poroshenko says Minsk deal ‘pseudo-peace’, vows to fight to the last drop of blood”
http://rt.com/news/258685-poroshenko-minsk-pseudo-peace/
The top headline is from the official Russian government Tass News Service and has a URL ending in.ru meaning it is based in Russia. The war-mongering headline comes from Russia Today a news site with a.com domain meaning it is not based in Russia. This clumsy propaganda headline has outed RT as a sophisticated Western agency run news service pretending to be based in Russia.
Another news service pretending to be Russian, by the way is Whatdoesitmean.com that usually starts its articles with “according to Kremlin information” or something like that, even though its server has been traced to CIA headquarters in Virginia.
In any case, propaganda aside, severe cabal infighting is yet another signs it is not business as usual. A cabal insider told this writer the Lehman shock of 2008 was really a fight between David Rockefeller and his nephew J. Rockefeller. David Rockefeller is really the most junior member of the third generation of the Rockefeller family, says this source, who has had top level access to every Japanese Prime Minister since the 1970’s. He says the original will of John Rockefeller the 1st, the stipulated his dynasty was to be controlled via primogeniture. However, David was trying to change that by handing over control to his own sons. In other words John “J” Rockefeller the fourth was due to take over the family foundations and David was trying to prevent this, according to this source. For that reason, two of David’s flagship companies, Lehman Brothers and Citibank, were bankrupted by J. Rockefeller’s Goldman Sachs, he says.
This may well be true but, the situation has now evolved way beyond a fight between would be hereditary god kings of the sheeple. The issue now is should we give these people amnesty, as they are now asking for, or should they be “strung up from the nearest lamppost” as George Bush Sr. famously predicted would happen “if the American people ever find out what we did to them.”
In fact, feeding these people to the vultures is probably a more likely outcome than either amnesty or stringing them from lampposts. Large law firms are getting ready for a feeding frenzy in retribution against US branch of the Federal Reserve Board crime syndicate.
Here are two suggestions for |
arguably the greatest champion in UFC history.
Still, Weidman spoke with such conviction and confidence in his voice that it was impossible not to at least believe that he believed he could defeat Silva once they stepped into the Octagon together.
Article continues below...
It took Weidman less than two rounds to prove his point when he knocked out Silva to win the middleweight title, bringing an end to his 10 consecutive title defenses — a record that he held alone until just recently.
Demetrious Johnson tied Silva’s record with his most recent win as he has now defended his flyweight title on 10 straight occasions, but just like Weidman felt that he was the person destined to bring down the Brazilian, there’s a flyweight on the roster who believes he can do the same thing.
Top three ranked flyweight Ray Borg has been champing at the bit to get a shot at Johnson not only because he wants a shot at the title, but because just like Weidman, he’s got the confidence that he’s ready to tackle one of the greatest champions in UFC history.
“I feel like I pose the biggest threat to D.J. out of anybody. Everybody else gets out wrestled by D.J. and he out speeds everybody else. Against me, he’s not going to be faster than me. He’s not going to be stronger than me. Mix that with my technique and my speed, why not be the guy for the job?” Borg told FOX Sports. “It’s funny Anderson Silva set the record for 10 title defenses and the dark horse of the division Chris Weidman came in and shocked the world and then he went in and did it a second time. I don’t think anybody is made to defend that belt more than 10 times and I’m happy to show it.”
Now Borg isn’t the first fighter at 125 pounds to say they will be the person to finally stop Johnson’s historic title reign, but he’s happy to state his case on what separates him from everybody else.
At just 23 years of age, Borg has youth on his side but more importantly he feels like he’s got the weapons in his arsenal to counter what Johnson has used to dominate so many of his past opponents. Add to that, Borg began working with new coaches last year at the Jackson-Winkeljohn academy in New Mexico and that’s the same team that has produced a laundry list of UFC champions including Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Holly Holm.
“No disrespect to anyone else who’s fought him, but no one else wants this [expletive] the way I want it. He’s never quite fought the style of fighter like me. I’ll still say to this day the closest one was maybe Tim Elliott but even Tim Elliott doesn’t possess the speed I have. People haven’t seen it yet but I’ve got some power in these little hands of mine,” Borg said.
“I feel like D.J. hasn’t fought anybody like me and I match up well with him stylistically.”
As much as Borg believes he’s ready to not only face Johnson for the title but to snatch it away from him, he also knows this sport is not about one fight but instead a career built on stability.
That’s why Borg not only wants to beat Johnson, but he’d be willing to do it again and then face anybody and everybody who wants to come at him in the flyweight division because winning the belt would be great.
Holding onto the title for years to come would be even better.
“Not only am I going to be the Chris Weidman but I’ll be a little bit better than Chris Weidman. If I get that belt, I’m going to keep that belt as long as I possibly can and as long as my body holds up,” Borg said. “I know it’s easier said than done but I have the work ethic and I have the drive to do so.
“They give me D.J., it’s a quicker payday and capture that title. So why not be the dark horse to take that title away?”A new rumor is circulating saying that Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida is planning a major expansion in the next five years. That expansion would include an east coast Cars Land and – wait for it – the first ever Star Wars Land. The report comes from Theme Park Insider, which cites “multiple insider sources.” Now, whether or not this rumor is true right now, it’s something that will happen eventually. Disney didn’t buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion just to make a J.J. Abrams movie, some cartoons and video games. They want long lasting revenue, and Star Wars Land would do just that.
The rumor was first reported by Theme Park Insider and independently corroborated by TheForce.net. Head to that first link to read where specifically they’ve heard both Cars Land and Star Wars Land will be built in the park (hint: near Star Tours) along with a few other details.
What we do know is earlier this year Disney was surveying fans about this exact thing. That’s a fact. So this isn’t a new rumor. Disney’s California Adventure was recently thought to be getting something similar and, last year, Disneyland Paris was the park of the day. Of course, Hollywood Studios is the home of Star Wars Weekends, which doesn’t make it immune to similar speculation either.
I tend to take reports like this with a grain of salt. I’d bet my family that George Kalogridis, the president of the Florida Walt Disney World Resort, has had a conversation about Star Wars. There’s no way he hasn’t. The question is, has he officially approved money be spent to design, plan, break ground and build something for people to visit in the next five years? The report above says “Yes,” but no one will comment on record. Maybe we’ll hear more at the D23 Expo in August. Either way, even if this rumor isn’t 100% true, odds are someone reputable heard a legitimate conversation and leaked the information.
We’ll obviously be following this very closely as it combines three things we love here at /Film: Star Wars, Disney and Theme Parks. But, for now, what would you like to see at a Disney Star Wars Land? Is just one section of a park not enough? Would this make you want to take the trip to Florida?
What would a possible Star Wars theme park look like? Check out this link.Hip-hop artist is rising to the top of a ‘freshman’ class of who to watch with his highly anticipated debut Summertime ’06 – but success takes on a deeper meaning for the Long Beach native
It’s a dry, hot night in Sacramento, and a crowd is waiting inside a small downtown venue to see the rapper Earl Sweatshirt – but their attention is grabbed by a sprawling twig of a man who launches himself across stage, eyeing the speakers to see if they are scalable, and rapping: “Can a motherfucker breathe?”
The man is rapper Vince Staples, and onstage he spits out words like they are coursing through his blood, throwing his body around as though that act of rapping demands every muscle from his toes upward.
Kendrick Lamar: ‘I am Trayvon Martin. I’m all of these kids’ Read more
He’s a young man in a hurry, and his career thus far has been typical of an artist trying to break through in his own right: a few mixtapes, an EP, and opening for major headliners such as Sweatshirt, Joey Bada$$ and Pusha T. With crowds full of potential new fans, he’s been front flipping and diving into the drunken hoards below – so he must have a lot of faith in the crowds, right?
“No, I’ve almost died before,” Staples said, more than a month after the Sacramento show, and nearly six months since he fell on his head at a show in Tampa, Florida. For the interview, his frenetic onstage movements have been contained to a corporate meeting room at the New York office of Def Jam – which is putting out Staples’ major label debut Summertime ’06 on 30 June – days before he turns 22.
Staples arrived at the office with his small entourage and more than a dozen donuts from New York City’s Doughnut Plant – crème brûlée, peanut butter and banana, and a mystery box to be opened later. The night before, he had been discussing politics on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show. The week prior, he was listed on hip-hop magazine XXL’s 2015 “freshmen class” – an accolade meant to show off the next big names in the game – and with verses on tracks by Common and Ghostface Killa he is arguably the best known name on the list.
I definitely do appreciate what rap can do for me, I just don’t like how we carry ourselves through this genre at times Vince Staples
But as he has made clear in most interviews, he is least interested in being a famous rapper. “I definitely do appreciate what rap can do for me, I just don’t like how we carry ourselves through this genre at times,” he said.
Staples has been rapping since he was a teenager, performing at big gigs from an early age with associated acts such as Odd Future and Mac Miller. But his heart has always been in his hometown of Long Beach, where he hopes his success can take care of his family, and maybe he’ll get a house by the water. So is the potential for rap to bring him fame and fortune a selling point? Not at all.
“I care about what the music can do for people and what it can do for my family; past that, I think it’s more that we should focus more on benefiting the listener than ourselves,” he said.
And his disillusionment with the industry comes from what he has seen from many of his peers and the hostility surrounding artists who fail to hit certain targets the first week of the album release.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vince Staples: ‘I think we should focus more on benefiting the listener than ourselves.’ Photograph: PR
“Even if a rapper does sell 4,000 copies, that’s still $40,000 and it’s 4,000 people who sat down out of their day and sat to hear what you are going through,” he said. “And I just don’t like shit like that – it’s petty, it’s not cool – it’s not cool to do stuff like that people.”
Early reviews suggest this is not something he has to be concerned about for his major label debut. Summertime ’06 takes a look at the time “youth was stolen” from his community with a spooky and sultry rhythm.
The title song switches between painfully apologetic love lines like “Because if I never knew you / I could never do this to you” and the clearly political “My teacher just told me we were slaves / My mama told me we were kings”.
He thinks the love aspect of the album will surprise his fans, which feeds into his belief that the most important part of the album is striking down misconceptions. “Misconceptions are probably the biggest problem we have as fucking people –stereotypes, misconceptions, just not giving each other an opportunity to showcase who they really are,” he said.
This, from a high school dropout and former gang member whose association with the Crips is a constant talking point. “People just don’t know about that lifestyle; they are kind of intrigued by it, but it’s nothing to be intrigued by,” he said.
Imitating a reporter’s voice, he asks: “How does it feel to be in the hood?” “I don’t fucking know – how does it feel to be where you grew up? It feels like home... It feels like home … I have no problem talking about it, I just wish people talked about other things than hurting people.”
His frustration with that attitude is portrayed brilliantly in the music video for the first single off the album – Señorita, which takes the audience on a concentrated march of drug dealers and sex workers in Long Beach, only to hit a jarring fourth-wall break.
I have no problem talking about it, I just wish people talked about other things than hurting people Vince Staples
Whether it’s in front of a crowd of predominantly white kids in Sacramento or mostly black and Latino kids in Brooklyn, on this tour, a performance staple has been asking the crowd to raise both hands up and to let him know how they feel about police. “If you’re in Brooklyn and you don’t fuck with the police, put your hands up!”
“A lot of things happen over the course of time that makes people uneasy with people in that position so we made a couple songs to kind of depict that in a way,” he said.
It works. Through three shows in New York and California, where Staples is the opening act, he’s managed to get the entire crowds hands up and suddenly the crowds energy is mirroring his own.
This is new, says Corey Smyth of Blacksmith Music, Staples’ manager, who can usually be found bouncing in the wings of each show, a glimpse away from Staples. He said that Staples’ kinetic performance recently resulted in a leg injury. “He’s leaving whatever he has on stage,” Smyth said.
Backstage at the Brooklyn show, Smyth runs through images with the videographer as Tyler listens to headphones. Staples paces in and out of the room to an outdoor concrete space. A bevvy of vodka, beer and other spirits stand by, but he keeps his hands close to the Ricola cough drops.
Smyth started working with Staples four or five years ago and said their relationship is much more than the music.
“I’ll always be there for him. It’s not a question, that’s my promise,” Smyth said. “And he’s there for me – I already made a promise, I just have my daughter, I’m like, if I’m not here, you better be on her. You know what I mean? That’s just what it is.”
He still thinks they have a long way to go to achieve their goals – he emphasised the “we” – and with about as many years in the industry as Staples has been alive, is ready to see him grow.Jeff Gorvette from Pixar's CARS 2
Contents show]
Cars 2
is a character in
"Jeff Gorvette is one of the greatest American racecars alive today. Donning the stars and stripes of his country's flag, the #24 Corvette C6.R has proven his ability to succeed on the big ovals and the road courses of the Grand Touring Sports circuits. Having moved from his hometown of Vallejo, California to Indiana to be closer to the racing world, Gorvette's ability to accelerate at such a young age has turned hoods wherever he competes. His championships and number of victories are unmatched, making him a respected competitor-and legitimate threat-at the World Grand Prix."
In the movie, he is first seen at the Tokyo welcome party with Lewis Hamilton, and he greets Lightning McQueen. He sees Mater talking to the Zen Master. He appears in all 3 races including the one in Radiator Springs. He never got hit by the lemons' camera in any of the races. After the World Grand Prix Tokyo race begins, he started in the 4th position and was also last seen in the Tokyo race in the 5th position. But as well as we can see, Nigel Gearsley finished in the 5th position. In the Porto Corsa race, Jeff was seen in the in the 5th position instead of Nigel Gearsley. And later in the second part, he was seen in the 8th position. At the last meters to the finish line in the Porto Corsa race, Jeff Gorvette along with Lewis Hamilton was at the last position. But he and Lewis Hamilton must have finished the race, because Shu Todoroki's big crash blocked the track. He and Lewis were the only racers who didn't collide into the big crash. In the last race in London, Jeff was seen following Nigel Gearsley from the 6th position to the 5th position. Right before the race in Radiator Springs, he says to Lewis that he thinks they should do it every year. In the race, he and Lewis were next to each other in position.
Cars 3
Jeff Gorvette makes a cameo in Cars 3. He is interviewed before the Florida 500 and wishes McQueen good luck. Gorvette has retired at the time of the events of the film, and holds the highest number of top ten finishes for a racer.[1]
Top Speed: 200 mph
Zero – 60 mph: 3.4 seconds
Engine Type: 7.0-liter LS7.R V-8
Horsepower: 590
Hometown: Vallejo, California
Replacements
In international versions of Cars 2, Jeff Gorvette is replaced in one scene by a completely different character, voiced by a regionally better known racer than Jeff Gordon.[3] However, they only replace him in the scene where Lightning meets him at the party in Tokyo as well as when that scene appears in Mater's nightmare. They don't replace him in the races or when the racers are shocked at Mater drinking from the water fountain after eating a lot of wasabi. Most of these characters use the same body shape as Max Schnell. These include:
Trivia
Jeff Gorvette is based on the real NASCAR driver and 4-time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon. His name is a combination of "Jeff Gordon" and "Corvette".
Jeff Gorvette is voiced by the real NASCAR Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya in the Latin American release.
Jeff Gorvette is modeled as a Chevy Corvette C6-R, grand touring racers commonly seen at endurance events in Europe.
Originally, Jeff Gorvette's racing number was planned to be #3. [15] But it was finally replaced by #24, Jeff Gordon's number. In the final film, there is no racecar in the World Grand Prix with #3.
But it was finally replaced by #24, Jeff Gordon's number. In the final film, there is no racecar in the World Grand Prix with #3. Jeff's pit crew chief is John Lassetire.
The Corvette C6R, Jeff Gorvette's model, has a special 5.5 liter engine in real life, not a LSR 7.0 engine.
Jeff is the only character introduced in Cars 2 to return in Cars 3.
Gallery
Die-castsForward Taj Gibson, who recently agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was arrested in New York City on Thursday for driving with a suspended license, according to police.
Police officers observed Gibson making an illegal U-turn in Queens early Thursday morning. When police stopped him, Gibson provided an Illinois license that was found to be suspended. He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and given a traffic violation for the illegal U-turn.
Gibson was released by police and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 1.
Gibson agreed to a 2-year, $28 million deal with Minnesota this week, reuniting him with coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached the 32-year-old from 2010 to 2015 while both were in Chicago.
On Saturday, Thibodeau said the deal isn't done yet, but hopes "it will be wrapped up in the next day or so."Expand Submunitions that failed to explode during a cluster munition attack on Stakhanov on January 23. © 2015 Human Rights Watch
(Berlin) – Government and Russia-backed rebel forces repeatedly used cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine in January and February 2015, killing at least 13 civilians, including at least two children, Human Rights Watch said today. The use of cluster munitions in populated areas violates the laws of war due to the weapon’s indiscriminate nature and may constitute a war crime.
“Using cluster munitions shows utter disregard for civilians,” said Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Neither side should use these widely banned weapons; they affect a large area, endangering nearby civilians, and unexploded submunitions pose a risk to civilians long after the attack.”
Cluster munitions contain dozens or hundreds of smaller munitions, called submunitions, in a container such as a rocket or a bomb. After launch, the container opens up, dispersing the submunitions, which are designed to explode when they hit the ground. The submunitions are spread indiscriminately over a wide area, often the size of a football field, putting anyone in the area at the time of attack, whether combatants or civilians, at risk of death or injury.
In addition, many of the submunitions do not explode on impact, but remain armed, becoming de facto landmines. Any location contaminated with dud submunitions remains hazardous until cleared by qualified personnel.
During a 10-day investigation in eastern Ukraine, Human Rights Watch found evidence of attacks using cluster munition rockets in at least seven villages, towns, and cities between January 23 and February 12, with some locations hit multiple times. Human Rights Watch investigated the seven populated areas, three in government-controlled territory, and four in rebel-held territory. The weapons used were surface-fired 300 millimeter Smerch (Tornado) and 220 millimeter Uragan (Hurricane) cluster munition rockets, which deliver 9N210 or 9N235 antipersonnel fragmentation submunitions. Human Rights Watch gathered information, including photos of remnants, about cluster munition rocket attacks in other locations as well.
Forces in rebel-held areas most likely launched the cluster munition attacks that struck government-controlled areas, and Ukrainian government forces most likely launched the cluster munition attacks that struck rebel-held areas, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch drew this conclusion based on an assessment of the impact location, including whether there were military targets in the vicinity, the direction of the attack, and the minimum and maximum ranges of the weapons used. For two attacks that hit rebel-controlled places, one in the city of Luhansk and another in Stakhanov, the direction and minimum range of the rockets used exclude the possibility that forces in rebel-controlled territory launched the cluster munitions.
Human Rights Watch was able to identify the use of cluster munition rockets by observing the distinctive impact crater and fragmentation pattern that their submunitions create when they explode and by examining remnants of the submunitions found at the impact sites and by the remnants of the rockets found in the vicinity.
To determine the direction of the attacks, Human Rights Watch examined rocket remnants, including the cargo, rocket motor, and tail sections of cluster munition rockets. In most cases, the tail sections were stuck in the ground, indicating the direction from which the rockets came. Human Rights Watch also analyzed craters and damage to buildings. In the cases Human Rights Watch investigated, the tail section also appeared to fly further than the submunitions, providing additional indication of the rocket’s direction.
In three places Human Rights Watch documented that Uragan unguided high-explosive fragmentation (HE-Frag) rockets struck at the same time as cluster munition rockets. In at least two places, these HE-Frag rockets killed civilians. Human Rights Watch documented and condemned the use of unguided rockets in populated areas in July 2014 and January 2015.
Human Rights Watch has previously documented the use of cluster munitions in eastern Ukraine. Though Ukrainian authorities have taken some steps to investigate findings of an October 2014 Human Rights Watch report, the investigation has been inadequate and more needs to be done, Human Rights Watch said.
Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities have condemned cluster munition use in populated areas. Human Rights Watch believes that cluster munitions should never be used, even outside of populated areas, because of the risk of harming civilians.
Human Rights Watch calls on Ukraine and Russia to join the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibiting the use of cluster munitions in any circumstance. A total of 116 nations are party to the treaty, which also requires clearance of cluster munition remnants and assistance to victims of the weapons.
Ukrainian authorities should immediately stop using cluster munitions, and Russia should under no circumstances provide cluster munitions to rebel forces and use its influence over the forces in Ukraine to end the use of cluster munitions, Human Rights Watch said. Both should investigate and hold accountable any personnel responsible for firing cluster munitions into populated areas, Human Rights Watch said.
“Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities seem to agree that it is unacceptable to use this weapon in populated areas,” Solvang said. “Their actions need to match their rhetoric.”
Human Rights Watch is a co-founder of the international Cluster Munition Coalition and serves as its chair.
For detailed findings, please see below.
Attacks and Locations
Human Rights Watch investigated first-hand the following attacks using cluster munition rockets and documented the location, date, weapon type, and number of civilian fatalities:
In government-controlled territory:
Kramatorsk, February 10, Smerch, 5 civilians killed
Hrodivka, February 10, Smerch, 5 civilians injured
Artemivsk, February 13, Smerch, 2 civilians killed
In rebel-controlled territory:
Luhansk city, February 12, Smerch, no documented casualties
Komsomolske, February 7, Uragan, 2 civilians killed
Starobesheve, February 7, Uragan, 1 civilian killed
Komsomolske, February 2, Uragan, 2 civilians killed (likely by HE-Frag rockets)
Luhansk city, January 27, Smerch, 2 civilians killed
Stakhanov, January 23, Smerch, 2 civilians killed on January 21 (likely from HE-Frag rockets)
Komsomolske, December 2, 2014, Uragan, 1 civilian killed
Cluster Munition Attacks on Government-Controlled Areas
Artemivsk
On February 13, 2015, cluster munitions were used in an attack on the northeastern part of Artemivsk, a government-controlled city in the Donetsk region about 25 kilometers north of the front lines. On February 18, Human Rights Watch examined multiple craters in a residential area consisting of detached houses. The craters were consistent with the use of the types of submunitions delivered by Smerch cluster munition rockets, and Human Rights Watch found a submunition stabilization fin near one of the craters.
Local residents told Human Rights Watch that the attack had killed at least two people, a woman and a boy who had been playing with friends in a playground near the local school. A spokesperson for the Donetsk regional administration confirmed to Human Rights Watch that the attack had killed a woman and an 8-year-old boy.
Local residents also described finding remnants of the weapon, such as a “pipe with holes,” a description consistent with the central part of the cluster munition rocket cargo section that can often be found as a remnant after a cluster munition attack. By the time Human Rights Watch arrived at the site, however, local authorities had removed the remnants.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors who examined the site shortly after the attack concluded that Smerch rockets had struck the area and that the attack had come from the southeast.
Kramatorsk
Between noon and 1 p.m. on February 10, cluster munitions were used in an attack on at least two residential areas in Kramatorsk, a government-controlled city in Donetsk region, about 50 kilometers northwest of the front lines.
A spokesperson for the Donetsk region administration told Human Rights Watch that the attack killed 5 civilians and 12 military servicemen, and that 34 people had required hospital treatment.
Human Rights Watch investigated the impact areas on February 11 and 12.
Vlad, 13, told Human Rights Watch from his hospital bed that he had been playing with two friends in the courtyard of his apartment block when they suddenly heard explosions:
When we heard the first explosion we started running toward the entrance. But then many bombs started exploding all around us. Shrapnel was flying everywhere. I looked back and saw that one of my friends was holding his shoulder. A fragment also pierced my thigh. It wasn’t very painful at first, but I felt that my pants became wet from blood. We had to wait for a long time for the ambulance, and my head started spinning.
Human Rights Watch documented 9 places where submunitions detonated in an area dotted with garages immediately adjacent to the airport in Kramatorsk, 20 in an area with multi-story apartment buildings just north of Parkovka Street near the airport, and 13 closer to the center along Lenin Street, including two that struck the grounds of a hospital.
A submunition impact crater and fragmentation damage on the wall where two people died in Kramatorsk during an attack with cluster munitions on February 10. © 2015 Human Rights Watch
The same attack also struck the airport, which serves as the headquarters for the government’s military operations in eastern Ukraine, and which was likely the target for the main attack. The impacts on Lenin Street were located around a base used by border guard forces, which might have been the target of that attack.
In close proximity to several of the submunition impact craters Human Rights Watch found remnants of the submunition’s stabilization fins and the pre-formed metal fragments (consisting of chopped steel rods) that are inside each submunition. Human Rights Watch also examined the tail sections of two Smerch rockets, one of which was still standing in the ground, and the remnants of a cargo section from a Smerch cluster munition rocket.
OSCE monitors who investigated the area shortly after the attack concluded that the rockets were fired from the south-southeast. Human Rights Watch observations on the ground were consistent with this conclusion.
Hrodivka
At about 7 p.m. on February 10, the day of the Kramatorsk attack, cluster munitions were also used in an attack on Hrodivka, a small government-controlled town about 55 kilometers south southwest of Kramatorsk.
A member of the local administration told Human Rights Watch that the attack wounded eight people, five civilians, and three soldiers. A doctor at a local hospital said that the hospital had received eight injured people, five civilians, and three soldiers, after the attack. The doctor also said that they had amputated one woman’s leg because of her injuries.
Sveta, 38, another woman injured in the attack, told Human Rights Watch from her hospital bed that she was on her way to work when the attack happened:
When I heard the first explosion I sat down on the ground and covered my head as I usually do when we hear explosions. When I heard a second explosion and shrapnel started slamming into the gate next to me I lay down and could feel pain in my left leg. Only when I got home, however, did I see that it was a serious wound and I needed to go to the hospital.
The attack also wounded 83-year-old Ivan Fedorovich in the hand and stomach. He showed Human Rights Watch a submunition impact crater right outside the gate to his house and holes created by pre-formed fragments in the metal gate.
Ivan Fedorovich, 83, holds fragments that wounded him in his hand and stomach during a cluster munition attack on Hrodivka on February 10. © 2015 Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch examined dozens of submunition impact craters, three cargo sections, and four tail sections from Smerch cluster munition rockets in Hrodivka. Some of the rocket remnants, which appeared to point in different directions, had landed in soft soil or showed signs that they had been significantly bent on impact, making it difficult to establish the incoming direction based on a single rocket remnant. However, three of the tail sections and one cargo section that were still firmly stuck in the ground indicated that the rockets had come from the southeast.
Human Rights Watch observed a significant number of government forces at the southeastern edge of the city, close to one of residential areas that had been struck. The attack might have targeted these government forces.
A vehicle-tracking database maintained by the citizen investigative journalist group Bellingcat includes three YouTube videos of BM-30 Smerch multi-barrel rocket launch vehicles allegedly in rebel-controlled area. According to the users who uploaded the videos, the vehicles drove through the town of Makeevka on January 22, February 10 (the day of the Kramatorsk and Hrodivka attacks), and February 22. Makeevka is near possible launch locations for both the Kramatorsk and Hrodivka attacks.
Cluster Munition Attacks in Rebel-Controlled Areas
Luhansk
Smerch cluster munition rockets were used in an attack on the city of Luhansk on several occasions in January and February, killing at least two civilians. Human Rights Watch investigated the sites of two cluster munition attacks on February 15.
On January 27, cluster munition rockets were used twice in attacks on residential areas in the Artemivsk district in the western part of Luhansk. Medical personnel told Human Rights Watch that the attack had killed two civilians.
Sergey, 35, told Human Rights Watch that he went to the kitchen with his father when he heard the first explosion at about 11:30 p.m. While they were there, at least four submunitions exploded in their courtyard:
One bomb landed right outside the door and the shrapnel injured me and my father. I found myself lying under the table in a pool of blood. The explosion broke my left leg. Shrapnel also hit my stomach. Eventually I lost consciousness.
When Human Rights Watch interviewed Sergey, more than two weeks after the attack, both he and his father were still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Sergey, 45, who was injured during a cluster munition attack on Luhansk on January 27. © 2015 Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch examined more than a dozen submunition impacts along Izvestkova Street and around school number 37, as well as fragmentation damage on walls, fences, and gates. Several buildings, including the school, appeared to have new windows, which local residents said had been installed because the attack had shattered windows. Residents showed Human Rights Watch stabilization fins and pre-formed fragments that they had collected after the attack.
Human Rights Watch also examined the tail section of a Smerch rocket still stuck in the ground in front of 24 Patona Street, about 2 kilometers southeast of the Izvestkova Street impact area. The rocket remnant showed that the rocket had come from the northwest. OSCE monitors who inspected three cargo sections the day after the attack concluded that the rockets had come from north-northwest.
In the second attack, submunitions detonated on and near Arktychna Street in the Zhovtnevy district shortly after midnight on February 12. The area is residential with detached houses. Human Rights Watch examined several craters in the road, a destroyed roof, and a stabilization fin and pre-formed fragments that local residents had gathered after the attack. Local residents said the attack did not kill or injure anybody.
Fragments and remnants of a submunition's stabilization fins found after a cluster munition attack on Luhansk city on February 12. © 2015 Human Rights Watch
At least one rocket tail section appeared to have landed in a courtyard in the Ostraya Mogila neighborhood in the Lenin district, approximately 3.5 kilometers southeast of the submunition impact area. (There might have been other submunition impact areas and rocket remnants that Human Rights Watch did not identify). By the time Human Rights Watch examined the area, local authorities had removed the tail section, but the crater and descriptions by residents that had seen the rocket remnant before it was removed from the ground indicated that the rocket had come from the northwest. OSCE monitors who inspected the remnant the day after the attack reached the same conclusion.
Human Rights Watch identified at least two rebel bases that might have been targets of the attack less than 1 kilometer from where the tail section landed.
Given the direction from the northwest of the two cluster munition attacks and the 20-kilometer minimum range of Smerch cluster munition rockets, it would have been impossible for the rockets to have been fired from rebel-controlled area.
On January 26, the OSCE monitors reported that they heard what they assessed to have been Smerch rockets being launched from near Spivakivka, about 70 kilometers north-northwest of Luhansk. Their observation provides additional indication that government forces had Smerch rocket launching systems in the suspected launch area in the period of the attacks.
A member of an ordnance clearance team in Luhansk told Human Rights Watch that the team had cleared remnants from 23 Smerch cluster munition rockets that they had found in the city since the beginning of January. He also said that they had found and neutralized 17 unexploded submunitions, but that there were probably more. A clearance team member said that they had also recorded cluster munition attacks on January 24 and February 11.
Komsomolske
Between February 2 and 7 multiple attacks with Uragan rockets containing HE-Frag warheads and cluster munitions struck Komsomolske, a village about 40 kilometers southeast of Donetsk.
Local residents told Human Rights Watch that a cluster submunition killed Aleksandr Trufanov, 42, and his 10-year-old son at about 10 p.m. on February 7. A relative confirmed their deaths.
Human Rights Watch examined more than a dozen craters and impact sites, including damage to the walls and windows of a school, consistent with the use of cluster munitions, as well as a cargo section and pre-formed fragments and stabilization fins from submunitions showing conclusively that cluster munitions were used in an attack on the village. Human Rights Watch also examined three Uragan rocket remnants (tails) stuck in the ground, including near a school and in the center of the village. The rocket remnants that Human Rights Watch examined suggested that the rockets had come from the west. OSCE monitors who visited Komsomolske on February 3 concluded that the February 2 attack had originated from the southwest, suggesting at least two separate launching positions.
At the time of the attacks, the front line was about 30 kilometers west and about 20 kilometers southwest of Komsomolske. With a range of 10 to 35 kilometers, the rockets could have been fired from either government- or rebel-controlled territory. However, given the systematic nature of the attack and the location of rebel forces in both Komsomolske and Starobesheve, which were attacked by cluster munitions in the same period, Human Rights Watch believes that the rockets most likely originated from government-controlled territory.
A local resident said that cluster munitions were also used in an attack on Komsomolske on December 2, 2014, killing a 33-year-old woman. Human Rights Watch examined craters and damage to the wall, which were consistent with cluster munition use, at the site where the woman was killed.
Human Rights Watch also examined several houses that had been destroyed by Uragan HE-Frag rockets in the same period. Local residents told Human Rights Watch that a HE-Frag rocket had killed two civilians on |
0–1808, 1813–1868, 1875–1931, and since 1975. Bourbons ruled in Naples from 1734 to 1806 and in Sicily from 1734 to 1816, and in a unified Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1816 to 1860. They also ruled in Parma from 1731 to 1735, 1748–1802 and 1847–1859.
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg married a cadet of the Parmese line and thus her successors, who have ruled Luxembourg since her abdication in 1964, have also been members of the House of Bourbon. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, regent for her father, Pedro II of the Empire of Brazil, married a cadet of the Orléans line and thus their descendants, known as the Orléans-Braganza, were in the line of succession to the Brazilian throne and expected to ascend its throne had the monarchy not been abolished by a coup in 1889.
All legitimate, living members of the House of Bourbon, including its cadet branches, are direct agnatic descendants of Henry IV through his son Louis XIII of France.
Origins [ edit ]
The pre-Capetian House of Bourbon was a noble family, dating at least from the beginning of the 13th century, when the estate of Bourbon was ruled by the Sire de Bourbon who was a vassal of the King of France. The term House of Bourbon ("Maison de Bourbon") is sometimes used to refer to this first house and the House of Bourbon-Dampierre, the second family to rule the seigneury.
In 1272, Robert, Count of Clermont, sixth and youngest son of King Louis IX of France, married Beatrix of Bourbon, heiress to the lordship of Bourbon and member of the House of Bourbon-Dampierre.[1] Their son Louis was made Duke of Bourbon in 1327. His descendant, the Constable of France Charles de Bourbon, was the last of the senior Bourbon line when he died in 1527. Because he chose to fight under the banner of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and lived in exile from France, his title was discontinued after his death.
The remaining line of Bourbons henceforth descended from James I, Count of La Marche, the younger son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon.[1] With the death of his grandson James II, Count of La Marche in 1438, the senior line of the Count of La Marche became extinct. All future Bourbons would descend from James II's younger brother, Louis, who became the Count of Vendôme through his mother's inheritance.[1] In 1525, at the death of Charles IV, Duke of Alençon, all of the princes of the blood royal were Bourbons; all remaining members of the House of Valois were members of the king's immediate family.
In 1514, Charles, Count of Vendôme had his title raised to Duke of Vendôme. His son Antoine became King of Navarre, on the northern side of the Pyrenees, by marriage in 1555.[1] Two of Antoine's younger brothers were Cardinal Archbishop Charles de Bourbon and the French and Huguenot general Louis de Bourbon, 1st Prince of Condé. Louis' male-line descendants, the Princes de Condé, survived until 1830. Finally, in 1589, the House of Valois died out and Antoine's son Henry III of Navarre became Henry IV of France.[1]
List of Bourbons [ edit ]
Bourbon branches [ edit ]
Family from India's claim to be a branch and their claim to The "Throne of France"
As per the latest research carried out by Prince Michael of Greece and incorporated in his historical novel, Le Rajah Bourbon,[8] Balthazar Napoleon lV de Bourbon from India is the eldest in line to the French Throne.[5][6][7][9]
France [ edit ]
French kings from House of Bourbon. Family tree
Rise of Henry IV [ edit ]
The first Bourbon king of France was Henry IV.[1] He was born on 13 December 1553 in the Kingdom of Navarre. Antoine de Bourbon, his father, was a ninth-generation descendant of King Louis IX of France.[1] Jeanne d'Albret, his mother was the Queen of Navarre and niece of King Francis I of France. He was baptized Catholic, but raised Calvinist. After his father was killed in 1562, he became Duke of Vendôme at the age of 10, with Admiral Gaspard de Coligny (1519–1572) as his regent. Seven years later, the young duke became the nominal leader of the Huguenots after the death of his uncle the Prince de Condé in 1569.
Henry succeeded to Navarre as Henry III when his mother died in 1572. That same year Catherine de' Medici, mother of King Charles IX of France, arranged for the marriage of her daughter, Margaret of Valois, to Henry, ostensibly to advance peace between Catholics and Huguenots. Many Huguenots gathered in Paris for the wedding on 24 August, but were ambushed and slaughtered by Catholics in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Henry saved his own life by converting to Catholicism. He repudiated his conversion in 1576 and resumed his leadership of the Huguenots.
The period from 1576 to 1584 was relatively calm in France, with the Huguenots consolidating control of much of the south with only occasional interference from the royal government. Extended civil war erupted again in 1584, when François, Duke of Anjou, younger brother of King Henry III of France, died, leaving Navarre next in line for the throne. Thus began the War of the Three Henrys, as Henry of Navarre, Henry III, and the ultra-Catholic leader, Henry of Guise, fought a confusing three-cornered struggle for dominance. After Henry III was assassinated on 31 July 1589, Navarre claimed the throne as the first Bourbon king of France, Henry IV.
Much of Catholic France, organized into the Catholic League, refused to recognize a Protestant monarch and instead recognized Henry IV's uncle, Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon, as rightful king, and the civil war continued. Henry won a crucial victory at Ivry on 14 March 1590 and, following the death of the Cardinal the same year, the forces of the League lacked an obvious Catholic candidate for the throne and divided into various factions. Nevertheless, as a Protestant, Henry IV was unable to take Paris, a Catholic stronghold, or to decisively defeat his enemies, now supported by the Spanish. He reconverted to Catholicism in 1593—he is said to have remarked, "Paris is well worth a mass"[10]—and was crowned king retroactively to 1589 at the Cathedral of Chartres on 27 February 1594.
Early Bourbons in France [ edit ]
Henry granted the Edict of Nantes on 13 April 1598, establishing Catholicism as an official state religion but also granting the Huguenots a measure of religious tolerance and political freedom short of full equality with the practice of Catholicism. This compromise ended the religious wars in France. That same year the Treaty of Vervins ended the war with Spain, adjusted the Spanish-French border, and resulted in a belated recognition by Spain of Henry as king of France.
Ably assisted by Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, Henry reduced the land tax known as the taille; promoted agriculture, public works, construction of highways, and the first French canal; started such important industries as the tapestry works of the Gobelins; and intervened in favor of Protestants in the duchies and earldoms along the German frontier. This last was to be the cause of his assassination.
Henry IV of France, the first Bourbon King of France
Henry's marriage to Margaret, which had produced no heir, was annulled in 1599 and he married Marie de Medici, niece of the grand duke of Tuscany. A son, Louis, was born to them in 1601. Henry IV was assassinated on 14 May 1610 in Paris. Louis XIII was only nine years old when he succeeded his father.[1] He was to prove a weak ruler; his reign was effectively a series of distinct regimes, depending who held the effective reins of power. At first, Marie de Medici, his mother, served as regent and advanced a pro-Spanish policy. To deal with the financial troubles of France, Louis summoned the Estates General in 1614; this would be the last time that body met until the eve of the French Revolution. Marie arranged the 1615 marriage of Louis to Anne of Austria, the daughter of King Philip III of Spain.
In 1617, however, Louis conspired with Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes to dispense with her influence, having her favorite Concino Concini assassinated on 26 April of that year. After some years of weak government by Louis's favorites, the King made Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, a former protégé of his mother, the chief minister of France in 1624.
Richelieu advanced an anti-Habsburg policy. He arranged for Louis' sister, Henrietta Maria, to marry King Charles I of England, on 11 May 1625. Her pro-Catholic propaganda in England was one of the contributing factors to the English Civil War. Richelieu, as ambitious for France and the French monarchy as for himself, laid the ground for the absolute monarchy that would last in France until the Revolution. He wanted to establish a dominating position for France in Europe, and he wanted to unify France under the monarchy. He established the role of intendants, non-noble men whose arbitrary powers of administration were granted (and revocable) by the monarch, superseding many of the traditional duties and privileges of the noble governors.
Although it required a succession of internal military campaigns, he disarmed the fortified Huguenot towns that Henry had allowed. He involved France in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) against the Habsburgs by concluding an alliance with Sweden in 1631 and, actively, in 1635. He died in 1642 before the conclusion of that conflict, having groomed Cardinal Jules Mazarin as a successor. Louis XIII outlived him but by one year, dying in 1643 at the age of forty-two. After a childless marriage for twenty-three years his queen, Anne, delivered a son on 5 September 1638, whom he named Louis after himself.[1] In the mid eighteenth century, the Bourbon monarchy had a faulty system for finance and taxation. Their lacking a national bank lead to them taking short-term loans, and ordering financial agents to make payments in advance or in excess of tax revenues collected.[11]
Louis XIV and Louis XV [ edit ]
Louis XIV succeeded his father at four years of age;[1] he would go on to become the most powerful king in French history. His mother Anne served as his regent with her favorite Jules, Cardinal Mazarin, as chief minister. Mazarin continued the policies of Richelieu, bringing the Thirty Years' War to a successful conclusion in 1648 and defeating the nobility's challenge to royal absolutism in a series of civil wars known as the Frondes. He continued to war with Spain until 1659.
In that year the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed signifying a major shift in power, France had replaced Spain as the dominant state in Europe. The treaty called for an arranged marriage between Louis and his cousin Maria Theresa, a daughter of King Philip IV of Spain by his first wife Elisabeth, the sister of Louis XIII. They were married in 1660 and had a son, Louis, in 1661.[1] Mazarin died on 9 March 1661 and it was expected that Louis would appoint another chief minister, as had become the tradition, but instead he shocked the country by announcing he would rule alone.
For six years Louis reformed the finances of his state and built formidable armed forces. France fought a series of wars from 1667 onward and gained some territory on its northern and eastern borders. Maria Theresa died in 1683 and the next year he secretly married the devoutly Catholic Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon. Louis XIV began to persecute Protestants, undoing the religious tolerance established by his grandfather Henry IV, culminating in his revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
The last war waged by Louis XIV proved to be one of the most important to dynastic Europe. In 1700, King Charles II of Spain, a Habsburg, died without a son. Louis's son the Grand Dauphin, as the late king's nephew, was the closest heir, and Charles willed the kingdom to the Dauphin's second son, the Duke of Anjou. Other powers, particularly the Austrian Habsburgs, who had the next closest claims, objected to such a vast increase in French power.
Initially, most of the other powers were willing to accept Anjou's reign as Philip V, but Louis's mishandling of their concerns soon drove the English, Dutch and other powers to join the Austrians in a coalition against France. The War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701 and raged for 12 years. In the end Louis's grandson was recognized as king of Spain, but he was obliged to agree to the forfeiture of succession rights in France, the Spanish Habsburgs' other European territories were largely ceded to Austria, and France was nearly bankrupted by the cost of the struggle. Louis died on 1 September 1715 ending his seventy-two-year reign, the longest in European history.
The reign of Louis XIV was so long that he outlived both his son and eldest grandson. He was succeeded by his great-grandson Louis XV.[1] Louis XV was born on 15 February 1710 and was thus aged only five at his ascension, the third Louis in a row to become king of France before the age of thirteen (Louis XIII became king at 9, Louis XIV at almost 5 and himself at 5). Initially, the regency was held by Philip, Duke of Orléans, Louis XIV's nephew, as nearest adult male to the throne.[1] This Regence was seen as a period of greater individual expression, manifested in secular, artistic, literary and colonial activity, in contrast to the austere latter years of Louis XIV's reign.
Following Orléans' death in 1723, the Duke of Bourbon, representative of the Bourbon-Condé cadet line, became prime minister. It was expected that Louis would marry his cousin, the daughter of King Philip V of Spain, but this engagement was broken by the duke in 1725 so that Louis could marry Maria Leszczynska, the daughter of Stanislas, former king of Poland. Bourbon's motive appears to have been a desire to produce an heir as soon as possible so as to reduce the chances of a succession dispute between Philip V and the Duke of Orléans in the event of the sickly king's death. Maria was already an adult woman at the time of the marriage, while the infanta was still a young girl.
Nevertheless, Bourbon's action brought a very negative response from Spain, and for his incompetence Bourbon was soon replaced by Cardinal Andre Hercule de Fleury, the young king's tutor, in 1726. Fleury was a peace-loving man who intended to keep France out of war, but circumstances presented themselves that made this impossible.
The first cause of these wars came in 1733 when Augustus II, the elector of Saxony and king of Poland died. With French support, Stanislas was again elected king. This brought France into conflict with Russia and Austria who supported Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and son of Augustus II.
Stanislas lost the Polish crown, but he was given the Duchy of Lorraine as compensation, which would pass to France after his death. Next came the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740 in which France supported King Frederick II of Prussia against Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary. Fleury died in 1743 before the conclusion of the war.
Shortly after Fleury's death in 1745 Louis was influenced by his mistress the Marquise de Pompadour to reverse the policy of France in 1756 by creating an alliance with Austria against Prussia in the Seven Years' War. The war was a disaster for France, which lost most of her overseas possessions to the British in the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Maria, his wife, died in 1768 and Louis himself died on 10 May 1774.
French Revolution [ edit ]
Louis XVI had become the Dauphin of France upon the death of his father Louis, the son of Louis XV, in 1765. He married Marie Antoinette of Austria, a daughter of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, in 1770. Louis intervened in the American Revolution against Britain in 1778, but he is most remembered for his role in the French Revolution. France was in financial turmoil and Louis was forced to convene the Estates-General on 5 May 1789.
They formed the National Assembly and forced Louis to accept a constitution that limited his powers on 14 July 1790. He tried to flee France in June 1791, but was captured. The French monarchy was abolished on 21 September 1792 and a republic was proclaimed. The chain of Bourbon monarchs begun in 1589 was broken. Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793.
Marie Antoinette and her son, Louis, were held as prisoners. Many French royalists proclaimed him Louis XVII, but he never reigned. She was executed on 16 October 1793. He died of tuberculosis on 8 June 1795 at the age of ten while in captivity.[12]
The French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars spread nationalism and anti-absolutism throughout Europe, and the other Bourbon monarchs were threatened. Ferdinand was forced to flee from Naples in 1806 when Napoleon Bonaparte deposed him and installed his brother, Joseph, as king. Ferdinand continued to rule from Sicily until 1815.
Napoleon conquered Parma in 1800 and compensated the Bourbon duke with Etruria, a new kingdom he created from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It was short-lived, counting only two monarchs, Louis and Charles, as Napoleon annexed Etruria in 1807.
King Charles IV of Spain had been an ally of France. He succeeded his father, Charles III, in 1788. At first he declared war on France on 7 March 1793, but he made peace on 22 June 1795. This peace became an alliance on 19 August 1796. His chief minister, Manuel de Godoy convinced Charles that his son, Ferdinand, was plotting to overthrow him. Napoleon exploited the situation and invaded Spain in March 1808. This led to an uprising that forced Charles to abdicate on 19 March in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII. Napoleon forced Ferdinand to return the crown to Charles on 30 April and then convinced Charles to relinquish it to him on 10 May. In turn, he gave it to his brother, Joseph, king of Naples on 6 June. Joseph abandoned Naples to Joachim Murat, the husband of Napoleon's sister. This was very unpopular in Spain and resulted in the Peninsular War, a struggle that would contribute to the downfall of Napoleon.
Bourbon Restoration [ edit ]
Ancien Régime and the The standard of the French royal family under theand the restoration period
With the abdication of Napoleon on 11 April 1814 the Bourbon dynasty was restored to the kingdom of France in the person of Louis XVIII, brother of Louis XVI. Napoleon escaped from exile and Louis fled in March 1815. Louis was again restored after the Battle of Waterloo on 7 July.
The conservative elements of Europe dominated the post-Napoleonic age, but the values of the French Revolution could not be easily swept aside. Louis granted a constitution on 14 June 1814 to appease the liberals, but the ultra-royalist party, led by his brother, Charles, continued to influence his reign.[13] When he died in 1824 his brother became king as Charles X much to the dismay of French liberals. In a saying ascribed to Talleyrand, "they had learned nothing and forgotten nothing".[14]
Aftermath [ edit ]
Charles passed several laws that appealed to the upper class, but angered the middle class. The situation came to a head when he appointed a new minister on 8 August 1829 who did not have the confidence of the chamber. The chamber censured the king on 18 March 1830 and in response Charles proclaimed five ordinances on 26 July intended to silence criticism against him.[citation needed] This almost resulted in another revolution as dramatic as the one in 1789, but moderates were able to control the situation.[citation needed]
As a compromise the crown was offered to Louis-Philippe, duke of Orléans, a descendant of the brother of Louis XIV, and the head of the Orleanist cadet branch of the Bourbons. Agreeing to reign constitutionally and under the tricolour, he was proclaimed King of the French on 7 August. The resulting regime, known as the July monarchy, lasted until the Revolution of 1848. The Bourbon monarchy in France ended on 24 February 1848, when Louis-Philippe was forced to abdicate and the short-lived Second Republic was established.
Some legitimists refused to recognize the Orleanist monarchy. After the death of Charles in 1836 his son was proclaimed Louis XIX, though this title was never formally recognized. Charles' grandson Henri, comte de Chambord, the last Bourbon claimant of the French crown, was proclaimed by some Henry V, but the French monarchy was never restored.
Following the 1870 collapse of the empire of Emperor Napoleon III, Henri was offered a restored throne. However Chambord refused to accept the throne unless France abandoned the revolution-inspired tricolour and accepted what he regarded as the true Bourbon flag of France, featuring the fleur-de-lis. The tricolour, originally associated with the French Revolution and the First Republic, had been used by the July Monarchy, the Second Republic and both Empires; the French National Assembly could not possibly agree.
A temporary Third Republic was established, while monarchists waited for the comte de Chambord to die and for the succession to pass to the Comte de Paris, who was willing to accept the tricolour. Henri lived until 1883, by which time public opinion had come to accept the republic as the "form of government that divides us least." His death without issue marked the extinction of the French Bourbons. Thus the head of the House of Bourbon became Juan, Count of Montizón of the Spanish line of the house who was also Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain, and had become the senior male of the dynasty by primogeniture. His heir as eldest Bourbon and head of the house is today Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou.
By an ordinance of Louis Philippe I of France of 13 August 1830, it was decided that the king's children (and his sister) would continue to bear the arms of Orléans, that Louis-Philippe's eldest son, as Prince Royal, would bear the title of duc d'Orléans, that the younger sons would continue to have their existing titles, and that the sister and daughters of the king would be styled Royal Highness and "d'Orléans", but the Orléans dynasts did not take the name "of France".
Bourbons of Spain and Italy [ edit ]
Spanish kings from House of Bourbon. Family tree
Philip V [ edit ]
Arms of the present King of Spain of the House of Bourbon
The Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon was founded by Philip V. He was born in 1683 in Versailles, the second son of the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV. He was Duke of Anjou and probably never expected to be raised to a rank higher than that. However King Charles II of Spain, dying without issue, willed the throne to his grand-nephew the Duke of Anjou, younger grandson of his eldest sister Marie-Thérèse, daughter of King Philip IV of Spain who had married Louis XIV of France.
The prospect of Bourbons on both the French and Spanish thrones was resisted as creating an imbalance of power in Europe by its dominant regimes and, upon Charles II's death on 1 November 1700, a Grand Alliance of European nations united against Philip. This was known as the War of Spanish Succession. In the Treaty of Utrecht, signed on 11 April 1713, Philip was recognized as king of Spain but his renunciation of succession rights to France was affirmed and, of the Spanish Empire's other European territories, Sicily was ceded to Savoy, and the Spanish Netherlands, Milan and Naples were allotted to the Austrian Habsburgs.
Philip had two sons by his first wife. After her death he married Elisabeth Farnese, niece of Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma, in 1714. She presented Philip with three sons, for whom she had ambitions of securing Italian crowns. Thus she induced Philip to occupy Sardinia and Sicily in 1717.
A Quadruple Alliance of Britain, France, Austria and the Netherlands was organized on 2 August 1718 to stop him. In the Treaty of The Hague, signed on 17 February 1720, Philip renounced his conquests of Sardinia and Sicily, but assured the ascension of his eldest son by Elisabeth to the Duchy of Parma upon the reigning duke's death. Philip abdicated in January 1724 in favor of Louis I, his eldest son with his first wife, but Louis died in August and Philip resumed the crown.
When the War of the Polish Succession began in 1733, Philip and Elisabeth saw another opportunity to advance the claims of their sons and recover at least part of the former possessions of the Spanish crown on the Italian peninsula. Philip signed the Family Compact with Louis XV, his nephew and king of France. Charles, Duke of Parma since 1731, invaded Naples. At the conclusion of peace on 13 November 1738, control of Parma and Piacenza was ceded to Austria, which had occupied the duchies but was now forced to recognise Charles as King of Naples and Sicily. Philip also used the War of the Austrian Succession to win more territory in Italy. He did not live to see it to its conclusion, however, dying in 1746.
Ferdinand VI and Charles III [ edit ]
Ferdinand VI, second son of Philip V and his first wife, succeeded his father. He was a peace-loving monarch who kept Spain out of the Seven Years' War. He died in 1759 in the midst of that conflict and was succeeded by his half-brother Charles III. Charles was the eldest son of Philip and Elisabeth Farnese. He was born in 1716 and had become Duke of Parma when the last Farnese duke died in 1731.
Following Spain's victory over the Austrians at the battle of Bitonto, it proved inexpedient to reunite Naples and Sicily to Spain, so as a compromise Charles became King of Naples, as Charles IV and VII of Sicily. Following Charles' accession to the Spanish throne in 1759 he was required, by the Treaty of Naples of 3 October 1759, to abdicate Naples and Sicily to his third son, Ferdinand, thus initiating the branch known as the Neapolitan Bourbons.
Charles revived the Family Compact with France on 15 August 1761 and joined in the Seven Years' War against Britain in 1762; the reformist policies he had espoused in Naples were pursued with similar energy in Spain, where he completely overhauled the cumbersome bureaucracy of the state. As a French ally he opposed Britain during the American Revolution in June 1779, supplying large quantities of weapons and munitions to the rebels and keeping one third of all the British forces in the Americas occupied defending Florida and what is now Alabama, which were ultimately recaptured by Spain. Charles died in 1788.
Bourbons of Parma [ edit ]
Elisabeth Farnese's ambitions were realized at the conclusion of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1748 when the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, already occupied by Spanish troops, were ceded by Austria to her second son, Philip, and combined with the former Gonzaga duchy of Guastalla. Elisabeth died in 1766.
Later Bourbon monarchs outside France [ edit ]
Upon the fall of the French Empire, Ferdinand I was restored to the throne of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1815, founding the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His subjects revolted in 1820 and he was forced to grant a constitution; Austria invaded in March 1821 and revoked the constitution. He was succeeded by his son, Francis I, in 1825 and by his grandson, Ferdinand II, in 1830. Another revolution erupted in January 1848 and Ferdinand was also forced to grant a constitution. This constitution was revoked in 1849. Ferdinand was succeeded by his son, Francis II, in May 1859.
When Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Naples in 1860, Francis restored the constitution in an attempt to save his sovereignty. He fled to the fortress of Gaeta, which was captured by the Piedmontese troops in February 1861; his kingdom was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy on 17 March 1861, after the fall the fortress of Messina (surrendered on 12 March), although the Neapolitan troops in Civitella del Tronto resisted three days longer.
After the fall of Napoleon, Napoleon's wife, Maria Louisa, was made Duchess of Parma. As compensation, Charles Louis, the former king of Etruria, was made the Duke of Lucca. When Maria Louisa died in 1847 he was restored to Parma as Charles II. Lucca was incorporated into Tuscany. He was succeeded by his son, Charles III, and grandson, Robert I, in 1854. The people of Parma voted for a union with the kingdom of Sardinia in 1860. After Italian unification the next year, the Bourbon dynasty in Italy was no more.
Ferdinand VII was restored to the throne of Spain in March 1814. Like his Italian Bourbon counterpart, his subjects revolted against him in January 1820 and he was forced to grant a constitution. A French army invaded in 1823 and the constitution was revoked. Ferdinand married his fourth wife, Maria Christina, the daughter of Francis I, the Bourbon king of Sicily, in 1829. Despite his many marriages he did not have a son, so in 1833 he was influenced by his wife to abolish the Salic Law so that their daughter, Isabella, could become queen depriving his brother, Don Carlos, of the throne.
Isabella II succeeded her father when he died in 1833. She was only three years old and Maria Cristina, her mother, served as regent. Maria knew that she needed the support of the liberals to oppose Don Carlos so she granted a constitution in 1834. Don Carlos found his greatest support in Catalonia and the Basques country because the constitution centralized the provinces thus denying them the autonomy they sought. He was defeated and fled the country in 1839. Isabella was declared of age in 1843 and she married her cousin Francisco de Asis, the son of her father's brother, on 10 October 1846. A military revolution broke out against Isabella in 1868 and she was deposed on 29 September. She abdicated in favor of her son, Alfonso, in 1870, but Spain was proclaimed a republic for a brief time.
When the First Spanish Republic failed the crown was offered to Isabella's son who accepted on 1 January 1875 as Alfonso XII. Don Carlos, who returned to Spain, was again defeated and resumed his exile in February 1876. Alfonso granted a new constitution in July 1876 that was more liberal than the one granted by his grandmother. His reign was cut short when he died in 1885 at the age of twenty-eight.
Alfonso XIII was born on 17 May 1886 after the death of his father. His mother, Maria Christina, the second wife of Alfonso XII served as regent. Alfonso XIII was declared of age in 1902 and he married Victoria Eugénie Julia Ena of Battenberg, the granddaughter of the British queen Victoria, on 31 May 1906. He remained neutral during World War I, but supported the military coup of Miguel Primo de Rivera on 13 September 1923. A movement towards the establishment of a republic began in 1930 and Alfonso fled the country on 14 April 1931. He never formally abdicated, but lived the rest of his life in exile. He died in 1941.
The Bourbon dynasty seemed finished in Spain as in the rest of the world, but it would be resurrected. The Second Spanish Republic was overthrown in the Spanish Civil War, leading to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. He named Juan Carlos de Borbón, a grandson of Alfonso XIII, his successor in 1969. When Franco died six years later, Juan Carlos I took the throne to restore the Bourbon dynasty. The new king oversaw the Spanish transition to democracy; the Spanish Constitution of 1978 recognized the monarchy.
Since 1964 the Bourbon-Parma line has reigned agnatically in Luxembourg through Grand Dukes Jean and his son Henri. In June 2011, Luxembourg adopted absolute primogeniture, replacing the old Semi-Salic law that might have guaranteed the survival of Bourbon rule for generations.
Though it is not as powerful as it once was and no longer reigns in its native country of France, the House of Bourbon is by no means extinct and has survived to the present-day world, predominantly composed of republics.
The House of Bourbon, in its surviving branches, is believed to be the oldest royal dynasty of Europe (and the oldest documented European family altogether) that is still existing in the direct male line today: The House of Capet's male ancestors, the Robertians, go back to Robert of Hesbaye (d. 807) as their first secured ancestor and he is believed to be a direct male descendant of Charibert de Haspengau (c. 555–636). Should this be true, only the Imperial House of Japan would outmatch the Bourbon's age, being reliably documented – as a ruling house already – from about 540. The House of Hesse traces its line back to 841, the House of Welf-Este and the House of Wettin are both emerging in the 10th century (and so do some Italian non-ruling houses like the Caetani or the Massimo family), whereas most of the other ruling families of Europe only turn up to the light of history after the year 1000.
List of Bourbon rulers [ edit ]
France [ edit ]
Monarchs of France [ edit ]
Dates indicate reigns, not lifetimes.
Claimants to the throne of France [ edit ]
Dates indicate claims, not lifetimes.
Monarchs of France [ edit ]
Dates indicate reigns, not lifetimes.
Legitimist claimants in France [ edit ]
Dates indicate claims, not lifetimes.
Legitimist claimants in France (Spanish branch) [ edit ]
Dates indicate claims, not lifetimes.
Orléanist and Unionist claimants in France [ edit ]
Dates indicate claims, not lifetimes.
Kingdom of Spain [ edit ]
Monarchs of Spain [ edit ]
Dates indicate seniority, not lifetimes. Where reign as king or queen of Spain is different, this is noted.
"Carlist" claimants in Spain [ edit ]
Dates indicate claims, not lifetimes.
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg [ edit ]
Coat of Arms of the Grand Dukes of Luxemburg of the House of Bourbon-Parma
Grand Dukes of Luxembourg [ edit ]
Dates indicate reigns, not lifetimes.
Other significant Bourbon titles [ edit ]
Surnames used [ edit ]
Officially, the King of France had no family name. A prince with the rank of fils de France (Son of France) is surnamed "de France"; all the male-line descendants of each fils de France, however, took his main title (whether an appanage or a courtesy title) as their family or last name. However, when Louis XVI was put on trial and later "guillotined" (executed) by the revolutionaries National Convention in France in 1793, they somewhat contemptuously referred to him in written documents and spoken address as "Citizen Louis Capet" as if a "commoner" (referring back to the Medieval origins of the Bourbon Dynasty's name and referring to Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian Dynasty).
Members of the House of Bourbon-Condé and its cadet branches, which never ascended to the throne, used the surname "de Bourbon" until their extinction in 1830.
The daughters of Gaston, Duke of Orleans, were the first members of the House of Bourbon since the accession of Henry IV to take their surname from the appanage of their father (d'Orleans). Gaston died without a male heir; his titles reverted to the crown. It was given to his nephew, Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, brother of Louis XIV, whose descendants still bear the surname.
When Philippe, grandson of Louis XIV, became King of Spain as Philip V, he gave up his French titles. As a Son of France, his actual surname was "de France". However, since that surname was not heritable for descendants of rank lower than Son of France, and since Philippe had already given up his French titles, his descendants simply took the name of their royal house as their surname ("de Bourbon", rendered in Spanish as "de Borbón").
The children of Philippe's brother, Charles, Duke of Berry (all of whom died in infancy), were given the surname "d'Alencon". He was Duke of Berry only in name, so the surname |
But he did admit to having occasional doubts as to whether he still fit in with the Galaxy.
“When you’re injured it’s hard because your hands are tied behind your back. You never know,” he said. “But my mindset was to always work as hard as I could and be available at the end of the year and always give Bruce that option. That’s always been my philosophy.
“I’m excited to get back out there.”MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Police officers are usually the ones pulling over speeding drivers but the tables turned in Miami after a woman stopped an officer for speeding, recording it all on video.
“I’ve been following an officer since Miller,” narrated Claudia Castillo as her cell phone recorded moving traffic from her car’s dashboard.
Castillo followed the Miami-Dade Police officer Friday afternoon. She told CBS4 he blew past her going east on Miller Drive, which has a 40 mile-an-hour speed limit.
She followed him on the 826 northbound, then the 836 eastbound. Castillo eventually caught up to the MDPD officer as they approached I-95 in downtown Miami. That’s where she finally got the officer’s attention and they pulled over on the exit ramp to N.W. 8th Street.
Suddenly the familiar, stern questions were being asked at the car window. Only, the officer wasn’t the one asking them.
“The reason why I pulled you over today… I just wanted to know, what’s the emergency,” asked Castillo.
“I don’t know how fast I was going. But I can tell you this, I’m on my way to work right now. I don’t believe I was speeding,” the officer replied as he stood at Castillo’s passenger-side window. ”
“I thought you had some kind of emergency, is everything fine,” he asked her, explaining why he stopped when she flagged him down.
“Everything’s fine,” she replied. “Just your speeding.”
The officer was apologetic, saying, “I’ll be sure to slow down then.”
Castillo spoke to CBS4’s Donna Rapado about the video.
“The cop drove past me so fast my car shook,” Castillo said. “And I got upset. I started speeding up and I stopped at 80.”
“He’s been driving wrecklessly,” Castillo said. “He was going about 100 miles-an-hour ’cause I was hitting 80 and I could not catch up to him.”
Since posting the video online, Castillo said many people have left both supportive and negative comments. Some were offensive and insulting, calling her names and telling her to get a life. Others applauded her actions and thanked her for holding the officer accountable.
In a statement, Police Director Juan Perez said:
“The Miami-Dade Police Department will have the officer’s immediate command staff investigate the matter, once the officer and citizen are identified. The appropriate course of action will be taken at that point.”
“I’m sure he’s a nice guy but nobody’s above the law,” Castillo is heard on the video as she pulled right behind the police patrol unit on the exit ramp.The US might have just beaten Japan at soccer in the Women's World Cup, but the Japanese are already moving onto another great sport: giant robot fighting. Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry has accepted the challenge from US rival MegaBots Inc. to a giant robot duel, with Suidobashi founder Kogoro Kurata saying: "Yeah, I'll fight. Absolutely." Kurata, who designed and built Suidobashi's 4-ton mech robot, said: "We can't let another country win this. Giant robots are Japanese culture."
Suidobashi wants to fight with steel — not paintballs
Unfortunately, neither Suidobashi nor MegaBots has offered any more details about when or where the duel might take place (MegaBots' original challenge suggested a vague date of a year from now). But hopefully, the two teams will follow through at least to some degree. Kurata's response to MegaBots' challenge also upped the stakes, with the Japanese designer asking if the duel can be fought as a physical melee rather than with the MegaBot Mark II's paintball guns. "My reaction?" says Kurata in the video. "Come on guys, make it cooler. Just building something huge and sticking guns on it. It's... Super American."
To which the correct response is: yes, yes it is.
Verge Video: The DARPA Robotics ChallengeOriginally Posted by leway (Source) Originally Posted by
I know this might not make everyone mad but I bought this game for offline mode. Right before release they tell everyone that offline mode is no longer offline and never will be. So I attempted to get a refund and was hit with you've already downloaded the beta. How is making an offline game to online only not refundable. So what If I've downloaded the beta. I bought the game about three weeks ago and in that time period the game went from offline to online only.
"I would have had no issue with the ethics of Frontier and David Braben if they had offered full refunds to anyone who wanted them after announcing that they were pulling offline support. But they didn't do that. They are nitpicking legal loopholes so they can keep their backers' money after kicking them to the curb. THAT is what is unethical and the source of the backlash."In this century a lot of us dream of working whilst travelling. We don’t wish to be restricted to working in one country, we never signed up to have a typical career and surely by now there is a way to work and travel across countries legally. I have tried my best to do the research into how to freelance creatively abroad. This post will be looking at how this applies to filmmakers.
A small disclaimer – boarder / passport rules change every year. What you need to travel from one country to another varies so always ask your passport office what paper work you need before you travel abroad.
Internet based freelancing
The majority of people who travel and work make their money online. Bloggers, writers, photographers, online business owners. The work can be carried out in different countries. When you are paid through PayPal or via an invoice tax may be taken out either from the online transaction or from the client you worked for. You also pay tax to your home country as you would from being self employed.
To travel freely all you need is a passport and health insurance. You can get travel Visas for most countries that last anywhere from 3-9 months per country.
How can this apply to filmmakers: You can not work for a company whilst travelling on a basic travel Visa. The only way you could work on film sets is for free, or on Indie productions. If you set up your own company online you could travel and freelance - this of course is easier for a graphic designer than for a filmmaker. You could freelance travel as a filmmaker if you are clever and work remotely.
A Freelance Visa
If you wish to freelance abroad - working for a company that is based in that country you will need a Visa and likely a sponsor. This means that a company based in the country you wish to work within sponsors you.
This is difficult, countries are becoming more strict with there freelancing rules. You can apply for jobs online and conduct interviews via Skype. It is likely a company would only go through the efforts of sponsoring you if are applying for a full time position or if your skills are in high demand.
For example it would be pointless for a company to hire a freelance camera operator from abroad as many local people could do that job. However if that camera operator had special skills (underwater photography for example) a company might go to the efforts to hire them.
How can this apply to filmmakers: If you wish to work for a company abroad, or several companies as a freelancer - it is likely these days you will need a sponsor. This makes the dream of working as a freelancer for multiple production companies very difficult. If you are an actor, model or crew member who is being brought in to work on a project the company hiring you will become your sponsor.
Example - To work in the UK you will need a Tier 5 creative Visa. You will be required to have a sponsor before applying.
Example - To work in the USA you will need a Temporary Work Visa and you will need a sponsor before applying.
Other countries are less strict. For instance it will be easier a UK citizen to get a visa in Germany as opposed to the USA. How strict a Visa you need will vary greatly country to country.
Alternatives
Work for an international company. A huge company like Netflix for example has offices all over the world. Gain employment with them at your home country and in time ask for a transfer.
Hope you get hired abroad. I have worked in the UAE before on a film set. A Dubai company sorted out the Visas and brought the British crew over. It is likely as a filmmaker you will be hired to work abroad for some projects.
Become a student. Students are able to study abroad and there may be chance to sort out work Visas whilst studying. You can find out a little more info on this here. Unfortunately this does not apply to the USA.
Have exceptional skill. Famous people, PHD holders, Licensed medical professionals and those with a lot of money in their bank accounts will find obtaining Visas easier. ;)
Resources. Transferwise. CreativeBoom | Freelancing. USembassy. 10 jobs to work remotely
Remember the rules per country change regularly. If you wish to work abroad talk to your passport office and ask what requirements you need to gain for a Visa. If you have family living in that country it will be easier for you to work there, you may also need to bring health records from your doctor with you as you travel. Unfortunately work and travel for a filmmaker is not very flexible - alternatively consider how you can turn your job role into an online remote business.
If you have any questions on working internationally as a filmmaker let me know in the comment section below -Members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment place American flags at the graves of U.S. soldiers buried in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day May 24, 2012. (Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Memorial Day and its traditions may have ancient roots.
While the first commemorative Memorial Day events weren’t held in the United States until the late 19th century, the practice of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates back thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans held annual days of remembrance for loved ones (including soldiers) each year, festooning their graves with flowers and holding public festivals and feasts in their honor. In Athens, public funerals for fallen soldiers were held after each battle, with the remains of the dead on display for public mourning before a funeral procession took them to their internment in the Kerameikos, one of the city’s most prestigious cemeteries. One of the first known public tributes to war dead was in 431 B.C., when the Athenian general and statesman Pericles delivered a funeral oration praising the sacrifice and valor of those killed in the Peloponnesian War—a speech that some have compared in tone to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
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One of the earliest commemorations was organized by recently freed slaves.
As the Civil War neared its end, thousands of Union soldiers, held as prisoners of war, were herded into a series of hastily assembled camps in Charleston, South Carolina. Conditions at one camp, a former racetrack near the city’s Citadel, were so bad that more than 250 prisoners died from disease or exposure, and were buried in a mass grave behind the track’s grandstand. Three weeks after the Confederate surrender, an unusual procession entered the former camp: On May 1, 1865, more than 1,000 recently freed slaves, accompanied by regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops (including the Massachusetts 54th Infantry) and a handful of white Charlestonians, gathered in the camp to consecrate a new, proper burial site for the Union dead. The group sang hymns, gave readings and distributed flowers around the cemetery, which they dedicated to the “Martyrs of the Race Course.”
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The holiday’s “founder” had a long and distinguished career.
In May 1868, General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the recently ended Civil War. On Decoration Day, as Logan dubbed it, Americans should lay flowers and decorate the graves of the war dead “whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that didn’t fall on the anniversary of a Civil War battle, though some historians believe the date was selected to ensure that flowers across the country would be in full bloom. After the war Logan, who had served as a U.S. congressman before resigning to rejoin the army, returned to his political career, eventually serving in both the House and Senate and was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for vice president in 1884. When he died two years later, Logan’s body laid in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, making him one of just 33 people to have received the honor. Today, Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle and several townships across the country are named in honor of this champion of veterans and those killed in battle.
Logan probably adapted the idea from earlier events in the South.
Even before the war ended, women’s groups across much of the South were gathering informally to decorate the graves of Confederate dead. In April 1886, the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia resolved to commemorate the fallen once a year—a decision that seems to have influenced John Logan to follow suit, according to his own wife. However, southern commemorations were rarely held on one standard day, with observations differing by state and spread out across much of the spring and early summer. It’s a tradition that continues today: Nine southern states officially recognize a Confederate Memorial Day, with events held on Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ birthday, the day on which General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was killed, or to commemorate other symbolic events.
It didn’t become a federal holiday until 1971.
American’s embraced the notion of “Decoration Day” immediately. That first year, more than 27 states held some sort of ceremony, with more than 5,000 people in attendance at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. By 1890, every former state of the Union had adopted it as an official holiday. But for more than 50 years, the holiday was used to commemorate those killed just in the Civil War, not in any other American conflict. It wasn’t until America’s entry into World War I that the tradition was expanded to include those killed in all wars, and Memorial Day was not officially recognized nationwide until the 1970s, with America deeply embroiled in the Vietnam War.
It was a long road from Decoration Day to an official Memorial Day.
Although the term Memorial Day was used beginning in the 1880s, the holiday was officially known as Decoration Day for more than a century, when it was changed by federal law. Four years later, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 finally went into effect, moving Memorial Day from its traditional observance on May 30 (regardless of the day of the week), to a set day—the last Monday in May. The move has not been without controversy, though. Veterans groups, concerned that more Americans associate the holiday with first long weekend of the summer and not its intended purpose to honor the nation’s war dead, continue to lobby for a return to the May 30 observances. For more than 20 years, their cause was championed by Hawaiian Senator—and decorated World War II veteran—Daniel Inouye, who until his 2012 death reintroduced legislation in support of the change at the start of every Congressional term.
More than 20 towns claim to be the holiday’s “birthplace”—but only one has federal recognition.
For almost as long as there’s been a holiday, there’s been a rivalry about who celebrated it first. Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, bases its claim on an 1864 gathering of women to mourn those recently killed at Gettysburg. In Carbondale, Illinois, they’re certain that they were first, thanks to an 1866 parade led, in part, by John Logan who two years later would lead the charge for an official holiday. There are even two dueling Columbus challengers (one in Mississippi, the other in Georgia) who have battled it out for Memorial Day supremacy for decades. Only one town, however, has received the official seal of approval from the U.S. government. In 1966, 100 years after the town of Waterloo, New York, shuttered its businesses and took to the streets for the first of many continuous, community-wide celebrations, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation, recently passed by the U.S. Congress, declaring the tiny upstate village the “official” birthplace of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day traditions have evolved over the years.
Despite the increasing celebration of the holiday as a summer rite of passage, there are some formal rituals still on the books: The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff. And since 2000, when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time. The federal government has also used the holiday to honor non-veterans—the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 1922. And, while its origins have little to do with fallen soldiers, the Indianapolis 500 has certainly become a Memorial Day tradition of its own–this year marks the 102nd time the race will be run to coincide with the holiday.Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has overtaken President-elect Donald Trump for the lead in the online poll that allowed Time magazine readers to choose who the next person of the year should be.
As of 1:00 pm (eastern time) on Monday, Assange and Trump were deadlocked with 9 per cent of all the "yes" votes cast by participants, but Assange pulled ahead to 10 per cent shortly after noon, Time reported.
Wikileaks made headlines regularly during 2016 presidential election by releasing information, including leaked internal Democratic National Committee correspondence and messages from the account of Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta.
Earlier in the year, a United Nations panel found that Assange had been "arbitrarily detained" in London, where he remains in the Ecuadorian embassy in fear of extradition to Sweden on rape charges if he leaves.
Each year, Time selects the person who has, for better or for worse, impacted the news the most in the past year.
The magazine's editors always make the final Person of the Year selection, but this poll is a way for readers to voice their own opinions on who has made the greatest impact on the world in 2016.May 2016
<<April May June>>
Ponder This Challenge:
Find two different ways to place chess pieces on an 8x8 board so that each square is threatened exactly the same number of times.
Note that we are using single color pieces and you can use as many pieces as you want (not limited to the standard chess set); but each square can hold at most one piece.
Supply your answer as two sets of 64 characters (k for king, q for queen, r for rook, b for bishop, n for knight; p for pawn, and = for empty square).
For example, on a 4x4 board, placing 4 queens as follows:
= q q =
= = = =
= = = =
= q q =
gives the following threats numbers:
2 2 2 2
2 3 3 2
2 3 3 2
2 2 2 2
There is another way to get to the same numerical solution as well.
Note that a chess piece does *not* threaten the square it is occupying (otherwise the problem would be too simple).
Update (02/05):
Find two different ways to place chess pieces on an 8x8 board so that each square is threatened exactly the same number of times, such that no piece is placed in the same position in both the boards, like the pair =qq= ==== ==== =qq= and ==== q==q q==q ==== in the 4x4 case; not a pattern that creates the same attack number for all the squares (like the trivial empty board). Unlike real chess, the pieces are ignoring others in their way: attacking through them as in the 4x4 example.
Update (03/05):
To earn a '*', find a solution without using pawns; to get '**' find a solution using all other five pieces types (k,q,r,n,b).
We will post the names of those who submit a correct, original solution! If you don't want your name posted then please include such a statement in your submission!
We invite visitors to our website to submit an elegant solution. Send your submission to the ponder@il.ibm.com.
If you have any problems you think we might enjoy, please send them in. All replies should be sent to: ponder@il.ibm.comTuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) defended President Trump’s halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries by saying that people “ought to step back and see if we can agree that there’s a problem in order to decide whether we like the solution.”
Paul said, “I was told about 400 times over a year and a half that he was going to do this so I guess I’m not surprised in the roll out. I was not specifically consulted and obviously there are some things that didn’t go perfectly. But I think really people ought to step back and see if we can agree that there’s a problem in order to decide whether we like the solution. And the problem is pretty clear, that about 40% of people who come to visit our country on a visa overstay their visa and we have no idea where they are. On 9/11 at least two of the hijackers were here on visa. They were traveling back and forth to the Middle East. And we really had no idea where they were or what they were doing and they were overstaying their visa. So there are problems I think in the immigration system that need to be fixed for our safety.”
He added, “I think you have to pause the system from areas of high risk for terrorism until you can improve the system. overall. Do I believe exchange with other cultures is good, people going back and forth is good, trade is good, yes. all of these things are good. But I think you have to make sure the system is working. We need to know virtually 100% of the time when you come and when you leave. It’s called entry and exit. We do need to know that. And here’s the problem that faces Europe. In Europe a million people went into Germany, some of them presented with one name and no papers. So if you call back to Syria and say, my name is so-and-so and you ask for the agency to check this person with one name, there is no agency. It’s chaos over there so vetting these people is very, very difficult. And I think we need to do more vetting of people coming with one name from various countries in the Middle East.”
(h/t The Hill)
Follow Pam Key On Twitter @pamkeyNENDaily Bale
The Left Wing are always pleased to support animal rights activists at demonstrations and marches but what we don’t often hear about is when the Left abuse animals.
A sickening story from Bedfordshire England has emerged where 22 year old disabled woman Leigh Quantrill has been alleged to have remove the head of her pet cat with a knife, claiming it was “for fun”.
Quantrill who runs disability website http://www.leighquantrill.com suffers from a rare form of genetic deformity that manifests itself as a facial error. In may of last year, this woman decided to take her cat into the garden and cut it’s head off with a household knife.
After local residents discovered what she had done, 22 year old Quantrill fled to france where she spends her time marching in Left-Wing demonstrations and UAD type meetings.
Leigh Quantrill’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leigh.quantrill.3
Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LeighQuantrillcom/214120415283471
IP Address: 92.142.14.167
Further evidence has…About SEED
Back in the San Pedro Cerva episode, I met this guy called Luiz Filipe Serravite. He was an entrepeneur that had just come back from the Startup Chile program after a couple of months living in Santiago, Chile. He was amazed by the program and the idea of the government actively supporting startups, so he came up with a way to reach the State Governor and proposed the idea of creating something similar in Brazil.
Luiz was involved in the initial development and design of the program. He has eventually left the initiative to go live in the US, but his ideas and initial contacts became the foundation to the program later created and named as SEED (Startups and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development).
This description was taken from the official program web site:
Created by the Government of Minas Gerais, SEED is an accelerator program for passionate people who dream big and make things happen.
Entrepreneurs from all around the world descend upon the state, bringing with them in their dreams, experiences, ideas and their determination to build something innovative.
The mission of SEED is simple: Transform Minas Gerais into the most important birthplace and acceleration hub for tech entrepreneurs in Latin America.
The program benefits included up to US$40,000 dollars per team, an incredible office space, mentorship, training, workshops, and a wide network of entrepreneurs, partners and investors. Equity free.
SEED co-working space entrance in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
And the whole thing was really well executed. All the main stakeholders of the ecosystem were involved in its conception, including the entrepreneurs themselves. Government reps, mentors, investors, and entrepreneurs were all working with the same objective: to promote and develop startups and innovation in the country.
I never participated in the program as an accelerated startup, but I had countless chances to engage with it, starting from being a host for a foreign startup — yes, all the foreign teams were hosted by a local entrepreneur so they had a warm reception and felt like they were home. I even picked up a group at the airport the first time they landed in Belo Horizonte.
And of course it was not just me. I would certainly say that all founders living in Belo Horizonte have visited the space at least once. The office was open to anyone, either to host an event or even use a desk/internet connection for a couple of hours or days, no matter if you were an accelerated startup or not.
The SEED space gradually became the obvious place to go in San Pedro Valley. Suddenly we all had a place for meetings, happy hours, meetups, startup weekends and whatever came to our crazy minds. It was great for early-stage startups that didn’t have an office yet, but also good for the ones that already had. It was not just about the space — it was a home for the community.
Group of entrepreneurs in front of SEED after one of the many Startup Weekends.
The program was created in 2013 by Governor Antonio Anastasia, through an institution called Escritório de Prioridades Estratégicas de Minas Gerais (or Minas Gerais Strategic Priorities Office). Personally it was one of the first times I have ever been proud of my country/state government. If you have ever heard about politics in Brazil you know corruption and lack of planning is part of our daily news. But these guys were different, they were inspiring and had a truly desire to create something to make a real impact — plus, the program was based on real legislation, and designed to survive government and even party changes.
A lot of people were involved in the conception of the program, but I really need to specially mention André Barrence, Head of the Minas Gerais Strategic Priorities Office and Chairman of SEED, Jaderson Trindade, the Director responsible for the program’s operation, as well as Leandro Lacerda, Rejane Martins and Giuliano Bittencourt. These guys did an incredible job and are considered by the community with really special care.
Part of the program board, from left to right: Professor Ivan Moura Campos (UFMG, the Federal University of Minas Gerais), André Barrence (Head of the State Strategic Office), Governor Antonio Anastasia, Gustavo Caetano (Samba Tech), and the Angel Investor Yuri Gitahy.
More than words, the program generated actual results: operating companies, revenue and jobs.
The program was internationally known and considered one of the most important entrepreneurship development initiatives in Brazil.
SEED was responsible for bringing to life 73 companies from 12 different countries that together had R$ 23 million in revenue until the end of 2014, created 145 jobs and raised R$ 10 million from private funds. Plus they influenced the life of 17,000+ people in 55 cities, considering most founders used to mentor and teach kids and young students on low-income communities.California Proposition 14 was a November 1964 ballot proposition that amended the California state constitution, nullifying the Rumford Fair Housing Act.[1] Proposition 14 was declared unconstitutional by the California Supreme Court in 1966.[2] The decision of the California Supreme Court was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 in Reitman v. Mulkey.[3]
Political science research has tied white support for Proposition 14 to "racial threat theory", which holds that an increase in the racial minority population triggers a fearful and discriminatory response by the dominating racial majority.[4]
Rumford Fair Housing Act [ edit ]
The Rumford Fair Housing Act was passed in 1963 by the California Legislature to help end racial discrimination by property owners and landlords who refused to rent or sell their property to "colored" people.[5] It was drafted by William Byron Rumford, the first African American from Northern California to serve in the legislature. The Act provided that landlords could not deny people housing because of ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, physical handicap, or familial status.[6]
Proposition 14 [ edit ]
In 1964, the California Real Estate Association sponsored an initiative to counteract the effects of the Act.[7]
The initiative, numbered Proposition 14 when it was certified for the ballot, was to add an amendment (Cal. Const. art. I, § 26) to the constitution of California. This amendment would provide, in part, as follows:
Neither the State nor any subdivision or agency thereof shall deny, limit or abridge, directly or indirectly, the right of any person, who is willing or desires to sell, lease or rent any part or all of his real property, to decline to sell, lease or rent such property to such person or persons as he, in his absolute discretion, chooses.[8]
The amendment attempted to re-legalize discrimination by landlords and property owners.
Endorsements [ edit ]
Following much publicity the proposition gained the endorsement of many large conservative political groups, including the John Birch Society and the California Republican Assembly. As these and other groups endorsed the proposal it became increasingly more popular and the petition to have the proposition added to the ballot garnered over one million signatures. This was more than twice the 480,000 signatures that were required.[9]
Los Angeles Times Endorsement [ edit ]
In endorsing Proposition 14, the Los Angeles Times stated: “One of man’s most ancient rights in a free society is the privilege of using and disposing of his private property in whatever manner he deems appropriate.” The editorial further stated: “But we do feel, and strongly, that housing equality cannot safely be achieved at the expense of still another basic right.”[10][11][12]
In a letter-to-the-editor response to the Times' endorsement of Proposition 14, then-California Attorney General Stanley Mosk stated: “I oppose the segregation initiative. I oppose it because it sugar-coats bigotry with an appeal to generalities we can accept, while ignoring the specific problem that confronts us.”[13]
Heated campaign [ edit ]
The Proposition 14 campaign was heated and included several controversial comments from Edmund Brown who was the Governor of California at the time. Governor Brown stated that passage of Proposition 14 would put into California’s Constitution “a provision for discrimination of which not even Mississippi or Alabama can boast.”[14] Previously, Governor Brown had likened the campaign for Proposition 14 to “another hate binge which began more than 30 years ago in a Munich beer hall.”[15] In a letter to the editor response to several items published in the Los Angeles Times relating to Proposition 14, Governor Brown wrote: “I submit that it is not the Governor who is inflammatory. It is Proposition 14. And I submit that it is not the opponents of Proposition 14 who encourage the racists and bigots in this state, but those who support Proposition 14.”[16]
Election results [ edit ]
Proposition 14 appeared on the November 3, 1964 general election ballot in California. The ballot proposition easily passed with 65.39% support, receiving 4,526,460 votes in support and 2,395,747 votes against.[17]
Notable counties voting in favor of Proposition 14 included: Alameda County (60.6% support), Contra Costa County (64.6% support), Los Angeles County (67.4% support), Marin County (52.2% support), Sacramento County (61.6% support), San Francisco County (52.9% support), San Mateo County (60.2% support), Santa Clara County (53.1% support), Santa Cruz County (58.5% support), Solano County (69.7% support), Sonoma County (61.8% support), and Yolo County (56.4% support).[18]
Notable cities voting in favor of Proposition 14 included: Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, Fresno, Inglewood, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Salinas, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Vallejo, Santa Rosa, Modesto, Oxnard, and Ventura.[19]
A 2018 study in the American Political Science Review found that white voters in areas which experienced massive African-American population growth between 1940 and 1960 were more likely to vote for Proposition 14. Political scientists have taken this as evidence for "racial threat theory", which holds that the rapid increase in a minority population triggers fears among the majority race population, leading the majority to impose higher levels of social control on the subordinate race.[4]
Unconstitutionality [ edit ]
Soon after Proposition 14 was passed, the federal government cut off all housing funds to California. Many also cited the proposition as one of the causes of the Watts Riots of 1965.[20]
With the federal housing funds cut off and with the support of Governor Pat Brown, the constitutionality of the measure was challenged soon afterward. In 1966, the California Supreme Court did not consider whether Proposition 14 was unconstitutional because it violated the equal protection and due process provisions of the California Constitution; instead, it held that Proposition 14 violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the federal Constitution.[21] Gov. Brown's stance proved controversial; later in 1966, he was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan opposed both Proposition 14 and the Rumford Act, and stated that Proposition 14 was “not a wise measure.”[22] Reagan labeled the Rumford Act as an attempt "to give one segment of our population a right at the expense of the basic rights of all our citizens."[23]
However, the case continued. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the California Supreme Court's decision in Reitman v. Mulkey (1967), holding that Proposition 14 was invalid because it violated the equal protection clause. The proposition was repealed by Proposition 7 in the November, 1974 election.[24]
Reitman established a significant precedent because it held that state assistance or encouragement of private discrimination violated the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment.Actually, the elegant and disciplined Obama, who is not descended from the central African-American experience but who has nonetheless embraced it and been embraced by it, has the chance to make the White House pristine again.
I grew up here, and I love all the monuments filled with the capital’s ghosts. I hate the thought that terrorists might target them again.
But the monuments have lost their luminescence in recent years.
How could the White House be classy when the Clintons were turning it into Motel 1600 for fund-raising, when Bill Clinton was using it for trysts with an intern and when he plunked a seven-seat hot tub with two Moto-Massager jets on the lawn?
How could the White House be inspiring when W. and Cheney were inside making torture and domestic spying legal, fooling Americans by cooking up warped evidence for war and scheming how to further enrich their buddies in the oil and gas industry?
Photo
How could the Lincoln Memorial — “With malice toward none; with charity for all” — be as moving if the black neighborhoods of a charming American city were left to drown while the president mountain- biked?
How can the National Archives, home of the Constitution, be as momentous if the president and vice president spend their days redacting the Constitution?
How can the black marble V of the Vietnam Memorial have power when those in power repeat the mistake of Vietnam?
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How can the Capitol, where my dad proudly worked for so many years, hold its allure when the occupants have spent their days — and years — bickering and scoring petty political points instead of stopping White House chicanery and taking on risky big issues?
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How can the F.D.R. Memorial along the Tidal Basin be an uplifting trip to the past when the |
at store entrances in hopes of securing the best deals on holiday gifts. Without fail some of these shopping scrums end in fisticuffs as shoppers exchange blows over who gets the last discounted video game console or Rachel Ray cookware set.
To determine just where it's most dangerous to participate in Black Friday, Estately sought to determine where people are most likely to be participating in Black Friday sales and where people are most prone to violently attacking each other. The findings come from ranking each state from 1-50 for these two data sets and then averaging the results.
1. Facebook users expressing interest in Black Friday sales (source: Facebook user data)
2. Frequency of aggravated assaults (attempts to cause seriously bodily injury purposely) (source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports2014)
Enthusiasm for abandoning one's family to participate in premature shopping is not a universal interest in America. According to Facebook user data, fewer than 2% of users express any interest in Black Friday sales in California and Hawaii, while over 10% of users in West Virginia and Kentucky do.
As for which states are the most violent that varies widely as well. Tennessee had the highest rate of aggravated assaults (453.2 incidents per 100,000 people), and Maine had the fewest (66.9 incidents per 100,000 people).
The top ten most dangerous states are listed below:
1. Arkansas
2. Tennessee
3. Alabama
4. Louisiana
5. Missouri
6. West Virginia
7. Oklahoma
8. Indiana
9. Kansas
10. South Carolina
For a full list visit Estately Blog here.Josh Radnor is no longer looking for love, but he has fond memories of his fictional search for the one. The star of PBS’ new series Mercy Street visited HuffPost Live on Tuesday, January 19, and had only positive things to say about the finale of his hit show How I Met Your Mother.
“I think it was terrific!” Radnor, 41, exclaimed. After the finale aired in March 2014, many fans felt that the ending was a letdown after nine seasons. “How many finales stick the landing so that everyone is happy? None!” the actor continued. “Something about How I Met Your Mother … it always made you cry, it always was not what you thought it was — [the finale] was keeping with the DNA of the show. My suspicion will be that it will age pretty well.”
In any case, Radnor’s latest role, as a Civil War doctor on PBS’ Mercy Street, is a little more serious. Speaking about the show with HuffPost, he said his character is “full of internal contradictions” and that the series will be very dramatic. “This is not a show that looks back on the past with any sort of rose-colored glasses,” Radnor warned. “There were people on the wrong side of history and it does not sugarcoat that.”
With so much emotion and energy surrounding Radnor’s new show, the actor explained how meditation keeps him grounded. “I’m a fan,” he said. “Getting my eyes closed once or twice a day for some time is so powerful. It gets me back to this timeless place before the static. When I come out, I’m more effective, kinder and more patient.”
Have a question you'd like to ask a celebrity? Check out who will be appearing on HuffPost Live and submit your question to be asked live on-air!
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Its analysis of hospital and health data found those living in Sydney's wealthiest areas – north Sydney, northern beaches and eastern suburbs – have some of the nation's healthiest hearts, while those in regional and remote areas have some of the worst.
"Better heart health is associated with good education, reliable and secure employment, safe and affordable housing, accessible transport, affordable and healthy and food, and culturally appropriate health services and social support," said Adjunct Professor John Kelly, chief executive of the Heart Foundation.
"You get that in north Sydney, Hornsby and eastern suburbs, but you don't get that in the mid-north coast, far west and Orana, New England, north-west or Riverina."Is having fewer children the mark of decadence? The New York Times' cultural conservative, Ross Douthat, has been arguing that in recent columns. For him, a decline in childbearing means that people are abandoning the future for the fleeting pleasures of the present.
Douthat suggests that only misanthropes and radical environmentalists (plus any "partisan of voluntary human extinction," but that sounds misanthropic to me) can deny that declining to have kids, past a point, is decadent. The response has tended to be embarrassment about his moralizing tone and fall-of-Rome language. The don't-say-decadence response comes from conservatives who think such fulminating helped them lose the last presidential election, and also from liberals who agree with Douthat (and Brooks) in wanting policies to make childrearing easier, but don't want to moralize the decision.
It's a familiar pattern on "cultural" issues, code for questions involving traditional morality, religious scruples, and personal autonomy: conservatives have a moral language (albeit, sometimes one that seems to have been imported from Mordor) and liberals wish other people would just learn to shrug.
This is one where liberals can do better. There's a moral case for low birthrates. It includes but goes beyond environmentalism, "radical" or otherwise. Some of those whom Douthat calls decadent should be taking pride in their decisions, not shrugging. They aren't giving up on the future; they're helping to make it livable.
Full disclosure: I don't have children, and I enjoy the disposable income and general flexibility that are the symptoms of alleged decadence. But my six-month-old nephew is the joy of my life, and I decided about a year ago that I very definitely want kids. My reasons are pretty much the ones Ross Douthat seems to admire: I'd rather be tired and overstretched for a couple of decades, and hand over much of my future happiness as a hostage to my offspring, than go on with my pleasant, otherwise productive autonomy. I feel this way because I want to be part of life's whole cycle, be a link between past generations and the future, and not just treat my years as a vessel for my own enjoyment.
So I'm not being defensive, as far as I can tell. But I think Douthat is seriously, even dangerously wrong, and that the people he's criticizing are the ones who are taking responsibility for the future.
The environmental reason is big. Our total impact on the earth's systems is a function of two things: the average resource use per person and the total number of people. As the world gets richer, even with improved technology, the per-person resource use jumps. India and China are replacing dirty cooking fires with clean stoves, but overall they have much bigger environmental effects than when they were poorer. Rich Americans are still the world's resource gluttons, and we have much more company in consumption than we once did.
Fewer people, including fewer Americans, would be an excellent thing for the planet. There are complications and qualifiers, of course, but that is the bottom line. The main reason this isn't said more often is that it can seem futile and distasteful -- futile because slowing or reversing population growth as hard as reversing the tide, distasteful because a lot of worry about population has featured rich white people wishing there were fewer poor brown people.
That doesn't change the fact that truly voluntary and conscientious decisions, by a lot of people, to have few enough children that the human population would decline over the next 100 years and beyond, would be excellent for the global climate, the health of soil, our ability to preserve stressed ecosystems, and just about any other environmental value you care to name.
Another reason is subtler and maybe more partisan. The world economy is, among other things, a balance between labor and capital. (Please don't take me to be some kind of doctrinaire Marxist: I am just making a point about labor markets.) When employees have scarce talents that are needed to make capital productive, they can win good compensation packages: nice pay, secure pensions, health care, and unions if they want them. This kind of economic power naturally translates into political power. Part of the reason American workers lived in a sort of paradise after World War Two is that they were in demand in a country that was the world's manufacturer. Part of the reason the relative position of blue-collar workers has declined so much, with many clerical and even professional employees recently following suit, is that they are now in competition with the world.
If you like the idea of an economy that looks more like America in the 1950s -- fairly equitable, with a strong middle class and widespread opportunity -- you might like it if capital couldn't flee to labor frontiers like China, Vietnam and Malaysia. You might like it if labor were a little scarcer everywhere, so people who do the work could stick up for themselves successfully at the bargaining table. The globalization genie is not about to distill itself back into its bottle. But if people have fewer babies, those choices add up, over decades, to fewer people competing with one another, and, as pay structures converge, to a higher global wage. I'd like to get there sooner, rather than linger in a world where factory workers in places like Vietnam have to pass through a long Middle Passage of dangerous, poorly compensated work, while employees in richer countries struggle with insecurity and downward pressure on their wages.
Why do people have fewer children? The answer seems to be, as Douthat suggests, that they value their careers, their friendships, their romantic lives, and, yes, their fun, and hesitate to sacrifice these. So they have children later, and even those who start early have fewer. Countries, and regions of countries, where large numbers of people embrace these individualistic, self-expressive, "post-traditional" priorities also have low birth rates, especially in Europe. But -- and this is key -- they do have children, and they love and take care of them. (Indeed, anyone who has observed childrearing in such post-traditional precincts as the New Yorker's readership knows that they care for them with an obsessive attention unparalleled in human history.)
No doubt many of these people have strong environmental concerns, and some of them consider these in their childbearing decisions. Probably few are thinking of the global labor market, which seems fair enough. In any case, they may not have thought that they are contributing to a better future. In fact, they are struggling against decadence.
How? They are helping to create a world where humanity presses less hard on the planet that supports us, and where the economy requires less struggle and gives more opportunity for exploration, reflection, and self-expression. In other words, they are helping to create the kind of world they value. They are doing this by acting on those values now, in their most intimate and important decisions.
There are two longstanding pessimistic views about human nature and population. The more famous is Thomas Malthus' prediction that, because people breed as much as resources allow, growing wealth will just be grazed down to bare ground by hordes of people growing to match it. More than two centuries old, Malthus's prediction has seen periodic revivals, most recently in the fierce concern about global population of the 1960s and 1970s.
The usual thing to say in response is that Malthus didn't see how technology would make limited resources more production; but that is superficial. The real discovery is that, contrary to the pessimist (and reactionary) Malthus's view, people do not breed like lemmings. They breed like rational, passionate creatures with plans and hopes for their lives. The fact that birthrates go down with women's wealth, education, and autonomy -- that is, when everyone involved in the choice has the power to make the choice real -- is the most hopeful sign that humans can use our power of reproduction freely, sensibly, and sustainably.
Douthat's pessimism is the other side of the same coin. Malthus argued that selfish, short-sighted people would breed themselves back into poverty. Douthat worries that selfish, short-sighted people will not-breed themselves into extinction.
But humanity is doing better than that. Freedom turns out to have some tendency to be self-guiding and self-limiting. Intelligence, prudence, and ideals for a better life can discipline selfishness and short-sightedness. It may be that, on this point at least, the pessimists have misunderstood the species, and history is bending the right way.US weapons sales more than tripled in 2011, reaching a record high, according to a new congressional report.
The country sold $66bn worth of arms last year, up from $21.4bn in 2010. The previous record had been $31bn in 2009; global arms sales declined slightly after that because of the economic crisis.
America's largest customer was Saudi Arabia, which purchased more than $33bn worth of weapons from the US, including dozens of F-15 fighter jets, missiles, and other materiel.
The United Arab Emirates and Oman also both spent billions, purchases driven in part by fears over Iran's regional ambitions. The Obama administration has touted these deals as a major stimulus for the US economy, saying the Saudi arms sales alone would generate some 75,000 new jobs.
The US also arranged several multi-billion dollar deals with Asian nations, including an agreement with China to sell transport planes worth more than $4bn.
All told, the US sold 78 per cent of the world's arms in 2011. Russia was a distant second, with $4.8bn in arms sales.
The report was prepared by the Congressional Research Service, which conducts studies for US lawmakers.The quarterback carousel is spinning in Buffalo.
NFL.com and NFL Network's Michael Lombardi and Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Bills will acquire Tarvaris Jackson in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Jones: The return of Fitz-magic? The Kim Jones checks in with Ryan Fitzpatrick and company.
The Bills started last season hot, but then they fell apart.checks in with Ryan Fitzpatrick and company. More...
Seattle was expected to part ways with Jackson. After the Seahawks sunk money into free-agent Matt Flynn, only to watch rookie Russell Wilson emerge as the team's most exciting passer (he was named the team's starter on Sunday), Jackson became the odd man out.
The impending trade likely marks the end of Vince Young's brief stint with the Bills, where coach Chan Gailey has obviously seen enough from the former Tennesse Titans and Philadelphia Eagles passer who sputtered in three preseason appearances for Buffalo. Gailey has thrived working with mobile quarterbacks, but Young struggled to adapt to Buffalo's spread offense.
Jackson is yet another mid-level passer, but an upgrade over Young. None of this is good news for backup Tyler Thigpen. The Bills have said all summer they're committed to keeping versatile Brad Smith as the team's third passer.
From top to bottom, Buffalo continues to re-evaluate the quarterback position. Ryan Fitzpatrick is today's starter, but the reshuffling below him -- Gailey's tireless quest to upgrade -- suggests that questions remain.
Update: Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed the deal had been agreed to by both teams Sunday, but added the trade wasn't completed.
"It has been agreed upon, but there is still a little bit of paperwork to do," Carroll said during a telephone conference call with reporters, according to The Associated Press. "It might be done tonight. It is scheduled to be done."
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.Following the NFL’s mass-protest of the national anthem on Sunday, it’s pretty obvious that its players don’t care about their customers.
If there was any doubt about whether or not that was true, New York Giants’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall solidified that notion.
Prior to the Giants’ game in Philadelphia, Marshall got into an argument with an Eagles’ fan during warmups. That fan says the six-time pro bowler then spit on him, before he was pulled away by members of the Giants’ staff. It’s unclear if it was done deliberately or not. But, either way, it’s just another example inside the NFL players’ mindset towards fans if the allegations are true.
The league’s protest is an assault on the American flag, and the United States’ serviceman and women who protect us all. If 33-year-old Marshall did in fact spit on that fan, it’s also an assault on an individual, according to the law.
I’m not saying that the fan should press charges and play the “traumatized victim” role, but what other profession can an employee spit on a paying customer without facing any consequences?
The arrogant NFL sees itself as an inelastic product. Sorry, Commissioner Goodell, but NFL games are not gasoline, drinking water, or medicine. Americans don’t need you. Professional sporting events were originally designed to be weekend entertainment, a get-away of sorts, for hardworking Americans.
Declining NFL television ratings are proof that the league is turning off fans.Apple’s Online Store in the U.S. now has all carriers, capacities, and colors of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets listed as “in stock.” The new unlocked SIM-free iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is showing one business day for shipping time.
MacRumors:
Last month, shipping estimates for the 16/64GB iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus improved drastically, with estimates improving to 3 to 5 days in early December and jumping to 1 to 3 day and 1 day estimates later in the month. The larger-capacity 128GB devices were somewhat constrained throughout the month, with estimates remaining at 7 to 10 days and jumping to 3 to 5 days in December.
Meanwhile, Apple Online Store in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany all show the devices as in stock. Company stores in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Mexico are showing a shipping estimate of one business day.
The popular devices have been in short supply ever since their launch back in September. Apple has been working to improve the supplies of the handsets, apparently finally reaching a balance between supply and demand in recent days.In 1959, the Arab League resolution 1547 confirmed earlier resolutions calling on Arab countries to treat Palestinian Arabs well – but recommends that they “retain their Palestinian nationality.“ Meaning that Palestinian Arabs should not be allowed to obtain citizenship in their host countries.
While the Arab League supports the right of any Arab to become citizens of any Arab country, they have a single exception: Palestinians.
Today, over fifty years later, if you are a Palestinian and you want to become a citizen of an Arab country, you are almost certainly out of luck. And the reason being given is the same as in 1959: Arabs say they are doing it to preserve Palestinian nationality, which they evidently believe is so fragile that if they were allowed to become citizens they would forget all about their history.
This is, of course, cynical. There are a few reasons why Arab countries do not want Palestinians to become citizens, but they have nothing to do with helping Palestinian nationhood. Lebanon is afraid of an influx of Sunni Muslims tipping the demographic balance in that country; Jordan (which took away the citizenship of all West Bank Palestinians in 1988) wants to make sure that the “Jordan is Palestine” idea is buried deeply away; and other Arab countries just want to keep the Palestinian refugee problem alive to be used as a weapon against Israel.
No one has really asked the Palestinians themselves what they want.
While Palestinian leaders since the 1950s have been adamant when speaking to Westerners how they will not accept any solution besides return to Israel, in reality average Palestinians have acted in quite the opposite way. Every single time a crack in the system has allowed for a limited numbers of Palestinians to become citizens, they jumped at the opportunity.
In the 1950s and 1960s, about 50,000 Palestinian Christians managed to gain Lebanese citizenship. About 20,000 more managed to become citizens when a loophole opened in the 1990s.
Also in the 1950s, many Gazans sneaked across Israel to make it to the West Bank where they could become Jordanian citizens.
Last year, tens of thousands of Gazans hired lawyers to prove that they really had Egyptian ancestry to try to become Egyptian citizens. A few hundred Palestinians with Egyptian mothers managed to become citizens after public protests.
Meanwhile, Jordan has been stripping much of its Palestinian population of their citizenship if they can prove that they have ties to the West Bank. Again, this is being done, they say, for their own good.
It is obvious that most ordinary Palestinians who have lived their whole lives in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and the Gulf would love to become full citizens if they were given the chance, and those in Jordan want to remain citizens. Arab nations are denying them that right.
How come nobody is demanding that Arab nations allow Palestinian Arabs to become citizens if they want to? Why do people who describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian” ignore this institutionalized discrimination against an entire population?
Beyond that, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and even the Covenant for the Rights of the Child in Islam, all encourage or demand that children born in a state should become citizens of that state. Why are no human rights organizations demanding that the basic right of citizenship be applied to Palestinians born in Arab countries if they desire it?
There are a lot of people who say that they are “pro-Palestinian.” But if you ask them whether Palestinians should be given the right of citizenship in their host countries, almost none of them would support it.
Perhaps they aren’t as “pro-Palestinian” as they claim to be.Minister for Housing Simon Coveney
You may recall how yesterday new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed the national average house price rising by almost 11% in the year to February.
Some economists have blamed the Government’s Help To Buy scheme for fuelling the sharp rise in prices.
Further to this…
Last Sunday.
Architect Maoilíosa Reynolds wrote an article for the Sunday Business Post in which he raised serious concerns about the Department of Housing’s seemingly disingenuous methodology when it comes to calculating house building figures.
He explained that official house completion figures are based on connections to the ESB network. To this end, the department says 14,932 new homes were “delivered” in 2016.
But, he said:
“There are significant problems with this. When a dwelling has been vacant for two years or more, the ESB network requires the owner to apply for a new connection (MPRN). This is a safety measure designed to make sure vacant units are safe and wired correctly. Using this method, existing completed Nama vacant units, part-completed ‘ghost estate’ units and local authority refurbished voids, when re-connected to the grid, are all classified as new completions. In the five-year census period, almost 20,000 existing houses have been re-connected and therefore officially reclassified as new builds.”
Mr Reynolds also raised concerns about how commencement figures are calculated – and crucially inflated – for large housing estates.
He wrote:
“In larger, estate-type projects, the established practice is to lodge one commencement notice for an entire scheme which may not be completed for several years. A 400-unit estate which begins building today may only deliver 50 units in 2017 – but all 400 will be counted as commenced this year. As a result, estate commencement numbers are inflated.”
As for residential planning permissions, he wrote:
“Up to 40 per cent of residential permissions do not get built for various reasons – lack of finance, ‘value-add’ exercises or extensions to existing permissions.”
Bizarrely, Mr Reynolds explains that one metric can be trusted and that’s the Department of Housing’s own detailed database called the Building Control Management System (BCMS).
He explained:
“A presentation by Department of Housing representatives to Engineers Ireland last month disclosed BCMS completion figures – not published on the Department’s website – for 2016. According to the presentation, there were just 3,505 certificates of compliance issued for all building types (not just residential). In some instances, a single certificate of compliance covers more than one unit, so it is thought that the true number of homes represented by completion certificates could be as much as 30 per cent higher. But the reality is we don’t know. Assuming the 30 per cent figure is correct, this means that certificates of compliance may represent 4,556 units delivered, a figure that includes 243 local authority and 400 units for conversions of existing non-residential to residential (Department’s own estimate). Add in average figures for one-off housing commencements at 2,972, a maximum delivery number of 7,528 is reached, or just 50.4 per cent of the official figure of 14,932. This is best-case scenario. The number is likely lower, as BCMS tracks all building types, but does not disaggregate residential from other activity. This means that in 2016, new-build output was half the official figures and a minimum of 7,404 existing vacant, refurbished voids and ‘ghost estate’ units reconnected to the grid were double-counted as new completions.”
Why housebuilding figures aren’t reliable (The Sunday Business Post)
Further to this.
Keelin Shanley was speaking to the Minister for Housing Simon Coveney on RTÉ’s News At One this afternoon when she raised the matter of Ireland’s official housing figures.
Keelin Shanley: “If you want to solve a problem, the very first thing you have to do is quantify that problem and know exactly what you’re dealing with. There has been discrepancy over figures that are coming out. We see 4,400 new home transactions over the last 12 months, comparing to a figure of 15,000 coming from the department. Can you explain the difference here? Because a number of experts have tried.”
Simon Coveney: “No, look, we measure new house completions that same way now as we have done every year since the 1970s. It’s based on ESB connections so, in other words, when somebody comes into a house, they put in place an ESB connection to actually insure that that house has been lived in, that is what determines new completions. Last year, it was over 15,000. The year before just over 12,000. This year the anticipated figure will be about 19,000. And so…”
Shanley: “So, ESB connections, rather than new homes put in place. These can be homes being brought back in or…”
Coveney: “I can only, like, you know, I mean, if we, you know, if figures were showing a different result, you’d ask me a different question. All I can do is use the same methodology that we’ve always used. To measure new completions, so that we can see improving trends. And we are seeing a dramatic increase in house building activity in Ireland, mainly around the cities. It’s only starting in other…if you look at Co Galway, one of the biggest counties in the country, only one housing estate built in the last six years. If you look at a county like Tipperary, not a single housing estate built in the last five or six years. And we’re about to have 200 houses built outside Clonmel. So we are seeing increases. It is ramping up quickly but it will take time for that to turn into new homes, good quality communities and housing estates and significant [inaudible] needed in city centres.”
Talk over each other
Coveney: “Planning applications, for example in Dublin, for apartment complexes is up more than 200%. So the willingness is there. But look, we can’t…”
Shanley: “There is a lag..”
Coveney: “…ignore the fact that, but over the last six or seven years, we had a broken economy and at the heart of that was a broken construction sector we had a banking sector that didn’t function, many, many developers and builders went out of business. 200,000 people lost jobs on building sites. In the last 12 months there’s an extra 13,000 people working on building sites so we are rebuilding literally from a very, very low base. It is going to take some time to deliver a response on that, but it’s happening.”
Shanley: “Minister, nobody disputes that, we’ve seen it. And that’s fair enough. I think everybody accepts that there is a lag. But even so, over the last 12 months, that figure of 4,400 new home transactions or 15,000 completions from the department, it’s still a very long way off from what’s actually needed and that’s with time. You know, they’re the most recent figures….”
Listen back in full here
RollingnewsKathleen Wynne will be Ontario's first female premier after dramatic movements on the convention floor earned her the endorsement of two former rivals and propelled her to a third-ballot victory on Saturday.
Those endorsements, from Mississauga South MPP Charles Sousa and former Toronto MP and MPP Gerard Kennedy, came after the second ballot and pushed Wynne past longtime Liberal Sandra Pupatello, who up to that point held a slight lead between the two clear frontrunners.
"That was a critical moment when [Sousa] moved across the floor to us," Wynne told CBC's Susana Mas. Sousa and Kennedy were critical, she said, and would determine the winner. When she saw Sousa, Wynne didn't know at first where he was going.
"But when he started to move to us we thought, 'OK, this is fantastic momentum. We really are on our way,'" she said.
Wynne's victory on the third and final ballot came by a vote of 1,150 to 866 over Pupatello. The pair appeared together on stage and joined hands after the final results were announced.
Wynne said the province is ready to accept an openly gay woman as premier.
"The province has changed, our party has changed. I do not believe that the people of Ontario... hold that prejudice in their hearts," said Wynne, who is married to Jane Rounthwaite.
In a show of party unity, Wynne then asked all the candidates and all the Liberal caucus members to join her on stage.
"This is a dream team of candidates, this is a very deep bench," said Wynne after thanking all the candidates, her family and the campaign team.
She said with the "easy part" now over, her party must be ready for an election that could come as soon as this year.
"It's about taking the momentum and getting back to the legislature, getting to work and showing the people of Ontario that we can govern in a minority parliament," she said.
Five of the six candidates, including Wynne, represent Toronto, but Wynne said she would be "premier for the whole province."
Pupatello, Hudak, Harper offer congratulations
Pupatello congratulated Wynne and praised the Liberal team.
"Tonight we made history," said Pupatello. "Our final ballot had two strong women on the ballot."
Wynne said Tim Hudak, Progressive Conservative leader, was the first politician to call and congratulate her.
"It was great, great of him to reach out," she said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement Saturday congratulating Wynne and saying he looks forward to working with her "on addressing issues that matter to Ontarians, and in particular the creation of jobs and economic growth."
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford also issued a congratulatory message to Wynne.
Wynne takes over a party with plenty of political baggage, including a $12-billion deficit and a soured relationship with the province's teachers, once a traditional base of Liberal support.
How Wynne won
Wynne, MPP for Don Valley West, finished second on the second ballot with 750 votes while Pupatello appeared to be in good position with 817.
Kennedy had 285 second-round votes to Sousa's 203.
Kennedy was expected to back Wynne but Sousa's endorsement came as a surprise.
In explaining his decision, Sousa told reporters he felt Wynne "has what it takes" to help the province return to fiscal balance while maintaining social programs.
"What's important is that we ensure that we renew our economy so we can afford social programs, health care, education and that we ensure that we balance our fiscal matters for the long term and I believe Kathleen has what it takes," Sousa said.
St. Paul’s MPP Eric Hoskins threw his support to Wynne after finishing last among the six candidates in the opening round. Harinder Takhar dropped out to back Pupatello shortly afterward.
Some speculated that Pupatello's lack of a seat in Queen's Park and her desire to call a byelection before bringing back the legislature may have turned the tide in Wynne's favour.
Jackie Blackett, speaking from Toronto’s gay village, said Wynne represents a refreshing change in Ontario politics.
"I think it’s great," Blackett told CBC News. "It should be an equal opportunity for everyone. It just shows that society has really progressed. Personally I don't think anyone’s sexual orientation should be a factor."I was having a beer on the weekend with a friend who backed Maxime Bernier in the recent Conservative Party of Canada leadership contest. He had a long list of reasons to explain why his horse lost in a photo-finish. Many of his complaints revolved around the way the leadership election system was designed to work — with ridings in Labrador and northern Quebec with dozens of members having as much clout as his own riding in Alberta, with thousands of members.
But he also cited irregularities in the process itself that he believes may have cost Max the prize — missing ballots, voters denied a vote because of traffic jams around the Toronto Convention Center. Some in the Bernier camp have been questioning the integrity of the vote and — until today, at least — were “demanding answers.”
There is an apparent discrepancy between the ballots cast and the number of CPC members who claim to have cast them. The discrepancy is reported to be a little over 7,000. More ballots cast than people to cast them — that’s how elections are won in banana republics. Former candidate Kevin O’Leary (not a man known for measured responses) has called for a recount. Small chance of that; all of the ballots have been destroyed.
Managing an undertaking of this magnitude, using mostly volunteer labour, is always going to be daunting. Mistakes are inevitable. But the party must be able to defend both the system and the validity of the result. Leadership contests are inherently divisive. If there is any insinuation that the process was contaminated, anything to suggest the results might be suspect, schism will replace unification.
And matters were surely moving in that direction until late Tuesday/early Wednesday, when Bernier himself, and supporters Tony Clement and Kory Teneycke, all took to social media to reaffirm (or at least affirm) their “unconditional” support for Andrew Scheer as undisputed leader of the CPC.
Why are the wagons suddenly being circled? Common sense.
Any cloud over Scheer’s leadership severely comprises his ability to hold the government to account as he tries to nurture a relationship with Canadian voters — most of whom have no idea who he is. Any cloud over Scheer’s leadership severely comprises his ability to hold the government to account as he tries to nurture a relationship with Canadian voters — most of whom have no idea who he is.
Dan Nowlan, chairperson of the leadership organizing committee, confirmed that it is over. The auditing firm Deloitte has signed off on the final result (although, as the Globe and Mail points out, Deloitte was never tasked by the party with auditing the result). “That’s it. No appeal. It’s very clear in the rules,” said Nowlan.
Bernier can in no way be seen to be challenging the outcome — and likely now regrets saying that he wants “answers” from the party. He and his team probably deserve those answers. They’re still not going to get them.
For Bernier, there is no upside to fruitlessly demanding action on this. There’s a very obvious downside, as well: If he should keep beating this drum, he will be demonized within the party as a malcontent, as someone who is not a ‘team player’.
I have witnessed local nomination contests that have ended up in court. I’m grateful I was never involved in one. Such conflicts always turn into protracted exercises in the public airing of dirty laundry. Irregularities are sometimes proven; seldom do they change the results. Often the matter becomes moot because an actual election arrives before the results of the contested nomination can be determined in our gridlocked judicial system.
Many parties and riding associations now require that candidates sign non-litigation agreements to spare everyone the ignominy. No riding association or party wants its misdeeds and errors put on public display. So Bernier’s supporters will not get any “answers” they don’t already have.
That’s likely for the best. We are less than two and a half years away from the next federal election. Any cloud over Scheer’s leadership severely comprises his ability to hold the government to account as he tries to nurture a relationship with Canadian voters — most of whom have no idea who he is.
Better to take one for the team. I am reminded of Al Gore in 2000, who — notwithstanding numerous irregularities in the deciding state of Florida — decided not to contest. I think he sincerely believed that the damage uncertainty over the election results would do to the nation was a far bigger threat than reported issues with the count. He took one for Team America.
Now, CPC insiders are asking Bernier and his crew to take one for Team CPC. And they will.
Parliament likely will rise next week. Over the summer recess, Scheer will be assembling his shadow cabinet and then his election team for 2019. Certainly, Bernier and Clement want to be part of the former; Teneycke likely wants some paid role in the latter.
There might be something magnanimous behind the Bernier camp’s sudden expressions of loyalty to their new leader. But self interest is playing a significant role here as well. Bernier can’t change the result — and he doesn’t want to be on the outside looking in after the dust settles.
Party leaders use both the carrot and the stick to keep caucuses in line — but it’s the carrots that hold the party together. My friend and Kevin O’Leary, however, might continue to snipe from the cheap |
Eritrean and 70 percent of Sudanese asylum seekers are recognized as refugees, according to the Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel (ASSAF).
Israel’s lack of a clear asylum policy and its failure to make information available has also made it difficult for people to submit asylum requests. “People don’t know if they submitted [their asylum requests] or didn’t, and now there are long waits that make it impossible,” Ben Dor said. In practice, people eligible for refugee status have not received it. And while people can continue to submit asylum requests, under the government’s proposed plan, asylum seekers whose requests have been denied can now be detained indefinitely or deported.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees expressed serious concern following the announcement of Israel’s latest plan last month. As it has been articulated so far, the plan “absolutely violates” the 1951 Refugee Convention to which Israel is a signatory, Rozen said.
Recent reports paint a grim picture of what awaits asylum seekers who choose to return to leave Israel for Rwanda or return to their home countries: torture, rape, mass and arbitrary imprisonment, forced labor. They are often denied status and prohibited from working. When Ben Dor visited Uganda, she found asylum seekers held “in cells with 30 people, no light no water, no beds.” She added, “in Israel, you wouldn’t keep animals in conditions like these.”
In the human rights community, the feeling is that there is no choice but to oppose the government’s plan. “We have an obligation and the desire to fight to make our country one that provides shelter to refugees,” Ben Dor said.
“I, personally, refuse to believe that the State of Israel will put victims of genocide and people who fled bloody dictatorships on a plane against their will to a country that is not capable of receiving them,” Rozen stressed. “And we’ll do everything we can to prevent this from happening.”Tense demonstrations in Missouri in the wake of a police shooting of an unarmed teen have put a spotlight on the paramilitary trend local police forces are taken, and the phenomenon is visible on college campuses, too.
Big universities and small colleges alike are taking extreme security measures, from setting up elaborate networks of security cameras to purchasing urban-warfare vehicles and semi-automatic rifles.
In 2013, the campus police at The Ohio State University procured a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle (MRAP), according to the Daily Caller. The vehicle, which school officials noted was “acquired at no cost from military surplus,” has a gun turret on the roof and is designed to stave off ambushes and roll over improvised explosive devices. OSU was also the first agency in the state to acquire an MRAP at the time.
Around the nation, officers from campus agencies across the country have been receiving SWAT-style training since 2007. In addition, many of the agencies are acquiring weapons directly from the Department of Defense.
Evidence of beefed up college police arsenals was also seen in 2011, during the height of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests when camps cops at UC Davis in Northern California were seen controlling the crowd in full riot gear. A year later, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte appointed its own SWAT team, outfitted with MP-15 rifles, M&P.40 caliber pistols and shotguns.
According to federal data from 2008, nine out of 10 college policing agencies employ sworn police officers and have armed patrols with the authorization to use deadly force if need be.
Last December, one such example of deadly force was used by a campus officer at the University of the Incarnate Word, a Catholic college in San Antonio. Senior student Robert Redus was fatally shot by a campus officer after he tried to grab his baton during a traffic stop. Redus, an honors student who was set to graduate this summer, was shot five times at close range.David Bollier & Soilke Helfrich, editors
The Wealth of Commons:
A World Beyond Market and State
Levellers Press, 2012
reviewed by Derek Wall
In 2009 Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics. This was for her work on the concept of commons, collectively owned property from Swiss Alpine pastures to indigenous rainforests to free software.
Her work on the commons was inspired by her reaction to a lecture by Garrett Hardin, who coined the phrase “tragedy of the commons.” He argued that shared property would always be overused and abused, but his real target was overpopulation. Although he had carried out no actual research, he insisted that in the absence of authoritarian control, a “commons in breeding” would destroy the environment. “Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.”
For her doctorate, Ostrom had studied how communities organized to sustain water in Los Angeles West Basin, by rationing water use, to stop salt water from being sucked in the sea. listening to Hardin she realized that she had studied something he claimed was impossible, a successful commons.
In a 2010 interview, she recalled:
“That gave me insights into people, some of whom had spent 20, 30 years trying to solve this tough problem. There had not been one thing they did. They did a number of different things, including building a barrier against the ocean coming by putting water down through wells—very ingenious. I didn’t know I was studying the commons. “[Hardin argued that such cooperation was impossible but] he really was worried about population. He indicated that every man and every woman should be sterilized after they have one child. He was very serious about it…. “I was somewhat taken aback. ‘My theory proves that we should do this,’ and people said, ‘Well, don’t you think that that’s a little severe?’ ‘No! That’s what we should do, or we’re sunk.’ “Well, he, in my mind, became a totalitarian. I, thus, had seen a real instance where his theory didn’t work.”
Ostrom tracked case studies of both successful and failed commons to learn how self-governing ecologically sustainable systems could be built. While she came from a liberal background, she showed that economics extends beyond the market. To put it simply, she examined the nuts and bolts of non-monetary economics.
Today, the battle to preserve, extend and deepen the commons is becoming more and more popular, and The Wealth of the Commons, an anthology of over seventy essays, is an excellent introduction to the topic. Where Garrett Hardin saw the commons as “tragic,” this book shows how it can be a solution to climate change and other environmental problems.
Its impossible to list all the excellent contributions but it is global in scope and a very accessible read. The Marxist tradition is well summed up in a particularly good essay by the historian Peter Linebaugh. Ryan Conway from the Ostrom workshop provides a clear introduction to Elinor Ostrom’s work, which I particularly recommend.
Commons can work. An alternative to neo-liberalism is possible. However, what the anthology illustrates is that commons are founded on property rights and property rights are about power. Democratic ownership of the means of production is necessary, so that society can be managed for the good of all and not just an elite.
Ostrom’s work suggests that democratic control is more likely to lead to sustainability than centralized control because collective management allows people to construct rules for protecting the environment that work based on local knowledge.
Marx’s long term project can be seen as seeking to understand how commons – which were often enclosed and destroyed – can be the basis for a communist society which is ecological and democratic. His emphasis was on why revolution is necessary to take control from a tiny wealthy class and restore it to society at large.
Commons are about both the macro factors of power, class struggle and transformation, and the micro politics and economics that can make shared control work on the ground. David Bollier and Silke Helfrich have produced a collection which will inspire further action to create a democratic and ecological alternative.
—
Derek Wall is International Coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales. He is currently a writing a book on “The Sustainable Economics of Elinor Ostrom.”
“The Wealth of the Commons,” a collection of 73 essays that describe the potential of the commons, is available in hard copy or electronic form through the book’s website. It is also available in German, as “Commons –Für eine neue Politik jenseits von Markt und Staat,” published by transcript verlag.Patients with Type 2 Diabetes may face an increased risk for Barrett's Esophagus (BE), regardless of other risk factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to research unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.
The study, "Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Barrett's Esophagus: Results from A Large Population Based Control Case Study," suggests that, "if you have diabetes, your risk for Barrett's esophagus (BE) may be almost doubled," said co-investigator, Prasad G. Iyer, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He said this risk may be higher in men with diabetes likely because men tend to carry more fat in the abdomen compared to women who tend to carry weight around the hips and thighs.
Type 2 diabetes is the most is the most form of diabetes, with millions of Americans living with the disease. Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the tissue lining the esophagus is replaced by tissue that is similar to the lining of the intestine. No signs or symptoms are associated with Barrett's esophagus but it is commonly found in people with GERD. About 5 to 10 percent of patients with chronic GERD will develop Barrett's esophagus.
Performing a population-based control study using the United Kingdom's General Practice Research Database (GPRD) (a primary care database containing more than 8 million patients), the researchers identified 14,245 Barrett's esophagus cases and 70,361 controls without Barrett's esophagus. Cases were more likely than controls to have ever smoked and consumed alcohol; and the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes before Barrett's esophagus diagnosis was higher in cases than controls. The mean BMI was also higher in cases than in controls both at baseline and over the study period.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer, but it is "unclear" if this is caused from a mechanical and/or metabolic effects such as hyperinsulinemia, according to investigators, who aimed to determine if there is an epidemiologic link between Type 2 diabetes and Barrett's esophagus after adjusting for known risk factors including obesity, smoking, alcohol use and GERD.
"Interestingly, we found that among the study cohort, if you had diabetes there was a twofold increase in your risk for Barrett's esophagus," explained Dr. Iyer. "When we stratified the results by gender, the association of Type 2 diabetes with Barrett's esophagus was stronger in males compared to females, which may reflect the different fat distributions in men and women."
Dr. Iyer said that while this study is retrospective—and further prospective studies are needed to better understand the link between Barrett's Esophagus and Type 2 Diabetes—the results do offer valuable and potentially life-saving insight to patients and health care providers: "if you lose weight your risk for Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer may decrease." Dr. Iyer suggested patients who are overweight, particularly if they carry their excess weight in their belly, talk to their physicians about their risk for Barrett's Esophagus and whether they should undergo screening through an upper endoscopy.
Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin
jgaulin@gi.org
301-263-9000
American College of GastroenterologyFor-profit, secular corporations may not claim a religious exemption from providing employees with certain methods of contraception as required under President Obama’s health-care mandate, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.
In a 2-to-1 decision, the panel of the Third US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that although corporations have free speech rights under the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, they do not enjoy the protections of the free exercise of religion.
“We simply cannot understand how a for-profit, secular corporation – apart from its owners – can exercise religion,” Judge Robert Cowen wrote for the two-judge majority.
The case is one of 60 lawsuits across the country challenging the contraceptive portion of the employer health-care mandate on religious grounds.
Last month, the full Tenth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case involving the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores that for-profit, secular corporations can claim the protections of religious freedom.
That court upheld an injunction blocking the required provision of contraceptive methods that offended the company owners’ religious beliefs.
The sharp disagreement between the appeals court in Philadelphia and the Tenth Circuit in Denver suggests that the dispute may now be on a fast track for review at the US Supreme Court.
Friday’s decision comes in a case filed by the owners of a Pennsylvania furniture company, all members of the same family and all devout Mennonites.
The owners objected to being forced to pay for contraception methods that they consider abortifacients.
The mandate, which took effect in January, forced the owners to choose between violating their religious beliefs or facing the destruction of their business through fines of $95,000 a day.
The company, Conestoga Wood Specialties Corporation, employs 950 workers. It provides a health insurance plan for employees in line with mandated health insurance coverage, but the owners objected on religious grounds to inclusion of certain kinds of contraceptives that involve destruction of a fertilized egg.
Specifically, the company owners said they considered contraceptive methods such as the morning after pill, like Plan B and ella, to trigger chemical-induced abortions.
The five owners, all members of the Hahn family, have stated that their religion teaches that life begins at conception. “It is a sacred gift from God and only God has the right to terminate human life,” the family said in a 2012 statement.
The statement added: “It is against our moral conviction to be involved in the termination of human life through abortion, suicide, euthanasia, murder, or any other acts that involve taking human life.”
The Obama administration does not recognize an exemption from providing the full range of government-required contraceptives.
In upholding the mandate, the appeals court said that the corporation, Conestoga, was a separate entity from its owners. “Since Conestoga is distinct from the Hahns, the Mandate does not actually require the Hahns to do anything,” Judge Cowen wrote. “All responsibility for complying with the Mandate falls on Conestoga.”
He added: “It is Conestoga that must provide the funds to comply with the Mandate – not the Hahns.”
The court said it recognized that the Hahns were the sole shareholders of the company, but that ultimately they had “an obligation to respect the corporate form.”
In a dissent, Judge Kent Jordan said the majority judges were relegating religious liberty to second-class status.
He rejected the holding that for-profit, secular corporations do not enjoy the protections of religious faith under the First Amendment, and that those protections apply to individuals, not companies.
“To recognize that religious convictions are a matter of individual experience cannot and does not refute the collective character of much religious belief and observance,” Judge Jordan wrote.
“Religious opinions and faith are in this respect akin to political opinions and passions, which are held and exercised both individually and collectively,” he said.
Jordan also took issue with the idea that only those organizations that are specifically and exclusively dedicated to religious purposes enjoy constitutional protection in matters of faith.
“As the government and the Majority see it, religious rights are more limited than other kinds of First Amendment rights,” Jordan said. “All groups can enjoy secular free expression and rights to assemble, but only ‘religious organizations’ have a right to religious liberty.”
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He called the government’s position a “power grab,” and said he would hold that Conestoga could invoke the right to religious liberty on its own behalf.
The case is Conestoga Wood Specialties Corporation v. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (13-1144).Richard Shiro/Associated Press
CLEMSON, S.C. — To his right, there are nap rooms, an arcade and a barbershop. Above him, one of a seemingly infinite number of flat screens. Below his feet, which are encased in sandals the size of milk cartons, bright purple carpeting.
Here in pigskin Disneyland—Clemson's new $55 million, 142,500-square-foot football operations center—the distractions are boundless. And yet amid all the shine and glam and state-of-the-art football tech, nothing commands your attention quite like Dexter Lawrence.
Even in a place this big, Lawrence seems impossibly large. Even in a place so accustomed to seeing athletically gifted football players patrol its magnificent hallways, Lawrence seems impossibly so.
Wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with an orange Clemson paw print, he saunters his 6'4", 340-pound body through Clemson's cafeteria. Although he shares the facilities with future NFL draft picks—unique talents with special builds and abilities—there is no one like him in this building. Or most buildings, for that matter.
Despite his listed size, he carries no apparent extra weight. Lawrence has gotten his body fat down to 18 percent since arriving here, doing so as one of the largest players in the sport.
And while he won't be eligible for the NFL for at least one more year, nearing the end of his sophomore season, those within the league have already taken notice.
He has the tools to be the next Suh. First-overall talent. Good luck not watching 90. — NFL scout on Dexter Lawrence
"He has the tools to be the next Suh," one NFL scout says. "First-overall talent. Good luck not watching 90."
Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
An ankle injury has plagued Lawrence for much of this season, forcing him to miss multiple games and play less than 100 percent throughout. Despite the small sample size of production, many have seen all they need to see. The league is already in love.
Dabo Swinney isn't wearing socks. He settles into a bright orange chair inside his office, which is the size of a respectable condominium. The sun shines radiantly on the practice fields, visible from the window closest to his desk. Work attire for the day, a Wednesday in late August, is faded blue jeans and a white golf shirt with blue and red stripes.
Pictures and jerseys and trophies and other mementos hang from the walls—the result of years of triumphs that are growing in significance and frequency. This isn't just his work area; it's a trophy chamber designed to appeal to elite high school football players who may happen to enter Swinney's office on a visit.
Before this office existed, before he had a national title to stand on, Swinney had to sell Lawrence on joining the program. He coveted the defensive tackle, Scout.com's No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2016, the moment he met him at Wake Forest High School in North Carolina.
During his first visit to Clemson, however, Lawrence, his mother and his stepfather were involved in a car accident as they left campus. While no one in the car was seriously injured, the incident was jarring enough to give Julia Parker, Lawrence's mother, pause about Dexter committing to Clemson.
"You will not be going to this school," Parker told her son. "I just wasn't feeling it at all."
Two years later, after looking at Alabama and Florida and NC State, Lawrence returned to Clemson with his mother. This time around, the comfort of the environment won them both over. The educational aspect and the way Clemson has sold this as a priority appealed to him as well.
"I'm trying to be an Academic All-American," Lawrence says. "That's one of my goals."
He arrived at Clemson weighing in at nearly 360 pounds. While the coaching staff assumed he had to be out of shape based on this number, its perspective shifted as soon as practice began.
"I've never seen a guy this size who moves like this," Swinney says of Lawrence. "I've been around some big guys, but I've never been around a guy that big who is that athletic. He's just a huge, strong man. I mean, he was stronger than some of our seniors as a true freshman showing up."
I've never seen a guy this size who moves like this. I've been around some big guys, but I've never been around a guy that big who is that athletic. He's just a huge, strong man.... He can be as good as anybody who has come through here. — Dabo Swinney on Lawrence
He flashed throughout the spring and fall camp. Then, in the team's very first game against Auburn, he flashed again—validating what the coaches saw over the previous months. He was regularly in the Auburn backfield, disrupting the team's offense. He also logged his first sack in a 19-13 win.
"When I watched the Auburn tape," Swinney adds, "I kept saying to myself, 'This is a true freshman?' This was his first college game, and he's as good as we got."
Given his profile as a recruit, it didn't take long for his reputation to grow as a 19-year-old true freshman. Even alongside future NFL players, he was often the most disruptive on the field to opposing offenses. He finished the season with seven sacks and nine-and-a-half tackles for loss—tormenting quarterbacks from his very first game to the national championship against Alabama. He was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
While gaudy sack and tackle numbers can often headline the evaluation of a player, what Lawrence does is something that will never be celebrated through numbers.
Because of the space he commands, a considerable part of Lawrence's value lies in the reality that his presence will undoubtedly make the game easier for his teammates. The fact that he eats up space so instinctively is what separates him from just about any defensive tackle in the country. His ability to create on top of it, through double-teams and added attention, is why so many are so excited.
Elise Amendola/Associated Press
"There is no limit to Dexter," Swinney says. "He can be as good as anybody who has come through here. He's just a rare guy. He doesn't have a weakness."
This is perhaps one of the few times in Christian Wilkins' life when anyone could perceive him as small in stature.
At 6'4" and 300 pounds, Clemson's junior defensive tackle has blossomed into a magnificent defensive player—possibly the best draft-eligible lineman in his class. Wilkins, who will earn his degree in December, was honored with the seniors on Clemson's Senior Day. If he indeed decides to leave for the NFL, he will likely not have to wait long to hear his name called.
By any reasonable form of measurement—and even by unreasonable NFL standards—Wilkins is massive. And yet, as he takes his seat in Clemson's cafeteria, situated just a few feet away from Lawrence, the difference between the two is striking.
"He's the guy with power, and I'm a bit more finesse," Wilkins says of his teammate. "He's 345 pounds and strong as an ox. He just moves people out the way. I'm pretty strong, but not quite that strong."
Wilkins took Lawrence under his wing the moment he arrived. There they were, after Lawrence's first practice last spring, hitting the tackling sled together in the darkness after the field had emptied.
From his technique to the way he deals with the media, Wilkins' voice has been the constant.
The two don't just compete on the field—where often they're shoulder to shoulder, a horrifying sight for an opposing offensive line—they also compete in the classroom, trying to outperform each other in terms of grades and GPA. They'll even compete when it comes to nutrition, sharing body compositions with one another, which Clemson tests regularly.
"We make each other better each and every day, on and off the field," Wilkins says. "We're fortunate to have talent, but we both want to be the best at what we do."
Clemson's a tough place to do that right now if you're a defensive lineman.
Bleacher Report draft expert Matt Miller ranks Wilkins as the top defensive tackle (and 17th overall) among players eligible for the 2018 draft, while redshirt sophomore Clelin Ferrell ranks as his third-best edge-rusher (and 16th overall) and junior Austin Bryant is fifth in that category. All will be NFL draft picks.
But as talented as those players will be—and as much as Clemson has to offer on the other side of the ball in players such as wideout Deon Cain and offensive lineman Mitch Hyatt facing a similar decision—the player scouts can't take their eyes off is Lawrence. He's the one they covet most.
"What I've heard over and over again is that when scouts go into Clemson, they ask about Cain, Hyatt, Wilkins and Ferrell, but the one guy they all want is Lawrence," Miller says. "The coaches say he's a rare player and person, and scouts are eating it up. He'll be my No. 1 player for next year's draft barring some kind of injury."
The personality and the appearance don't necessarily align, which is unquestionably part of his allure. Beneath all the mass that Lawrence carries so naturally is a soft-spoken, expletive-free soul who has a deep love of math.
"He doesn't see himself as this giant of a man," Swinney says. "His persona does not fit his body."
His love of numbers morphed into a love of forensics the moment calculus came into the picture. The countless hours watching the television series CSI grew into a potential career path.
"I like learning about the body," Lawrence says. "It's just something that interests me."
The end game isn't a long, lucrative life in the NFL. He sees beyond that. Lawrence, who majors in justice studies, could ultimately see himself in the FBI.
Steve Helber/Associated Press
There is indeed something different about a man drawing comparisons to one of the sport's most violent, volatile players.
"Mr. Suh," Lawrence says when asked about a player he's modeled his game after. "It's how aggressive and how strong he is after every play. He's the bully, and he goes and gets it."
Personalities aside, the comparison is almost too obvious to make. Few players at any level have ever carried this kind of weight with such agility. And while scouts undoubtedly see this parallel, Lawrence's head coach likens his star defensive tackle to someone completely different—a player who will be celebrated by Clemson fans for as long as they live.
"He's a Deshaun Watson at his position," Swinney says. "Yes, he's a great player, but what a young man.
He's a Deshaun Watson at his position. Yes, he's a great player, but what a young man. — Swinney on Lawrence
It is here that ability and personality partner, which is what makes Lawrence so appealing.
Although he has spent much of the year trying to get healthy, his body has not always cooperated. He returned to play in last weekend's win over South Carolina after missing two games, but it is possible we won't see a completely healthy version until next fall, when Lawrence will begin his junior season as one of the most desirable NFL draft prospects and likely the face of Clemson football.
That his draft buzz has only blossomed during this time says all that needs to be said. A 340-pound man with 18 percent body fat and a love of math doesn't surface too often. Scouts and coaches and general managers know they won't get their hands on him for a while, but they also already know he'll be worth the wait.
Adam Kramer covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @KegsnEggs.What happens when you confront an irate moral arbiter with leaked censorship documents? I’ll be honest, this is by far the weirdest interview I’ve conducted.
After three months of American film festivals, the first movie I watched back home in India was Office Christmas Party. It’s a silly film that no one would’ve watched for anything other than its crass humour, and in that vein I enjoyed it – or at least I would have, were it not for some head-scratching censorship decisions by the CBFC.
The Central Board of Film Certification “recommends” the cutting of objectionable content. Producers often comply to avoid losing time and money over court proceedings (not to mention revenue from under-eighteen audiences), and while the CBFC doesn’t make the actual edits themselves, they’re the ones dictating what should or shouldn’t be allowed in Indian cinemas. Sometimes those decisions feel borderline arbitrary, and in Office Christmas Party, one scene in particular stands out. Well, more than one – the phrase “one second” was muted, presumably by accident, on two separate occasions – but let’s focus on the decision that was even more confusing.
Two characters argue over whether a vibrator is a dildo, or a body massager. This is their exchange:
“I want a dildo.” “It’s a body massager.” “No, it’s a dildo.”
Simple enough, right? Any Indian would tell you there was no way this would make it through the censors intact. Our “Censor Board,” as it’s colloquially known, objects to most sexual content, and sex toys are still illegal in India (Don’t ask). But what's even stranger about this instance of censorship is that during the exchange, one in which the same character uses the exact same word on two separate occasions, in the same exact context, less than three seconds apart, the first use of “dildo” was muted. The second was not.
That’s when I figured it was time to talk to the source and get some clarity.
Office Christmas Party was heavily cut up despite receiving the CBFC’s “A” (Adult) rating, i.e. suitable only for patrons above the age of eighteen. Our other two ratings are “U” (Universal) and the PG-13 equivalent “U/A” (Universal/Adult), but even an “A” still disallows plenty of content that adults ought to be able to decide on for themselves. This isn’t a new problem, but it’s been exacerbated ever since the appointment of Pahlaj Nihalani as CBFC Chairman in 2015.
I wrote about The Bizarre State of Indian Censorship nearly a year ago (with plenty of historical and cultural context, in case you’re unfamiliar), following the controversy over the length of a kiss in the recent Bond film Spectre, as well as the incredibly selective muting of the word “bitch” from Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. The phrase “sales pitch” was also removed for some reason, among several other cuts that made the story incoherent. A few months later, the Indian film Udta Punjab entered the spotlight. Long story short, it focused on drug addiction in the state of Punjab, and the CBFC demanded the removal of all instances of drug use, and all references to the state of Punjab.
After an arduous set of court procedures and the revolt of damn near the entire Indian film industry, it seemed as if censorship was on its way out and a new system would be put into place in late 2016. Turns out we were overly optimistic. Now it’s January, and nothing’s changed. In fact nothing is likely to change, and we still have Indian filmmakers working within “moral” constraints, alongside baffling cuts being made to “A” rated American films like Ben Affleck’s Live By Night, in which the word “bitch” is muted, presumably because it’s misogynistic, but it’s spoken in an otherwise uncut scene of a man beating the crap out of a woman. Something doesn’t quite make sense here.
I got in touch with Mr. Nihalani via Twitter, and after some convincing from a handful of my followers, he agreed to sit down with me back in December. This ended up being delayed a few times, as these things normally go here, but I finally managed to get a hold of him this past week after what was probably my fifteenth phone call. When I went to the CBFC this past Monday (located in a building called “White House”), he seemed to have forgotten he’d scheduled the interview, telling me he neither talks to journalists in his office, nor has any time for them.
After an hour of waiting and a bit of insisting, I got him to agree to an interview of five to ten minutes. He talked for the better part of an hour. As I sat down to record him with my list of questions in hand, I made sure to hide the set of leaked CBFC certificates I had carried with me. The interview might’ve ended right there if he’d seen them, given his temper with other journalists, but I wanted to have the specifics on hand.
The first pages of censor certificates are attached to their respective movies, indicating their rating to theatrical audiences. The second pages however, listing the all the various cuts that had been made to the film, aren’t available to the public. Here’s one of the three I had on me at the time:
Before we speak about censorship in any kind of moral sense, I wanted to ask you about the actual process of the CBFC when it comes to editing movies. Who makes the final decisions?
See, there’s no question of editing movies. I think the perception is very, very wrong in the public and in the media. There are three layers of certifying the movie. One is the Examining Committee. After that if there’s any objection according to the requirement of the producer, there will be a hearing. So it’s not that you can cut anything randomly and tell them “This is our decision.” No.
If it’s a digital release, that’s an individual person watching it on digital, where you’re seeing it alone or with your group of two-three friends. Today’s technology allows you to download and watch on your screen at home. You can watch it, but it’s not a public exhibition. If you’re watching in a public exhibition, you have to see that your content should be all right for the public viewing, and so because of that, rules are there, guidelines are there, and Act is there. Frame is 1952 [in reference to the Cinematograph Act of 1952] and it goes on the basis of that.
So it’s more of a suggestion?
Exactly.
But in that case--
And if somebody doesn’t like the decision, they have a chance to appeal to the revising committee. They can go to a larger committee. We send the picture to a wider committee. They may have missed some objectionable things the first time.
People say we are more strict compared to FCAT [Film Certification Appellate Tribunal], so in a higher court there’s always a chance. There are many sessions courts. High Court. Supreme Court. So that way, people have a way to clear the picture. We are not binding them or forcing them to take what we’re giving them, or doing a dictatorship or any ruling on that.
Does that not lead to a lot of delays for the producers releasing films?
They take that chance, and the media also welcomes them, because today publicity is very costly. But the name of CBFC is so popular, so people are just using the CBFC platform to inform people “Our movie is stuck.” We are easy targets.
In the cases of censorship where cuts are inelegant, or half-words are being muted, audiences already know what the content is, so you’re already putting the word into their heads. Does it not then just become an inconvenience for the audience?
That’s not our problem. Our problem is that according to the Act, according to the guidelines if anything is objectionable, the producer has to correct it. If they don’t have time to correct it, that is not our fault.
But then of course if they choose not to change anything, if they keep a lot of the swear words in their movies even with an “A” certificate, it won’t be released for public exhibition.
That is their-- see I’ve told you, there’s the first step, the examining committee. There is a second layer, revising committee. Then if [the producers] come with their own modifications, they can apply for a fresh certification with a fresh cut of the movie, so that’s also a provision. If they don’t agree, then they can go to the FCAT. After FCAT if they still don’t, they can go to court.
Previously there was a time, as per the rule we had to give the certificate within eighty-four days. But we are just clearing the film within ten days… That’s also an objection on their part, “Why have you given the certificate within eighty-four days? Why have you watched the movie before that?”
That initial objection itself, is that not removing an element of choice from both the artist, and from audiences who would then want to choose what to watch under a publicly agreed-upon contract?
See, that’s why the question has arisen today. For so many years people are used to filmmakers who are real filmmakers. They know the job, they know the guidelines, they know the system. They are not raising objections. Why doesn’t the media, who only review movies, just go and watch the movies? Why only criticize the film industry? They should learn, they should know the whole thing, what the movie is about also. Why are they only going according to--why don’t they believe the CBFC?
Why are they only believing the producers? Don’t go for what they are saying, you have to hear the story of both sides. See the facts.
I agree, which is why I’m here. To hear your side of the--
See the facts! What is the factual report? In my two years-- I’m going to complete two years. [In reference to second anniversary of his chairmanship on January 20th]
Congratulations.
In my two years, from my side I have never delayed a single movie. As soon as they apply, we clear the movie in time. The only problem is with the producers. They are making such movies. They require a controversy, so they are cashing in on it.
Should cinema not be a space for intellectual and emotional and moral challenges? Why are we placing a moral imposition, as if to say this is acceptable and this is not acceptable, when--
No no, I want to know something. If we are better for following modernization and westernization, is there no censorship there also? There are rules everywhere, whether it’s the U.S., whether it’s the U.K., or it’s the Gulf, whether it’s Australia, whether it’s Pakistan. You see any country. Where-- In which country do they not have censorship?
The United |
. “It all comes back to the disastrous glass ceiling; we’re tolerated, but never allowed top billing,” they wrote.
Sattouf announced his withdrawal from the shortlist, writing on Facebook : “It turns out the list is make up only of men. That annoys me because there are lots of great women artists who deserve to be on it.”
Clowes, who is American, also withdrew his name, saying in a statement : “I support the boycott of Angoulême and am withdrawing my name from any consideration for what is now a totally meaningless ‘honour’. What a ridiculous, embarrassing debacle.”
Sfar wrote : “I simply don’t want to be part of a ceremony that is so disconnected from the current reality of comics art.”
Several French government ministers tweeted their support of the boycott. Fleur Pellerin, the culture minister, said the lack of women shortlisted was abnormal and a little perturbing.
The row echoed the protests over the absence of female directors from the shortlist for the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes film festival in 2012.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Joann Sfar: ‘I don’t want to be part of a ceremony that is so disconnected from the current reality of comics art.’ Photograph: Manuel Bruque/EPA
Questioned by Le Monde, Franck Bondoux, of the Angoulême festival, said: “The concept of the grand prix is to reward an author for their whole oeuvre. When you look at the prize list, you can see the artists on it have a certain maturity and a certain age. Unfortunately, there are few women in the history of comics art. It’s a reality. If you go to the Louvre, you’ll equally find very few women artists.”
This explanation was rejected by commentators and female artists, who cited increasing numbers of acclaimed women in the industry.A diagnosis of breast cancer can be frightening, and many of the known risk factors – genetics, ageing, being a woman – are beyond our control. That is why myths are attractive. They sell us the idea that there is something simple we can do to protect ourselves from cancer. We look at three of the most common myths.
Your bra could be killing you
The idea that wearing an underwired bra can cause breast cancer has been around since 1995, when Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer published their book Dressed to Kill, which claimed there was a link. The idea was revived last year when a practitioner of alternative medicine wrote an essay on Gwyneth Paltrow’s website, Goop. What these people have in common is that none of them is a cancer researcher or medical doctor.
Singer and Grismaijer’s “study” was not reviewed by medical experts and published in a respected journal, as is the norm for bona fide scientific discoveries. According to a version of their story now doing the rounds on Twitter, they interviewed more than 4,000 American women and discovered that women who don’t wear bras have a “1 in 168 chance” of developing breast cancer, as opposed to a “3 in 4 chance for those who wear a bra 24 hours a day”.
Their explanation is that underwired bras block circulation of lymphatic fluid, causing breasts to swell with “toxins” (a word more associated with pseudoscience, in my experience, than genuine medical knowledge). It is unlikely, though, that that lymph fluid would be trapped by an underwire, because it doesn’t flow in that direction, and a properly fitting bra prevents breast ligaments from overstretching. Scientists have also criticised Dressed to Kill for not taking into account known risk factors for breast cancer, most notably obesity, which increases the likelihood a woman will wear a bra for longer periods.
A comprehensive 2014 study by the globally respected Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle found that no aspect of bra-wearing was associated with breast cancer risk, and Breast Cancer Now, Cancer Research UK, the American Cancer Society, and the US National Institutes of Health are just a few of the organisations that have stressed the lack of evidence that wearing bras increases cancer risk.
American obstetrician and gynae-cologist Dr Jennifer Gunter has described this myth as “cruel”, saying that it scares women and could cause women with a breast cancer diagnosis to blame themselves for wearing a bra. If you find your bra is painful, you should not panic that you have cancer, but you should head to the high street and get measured for a new bra.
Sweat-free armpits or healthy breasts? You have to choose
The idea that antiperspirants cause breast cancer is usually justified either by the idea that preventing underarm stickiness blocks “toxins” from being sweated out, or that the aluminium salts used to block the sweat glands are absorbed through the skin and trigger cancer. The source appears to be an email hoax which spread so quickly that cancer charity helplines were overwhelmed by anxious callers worried they had been doomed by their personal hygiene routines.
The vast majority of harmful substances in our bodies are flushed out by the liver and kidneys (which is why we drink lots of water when we are hungover), not sweated out through our armpits. Almost all the studies purporting to show that antiperspirants cause cancer are from a single laboratory, with Dr Philippa Darbre often the only named author. One of the studies that, at first glance, shows aluminium is present in breast tissue is, on a second look, inconclusive because the authors didn’t compare normal (non-cancerous) tissue. Unless there is significantly more of something in a tumour compared with normal tissue, it isn’t wise to speculate that it has a role in cancer.
A 2002 study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute studied 1,606 women and discovered there was no link between the use of antiperspirants and cancer. Another study, in 2006, compared women with and without breast cancer and found that 82% of women who were cancer-free had used antiperspirant whereas only 52% of the women with breast cancer had, which certainly doesn’t support the theory that antiperspirants increase cancer risk.
Mammograms emit cancer-causing radiation, or squeeze tumours so the cancer spreads
Finding breast cancer early reduces your risk of dying from it by up to 25% – which makes the myth that mammograms cause cancer, or make it spread, a particularly dangerous one. The consensus in the medical community is that the benefits of mammograms far outweigh any risk. An annual, 20-minute mammogram involves a tiny dose of radiation, less than a chest X-ray and nowhere near enough to increase the risk of developing a cancer. The process of metastasis, in which cells break off a tumour, spread, and settle in a different place in the body to create a secondary tumour, is biologically complex and can’t be caused by squeezing a tumour. Mammograms are frightening because of the potential that they will find a cancer – but the mantra that early detection saves lives is true and one of the reasons that what used to be a death sentence is now survived by eight out of every 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer.
If you are worried about cancer, you can find reliable information from NHS Choices, or the websites and helpline of registered cancer charities such as Cancer Research UK, the Irish Cancer Society or Macmillan Cancer Support. As always, speak to your GP if you have any concerns about your health.
• Naomi Elster is a writer and scientist researching for a PhD in cancer medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, supported by the Irish Cancer SocietyA city destroyed in the apocalypse (Shutterstock)
After the apocalypse did not occur on September 23 as Christian numerologist David Meade predicted, some now claim we can now expect the End Days to occur this Sunday, November 19th.
“Nibiru ‘truthers’ claim that NASA has conspired to ‘hide the truth about the mystery planet from the general population,” The Daily Star reported. “Also known as ‘Planet X’, Nibiru is believed to be a planet on the edge of our solar system that orbits the sun every 3,600 years.”
Past orbits allegedly changed the orbits of other planets in our solar system, the conspiracy theorists claim.
“This disruption, it is claimed, will be marked either by a direct collision with the Earth or apocalyptic weather patterns across our planet’s surface,” the Daily Star explained.
This is a developing story, Raw Story will provide breaking news updates if either apocalyptic weather patterns or an extinction level planetary collision occurs.
Watch NASA debunk the existence of “Planet Nibiru” in 2011:The game of enabling more debt by lowering interest rates and loosening lending standards is coming to an end.
If we define Christmas as consumer spending going up while earnings are going down, 2015 will be the last Christmas in America for a long time to come. In broad brush, Christmas (along with all other consumer spending) has been funded by financialization, i.e. debt and leverage, not by increased earnings.
The primary financial trick that's propped up the "recovery" for seven years is piling more debt on stagnating incomes. How does this magic work? Lower interest rates.
In a healthy economy, households earn more money (after adjusting for inflation, a.k.a. loss of purchasing power), and the increased earnings enable households to save, spend and borrow more.
In an unhealthy, doomed-to-implode economy, earnings are declining, and central banks enable more borrowing by lowering interest rates to zero and loosening lending standards so anyone who can fog a mirror can buy a new pickup truck with a subprime auto loan.
The problem with financialization is that it eventually runs out of oxygen. As earnings decline, eventually there's no more income to support more debt. And once debt stops expanding, the economy doesn't just stagnate, it implodes, because the entire ramshackle con game of financialization requires a steady increase in debt and leverage to keep from crashing.
The trickery of substituting financialization for earned income--the trickery that fueled the last seven years of "recovery"--is exhausted.
The incomes of even the most educated workers are going nowhere, while the earnings of the bottom 90% are sliding:
Wages as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) have been declining for decades. Note the diminishing returns on financialization and asset bubbles that always bust: wages blip up in the bubble and then crash to new lows when the bubble bursts:
Look at how debt has soared while GDP has essentially flatlined. This is diminishing returns writ large: we have to pile on ever-increasing mountains of debt just to keep GDP from going negative.
This dependence on debt for "growth" leaves the economy exquisitely sensitive to any decline in debt growth. The slightest drop in debt growth in the Global Financial Meltdown almost collapsed the entire global economy:
The essential fuel of "growth"--credit expansion--is rolling over:
Even the vaunted prop under a soaring stock market, corporate profits, are rolling over as the stronger dollar and stagnating sales pressure profits:
The game of enabling more debt by lowering interest rates and loosening lending standards is coming to an end. Debt is not a sustainable substitute for income, and households are increasingly finding themselves in two camps: those who can no longer afford to borrow and spend, and those who recognize that going in to debt to support spending is a fool's path to poverty and insolvency.
Say good-bye to Christmas, America, and debt-based spending in general--except, of course, for the federal government, which can always borrow another couple trillion dollars on the backs of our grandchildren.
NOTE: Contributions/subscriptions are acknowledged in the order received. Your name and email remain confidential and will not be given to any other individual, company or agency.On Monday’s Breitbart News Daily, host Alex Marlow asked former CIA Director James Woolsey about criticism that President-elect Donald Trump is not receiving sufficient intelligence briefings or taking them seriously enough.
“Well, President Clinton read the briefings when I was director of Central Intelligence. He didn’t sit there and have me or anyone else read them to him,” Woolsey recalled. “He’s a speed-reader, so he’d read them, but he’d annotate them. He’d write back, ‘Jim, this is the same idea that’s in the new Kaplan book. Have you read it yet?’ He didn’t ignore them, but he also didn’t sit there and have them read to him. Since most previous presidents, but not all, have sat still for a briefing as distinct from reading, that got to be kind of well-known around Washington, and when that little airplane crashed into the South Lawn of the White House in the fall of ’94, the White House staff joke was, ‘That must have been Woolsey, still trying to get an appointment with Clinton.’”
“But it wasn’t,” he added with a laugh.
“I think there’s a kind of a set idee fixe people have, that the briefing has to be a ‘briefing’ in the sense of whiteboards and talking at a president, who maybe sits there and listens and has a question or two. There are different ways presidents absorb material. They don’t have to do it by hearing a briefing. Most of us can read a lot faster than we can listen,” Woolsey said.
Marlow asked Woolsey about politicized intelligence, particularly in the form of politicized leaks from intelligence sources to the media.
“The purpose for leaks from any institution is usually political in some sense, whether it’s coming from the Pentagon, or the State Department, or the White House, or the Federal Trade Commission, or whatever,” Woolsey observed. “It’s usually to put some kind of an angle and a spin on information, in an effort to get somewhere different than where one is, or maybe sometimes to support where government policy is.”
“I don’t understand at all the idea that leaks can’t be politicized. I think most of them, and not just from the CIA, but from virtually all institutions, have in one sense, a political purpose,” he said.
Woolsey expressed doubt that the “regular, and in my experience, perfectly fine and patriotic and decent CIA officers” were targeting Trump with leaks to the media, but said “somewhere at the upper reaches, there may be somebody who has a bit of an agenda.”
“I don’t know who’s been leaking this material, and I think they’d be wise to stop, because I think it does harm the credibility of not only intelligence agencies, but other agencies that are clearly doing leaking,” he added.
“I think if it becomes clear, or stays clear, that it comes from one or more particular institutions, I think those institutions lose credibility because your job in intelligence is to call it straight. It’s not to support the politics of the leader, even when he wants you to: ‘Sorry, no, this is what we see, Mr. President. Here’s why,’” he contended.
“All of us who have been in those senior jobs have received hints – often not direct orders, but hints – that it would really be better if you could phrase it this way or that way. Occasionally, something like that is legitimate. You’ve overstated it in your estimate, you can soften it a bit, but generally speaking, remonstrances like that from senior political people have a political purpose, and most of the time, what the intelligence people ought to do is smile and say, ‘I’m sorry, sir. We’ve looked at it carefully, and we have a collective judgment on this, and there’s a minority view which is X, but the majority view is Y, and we’re not going to change it.’ And be ready to go get another job if you want to,” Woolsey advised.
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
LISTEN:A newly formed group, the Students for Fair Representation, has filed suit challenging racial and other affirmative action preferences at Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The lawsuits are brought by the same law firm that represented Fisher in Fisher v. Texas, in which the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action plans were subject to strict scrutiny in applying the Equal Protection Clause:
The parties asked the Court to review whether the judgment below was consistent with “this Court’s decisions interpreting the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, including Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U. S. 306 (2003).” Pet. for Cert. i. The Court concludes that the Court of Appeals did not hold the University to the demanding burden of strict scrutiny articulated in Grutter and Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke, 438 U. S. 265, 305 (1978) (opinion of Powell, J.). Because the Court of Appeals did not apply the correct standard of strict scrutiny, its decision affirming the District Court’s grant of summary judgment to the University was incorrect. That decision is vacated, and the case is remanded for further proceedings.
In particular, whether affirmative action and diversity goals discriminate against Asian-Americans has been a hot political issue, as this report from last spring indicates:
Nearly 20 years after California became the first state to ban the use of race and ethnicity in college admissions, a proposal to reinstate affirmative action has sparked a backlash that is forging a new divide in the state’s powerful Democratic Party and creating opportunity for conservatives. The debate is unfolding in the nation’s most populous and most ethnically diverse state as an unrelated U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholds voters’ rights to decide whether racial considerations should factor into university selections. The California proposal would allow voters to rescind their state’s affirmative action ban, but unexpected pushback from families of Asian descent who mobilized through Chinese-language media, staged rallies and organized letter-writing campaigns has all but killed the measure this year.
An Op-Ed in The Harvard Crimson weighed in:
No one wants to talk about Asian-Americans in the affirmative action debate. With the recent ruling that upheld Michigan’s ban on affirmative action, the divisive pushback by Asian-American political leaders and interest groups regarding the reinstatement of affirmative action in California, and the unsettling “Harvard Not Fair” campaign that seeks to capitalize on the insecurities of rejected applicants based on race, one thing is clear: Asian-Americans are left to converse in the backroom during any nationwide discussion on affirmative action. As Asian-Americans, our placement in the affirmative action debate puts us at an unfair disadvantage against everyone but ourselves. Why is this? Because people on both sides of the affirmative action debate oversimplify the Asian-American experience to suit their needs. Asian-Americans are cast as the “unexplained minority exception” in the cost-benefit analysis of who “wins” and “loses” in affirmative action.
From the Students for Fair Representation Press Release:
Today, the Project on Fair Representation announces the filing of two lawsuits challenging the racial preference admissions policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Read the complaint against Harvard Read the complaint against UNC-Chapel Hill The plaintiff in both lawsuits—Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA)— is a newly-formed, nonprofit, membership organization whose members include highly qualified students recently denied admission to both schools, highly qualified students who plan to apply to both schools, and their parents. The Harvard lawsuit alleges the university is engaging in a campaign of invidious discrimination by strictly limiting the number of Asian Americans it will admit each year and by engaging in racial balancing year after year. These discriminatory policies in college admissions are expressly forbidden by the Fourteenth Amendment and federal civil rights laws. Students for Fair Admission’s complaint highlights data and analysis that strongly suggests that white, African-American, and Hispanic applicants are given racial preferences over better qualified Asian-Americans applying for admission to Harvard. Additionally, the complaint demonstrates that Harvard is not in compliance with the new “strict scrutiny” standards articulated in 2013 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The Fisher opinion unambiguously requires schools to implement race-neutral means to achieve student body diversity before turning to racial classifications and preferences. The UNC-Chapel Hill lawsuit alleges that, like Harvard, the University is not in compliance with the new Fisher strict scrutiny requirements. Students for Fair Admissions explains in its complaint that UNC has admitted in an amicus brief it submitted to the Supreme Court in the Fisher case that the school can maintain, and actually increase, racial diversity through race-neutral means if it ends its race-based affirmative action policies. Students for Fair Admissions argues that this compels the university to end its racial classifications and preferences and adopt some combination of race-neutral policies instead. The discrimination against Asian-Americans at Harvard and both schools’ blatant failure to comply with recent Supreme Court directives with regard to race preferences are emblematic of the behavior of the vast majority of competitive colleges throughout the country. Because of this, Students for Fair Admissions asserts in its complaints that racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are inadministratable; a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and federal civil rights laws; and must be ended as a matter of policy and law.
The complaints focus heavily on the alleged implicit discrimination against Asians, likening it to past discrimination against Jews, particularly at Harvard:
5. Worse still, Harvard is not even pursuing its claimed “critical mass” interest. Rather, even under governing Supreme Court precedent, Harvard is violating Title VI for at least four reasons. First, Harvard is using racial classifications to engage in the same brand of invidious discrimination against Asian Americans that it formerly used to limit the number of Jewish students in its student body. Statistical evidence reveals that Harvard uses “holistic” admissions to disguise the fact that it holds Asian Americans to a far higher standard than other students and essentially forces them to compete against each other for admission. There is nothing high-minded about this campaign of invidious discrimination. It is “illegitimate racial prejudice or stereotype.” Croson, 488 U.S. at 493. 6. Second, Harvard is engaging in racial balancing. Over an extended period, Harvard’s admission and enrollment figures for each racial category have shown almost no change. Each year, Harvard admits and enrolls essentially the same percentage of African Americans, Hispanics, whites, and Asian Americans even though the application rates and qualifications for each racial group have undergone significant changes over time. This is not the coincidental byproduct of an admissions system that treats each applicant as an individual; indeed, the statistical evidence shows that Harvard modulates its racial admissions preference whenever there is an unanticipated change in the yield rate of a particular racial group in the prior year. Harvard’s remarkably stable admissions and enrollment figures over time are the deliberate result of systemwide intentional racial discrimination designed to achieve a predetermined racial balance of its student body. 7. Third, Harvard is failing to use race merely as a “plus factor” in admissions decisions. Rather, Harvard’s racial preference for each student (which equates to a penalty imposed upon Asian-American applicants) is so large that race becomes the “defining feature of his or her application.” Grutter, 539 U.S. at 337. Only using race or ethnicity as a dominant factor in admissions decisions could, for example, account for the remarkably low admission rate for high-achieving Asian-American applicants. Harvard’s admissions decisions simply are not explainable on grounds other than race. High-achieving Asian-American applicants are as broadly diverse and eclectic in their abilities and interests as any other group seeking admission to Harvard. They compete in interscholastic sports, are members of the school band, work part-time jobs after school, travel, and engage in volunteer work just like everyone else. It is not a lack of non-academic achievement that is keeping them from securing admission. It is Harvard’s dominant use of racial preferences to their detriment.
The lawsuits hit a weakness in affirmative action as applied in the real world.
Quotas — whether explicit or implicit — are an integral part of the goal of diversity, by definition.
Lyle Dennistan at ScotusBlog sees a bigger goal of the lawsuits, ending affirmative action completely:
The saga over the use of race in selecting new college entrants that began with the Supreme Court’s famous ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke nearly four decades ago now has a new chapter — and it is intended to be the final one. Two lawsuits, filed Monday in federal courts against two major universities, are crafted to eventually put before the Supreme Court an explicit plea to overrule Bakke and later decisions on the issue…. The lawsuits do not ask the courts to abandon the idea that racial diversity among college students is a valid educational goal. Instead, they contend that diversity can be achieved by race-neutral alternatives, so public colleges and those that receive federal funds should be ordered to end, altogether, any use of race in the process. Besides Bakke, the lawsuits specifically aim at the Court’s 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger. In last year’s Fisher decision, the lawyers for the disappointed University of Texas applicant, Abigail Noel Fisher, did not ask the Court to strike down the Grutter precedent. Even so, the resulting decision in Ms. Fisher’s case largely supplanted Grutter with a new and more demanding test for colleges when they use race as a factor in admissions. Because these cases will proceed initially in federal district courts, the judges assigned to them will not have the power to overrule any Supreme Court decision. The Court has made it clear repeatedly that, if any of its rulings is to be set aside, only the Justices have the authority to do so. However, the Harvard and UNC lawsuits clearly were prepared to build a case in lower courts so that, perhaps two or three years from now, the lawsuits could reach the Supreme Court for an ultimate test of affirmative action, at least in college admissions. Because Harvard is a private university, it was sued under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars racial discrimination in education at institutions that receive federal funds — as Harvard clearly does. UNC-Chapel Hill is a state university, so it is subject to the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of legal equality.
The question is whether and how universities can navigate around the Equal Protection Clause and federal anti-discrimination legislation in accomplishing diversity.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
July 8, 2015, 6:36 PM GMT / Updated July 8, 2015, 6:26 PM GMT By Alan Boyle
Paleontologists say a dinosaur from 79 million years ago, known as Wendiceratops pinhornensis, could help them hook into the mysteries of how horned dinosaurs evolved.
The species' somewhat whimsical name is inspired by the place where its fossilized bones were found (the Pinhorn Provincial Grazing Reserve in Alberta) and the person who found them (Canadian fossil hunter Wendy Sloboda) in 2010. But the lessons learned from the more than 200 bones recovered from the site are anything but whimsical.
The picture that emerges is of a 1-ton, 20-foot-long (6-meter-long) dinosaur that had a pair of horns sticking up from its brow, plus another horn on the nose. It also had a weird frill with hornlets that curled forward on themselves like hooks — which is apt for a dinosaur whose name evokes J.M. Barrie's classic tale of Wendy, Peter Pan and Captain Hook.
That combination of characteristics hasn't been seen in other species of that time and place — and it hints at a surprising level of diversity among horned dinosaurs, said Michael Ryan, a paleontologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
The variations in skull ornamentation suggest that the way horned dinosaurs used their heads played a big role in how they evolved. "That's where all the evolution is happening in these animals," Ryan said.
Ryan and David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum lay out the implications in a paper published Wednesday by the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Related: 'Hellboy' Dinosaur Sports a New Look
They say Wendiceratops appears to have been one of the first dinosaurs in its evolutionary line to have a prominent nasal horn. That suggests that such horns arose separately for two different branches of the dinosaur evolutionary tree — for the branch that includes Wendiceratops, and for the branch that includes the best-known horned dinosaur, Triceratops.
What's more, Wendiceratops' hooklike hornlets are similar to the frill ornaments seen in Sinoceratops, a Chinese horned dinosaur that lived about 72 million years ago. That suggests that Wendiceratops' descendants may have migrated back from the Americas to Asia, Ryan said.
He said the different twists in the skulls of horned dinosaurs probably had to do with sexual signaling and head-butting competitions between the males of the species — analogous to what Bighorn sheep do today.
Related: This Horned Dinosaur Had 'Wings' on Its Head
Whatever the reason, horned dinosaurs appear to have evolved more quickly than the norm for the Cretaceous Period. Ryan said vertebrate species usually arose, had their day and went extinct over a span of 2 million to 4 million years. "We're finding that these horned dinosaurs replaced each other every half-million years," he said.
There could be a lesson in that for modern times. Ryan noted that the era when Wendiceratops lived was marked by environmental change in North America, including warmer temperatures and the rise of the Western Interior Seaway.
"Maybe the rapid evolution we're looking at is related to climate change," Ryan said.Gary Rowett and Richard Keogh have been nominated for the Sky Bet Championship Manager and Player of the Month awards respectively for October, following a perfect run of results.
The Rams claimed four wins from four over the course of the month, defeating Nottingham Forest (2-0), Sheffield Wednesday (2-0), Norwich City (2-1) and Leeds United (2-1) to leap into the second tier’s play-off positions.
On why Rowett was nominated, Sky Bet’s release stated: “October was the month in which Derby announced themselves as promotion contenders.
“Four wins from four earned Rowett’s men a maximum 12 points, but it was the manner of the victories he inspired at Norwich and Leeds which impressed most.”
The 43-year-old is up against Queens Park Rangers’ Ian Holloway, Bolton Wanderers’ Phil Parkinson and Brentford’s Dean Smith to win the overall award.
Speaking about why Keogh, the 30-year-old Rams skipper, was put forward for the October award, Sky Bet added: “Outstanding in the East Midlands derby win over Nottingham Forest and cool-headed leader of a defence which conceded just two goals in four games.
“The Derby captain is also bringing the ball into midfield more this season.”
Keogh is up against Bolton Wanderers’ Sammy Ameobi, Sunderland’s Lewis Grabban and Wolves’ Leo Bonatini.
The winners for both awards will be announced at 6am on Friday 10th November.RULES TO FOLLOW
DO'S
DONT'S
1:When posting your build submission, please please please
DO POST
a full album of pictures (We recommend Imgur, simple and easy to use, fast, and free!), failure to do so means we won't be able to see what the build looks like. we don't have time to DL world schematics and look over them like that. So
PLEASE
include an album of pictures.
2-3: When posting your build submission, please please please include a schematic of your build straight away.
NO
"ill post it if it gets enough interest", its just easier if you post the schematic. Then we don't have to chase you for one if we like it, and can put it straight in. Much smo
o
o
o
other.
4: A brief description of a build is nice as well. No need to write an essay though.
5: Please make the images and the schematic obvious. Highlight them or something along those lines.
6: Include in your post your/the name(s) of people who worked on the build. Give credit where credit is due.
7: If you have questions about posting, please read the FAQ (another stickied thread in this subforum) before asking it. It makes everyone's life easier!
8: When commenting on a build. Please leave constructive feedback. not just "Good" or "bad" say why you think that. It helps the build improve and the the builder get better, for next time!
9:
USE VANILLA TEXTURE PACK
when posting your builds. failure to do so will to result in no reveiw.
If you have already posted one, please do not post again. No Necromancy
please.
If your build submission does not follow the guidelines, it will not be reviewed.
We enjoy seeing your build submissions.Have you used Yo yet? I'm getting pretty into it. It's a silly little app that literally just sends the word "Yo" to a friend's phone. If you have audio alerts turned on, a hyperactive little man also yells Yo at you, which is adorable and terrible all at once.
Yo is surprisingly popular and growing fast; last week the company received another $1.5 million in venture capital after getting an initial $1m last month. The ultimate goal is to build out an entire Yo network to try and rethink how notifications work. It's a particularly good example of the tech industry building a seemingly-ridiculous solution to a small problem that contains the germ of a much bigger idea within it. Yo might succeed or it might fail, but for the moment it's pretty fun to play with.
the lasting legacy of Yo should be to make the NSA seem utterly and ridiculously wrong
But whatever happens, the lasting legacy of Yo should be to make the NSA's position on collecting phone and email metadata seem utterly and ridiculously wrong.
Under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the NSA is allowed to collect business records that might be relevant to a terrorist act. Under an expansive reading of this rule (are there any non-expansive Patriot Act readings?) the agency claims that it's allowed to collect records of basically every call and email in America. Not what's being said, but who's talking to whom and when. This is known as metadata, or data about data, and collecting it is ultra-controversial: on one side the NSA claims that information about network traffic is just another Verizon or AT&T business record, and on the other privacy advocates have struggled to explain just how personal and revealing metadata can be.
But spend a couple minutes with Yo and you'll get it.
There isn't any other data — there's just Yo
Yo represents the radical idea that literally any communication from people in your network is valuable to you — it reduces the actual content of the message to secondary status and lets you fill in the blanks. A Yo from my wife at 10am means something different than a Yo from a coworker at 10:15, which means something different than a Yo from a friend at 11. You can set Yo up to turn your air conditioner on and off. A Yo from Amazon might mean that a package has arrived; a Yo from Netflix might mean that the latest season of Scandal is now available to stream.
Written letters to emails to IMs to tweets to Snapchats to Yo: human communication has gotten shorter and more complex all at once. Yo explicitly highlights the value of metadata: who sent you a message and when. There isn't any other data. There's just Yo.
In this context, the NSA's position that it should be allowed to collect the bulk metadata of millions of phone calls and emails is insanity. Just draw the thread out to Yo: if the NSA is allowed to collect metadata from Yo, it will straight-up be collecting the communications of millions of Americans, because there simply isn't any other data to collect. When the NSA allows the FBI and CIA to conduct thousands of searches for the communications of Americans, the charade of getting a warrant to dive past the metadata will be rendered inane: you can talk to the judge, but all you're gonna get is Yo.
you can talk to the judge, but all you're gonna get is Yo
And when people are killed based on metadata, as ex-NSA chief Gen. Michael Hayden has admitted, Yo will find itself behind the trigger of a gun.
There's a lot of conversation in Washington about the NSA and bulk metadata collection; a handful of bills have appeared, and Obama has proposed ending the program if Congress authorizes the NSA to quickly collect similar data from phone companies. (Which may or may not actually accomplish anything, really.) A couple court cases have divided appeals courts and the issue might end up at the Supreme Court.
In short, everything's up in the air. The issue feels wonky and the solutions are caught between the legitimate needs of law enforcement and the seemingly endless complexity of digital communications.
But it's actually pretty easy to understand. Just download Yo and send a couple Yos to your friends. Ask yourself if the government should be allowed to collect that information without a warrant.
Yo.Hello, this week we have a new preview from the upcoming Doomtown: Reloaded set Double Dealin! Dr. Emanuel Ashbel.
Now, Dr Emanuel is an interesting addition to the game. We’ve previously seen a similar ability in Arnold McCadish, reducing the penalty for losing a shootout. And given how often Morgan has their dudes aced instead of discarded in the current landslide decks, the good doctor seems much more useful to them.
Further, 3 influence is a *really* large amount for one dude, and this is the cheapest base cost we’ve seen for it before. That said the 2 upkeep is a very large amount and probably going to completely disqualify him from starting posses. Sure, it doesn’t preclude, but for most decks that’s all the upkeep they want for their starting posse taken by one dude. Given how much of a lightning rod he’s apt to be, it seems unwise to put all your starting assets into such a large basket.
The last thought I have on him is his value: 5 is not really an in value for Morgan right now, especially a Morgan deck that’s interested in Mad Science! but he’s certainly powerful enough to warrant a two of off slot in most Morgan decks I would think. And while his ability is very powerful, he’s really not worth 5 upkeep for out of faction decks :O
In sum, I fully expect to see him crop up in Morgan fairly often. Landslide can use him to keep their assets for later in the game, while run and gun decks (once they mature enough to be viable) can use him to mitigate any losses they take.
A+, would get healin’ from again.In recent years, countries throughout the world have experienced economic upheaval. Greece has been particularly hard hit, and saw unprecedented economic uncertainty in the years between 2008 and 2012. Previously, Greece had one of the lowest suicide rates in the world. But the stress of unemployment and the financial effects on housing, security, and access to much-needed resources has caused the suicide rate to rise.
Marina Economou of the University of Mental Health Research Institute in Athens, Greece wanted to examine the factors that lead to suicide and specifically identify which individuals are most at risk for suicidal ideation and attempts during an economic downturn. To do this, Economou examined |
choosing to leave the lights off for financial or maybe cultural reasons. "You can see those social and cultural imprints in the energy signatures themselves," says Stokes.
The data don’t give them an exact measure of the total energy use on a city block, but the lights do provide a proxy for tracking energy use patterns. “This is the factor that’s most sensitive to human behavior. When people turn on the lights, the next thing they’re going to turn on is the toaster and the heater,” says Román. “It’s those patterns of behavior that we’re trying to see.”
Urban areas account for a huge chunk of energy use and emissions, so the researchers hope to overlay the data with carbon emissions and energy consumption data in the future. "Carbon dioxide emissions is giving you the when, where and the how much. But it’s not telling you what is driving it," says Román. Looking at the lighting data against emissions could help build more localized climate mitigation strategies. Román points out: "What's going to work in New York City isn't necessarily going to work for Amarillo, Texas."
In this way, the images provide a lot more than pretty pictures of Earth from space.
Note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that there are no active vocanoes on Kauai.Are You Leaving Money on the Table with Your 401k?
If You’re Making This 401k Mistake Your Retirement Dreams Could All Go Up In Smoke
Here’s a hypothetical situation for you to consider: What would you do if someone walked up to you and offered you an envelope full of cold, hard cash with no strings attached? Would you take the money and run like a mad man or woman? Or would you say “no thanks” and merrily go on your way without giving it a second thought?
You might think it’s a silly question or that I’m off my rocker. After all, who would be crazy enough to turn down free money?
But the truth is that there are millions of people who are doing exactly that, and you could be one of them and not even know it!
According to a report released by AON Hewitt, 29 percent of 401k participants are not contributing enough to receive the full employer match. In other words, their employer is offering them free money to invest in their 401k plan and they’re turning it down.
Employer Match = Guaranteed Return
Employer matches can vary from one company to another. Some employers are extremely generous while others don’t offer any match at all. But just for an example, let’s say you work for a company that offers a 100% match on all of your 401k contributions up to 5% of your salary. Let’s also assume you earn $50,000 in salary.
If you contribute 5% of your salary you’ll be putting a tidy $2500 a year into your 401k account. But since your employer is matching those contributions your account will actually be growing $5000 a year! That’s an instant return of 100%!
While 401k plans aren’t perfect (they are often laden with hidden fees and it can be tough to get your money out if you need it) they do offer substantial tax benefits and an employer match is just too good to pass up. If at all possible, you should increase your contribution rate at least enough to receive the full employer match.
If you’re just scraping by and don’t think you can find the money to contribute, keep in mind that you won’t have to do without the full amount of your contribution.
I know that sounds weird but it is true.
Contributions to a 401(k) plan are not taxable until you withdraw them, so they actually reduce your taxable income. So if you are in the 25 percent tax bracket and you contribute $100 into your retirement account, your take home pay will only be reduced by $75 (because you won’t be taxed on your $100 contribution).
In other words, you contribute $100 and your company matches with an additional $100. In the end you have $200 and it only cost you $75. That is a deal that can not be beat!Darcy Wintonyk, CTV British Columbia
A body found on the roof of a downtown Los Angeles hotel has been identified as missing Vancouverite Elisa Lam.
LAPD Officer Diana Figueroa told CTV News late Tuesday that officials confirmed the identity through body markings.
The 21-year-old University of British Columbia student went missing on January 31, and was last seen at the Cecil Hotel, near the city's notorious skid row.
On Tuesday, Lam’s body was discovered in one of the hotel’s four water tanks by a maintenance worker after investigating complaints about low water pressure, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Videotape released by police after Lam’s disappearance showed the young woman acting strangely in the hotel elevator the night she was last seen.
The two-minute security tape footage showed Lam pressing buttons for multiple floors in the elevator before she darts out quickly, looking side-to-side before moving her arms around wildly.
Her reason for going to California is unclear, but authorities say Lam intended to travel to Santa Cruz as her final destination, which is about 563 kilometres north of Los Angeles.
Police suspect foul play in her disappearance.
Investigators say Lam was in daily contact with her family in Vancouver until she vanished. She never checked out of the hotel.
The last people to see Lam, a hostess and desk clerk at the hotel, said they never saw her with anyone else.If Chrome’s best feature is its speed, it’s second best feature has to be the Omnibox. I’m still not sure why every browser doesn’t simply offer one box for both searching and typing in URLs. But the Omnibox is about to get even more powerful, as developers have started fleshing out extensions to take advantage of it.
Google first talked about the Omnibox API back in August of last year, but at that time, it was experimental. But today they’ve done a new post on the Chromium Blog to highlight the option. And developers are wasting little time getting extensions working for it.
In their post, Google highlights an extension called Switch to Tab. It’s a neat little extension that allows you to use the Omnibox to easily switch between tabs. All you have to do is type “sw” and then hit <tab>, and you can start typing the letters of the tab you want to switch to. Why do this instead of clicking on a tab with the mouse? Well, perhaps you have a zillion tabs open and you can’t find what you’re looking for with a quick visual scan. Or maybe you have a ton of Amazon tabs open that all look the same, but are all different products.
Anyway, the extension itself seems a bit more like a proof-of-concept as it was apparently developed by Aaron Boodman, a key member of Google’s Chrome team, and Frank Yan, a member of Mozilla’s Firefox team (it’s a built-in feature of Firefox 4).
A cooler extension made outside the browser company ecosystem is > Quora Search. This Chrome extension allows you to yep, search Quora. We covered a simple extension that did this back in December, but this one is better because again, it just uses the Chrome Omnibox — no extra buttons or boxes needed.
With > Quora Search, you simply type whatever you want to search for on Quora into the Omnibox followed by “>quora”. Quora will load immediately with the search results.
AddonFactory, the team behind this extension, is planning similar extensions for other services as well. And they’d like to make an extension that allows you to Tweet or update you Facebook status from the Omnibox as well.TORONTO – The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced today the three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award: forward Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, forward Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and goaltender Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. The Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually to the "Most Outstanding Player" in the NHL, as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.
Benn and Price are each seeking their first Ted Lindsay Award, while Ovechkin is looking to be named the "Most Outstanding Player" by his fellow players for the fourth time in his career. The 2014-15 Ted Lindsay Award recipient will be announced on June 24th during the 2015 NHL Awards from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The Ted Lindsay Award is the only award voted on by the players themselves, carrying on the tradition established by the Lester B. Pearson Award dating back to 1970-71. The Award honours Ted Lindsay, an All-Star forward known for his skill, tenacity, leadership, and for his role in establishing the original Players' Association.
The following players are finalists for the 2014-15 Ted Lindsay Award (in alphabetical order):
Jamie Benn, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, played in all 82 regular season games for the Dallas Stars in 2014-15. Benn captured the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points (87), which he won with a four-point game – including his second hat-trick of the season – on the final night of the regular season. He set career highs in points, goals (35) and assists (52). Benn tied for first in the NHL in even strength points (59), tied for third in even strength assists (36), and he finished third in points-per-game (1.06), sixth in the league in assists, ninth in goals and 11th in average ice-time per game among all forwards (19:56). Benn is seeking his first Ted Lindsay Award as a first-time nominee, and he would become the first Stars player in franchise history to be honoured by his fellow NHLPA members.
Alex Ovechkin, of Moscow, Russia, played 81 games for the Washington Capitals during the 2014-15 regular season, and helped lead the Capitals back into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin scored 53 goals to capture his fifth Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14), and he became the sixth NHL player to record six career 50-goal seasons. He led the league in power-play goals (25) and game-winning goals (11), and he finished fourth in points (81) and eighth in points-per-game (1.00), which also earned him his fifth finalist nomination for the Hart Memorial Trophy – an award he has won three times (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13). Ovechkin is vying for his fourth "Most Outstanding Player" award. He previously received the players' Award in three consecutive seasons (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10), and he was also a finalist in both 2005-06 and 2012-13.
Carey Price, of Anahim Lake, British Columbia, Canada, played 66 games for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2014-15 regular season, and helped lead the Canadiens to the second best record in the NHL. Price led the league in wins (44 – a new franchise-best), goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933), which earned him finalist nominations for the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy. He also claimed the William M. Jennings Trophy, along with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Price would become just the second Canadiens player to receive the players' Award, following Guy Lafleur (1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78), and he would also become only the third goaltender to receive the Award, joining Mike Liut (1980-81) and Dominik Hasek (1996-97, 1997-98). Price is a first-time nominee for the Ted Lindsay Award and he is the first goaltender to be nominated since 2011-12 (Henrik Lundqvist).WIP Documentation
The Cypher System is the RPG system used in Monte Cook Games Numenera and The Strange. This wiki page will walk through how to setup and play a Roll20 game for any of these systems.
Creating a Game
You can create a game for Monte Cook Games on Roll20 from scratch if you wish to. Here are some resources available that can make the process easier.
The Marketplace currently has three games that you can purchase for The Strange RPG:
The Strange: The Curious Case of Tom Mallard includes the full rulebook PDF and the starter module, pre-made as a Roll20 game The Strange: The Dark Spiral is the first official adventure game for The Strange. It includes the game PDF as well as the entire adventure set up as a Roll20 game The Strange: Starter Pack is a basic kit of graphics, pre-gen character sheets, XP tokens, macros that you can adapt to make your own games with
Character Sheets
If you're creating a game from scratch, you'll want to choose either the Numenera or The Strange character sheet either when you first create the Game OR later on when you're on the Game Settings Page that you can access from the Game's Details Page. These pages are accessed when you're not inside playing your game, but when you're viewing your game list.
There are two character sheets available for Numenera. One in English and another in French. There is one character sheet available for The Strange presently in English only.
Every time you create a new character in the Journal tab on the Sidebar, the character journal's character sheet is available on the second tab.
The Strange and Managing Recursions
Instead of using the same character sheet for all recursions a character could travel to, we recommend that you duplicate the current character journal and then using the copy as the basis for the character in the new recursion. For instance, if you have a journal entry for "Agent Arlo Coulton on Earth". Duplicate it and rename the copy "Agent Arlo Coulton on Ardeyn/Ruk/etc".
To duplicate a character journal you will need to go into Edit Mode by clicking on the Edit Button at the top of the opened journal entry. Below the Tags field in Edit Mode is a Duplicate button. Clicking on it will add a copy to your Journal tab.
Running a Purchased Module
Selecting Purchased Modules
If you've purchased a copy of The Strange Rulebook The Strange: The Dark Spiral, or the free The Strange Starter Pack from the Roll20 Marketplace, they will be listed on the right side of the Game Creation page. This is also where you can access and download the associated PDF rulebooks or adventure pack booklets that come with your purchase.
At default, the Blank Game will be selected. Simply click on the module you would like run to have that checked off instead. This auto selects the character sheet for you too. Create a name for your Game, add Tag keywords if you wish and then click on the I'm Ready, Create Game! button. Your chosen module will load up automatically.
Inviting Your Friends Or Find Players
Sending Invitations
Each game on Roll20 has it's own unique join link. Once given a Join Link, all the player needs to do is go that unique url and their user account will be added to the game as a player. If the player has never used Roll20 before, they will be prompted to create a user account before they can load into the game.
The Join Link can be located within the game itself on the Chat Tab of the Sidebar where it says:
The player link for this game is:
https://app.roll20.net/join/[unique id #] (← this will need to be highlighted to see)
(Hover over with your mouse pointer to show)
You can also email invitations directly via the game's Details Page. Incidentally, you can also obtain the unique Join Link of that game from there as well
Finding Players
If you don't already have a gaming group, this wiki page will help walk you through how to go about finding players for your Monte Cook Game.
Assigning Tokens, Characters and Handouts to Players
Once your players have logged into your game once, their account is added to the game. This makes their username available to attach them to tokens, journal entries and handouts. In Roll20, the players can only see what the GM specifically allows them to. When you're in Edit mode of a Character Journal or Handout there are two important fields to pay attention to: In Player's Journals and Can Be Edited/ & Controlled By
In Player's Journals: If a player name is added to this field, they will be able to see the entry in their Journal tab and be able to view the information in the Bio & Info section. They will not be able to view, edit or manipulate the Character Sheet tab or the Attributes & Abilities tab. Can Be Edited/ & Controlled By: If a player name is added to this field, they will be able to see and edit the entry in their Journal tab. They will be able to view, edit or manipulate the Character Sheet tab and the Attributes & Abilities tab (it is recommended that the Attributes & Abilities tab is left alone as modifying it might cause the character sheet's functionality to break).
Tokens have only one field in edit mode - Controlled By, if a token is linked to a Character Journal, then it will automatically be assigned to whoever is already assigned Edit Permissions to the character.
If Character Journals are linked to a Token, then the GM can click and drag a journal to the tabletop to spawn a copy of that token with the permissions already preset.
Rolling for Difficulty
The Strange Rolling for Difficulty in
When the GM gives a player a difficult rating for a given task, the player rolls directly from her character sheet. In both theandcharacter sheets is a section with roll buttons for the Difficulty Scale that are listed sequentially from Simple to Impossible.
If a user has 3D Dice activated in My Settings, a 3D d20 will roll across the Tabletop. Regardless if 3D Dice are used or not, the roll's result will be displayed in the Chat Tab.
Experience Points
XP Poker Chips simulated by utilizing the Roll20 Card Deck feature
Since experience points can be traded in as a narrative currency during gameplay, some gaming groups might prefer to use physical objects to represent experience and trade them between one another. This can be simulated in Roll20 with the use of an Infinite Card Deck. The Strange modules available on the Roll20 Marketplace already come with an XP Deck preloaded, but making one from scratch with your own graphics is easy to do too. The GM can show and hide the deck from the tabletop by clicking on Hide/Show button beside the deck in thetab on the
When players are given cards, a thumbnail of the back of the card appears above their portrait and if it is set to do so, will also show you the number of how many cards they currently hold. If they wish to give a token to the GM they first click on the thumbnail above their own portrait to open up their hand. Then they grab a token there and drag it to the GM's portrait. This brings up a trade window that the GM can either accept or deny. They can also drag the token to the tabletop and the GM can pick it up it that way too by right clicking on it and selecting Take Card.
The GM can also manage many other features of the card deck like player permission to draw from the deck, see the deck, etc. For a robust list of all Card Deck features check out our wiki page on Card Decks and Rollable Tables.
A Walkthrough to Playing Roll20's The Strange's Marketplace Modules
Here's what you can expect if you decide to run any of the purchasable Monte Cook Games modules on the Roll20 Marketplace.
The Play Space
The Strange showcasing the Scene and Character Swappers The Tabletop Layout forshowcasing the Scene and Character Swappers
is a very picturesque game and plays heavily towards setting the right mood. For this reason, the Roll20 Pages in this game have been deliberately designed to prevent you from having to manage dozens of picture handouts. Instead of a single scene kept within a game page, Rollable Tokens have been used to allow you to switch character portraits and backdrops on the fly directly from the Tabletop.
A Rollable Token can have many different images associated to it. You can swap the appearance at will by right clicking on the token, selecting Multi-Sided from the popup menu and then selecting Choose Side. This will bring up a new window with a slider that allows you to cycle through the various images available.
With the exception of dungeon floor maps, all other pages utilize two rollable tokens on the tabletop. The smaller one on the left is the Character Swapper. You can change it to various characters that would be interacting with the PCs at that location. Occasionally it also can be used to reveal some smaller additional guide maps or scenery. The rollable table contents will be noted in your handout notes for each Page. Each Character Swapper has a "blank" side so you can hide the portrait entirely to view the backdrop scene in its entirety.
The larger rollable token that takes up the entirety of the tabletop is the Scene Swapper. This token holds all relevant Show ‘Ems for that location as well as other images that set the mood and setting for the players. Each Scene Swapper token has a side called "Scratch Pad", this blank scene is supplied in the event that you and your players need to take down notes or doodle out a specific location for combat or interaction.
If you ever accidentally delete a token from the tabletop or you wish to add your own graphics, you can replace it by following these steps:
Go to the Decks and Tables Tab on the Sidebar and find the right rollable table you need Click on the Token button, this will place that token on the tabletop Right click on the token to bring up its options menu, go to Advanced and toggle off Is Drawing Right click again and go to the Advanced section again and select Set Dimensions For the Scene Swapper, the dimensions are 1050 pixels wide x 800 pixels high For the Portrait Swapper, the dimensions are: 345 pixels wide x 800 pixels high Move the tokens into place and use the To Back/Front options in the right click menu to situate them properly on top of each other It's easier to place the tokens if you briefly enable the Grid by checking it off in the Page Settings on the Page Toolbar. It is the gear icon next to the desired Page you wish to edit. CTRL + M will place the tokens on the map layer if you find yourself working on another layer by mistake.
Features
Pre-Gen PCs
Available in these games are the seven pre-generated characters from The Strange Player's Guide if you would like to use them:
Paradox Agent Dr. Sybil Holloway
Spinners Agent L.G. Babcock III Agent Torah "The Windmill" Bishop
Vectors Agent Arlo Coulton Agent Vanessa Torgue
Random Cypher Roller
Random Cypher Macro in Action
Pre-Built XP Chips
Under thetab of theis a button macro you can use to roll up random cyphers. The cypher table on page 312 ofRulebook has been transposed over into its own rollable table. The rollable table only includes the cypher name so consult the rulebook if you need a full description of the rolled cypher.
Mentioned earlier under Experience Points, each The Strange module comes with the XP Token Infinite Card Deck pre-built and ready to use.
Fog of War & Dynamic Lighting
The Curious Case of Tom Mallard and The Dark Spiral modules both have floor plan maps that utilize the Fog of War tool. This is a special tool that allows the GM to hide areas of the Tabletop from the Players and can reveal or hide parts of it by drawing or erasing Fog from the Tabletop. To learn more, see the wiki page on the Fog of War Tool.
In The Dark Spiral module, the Mouth of Swords Dungeon Map is set up for Dynamic Lighting, which is a special tool available to GMs who are Roll20 Subscribers. This allows areas of the tabletop to hide or reveal themselves automatically as tokens are dragged and moved across the table. If you do not have a subscriber account, you can use the Fog of War tool mentioned earlier to hide and reveal areas manually. To learn more, see the wiki page on Dynamic Lighting.
Jukebox
For The Curious Case of Tom Mallard and The Dark Spiral, an assortment of music tracks have been selected that we feel best set the mood of each location and recursion. You can play the audio by going to the Jukebox tab on the Sidebar. All tracks are by music composer Kevin MacLeod of incompetech.com.
You're welcome to use the tracks provided or include your own. The tracks are sorted by locations and events within the adventure pack and followed by the original track name of MacLeod’s work.
SoundCloud tracks for this module are subject to change.
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Helpful Graphics for The Strange
If you would like to create graphics to complement The Strange: Starter Pack or any one of the other The Strange modules, here are some templates to help you along:Apple's two-step verification system now covers FaceTime and iMessage, reports The Guardian. Signing into an iMessage or FaceTime account protected by two-step verification will ask users to input an app specific password, which can only be obtained by logging in to an Apple ID account on the web with an authentication code, thereby preventing any unauthorized login attempts.Two-factor verification is an opt-in system that was first introduced in March of 2013 to increase the security of Apple ID accounts. Prior to today, a verification code was only required for making changes to an account, signing into iCloud, or making iTunes/App Store purchases from a new device.Two-factor authentication for iCloud is a recent addition that was implemented in September following the breach of several celebrity iCloud accounts, leading to a slew of leaked photos. The hacking incident led Apple to improve the security of iCloud and it also prompted the company to send out security emails when a device is restored, iCloud is accessed, or a password change is attempted.Last month, a Medium post highlighting some of the remaining shortcomings of two-factor authentication was shared by several technology sites, which may have inspired Apple to update the service to protect iMessage and FaceTime accounts. The post pointed out that it was still possible to log into iMessage, FaceTime, iTunes, the App Store, and into the website using an account with two-factor authentication enabled without being asked for a verification code.It seems two-factor authentication for iMessage and FaceTime may still be rolling out to users, as MacRumors was able to log into iMessage and FaceTime accounts with two-factor authentication enabled without a code.Two-factor authentication for iMessage and FaceTime seems to be more widely available now, and it appears that logging into an account requires an app specific password rather than a code to prevent unauthorized entry attempts.Tim Burton’s involvement in “Beetlejuice 2” is no longer a rumor, as he’s officially in talks to direct the sequel for Warner Bros., multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.
Michael Keaton is expected to reprise his role as the titular fast-talking, black-and-white stripe-wearing ghost with the most.
The Geffen Company, which produced the 1988 classic, will produce the sequel with Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions. Grahame-Smith, who penned the Burton-produced adaptation of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” wrote the script that Warner Bros. has confidence in.
Also Read: Jason Schwartzman Joins Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams in Tim Burton’s ‘Big Eyes’ (Exclusive)
TheWrap started looking into Burton’s schedule last week after word began to spread that 20th Century Fox’s fantasy film “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” may not be Burton’s next movie. Peter Chernin’s production company is producing the adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ bestselling novel.
The truth is that Burton hasn’t decided what his next movie will be, and while it definitely won’t be “Beetlejuice 2,” his long-rumored interest in a sequel is no mere flirtation anymore.
The timing feels right for a return to Beetlejuice’s graveyard, as the character remains a beloved part of pop culture who maintains a presence at theme parks around the world. The character also spawned a successful animated TV series.
Also Read: ‘Community’ Unfurls ‘Beetlejuice’ Joke Over 3 Years (Video)
Not only is Burton looking to redeem himself after his “Dark Shadows” movie with Johnny Depp underperformed for WB, but Keaton himself is in the midst of a career renaissance, with starring roles in the “RoboCop” remake and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s comedy “Birdman.” Keaton also appeared in Larry David’s HBO movie “Clear History” and co-stars in DreamWorks’ tentpole “Need for Speed.”
Burton, who is coming off an Oscar nomination as the director of “Frankenweenie,” recently wrapped the Weinstein Company drama “Big Eyes,” which stars Amy Adams as painter Margaret Keane and Christoph Waltz as her credit-grabbing husband. Burton is represented by WME.In this study, discontinuation of snus use after an MI was associated with a nearly halved mortality risk, similar to the benefit associated with smoking cessation. These observations suggest that the use of snus after MI should be discouraged.
All patients who were admitted to coronary care units for an MI in Sweden between 2005 and 2009 and were <75 years of age underwent a structured examination 2 months after discharge (the baseline of the present study). We investigated the risk of mortality in post-MI snus quitters (n=675) relative to post-MI continuing snus users (n=1799) using Cox proportional hazards analyses. During follow-up (mean 2.1 years), 83 participants died. The mortality rate was 9.7 (95% confidence interval, 5.7–16.3) per 1000 person-years at risk in post-MI snus quitters and 18.7 (14.8–23.6) per 1000 person-years at risk in post-MI continuing snus users. After adjustment for age and sex, post-MI snus quitters had half the mortality risk of post-MI continuing snus users (hazard ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.29–0.91). In a multivariable-adjusted model, the hazard ratio was 0.57 (95% confidence interval, 0.32–1.02). The corresponding estimate for people who quit smoking after MI versus post-MI continuing smokers was 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.69).
Given the indications of increased risk for fatal myocardial infarction (MI) in people who use snus, a moist smokeless tobacco product, we hypothesized that discontinuation of snus use after an MI would reduce mortality risk.
Introduction
The use of oral moist snuff, a form of smokeless tobacco, is increasing worldwide. The largest snuff market is the United States, with an annual consumption of 1.7 billion cans and an annual market growth rate of >5% during the past 5 years.1 The highest prevalence of snuff use is in Sweden, where 20% of the male and 3% of the female adult population are daily users of snus, the Swedish form of snuff.2 Although the manufacturing of Swedish snus includes a pasteurization process, which produces a relatively sterile product with lower levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines, the nicotine levels are similar to traditional US moist snuff brands.3
Clinical Perspective on p 332
Smoking cessation after a myocardial infarction (MI) reduces the risk of death by one third4 and is considered a cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation programs worldwide. Cardiovascular effects of smokeless tobacco have been less studied, but there are reports on acute autonomic and hemodynamic effects such as endothelial dysfunction5,6 and increased blood pressure, heart rate, and blood levels of adrenaline.7,8 No increased risk of MI incidence has been observed in previous studies,9–16 although 2 meta-analyses have reported a seemingly increased risk for fatal MI,17,18 which suggests that snus use may predispose to arrhythmic or other serious complications of MI. Nicotine exposure has also been associated with increased vulnerability for ventricular fibrillation after MI in animal studies.19–21 Furthermore, snus use may be associated with a higher risk of heart failure, an important MI sequel.22 No previous study has addressed the question of whether snus users who have an MI benefit from discontinuation of snus use.
We hypothesized that cessation of snus use after an MI would reduce mortality risk to the same extent as smoking cessation. We investigated this hypothesis in a large prospective sample of patients with a recent MI.
Methods
Study Sample
We included patients in the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web-System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies, a Swedish nationwide quality register; http://www.swedeheart.org) databases Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admission (RIKS-HIA) and Secondary Prevention after Heart Intensive Care Admission (SEPHIA) for the present study. Patients with MI who were admitted to a coronary care unit in Sweden between 2005 and 2009 were initially recorded in RIKS-HIA. At present, 73 of 74 hospitals in Sweden contribute to the database, in which ≈100 variables are recorded continuously.23 In the secondary prevention database SEPHIA, patients <75 years of age were systematically followed up 2 months after discharge. At present, 62 of 73 Swedish hospitals engaged in RIKS-HIA also participate in SEPHIA. The SEPHIA 2-month examination was used as the baseline of the present study. We excluded participants for whom information on smoking or the use of smokeless tobacco use was lacking (n=1963), rendering a total sample of 20 911 individuals eligible for the present study. For individuals who had >1 MI during these years, baseline data were updated at all subsequent 2-month postdischarge visits, rendering a total of 21 210 observations from which study samples were drawn. Our primary study sample was restricted to all subjects who were using snus at the time of the MI and were examined 2 months after discharge (n=2474). Our secondary study sample was defined as all subjects who were smoking at the time of the MI and were examined 2 months after discharge (n=6934). Because of differences in treatment and prognosis given different severities of MI, we also analyzed the risk of mortality in subsamples based on type of MI, ST-segment–elevation MI (STEMI)/left bundle-branch block (snus users, n=1048; smokers, n=3282) or non-STEMI (snus users, n=1411; smokers, n=3629), as a secondary analysis.
All patients were informed about their participation in the registry and the follow-up and had the right to refuse participation. The registry and the merging of registries were approved by the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Data Inspection Board, and the Regional Ethical Review Board in Uppsala.
Baseline Examinations
At the baseline examinations, 2 months after an MI, information was collected through face-to-face interviews by use of a questionnaire (available at http://www.ucr.uu.se/sephia). Some data presented in this study (left ventricular systolic function, type of MI, and the proportion who underwent coronary intervention during hospital stay) were collected at the time of the MI (http://www.ucr.uu.se/rikshia).
Snus exposure was classified into 4 categories: Post-MI snus users (participants who continued to use snus after their MI), post-MI snus quitters (participants who stopped using snus at the time of their MI), pre-MI snus quitters (participants who had stopped using snus before admission for their MI), and those who had never used snus. The same classification system was used for smoking exposure. Fasting blood samples were collected and analyzed for lipid and glucose levels. Body mass index was calculated and waist circumference measured. Office supine blood pressure was measured. Heart rhythm was established with an ECG. Participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program (nurse-led general educational program about coronary heart disease) was recorded. Information on current medication was obtained. Level of physical activity was established through a 7-day recall question at the baseline examination and defined as number of episodes of exercise >30 minutes the past week, grouped into 4 categories: 0, 1 to 3, 4 to 7, and >7 episodes per week. Occupation status was defined as employed, unemployed, and retired. Approximately 80% of the participants had undergone echocardiography during hospitalization for an MI. Left ventricular systolic function was graded into 4 categories: Normal (left ventricular ejection fraction >50%), mild impairment (40%–50%), moderate impairment (30%–39%) and severe impairment (<30%). Type of MI (STEMI/left bundle-branch block or non-STEMI) at presentation and the proportion who underwent coronary intervention during the hospital stay were defined. Presence of dyspnea and angina were classified according to definitions of the New York Heart Association and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, respectively. The presence of diabetes mellitus (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] code E10–14) and previous MI (ICD-10 code I21–23), stroke (ICD-10 code I60–64), or heart failure (ICD-10 code I50) were defined through record linkages to the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register, and the diabetes mellitus diagnosis was supplemented by the presence, within 2 weeks before or after the baseline examination, of a fasting plasma glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, hemoglobin A 1c ≥6.5%, or use of hypoglycemic drug therapy.24 Hypertension was defined as use of antihypertensive medication at the time of or before admission for MI, a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg at baseline.
No nationwide specific program for discontinuation of tobacco was provided. All patients were offered a chance to participate in the standardized nurse-led cardiac rehabilitation program, in which tobacco was one of the subjects discussed. Smoking cessation is a key quality measure for secondary prevention in SWEDEHEART, but the use of tobacco of any form after an MI is discouraged. Because of the lack of such evidence, advice regarding discontinuation of smokeless tobacco, from a clinical perspective, has not been as prioritized as for smoking.
Follow-Up and Outcome Measures
Follow-up commenced at the SEPHIA |
the organization relevant, and define what must be done to bring the organization to the next level (transformative work) while also getting the day-to-day work done, meeting deadlines, and satisfying reporting requirements (transactional work). Achieving a balance between the two requires different skill sets, prioritization, and the ability to delegate operational activities to competent staff.
Carrying the C-Suite In addition to serving as the trusted counselor to the CEO, especially in light of the diminishing role of the COO, the NFP CFO functions as consultant to the senior leadership team and is increasingly asked to provide expert advice to support programmatic decisions. The CFO is in an optimal position to do so given the ability to gather information from all parts of the organization. In this expanded role, it is imperative that the CFO understand all aspects of an NFP organization.
Communication One of the key attributes of an effective CFO is the ability to take complex information and communicate it so that non-financial professionals can easily understand it. The sharing of information is a critical part of building trust; in order to be effective, it is imperative that the CFO be trusted. As such, the CFO does not always deliver good news, but must deliver the news nonetheless. CFOs must also take advantage of new modes of communication, including social media. The use of metrics and dashboards is now common and a clear, concise, and visual way to provide information. Historically, CFOs have fostered strong business relationships with auditors, bankers, and investment advisors; today, they also broker relationships with attorneys, insurance advisors, significant vendors, funders, and donors. This makes sense, given that modern funders and donors require more information in different forms and the CFO is in an ideal position to measure tangible outcomes and provide in-depth financial data.
Governance All kinds of businesses have elements of oversight within their operating culture; however, the NFP culture contains several unique factions, including active boards, funders, the public and press, and regulatory agencies, not to mention clients and suppliers. The pressure on governance is tremendous for today’s NFP organization. Overall, there is a greater requirement for transparency throughout the NFP sector. CFOs have experienced greater involvement in governance in conjunction with the broadened role of audit and finance committees and following the enactment of the New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act. There is also a greater need for strategic planning and performance measures that assist boards in understanding tradeoffs and associated costs. The CFO is also in a good position to educate the board about the governance section of Form 990, especially as it relates to monitoring conflict-of-interest, whistle-blower, record retention, and executive compensation policies and procedures.
Information Technology The increasing need to acquire, maintain, and continuously upgrade one’s knowledge in information technology must be part of an NFP CFO’s ongoing responsibilities if management is to maintain its infrastructure at acceptable levels. This applies regardless of whether the organization maintains a separate CIO position, and includes the ability to gauge the success of an organization using program outcome measures and organizational metrics. The CFO also plays a key role in keeping an organization’s IT infrastructure relevant and modern in an ever-changing technological environment. Many nonprofits are challenged by their lack of an IT strategy, are often several software versions behind, and have customized their internal systems to the extent that software upgrades are nearly impossible. Data integrity is another major issue; metrics can be very informative, but lose meaning if the data lacks integrity. The CFO’s role as risk manager is also important, as technology has brought about new and pervasive internal and external risks. These risks entail not only cyber attacks, but also the need to manage social media, as negative stories about an organization can spread quickly. Protecting confidential information is also a challenge given the broad use of smartphones and flash drives. Furthermore, the ubiquitous dependency on email means that productivity screeches to a halt when email fails. Finally, new internal controls are required: it has become much easier to produce fraudulent checks and requests for bogus wire transfers have become common.
Managing Personnel One key aspect of a CFO’s role is personnel management. Proper recruitment, knowledge retention, and appropriate succession plans are important facets of helping to manage, train, and motivate all staff and talent within the areas the CFO manages (which, as noted above, can be extensive). These factors, although required steps for all who report to the CFO, should also be maintained for the CFO as well, particularly the succession planning.
Funding Depending upon an organization’s activity and mission, an NFP entity may have unique revenue sources. These include public support by individuals, corporations, and foundations; government support from local, state, and federal authorities; and other NFP entities that share in mission or are part of a common coalition. All of these sources are grouped under the term funding, and the level and type of such revenue and support depend upon an organization’s success. Many attributes make funding a major challenge for CFOs today. While funding is not disappearing, it is being made available in greater amounts to those organizations that can prove desired outcomes. Many NFPs struggle to develop meaningful measurements of mission impact; while great strides have been made in dispelling the overhead myth, there is still little or no funding for administrative overhead or infrastructure. Furthermore, most funding is accompanied by restrictions and onerous reporting requirements. Many NFPs continue to have inadequate financial reserves and to be heavily reliant on one or a few funding sources. Organizations continue to believe that some funding is better than no funding and to refuse to reject funding even when it does not support the organization’s core mission or cover administrative overhead. In addition, nonprofits continue to be unable or unwilling to exit programs that consistently operate at a loss. It is the CFO’s job to fight these counterproductive instincts.
Compliance, Regulations, and Unfunded Mandates Compliance and regulatory demands on NFP organizations are tremendous. The ever-changing compliance and regulatory landscape challenges business operations and increases workload. Compliance is a tremendous challenge for the CFO, as it makes focusing on strategic initiatives almost impossible. In fact, the only thing more time consuming than compliance is noncompliance. In addition, changes in compliance and regulatory requirements are often unfunded mandates, which require organizations to update policies and procedures, consult with outside experts, communicate new regulations to staff, set up monitoring processes, and undergo compliance audits.
Risk Mitigation The primary responsibility of every management team is the proper management and efficient achievement of its organizational objectives. Today’s NFP environment entails considerable economic, political, and cultural risks to any organization. In the past, the CFO’s risk mitigation responsibility was limited to ensuring that an organization’s insurance portfolio covered the activities performed by the organization. Continual risk assessment is now viewed as an essential part of the CFO’s role. The CFO’s expertise in audit and compliance make her the natural candidate to assess and manage risk across an NFP entity. It is said that next to staff, reputation is an NFP’s greatest asset. The speed by which information and (often unverified) negative publicity can be disseminated puts that reputation at risk. Scandals, financial crises, data breaches, and regulatory reform have further driven home the need to think beyond just financial reporting and internal controls over financial reporting when of dealing with risk.THE Bulldogs are set for one of the biggest recruitment swipes in rugby league history with the Belmore club lining up a bid to snatch all four members of the Wests Tigers so-called Big Four, according to a bombshell report.
In a move that would create a new level of hostility between the Tigers and Bulldogs, Canterbury has already made a move to try and entice Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks to Belmore for the 2018 season.
Fox Sports NRL reporter James Hooper has told Triple M, the ongoing contract saga surrounding the four off-contract Tigers stars has been shaken up.
“There’s been so much speculation around about these four players and what’s going to happen,” Hooper said on Triple M Saturday NRL.
“Over the course of the last week, the rumblings have gotten louder and louder, that one of the clubs playing today — the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs — might well decide that they’re going to make a play for all four.
“Don’t ask me how the hell they’d fit them all in.
“Aaron Woods is certainly a great NSW and Australian Test front-rower. James Tedesco is arguably the best fullback in the game and then you’ve got the two young halves.”
Triple M NRL analyst and former Panthers star Ryan Girdler said he could not fathom how the Bulldogs would be able to fit the star quartet under the salary cap for next season.
Aaron Woods in blue and white? Source: News Corp Australia
The potential recruitment coup has been described by Hooper as the most significant group-player signing since the Bulldogs lost stars Jim Dymock, Dean Pay, Jarrod McCracken and Jason Smith to the Eels in 1996 after winning the 1995 ARL grand final.
“If it does happen it would be the biggest play of four players going from one club to another since then,” Hooper said.
There has been a stand-off between Woods, Tedesco, Moses and Brooks with the Wests Tigers since the club first put contract offers on the table in November.
Woods, the Tigers’ captain, on Thursday said he won’t be rushed into deciding on his future until the club appoints a long-term NRL coach.
The joint venture is on the lookout for a new mentor after their shock decision to axe Jason Taylor on Monday, leaving caretaker Andrew Webster to guide the team temporarily.
However the club is adamant it won’t be rushed on a search that has so far linked them with former Penrith head Ivan Cleary and current North Queensland assistant Todd Payten.
Woods declared last week he would only settle on a new contract once a new coach is in place at Concord, and the latest developments hadn’t changed his thinking.
“There’s still no certainty with what’s happening. I still stand by my comments. I didn’t say sack JT or anything, which I think has been misinterpreted in the media,” Woods said.
“All I said was JT was off-contract, I just want to know who the coach is going to be. They want me to sign a long-term deal. I’m not going to sign where there’s no certainty of what’s going on.”
Bombshell report. Source: News Corp Australia
The NSW State of Origin representative reiterated he had no say in the demise of Taylor, but was open to lending his opinion on his replacement.
“They can (ask) if they want, but at the end of the day, it’s their decision,” he said.
“It’s out of our hands. All I did last week was ask who the coach is going to be and that’s it.” Woods dodged questions on whether he had spoken to other clubs, instead opting to discuss the team’s current plight ahead of Sunday’s round-four match against Melbourne.
“I haven’t thought about anything. I’ve been pretty disgusted with the way we’ve performed over the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“First of all you need to know who the coach is going to be long-term. I’ll sit down with my wife and sort it out, and my management.”
Teammate Elijah Taylor admitted feeling frustrated by the club’s decision to sack Jason Taylor on the back of what has been a scandalous few months.
Taylor’s dismissal comes just a week after disgraced centre Tim Simona revealed some players had used illicit drugs during post-season celebrations a few years ago.
It is the third club in a row where Taylor has watched the head coach get fired. “They don’t teach you how to deal with this in the under 20s. It’s very educational. You see true colours of a lot of people. You see the media and how they operate,” Taylor said.
“But I’ve seen it three times. It’s very difficult. It definitely disrupts the team, but we just have to move on now and focus this Sunday on the Storm. We’ve got no choice.”
— with AAPLinux on the desktop is making great progress. However, the real beauty of Linux and Unix like operating system lies beneath the surface at the command prompt. nixCraft picks his best open source terminal applications of 2012.
Most of the following tools are packaged by all major Linux distributions and can be installed on *BSD or Apple OS X.
Adblock detected 😱 PayPal/Bitcoin, or become a supporter using Patreon. My website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to my visitors. I get it! Ads are annoying but they help keep this website running. It is hard to keep the site running and producing new content when so many people block ads. Please consider donating money to the nixCraft via, or become a
#1: siege – An HTTP/HTTPS stress load tester
Siege is a multi-threaded http or https load testing and benchmarking utility. This tool allows me to measure the performance of web apps under duress. I often use this tool test a web server and apps. I have had very good results with this tool. It can stress a single url such as example.com/foo.php or multiple urls. At the end of each test you will get all data about the web server performance, total data transferred, latency, server response time, concurrency and much more.
#2: abcde – A better CD encoder
Usually, the process of grabbing the data off a CD and encoding it, then tagging or commenting it, is very involved. abcde is designed to automate this. It will take an entire CD and convert it into a compressed audio format – Ogg/Vorbis, MPEG Audio Layer III, Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Ogg/Speex, MPP/MP+(Musepack) and/or M4A (AAC) format(s). It will do a CDDB query over the Internet to look up your CD or use a locally stored CDDB entry.
#3: ngrep – Network grep
Ngrep is a network packet analyzer. It follows most of GNU grep’s common features, applying them to the network layer. Ngrep is not related to tcpdump. It is just an easy to use tool. You can run queries such as:
## grep all HTTP GET or POST requests from network traffic on eth0 interface ## sudo ngrep -l -q -d eth0 "^GET |^POST " tcp and port 80 ## grep all HTTP GET or POST requests from network traffic on eth0 interface ## sudo ngrep -l -q -d eth0 "^GET |^POST " tcp and port 80
I often use this tool to find out security related problems and tracking down other network and server related problems.
#4: pv
The pv command allows you to see the progress of data through a pipeline. It provides the following info:
Time elapsed Percentage completed (with progress bar) Current throughput rate Total data transferred ETA
See how to install and use pv command under Linux. Or download pv by visiting this page.
#5: dtrx
dtrx is an acronmy for “Do The Right Extraction.” It’s a tool for Unix-like systems that take all the hassle out of extracting archives. As a sysadmin, I download source code and tar balls. This tool saves lots of time.
You only need to remember one simple command to extract tar, zip, cpio, deb, rpm, gem, 7z, cab, lzh, rar, gz, bz2, lzma, xz, and many kinds of exe files, including Microsoft Cabinet archives, InstallShield archives, and self-extracting zip files. If they have any extra compression, like tar.bz2 files, dtrx will take care of that for you, too.
dtrx will make sure that archives are extracted into their own dedicated directories.
dtrx makes sure you can read and write all the files you just extracted, while leaving the rest of the permissions intact.
Recursive extraction: dtrx can find archives inside the archive and extract those too.
Download dtrx
#6:dstat – Versatile resource statistics tool
As a sysadmin, I heavily depends upon tools such as vmstat, iostat and friends for troubleshooting server issues. Dstat overcomes some of the limitations provided by vmstat and friends. It adds some extra features. It allows me to view all of my system resources instantly. I can compare disk usage in combination with interrupts from hard disk controller, or compare the network bandwidth numbers directly with the disk throughput and much more.
#7:ffmpeg – Record, convert, stream and play multimedia content
Recently, I started a youtube channel for nixCraft. I need to convert video and audio in various format such as Youtube HD web streaming format. This tool saves lots of my time. I often use this tool for audio/video conversion. This is the best tool for converting Audio, AVI, MP4, Ipod, Mobile phone, PSP, Quicktime, Rockbox, Web (Flash), WMV and much more.
#8:mtr – Traceroute+ping in a single network diagnostic tool
The mtr command combines the functionality of the traceroute and ping programs in a single network diagnostic tool. Use mtr to monitor outgoing bandwidth, latency and jitter in your network. A great little app to solve network problems. If you see a sudden increase in packetloss or response time is often an indication of a bad or simply overloaded link.
#9:multitail – Tail command on steroids
MultiTail is a program for monitoring multiple log files, in the fashion of the original tail program. This program lets you view one or multiple files like the original tail program. The difference is that it creates multiple windows on your console (with ncurses). I often use this tool when I am monitoring logs on my server.
#10: curl – Transfer data and see behind the scenes
Curl is a command line tool to transfer data from or to a server, using one of the supported protocols. The command is designed to work without user interaction. curl offers a busload of useful tricks like proxy support, user authentication, FTP upload, and much more. I often use curl command to:
Troubleshoot http/ftp/cdn server problems. Check or pass HTTP/HTTPS headers. Upload / download files using ftp protocol or to cloud account. Debug HTTP responses and find out exactly what an Apache/Nginx/Lighttpd/IIS server is sending to you without using any browser add-ons or 3rd party applications. Download curl
#11: netcat – TCP/IP swiss army knife
Netcat or nc is a simple Linux or Unix command which reads and writes data across network connections, using TCP or UDP protocol. I often use this tool to open up a network pipe to test network connectivity, make backups, bind to sockets to handle incoming / outgoing requests and much more. In this example, I tell nc to listen to a port # 3005 and execute /usr/bin/w command when client connects and send data back to the client:
$ nc -l -p 3005 -e /usr/bin/w
From a different system try to connect to port # 3005:
$ telnet server1.cyberciti.biz.lan 3005
#12: nmap – Offensive and defensive network security scanner
Nmap is short for Network Mapper. It is an open source security tool for network exploration, security scanning and auditing. However, nmap command comes with lots of options that can make the utility more robust and difficult to follow for new users.
#13: openssl command line tool
The openssl command is used for the various cryptography functions of OpenSSL’s crypto library from the shell. I often use this tool to encrypt files, test/verify ssl connections, and check the integrity of downloaded files. Further, openssl can be used for:
Creation of RSA, DH and DSA key parameters Creation of X.509 certificates, CSRs and CRLs Calculation of Message Digests Handling of S/MIME signed or encrypted mail
The following few examples demonstrate the power of openssl command:
File integrity verification (cryptographic hashing function)
Verify that a file called financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes has not been tampered with:
openssl dgst -sha1 -c financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx.aes openssl dgst -ripemd160 -c financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx.aes openssl dgst -md5 -c financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx.aes openssl dgst -sha1 -c financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes openssl dgst -ripemd160 -c financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes openssl dgst -md5 -c financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes
Sample outputs from the last command:
MD5(financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes)= d4:1d:8c:d9:8f:00:b2:04:e9:80:09:98:ec:f8:42:7e
Encryption and Decryption with Ciphers (files)
## encrypt file ## openssl aes- 256 -cbc -salt -in financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx -out financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx.aes ## decrypt file ## openssl aes- 256 -cbc -d -in financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx.aes -out financial-records-fy- 2011 - 12.dbx ## encrypt file ## openssl aes-256-cbc -salt -in financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx -out financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes ## decrypt file ## openssl aes-256-cbc -d -in financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx.aes -out financial-records-fy-2011-12.dbx
SSL/TLS client and server tests
## connect to gmail mail server for testing purpose ## openssl s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com: 995 openssl s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com: 995 -CApath / etc / ssl ## connect to gmail mail server for testing purpose ## openssl s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com:995 openssl s_client -connect smtp.gmail.com:995 -CApath /etc/ssl
#14: lftp: A better command-line ftp/http/sftp client
This is the best and most sophisticated sftp/ftp/http download and upload client program. I often use this tool to:
#15: Irssi – IRC client
Irssi is a modular Internet Relay Chat client. It is highly extensible and very secure. Being a fullscreen, termcap based client with many features, Irssi is easily extensible through scripts and modules. I often use this client to get help about certain problmes from IRC rooms or just to hang out with old buddies.
#16: Rest…
Mutt – Email client and I often use mutt to send email attachments from my shell scripts.
bittorrent – Command line torrent client.
screen – A full-screen window manager and must have tool for all *nix admins.
rsync – Sync files and save bandwidth.
sar – Old good system activity collector and reporter.
lsof – List open files.
vim – Best text editor ever.
elinks or lynx – I use this browse remotely when some sites (such as RHN or Novell or Sun/Oracle) require registration/login before making downloads.
wget – Best download tool ever. I use wget all the time, even with Gnome desktop.
mplayer – Best console mp3 player that can play any audio file format.
newsbeuter – Text mode rss feed reader with podcast support.
parallel – Build and execute shell command lines from standard input in parallel.
iftop – Display bandwidth usage on network interface by host.
iotop – Find out what’s stressing and increasing load on your hard disks.
Conclusion
This is my personal FOSS terminal apps list and it is not absolutely definitive, so if you’ve got your own terminal apps, share in the comments below.
Share on Facebook Twitterby Luke Wroblewski October 26, 2014
As smartphones continue to get larger but our hands don’t, what kinds of design solutions can ensure mobile interactions remain comfortable, quick, and easy on our thumbs? Here's a few options to consider...
Designing for Thumbs
In his analysis of 1,333 observations of smartphones in use, Steven Hoober found about 75% of people rely on their thumb and 49% rely on a one-handed grip to get things done on their phones. On large screens (over four inches) those kinds of behaviors can stretch people’s thumbs well past their comfort zone as they try to reach controls positioned at the top of their device.
As an example, I personally encounter this issue daily when listening to Amazon’s Music app. The primary control for navigating through music (which I use frequently) is located in the upper left corner of the screen -arguably the worst place for one-handed use. To reach it on a larger smartphone, I need to reset my grip to the middle of the phone or switch to two-handed use. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
OS-Level Solutions
To account for existing applications designed like Amazon Music, mobile operating systems have created system-level features that make top-aligned controls reachable. Apple’s version of this solution is aptly called Reachability.
With Reachability, a quick double tap on the phone’s home button slides an application halfway down the screen. This makes previously unreachable controls accessible. While that’s great, a simple one-tap action has now been turned into three.
Reachability also has an automatic time-out. Double-tap to bring down controls, look to see what you need next, and the app has already moved back to the top, requiring you to double-tap the home button again. It’s an inelegant and (hopefully) unnecessary dance.
Edge Swipe Gestures
While maneuvering your thumb to the upper-left corner of a large mobile screen can be difficult, swiping from the edge of the screen along the bottom of your device is not. This “edge-swipe” gesture can serve as a simple, alternate way to access controls positioned far from the thumb-zone.
Like all gesture controls, however, this form of menu access is out of sight and thereby often out of mind. In other words, you have to know the gesture exists and remember to use it when the need arises. As a result, it usually can’t replace the visible menu control at the top but it can complement it.
Also, an edge swipe solution only makes access to the menu easier with one-handed use, not access to content within the menu.
Bottom Positioning
To ensure important frequently-used actions are comfortably reached with one-handed or one-thumb interactions, we need to consider repositioning controls at the bottom of the screen. This solution doesn’t just address reachability, it can also improve a variety of other important metrics. Facebook found in recent testing that a bottom tab bar solution in their iOS app also improved engagement, satisfaction, and even perception of speed.
In the Amazon Music app, not only can we position the menu at the bottom of the screen but we can also reorder the options within it to ensure the most frequently used choices appear closer to the bottom of the screen. This allows quick access to the menu and its contents.
Floating Action Buttons
While many design solutions work well across multiple operating systems, there are times when we to take important differences into account in our designs.
For instance on Google’s Android OS the bottom of the screen is reserved for the system navigation bar. This means any controls placed at the bottom of the screen are in close proximity to system-wide actions and thereby prone to mis-taps. In fact, Android’s guidelines explicitly state “don't use bottom tab bars.”
In Google’s newer Material Design specifics, however, there’s an alternate solution in the form of floating action buttons. Floating action buttons are a special type of promoted action and stick out above the rest of the UI. Usually, these actions are not navigation controls but in the case of the Amazon Music app, the case could be made that navigation is an action worthy of promotion given how often it gets used.
More to Learn
These are some of the ways to make important actions in mobile applications more accessible to one-handed use on large smartphones. As screen sizes continue to increase, we’re likely to see even more approaches soon.Assault Weapon Truth
The Facts Buried Beneath the Rhetoric about “Assault Weapons”
What is an “assault weapon”?
As used by the media, politicians, and gun control activists, “assault weapon” is a loosely defined term for a semiautomatic civilian firearm that has the appearance—but not the function—of a fully automatic military firearm. Because these guns have the appearance of military firearms but are not actually used in military operations, they are sometimes referred to as “military-style assault weapons.” The 1994 U.S. “Federal Assault Weapons Ban,” which expired in 2004, defined a rifle as an “assault weapon” if, in addition to being semiautomatic, it could accept a detachable magazine and had at least two military-style features such as a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor, or a threaded barrel designed to accept a flash suppressor. (The list of military-style accessories also included “a grenade launcher”; however, grenade launchers and grenades were already restricted under federal law; therefore, this provision primarily applied to a type of inert barrel bushing.) Although most of the affected weapons were rifles, there were separate criteria under which a pistol or shotgun could be classified as an “assault weapon.”
It is debated whether the term “assault weapon,” which entered the American lexicon in the late 1980s, originated as a political ploy by gun control advocates or as a marketing ploy by gun retailers. What is certain is that “assault weapon” is not a technical term, a term of art used by firearm manufactures, or a military term. The closest match in any of those categories is the term “assault rifle,” which is a military term referring to a medium-caliber, shoulder-fired rifle that allows the shooter to select between semiautomatic mode (the gun fires one bullet per pull of the trigger) and either fully automatic mode (the gun continues to fire bullet after bullet as long as the trigger is depressed) or three-shot-burst mode (the gun fires three bullets per pull of the trigger). Because “assault weapons,” as defined by state and federal law, are semiautomatic only and can fire in neither fully automatic mode nor three-shot-burst mode, they are not assault rifles. (THIS article explains the current United States laws restricting civilian ownership of fully automatic/burst-fire firearms—aka machine guns—and explains why those weapons are not part of the ongoing debate over gun control in America.)
Unfortunately, despite “assault weapon” and “assault rifle” being clearly defined in the Associated Press Stylebook (prior to 2013, the AP’s definition of “assault weapon” even included the warning “Not synonymous with assault rifle, which can be used in fully automatic mode”), the media often conflates these two similar-sounding phrases—using “assault rifle” when they mean “assault weapon”—thereby further confusing the public on the relationship between so-called “assault weapons” and true weapons of war. None of the assault rifles found on the battlefields of Afghanistan, Iraq, or Vietnam are available for sale in American sporting goods stores. In fact, of all the guns for sale at your local sporting goods store, the three most likely to have been found on any of those battlefields are the Remington 700 bolt-action hunting rifle (used by U.S. snipers since the 1960s), the Colt M1911 pistol (used by U.S. troops since the early 1900s), and the Beretta M9 pistol (used by U.S. troops since the 1980s).
In the aftermath of the October 1, 2017, Las Vegas shooting (the worst mass shooting in U.S. history), the debate over “bump stocks,” which turn a semiautomatic rifle into a pseudo-automatic rifle capable of closely matching the rate of fire of a fully automatic firearm, clearly illustrates the difference in lethality between semiautomatic and fully automatic fire. An analysis by The New York Times compared a short audio clip of a fully automatic rifle at a firing range with short clips from the Las Vegas shooting and the June 12, 2016, shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Over seven seconds, the fully automatic rifle maintained a rate of fire of 14 rounds per second. Over 10 seconds, the Las Vegas shooter’s pseudo-automatic rifle maintained a rate of fire of nine rounds per second. Over nine seconds, the Orlando shooter’s semiautomatic rifle maintained a rate of fire of 2.7 rounds per second (an exceptionally fast rate of fire for a semiautomatic rifle but still only 1/3 the rate of the pseudo-automatic rifle and 1/5 the rate of the fully automatic rifle).
Although some journalists and proponents of banning “assault weapons” are quick to point out that U.S. soldiers are trained to fire their assault rifles in semiautomatic mode under most circumstances, the capability to switch to burst or fully automatic fire when extreme force is needed is the defining characteristic of an assault rifle. That characteristic is what differentiated the German Sturmgewehr, the first assault rifle, from the rifles that came before it. The exceptional lethality of fully automatic firearms is the reason the U.S. has heavily regulated such weapons since 1934. Without the capacity to fire multiple rounds per pull of the trigger, there is little functional distinction between a military-style “assault weapon” and a semiautomatic hunting rifle, a semiautomatic handgun, or even a revolver.
This 11-minute video addresses some of the public confusion over “assault weapons”:
Further confusing the issue is the fact that well-respected members of the news media often get the facts very wrong when reporting on “assault weapons.”
In this now infamous 2003 CNN segment about the then-pending expiration of the 1994 “Federal Assault Weapons Ban,” a CNN reporter identifies an AK-47 held by a police detective as “one of the banned weapons—the nineteen currently banned weapons” and then has the detective demonstrate the destructive force of the firearm by firing it in FULLY AUTOMATIC mode (a mode not featured on any of the nineteen weapons banned under the 1994 “Federal Assault Weapons Ban”):
In this live segment from that same day, the detective demonstrates two firearms—one banned and one not—but switches targets after firing the banned gun, before firing the unbanned gun. The camera remains fixed on the first target, inadvertently creating the impression that only the banned gun was capable of penetrating the cinderblock targets (even though both guns fire the same ammunition and have the same rate of fire):
This segment makes a point of showing that rounds fired from the banned rifle can penetrate a bulletproof vest, despite the fact that BOTH rifles (which fire identical ammunition) are equally capable (as is any hunting rifle) of penetrating the same bulletproof vest.
In this August 20, 2014, CNN panel discussion on the then-ongoing civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, anchor Don Lemon claims that he was able to buy an “automatic weapon” in Colorado and that the whole process only took twenty minutes. When guest Ben Ferguson corrects him by pointing out that Lemon actually purchased a SEMIAUTOMATIC weapon, Lemon refuses to acknowledge the difference:
In this December 4, 2015, Fox News segment on the December 2 massacre of fourteen persons in San Bernardino, California, reporter Greg Jarrett claims that a bullet button—a device that turns a detachable magazine into an integral magazine, to comply with California’s “assault weapons” ban—is actually a button that “turns your legal semiautomatic weapon into an illegal [fully automatic] weapon”:
It’s true that California law allows possession of some semiautomatic rifles; however, under the version of California’s “assault weapons” ban in effect in 2015, semiautomatic AR-15 rifles like the ones used by the San Bernardino shooters were illegal unless the gun’s magazine was affixed via a bullet button or similar device (California has since banned bullet buttons). Contrary to Jarrett’s claim, an “assault weapon” is not fully automatic and does not “continue to fire when the trigger is pressed.” At one point during this discussion, Jarrett uses the terms “assault rifle” and “assault weapon” interchangeably. Most egregiously, Jarrett claims that a bullet button (so named because the tip of a bullet can be inserted into the device to remove the magazine from the weapon) is actually a device that, through some sort of legal loophole, allows a semiautomatic rifle to be turned into a fully automatic machine gun with the press of a button.
In this June 14, 2017, NBC News segment about that day’s shooting attack on a congressional baseball practice, former Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras states, “So the difference is a pistol can fire one round at a time—POP... POP... POP—which is what the Capitol Police were carrying. This individual had a rifle. ‘Semiautomatic’ means that you can switch it to a point where it fires POPPOPPOP—multiple rounds”:
In reality, semiautomatic firearms do not have a switch that allows them to fire faster or slower. They have only one firing mode—they fire one round each time the trigger is pulled. As with virtually all U.S. law enforcement agencies, the pistols carried by the Capitol Police are semiautomatic and have the same rate of fire as a semiautomatic rifle or any other semiautomatic firearm.
In a May 18, 2018, article in USA Today, about that day’s mass shooting in which a gunman used a shotgun and a revolver to kill ten people and injure thirteen others at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, reporter Christal Hayes writes, “The guns may have slowed down the gunman’s deadly rampage because they have a slower firing rate than firearms used in other recent mass shootings, such as the AR-15…High-powered rifles such as the AR-15 can be fired more than twice as fast as most handguns.”
In reality, most handguns (both semiautomatics and revolvers) fire as rapidly as the shooter pulls the trigger—no faster or slower—just like an AR-15. There is no factual basis for asserting that an AR-15 “can be fired more than twice as fast.”
What about the claim that a pistol grip coupled with the relatively low recoil of an “assault weapon” makes it easier to “spray fire” these weapons?
On a semiautomatic firearm, a pistol grip simply makes the gun more ergonomic, and low recoil simply makes the gun more comfortable to shoot. No semiautomatic firearm is any better suited for “spray firing” than any other
Pistol grips and low recoil improve accuracy during fully automatic fire because they help prevent muzzle climb; however, those features have little impact on semiautomatic fire because the muzzle of the gun |
ja Jaran tila- ja viljelymaisema III 5. Innamaan tilakeskus I 6. Kuokkalan koulu II 3. Alue: Hakkarin pientaloalue II 4. Eskolan tila- ja viljelymaisema III 7. Eskolan kantatalo I 8. Moision koulu III 5. Alue: Hakkarin yhdyskuntarak. alue ei luok. 9. Hakkarin koulu/alue ei luok. Pappilan kylä: 6. Alue: Hollon jälleenrakennuskauden pientaloalue II 10. Hollon vahtitupa I 11. Hollon ratalinja ja rautatiesillat I 12. Katepal oy III
28 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 27 ( 113 ) 3.1 Kulttuurihistoriallisista arvoista; kiinteistöjen ja arvoalueiden luokitus Kiinteistöille ja alueille on annettu arvoluokitus, joka perustuu kohteiden kulttuurihistoriallisiin arvoihin, jotka muodostuvat rakennus-, ympäristö- ja historiallisista arvoista. Kiinteistöjen valinnassa ja luokittelussa painottuvat selvästi kylä- ja taajamamaiseman ominaispiirteet ja historialliset kiintopisteet, kuten kantatalot, teollisuus ja julkinen rakentaminen. Arvottamisen näkökulmasta tärkeämpää on kohteen merkitys osana kaava-alueen rakennetun ympäristön ominaispiirteitä kuin sen rakennuskannan ulkoasun säilyneisyys tai muutokset. Kohteiden arvoluokitus myös koskee vain kaava-aluetta ja sen arvioituja kohteita. Se ei välttämättä edusta yleistä, koko kuntaa tai maakuntaa koskevaa luokitusta. Hakkarin yhdyskuntarakentamisen aluetta ei ole arvotettu sen nuoren iän vuoksi. Luokka I Erityisen merkittävät kohteet, suuri paikallinen arvo Kiinteistöjä tai laajempia arvoalueita, jotka edustavat parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla kaava-alueen rakennettua perintöä tai ovat hyvin säilyneitä kokonaisuuksia sekä omaavat suuren intensiteetin. Näihin kohteisiin sisältyy useita arvonäkökohtia tai yksi erittäin vahva peruste. Tässä luokassa olevat ovat usein hyvin säilyneitä kantataloja, teollisuusrakennuksia, julkisia tai yksityisiä rakennuksia, jotka muodostavat kaava-alueen historian ja maiseman keskeisen osan. Säilyneisyyden lisäksi painottuvat mm. asutushistorialliset piirteet, esim. Antilan kantatalo sijaitsee rakennuskannan uudistumisesta huolimatta ikiaikaisella kylätontilla vanhojen kyläpeltojen keskellä. Luokka II Merkittävät kohteet Edustavia ja vähintään kohtalaisen hyvin säilyneitä, intensiteettiä omaavia ja sisältävät yleensä useita arvonäkökulmia. Ensimmäiseen luokkaan verrattuna rakennuskanta, asuinpaikka ovat usein nuorempia tai kokonaisuus on suppeampi. Tähän luokkaan on usein sijoitettu kylästä ulos muuttaneet kantatalot, joiden arvot liittyvät lähinnä asutus- ja maisemahistoriaan. Yksittäiset omakotitalot ovat edustavina ja hyvin säilyneinä sijoitettu tähän luokkaan.
29 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 28 ( 113 ) Luokka III Maisemallisesti tai historiallisesti arvokkaat kohteet Kohteita, joilla on historiallista arvoa ja ovat osa laajempaa kokonaisuutta tai ilmiötä. Tähän luokkaan on sijoitettu usein yksittäiset asuinrakennukset, pienimuotoiset arvoalueet ja sotien jälkeinen rakennuskanta. Tähän luokkaan on myös sijoitettu useita kulttuurihistoriallisesti merkittäviä, mutta iältään nuoria tai voimakkaasti muuttuneita, uudistuneita ja laajennettuja kohteita. Tämän tyyppisiä ovat mm. Hollon pientaloalue, Katepal oy ja Moision koulu. Näiden kohdalla ominaispiirteiden lisäksi painottuvat vanhimpien osien säilyttäminen ja huomioiminen.
30 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 29 ( 113 ) 4 Kylät, kulttuurimaisemat ja kiinteistökohteet 4.1 Herralan kylä Alue: Herralan kylä- ja viljelymaisema Historia: Lempäälän kyläasutus keskittyi keskiajan loppupuolella suurten vesistöjen rannoille, joiden viljelyyn sopiville savimaille syntyi helminauhamainen kyläasutus jo keskiajan loppupuolella. Kuokkalankosken Herralanvuolteen rantamaisemassa sijainneessa Herralan kylässä oli 1530-luvulla 6 taloa, Erkkilä, kaksi Partalaa, Littula, Nikkilä ja Ijäinen luvulla perustetiin uusina taloina Antila ja Liuha. Kylä oli tällöin keskikokoa suurempi, joka kertoi kylän sen ajan maanmuokkauksen kannalta hyvistä viljelymaista. Kylän taloluku laski kun viidestä talosta muodostettiin Herralan säteri 1660-luvulla. Karppi erotettiin Erkkilästä 1760-luvulla, jonka jälkeen kylässä oli 1700-luvun lopulla lisäksi Herralan säteri (Norrkulla ja Ulkulla), Erkkilän sotilasvirkatalo ja Antilan rustholli. Tiivis ryhmäkylä sijaitsi Herralankosken itärannalla levittäytyvän viljelykseen raivatun savikkomaan keskellä, nykyisen Antilan paikkeilla. Kylän yhdisti Herralanvuoren kautta kulkenut kylätie läheisiin rantakyliin. Tiiviisti rakennettu kyläasutus hajosi isonjaon jälkeen, 1800-luvun aikana, kyläpellon laidalle ja kylän takamaille. Ryhmäkylän purkauduttua 1900-luvun alkupuolella vanhalla kylätontilla olivat enää Antila ja Erkkilä. Kyläpellon laidalle oli siirtynyt Karppi sekä kyläpellon itälaidalle Herralan säterin osat Norrkulla ja Ulkulla. Liuha on ollut nykyisellä paikalla jo 1700-luvulla. Kylän maisemaan liittyi myös kyläpellon pohjoispuolella ollut Kuokkalankoskeen kuulunut laaja suvantojärvi ns. Heikkilänjärvi, joka 1700-luvulta alkaneiden koskenperkauksien seurauksena vähitellen kuivattiin pelloksi ja niityiksi.
31 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 30 ( 113 ) Kartta: Herralan kylä ja Herralankosken kulttuurimaisema Kartta: Herralankosken kulttuurimaisema. Vihreä katkoviiva = arvoalueen rajaus, sininen viiva = kaava-alueen rajaus, punainen neliö = kohteet, 1. Antila (vanha kylätontti), 2. Peltomäki, 3. Liuha ja 4. Karppi. Alueen ulkopuolella näkyvät 10. Hollon ratavartijan mökki ja 12. Katepal oy. Rajauksessa on huomioitu viljelymaiseman reunoille sijoittuvat Herralan tilojen autioituneet asuinpaikat ja kaakkoiskulmalla oleva mahdollinen Hälvältilän/Ahtialan kylätontti. Kuvaus: Herralankosken kulttuurimaisema käsittää Kuokkalankosken osien Herralanvuolteen, Herralankosken ja Liuhanvuolteen rannoille keskittyvän viljelymaiseman. Alue kuuluu pääosin Herralan kylän alueisiin, eteläosassa on vähäisessä määrin Ahtialanjärven rannalla olevan Hävättilän kylän alueita. Rakennettuna ympäristönä viljelymaisemaan liittyvät Herralan maakirjakylän Antilan, Karpin ja Liuhan kantatalot sekä nuorempaa asutushistoriaa edustava Peltomäki. Tilakeskusten lisäksi alueella on vähäisessä määrin muuta asutusta mm luvun yksittäisiä omakotitaloja ja pientiloja, jotka ovat sijoitettu viljelymaiseman metsäosuuksille. Niistä sotien jälkeistä tilarakentamista edustava Vuolle kuuluu jo Ahtialajärven rannalla olevaan Hälvältilän kylään. Herralan viljelymaisemassa rakennetun kiintopisteen muodostaa myös viljelymaiseman tiilinen muuntajarakennus.
32 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 31 ( 113 ) Kuva: Herralan alavaa, vesistöön viettävää viljelymaisemaa, johon liittyy pieniä metsäsaarekkeita. Näkymä Katepalintieltä etelään, taustalla näkyy joen takana Liuhan tilakeskus. Tiilinen muuntaja muodostaa myös maiseman kiintopisteen. Viljelymaiseman taustalla oleva Lempäälän keskustaajama maastoutuu metsänrajaan. Maisemallista kiintopistettä edustaa myös viljelymaiseman keskiosiin sijoittuva jyrkkäpiirteinen ja metsäinen mäki, jonka mahdollinen historiallinen käyttö ei kuitenkaan käytettyjen lähteiden osalta tullut esiin. Tilakeskuksista Antila on edelleen vanhan Herralan kylätontin tuntumassa. Tilaa pienempää asutusta kylätonteilla edustaa Päivärinne, joka on erotettu Karpin tilasta. Todennäköisesti rakennukset ovat Karpin vanhalla tontilla. Sen pihapiirissä on merkittävästi korjattu vanha paritupa ja pieni ulkorakennus. Vanhempaa vesistön varrelle sijoittunutta asutushistoriaa edustaa alueen eteläpäässä Hääkiven rautakautinen asuinpaikka ja polttokenttäkalmisto. Viljelymaiseman itäreunalla ovat lisäksi Erkkilän, Norrkullan ja Ilkullan autioituneet, isonjaon jälkeiset asuintontit. Kadonnutta rakennetta edustaa myös Herralan ryhmäkylän luoteispuolella mahdollisesti ollut myllynpaikka. Alueen eteläosassa, Ahtialajärven vanhan rantaviivan tuntumassa on mahdollisesti Hävättilän/Ahtialan vanha kylätontti. Vesistön varrelle levittäytyvän viljelymaiseman jakavat pienempiin kokonaisuuksiin metsäsaarekkeet ja niemet sekä Kuokkalankosken varren rantametsiköt. Alue rajoittuu edelleen selkeärajaisesti Kuokkalankoskeen ja Lempäälän keskustataajaman asuinalueisiin. Herralankosken länsirannalla kulttuurimaiseman taustana näkyy sotien jälkeen perustetun Katepal oy:n matala tehdasalue. Alueen eteläosassa Lempäälän keskustataajaman uudet kerrostalot
33 FCG Kuokkalan-Herralan-Hakkarin 32 ( 113 ) muodostavat samoin taustan alueen viljelymaisemalle. Kuokkalankosken rannat ovat pääosin peitteiset sankan lehtipuuvaltaisen kasvillisuuden vaikutuksesta. Rantaan saakka viljely- ja asutusmaisema ulottuu lähinnä Liuhan kohdalla. Keskeiset maisemaa jakavat tielinjat ovat viljelymaiseman itäreunalla luvulla rakennettu entinen vt. 9 (Sarvikkaantie-Turuntie), josta erkanee luvulla rakennettu yhdystie moottoritielle. Herralan viljelymaiseman halki on rakennettu 2000-luvulla Katepalintie, johon liittyy kevyen liikenteen väylä. Nämä uudet tielinjat ja risteykset muodostavat selkeän ja näkyvän maisemaelementin viljelymaisemassa. Perinteisistä, kylän paikallisteistä poikkeavat linjaukset ovat muuttaneet merkittävästi näkökulmaa kulttuurimaisemaan. Toisaalta vanha, kyliä, asutusta ja viljelyksiä yhdistänyt paikallistiestö on osin säilynyt perinteisen vaatimattomassa muodossa. Säilyneistä paikallisreiteistä keskeinen on Herralan kylänraitti, joka jatkuu kylästä itään Herralanvuoren alueella edelleen kapeana metsäpolkuna. Sen varrella on lisäksi autioitunut Erkkilän 1800-luvun asuintontti. Aluetta leikkaavien tielinjauksien kulttuurimaisemaan liittyy lisäksi rautakautisen asuinpaikan yhteydessä oleva Hääkiven levähdyspaikka, jonka rakenteet ovat pääosin 1980-luvulta. Paikan merkitys väheni liikennevirtojen vähentyessä Hämeenlinna-Tampere moottoritien ja tiejärjestelyiden vaikutuksesta 2000-luvun vaihteessa. Herralan vainioiden yli kulkee myös Birgitan polku, joka liittyy osaltaan 1900-luvun lopun maankäyttöön. Virkistys- ja ulkoilupolku on nimetty Lempäälän pyhälle Birgitalle nimetyn kirkon mukaan. Kuva: 1930-luvun ja 1950-luvun maatalousrakentamista edustavat Peltomäki ja Vuolle sijaitsivat alkujaan Herralan ja Hävättilän kylämaiseman laidalla, rantojen kyliä yhdistävän vähäisen paikallistien varrella. Kaukoliikennettä palveleva valtatie 9 jakoi 1960-luvulla maaseutumaiseman uudestaan ja muutti tilat maiseman kiintopisteiksi. Maisemaa suoraviivaisesti halkova leveä tieIt was the printer's error that wiped about $20bn from the value of the world's biggest search engine. Shares in Google were suspended after an accidental email to the US stock market authorities revealed that the company's latest quarterly results were far below Wall Street's demanding expectations.
The inadvertent – and clearly unfinished – financial release began with the words "PENDING LARRY QUOTE" – referring to the company's chief executive, Larry Page, whose job, normally, would be to put the best gloss on the financial figures. But he was likely to be offering different sentiments after the stock tumbled 9% before trading was halted. After trading resumed the shares recovered slightly to close down 8%.
Company results circulate internally for several days as they are being prepared for public release to strict timetables, normally under strict secrecy. Leaks of the figures are extremely rare, but on this occasion Google tersely blamed financial printers RR Donnelly for filing its draft third quarter results "without authorisation".
Compounding the situation was the fact that Google's figures missed expected profits and a showed a big slowdown in revenue growth for its main search engine advertising business. The company had little choice but to suspend trading in its nosediving shares.
The surprisingly poor figures also point towards the challenging future that has already hobbled Facebook's stock after its dismal flotation earlier this year: the problem of making money from mobile advertising as users shift from the desktop to the smartphone to do their searching.
The figures showed that Google earned $9.03 per share in the third quarter – notably below analysts' consensus estimates of $10.63. Its search engine revenues were also below expectations, hitting $11.5bn (£7bn) where analysts had expected it to show $11.9bn (£7.38bn).
Nevertheless, even Google's misfiring revenues showed 19% growth from the same period last year. But, critically, that was a substantial slowing for a business that had consistently shown revenue growth since the end of 2009, when the global financial crisis was at its deepest.
A key reason for the revenue and profit miss seemed to be a fall in "cost per click" – the amount that advertisers pay when people click on Google's adverts. Google said that such revenues fell by 15% year on year and by 3% compared with the second quarter, even while the number of "paid clicks" grew 33% year on year.
Advertising rates for mobile phone advertising are typically lower than on desktop computers – rates that are in turn lower than for printed media. At the same time, as noted by Ben Schachter from Macquarie Securities, people used search engines less for the first time since anybody began tracking data showing their use – because people are discovering new content via apps on iPhones and other smart devices. That also suggests that the widespread shift to mobile use which has affected Facebook's prospects is starting to affect Google too.
Another concern for Google will be the upwards creep in "traffic acquisition costs" (TAC) - the money that it pays to external websites to direct traffic to its search engines. That has risen as a proportion of advertising revenue from a low of 23.7% a year ago to 26% – back towards the 30% figure that it saw at the end of 2007. The higher the proportion, the higher the drag on profits on a search engine. Those too may come from Google's mobile business, where it pays money to Apple for some positions on the iPhone, and to some mobile carriers.
Charlie Kindel, a former Microsoft general manager who worked on its Windows Phone development, commented on Twitter that Google might have to start focusing on ways to make its free Android mobile operating system pay. He said: "Mark my words: a few more quarters like this, Amazon doing well with Kindle, and Google's approach to Android will quickly change." Amazon uses its own version of Android, stripped so that Google gets no ad revenue, in its Kindle Fire tablet.
But Clark Fredricksen, vice-president of eMarketer, which tracks the online advertising business, said that despite the setback he feels that Google is in a strong position because of its underlying strength. Google remains dominant in search, with a 74.5% share of the US search ad market, according to eMarketer. In Europe, its market share is more than 95% – and the overall digital advertising market in the US grew by 17.7% in the third quarter of 2012.
Fredricksen added: "The company now holds the largest more revenue than any other company in the US search, display and mobile advertising markets, respectively – and the company's market share in each category is expected to grow in the coming years. Particularly in the mobile arena, Google holds a commanding lead over all other players, taking home more than half of all US mobile ad revenues. The nearest competitor, Pandora, takes home less than 10% of the market."
Meanwhile, a sheepish printer said it was "fully engaged in an investigation to determine how this event took place and are pursuing our first obligation – which is to serve our valued customer".
Its shares fell too in the wake of the Google leak – but only by 2%.
Tech giants lose their touch
The titans of Silicon Valley are beginning to lose their air of invincibility. Since Google's initial public offering in 2004, American technology companies had enjoyed an unprecedented run of good fortune, culminating in Apple's overthrow of oil giant Exxon Mobil as the world's most valuable business. But one by one, through a combination of greed, hubris and clerical error, the masters of the technology universe have been shooting themselves in the foot.
First came Facebook's catastrophic initial public offering, when early investors cashed in their chips at too high a price. The shares skidded remorselessly downwards, and now trade at half their float value.
In September, it was Apple's turn. The launch of the iPhone 5 lit up the internet, and sales have been spectacular, but within days of its arrival in the shops the company's chief executive Tim Cook had apologised for forcing a substandard mapping service on his customers. By giving Dublin and imaginary airport and turning Helsinki railway station into a park, Apple had proved itself capable of releasing a poorly designed, unfinished product. Now Google has made the same mistake, in the form of its latest financial results.
Juliette Garside
• This article was amended on 19 October 2012 to correct the title of Charlie Kindel. Kindel is a former Microsoft general manager, not a former Microsoft engineer as the original said.I thought the most interesting comment in and around Greg Johnson’s article, Roosh Really is a Rape Advocate (& a Rapist, if He’s Telling the Truth), was Greg’s own, in regard to the woman in Iceland who Roosh claimed to have sex with despite the fact that she was so drunk as to be incapacitated from consenting or not. Greg said that if she agreed to have sex with him the next morning that not only did that not mean she had not been raped the night before, but that consent afterward made it only worse for the fact that it could promote the idea that such behavior would have happy endings (with enough repetitions, it would not have happy endings).
I would like to add that I can well imagine that in a circumstance like that, a woman can agree to have sex with him the next morning and again in an attempt to reinterpret the relationship and her own agentive part in her mind, because it would be too painful to believe that she was violated in a profound way and had no agency. Thus, she might try to go with the idea of superimposing a relational level and her agency retroactively to reframe what was an instance of non-consent if not rape in that episode - re-framed under “a dating relationship with a ‘bad boy’ whose wild side I should be able to handle, being an independent woman and all.”
Long story short: she could have been raped even though she consented afterward - and a woman might act that way because she is insufficiently conscious of her interests and/or perhaps cannot handle the idea of the best and most important gift that she had to offer having been taken by the person treating her the worst - a con-man rapist who cared nothing for her as a person or on a relational level.
Speaking of which, that is what makes Roosh so disgusting. This sand ****** said it was his objective and continues to be his objective to have sex with as many beautiful woman as possible - and that he has been teaching men to do that as well. His response to antagonists in the media is that he will accumulate as many more women as he can.
I’m going to harness all this coverage that you are giving me and convert it to money and women
This was my first occasion to hear and see Roosh V. speak. I must say that I am negatively impressed - his attitude, his mannerisms, his way of speaking - bopping, swaying and grooving - his motives and his way of arguing are either entire affectations of black people or his middle eastern background is more niggerish than I had realized.
One thing is certain, he does not think and act like a European man and nobody should respect him as a model as such. He is a sand-wigger. It is no wonder that he is trying to teach White men how to act like niggers and Muslims - and to have as much respect for White women as a nigger or Muslim would. Nor is it a wonder that he would now try to take cover under a position of Abrahamic religion - that he is promoting a traditional Muslim model of gender arrangements for all.
Neither he, nor the males he teaches, are cultivating a way to pursue relationships with women that they care about, confirming and reconstructing views and European ways that are important, in fact vital to them. No, just the technique to pander to the universally lowest common denominator of their basest instincts and reconstructing that, while going through their cautionary barriers, including White national barriers, and discarding them.
Who does he think he is to target White women - in as many numbers as possible - with his Negroid/Muslim mentality? And who got the idea that it was Ok for him to target White women and others and pursue alpha nigger behavior? Would this sand ****** talk and have people act this way to his sister, Iranian and Armenian women?
She typed in, “How many girls have you been with in Poland?” “10,000.” “No, really.” “A couple.” “Do you always bring home girls like this?” “Never on Tuesdays. ” “Do you want to see me again?” “Of course. You’re pretty, you’re sexy, you’re fun. I see no reason why I wouldn’t want to see you again.” I kissed her. Her tiny size really hit me when she took off her heels. I asked her how much she weighed. Thirty-five kilograms (77 pounds). Besides her surprisingly round ass, she had the body of a gymnast who hadn’t quite made it past puberty. We moved to my bed. I got her down to her bra and panties, but she kept saying, “No, no.” I was so turned on by her beauty and petite figure that I told myself she’s not walking out my door without getting fucked. At that moment I accepted the idea of getting locked up in a Polish prison to make it happen. She tried to go down on me but her mouth was too small. Then I grabbed her and made her sit directly on my face. I ate her pussy, the first time I had done so in a couple of years. I enjoyed it. I put on a condom, lubed up, and finally got her consent to put it in. The best way to visualize our lovemaking is an elephant mounting a kitten. My dick was half the thickness of her neck. I put her on her stomach and went deep, pounding her pussy like a pedophile.
“At that moment I accepted the idea of getting locked up in a Polish prison to make it happen.”
It would be nice if that happened - I could picture Roosh being held down and fucked by a few giant Polish queers in jail:
“It took four hours and at least thirty attempts to push into his ass: ‘no, Roosh cried, no!’ until the large, very large penis was finally allowed to enter and stretch Roosh’s asshole to his great pain. Ooh the giant faggot sighed upon the most satisfying ejaculation into Roosh’s asshole, you are the finest little bitch! I just know you’ll come back to give me some skull in the morning -
- I think your mouth IS big enough!”
Better still, stay the fuck out of Poland and all of Europe, sand-******.
Only a wigger could admire this guy and find him appealing. He has no place anywhere near WN. Quite the opposite.
Roosh is teaching and promoting R selection strategies among Europeans who are evolved for K selection strategies.One in 25 fathers may not be the biological parent of the child they believe to be theirs, according to a study published today.
Its authors say governments and society have not woken up to how DNA testing and genetic profiling are lifting the lid on a "Pandora's box" of hidden sexual behaviour or how the results might affect individuals, family relationships or public health.
Their review of estimates of so-called paternal discrepancy over more than 50 years suggests the father was not the natural parent in between 1% and 30% of cases.
The team from Liverpool John Moores University agreed that the figures, drawn from studies of men and women seeking proof of paternity, might be exaggerated because uncertainty over fatherhood is usually the reason for tests.
But other studies, such as those based on genetic health screening, might underestimate the level of mistaken fatherhood because people can refuse to participate or are excluded when paternity is in doubt.
Studies based on populations not being tested for paternity suggested a 3.7% rate, said the authors, but accurate figures were needed for Britain, where about a third of pregnancies are unplanned and one in five divorces cites infidelity by one or both partners.
The researchers point to US increases in paternity tests from 142,000 cases in 1991 to 310,490 in 2001. The London firm DNA Bioscience said research suggested between 8,900 and 20,000 tests a year are done in this country, 5,000 of them on the orders of the Child Support Agency.
Of the remainder, 10% were instigated by adult children looking to confirm parentage and the rest fathers seeking confirmation.
The John Moores team, headed by Professor Mark Bellis, raised the issue in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. "For any father, identifying that the child they are raising is actually sired by another man can have substantial health consequences.
"Such knowledge can also destroy families, affecting the health of the child and mother as well as that of any man who is subsequently identified as the biological parent."How Rival Marriage Is By Bryan Caplan
Last month, I observed:
If you share your home with a spouse, you don’t have as much space for
yourself as a solitary occupant of the same property. But both of you
probably enjoy the benefits of more than half a house. If a
couple owns one car, similarly, both have more than half a car. Even
food is semi-rival, as the classic “You gonna eat that?” question
proves. Mathematically, married individuals’ utility looks something like this:
U=Family Income/2a a=1 corresponds to pure rivalry: Partners pool their income, buy stuff, then separately consume their half. a=0 corresponds to pure non-rivalry: Partners pool their income, buy stuff, then jointly consume the whole.
Then I asked:
There’s little doubt that a<1. This insight is even built into the official poverty line. That’s why I say that being single is a luxury. My question: Where does a typically lie in the real world? Feel free to discuss variation by social class and nationality. Please show your work.
In the comments, ce advised me to look into “Equivalence Scales.” Bill Dickens subsequently did the same. When I finally followed through, I found that my blog post successfully reinvented the wheel, functional form included. From Buhmann et al., “Equivalence Scales, Well-Being, Inequality, and Poverty” (Review of Income and Wealth, 1988):
Concern with equivalence scale issues has led the authors to undertake an informal survey of equivalence scales in use in different countries… The scales we have assembled can be represented quite well by a single parameter, the family size elasticity of need. We assume that economic well-being (W) or “adjusted” income, can be equated to disposable income (D) and size (S) in the following way: The equivalence elasticity, e, varies between 0 and 1; the larger it is the smaller are the economies of scale assumed by the equivalence scale.
My equation, which sets S=2 for a married couple without kids, is just a special case of (1). More importantly, though, Buhmann et al. review a large literature that actually estimates e (my a). There are four distinct empirical strategies:
(1) Expert Statistical (STAT) In this case the scales are developed only for statistical purposes-that is, in order to count persons below or above a given standard of living – minimum adequacy, for example. The Bureau of Labor Statistics family budgets are a good example, or the scales used by OECD or the European community to count the low income population. (2) Expert Program (PROG) The second type of expert scale is focused on defining benefits for social programs-the Supplementary Benefits scale, or the Swedish “base amount” are examples of scales use to calculate benefits under social protection programs. The U.S. poverty line was initially developed for statistical purposes but over the years had come to serve also as a guide to the adequacy of program benefits. (3) Consumption (CONS) In this case the effort is to measure utility indirectly through the revealed preferences of consumer spending constrained by disposable income. The equivalence scales contained in the 1982 article in this journal by Van der Gaag and Smolensky [1982] which are shown in Line 19 of Table 2 are of this variety. (4) Subjective (SUBJ) Here the goal is to measure directly the utility associated with particular income levels for families of given characteristics. Different questions related to evaluation of own income (IEQ), to minimum income needed by others to get along (MIQ) or what money buys (PIE) are used to elicit these scales.
The results heavily depend on which of the four methods you use. After reviewing the extant literature (which hasn’t grown too much since), Buhmann et al. reach the following rough values:
SUBJ – a scale with an elasticity of 0.25
CONS – a scale with an elasticity of 0.36
PROG – a scale with an elasticity of 0.55
STAT – a scale with an elasticity of 0.72
Notice: The subjective (asking people) and consumption (looking at spending behavior) approaches both give small answers, implying low rivalry of consumption. Government statisticians’ approaches, in contrast, both give substantially bigger answers, implying moderate-high rivalry of consumption. Assuming married couples share equally, these elasticities imply that couple’s effective per-capita consumption ranges from Family Income/1.19 (for e=.25) to Family Income/1.65 (for e=.72).
Who cares? Imagine two singles: One earns $60,000 per year; the other earns $40,000 per year. Here’s happens to their effective consumption if they marry and share equally:
Method Effective Consump. High-Earner’s Gain Low |
National parties are in government," he said.
Asked about the contribution of the Labor Party, Mr Turnbull said it was not the time to do the "usual tit-for-tat" before doing exactly that. "Labor certainly supported it and that's good," he said. "They had six years in office and did nothing about it and that's not so good. "And of course, they did everything they could to stop every Australian having their say and that was really bad." After promising to "whip through some other issues", Sales asked Mr Turnbull about his handling of the citizenship saga, and why he did not refer every politician "under a cloud" to the High Court. After Sales threw shade on his answers, Mr Turnbull accused the ABC of a "conspicuous failure" when it came to covering the admittedly complex issue of citizenship.
Sales' next question had a nautical theme, asking her sparring partner what barnacles were left on the ship of state. He ticked off energy policy and same-sex marriage as successfully removed from the government's hull before returning to second and third passports. Mr Turnbull said his government had dealt with citizenship with "full transparency". "Labor is the one that is running, you know, the protection racket on some of its MPs." Sales then sought to compare the Coalition unfavourably to Labor. "When voters look at the Coalition, they see disunity, they see you consistently behind in the polls, they see some members of your team sniping at you. Why?" she said. With words echoing Taylor Swift, Mr Turnbull told Sales to ask "the snipers why they snipe".
Listing his government's achievements, Mr Turnbull said: "It's a very, very long list of achievements we have got done despite our many failings, which you remind me of from time to time." But Mr Turnbull was having none of Sales' suggestion that his government might be engaging in a spot of petty theft of Labor policies. "Is the common thread of your prime ministership not ideology or conviction but survival?" Sales asked. Turnbull's response: "It is delivery and it is conviction and the conviction that we must deliver strong economic growth" and so on. After a tug-of-war over who owns David Gonski ("Labor does not believe in what David Gonski proposed"), Sales and Mr Turnbull shared their sleep habits and wished each other a happy Christmas.The gap between the richest and the rest was never wider, spectacular mergers produced giant companies that paid minimal taxes, and a democratic stalemate exposed the shortcomings of a political system creaking at the seams. No, not a retrospective look at 2015, but an account of late 19th-century America, a context that gave rise to the emergence of the radical new politics ushered in by Republican President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
In a country increasingly divided and impoverished, he brokered a different kind of relationship between government and the people. The state intervened in a rampant market – driven by rapacious oligarchs – that advantaged big business at the expense of ordinary working men and women. Roosevelt pledged to curb the power of business, support organised labour and spoke out in support of the “common welfare”, and “a square deal” for all. Heaven knows what the early 21st-century press in Britain would have made of Red Ted.
At the heart of Roosevelt’s vision was not economics, but morality. “We must act upon the motto of all for each and each for all,” Teddy Roosevelt said in 1905. “…We must treat each man on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.”
In her 2013 bestseller The Bully Pulpit, Pulitzer prize winner, Doris Kearns Goodwin, described how the president challenged “a Congress long wedded to the reigning concept of laissez-faire – a government interfering as little as possible in the economic and social life of the people,” and proceeded to move legislation that protected workers’ rights, regulated the railroad industry, curbed the big food cartels and challenged the energy industry to lower prices. SS McClure, a hugely successful magazine editor at the time, said of Roosevelt: “He sounded in my heart the first trumpet call of our time to be.”
The UK general election campaign, so far, has heard no trumpet calls, no surges of enthusiasm for either of the two main parties. Instead, as the writer Gerry Hassan points out, the language of bold political debate has become defensive “pseudo-accountancy, spread sheets and promissory notes”.
The Conservative promise last week to introduce a law that would prevent any rise in VAT and taxes over the life of a parliament, was met with the derision it deserved. Not because it was a bad proposal (it was) but because the chancellor George Osborne had criticised a similar measure proposed by Alistair Darling in 2009. At the time Osborne said: “No other chancellor in the long history of the office has felt the need to pass a law in order to convince people that he has the political will to implement his own budget.” Political feints such as this entrench apathy, if not antipathy. Over-promising has been a mark of the campaign and the Institute of Fiscal Studies has criticised both main parties for leaving voters “in the dark” about their uncosted promises.
The debate over the economy has been no more inspiring. Both David Cameron and Ed Miliband have lashed themselves to a form of austerity, or austerity lite, even as the overwhelming view of macro economists in the US and the UK is that this has been damaging for growth. Britain’s recovery is fraught with weaknesses and made more fragile still by low productivity and low wages. We hear little about why, at a time of zero interest rates as leading economists such as Paul Krugman and Anthony Atkinson have argued, there is a strong economic case for the government to use capital spending to invest in social and physical infrastructure.
In the 1900s, SS McClure wrote that the “vitality of democracy” demanded “popular knowledge of complex questions”. The most complex question of our time domestically and globally has been the issue of inequality. As the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times noted yesterday, the debate “is just beginning. It will become louder.” Global inequality between countries is falling, but inequality within countries is rising.
That kind of inequality is a danger to the civic health of any nation. It is well-documented that those countries that enjoy the most equitable distribution of wealth are also the happiest. But it doesn’t only make civic sense to address inequality, it also makes economic sense. As Robert Reich, President Clinton’s former labour secretary, has made clear in his compelling documentary film Inequality For All, disposable income is the engine of the economy. When that income shrinks – as it has done – we all suffer. When income is increasingly concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people – who have less and less reason to spend – then the very foundations of capitalism are under real strain.
That is why this is a general election like none other. The country is at a fork in the road. Britain has an opportunity to lead a debate that could point us towards a more functional capitalism, a fairer society, and a happier country.
Yet the political debate struggles to rise to the challenge. Too much of the argument is about the narrow question of the public deficit, vastly exaggerated as an existential threat to the country. Defining our national problem in the language of book-keeping is part of the successful framing of the debate on Conservative terms. The country is invited to back a long-term economic plan and apparent recovery in what increasingly looks like an excuse to continue shrinking the state. It offers much reduced welfare and social provision, and promises never to increase but only decrease taxes.
This, runs the Conservative pitch, is the route to a moral society and the good life alike. Free markets, the profit motive and entrepreneurial effort will do the rest, liberated from the dead hand of government – British and European.
Justice, fairness, looking out for each other, and sharing wealth are to be relegated and at the mercy of the market. As Roosevelt recognised so many years ago, when the market doesn’t work, you fix it. The market needs fixing.
The Conservative doctrine – led by Osborne, fronted by Cameron – is at odds with economic, social and political reality. Ensuring that Britain has a critical mass of companies to exploit the multiple opportunities provided by the great new technologies triggered by digitalisation is much more problematic than just trusting in low tax and free markets. It requires a recognition that 21st-century capitalism has to be shaped by government.
All the international evidence is that companies grow and flourish in an ecosystem of public and private institutions – banks, research institutes, universities, venture capitalists, training agencies, ownership structures, pay systems – that are organised by governments to support company development. The internet was built on the back of vast public investment by the US government. The worldwide web came into being on the back of vast public monies – from Europe – that created the Cern institute, where the web was born.
But, under the prevailing orthodoxy, productivity has stagnated, but no matter – labour is cheap. A significant number of British workers are so poorly paid they pay no tax. Two thirds of the nearly three million children living in poverty are part of working families. Workers’ share of national income has significantly reduced in the last three decades.
Meanwhile, pay has exploded at the top – quadrupling in relation to average pay in a generation. The privileged live in gated communities, educate their young in private schools, are treated in private hospitals and feel no part of – nor obligation to – the common good. They feel no compunction in avoiding or even evading taxes: they share the conservative doctrine that taxes are in essence immoral – the state’s coercive intrusion into private lives, the confiscation of wealth to which it has no right and which it will squander. They have become a class apart, comfortingly justifying their wealth and position as a result of entrepreneurialism on which the rest of us depend.
The rules have become so distorted that even the Financial Times is calling for,”a new paradigm” in the high pay levels and disproportionate “rewards” given to the bosses. Last year, one FTSE chief executive was paid £43m, one thousand times more than his average employee.
All this against a set of challenges that are becoming increasingly evident – an ageing population, globalisation, the advances of technology, the decline of the trade unions, the deregulation of the financial sector, and the rise of the “flexible” zero-hours, low-wage, labour market.
The neo-liberal project – which took root during the 1980s – has manifestly failed. By its own metrics, it is working less and less well, for fewer and fewer people. This isn’t an opinion. This is fact. The countries with the highest levels of inequality among highest-income countries are the UK and the US.
The Conservatives’ response to this shrinking pie has been jaundiced, weak, and wrong-headed. They have helped create a dangerously divided society, and an increasingly divided Union. And their pledge to stage a referendum on EU membership could prove a reckless prelude to a bitter two-year struggle and a possible retreat into feeble isolation. The Conservative narrative is one where collectivism and the common good is diminished by a rhetoric that divides north versus south, England versus Scotland, old versus young; shirkers versus strivers; Britain versus Europe; immigrants versus the rest.
In an era of turbo-capitalism, the coalition’s dominant narrative has also demonised the welfare state. Proportionately, the poorest have borne the greater burden of the cuts; the most deprived local authorities have been required to get by with even less.
We most certainly are not “all in this together”. Increasingly, the welfare state offers support (housing benefit or tax credits) to those in work – people on minimum wages who are not paid enough to live on.
The International Monetary Fund has identified “inequality … as the greatest economic risk of the next decade”. Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, argues that capitalism will destroy itself if it ignores its moral obligations. “Just as any revolution eats its children, unchecked market fundamentalism can devour the social capital essential for the long term dynamism of capitalism itself.”
It is the defining issue of our age, and each of the two main parties offer radically different approaches to how we can best rebuild a shattered system, and a bruised society. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said last month that the difference between Labour and Conservative was the biggest since 1992. “The electorate has a real choice.”
The choice is as much a moral and civic as an economic one. While the Conservatives would make £12bn in welfare cuts and attempt to eliminate the deficit in one parliament, Labour intends to borrow for investment, and make cuts of only £1bn, taking longer to tackle the deficit.
The Conservatives are not promising more of the same, but a newer phase of its project to cut the state. This will not, over the long term, help build a bigger economy, or help enrich growing numbers of people. It will not build a bigger, better, society, or a “good life”. One shouldn’t mistake ideology for good economics.
Such insurgency as there has been at least nominally tilted at austerity politics has come from Scotland, where the SNP is enjoying a remarkable surge in popularity. The “progressive” record of the SNP is patchy, though. On the NHS, on redistribution, on higher education it has delivered poorly; progressive in style but not substance. However, Sturgeon’s leadership has helped invigorate politics in Scotland. The attacks on the SNP’s legitimacy by the Conservatives are constitutionally inaccurate, short-termist and very likely to damage not protect the Union. It’s tactics, not strategy.
The political discourse has also been enlivened by the Green party although, interestingly, their participation has hardly increased our collective focus on environmental issues. But they have struck an effective anti-austerity note and have given voice to the importance of foregrounding the values of community engagement and collective responses to those most blighted by the aftermath of recession.
Ed Miliband, of the two main leaders with an opportunity to form a government, has a far more sophisticated vision of economic and social justice. But he is on course to increase his party’s share of the vote only marginally since 2010. He has offered a courageous if still partial reappraisal of contemporary capitalism on the one hand, while pursuing the usual game of making retail offers to voters even as he fights off New Labour’s reputation for risky profligacy and laxity on immigration.
Belatedly, though, Miliband is finding his voice. As he said yesterday, this election is not about the choice between two nations – England and Scotland – or between chaos and competence, but between two different visions. Miliband has shown resilience in trying to “break the consensus rather than succumb to it”.
His stand on Murdoch, his promise to freeze energy prices, his interest in small business supported by a state investment bank, his belief in a progressive capitalism that encourages long termism, invests in education and skills and reforms the financial markets is not “anti-business”. It stands for fair regulation, just taxation, strong redistribution, partnership in the EU and a vital role for a more efficient accountable state.
From the outset, Ed Miliband has staked his leadership on the bet that the crash of 2008 sounded the death-knell for the market fundamentalism that characterised the last three decades.
Progress in outlining a new capitalism has been fitful, piecemeal and cautious. But Labour’s direction of travel under Miliband is clear. Government, local and national, has a vital role in delivering the fair society.
The market economy is not morality-free. The balance of power between the competing interests in Britain needs to be tilted away from the powerful towards the less powerful. Austerity on the basis of a false requirement to balance accounts must not be the straitjacket that prevents the economy from growing.
Labour does not have all the answers. Far from it. But it is the only party which has correctly identified the task that faces our society. For that reason, it deserves to form the next government.NEW YORK — After 27 hours of surgery, twin boys Anias and Jadon McDonald — born joined at the head 13 months ago — began a new life apart on Friday.
The round-the-clock operation at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx began Thursday morning and ended Friday. The separation procedure itself lasted 16 hours, followed by more hours of surgery to rebuild their skulls and make them whole.
Jadon was the first of the boys to be finished. He was wheeled out of the operating room around 7:40 a.m. on a stretcher, his perfectly shaped head wrapped in white gauze.
He was taken on an elevator to the pediatric intensive care unit on the 10th floor, where he was reunited with his parents, Nicole and Christian McDonald.
“My boy,” Christian said with tears in his eyes.
Nicole bent over in tears.
More than five hours later, around 1 p.m., surgeons finished operating on Anias, and he was taken to the 10th floor unit — where the family was finally reunited.
The surgery was led by Dr. James Goodrich, considered the leading expert on what’s known as craniopagus surgery.
It marked the seventh and longest separation surgery performed by Goodrich — and just the 59th craniopagus separation surgery in the world since 1952.
Nicole and Christian had to make an agonizing decision, opting for the procedure even though it carried major risks, including the possibility of death or long-term brain damage for one or both boys. But not to operate also carried risks: 80% of twins joined at the head die of medical complications by age 2 if not separated, studies show.
Goodrich informed the family of the separation around 3 a.m.
“Well, we did it,” Goodrich said.
On her Facebook page, Nicole wrote: “TWO SEPARATE BABIES!!!…and yet I ache with the uncertainty of the future. I didn’t cry until the surgeons left the room. I was barely able to even utter the words ‘thank you’ because of the pit that still sits heavy in my stomach. We are standing on the brink of a vast unknown. The next few months will be critical in terms of recovery and we will not know for sure how Anias and Jadon are recovering for many weeks.”
The moment capped an end to an agonizing wait for the boys’ parents.
The McDonalds and Montefiore hospital invited CNN to document this remarkable and rare journey of Jadon and Anias, allowing CNN exclusive access into the operating room throughout the procedure.
Yet before Nicole and Christian learned their boys were now two individuals, Thursday was a day of high emotion and high stakes, of anxious parents and calm medical professionals. It was a day of uncharted territory and amazing, one-of-a-kind surgical activity.
And amid it all were two infants — beautiful boys with deep brown eyes and a shared swirl of hair at the top of their foreheads. They came into the world together, and became two individual boys overnight.
‘I feel good’
Dr. Goodrich stands in Operating Room Number 10. It’s a drab off-white, and empty of people. Two operating tables sit in the middle of the room, abutted together. A 3D replica of the boys’ heads sits between them.
It’s 6:52 a.m.
The doctor began his day by skipping breakfast and enjoying a single cappuccino.
It’s been 12 years since he last separated twins conjoined at the head at Montefiore. That was his first ever craniopagus surgery, and he’s learned much since then, performing five other separation surgeries around the world, including Syrian twins in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
Prior to the mid-1980s, it was accepted medical practice to sacrifice one child on the operating table to save the life of the other. Many times both babies died. If one child made it through surgery, he or she often suffered debilitating brain damage.
Goodrich has pioneered the field. He established the practice of performing the separation of craniopagus twins in several shorter stages, instead of one single operation lasting more than 50 hours. The McDonalds have had three previous operations, each resulting in progressively more separated brains. Today is the fourth and final stage. None of Goodrich’s conjoined twins have died during the operation. His mantra: “Take it easy and slowly and carefully.”
His surgical cap embodies that philosophy: It’s decorated with turtles.
“Don’t change what works,” he says. “Ready to go.”
Within minutes, he and Dr. Oren Tepper — the plastic surgeon charged with reconstructing the boys’ skulls and stitching their heads back together — go to the 10th floor to a corner room where Jadon and Anias are resting with their family.
The doctors exchange pleasantries with Mom, Dad and other family members who crowd the room. Asked how he’s feeling, Goodrich breaks out into a James Brown-like jig. “I feel good,” he croons.
At 7:12 a.m., the boys are wheeled out of the room. Their older brother, Aza, lies with the twins on the stretcher as they’re taken down an elevator and through a phalanx of hallways toward the third floor operating room.
“Open door,” Aza says.
It’s time to say goodbye. Against his will, Aza is taken off the stretcher. “Babies, babies,” he says, reaching toward his brothers.
Mom and Dad kiss their boys bye. “We’ll see our two boys later,” Christian tells Nicole.
Nicole scoops up Aza and cradles him. The three walk away. The twins go straight into the OR.
It’s 7:18 a.m.
‘Failure is not an option’
In a waiting area off the operating room, Goodrich and Tepper huddle with neuroradiologist Joaquim Farinhas.
Farinhas shows off a three-dimensional replica of the boys’ brains vessels that can be pulled apart, revealing exactly how they are fused together. The boys share about an inch-and-a-half diameter of brain tissue.
“This is what I wanted you to see,” Farinhas says, “which is something that is soft and you can actually poke in and cut through.”
Goodrich studies it for a bit before saying, “Ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”
“Absolutely,” Farinhas says.
“Failure is not an option,” Goodrich replies. It’s 7:22 a.m.
For the next two hours, the boys are prepped for surgery. The place is a hub of activity, but of steely calm. The boys drift to sleep under anesthesia.
At 9:27 a.m., plastic sheets are placed over their naked bodies, followed by blue surgical drapes. Moments later, their heads are wiped clean and Tepper takes a black marker and outlines incisions from the three previous surgeries.
At 9:36 a.m., neurosurgery nurses Bindu Peter and Treshia Alex conduct what is known as a “timeout” — a required protocol before surgeries. They name both patients on the tables and the operations taking place this day, October 13, 2016.
“We are doing craniopagus separation, fasciocutaneous scalp flaps, removal of expander, cranioplasty with bone graft, possible skin graft or use skin substitute, adjacent tissue transfer scalp, possible insertion of tissue expanders, possible insertion of wound closure device,” Peter says.
“Correct.”
More than 20 people in the room — surgeons, doctors, nurses, staff — say their names and titles.
“How long will the case take?” says Peter.
Goodrich: “Long.”
“Any patient-specific concerns?” the nurse asks.
“Bleeding,” one voice says.
“We have cross-matched two units of blood. It is in the blood bank,” Peter responds.
“Correct,” Goodrich.
There’s some small talk, then Goodrich motions with his hands to Peter, as if to say you’re forgetting something. “Final line?” he says.
“May the surgeon do a wonderful job,” one doctor says.
Others chime with “A wonderful job!” and “Good luck!”
Goodrich flashes a thumbs up: “Thank you.”
It’s time to operate. Tepper makes the first incision at 9:45 a.m.
‘The easiest part is done’
The next several hours are a whir of activity. In the three previous surgeries, the surgical team added tissue expanders to stretch the skin to make sure there was enough to cover their new skulls. Surgeons also separated some of the veins to make way for today’s final separation.
Mom and Dad eat breakfast with their extended family and take Aza to a nearby park. Nicole is relieved to have Aza to look after because chasing after him keeps her anxiety in check.
Christian goes to a dollar store and buys packs of thank you cards. He and Nicole spend more than an hour writing personal notes to their closest friends and family for helping them get this far.
The family holes up in the Caregiver Support Center, two floors and two corridors away from the operating room. Shortly after CNN’s first story about the family appears Thursday morning, Nicole and Christian start getting swamped with messages from friends and strangers alike. They monitor the hashtag #JadonAndAnias and watch as thousands of dollars in donations pour into their GoFundMe page.
They’re buoyed by the messages of support from people as far away as the Philippines and Germany. They say their faith is renewed in mankind — that it’s a nice break from sordid headlines and the hotly contested political season.
Humanity wins.
“Everybody is really showing how much they love these boys,” Christian says. “I didn’t realize how many people out there have so much good in them and how much they want to help.”
Nicole had quit her job as a pediatric physical therapist to care for the twins. She reads notes from mothers whose children she once cared for, including one who nicknamed her “Miracle Worker.” On her Facebook page, that mother writes, “Nicole is a Miracle Worker and now we’re seeing miracles worked in her life.”
“They’re all just so heartfelt,” Nicole says.
By noon, the surgical team has taken out one tissue expander and removed some temporary plates that were inserted in the earlier surgeries to hold bone back.
At 12:04 p.m., it’s time to turn the boys to get to a new area to cut — a delicate maneuver that requires all hands on deck.
“1, 2, 3, lift!” a team member says.
Jadon’s shoulders rotate 45 degrees. They adjust Anias into a similar position. Tepper remains calm, continuing his work.
Goodrich stands and turns away from the table. He grabs a nearby 3D replica of the boys’ conjoined skulls. A wine connoisseur, he studies it, mulls it over like a fine chardonnay. He’s facing two large screen televisions. One shows a live view of the surgery going on behind him. The other provides images of three-dimensional computer models of the boys’ veins, arteries and other brain matter.
Soon, Goodrich returns to the table. Working diligently with him is Tepper and three other surgeons: Dr. Rani Nasser and Dr. Ajit Jada, both chief residents of neurosurgery, and Dr. Carrie Stern, chief resident of plastic surgery.
The high-pitched sounds of tiny cutting instruments pierce the air. A smell, not unlike that of having a cavity filled at the dentist’s office, permeates all around.
At 1:55 p.m, more than four hours into the surgery, Goodrich turns around and says, “The easiest part is done.”
Fifteen minutes later, a chunk of skull is removed. No time to rest. The surgical team presses on. They take out a second tissue expander shortly before 3 p.m.
Soon after, Goodrich sneaks off for two slices of pizza in a quiet, secluded room in the hospital. Nineteen minutes later, he heads back to the operating room.
‘Land of the unknown’
Nicole and Christian bide their time with family. Aza bounces off the walls. Grandparents and others pitch in to keep the 3-year-old from driving their mom and dad too crazy.
Mom enjoys the distraction. They get occasional updates on the surgery from a nurse practitioner for pediatric neurosurgery. Christian wishes they’d get more news on how it’s going.
The family members wear white T-shirts Nicole designed. The front of the shirt says Anias with its Hebrew meaning, “God has answered,” and Jadon, “God has heard.” An infinity sign — often used as a symbol for conjoined twins — goes across the middle.
Nicole made the shirts to try to raise a few bucks. Soon, she had 200 orders. The family ended up selling 1,000.
“I’m gonna hug my wife,” Christian says, pulling her tight and holding her.
The time now is 4:46 p.m.
The day has been a whirlwind since saying goodbye to the boys nine hours earlier.
Nicole had never even posted a photograph depicting the boys as conjoined until a month ago.
She always took tight shots of each boy’s face to show them as individuals. But she knew she wanted to speak to CNN and needed to be brave to “better prepare myself for exposing my children to the world.”
So, she posted one photo of the boys conjoined on Facebook and then another on her GoFundMe page. “I said, ‘OK, I’m getting real brave.'”
“The response was beautiful,” she says.
And now, this day, her boys’ day of separation — a symbolic “second birthday” — the outpouring of love has been awesome.
“The babies steal the show,” Christian says.
Nicole: “It’s their eyes.”
“We would have it no other way, though,” Christian responds.
It’s now past 5 p.m. As the day progresses, they know their anxiety will intensify. Their boys have gone through the three prior surgeries, and they know the doctors are still making their way through basically undoing those three surgeries before going into the final separation phase.
“I call it the land of the unknown,” Nicole says.
Yet their worries extend beyond their boys surviving today. They wonder what happens with recovery. Will they have seizures? Will they suffer heart failure? How long will they be in intensive care?
Despite their worries, Nicole says, “When we sent them off this morning, to me, I felt at peace with it and just ready to handle what comes after.”
The most critical phase
Shortly before 9 p.m., the operating room intensifies. The surgeons have reached their most critical phase: They must separate the shared blood vessels between the two boys. Veins are very thin walled, and one section of Jadon and Anias’ brains are intricately tied together.
A single cut that goes too deep can lead to catastrophic bleeding.
Neuroradiologist Joaquim Farinhas stands in front of the screen displaying the 3D computer model. He calls Dr. Ajit Jada over from the operating table and points at the cluster of veins. Farinhas dispenses advice. Jada returns to the table.
“Be very gentle with Anias’ side,” Farinhas calls out to the surgical team.
Tepper, who had taken a brief break, returns to the table.
“It’s a bear,” says Farinhas.
“This is the most important part,” he explains, “because the vessels are so delicate and they’re so complicated. It’s almost a lake of veins that they’re trying to negotiate. It’s pretty amazing.”
The surgical team has to figure out: How do you tie it off safely? How do you negotiate it safely? How do you separate it?
At 9:18 p.m., Goodrich says, “We just closed off the sagittal sinus.”
“That chardonnay is on the way,” quips Farinhas.
A note of levity amid the intensity.
The last stitch
Seconds tick off into minutes, which turn into hours.
The surgery is meticulous, tricky, complex. And that’s an understatement.
At 1:18 a.m., Tepper, the plastic surgeon, steps to a nearby metallic table and takes a special saw to split a removed skull piece into two. Those two pieces will be used for the boys’ new skullcaps.
Goodrich and his team continue to work away toward the moment of separation. At about 1:40 a.m., he sits in a seat next to the operating table with hands crossed, as if admiring the work. Moments later, he stands and dives right back into surgery.
At 2:10 a.m., Goodrich says, “One more inch.”
“We’re ready. You ready?” one surgeon says.
“Yep,” Goodrich says.
It’s a badge of honor as to who gets the last cut when separating conjoined twins.
“The last stitch,” Tepper says. “Who wants it?”
The only woman surgeon at the table, Dr. Carrie Stern, makes the historic last cut, at 2:11 a.m.
“We are official,” Goodrich says.
The room bursts into spontaneous applause.
After nearly 16½ hours, the boys are separated.Re: Office Space
From:lgraham@clintonfoundation.org To: Huma@clintonemail.com, Cheryl.mills@gmail.com CC: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2011-11-14 23:04 Subject: Re: Office Space
Thanks Huma. What would be your "open to possibility of a small footprint" estimate be so I can combine with what our needs may be? Thanks lg ----- Laura - As promised, want to close the loop on potential HRC office space at Water Street. Have also consulted with hrc, cvc and cdm (who i have included here). As you and I discussed Friday, we are still identifying activities hrc could be involved in once she leaves the State Department. We are presuming there will be a foundation piece but there are obviously other things and we are still in the early stages of that decision-making process. As cdm reminded me today, as there is a review going on about the nature of business that can take place on CF property, the outcome will presumably affect the nature of the office hrc will be able to have at CF. Since in the near term, we are talking about a small staff that could be handling potentially more than just charitable activity, we may have to be elsewhere. Plus we still have the logistical concern that her daily commute to water street will be challenging. Given the many uncertainties, we think the best way to proceed is for you to take space for CF growth that you envision leaving open the possibility of a small hrc footprint but not outlining specific space for her now. you seemed to think that you had the need for additional space regardless of our plan. Am happy to discuss further ayc. ________________________________________ Huma, Hope you are feeling well. I wanted to touch base with you and set up a call for this week – a meeting would be great but if not at least a call – to discuss space. As you may know from the traffic btw Chelsea and I last week which included Bruce and Podesta, I had a meeting and walk through for the additional space available at 77 Water Street. They have an interested party (who today just asked for a draft lease – so that is moving quickly) on the table for part of the space so if we want additional space, we need to move quickly. Goldman, b/c of their relationship with us, is delaying the drafting of a lease for this interested party until they get a better sense from us but they cannot hold them off too much longer. I briefed John this am and then he and I met with Bob regarding CGI needs. It would be great if we could arrange a call to discuss the Secretary’s needs for this week and I can have John and/or Bob join as needed. Michelle is copied here for follow up on setting a time for a meeting or call at your convenience. In meantime, Genzler via Goldman Sachs is awaiting our details to do test fit options. Thanks, Laura Laura Graham Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff to President Clinton The Clinton Foundation 55 W 125th St, NY, NY 10027 212-348-1779 phone 212-348-9855 fax Lgraham@clintonfoundation.org<mailto:Lgraham@clintonfoundation.org> Laura@presidentclinton.com<mailto:Laura@presidentclinton.com> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mailFacebook has planned to release video calling on its subsidiary, WhatsApp for a while now. Well it seems like those plans arent just plans anymore as a German Apple blog Macerkopf.de posted a few picture of the video calling feature on WhatsApp, a few days ago.
Judging by these images we can more or less confirm that the new version (v2.12.16.2) will have video calling. Controls to this add-on include a mute button, placed on the left side of the call disconnect button and a camera-switch button (which allows you to swap between the front and rear camera) placed on the right side of the call disconnect button. You can also move an image that your camera is capturing during the video call, much like what you would see during a Skype call.
The images are reportedly taken from the new version WhatsApp (v2.12.16.2) for iOS. The update is also reported to bring multiple chat tabs that allow users to switch between conversations without having to return to the chats list.
Also read Facebook Messenger now uses facial recognition software
With this new update, WhatsApp will enter the likeliness of Applications like Skype and Facetime. WhatsApp already managed to pull some users from Viber and Skype when they introduced VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) telephony a while ago.
Also read Facebook now supports Live Photos for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
Even though all this looks and sounds very dandy the new version is currently still being tested, although it is speculated that the new version will be released on iOS in a couple of weeks. However, Android users are rumored to be getting the update at a later date.KOZHIKODE: Muslim organizations in Kerala have come forward to defend singer K J Yesudas, who is facing attack from various women’s organizations and social groups for his remarks against girls wearing jeans
He said ‘immodest’ dressing by women can lead to arousal of carnal desire in men. “Women’s body should not be paraded in public,” Faizi said.
The organizations feel that more people from the field of art and culture should show the courage to dissuade girls from going after the Western culture. “Yesudas has done a commendable thing by reminding the new generation about the dangers of indecent dressing,” said Nazar Faizi Koodathayi, general secretary of Sunni Yavajana Sangham, the youth wing of Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema.Yesudas had told a Gandhi Jayanti function in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday that "Women should not cause trouble to others |
” in one of the Native American Algonquin languages, Mahican. These redcaps were captured in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, nowhere near Boston, and they still speak the old language they crudely appropriated from the first humans they knew.HOUSTON (CBS HOUSTON) – The Houston Astros are not happy about a Report from Forbes that said the worst team in the majors was set up to make the most money.
The Astros sent out a press release Monday evening to say that they do not disclose their financial information but that Major League Baseball will confirm, “the information reported in the Forbes article relating to the Astros’ revenues, the Astros media rights fee from CSN Houston, and CSN Houston’s per subscriber rate are all significantly inaccurate.”
The Forbes report says the team that started the season with a $26 million payroll in 2013 has moved so many high priced players they are operating under $13 million for the rest of the year allowing them to $99 million in operating income.
The Astros stated in the press release they will continue to be a fiscally responsible team and will do everything to “make the City of Houston proud.” The press release went on to point out the young talent the Astros have begun to establish. Included in that is Jason Castro, the young catcher for the Astros, who was awarded the American League player of the week on Monday.BERLIN — In the early years of the Obama administration, the United States developed an elaborate plan for a cyberattack on Iran in case the diplomatic effort to limit its nuclear program failed and led to a military conflict, according to a coming documentary film and interviews with military and intelligence officials involved in the effort.
The plan, code-named Nitro Zeus, was devised to disable Iran’s air defenses, communications systems and crucial parts of its power grid, and was shelved, at least for the foreseeable future, after the nuclear deal struck between Iran and six other nations last summer was fulfilled.
Nitro Zeus was part of an effort to assure President Obama that he had alternatives, short of a full-scale war, if Iran lashed out at the United States or its allies in the region. At its height, officials say, the planning for Nitro Zeus involved thousands of American military and intelligence personnel, spending tens of millions of dollars and placing electronic implants in Iranian computer networks to “prepare the battlefield,” in the parlance of the Pentagon.
The United States military develops contingency plans for all kinds of possible conflicts, such as a North Korean attack on the South, loose nuclear weapons in South Asia or uprisings in Africa or Latin America. Most sit on the shelf, and are updated every few years. But this one took on far greater urgency, in part because White House officials believed there was a good chance that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel would decide to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the United States would be drawn into the hostilities that followed.On April 10, 1912, RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its maiden voyage, headed for New York City. Four days into the journey, at about 11:40 p.m. on April 14, Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. One crew member later compared the sound of the collision to “the tearing of calico, nothing more.” But the force of the impact ruptured the hull, filling the ship’s interior with some 39,000 tons of icy seawater before it plunged under the surface.
The most famous maritime disaster in modern history, Titanic’s sinking has been chronicled in countless books, newspapers, musicals, plays, television shows, miniseries and movies. Despite the doomed ship’s notoriety, not everyone knows that Titanic was equipped with some of the most sophisticated culinary facilities afloat and boasted elegant cafes and opulent dining saloons that rivaled the finest restaurants in Paris and London. A huge staff labored almost continuously in Titanic’s massive galleys to prepare more than 6,000 meals a day. The main galley, which churned out food for first- and second-class passengers, featured serving pantries; a butcher shop; a bakery; vegetable kitchens; specialized rooms for silver and china; rooms for wines, beer and oysters; and huge storage bins for the tons of coal needed to fuel the 19 ovens, cooking tops, ranges and roasters.
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A first-class dinner menu from Titanic, dated April 12, 1912. (Credit: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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First-class passengers were treated to an extraordinary dining experience at every meal, feasting on such delicacies as pâté de foie gras, peaches in chartreuse jelly and Waldorf pudding. Their dinners consisted of up to 13 courses—each with a different accompanying wine—and could last four or five hours. Because the first- and second-class dining saloons shared a galley, it’s likely that second-class guests were offered some of the same dishes as first-class passengers—minus the extensive wine pairings and fanfare.
Far more austere, third-class meals featured items such as hearty stews, vegetable soup, roast pork with sage and onions, boiled potatoes, currant buns, biscuits and freshly baked bread with plum pudding and oranges. Coming from countries like Ireland and Norway where fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce, many third-class passengers probably found their fare almost decadent. It has been said that Titanic’s kitchen staff did their best to prepare meals that travelers from various countries would find comforting and nutritious.
So what did Titanic’s passengers eat hours before their “unsinkable” ship met its tragic end? Since a first-class menu was recovered after the disaster, we know what was served to the wealthiest guests on the evening of April 14, 1912. As usual, the feast began with raw oysters and assorted hors d’oeuvre, followed by a choice of consommé Olga (a veal stock soup flavored with sturgeon marrow) or cream of barley soup. Next up was a lightly poached Atlantic salmon topped with a rich mousseline sauce. For the fourth and fifth courses, passengers chose from such rich and intricate protein dishes as filet mignon Lili, sauté of chicken Lyonnaise, lamb with mint sauce, roast duckling with applesauce and sirloin of beef with chateau potatoes. Side dishes included creamed carrots, boiled rice and green peas, as well as parmentier and boiled new potatoes.
Midway through this epic meal, a palate cleanser known as “punch romaine” was served, made with wine, rum and champagne. The sumptuous array then resumed with roast squab with cress, cold asparagus vinaigrette and pâté de foie gras. Dessert choices included peaches in chartreuse jelly, chocolate and vanilla éclairs, Waldorf pudding and French ice cream. Next, an assortment of fruits, nuts and cheeses was presented, followed by coffee, port, cigars and cordials. The first-class passengers—a group that famously included John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim, among other prominent millionaires—then congregated in the smoking room or in the elegant, horseshoe-shaped reception room, where the ship’s orchestra played a selection of light classical and popular music until 11 p.m.
Of Titanic’s 2,200 passengers and crew, just over 700 people survived the disaster. Although it might seem a bit macabre, countless luxury cruises, gala dinner parties and culinary memorials are held each year to commemorate the anniversary of the legendary sinking, often recreating the last meal eaten on board. The 100th anniversary of the tragedy taking has seen an uptick in these events, with groups of people around the world gathering to sample the delicacies Titanic’s passengers enjoyed on April 14, 1912.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Qatar's foreign minister held talks with the US secretary of state in Washington on Tuesday
Qatar's foreign minister has condemned its Gulf neighbours for refusing to negotiate over their demands for restoring air, sea and land links.
Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani said the stance was "contrary to the principles" of international relations.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Qatar of aiding terrorism - a charge it denies.
It has been presented with a list of demands that the Saudi foreign minister on Tuesday called "non-negotiable".
The restrictions have caused turmoil in Qatar, an oil- and gas-rich nation that is dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.
On Friday, Qatar was given 10 days to comply with a 13-point list of demands to end the crisis that included shutting down the Al Jazeera news network, closing a Turkish military base, cutting ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, and curbing diplomatic relations with Iran.
Image copyright EPA Image caption Qatar will host the the football World Cup in 2022
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has sought to resolve the crisis, acknowledged that some elements would "be very difficult for Qatar to meet", but that there were "significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue".
But after holding talks with Mr Tillerson in Washington on Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was asked by journalists if the demands were non-negotiable. He replied: "Yes."
"It's very simple. We made our point. We took our steps and it's up to the Qataris to amend their behaviour. Once they do, things will be worked out. But if they don't, they will remain isolated," he said.
"If Qatar wants to come back into the [Gulf Co-operation Council] pool, they know what they have to do."
Image copyright AFP Image caption Adel al-Jubeir accused Qatar of harbouring known terrorists and funding extremist groups
Mr Jubeir stressed that the decision to sever ties with Qatar was made after taking into account the history of its behaviour, which he alleged included harbouring known terrorists and funding extremist groups throughout the region.
Qatar's foreign minister, who met Mr Tillerson at the state department later on Tuesday, called the Saudi position "unacceptable".
"This is contrary to the principles that govern international relations because you can't just present lists of demands and refuse to negotiate," Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying in a ministry statement.
Sheikh Mohammed said the US agreed the demands had to be "reasonable and actionable", and that the allegations against Qatar also needed to be discussed.
"We agree that the State of Qatar will engage in a constructive dialogue with the parties concerned if they want to reach a solution and overcome this crisis."
The UAE ambassador to Russia told the Guardian newspaper on Wednesday that the Gulf Arab states were considering fresh economic sanctions on Qatar.
"One possibility would be to impose conditions on our own trading partners and say you want to work with us then you have got to make a commercial choice," Omar Ghobash said.
Meanwhile, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kay said the closure of Al Jazeera would "strike a major blow against media pluralism in a region already suffering from severe restrictions on reporting and media of all kinds".Part of the "Low-risk ways to use F# at work" series (more)
Using F# for testing Twenty six low-risk ways to use F# at work (part 3) Tweet
This post is a continuation of the previous series on low-risk and incremental ways to use F# at work – how can you get your hands dirty with F# in a low-risk, incremental way, without affecting any mission critical code?
In this one, we’ll talk about using F# for testing.
Series contents
Before moving on to the content of the post, here’s the full list of the twenty six ways:
Part 1 - Using F# to explore and develop interactively
1. Use F# to explore the.NET framework interactively
2. Use F# to test your own code interactively
3. Use F# to play with webservices interactively
4. Use F# to play with UI’s interactively
Part 2 - Using F# for development and devops scripts
5. Use FAKE for build and CI scripts
6. An F# script to check that a website is responding
7. An F# script to convert an RSS feed into CSV
8. An F# script that uses WMI to check the stats of a process
9. Use F# for configuring and managing the cloud
Part 3 - Using F# for testing
10. Use F# to write unit tests with readable names
11. Use F# to run unit tests programmatically
12. Use F# to learn to write unit tests in other ways
13. Use FsCheck to write better unit tests
14. Use FsCheck to create random dummy data
15. Use F# to create mocks
16. Use F# to do automated browser testing
17. Use F# for Behaviour Driven Development
Part 4. Using F# for database related tasks
18. Use F# to replace LINQpad
19. Use F# to unit test stored procedures
20. Use FsCheck to generate random database records
21. Use F# to do simple ETL
22. Use F# to generate SQL Agent scripts
**Part 5: Other interesting ways of using F# **
23. Use F# for parsing
24. Use F# for diagramming and visualization
25. Use F# for accessing web-based data stores
26. Use F# for data science and machine learning
(BONUS) 27: Balance the generation schedule for the UK power station fleet
Part 3 - Using F# for testing
If you want to start writing useful code in F# without touching core code, writing tests is a great way to start.
Not only does F# have a more compact syntax, it also has many nice features, such as the “double backtick” syntax, that make test names much more readable.
As with all of the suggestions in this series, I think this is a low risk option. Test methods tend to be short, so almost anyone will be able to read them without having to understand F# deeply. In the worst-case, you can easily port them back to C#.
10. Use F# to write unit tests with readable names
The code for this section is available on github.
Just like C#, F# can be used to write standard unit tests using the standard frameworks like NUnit, MsUnit, xUnit, etc.
Here’s an example of a test class written for use with NUnit.
[< TestFixture >] type TestClass () = [< Test >] member this. When2IsAddedTo2Expect4 () = Assert. AreEqual ( 4, 2 + 2 )
As you can see, there’s a class with the TestFixture attribute, and a public void method with the Test attribute. All very standard.
But there are some nice extras you get when you use F# rather than C#. First you can use the double backtick syntax to create more readable names, and second, you can use let bound functions in modules rather than classes, which simplifies the code.
[< Test >] let `` When 2 is added to 2 expect 4 `` () = Assert. AreEqual ( 4, 2 + 2 )
The double backtick syntax makes the test results much easier to read. Here is the output of the test with a standard class name:
TestClass.When2IsAddedTo2Expect4 Result: Success
vs. the output using the more friendly name:
MyUnitTests.When 2 is added to 2 expect 4 Result: Success
So if you want to write test names that are accessible to non-programmers, give F# a go!
11. Use F# to run unit tests programmatically
Often, you might want to run the unit tests programmatically. This can be for various reasons, such as using custom filters, or doing custom logging, or not wanting to install NUnit on test machines.
One simple way to do this is to use the Fuchu library which lets you organize tests directly, especially parameterized tests, without any complex test attributes.
Here’s an example:
let add1 x = x + 1 // a simple test using any assertion framework: // Fuchu's own, Nunit, FsUnit, etc let `` Assert that add1 is x + 1 `` x _ notUsed = NUnit. Framework. Assert. AreEqual ( x + 1, add1 x ) // a single test case with one value let simpleTest = testCase "Test with 42" <| `` Assert that add1 is x + 1 `` 42 // a parameterized test case with one param let parameterizedTest i = testCase ( sprintf "Test with %i" i ) <| `` Assert that add1 is x + 1 `` i
You can run these tests directly in F# interactive using code like this: run simpleTest.
You can also combine these tests into one or more lists, or hierarchical lists of lists:
// create a hierarchy of tests // mark it as the start point with the "Tests" attribute [< Fuchu. Tests >] let tests = testList "Test group A" [ simpleTest testList "Parameterized 1..10" ([ 1.. 10 ] |> List. map parameterizedTest ) testList "Parameterized 11..20" ([ 11.. 20 ] |> List. map parameterizedTest ) ]
The code above is available on github.
Finally, with Fuchu, the test assembly becomes its own test runner. Just make the assembly a console app instead of a library and add this code to the program.fs file:
[< EntryPoint >] let main args = let exitCode = defaultMainThisAssembly args Console. WriteLine ( "Press any key" ) Console. ReadLine () |> ignore // return the exit code exitCode
More on Fuchu here.
Using the NUnit test runner
If you do need to use an existing test runner (such as the NUnit one), then it’s very simple to put together a simple script to do this.
I’ve made a little example, below, using the Nunit.Runners package.
All right, this might not be the most exciting use of F#, but it does show off F#’s “object expression” syntax to create the NUnit.Core.EventListener interface, so I thought I’d leave it in as a demo.
// sets the current directory to be same as the script directory System. IO. Directory. SetCurrentDirectory (__ SOURCE_DIRECTORY__ ) // Requires Nunit.Runners under script directory // nuget install NUnit.Runners -o Packages -ExcludeVersion # r @ "Packages \ NUnit.Runners \t ools \ lib
unit.core.dll" # r @ "Packages \ NUnit.Runners \t ools \ lib
unit.core.interfaces.dll" open System open NUnit. Core module Setup = open System. Reflection open NUnit. Core open System. Diagnostics. Tracing let configureTestRunner path ( runner : TestRunner ) = let package = TestPackage ( "MyPackage" ) package. Assemblies. Add ( path ) |> ignore runner. Load ( package ) |> ignore let createListener logger = let replaceNewline ( s : string ) = s. Replace ( Environment. NewLine, "" ) // This is an example of F#'s "object expression" syntax. // You don't need to create a class to implement an interface { new NUnit. Core. EventListener with member this. RunStarted ( name : string, testCount : int ) = logger "Run started " member this. RunFinished ( result : TestResult ) = logger "" logger "-------------------------------" result. ResultState |> sprintf "Overall result: %O" |> logger member this. RunFinished ( ex : Exception ) = ex. StackTrace |> replaceNewline |> sprintf "Exception occurred: %s" |> logger member this. SuiteFinished ( result : TestResult ) = () member this. SuiteStarted ( testName : TestName ) = () member this. TestFinished ( result : TestResult )= result. ResultState |> sprintf "Result: %O" |> logger member this. TestOutput ( testOutput : TestOutput ) = testOutput. Text |> replaceNewline |> logger member this. TestStarted ( testName : TestName ) = logger "" testName. FullName |> replaceNewline |> logger member this. UnhandledException ( ex : Exception ) = ex. StackTrace |> replaceNewline |> sprintf "Unhandled exception occurred: %s" |> logger } // run all the tests in the DLL do let dllPath = @ ". \b in \ MyUnitTests.dll" CoreExtensions. Host. InitializeService () ; use runner = new NUnit. Core. SimpleTestRunner () Setup. configureTestRunner dllPath runner let logger = printfn "%s" let listener = Setup. createListener logger let result = runner. Run ( listener, TestFilter. Empty, true, LoggingThreshold. All ) // if running from the command line, wait for user input Console. ReadLine () |> ignore // if running from the interactive session, reset session before recompiling MyUnitTests.dll
The code above is available on github.
12. Use F# to learn to write unit tests in other ways
The unit test code above is familiar to all of us, but there are other ways to write tests. Learning to code in different styles is a great way to add some new techniques to your repertoire and expand your thinking in general, so let’s have a quick look at some of them.
First up is FsUnit, which replaces Assert with a more fluent and idiomatic approach (natural language and piping).
Here’s a snippet:
open NUnit. Framework open FsUnit let inline add x y = x + y [< Test >] let `` When 2 is added to 2 expect 4 `` () = add 2 2 |> should equal 4 [< Test >] let `` When 2. 0 is added to 2. 0 expect 4. 01 `` () = add 2. 0 2. 0 |> should ( equalWithin 0. 1 ) 4. 01 [< Test >] let `` When ToLower (), expect lowercase letters `` () = "FSHARP". ToLower () |> should startWith "fs"
The above code is available on github.
A very different approach is used by Unquote. The Unquote approach is to wrap any F# expression in F# quotations and then evaluate it. If a test expression throws an exception, the test will fail and print not just the exception, but each step up to the point of the exception. This information could potentially give you much more insight in why the assert fails.
Here’s a very simple example:
open Swensen. Unquote [< Test >] let `` When 2 is added to 2 expect 4 `` () = test <@ 2 + 2 = 4 @>
There are also a number of shortcut operators such as =! and >! that allow you to write your tests even more simply – no asserts anywhere!
open Swensen. Unquote [< Test >] let `` 2 + 2 is 4 `` () = let result = 2 + 2 result =! 4 [< Test >] let `` 2 + 2 is bigger than 5 `` () = let result = 2 + 2 result >! 5
The above code is available on github.
13. Use FsCheck to write better unit tests
The code for this section is available on github.
Let’s say that we have written a function that converts numbers to Roman numerals, and we want to create some test cases for it.
We might start writing tests like this:
[< Test >] let `` Test that 497 is CDXCVII `` () = arabicToRoman 497 |> should equal "CDXCVII"
But the problem with this approach is that it only tests a very specific example. There might be some edge cases that we haven’t thought of.
A much better approach is to find something that must be true for all cases. Then we can create a test that checks that this something (a “property”) is true for all cases, or at least a large random subset.
For example, in the Roman numeral example, we can say that one property is “all Roman numerals have at most one ‘V’ character” or “all Roman numerals have at most three ‘X’ characters”. We can then construct tests that check this property is indeed true.
This is where FsCheck can help. FsCheck is a framework designed for exactly this kind of property-based testing. It’s written in F# but it works equally well for testing C# code.
So, let’s see how we’d use FsCheck for our Roman numerals.
First, we define some properties that we expect to hold for all Roman numerals.
let maxRepetitionProperty ch count ( input : string ) = let find = String. replicate ( count + 1 ) ch input. Contains find |> not // a property that holds for all roman numerals let `` has max rep of one V `` roman = maxRepetitionProperty "V" 1 roman // a property that holds for all roman numerals let `` has max rep of three Xs `` roman = maxRepetitionProperty "X" 3 roman
With this in place we create tests that:
Create a property checker function suitable for passing to FsCheck. Use the Check.Quick function to generate hundreds of random test cases and send them into that property checker.
open FsCheck [< Test >] let `` Test that roman numerals have no more than one V `` () = let property num = // convert the number to roman and check the property arabicToRoman num |> `` has max rep of one V `` Check. QuickThrowOnFailure property [< Test >] let `` Test that roman numerals have no more than three Xs `` () = let property num = // convert the number to roman and check the property arabicToRoman num |> `` has max rep of three Xs `` Check. QuickThrowOnFailure property
Here are the results of the test. You can see that 100 random numbers have been tested, not just one.
Test that roman numerals have no more than one V Ok, passed 100 tests. Test that roman numerals have no more than three Xs Ok, passed 100 tests.
If we changed the test to be “Test that roman numerals have no more than TWO Xs”, then the test result is false, and looks like this:
Falsifiable, after 33 tests 30
In other words, after generating 33 different inputs, FsCheck has correctly found a number (30) that does not meet the required property. Very nice!
Using FsCheck in practice
Not all situations have properties that can be tested this way, but you might find that it is more common than you think.
For example, property based testing is especially useful for “algorithmic” code. Here a few examples:
If you reverse a list and then reverse it again, you get the original list.
If you factorize an integer and then multiply the factors, you get the original number.
But even in Boring Line-Of-Business Applications™, you may find that property based testing has a place. For example, here are some things that can be expressed as properties:
Roundtripping. For example, if you save a record to a database and then reload it, the record’s fields should be unchanged. Similarly, if you serialize and then deserialize something, you should get the original thing back.
. For example, if you save a record to a database and then reload it, the record’s fields should be unchanged. Similarly, if you serialize and then deserialize something, you should get the original thing back. Invariants. If you add products to a sales order, the sum of the individual lines should be the same as the order total. Or, the sum of word counts for each page should be the sum of the word count for the entire book. More generally, if you calculate things via two different paths, you should get the same answer (monoid homomorphisms!)
. If you add products to a sales order, the sum of the individual lines should be the same as the order total. Or, the sum of word counts for each page should be the sum of the word count for the entire book. More generally, if you calculate things via two different paths, you should get the same answer (monoid homomorphisms!) Rounding. If you add ingredients to a recipe, the sum of the ingredient percentages (with 2 place precision) should always be exactly 100%. Similar rules are needed for most partitioning logic, such as shares, tax calculations, etc. (e.g. the “share pie” example in the DDD book).
Making sure you get the rounding right in situations like this is where FsCheck shines.
See this SO question for other ideas.
FsCheck is also very useful for doing refactoring, because once you trust that the tests are extremely thorough, you can confidently work on tweaks and optimization.
Some more links for FsCheck:
For more on property-based testing in general, look for articles and videos about QuickCheck.
14. Use FsCheck to create random dummy data
The code for this section is available on github.
In addition to doing testing, FsCheck can be used to create random dummy data.
For example, below is the complete code for generating random customers.
When you combine this with the SQL Type Provider (discussed later) or CSV writer, you can easily generate thousands of rows of random customers in a database or CSV file. Or you can use it with the JSON type provider to call a web service for testing validation logic, or load testing.
(Dont worry about not understanding the code – this sample is just to show you how easy it is!)
// domain objects type EmailAddress = EmailAddress of string type PhoneNumber = PhoneNumber of string type Customer = { name : string email : EmailAddress phone : PhoneNumber birthdate : DateTime } // a list of names to sample let possibleNames = [ "Georgianne Stephan" "Sharolyn Galban" "Beatriz Applewhite" "Merissa Cornwall" "Kenneth Abdulla" "Zora Feliz" "Janeen Strunk" "Oren Curlee" ] // generate a random name by picking from the list at random let generateName () = FsCheck. Gen. elements possibleNames // generate a random EmailAddress by combining random users and domains let generateEmail () = let userGen = FsCheck. Gen. elements [ "a" ; "b" ; "c" ; "d" ; "e" ; "f" ] let domainGen = FsCheck. Gen. elements [ "gmail.com" ; "example.com" ; "outlook.com" ] let makeEmail u d = sprintf "%s@%s" u d |> EmailAddress FsCheck. Gen. map2 makeEmail userGen domainGen // generate a random PhoneNumber let generatePhone () = let areaGen = FsCheck. Gen. choose ( 100, 999 ) let n1Gen = FsCheck. Gen. choose ( 1, 999 ) let n2Gen = FsCheck. Gen. choose ( 1, 9999 ) let makeNumber area n1 n2 = sprintf "(%03i)%03i-%04i" area n1 n2 |> PhoneNumber FsCheck. Gen. map3 makeNumber areaGen n1Gen n2Gen // generate a random birthdate let generateDate () = let minDate = DateTime ( 1920, 1, 1 ). ToOADate () |> int let maxDate = DateTime ( 2014, 1, 1 ). ToOADate () |> int let oaDateGen = FsCheck. Gen. choose ( minDate, maxDate ) let makeDate oaDate = float oaDate |> DateTime. FromOADate FsCheck. Gen. map makeDate oaDateGen // a function to create a customer let createCustomer name email phone birthdate = { name = name ; email = email ; phone = phone ; birthdate = birthdate } // use applicatives to create a customer generator let generateCustomer = createCustomer <!> generateName () <*> generateEmail () <*> generatePhone () <*> generateDate () [< Test >] let printRandomCustomers () = let size = 0 let count = 10 let data = FsCheck. Gen. sample size count generateCustomer // print it data |> List. iter ( printfn "%A" )
And here is a sampling of the results:
{name = "Georgianne Stephan"; email = EmailAddress "d@outlook.com"; phone = PhoneNumber "(420)330-2080"; birthdate = 11/02/1976 00:00:00;} {name = "Sharolyn Galban"; email = EmailAddress "e@outlook.com"; phone = PhoneNumber "(579)781-9435"; birthdate = 01/04/2011 00:00:00;} {name = "Janeen Strunk"; email = EmailAddress "b@gmail.com"; phone = PhoneNumber "(265)405-6619"; birthdate = 21/07/1955 00:00:00;}
15. Use F# to create mocks
If you’re using F# to write test cases for code written in C#, you may want to create mocks and stubs for interfaces.
In C# you might use Moq or NSubstitute. In F# you can use object expressions to create interfaces directly, or the Foq library.
Both are easy to do, and in a way that is similar to Moq.
Here’s some Moq code in C#:
// Moq Method var mock = new Mock < IFoo >(); mock. Setup ( foo => foo. DoSomething ( "ping" )). Returns ( true ); var instance = mock. Object ; // Moq Matching Arguments: mock. Setup ( foo => foo. DoSomething ( It. IsAny < string >())). Returns ( true ); // Moq Property mock. Setup ( foo => foo. Name ). Returns ( "bar" );
And here’s the equivalent Foq code in F#:
// Foq Method let mock = Mock < IFoo >(). Setup ( fun foo -> <@ foo. DoSomething ( "ping" ) @>). Returns ( true ). Create () // Foq Matching Arguments mock. Setup ( fun foo -> <@ foo. DoSomething ( any () ) @>). Returns ( true ) // Foq Property mock. Setup ( fun foo -> <@ foo. Name @>). Returns ( "bar" )
For more on mocking in F#, see:
And you need to mock external services such as SMTP over the wire, there is an interesting tool called mountebank, which is easy to interact with in F#.
16. Use F# to do automated browser testing
In addition to unit tests, you should be doing some kind of automated web testing, driving the browser with Selenium or WatiN.
But what language should you write the automation in? Ruby? Python? C#? I think you know the answer!
To make your life even easier, try using Canopy, a web testing framework built on top of Selenium and written in F#. Their site claims “Quick to learn. Even if you’ve never done UI Automation, and don’t know F#.”, and I’m inclined to believe them.
Below is a snippet taken from the Canopy site. As you can see, the code is simple and easy to understand.
Also, FAKE integrates with Canopy, so you can run automated browser tests as part of a CI build.
//start an instance of the firefox browser start firefox //this is how you define a test "taking canopy for a spin" &&& fun _ -> //go to url url "http://lefthandedgoat.github.io/canopy/testpages/" //assert that the element with an id of 'welcome' has //the text 'Welcome' "#welcome" == "Welcome" //assert that the element with an id of 'firstName' has the value 'John' "#firstName" == "John" //change the value of element with //an id of 'firstName' to 'Something Else' "#firstName" << "Something Else" //verify another element's value, click a button, //verify the element is updated "#button_clicked" == "button not clicked" click "#button" "#button_clicked" == "button clicked" //run all tests run ()
17. Use F# for Behaviour Driven Development
The code for this section is available on github.
If you’re not familiar with Behaviour Driven Development (BDD), the idea is that you express requirements in a way that is both human-readable and executable.
The standard format (Gherkin) for writing these tests uses the Given/When/Then syntax – here’s an example:
Feature: Refunded or replaced items should be returned to stock Scenario 1: Refunded items should be returned to stock Given a customer buys a black jumper And I have 3 black jumpers left in stock When they return the jumper for a refund Then I should have 4 black jumpers in stock
If you are using BDD already with.NET, you’re probably using SpecFlow or similar.
You should consider using TickSpec instead because, as with all things F#, the syntax is much more lightweight.
For example, here’s the full implementation of the scenario above.
type StockItem = { Count : int } let mutable stockItem = { Count = 0 } let [< Given >] `` a customer buys a black jumper `` () = () let [< Given >] `` I have (.*) black jumpers left in stock `` ( n : int ) = stockItem <- { stockItem with Count = n } let [< When >] `` they return the jumper for a refund `` () = stockItem <- { stockItem with Count = stockItem. Count + 1 } let [< Then >] `` I should have (.*) black jumpers in stock `` ( n : int ) = let passed = ( stockItem. Count = n ) Assert. True ( passed )
The C# equivalent has a lot more clutter, and the lack of double backtick syntax really hurts:
[Given(@"a customer buys a black jumper")] public void GivenACustomerBuysABlackJumper () { // code } [Given(@"I have (.*) black jumpers left in stock")] public void GivenIHaveNBlackJumpersLeftInStock ( int n ) { // code }
Examples taken from the TickSpec site.
Summary of testing in F#
You can of course combine all the test techniques we’ve seen so far (as this slide deck demonstrates):
Unit tests (FsUnit, Unquote) and property-based tests (FsCheck).
Automated acceptance tests (or at least a smoke test) written in BDD (TickSpec) driven by browser automation (Canopy).
Both types of tests run on every build (with FAKE).
There’s a lot of advice on test automation out there, and you’ll find that it is easy to port concepts from other languages to these F# tools. Have fun!
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DisqusOff the market! Gina Rodriguez is dating House of Lies actor Ben Schwartz, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm.
"She's so happy," a source tells Us. "She thinks he is so great and all her friends |
Now, we can help one another and we should help one another but that promise of something for nothing is for politicians. It’s not for people. Why do we put cows in a corral? Is it for the cow? Never for the cow.”
For several years in a row, Mumpower has been voted the Local Villain by Mountain Xpress, something Mumpower refers to as an endorsement.
This idea of Mumpower’s stems from the fact he is often disliked by both sides of the political spectrum.
“I get as much grief from my own party as that of the opposition. It’s not easy to stand on principles. Our culture tends to reward those who do what we want or say what we want to hear, not what’s true, realistic or responsible,” Mumpower said. “That’s a painful position, but it feels right.”
On one side of the card Mumpower handed out to the College Republicans was a single Spanish word: Bienvenido. The word means “welcome” and Mumpower claims this will help Spanish-speakers to join the Republican Party despite the rest of the card being in English.
Mumpower closes out the meeting by condemning the treatment of those who live in the city’s public housing projects and attacking Asheville’s legal selling of kratom, what he calls an extremely addictive substance. The chairman said these are the biggest problems in Asheville.
With a final goodbye, Mumpower told club members he admired them for their courage in existing on a liberal campus.
Logan took a different take on the character of the club members.
“Until they take a step so basic and simple as to fix discriminatory language from their constitution, I really don’t want to hear how persecuted they feel on our campus,” Logan said. “When their actions contribute to a culture of othering people different from them, they don’t get to complain when the culture comes back to bite them in the ass.”
This othering is something Mumpower also takes an issue with. He said he believes the country is too focused on political correctness and though he does not support Trump, he thinks he is courageous for calling out those who urge for political correctness.
In contrast, both Crow and von Henner said while they agree with some of Trump’s platform, they do not like the way he says things.
“I wholeheartedly admit that our president has made disgusting comments about women and I wish he would give a straightforward apology for his words and actions. There are a lot of things that I strongly dislike about Donald Trump,” Crow said. “That being said, I think it is entirely possible to be a Republican without agreeing with each and every Republican and also that it is possible to respect someone while simultaneously being critical of their actions.”
Mumpower called those who group all Republicans together victims of a leftist propaganda machine, but Crow and von Henner had a softer approach.
Crow said she wished people knew not all people are the same and the more people are judged, the less change can happen.
“We live in a divided political climate at the present time and due to that climate it can make some people feel uncomfortable being around those they disagree with,” von Henner said. “I hope everyone at UNCA is comfortable with our presence as a club because we do love everyone at UNCA.”As red blood cells zip through vessels, they deliver oxygen to nearly every nook and cranny of your body. But oxygen isn’t all they can tote around. By engineering red blood cells to have “sticky” proteins on their surface, a team of researchers has given the cells the ability to carry anything from drugs to treat immune disorders or cancer to radioactive molecules used in imaging of blood vessels.
“This is really a great idea, and a very novel approach,” says biochemist Vladimir Muzykantov of the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the new work.
Red blood cells account for a quarter of all human cells in the body and survive for an average of 4 months. Their ubiquity and long life makes them an ideal vehicle to carry therapeutics throughout the body, says immunologist Hidde Ploegh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Previously, researchers have loaded red blood cells with drugs by pushing the molecules through the cell’s membrane into its interior, but the process weakens the cell, and the molecules are released only when the cell reaches its final destination.
Ploegh and his colleagues instead wanted to attach molecules to the outside of red blood cells. Because red blood cells don’t have nuclei—and therefore lack genetic material that can be tweaked to make new proteins—the researchers turned to erythroblasts, precursors to red blood cells that still contain DNA. The scientists added to erythroblasts altered versions of genes that are known to encode proteins found on the surface of red blood cells. The introduced gene sequences, though, had modifications so that the erythroblasts produced surface proteins with an extra marker that’s recognized by a protein called sortase.
Those engineered proteins remained as the erythroblasts matured into red blood cells. When the researchers added sortase to the matured cell mixtures, the protein snipped off the ends of any proteins the researchers had genetically modified, leaving “sticky” trailer hitches for cargo. Any molecule with a corresponding sortase tag would then bind to the surface protein on the red blood cell. To show that the hitch would work, Ploegh’s team attached the vitamin biotin to red blood cells and infused them into mice. The biotin-toting cells survived for at least 28 days in circulation and did not harm the mice, they report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Ploegh envisions the technique being used to create a new type of personalized therapy in the future—your own cells could be isolated, used to create stem cells that differentiate into erythroblasts, genetically modified to carry a molecule, and reinjected into your body. Any molecule that needs to be spread through the circulatory system could be the cargo. By the time the cells have matured back into red blood cells, they will have lost their DNA, eliminating the risk of ongoing mutations or the spread of genetic materials. “The payloads you can install are limitless,” Ploegh says. “But a lot of the applications are still, for now, hypothetical.”
Muzykantov, who has developed other approaches for using red blood cells as molecular vehicles, says the significance of the new method “exceeds just drug delivery.” It could be used to track red blood cells to diagnose blood diseases, spread imaging agents throughout the body to visualize atherosclerotic plaques or blocked arteries, or neutralize the immune system before transplants by blocking antibodies that enter the bloodstream.
“But there are lots of questions to address in animal models,” he adds. “I would love to see a demonstration that a real drug binds to a red blood cell using this approach and is still effective.”Spread the word
16
Germany’s four team riders were all clear over the final jumping phase, winning team gold and taking the top two individual eventing medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy.
The country now has a full set of titles: Olympic, European and now World team gold medals.
Sandra Auffarth, Michael Jung, Ingrid Klimke and Dirk Schrade – were flawless over the coloured poles and Auffarth, whose performance on the magnificent Opgun Louvo has been exemplary throughout the event, deservedly collected what looks like the first of many individual titles, with Michael Jung taking silver.
An electric atmosphere in the 21,000-seat arena fully justified the decision to transport the horses from the dressage and cross country venue into the d’Ornano Stadium in Caen as the capacity crowd got into the spirit of the occasion, sporting national flags, executing Mexican waves and cheering ecstatically.
Frederic Cottier’s jumping course provided the perfect finale; it was testing – there were a few refusals – but not at all punishing and horses were jumping well despite the testing conditions of the previous day’s cross country.
“It’s unbelievable that we are double world champions,” said the modest Auffarth. “When I first rode Opgun Louvo I didn’t think he was a future champion, but we have taken every level step by step and he’s been fantastic this weekend, really working hard.”
Auffarth and Opgun Louvo won individual bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games and won silver at the European, so it was a dream come true for Auffarth to go one better.
Reigning World Champion Michael Jung had to relinquish his crown to his teammate but he didn’t go home empty handed, instead adding individual silver to his team gold on his brave little mare fisherRocana FST.
“Sandra has always been just under the top placings,” said Jung, for whom this was the first time since 2011 that he hadn’t stood on the top step of a championship podium. “She and her horse have a big partnership and their show jumping round was perfect so she really is the World Champion.
“She went across country last of all in the worst ground but she and her horse know each other so well.
“For me, it would have been great to come to a world championships on the same horse (La Biosthetique Sam) four years later, but I’m happy with silver because my mare did such a fantastic job. She’s a very clever horse.”
As at last year’s FEI European Championships, only William Fox-Pitt (GBR) and Chilli Morning, the cross country leaders, were able to halt German domination of the medals by taking individual bronze.
Although Britain’s team silver medal always looked secure, thanks to a great clear round from Zara Phillips and High Kingdom, the Germans’ brilliance pushed Fox-Pitt right to the wire and he had no leeway to win the individual title that so many people feel he deserves.
His charming stallion Chilli Morning was impeccably behaved, considering the deafening cheers for Auffarth that would have blown the roof off had the stadium had one, but he just caught the second fence with his front legs and, to muffled groans, that was the gold medal gone.
“Of course I’m frustrated, but I’m probably lucky not to have had two fences down,” Fox-Pitt said philosophically. “I’ve never ridden a stallion at any decent level before. He’s a real worker and trier, and he’s a rare commodity. I’m very proud of him and it’s great for his future as a sire.”
Phillips, who produced the only double clear of the British team in both the cross-country and show jumping phases, moved up from 15th to 11th. “It’s a great atmosphere and it’s all so close. Luckily my horse had been to London 2012 and had experienced a big atmosphere, so we just had to go out there and go clear. Today my horse has proved that he can cope with the big atmosphere and jump, and I am chuffed to bits with the him,” Phillips said.
“I was so excited getting back on the team after not riding for a bit,” she said, “being able to put a double clear in and go into a big atmosphere, it was great to prove that he can do it. I’m chuffed to bits with the horse and for the owner Trevor Hemmings, we couldn’t do it without our owners.
“Yesterday was a very difficult day for us all, this was for Harry, I’m just glad we could get some good performances in for him.”
Despite Harry Meade’s horse, Wild Lone, having collapsed and died at the end of the cross-country phase on Saturday, Meade stood on the podium alongside his teammates Fox-Pitt, Phillips and Tina Cook.
New Zealand’s Jonelle Price, whose cross-country round aboard Classic Moet had been the fastest of the day, made sure that she didn’t let a great placing slip from her grasp and she doggedly clung on to fourth despite dislodging the while rail at the ‘bogey’ upright over the watertray at fence 3.
Price almost provided a fairy tale finish for the New Zealand team, as the 33-year-old was a late call-up for the games after the withdrawal of Caroline Powell.
Price and Trisha Rickards’ Classic Moet were in fourth going into the all-important showjumping phase, and a dropped rail saw them finish on 56.5 penalty points.
“I came here hoping for a respectable performance.. and never dreamed she would finish fourth at the worlds. This is the highlight of my career,” Price said.
She fired a cheeky shot at the selectors who had initially named her as a reserve. “That’ll teach them for leaving me off!”
The cheer for Maxime Livio’s clear round aboard Qalao Des Mers could probably be heard in Paris as France’s best rider at the Games clocked a performance that left him in fifth on the individual leaderboard.
The show jumping proved to be a hugely influential phase. There were just 13 clear rounds from 60 starters and some riders suffered the ignominy of refusals in the electric atmosphere. Horseware Bushman, Ireland’s team horse piloted by Sam Watson’s, applied his brakes, as did Annie Clover, the individual ride of Britain’s Nicola Wilson, who plummeted from her 12th slot partly as a result.
Belgium’s leading lady Karin Donckers made no such mistakes and she finished in sixth with her imposing jumper Fletcha Van’t Verahof, a son of the reigning World Champion show jumper Vigo d’Arsouilles, who dislodged only the last oxer.
Peter Thomsen, an individual for Germany, finished seventh with Horseware’s Barny, just ahead of Boyd Martin, by far the best of a depleted US squad, with the former Ludwig Svennerstal ride Shamwari 4.
New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson was the most high profile casualty among the top 10. His expensive three down on Nereo meant that he was forced to relinquish fifth place, dropping to ninth, while eight faults also proved expensive for Germany’s Andreas Ostholt and So Is Et, eventual 10th.
Nicholson put it down to the pressure he had applied to the Spanish-bred chestnut during the very relentless cross country phase on Saturday.
“We were five minutes from home and we had to slog through deep mud – that’s what probably made the difference today.”
He now shifts his focus to the Land Rover Burghley International Horse Trials which start on Wednesday in Britain.
Battle for team bronze
Meanwhile, an interesting battle had been developing for team bronze. The Australians held third place in the team competition after cross country but lost it with an unfortunate 24-fault round from Shane Rose and Taurus.
The French could have benefitted from this, but former World ChampionJean Teulere (Matelot du Grand Val) and Cedric Lyard (Cadeau du Roi) collected eight faults apiece. Sadly, Maxime Livio’s superb clear round on Qalao des Mers, which elevated him from eighth to fifth place individually, was not enough to rescue the home team’s medal chances.
Instead, the Netherlands team, which have been giving notice of deepening strength with their consistent results in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup series, rode for their lives to be deserved recipients of team bronze, the country’s first ever medal at world championship level.
Elaine Pen and Vira have been one of the up-and-coming partnerships this year and they produced a beautiful clear round to rise seven places to 13th individually. Merel Bloom (Rumour Has It) was also clear in 26th place and the talented Tim Lips, who has long flown the Dutch flag in Eventing, finished in 18th place on Keyflow N.O.P.
Speaking on behalf of his team mates, British-based Andrew Heffernan, who retired Boleybawn Ace on the cross country, said: “This means more than you can possibly imagine. We came here with one goal, which was to qualify for Rio, and not only have we done that but we’ve had a fantastic experience. It’s our first world medal, so watch out the rest of the world!”
The top six nations – medallists Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, plus France, Australia and Ireland – secured qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Lying 12th of 16 teams after two days of dressage, Ireland’s team of four, all riding Irish Sport Horses, excelled themselves on Saturday’s tough cross country course, and catapulted through the field to claim sixth place in the team rankings.
New Zealand’s hopes of a team medal came to an end when Mark Todd and Tim Price were both eliminated. Jock Paget retired early in the cross country, while individual Lucy Jackson was also eliminated. Jonelle Price rode as an individual.
Eric Duvander, Equestrian Sports New Zealand high performance coach and chef d’equipe at WEG, was ecstatic with Price’s efforts, saying she had proved Classic Moet was ready for success.
He was philosophical about the dent the cross country had made in the Kiwi efforts.
“The track was very well built and a proper WEG course, but the ground conditions were terrible,” said Duvander. “It was beyond what it should be. When you are at a championships, it shouldn’t be like that.”
The plan for New Zealand had always been to chase the win, and that meant sticking your neck out.
“All our riders went as hard as they could. Their attitudes are inspirational.”
About the winner
Sandra Auffarth, 27, is steeped in horsemanship, having competed in Jumping to a high level as well as Eventing. Her parents, Karl-Heinz and Barbel Auffarth, breed competition horses at their Stal Auffarth, which has been established for 30 years. Sandra is closely involved with the business and plans to take it over when her parents retire.
She has ridden the 12-year-old Opgun Louvo, a Normandy-bred Selle Francais by Shogoun ll, since he was five. They sprang to prominence at the 2011 FEI European Championships when they won team gold and individual silver and in 2012 they won Olympic team gold and individual bronze. The horse spent part of 2013 on the sidelines, but came back to claim victory at the Aachen CCIO3* this year.
Reporting: Kate Green, Diana Dobson.
Final Individual Results
1 Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo (GER)* 35.2 + 16.8 + 0 = 52.0
2 Michael Jung/fischerRocana FST (GER)* 40.7 + 11.6 + 0 = 52.3
3 William Fox-Pitt/Chilli Morning (GBR)* 37.5 + 12.8 + 4 = 54.3
4 Jonelle Price/Classic Moet (NZL) 48.5 + 4.0 + 4 = 56.5
5 Maxime Livio/Qalao des Mers (FRA)* 45.3 + 13.2 + 0 = 58.5
6 Karin Donckers/Fletcha van’t Verahof (BEL)* 42.3 + 13.6 + 4 = 59.9
7 Peter Thomsen/Horseware’s Barney (GER) 46.3 + 14.0 + 0 = 60.3
8 Boyd Martin/Shamwari 4 (USA)* 46.3 + 13.6 + 4 = 63.9
9 Andrew Nicholson/Nereo (NZL)* 45.3 + 7.2 + 12 = 64.5
10 Andreas Ostholt/So Is Et (GER) 46.3 + 10.4 + 8 = 64.7
(* denotes team rider)
Full results
Team result
GOLD: Germany 177.9 (Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo, 52.0; Michael Jung fischerRocana FST 52.3; Ingrid Klimke/FRH Escada JS, 73.6; (Dirk Schrade/Hop and Skip, 135.3)
SILVER: Great Britain 198.8 (William Fox-Pitt/Chilli Morning, 54.3; Zara Phillips/High Kingdom, 68.9; Kristina Cook/De Novo News, 75.6 (Harry Meade/Wild Lone)
BRONZE: Netherlands 246.8 (Elaine Pen/Vira, 72.3; Tim Lips/Keyflow N.O.P., 79.9; Merel Blom/Rumour Has It, 94.6 (Andrew Heffernan/Boleybawn Ace, RET XC)
4th: France, 251.5
5th: Australia, 262.5
6th: Ireland, 319.3It's been over a year since Sony introduced the world's first 16.41 megapixel CMOS sensor for cellphones (pictured at right), but the company's now finally back with another entrant in the megapxiel race: a 17.7 megapixel sensor. This one delivers more than just a higher resolution, though, as it's also Sony's first sensor with a bandwidth of 34.8Gbps (or about five times faster than previous CMOS sensors), which promises to allow for 120 fps video at full resolution -- assuming the phone's processor and storage are able to keep up, of course. What's more, the new sensor is also said to boast some improved consumption and, according to Nikkei, it seems that Sony is planning to use it in digital cameras in addition to cellphones, although there's no word as to when either of those will be available.[There was a video here]
Bay Area news station KTVU just reported that the pilots of Asiana's disastrous flight 214 were the crack team of "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."
Despite the names obviously being just a bunch of racist jokes, KTVU, which has since apologized for the report, says in a statement given to Gawker—and read on the air—that an NTSB official confirmed the names to them earlier today.
EARLIER IN THE NEWSCAST WE GAVE SOME NAMES OF PILOTS INVOLVED IN THE ASIANA AIRLINES CRASH. THESE NAMES WERE NOT ACCURATE DESPITE AN N-T-S-B OFFICIAL IN WASHINGTON CONFIRMING THEM LATE THIS MORNING. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THIS ERROR.
Update: NTSB Public Affairs Officer Peter Knudson just told Gawker that the NTSB's policy is to never give out pilot names in these situations, which contradicts KTVU's claims. "I don’t know who [KTVU] got that from, but we do not release names," he said.
Update #2: KTVU has issued another apology on its website. In it, the station maintains that an NTSB official confirmed the fake names: "Prior to air, the names were confirmed by an NTSB official in the agency’s Washington, D.C. office."
Update #3: The NTSB is now reportedly blaming one of its summer interns for today's screw-up.It’s tough to spin losing four straight games to the New York Mets into something positive, but the New York Yankees still have nothing to worry about.
The Yankees were bad throughout the four nights, but they weren’t that bad.
Phil Hughes was brilliant in the first game for the Bronx Bombers, but he couldn’t get much help from his offense, as the Yankees fell, 2-1.
In the Mets’ second home game, Matt Harvey was flawless, but Hiroki Kuroda was just as good. The Yankees took a one-run lead into the ninth inning, and no one on the planet expected Mariano Rivera to blow the save. But he did and the Yankees dropped another.
David Phelps couldn’t get out of the first inning when the Yankees welcomed the Mets to the Bronx Wednesday night, which really put New York in a poor position going into the finale.
In the final game of the pair of home-and-home series, Dillon Gee just shut the Yankees down. Gee struck out 12 without walking a batter, allowing just one earned run in 7.1 innings of work.
In general, it wasn’t really the pitching that was the issue for the Yankees—it was the offense, which couldn’t get anything going all series. Here’s a fun note, brought to us by the fine people at ESPN Stats & Info:
But despite losing four straight to their crosstown rivals, the Yankees will still enter their upcoming three-game series against the Red Sox just two games back in the AL East. By the time that series comes to a close, the Bronx Bombers could be in first place.
“Every team is going to go through it,” manager Joe Girardi told David Waldstein of The New York Times. “You’ve got to bounce back and win a game tomorrow; that’s the bottom line. You’re going to have your ups and downs. You’ve just got to put an end to it; that’s the bottom line.”
That’s what the Yankees will look to do on Friday when their workhorse, CC Sabathia, takes the mound. Sabathia is 4-4 in 11 starts with a 3.96 ERA, but he will need to shake his recent struggles, as the Yankees absolutely need a big start from their big southpaw.
Even if Sabathia fails to pitch well on Friday, there’s still little reason to be concerned about the Yankees. Keep in mind that the Bronx Bombers haven’t had all their regulars in the lineup simultaneously all this season and have still managed to stay in the division hunt.
For example, Reid Brignac and David Adams each started three games this Subway Series. Brennan Boesch started twice. Vidal Nuno, who isn’t really a guy that’s going to be a mainstay in Girardi's starting rotation, got another start against the Mets.
Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are both on rehab assignments in the minor leagues and will soon be putting on the pinstripes, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. That’ll mean considerably less playing time for guys like Adams, Brignac, Jayson Nix and Lyle Overbay.
Curtis Granderson, who recently came back from injury, is now back on the disabled list after fracturing a knuckle. He’s going to be out for at least a month but remains on schedule after surgery, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. When he comes back, Boesch should be seeking a new club to play for.
Andy Pettitte, meanwhile, will come off the DL on Monday and will start against the Cleveland Indians, ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand reports. That will likely mean that Nuno or Phelps will get knocked out of the starting rotation.
And while he’s still a ways away from taking the field for the Yankees in an actual game, Derek Jeter is progressing, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. That will definitely mean the end for Nix and Brignac (if not Eduardo Nunez, who is also hurt at the moment, too).
The Yankees' irregulars have kept them in the race, which is about all that the front office and fans could've asked for. One would have to assume that once the aforementioned players return from their respective injuries, the Bronx Bombers would be even more dangerous.
The Yankees that just lost four games in a row to the Mets for the first time ever will not be the same Yankees that will be fighting for a postseason berth down the stretch (unless injuries continue to plague them, at least).
It’s never good to get swept by any team—especially by a rival that’s toward the bottom of its division. But it’s far from the end of the world for the Yankees. They’re still very much contenders to this point in the season, and there’s no reason to believe that this stretch of poor play is going to continue.
The Yankees need to forget about these last four games against the Mets, take the next couple of hours to regroup and then get ready to face the Red Sox.May 3, 2014; Carson, CA, USA; Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis (11) shoots in the first half against the Chivas USA at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Fielding-USA TODAY Sports
USA’s first match of the FIFA World Cup is just days away, and Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis is on the squad. Many fans around the country were highly upset when they heard the news that Landon Donovan was cut and most of the anger was channeled towards Davis because people felt he didn’t deserve to be on the team.
Let’s take a look back and see who Brad Davis is and what makes him a vital part of this year’s 2014 USA World Cup team.
Brad Davis attended St. Louis University (SLU) where he played for two seasons. In his first year of collegiate soccer, Davis won the Conference USA Freshman of the Year Award. He then went on to be named a second team All-American, before deciding to turn pro.
Davis was selected third overall in the 2002 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft by the MetroStars. After short stints with the MetroStars and Dallas Burn, Davis was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes, which moved to Houston and renamed themselves the Houston Dynamo.
Davis moved to Houston and has yet to look back. He earned a reputation as one of the best “assist men” on the pitch. He had a (then) career high of 11 assists in 2006, which was good for second in the league. Davis was part of the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup Championship teams.
In 2009, he outdid himself and assisted on 12 goals, which was tied for most in the league. He was also named an All-Star, and the Dynamo’s Team MVP. The following year he did more of the same, assisting on 12 goals, was named an All-Star, was named Team MVP…all again.
But 2011 was his career year.
Davis finished second in the MLS league MVP voting. He smashed his old career highs in assists and set up 16 goals that year and won the Team MVP for the third consecutive year. Davis took his game to another level off the field as well, as he won the Dynamo Humanitarian of the Year. It was no surprise that he was named All-Star for yet another year in a row.
To the fans that say, “That’s old news. What has he done for me lately?” In Davis’ eight games before being named to the national team, he had five assists.
What do we have to say about that?
Brad Davis is an elite passer. We have seen some beautiful soccer so far in the World Cup with the Netherlands putting on a show against Spain. It is no secret that passing is the key to a deep run at the Cup. With Davis on the team, look for him to set up elite scorers like Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
Davis has one of the best left feet in the MLS and we’ll look for him to showcase what Dynamo fans of been accustomed to seeing over the years.
The Houston Dynamo have a gifted player representing not only them, but the country as a whole, in Brad Davis.
Brad Davis and Team USA will take on Ghana in their opening match of the FIFA World Cup this Monday at 5 p.m. CDT.
USA will look for vengeance as Ghana ended their run at the 2010 World Cup.Prelude FLNG is the world's largest floating liquefied natural gas platform as well as the largest offshore facility ever constructed. The Prelude was built by the Technip / Samsung Consortium (TSC) in South Korea for a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell, KOGAS, and Inpex.[3][4] It is 488 metres (1,601 ft) long, 74 metres (243 ft) wide, and made with more than 260,000 tonnes of steel.[5] At full load, it will displace more than 600,000 tonnes, more than five times the displacement of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.[6]
The hull was launched in December 2013.[7]
Construction [ edit ]
The main double-hulled structure was built by the Technip Samsung Consortium in the Samsung Heavy Industries Geoje shipyard in South Korea. Construction was officially started when the first metal was cut for the substructure in October 2012. The Turret Mooring System has been subcontracted to SBM and has been built in Drydocks World Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Other equipment such as subsea wellheads are being constructed in other places around the world. It was launched on 30 November 2013 with no superstructure (accommodation and process plant).[8]
The vessel is moored by its turret to 16 seabed driven steel piles, each 65-meters-long and 5.5 meters in diameter.
Subsea equipment is being built by FMC Technologies, and Emerson is the main supplier of automation systems and uninterruptible power supply systems.[9] By July 2015, all 14 gas plant modules were installed.[10]
Cost and funding [ edit ]
Prelude FLNG was approved for funding by Shell in 2011.[11]
Analyst estimates in 2013 for the cost of the vessel were between US$10.8 to 12.6 billion.[7] Shell estimated in 2014 that the project would cost up to US$3.5 billion per million tons of production capacity. Competitive pressures from an increase in the long-term production capabilities of North American gas fields due to hydraulic fracturing technologies and increasing Russian export capabilities may reduce the actual profitability of the venture from what was anticipated in 2011.[11]
Operations [ edit ]
The Prelude FLNG system will be used in the Prelude and Concerto gas fields in the Browse LNG Basin,[9] 200 kilometres (120 mi) off the coast of Australia; drilling and gas production are both expected to begin in 2016.[7][11] It has a planned life expectancy of 25 years.[12] The Prelude and Concerto fields are expected to produce 5.3 million tonnes of liquid and condensate per year; this includes 3.6 million tonnes of liquified natural gas, 1.3 million tonnes of condensate, and 400,000 tonnes of liquified petroleum gas.[13]
Natural gas will be extracted from wells and liquefied by chilling it to −162 °C (−260 °F).[13] The ability to produce and offload LNG to large LNG carriers is an important innovation, which reduces costs and removes the need for long pipelines to land-based LNG processing plants. However, fitting all the equipment onto a single floating facility was a significant challenge.
The system is designed to withstand Category 5 cyclones,[4] although workers may be evacuated before that on an EC225 rescue helicopter.[14] It will produce 110,000 BOE per day.[15]
On 25 July 2017, after a journey of 5,800 km (3,600 mi) from its construction site in South Korea, Prelude arrived on site in Western Australian waters. It will begin its hook-up and commissioning phase, and is expected to become operational in 2018.[16][17]
On 26 December 2018, Royal Dutch Shell announced that initial production had begun at Prelude. Shell said that wells had been opened and that the start-up and ramp-up phases were underway.[18]Microsoft today launched Office Lens, a mobile document scanner app that works with OneNote, for iOS and Android smartphones. The app, which allows users to snap photos of paper documents, receipts, business cards, menus, whiteboards, sticky notes and more, was first launched a year ago as an application designed only for Windows Phone devices.
But in conjunction with the company’s newer strategy to embrace other platforms outside its own, the app has now arrived on Apple’s App Store and on Android phones, where it will sit alongside dozens of other Microsoft applications, including Office and Outlook.
Office Lens’ core functionality itself is not all that different from a number of document-scanning applications on the mobile app stores today, like Scanner Pro, TinyScan Pro, Scanbot and more. And much like Evernote’s Scannable app, for example, it exists more as an add-on or complement to a larger, more prominent product – in Microsoft’s case, OneNote.
Like most scanner apps, Office Lens identifies the text on the images it captures using optical character recognition (OCR), which allows you to later locate the file in question using keyword search in OneNote or in Microsoft’s cloud storage site, OneDrive. You can also convert the images you scan of paper files and whiteboards into Microsoft Office formats and more, including Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and even PDFs and JPGs. These can be inserted into OneNote as images, the company says.
In addition, Microsoft says that Office Lens offers a business-card scanning function that lets you turn cards into contacts you can add to your smartphone’s address book. That initially sounds similar to the functionality that Evernote Scannable offers, you’ll think. However Evernote also pulls in LinkedIn details, which is handy as it allows you to grow your network. (LinkedIn used to offer its own card-scanning app, but later shut it down and pointed people to Evernote instead.)
But with Office Lens, the process of turning cards into contacts is more involved than with Scannable. As a previous Microsoft blog post explained, it still involves the use of OneNote. That is, OneNote is able to recognize the contact information on the card, then you can open the attached VCF file from the OneNote app to save the contact details to Outlook or your phone’s contact list.
In Scannable, by way of comparison, you simply tap one button to save the scanned card to your phone’s contacts. That makes Scannable the better option for those looking mainly for a business card scanner, while Office Lens is really about catering to the heavy OneNote-using crowd instead.
Also like Evernote Scannable, Microsoft’s app also offers the ability to create an online archive of your scans in its own OneDrive service.
The new Office Lens app is available on the iTunes App Store for iOS users, while Android users are being asked to join the “preview” for the product via Google+. From here, they’ll be able to test the version ahead of its public debut.
The release comes at a time when Microsoft, a historically more closed company that tried to keep customers in its own ecosystem, has been expanding to other platforms besides its own.
Today, the company has extended some of its most popular products and services to competing mobile platforms like iOS and Android, including by launching Office for iOS late last year, as well as Outlook for iOS and Android, various MSN properties, OneDrive and more. In fact, the company |
were the largest the two senators received from Bingel since they assumed office.
According to the documents, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti argued that Alberta had made significant strides in cutting its carbon emissions, and that reducing U.S. dependence on Saudi and Venezuelan oil would further U.S. foreign policy.
In another instance, Montana Democrat Max Baucus, then chair of the Senate finance committee, collected $2,149 in donations from Bingel on March 25. Nine days later, on April 4, Baucus’ legislative assistant met with Bingel. The previous donation Baucus received from Bingel dates back to January 2007.
Two other senators received contributions within a month of meeting a lobbyist from the firm.
Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti received $74,000 from Alberta over the duration of the contract, which ran from March through June 2013, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act records. In that period, the firm made a total of $17,000 in contributions to senators it reported in U.S. government documents that it had met on behalf of the province. Those contributions were part of a total of $77,086 in political contributions Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti made to U.S. lawmakers during that period.
There is no evidence that money donated by Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti came directly from the government of Alberta. The lobbyists were working on behalf of other clients throughout the same period. Bingel declined to comment on the nature of her meetings, citing the company’s policy on client privacy.
The government relations firm’s contributions were only part of the millions of dollars the oil and gas industry spends to make its views known in Congress. Since it was first proposed in 2005, the much-disputed Keystone pipeline has generated an extensive lobbying campaign in Washington.
A key moment came in the vote on HR3, a bill in the House of Representatives that would have allowed Congress to approve the northern sections of Keystone without authorization from the White House. According to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, members of the House who voted to approve the legislation each garnered an average of $61,312 in donations from mostly Canadian and U.S. energy companies during the 2012 election cycle. HR3 passed in the House, but was blocked by partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate.
While not illegal, such contributions, consumer advocates say, underscore the cosy relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
“It’s both highly unethical and business as usual,” Craig Holman, the government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a public advocacy group based in Washington, told the Star. “There are a couple of influence peddling tools that K Street lobbyists can afford employing, and one of them is making campaign contributions and bundling contributions to those who they are trying to influence.”
Holman said he is working with the American Bar Association on a piece of legislation that would, if passed, ban lobbyists from contributing to electoral funds. The practice is unethical, he said.
“When you’re handing out campaign contributions to those who you are trying to influence, it is, in my opinion, identical to bribery. You are literally handling out a fistful of cash to someone you’re asking a favour from,” Holman said. “Lobbyists don’t usually do so based on parties or even ideologies. They’re not trying to support their own political causes. They want to buy influence.”
The growth of lobbying in Washington has given rise to concerns that interest groups have too much influence, with critics saying the law governing lobbying for domestic interests — the Lobbying Disclosure Act — needs to be strengthened. Those lobbying for foreign companies or governments are required to provide information on their activities under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Neither of the laws governs the timing of political contributions.
“As an appearance matter, you want to leave a little distance between a contribution and a meeting so it doesn’t look like a quid pro quo,” Kenneth Gross, a specialist on election law and a former lawyer for the U.S. Federal Election Commission, told the Star. “But in order for it to be illegal, the government would have to prove an actual quid pro quo took place... that some official action was taken by the congressmen for that contribution.”
Such a high standard of proof is difficult to meet, Gross said.
He recalled only one incident where the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent watchdog agency, investigated the timing of a campaign donation. But the case, which had nothing to do with Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti, was later dismissed after it was referred to the House Committee on Ethics, a panel composed of an equal number of members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
“A whole bunch of contributions came in from political action committees that week (of a vote),” Gross said. “After a lot of examination and investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, they referred the members to the ethics committee, which they do if they think there is an elevated chance of a violation. Then after the ethics committee looked at those referrals, they ended up dismissing it.”
“After all was said and done, a lot more was said than done,” he said.
The hiring of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti was part of a wider effort by Alberta to sway Congress on the oilsands. Between 2010 and 2013, the province spent $1.1 million to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to data from the Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan U.S. organization advocating for a more open and accountable government.
Alberta has an office in Washington, but its limited staff occasionally needs help in navigating the U.S. capital, said Cal Dallas, Alberta’s international and intergovernmental affairs relations minister.
“Obviously, we think it’s important or we wouldn’t do it. It involves expenditure of taxpayer funds. Really, what it reflects is a pretty unique political atmosphere in Washington and from time to time, depending on the circumstances — and obviously the Keystone project is critically important to Alberta’s future — we make decisions around supports that we feel that would be beneficial to support our efforts,” he said.
“Whether that’s in the context of media strategies or media access or whether it’s event organization or opportunities or it’s specifically support developing briefings and assisting with accessing meeting opportunities, we do use outside firms,” Dallas told the Star.
The minister said he was not aware that lobbyists hired by his government were providing campaign funds to members of Congress. But the practice, he said, is not surprising, given the way Washington operates.
“I don’t monitor that, and quite frankly, I expect pretty much everybody engaged in that business there is engaged in those types of activities, but it’s not something we monitor,” he said.
“It’s their practice and their rules,” Dallas added. “It’s a unique political atmosphere there in Washington, and it’s certainly different than our political process here. It’s a very complex process where you have 600 legislators in one environment constantly being accessed on a variety of issues, and the nature of their political scenario is that they are in a continuous mode of election-related scenarios that involve fundraising and that type of thing.”
Alberta currently has no contracts with lobbyists in the U.S. capital, Dallas said.Uber isn't taking the revocation of its London license sitting down.
The ride-hailing service, which stands to lose tens of millions in revenue from the ban, is revving up its customer base to pressure London's authorities to reconsider the decision. Rallying its millions of customers to put pressure on regulators is a well-honed technique at Uber, which tapped its customer base in New York several years ago to protest a potential curb of its service.
The company is asking London customers to sign a petition called "Save Your Uber in London," which it created after London announced the decision on Friday. As of early Friday afternoon, the petition had received more than 220,000 signatures.
Reactions among London residents ranged from disbelief to support for the ban, which is set to go into effect next month.
Uber framed the ban as harmful to the livelihoods of the 40,000 licensed drivers who work for the service in London.
"This decision is affecting the real lives of a huge number of honest and hard-working drivers in London," it wrote in the petition. "This ban shows the world that London is far from being open and is closed to innovative companies, who bring choice to consumers and work opportunities to those who need them."
It's unclear how much revenue Uber receives from its London operations, but it's likely to be substantial given its customer base of 3.5 million people and huge fleet of drivers. While the company is private, it said its bookings in the U.K. topped $135 million in 2015, a number that's likely grown substantially since then, based on the company's overall growth rate.
The company recorded $6.5 billion in worldwide revenue last year, although it lost $2.8 billion as it invested in expanding its operations. Uber has an estimated valuation of $70 billion, with much of that based on its potential to rapidly expand and grow its business across the globe.
Uber has vowed to appeal the license revocation, according to Reuters, although it's unclear how likely it is to succeed. The company didn't immediately respond for a request for comment.
What lies ahead for new Uber CEO?
The London crisis adds to the mounting issues facing the ride-sharing company, which last month tapped former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to lead the business following a series of scandals over a sexist workplace and the antics of ousted CEO Travis Kalanick.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote on Facebook that he supported the city's transportation agency's decision to strip the license from Uber, citing safety concerns.
"All companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect - particularly when it comes to the safety of customers," he wrote. "Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security."
Uber is so relevant and encompassed into today's culture that if London ban it, it's actually gonna be the biggest shame. — demetrizia (@demetrizia) September 22, 2017
Since Uber entered London in 2012, the company has found itself at odds with the black cab industry, which organized gridlock-filled protests and argued that Uber's safety standards are lacking.
Londoners, though, flocked to Uber because of lower fares and the ease of using the app.
I need uber in london. It's cheap — Alex Lew, CFA (@alexlewyl) September 22, 2017
"I need Uber in London," one customer wrote. "It's cheap."Image copyright Getty Images
The man suspected of shooting dead nine people at an African-American church in Charleston has been charged with nine counts of murder and one weapons possession charge, police say.
Dylann Roof made his first court appearance at a bail hearing on Friday.
Relatives of the dead made statements in court and some told him they forgave him for his alleged crime.
Police are treating the killings at the Emanuel AME Church on Wednesday night in South Carolina as a hate crime.
He was arrested the following day more than 200 miles away in North Carolina and then flown back to Charleston.
In court in Charleston, the 21-year-old spoke to confirm his name, age and address and said he was unemployed.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has said Mr Roof should face execution.
"We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty," she told NBC News.
The victims of the shooting, which took place during a bible study group, included the pastor.
Image copyright EPA
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Governor Nikki Haley said she wanted Mr Roof to face execution
Mr Roof reportedly sat with them for nearly an hour before pulling out his handgun and perpetrating the massacre.
One survivor recalled him saying: "You all rape women and you're taking over our country."
President Barack Obama described the event as yet another tragedy caused by guns in society.
His wife Michelle, who is travelling in Italy, said: "I pray for a community that I know is in pain with the hope that tragedies like these will one day come to an end."
The city's mayor Joseph Riley called the massacre an act of "pure, pure concentrated evil".
He said that while the community had faced challenges, nothing in the past century matched this shooting.
The victims
Image caption Clockwise from top left: Cynthia Hurd, Clementa Pinckney, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Tywanza Sanders, Ethel Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Susie Jackson, Daniel Simmons Sr
Cynthia Hurd, 54
Rev Clementa Pinckney, 41
Rev Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45
Tywanza Sanders, 26
Ethel Lance, 70
Rev Depayne Middleton-Doctor, 49
Susie Jackson, 87
Rev Daniel Simmons Sr, 74
Myra Thompson, 59
The victims of the Charleston shooting
After the shooting, Mr Roof was arrested in Shelby when police received a tip from a florist who noticed his distinctive haircut.
"I saw the pictures of him with the bowl cut. I said, 'I've seen that car for some reason.' I look over, and it's got a South Carolina tag on it," florist Debbie Dills told the Shelby Star.
She followed Mr Roof for 25 miles until police made the arrest.
Image copyright Reuters
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption In the US, 7,000 people were victims of hate crimes in 2013. Who's committing these crimes?
More details have been emerging about the 21-year-old, with one acquaintance saying he had complained that "blacks were taking over the world".
Joey Meek said that he and Mr Roof got drunk a few weeks ago, and his friend said "someone needed to do something about it for the white race".
When Roof was identified as the suspect, a photo emerged showing him standing in a wooded area wearing a jacketed emblazoned with flags from apartheid-era South Africa and Rhodesia - now black-led Zimbabwe.
How world viewed attack
"Racist shooting stirs up America's worst ghosts," writes Spain's El Pais.
The US events are "so shocking that they are unspeakable," writes Italy's La Stampa.
"Pain, fear and anger have engulfed America after the shooting, exacerbating the racial demons of a deeply fractured society," says Frederic Autran, the New York correspondent for France's Liberation.
Writing in Russia's popular Moskovskiy Komsomolets daily, Melor Sturua accuses Mr Obama of ducking the real issue by opting to describe the killings as "senseless" rather than "racist".
In Iran, the conservative Fars News Agency says that "racism is a dark phenomenon which has its roots in the heart of the American society".
The official Xinhua agency in China said the violence "mirrors the US government's inaction on rampant gun violence as well as the growing racial hatred in the country".
Sources: BBC Monitoring, AP
Whether Mr Roof had a connection to any of the 16 white supremacist organisations that operate in South Carolina is not clear.
However, the massacre in one of the nation's oldest and most prominent traditionally black churches has served as a reminder that black churches have long been a target for violence throughout the history of US race relations.
Charleston officials are planning a prayer vigil for Friday evening.Motorcyclist killed after falling 100 ft. off flyover identified Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Motorcyclist killed in crash after she fell off her motorcycle from the MoPac southbound flyover to 183 southbound. (KXAN Photo/Andrew Choate) [ + - ] Video
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A motorcyclist who crashed off a flyover at the US 183 and MoPac Expressway interchange died Tuesday after falling around 100 feet.
Megan Siobhan Brennan, 28, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say Brennan lost control on the flyover and hit the concrete barrier to her right, falling over the edge. Her motorcycle continued until it fell over at the bottom of the ramp, initial reports indicated.
Austin-Travis County EMS was called to the 8800 block of northbound MoPac at 4:18 p.m. Medics initially said that CPR was in progress.
Officers were asking drivers to avoid the area. TxDOT says the flyover from southbound MoPac to southbound US 183 is closed. The northbound MoPac ramp to southbound US 183 is currently open but drivers must exit at Burnet Road, because the motorcycle is in the US 183 entrance ramp.
Police say they do not suspect alcohol or speed were factors. Anyone with information on the crash should call the APD Vehicular Homicide Unit at 512-974-4424.
In February, a woman riding a motorcycle was killed after falling off the US 290 westbound flyover onto Koenig Lane. The rider, 38-year-old Alicia Romo, who was found dead at the scene, fell around 111 feet. In June 2014, a woman died after falling off a flyover just opposite Tuesday's incident.
Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Motorcycle crash on US 183 at MoPac. (TxDOT)Gordie Howe. Hank Aaron. Brett Favre. Karl Malone.
Jeff Cunningham.
They’re all second-best. But only one isn’t a first-ballot hall-of-famer.
National Soccer Hall of Fame voting for the Class of 2017 closes Friday, and Cunningham—the second leading regular season goal scorer in MLS history—is eligible for the second time. He didn’t make it in 2016 despite the 139 league goals he tallied across 14 seasons with five MLS clubs. He also won a U.S. Open Cup and a Supporters' Shield with the Columbus Crew and two Golden Boots.
But that wasn’t sufficient. Add it all together and it didn’t surpass 14—which is the number of caps Cunningham earned with the U.S. national team. He was a reserve on the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship squad and in the ’03 Confederations Cup, and in a soccer culture that still values national teams a lot more than clubs, Cunningham’s is not a Hall of Fame resume. But maybe it should be.
For what it’s worth, none of the top 10 players on MLS’s list of leading goal scorers is in the Hall. That’s kind of amazing. Leader Landon Donovan isn’t yet eligible and Chris Wondolowski remains active, but the likes of Ante Razov, Jason Kreis and Taylor Twellman are on the outside with Cunningham looking in. They’re all guilty of the same crime—none had standout national team careers.
Sports evolve and standards change. The NFL is nearly 100 years old, but among the quarterbacks on the career touchdown passes list, Fran Tarkenton is the only member of the top 10 who retired before the 1990s.
Chemistry and tactics change as well. From 1903—the year of the first modern World Series—through 1989, there were 17 50-home run seasons in Major League Baseball. Since 1990, there have been 26. Meanwhile, defense has ruled the NHL, where there were 76 50-goal seasons in the 1980s (seventy-six!) but just 13 over the past decade.
Soccer may have changed the most. A significant number of American fans won’t be familiar with most members of the NSHOF. The sport has a long but mostly obscure history here, and that's led to inductees whose statistics and achievements are dwarfed by modern-day players. Even relatively well-known men of the past like Billy Gonsalves, Joe Gaetjens, Bert Patenaude, Walter Bahr and Frank Borghi had only a handful of caps—often less than 10.
The sport was different back then, but you can’t question the fact that the aforementioned players were impactful. We can evaluate them only by contemporary standards. Most excelled at the club level, and the majority helped lay American soccer's vital yet somewhat under-appreciated foundation. No one disputes that they’re part of the story or that they've been honored accordingly.
After all, isn’t that what a hall of fame is about? It should present and celebrate the history of a league or sport through the athletes who played it, the contributors who built it and the artifacts and relics that tell a tangible tale. If the narrative changes—if batting averages or shooting percentages rise or fall—the threshold for induction will evolve. But it’s the narrative that’s important. Relevance and passion are seeded by memory. That’s especially the case for American soccer, which remains overshadowed by the likes of the NFL and NBA and is still largely responsible for sharing its own story.
FC Dallas's Toyota Stadium will be the new site for the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. U.S. Soccer
At this point, as progress continues on the long-awaited brick and mortar NSHOF at FC Dallas’s Toyota Stadium, understanding the mission of a hall has never been more important. Since the Oneonta, New York, facility closed its doors in 2010, the NSHOF essentially been a page on U.S. Soccer’s website and a bunch of boxes at a North Carolina warehouse. If fans and voters (mostly voters) haven't given the Hall its due under those conditions, it’s understandable. But soon that’ll change. We’ll all have the chance to see and touch that history, and it’s vital that the whole record is available.
In most countries around the world, soccer is experienced through the rhythms of the local club. It’s a personal and almost parochial relationship. National team games and tournaments are special occasions. But the club, whether you’re a player or supporter, represents the lifeblood and day-to-day.
MLS is now in its 22nd season, and its one of three professional leagues operating in the USA. There are 60 fully pro teams (including a handful in Canada and one in Puerto Rico that feature American players), with more to come. Yet modern NSHOF voting doesn’t reflect this reality. Instead, it hinges almost entirely on a candidate's impact during 15-20 national team games each year, and even more so on whether they excelled in month-long tournaments.
It makes some sense for women’s soccer, which is at a different stage in its development at the club level. But for men, there’s now a whole lot more to a career than the national team. Many have helped pro soccer gain unprecedented traction in the USA through day-to-day work in their communities and at their clubs. And those clubs, in turn, are building on that foundation by investing in youth development, fostering a culture and simply existing.
And so at this point in the American soccer story, it’s possible to play a significant part without enjoying the favor of a particular national team coach. What is Real Salt Lake without Kreis? How can we ignore Twellman’s goals-per-game ratio or his post-retirement crusade for concussion awareness? Steve Ralston, Jimmy Conrad, Chris Armas, Ben Olsen, Tony Sanneh, Josh Wolff, Gregg Berhalter, Eddie Lewis, Frankie Hejduk—and we can’t let anyone forget Clint Mathis—all had an impact.
That doesn’t mean each should be inducted. Far from it. But the sum total of their careers must be considered more carefully, and at least a couple should pass the test. Only national team stars are getting in right now (apart from veterans candidates, which comes from a separate vote) and at this stage of the game’s growth, contributions by the aforementioned and others to club and community must be weighed alongside their international record. Soccer is about both.
The slights to foreign-born MLS players who represent their native countries are even more egregious. Voters saw fit to induct NASL icons like Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto, Vladislav Bogicevic and Karl-Heinz Granitza. They weren’t from here, but they infused their league with an identity, furthered American soccer and were a ton of fun to watch. They’re part of the story.
But there hasn’t been a single MLS player who represented a foreign nation voted into the NSHOF. Jaime Moreno, who was the most complete attacking weapon during the league’s first decade, isn’t in. His Bolivia and D.C. United teammate Marco Etcheverry, the linchpin of a dynasty that set the early MLS standard, isn’t in. Carlos Valderrama, a marquee inaugural-season signing who remains fourth on the all-time assists list—not in. Pat Onstad won three MLS Cup titles with San Jose and Houston and backstopped the Rochester Rhinos to their famous 1999 Open Cup triumph. He’s a two-time MLS goalkeeper of the year. But he’s Canadian, so he’s not in the NSHOF. We wonder what’ll happen when Dwayne De Rosario, a four-time champion and one of the most electrifying players in MLS history, becomes eligible next year.
There was plenty of noise and ridicule when this year’s ballot was released and David Beckham was listed. He played for the LA Galaxy for just four and a half seasons, and for some of that time he either wasn’t all that great or was in Milan. But there were moments when he was great, and that–plus his two MLS Cups–tells just part of the tale. Without Beckham, there likely is no Thierry Henry or Robbie Keane, and without them there’s probably no David Villa, Kaká or Sebastian Giovinco. It’ll be a long time before anyone can write a book on the history of the American game without including a chapter on Beckham and the Designated Player revolution. We can’t force different candidates to meet the same criteria. In a U.S. soccer museum, Beckham belongs.
Induction criteria will change. Some day, players whose accomplishments and contributions equal Moreno’s or Twellman’s may be far more common. But that day doesn’t come without those whose highlights we’re watching now. It’s a good thing, a testament to soccer’s growth, that club contributions should be taken more seriously.Daniel Winnik Left Wing - SJS GOALS: 5 | ASST: 13 | PTS: 18
SOG: 155 | +/-: -11
"I think my first impression was just elation. Things have been tough here for me this season. Not to go into anything specific, but I was just really happy to have a fresh start somewhere."
-- T.J. Galiardi
-- The San Jose Sharks were due for a shakeup Monday at the NHL Trade Deadline after their discouraging 2-6-1 road trip that sent them plummeting to seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race.The only question was, how big?As it turned out, there were no earth-shattering deadline deals involving San Jose, or any other NHL team as Rick Nash and the rest of the League's elite players stayed put. But Sharks GM Doug Wilson swung a deal with Colorado for wingers T.J. Galiardi and Daniel Winnik, two players he expects to play key roles in San Jose's Stanley Cup Playoff push.San Jose sent third-line winger Jamie McGinn and a pair of prospects -- left wing Mike Connelly and center Michael Sgarbossa -- to Colorado. The Sharks also received a 2013 seventh-round draft pick from Colorado."The high-profile players, I think were in play," Wilson said. "I think people dabbled around that. We were looking certainly around in that area also. When it became apparent that wasn't going to take place at this trade deadline, there were some important pieces we were looking to address: speed, grit, tenacity, penalty killing. We think we did that with both Daniel and T.J."Wilson refused to say whether he ever came close to acquiring Nash, who listed San Jose among the teams for which he would play."That's another team's player," Wilson said. "Any conversation we have with any other GM is kept in confidence. We do make this be a place that players want to play and when players identify they want to be here we explore that. We've done that in the past whether it be Danny Boyle or Brent Burns, et cetera. There were many discussions that took place. But it was pretty apparent a while ago that none of the big deals were really going to take place and may, in fact, be more addressed in the summer time."Galiardi and Winnik, who are close friends, heard the news they had been traded while they were at a Denver area restaurant, eating lunch before Colorado's Monday night game against Anaheim."I think my first impression was just elation," Galiardi said. "Things have been tough here for me this season. Not to go into anything specific, but I was just really happy to have a fresh start somewhere."Two seasons ago, when Colorado pushed San Jose to six games in a first-round playoff series, Galiardi was an impressive and, to the Sharks, irritating player. Even though his playing time has dropped this year and he hasn't always seen "eye-to-eye" with Avalanche coach Joe Sacco, Galiardi said he's still the same player he was two years ago."Personally I think so," said Galiardi, drafted by Colorado at No. 55 in 2007. "There's one thing that has changed since then. I had a lot of confidence back then. This year I haven't had much confidence. If you have a fresh start, you can start new. I talked to Doug Wilson just a little bit ago. The first thing he said is I'd be treated with a lot more respect. I'm looking forward to it."Winnik came to Colorado from Phoenix in a June 2010 trade that caught him off guard. This time, he expected to get a new NHL address and was excited when he heard he had been traded to San Jose."Obviously there was a lot of speculation about me being traded today," Winnik said. "When I wake up and turn on the NHL Network and they've got me on for trade bait, usually that's a pretty good indication that you're going to be moved. Very excited and welcomed the trade. I liked it here in Colorado. It was tough at times. You've got to move on. It's for the better, I think, come to a team that has their eyes set on winning the Stanley Cup."Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray said he was sad to see McGinn leave, but he was happy to have Galiardi and Winnik on board."It's two guys that you definitely get irritated playing against," Murray said. "That's a compliment. Anytime people don't like playing against them they're doing something right. You're always happy to get those kinds of guys on your team. They both can score as well. They play the game right, they play it hard. They will be great additions to our team."Jamie deserves a lot of credit. He's played great this year for us. He's grown a lot as a hockey player and a person I would say, too. He's going to be missed here. But in order to get something you have to give something up. It's the nature of the beast. You're not getting anything good back unless you give up something good."In Winnik, the Sharks have a player who should add toughness to their team. He's had four fights against Sharks during his career, including two against power forward Ryane Clowe. Winnik described himself as a "two-way player" who thinks defense first."Chip in offensively," he said. "Solid on the PK. Physical guy. Big and can skate. Very willing to fight for my teammates and fight when I have to."Galiardi said he didn't make many friends while playing against the Sharks." I think (Murray) told me he was going to kill me a couple times," Galiardi said, laughing. "That's water under the bridge. I don't think a lot of guys over there were a big fan of me. But once you play together, everything changes. There's always guys that I've played against that I hated, then you play together and you can be great friends. I'm hoping that's the case there."Neither Winnik nor Galiardi has been a big goal-scorer in the NHL. Galiardi has eight goals and six assists this season and had a career-high of 15 two seasons ago. Winnik has five goals and 13 assists this season. He's had a career-high 11 goals twice, first with Phoenix then with Colorado.Winnik and Galiardi were scheduled to fly to San Jose on Monday night and will likely be in the lineup Tuesday night against Philadelphia.The question is whether Sharks coach Todd McLellan will be on the bench for their first game. McLellan was accidentally struck in the head by the stick of Minnesota's Marco Scandella in the second period Sunday. He staggered to the dressing room and didn't return to the bench."I talked to Todd," Wilson said. "It scared all of us. When we first saw it happened, we weren't sure what had happened. I talked to his wife immediately. A lot of things go through your mind. We're very fortunate he's going to be OK. It's one of those things that gets your attention. He'll be fine. We'll make sure he sees the right doctors and we'll take good care of him like we would our players."Wilson is still waiting for a trio of injured players -- Murray and wingers Martin Havlat and Dominic Moore -- to return. Havlat, recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn hamstring tendon, resumed skating last week and was on the ice Monday. Murray, who took a puck to his Adam's apple during the road trip, skated Monday but doesn't know when he'll return. Moore is out with a lower-body injury."I think you have to do something to bring the group a little bit of a boost," Wilson said of his trade Monday. "The three other guys coming back healthy, Dominic Moore, Marty Havlat and Douglas Murray, will be a big boost for our guys too. We may end up having more depth than we ever had before which creates competition. That's not the worst thing in the world either."McGinn scored only one goal last season, but he's having a career year this season, skating on the third line. He has already set career highs for goals (12), assists (12) and points.The Sharks drafted McGinn in the second round in 2006 with the No. 36 pick. He was one of San Jose's most physical forwards but struggled the few times he had a chance to skate on one of the Sharks' top lines.Connelly, who signed with the Sharks as a free agent in April 2011, has 10 goals and 20 assists this season with San Jose's top minor-league affiliate, Worcerster of the AHL. The Sharks signed Sgarbossa as a free agent in September 2010. He's playing for Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League.For uses in fantasy settings, see Skeleton (undead)
Members of the Salvation Army being pursued by the Skeleton Army with its distinctive skull and crossbones banner c. 1882
The Skeleton Army was a diffuse group, particularly in Southern England, that opposed and disrupted The Salvation Army's marches against alcohol in the late 19th century. Clashes between the two groups led to the deaths of several Salvationists and injuries to many others.
Origins [ edit ]
The "Skeleton", a Skeleton Army, a Skeleton Army gazette
The earliest reference to an organised opposition to The Salvation Army was in August 1880 in Whitechapel, when 'The Unconverted Salvation Army' was founded with its flag and motto of "Be just and fear not."
In 1881 Skeleton Armies were raised in Whitechapel, Exeter and Weston-super-Mare, and the name was quickly taken up elsewhere as other groups were formed in the south of England; there are no records of Skeleton Armies north of London. Membership was predominantly lower to middle working-class.[1]
The "Skeletons" recognised each other by various insignia used to distinguish themselves.[2] Skeletons used banners with skulls and crossbones; sometimes there were two coffins and a statement like, "Blood and Thunder" (mocking the Salvation Army's war cry "Blood and Fire") or the three Bs: "Beef", "Beer" and "Bacca" – again mocking the Salvation Army's three S's – "Soup", "Soap" and "Salvation". Banners also had pictures of monkeys, rats and the devil. Skeletons further published so-called "gazettes" considered libellous as well as obscene and blasphemous.[2][3]
Several techniques were employed by the "Skeletons" to disrupt Salvation Army meetings and marches; these included throwing rocks and dead rats, marching while loudly playing musical instruments or shouting, and physically assaulting Salvation Army members at their meetings.
Confrontation [ edit ]
Alhough George Scott Railton, second in command of the Salvation Army, claimed the Skeleton Army first started in Weston-super-Mare in 1881,[3] contemporary press reports show that it first appeared in Exeter in October 1881.[4] In Weston-super-Mare, in March 1882 Captain William Beatty, Thomas Bowden and William Mullins were given a three-month prison sentence by the magistrates for a breach of the peace when they broke a local ban on processions.[4]
This led to the case of Beatty v Gillbanks (1882), which held that the Salvation Army was acting lawfully when marching, despite knowing that their assembly could well lead to riots. As their intentions were ultimately peaceful and unrelated to the cause of inciting riot, the court found their actions to be within the limits of the law. That it was known that their marching may cause riots was not found to be a breach of the law, as it was the actions of antagonistic parties including the Skeleton Army which led directly to the riotous behaviour. The convictions against Beatty and the two other Salvationists were later quashed by the Queen's Court and costs were awarded against the sentencing magistrates.
The Skeleton Army rioting in Worthing in 1884
The Skeleton Army at Worthing in 1884
The action was reported by The Times; at the appeal hearing it was erroneously stated that the Skeleton Army was founded in Weston-super-Mare.[5]
Of an attack in Bethnal Green in November 1882 the Bethnal Green Eastern Post stated:
A genuine rabble of 'roughs' pure and unadulterated has been infesting the district for several weeks past. These vagabonds style themselves the 'Skeleton Army'.... The'skeletons' have their collectors and their collecting sheets and one of them was thrust into my hands... it contained a number shopkeepers' names... I found that publicans, beer sellers and butchers are subscribing to this imposture... the collector told me that the object of the Skeleton Army was to put down the Salvationists by following them about everywhere, by beating a drum and burlesquing their songs, to render the conduct of their processions and services impossible... Amongst the |
and to recognize the humility involved in submitting to prophetesses, priestesses, and judgesses for spiritual instruction. Female readers are encouraged to see the empowering effects of matriarchy, the compassion, tenderness, and sometimes sternness of a female Deity, and to imagine a world in which prophetesses are revered as the oracles of a benevolent Goddess.
It is my hope that this feminine reading of the Book of Mormon will be the means by which we can analyze more concretely the implications of the divine feminine, the process of unmediated female access to revelation and authority, and the place of these ideas within Mormonism. I likewise hope that we may consider, in a more thorough manner, the significance of gender structures that have been with civilized society for all of recorded history, and experience vicariously, through the characters, stories, and statements found in this feminized text, the ramifications of women becoming prominent joint-heirs with Christ, and partakers of the divine nature.
Flora WalkerThe Dallas area is ranked as the top housing market in the country in a new report by mortgage giant Freddie Mac.
Dallas, Nashville and Honolulu are at the head of a list of cities that have seen the most housing market improvement, according to a just-released market report by the Washington, D.C.-based mortgage firm.
More than 80 percent of the country's major housing markets have shown improvement over the last three months, according to Freddie Mac.
Freddie Mac deputy chief economist Len Kiefer said the survey "does not yet capture the recent jump in mortgage rates since the election, which will drive down homebuyer affordability and likely dampen demand for home sales next year in some markets."
"While we see strong house price growth in markets like Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Phoenix and others, most are still well below their pre-2008 peak and still have significant room for improvement," he said.
North Texas median home sales prices are at an all-time high — up more than 40 percent in the last four years.
In November, preowned home sales in the area were up 26 percent from a year earlier. It was the biggest year-over-year home sales gain for North Texas in almost four years.Fnatic’s Journey from S1 to S3
Season 1
Fnatic is a team that has been around since S1, winning Season 1 Championship, IEM New York, DreamHack Winter 2012. Naturally for such a long career it has had some roster changes. Usually new players on the team mean miscommunication, lack of synergy and maybe even behavioral issues that lower in game performance. However, every single one of these lineup changes have brought huge short-term momentum to their play.
Tournaments won: Season 1 Championship, IEM New York
Notable VOD’s: VOD 1 (S1), VOD 2 (IEM NY)
Season 2
The original roster was changed in Season 2, when one of their founding members – Maciej “Shushei” Ratuszniak (Top lane), was evicted from the team due to not being on the same level as the other professional top laners. Fnatic picked up a former player of their Season 1 rivals (aAa) – Paul “sOAZ” Boyer and went on to win the first two rounds of 2012 MLG Pro Circuit/Spring, but ultimately they finished 5th – 6th.
Tournaments won: – ( Notable appearances : DreamHack Summer 2012 – 4th place )
Notable VODs: VOD 1 (MLG Spring), VOD 2 (DH Summer)
Pre-Season 3
Fnatic`s versatility was proven in Pre-Season 3, when they were forced to send a drastically changed lineup, consisting of sOAZ, xPeke from the official roster and John “hyrqBot” Velly (Jungle), Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim (ADC), Christoph “nRated” Seitz (Support) as temporary players, to Paris Games Week 2012. Against all odds they pulled up a near flawless victory, dropping only 1 game in the group stages due to arriving late. nRated then got promoted to official roster member.
Tournaments won: ASUS Republic of Gamers – Paris Games Week 2012
Notable VOD’s (in this case highlights): VOD 1 (Paris Games Week 2012)
Throughout late 2012, the Swedish player Martin “Rekkles” Larsson played for Fnatic as their ADC. With this fresh lineup the team went on a winning streak taking 1st at THOR Open 2012, DreamHack Winter 2012 and 2nd at IGN ProLeague Season 5 & IEM Season VII – Global Challenge Cologne.
Tournaments won: THOR Open 2012, DreamHack Winter 2012
Notable VODs: VOD 1 ( THOR Open 2012), VOD 2 (DreamHack Winter 2012)
Season 3 Spring
Soon enough Fnatic had to resort to changes due to Rekkles being underage, so they picked up YellOwStaR for the AD carry role. The team had no problem getting used to playing with a new player and took the victory in LCS Spring Playoffs home.
Tournaments won: LCS EU Spring Playoffs (1st Place)
Notable VODs: VOD 1 ( LCS EU Spring Week 10 Day 1), VOD 2 (LCS EU Spring Week 10 Day 1)
Season 3 Summer
Recently Fnatic released nRated, switched YellOwStaR to Support and added Johannes “puszu” Uibos to the bottom lane duo as the AD carry. The momentum is once again present as they won their first 2 games after the change with puszu proving he is of the same caliber as the rest.
Tournaments won: – (Currently #3 in the LCS Summer Split)
Notable VOD’s: VOD 1 ( LCS EU Summer Week 4 Day 1), VOD 2 (LCS EU Summer Week 4 Day 1)
The fact that all the swaps and changes were successful says a lot about Fnatic’s stable team atmosphere, attitude and determination. The ability to adapt to any situation, with any set of players could very much be the thing that makes Fnatic a top competitor in the League of legends scene.
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PrintAs I have talked about here before, I’m keenly watching the Republican contenders for MI-07. One of the top two candidates likely to win the Republican primary already held the seat for one-term: Tim Walberg.
This week he released a statement that said this:
One Year after the Stimulus Package: Higher Unemployment in U.S., Taxpayer Dollars Creating Jobs Overseas
The email Subject line was even more bold:
Stimulus Results in Higher Unemployment & Jobs Overseas
See what he did there? He’s now making the connection that the Recovery Act CAUSED unemployment.
Brilliant and unrelenting hypocrisy.
Here’s the rest of the press release where he essentially blames Democrat for the 7th District Mark Schauer for failing to stop waste:
One year ago today President Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus package into law. Since signing the legislation, the national unemployment rate has climbed from 7.6% to 9.7% and the cost of the stimulus package has increased by $75 billion. Congressman Mark Schauer, who voted for the stimulus bill, told his constituents that there was no pork or earmarks in the stimulus bill. Congressman Schauer pledged “vigorous oversight” to ensure the stimulus was “administered efficiently and effectively.” Michigan’s unemployment rate has increased from 12% to 14.6%, while billions of stimulus dollars created thousands of jobs overseas. Though Congressman Schauer pledged “vigorous oversight”, here are a few examples of how stimulus dollars were wasted: $2 billion in energy spending created 6,000 jobs overseas.
“researchers at Penn State University received $1.57 million to search for fossils in Argentina”
“$100,000 for socially conscious puppet shows.”
$1 million to put up signs in Ohio advertising the use of stimulus funds.
“The National Institutes of Health got $219,000 in funds to study whether female college students are more likely to ‘hook up’ after drinking alcohol.”
“Two million dollars in stimulus money went to build a replica railroad as a tourist attraction in Carson City, Nev.”
“Half a million dollars went to Arizona State University to study the genetic makeup of ants to determine distinctive roles in ant colonies”
“$450,000 went to the University of Arizona to study the division of labor in ant colonies.”
“The State University of New York at Buffalo won $390,000 to study young adults who drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana.”
“$5 million grant from the Department of Energy to create a geothermal energy system for the Oak Ridge City Center shopping mall … the mall has been losing tenants for years and is mostly empty.” “Less government spending, lower taxes, and free-market health care reforms will empower individuals and small businesses, grow our economy, and spur job creation. Unfortunately, Mark Schauer and his liberal Washington allies wasted taxpayer dollars, spent billions to create jobs overseas and voted for trillion dollar deficits,” said Tim Walberg. “America is great and prosperous when government is limited and citizens are free to use their God-given talents to care for their family and help their community,” Walberg added.
Drawing a causal connection between the Recovery Act which has by any measure kept our country from completely sinking into the abyss and which has without question prevented even larger unemployment numbers is the epitome of chutzpah, particularly since many of his brethren that didn’t actually lose their seats in 2008 like Walberg did are running around the countryside taking credit for the influx of funds and the creation of jobs that they themselves voted AGAINST. And make no mistake, Walberg would have voted against the Recovery Act just like all his Republican friends did. (Note, I will continue to use “Recovery Act” rather than “Stimulus” because it’s important for us to connect the successes of the Recovery Act with the actual legislation which was called the Recovery Act.)
The claims of waste are another level of deceit. If you add up all the numbers, including the biggest one of $2 billion for wind energy that has reportedly created less than 100 jobs in the U.S. vs. 6,000 overseas, you get a grand total of $2,011,229,000.
This represents a whopping 0.23% of the total Recovery Act spending.
If their criticism of the Recovery Act spending is that it created less than one-quarter of one percent in waste, I will gladly help them in their attempt to publicize it because that’s a damn good record for any investment. Even if you take out the one-third of the Recovery Act that is tax cuts — something that should give a guy like Tim Walberg a giant “swell” — you are still only talking about 0.35%, about one-third of one percent.
The $2 billion in spending that it going to overseas companies to make wind turbines creating jobs outside of the U.S. is egregious. Senator Chuck Schumer has even railed about it.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the flow of money to foreign companies an outrage, because the stimulus, he said, was intended to create jobs inside the United States. “This is one of those stories in Washington that when you tell people five miles outside the Beltway, or anywhere else in America, they cannot believe it,” Schumer told ABC News, “It makes people lose faith in government, and it frankly infuriates me.”
However, when you look at the core reason behind this issue, what you find is that there simply is not enough production of wind turbines in the U.S. to meet the demand created by the Recovery Act. If Tim Walberg and his associates had not repeatedly failed invest in sustainable energy sources and had taken steps to nurture a wind energy sector in the U.S., that might not be the case. Instead, Walberg chanted “Drill Here, Drill Now” while holding publicity stunts like pumping gas at Michigan gas stations to get attention.
Jackson drivers headed to the pump today might get some help filling their tanks from a high-profile politician. U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg was planning to take on the role of a gas station attendant and fuel up constituents’ vehicles at the Citgo gas station at 1502 Cooper St. Walberg wasn’t picking up the tab, so gas customers were still going to have to pay, but they could voice frustrations about the high prices to the first-term congressman/temporary attendant. Walberg planned to ask drivers to jot down stories about their struggles with climbing energy costs and collect their receipts in 5-gallon gas cans that he will take to Washington.
This is the GOP’s answer to our energy problems and reliance on foreign oil, despite the fact that it would have no discernible impact on our oil supply:
(Click for printable PDF)
So, in essence, Republicans starved a nascent industry so that it could barely get off the ground in this country while they held power. And now that wind energy is in vogue, they are criticizing Democrats for having to buy foreign-made parts.
Unrelenting GOPocrisy.
Oh, and if you take that $2 billion out of the waste calculations, they can only point to 0.0013% in waste.
And where I’m from, that’s what they call very weak tea.
I’m just sayin’…
=================
Digg me HERE. Thanks!The health-care bill that hung around Democrats’ necks for the last several months – right up to the final vote Sunday when some vulnerable congressmen were convinced to support it – has suddenly become a weapon.
If politics were war, Republicans would have just been lured from their walled city to chase a force they thought was retreating, only to find Democrats suddenly turning and attacking them head-on.
Even before the bill passed, President Obama had begun pounding the message that the new legislation would immediately benefit many Americans, and cast Republicans who opposed the bill as on the side of greedy insurers.
Hours after the bill passed, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs set the talking points: “[I]f people want to campaign on taking tax cuts away from small businesses, taking assistance away from seniors getting prescription drugs, and want to take away a mother knowing that their child can’t be discriminated against by an insurance company … we’ll have a robust campaign on that,” he said at the Monday briefing.
Democrats have taken up that banner and run with it. Obama’s signing of the landmark legislation Tuesday at the White House only added to Democrats’ surprising momentum.
Gibbs on Tuesday trumpeted a Gallup/USA Today poll that showed 49 percent approval and 40 percent disapproval* of the health-care law.
“This will give the nattering nabobs of negativity something to chew on,” Gibbs – channeling former Maryland Governor and Vice President Spiro Agnew – said on his Twitter feed, linking to the poll results.
Although the health bill remains unpopular in a national average of polls by Pollster.com, and Democrats remain likely to suffer substantial losses in elections this fall, Republicans have struggled to fine-tune their message since Sunday in the face of their reinvigorated opponents.
“Repeal and replace will be the slogan for the fall,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, on CNN late Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ll be able to repeal the most egregious parts of this and replace them with things that we could have done on a bipartisan basis much earlier this year.”
But Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, introduced legislation Tuesday to repeal the whole thing, and spoke only of starting from scratch.
“We must repeal this bill and start over,” DeMint said in a statement sent to reporters announcing his legislation, which is co-sponsored by a dozen other Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican.
House Republicans were similarly discombobulated. GOP leaders huddled at the Capitol Tuesday morning to talk strategy. Reporters were told that House Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, would speak afterward.
Boehner, however, went straight to a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leaving two junior members of the leadership to speak with a handful of reporters.
“We will work in every way to repeal this legislation and start over,” said House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, of Indiana.
Moments later, however, Pence said the House GOP was in favor of “repealing and replacing Obamacare with an approach that gives Americans more choices instead of more government.”
“There are small elements of the legislation that’s moving forward that Republicans have always supported,” he said.
House Republican leadership aides stressed that their message was one of “repeal and replace,” rather than simply repeal. They mentioned the roughly $500 billion in Medicare cuts in the president’s bill, as well as a new Medicare payroll tax on high-income earners, as two ideas they would like to get rid of. They did not say with what they would replace it.
As in the Senate, there are some House Republicans – including Rep. Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota, and Rep. Steve King, of Iowa – who are already pursuing a flat-out repeal of the president’s health bill.
Also Tuesday, 13 state attorney generals filed a suit against the federal government, in the U.S. District Court of Florida, saying the requirement that every American purchase insurance or pay a fine is unconstitutional.
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, one of those who joined the suit, said he expects it to reach the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as a year from now.
Pence, at the morning press conference, said Republicans encouraged the move.
*The article originally misstated that there was 40 percent approval.Ryan Patrick Halligan (December 18, 1989 – October 7, 2003) was an American student who committed suicide at the age of 13 after being bullied by his classmates in person and cyber-bullying online. According to the Associated Press, Halligan was repeatedly sent homophobic instant messages, and was "threatened, taunted and insulted incessantly".[1]
His father, John P. Halligan, a former IBM engineer, subsequently lobbied for laws to be passed in Vermont to improve how schools address bullying and suicide prevention. He has also given speeches at schools in other states about the story of his son.
Halligan's case has been cited by legislators in various states proposing legislation to curb cyber-bullying.[1] In Vermont, laws were subsequently enacted to address the cyberbullying problem and the risk of teen suicides, in response.[2] In 2008, his suicide and its causes were examined in a segment of the PBS Frontline television program entitled "Growing Up Online." His suicide has also been referenced in many other news stories on bullying.
Biography [ edit ]
Early life [ edit ]
Halligan was born on December 18, 1989,[3] in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of John P. and Kelly Halligan. His family moved to Essex Junction, Vermont, where Halligan attended Hiawatha Elementary School and, later, Albert D. Lawton Middle School.[4]
He was described by his father as a "gentle, very sensitive soul," who experienced some developmental delays affecting speech and physical coordination in his early school years. Although he overcame those difficulties by the fourth grade, "He still struggled; school was never easy to him, but he always showed up with a smile on his face, eager to do his best," said his father.[4]
Bullying [ edit ]
When Halligan was 10 years old, he suffered bullying at the hands of a group of students at his school because of his learning disorder, his passion for music (drums and guitar), and his love for drama. His father said that when Halligan told him he was being picked on, his initial response was to ignore the boys, as they were just bullying him with words. The family later said in a short documentary that Halligan enrolled in counseling, with little success. After that he moved up to middle school, where the bullying continued for the next 2 years.
In December 2002, Halligan told his father that the bullying had started again. He asked for a Taebo Kick Boxing set for Christmas in order to learn how to defend himself. At first, his father wanted to go to the school principal and sort things out, but Halligan insisted that he wanted to learn how to fight, believing that complaining to the school about the boys would make things worse. After Christmas, Halligan and his father developed a routine of practicing downstairs in the basement for 2 hours every night. After he had learned to defend himself, his father told him not to pick fights at school, but said that if any student ever touched him aggressively, Hallilgan had his father's permission to defend himself. [4]
In February 2003, Halligan had a fight with a bully, which was broken up by the assistant principal; after that, the bully stopped bothering him. Halligan's father said that he was proud of his son for sticking up for himself. Toward the end of 7th grade, Halligan told his father that he and the bully had become friends. His parents warned him to be careful about the friendship, because the bully had been harassing him for a long time. The two boys were friends for a short amount of time. After Halligan told the bully about an embarrassing examination required after he had stomach pains, he learned that the bully misused the story to spread a rumor that Halligan was gay.[5]
Summer 2003 [ edit ]
According to his father and news reports, during the summer of 2003, Halligan spent much of his time online, particularly on AIM and other instant messaging services. Halligan did not tell his parents about this. During the summer, he was cyber-bullied by schoolmates who taunted him, thinking he was gay. Halligan was also bullied at school about this; his father later learned that on one occasion, Halligan ran out of the classroom in tears.[4] As Halligan had unintentionally archived these online conversations on his hard drive when he installed DeadAIM, his father was able to read these discussions. Halligan had deliberately saved transcripts of online exchanges in which Ashley, a popular girl whom Halligan had a crush on, pretended to like him. Later at school, Ashley told him that she was only kidding and that he was a "loser".[6] According to an ABC Primetime report, she had once been his friend and defended him when the bullying first started, but as she became more popular, she left him behind. He found out she only pretended to like him to gain personal information about him. She copied and pasted their private exchanges into other IMs among his schoolmates to embarrass and humiliate him.
After Ashley had called him a "loser", Halligan said, "It's girls like you who make me want to kill myself." His father found out about this later because it was a matter of record with the local police. Halligan's father also discovered some disturbing conversations between Halligan and a boy with a screen name he did not recognize. Halligan began communicating online with a pen-pal about suicide and death, and told him he was thinking about suicide. They had been exchanging information they had found on sites relating to death and suicide, including sites that taught them how to painlessly kill themselves. The pen-pal answered "Phew. It's about fucking time," shortly after Halligan told him he was thinking about suicide, two weeks before he killed himself. This was the last conversation he had with the pen-pal. As Halligan's father found out, contrary to popular belief, Halligan's pen-pal was a boy he knew up until third grade, when the boy and his parents moved away. When they found each other online, they reconnected.
The pen-pal had, according to Halligan's father, turned into a very negative person with a bleak outlook on life. Online, the boys discussed how much they hated their popular classmates and how they made them feel. The pen-pal suggested suicide as a way out, writing, "If you killed yourself you would really make them feel bad." Halligan's father said that the boy was the worst possible friend that Halligan could have had at that time.[4]
The parents acknowledged that Halligan had discussed some of his worries and brought up suicide. He had told them his report card would be bad, and worried that his parents would be disappointed in him. One night he asked his dad if he had ever thought of suicide, who responded that he had, but also said, "Ryan, imagine if I did do that. Look at all the things we would have missed out on as a family."[4]
Suicide and aftermath [ edit ]
On October 7, 2003, Halligan's father was away on a business trip. Early in the morning, when the other family members were still sleeping, Halligan hanged himself with a bathrobe tie that belonged to his older sister, who later found his body.
Although Halligan left no suicide note, his father learned of the cyberbullying when he accessed his son's computer. He checked his son's yearbook first and found the faces of the bullying group scribbled out. Halligan had scribbled over the face of the ringleader (the same boy who bullied Halligan, befriended him, and then started the gay rumor) so aggressively he had torn the paper. Halligan accessed his son's computer and first learned of the cyber-bullying when his son's friends told him.
When he learned that Ashley was being blamed for Halligan's suicide, Halligan had her brought over to his house. He reportedly said to her, "You did a bad thing, but you're not a bad person." She appeared with Halligan on ABC's Primetime to speak out against bullying. Although the Halligans moved out of Vermont, she still maintains contact with them.
He later confronted the bully who had started the gay rumor after finding out that he made fun of how Halligan killed himself. At first, he was so angry that he wanted to go to the boy's house and "crush that little jerk," but had time to think about it while stuck in traffic. Halligan reportedly said to the boy, "You have no idea the amount of pain you caused my son. And you're still bullying him now even when he's defenseless and you are still lying to your parents about it. I refuse to believe that you are so cruel and that you don't have a heart." Shortly afterward the bully broke down in tears and repeatedly apologized for what he did.[7]
Halligan wanted to file charges against the bully but the police said there was no criminal law that covered the relevant circumstances. Halligan forgave the boy as well as Ashley. After learning the name of the pen-pal, Halligan's father went to his house and talked with his parents. Halligan said that he did not want the pen-pal to use the conversations for "something dark." While at the pen-pal's house, Halligan learned that the boy's father never received any hard copies of the conversations. The pen-pal's mother came and pulled out the hard copies from under the sofa, showing them to the father for "what appeared to be the first time." While the father was looking at the copies, the mother threw Halligan out. Halligan said that he never got a satisfying response from the boy or his family. He still visits the boy's website, which contains several references to death and suicide.[4]
Halligan soon began lobbying for legislation in Vermont to improve how schools address bullying and suicide prevention. He has also given speeches to schools in various states about the story of his son and the devastating effects of cyber-bullying among teens.
Vermont enacted a Bullying Prevention Policy Law in May 2004 and later adopted a Suicide Prevention Law (Act 114) in 2005, closely following a draft submitted by Halligan's father. The law provides measures to assist teachers and others to recognize and respond to depression and suicide risks among teens.[2] Halligan's case has also been cited by legislators in other states proposing legislation to curb cyber-bullying.[1]
Halligan's story was featured on a Frontline television program entitled "Growing Up Online", produced in January 2008, by WGBH-TV in Boston and distributed nationwide over PBS. In it, his father recounts his shock upon discovering the extent of the abuse his son endured, saying he believes that bullying on the internet "amplified and accelerated the hurt and pain he was trying to deal with, that started in the real world." Halligan's story has also been featured on Oprah in a report they did on a rise in homophobic teasing in schools. In addition, he presented his powerful assembly to many schools across the country.[8]
Halligan's story was also featured in the 2018 documentary, Stories of Strength and Hope: Preventing Youth Suicide, supported by an on-screen interview with John Halligan. Today Halligan visits other schools to inform students about how his son's death and how it has changed his life. [9]
See also [ edit ]The Detroit Red Wings will remember former Red Wing Bob Probert of Windsor during the club’s annual HockeyFest, slated for Sept. 13 at Joe Louis Arena.
Joe Kocur, the other half of the Bruise Brothers with Probert, and fellow ex-Wing Darren McCarty of Leamington will be on hand to celebrate Probert’s life and partake in a Q&A session. It was five years ago last month that Probert died of a heart attack at the age of 45.
Probert’s wife, Dani, will also join the Q&A session to bring together three of the people who knew Probert best and share some of his memories playing for the Red Wings.
Additionally, artist David Arrigo will be on hand at HockeyFest to paint a special Bob Probert goalie mask. The one-of-a-kind mask will be part of a silent auction at HockeyFest with all proceeds benefitting the Bob Probert Memorial Ride and their support of local cardiac care.
Autograph sessions will be held throughout the day with past and present members of the Red Wings. Other Red Wings tentatively listed to appear include Daniel Alfredsson, Larry Murphy, John Ogrodnick, Jimmy Carson and Windsor’s Eddie Mio. Red Wings current players will be added to the HockeyFest lineup at a later date. All current players and Red Wings Alumni are subject to change.
Fans will also have a chance to play alongside and interact with their favourite current players at various interactive games and pick-up hockey stations on the covered ice and around the concours at Joe Louis Arena.
This year’s HockeyFest will also feature exclusive tours of the Red Wings’ locker-room, additional Q&A sessions with players, staff and alumni, photo opportunities with the 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008 Stanley Cup banners, a historical memorabilia exhibit including NHL trophies, and contests and prizes for fans in attendance.
The event will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission adult tickets are priced at (all figures US) $20 apiece, while kids tickets (12 & under) are available for $10 each. Fans can purchase general admission tickets at the Joe Louis Arena box office (313-471-7575), any Ticketmaster outlet (800-745-3000) or online at
DetroitRedWings.com
A limited number (50) of exclusive Gold Tickets are also available for this event at a cost of $750 apiece. Gold Ticket holders are guaranteed to have two items signed by every current Red Wings player in attendance at HockeyFest.
For more information, visit d
etroitredwings.com/hockeyfestVirginia Tech receiver Dyrell Roberts made an odd discovery on the field against North Carolina, when he found a pair of scissors on the field just before the Hokies ran a play.
As Virginia Tech was lining up, Roberts started gesturing to the sideline and the officials with something in his hand. He had found the scissors as he took his spot on the field. That's something you don't see every day. In fact, we can't remember ever seeing it before in a college football game.
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Officials stopped the action and let Roberts run the scissors off to the sideline. Not only did he run with them, he didn't hold the scissors by the blades. That breaks just about every safety rule Roberts was taught in kindergarten about scissors, but at least he didn't run a pass route with them.
This brings up one interesting question: Why in the heck was there a pair of office scissors at the 45-yard line of North Carolina's field? Is there a stapler at the 30? Maybe a printer by the end zone pylon? In all seriousness, we're glad Roberts found the scissors when he did. That could have ended in a potentially serious injury for someone.
This will be one of the odder moments in college football today.
- - -
"Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog. And follow Dr. Saturday at its new home on Twitter: @YahooDrSaturday
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• Seeding MLB's postseason: Washington leads a competitive field
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• Y! Games: EA Sports pilfers Wii usersChris Gayle will miss the next two matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore after flying back to the Caribbean to be with his partner for the birth of their first child.
While Bangalore team management refused to comment on Gayle’s departure, the big Jamaican posted a picture on his Instagram page stating "I’m on my way Baby".
I'm on my way, Baby. 😊 A photo posted by KingGayle 👑 (@chrisgayle333) on Apr 17, 2016 at 9:39pm PDT
Gayle also thanked Qatar Airways for their services which included a congratulatory cake.
The big-hitting left-hander headed to the airport straight after RCB's match on Sunday in Bangalore while his teammates arrived in Mumbai late on Monday night.
Quick Single: Loyalty to money in modern game: Waugh
While it is unsure when exactly Gayle will rejoin his teammates, it is certain that he will miss the Royal Challengers matches against Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants this week.
Gayle has not had the best start to the IPL, scoring just one and a duck in the first two matches. The 36-year-old will be hoping fatherhood can change his fortunes when he returns sometime next week.
Gayle's absence could see Shane Watson return to the opening role, while it could also provide an opportunity for South Australia captain Travis Head, who may slot into the middle order alongside superstar batsman AB de Villiers.
Alternatively, Royal Challengers may look to strength their bowling by including Head's Adelaide Strikers teammate, Kane Richardson.
WATCH: De Kock century powers Delhi in huge chaseNitish Kumar addresses the press in Patna
The BJP may have won three states- and emerged as the largest party in Delhi - but Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says that's where the good news ends."The BJP will receive a deep shock in 2014," he said, joining the legion of analysts who say that the BJP benefitted from a tidal wave of public anger against the Congress over corruption and inflation.Earlier this year, he ended a 17-year alliance with the BJP, and attributed the break-up to the party's decision to elevate Mr Modi to top man.The outcome of the state elections has also reportedly convinced the Bihar Chief Minister to rule out an alliance with the Congress for the general elections.The BJP says Mr Modi's extensive campaigning galvanized support for its candidates Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chattisgarh.In Delhi, though the BJP is the largest party, it has been deprived of a majority in the capital by the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its founder Arvind Kejriwal. ( Read: 'Pehle AAP' says the BJP after falling short of a majority in Delhi "In a state like Delhi, it has become clear that if there is a choice, then people will choose a third option above the BJP and the Congress," Mr Kumar said, referring to the AAP.The fact that the BJP did not sweep the city despite five large rallies by its presumptive prime minister is being seen as evidence that the 'Modi wave' that his party cites remains an unproven theory.We are Nick and Maureen, two people who enjoy being hipstery and who love to bird. A hipster seems to be a term for any young person these days who likes indie music, fedoras, local beers, and enjoy eating artisanal food. We are that, but so much more. Our true passion is birding, and amongst the birding crowd, we are definitely the odd young'ins.
We've been birding since December 2008, starting out in South Florida, and we completely immersed ourselves. What started off as a hobby soon became a lifestyle. Now we eat, sleep, and bird!
We now reside in Willamette Valley, Oregon and are excited to share our latest and greatest birding adventures with you.
If you would like to email us, you can do so at: hipsterbirders at gmail dot comPITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills' shaky quarterback play in practices this spring and summer reached a new low Saturday when Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel went a combined 1-for-8 in a period of 11-on-11 work in practice.
Cassel and Manuel split reps with the first-team group in the Bills' "two-spot" drill Saturday after Cassel and Tyrod Taylor split time with that group Friday. If the pattern holds, Taylor and Manuel will be the first-team pairing Sunday.
Here is the sequence of plays during the first 11-on-11 set of Saturday's practice:
Cassel:
First down: Wobbled throw to Sammy Watkins down left sideline; Watkins came back to ball but pass was broken up by cornerback Ronald Darby in the end zone.
Second down: Run by LeSean McCoy.
First down: Overthrown to Percy Harvin on out-breaking route.
Second down: Completed dump-off to tight end Matthew Mulligan.
First down: Run by McCoy.
Manuel:
Second down: Overthrown to Harvin down right sideline.
First down: Rollout and short pass to Harvin; pass broken up by cornerback Nickell Robey.
Second down: Pass thrown behind Sammy Watkins on drag route.
First down: Overthrown to Chris Hogan deep down the middle.
Second down: Underthrown to Marquise Goodwin down left sideline; near interception by the cornerback in coverage.
The results improved slightly in the second 11-on-11 period, which featured more shorter passes, including some screen passes. Taylor went 3-for |
to live with it.”
“I assume your order was—” Hodges began.
“And sholeh zard for dessert,” she added. “That’s rice pudding with cinnamon. And saffron.” She flashed her strangely troubled smile. Like the compulsive straightening of her boatneck tops, the smile was a Trelawneyism with which they would become very familiar. “It’s the saffron that makes it special. Even Mother always eats the sholeh zard.”
“Sounds tasty,” Hodges said. “And your order, was it boxed and ready to go when you got there?”
“Yes.”
“One box?”
“Oh no, three.”
“In a bag?”
“No, just the boxes.”
“Must have been quite a struggle, getting all that out of your car,” Pete said. “Three boxes of takeout, your purse...”
“And the key,” Hodges said. “Don’t forget that, Pete.”
“Also, you’d want to get it all upstairs as fast as possible,” Pete said. “Cold food’s no fun.”
“I see where you’re going with this,” Mrs. Trelawney said, “and I assure you...” A slight pause. “... you gentlemen that you are barking up the wrong path. I put my key in my purse as soon as I turned off the engine, it’s the first thing I always do. As for the boxes, they were tied together in a stack...” She held her hands about eighteen inches apart to demonstrate. “... and that made them very easy to handle. I had my purse over my arm. Look.” She crooked her arm, hung her purse on it, and marched around the big living room, holding a stack of invisible boxes from B’hai. “See?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hodges said. He thought he saw something else as well.
“As for hurrying—no. There was no need, since the dinners need to be heated up, anyway.” She paused. “Not the sholeh zard, of course. No need to heat up rice pudding.” She uttered a small laugh. Not a giggle, Hodges thought, but a titter. Given that her husband was dead, he supposed you could even call it a widdertitter. His dislike added another layer—almost thin enough to be invisible, but not quite. No, not quite.
“So let me review your actions once you got here to Lake Avenue,” Hodges said. “Where you arrived at a little past seven.”
“Yes. Five past, perhaps a little more.”
“Uh-huh. You parked... what? Three or four doors down?”
“Four at most. All I need are two empty spaces, so I can pull in without backing. I hate to back. I always turn the wrong way.”
“Yes, ma’am, my wife has exactly the same problem. You turned off the engine. You removed the key from the ignition and put it in your purse. You put your purse over your arm and picked up the boxes with the food in them—”
“The stack of boxes. Tied together with good stout string.”
“The stack, right. Then what?”
She looked at him as though he were, of all the idiots in a generally idiotic world, the greatest. “Then I went to my mother’s building. Mrs. Harris—the housekeeper, you know—buzzed me in. On Thursdays, she leaves as soon as I arrive. I took the elevator up to the nineteenth floor. Where you are now asking me questions instead of telling me when I can deal with my car. My stolen car.”
Hodges made a mental note to ask the housekeeper if she had noticed Mrs. T.’s Mercedes when she left.
Pete asked, “At what point did you take your key from your purse again, Mrs. Trelawney?”
“Again? Why would I—”
He held the key up—Exhibit A. “To lock your car before you entered the building. You did lock it, didn’t you?”
A brief uncertainty flashed in her eyes. They both saw it. Then it was gone. “Of course I did.”
Hodges pinned her gaze. It shifted away, toward the lake view out the big picture window, and he caught it again. “Think carefully, Mrs. Trelawney. People are dead, and this is important. Do you specifically remember juggling those boxes of food so you could get your key out of your purse and push the LOCK button? And seeing the headlights flash an acknowledgement? They do that, you know.”
“Of course I know.” She bit at her lower lip, realized she was doing it, stopped.
“Do you remember that specifically?”
For a moment all expression left her face. Then that superior smile burst forth in all its irritating glory. “Wait. Now I remember. I put the key in my purse after I gathered up my boxes and got out. And after I pushed the button that locks the car.”
“You’re sure,” Pete said.
“Yes.” She was, and would remain so. They both knew that. The way a solid citizen who hit and ran would say, when he was finally tracked down, that of course it was a dog he’d hit.
Pete flipped his notebook closed and stood up. Hodges did likewise. Mrs. Trelawney looked more than eager to escort them to the door.
“One more question,” Hodges said as they reached it.
She raised carefully plucked eyebrows. “Yes?”
“Where’s your spare key? We ought to take that one, too.”
There was no blank look this time, no cutting away of the eyes, no hesitation. She said, “I have no spare key, and no need of one. I’m very careful of my things, Officer. I’ve owned my Gray Lady—that’s what I call it—for five years, and the only key I’ve ever used is now in your partner’s pocket.”
18
The table where he and Pete ate their lunch has been cleared of everything but his half-finished glass of water, yet Hodges goes on sitting there, staring out the window at the parking lot and the overpass that marks the unofficial border of Lowtown, where Sugar Heights residents like the late Olivia Trelawney never venture. Why would they? To buy drugs? Hodges is sure there are druggies in the Heights, plenty of them, but when you live there, the dealers make housecalls.
Mrs. T. was lying. She had to lie. It was that or face the fact that a single moment of forgetfulness had led to horrific consequences.
Suppose, though—just for the sake of argument—that she was telling the truth.
Okay, let’s suppose. But if we were wrong about her leaving her Mercedes unlocked with the key in the ignition, how were we wrong? And what did happen?
He sits looking out the window, remembering, unaware that some of the waiters have begun to look at him uneasily—the overweight retiree sitting slumped in his seat like a robot with dead batteries.
19
The deathcar had been transported to Police Impound on a carrier, still locked. Hodges and Huntley received this update when they got back to their own car. The head mechanic from Ross Mercedes had just arrived, and was pretty sure he could unlock the damn thing. Eventually.
“Tell him not to bother,” Hodges said. “We’ve got her key.”
There was a pause at the other end, and then Lieutenant Morrissey said, “You do? You’re not saying she—”
“No, no, nothing like that. Is the mechanic standing by, Lieutenant?”
“He’s in the yard, looking at the damage to the car. Damn near tears, is what I heard.”
“He might want to save a drop or two for the dead people,” Pete said. He was driving. The windshield wipers beat back and forth. The rain was coming harder. “Just sayin.”
“Tell him to get in touch with the dealership and check something,” Hodges said. “Then have him call me on my cell.”
The traffic was snarled downtown, partly because of the rain, partly because Marlborough Street had been blocked off at City Center. They had made only four blocks when Hodges’s cell rang. It was Howard McGrory, the mechanic.
“Did you have someone at the dealership check on what I was curious about?” Hodges asked him.
“No need,” McGrory said. “I’ve worked at Ross since 1987. Must have seen a thousand Mercs go out the door since then, and I can tell you they all go out with two keys.”
“Thanks,” Hodges said. “We’ll be there soon. Got some more questions for you.”
“I’ll be here. This is terrible. Terrible.”
Hodges ended the call and passed on what McGrory had said.
“Are you surprised?” Pete asked. Ahead was an orange DETOUR sign that would vector them around City Center... unless they wanted to light their blues, that was, and neither did. What they needed now was to talk.
“Nope,” Hodges said. “It’s standard operating procedure. Like the Brits say, an heir and a spare. They give you two keys when you buy your new car—”
“—and tell you to put one in a safe place, so you can lay hands on it if you lose the one you carry around. Some people, if they need the spare a year or two later, they’ve forgotten where they put it. Women who carry big purses—like that suitcase the Trelawney woman had—are apt to dump both keys into it and forget all about the extra one. If she’s telling the truth about not putting it on a fob, she was probably using them interchangeably.”
“Yeah,” Hodges said. “She gets to her mother’s, she’s preoccupied with the thought of spending another night dealing with Mom’s pain, she’s juggling the boxes and her purse...”
“And left the key in the ignition. She doesn’t want to admit it—not to us and not to herself—but that’s what she did.”
“Although the warning chime...” Hodges said doubtfully.
“Maybe a big noisy truck was going by as she was getting out and she didn’t hear the chime. Or a police car, winding its siren. Or maybe she was just so deep in her own thoughts she ignored it.”
It made sense then and even more later when McGrory told them the deathcar hadn’t been jimmied to gain entry or hotwired to start. What troubled Hodges—the only thing that troubled him, really—was how much he wanted it to make sense. Neither of them had liked Mrs. Trelawney, she of the boatneck tops, perfectly plucked brows, and squeaky widder-titter. Mrs. Trelawney who hadn’t asked for any news of the dead and injured, not so much as a single detail. She wasn’t the doer—no way was she—but it would be good to stick her with some of the blame. Give her something to think about besides veggie dinners from B’hai.
“Don’t complicate what’s simple,” his partner repeated. The traffic snarl had cleared and he put the pedal down. “She was given two keys. She claims she only had one. And now it’s the truth. The bastard who killed those people probably threw the one she left in the ignition down a handy sewer when he walked away. The one she showed us was the spare.”
That had to be the answer. When you heard hoofbeats, you didn’t think zebras.Long slow distance (LSD) is a form of aerobic endurance training in running and cycling.[1][2] Physiological adaptations to LSD training include improved cardiovascular function, improved thermoregulatory function, improved mitochondrial energy production, increased oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle, and increased utilization of fat for fuel.[1] Ernst van Aaken, a German physician and coach, is generally recognized as the founder of the long slow distance method of endurance training.[3][4][5]
Long slow distance training is a form of continuous training performed at a constant pace of low to moderate intensity over an extended distance or duration.[6] The moderate training intensity of LSD is effective in improving endurance and maximum oxygen uptake in individuals who are undertrained or moderately trained.[6] Long slow distance training is thought not to be effective when used in isolation by well-trained athletes, who in order to achieve further improvements in metabolic conditioning require higher training intensities that are not sustainable at the work durations associated with LSD.[6]
History [ edit ]
Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, suggests that it was Arthur Newton who initially proposed that running longer distances at slower paces was the most effective training method for beginning runners.[7] Noakes asserts that after this method was rediscovered in the 1960s, Joe Henderson coined the term "long slow distance".[7]
Joe Henderson [ edit ]
Long slow distance running was promoted as a training method by Joe Henderson in 1969.[8] Henderson saw his approach as providing an alternative to the dominant school of training for distance running which he called “PTA school of running – the pain, torture, and agony” approach. He documented the success of six competitive runners who followed in one form or another an LSD training regime, sometimes combining a few more strenuous workouts with the regular long slow distance running with weekly mileages ranging from 50-60 to 120–150 miles per week, with marathon personal bests between 2:14 and 2:50 hours.[8] In addition, there are ultra-marathoners who use a similar method for training.[9] A typical 5k runner might consider 8 to 10 miles of LSD, while a marathoner might run 20 or more miles. LSD runs are typically done at an easy pace, 1–3 minutes per mile slower than a runner's 10k pace. The objectives of these runs are to build blood volume and to increase muscle strength, endurance, and aerobic fitness.
Henderson's book was not only directed at competitive runners, but also at runners who wanted to have fun running. He writes, “LSD isn't just a training method. It's a whole way of looking at the sport. Those who employ it are saying running is fun – all running, not just the competitive part which yields rewards.” [10][11]
Approaches to running [ edit ]
During the running boom of the 1970s, many recreational runners used LSD as a basis for training.[12] One of the "fathers" of the Honolulu Marathon, cardiologist Jack Scaff used a long slow distance approach to train runners in his marathon clinics.[13][14] Scaff advised his runners to follow the "talk test", an idea that had originated from Lydiard in which runners should be going slow enough to be able to hold a conversation.[15] According to sportswriter John Brant in his 2006 book Duel in the Sun, almost every serious distance runner in the early 1980s used Lydiard's system of building an endurance base with many miles at an aerobic pace before running shorter distances at an anaerobic pace.[16]
Starting out with an hour run, three times a week, and building up to weekly averages of 40 to 60 miles a week for the last three months, thousands of graduates of the program have found that they could complete the full Honolulu Marathon which is held every year in beginning of December. The clinic's approach can be seen from its original Rules of the Road, now referred to as the "basic set of rules that lay the foundation for your training."[17]
The rules: No fewer than three runs per week
No more than five runs per week
No less than one hour per run
No farther than 15 miles on any run
One run per week lasting two hours or more (after month 5)[18]
A variant of the LSD approach is to combine running slowly with walking breaks.
"It has been found that average runners will have more success if they take regular walk breaks. "The strategy is unusual in that it doesn't involve simply walking when you are tired. Walk-break runners force themselves to stop even at the beginning of a run when they are fresh." [19]
An example of such an approach is provided by the running clinics organized by Jeff Galloway[20] In running circles, John Bingham aka the Penguin, is a well-known practitioner of LSD combined with walking breaks.[21]
Limitations [ edit ]
Arthur Lydiard wrote that LSD system of training does not reach the levels of effort most effective for building aerobic fitness.[22] Pete Pfitzinger has written that the long slow distance method of training is acceptable for novice runners hoping to complete a marathon, but that more experienced runners benefit from long runs that, depending on the workout, incorporate a variety of paces including speeds approaching race pace.[23] According to Pfitzinger, varying paces are necessary because different physiological adaptations, including increased glycogen storage and fat utilization, occur at specific training paces.[23]
Galloway points out that if a runner wishes to increase their speed, interval training or speed training is recommended.[24] Henderson uses races as speedwork and is a proponent of speedwork in limited quantities.
The scientific literature indicates that high-intensity training can provide greater benefit towards anaerobic capacity than moderate-intensity endurance training.[25] The U.S. Army is reducing the use of long runs in its physical training programs.[26]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]January was a month full of surprises for Eric Alexander.
Fresh off a successful 2014 Major League Soccer season that saw New York reach the playoffs for a fifth straight time, the Red Bulls decided to shake things up in a big way when they fired coach Mike Petke.
It was a decision that was met by a huge backlash from New York fans—Petke was considered one of the brightest, young coaches in MLS and he guided the Red Bulls to a first-place finish in 2013.
Tuesday, February 24 programming alert:
Watchin the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals live on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet World. Coverage starts at 10:00 pm ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Alexander never saw it coming. Nor did he anticipate what would come next—him being sent to the Montreal Impact later in the month as part of a blockbuster trade that saw Brazilian Felipe come to New York.
Alexander, 26, had failed to really settle during his first three seasons in MLS after being drafted by FC Dallas in 2010. He never quite caught on with the Texas club (28 starts over two years) before being traded in 2011 to the Portland Timbers (17 starts).
Another trade, this time to New York in 2013, proved to be a turning point in Alexander’s MLS career. Petke showed great faith in the midfielder, and Alexander thrived in New York. He made 30 starts and appeared in all 34 games during each of the 2013 and 2014 seasons, adding six goals and 11 assists during Petke’s tenure.
Alexander credits Petke for giving him a chance to prove himself.
“He was very important to my development. Mike was one of the guys who really believed in me when I was at the club. He kept me in the line-up when a lot of people didn’t want me in there. It was crucial that he showed that kind of faith in me. I was happy to serve and play under him,” Alexander told Sportsnet.
He later added: “I think everybody was surprised (Petke was fired). He had two very successful seasons. A lot of people are disappointed. I never saw it coming.”
Alexander’s solid play in New York was not lost on Montreal, who was looking to bolster its midfield after a disastrous 2014 MLS campaign. Alexander was one of the centrepieces of the trade with the Red Bulls.
“I was really surprised at first, but I was also excited at the same time because I know from playing against Montreal in the past and the calibre of players that they have and who they signed this winter that we can be a very good side,” Alexander said.
Playing alongside players such as Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill were the highlights of Alexander’s time in New York.
“For me, I played a lot of games, and I got to play with some very good players. We won the Supporters’ Shield (in 2013) and almost made it to the final last year, so overall it was very positive experience for me; a good growing experience for me. I’m excited to build off of it,” Alexander offered.
Moving from a playoff contender to the last-place team in MLS last season hasn’t fazed Alexander, who has a pair of caps with the U.S. national team to his credit.
“I was in a similar situation after my rookie year when I got traded from Dallas. We were in the finals in 2010 and then I got sent to Portland who entered the league the next year. I know what the challenge is like, so I’m looking forward to take it head don again and help Montreal turns it round,” Alexander said.
The Impact open the 2015 MLS regular season on the road vs D.C. United on March 7. Before that Montreal will take on Mexican side Pachuca in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The two teams square off in Mexico next Tuesday, with the return leg scheduled for March 3 in Montreal.
Alexander, though, won’t feature in the two-game series—he’s cup tied after already appearing for New York earlier in this season’s tournament.
“I would love to plat. I played in Mexico a few times and it’s a great environment. Obviously, it’s a big game for us and nobody wants to sit out for that. It’s a bummer,” Alexander admitted.
SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HEREHillary Clinton and her media allies have been working overtime to put out numerous fires that continue to pop up and spread during the final weeks of her campaign for president. Recently, the flames have gotten more difficult to smother as reports of Clinton’s frail health have bled into the mainstream media, despite the unanimous and unilateral decision by the MSM to treat anyone who even raises a question as akin to a Holocaust denier. (On Sunday night, for example, Huffington Post fired contributor David Seaman and deleted his columns simply for linking to a Hillary health video that’s been viewed four million times.)
Julian Assange stoked more flames when he suggested a murdered DNC worker was the Wikileaks source for the DNC hack. Most recently, the Associated Press released a blockbuster story concluding that more than half of the people Clinton met with as secretary of state gave donations to the Clinton Foundation.
Despite these ongoing scandals, Clinton’s close yet questionable ties to media outlets such as Google, CNN, PBS and The New York Times have seemed to pay off. These entities have gone out of their way to censor negative stories about Clinton, particularly ones involving the Clinton Foundation. There’s one common thread though these media outlets suppressing harmful Clinton stories all share: they’ve donated to the Clinton Foundation.
On Aug. 23 the Associated Press broke the story citing that more than half the people outside of the government that Clinton met with as she served as secretary of state gave money to the Clinton Foundation, either personally or through companies or groups. The AP report concluded that 85 out of 154 people she met with from the private sector either donated to her charity or pledged commitments.
The AP drew this conclusion by reviewing some of Clinton’s schedule from when she was secretary of state. They obtained these records after a federal judge ordered the release of them stemming from a lawsuit they filed against the State Department in 2015. (The AP is reporting that the State Department won’t finish releasing the rest of Clinton’s schedule till after the presidential election despite their request for it by October 15.)
This bombshell, compounded with Clinton’s use of a private server as secretary of state, is fueling allegations that she was involved in a pay-to-play operation. But the story has been suppressed by Google in its searches—just as it has done in the past with stories that paint Clinton in a negative light.
When searches related to this story were entered into the Google web browser last week, results for “Clinton AP story” were limited to stories from leftwing publications discrediting the story—including this report from Vox: “The AP’s big expose on Hillary meeting with Clinton Foundation donors is a mess.”
The same terms in a Bing search yielded more balanced headlines, like “Clinton campaign, AP battle over story on foundation ties” from Market Watch.
Once again, Google has gone out of its way to censor damaging reports about Clinton.
When users typed “media coverage of the Clinton Foundation” into Google it returned results such as CNN’s “Associated Press Botches Hillary Clinton report and response.” In Bing, one gets articles such as “Mike Pence Slams the Media and Clinton Foundation in Virginia.”
The New York Times has taken its censorship a step further; the day after the AP story broke there was no mention of it in their entire paper and this has remained the case until late Monday afternoon—a week later—when Maggie Haberman finally mentioned that “[Clinton] and her campaign have denounced an Associated Press report.”
On Sunday, CNN’s “Reliable Sources” host, Brian Stelter, defended Clinton and attacked AP’s Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll. Instead of questioning Clinton’s dubious conduct as Secretary of State, Stelter questioned why the AP published the story in the first place and labeled it as “misleading.”
Paul Joseph Watson, editor-at-large at Infowars.com, is responsible for bringing concerns of Clinton’s health into the mainstream media. Watson consulted doctors and detailed the evidence of Clinton’s health problems in a YouTube video that has gone viral amassing almost four million views. Since then, many well-renowned doctors, neurologists, and radiologists have expressed concerns for Clinton’s health publicly.
Beth Israel Medical Center’s Dr. Bob Lahita made a compelling argument for Clinton’s health concerns and called for Clinton to be assessed by an impartial panel of physicians during an appearance on Fox Business. Dr. Drew said in an interview with KABC “McIntyre in the Morning” that he’s “gravely concerned” about her health. Suspiciously, that episode has been removed from KABC’s website and Dr. Drew’s show on HLN—owned by a division of Time Warner which is the same parent company that owns CNN—was canceled eight days after he made the negative assessment about Clinton’s health.
On the other hand, CNN attempted to debunk harmful reports about Clinton’s health by suggesting that concerns for the Democratic presidential nominee’s health are both a conspiracy and sexist. And once again, Google has gone out of its way to censor these damaging reports about Clinton. The tech company is suppressing stories about Clinton’s health in its search bar.
When you type in “Hillary Clinton’s he”, the auto-complete suggestions pull results that have nothing to do with the trending issues of Clinton’s personal health, such as “Hillary Clinton’s headquarters” or “Hillary Clinton health plan.” When the same terms are put into Bing, several suggestions regarding the trending topic of the state of her health appear, such as “Hillary Clinton health issues” and “Hillary Clinton has seizure.” In Yahoo’s search engine, simply typing “Hillary” pulls up suggestions such as “Hillary Clinton illness,” “Hillary Clinton health issues” and “Hillary Clinton seizure.”
Julian Assange opened a can of worms when he suggested in a recent interview that murdered DNC worker Seth Rich was the Wikileaks source for the DNC hack that resulted in the resignation of three top level officials at the Democratic National Committee. This fueled Clinton body count stories on the Internet that list people tied to the Clintons who have died under freak circumstances.
Google has suppressed these stories in their search engine as reported on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends. When you type in “Clinton body,” car repair shop results pop up. The same search terms in Bing and Yahoo pull up results such as “Clinton body count” or “Clinton body bags.” The report also notes that when you type in Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump’s name into Google’s search engine, both positive and negative stories appear.
A report came out Friday revealing that PBS’s “Newshour” removed negative comments about Clinton in Judy Woodruff’s interview with Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein. A Stein supporter discovered the edits after he compared the FaceBook Live version with the broadcast and YouTube versions. The edits PBS removed from the interview included Stein’s criticism of Clinton’s support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Obamacare.
“Newshour” has done one report about the Clinton Foundation scandal in a softball piece titled “A glimpse inside operations at the Clinton Foundation.” In the segment, Woodruff’s co-host Hari Sreenivasan, conducted interviews with James Grimaldi of the Wall Street Journal, Columbia University’s Doug White and Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala. A Media Research Center study found that the Clinton Foundation “charity fraud” story has only received a total of four minutes and 24 seconds devoted to it from the three big networks this year.
For comparison sake, the incident in which Donald Trump allegedly pretended to be his own publicist—in 1991—garnered eight times more coverage.
To understand why The New York Times, Google, CNN and PBS would censor negative information about Clinton, particularly, stories revolving around the Clinton Foundation scandal, all you have to do is follow the money. All of these companies have donated—in some cases up seven figures—to the Clinton Foundation. Carlos Slim, Chairman & CEO of Telmex, the largest New York Times shareholder, donated between $1 and $5 million. Google donated between $500K and $1 million.
The parent company of CNN, Time Warner Inc., gave between $50k to $100k to the foundation. (Woodruff, who serves as co-host and managing editor of PBS “NewsHour”, gave $250 to the foundation’s Clinton Haiti Relief Fund in 2010.) It’s no wonder these media entities are reluctant to report harmful stories on Clinton, specifically ones surrounding the Clinton Foundation, since in doing so they could be implicating themselves in this evolving scandal.
Her charges of a ‘vast right-wing conspiracy’ were false. It was not a conspiracy, and President Clinton’s false statements about his affair lead to his impeachment.
A deeper look into Google’s ties to Clinton, specifically while she was secretary of state, exposes more reasons why the tech giant has a vested interest in censoring the AP’s bombshell story. Wikileaks exposed that Google teamed up with Clinton’s State Department to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al Assad in 2012.
In leaked emails between Clinton’s staff and Google executive Jared Cohen—who worked for Clinton at the State Department before joining Google—Cohen details Google’s plan to get involved in the region and to boost Assad defections. The exchange proves that the tech company worked in concert with the State Department to topple Assad’s government. Further proving Google’s involvement with US foreign policy, Cohen helped draft the State Department’s 21st Century Statecraft Initiative, which called for using Internet and social media technologies to pursue diplomatic goals.
Google’s controversial relationship with Clinton has raised enough eyebrows that the Oracle Corporation is using its resources to launch the Google Transparency Project. The mission is to shed sunlight on Google’s relationships with Clinton and President Barack Obama. The GTP has already produced a series of investigative reports on Google including one that reveals that there were 18 former State Department officials that joined Google as executives and five Google officials who acquired senior positions at the State Department.
Clinton has brushed off reports of her bad health as nothing more than conspiracy theories. In 1998, Clinton used a similar technique to bat down allegations that then President Bill Clinton was involved in an extramarital affair in the White House with intern Monica Lewinsky. We now know that her charges of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” were false. It was not a conspiracy, and President Clinton’s false statements about his affair lead to his impeachment.
Hillary Clinton’s new catch phrase in response to the AP’s explosive report is that there’s “a lot of smoke” but “no fire.” If that’s truly the case, one really has to wonder why there’s an outright refusal to release the rest of her schedule from when she served as Secretary of State until after the November presidential election.Sting operations by wildlife activists in central Africa have broken up highly organised smuggling rings sending endangered species abroad, leading to the arrest of key dealers and the recovery of hundreds of kilos of ivory, turtle shells and animal skins.
The clampdown took place across four neighbouring countries: Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo.Observers said the arrests last week, co-ordinated by the Last Great Ape Organisation (Laga), a wildlife law-enforcement NGO, in Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville, marked a big step towards regional enforcement of the laws protecting endangered species.
In Gabon, undercover agents posing as smugglers picked up 16 dealers in possession of 150kg of illegal polished ivory. The haul, estimated to be worth about £90,000 on the international market and probably destined for China, the world's leading market for "white gold", was going via Nigeria, one of the main smuggling routes. All 16 were remanded in custody, having been refused bail following the operation, which focused on a hotel, a local market and a sculptor's studio following a long investigation.
Luc Mathot, of the agency AALF (appui à l'Application de la Loi sur la Faune), who proposed the project to the government, said it was the first time ivory dealers in the country had been put in jail. "This shows that the Gabonese authorities are now prepared to monitor, hunt down, condemn and imprison ivory dealers – that the law on ivory dealing in Gabon is finally being enforced," he said.
In Cameroon, three dealers trading 17 turtle shells were arrested. A cargo of 1,000 African grey parrots worth an estimated £65,000 was intercepted being smuggled into Nigeria and a policeman was arrested on suspicion of accepting a £2,000 bribe to release it and allow it on its way.
The operation in the Central African Republic recovered seven leopard skins, two lion skins and two tusks concealed beneath a pile of cowhides in a dealer's truck. He was arrested. The skins were thought to be destined for Europe or the US to decorate wealthy homes. On the same day, wildlife activists in Ouesso in the north of Congo-Brazzaville found a further 30kg of ivory.
Ofir Drori, the founder of Laga, said the co-ordinated campaign was a breakthrough in a region where countries often sign up to global protections for animals but poor legislation and weak enforcement mean they fail.
"This is the first time we have experienced such a regional crackdown. African governments have started realising international trafficking has to be fought internationally," he said. "These co-ordinated arrests in four neighbouring countries are a warning to the international trafficking rings – no longer can you hide on the other side of a border.
"Traffickers are untouchable and often enjoy complicity with government officials. Conservation in central Africa is a massive failure hiding behind so-called success stories. We would never claim to be a success story – the smugglers still have the upper hand and we are just at the beginning of our fight.' Drori said that the slaughter of animals for the trade was driven by demand from overseas. An ivory baron in China or a trophy hunter in America would place an order that would then trickle down through the criminal network to central Africa.
The smugglers were not lone operators but part of a sophisticated mafia which had grown over the past couple of decades. "Wildlife extinction doesn't start with poachers, it starts with wealthy white-collar criminals who have been operating in central Africa for over 20 years," he said. One of the major obstacles facing wildlife law enforcement is tackling the corruption endemic within central Africa. Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Cameroon and the Central African Republic are persistently ranked by Transparency International as some of the most corrupt countries in the world.
Revenue generated from the illegal wildlife trade, the single greatest threat to some species' survival, is estimated to be in the region of $10bn to $20bn, just behind illegal drug and firearm sales, according to the UN Congress on Crime. Sometimes drugs and wildlife trafficking work hand in hand. One chimpanzee was found sandwiched between 50kg of cocaine and marijuana when a trafficker was arrested in Cameroon en route to Nigeria four years ago.
Often the illegal trade in animals is not even remotely clandestine. In 2008, a baby male hippopotamus was put on an Ethiopian airlines flight from Douala, Cameroon's economic capital, and flown to Lahore zoo in Pakistan. Three traffickers, currently under investigation, reportedly paid $80,000 for the hippo and smuggled it out using forged government documents. Further proof that conservationists are failing to protect endangered species is the disappearance of the West African black rhino, which was last seen in northern Cameroon in 2008. At the end of 2009, Sierra Leone announced it feared it had lost the last of its elephants to poachers, while fewer than 10 elephants remain in Senegal.Chalkboard paint is an inventive way to bring a little fun (and maybe even some childish mischief!) to your interior design. Depending on how you decide to use the chalkboard effect, there’s an entire range of interesting visualisations that you can create to suit your home design. From classy chic to shabby chic, you’re only limited by your imagination…
How to incorporate chalkboards into your home design
Without looking shabby and cheap!
Chalkboards can look especially effective in the kitchen, as this is typically the area that people leave notes and messages hanging on cork boards and fridges. You can leave temporary messages, reminders, schedules and calendars for the whole family. Or even recipes and grocery lists like in the photographs above.
The installment of a chalkboard as part of your kitchen or dining room design doesn’t necessitate ever-changing messages and calendars though. You can easily incorporate a more themed chalkboard wall into the overall design of your kitchen or dining room. Like the motivational messages and empty “hanging frames” or the whimsical breakfast-related quote from Alice in Wonderland as pictured above. You can choose for certain aspects of the chalkboard to be permanent, while still leaving space for any doodles or messages you may want to add later.
Clean white kitchen and dining room furniture, like the Holmes High Gloss kitchen set pictured above, look fantastically dramatic when contrasted against the matte black surface of the chalkboard.
Or for a more playful contrast, brightly coloured furniture (like the Nikita kitchen set below) also work very well if your use of the chalkboard suits a more colourful, playful theme.
Though the above examples of complementary furniture matches for chalkboard walls seem to favour more modern approaches to home design, chalkboard paint also seems to be quite popularly paired with pine wood furniture |
onto another
Steam users account I realized that well, I’m not sure where they got
the idea I was trying to hijack someones account. I asked them to
check my IP address and see if my change of location was part of the
reason my account was disabled. I was on a trip across the country
when I found out my account was disabled.
After I responded to them, letting them know that I wasn’t guilty for
this and giving them as much information about my situation as I could
possibly think of, I said that I would like to be shown evidence or
informed about the situation that they disabled me over so I may clear
my name. They simply responded with: “Hello Jeff,
The issue is not for discussion or debate. The account will not be
reactivated. Thank you for contacting Steam Support.”
As you can imagine this left me a little confused because I was under
the impression Steam Support was supposed to offer me support or
attempt to help me. Seeing as I had just been ripped off for a few
hundred dollars I was a little frustrated as you could imagine. And
now after having the so called Steam “Support” refuse to help me, I am
a little confused. I am a little confused about why my Steam account
was wrongly disabled, why they will not tell me what the incident I
was disabled over was, why they aren’t trying to help me get my
account back, and why they generally aren’t interested in helping a
customer who was given them $100’s of dollars over the past couple
months.
TL:DR: Steam disables my account without giving me a reason. When I
ask why I was disabled they refused to tell me and state that this is
not for discussion. I’m in awe of how they treat their customers who
have spent $100’s on their products. I end up being a little
frustrated after Steam Support refuses to offer me support.
I really hope you find this all of interest and are interested in
spreading the word. I hope to get my account back from Steam but I
don’t have much hope anymore. If this is published then I feel I may
actually have a chance. I also don’t want other people to go through
what I have and hope that Steam realizes that with 25 Million users,
having about 4 people handling support isn’t quite enough. I have
included a PDF of this whole event and I’m more then happy to send any
additional information you’d like.New Zealand and Australian teens as young as 14 are part of Facebook research around targeting advertising towards people feeling stressed, worthless or insecure, according to a memo released to an Australian newspaper.
The Australian reported the document was prepared by two of Facebook's top Australian executives.
Since the story was published Facebook has issued an apology and launched an investigation into the research, which it says does not appear to have followed its policy for use of sensitive data.
The memo reportedly states that Facebook can detect in real time when young people are feeling stressed, defeated, overwhelmed, anxious, nervous, stupid, silly, useless and a failure.
Photo: 123RF
The journalist who broke the story, Darren Davidson, told Nine to Noon he had heard rumours for some time about Facebook using dodgy advertising techniques but any information around it was a closely guarded secret.
"I'd come pretty close on a number of occasions to obtaining some documents and on all of those occasions the sources that I had basically lost their nerve."
He recently got hold of the leaked memo and said he was shocked about what was in it.
"I'm surprised they write these things down, it's really astonishing that they talk about young children in this way.
"By knowing when a group of people feel a certain mood, they might therefore have a higher intent to purchase or be more susceptible to or be more vulnerable to, I guess the suggestion is, advertising."
While the document says Facebook falls short of naming individuals, it can provide granular details.
"They know how many friends you have, your relationship status, where you live, how you access the platform via your phone or desktop, where you do it and what time you do it, and there's more detail as well on what they know about you.
"If you know when someone's vulnerable, rather than try to sell them ads, shouldn't you try and help them some way?"
Facebook says it has 6.4 million users in Australia and New Zealand aged from 14 to 24.
New Zealand young people were mentioned as part of the database, however it was not clear if they were part of the entire research process.
The memo was part of a presentation for a top-four bank in Australia.
"It talks about what they can do for the bank... it's 24 pages long and it talks about some of their products at the top of the presentation and how they can, you know, continue working together."
Davidson said he did not believe a suggestion from Facebook that the document was merely a mistake, as though advertising was a rogue operation in their company.
"It's not like they have people in other functions, all they really do is sell ads, they don't produce any other content, they take content from newspapers, magazines, TV networks, they get it for free, they aggregate it, and then they aggressively sell ads against those eyeballs.
"They know very well what they're doing."
Internet NZ chief executive Jordan Carter told Nine to Noon the document raised wider questions about Facebook's social responsibilities, rather than just the company's own financial interest.
"I don't think that children, young people, should be targeted on that basis."
He said a lot of advertisers would want to get their hands on the information, as emotional states are key to manipulation in advertising.
"This might be really high octane stuff if it was made available."
He said it was astonishing how much could be made of the information that people give away.
"The question for us as society is... How do we want these platforms to be able to use information about young and vulnerable people, or indeed about any of us?
"That's a debate that we had in patches through things like the Harmful Digital Communications Act, but as we all put more and more information online, and as the tools of big data and artificial intelligence develop to be able to make more meaning from it, this is a debate that isn't going to be going away."
Advertising Standards Authority chief executive Hilary Souter said most of New Zealand's advertising codes focused on content, particularly what could and could not be said in advertising, but there were codes around a due sense of responsibility and vulnerable consumers.
"There is a high expectation that advertisers, advertising agencies and the media platforms will be more careful in those categories and they include children and young people, therapeutic products and services, alcohol, gambling and financial advertising."
She said there were clear requirements in the code about not targeting young people in relation to weight loss.
"We would expect the advertiser to be able to explain what approach they took, in relation to how that ad was served."The political center has lost its power to persuade and its essential means of connection to the people it seeks to represent. Instead, we are seeing a convergence of the far left and far right. The right attacks immigrants while the left rails at bankers, but the spirit of insurgency, the venting of anger at those in power and the addiction to simple, demagogic answers to complex problems are the same for both extremes. Underlying it all is a shared hostility to globalization.
Britain and Europe now face a protracted period of economic and political uncertainty, as the British government tries to negotiate a future outside the single market where half of Britain’s goods and services are traded. These new arrangements — to be clear about the scale of the challenge — must be negotiated with all the other 27 countries, their individual parliaments and the European Parliament. Some governments may be cooperative; others won’t want to make leaving easy for Britain, in order to discourage similar movements.
Britain is a strong country, with a resilient people and energy and creativity in abundance. I don’t doubt Britons’ capacity to come through, whatever the cost. But the stress on the United Kingdom is already apparent.
Voters in Scotland chose by a large margin to remain in Europe, with the result that there are renewed calls for another referendum on Scottish independence. Northern Ireland has benefited from virtually open borders with the Republic of Ireland. That freedom is at risk because the North’s border with the South now becomes the European Union’s border, a potential threat to the Northern Ireland peace process.
If the people — usually a repository of common sense and practicality — do something that appears neither sensible nor practical, then it forces a period of long and hard reflection. My own politics is waking to this new political landscape. The same dangerous impulses are visible, too, in American politics, but the challenges of globalization cannot be met by isolationism or shutting borders.
The center must regain its political traction, rediscover its capacity to analyze the problems we all face and find solutions that rise above the populist anger. If we do not succeed in beating back the far left and far right before they take the nations of Europe on this reckless experiment, it will end the way such rash action always does in history: at best, in disillusion; at worst, in rancorous division. The center must hold.A Catalogue of Imaginary Girlfriends
1. The barista, bar or wait staff you swap smiles and greetings with who reduces you to a bumbling, blushing mess on a near-daily basis. She knows.
2. The one you make out with intensely at drunken parties about twice a year but never follow up fast enough to make something more of it.
3. The one you see in the gym maybe two out of five visits, running endlessly on the treadmill in front of yours, and you imagine she’s sweating because she can hear your furiously beamed psychic assessment of her perfect shoulder blades.
4. The gym front desk staff member who has always known your name and gets hormone pimples on the same days as you. I know, right? I’m not sure I’m ready for this level of commitment.
5. The one you left your actual girlfriend for, only to realise out she wasn’t your girlfriend.
6. The straight girl whom you never dared contemplate sexually but whom you worshipped and served for months to years in a lopsided BFF dependency.
7. The straight girl whom you never dared contemplate sexually but whom you worshipped and served for months to years in a lopsided BFF dependency, only you lived in the same house with no other roommates and sometimes even slept in the same bed. (Note: remember to include in “catalogue of imaginary wives” list.)
8. The straight girl whom you never dared contemplate sexually but whom you worshipped and served for months to years in a lopsided BFF dependency – who married a man, and you smiled all through the wedding then got outrageously drunk and insisted on peeing in a bush on the way home.
9. The straight (?) girl whom you never dared contemplate sexually but whom you worshipped and served for months to years in a lopsided BFF dependency – who never married anybody, and you sometimes wonder if she’s waiting for you.
10. The one you took on a couple of non-romantic outings, then drunkenly made out with, and the next day she turned up at your house with an overnight bag, cheerfully prepared to talk about international holidays together. This one’s not in your imagination, unfortunately.
11. The one who seemed so solid, dependable and eternal but evaporated overnight after a series of ghastly mistakes (yours.)
12. The ghost of girlfriend past (crying.)
13. The ghost of girlfriend present (long-distance relationship.)
14. The ghost of girlfriend present, variant the first (emotionally long-distance relationship.)
15. The ghost of girlfriend present, variant the second (affair.)
16. The ghost of girlfriend future (masturbation.)
17. The one you were thoroughly infatuated with all through high school and still have to pretend nonchalance over whenever her name crops up in conversation.
18. The neighbour from an apartment in the same building whom you see only really rarely, but whenever you do it’s inevitably as you receive yet another volley in the passive-aggressive note war every resident has with The Guy In Number Four, and the two of you share a conspiratorial eyeroll. Later, you imagine picking out baby names together.
19. Celebrities. (Darling, no; don’t try to tell me you don’t talk to Kristen Bell in your head every day. It’s okay. Please don’t ask me about Kristen Stewart or Kirsten Dunst. Any woman starting with K, really. Let’s just quietly file this one and move on.)
20. The one who takes your order at the local Thai delivery joint and never judges you for ordering two desserts; in fact, she’s been known to throw them in for free if you don’t order them, and draws smiley faces on the lids. Enabler.
21. The one who put your heart through a mortar and pestle-style crushing and whom you really don’t want to be involved with, but who just can’t seem to stop calling, texting, emailing or accosting you at unavoidable mutual social engagements.
22. The same one as above, but you keep getting drunk and being the first to make contact.
23. The same one as above, but you’re on the other side. Oh, wow. Stop that.
24. The one you thought you were dating but it turns out it was just, like, this super-casual thing and she would never have done it if she knew you had so many feelings.
25. The one that was very definitely a super-casual thing but then she made breakfast and now everybody’s super-confused so you never called back.
26. Your therapist. She can’t shout back, it’s kind of amazing.
27. The one that’s actually an inanimate object or abstract concept that you used to be “in a relationship with” on Facebook, until they stopped letting you do that. You found Oreos Crushed In Ice Cream to be a pretty supportive partner.
28. The one you know is out there for you, somewhere, and is actually just yourself but maybe with slightly less rad hair so you don’t end up even more insecure.
$ Donation Amount: Updating Amount... Like this article? Tip The Toast! Select Payment Method PayPal Loading... Personal Info First Name * Last Name Email Address * Donation Total: $1.00Christian Schoenberg
Ostprignitz-Ruppin (MZV) Die AfD hat sich am Dienstag von der Sachbeschädigung eines CDU-Großaufstellers deutlich distanziert. In Wittstock war eine Werbetafel von Sebastian Steineke (CDU) mit Plakaten der Partei versehen worden. "Michael Nehls, Vorsitzender des AfD-Kreisverbandes Ostprignitz-Ruppin, versichert eidesstattlich, dass weder er noch irgend jemand aus dem Verband dieses Plakat des Direktkandidaten Steineke in Wittstock verunstaltet hat", teilte Parteisprecher Burkhard Thormann am Dienstag mit. Die AfD erkläre, dass keine Wahlplakate anderer Parteien beschädigt oder abhängt werden. "In diesem Fall gehen wir davon aus, dass der politische Gegner versucht, der AfD zu unterstellen Wahlplakate zu beschädigen und nutzt dazu beim letzten Wahlkampf gestohlene Plakate der AfD."
Tatsächlich soll es sich bei dem aufgeklebten Plakat um eines aus vorherigen Wahlkämpfen und nicht um ein aktuelles handeln. Die AfD wolle nun selbst Anzeige "wegen Vortäuschens einer Straftat, wegen Verleumdung und übler Nachrede" erstatten, kündigte Thormann an.
Ihm zufolge seien zudem in den vergangenen Wochen in Städten und Gemeinden in den Nachbarkreisen bis zu 80Prozent der AfD-Plakate zerstört oder gestohlen worden. "Wo bleibt da das viel beschworene Demokratieverständnis des politischen Gegners?", fragt sich Thormann. Das habe nichts mehr mit demokratischer Auseinandersetzung zu tun. In Ostprignitz-Ruppin werde ab diesem Wochenende mit dem Plakatieren begonnen.Even as talks for a permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace got off to a cautious start in Washington Monday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Egypt that no Israelis would be allowed to remain in a future Palestinian state.
“In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli — civilian or soldier — on our lands,” Abbas said following a meeting with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour in Cairo.
Abbas was in Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials and discuss relations between the Palestinian Authority and Cairo as well as to negotiate a relaxing of border restrictions between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
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The Palestinian leader also reiterated that he wants a total freeze on settlement construction, and that he will not agree to any compromise solution that would halt projects in smaller outlying Jewish communities in the West Bank while allowing continued building in the larger settlement blocs
“There was a request, ‘We’ll only build here, what do you think?’ If I agreed, I would legitimize all the rest (of the settlements). I said no. I said out loud and in writing that, to us, settlements in their entirety are illegitimate,” said Abbas.
In the past, Israeli governments have toyed with a proposal first put forward by former prime minister Ariel Sharon that would see Israel maintain control of some 14% of the West Bank that is home to the larger settlement communities. Earlier this month Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin estimated that, if the Palestinians agreed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would go for such a deal. Other past proposals envisioned a land-swap in which the Palestinians would gain territory from Israel to make up for settlement areas that would become a permanent part of the Jewish State.
Netanyahu, who has expressed support in principle for a Palestinian state, has not specified how much West Bank territory he would be prepared to relinquish in negotiations.
Abbas said that he may be open to the idea of small adjustments in the 1967 border that the Palestinians say is the otherwise nonnegotiable boundary of a future Palestinian state.
“East Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Palestine … if there were and must be some kind of small exchange (of land) equal in size and value, we are ready to discuss this — no more, no less,” he said.
Abbas also raised the possibility of establishing a multi-national force to act as peacekeepers in the future state for the benefit of both sides.
“An international, multinational presence like in Sinai, Lebanon and Syria — we are with that,” he said and noted that he still supported a proposal that he said was discussed with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert that NATO forces be deployed to keep the peace.
Formal talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning in Washington after the teams met for an informal dinner on Monday night.
Talks are set to resume for approximately three hours with the last 45 minutes devoted to trilateral negotiations between US Secretary of State John Kerry, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, after which they will deliver a joint press briefing.On the Red Carpet at the Logies, Chyka Keebaugh talks about leaving The Real Housewives Of Melbourne.
IT’S been an explosive season of Real Housewives of Melbourne, with allegations of infidelity, dramatic fights and egos spiralling out of control.
Now, the Housewives are sitting down one more time — one final time, in Chyka’s case — to have it out with each other. Strap yourselves in folks, it’s the Real Housewives season 3 reunion.
AS is RHOM custom, the ladies all arrive at the studio free of make-up and in their trackie dacks, ready to be transformed into reality TV bombshells.
Real Housewives finale recap: Jackie spills all the secrets
All apart from Gina, who arrives in her princess ballgown in a full face of make-up, hair lacquered into place. Either she hasn’t been home or she sleeps like that, take your pick.
Taking their places on the couch, Chyka mutters one last instruction to the girls before the reunion gets rolling: “Come on, be professional.” Oh Chyka, maybe it’s best you’re not returning. There is no place for talk like that on this show.
The ladies are cordial as host Alex Perry introduces them, but as soon as Lydia’s name is mentioned, Jackie gives her the stank-eye:
We kick things off with a montage of clips showing Gina’s evolution into ‘single-name celebrity’ this season — and difficult diva, it appears. She’s not impressed.
“All I know is I work harder than anyone I know,” she says, which rankles Chyka the most, given she’s the head of a multi-million dollar global events empire.
“I’m sure you had a lot on your plate this year,” Lydia says to Gina, kindly coming in to bat for her.
“Well I’m sure we all KEEP busy — but I had a lot on,” is Gina’s majorly passo-aggresso response. We’d find fault in this jab if it wasn’t directed squarely at a woman who spent the season torturing her housekeeper and commissioning oversized portraits of her dog.
They started the season so well, but by the finale Lydia was screaming at Pettifleur to “suck on her own f**king head.” As tiny violins play, Pettifleur starts monologueing about the excruciating pain Lydia and the others have put her through.
“I had to grow steel balls with these girls. They ate me up, chewed me, spat me out, ground me and kicked me to the curb. But I’ve had a lot more to deal with than seven other women in my life, so you’re a walk in the park, all of you put together.”
Lydia, deeply dismissive: “Oh well done, well said.”
Susie announces her old frenemy Lydia has had a grudge against her since the moment she signed on to do the show: “The first day of filming you arrived there and started to attack me. You were claiming that I spread the rumours about you and Shane Warne-”
Gamble: “But you did, didn’t you?
Susie: “Excuse me? How did I, Gamble?’
Gamble: “You brought it up on TV.”
Hard to argue with that one. Gamble allows herself the slightest smirk as Susie stammers out a response.
Lydia labels Susie an “angry little s**t!” before delivering the ultimate insult for someone you’ve supposedly been family friends with for 20 years: “I don’t even know you!”
Susie argues that Lydia doesn’t really know any of the girls, so shallow and vapid are her friendships. For that she receives a textbook Lydiaism: “Oh, get off your own horse.”
Next up we’re shining a spotlight on the standout star of Real Housewives: Lydia’s long-suffering housefriend Johanna. As the tape rolls and we watch Lydia order Johanna to ‘COME COME’, say she’s holding on to her passport so she can never leave, and just generally act like she’s gunning for a supporting role in the Toorak Amateur Players production of 12 Years A Slave, Jackie’s horror is palpable:
“Would she wipe your arse as well? Jackie asks.
“She would. If I asked her to, she would,” Lydia says, beaming proudly.
Alex mentions that Johanna’s become such a popular cult figure this season that there’s a parody Twitter account, SlaveJohanna, run by an anonymous fan.
“Johanna House Slave, I think it is,” Gina interjects, a little too quickly.
Now, one of the greatest love affairs this season — aside from Jackie’s Garfield-esque obsession with whatever food is within reaching distance — is Pettifleur’s admiration for her own bangin’ bod.
Look, she’s a 51-year-old woman with a six-pack, so who are we to judge, typing this while dipping Twisties into our box-wine for a new taste sensation.
“I worked hard for this body, I can shout it from the rooftops,” Pettifleur says. “It’s au naturale-“
“NATURAL? YOU’RE KILLING ME!” Gamble roars.
As Pettifleur insists she’s never even touched Botox or fillers, the others point out that her face still looks plump and pillowy despite her weight loss this season. Essentially they’re accusing her of going down the Madonna route: work dat body till it’s sinew, then fill up the face like a water balloon. Ain’t no shame in it.
“I swear on my life I have not touched my face,” she insists. “Just like I swear I have never been drunk in my life.”
Oh, Janet is not having that one. SEXY GIRLY PILLOW FIGHT!
We flash back to the moment Pettifleur delivered a rare apology to Janet in Dubai — then the ladies see Pettifleur announcing to camera afterwards that it was an entirely false apology, delivered just to shut them all up. Janet doesn’t take the revelation well.
“You are a piece of scum; after I’d pandered and kissed your arse for four days? You are [makes spitting noise]. You are worse than a hair on an arse.”
Gamble and Pettifleur had come to some peace during the season, but since filming wrapped they’re fighting again due to Pettifleur’s weekly blogs. In these lengthy screeds, which often run to 5,000-plus-words, she catalogues her issues with the other housewives in pretty damning terms.
“I didn’t sign up to be on your website to drive traffic to try and sell your HIDEOUS shirts,” Gamble says.
“You mention [stepson] Luke on your website, he’s NOT to be on your sleazy website,” she continues, wagging her finger at Pettifleur as if she’s enlisted the poor boy to do webcam shows.
Jackie jumps in then, and she and Pettifleur start squabbling — Pettifleur crowns Jackie a “disgusting angel,” and the pair go back and forth while others put their two cents in.
It’s near-impossible to follow, and Alex Perry decides he’s had enough, rising from his chair and walking to the edge of set.
“WHEN YOU ALL TALK AT THE SAME TIME, WE GET JACK-S**T,” he tells them. We speak from personal experience when we say: True dat.
“IT’S THE THIRD F**KING SERIES, YOU KNOW THAT. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?”
The housewives snigger into their ballgowns like naughty schoolgirls.
Momentarily chastened, next we examine Lydia’s alleged rumour mongering through the season. Alex says that, for legal reasons and to ‘protect people’s reputations’, they won’t go into the details of the rumours (that was left to Jackie to do in the previous episode, cheers Jax).
“I am so sick of everyone blaming me for everything this season,” says Lydia, which gets an eye roll and an obvious ‘10 minutes till I’m done with this show for good’ thought bubble from Chyka.
Janet wants answers from Lydia. “Did you make up the rumour about me? Who did you hear it off then? Did you make it up yourself?”
Despite this being entirely the time and the place for it, Lydia insists she won’t be drawn on the topic.
“I’m asking you a question, ya DUMB FAT BITCH,” says Janet, which shocks even the most ardent Lydia haters on the couch.
Finally, we dredge up the finale’s bombshell dinner allegation, in which Jackie accused Lydia of having had affairs.
The two get into an utterly pointless debate about spreading gossip, with each party insisting they do no such thing. “I ‘said’ that, but I didn’t ‘spread’ it,” says Jackie, forgetting that she said it on NATIONAL TELEVISION.
“I repeated [rumours] but I never spread them,” says Lydia, which actually just doesn’t make any sense.
Then Lydia throws this grenade to Jackie:
“You were the one that said something about [BLEEP] being a [BLEEP].”
Jackie looks utterly shocked at this censored revelation, as do all the girls.
“I beg your pardon? Are you on drugs? I am so insulted that you would say that I said he’s a [BEEP]! That’s DISGUSTING!”
OK. Guys. Here’s the plan. I’ll set up a Kickstarter, we all put some money in, then we make Foxtel a generous offer to give us the un-bleeped recording of that moment.
As we wrap up another season, the women are all asked what they’ve learned over the past 11 episodes. Let’s leave Gina with the final word.
“I’ve learned that when you think the cameras aren’t rolling, they are. But I’ve also learned to be part of a very dysfunctional sisterhood.”
We’ve clearly been watching this show too long and hammering the La Mascara too hard, because that just about made us tear up.
That’s it. We’re done. No more Real Housewives for this season. Will it return for another run? Will it be usurped by Real Housewives of Sydney, Albury or Wodonga? Nothing’s been revealed yet, but we’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, come suck on your own f**king head with our Housewives recapper and dumb fat bitch Nick Bond on Twitter at @bondnickbond.WHEN Mitt Romney told the guests at a fund-raiser in Florida in May that America is divided between people who pay no income taxes and depend on government and pretty much everyone else, he missed the deeper truth. It is not just that most of the 47 percent Mr. Romney talked about do pay payroll taxes and that many of them have paid income taxes in the past. The reality he glossed over is that nearly all Americans have used government social policies at some point in their lives. The beneficiaries include the rich and the poor, Democrats and Republicans. Almost everyone is both a maker and a taker.
We have unique data from a 2008 national survey by the Cornell Survey Research Institute that asked Americans whether they had ever taken advantage of any of 21 social policies provided by the federal government, from student loans to Medicare. These policies do not include government activity that benefits everyone — national defense, the interstate highway system, food safety regulations — but only tangible benefits that accrue to specific households.
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The survey asked about people’s policy usage throughout their lives, not just at a moment in time, and it included questions about social policies embedded in the tax code, which are usually overlooked.
What the data reveal is striking: nearly all Americans — 96 percent — have relied on the federal government to assist them. Young adults, who are not yet eligible for many policies, account for most of the remaining 4 percent.
On average, people reported that they had used five social policies at some point in their lives. An individual typically had received two direct social benefits in the form of checks, goods or services paid for by government, like Social Security or unemployment insurance. Most had also benefited from three policies in which government’s role was “submerged,” meaning that it was channeled through the tax code or private organizations, like the home mortgage -interest deduction and the tax-free status of the employer contribution to employees’ health insurance. The design of these policies camouflages the fact that they are social benefits, too, just like the direct benefits that help Americans pay for housing, health care, retirement and college.
The use of government social policies cuts across partisan divides. Some policies were used more often by members of one party or the other. Republicans were more likely to have used the G.I. Bill and Social Security retirement and survivors’ benefits, while more Democrats had taken advantage of Medicaid and unemployment insurance. Overall, 82 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans acknowledged receipt of at least one direct social benefit. More Republicans (92 percent) than Democrats (86 percent) had taken advantage of submerged policies. Once we take both types of policies into account, the seeming distinction between makers and takers vanishes: 97 percent of Republicans and 98 percent of Democrats report that they have used at least one government social policy.
The majority of individuals from households at every income level have used at least one direct social policy. Low-income people have used more of the direct policies than have the affluent: the average household with income under $10,000 per year used four of them, compared to only one by the households at $150,000 and above. But the proportions were reversed in the case of the submerged policies: wealthy families had typically used three of them, and the poor just one.
There were also few partisan differences in how long individuals had benefited. Among policies used by similar percentages of Democrats and Republicans, like the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and tax credits for college tuition, members of both parties received the benefits for the same average amount of time. The same was true for policies that benefited one group of partisans more than the other. For example, although the mortgage-interest deduction was claimed by more Republicans and the earned-income tax credit by more Democrats, both claimed the benefits for two to five years on average. Similarly, Republicans who relied on the G.I. Bill did so for about as long as did Democrats who claimed unemployment insurance benefits.
Where Americans actually differ is in how they think about government’s role in their lives. A major driving factor here is ideology: conservatives were less likely than liberals to respond affirmatively when asked if they had ever used a “government social program,” even when both subsequently acknowledged using the same number of specific policies.
These ideological differences were on display at the party conventions. When Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey noted that his father, who “grew up in poverty,” had used the G.I. Bill to become the first in his family to graduate from college, it was in the context of a speech criticizing our “need to be coddled by big government.” By contrast, Michelle Obama credited student loans with making her and her husband’s college educations possible and then argued that “when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.”
Throughout our lives, almost all of us help sustain government social policies through our tax dollars and, at some point, almost all of us directly benefit from these policies. Because ideology influences how we view our own and others’ use of government, Mr. Romney’s remarks may resonate with those who think of themselves as “producers” rather than “moochers” — to use Ayn Rand ’s distinction. But this distinction fails to capture the way Americans really experience government. Instead of dividing us, our experiences as both makers and takers ought to bind us in a community of shared sacrifice and mutual support.
Suzanne Mettler is a professor of government at Cornell and John Sides is an associate professor of political science at George Washington University.First, save the date: Join Just Housing this Tuesday February 7th at Olympia City Council (7pm) to support our #LegalizeSurvival campaign—particularly the right to sleep and rest. We will call for a moratorium on camps sweeps, until the city develops a neutral due process that leaves no room for bigotry-based complaints. If you can’t come, email your concerns to citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us. What do we want? “Sleep, Not Sweeps!”
Last we reported, our friend Cricket was safe from eviction from the folks at 123 4th Apartments but faced a new threat from city Code Enforcement due to an unfounded complaint about foot traffic, debris, and public safety concerns—complaints which may sound neutral and reasonable but which are actually, sadly, rooted in unexamined bigotry toward people who are homeless.
#JustHousing was prepared to do whatever we could to prevent the eviction, but it turns out you can accomplish a lot just by asking questions.
Initially with 123 4th, when we contacted the management, they realized they don’t in fact own that little square of blacktop, and thus would have unlawfully trespassed Cricket.
Similarly, we sent our objections to city Code Enforcement, and asked them what ground they had to do so. They quickly determined they, in fact, did not have legal authority to evict either, as the city has no property claim there.
The private landlord who owns the square of concrete has so far not made any complaints to our knowledge. (We have a submitted a public information request to confirm this.) Following Cricket’s direction, we are letting sleeping dogs lie and NOT contacting this landlord or publicizing their name. We hope the arrangement—which has been mutually beneficial for Cricket, the businesses, and the community—will be allowed to remain in place.
Though, it must be said: Some of us have witnessed firsthand how Olympia police not only harass individuals who are homeless and sleeping in storefronts or private alleys, but have gone so far as to harass businesses and landlords who give them permission to stay—encouraging the owners to have the person trespassed. Not the way to make downtown safe and welcome for all.
If this occurs, or if the landlord attempts to evict Cricket for reasons of bigotry, we hope you will join us in the next stage of #OperationUneviction.
The fact is, for people living outside, unsheltered, there is no legal place to sleep, to rest, to exist. It’s great that Cricket has a safe spot, for now, but that’s based entirely on the whim of a landlord. Those sleeping on public land (in the woods, in greenbelts) face eviction, with no due process, if anyone complains, since “camping” is illegal on public property in Olympia.
In other words, it is illegal to exist as a houseless person. No human being is illegal, and that is why Just Housing continues our campaign to #LegalizeSurvival. Write to citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us or show up Tuesday at City Hall at 7!The mayor of Venice has branded tourists who complained about being charged 526 euros (£463) for lunch in a restaurant close to St Mark’s Square as “cheapskates”.
Luigi Brugnaro, who has a reputation for plain-speaking, said the tourists should have learnt Italian - and even some Venetian dialect - so they could have understood what was being delivered to their table.
He made the remarks after Luke Tang, a university lecturer from Birmingham, said he and his 70-year-old parents were appalled to be presented with the hefty bill after eating at the Trattoria Casanova restaurant |
-handedly changing the shape of a game as any player in the world.
That's true even for a team with as much other star power as the defending NWSL champions.
"We know they're all good players -- I mean you have Alex Morgan there, you have Tobin Heath, [Christine] Sinclair, Allie Long -- but they're most dangerous when the ball gets to Vero," Kansas City coach Vlatko Andonovski said. "They're not going to be as good if Vero doesn't get the ball, so what we tried to do is cut the supply to the other players by cutting the supply to Vero."
That made his plan obvious. He shelved the two-forward lineup he has used of late and clogged the midfield, all the better to funnel the game to where he wanted it played.
"I actually made this game a game between her and Vero," Andonovski said of Buczkowski. "Not between Portland and Kansas City."
Portland actually controlled possession in the game's opening stages. But unlike the last meeting between the teams, in which Boquete scored inside of three minutes to set off what would become a 7-1 rout, the Thorns couldn't turn that possession into quality chances. Gradually, Kansas City pushed back and the game shifted out of its own end into the midfield and Portland's end. And everywhere Boquete went, at least one player went with her -- usually Buczkowski, but also rookie Jenna Richmond.
Just how little space and time Boquete needed was clear in first-half stoppage time. Marked by two Kansas City players on the right side of the 18-yard box, she still managed to slide past both toward the end line and struck a shot from an impossibly tight angle that hit the post just below the corner of the goal frame. Elsewhere in the 18-yard box at the time, Buczkowski said she didn't even see the shot or know it was Boquete. She just heard the sound of the ball hitting the post, the sound of a reprieve.
There were other moments when a Boquete pass almost found the feet of someone like Sinclair or Long or when a free kick curled wide of the far post. But mostly, she had a face full of Buczkowski.
"Buzzy's just hard to play against," Riley said. "She's at you, she's fit, she's strong, she's good in the tackle, reads the game well. I mean, Vero was turning three, four times, she was still standing up and she's still watching the ball. She's still almost within a yard of her. I give her a lot of credit."
AP Photo/The Kansas City Star/Joe Ledford For the second straight year, FCKC's Jen Buczkowski, left, was a warrior at midfield. Unlike last year against the Thorns, though, Kansas City came through with the victory.
There was no such player to stop Holiday when she took an Erika Tymrak pass just outside the 18-yard box, waited for Rodriguez to make a smart run across the Portland back line and split two defenders and only then delivered the pass that Rodriguez put in the back of the net in the 63rd minute. Nor was there anyone to slow the U.S. national team standout when she sent a long pass from her own half toward Sarah Hagen on the left side and then sprinted forward into the box, took Hagen's return pass and scored.
Few other players in the world make those plays with the same regularity as Holiday, which is why she is most definitely, in Riley's world, a wizard -- and in his words, the best player on the field Saturday.
But she also didn't have to get through Buczkowski.
The story of the day for Kansas City was a couple of moments of brilliance and an hour and a half of hard work.
Riley ultimately sowed the seeds of his own demise back in Philadelphia.
"I have so much respect for him. I think he changed my game," Buczkowski said. "I think coming to Philadelphia, he just helped me so much. I gained so much confidence, and he believed in me. Everything he did improved me as a player. I owe a lot to him, I really do."
Buczkowski's performance was also fitting for the task at hand. A homemade sign that hung from a chain-link fence on the far side of the blue track that surrounded the field had a simple message: "This year we finish it."
Kansas City's season peaked with a 2-0 lead in the first half against Portland in a semifinal a year ago. The only problem was an hour of soccer remained. Portland scored once before halftime to cut the deficit in half, equalized in the second half and completed the comeback with Long's overtime goal that ultimately sent the Thorns to the championship match.
Andonovski admitted after Saturday's win that he hadn't been happy to see Portland coming to town again as the No. 3 seed. It was a team with too many assets, a team that on its day could be the best in the world. But when he got to practice Monday, he found his players almost giddy about the opportunity to rewrite history. They wanted Portland. They wanted to play 90 minutes.
Sure enough, as the minutes of stoppage time ticked away in the second half with the game decided, there was Buczkowski sliding in for a tackle and winning the ball cleanly off Boquete.
Her sort doesn't knock off early just because it's hot outside.
"With the way she plays and the needs the national team has, I think she is ready for the holding midfielder spot," Andonovski said. "And I wouldn't be surprised if she gets called in any time soon."
After all, every team needs warriors.Although central banks hold one-sixth of all the gold ever mined in their reserves, their activities in the bullion market are opaque, with not a single institution revealing its day-to-day operations. In addition to holding gold for their reserves, some central banks also trade the metal, lending it on the open market in order to obtain a yield.
Thomson Reuters GFMS, the precious metal consultancy that publishes benchmark statistics on the gold market, on Tuesday said that the quantity of gold lent by central banks had risen last year for the first time since 2000.
The estimate by GFMS confirms a trend that bankers and gold traders have been privately discussing for the past six months. The increase in lending came as eurozone commercial banks, suffering a shortage of dollar liquidity, rushed to borrow gold from central banks and later swap it on the market in exchange for dollars.
“There is growing evidence that short-term loans from some central banks to commercial banks could well have increased considerably [in 2011], with the latter then using gold to swap for US dollars,” GFMS said.
As the squeeze in the dollar funding markets intensified, short-term interest rates for lending gold fell to record lows in late 2011. The rate for lending gold for one month fell to -0.57 percent in early December, implying that a bank would have to pay to swap it for dollars.
The rush among eurozone commercial banks to lend gold was one of the clearest signs of the “dash for cash” late last year that weighed on the bullion price.
Goldman Sachs said in a report that “the downward pressure from European bank funding issues has left gold prices at a steep discount to the levels suggested by US [real interest rates]”. The metal tumbled 20 percent from a peak above $1,900 a troy ounce in September to a low of $1,522 in December. On Tuesday, gold was trading at a five-week peak of $1,663.
The increase in gold lending by central banks has brought an end to a decade-long decline in the amount of bullion out on loan, as falls in hedging by gold miners reduced demand to borrow the metal.
GFMS did not put a number on the increase last year, saying only that lending had risen “by a small amount”. It estimates that the outstanding volume of swapped or leased gold stood at 700 tonnes at the end of 2010, down from a peak of about 5,000 tonnes in 2000.
Philip Klapwijk, head of metals analytics at the consultancy, was sceptical that the lending activity had affected the gold price. “This is a purely financial swap of gold for US dollars; it shouldn’t have an impact on price,” he said.
Nonetheless, GFMS maintained a cautious outlook for gold prices in the near term, predicting that the metal would average $1,640 in the first half of 2012.
“A huge amount of gold needs to be taken out of the market day in, day out by investors,” Mr Klapwijk said. “I’d be astounded if we see a reversal of sentiment but it may be that investment simply underperforms our expectations and prices sag.”
All the same, GFMS predicted that gold prices would once again gather steam later this year, touching a peak “just over the $2,000 mark” in late 2012 or early 2013.NEW YORK -- It's unlikely Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman Olli Maatta ever imagined he would be one of the team's most veteran defensemen at any point this season. But injuries to Pittsburgh's top four blueliners have suddenly forced Maatta into that very situation.
And he's making the transition look easy.
Olli Maatta Defense - PIT GOALS: 2 | ASST: 7 | PTS: 9
SOG: 52 | +/-: 3 New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. His 28:06 topped his previous high of 24:17, which he set in a 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs two nights earlier.
Maatta found himself in every situation Wednesday alongside defensive partner Matt Niskanen. That included the key defensive assignment of going against the Rangers' top line of Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and Chris Kreider.
"The role is bigger. He's playing against the other team's best players right now. We're seeing him in a big penalty kill role as well. He's certainly been up to the task," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who said he isn't terribly surprised by the rookie's emergence. "He's a 19-year-old kid, but he certainly hasn't played like it at all in the first 36 games. His minutes are going up because of the injuries we have, but the consistency with which he plays has not changed. That's been there since training camp."
Entering his rookie season, Maatta hoped he might mature into an everyday NHL defenseman. But he never expected to assume a veteran's role so soon in his career. Maatta competed in his 36th NHL game Wednesday; two recent defensive call-ups from the American Hockey League who skated against the Rangers, Brian Dumoulin and Philip Samuelsson, have now played in five games combined.
"It's tough, of course. It's not an ideal situation to have so many guys hurt. At the same time, all the guys like Niskanen and the forwards have been really good helping us," Maatta said. "They know we're an inexperienced group back there. They're really helping us and supporting us a lot."
Even if he never expected to have so many rookie defensemen in the lineup at once, Bylsma hasn't made any excuses for his young defense corps. They're expected to play a certain way no matter the circumstances. And with an uncanny string of injuries to important veteran players, Maatta has emerged as an unlikely leader for a surging Penguins team that has won six in a row and 10 of its past 11 games.
"The expectation for how we play and the guys stepping is not to tread water. It's to bar the door and hold on until someone else arrives," Bylsma said. "You're expected to step in and contribute and play the right way. You see that with the confidence when they step over the boards, the confidence when they play."In a relief to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Supreme Court today refused to pass any order on his alleged inaction to contain the 2002 Gujarat riots after the Godhra carnage and referred the matter to the concerned magistrate in Ahmedabad for a decision.
A three-judge Bench headed by Justice D K Jain directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the riot cases, to submit its final report before the magistrate. The apex court asked this lower court to decide whether to proceed against Modi and 63 others, among whom are senior government officials.
The bench made it clear there was no need for it to further monitor the riot cases.
The bench, also comprising justices P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, said in case the magistrate decides to drop proceedings against Modi and others, he has to hear the plea of slain MP Ehsan Jafri's widow Zakia Jafri, who had filed a complaint against the Gujarat chief minister.
The court passed the order on a petition by Zakia Jafri alleging Modi and 62 top government officials deliberately refused to take action to contain the state-wide riots, triggered by the February 27, 2002 Godhra train carnage.
Jafri, who lost her husband Ehsan Jafri, a former Congress MP in the Gulbarga Housing Society massacre, had told the apex court a proper probe should be carried out by the SIT, headed by former CBI chief R K Raghavan, into her allegations of inaction and various acts of omission and commission by Modi and others after the riots.
Zakia said she was disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling, as she has been "waiting for justice for nine years". She said she had pinned her hopes on the apex court ruling in her favour.
The apex court had earlier handed over the task of probing the case to SIT which submitted its report in the court.
... contd.
Please read our terms of use before posting commentsGermany produced an assured display to reach the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup with victory over Sweden.
Silvia Neid's side went ahead through Anja Mittag - the tournament joint top scorer's fifth goal in Canada.
Celia Sasic got her first of two goals from the spot after Mittag was fouled, before heading home from close range.
Sweden, ranked fifth in the world, showed belief after a late Linda Sembrant header but rarely threatened and Dzsenifer Marozsan sealed the win.
Germany, ranked number one in the world, will now play France or South Korea, who meet at 21:00 BST on Sunday, while England play Norway in their last-16 match at 22:00 on Monday.
World Cup winners in 2003 and 2007, Germany have also won the last six European Championships and conceded just one goal and scored 15 as they qualified for the knockout stage as Group B winners.
In Ottawa they were dominant from the outset, twice going close in the opening two minutes as Alexandra Popp and Simone Laudehr spurned clear chances before Mattag's curled shot from outside of the box went in off the post.
Since losing to Germany in the final of the 2003 World Cup, Sweden finished third at the 2011 edition, where hosts Germany were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Japan.
Pia Sundhage's side had shown signs of recovery having gone behind but found themselves facing a tougher task when Sasic scored her 61st international goal following Amanda Ilestedt's trip.
Striker Sofia Jakobsson headed over from close range just before half-time but Sweden produced their best play after Sasic turned in a rebound to put Germany 3-0 up with only 12 minutes to play.
Linda Sembrant's powerful header from a Therese Sjogran free-kick gave them hope with eight minutes remaining, but Jakobsson was denied by Nadine Angerer before substitute Marozsan's top corner finish.
Sasic scored her 62nd goal for Germany with a close-ranger header following a rebound
Sembrandt's header gave Sweden hope with eight minutes to playBelow are the first Football Power Index rankings for the 2015 NFL season. For a full explanation on how the FPI is put together, please read this explainer. For more background, you can also read this Q&A with the developers of the FPI.
FPI
RANK TEAM FPI PREDICTED
OFF. RANK PREDICTED
DEF. RANK PREDICTED
ST RANK 1 Green Bay Packers 6.2 1 23 28 2 New England Patriots 5.8 3 14 25 3 Seattle Seahawks 5.8 7 1 31 4 Indianapolis Colts 5.5 2 20 17 5 Denver Broncos 5.0 4 13 6 6 Dallas Cowboys 3.8 5 17 23 7 Philadelphia Eagles 2.7 8 16 3 8 Baltimore Ravens 2.2 15 5 2 9 Pittsburgh Steelers 2.0 9 24 4 10 New Orleans Saints 1.7 6 27 16 11 Kansas City Chiefs 1.4 20 9 1 12 Miami Dolphins 1.3 16 8 22 13 Arizona Cardinals 1.1 21 3 26 14 Cincinnati Bengals 1.1 14 12 8 15 Carolina Panthers 0.7 19 7 24 16 Buffalo Bills 0.5 24 2 18 17 Houston Texans 0.4 23 4 21 18 Detroit Lions 0.2 13 15 32 19 San Diego Chargers 0.0 12 25 29 20 New York Giants -0.1 11 26 27 21 Atlanta Falcons -0.1 10 30 13 22 St. Louis Rams -0.6 25 6 11 23 Minnesota Vikings -0.8 17 19 20 24 San Francisco 49ers -1.4 22 21 10 25 New York Jets -1.6 26 10 19 26 Chicago Bears -2.1 18 31 7 27 Cleveland Browns -3.5 31 11 14 28 Washington Redskins -4.1 27 22 12 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -5.6 30 28 15 30 Jacksonville Jaguars -5.8 32 18 9 31 Tennessee Titans -5.9 29 32 5 32 Oakland Raiders -6.1 28 29 30Last summer, Stagefright became a household name after security researcher Joshua Drake highlighted vulnerabilities in the multimedia engine in Android that goes by the same name. His BlackHat USA talk last August set off a gold rush amongst bug hunters. Android security bulletins continue to be filled with libstagefright and mediaserver vulnerabilities each month, as depicted in the chart below. This high volume of bug fixes in Android is both comforting and alarming.
Vulnerability discovery, disclosures, and patch management remain an integral part of improving the security of platforms such as Android. However, exploit mitigations can also increase the level of difficulty for exploitation by forcing the attacker to adapt their techniques. At Endgame, our Vulnerability Research & Prevention (VR&P) team is actively pursuing both models in order to help defend against exploitation. As an example of the latter approach, this post discusses how the performance monitoring unit (PMU) of certain ARM cores can be utilized to perform system-call monitoring. This hardware-assisted technique adds minimal performance overhead, avoids any requirement for patching the kernel, and offers a unique way to perform integrity checks on system-calls such as for ROP detection.
Hardware-Assisted Exploit Prevention
Over the past year, our VR&P team has been investigating an emerging area of exploit mitigation – the use of performance counters for hardware-assisted security solutions. Our exciting research on hardware-assisted control-flow integrity on the Intel architecture will be presented later this summer at BlackHat USA 2016. As a mobile security researcher at heart, I became curious about the applicability of our approach to the ARM architecture almost immediately upon starting our x86 research.
As it turns out, Intel x86 isn’t the only architecture that can count. ARM cores can count too! In fact, a performance monitoring unit (PMU) is quite common on many modern CPU architectures. I covered the adventures of reading ARM processor manuals [1,2] and researching performance counters on various ARM chipsets during my talk at REcon 2016 last week in Montreal, Canada titled “Hardware-Assisted Rootkits & Instrumentation: ARM Edition”. Much of my talk focused on using the PMU to enable instrumentation tools on ARM and discussing some offense-oriented use-cases such as rootkits. However, as with most findings in the InfoSec field, capabilities can often be utilized for either offensive or defensive purposes.
Much like the Intel PMU, the ARM PMU includes support for a number of general counters, architectural events, and a performance monitoring interrupt feature to signify a counter overflow. However, something interesting surfaced in the ARM reference manuals: the PMU on several Cortex-A and other custom ARM cores is able to count exceptions for each of the ARM exception vectors individually. By configuring hardware performance counters to overflow on every instance of the event, it is then possible to effectively trap each of these events via performance monitoring interrupt. The Supervisor Call (SVC) exception vector is utilized by many operating systems, including Android, to handle system calls. Trapping SVC instructions offers many interesting use-cases both for offense or defense.
EMET and Anti-ROP
Code reuse attacks such as Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) have been a staple of the attacker arsenal over the past decade. As such, anti-ROP products have become widespread in the PC market stemming from Microsoft’s BlueHat competition in 2012. Microsoft’s EMET (Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit) [3] was one of the initial byproducts of the competition as it integrated many of the ROP detection techniques presented by one of the contestant winners. Since EMET launched, many third-party security vendors have added similar anti-ROP detections to their products.
One of the primary weaknesses in EMET and similar tools is that they rely on injecting code into each user-mode process that it protects. First, this actually increases the attack surface for code-reuse attacks given that it adds code and data to the process being attacked. Moreover, EMET bypasses have emerged that actually disarm protections by reusing injected code within EMET.dll. A second key challenge to user-mode anti-ROP protection is the fact that integrity checks are typically introduced by hooking critical API’s. ROP chains could jump past function prologues to avoid a hook point, and hooking every possible API is reminiscent of the old-fashioned arcade game Whac-a-Mole.
Anti-ROP integrity checks from the kernel have not been explored as often in Windows products likely due to kernel patch protection. However, being able to trap SVC instructions (system calls) on the ARM architecture without modifying the Exception Vector Table (EVT) or any portion of a kernel image opens up new possibilities. As a fun application of this ARM PMU research, I decided to implement an anti-ROP prototype loadable kernel module for Android without requiring any modifications to the running kernel by trapping all SVC instructions using only performance monitoring interrupts. The performance overhead of this solution was less than 5% on Android, and can monitor all system calls system-wide.
Blocking Stagefright
I put this prototype to the test by using it against the very popular libstagefright attack vector in Android. Thus, I pulled pieces of Stagefright exploit proof-of-concepts from Mark Brand of Project Zero and NorthBit’s Metaphor on CVE-2015-3864. Both ROP chains utilize the same stack pivot, and the pivot was easily detected on the mprotect or mmap calls. The video below depicts the outcome of the test.
While this is just a proof-of-concept, it hopefully demonstrates the potential for extending hardware-assisted exploit prevention techniques to the ARM architecture. Slides from my RECon talk can be found here. Be sure to check out our talk at BlackHat USA later this summer where our team will discuss and demonstrate our PMU research on the Intel architecture in order to detect and prevent control-flow hijacks in real-time.
ReferencesRemember back in 2007 when Apple first told developers that to develop for the iPhone, they’d need to build WebApps for Safari? Well, that really was the plan. At the time, Jobs said:
The full Safari engine is inside of iPhone. And so, you can write amazing Web 2.0 and Ajax apps that look exactly and behave exactly like apps on the iPhone. And these apps can integrate perfectly with iPhone services. They can make a call, they can send an email, they can look up a location on Google Maps. And guess what? There’s no SDK that you need! You’ve got everything you need if you know how to write apps using the most modern web standards to write amazing apps for the iPhone today. So developers, we think we’ve got a very sweet story for you. You can begin building your iPhone apps today.
The App Store came later and apparently as a reaction to jailbreakers and developer backlash.
The App Store nowadays is arguably the most vital app community on any platform, but Steve Jobs initially resisted the idea of users customizing their iPhones with third-party programs, later to become known as apps. The revelation is another of the many interesting nuggets to leak from the upcoming Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, which goes on sale Monday. According to the Huffington Post which obtained an early copy of the book:
Apple board member Art Levinson told Isaacson that he phoned Jobs “half a dozen times to lobby for the potential of the apps,” but, according to Isaacson, “Jobs at first quashed the discussion, partly because he felt his team did not have the bandwidth to figure out all the complexities that would be involved in policing third-party app developers.”
Some other tidbits: Jobs informed Cook on a flight to Japan that “I’ve decided to make you COO”. Also, the initial lukewarm reception to iPad “annoyed and depressed” Jobs.
As for Apple’s seemingly unstoppable mobile application bazaar, Jobs – of course – would later embrace the App Store fully as it had become the central theme around Apple’s famous iPhone commercials featuring the “There’s an app for that” tagline. Upon releasing, the original iPhone immediately captured attention of the hacking community which had begun tinkering with the product. Soon thereafter, popular tweaks ensued which added more functionality to the device despite the lack of the official software development kit.
Apple at the 2007 WWDC announced the iPhone would run web apps. The news fell on def ears with programmers, prompting Steve Jobs to announce in an open letter on October 17, 2007 that the iPhone software development kit for third-parties would be released on March 6, 2008. The App Store went live alongside the iPhone 2.0 software update on July 11, 2008. Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the latest App Store numbers in Tuesday’s conference call with analysts. The App Store, he said, now has more than 500,000 apps for iOS devices, 140,000 of which have been written specifically for iPad. Users have downloaded third-party programs more than 18 billion times since the App Store’s inception, he said, while noting the App Store expanded to 33 new countries during the September quarter.
The Huffington Post article also mentions how Jobs took it upon himself to wage a “thermonuclear war” against Android, threatening to “destroy” it because he thought Google was stealing Apple’s ideas. A change in heart was most evident in the following highly publicized interview with Jobs…
Reflecting on the App Store in his chat with Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal columnist, at the 2010 D8: AllThingsDigital conference, Jobs enthused how there was nothing like the App Store before the iPhone came along. After Mossberg objected that pre-iPhone devices were able to run third-party apps, Jobs responded by saying that the carriers controlled everything, including the design of cell phones, noting there was no easy way for a guy in his bedroom to create programs for cell phones and distribute them with ease. “It’s huge now,” he quipped. Here’s that quote:
Well it wasn’t like this. Now it’s huge. And also, when you bought a phone the carrier dictated what you had on the phone. iPhone was the first phone where we said you worry about the network, we’ll worry about the phone.
The book goes on sale on Monday and can be picked up from Amazon here.Video screenshot by Danny Gallagher/CNET
To most people, the Rubik's Cube looks like a simple toy. But then they start trying to slide those squares into place, and their brains wonder what the Cube did to them that made them want to hurt it so much.
Teenager Collin Burns doesn't see the Rubik's Cube that way. He's been flipping squares since he was a little kid, and he's become so good at solving the Rubik's Cube that he broke the world record for a single solve back in April at the World Cube Association competition. His astonishing time of 5.253 seconds beat the previous record by just under one-third of a second.
You might think solving a Cube that fast requires a brain that can also do calculations faster than a calculator or remember at least 3 million digits of pi. However, you don't need a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics to figure out how to solve it, according to a new video from Vox.
Burns explains in the video below the technique he learned to solve the Cube. It's called the Fridrich Method and named for Binghamton University engineering professor Jessica Fridrich, who developed it while she was a college student.
The method involves recognizing or organizing one set of the colored squares in a cross pattern that establishes that side as the bottom layer. Then Burns solves the Cube in sections above that layer so that just the top row is unsolved. He then applies one of a number of different algorithms to the remaining pieces to put the rest of the Cube's colors in place. Fridrich has her own "Speed Cubing" website that explains her method in more detail.
The real key to Burns' success with the Rubik's Cube isn't some magic formula or hormone injections that give his fingers the dexterity of a cheetah (if cheetahs had fingers). The key is practice. He's dedicated a huge chunk of his young life to learning how the Cube works and how to rapidly recall and apply the techniques he's learned so he could improve his solve time over the years.
So if you can learn to wait and dedicate yourself for the next 10 years or so, you might be able to beat his record and get your name in the record books.Aerial view of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, site of Velankani Renewable Group’s new manufacturing complex. Photo via Wikipedia
A well-timed announcement can be a thing of beauty. Just days after Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh said that solar energy would be a key point in his new climate plan, Bangalore-based Velankani Group announces that it will be constructing a new manufacturing complex for silicon compounds and solar cells.
Plant to be Built in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam, located on India’s eastern coast in the state of Andhra Pradesh, will be the site of Velankani’s new 150 acre facility. The cost of this new plant is expected to be almost INR 140bn (US$ 3.2bn) and will create 10,000 new jobs. Velankani’s subsidiary firm, Velankani Renewable Group will be in charge of the facility.
Construction is scheduled to begin in August, and is expected to take seven years to fully complete. At the end of this time the facility will have the capacity to produce 500 million silicon wafers, 1.5 GW of photovoltaic cells, and 1.5 GW of photovoltaic modules per year. The facility's first silicon products are expected to begin entering the market in October 2009.
Kind of makes yesterday’s news about Ausra’s new factory in Las Vegas seem puny in comparison, as indirect as that comparison may be.
via :: MSN India
India, Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Key to India’s New Climate Plan
Wind Power Mogul Tulsi Tanti’s Big Plans for India
Rice and Bamboo Power for Assam, IndiaRoots of Empathy is a classroom program in Toronto, Canada, where infants are taken to visit elementary schools on a regular basis, in order to allow the schoolchildren to observe the infants' development and emotions. The project was began in 1996 by Mary Gordon, a social entrepreneur and educator.
Method [ edit ]
The program consists of 27 weekly classes with a Roots of Empathy instructor through the school year. The core of the program is a classroom visit from a neighbourhood baby and parent every three weeks, with nine visits in all. Babies are between two and four months old at the beginning of the program.
The children sit around the parent, baby and instructor and observe the baby’s development and growth but also how the parent and baby interact. The instructor asks the children to reflect on their own feelings and on their classmates' displays of feeling.
Research and evaluation [ edit ]
The Roots of Empathy program effectiveness has been evaluated multiple times by independent reviewers since 2000. Randomized control trials, qualitative and quantitative, and longitudinal have been done. The results consistently show a decrease in aggression (including bullying) and an increase in sharing/inclusive/helping behavior. Some studies show the decrease in aggression appears to last at least three years. The organization also collects surveys every year from the children, classroom teachers, instructors and parents to evaluate the programs.[citation needed]
Growth [ edit ]
The program is available in every province of Canada. In 2007, the program expanded internationally to New Zealand and the United States (Seattle, WA). It is now in 11 countries including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica and the Netherlands (fall 2018). The curriculum has been translated into French, German, Spanish and Dutch
Funding [ edit ]
Roots of Empathy is funded by government grants, foundation funding, corporate and individual donations.
Recognition [ edit ]
In 2008, the Canadian Assembly of First Nations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_of_First_Nations passed a resolution to endorse the Roots of Empathy program. In 2017, Roots of Empathy was recognized as one of the most inspiring global innovations in K -12 education [1] by the Finnish organization HundrED.org [2] UpSocial [3] selected Roots of Empathy as the winner of its social innovation competition Accelerating Change for Social Inclusion (ASCI) to address the risk to children of social exclusion.
References [ edit ]MADISON, WISCONSIN—Five years ago, as part of the uprising here against Governor Scott Walker, the goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to manage their Midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin, a group of people gathered in the rotunda of the state capitol building to sing songs of protest. Since then, those people, who became known as the Solidarity Singers, have been rousted, busted, fined $200 apiece, and subjected to the delicately named "pain compliance" techniques taught to capitol police forces these days. They've been targeted by silly laws—including one prohibiting the playing of musical instruments in the building—and they've beaten those laws in court. This is because the Wisconsin state constitution gives its citizens a right to assemble in their capitol even beyond that guaranteed by the federal charter. That's part of the state's legacy of progressive politics that Walker has deliberately tried to destroy, and that he's gone a long way toward wrecking already.
Since 2011, every Monday through Friday, they gather and they sing. On Friday, they sing outside, which means that they can bring their instruments. A guitar. Assorted percussion. A fiddle. And a testifying trombone. Motorists passing by in the street still honk their support. The songs are old, their lyrics refashioned to apply to the circumstances in Wisconsin. (For me, I'm sorry they changed "Which Side Are You On?" in such a way as to remove the denunciation that immortalized Harlan County sheriff J.H. Blair.) They are cheerful, happy people. And there is something indomitable about them.
"The thing that keeps us going is that relationships are formed," said Rebecca Alwin, who has been singing with the group almost from the very beginning. "There are people who have gotten to know each other. One of the absolutes about this group is that we are welcoming. We accept people if they come once a month, once a year, or if they're much more regular. And it's the amazing joy of singing together."
They need all the optimism their music can muster because, truth be told, the project that Walker launched on behalf of his patrons and in the face of massive protests in 2011 is remarkably close to completion. The project was meant to show that, with the right amount of will, big money, and political finagling, radical conservative politics could succeed even in the place where progressive politics virtually had been invented at the turn of the last century. Wisconsin is now a right-to-work state. It has a restrictive voter-suppression law. Its commitment to the relationship between the state's universities and good government—the central tenet of The Wisconsin Idea—has just about been shredded, as have the long-standing institutions dedicated to good government. The state's long-standing commitment to environmental protection has been utterly reversed. Walker—and his pet legislature—have managed to turn every part of the government into purely partisan instruments dedicated to purely partisan purposes. If Walker manages to get his protégé, Rebecca Bradley, elected to a full term on the state Supreme Court, then the takeover largely will be complete.
"We don't know if we're going to win this [state Supreme Court] race with Joanne Kloppenberg," said Rebecca Alwin, before rejoining the other singers for a rousing rendition of Will The Circle Be Unbroken? "When you have right on your side, the people who are tight-fisted trying to hold onto power for the few can't stand up to the power of the many. I have confidence in that."
That Wisconsin once again has become vital to the nominating process in both parties, albeit for radically different reasons, brings a welcome dose of historical reality to the process. In a year in which the word "populism" is tossed around with promiscuous abandon, this is the place where modern populism, expressed by the democratizing progressive power of good government, was born. This has been where those achievements have been under the most vigorous assault. The energy that once brought 100, |
moving an institution like the IC just takes time so employees can get used to the new services.
But once the IC agencies do move, Tarasiuk said the benefits will be obvious.
Advantages are clear
He said ICITE will improve two main areas, including the promotion of more secure information sharing.
Tarasiuk said that's already happening in the few short weeks since ODNI launched the cloud infrastructure.
"The beauty of what we are doing is enforcing an IC standard for all data objects that go in the cloud. Where today, agencies comply with security standards, but they implement them in different ways," he said. "This is where we believe we can improve information sharing over time because when data is structured from a tagging perspective the same way, we will then will be able to implement this concept we talk about tagging data, tagging users. We have automated systems them that will determine if the user can have access to that data. Today if you sit in another agency and you try to get access to certain data sets that may be in a different agencies, in many cases that data is locked down based on the way it was implemented. What we are trying to do from an infrastructure perspective is remove those technical roadblocks that prevent those kinds of sharing from going on."
Tarasiuk says each individual agency or data steward will continue to decide who should have or could have access to its data. But the cloud infrastructure will help enforce the control of roles and responsibilities when it comes to data and system access.
The second big benefit is a better connection to others in the intelligence community.
The standard desktop means everyone will have the same tools and can more easily video chat or email, or even find someone in an IC directory.
Tarasiuk said the intelligence community is improving how it accepts others security clearances, known as reciprocity, and ICITE is helping to make that acceptance happen more quickly.
And of course there are cost savings. Tarasiuk said last October that he expects the IC community could reduce its IT spending by as much as 25 percent over the next six years because of this consolidation effort.
"Over the last 18 months, we've begun to achieve the visions laid out for ICITE," he said. "The vision is to improve intelligence community's integration, information sharing and safeguarding, and have a more efficient IT model."Joe Hart and David de Gea: Is this the real power shift in Manchester?
On Monday evening against Manchester City, David de Gea was just 17 minutes away from matching the longest time Peter Schmeichel ever went without conceding a Premier League goal for Manchester United. With that achievement in his sights, Ryan Giggs attempted an ambitious and ill-advised backheel and the ball soon fell to James Milner whose deflected strike flew past the outstretched fingertips of the young Spaniard. The plaudits that would come with eclipsing Schmeichel were not to be. That just seems to be the way it goes for De Gea.
"I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000 so we all make mistakes," admitted Sir Alex Ferguson in February of last year. "If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he's easily the best." Perhaps it wasn't meant to be a slight on the young goalkeeper in possession of the No.1 shirt at Old Trafford but the message was clear: Hart is just about the best around.
Indeed, the perceived contrast between the form of Hart at Manchester City and the high-profile errors of De Gea at Manchester United became a key narrative of last season's title race. For the second season running, Joe Hart picked up the Premier League Golden Gloves award after keeping the most clean sheets of any top-flight goalkeeper. De Gea, meanwhile, made an error on his league debut against West Brom and endured an ongoing struggle to shake off the stigma for the remainder of the campaign.
So while Hart was named in the Premier League team of the year, De Gea faced a summer of seemingly endless debate about his future and suggestions that Anders Lindegaard might take his first-team place. England goalkeeping legend Gordon Banks summed up the mood of many in putting Hart on a different level to either of the United options.
"I am not sure about the two keepers at United, not at all," Banks told the Daily Mail last year. "Sir Alex Ferguson could have got a better keeper than either of them. I am sure he wishes he had signed Joe, who is the best English goalkeeper by a mile and could become the best in the world. He is now making terrific saves for Manchester City, while these lads at United look as if they can let in important goals."
Premier League - Saves to shots Player 2012/13 2011/12 David De Gea 77% 78% Joe Hart 66% 77%
Premier League - Errors leading to goals Player 2012/13 2011/12 David De Gea 1 2 Joe Hart 4 1
The statistics suggest that De Gea's struggles were overstated. There is often an innate scepticism of new goalkeepers and, given the nature of the position, mistakes can be amplified. Few remember, for example, that Massimo Taibi was man of the match in his first two games because of what followed in the third. In fact, the Opta stats indicate that De Gea only made two errors leading to goals in last season's Premier League. He even had a better shot-stopping percentage than Hart.
No matter. While a striker can go on a goalscoring spree to prove the critics wrong, a goalkeeper can only wait, chalking off the days without incident. As a result, even in January of this year, there was speculation that Asmir Begovic would be brought in from Stoke City to replace the 21-year-old. "Fergie is ready to dump dodgy De Gea," screamed the Daily Mirror headline after he was partially culpable for a late Tottenham equaliser.
That was in January. Now Begovic is being linked with Fulham instead and that's partly because the response from De Gea has been so emphatic. The former Atletico Madrid man conceded just one goal in his next seven Premier League games with six consecutive clean sheets taking him to the brink of that Schmeichel record. His form wasn't restricted to the league either with a series of hugely impressive saves away to Real Madrid keeping United in the tie.
Of course, analysing goalkeeping statistics is notoriously tricky. Perhaps he has just been better protected by a more disciplined United backline? But there have been plenty of stunning saves to show that De Gea deserves as much credit as anyone. As well as his heroics in Madrid, there was a remarkable stop to deny Jon Arne Riise against Fulham. "David has made some great saves over the last few weeks," noted team-mate Wayne Rooney. I know he got a little bit of criticism after the Tottenham game but it wasn't the biggest mistake I've ever seen."
It certainly wasn't. But any perceived De Gea lapse is still likely to be latched upon with a knowing raise of the eyebrow and the familiar dodgy keeper chatter. Perception takes time to catch up with reality. The statistics actually show that De Gea has maintained his high standards as a shot-stopper and the mistakes are being cut out too. He has made only one error leading to a Premier League goal this season. Hart has made four.
Fortunately for the England No.1, a strong reputation can prove equally difficult to lose as a bad one. Much like the old cliché of a rare headed goal by John Barnes, the rare mistake by Hart has entered the lexicon. Astonishingly, the City keeper's record this year is not only significantly worse than De Gea's in terms of errors and shot-stopping - it's actually significantly worse than De Gea's record last year as well.
There was an odd attempt to stop the ball against Tottenham, then he was caught out by Adam Johnson in a defeat at Sunderland and a Rickie Lambert shot in another loss to Southampton. After that mistake, City boss Roberto Mancini pointed out that it was far from a one-off. "It's not strange because he did two or three mistakes this year and this is not good for us," said Mancini. "Joe is a good keeper but a goalkeeper can't do a mistake like this." Hart himself added: "I hold my hands up, sometimes I've let the team down."
With all the focus on events at the other end of the field and the well-documented influence of Robin van Persie supposedly proving the difference between the sides, the form of the respective goalkeepers has largely gone under the radar. Despite this narrative, just five points separated City and United when Van Persie scored against Spurs in January. The gap has more than doubled since then but the Dutchman has scored just one goal in his last 13 games in all competitions.
Far more significant has been the defensive improvement at United. "If you look back to December you'd have said both teams were on a par," Gary Neville told Monday Night Football ahead of the derby. "United had been blistering in attack and were scoring so many goals but were conceding a lot. City weren't so creative and didn't quite have that spark in attack but were defensively sound. At that point you are thinking that something has got to give. What's given is that Manchester United have conceded three in their last 11 games and City still haven't got that sparkle."
Perhaps De Gea has been a bigger factor than people might think. He certainly seems to be well on the way to convincing Ferguson. "They have all improved," explained the United manager last week. "The concentration has become better and the importance of the games has helped that. But David de Gea has developed and matured as the season has gone on. We've seen a very progressive and developing young goalkeeper and next season he'll be even better."
He couldn't match Schmeichel's record and he didn't come at a bargain price of £100,000. But David de Gea deserves the Premier League winners' medal that looks likely to come his way. And given that he's four years younger than his City counterpart, don't be shocked if the United keeper continues to improve and people are soon pointing to his presence in the goalmouth as being the difference-maker for all the right reasons instead.21st episode of the eighth season of Family Guy
"Partial Terms of Endearment" is the 21st and final episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Joseph Lee and written by Danny Smith, the episode originally aired on BBC Three in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2010, and has not been allowed to air in the United States on Fox, the original television network of the series, due to its controversial nature. This is the last episode that is presented in standard format, before the series' switch to high definition format, and it is the final episode to feature the opening sequence that was updated during the second season.
In the episode, Lois is approached by an old friend from college who asks her to become a surrogate mother. After arguing with her husband Peter who is against the idea, Lois agrees and undergoes in vitro fertilisation. However, while Lois is pregnant, the biological parents are killed in an automobile accident. Lois and Peter have to decide whether to abort the fetus, or carry it to term and give the baby up for adoption. Peter attempts to persuade his wife to get an abortion but changes his mind after pro-life activists convince him that abortion is murder. Despite Peter's objections, Lois goes ahead with the abortion.
The episode was banned from airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company due to concerns over its portrayal of the controversial subject of abortion. This is the second episode of Family Guy to be prevented from airing during the episode's respective regular season run; the first episode was the third season's "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein". Unlike that episode, Cartoon Network's adult-oriented block Adult Swim refused to air it upon Fox's request. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Critical responses to the episode were mostly positive; critics praised the storyline, cultural references and its assessment of the subject of abortion. The episode was watched in just under a million homes in its original airing in the United Kingdom. Guest performances included Gary Beach, Jackson Douglas, Phil LaMarr, Will Sasso, Julia Sweeney, Wil Wheaton and Michael York, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Partial Terms of Endearment" was released on DVD in the United States, along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, on September 28, 2010. Even though this episode was placed at the end of season 8, the episode was placed between "Go Stewie Go" and "Peter-assment" in the UK.
Plot [ edit ]
While attending her college reunion at Salve Regina University with Peter, Lois spots her old roommate, Naomi Robinson, with whom she had a brief lesbian relationship in college. Peter is shocked but excited to discover that Lois was bisexual in college. Naomi indicates that she would like to discuss an important matter with them at their home. Assuming that he will participate in a threesome with Lois and Naomi, Peter sends Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian out of the house. After Naomi arrives, she introduces her husband Dale. Peter expects that they will now be participating in an orgy, and tries to seduce the three of them while dressed in various costumes. When they clear the air to a dismayed Peter that they're not there for sex, Naomi and Dale tell Lois and Peter they've had trouble conceiving and ask Lois to be a surrogate mother for them, and Lois considers the matter.
As the family eats breakfast the next morning, Lois reveals her intention to become a surrogate mother for Naomi and Dale, causing Peter to become upset at the thought of her being pregnant for nine months. Despite this, Lois decides to go to Dr. Hartman to have the in vitro fertilization performed, enduring more of Dr. Hartman's shtick involving celebrity crossbreeds and having a tribe of bush men implant the egg with blowguns. A pregnancy test comes back positive the next day, and a furious Peter attempts to cause Lois to have a miscarriage before ultimately confronting her about the pregnancy. While she continues asserting her intention to provide a child to Naomi and Dale, Quahog 5 News suddenly reveals that Naomi and Dale died in a car crash on Interstate 95. Devastated by the announcement, Lois questions whether she should have an abortion or continue with the pregnancy and put the baby up for adoption.
In an attempt to come to a decision, Lois and Peter decide to visit the local family-planning center, and ultimately decide to abort the embryo. However, as Peter exits the center he encounters an anti-abortion rally, where he is shown an anti-abortion video by one of the protesters. The video causes him to reconsider about aborting the unborn baby. Returning home, Lois continues to advocate her right to choose, while Peter now attempts to argue the unborn child's right to life and whether Lois has the responsibility of carrying it to term. At their wits' end, the two decide to discuss the matter, once and for all. At dinner, Lois talks with the family about "the wonderful new member of the Griffin family", but then, after a few seconds of silence, Peter turns to the camera and says to the audience "We had the abortion", promptly ending the episode.
Production and development [ edit ]
The episode was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 25, 2009, by series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane.[2][3] It was written by fellow executive producer and series regular Danny Smith[4] and directed by Joseph Lee, during the show's eighth production season. The storyline was pitched by series regular Tom Devanney, and periodically references Billions and Billions (1997), a book of essays by Carl Sagan. Seth MacFarlane asked Danny Smith to read Sagan's essay, "Abortion: Is It Possible to Be Both 'Pro-Life' and 'Pro-Choice'", before beginning to write the script.[6][7] The episode was originally intended to air along with the rest of the eighth season schedule, and was approved for production by 20th Century Fox. However, the Fox Broadcasting Company asserted their right not to air the episode due to the subject matter.[7][6][8] This was the second time that MacFarlane had been warned by Fox about the sensitive nature of an episode's subject. Previously, the network had also disapproved of the season 3 episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", which was originally prevented from airing on Fox, but finally aired on Adult Swim, and eventually on Fox more than four years after it was rejected.[6][7] Thinking the same would happen with "Partial Terms of Endearment", MacFarlane believed that Fox would eventually run the episode on their network, stating, "Most of the time these things turn out to be nothing."[7] In a statement released by Fox, they noted their full support of "the producers' right to make the episode and distribute it in whatever way they want."[7]
Series' creator Seth MacFarlane announced on July 25, 2009 at the San Diego Comic-Con that the episode had been banned by Fox.
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, MacFarlane announced that the episode would become available on a special DVD release, with series producer Kara Vallow confirming the release would be available on September 28, 2010, along with Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show.[9] A month after the announcement, Kevin Reilly, President of Fox Entertainment, stated that the final decision not to air the episode was largely due to concerns about finances and advertisers: "Of all the issues, [abortion] is the one that seems to be the most of a hot button. Particularly at that moment in time, the economy was really struggling and there were a lot of very tough conversations going on with clients."[10] Reilly said that "the advertisers know what they’re getting" with Family Guy, and he thought that the episode handled the subject fine, but "this one felt like it could cause trouble, and it was just not worth it."[10] Despite the concerns in the U.S. about the episode, it aired on June 20, 2010, on BBC Three in the UK, as a part of the season's regularly scheduled Sunday night run on the station. Although it was originally speculated that Adult Swim might air the episode, Fox stated that there were no plans to air it on their network.[7] Several months before the episode debuted on television, the script was performed in a live table read at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California on August 12, 2009. The special reading was attended by Academy of Television Arts and Sciences voters on the heels of the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.[8] Family Guy was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, becoming the first animated program to be nominated in the category since The Flintstones in 1961.[11] Commenting about the event, MacFarlane said, "We did this to drum up Emmy votes, so we could lose by fewer votes."[8]
In addition to the regular cast, actor Jackson Douglas, husband of Alex Borstein, appeared in the episode as Dale Robinson, actress Julia Sweeney appeared as Naomi Robinson, actress Rutina Wesley appeared as Cheryl, actor Wil Wheaton cameoed as an anti-abortion protester and actor Michael York voiced the nature narrator. Actor Gary Beach, voice actor Phil LaMarr, and comedian/actor Will Sasso guest starred as various characters. Recurring guest voice actress Alexandra Breckenridge, actor Ralph Garman, and writers Danny Smith, Alec Sulkin and John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode. Recurring guest cast member Patrick Warburton guest appeared in the episode as well.[12] This episode marked Sweeney's first guest appearance since the season two episode "Wasted Talent".
"Partial Terms of Endearment", along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, was released on DVD in the United States on September 28, 2010. The set includes a brief audio commentary by Seth MacFarlane, voice actress Alex Borstein, writer Danny Smith and director Joseph Lee,[9] as well as animatics, a table read of the episode, and nine downloadable original Family Guy songs. It was also released for digital retail in the United States the same day without the bonus features included on the DVD.[13][14][15]
Clips from the episode were shown during the special Family Guy: 200 Episodes Later, in which MacFarlane describes it as being the closest the writers have come to doing a modern-day All in the Family episode. Additionally, Smith calls it a relatively balanced and intelligent discussion of a very difficult subject and Sulkin claims that it, like "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", is not controversial at all.
Cultural references [ edit ]
The episode parodied pro-life protesters.
In the opening scene of the episode, Peter and Lois are shown entering her alma mater at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.[16] Later, after they are approached by Lois's ex-roommate Naomi and her husband Dale, Lois announces her intention to carry the couple's baby, causing Peter to question why Lois is the one who has to become the couple's surrogate. Their daughter, Meg, suggests that she could carry the baby herself, but Lois objects due to Meg's inability to have a boyfriend "for more than a few weeks." Meg notes her relationship with Sesame Street character Count von Count, who only left her after discovering she had at least three nipples.[7]
Before Lois prepares to undergo in vitro fertilization, Dr. Hartman shows her several photos of babies conceived by celebrity couples, including actress Shelley Duvall and singer-songwriter James Blunt; actress Hilary Swank and actor Gary Busey; Olympic medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner and physicist Stephen Hawking; and actress, writer and comedian Tina Fey and actor Joaquin Phoenix.[17] Beginning the procedure, Lois objects to Dr. Hartman's method of embryonic insertion. In response, he replies, "Well, perhaps you could tell them—if only you spoke Hovitos," a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Later, in an attempt to cause Lois to have a miscarriage, Peter lays down a series of Grey's Anatomy DVDs in order to lure Lois into being punched in the stomach by the "Acme Miscarriage Kit", a boxing glove attached to a crossbow. In a reference to the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner,[7] Peter ultimately ends up missing with the crossbow, causing the glove to bounce and hit a large rock and land inches in front of him as he is standing on a narrow cliff. The ground then drops out from underneath his feet, causing him to fall like Wile E. Coyote.[8][18]
As Peter exits the abortion clinic, he notices a pro-life rally nearby. At the rally, a protester shows Peter a video tape discouraging abortion (as a reference to the cult classic 1936 American propaganda exploitation film Reefer Madness), portraying it as murder, larceny, jaywalking and securities fraud. The tape claims that abortion prevented Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's would-be assassin, a fourth Stooge brother, of The Three Stooges, and Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden's America-loving brother from being born.[18][19][20]
Reception [ edit ]
The episode was viewed in just under a million homes in its original airing on BBC Three in the United Kingdom, earning an audience share of 5.7 percent, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives on E4.[21] The reception of the episode represented a slight decrease from the previous week's ratings.[22] In a review of the episode's original broadcast, The Mail on Sunday rated the double bill of "Partial Terms of Endearment" and "Go Stewie Go" as four out of five stars.[23]
Reviews of the episode's release on DVD were mostly positive, calling the episode "wickedly funny, no matter how offensive."[18] Frazier Moore of the Associated Press commented that "What, in other hands, could have been a serious, even heart-wrenching story is on Family Guy a devilish burlesque — not to mention a wickedly astute examination of the current abortion clash."[18] Moore also noted, however, that "the uninitiated, the faint-of-heart and, most of all, the anti-abortion crowd should maybe choose to take a pass."[18] Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times deemed the episode "typical of that audacious Fox animated comedy, teeming with rapid-fire jokes and willfully offensive non sequiturs about disabled animals, God, Nazis, bodily functions and the sexual habits of 'Sesame Street' characters."[7] In a slightly more mixed review of the DVD release, Cindy White of IGN criticized the episode for its shock value, but appreciated "that the writers didn't cop out in the end, and actually picked a side." White went on to comment that it was "hard to believe that the writers ever expected 'Partial Terms of Endearment' to make it to air" and that "even devoted, longtime fans of the show may be a little uncomfortable with the subject matter." White gave the release a 7 out of 10 rating.[20] Assessing Family Guy's impact on television, Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon commented on the portrayal of abortion: "That Family Guy, that doofy, generally unfunny bastion of sophomoric jokes, should be one of the few shows brave enough to even address the topic is bananas [...] And that Fox wouldn't air the episode says we're still a long way from having anybody on 'Glee' or 'The Office' or 'House' look at those telltale lines on the stick and finally decide what millions of American women have — that they're just not ready for motherhood."[24]When Bea Miller tells Fuse host Katie Van Buren about dancing along to Demi Lovato songs in her room at age 8, she isn't exaggerating. Miller, a quickly rising pop singer, is only 15 years old right now–and her ascension has been accompanied by some surreal friendships.
Watch Bea Miller's guest appearance on Top 20 Countdown tomorrow at 9/8c and check out a sneak peek of her interview above!
Miller discusses her newfound relationship with Lovato, whom she supported on the road throughout much of 2014. Miller was touring on her debut EP, Young Blood.
"If you had told me three years ago that I would be going on tour with Demi and performing one of her songs on stage with her, I would have laughed in your face and been like, 'There's absolutely no way that's ever going to happen,'" Miller says. "I think it's crazy how life can surprise you that way."
Miller says she thinks of Lovato as a sister and remembers the first time Lovato watched her perform her set on stage as a highlight of the tour. She also delves into who she'd like to tour with in the future–the main qualifier is that artists have to be "cool and fun and silly" rather than just talented or popular.
Don't miss Top 20 Countdown tomorrow night, January 6, at 9/8c. Find Fuse in your area.Evan Frank Mottram Durbin (1 March 1906 – 3 September 1948)[1] was a British economist and Labour Party politician, whose writings combined a belief in central economic planning with a conviction that the price mechanism of markets was indispensable.
Historian David Kynaston described Durbin as "the Labour Party's most interesting thinker of the 1940s and arguably of the twentieth century".
Early life [ edit ]
Durbin was born in 1906, the son of a Baptist minister. He was educated at Plympton and Exmouth Elementary Schools; Heles School, Exeter; Taunton School; and New College, Oxford. At Oxford he studied zoology, followed by PPE, and became one of what Ben Pimlott described as 'the "Cole group" of distinguished young socialists'.[2]:67 He befriended Hugh Gaitskell (later, leader of the Labour Party 1955–63) during the General Strike of 1926, when he undertook public speaking tasks on behalf of the strikers in and around Oxford, and Gaitskell acted as his driver.[3]:22 In 1929, he was awarded a Ricardo scholarship to study economics at University College, London, where Gaitskell was already on the teaching staff[3]:39–40 and their friendship, which lasted until Durbin's death, cemented itself.
Economic career [ edit ]
In autumn 1930 he was appointed to a lectureship in economics at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he remained until 1940. Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Economics, London School of Economics, 1930–1945.
Political career [ edit ]
Politically, Durbin defined himself as a'militant Moderate'.
In 1931 he was the unsuccessful Labour Parliamentary candidate for East Grinstead, where Gaitskell spoke for him, addressing a meeting which included 'rowdy but good-natured Tory opposition',[4] and in 1935 he stood for Gillingham, Kent, where, in his selection speech, Durbin famously prioritised the preservation of political democracy over the pursuit of both socialism and peace.[3]:47
In early 1939 he joined with Douglas Jay and Hugh Gaitskell in urging the Labour Party leadership to agree to the government's proposal for military conscription, so long as there was a quid pro quo in the form of '"conscription of wealth" (a wealth tax).[5] Instead, the Labour Party refused to support conscription at all. Once war was declared, Durbin was temporarily seconded to the Economic Section of the War Cabinet Secretariat, with other notable economists such as Lionel Robbins and the young Harold Wilson,[2]:73 1940–1942 (during which time he penned The Politics of Democratic Socialism, described by Professor David Marquand as consummating "[t]he marriage between Keynsianism and Fabianism"[6]); and then was temporary Personal Assistant to Clement Attlee, Deputy Prime Minister, 1942–1945.
Durbin was elected Labour MP for Edmonton in 1945, and was amongst those invited to Hugh Dalton's "Young Victors' Dinner", held at St Ermin's Hotel, off Victoria Street SW1. As other guests included George Brown, Richard Crossman, John Freeman, Hugh Gaitskell, Harold Wilson and Woodrow Wyatt,[2]:93 it is fairly clear that Durbin was regarded as a man of the future. He was Dalton's Parliamentary Private Secretary from 1945–47,[2]:95 and started a ministerial career as Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Works, 1947–1948.
On 2 September 1948 Durbin drowned while rescuing one of his daughters from the sea at Strangles Beach, south of Bude, on the coast of Cornwall.[7]
Legacy [ edit ]
Writing in The Times after Durbin's death, Hugh Gaitskell paid tribute to Durbin's 'clarity of purpose' and 'well defined set of moral values and social ideals'. Gaitskell wrote that Durbin 'insisted in applying the process of reasoning unflinchingly and with complete intellectual integrity to all human problems' – including a consistent opposition to the dictatorship of Stalin, for 'he would not sentimentalise about tyranny, which seemed to him equally odious everywhere'. Gaitskell noted in his diary: "There is... nobody else in my life whom I can consult on the most fundamental issues, knowing that I shall get the guidance I want".[3]:129
Despite his early death, Durbin continued to influence on Labour Party thinking throughout the 1950s, particularly for Gaitskell (who became party leader in 1955) and Labour revisionist Anthony Crosland.
Durbin was also an influence on the founders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981. For the SDP, Durbin's writing provided a model for a successful fight against the left within the Labour Party.
Publications [ edit ]
Purchasing Power and Trade Depression: a critique of under-consumption theories (Jonathan Cape, London and Toronto, 1933)
(Jonathan Cape, London and Toronto, 1933) Socialist Credit Policy (Victor Gollancz, London, 1934)
(Victor Gollancz, London, 1934) The Problem of Credit Policy (Chapman and Hall, London, 1935)
(Chapman and Hall, London, 1935) (Editor) War and Democracy: essays on the causes and prevention of war (Kegan Paul and Co, London, 1938)
(Kegan Paul and Co, London, 1938) How to Pay for the War (G Routledge and Sons, London, 1939)
(G Routledge and Sons, London, 1939) Personal Aggressiveness and War (Kegan Paul and Co, London, 1939)
(Kegan Paul and Co, London, 1939) The Politics of Democratic Socialism (G. Routledge and Sons, London, 1940)
(G. Routledge and Sons, London, 1940) What Have we to Defend? A brief critical examination of the British social tradition (G. Routledge and Sons, London, 1942)
(G. Routledge and Sons, London, 1942) Problems of Economic Planning (Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1949)
References [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]In Texas, New York, Illinois and other states, protests by parents and educators are getting louder against school reform that insists on using standardized test scores as the basis for evaluating students, educators and schools.
It is too early to call it a full-fledged revolt; Washington D.C. has yet to see tens of thousands of people marching through the streets against high-stakes standardized testing, which has been prominent in American education for a decade and is at the core of the Obama administration’s school accountability efforts.
But opposition is clearly growing, most prominently over “value-added” teacher evaluation models that purport to measure how much “value” a teacher adds to a student’s academic progress by using a complicated formula involving a student’s standardized test score.
Researchers have repeatedly warned that this evaluation method is not reliable — and doesn’t take into account all of the out-of-school reasons that could affect how a student does on a test — but the Obama administration has pushed it and states have been adopting new teacher accountability systems that are heavily weighted to test scores.
In New York, hundreds of professors at colleges and universities have banded together and signed a letter to political and education officials protesting the state’s new educator evaluation system, Annual Professional Performance Review, or APPR, which rests largely on test scores, and asking them to reconsider the reliance on high-stakes tests.
This effort follows one by school principals in New York to protest APPR with a petition that describes APPR is “an unproven, expensive and potentially harmful evaluation system” that “is not the path to lasting school improvement.” At this point, more than 1,432 New York State principals and more than 4,860 friends have signed the petition.
Meanwhile, in Texas, some 345 school districts — out of about 1,030 districts — have adopted a resolution that says that standardized tests are “strangling” public schools and asking the state Board of Education to rethink the testing regime. Those school districts represent more than 1.6 million students.
It was in Texas where the era of high-stakes testing was born. George W. Bush started a test-based accountability program when he was governor and then blew it out into a national education initiative known as No Child Left Behind during his presidency.
Thus it is somewhat ironic that this year Robert Scott, the Republican commissioner of education in Texas, caused a public stir when he told the Texas State Board of Education that the mentality that standardized testing is the “end-all, be-all” is a “perversion” of what a quality education should be. California Gov. Jerry Brown had said essentially the same thing last year. Scott also agreed to postpone by a year a requirement that the results of each end-of-course exam account for 15 percent of a student’s final grade in that course.
It’s impossible to know if Scott’s comments had an effect on any other officials, but The New York Times reported last month that the chief academic officer of New York City’s public schools, Shael Polakow-Suransky, said publicly that he, too, has concerns about APPR because of the value-added formulas that carry so much weight.
“A principal should not ever be in a situation where ultimately their judgment gets trumped by a mechanistic formula,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, in Illinois, scores of professors and researchers from at least 16 universities throughout the Chicago metropolitan area recently signed an open letter to the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and Chicago school officials warning against implementing a teacher evaluation system that is based on standardized test scores.
The letter says, among other things, that “students will be adversely affected by the implementation of this new teacher-evaluation system” for a number of reasons. They include:
*A narrowing of curriculum as teachers focus more on test prep;
*Teachers whose jobs depend on their students doing well on standardized tests will “surely be incentivized to avoid students” with any kind of problem that could lead them to do poorly on the test
* Teachers will stop collaborating and become competitive, creating a bad environment for a school.
In addition to these protests, local groups of parents and educators in a number of states have started to seek ways to coordinate their efforts to protest standardized testing and help parents “opt” their children out of these tests.
Where this fledging revolt is going is unclear, but it is real, and for the moment, it is growing.
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Follow The Answer Sheet every day by bookmarking www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet.According to Shimer College Assistant Professor Adam Kotsko, the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo was “devoted to hate speech,” comparing it to the hate group Westboro Baptist Church and saying it was not “surprising” they were attacked. (RELATED: #NotAllMuslims Murder 12 People In Paris Because Somebody Disrespected Allah)
Kotsko, who has a PhD in Theology, Ethics, and Culture from Chicago Theological Seminary, tweeted his opinion in the wake of the deadly attack on the paper Tuesday morning. He deleted the tweets under scrutiny, but Salon parody account @Salondotcom managed to grab a snapshot.
Kotsko responded by apologizing, and literally begging Salondotcom to delete their screen-cap of the tweets.
I made a mistake I made too often: choosing the wrong example to make a general point. I shot off before I fully understood the situation. — Adam Kotsko (@adamkots |
the lifeboats and died in the sinking. As the collapsible was lowered to the ocean, two men were seen to jump into it from the rapidly flooding A deck.
Ironically these two men were Gracie's friends, Woolner and Björnström-Steffansson, who had found themselves alone near the open forward end of A-deck. Just above them Collapsible D was slowly descending towards the sea, and as the water rushed up the deck towards them they got onto the railing and leapt into the boat, Björnström-Steffansson landing in a heap at the bow. Woolner's landing was similarly undignified but they were safe.
Gracie and Smith were still working on the Collapsibles when the bridge dipped under at 2:15. Gracie and Smith turned and headed for stern when met a crowd of men and women coming up from steerage.
"My friend Clinch Smith made the proposition that we should leave and go toward the stern. But there arose before us from the decks below a mass of humanity several lines deep converging on the Boat Deck facing us and completely blocking our passage to the stern. There were women in the crowd as well as men and these seemed to be steerage passengers who had just come up from the decks below. Even among these people there was no hysterical cry, no evidence of panic. Oh the agony of it."
As the Titanic foundered, Gracie and Clinch Smith stayed with the crowd. As the water rushed towards them, Gracie jumped with the wave, caught hold of the bottom rung of the ladder to the roof of the officers mess and pulled himself up. Clinch Smith disappeared beneath the waves never to be seen again. As the ship sank, the resulting undertow pulled Gracie deep into icy waters, he kicked himself free far below the surface and, with the aid of his life preserver, swam clear. Clinging to a floating wooden crate, Gracie was able to swim over to the overturned Collapsible B and, with a little help managed to climb onto it.
When Gracie first got to the boat there were about a dozen people on it. All told some thirty men and women managed to climb on the partially submerged boat during the next few minutes. Some of the men were quite dry, they had apparently been on the boat as it was swept off. Gracie, teeth chattering, hair frozen tried to borrow a cap to warm his head, the man refused. The boat was slowly sinking.
Lightoller now took took command. He ordered all the men to stand. He got them into a double column, facing the bow. Then, as the boat lurched, he ordered then to lean to the left or right, whatever was necessary to counteract the swell. They found that Harold Bride, the junior wireless operator was on board. Lightoller questioned him about the positions reported by the rescue boats and determined the the Carpathia should arrive about dawn.
Just after 3:30 am the survivors heard the sound of a cannon being fired, and as dawn broke around 4 am the Carpathia came into sight. The men on B were now desperately trying to stay afloat. The Carpathia was 4 miles away, picking up survivors from the other lifeboats. About 400 yards away, Boats 4, 10, 12 and D were strung together in a line. Lightoller used his officers whistle and got their attention. Boats 4 and 12 cast of at once and rowed over. Boat 4 arrived first and started transferring the survivors from the foundering collapsible. Gracie was unable to make the jump and crawled into Boat 12. Lightoller was the last to leave.
By 8:15 am all boats were in but for 12. Gracie worked in vain to revive a lifeless body lying beside him. At 8:30, Boat 12 made fast and Gracie was able step onto the Carpathia's gangway. Laying under a pile of blankets on a sofa in the ship dining room, while his clothes dried in the ships bake oven, Gracie discovered cuts on his legs and body and a wound to his head. He was to be black and blue and sore for days.
Colonel Gracie wrote an account of the tragedy that was published as "The Truth About The Titanic" in 1913. Gracie never finished proofing the manuscript as he died on 4 December 1912 at his ancestral home in New York, N.Y., having never fully recovered from the trauma of that night. Many survivors were at the graveside for his burial at Woodlaw Cemetery,New York, together with members of his regiment.
Courtesy of Michael A. Findlay, USA
Archibald Gracie was the third survivor of Titanic to die, being preceded in death by Maria Nackid on 30 July 1912 and Eugenie Baclini on 30 August 1912.
Colonel Gracie's estate was divided between his wife and his daughter Edith. Mrs Gracie lost most of her wealth when a property brokerage collapsed. Col. Gracie's final surviving child, Edith Temple Gracie Adams, died childless1 in late 1918, (from pneumonia in the influenza epidemic), about a year after her marriage. Mts Gracie then sued her son-in-law Dunbar Burchell Adams (son of a chewing gum magnate) over her daughter's $150,000 share of the Gracie estate but the case failed, she reached a settlement by which she received $75 per weeks from the son in law. When he too died she persuaded his father to keep up the payments after a hiatus.
Mrs Gracie and her second husband the fake count Humberto Urbino
(Atlanta Constitution 22 October 1933)
On 19 April 1924 Mrs Gracie married 'Humberto Aguirre de Urbino' whom she believed to be a wealthy Chilean count and diplomat. In fact, he was a fraudster and golddigger... each probably married for money not realising until it was too late that neither was wealthy. She alleged that he choked her with a blanket and locked her in a bathroom then stole a cheque and $5,000 in jewellery before fleeing the country, working a passage as a dishwasher. She sought but failed to have him extradited from Chile and finally, the marriage was annulled after which she reverted to the name of her late first husband. She died in 1937.Looking for news you can trust?
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On Friday evening, the White House began releasing the financial disclosures of up to 180 top staffers. The forms provide a revealing though incomplete picture, showing an aide’s sources of income over the past year and his or her investments and debts, expressed in ranges not exact amounts. So far, these records show that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump could be worth as much as $740 million and are still benefiting from their vast business holdings, including Ivanka’s stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. And they indicate that chief White House strategist, whose assets are valued between $11.8 million and $53.8 million, earned a significant amount of his income last year from entities linked to Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, the conservative megadonors. Below are the disclosures of more than 30 officials. We’ll post more as they become available.
Stephen Bannon, assistant to the president and chief strategist
Katie Walsh, deputy chief of staff for implementation. (Walsh recently departed the White House for a job with an outside group promoting Trump’s polices.)
Sean Spicer, press secretary
Reince Preibus, chief of staff
Donald McGahn II, White House counsel
Stephen Miller, senior adviser to the president for policy
Omarosa Manigault, director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison
Jared Kushner, assistant to the president and senior adviser to the president
Michael Flynn, former national security advisor. In February, Flynn filed an earlier version of his disclosure form that was later revised.
Makan Delrahim, deputy White House counsel
Gerrit Lansing, chief digital officer
Joseph Lai, special assistant to the president
Jennifer Korn, deputy director, White House
Jeremy Katz, deputy director of the National Economic Council
Kenneth Juster, international economic affairs
Gregory Katsas, deputy counsel to the president
Boris Epshteyn, assistant director of communications. (Epshteyn is reportedly leaving his White House role.)
Hope Hicks, director of strategic communications
Andy Koenig, special assistant to the president
Shahira Knight, special assistant to the president
Timothy Pataki, special assistant to the president, Office of Legislative Affairs
David J. Gribbin, special assistant to the president
James Burnham, senior associate counsel
Bill McGinley, White House cabinet secretary
Joyce Meyer, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of legislative affairs
Uttam Dhillon, special assistant to the president and senior associate counsel
Ann Donaldson, special counsel to the president and chief of staff to the White House counsel
Benjamin Howard, special assistant to the president and house special assistant
Ashley Marquis, chief of staff, National Economic Council
Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council
Michael Ellis, special assistant to the president and associate counsel
Julia Hahn, deputy policy strategist
John Eisenberg, deputy assistant to the president, National Security Council legal adviser, and deputy counsel to the president for national security
Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president
Andeliz Castillo, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Vice President
Stephen Ford, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting for the Vice PresidentIt seems the vocal opposition brought forth by approximately 800 parents at a February school board meeting regarding an all-day “white privilege” seminar has resulted in the cancellation of the event for the time being.
On February 28, New Trier High School held what the Chicago Tribune dubbed a “racial civil rights” day.
However, as reported by The College Fix’s Jorin Burkhart, considering the titles of some of the workshops — “Microaggressions: Not So Small,” “From Kareem to Kaepernick: Athlete Activists in the Modern Era,” and “Theft or Homage? A Discussion of Cultural Appropriation” — depicting the confabs as “civil rights”-related could be considered a stretch.
There was also the somewhat alarmingly titled “Western Bias in Science” (which sounds dangerously like what the University of Cape Town’s “Fallists” have protested):
Newton, Darwin, Curie… Can you think of a non-European or non-American scientist in history? Come examine the western bias in science education, its sources and its implications, in this interactive workshop.
Burkhart’s report also notes a workshop no longer listed in the original seminar catalog — “Blackenomics 101.” This session featured rapper and activist “John the Author” whose song for the talk, “BlackEnomics,” includes the line “Die motherfu*ker die.”
According to North Cook News, over 950 students opted to stay home “rather than attend the day of lectures by left-wing speakers […]”
Later that same day, those aforementioned 800 parents packed the board meeting to demonstrate their misgivings.
Then, earlier this month not-so coincidentally, New Trier District 203 Assistant Superintendent Tim Hayes announced there would be no repeat of the seminars next year.
North Cook News reports on the reaction:
[Hayes’] decision comes after a similar seminar was held at the end of February when hundreds of students opted out of the day’s activities and parents gathered at a school board meeting to oppose the unbalanced perspectives presented to their kids. A member of the Parents of New Trier, an advocacy group created in early 2017 to urge Hayes and other district administrators to offer opposing viewpoints, told North Cook News were glad to hear of the school board’s decision. “I think this is a wise move,” Betsy Hart said on behalf of the group. “What happened this year was so divisive — best to not repeat it.” Hayes told the North Cook News planning for the event was too difficult. Instead, he is planning an extensive activity in the student’s homeroom for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Despite her stance on the event’s original intent, Hart supported the idea of a homeroom activity. “It is wise to do a focus on Martin Luther King on MLK Day (during extended advisories) which is what is being considered,” Hart said. … A survey conducted after the day’s events concluded showed only 5 percent of the attending students disagreed with the subject matter or wanted differing viewpoints, according to Hayes and the district. However, just about a quarter of students attended the day’s event and filled out the survey.
EAGNews.org notes the New Trier district has spent almost $200,000 related to “white privilege” matters since 2011, including $90,000 on Glenn Singleton’s Pacific Educational Group.
Read the full North Cook News and EAGNews stories.
MORE: Parents revolt after HS forces students to attend all-day social justice seminar
MORE: Get ready, Kansas City: Here comes the National White Privilege Conference
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on TwitterNew York City’s Parks Department is under investigation for forcing its part-time workers to strip and pole-dance at an agency holiday party in exchange for more permanent jobs. The workers allegedly teased as many as 10 men at a time.
“If you want a job, get on the pole,” a Parks Department employee allegedly told a female worker at last year’s Christmas party, according to an exclusive report by the New York Daily News.
Dating back to at least 2009, the Parks Department has thrown “raunchy” holiday parties, complete with stripper poles and large amounts of alcohol, the newspaper reports. Seasonal employees were allegedly prompted into taking their clothes off and dancing in a scandalous manner for employees who promised them full-time or permanent positions in exchange.
At some Christmas and New Year’s parties, the seasonal employees allegedly ‘performed’ for as many as 10 men at a time, often in underwear. Some of the women reportedly received tips for getting naked or dancing, and in some cases had the money stuffed down their pants.
“The men started demanding a lot more. They were like, ‘You want us to give you money, show us something,’” one woman told the Daily News. “And for the New Year’s party, it got really grabby. Some women stripped to their panties and bras, and men were slapping asses. It was out of control.”
The Parks Department hosted its holiday parties on the second floor of its building, where male workers crafted a stripper’s pole out of a wire spool and pieces of wood that they found on the premises. The pole was mounted on a platform, and a small ladder allowed women to climb up to it. After the seasonal workers had consumed large quantities of alcohol, the ladder was often taken away so that the women were forced to climb up to the platform, according to reports from some of the partygoers.
Reports of sexual harassment are common at the city’s Parks Department, and city investigators are now reviewing multiple complaints filed against the agency. One female worker complained that her male supervisor licked her stomach in an elevator, while another worker accused her bosses of snapping her bra straps and sending her inappropriate text messages.
The New York City Deparmtent of Parks and Recreation is a local government agency responsible for preserving and maintaining the city’s 1,700 parks and playgrounds and its ecological diversity. The latest investigation is the second time the city department is dealing with a largely publicized scandal. In 2001, the department was investigated for employment discrimination after a lawsuit was filed that accused the department of engaging in racist practices. The lawsuit alleged that senior officials chose only to promote white employees. The judge ruled that discrimination did in fact occur, and the city was forced to pay $21 million to minority workers as a settlement to avoid trial.
In 2011, the New York City Parks Department once again came under investigation after an African-American employee found a black baby doll handing by its neck from a noose in front of the loading dock. The 60-year-old worker said the sight of the hanging doll was traumatizing. The city also received reports of the letters "KKK" scratched in a bathroom. The employee responsible for hanging the doll was eventually arrested and charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime.According to Google engineer Matt Cutts, the company may begin ranking encrypted sites higher than their non-encrypted counterparts in its search engine results.
Cutts hinted at the potential tweak to Google's search algorithm at SMX West, a search and social media marketing conference in San Jose. Cutts says tweaking the algorithm to favor encrypted websites would make it more difficult for third parties to spy on users, while encouraging more and more sites to adopt a standard of encryption. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has over 200 factors which it considers in ranking websites on its search engine. Analysts say that adding site encryption to the list may have the potential to drastically increase web security and incentivize site owners to secure their websites.
Just last week, a major security vulnerability known as Heartbleed was discovered in the OpenSSL cryptographic library, which many have described as disastrous in its potential effects. A fix was quickly issued, but websites are still reeling in the shockwave. In light of these effects, the Heartbleed bug seems to have increased public perception of security for the better. More and more sites are working towards increasing encryption and user security, and Google's potential algorithm change may hopefully go a long way in encouraging the encryption process.
Source: Wall Street Journal | Image via Shutterstock - Google homepageIn the development of most services there is a need in the internal billing for service accounts. Our service also had such a problem. We were not able to find ready-made packages for its solution and in the end had to develop a billing system from scratch.
In this article I want to talk about our experiences and pitfalls encountered during development.
Tasks
Tasks that we had to solve were typical for any cash accounting system: the acceptance of payments, transaction log, typical payment and recurring payments (subscription).
Transaction
Transaction was obviously selected as a basic unit of the syste. For the transaction we have written the following simple model:
class UserBalanceChange(models.Model): user = models.ForeignKey('User', related_name='balance_changes') reason = models.IntegerField(choices=REASON_CHOICES, default=NO_REASO) amount = models.DecimalField(_('Amount'), default=0, max_digits=18, decimal_places=6) datetime = models.DateTimeField(_('date'), default=timezone.now)
The transaction consists of links to the user, the reasons for the replenishment (or transaction), the transaction amount and time of the transaction.
Balance
Balance of a user is very easy to calculate by using the annotate function of ORM Django (consider the sum of the values of the column), but we have faced with the fact that a with large number of transactions this operation overloads database. It was therefore decided to denormalize the database, add the "balance" field in the user model. This field is updated in the method "save" in the "UserBalanceChange" model, and for the confidence in the relevance of the data in it we recalculate it every night.
It is, of course, more correct to store information about the current balance of a user in a cache (e.g., in Redis) and invalidate the model with each change.
Receiving payments
For the most popular system of payments there are ready-made bags, so, as a rule, there are no problems with their installation and configuration. Just follow a few simple steps:
Register in the payment system;
Obtain the API keys;
Install the appropriate package for Django;
Implement a form of payment;
Implement the functions of the enrollment in the balance after payment.
Payments acceptance is implemented very flexibly, for example, for the PayPal system the code looks like this: from paypal.signals import result_received def payment_received(sender, **kwargs): order = OrderForPayment.objects.get(id=kwargs['InvId']) user = User.objects.get(id=order.user.id) order.success=True order.save() try: sum = float(order.payment) except Exception, e: pass else: balance_change = UserBalanceChange(user=user, amount=sum, reason=BALANCE_REASONS.paypal) balance_change.save() Similarly, you can connect any payment system, such as Braintree, Stripe, etc. Debit To write off is a bit more complicated - before surgery it is necessary to check what the balance of the account will be after the operation, the "honest" manner - using the annotate. This should be done in order not to serve user "on credit", which is especially important when the transactions are carried out on large sums of money. payment_sum = 8.32 users = User.objects.filter(id__in=has_clients, balance__gt=payment_sum).select_related('tariff') Here we have written it without “annotate”, because in the future there are some additional checks. Repeated transaction Having dealt with the basics, move on to the fun part - recurring transactions. We need to hourly (let’s call it a "billing period") write off a certain amount of money from a user in accordance with his tariff planf. To implement this mechanism, we use a celery - written task, which runs every hour. The logic in this moment is difficult to comprehend, since it is necessary to take into account many factors: between tasks in the celery we will never have exactly one hour (billing period);
the user fills up the balance (it becomes> 0) and gains access to services between billing periods, the shoot for the period would be unfair;
the user can change the tariff at any time;
celery mayfor some reason cease to perform tasks
We tried to implement this algorithm without introducing an additional field, but it turned out to be inconvenient. So we had to add the last_hourly_billing field to the User model, which indicates the time of the last repeted operation. The idea is: Each billing period we look last_hourly_billing and write off according to the tariff plan, then update the last_hourly_billing field;
When changing the tariff plan, we debited for the past rate and update the last_hourly_billing field;
When you activate the service, we update the last_hourly_billing field. def charge_tariff_hour_rate(user): now = datetime.now second_rate = user.get_second_rate() hour_rate = (now - user.last_hourly_billing).total_seconds() * second_rate balance_change_reason = UserBalanceChange.objects.create( user=user, reason=UserBalanceChange.TARIFF_HOUR_CHARGE, amount=-hour_rate, ) balance_change_reason.save() user.last_hourly_billing = now user.save() This system, unfortunately, is not flexible: if we add another type of recurring payments we will have to add a new field. Rather, in the process of refactoring we will write an additional model. It might look like this:
class UserBalanceSubscriptionLast(models.Model): user = models.ForeignKey('User', related_name='balance_changes') subscription = models.ForeignKey('Subscription', related_name='subscription_changes') datetime = models.DateTimeField(_('date'), default=timezone.now) This model will allow a very flexible implementation of recurring payments. Dashboard We use django-admin-tools for a convenient dashboard in the administration panel. We decided that we would track the following two important parameters:
Last 5 payments and payment schedule of users in the last month;
Users whose balance is close to 0 (of those who have already paid);
The first indicator for us is a kind of indicator of growth (traction) of our start-up, the second is a recurrence (retention) of users. How we implemented dashboard and how we monitor the metrics in our projec? These are the questions for the next article. I wish you all a successful adjustment of a billing system and hope you will receive more payments!Share 0 SHARES
THE COST of Pope Francis’s visit to Ireland next year will cost an estimated €20 million, with the need to spend money on security among other things explaining the extensive costs incurred by the taxpayer.
However, WWN was shocked to learn the pontiff, one of the most in demand performers in the world, charges by the prayer with many accusing the Catholic Church’s leader of being anything but value for money.
“The Vatican sent on their invoice this morning it just says €20 million for three Hail Marys and an Our Father, we’re a little disappointed to say the least,” confirmed organiser’s of Ireland’s most anticipated summer festival Phoenix Park’s Popetacular.
Frequent festival goers are used to high profile performers coasting by on their greatest hits so such news will come as no surprise, however, the price charged could put people off attending.
“Look, we know Francis is a diva, the man wears a white cape and drives around in a Pope Mobile, but the fact he’s not willing to play any B-sides, you know, Old Testament shit, some fans will go home disappointed,” added die hard Pope fan Maureen Murrin.
“The ginger fella just goes out on stage with his guitar and he charges, what, €80? So I think the Pope has some fucking explaining to do,” added one disgruntled Pope fan, Sr. Aine O’Brien.
The Vatican have tried to reassure Pope fans that he is worth the cost, with a spokesperson implying a 9-hour fireworks display depicting the Last Supper is just one of many things the Pope has up his sleeves.In June of 2014 it was revealed that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) was reviewing bids to expand the league to an even six teams. Groups from Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and New York City are all believed to be in the bidding process with the CWHL for a new franchise.
Who is Laura Halldorson?
A key member of the bidding group from Minneapolis, Minnesota is longtime supporter of Women’s Hockey in the area Laura Halldorson. She played with Patty Kazmaier, forever immortalized with the Patty Kazmaier Award being given to the top female NCAA hockey player on a yearly basis, at the University of Princeton.
Laura Halldorson would then go on to coach the Minnesota Golden Gophers Women’s Hockey team from 1997 until 2007. She accumulated 337 wins, 142 losses and 31 ties placing her fifth all time behind Shannon Miller (348 wins), Michael Sisti (363 wins), Katey Stone (402 Wins) and Bill Mandigo (471 wins).
Even since her resigning from coaching in 2007 it seems that Laura Halldorson is forever linked to women’s hockey.
“I actually still work in the Athletic Department at the University of Minnesota. I am part of the Annual Fund in the development office here. I seem to find myself continuing to be involved with hockey in different ways, including some speaking, broadcasting, and time spent coaching on Team USA’s staff in 2012.”
Why the CWHL will work in Minnesota
Halldorson and the bidding group have tremendous belief in the State of Minnesota as the perfect landing place for the next CWHL franchise.
“Our group believes that Minnesota is the perfect place for the next CWHL team. The state of Minnesota is at the forefront of girls’ and women’s hockey in the U.S. when it comes to youth, high school, and college programs; and we believe Minnesota has the players, the fans, and the media support to sustain a successful CWHL team in the Twin Cities.”
Their belief is shared by many influential powers within the hockey world and Minnesota. Similar to what we have seen in successful partnerships between the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames and the CWHL Calgary Inferno, as well as the Toronto Furies and the Toronto Maple Leafs. This Minnesota group appears to have a budding relationship with the Minnesota Wild.
“As part of our proposal, we submitted letters of support from the Minnesota Wild, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, Minnesota Hockey, and the WCHA. These organizations also believe that Minnesota is the right place for a CWHL expansion team.”
Money matters
At the time of the ESPN article this group had raised $200,000 towards the estimated $500,000 required for travel.
“Jack and Winny Brodt have raised $200,000 over the past couple of years through the non-profit Jack set up to run the Minnesota Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have been around for 10 years, but have been without a league since 2011.”
The CWHL Commissioner, Brenda Andress, has set the bar high with her goal to be able to increase revenues from $1.2 million to $3.2 million in the next eighteen months. This would allow the league to pay its players $15,000 per season making it truly the first professional Women’s Hockey League in North America. A second franchise in the United States with support from the organizations indicated above would go a long way towards reaching that goal.
Current status of the bid
With the season fast approaching and the CWHL Draft set to proceed in August, the CWHL is quickly running out of time to bring on a new franchise for the coming season. Currently the Minnesota bidding group that Laura Halldorson is a part of is waiting to hear back from the CWHL.
“As of right now, we are awaiting initial feedback from Commissioner Brenda Andress and the executive committee. We hope to hear something soon, especially since we have another meeting scheduled with the Minnesota Wild on July 31st.”
With no official green light from the CWHL the bidding group is prudently waiting to continue its fundraising and sponsorship efforts. There are two reasons for this.
“We don’t want to move forward with any formal sponsorship packages or donation benefit plans until we have the league’s direction and approval on the content of those things.“
The second reason is also quite clear.
“We also feel that it would not be wise to meet with organizations without some form of commitment from the CWHL. If the league decides to expand to Minnesota, we would look forward to partnering with it in soliciting additional donations and corporate sponsorships.”
Can the Minnesota Whitecaps be ready to compete this fall?
With the bid currently in a holding pattern and the CWHL Draft approaching quickly in August and the drop of the puck occurring in and around October is this Minnesota group prepared to move quickly to lock down all the details?
“Our proposal also provided detailed updates in the areas of game and practice locations, coach and general manager recommendations, interested players (including 2014 U.S. Olympians Brianna Decker and Jocelyne Lamoureux), and a list of local companies we have identified for possible corporate sponsorships.”
It is clear that Laura Halldorson and the rest of the Minnesota bidding group has done all they can to prepare for entry into the CWHL. There is even interest of star U.S. Olympians to play on the team. This would open up another talent pool for the CWHL in the mid-western United States and another potentially solid franchise in the long term.
Dreams becoming reality
It appears that the CWHL and its current franchises including the Boston Blades, Brampton Thunder, Calgary Inferno, Montreal Stars and Toronto Furies could very well be competing against a new addition of the Minnesota Whitecaps in the 2014-15 CWHL season.
There are still many things that need to occur between now and October for this to become a reality. The biggest hurdle will be getting approval from the CWHL Executive to proceed with the expansion to Minnesota.
There is reason to be excited if you are a Women’s Hockey fan or player from the Minnesota area. The Minnesota Whitecaps were the first American team to win the Clarkson Cup when they competed in the Western Women’s Hockey League in 2010. Fans in Minnesota could very well see another Clarkson Cup victory in the near future.No. They don’t.
Adverse health and environmental effects, if any, are so small they can’t be observed, measured or determined in any way.
Not that this has stopped some people from pretending they do. The sad thing is when otherwise reputable journals and news outlets take them seriously. The latest example of this ruse is a paper by Joseph Mangano and Janette Sherman, to be published in the Biomedicine International Journal.
In it, Mangano implies that closing of the Rancho Seco nuclear reactor in California in 1989 resulted in lower cancer rates in the region, over 4,000 cases specifically, suggesting that nuclear power causes cancer. Mangano initially states that 28 cancer types out of 31 decreased over this time period, then admits only 14 were statistically significant, which means 14 out of 31 decreased since these types of comparisons are all about stastistics. Most damning is that even his own tables show that those cancers associated with radiation did not decrease at all.
Even though he admits his results may have nothing to do with the nuclear plant, the guilt by association is clear and intentional.
So the whole premise is false. The average dose received by the public from nuclear power is less than 0.0002 mSv/yr, which is about 10,000 times smaller than the total yearly dose received by the public from other background radiation (WNO). Any health effects from the more abundant and diverse background radiation would completely swamp anything from reactors. But even these levels produce no observable effects.
Eating a bag of potato chips a day gives you 100 times this level, but no one cares since the fat and salt will kill you a lot faster than any radiation.
Washout by rain of radionuclides attached to particulates in the atmosphere is the main cause of dose to the public from nuclear reactors. The amount is extremely small and less than 1% of all other natural sources of radiation. Since the particulates travel great distances before they are washed out, even this small dose is not a function of distance from the power plant, but is randomized geographically.
This is why no serious study of cancer rates in relation to proximity to power plants has ever shown any correlation (Jason Harris, Idaho State University), as hard as many anti-nuclear activists have tried.
And this is real reason for the type of “study” that Mangano published, to be able to cite a journal article about something that doesn’t exist, to lend credence to something needed for an ideological stand, to keep the fear and alarm fresh and useful. To say he is being disingenuous would be nice.
Of course, other things lead to decreases in cancer, and a coincidental closing of a nuclear power plant means nothing. During this time period, coal plants shut as well. Mining operations ceased. Smoking decreased. Oncological improvements soared. Nuclear medicine procedures rocketed.
But probably the most important factor for decreases in cancer rates of the types Mangano cites was immense improvements in California air, water and food quality during that time frame. During the 1970’s, air quality in California and in Rancho Seco was so bad that parents were advised to keep their kids indoors because of common smog alerts. Twenty years later, such alerts were pretty much a thing of the past.
As EPA and the WHO point out, the Clean Air Act has been the most important environmental legislation ever, and has saved more lives since it’s passage than any other environmental regulation (Clean Air Act Turns 40).
To be fair, no one has ever accused Mangano of committing real science. You might remember Mangano as the guy in 2011 who maintained that people in America were dying in droves from Fukushima emissions, prompting general outrage and ridicule from the scientific community, much to his delight. Michael Moyer of Scientific American basically said Mangano cherry picked data to suit his claim or completely made it up. Barbara Ostrov from Reporting on Health, sponsored by USC Annenberg, warned journalists to fact check before believing his assertions, or at least find a reputable third party.
But people like Mangano continue to flourish in this new world of Google graduates, and stoke the general distrust of science fostered by ideologues. It is dangerous and sensational. It keeps our country, and the world, from moving forward into a safer, more environmentally sustainable future.
But for people like Mangano, it's job security.Background
This report is part of an ongoing process of documenting and making public the research that has informed the organizing of the Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City (CEANYC), a cross-sectoral organization incubated by SolidarityNYC. Past phases of this research include a qualitative interview project best summarized in this 2013 report, Growing a Resilient City: Possibilities for Collaboration in New York City's Solidarity Economy ; and a series of focus groups led by CEANYC's steering committee best summarized in their 2014 Summary of Findings report. A more detailed explanation of the research and development process is available in this 2014 Shareable interview with SolidarityNYC organizers. CEANYC and SolidarityNYC continue to partner in researching cross-sectoral regional organizing and movement building. CEANYC is currently building its membership and you can join here!
#SolidarityCities is a project exploring how peer organizations facilitate cross-sectoral and regional organizing and grew from a desire to learn more about the challenges, victories, and movement-building of the solidarity economy movement. Field trips, readings, study, and building shared analysis helps generate movement by making strategic connections (personally, professionally, intellectually) and stretching radical imaginations. Beyond just disseminating information, the trips also help to support building community among regional solidarity economy organizers and their institutions. This is crucial as we grow our efforts and expand our horizons.
There is no fee to attend these programs and participants share the costs of travel, food, gifts, and hosting. To date, we have visited Philadelphia, Montreal, and Ithaca, with plans to visit Western Massachusetts currently in the works. Participants in the #SolidarityCities program have included members or representatives of the following groups: North American Students of Cooperation, Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, Responsible Endowments Coalition, Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, Kensington Community Food Co-op, Mariposa Food Co-op, Park Slope Food Co-op, New Economy Coalition, Anti-Oppression and Racism Training Alliance (AORTA) Collective, SolidarityNYC, U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, Data Commons Cooperative, Community Economies Collective, NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives, Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City, Worcester SAGE, Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO) Collective, Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union, and National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions.
Case Study: Philadelphia
Our hosts in Philly included Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA), Mariposa Food Co-op, Solo Real Estate, and Kensington Food Co-op. We spent a full Saturday sharing strategies and stories with PACA in Mariposa’s community room—including a visit with solidarity economy research and mapping pioneer Professor Craig Borowiack of Haverford College and the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network. Then, Esteban Kelly, cooperator extraordinaire, led us on a walking tour of West Philadelphia that included Mariposa Food Co-op, Wooden Shoe Books, West Philadelphia Cooperative Preschool, The Cedar Works, Firehouse Bicycles, and several co-op homes within the Life Center Association (LCA) community land trust. That evening New York City and Philly folks connected over dinner, dancing, and a bonfire together in |
deeplearn.js which helps you to perform mathematical calculations on the GPU in a computational efficient way.
import { NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel {... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Second, declare your class method to setup your session. It takes a training set as argument in its function signature and thus it becomes the perfect consumer for a generated training set from a previous implemented function. In the third step, the session initializes an empty graph. In the next steps, the graph will reflect your architecture of the neural network. It is up to you to define all of its properties.
import { Graph, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; class ColorAccessibilityModel { setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); }.. } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Fourth, you define the shape of your input and output data points for your graph in form of a tensor. A tensor is an array (of arrays) of numbers with a variable number of dimensions. It can be a vector, a matrix or a higher dimensional matrix. The neural network has these tensors as input and output. In our case, there are three input units (one input unit per color channel) and two output units (binary classification, e.g. white and black color).
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Fifth, a neural network has hidden layers in between. It’s the blackbox where the magic happens. Basically, the neural network comes up with its own cross computed paramaters which are trained in the session. After all, it is up to you to define the dimension (layer size with each unit size) of the hidden layer(s).
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); } createConnectedLayer ( graph, inputLayer, layerIndex, units, ) {... }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Depending on your number of layers, you are altering the graph to span more and more of its layers. The class method which creates the connected layer takes the graph, the mutated connected layer, the index of the new layer and number of units. The layer property of the graph can be used to return a new tensor that is identified by a name.
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); } createConnectedLayer ( graph, inputLayer, layerIndex, units, ) { return graph. layers. dense ( `fully_connected_ ${ layerIndex } `, inputLayer, units ); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Each neuron in a neural network has to have a defined activation function. It can be a logistic activation function that you might know already from logistic regression and thus it becomes a logistic unit in the neural network. In our case, the neural network uses rectified linear units as default.
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); } createConnectedLayer ( graph, inputLayer, layerIndex, units, activationFunction ) { return graph. layers. dense ( `fully_connected_ ${ layerIndex } `, inputLayer, units, activationFunction? activationFunction : ( x ) => graph. relu ( x ) ); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Sixth, create the layer which outputs the binary classification. It has 2 output units; one for each discrete value (black, white).
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); this. predictionTensor = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 3, 2 ); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Seventh, declare a cost tensor which defines the loss function. In this case, it will be a mean squared error. It optimizes the algorithm that takes the target tensor (labels) of the training set and the predicted tensor from the trained algorithm to evaluate the cost.
class ColorAccessibilityModel { inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); this. predictionTensor = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 3, 2 ); this. costTensor = graph. meanSquaredCost ( this. targetTensor, this. predictionTensor ); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Last but not least, setup the session with the architected graph. Afterward, you can start to prepare the incoming training set for the upcoming training phase.
import { Graph, Session, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ; setupSession ( trainingSet ) { const graph = new Graph (); this. inputTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'input RGB value', [ 3 ]); this. targetTensor = graph. placeholder ( 'output classifier', [ 2 ]); let connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, this. inputTensor, 0, 64 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 1, 32 ); connectedLayer = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 2, 16 ); this. predictionTensor = this. createConnectedLayer ( graph, connectedLayer, 3, 2 ); this. costTensor = graph. meanSquaredCost ( this. targetTensor, this. predictionTensor ); this. session = new Session ( graph, math ); this. prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ); } prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ) {... }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
The setup isn’t done before preparing the training set for the neural network. First, you can support the computation by using a callback function in the GPU performed math context. But it’s not mandatory and you could perform the computation without it.
import { Graph, Session, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ;... prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ) { math. scope (() => {... }); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Second, you can destructure the input and output (labels, also called targets) from the training set to map them into a readable format for the neural network. The mathematical computations in deeplearn.js use their in-house NDArrays. After all, you can imagine them as simple array in array matrices or vectors. In addition, the colors from the input array are normalized to improve the performance of the neural network.
import { Array1D, Graph, Session, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ;... prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ) { math. scope (() => { const { rawInputs, rawTargets } = trainingSet ; const inputArray = rawInputs. map ( v => Array1D. new ( this. normalizeColor ( v ))); const targetArray = rawTargets. map ( v => Array1D. new ( v )); }); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Third, the input and target arrays are shuffled. The shuffler provided by deeplearn.js keeps both arrays in sync when shuffling them. The shuffle happens for each training iteration to feed different inputs as batches to the neural network. The whole shuffling process improves the trained algorithm, because it is more likely to make generalizations by avoiding over-fitting.
import { Array1D, InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder, Graph, Session, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ;... prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ) { math. scope (() => { const { rawInputs, rawTargets } = trainingSet ; const inputArray = rawInputs. map ( v => Array1D. new ( this. normalizeColor ( v ))); const targetArray = rawTargets. map ( v => Array1D. new ( v )); const shuffledInputProviderBuilder = new InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder ([ inputArray, targetArray ]); const [ inputProvider, targetProvider, ] = shuffledInputProviderBuilder. getInputProviders (); }); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Last but not least, the feed entries are the ultimate input for the feedforward algorithm of the neural network in the training phase. It matches data and tensors (which were defined by their shapes in the setup phase).
import { Array1D, InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder Graph, Session, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ; feedEntries ;... prepareTrainingSet ( trainingSet ) { math. scope (() => { const { rawInputs, rawTargets } = trainingSet ; const inputArray = rawInputs. map ( v => Array1D. new ( this. normalizeColor ( v ))); const targetArray = rawTargets. map ( v => Array1D. new ( v )); const shuffledInputProviderBuilder = new InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder ([ inputArray, targetArray ]); const [ inputProvider, targetProvider, ] = shuffledInputProviderBuilder. getInputProviders (); this. feedEntries = [ { tensor : this. inputTensor, data : inputProvider }, { tensor : this. targetTensor, data : targetProvider }, ]; }); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
The setup phase of the neural network is finished. The neural network is implemented with all its layers and units. Moreover the training set is prepared for training. Only two hyperparameters are missing to configure the high level behaviour of the neural network. These are used in the next phase: the training phase.
import { Array1D, InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder, Graph, Session, SGDOptimizer, NDArrayMathGPU, } from 'deeplearn' ; const math = new NDArrayMathGPU (); class ColorAccessibilityModel { session ; optimizer ; batchSize = 300 ; initialLearningRate = 0.06 ; inputTensor ; targetTensor ; predictionTensor ; costTensor ; feedEntries ; constructor () { this. optimizer = new SGDOptimizer ( this. initialLearningRate ); }... } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
The first parameter is the learning rate. You might remember it from linear or logistic regression with gradient descent. It determines how fast the algorithm converges to minimize the cost. So one could assume it should be high. But it mustn’t be too high. Otherwise gradient descent never converges because it cannot find a local optima.
The second parameter is the batch size. It defines how many data points of the training set are passed through the neural network in one epoch (iteration). An epoch includes one forward pass and one backward pass of one batch of data points. There are two advantages to training a neural network with batches. First, it is not as computational intensive because the algorithm is trained with less data points in memory. Second, a neural network trains faster with batches because the weights are adjusted with each batch of data points in an epoch rather than the whole training set going through it.
Training Phase
The setup phase is finished. Next comes the training phases. It doesn’t need too much implementation anymore, because all the cornerstones were defined in the setup phase. First of all, the training phase can be defined in a class method. It is executed again in the math context of deeplearn.js. In addition, it uses all the predefined properties of the neural network instance to train the algorithm.
class ColorAccessibilityModel {... train () { math. scope (() => { this. session. train ( this. costTensor, this. feedEntries, this. batchSize, this. optimizer ); }); } } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
The train method is only one epoch of the neural network training. So when it is called from outside, it has to be called iteratively. Moreover it trains only one batch. In order to train the algorithm for multiple batches, you have to run multiple iterations of the train method again.
That’s it for a basic training phase. But it can be improved by adjusting the learning rate over time. The learning rate can be high in the beginning, but when the algorithm converges with each step it takes, the learning rate could be decreased.
class ColorAccessibilityModel {... train ( step ) { let learningRate = this. initialLearningRate * Math. pow ( 0.90, Math. floor ( step / 50 )); this. optimizer. setLearningRate ( learningRate ); math. scope (() => { this. session. train ( this. costTensor, this. feedEntries, this. batchSize, this. optimizer ); } } } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
In our case, the learning rate decreases by 10% every 50 steps. Next, it would be interesting to get the cost in the training phase to verify that it decreases over time. It could be simply returned with each iteration, but that’s leads to computational inefficiency. Every time the cost is requested from the neural network, it has to access the GPU to return it. Therefore, we only access the cost once in a while to verify that it’s decreasing. If the cost is not requested, the cost reduction constant for the training is defined with NONE (which was the default before).
import { Array1D, InCPUMemoryShuffledInputProviderBuilder, Graph, Session, SGDOptimizer, NDArrayMathGPU, CostReduction, } from 'deeplearn' ; class ColorAccessibilityModel {... train ( step, computeCost ) { let learningRate = this. initialLearningRate * Math. pow ( 0.90, Math. floor ( step / 50 )); this. optimizer. setLearningRate ( learningRate ); let costValue ; math. scope (() => { const cost = this. session. train ( this. costTensor, this. feedEntries, this. batchSize, this. optimizer, computeCost? CostReduction. MEAN : CostReduction. NONE, ); if ( computeCost ) { costValue = cost. get (); } }); return costValue ; } } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
Finally, that’s it for the training phase. Now it needs only to be executed iteratively from the outside after the session setup with the training set. The outside execution can decide on a condition if the train method should return the cost.
Inference Phase
The final stage is the inference phase where a test set is used to validate the performance of the trained algorithm. The input is a color in RGB space for the background color and as output it should predict the classifier [ 0, 1 ] or [ 1, 0 ] for either black or white for the font color. Since the input data points were normalized, don’t forget to normalize the color in this step as well.
class ColorAccessibilityModel {... predict ( rgb ) { let classifier = []; math. scope (() => { const mapping = [{ tensor : this. inputTensor, data : Array1D. new ( this. normalizeColor ( rgb )), }]; classifier = this. session.eval( this. predictionTensor, mapping ). getValues (); }); return [... classifier ]; } } export default ColorAccessibilityModel ;
The method run the performance critical parts in the math context again. There it needs to define a mapping that will end up as input for the session evaluation. Keep in mind, that the predict method doesn’t need to run strictly after the training phase. It can be used during the training phase to output validations of the test set.
Ultimately the neural network is implemented for setup, training and inference phase.
Visualize a learning Neural Network in JavaScript
Now it’s about time using the neural network to train it with a training set in the training phase and validate the predictions in the inference phase with a test set. In its simplest form, you would set up the neural network, run the training phase with a training set, validate over the time of training the minimizing cost and finally predict a couple of data points with a test set. All of it would happen on the developer console in the web browser with a couple of console.log statements. However, since the neural network is about color prediction and deeplearn.js runs in the browser anyway, it would be much more enjoyable to visualize the training phase and inference phase of the neural network.
At this point, you can decide on your own how to visualize the phases of your performing neural network. It can be plain JavaScript by using a canvas and the requestAnimationFrame API. But in the case of this article, I will demonstrate it by using React.js, because I write about it on my blog as well.
So after setting up the project with create-react-app, the App component will be our entry point for the visualization. First of all, import the neural network class and the functions to generate the data sets from your files. Moreover, add a couple of constants for the training set size, test set sizes and number of training iterations.
import React, { Component } from'react' ; import './App.css' ; import generateColorSet from './data' ; import ColorAccessibilityModel from './neuralNetwork' ; const ITERATIONS = 750 ; const TRAINING_SET_SIZE = 1500 ; const TEST_SET_SIZE = 10 ; class App extends Component {... } export default App ;
In the constructor of the App component, generate the data sets (training set, test set), setup the neural network session by passing in the training set, and define the initial local state of the component. Over the course of the training phase, the value for the cost and number of iterations will be displayed somewhere, so these are the properties which end up in the component state.
import React, { Component } from'react' ; import './App.css' ; import generateColorSet from './data' ; import ColorAccessibilityModel from './neuralNetwork' ; const ITERATIONS = 750 ; const TRAINING_SET_SIZE = 1500 ; const TEST_SET_SIZE = 10 ; class App extends Component { testSet ; trainingSet ; colorAccessibilityModel ; constructor () { super (); this. testSet = generateColorSet ( TEST_SET_SIZE ); this. trainingSet = generateColorSet ( TRAINING_SET_SIZE ); this. colorAccessibilityModel = new ColorAccessibilityModel (); this. colorAccessibilityModel. setupSession ( this. trainingSet ); this. state = { currentIteration : 0, cost : - 42, }; }... } export default App ;
Next, after setting up the session of the neural network in the constructor, you could train the neural network iteratively. In a naive approach you would only need a for loop in a mounting component lifecycle hook of React.
class App extends Component {... componentDidMount () { for ( let i = 0 ; i <= ITERATIONS ; i ++ ) { this. colorAccessibilityModel. train ( i ); } }; } export default App ;
However, it wouldn’t work to render an output during the training phase in React, because the component couldn’t re-render while the neural network blocks the single JavaScript thread. That’s where requestAnimationFrame can be used in React. Rather than defining a for loop statement ourselves, each requested animation frame of the browser can be used to run exactly one training iteration.
class App extends Component {... componentDidMount () { requestAnimationFrame ( this. tick ); }; tick = () => { this. setState (( state ) => ({ currentIteration : state. currentIteration + 1 })); if ( this. state. currentIteration < ITERATIONS ) { requestAnimationFrame ( this. tick ); this. colorAccessibilityModel. train ( this. state. currentIteration ); } }; } export default App ;
In addition, the cost can be computed every 5th step. As mentioned, the GPU needs to be accessed to retrieve the cost. Thus it should be avoided to train the neural network faster.
class App extends Component {... componentDidMount () { requestAnimationFrame ( this. tick ); }; tick = () => { this. setState (( state ) => ({ currentIteration : state. currentIteration + 1 })); if ( this. state. currentIteration < ITERATIONS ) { requestAnimationFrame ( this. tick ); let computeCost =! ( this. state. currentIteration % 5 ); let cost = this. colorAccessibilityModel. train ( this. state. currentIteration, computeCost ); if ( cost > 0 ) { this. setState (() => ({ cost })); } } }; } export default App ;
The training phase is running once the component mounted. Now it is about rendering the test set with the programmatically computed output and the predicted output. Over time, the predicted output should be the same as the programmatically computed output. The training set itself is never visualized.
class App extends Component {... render () { const { currentIteration, cost } = this. state ; return ( < div className = "app" > < div > < h1 > Neural Network for Font Color Accessibility < /h1> < p > Iterations : { currentIteration } < /p> < p > Cost : { cost } < /p> < /div> < div className = "content" > < div className = "content-item" > < ActualTable testSet = { this. testSet } /> < /div> < div className = "content-item" > < InferenceTable model = { this. colorAccessibilityModel } testSet = { this. testSet } /> < /div> < /div> < /div> ); } } const ActualTable = ({ testSet }) => < div > < p > Programmatically Computed < /p> < /div> const InferenceTable = ({ testSet, model }) => < div > < p > Neural Network Computed < /p> < /div> export default App ;
The actual table iterates over the size of the test set size to display each color. The test set has the input colors (background colors) and output colors (font colors). Since the output colors are classified into black [ 0, 1 ] and white [ 1, 0 ] vectors when a data set is generated, they need to be transformed into actual colors again.
const ActualTable = ({ testSet }) => < div > < p > Programmatically Computed < /p> {Array( TEST_SET_SIZE ). fill ( 0 ). map (( v, i ) => < ColorBox key = { i } rgbInput = { testSet. rawInputs [ i ]} rgbTarget = { fromClassifierToRgb ( testSet. rawTargets [ i ])} /> )} < /div> const fromClassifierToRgb = ( classifier ) => classifier [ 0 ] > classifier [ 1 ]? [ 255, 255, 255 ] : [ 0, 0, 0 ]
The ColorBox component is a generic component which takes the input color (background color) and target color (font color). It simply displays a rectangle with the input color style, the RGB code of the input color as string and styles the font of the RGB code into the given target color.
const ColorBox = ({ rgbInput, rgbTarget }) => < div className = "color-box" style = {{ backgroundColor : getRgbStyle ( rgbInput ) }} > < span style = {{ color : getRgbStyle ( rgbTarget ) }} > < RgbString rgb = { rgbInput } /> < /span> < /div> const RgbString = ({ rgb }) => `rgb( ${ rgb. toString () } )` const getRgbStyle = ( rgb ) => `rgb( ${ rgb [ 0 ] }, ${ rgb [ 1 ] }, ${ rgb [ 2 ] } )`
Last but not least, the exciting part of visualizing the predicted colors in the inference table. It uses the color box as well, but gives a different set of props into it.
const InferenceTable = ({ testSet, model }) => < div > < p > Neural Network Computed < /p> {Array( TEST_SET_SIZE ). fill ( 0 ). map (( v, i ) => < ColorBox key = { i } rgbInput = { testSet. rawInputs [ i ]} rgbTarget = { fromClassifierToRgb ( model. predict ( testSet. rawInputs [ i ]))} /> )} < /div>
The input color is still the color defined in the test set. But the target color isn’t the target color from the test set. The crucial part is that the target color is predicted in this component by using the neural network’s predict method. It takes the input color and should predict the target color over the course of the training phase.
Finally, when you start your application, you should see the neural network in action. Whereas the actual table uses the fixed test set from the beginning, the inference table should change its font colors during the training phase. In fact, while the ActualTable component shows the actual test set, the InferenceTable shows the input data points of the test set, but the predicted output by using the neural network. The React rendered part can be seen in the GitHub repository animation too.
The article has shown you how deeplearn.js can be used to build neural networks in JavaScript for machine learning. If you have any recommendation for improvements, please leave a comment below. In addition, I am curious whether you are interested in the crossover of machine learning and JavaScript. If that’s is the case, I would write more about it.
Furthermore, I would love to get more into the topic and I am open for opportunities in the field of machine learning. At the moment, I apply my learnings in JavaScript, but I am so keen to get into Python at some point as well. So if you know about any opportunities in the field, please reach out to me :-)
I would like to hear your thoughts :-) Find me on Twitter and Facebook Did the article help you? Share it with your friends on social media, support me as my Patron, and become a full-stack developer with my booksThe Unease of the Audiophile
Music and its accurate reproduction can provide some of life’s great pleasures. Beautiful art meets wonderous technology, and fanatics find communities of fellowship and glossy magazines with which their desires are regularly stoked. But audiophilia comes at a price, and not just in dollars and cents. A three-decade obsession with sound has convinced me that the natural state of an audiophile is not, as we are promised, the relaxed contemplative state of auditory bliss, but the slightly anxious ambivalence of uncertainty. We vary one way or another, but our resting place is not where it should be. When I look for a resolution, I make the following observations to my fellow fanatics about what it means to be an audiophile:
1. You will live with a persistent sense that all is not quite well, that you could do better, and that your system is always in need of something. What this “something” might be will shift depending on how much you’ve already invested: it could be a special fuse or a pair of vacuum tube monobocks, but despite the promises, there is no end point in system design; you can always do better. This is your steady state condition and if you lose your perspective on this point, you are destined to be unhappy and poor. If you gain perspective, you can settle on just being poorer.
2. In an attempt to compensate for your unease you will develop a highly cynical reaction to reviewers who you will come to believe are at best delusional and at worst corrupt, on the payroll of manufacturers who provide them with audio goodies and more. Unfortunately, this cynicism does not quite sate your hunger to locate online reviews of products that support your purchasing decisions. In the absence of full reviews, isolated quotes that agree with you, or the words of complete strangers on web forums will work, as long as they confirm your choices.
3. A further ambivalence is invariably induced by the way audio products are priced. You have every reason to doubt the sanity of a world where a pair of interconnect cables can cost more than a car, and where glib reviewers speak of windows being opened, blacks being blacker, and highs being cleaner as a result. Difficult as you find it to admit, you secretly want to try these in your own system to determine if they actually might do something, which you secretly fear is so.
4. Your system will always sound its worst when other audiophiles come to listen. For some reason, the electricity will be a bit dirty that day, your cables will be on a downcycle, your tubes not warmed up enough, or your tension will transmit itself to the turntable. No matter what you do, people won’t be hearing your system at its best and this will drive you crazy. For some reason, dealers (think about that name!) never experience this, only users (and that name!). Worse, this experience will scar you for months as if your very credibility as an audiophile is under question by your fellows.
5. You will start to listen to music you never really cared for in the past. Your spouse will become suspicious that your rock and serious instrumental tendencies have given way to smoky voiced chanteuses with, heaven help you, backing bands of players you hardly recognize. You live in fear of being exposed as a closet air guitarist rather than a soldering-gun wielding jazz afficionado. Worse, you start to pick up a “collection” of audiophile-approved recordings that have fantastic soundstages wrapped around sterile tunes. And you leave these lying around in full view, just in case.
6) To convince yourself that you are sensible, you will have one product in your rig that is “killer” for the price. You appeal to the price-sensitive normal human in us all by invoking this giant-slayer’s reviews and revealing how you heard it once compared to a mega-priced equivalent where you were the only person prepared to admit they could not hear a difference. Sanity partially and temporarily restored, you secretly plan to rewire your living room with audiophile-grade wire and to steam-clean your LPs.
7) In an attempt to appear cost-sensitive, you will dabble in DIY. This could take many forms, but your new-found obsession with affordable paper-in-oil capacitors and high-quality resistors will serve as a shield against claims that you have become a nutter. Now you can quote the cost-to-manufacture for basic audio items and speak authoritatively of the mark-up due to marketing that you and your fellow DIY-ers avoid. You secretly realize those boxes you assemble look ugly to everyone, even you.
8. Once you are a fully paid-up member of the audiophile brigade (with multiple magazine subscriptions, shelves full of old issues, and an obsessive need to track that vintage CD player on Audiogon to see just how much it sells for at auction), you will, not as miraculously as you might have once imagined, become email buddies with a power conditioner “designer” who has single-handedly unearthed new laws of physics and applied them to domestic wall outlets. You remain unclear if your power cords are the last yard or the first three feet but you feel certain they make a difference and spend accordingly.
9. You have become blase about double-blind reviewing. You wish reviewers would do it but you can’t bring yourself to try at home. You find every convenient excuse why it’s a problem: your auditory memory is too faint, you can’t trust your kids to make the changes unseen by you, it’s too much hassle, and everyone “knows” it doesn’t work in audio (though it’s been used to great effect everywhere else where human taste and preference are evaluated). Secretly, you fear that you might not be able to tell the difference between the SACD layer and redbook, so why risk the humiliation. Better to lessen your unease by espousing relaxed sighted listening as the only meaningful approach.
10. Your home will become a temple to your religion. Cables will be dressed, risers bought, pucks placed on tops and speaker positions taped to the floor so you can always move them an inch or two around during a private listening service, safe in the knowledge that your little “undo” trick will work. You will even contemplate brutish sound panels which in your eyes (only) will be justified to others as room decoration. Though you intend to sell your spare equipment, you don’t. It sits in a pile, ready to be repurposed for a second, third, even fourth system for the garage that never actually gets assembled. You forget how much you paid for some components even though you would cry if your pension plan dropped that same amount.
Ah friends, it never ends. It’s all about the music, people will tell you, but you and I know it is much more than this: unease is your disease. And we wonder why young people aren’t audiophiles!Redux is a state container for Javascript apps, mostly used with React. It's based on actions that are dispatched and listened by reducers which modify the state properly. If you're not familiar with the Redux principles, you should read this article first.
This article will be focus on the first step: dispatching an action. We will see how we could do this in a way that our components are as decoupled as possible from Redux.
Let's say we're implementing a service enabling the user to send a message to a group. We're creating a form, MessageSending.js, and when pressing the SEND button, we want to send the message to our API which takes care of it.
NB: In all the examples, the action creators are called actions.
1) Simply pass the dispatch method to your component
The dispatch method is a method of the store object. An action is dispatched to trigger an update to the store.
// App.js
import { createStore } from'redux';
import { MessageSending } from './MessageSending';
import reducer from './reducer';
const store = createStore(reducer);
class App extends React.Component {
render() {
<MessageSending store={store} />
};
};
// MessageSending.js
import { sendMessage } from './actions';
//...
this.props.store.dispatch(sendMessage(message))
//...
2) Use react-redux and make a dumb and a smart component
MessageSending.container.js
connect
mapDispatchToProps
// MessageSending.container.js
import { connect } from'react-redux';
import { sendMessage } from './actions';
import MessageSending from './MessageSending';
const mapDispatchToProps = {
sendMessage,
};
export default connect(null, mapDispatchToProps)(MessageSending);
// MessageSending.js
//...
this.props.sendMessage(message);
//...
import { connect } from'react-redux';
import { sendMessage, navigateTo } from './actions';
const mapDispatchToProps = dispatch => ({
sendMessage: messaga => {
dispatch(sendMessage(message));
dispatch(navigateTo({ routeName:'messagesList' }));
},
});
export default connect(null, mapDispatchToProps)(MessageSending);
// MessageSending.js
//...
this.props.sendMessage(message);
//...
});
3) Dispatch actions from a saga
put
redux-saga
// sagas.js
import { put } from'redux-saga/effects';
import { sendMessage, setLoading, navigateTo } from './actions';
export function* sendMessage(action) {
yield put(setLoading('sendMessagePage', true));
yield put(sendMessage(action.payload.message));
yield put(navigateTo({routeName:'messagesList'}));
yield put(setLoading('sendMessagePage', false));
}
4) Use the bindActionCreators method
bindActionCreators
mapDispatchToPros
connect
dispatch
MessageSendingPage
MessageSending
dispatch
// MessageSendingPage.js
import { bindActionCreators } from'redux';
import { connect } from'react-redux';
import * as actions from './actions';
class MessageSendingPage extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
const { dispatch } = props;
this.boundActions = bindActionCreators(actions, dispatch);
}
render() {
return <MessageSending {...this.boundActions} />;
}
}
export default connect()(MessageSendingPage);
So, what should I use?
connect
mapDispatchToProps
The drawback of the previous way is that your component is aware of your app logic, and as advices Dan Abramov (co-author of Redux), you should separate the logic, your smart component, connected to the store, from the UI, the dumb one. Thus you should create ain which you're connecting your component with themethod. Its second argument is the functionwhich wraps all the action creators with the dispatch method and passes them to the component.If you want |
opinion so much, they can say that to you. I could trust Smitty, and he could be honest with me at times when I needed him to be honest with me … If he says, ‘Easy…’ I might not necessarily want to hear it. But the same thing goes the other way.”
But that type of emotion?
The best.
“I love that,” Doan said. “He battles constantly to keep all of that contained because it’s what makes him really good when it’s under control. When he’s controlling it, he’s amazing. And when it gets away from him, it’s the same as any of us — it’s sometimes harder.”
The passion, the compete, the ability to steal games, the way he plays the puck in the defensive zone … it’s all part of what made Smith so dominant in 2011-12.
On top of it all, he’s still maintaining his reputation for being a “genetic freak” of an athlete at 35-years-old.
“For a goalie, too. He’s all ripped up,” Yandle said. “He almost looks like a swimmer — big, long arms. He’s probably the most athletic goalie I’ve ever played with. He’s just a really good athlete.”
A physical specimen, really.
“He’s tall, he’s real strong, he’s lean …” Treliving said. “You probably wouldn’t think he was a goaltender by looking at his body. He’s put together. He’s ripped. Then, he’s just an athlete. He can dunk a basketball. He can hit a home run. He’s taken batting practice with major league teams. He’s just an athlete. Some guys are athletes or some guys are more technically sound and can get through it that way. He’s a bit of a blend.”
Now, he’s in Calgary. That remarkable post-season run is in the past.
But if the 2011-12 campaign showed anything, it’s that the power of the odds can surprise you.
So can I.V.s.
“If you look at any team when they win the Cup or have a good run, it’s usually whoever has the hottest goalie at the time,” Yandle said. “That happened with us. We obviously didn’t finish the way we wanted to, losing to L.A.
“Having Smitty made it more possible.”
kodland@postmedia.com
http://www.twitter.com/Kristen_OdlandOnce again, the name Rene Meulensteen has resurfaced. Kevin Kinkead, one of the best Union journalists, has reported Rene will be the next manager:
I'm hearing more rumblings that Rene Meulensteen will be the next head coach in Philadelphia. @MLSTransfers @UnionRumors — Kevin Kinkead (@KevinKCBS3) September 9, 2014
From what I'm told, Meulensteen would have been announced earlier, but the team was still alive in the U.S. Open Cup. — Kevin Kinkead (@KevinKCBS3) September 9, 2014
Though many fans initially called for an international manager search when Hack was fired, Jim Curtin has obviously done a fantastic job with this team. I’d expect this appointment to split the fanbase. Personally, I am incredibly excited by this move, and I think Rene will be a fantastic addition to this team. That being said, let’s look once again at Rene Meulensteen as a manager candidate and the pros and cons of his potential appointment.
Pros
Meulensteen is a big believer in youth development: Rene spent a good amount of time working with the youth teams at Man U. While he is popularly credited with helping to develop Ronaldo*, he still has players like Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck under his belt. While the two have been the laughing-stocks of Man U, they are both quality premier league players. In his short stint at Fulham, Rene began the work of replacing the old, complacent players with young prospects. He clearly has a strong belief in incorporating young players.
What does this mean for the Union? We are obviously a team that invested heavily in our youth infrastructure. A great article posted recently by O When the Yanks covered the deep talent we have in our academy. Someone like Sebastian Elney, Darius Madison, Michael Swift, or Mohammad Conde will need to play a role in coming years as Casey is worked out of the starting XI.
A manager with a serious focus on developing youth will be a huge benefit for our team and academy. The fans should no longer have to chant “We want Pfeffer” in order for him to actually play. Hell, maybe one of these prospects can be our Diego Fagundez, Andy Najar, or Gyasi Zardes. I trust Rene far more than most coaching options to get the best our of our prospects.
* I think contributing Ronaldo to Rene is exaggeration. He obviously played a big hand in his development, but Ronaldo isn’t Ronaldo simply because of Rene.
Meulensteen is one of the best technical coaches in the world: Rene emphasizes developing technical skills in his players. He wants to look at the best coaches to replicate what they are doing in their game. Let’s have Rene explain his views himself:
There are a number of videos online of Rene explaining his youth development strategy and technical development online.
For the Union, this will have an obvious impact with the youth. American players are often derided for being athletes without a soccer brain or without technical ability. The skills Rene emphasizes will offer us a clear advantage in developing talent.
As far as the Union now, I think Danny Cruz and Andrew Wenger would benefit the most. Danny is someone who likes to try the audacious and the bold. Half the time he can produce something brilliant. Half the time he trips over himself or the ball. Rene should be able to tighten up his game and hopefully increase his success rate of his adventurous attacks. Wenger is someone who is big and strong, but he lacks the technique of a typical winger. Anything Rene can offer him should help his game out wide.
Meulensteen will be a great mentor for Curtin: In his career, Jim has worked with such illustrious names as Bob Bradley, Preki, Piotr Nowak, and John Hackworth. Bradley is the only one with much of a resume to his name. If we do hire Rene, Jim gets a seriously talented mind to work under. This is assuming he meant what he said about being back with the Union no matter what. Jim will be able to pick the brain of one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s top assistants. I am critical of Jim not working in the younger players. It’s a trait he picked up from Hack. Hopefully, Jim will pick up some better ideas of youth development and technical training while working with Rene.
Cons
What about Curtin?: Early into his interim gig, Jim stated that he will stick with the Union no matter what. I hope this is the case. After his success with this team, teams that need a manager would have to be insane to not give him a ring. He clearly has a bright future in this league. For now, I will take him for his word and assume he stays. That being said, all reports suggest Jim was active in helping Nick with the manager search. By now, there should be an understanding between Rene and Jim of their roles and how they will work together.
Early into his interim gig, Jim stated that he will stick with the Union no matter what. I hope this is the case. After his success with this team, teams that need a manager would have to be insane to not give him a ring. He clearly has a bright future in this league. For now, I will take him for his word and assume he stays. That being said, all reports suggest Jim was active in helping Nick with the manager search. By now, there should be an understanding between Rene and Jim of their roles and how they will work together. Meulensteen is unfamiliar with MLS: This is a very fair concern. While some foreign coaches have had success, the majority have shown the inability to adapt to the eccentricities (salary cap, draft, trades, etc.) of this league. A foreign manager needs real support from people who get this league. With Nick and Jim here, I think they will do a fantastic job orienting Rene to the league. Nick has been a part of this league for over a decade and clearly knows the ins and outs of MLS. Jim played his entire career here and now has management experience under his belt. I think Rene will have a smoother transition than most foreign managers.
This is a very fair concern. While some foreign coaches have had success, the majority have shown the inability to adapt to the eccentricities (salary cap, draft, trades, etc.) of this league. A foreign manager needs real support from people who get this league. With Nick and Jim here, I think they will do a fantastic job orienting Rene to the league. Nick has been a part of this league for over a decade and clearly knows the ins and outs of MLS. Jim played his entire career here and now has management experience under his belt. I think Rene will have a smoother transition than most foreign managers. Meulensteen has never had success as a manager: Rene is a career coach who has never had much in the way of success in his managerial gigs. I’ll ignore Anzhi since it was a weird situation where he was fired after two weeks because the owner went broke.
His time at Brondby marked the beginning a decline for the once Danish giants. Considering the team hasn’t won a title since, I am willing to chalk some of the problems up to ownership. You can’t exactly blame him for what’s happening now. Remember, Bill Belichick was a laughing-stock of the NFL after failing in Cleveland. People can learn from their mistakes. His animal story is obviously ridiculous and worrisome, but it happened 8 years ago. Besides, this was a player’s autobiography and likely exaggerated to an extent.
Fulham was an all around weird situation. Previous manager Martin Jol had constructed a really bad, old, overpaid, and lazy team. Tony Pulis maybe the only person alive who could have kept them from being relegated. Rene began the hard job of phasing out the old players for their younger, hungrier counterparts. Rene was fired before he had a chance to get his project off the ground. I’m willing to blame Jol and their owner, Shahid Khan, more than Rene for Fulham’s relegation.
Looking at this history, it seems really unfortunate and unlucky. Brondy was the only experience where he failed due to his own mistakes. I think MLS is a good league for him if he wants a fresh start. This league is much less of an uphill battle compared to signing for a relegation candidate team or taking over for a legendary manager (Michael Laudrup) for a giant of a mid-table league.
What do you think? Is Rene the right man for the job, or should we be sticking with Jim? Who is the best man to take this team forward?
AdvertisementsThe Librarians is one of the best kept secrets in modern genre TV. Its third season is scheduled to launch later this year and, honestly, I don’t think there’s anything else I’m looking forward to more on TV right now. In two seasons, the show has established itself as smart, funny, literate as hell, emotionally honest, and wildly eccentric. In short, it’s arguably the closest thing American genre TV has to Doctor Who, at least in terms of heart and worldview.
The premise is this: The Library is both the sum total of human knowledge and a containment facility for magic items. The Librarian is the one person chosen by the Library to go out and get the artefacts that humanity must be protected from. The Guardian is the person whose job it is to protect the Librarian while they’re doing this.
Librarians tend to die a lot.
Guardians tend to die first.
That, by itself, is exactly the sort of premise that makes my pulp-loving ears prick up. But the show takes it one step further by both critiquing and evolving its own premise. It’s clearly ludicrous that a single Librarian and Guardian are chosen at a time—so much so, in fact, that several villains to date have made sarcastic comments about it.
So, when the Library’s hand is forced, it recruits three new Librarians. All of them geniuses, all of them uniquely broken, all of them perfectly equipped to protect humanity and knowledge from each other.
None of them Flynn Carsen, the current Librarian. A man who is brilliant, erratic, alive, plays very badly with others, and is not entirely happy about how crowded his job has suddenly gotten.
There’s some delightfully chewy thematic stuff wrapped up in that premise and the show backs away from none of it. The universe was originally introduced in a series of TV movies centered solely on Flynn and the idea of not only acknowledging those early outings, but the effect his time in the role has had, is brilliant. The show bakes ideological conflict in at the most fundamental level, as Flynn struggles to learn how to connect with the newbies, who are themselves struggling to connect with the job.
And speaking of the newbies, the three new Librarians are brilliant: intellectual superheroes with their feet very much on the ground. Ezekiel Jones is a perennially bored master thief, Cassandra Killian is a genius and synesthete being slowly killed by the inoperable tumour in her brain, and Jacob Stone is nine of the greatest art historians in the world (all aliases). Because when you work the oil rigs in Oklahoma, you’re not allowed to be a genius.
The new Guardian is Colonel Eve Baird. An active service NATO Special Forces operator who specializes in tracking down rogue WMDs, Baird is pragmatic, fatalistic, and sceptical. She’s an older sister to the three Librarians and, well, all kinds of things to Flynn.
Finally, Jenkins is…well, Jenkins. Played with glorious, laconic charm by John Larroquette, Jenkins runs the Library’s annex, which serves as the characters’ base of operations. The first season is focused largely on figuring out just who he is, so I’m hesitant to give you answers here because the payoff is great. Politely immortal, unflappable in the face of danger, and a man whose love for Eric B. & Rakim mirrors my own, he’s a static point around which these new, chaotic Librarians orbit.
None of these people are perfect, all of them are changed by their experiences, and all of them are defined by their faults. The show is at its best when it combines those faults with the case of the week. “City of Light” pairs Jacob with a brilliant woman with similar familial problems and a very big science project that forces him to confront his fear of accepting the person he has become. “Point of Salvation” sees Ezekiel sacrifice himself again and again to save a team who have no idea why he’s acting so strangely. “Heart of Darkness” shows us how far Cassandra will go to protect her friends and how important all life is to her as a result of her condition. Oh, and “Santa’s Midnight Run” folds Eve’s isolation from her family and the psychological stress of her military career into the single most powerful and even-handed exploration of various versions of the Santa story genre fiction has attempted in the last two decades. Also: Bruce Campbell as Santa.
Time and again, the show folds its characters, its premise, and its individual story arcs into hours of clever, funny, kind, and emotionally powerful TV. The characters themselves become embodiments of the increasingly complicated world the show is set in, as well as the central debate inherent within that world. The Library is intended to contain magic and protect the world from it. But magic is already in the world. As the series goes on, whether the Library can, or should, change its role becomes a vital part of the plot and the show looks set to continue asking tough questions of itself, and continue changing as it finds the answers.
That willingness to change is also at the heart of how the show treats its original trilogy of TV movies and its original leading man. Flynn’s a fascinating character because Noah Wyle not only does a pretty great Doctor Who impersonation, but the show never once shies away from presenting him in a negative light. Flynn is brilliant, heroic, eccentric, and in love with his job. But Flynn is also arrogant, self-centred, wilfully obscure, and obsessed with his job. He’s a survivor, and a surprisingly poignant one: a man who has dedicated ten years of his life to saving the world only to find he’s also sacrificed his ability to interact with it.
The conflict between Flynn and the others is also the conflict between two fictional models: lone action hero vs. super team. This drives a lot of episodes until the second season where Flynn is confronted with just how tenacious and vital his (mostly unwanted) colleagues are. His acceptance of that is wrapped up in one of the show’s most poignant, bravest lines, when he introduces himself as: “The… A Librarian.” The hero has come in from the cold, to find that, at last, he’s not alone.
He’s done so in the nick of time, too, as the first two seasons have combined magic with literature to throw a wide variety of challenges at the characters. This is where the writer’s room really cuts loose, as magic is presented in countless different ways. “Rule of Three” and “Cost of Education” both show the collision between science and magic as something that isn’t inherently evil but can be used to those ends. “City of Light” combines a tragic love story with the law of unintended consequences, and “Fables of Doom” is one of the best slow burn punchlines I’ve ever seen. Starting with an apparent assault by a bridge troll, it gradually overwrites reality with fairy tales, incorporating the Librarians themselves. Very smart and very, very funny, “Fables of Doom” also cleverly explores the gender identities of the characters in a way so subtle that you almost don’t notice it’s happening.
Later episodes include Dorian Gray using Cloud storage and a fantastic riff on the Faustian bargain. Each episode features at least one genuinely great idea or new approach, and they’re all defined by a deep, clear love for stories: personal stories, mythic stories, or the stories we tell ourselves to survive the world—or make it into something new.
And all of this should explain why The Librarians is my favourite TV show right now. Nothing else is as literate or springs from such a fundamental sense of joy at how amazing stories are. And no other show, aside from Doctor Who, has demonstrated such willingness to explore and question its own premise. Most of all, nothing else is quite so much fun. Roll on, season 3…
Alasdair Stuart is a freelancer writer, RPG writer and podcaster. He owns Escape Artists, who publish the short fiction podcasts Escape Pod, Pseudopod, Podcastle, Cast of Wonders, and the magazine Mothership Zeta. He blogs enthusiastically about pop culture, cooking and exercise at Alasdairstuart.com, and tweets @AlasdairStuart.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Sep. 13, 2013, 10:13 PM GMT By Alan Boyle, Science Editor
The 1,300-year-old tomb of one of ancient China's most influential women has been found in Shaanxi Province, adding another chapter to a soap-opera tale of slavery, redemption, intrigue and beheading.
Archaeologists deciphered the epitaph on a marker to determine that it came from the tomb of Shangguan Wan'er, an influential 7th-century politician and poet during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (690-705), China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
The badly damaged underground tomb was found near Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, according to Chinese news reports. Only a few burial accessories were found, including a complement of statues depicting riders on horses.
The latest find echoed the decades-old discovery of thousands of terracotta warriors and horses buried in Xi'an, as a funerary tribute to Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor. Those figures date to the 3rd century B.C.
Archaeologists found a stone marker carved with an epitaph inside the newly discovered tomb of Shangguan Wan'er. Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau / AFP - Getty Images
Shangguan Wan'er (664-710) was Empress Wu's secretary, and came to be known as the "female prime minister." According to Chinese historical accounts, her father and grandfather were killed because of their opposition to Empress Wu Zetian's rise, and Shangguan Wan'er herself was forced into slavery. However, she became proficient at poetry and statecraft, and eventually impressed the empress so much that she was appointed secretary.
After a series of political twists and romantic liaisons worthy of a TV series, Shangguan Wan'er was implicated in a coup against one of Empress Wu Zetian's successors — and beheaded as a result.
The BBC cited reports suggesting that the damage to the poet-politician's tomb may have been done intentionally by ancient Chinese officials. "The roof had completely collapsed, the four walls were damaged, and all the tiles of the floor had been lifted up," Geng Qinggang, an archaeology research associate in Shaanxi, was quoted as saying.
If Shangguan Wan'er died in such shame, why would she have such an extensive tomb? And what happened to her body?
"I presume Shangguan Wan'er's tomb might have been built during her lifetime," Yu Gengzhe, a history professor at Shaanxi Normal University who specializes in the Tang Dynasty, told China News. "She died and was hastily buried, and the graves were officially destroyed."
Archaeologists said no coffin, complete bones or treasures have been found — but they are continuing to explore and clean the tomb.
The tomb of Shangguan Wan'er was excavated near Xi'an Xinghai International Airport. AFP - Getty Images
More about Chinese archaeology:
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the NBC News Science Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding +Alan Boyle to your Google+ circles. To keep up with NBCNews.com's stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.According to a recently leaked FBI report, the agency is now watching a new group they have labeled “Black Identity Extremists.” These “BIE” groups, the Bureau asserts, are motivated by “perceptions...
According to a recently leaked FBI report, the agency is now watching a new group they have labeled “Black Identity Extremists.” These “BIE” groups, the Bureau asserts, are motivated by “perceptions of police brutality against African Americans” and have “spurred an increase in premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement.” The FBI’s renewed targeting of black activists coincides with the Trump administration’s efforts to label minorities—Mexicans, Muslims, and African Americans—as potential national security threats. The recent report should not come as a surprise. For more than a century, the American government has surveilled and harassed activists from marginalized communities. However, organizers from these marginalized communities have also established a long tradition of resisting this suppression.
No surveillance program is more intertwined with the federal government than the Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO). Headed by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, COINTELPRO began in 1956 to track and disrupt the activities of the Communist Party. The program expanded significantly in the 1960s, aiming to, in Hoover’s words, “expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities” of a range of moderate, progressive, and radical groups. The federal government sanctioned decades-long surveillance on a wide range of activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and groups like the Black Panther Party and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
At Hoover’s behest, a legion of special agents wiretapped organizers’ homes; followed their families and harassed them with menacing phone calls that threatened to expose family secrets; posed as activists and infiltrated organizations; and raided the offices and homes of activists—all actions that periodically led to agents killing those targeted men and women.
The male victims of such surveillance have gotten the lion’s share of attention over the years. Yet many women, too, were targeted. Their stories of resistance are important not just as historical footnotes, but also in helping today’s generation of activists as they struggle to navigate the increasingly perilous currents of our moment.
In the 1950s, the Bureau hounded women organizers whom they deemed to be “subversives” and “communists.” Most of the women whom they targeted, however, were simply local-level activists engaged in labor and civil rights organizing within progressive groups. As COINTELPRO expanded, so too did Hoover’s tracking of black women. By the 1960s, this intensified, with special agents surveilling black women activists who led welfare rights organizations, those who engaged in voter registration work through the NAACP and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), as well as more radical groups like the Black Panther Party. The FBI’s ever-growing list of “threats” included activists ranging from black nationalist “Queen Mother” Audley Moore to NAACP and SNCC leader Ella Baker to novelists and poets Pauli Murray and Sonia Sanchez, among many others.
For more than a century, the American government has surveilled and harassed activists from marginalized communities.
The Bureau used a network made up largely of white men, so-called “special agents,” to monitor black women activists. Surveillance could mean a special agent walking ten steps behind as activists strolled in the park with their children. It could materialize as an unfamiliar face in a community meeting. It could resemble a friendly neighbor who asked a few too many questions. Despite the harassment, these black women labored, organized, and survived, developing multifaceted strategies for challenging surveillance.
A central goal of the Bureau was to identify and isolate social justice activists in order to scare them into submission and silence. In response, many activists directly confronted the FBI. Some women, like Audley Moore, volunteered for questioning. Moore was a lifelong radical activist, with ties to major progressive and radical organizations throughout the 60 years spanning the 1930s to the 1990s. During the Great Depression, she organized black workers to fight for economic justice. In the 1940s and 1950s, she supported black soldiers and veterans, as well as poor and working-class black women victimized by the state. By the 1960s, she was considered a seasoned organizer and mentored younger activists, including members of the Black Panther Party.
Moore’s indispensable role in social justice organizing drew Hoover’s ire. The FBI surveilled her from the 1930s until the 1980s. As the Bureau performed its interrogations, Moore let them know that they too were under scrutiny. When they brought her in for interrogation, she turned their inquiries back on them. She questioned the FBI agents about their suppression tactics and rebuked their racism. “Without being asked,” the agents noted, she confirmed that she was a member of multiple radical organizations and remarked that she “had noticed nothing but White men” in the building, arguing that they must not hire black agents. Moore ended the interview by asserting her resistance to oppression, stating that “she would not be a witness” against other activists in court and that “she did not wish to be interviewed again.”
Artists such as poet Nikki Giovanni publicized the FBI’s surveillance in their craft. In her 1968 poem “A Short Essay of Affirmation Explaining Why (With Apologies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation),” Giovanni pinpointed the Bureau’s tactics, how they placed “That little microphone / In our teeth / Between our thighs / Or anyplace.” The Bureau’s insidious techniques gave rise to black activists’ pervasive and well-founded paranoia about spying and infiltration. Giovanni defended those shaken by the Bureau’s ubiquitous infiltrations, noting that those activists who seemed like they talked “to themselves” were really responding to surveillance or “kn[ew] who [they were] talking to.”
Black women activists also banded together to combat the Bureau’s dogged pursuit of their families. They created networks to help care for children, thwart intelligence gathering, and provide financial support when they and their families lost their jobs and homes, and when their children were expelled from school. Some women moved in together or closer to one another to help share the burden of raising and protecting their children. Others met regularly to discuss politics and practical ways to survive, including tactics for evading their FBI details, strategies for passing notes to friends and family members who had gone underground, and the formation of defense committees to help ease the financial strain on families under surveillance.
These networks also functioned as the organizers’ own forms of intelligence. While defending their families, they shared organizing information, conferred with one another about how to strategize in legal cases against the Bureau, and discussed their personal struggles of surviving state oppression. Such relationships were a key part of their resistance to authoritarianism and helped abate the often-overlooked personal effects of state surveillance.
Black women activists’ intimate knowledge of authoritarianism gave them the material to theorize about how to mobilize against oppression.
Organizers who were members of what the FBI deemed “black hate groups” often wound up behind bars. In the 1960s and 1970s, the government jailed them, oftentimes on trumped-up charges of everything from their membership in allegedly subversive organizations to supposedly supplying arms for violent confrontations to kidnapping. These activists, including Mae Mallory, Angela Davis, Ericka Huggins, and many others, represented some of the Bureau’s most high-profile attempts to jail black thinkers and organizers based on false claims about “premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement,” the same charges being levied against so-called Black Identity Extremists today.
The imprisoned activists and intellectuals challenged the surveillance state through writing. They developed a vibrant body of literature that spanned regions, organizational affiliations, and political orientations, and that documented the mental, physical, and psychological abuse they endured as COINTELPRO targets. They also used their intellectual production to expose the multilayered logic of state persecution, connecting the federal government’s surveillance tactics to state police forces’ subversion of legal codes to local jail wardens’ violations of their civil liberties.
Whether it was Huggins’s poetry about her experiences as a political prisoner, Mallory’s prison letters warning black organizers about FBI and State Department tactics, or Davis’s searing analyses of the inner workings of state-sanctioned surveillance and imprisonment, black women organizers produced publications aimed at addressing the intersectional and insidious reach of and potential resistance to surveillance. Such intimate knowledge of authoritarianism gave these black women the material to theorize about how to mobilize against oppression. Their publications offer critical roadmaps to the groups who have already been or will soon be labeled as subversive organizations.
The current FBI’s labeling of activist groups as “extremists” signals the depth and reach of surveillance and suppression that we are likely to endure during this administration. To survive, we will need to rely on the knowledge of those who are intimately familiar with these practices. Black women activists from Moore to Giovanni, Huggins to Davis, have offered a multifaceted program of action. They have shown us that we must consistently and publicly expose the government’s tactics. We must also close ranks around those who are drawing government fire by offering financial and emotional support. Finally, we must create an intersectional coalition to fight this oppression.
Drawing on their own experiences, black women organizers offer us theories of resistance that encompass organizers’ personal and political lives. We can be inspired by their courage and rely on their knowledge at this moment when the surveillance systems of the state have, once more, placed progressive and radical activists firmly in their sights.
Featured image: Angela Davis. Photograph by Thierry Ehrmann / FlickrOn a day a free agent who visited the Miami Heat opted to sign elsewhere, the top free agent in this offseason's class offered high praise for the Heat's chances going forward.
Shortly after Phoenix Suns free-agent guard Marcus Thornton opted to take a veteran-minimum contract from the Houston Rockets rather than await an offer from the Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James said the makeover of his former team could change the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference.
"They're going to be a contender," James said Sunday of the Heat on Bleacher Report Radio.
James, whose free agency was resolved this past week, took note of what the Heat have done since finishing ninth in the East and missing the playoffs this past season. He pointed to moves such as the drafting of Justise Winslow, the free-agency additions of Amare Stoudemire and Gerald Green, the re-signing of Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade, and the return to health of former teammate Chris Bosh, who was lost at midseason with blood clots on his lung.
"I think Miami is doing some great things," James said. "They drafted the kid out of Duke, Justise. I think he's going to be a really good player. They've added some big pieces. They signed Amare, I saw that. And Gerald Green is a big piece, I think, as well, coming from Phoenix.
"And the re-signing of Dragic, and C-B coming back, one of my good friends, he's coming back off of injury, and by getting D-Wade back, they're going to be a contender."
After the Atlanta Hawks beat out the Cavaliers for the top seed in the East only to lose forward DeMarre Carroll to the Toronto Raptors in free agency, James said he expects a reshuffled mix in the East.
"You have the teams that were here kind of last year," James said. "You have us, Chicago and Atlanta. And, also, not letting me forget Boston, too, because they're coming back and they added a good piece in David Lee, too. And also Washington.
"So so many teams can be there. So many teams got better. Some teams that were good last year will probably fall off because they lost some integral pieces of their team. But you see every since year, teams come, teams go."
James left the Heat a year ago to the date Saturday in free agency. Now he sees the East again undergoing a transformation. He pointed in particular to questions regarding the Indiana Pacers, with the losses of Roy Hibbert and David West, and the Brooklyn Nets, who discarded guard Deron Williams with a buyout.
"The landscape continues to change every year," he said. "You see that."
While that landscape was being overhauled, James was on vacation with Wade, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and their spouses.
Initially spotted at Atlantis in the Bahamas, James said much of their vacation was well out of sight of tourists.
"We were on vacation far away," he said. "Everyone says we were in the Bahamas, but we were like seven miles away from Atlantis. We took a boat out, got far, far away from the madness."
Wade agreed to his one-year, $20 million contract while on that trip, formally signing the agreement this past Thursday.
The Heat then added Green and Stoudemire, before holding off on a formal offer to Thornton, whose instant offense and 3-point range had been enticing. Thornton visited with the Heat on Friday.
Counting Green and Stoudemire, the Heat currently have 13 players under guaranteed contract for 2015-16. Center Hassan Whiteside has a partially guaranteed deal that certainly will become guaranteed, essentially making that number 14. In addition, Heat second-round pick Josh Richardson, who has been the team's most consistent contributor during summer league, has yet to be signed.
Teams may carry up to 20 players during the offseason, but no more than a maximum of 15 during the regular season.
iwinderman@tribpub.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ira.windermanGame of Thrones fans: we’re in for a treat. Yes, we already knew that from glimpses of dragon-filled skies and fiery battlefields in the season seven trailers, but now RadioTimes.com has been given a few more clues about what’s to come after speaking to Robert McLachlan, an award-winning Thrones cinematographer who worked on a pair of upcoming episodes. And they sound incredible.
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Although naturally tight-lipped about exact details, McLachlan dropped potential hints of a White Walker battle towards the season’s close and teased that we’re in for a treat from a “surprising and epic” episode four and a “very satisfying” and “crowd-pleasing” episode five.
He told us: “I’m extremely pleased with them. Four is definitely going to impress people and five I especially like too – there are some lovely crowd-pleasing scenes in it.”
He went on to say episode four was his favourite of the two, hinting “it was really hard work – uncommonly hard work. It was the toughest one I’ve done of the eight episodes I’ve worked on.”
So, what will the “surprising and epic” episode four feature? Perhaps a battle further south featuring some unexpected characters? Could the “surprising” element be the death of a major player in brutal Thrones style? #PleaseNotTyrion
And, arguably more interesting, what will happen in the “very satisfying” and “crowd-pleasing” episode five? Well we may just have another clue to that. McLachlan revealed that David Nutter had originally been scheduled to direct episode four and five, but after undergoing back surgery he was replaced by Thrones newbie Matt Shakman. Nutter’s original hiring might offer a hint at what’s to come.
Although we can’t be sure what made Nutter the showrunner’s first pick for this episode, a look into the Citadel’s vaults/previous Thrones episodes may shed some light. Nutter has a track record for directing massive moments in the show, but particularly those gasp-inducing and slower-paced scenes. Nutter was selected to commit the Red Wedding to film in series two, plus Cersei’s walk of atonement and the burning of Stannis’ daughter at the stake in season five. All incredibly powerful scenes, yes, but not of the scale of Battle of The Bastards, for instance.
So we have to ask what “crowd-pleasing” moments await that could suit Nutter’s portfolio. Could we be in for another Stark family reunion? The return of Gendry? Do we even dare to dream of that elusive Cleganebowl?
However, while Nutter is known to make the best of emotional scenes, he’s also proved adept at portraying one of the most important elements of the show: Dragons. He helmed season five’s The |
the Smarting Rod
Brooks, Thomas Paradise Opened New!
Brooks, Thomas The Crown and Glory of Christianity
Brooks, Thomas The Secret Key to Heaven
Brooks, Thomas The Unsearchable Riches of Christ New!
Brooks, Thomas Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices
Brooks, Thomas The Works of Thomas Brooks
Bruce, A. B. The Training of the Twelve
Booth, Abraham The Reign of Grace
Booth, Abraham An Essay on the Kingdom of God
Buchanan, James The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit
Buchanan, James The Doctrine of Justification
Buchanan, James Comfort in Affliction
Buchanan, James Improvement of Affliction
Bullinger, Henry The Decades
Bullinger, Henry The Second Helvetic Confession
Bullinger, Henry Of the Word of God
Bunyan, John The AntiChrist and His Ruin
Bunyan, John The Acceptable Sacrifice or the Excellency of a Broken Heart
Bunyan, John A Discourse Upon the Pharisee and the Publican
Bunyan, John Christ: A Complete Saviour
Bunyan, John Christian Behavior
Bunyan, John Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ
Bunyan, John The Doctrine of Law and Grace Unfolded
Bunyan, John Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
Bunyan, John The Pilgrim's Progress (In Modern English) New!
Bunyan, John The Pilgrim's Progress
Bunyan, John Prayer
Bunyan, John Saved by Grace
Bunyan, John Seasonable Counsel or, Advice To Sufferers
Bunyan, John A Few Sighs from Hell
Bunyan, John A Treatise on the Fear of God
Bunyan, John The Barren Fig Tree
Bunyan, John The Strait Gate
Burgess, Anthony The Extent of Original Sin in Every Faculty of the Soul New!
Burroughs, Jeremiah The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
Burroughs, Jeremiah A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness
Burroughs, Jeremiah Gospel Worship New!
Burroughs, Jeremiah Irenicum: To the Lovers of Truth and Peace New!
Calvin, John Thirty-Six Sermons
Calvin, John Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote
Calvin, John The Necessity of Reforming the Church
Calvin, John On the Christian Life
Calvin, John Of Prayer
Calvin, John Of Self-Denial
Calvin, John Calvin's Calvinism
Calvin, John Psychopannychia
Calvin, John Sermons on Deuteronomy
Calvin, John The Geneva Catechism
Calvin, John Institutes of the Christian Religion
Calvin, John The Law of God
Caryl, Joseph Seed Thoughts - Excerpts from Job (Updated Language)
Chantry, Walter The Covenants of Works and Grace
Charnock, Stephen Regeneration
Charnock, Stephen Christ Crucified
Charnock, Stephen The Existence and Attributes of God
Charnock, Stephen Discourses on God's Salvation of Sinners
Coles, Elisha A Practical Discourse on God's Sovereignty
Colquhoun, John A Treasise on the Law and the Gospel New!
Colquhoun, John Evangelical Repentance
Crisp, Tobias Christ Alone Exalted
Cunningham, William The Reformers and the Theology of the Reformation
Cunningham, William Historical Theology
Cunningham, William Select Writings of William Cunningham
Cunningham, WIlliam The Arminian Controversy
Cunningham, WIlliam The Pelagian Controversy
Cunningham, WIlliam The Doctrine of the Fall
Cunningham, William The Doctrine of the Will
Dabney, Robert Lewis Systematic Theology
Dabney, Robert Lewis Christ Our Penal Substitute
Dabney, Robert Lewis The Five Points of Calvinism
Dagg, John Doctrine of God
D'Aubigne, J. H. Merle History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century
Dietsch, Peter M. The Book of Revelation - A Study
Denney, James The Death of Christ
Denney, James Studies in Theology
Dickinson, Jonathan The True Scripture Doctrine
Dickson, David The Sum of Saving Knowledge
Dickson, David Truth's Victory Over Error: A Commentary on the WCF New!
Doolittle, Thomas Love to Christ Necessary to Escape the Curse at His Coming! New!
Dort, Synod The Canons of Dort
Dyer, William Christ's Famous Titles
Duncan, J. Ligon Covenant Theology: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Study of God's Covenants
Duncan, J. Ligon Better: A Study of the Christian Life in Hebrews
Duncan, J. Ligon Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans 1-8
Duncan, J. Ligon Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans 9-16
Duncan, J. Ligon The Incomparable Christ: An Exposition of Colossians
Edersheim, Alfred The Temple: Its Ministry and Services
Edwards, Jonathan 92 Sermons by Jonathan Edwards
Edwards, Jonathan A Treatise on Religious Affections
Edwards, Jonathan Charity and Its Fruits
Edwards, Jonathan The Pure in Heart Blessed
Edwards, Jonathan Farewell Sermon of Jonathan Edwards
Edwards, Jonathan The Final Judgment
Edwards, Jonathan Freedom of the Will
Edwards, Jonathan Selected Shorter Writings
Edwards, Jonathan Sermons of Warning and Judgment New!
Edwards, Jonathan How To Know If You Are A Real Christian
Edwards, Jonathan The Nature of True Virtue
Edwards, Jonathan The History of the Work of Redemption
Fairbairn, Patrick The Typology of Scripture
Fisher, Edward The Marrow of Modern Divinity
Fisher, Edward, The Marrow of Modern Divinity (modernized and annotated)
Fisher, James The Assembly's Shorter Catechism Explained
Flavel, John Pneumatologia: A Treatise of the Soul of Man
Flavel, John The Fountain of Life updated!
Flavel, John Christ Knocking at the Door of Sinner's Hearts New!
Flavel, John The Mystery of Providence
Flavel, John On Keeping the Heart
Flavel, John The Method of Grace
Flave, Johnl A Blow at the Root of Antinomianism
Gill, John A Body of Doctrinal Divinity
Gill, John Of Efficacious Grace
Gill, John The Cause of God and Truth
Girardeau, John L. Calvinism and Evangelical Arminianism
Good, James I. Aid to the Heidelberg Catechism
Goodwin, Thomas A Discourse of Election New!
Goodwin, Thomas The Glory of the Gospel New!
Goodwin, Thomas An Unregenerate Man's Guiltiness Before God New!
Goodwin, Thomas Christ Set Forth
Goodwin, Thomas The Vanity of Thoughts
Goodwin, Thomas The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth
Gouge, William The Christlike Husband
Gunn, Grover Dispensationalism Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow
Guthrie, Thomas The Gospel in Ezekiel: Illustrated in a Series of Discourses
Gurnall, William The Christian in Complete Armour
Guthrie, William The Christians' Great Interest
Guthrie, James A Treatise of Ruling Elders and Deacons
Gwatkin, Henry Melville Athanasius and the Arian Controversy
Haldane, James An Exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians
Haldane, James The Doctrine of the Atonement
Harsha, David The Devotional Works of David Harsha
Hawker, Robert The Poor Man's Morning and Evening Portion
Hawker, Robert Hawker’s Bible Chapter Summaries and Reflections
Hays. Steve The End of infidelity
Hays, Steve God's Canon
Hays, Steve, Answer Common Objections to Christianity From Skeptics
Henry, Matthew A Discourse on Meekness and Quietness of Spirit
Hendryx, John Solus Christus: The Gospel for Sinners
Hendryx, John (editor) Christ our Sanctification:Mortification and Vivification by Grace
Hendryx, John (editor) The Silver Thread: Augustine vs. Pelagius in Church History
Hendryx, John (editor) Christ, the Believer's Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption
Hendryx, John (editor) The Recurrence of Synergism After the Reformation
Hetherington, William Maxwell History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines
Hodge, A. A. The Atonement
Hodge, A. A. The Westminster Confession: A Commentary
Hodge, A. A. Outlines of Theology
Hodge, A. A. Popular Lectures on Theological Themes
Hodge, Charles Systematic Theology
Hodge, Charles Theology Proper
Hodge, Charles The Covenant of Grace
Hodge, Charles The Doctrine of Sanctification
Hopkins, Ezekiel The Doctrine of the Two Covenants New!
Hulse, Erroll The Story of the Puritans
Hyde, Daniel Devotions on the Psalms
Hyde, Daniel Devotions on the Proverbs
Irons, Lee Response to Merit and Moses: A Critique of the Klinean Doctrine of Republication
James, John Angell The Anxious Inquirer After Salvation Directed and Encouraged
James, John Angell The Young Man's Friend and Guide Through Life to Immortality
Jones, Douglas Why and What: A Brief Introduction to Christianity
Keller, Timothy A Vision for a Gospel Centered Life
Kerswill, William D. How Men were Saved in Old Testament Times
Kuyper, Abraham Lectures on Calvinism: The Stone Lectures of 1898
Kuyper, Abraham Saved by Grace Alone: The Work of the Holy Spirit in Calling and Regeneration
Kuyper, Abraham The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit
Krummacher F. W. The Suffering Savior: Meditations on the Last Days of Christ
Leighton, Robert A Practical Commentary Upon the First Epistle of Peter New
Leiter, Charles The Mosaic Covenant: “Law”
Lloyd-Jones Martyn The Plight of Man and the Power of God
Lloyd-Jones, Martyn Effectual Calling & Regeneration
Luther, Martin Bondage of the Will New Edition!
Luther, Martin The Bondage of the Will
Luther, Martin Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians
Luther, Martin Commentary on the Serrmon on the Mount
Luther, Martin A Selection of the Most Celebrated Sermons of Martin Luther New!
MacDuff, John The Works of John MacDuff
Machan, J. Gresham A Brief Bible History: A Survey of the Old and New Testaments
Machen, J. Gresham The Christian Faith in the Modern World
Machen, J. Gresham Selected Writings
Machen, J. Gresham Christianity and Liberalism
Machen, J. Gresham The Life of Christ
Machen, J. Gresham The Literature and History of New Testament Times
Manton, Thomas An Exposition, With Notes, Upon the Epistle of Jude
Manton, Thomas An Exposition of the Epistle of James New!
Manton, Thomas A Practical Exposition of the Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah
Manton, Thomas A Practical Exposition of the Lord's Prayer
Manton, Thomas A Treatise of Self-Denial
Manton, Thomas Christ's Eternal Existence and the Dignity of His Person
Manton, Thomas Sermons on the Sixth Chapter of Romans
Manton, Thomas Twenty Sermons on Important Passages of Scripture
Marshall, Walter The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification
Martin, Al What is a Biblical Christian?
Martin, Hugh The Shadow of Calvary
Mead. Matthew The Almost Christian Discovered
Miller, Samuel The Utility and Importance of Creeds and Confessions New!
M'Intyre, David The Hidden Life of Prayer
Monergism What the Bible Says About the Doctrines of Grace
Mueller, George Convictions and Teachings
Murray, John The Covenant of Grace
Murrell, Stanford Glorious Institution: The Church in History, 1&2: AD100-1516
Ness, Christopher Antidote Against Arminianism
Newton, John Messiah New!
Newton, John The Letters of John Newton
Olyott, Stuart The Order of Salvation
Olyott, Stuart This We Believe: An Introductory Survey of the Christian Faith
Otis, John.M. Distinctives of Biblical Presbyterianism
Owen, John Apostasy from the Gospel
Owen, John Communion with God
Owen, John On Temptation
Owen, John Indwelling Sin
Owen, John Evidences of the Faith of God's Elect
Owen, John The Work of the Holy Spirit in Regeneration
Owen, John The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer
Owen, John Pneumatologia (Of the Holy Spirit)
Owen, John The Glory of Christ
Owen, John The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
Owen, John The Mortification of Sin in Believers updated language!
Owen, John The Mortification of Sin in Believers Unedited
Owen, John The Forgiveness of Sin: An Exposition Upon Psalm 130
Owen, John The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded
Owen, John The Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers
Owen, John The Doctrine of Justification by Faith
Packer, J. I. Sola Fide: The Reformed Doctrine of Justification
Packer, J. I. Introductory Essay to John Owen’s Death of Death in the Death of Christ Christ
Perkins, William A Godly and Learned Exposition upon Christ’s Sermon in the Mount New!
Perkins, William The Art of Prophesying
Perkins, William A Treatise of Vocations
Philpot, J. C. Meditations on the Holy Spirit
Philpot, J. C. Pastoral Sketches
Pink, A. W. A Guide to Fervent Prayer
Pink, A. W. Practical Christianity New!
Pink, A. W. An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount
Pink, A. W. Studies on Saving Faith
Pink A. W. The Attributes of God
Pink, A. W. The Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross
Pink, A. W.An Exposition of Hebrews
Pink A. W. Exposition of the Gospel of John
Pink A. W. The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
Pink, A. W. The Doctrine of Election
Pink, A. W. The Doctrine of Sanctification
Pink A. W. The Life of David, Volumes I & III
Pink, A. W. The Life of Faith
Pink A. W. The Total Depravity of Man
Pink. A. W. A Critical Assessment of Dispensationalism
Pink, A. W. The Sovereignty of God updated!
Pink, A. W. The Doctrine of the New Birth
Pink, A. W. Regeneration, or the New Birth
Pink, A. W. The Doctrine of Reconciliation
Pink, A. W. Fourfold Salvation
Pink, A. W. Gleanings in Genesis
Pink, A. W. Gleanings in Exodus
Pink, A. W. Gleaning in Joshua
Pink, A. W. Gleanings from Paul: A Study of the Prayers of the Apostle updated!
Pink, A. W. Interpretation of the Scriptures
Pink, A. W. Spiritual Growth
Pink, A. W. The Atoning Sacrifice of Christ
Pink, A. W. The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
Pink, A. W. The Lord's Prayer
Pink, A. W. Divine Covenants
Pink, A. W. Profiting from the Word
Pink, A. W. Why Four Gospels?
Pink, A. W. An Exposition of the First Epistle of John
Plumer, William S. Vital Godliness - A Treatise on Experimental and Practical Piety
Plumer, William S. The Grace of Christ: Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness
Rice, N. L. God Sovereign and Man Free
Reinke, Tony The Joy Project
Reisinger, Ernest Reforming a Local Church
Riddlebarger, Kim Basics of the Reformed Faith
Reid, William The Blood of Jesus Christ
Reymond, Robery L. The "Very Pernicious and Detestable" Doctrine of Inclusivism
Reymond, Robert L. The Justification of Knowledge
Ryle, J. C. Alive or Dead?
Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Ryle, J. C. A Call to Prayer
Ryle, J. C. 109 Sermons and Tracts
Ryle, J. C. The Upper Room
Ryle, J. C. Can There be Unity and Other Works
Ryle, J. C. Forgiveness
Ryle, J. C. The Duties of Parents
Ryle, J. C. Old Paths
Ryle, J. C. Practical Relgion
Ryle J. C. Holiness
Ryle, J. C. Thoughts for Young Men
Ryle. J. C. Warnings to the Churches
Ryle, J. C. Living or Dead: A Series of Home Truths
Ryle, J. C. Light From Old Times
Ryle, J. C. Sanctification
Ryle, J. C. The Christian Leaders of the Last Century
Ryle, J. C. The Christian Race, and other sermons
Ryle, J. C. Startling Questions
Scougal, Henry The Life of God in the Soul of Man
Scudder, Henry The Christian's Daily Walk
Seaton, W. J. The Five Points of Calvinism
Secker, William The Consistent Christian
Shedd, W. G. T. Dogmatic Theology Part 1
Shepard,Thomas The Sincere Convert
Shepard, Thomas The Sound Believer
Shepard, Thomas The Sum of Christian Religion
Sibbes, Richard Christ's Sufferings for Man's Sin
Sibbes, Richard Josiah's Reformation
Sibbes, Richard The Glorious Feast of the Gospel
Sibbes, Richard Life of Faith
Sibbes, Richard The Returning Backslider
Sibbes, Richard The Bruised Reed
Sibbes, Richard A Heavenly Conference
Smalling, Roger Creation, Conscience and Christ: 3 C's of Biblical Apologetics
Smalling, Roger, Diane The New Evangelical Social Gospel
Smeaton, George The Doctrine of the Atonement As Taught By the Apostles
Smeaton, George The Doctrine of the Atonement as Taught by Jesus Himself
Smeaton, George The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Smith, James No Condemnation for Those in Jesus Christ
Smith, James Parental Solicitude
Spurgeon, C. H. Assurance
Spurgeon, C. H All of Grace
Spurgeon, C. H. Faith's Checkbook: A Daily Devotional
Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students
Spurgeon, C. H. The Soul Winner
Spurgeon, C. H. On Calvinism
Spurgeon, C. H. Revival Year Sermons (Expanded Edition)
Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon's Prayer's Personalized
Spurgeon, C. H. The Sermons of Charles Spurgeon: 4-Volumes (800 Sermons)
Spurgeon, C. H. John Ploughman's Talk
Spurgeon, C. H. Your Sanctification
Stanford, Charles Joseph Alleine: His Companions and Times
Storms, Sam The Attributes of God New!
Strong, Augustus H. Systematic Theology
Symington, William On the Atonement and Intercession of Jesus Christ New!
Toplady, Augustus The Works of Augustus Toplady
Tosti, J. A. Westminster's Shortest Catechism
Traill, Robert Vindication of Justification
Turretin, Francis 21 Questions on The Doctrine of Scripture
Turretin, Francis The Atonement of Christ
Turretin Francis The Atonement of Christ - modernized and annotated
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Ursinus, Zacharia Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism
Ussher, James 37 of the Most Inspiring and Insightful Sermons
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Van Til, Cornelius Evil and Theodicy
Venning, Ralph The Sinfulness of Sin
Vincent, Thomas The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ updated!
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Waldron, Samuel The Lord's Day: Its Presuppositions, Proofs, Precedents, and Practice
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Warfield, Benjamin The Divine Origin of the Bible
Warfield, Benjamin Calvin and Calvinism
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Warfield, Benjamin Sermons and Essays from the Works of B. B. Warfield
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Warfield, Benjamin Studies in Perfectionism
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Warfield, Benjamin The Plan of Salvation
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Watson, Thomas A Body of Divinity
Watson, Thomas The Application of Redemption
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Watson, Thomas The Art of Divine Contentment
Watson, Thomas The Bible and the Closet
Watson, Thomas The Godly Man's Picture
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Westminster Divines, The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition
Westminster Divines The Westminster Shorter Catechism
Westminster Shorter Catechism (Introduction), Catechism for Young Children
Westminster Divines Westminster Larger Catechism
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Whitefield, George Whitefield's Letter to Wesley on Election
Wilcox, Thomas Honey Out of the Rock
Wilberforce, William Real Christianity
Williamson, G. I. What is the Reformed Faith: The High Points of Calvinism
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Winslow, Octavius The Negative Attractions of Heaven
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Monergism is able to provide hundreds of free resources due to generous donors. Consider donating today.René Angélil, musician and husband of Céline Dion, died Thursday morning at his Las Vegas home after a years-long battle with throat cancer, their rep said in a statement. He was 73.
PEOPLE was first to report the news.
The Montreal-born Angélil got his start in the music business in the ’60s as a singer before switching to the business side and eventually managing Dion, who he married in 1994. The couple went on to have a son René-Charles in 2001 and twin boys Nelson and Eddy in 2010.
Angélil continued managing Dion until 2014, when he stepped down soon after his throat cancer — which he was first diagnosed with in the late ’90s — returned. His health had been worsening ever since the more recent diagnosis, and Dion told USA Today in March that he “got a feeding tube.”
Two months after Angélil stepped down, Dion announced she’d be taking a yearlong break from her Las Vegas concert residency to care for her ailing husband. She returned a year later partly thanks to Angélil’s encouragement.
“I’m doing it for him. I’m doing it for my fans,” Dion said in a March 2015 interview with ABC’s Deborah Roberts announcing her comeback. “We have a ticket to live. We have a ticket to ride. We’re living, so let’s live. Let’s go.”
Before returning to the residency this past August, Dion spoke with USA Today about the kinds of conversations she had with Angélil during her hiatus. “I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it,'” she said. “And René says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ Okay, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.”
“You can have your shaking knees at the end,” she went on, “but when someone you love falls and needs help, it’s not time to cry. Afterwards, sure. But not yet.”Specific shoutout to the local team we all love to know, The Ohio State University Buckeyes, who did the damn thing Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma. Few things in life compare to the satisfaction of your team redeeming all of your life's choices.
Baker Mayfield: "We got our asses kicked." — Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 18, 2016
That game encapsulated the gap between Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer more than Vico's look at the two schools' recent recruiting efforts.
JT scorching the Oklahoma defense last night. H/T to Barfolomew on @11W pic.twitter.com/Ai4mXh3dR5 — Gobucks2204 (@Gobucks2204) September 18, 2016
Meyer finally has a roster comprised entirely of his recruits. It shows in Jerome Baker, who replaced an injured Dante Booker and may never give the job back. It shows in Malik Hooker, who will be on an NFL roster next year and only played two years of high school football.
It also shows in Noah Brown, who came into the season with one catch and still might have Oklahoma's pulsating heart in his hands:
Noah Brown #80 youza savage slime!!!! Lawwwwd!!!! — Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) September 18, 2016
Oh yeah. that new offensive line is coming together as well:
65% of @OhioStateFB rushing plays this year have gone for 4+ yards. This is best in FBS. — SportSourceAnalytics (@SportSourceA) September 18, 2016
The craziest thing is Ohio State could've played better and won by more. It's a long way to January, but I'm not sure how a team beats them if the Buckeyes play their best.
ICYMI 11W OKLAHOMA COVERAGE:
EFFICIENCY RUNS THE DAY. Ohio State dominated Oklahoma in both trenches. It allowed the Buckeyes ruthless scoring efficiency the Sooners couldn't match.
From landgrantholyland.com:
Maybe the single most important statistic from the game was how relatively efficient the two offenses were when they created scoring opportunities. The Ohio State offense averaged 6.33 points every time they had a drive that crossed the Sooners' 40, while the defense held the Sooners to just 3.4 points per scoring opportunity. The Buckeyes were almost twice as efficient with their scoring opportunities. The defense allowed the Sooners to move the ball -- the total yardage difference was just 443 to 404 in favor of the Buckeyes -- but the young Buckeye defense played an incredible bend-don't-break game by limiting the Sooners to just a 33% red zone touchdown rate. A comparison between the two offenses' red zone touchdown percentages tells the same story as looking at the scoring opportunities -- the Buckeyes weren't able to be slowed down in the red zone. The reason for the Buckeyes' and Sooners' varying degrees of success with scoring opportunities had a lot to do with how the offenses were built. The two offenses had the same number of explosive plays, but the Buckeyes were notably more efficient than the Sooners. That little bit of inconsistency for the Sooners offense often made them less reliable in the red zone, more dependent on big plays, and with significant third downs. The Sooners were just 5/13 on third downs, likely because they averaged 6.9 yards to go.
It did not feel like the defense gave up over 400 yards, especially considering seven of Oklahoma's points shouldn't have counted.
Also, let this be a warning shot to Ohio State's future opponents: If you regularly end up behind schedule on third down, you're going to have a bad time.
WEBER STILL GRINDING. Here's how spoiled OSU fans are when it comes to running backs: Mike Weber went for 128 yards on 18 carries, and we're asking, "Where's that long touchdown run, though?"
It didn't happen against Oklahoma, but it's coming.
From cleveland.com:
Weber finished with a game-high 128 rushing yards on 18 carries, his longest gain went for 35 yards. That's a pretty good run. But because people were so accustomed to seeing Ezekiel Elliott break out for a big hit every now and then, they're expecting the same from Weber. Weber is expecting them too. And his performance on Saturday suggested that Weber does in fact have the skill set to get some long scoring runs. He showed good vision against a stout Oklahoma run defense that hadn't let anyone go for 100 yards on them coming into Saturday.
I don't have a problem with lack of explosive runs because running through faces for four quarters is an equally effective offensive weapon. Plus, Weber has nice feet when in traffic. He got the memo about pass blocking, too.
He has also come within a few shoe-string tackles of breaking some big runs. Those aren't going to stop him forever.
CARNAGE REPORTS FROM NORMAN. Props to Oklahoma fans. I only read positive things about them this weekend, which is hard to pull off in the 21st century when a foreign horde of beer-swilling barbarians ransack your city and stadium.
Ohio State superfan "Big Nut" welcomed to Norman by the Oklahoma student section pic.twitter.com/Sa6ESA0JhH — Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 17, 2016
Hopefully, we return the hospitality in Columbus next year.
And as much as your team winning aligns your soul with the universe, your team getting scrubbed calls everything into question.
Will the local team ever win again? Should I have taken my education more seriously? Would homelessness be that bad, actually? Those are some of the questions that creep into my mind when Ohio State loses.
Thankfully, we dodged death for another two weeks. For those touched by the Reaper, we go live to the smoldering ashes of Norman.
From 247sports.com:
The Oklahoma Sooners essentially eliminated themselves from College Football Playoff contention after an absolute beat-down at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday night in front of 87,000+ people. OU was simply outclassed in a performance that surely Sooner fans would soon rather forget. Especially since they paid to watch it live. The downpour before kickoff that delayed the game was seemingly the perfect metaphor for the state of Oklahoma's season. Bob Stoops and company are totally underwater. It's as if Houston was the watchmen yelling "iceberg ahead!" and Ohio State was the iceberg, ultimately dooming Oklahoma's title hopes again. GRADE: F
Woo! Sooner fans now homeless because they bet the mortgage will stay warm off that #take until the New Year.
Former Sooner DB Zack Sanchez weighed in during the immediate aftermath:
Can't stop the run wit 3 down linemen smh — Zack Sanchez (@ZSanchez15) September 18, 2016
Wasn't talkin bout my guys either.. scheme gotta change ASAP — Zack Sanchez (@ZSanchez15) September 18, 2016
In no way bashing Mike Stoops, tht man gave me a chance when nobody else would.. but adjustments gotta be made or it'll get worse — Zack Sanchez (@ZSanchez15) September 18, 2016
At the end of the day players gotta make plays, besides Bake, there's no leadership and thts a huge problem... — Zack Sanchez (@ZSanchez15) September 18, 2016
Could you imagine Bradley Roby calling out the current team for lack of leadership? Neither can I. That's the Meyer difference.
THINGS GOING WELL IN SOUTH BEND. Famed mustachioed Michigan State coach Mike D'antoni whipped a rental car to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday and hit Brian Kelly in the back of a head with a brick.
Kelly woke up shirtless in a ditch carrying $10,000 of fraudulent credit card debt with his shoes strung around a power line.
And whoever controls Kelly's Twitter account either made a mistake or is fed up:
Among other issues, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly probably wants to address who does his Twitter likes. pic.twitter.com/ib4nNvx1Nk — Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) September 18, 2016
Brian Kelly says a number of people manage his Twitter & a staffer inadvertently hit like on a tweet suggesting he fire BVG. #NotreDame — Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) September 18, 2016
The Irish still play Stanford, Miami, Navy, USC and Virginia Tech. Look for Kelly to pull that NFL ripcord this winter after he loses two more games.
And please put this on my tombstone: Notre Dame will never win another title.
WHY NOT? It's officially a bye week, which means it's appropriate to revel in a big win.
Here are choice cuts from Saturday night's banger:
Ohio State vs Oklahoma Highlights // 45-24 Win pic.twitter.com/6JAa024Klq — tOSU Recruiting (@tOSURecruiting) September 18, 2016
Buckeyes to the Super Bowl. You heard it here first.
THOSE WMDs. The falling man... The speakeasy underworld of the dog bar... 6,000-year-old fabric reveals Peruvians were dyeing textiles with indigo long before Egyptians... Why fidgeting is good medicine... The book of my enemy has been remaindered... God bless the Hess family.Event Review: Convergence
Week 7
DC Comics are notorious for their crises, but Convergence is their way of tying up loose ends and giving fan-favourites their chance to shine once more. However, the series has had its drawbacks and many have criticised it for being a filler event whilst DC move office from NYC to Burbank.
This week I’ll review the main Convergence book and some of the tie-ins from the event’s seventh week.
Convergence #07 (of 8)
● Writer: Jeff King ● Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Art duties this week fell on Aaron Lopresti and he delivered; a definite improvement from last week’s book by Ed Benes. Most of the book consists of two-page spreads, but they are absolutely necessary as this is an action packed issue. Lopresti does a fantastic job keeping characters and environments both clean yet detailed, and I can honestly say that my only gripe is with his over use of snarl-faces… almost every character gets a good snarl in at least once this issue.
The story itself is also an improvement over the last six issues, and I would go so far as to say that this issue should have come a lot earlier in the series. I’m not sure if it’s the reduced exposition or the reduced need to establish both Telos and Deimos as the event’s villains, but there is definitely more flow to this book.
King’s use of a particular fan-favourite villain was superb, and I can’t wait to see what (if any) repercussions this has on the current DC universe; and this is the first issue to show that there is a chance this event will have a lasting impact.
Once more, there was a continuity bug fairly early on involving Apollo and The Engineer, but only the most avid followers of the New 52 are likely to pick it up.
This issue is definitely worth a read, but I can’t help but wonder how much better the event might have been as a whole if this were the sort of book we got to pick up a little sooner.
Adventures of Superman #02 (of 2)
● Writer: Marv Wolfman ● Artist: Roberto Viacava
This was a good issue. I am so pleased that Superman and Supergirl are out of the phantom zone, but their escapades last issue did serve a purpose and they play on Kara’s mind beautifully. I really appreciate how they have established a back-story to the events of Crisis of Infinite Earths, but as Convergence is a slight retcon its relevance to how events actually played out is up for debate.
The art this issue was beautiful, but for me that had a lot to do with the colouring. It added great depth and vitality to Roberto Viacava and Andy Owens’ work (inker). These past two issues have really captured the heroes’ pre-crisis likenesses.
I feel like this issue did a fantastic job playing into Telos’ convergence gambit and the characters from |
ate being released, on the streets, and with a loaded handgun.
Brad Steinle made the remark in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper just days before a San Francisco jury found Zarate not guilty of murdering Kate Steinle, a crime he admitted to committing in an interview with a local television station.
The published story included the family’s reaction to the not guilty verdict and the conviction of possession of a firearm.
“We’re just shocked — saddened and shocked … that’s about it,” Kate’s father, Jim Steinle, said. “There’s no other way you can coin it. Justice was rendered, but it was not served.”
“I’m stunned that they couldn’t even get him on using the weapon,” Brad Steinle.
Brad Steinle told the Chronicle that he can’t believe the “culmination of errors” that led to Kate’s death, including a lack of understanding about weapons, given the defense team’s argument to the jury that the gun went off accidentally.
“I own a handgun,” Brad Steinle said. “I know that guns don’t just go off. But you have a jury full of people, the vast majority of which probably haven’t shot a gun before and don’t know the intricacies of how a gun works.”
The Chronicle reported that, while the family said they support some protection for illegal aliens who report crimes, the city only changed its sanctuary city policies slightly after Kate’s murder and that puts other Americans at risk.
The Chronicle reported:
The bottom line: An undocumented immigrant with Garcia Zarate’s exact criminal history still could be released from jail to the streets without a call to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Zarate, previously known as Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, confessed to shooting Steinle in a jailhouse interview with a local ABC News affiliate. He also told the outlet that he had chosen to come to San Francisco because he knew it was a sanctuary city.
Breitbart News reported:
An ICE official told Breitbart News that ICE Enforcement and Removal had begun processing the suspect for reinstatement of removal from the U.S. in March. But instead, Lopez-Sanchez was transferred on March 26 from the Bureau of Prisons in another city to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department (SFSD) because of a drug warrant. ICE then filed the detainer request to be notified prior to Lopez-Sanchez’s release from custody.
California lawmakers have since voted to make California a sanctuary state.A parent's outrage over seventh graders being given graphic lessons on transgender surgeries and an extensive list of sexual slang at school has led to a teacher's suspension.
The teacher from Cambridge Central School in Albany, New York, was placed on paid administrative leave after school parent Sirell Fiel posted a live video on Facebook, sharing his anger over what he deemed was inappropriate material being taught to his 11-year-old child during a health class.
In the video, posted on October 30, Fiel said that he had come home from work and sat down to go over homework with his son, when he discovered that his child had been given a 'gender identity' packet containing graphic details about sex change surgeries, including a diagram of a 'genderbread person,' and a list of more than 50 sexual definitions and slang terms and would be tested on the material in health class the next day.
Concerned parent, Sirell Fiel, of Albany, New York, took to Facebook Live to express his anger over what he deemed to be an inappropriately explicit lesson involving gender reassignment surgery and transgender vocabulary taught to his 11-year-old son during health class
Fiel also posted pages from the information packet that his son was given in the health class
Fiel said that he posted the video — which has since been viewed 782,000 times and received more than 9,000 comments — to alert other seventh and eighth grade parents at the school, since he never received any kind of warning or permission slip from the school stating that this information would be distributed in class.
'I understand we live in a devise [stet] world, everyone's got their thing and not everyone's going to be the same,' Fiel said in the video. 'But, as we come with our own Christian values, we live by our own expectations and when it comes to teaching our kids certain things, that should be left up to us, not the school districts. Not health class in seventh grade, no.'
After reading multiple examples of the slang included on the list, including 'bottom' and 'packing,' and revealing that the information packet included details about genital reassignment surgery, Fiel said the health lesson and packet were'state funded porn.'
'They're really desensitizing all our kids, it's ruining America,' Fiel said at one point in the video, later adding that, 'It's not bad enough that their innocence is being robbed from us through the frickin' news on the TV everyday, they're literally taking the innocence out of our kids everyday with this BS.'
The 'Genderbread person' diagram that was among the papers given to Fiel's 11-year-old son
One of the pages from the more than 200-word glossary given to seventh grade children regarding transgender identity and terminology
Fiel said that he had no issues with his child learning about diversity, but that it was the in-depth nature of the lesson being given to children at such a young age that was a problem
The health teacher at Cambridge Central School (shown) has been put on paid administrative leave following the controversy raised by Fiel's video. The guest speaker, who the teacher had invited to speak with the class, handed out the controversial documents to the children
'You gotta stand up with me on this one,' Fiel also said in the video. 'This is well beyond that line that the school needs to be teaching our kids. They are way outside their boundaries.'
'I have no problem with the school talking about diversity,' Fiel told the Glen Falls Post Star, reiterating what he had said in the video. The problem, he noted, was that the information went'so in-depth. That’s too much for 11- and 12-year-olds.'
In a letter posted on the school district's website, superintendent Vincent Canini wrote that the gender identity information packet was handed out by a guest speaker who was invited by the school's health teacher.
After a review of the packet, the guest speaker was then 'uninvited' from presenting in the school district and the teacher was placed on paid administrative leave, per standard school policy, while the situation was being reviewed.
Canini told WRGB that the teacher had requested permission to host a guest speaker in the class, but had not presented the handouts for review in advance.
'There’s a district policy that certain materials should not be distributed,' Canini told WRGB.
While the school district did not name the teacher, the Glen Falls Post Star identified the health teacher as being Jacqueline Hall and that she could not be reached for comment.
The school district confirmed to DailyMail.com that the school only has the one health teacher, but had no updates on the teacher's leave status.
Upon completing an investigation into the matter, Canini told the Glen Falls Post Star that, at first, the seventh grade students — including Fiel's son — had been given a four-page packet, while 10th grade students were given a 42-page packet that included a more than 200-word glossary. However, it appeared that students from the seventh grade were also given the glossary.
The guest speaker was arranged through the Pride Center of the Capital Region, an LGBTQ education and advocacy group.
While the organization's president and CEO, Martha Harvey, declined to identify the speaker, Harvey told the Glen Falls Post Star that there had not been any prior complaints about the information packet, which has been used for more than a decade at schools.'
Harvey also said that due to the increasingly younger age at which transgender people are identifying themselves, it is not inappropriate to present middle school children with the appropriate transgender information.FRAMINGHAM – Police are investigating a break-in at an Old Connecticut Path apartment on Sunday where a rare – and pricey – glass marijuana pipe was stolen.
The owner of the pipe said he paid $4,000 for the pipe, police spokesman Lt. Stephen Cronin said.
“He believes whoever broke in knew the value of the pipe,” said Cronin. “It’s a handmade, one-of-a-kind pipe from Japan. He said he collects high-end glass marijuana pipes and other glass figures.”
On Sunday, around 11:44 p.m., police went to 18 Old Connecticut Path for a report of a break-in. A resident of the building said a man had broken into another resident’s apartment. The witness could only provide a vague description.
Police found that someone had removed a screen off the back window and broke the window to climb in, Cronin said.
When the victim arrived home, he searched the house to see if anything was missing. The only thing missing was the pipe, which he kept in a special box, Cronin said.
“He said the glass pipe community is'small and close knit,' and he would be monitoring websites to see if anyone mentioned the pipe or tried to sell it," the lieutenant said.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Framingham Police at 508-872-1212.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.ARMONK, N.Y. - 10 Sep 2015: IBM (NYSE: IBM (NYSE: IBM ) today announced the acquisition of StrongLoop, Inc., a software provider, to help developers connect enterprise applications to mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and web applications in the cloud
StrongLoop is a leading provider of popular application development software -- known as enterprise Node.js -- that enables software developers to build applications using APIs (application programming interfaces).
APIs are pieces of software that act as technology glue for integrating applications, data and business processes that connect businesses with customers, partners and employees.
As data becomes increasingly critical in cloud environments, developers are using APIs to create protocols and routines that specify how one application can interact with another application. For example, developers can create new information assets by combining data and services shared by other organizations, ranging from startups to global enterprises, to deliver new innovation and business value.
IBM intends to integrate Node.js capabilities from StrongLoop with its software portfolio, which already includes MobileFirst and WebSphere®, to help clients better use enterprise data and conduct transactions whether in the cloud or on-premises. These new capabilities will enable clients and developers to build scalable APIs, and to more easily connect existing back-end, enterprise processes with front-end mobile, IoT and web apps in an open, hybrid cloud. Node.js is one of the fastest growing development frameworks for creating and delivering APIs.
“Enterprises are focused on digital transformation to reach new channels, tap new business models, and personalize their engagement with clients,” said Marie Wieck, general manager, Middleware, IBM Systems. “APIs are a critical ingredient. By bringing together StrongLoop’s Node.js capabilities to rapidly create APIs with IBM’s leadership in Java and API Management on our cloud platform, we are unlocking the innovation potential of two vibrant development communities.”
Fast and Easy Enterprise Development in the Cloud
Starting today with this acquisition, Node.js developers now have a richer, operating environment on IBM Bluemix™, IBM’s platform-as-a-service. JavaScript ranked as the #1 language for discussion and usage followed closely by Java (1). Java remains the leading language for web applications and transaction systems. Combining StrongLoop’s tools and services with IBM’s WebSphere and Java capabilities, IBM will help clients bridge Java and Node.js development platforms, which can enable clients to extract greater value from their application investments.
Through integration on IBM Bluemix, these Java and Node.js communities will also have access today to many other IBM and third-party services including access to Mobile Services, data analytics and Watson.
“With this acquisition, the industry benefits from Node.js’ formal entry into the mainstream enterprise,” said Juan Carlos Soto, Chief Executive Officer, StrongLoop. “As leaders in the Node.js open community, we plan to further advance open, community-driven innovation coupled with global, enterprise class software and services offerings to grow client value in the API economy.”
One company that has realized value through Node.js is GoDaddy, which uses StrongLoop LoopBack Framework to create APIs for domain name creation through its partner network.
"Node.js has been a strategic technology and key to innovating at GoDaddy,” said Elissa Murphy, Chief Technology Officer at GoDaddy. "With partners like StrongLoop, the Node.js community has enabled us to develop and deliver world-class products. StrongLoop helped accelerate our reseller program, driving growth for our partners.”
Commitment to Open Source Communities
IBM’s acquisition of StrongLoop continues its commitment to open source technologies and communities including Apache, Eclipse, OpenStack, Cloud Foundry and many others.
As a founding member and Platinum member of Node.js Foundation, IBM has dedicated experts working within the foundation. IBM will continue to provide support and investment in the open Node developer community.
New Services at IBM Bluemix Garage
Developers will also benefit from IBM Cloud and developer experts who provide technical guidance on creating, managing and monetizing APIs using StrongLoop at IBM Bluemix Garages.
StrongLoop added to IBM IoT Platform
Select cloud capabilities from today’s StrongLoop acquisition are expected to be incorporated into the IBM IoT Foundation, along with Bluemix, IBM’s platform-as-a-service, security and analytics to provide enterprises access to a powerful IoT platform that derives insight from sensor-driven data.
IBM intends to provide global support for the StrongLoop platform by 2H16, adding language translation support for Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
Financial terms and conditions were not released.
About StrongLoop
Founded in 2013 and based in San Mateo, CA, StrongLoop is a provider of enterprise Node.js capabilities in the development of Systems of Engagement applications. StrongLoop is a key contributor to the Node community and maintains over 160 modules for the Node community within Node Package Manager.
For more information about IBM’s acquisition of StrongLoop, visit ibm.com/strongloop.
Join the conversation on Twitter by following @IBMWebSphere and using #IBMandStrongLoop.
IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, WebSphere, and Bluemix are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. For a current list of IBM trademarks, visit www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml.
IBM's statements regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at IBM's sole discretion. Information regarding potential future products is intended to outline our general product direction and it should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. The development, release, and timing of any future features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion.In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph Michael Fallon, the new minister of state for business, calls for an end to the “politics of envy in this country” and calls entrepreneurs “Olympian champions.”
He cites business leaders such as Jon Moulton, the founder of private-equity firms, Duncan Bannatyne, the “Dragon’s Den” hotels and health clubs entrepreneur, and Terry Smith, the financier, as examples who should be “saluted”.
Without making any direct criticism of his Liberal Democrat departmental boss, Vince Cable, who has been dubbed the “anti-business” Business Secretary by the Conservative Right, Mr Fallon suggests there will be bruising political clashes ahead.
The former Tory deputy chairman whose appointment as Mr Cable’s number two was one of the key features of David Cameron’s controversial reshuffle, admits that the coalition has not done nearly enough to help boost growth.
“We have to deliver now. We have got to get a move on,” he says.
Ahead of a series of announcements this week, as ministers attempt to put an end to the “omnishambles” series of blows which have hit the government since the Budget in March Mr Fallon reveals that the Tory side of the coalition plans to draw on the policy agenda pursued by Lady Thatcher’s government in the 1980s.
Key measures will include:
* Changes to employment law to make it easier for employers to sack “underperforming” staff or those whose working relationship with their boss has broken down. This was the key “no fault dismissal” recommendation of a government report last year by Adrian Beecroft, the venture capitalist, which was shelved after rows involving Mr Cable.
* A new round of privatisations, starting with the Royal Mail. Previous efforts to sell off the government’s stake have foundered - but Mr Fallon insisted it was now essential to put Royal Mail “fully into private ownership” as well as selling off pointless government stakes in other companies.
* A target to do away with or “substantially reduce” 3,000 costly and burdensome regulations that hamper business by the end of 2013 in a new “scrap as you go” initiative. The drive, which will apply across Whitehall, aims to deal with nearly half the “serious” pieces of red tape calculated to be hampering employers, such as forcing each employer to undertake costly Criminal Records Bureau checks on new staff who have already been checked for previous jobs.
Mr Fallon appears to relish challenging the views of Mr Cable and Nick Clegg, who have proposed a new “wealth tax” for the rich - possibly targeting high-value properties.
“We need to salute that and stop thinking of new ways to tax it - that kind of wealth creation. That’s an attitude I want to help change,” he says. “We need to get away from the politics of envy in this country ad salute those who not only create wealth but risk their own money to create jobs for other people.
“Above all I want business to feel it has a strong Conservative champion in the department.” Mr Fallon was joined in the new-look Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) line-up last week by Matt Hancock, a key political ally of George Osborne.
Mr Fallon denies he had been sent to BIS to keep Mr Cable on the straight and narrow. “I’m not there to keep an eye on Vince Cable, I’m there to keep both eyes on growth,” he adds.
In his interview he admits Mr Cameron’s reshuffle - which saw Downing Street having to deny claims ministers were sacked for being too old, or while the Prime Minister sipped wine - had a “messy element”. This was because such changes involved people’s “hopes and dreams.”
But, naming new ministers including Liz Truss, Anna Soubry, Helen Grant and Sajid Javid, Mr Fallon said the Tory half of the coalition was bringing on a “new generation” of “committed reformers and good communicators” including “dynamic women”.
Mr Fallon refuses to be drawn on the row that - over any other - is obsessing business: whether or not a third runway will be built at Heathrow Airport. He also says HS2, controversial £34billion high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham and the north, is still a “key part of developing our strategy for growth across the regions.”
Critics are certain to claim the Tories’ new strategy has been carefully timed to please Right-leaning MPs and activists in the run up to the party’s annual conference in Birmingham in October.
Business leaders have consistently hit out at ministers, particularly Mr Osborne, for failing to help boost the economy during the current double-dip recession.
Some will point out that while Mr Fallon, one of five Tory ministers in BIS, can announce dramatic plans - any changes in the law will have to be driven through parliament by Mr Cable, who in the past has been seen as a roadblock to reform.
Mr Fallon insisted that “the whole department is committed to this” when asked if Mr Cable was signed up to the plan to make it easier to fire staff. “It’ll make employment easier,” he said. “It’ll simplify the process of employing people. And where they underperform it’ll make it easier....where relationships break down it will make it easier for that relationship to end.”
As ministers continue to plot a fightback this weekend, Sir Merrick Cockell, the Conservative chairman of the Local Government Association, today attacks plans unveiled by Mr Osborne to take respoinsbility for hundreds of planning decisions away from local councils.
Developers will be allowed to refer planning applications blocked by local authorities to the Planning Inspectorate, a quango.
Sir Martin said the move was a “blow” to local democracy. It is understood, Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, also opposes the policy as it flies in the face of the Government’s commitment to localism, devolving more and more powers to local communities.
The fallout from the reshuffle continued. Justine Greening, who was demoted from Transport Secretary to International Development Secretary, was understood to be furious over her treatment and to be privately singling out Mr Osborne, her one-time political champion, for blame.
There was also uncertainty over the immediate future of the coalition’s drive to change the law and permit same-sex marriages. The Lib Dem minister in charge of the planned legislation, Lynne Featherstone, was moved from the Home Office, again to International Development.
At the same time the equalities portfolio was handed to Maria Miller, the new Culture Secretary, who is thought by campaigners to be a traditionalist on gay and lesbian issues.A bit under a week ago, we reported that HQ Trivia was gearing up to hit Android as the company opened pre-registration. Now, with just a few hours to spare, players on both platforms can ring in the new year with a quick and potentially profitable round of games. HQ Trivia is now available for download on Android.
The app was previously available to download in Canada for a short period, but now even those of us in the US can get in on the action. HQ Trivia is still probably unfinished at some level, since it's listed as "Unreleased" on the Play Store, and the last changelog thanks users for being beta testers.
Obviously, we can't actually test all the functionality in the app for ourselves until tonight's game, but several of us have installed it and gotten things set up in preparation. The process is quite simple, and just requires an SMS code for registration.
If you use one of our codes to sign up, you can even earn us a few free lives. I have no idea what that means, but it sounds nice. (Artem: archon810, Richard: rgao007, Ryne: rynehager)
Interested in some trivia to ring in the new year? If so, you can download the app over on Google Play or APK Mirror. The next game is tonight at 11PM eastern time, and the prize is set at $18,000, which is very near the top of previous games. Good luck, and here's hoping the servers hold up to the combined Android assault.The American West is known for its wide open spaces. Soon, it may also become known for its ‘solar energy zones’– as determined by a comprehensive environmental analysis recently announced by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, which has identified areas on public lands in six western states most suitable for environmentally sound, utility-scale solar energy production.
The study, entitled the Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, was compiled over the past two years as part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to create a framework for developing renewable energy “in the right way and in the right places.” Areas identified as ideal for large-scale solar include Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
According to the Department of the Interior, the study recommends a proposal which would allow the BLM to establish Solar Energy Zones (SEZ’s) within these lands available for solar development, easing and streamlining the permitting process necessary for utilities to build out solar projects in these areas, which have been identified as most appropriate for development, striking a balance between a high solar energy potential and few environmental and resource conflicts.
The 90-day public comment period will include 14 open meetings, beginning in Washington, D.C. on February 2, 2011; members of the public are encouraged to participate.
Looking for green gadget gift ideas for this holiday season? We have you covered with our annual Green Gadgets Holiday Gift Guide – check it out now!WASHINGTON -- (AP) The government has replaced a Bush-era rule that became a flash point in the debate over abortions, clarifying that doctors and nurses have a long-standing federal right not to participate in the procedures.
Federal laws for years have forbidden discrimination against health care professionals who refuse to perform abortions or sterilizations, or to provide referrals for them on religious or moral grounds.
The regulation, instituted in the last days of the Bush administration, was supposed to strengthen those protections by adding a requirement that institutions that receive federal money certify their compliance with the so-called conscience laws, so that money could be cut off if the law wasn't being followed.
That regulation was quickly challenged in federal court by several states and medical organizations, in part over concern that its overly broad wording also could be used to refuse birth control, family planning services and a variety of other services.
The Obama administration announced a year ago that it planned to repeal the regulation, and it did so on Friday after months spent reviewing 300,000 comments from the public on both sides.
In its place is a new rule that retains just the federal conscience protections for abortions and sterilizations, along with a provision that spells out how health workers who feel they were discriminated against can ask the government to enforce that law.
"Strong conscience laws make it clear that health care providers cannot be compelled to perform or assist in an abortion," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. "The rule being issued today builds on these laws by providing a clear enforcement process."There's a little bit of confusion over India's GDP growth statistics at present. The country recently changed the way that it calculates this number and while there are, obviously, the usual teething problems with changing the method by which such a complex number is arrived at the basic change seems most sensible. For the real difference in what they're doing is that they're now calculating the value that consumers get to enjoy and not the value that producers are consuming. Given that we want to know is how well off are the people this seems like a move in the right direction.
This is causing confusion though:
Ashish Kumar, the head of country's statistics office, has faced two months of questioning about how a new way of measuring GDP created the world's fastest-growing major economy overnight. It's unlikely to end any time soon. Until early February, when Kumar's office changed the way it measures economic activity, the Indian economy was enduring its weakest run of growth since the mid-1980s. Now it is outpacing China, having grown an annual 7.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year.
Well, obviously, there's going to be a few eyebrows raised when a change is rolled out that just proves that all is hunky dory. A little like the revelation by both Ghana and Nigeria recently that their economies were in fact very much larger than everyone thought as a result of similar types of changes in the calculation methods. However, in those African cases the changes were entirely justified: they'd been working on very old estimates of what the structure of the economy was and they really did need to update them.
We can go back a couple of months and have a look at what the Indian statistical office has done:
The Indian statistics ministry said that after updating the base year used for marking trends in the economy and switching to a market-price calculation of gross domestic product, the economy grew by 6.9% in the year that ended last March. Using the previous methodology, GDP expansion that year was 4.7%. China’s economy grew by 7.4% in the 2014 calendar year. Since January 2010, the base year for India’s statisticians had been the 12 months that ended in March 2005. From now on, it will be the year that ended March 2012. The revised calculation also incorporates more-comprehensive data on corporate activity and newer surveys of spending by households and informal businesses.
There's that good news again. And changing the reference year has a few people confused: it shouldn't make any difference but it does, and how much it does isn't entirely clear as there's no historical series been created as yet that uses this new method. So, we can compare either the old numbers under the old method, or the new under the new, but not the old under the new method which is something we'd really like to be able to do. That historical series is expected around year end. So there's a blip or two in he implementation here. However, this part of the change seems eminently sensible:
India now measures GDP by market prices instead of factor costs, to take into account gross value addition in goods and services as well as indirect taxes. The base year has been shifted to 2011/12 from 2004/05 earlier. The government's statistics department says the new method is more in line with global practices and gives a better picture of economic activity.
Yes, this is more in line with global practices and there's a very good reason for that being the way that everyone else does it. This is a bit of speculation, but the older method might well come from the way in which Nehru and others, the builders of independent India, were so fascinated by Fabian socialism and even aspects of the Russian version. In the sense that it was production of stuff and things that was what they thought should be measured (of course, the Soviets went entirely overboard with this idea but then that's the Soviets for you. They measured the value of output by the tonnage of it. Rather than by the obvious method of measuring the value of it although they did have at least one excuse, which is that in a non-market economy there's no simple way of calculating value).
However it came about measuring at factor prices means measuring the resources used to produce things. And yes, this ought to have some relationship to the value that consumers place upon their ability to consume but it's not a direct one to one relationship. And given that our aim with having an economy in the first place is to enable the citizenry, the people, to live the best life possible we really do want to be measuring their consumption opportunities, not the resources consumed in providing them.
Thus this basic change looks entirely sensible. India is now measuring GDP as what Indians can consume. Yes, despite it providing a lovely boost to the numbers at just the right time, it's still a sensible change.The Cuban government has issued a directive making Good Friday an annual holiday.
The decision comes in response to a request made by Pope Benedict XVI to President Raul Castro during his Apostolic Visit to the country in March, 2012.
The first Good Friday in decades to be recognized by the Cuban government – which has for decades been officially atheist – was April 6 that same year.
In 2013 Cuba again recognized the holy day, and the government-controlled television network broadcast services led by Cardinal Jaime Ortega at Havana’s cathedral for the first time.
This year, the government has declared Good Friday an annual holiday and a day off work.
Meanwhile, the national state television broadcast a depiction of the Passion on Wednesday that took place in Havana Cathedral.
Since Fidel Castro’s Revolution in 1959, relations between Cuba’s atheist regime and the Catholic Church were strained, markedly by the expulsion of priests and the suppression of religious celebrations.
Relations have slowly improved, first with the visit of John Paul II in 1998, then later when Fidel Castro’s brother Raul assumed power.Tournament: -- ALL -- Ultraliga Season 1 LEC Spring 2019 TCL Spring 2019 LCL Spring 2019 NA Academy Spring 2019 OPL Split 1 2019 LVP SLO Spring 2019 PG Nationals Spring 2019 LPLOL Spring 2019 LCK Spring 2019 VCS Spring 2019 LLA Opening 2019 CBLOL Summer 2019 Ultraliga Season 0 World Championship 2018 World Championship Play-In 2018 LMS Regional Qualifiers 2018 EU Masters Summer 2018 LCK Regional Qualifiers 2018 EU LCS Regional Qualifiers 2018 EU Masters 2018 Summer Play-In VCS Summer Playoffs 2018 LJL Summer Playoffs 2018 LPL Summer Playoffs 2018 OPL Split 2 Playoffs 2018 LLN Summer Playoffs 2018 CLS Closing Playoffs 2018 TCL Summer Playoffs 2018 NA LCS Summer Playoffs 2018 CBLOL Winter Playoffs 2018 EU LCS Summer Playoffs 2018 SEA Tour Summer 2018 NA Academy Summer Playoffs 2018 NA Academy Summer 2018 LMS Summer 2018 CLS Closing 2018 VCS Summer 2018 LCK Summer 2018 CBLOL Winter 2018 LLN Summer 2018 LLN-CLS-CBLOL Rift-Rivals 2018 LVP Summer 2018 NA LCS Summer 2018 EU LCS Summer 2018 OPL Split 2 2018 LPL Summer 2018 Mid-Season Invitational 2018 MSI Play-In 2018 LPL Spring Playoffs 2018 LCK Summer Promotion 2018 EU Masters Spring 2018 CLS Opening Playoffs 2018 LMS Spring Playoffs 2018 NA LCS Spring Playoffs 2018 TCL Spring Playoffs 2018 LJL Spring Playoffs 2018 LCK Spring Playoffs 2018 VCS Spring Playoffs 2018 LCL Spring Playoffs 2018 OPL Split 1 Playoffs 2018 EU LCS Spring Playoffs 2018 CBLOL Summer Playoffs 2018 NA Academy Spring Playoffs 2018 LCL Spring 2018 LJL Spring 2018 LVP Spring 2018 VCS Spring 2018 LMS Spring 2018 CLS Opening 2018 LLN Spring 2018 OPL Split 1 2018 NA LCS Spring 2018 TCL Spring 2018 CBLOL Summer 2018 EU LCS Spring 2018 NA Academy Spring 2018 LCK Spring 2018 LPL Spring 2018 Kespa Cup 2017 Challenge France 2017 World Championship 2017 World Championship Play-In 2017 LCK Spring Promotion 2018 EU LCS Regional Qualifiers 2017 NA LCS Regional Qualifiers 2017 LPL Regional Qualifiers 2017 LCK Regional Qualifiers 2017 LMS Regional Qualifiers 2017 LPL Summer Playoffs 2017 CBLOL Winter Playoffs 2017 LCL Summer Playoffs 2017 NA LCS Summer Playoffs 2017 EU LCS Summer Playoffs 2017 EU LCS Spring Promotion 2017 LMS Summer Playoffs 2017 LCK Summer Playoffs 2017 NA LCS Spring Promotion 2018 LCK-LPL-LMS Rift Rivals 2017 LCL-TCL Rift Rivals 2017 GPL-OPL-LJL Rift Rivals 2017 CBLOL-LLN-CLS Rift Rivals 2017 EU-NA Rift Rivals 2017 LMS Summer 2017 LPL Summer 2017 LCK Summer 2017 EU CS Summer 2017 LCL Summer 2017 NA CS Summer 2017 NA LCS Summer 2017 CBLOL Winter 2017 EU LCS Summer 2017 EU LCS Spring Playoffs 2017 LCL Spring Playoffs 2017 EU CS Spring 2017 CBLOL Summer 2017 LPL Spring 2017 EU LCS Spring 2017 EU Regional Qualifiers 2016 EU LCS Summer Playoffs 2016 EU LCS Summer 2016 NA LCS Summer 2016 LCK Summer 2016 LPL Summer 2016 Mid-Season Invitational 2016 IWCI Playoffs 2016 NA LCS Spring Playoffs 2016 NA LCS Spring 2016 EU LCS Spring 2016 LPL Spring 2016 LCK Spring 2016 IEM Cologne 2015 IEM San Jose 2015 World Championship 2015 LCK Spring Promotion 2015 NA LCS Spring Promotion 2015 EU LCS Spring Promotion 2015 LPL Regional Qualifiers 2015 IWC Desafio 2015 EU Regional Qualifiers 2015 NA Regional Qualifiers 2015 IWC Turkey 2015 LPL Summer Playoffs 2015 EU LCS Summer Playoffs 2015 NA LCS Summer Playoffs 2015 EU LCS Summer 2015 NA LCS Summer 2015 LCK Summer 2015 LPL Summer 2015 Mid-Season Invitational 2015 International Wildcard 2015 LPL Spring Playoffs 2015 EU LCS Spring Playoffs 2015 NA LCS Spring 2015 EU LCS Spring 2015 LPL Spring 2015 Champions Spring 2015 OGN Champions Preseason 2015 World Championship 2014 NA LCS Summer Playoffs 2014 EU LCS Summer Playoffs 2014 EU LCS Summer 2014 NA LCS Summer 2014 EU LCS Spring 2014 Battle of the Atlantic 2013 Season 3 World ChampionshipChile has adopted a greatly increased renewable and clean energy target of 70% for its energy mix by 2050, with the Latin American country’s Ministry of Energy publishing a roadmap document.
A statement from the ministry said that renewable sources including solar and wind should be favoured, supplemented by some hydroelectric developments, while the nation should also “not rule out the progressive incorporation of other emerging sources” of renewables, including geothermal and biomass.
The target is a considerable increase on the previous 2013 target of 20%. At present, the country gets just under 10% of its energy from renewables.
The roadmap affirms a commitment to working closely with communities to engage them in the process, to address energy poverty, to finding a route to new environmental standards, as well as other measures. In transportation and mobility also, the nation has pledged that by 2050, all new cars will be low or zero emissions, as well as public transportation in specific areas that are designated to have “decontamination plans”.
As will be familiar to regular readers of PV Tech, Chile has raced ahead in renewable energy development, particularly in solar, over the past year or two, after a long period of uncertainty in which analysts and industry insiders talked up the potential for PV in the country before deployment began in earnest. Chile’s PV capacity in operation or under development was reported in April to have doubled in the month prior to that, to over 2.5GW.
The country’s central Atacama Desert region in particular has seen a great deal of development and a module specifically designed to meet the characteristics of that region has even been developed through ISC Konstanz (International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz).
Another interesting aspect of development in Chile is the |
Twitter, it will be a great tool to connect with companies and people there. You can even try finding people near you going to the conference as well. That’s what I did last year: I searched on Twitter for WWDC posts in Vancouver – Canada, so I was able to connect with developers from my hometown even before SF.
Other Tips and Impressions
If you want convenience, get a hotel near Moscone Centre, that way you can save some time when jumping between activities.
Download Xcode from the wired network spaces. They have adapters to thunderbolt port and they are fast! You will have it in seconds.
The Internet was great for the most part, but I found useful having my LTE as a backup when it didn't work. I recommend Roam Mobility.
Apple has a great Music selection in between sessions, so if you into Music, I’d prepare Soundhound or Shazam for them. This Music Playlist I made from their selection can take me back to the conference in a matter of seconds.
Playlist I made from their selection can take me back to the conference in a matter of seconds. Lyft and Uber are great ways to quickly move in SF.
More importantly, hold to your belonging. I ended up losing my wallet on Tuesday and it was an adventure. Not having money or cards in a different country is bad enough, but keeping the immigration document in my wallet made the trip back home a bit stressful, so watch out for your documents.
Parties
Fabric Party
During WWDC, San Francisco gets packed with Techies all over the world so many companies will host parties/gatherings in the evening to either advertise their product or get developers to like them. There is a super handy app and website that will show you what’s happening that week. Don’t forget to get your tickets before, as they sold out pretty quickly. If I had to pick one event from last year Tip: I would choose #fabricParty hosted by Twitter.
Apple celebrates the conference with a party called Bash and it happens on Thursday evening. It has great food, good selection of drinks and a Live Music Band making the perfect time to interact with new friends after a busy week.America is on track to lose air supremacy in contingencies involving near-peer air combat. Even as soon as next year, achieving air superiority in a war with China within a politically and operationally effective time frame might be doubtful. In a 2025 war, American aircraft losses are expected to be severe. In a 2030 war, the U.S. Air Force, after assessing currently funded improvement programs, now expects to no longer be able to win the air superiority battle.
This downward progression in U.S. airpower has been matched in terminology. After the Cold War, the buzzword was “air dominance.” In the last decade, “air supremacy” became more common and covered situations when the opposing air force was rendered ineffective. Today, the objective is “air superiority,” when the air threat is manageable at certain times and places. In the words the Air Force uses, we can see the service’s way of thinking about projecting airpower has changed from a period when own aircraft losses were unimaginable to one in which losses would hopefully be limited to an acceptable level. And 15 years hence, meeting even this low bar will be doubtful.
This downward spiral matters. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes observes: “Air superiority is the most important thing the Air Force provides for the joint force in the tactical environment.” If an air force can’t get you air superiority where and when it is needed, there may not a compelling argument for even having an air force. Gaining air superiority is an air force’s raison d’etre, and providing air superiority enables many other air, maritime, and land warfighting missions.
Even more importantly, air superiority is an important plank in conventional deterrence. Without it, adventurism by Russia, China, Iran, and others becomes much more practical. The cost-benefit ratio for revisionist states starts to change toward assertiveness and aggression, even if potential adversaries can never be completely sure of the relative military balance until combat is joined.
The U.S. Air Force has lately realized that its ability to gain future air superiority is declining, as evidenced by its recently released Air Superiority 2030 Flight Plan. Somewhat startlingly, the plan observes that: “The Air Force’s projected force structure in 2030 is not capable of fighting and winning against [the expected] array of potential adversary capabilities.” To address this significant operational deficiency, the as yet-unfunded plan recommends a near-term, broadly based, multi-domain improvement program that acquires better technology quickly and in large numbers. Of course, in publicly releasing such plans there are always multiple objectives including supporting force modernization, garnering public support, informing Congress, reassuring allies, and deterring potential adversaries. Even so, this specific unclassified version of the plan seems ambitious in three specific areas.
First, the Air Superiority Flight Plan advances conflicting objectives. Instead of pursuing a direct replacement for the F-22 air superiority fighter, the plan proposes a family of capabilities. This family would include quickly fielding a new, affordable penetrating counter-air capability that eschewed revolutionary next-generation technology to meet a 2030 deadline that is, after all, less than two presidents away. Meeting this timeline seems to limit options to an evolutionary development of a current aircraft, either the F-35 or F-22.
What might this penetrating counter-air platform look like? The F-35 is the obvious choice as it is already in low-rate production, but there are some concerns. The aircraft is small, heavy, and already densely packed with electronics. Thermal management has proven difficult, which makes adding new capabilities without significant changes to internal plumbing problematic. Furthermore, the aircraft’s design means fuel consumption is already high, adversely impacting range. Additional modifications may exacerbate this by adding weight. Some suggest fitting the aircraft with a new engine for range and payload improvements, but given the limited space available, this might require a major redesign. Moreover, meeting the Air Superiority Plan would mean moving the F-35 design away from its primary air-to-ground focus. History suggests turning “bombers” into “fighters” is hard.
The F-35 program’s long delays seem to demonstrate the general technical difficulty in evolving the aircraft’s design. It’s already taken almost ten years from the F-35’s first flight to reach today’s limited air-to-ground focussed initial operational capability. Several more years will pass before the aircraft has the full capabilities originally sought. Evolving the F-35 design to the degree envisaged in the Air Superiority Plan in time to reach a 2030 full operational capability deadline seems doubtful.
In contrast with the F-35, the F-22 would need to be bought back into production to serve as the underlying platform for the penetrating counter-air capability. The F-22 has been in service for a decade and is currently undergoing modernization and reliability improvements. The F-22 is twin-engined and considerably larger than the F-35. This means the F-22 has more thrust and space available to accommodate ongoing upgrades. The F-22, for example, can cruise supersonically and carry twice as many air-to-air missiles internally as the F-35. This much higher overall performance undergirds U.S. Air Force claims that two F-22s have a similar operational performance to eight F-35s.
This Air Force “two equals eight” claim illustrates the magnitude of the task if the aim is to upgrade the F-35 to meet the Air Superiority Plan’s objectives. This plan considers the current F-22 capabilities inadequate past 2030 while the Air Force more broadly believes an individual F-22 is noticeably superior to an individual F-35. This implies that an evolved F-35 would first need to be bought up to the level of an F-22’s capabilities and then extended beyond that to meet the Air Superiority Plan requirements. Making the F-35 four times better at air superiority than it is now seems a big enough task without then seeking to move well beyond. Starting the evolutionary process from the F-22 as it stands now seems inherently a much more practical path.
In considering this, there is a rejoinder that mass has a quality all of its own. Greater numbers might compensate for qualitative shortcomings. The Air Superiority Plan however does not consider numbers alone can solve the emerging problems. Simply building more F-35s is not offered as a solution; capability improvements are needed as well. An evolved F-35 though would have less commonality with the existing Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy F-35 variants, potentially adversely impacting their production and support costs, and development plans. Given this, developing an evolved F-35 might need agreement from the other services.
This is not to say that evolving the F-22 would be easy, only that it appears simpler and quicker than doing the same for the F-35, and it would arguably result in a more robust and operationally effective platform. The cost, greater magnitude of the task, and demonstrated difficulties in F-35 development all suggest that an evolved F-22 may well be the lower cost alternative, even after factoring in production restart costs.
Secondly, such thinking raises the question of whether either the evolution of either the F-35 or F-22 is actually affordable. Answering this hinges upon where air superiority ranks against other joint force priorities. In high-end conventional warfare it is hard to argue there is any other capability more important. We must wonder, then, why hundreds of F-35s are being procured when this leads to the U.S. Air Force becoming “not capable of fighting and winning against…potential adversary capabilities.” The F-35 is also useful in lesser wars, but there it competes with lower cost drones or A-10s. Money actually appears not to be the decisive issue. There is apparently sufficient money at hand to buy a large fighter aircraft fleet that will not fix the Air Force’s identified air superiority deficiencies.
Lastly, the issue of allies has been neglected. The Air Force’s realization of its declining air superiority capabilities places America’s allies in an invidious position. With doubts now about whether the U.S. Air Force can be relied upon to win future near-peer air battles, American allies may need to reconsider their force structure plans and alliance relationships. This later aspect might be especially prominent if worries over revisionist state adventurism materialize.
An option for the allies might be to delay buying the current F-35 configuration aircraft until the U.S. Air Force’s intentions concerning new air superiority systems are clearer. At that time, allies might then be able to buy into a long-term robust air superiority solution, perhaps some element of a systems of systems that might include evolved F-22s or F-35s (if they were allowed access to these). This approach would perhaps allow them to remain operationally useful American allies past 2030 when at the moment it seems their value sharply diminishes.
The issue of future air superiority is a tough one, but impacts the tactical, operational and strategic levels of war. With a lot at stake and time running out, there needs to be some deep thinking and quick, decisive action. On technical, cost, and schedule grounds, an evolved F-22 seems the most practical option to address the looming air superiority train wreck.
Peter Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University. A former RAAF senior officer, he has extensive defence experience, including in the Pentagon, and a doctorate in grand strategy.
Image: U.S. Air ForcePOLL: Should the Bible be Tennessee's official state book? No
Yes Submit Results No: 65.13 % (226) Yes: 34.87 % (121) Total Responses: 347
Bible Bible Photo by Staff File Photo /Times Free Press.
NASHVILLE -- Following the second straight day of often-fiery debate, the state House voted 55-38 today to make the "Holy Bible" the official book of Tennessee.
As concerns about the measure's constitutionality and church-state questions continued to surface, Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, offered what he thought was a reasonable compromise through an amendment.
It would have designated President Andrew Jackson's Bible as the state's official book.
The amendment was killed on a 48-11 vote.
Debate lasted over an hour on the bill, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Sexton, R-Bean Station.
The Bible bill is expected to come up on the Senate floor on Thursday. Nineteen senators are co-sponsoring the measure there. It takes 17 votes to pass a bill into law.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery this week issued a legal opinion saying the bill violates both the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions.The Chinchaga Firestorm
By Paul Homewood
http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/194-9781772120035-chinchaga-firestorm
The Alberta fire that has just ravaged the city of Fort McMurray is a monster by all accounts, Latest estimates suggest that an area of some 600 square miles has burnt, leading to claims that the fire that is the size of Hong Kong and almost 25% bigger than New York City.
However, the current wildfire pales into insignificance at the side of the Chinchiga Firestorm of 1950, which was estimated to have destroyed between 5400 and 6500 square miles in northern Alberta and British Columbia. Of course, there is a major difference between now and then – there were no cities built in the region in those days. Fort McMurray, for instance, which has been at the centre of the current fire, now has a population of around 80000, built up in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands.
Back in 1966, however, its population was just 2000.
As a result, the Chinchaga fire attracted relatively little attention at the time. It took authors Cordy Tymstra and Mike Flannigan to put the record straight last year in their book, The Chinchaga Firestorm.
This is the review of their book, written by Stephen Pyne for the University of British Columbia:
Some fires are justly renowned. Some are celebrities — known for being known. A few are famous for being unknown. The 1871 Peshtigo fire in the US has long marketed itself as America’s Forgotten Fire. The Canadian equivalent may be the 1950 Chinchaga burn.
In truth, the Chinchaga fire complex has been known in the Canadian forestry community since it happened, and over the past couple of decades it has been studied by Peter Murphy and Cordy Tymstra, who worked out its dimensions and dynamics. But there is a difference between a big fire and a great one, and the Chinchaga complex has nestled among the big. Now Tymstra and Mike Flannigan have returned to argue that it is also a great fire in its ecological and political effects and its message for Canadian society. No longer a big burn, it is reimagined as a firestorm.
The Chinchaga fires became large because the boreal forest is extensive, unbroken by the lakes of the Canadian Shield; because the major fires started early and burned through the long season; and because, north of the Peace River, the fires were beyond the established line of control for both the British Columbia and Alberta forest services. The largest of the pack, the 1.4 million hectare [5468 sq miles] Chinchaga River Fire, merits detailed reconstruction here in its own chapter. Some 81 per cent of fire spread occurred over a fifteen-day period, the bulk during the great wind of 20-22 September 1950.
It’s harder to demonstrate the Chinchaga fires’ significance beyond that staggering scale. They didn’t get recorded on official statistics or fire atlases. They didn’t seem to influence major policy shifts, which were underway for other reasons. They didn’t burn in or over communities as the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire, near Kelowna, and the 2011 Slave Lake Fire did. Their major influence was an extraordinary plume — what became known as the Great Smoke Pall — that, “sandwiched” between inversions, stayed aloft for seven days while it trended southeast to the US before warping northeastward and turning the sun and moon blue in Scotland. The pall and its effects merit two chapters.
The text covers a lot of topics — anything that might give explanation, context, or comparison to the Chinchaga fires. But like the scattering of light by which smoke obscures visibility, a narrative scatter blurs rather than sharpens the contours. The text bounces from fact-particle to fact-particle, from one research project to another, from people who are introduced in 1952 and who then reappear in 1948. The authors note that a fire prevention program in the Peace River Country was a “huge success,” as reported by the Peace River Record Gazette on 21 September 1950; yet this was exactly the time of the great surge of burning (122). The fires were singular, yet “not an anomaly” (133). The Chinchaga River Fire had “lasting impacts,” yet it is absent from the 1957 forest cover map of Alberta that “represents the first view of Alberta’s forests” before modern fire suppression ramped up (xxiv, 13). A kind of explanatory pall hangs over the book that impresses by its dimensions yet can confuse in its details.
This is surely the definitive account of the Chinchaga complex. It will be welcomed by the North American fire community and by anyone interested in the settlement of the Boreal Plains Ecozone of western Canada.
http://www.bcstudies.com/?q=book-reviews/chinchaga-firestorm-when-moon-and-sun-turned-blue
AdvertisementsTo the Ohio Democratic Party -
We, the undersigned, are resigning from the Ohio Democratic Party as of August 2, 2016.
It is imperative that the Ohio Democratic Party, its members and leaders, realize and experience the full gravity and weight of our resignation.
The signers of the petition are new members to the Ohio Democratic Party and long-time members; we are every color of the human spectrum, every religion, and every sexual identity. We represent every religion, as well as agnostics, and atheists. We come from all walks of life and all socio-economic levels. We are your friends, your family, your neighbors, co-workers, and the stranger in line at the Coffee shop.
And yet with all our differences, we have come together, in one clear voice to speak this truth: Our republic and everything that it stands for has been jeopardized suffering near irreparable harm. The right to vote, and have our vote count, is as precious as the lives who seek to defend it. However across this nation, our precious right was denied in state after state, primary after primary. The Democratic Party and our President remained silent as our concerns were raised. Then we were mocked and ridiculed after we protested and filed lawsuits, while the Democratic Party stood in complete denial of our right to vote.
We had found a man with a message that resonated, a vision that was clear. His name was Bernie Sanders. From the very beginning, Democratic leaders treated Sanders campaign as folly. “Only a fool runs against Hillary Clinton. She has all the super delegates. No one can beat Hillary. She is invincible.” But then word spread of this man from Vermont, this man and his message, and the Democratic Party did everything in its power to minimize and stifle the Sanders campaign. The main stream media was fed a steady diet of propaganda, by you, to squelch the man from Vermont. Indeed, this was the most organized tactical campaign against one of its own that we have ever witnessed. And yet after everything, the lies and deceit, the outrageous behavior and actions by Clinton Democrats, Bernie’s message still would not die. The crowds grew, and the crowds grew. Now, across the United States, we are millions.
We, the undersigned, will not support Hillary Clinton or any Democrats who conspire with those in powerful positions to deny us the American Dream. We will not be prisoners of Wall Street, or those who seek to poison the earth. We will not be prisoners of Big Pharma and unbridled student debt. We will not stand by as you crush our future and the future of our children and grandchildren.
We are Ohio DemExit and this election, and every election; we are committed to a Progressive Political Revolution. You have denied Bernie Sanders and Progressive ideals. You, the Democratic Leaders, made your bed. Now you can lie in it.Honda will offer an electrified version of all of its new models launched in Europe from now on, the company announced at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo revealed the news on stage at Honda’s conference event at the auto show, and noted that while Honda wants to have electrified vehicle options account for two-thirds of all its new cars sales by 2030, it’s targeting 2025 for that same split in Europe because of stronger interest in that region.
Honda offering hybrid and fully electric cars on all new models going forward and Europe should help in terms of providing consumer choice. The Honda CR-V Hybrid, a prototype for which was introduced at the show, will be Honda’s first hybrid SUV on sale in Europe starting in 2018. Honda intends to add even more EV options throughout its lineup to come, including the Urban EV concept it also debuted at Frankfurt.
As part of its electric strategy it’s also introducing a new energy transfer system called the power Manager Concept that can reverse the flow of energy from a vehicle battery to the home to reduce dependence on the grid, and even sell power back to energy companies when it makes sense to do so. These will begin being installed in France first, during a pilot in the western part of the country with a target completion date of 2020.
Many automakers are going all-in on electrification plans, with announcements regarding target dates for when all vehicles in their lineup will have electric options. Honda hasn’t revealed a global target date for that yet, but this European announcement indicates it’s already planning in that direction.How the Muslim World Lost the Freedom to Choose
When national security advisor H.R. McMaster wanted to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that Afghanistan was not hopeless, he whipped out a 1972 black-and-white picture of women in miniskirts on the streets of Kabul.
The point of this exercise was presumably to show that the country once embraced Western ideals and could do so again with America’s assistance. McMaster’s trick worked: Trump ultimately reversed his earlier skepticism about the war effort and decided to raise troop levels. But it also showed the continued limits of America’s understanding of the countries it has sought to remake in its image. The snapshot depicts Kabul’s urban elite — an elite that was unrepresentative, even back then, of the wider Afghan population. Not everyone was walking around in a skirt before the Taliban imposed the burqa.
The photograph, however, does capture something that has been lost not just in Afghanistan since the rise of the Taliban, but also across much of the Muslim world in recent decades: the freedom to choose.
Not every Afghan woman wore a miniskirt in the 1970s, but they could do so without fear of an acid attack or a flogging. Other pictures from that era depict the educational and professional opportunities available to Afghan women. But it’s always the clothes that get the most attention. Pictures of Saudi Arabia from the 1960s and 1970s are also making the rounds these days in the Middle East, showing men and women in bathing suits by the pool and on the jetty of a famous beach resort. Most of those in the pictures look like foreigners — some are airline staff on a break in Jeddah. But Saudis also patronized these beaches, and even if some shook their head with disapproval, the option to go to the beach without fear of violence was there.
Beyond skirts and beaches, the 1960s and 1970s were also a time of vigorous intellectual debate about the role of religion in society. Debates between leftists, secularists, capitalists, Marxists, and Islamists raged across the region, from Egypt to Pakistan. Militant Islamists will dismiss those decades of more progressive, diverse thought and culture as decadent Western imports — the lingering after-effects of colonial influence. But if some of it was certainly emulation, much of it was also indigenous. One of the Arab world’s most famous feminists of the early 20th century was Nazira Zain al-Dine, from Lebanon, who had no connection to the Western feminist movement of the time.
Yet over the course of the last few decades, the space for debate and freedom of choice has become increasingly narrow. Pakistan provides a stark and cautionary tale for other countries about how intolerance gets legitimized. It’s not only when a group like the Taliban seizes power violently that a country loses its more diverse, vibrant past. A slow erosion of progressive norms, a slow shift in beliefs can be just as devastating.
From 1927, when the British introduced blasphemy laws, to 1985, in modern-day Pakistan, only 10 blasphemy cases were reportedly heard in court.* Between 1985 and 2011, more than 4,000 cases were handled. Even worse, blasphemy, real or alleged, can get you killed in today’s Pakistan. In January 2011, Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard for coming to the aide of a young Christian woman who had been charged with blasphemy. Taseer’s killer was sentenced to death, but he was celebrated as a hero by tens of thousands who attended his funeral, and a mosque was built in his name in Islamabad.
The assassination of Taseer — as well as that of Pakistan’s first Christian federal minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, just two months later — shocked Farahnaz Ispahani, a friend of both men. Ispahani, a former journalist, was at the time a member of Pakistan’s parliament serving on the Human Rights Committee. Together, the small group had repeatedly tried to raise the issue of minority rights. In parliament, Ispahani had access to more information than the general public and was shocked about the extent of daily violence against minorities — and that none of her colleagues were willing to discuss the issue.
The assassination of her two friends prompted Ispahani to write “Purifying the Land of the Pure.” The book, published last year, charts the slow death of minority rights and pluralism in Pakistan, and what it means for the future of democracy. The result is a sweeping but concise chronicle of how things unraveled. A minority herself, as a Shiite, Ispahani was careful to avoid polemic and opinion by delivering a thorough, methodically researched work. She and her husband, former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani, have both faced death threats for their work and live in self-imposed exile in Washington.
In her book, Ispahani tracks the unraveling to within a few years of the independence of Pakistan. The country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah — a secular Shiite — envisioned a country where “you are free, you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship.” But Ispahani writes that “his hopeful declaration of religious pluralism” remains unfulfilled.
The trend toward making Islam a central tenet of life in Pakistan started soon after independence in 1947, a result of Muslim feelings of being victimized by both Hindus and British colonialism in India. By 1973, Islam was declared as the state religion of Pakistan. In 1974, under the ostensibly progressive Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bhutto, parliament declared Ahmadis as non-Muslims. A Muslim movement that started in the late 19th century, Ahmadis follow the teachings of the Quran and consider their founder to be a prophet, upsetting orthodox Muslims who believe Muhammad is the final prophet.
Bhutto found it hard to redefine Pakistani nationalism away from Islamic ideology. He was, Ispahani writes, unable to manage the “delicate balancing act of implementing liberal ideas and appeasing Islamist sentiments.”
By the mid-1980s, hate literature targeting Shiites was proliferating. It fanned the narrative that they were not Muslims, a dangerous charge in a Sunni-majority nation where Shiites made up around 15 percent of the population. Military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq acquiesced to Sunni militant attacks on Shiites, paving the way for a systematic campaign to eliminate Shiite doctors, engineers, and teachers in Karachi and elsewhere. Today, Shiites and their mosques are still regular targets of deadly attacks: Since 2003, an estimated 2,558 Shiites have been killed in sectarian violence.
Ispahani identifies four stages in Pakistan’s loss of minority rights and growing intolerance. The first stage was the “Muslimization” of society, with transfer of non-Muslim populations out of Pakistan around the time of independence, followed by the rise of an Islamic identity with the loss of East Pakistan. Then came the Islamization of laws under Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s, and finally the rise of militant, organized violence.
While there was no sudden, overnight transformation, Ispahani nevertheless identifies Zia’s rule as the point of no return. The military ruler Islamized the laws of the country, introducing sharia courts and new Islamic laws known as hudood ordinances, which apply strict Sharia punishments for specific offenses. It was during his time that the blasphemy laws were strengthened, adding life sentences and the death penalty as punishment.
No aspect of culture was spared from the Islamization drive, as movie theaters were shut from Karachi to Peshawar, artists were driven underground and school curricula redesigned to create a “monolithic image of Pakistan as an Islamic state and taught students to view only Muslims as Pakistani citizens.”
Zia’s legacy remains, entrenched in the system and people’s daily lives. Pakistanis under the age of 40 have never experienced any other lifestyle, while the older generations reminisce about a more diverse past — even as they also gloss over some of that past’s shortcomings. But however it came about, Pakistan’s growing intolerance has taken its toll on diversity: Between 1947 and today, minorities went from 25 percent of the population to 3 percent.
“Its about pluralism, that can only happen when there is room for many kinds of people,” Ispahani said. “You cannot have a pluralistic, democratic state when you believe in the purity of your religion.”
The picture that McMaster showed Trump is a good reminder of what once was, but it does not provide a strategy to restore the pluralism that was once an accepted part of life in Pakistan or other countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, or Egypt. Ispahani’s book serves as a reminder that something far more profound than miniskirts has been lost in these countries. Washington’s counterterrorism policies, which help curb groups like the Taliban, are a good start, but they often fail to go any further toward restoring basic norms like respect for diversity. That will ultimately depend on the efforts of the local population themselves.
Those efforts may be able to draw on the power of nostalgia. When people in Pakistan, Egypt, or Afghanistan rifle through the photo albums of their parents and grandparents and wonder what happened to their country, they see skirts or cleavage — but they desire diversity and freedom of choice.
*Correction: This sentence was revised to clarify that Pakistan was not yet independent when Britain instituted blasphemy laws over its colonial holdings on the Indian subcontinent in 1927.HOUSTON — The Houston Texans lost to the Raiders 27-20 Monday night in Mexico City.
After holding a tie of for the greater part of the second half, the Raiders came threw completing two touchdowns in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The team was hosted by the Raiders at Estadio Azteca. It was the first Monday Night Football game to be played outside the United States.
It’s Oakland’s first straight win since 2002.
Houston’s Brock Osweiler had to deal with an unusual distraction during the game as someone with a green laser frequently shined it on him after he dropped back to pass in an act more familiar in soccer games played at the stadium than NFL games.
The Raiders are now 8-2 while the Texans are 6-4.NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian environmentalists are aghast that a huge cultural festival is to be held on the floodplain of Delhi’s main river from Friday, warning that the event, and the 3.5 million visitors expected, will devastate the area’s biodiversity.
The “World Culture Festival”, organized by one of India’s best-known spiritual gurus, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spreads across 1,000 acres (400 hectares) on the banks of the Yamuna. It features a 7-acre stage for 35,000 musicians and dancers, newly built dirt tracks and 650 portable toilets.
Green groups accuse organizers of ripping up vegetation and ruining the river’s fragile ecosystem by damaging its bed and disrupting water flows. They want authorities to cancel the event and avert further harm.
“This land is not meant for any of those things. The biodiversity of the land has been completely destroyed,” said Anand Arya, one of several environmentalists who petitioned India’s top green court.
“Where will the sewage and the excrement go? All across the floodplains!” he said, adding that the waste left by visitors would endanger a nearby bird sanctuary.
The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday ruled that the event could go ahead but fined Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation 50 million rupees ($744,000).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a yoga devotee like Ravi Shankar, was due to attend Friday’s opening, but it is not clear whether he will do so after the event sparked such uproar - and not just among environmentalists.
Delhi police have warned of “utter chaos” at the event unless safety lapses are tackled, the Indian Express said, citing a March 1 letter to the federal government saying the stage lacked a structural stability certificate.
Farmers who plough the banks of the river amid Delhi’s urban sprawl also accused organizers of forcing them off the land.
Ravi Shankar, who enjoys a cult following in India and abroad, has rejected the criticism, saying he should be rewarded for hosting the event beside one of India’s most polluted rivers.
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Saraswati Akshama Nath, the lawyer for his organization, said approvals, including safety certificates, had been given in December before construction began, and the structures would be removed after the three-day festival ends.
“Consent was given to us by all the authorities,” she told Reuters. “We have only used eco-friendly material.”
At the site, builders were scrambling to complete what they say is the world’s biggest ever performing stage. It can accommodate a symphony orchestra of 8,500 and 20,000 performers, said Prasana Prabhu, a trustee of Ravi Shankar’s foundation.The emails between Bashar al-Assad's account and iTunes give an insight into the Syrian president's state of mind and reveal a man with wide and sometimes surprising tastes.
Alongside songs from the Lebanese actor and singer Nasri Shamseddine, who remains popular in the Arab world almost 30 years after his death, there is an eclectic mix of artists from the 1990s British duo Right Said Fred to the US singer Chris Brown.
The fact that the US last year imposed sanctions against Assad and other Syrian government officials, prohibiting "US persons" from engaging in transactions with them, may explain why Assad's iTunes account is registered to another name and a New York address.
One of the more unusual purchases, made through an American Express account, occurred on 5 February when Assad sent his wife, Asma, an iTunes file of the US country star Blake Shelton singing God Gave Me You.
There is not a huge country music fanbase in the Middle East and a look at the lyrics reveals a conventional tale of life's ups and downs in the US. Assad sent the file a day after the shelling of Homs had begun. A day later, Syrian forces would fire more than 300 rockets into the city. All of which – given that he specifically picked out this song for his wife – seems to have provoked Assad to reflect on his life in these lyrics: "I've been a walking heartache / I've made a mess of me / The person that I've been lately / Ain't who I wanna be / But you stay here right beside me / Watch as the storm goes through."
Just before Christmas Assad underlined his leftfield tastes when he ordered Don't Talk Just Kiss by Right Said Fred, a band that shot to fame with the hit I'm Too Sexy. Days earlier he highlighted his interest in UK pop music, this time with a slightly more credible choice, purchasing Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order. In the same month he ordered We Can't Go Wrong by The Cover Girls, a New-York-based "urban girl group" of the 1980s and early 1990s. The song includes the line: "There was a time when things were better than the way they are today. But we forgot the vows we made and love got lost along the way."
As the conflict in Syria intensified Assad continued to add to his eclectic playlist, ordering Hurt by Leona Lewis, Look at Me Now by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes and – on New Year's Eve – A Tribute to Cliff Richard by 21st Century Christmas.
In January he bought a number of songs by the popular US dance group LMFAO including their hit Sexy and I Know It. Assad's iTunes emails also reveal a limited interest in books, gaming and films. In November he ordered one of the Harry Potter films, Deathly Hallows Part II, as well as several Harry Potter apps. The next month the Syrian president ordered Real Racing 2 and the biography of the Apple founder Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.There's nothing official yet, and it's not clear when these restrictions would take effect if approved.
It won't be shocking if China institutes these tougher measures, though. The government has never really supported cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, and has lately argued that they create too much "disorder." Part of that stems from economic instability (people were buying bitcoin and selling the yuan), but it's also a question of control. Chinese authorities want to track the movement of money, and it's harder to do that with a decentralized digital format it doesn't own.
Whether or not this is wise is another story. A war against bitcoin trading may give China more control over money within its own borders, but it could sow chaos in the bitcoin market as users scramble for alternatives. Also, China is gambling that cryptocurrency support won't be particularly important in the long run. While conventional money still dominates, there's a chance that the country might miss the boat if bitcoin becomes relatively mainstream.This is my favorite time of year, the country’s top three-year-olds are vying for a chance to run in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. My favorite part of horse racing is trying to pick out a young star with hopes he makes it in the |
that two frames will actually be dropped, simply that the counter will drop two frames from its total. This two-frame counter drop will happen for every minute from one to nine minutes. For the tenth minute, the counter will treat the minute as if there were 1800 frames in the minute (rather than the 1798 there actually are) — in other words it will not drop two frames from the counter for that minute. In this way, the actual frames recorded and the frame counter will match exactly every tenth minute, so the playback time and timecode will match exactly. Thumbnails With previous camera models, copying.MOV files shot on an EOS DSLR back onto a memory card would not allow the files to be played back on the camera without the.THM thumbnail files being present as well. This has been overcome in the EOS-1D X because the metadata is now written directly into the.MOV file, allowing the camera to decode the file and play it back without the.THM file being included. EOS-ICS UWMC Since the EOS 400D in 2006, all Canon EOS DSLR cameras have featured an integrated sensor cleaning system to help to reduce, repel and remove dust from your images. The EOS-1D X features a similar system but one that's been modified to be more effective, not only against the larger dust particles but also against the smaller and lighter particles that become visible as you stop down the aperture. The layout of the back of the EOS-1D X. Note that button configurations on the top right and bottom right allow for the same control options — dual Multi-controller buttons, dual AF start buttons, dual AE lock buttons and dual AF point selection buttons — when shooting holding the camera either horizontally or vertically. In previous iterations of the system, the filters in front of the CMOS sensor (where dust actually settles) were vibrated using ultrasound to shake off the dust particles. Instead of shaking dust particles off, the system in the EOS-1D X makes use of a carrier wave vibration that rolls dust particles down the filters. The system is called Ultrasonic Wave Motion Cleaning (UWMC). The advantage of the carrier wave is that instead of the risk of scattering dust particles around, they are transported to the capture surface under control, and smaller dust particles can be removed more easily. The filters in front of the CMOS sensor also feature an anti-dust Fluorine coating that improves performance of the carrier wave with stickier or damp dust particles. Ergonomics Continuing the long line of EOS camera design, the EOS-1D X shows a strong family resemblance to previous models in the range and will be instantly familiar to anyone who has used any EOS DSLR camera in the past. In line with previous EOS-1 series cameras, the EOS-1D X is designed for continued professional use in harsh environments. It features the same dust and drip-proof construction as the EOS-1D Mark IV, using a total of 76 seals around buttons and body joints to help keep water and dust out of the internals. When combined with Canon L-series EF lenses and EX Mark II series Speedlite flashguns, the weather sealing is maintained with rubber gaskets around the joining points. Combined with the Magnesium alloy body shell and internal structure, the camera is rigid and rugged and ready for heavy-duty professional use.
Enhanced battery For enhanced power performance, the LP-E4 battery has been redesigned and is named as the LP-E4N. The inside of the battery now uses a larger number of smaller cells and so the battery capacity has increased from 2300mAh to 2450mAh. Because many people will have a collection of LP-E4 batteries from their previous EOS-1 series cameras, they have been made both forwards and backwards compatible, so an LP-E4N can be used in an EOS-1D Mark IV and an LP-E4 can be used in an EOS-1D X. There is also a new charger to go along with the new LP-E4N and this is the only charger than should be used with the new battery. If an LP-E4N is charged in an LC-E4 charger you will not fully charge the battery; instead it will only reach around 90% charge so your capacity is reduced and it will not meet new safety regulations. However, an LP-E4 can be charged in the new battery charger with no problems. The LC-E4N battery charger for the new LP-E4N battery. This is the only charger that should be used to charge Canon LP-E4N batteries. Viewfinder The viewfinder features another new development for the EOS-1 series. While the viewfinder optics are almost identical to those in the EOS-1Ds Mark III, with the same 100% coverage, 0.76x magnification (higher than the 0.71x on the EOS 5D Mark II) and eye-point, the new development is the inclusion of a translucent liquid crystal display (LCD) like that found in the EOS 7D. The translucent LCD allows the camera to display more essential information within the viewfinder, including the 61 AF points, Zone, Spot or Expansion AF points and a grid when required. With the camera turned off the display will appear milky due to light scattering, but once the camera is powered on the display becomes clear. To avoid the screen looking cluttered, it is possible to choose the information the LCD displays, or even to have it show none at all. Compared to the viewfinder found the EOS 7D, the one found in the EOS-1D X has been designed for usage in harsher environments and it will function substantially better in temperatures below 0°C. Also, the power consumption of the LCD screen is minimal so there is no significant effect on battery life. Because the translucent LCD is unable to produce light the viewfinder features red LEDs to light the entire LCD in low light conditions. In the default setting, the red LEDs will light automatically in low light, however this can be set to ‘always on' or ‘always off' by using the Custom Functions. Thanks to firmware Version 1.1.1 (released in October 2012) for the EOS-1D X viewfinder information (such as the AF frames, grid etc.) can be displayed in red during autofocusing and AI Servo AF. Thus when you’re shooting in dark environments during AI Servo AF the AF points can be easily confirmed. Photographers should note that during AI Servo AF the viewfinder will be lit intermittently, not continuously. Camera controls The EOS-1 series cameras have always been designed to be easy to use in all conditions, even when wearing gloves, and the EOS-1D X is no exception. The push buttons allow for improved weather sealing, compared to dials, and they are easier to operate quickly. They are also less easily knocked during use. Like the EOS 7D, the EOS-1D X features the ability to modify the control layout to suit your needs using the Custom Controls function. This allows you to map the function to each button on the camera and change what the Main Dial, Quick Control Dial and Multi-controller adjust during use. To enable silent adjustment of various settings during movie recording, the EOS-1D X also features a new Silent Control Function. This is a capacitive touch-pad that doesn't click when used and is located within the Quick Control Dial on the rear of the camera. The dual Multi-function 2 and Depth-of-field preview buttons on the front of the camera. The buttons towards the bottom of the camera are for when the EOS-1D X is being gripped and operated vertically. The EOS-1D X also has three Multi-function (M.Fn) buttons, two located on the front near the depth-of-field preview button (of which there are also two) and one on the top panel where the FEL button was located on the EOS-1D Mark IV. The buttons on the front panel are located so that there is one for vertical shooting and one for horizontal shooting. Within the camera's menu screen there is an option to use the new Multi-function lock. The options are for the Main Dial, Quick Control Dial or Multi-controller. By turning the ON/OFF switch to LOCK the Multi-function lock will be enabled, meaning you'll be unable to accidentally adjust the settings on whichever dial you apply the lock to. As part of the Custom Control settings different functions can be applied to the M.Fn buttons. These include FEL, AE Lock, One-touch image quality settings, Dual-Axis electronic level activation, instant movie recording and C-Mode access. A new Quick Control button located on the rear of the camera brings the EOS-1D X in line with other models in the EOS range. Pressing the button will bring up the Quick Control Screen where camera settings can be accessed and adjusted quickly and easily without having to enter the camera menu or look at the top LCD panel.
Custom Shooting Modes Like other models in the EOS range, the EOS-1D X also features Custom Shooting Mode options. There are 3 C-Modes — C1, C2 and C3 — and they allow you to store regularly used settings for quick recall. However, compared to previous iterations found in other models within the range, if you make a change to the settings you have recalled while shooting, the stored C-Mode settings will be updated automatically. This avoids your settings being reset to the stored settings if the camera is left for a short while and goes to sleep. Clear View LCD II The EOS-1D X now features an enlarged Clear View LCD II rear screen. Compared to the EOS-1D Mark IV, the screen size has been increased from 3in to 3.2in (8.11cm) and the resolution has been increased from 920,000 to 1.04million dots. The construction is the same as the unit on the EOS-1D Mark IV, with no gap between the protective glass cover and the LCD unit. With no gap, there is no air-glass interface, so refraction and reflection is reduced. The surface of the glass cover also features the same anti-reflective coating. Dual-Axis Electronic Level First seen on the EOS 7D, the EOS-1D X now features a Dual-Axis Electronic Level that can display an alignment level, for both pitch and roll, on the rear LCD screen and within the viewfinder. This function is great for landscape and architectural photographers who need to ensure the camera is level to avoid sloping horizons or poor alignment of the camera with the subject. It is also useful in low light shooting, where it can be hard to see reference points through the viewfinder. On the rear LCD screen, the level can display 360° of roll and +/-10° of pitch in 1° increments. When in Live View Mode a smaller display is overlaid on top of the image. The electronic level is accurate to +/-1° at up to +/-10°. Between +/-10° and +/-45° the accuracy is +/-3°. Status log Because electronics never behave perfectly, the EOS digital cameras feature a series of error codes that can inform you, or a service technician, if there is a fault within the camera and what the fault may be. However, these faults can be transitory and hard to replicate; making the job of the service technician harder. The EOS-1D X alleviates this problem by featuring a status log that keeps track of any error that may occur and when it happened. This makes it easier for a technician to diagnose any issues. With the status log, there is also a counter that keeps track of the number of shutter release cycles, measured in ‘000's, so it is easy to see how much a camera has been used. However, with a shutter durability that has been increased from 300,000 frames on the EOS-1D Mark IV to 400,000 frames on the EOS-1D X it's unlikely that many photographers will exceed the expected shutter life of the camera. LAN Port In a first for an EOS DSLR camera, the EOS-1D X features a built-in RJ-45 connector for cabling directly to a LAN network. This is similar to the RJ-45 connector found on the WFT-E2 II for the EOS-1D Mark IV, however it is a Gigabit Ethernet port allowing higher speed data transfer. With the LAN port, it is possible to carry out the same image transfer and camera control operations that are also available using the WFT unit. The five features of the wired LAN connection are: FTP Transfer, EOS Utility, WFT Server, Media Server and Time Sync. The WFT-E6 Wireless File Transmitter unit offers advantages such as 802.11a/b/g and n compatibility, DLNA compliance, FTP, EOS Utility and WFT Server shooting, as well as Linked Shooting for remote shutter triggering of other WiFi-enabled EOS cameras. In FTP server, images can be uploaded directly to an FTP server on a network, for example to a picture desk. With EOS Utility mode, the camera can be remotely controlled to use Live View, adjust settings and focus, capture images and download them directly to a computer. It is the same as having a USB cable connection to the camera. The WFT Server functions allow you to control and browse the camera directly from a web browser from anywhere in the world. The Media Server functions allow you to connect the camera to a DLNA compatible device, like HD televisions and game consoles, and so playback images and movies from the camera. The final function is totally new to the EOS range. With a direct LAN cable, or using the new WFT-E6 WiFi unit, you can synchronise to time settings of several EOS-1D X cameras. This Multi Camera Time Sync Function is of great benefit if you are shooting an event with several cameras as it allows you to easily put your images into a timeline after the event. Equally, if you work with several other photographers to cover an event you can easily timeline the event afterwards to ensure that the story is told in chronological order.San Ramon experienced a quake swarm within the last 24 hours - by Wednesday morning, the small East Bay city had experienced 20 or so small earthquakes.
The largest ranked a magnitude of 3.0 reported about 8 a.m. Many were centered near the Crow Canyon Country Club. Five of the quakes were 2.0 or higher.
Senior US Geological Survey research geologist David Schwartz said the swarm is not all that unusual, noting that San Ramon Valley is at the "center of earthquake swarm activity" in the Bay Area. He recalled a swarm in 2003 of 120 earthquakes over 31 days in San Ramon, with the largest clocking in at a magnitude of 4.2.
The biggest swarm on record in the same general area, Schwartz noted, was in 1990 in Alamo. That's when 351 earthquakes struck over 42 days, with the largest recorded at a magnitude of 4.4.
Schwartz, who coincidentally lives nearby in Danville, was shaving in the bathroom when the largest quake recorded at a magnitude of 3.0 struck. "I thought at first a truck was passing by," he said.
As for why the swarms occur? "We just don't understand the structural geology of the swarms, why they turn on and shut off quickly," he said. "We just don't understand."How pleased were you with your Sporting Kansas City form last season?
I was pleased with how I performed for my club. When you get called up for the USA you are judged on how you perform in that shirt, but Jurgen [Klinsmann] made a big point to us all about how he’d be watching our club games, and how our performances in those were as important as the matches we actually play for the national team.
USA GEAR Snap up a USA shirt and cheer on the Stars and Stripes in Brazil
People often say there is a ‘Group of Death’ at a World Cup – do you think you’re in it in Group G?
There is no denying the fact that we have a really tough group and getting through to the knockout stages will be difficult. Whether it’s the ‘group of death’ or not, that’s not for us players to say. We’ll leave that to the observers instead. When you look across the groups, there isn’t really an easy group. That’s the nature of this World Cup. We’re in a tournament with 31 of the other best nations from around the world.
What do you see as Germany and Portugal's main strengths?
Germany and Portugal are obviously two of the best teams in the world, both right now and historically – both individually and as teams, their qualities are obvious. But it’s not so much talking about these teams’ strengths, as much to say that both of them have few weaknesses.
How confident are you of progressing to the knockout stages, and what’s the target at this World Cup?
We’re really excited as a group of players right now, especially after beating Ghana. You always want to be challenged as a professional footballer, and obviously we have that challenge here. Despite our opposition, if we play our best football I am confident we will progress to the knockouts. The preparation right now is all about us and not focusing too much on the opposition. Our first game was all important to lay down a marker for the tournament.
What's been your personal highlight playing for the US national team so far?
I have three main highlights playing for the USA national team. Playing my first World Cup qualifying match was massive, getting a 0-0 draw at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico. It was a very good performance and we became the first American team to get a result on Mexican soil. The Gold Cup was a great highlight – my first international tournament, and we were able to win the trophy. More recently, being a big part of qualifying for this World Cup and getting the rewards for our hard work was great. The euphoria of getting your country to a World Cup… well, there are few better feelings than that.
What is Jurgen Klinsmann like as a coach?
Jurgen is a such a positive influence on everyone connected with the US national team. He encourages players to relax and play with confidence. There is also a perfectionist in him and when standards haven’t been how they should be in a training session, for example, he is able to step in, be firm and demand better.
This World Cup will more than likely be the last for Clint Dempsey. As such a legend of the game in the States, how much will you be hoping he can go out on a high?
Clint is the type of individual who wants to do well and will play 100% no matter what the occasion. Thankfully he's already made history at this World Cup by scoring against Ghana. But his competitive nature has been obvious throughout his career, and if this is to be his last World Cup he won’t be looking to do well for personal reasons, but because he wants to do his best for the country.
You’ll probably be too young remember when the USA host the World Cup back in 1994, but do you think that tournament was the starting point for the growth of US Soccer?
I actually do have a few memories of that World Cup, even though I was only very young. I can remember Carlos Valderrama’s flamboyant hair and the US going up against Colombia in one of the matches. I can also remember the penalty shootout between Brazil and Italy, and as a kid who was still learning the rules of the game, this was the first penalty shootout I saw.
That World Cup put the United States on the map from a football point of view, and two years later we had a professional league with the MLS (Major League Soccer). The league continues to go from strength to strength, and the national team has also been on the rise since that competition too.
You got offered some trials by English clubs a few seasons ago but turned them down. Would you be interested in playing in the Premier League or Europe in the future?
Absolutely. The trials I got offered a year-and-a-half ago came at a time when it wasn’t the right situation for me to consider them. I was keen on the project here at Sporting Kansas City and being part of a league that, as I say, is continuing to get better and better. All I’m worried about now is performing for my club and hopefully for the United States at the World Cup. If opportunities in Europe arise after the World Cup, then I’ll most certainly give them consideration. As ever, it’ll be about doing the right thing for me.
In my mind, the Premier League is the strongest league in the world and it would be great to play there. The Bundesliga also really appeals to me with the qualities it has right now. They are the two dream leagues in my mind.Every fall, thousands of people come to the Emerald Triangle to work the cannabis harvest, colloquially known as “trim season.” This Northern California region consists of Humboldt, Mendocino and Trinity counties, and it is one of the largest cannabis-producing areas in the world.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that the hills of the Emerald Triangle are filled with more than 110,000 growing cannabis plants on both legal and illegal farms. Come September, these hundreds of thousands of plants are ready to be harvested and prepared for sale. The final step of preparation, a process known as trimming, is tedious work which requires many hands. Trimming is the process of shaping and manicuring the cannabis flower (or bud). By using scissors to remove the extraneous leaves and stems from the cannabis bud, trimming shapes the product and makes it stand out for sale in dispensaries and elsewhere. The people who do this work are called Trimmers, but the locals refer to them as Trimmigrants.
Trimmigrants come from all over the world. Some are simply taking a break from their usual job at home, others are funding a continual life of travel. Some are one-timers, some come year after year and others come for a season and end up staying for a decade.
Money is the main motivation as those who can find work have the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars. Most work is paid by the pound, allowing efficient trimmers the chance to earn anywhere between $200 to $500 per day in tax-free cash. While the work itself is not difficult, it is monotonous and requires discipline. According to one trimmigrant, “You have to be able to sit in a chair for 14 hours a day, staring down at your hands. You work until there’s no more weed left, and then you try to find another farm.”
Finding Trim Work
Finding work is easier for seasoned trimmers, as they have already made lasting connections with a network of farms and farmers. Cannabis farmers, or growers, want trimmers they can trust, who do quality work and do it quickly. After all, many of the growers have been working and living in the hills for more than half the year, and they’re ready to clean up and get out of there as quickly as possible. If one doesn’t already have a connection to the industry, it can be difficult, or even impossible to find work.
One seasoned trimmer said word-of-mouth is the easiest way to find work: “When I first started, I was horrible… I could only trim half a pound in a day. But I kept my head down, improved my technique and people vouched for me. I kept getting work.”
Doubt plays a large part in the life of a trimmigrant. As another trimmigrant stated, “I didn’t like the uncertainty. You can estimate how many weeks of work you’ll have, but you never know. Sometimes the crop is bad, or everyone works so fast that it’s all done in one week. Other times the plants need more time, and you have to take a month break. Nothing is for sure.”
Life on the Farm
While every work venue is different—some just have a circle of chairs under an E-Z Up, others have indoor workspaces with amenities—the scene is the same. Trimmers gather around a table, listening to music or chatting, while their scissors snip and shape cannabis buds for anywhere from eight to 14 hours a day. Living conditions vary, but the majority are primitive. Trimmers bring their own food, sleep in tents and use a composting toilet for the bathroom and the nearest river as a shower. Other farms have luxuries like cabins, full kitchens, bathrooms and also provide food and drink.
One trimmigrant raved about one such farm in particular, “They had a professional chef who prepared three meals a day for over 30 trimmers. I ate better than I had in my entire life.”
Safety
Due to the illegality of the majority of these farms, safety is a concern for both trimmigrants and growers. Growers don’t want to bring strangers to their grow sites; theft of both cannabis plants and money can and does happen, and the grower has no way to report it. In fact, a few years ago, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department released a PSA to all “home business owners” (a.k.a. growers) advising them to avoid hiring anyone that they do not know nor trust.
The warning goes both ways as the PSA went on with suggestions for trimmigrants as well:
Know who is employing you
Tell someone where you will be and who you will be with
Take a cellphone and be aware that not everywhere will have service
Let your employer know that you told someone where you are
According to one trimmigrant, “There was one place in Mendocino County where I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t know the people I was working for very well, but I was more scared of being busted than being hurt. It was out in open and felt vulnerable…you could see the helicopters flying overhead. There was a paranoid feeling in the air.”
While there’s always the fear of getting busted, the reality is that very few trimmigrants get in trouble for the kind of work they’re doing. According to the former deputy district attorney, Allan Dollison, the DA’s Office is more concerned with the large growers more so than the workers they employ. Even further, they are mostly worried about growers who are illegally diverting water or growing on U.S. Forest Land.
The Future of Trimmigration
The cannabis industry in the Emerald Triangle is changing. More and more farms are popping up as the water line in all the rivers continues to diminish. Legalization of cannabis in California is imminent; in the meantime, the price-per-pound is decreasing and many growers are paying trimmigrants less than the standard wage. And just like with Big Ag, technological advancements and mechanization threaten to remove the need for trimmers altogether.Honeymoon in Maldives
This must to be the most beautiful place on the planet. When we arrived at Hadahaa Island in the Maldives for our honeymoon this year we immediately fell in love with it.
The tropical vegetation was a sparkling green. It always felt great to be outside even away from the ocean. The light breeze ruffled the leaves just enough for a peaceful feeling.
Where the island really shined was the amazing ocean view. The shallow water was a bright cyan tone, distinctly different from the deep blue water.
There is no gradual fade from one color to another. The water suddenly creates a dark stripe deep into the horizon.
The water was very clear. Mixed with my wife’s Mehendi designs still covering her limbs after the wedding, it created some fantastic psychedelic effects.
The sand was spotless and practically white. From a distance it looked imagined.
With so few people around and nothing in the distance save for a few passing ships, we felt like we were in a film, stuck on an uninhabited island.
The resort was clean, well-kept and furnished nicely. This spa area became our favorite hang-out spot on the island.
Some moments felt like we were living in a computer desktop background.
With many nooks scattered strategically around the island, we discovered several new places every day.
We promised ourselves we would come back to Maldives. We fell for this small paradise.A Bad Argument for High Bitcoin Fees
I just came across Charlie Lee's post about Bitcoin costs. I don't mean to pick on Charlie, whom I've met and whose work on LiteCoin I respect, but he very crisply makes a case for high transaction fees, one that I have often seen repeated elsewhere, and one that happens to be flawed.
The central argument is captured in this quote:
Let’s say there are 5000 miners/nodes, and the marginal cost to process a transaction for a miner (i.e. verify it, add it a block, and store it) is $0.0001. The total cost on the whole network is roughly 5000 * $0.0001, or $0.50. The average transaction fees needs to be $0.50 in order for this network to be sustainable. If the fees were less, less efficient miners will not be able to make more than their cost and will be forced to shut down their miners and quit. This leads to less security and more centralization.
This argument is incorrect.
And not just because it conflates full nodes with miners, who have completely different costs, goals and strategies.
The flaw lies in assuming a closed-world model, where the entire cost of a transaction must necessarily be borne by the person issuing the transaction.
Peer-to-peer system design is all about redistributing the costs to the parties willing to bear them. To put it simply, this argument is flawed because it makes two implicit assumptions: (1) all the participants are rational, self-interested, profit maximizing, and (2) there are no externalities, so the participants benefit only from the transaction fees they collect.
Both of these assumptions are false. The first one is false because many participants to the Bitcoin network are altruists. They choose to subsidize the network because they think the idea is cool or exciting or in line with their political beliefs or helps them identify themselves with the cool crowd. These people willingly contribute resources to the system, and good peer-to-peer system design is all about taking advantage of such freely contributed resources whenever possible.
If you have any doubts about this, just take a look at bittorrent. There is absolutely no incentive to seed files, yet people freely contribute bandwidth. In fact, people even seed files that violate copyright, where the expected financial outcome is negative. A model that cannot accommodate this is broken.
The second assumption is false because there are quite a few externalities not accounted for in the cost model above. For instance, I might want to run a full node, not as a profit-center to profit off of other people's transactions, but because I want to receive occasional payments myself. The cost of ferrying other people's transactions would be folded into the widget sales I would be performing over the network. And once again, good distributed system design is all about taking advantage of such mutually beneficial exchanges.
If you have any doubts about that, just take a look at email (SMTP). There is absolutely no incentive for me to run an SMTP server or a mailing list server, yet I do, because I want to participate in the network myself and gain some hard to characterize utility out of the system. And if you still have doubts, then recall that Bitcoin processed tens of thousands of non-fee-bearing transactions to date, a fact that cannot be explained by this model.
I think this failure is essentially a failure of what I call the "hypermonetization worldview." This view sees every single interaction as a closed economic exchange, modeled in isolation, and attempts to prax out some kind of implication from this isolated model to the real world. And that's why it goes off the rails.
There are lots of good arguments to prefer small blocks over large ones (and vice versa), but this is not one of them.
Related My colleagues Lorenzo Alvisi, Mike Dahlin and their students explored the topic of altruists and rational participants in this interesting paper.
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Disqus(wikipedia.com)The U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits display of the Ten Commandments for strictly religious purposes.
A Kentucky school district's decision to remove the Ten Commandments from its buildings after it was pressured to do so by an atheist organization this week is the latest in a decades-long fight over their display on government property.
In another recent case, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill unanimously allowing for the Ten Commandments to be posted in the state's public buildings.
State public school systems have been a key battleground in a struggle that continues to rage nationwide.
The Ten Commandments are the biblical laws.
As well as playing a fundamental role in Christianity, they are central to Judaism and Islam.
Breathitt County removed the Ten Commandments after receiving a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FRFF).
The letter complained that their display violated the U.S. Constitution and called for their removal.
The FRFF letter was prompted by a complaint received from a Breathitt County student.
Kentucky's Board of Education issued a statement agreeing with the decision made by the school administration.
The statement said that the display of the Ten Commandments in Breathitt County schools "violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on the establishment or endorsement of religion by a public agency."
The statement referred to the Establishment Clause from the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Together with a clause called the Free Exercise Clause, the First Amendment states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or probiting the free exercise thereof."
The U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of what in its entirety is called the Religious Clause has evolved over time.
In the 1940s the U.S. Supreme Court applied the Establishment Clause to the States, not just to Congress, in conjunction with interpreting the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment was passed after the Civil War.
It granted the rights of the First Amendment to former slaves and recognized Americans as both citizens of the United States and their State.
In 1971 the Supreme Court developed the Lemon Test to help determine if a governmental action violates the Establishment Clause. This test indicates three aspects:
* The government's action must have a secular legislative purpose;
* The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion.
* The government's action must not result in "an excessive government entanglement" with religion.
The Supreme Court has used the test since, including in making decisions on cases involving the display of the Ten Commandments in Kentucky in 1980 and 2005.
Legal advocates for allowing the display of the Ten Commandments on public property believe the Supreme Court's rulings related to the Establishment Clause have been flawed.
William Saunders of the Family Research Council (FRC) stated in a publication in 2005 that the Supreme Court has refined the Lemon test to the point that a governmental action cannot even convey the impression that it is endorsing a religion.
Saunders also indicated that the current test to determine if the Establishment Clause has been violated does not match the intent of the authors who the First Amendment.
It would be better, he said, to have a "coercion test" which would match the intent of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
"The questions the courts should ask, is whether the challenged governmental action privileges one religion or one denomination over others, and then compels those of different beliefs to conform to the dictates of the privilege religion or denomination."
The Liberty Counsel, like the FRC, has fought in the courts to maintain the right to display the Ten Commandments on public grounds.
It recently won a case in which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the school board in Giles County, Virginia for posting the Ten Commandments along with other foundational documents on law and government.
In 2002 the Liberty Counsel published an article arguing that the Supreme Court had misapplied the Establishment Clause and in effect created new law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.For the manned spacecraft, see Orion (spacecraft)
Artist's impression of the Orion MENTOR4 (USA-202) Signals Intelligence Satellite launched in January 2009
USA-202 shows up as a magnitude +8 "star" in this image. Note how the real stars are trailed in this 10 second exposure: the geostationary satellite is pinpoint.
USA-223 (NROL-32), the fifth "Mentor" satellite, atop a Delta IV rocket
USA-202 and the nearby commercial geostationary satellite Thuraya 2
Orion, also known as Mentor or Advanced Orion,[1] is a class of United States spy satellites that collect signals intelligence (SIGINT) from space. Operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and developed with input from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), five have been launched from Cape Canaveral on Titan IV and Delta IV rockets since 1995.
These satellites collect radio emissions (SIGINT) from geostationary orbits and act as replacements for the older constellation of Magnum satellites. Observers estimate the satellites weigh close to 5,200 kg and have very large (estimated 100 m diameter)[2] radio reflecting dishes. NRO L-32, which is seen as the fifth satellite in the series, is according to NRO director Bruce Carlson "(...) the largest satellite in the world".[3] It is believed that this refers to the diameter of the main antenna, which might be well in excess of 100 m (330 ft).[4] The mission and capabilities of these satellites are highly classified, though targets may include telemetry, VHF radio, cellular mobile phones, paging signals, and mobile data links.[5] Earlier satellites with similar missions, the Rhyolite/Aquacade series, were built by TRW; it is not known who made the Orion satellites.[6]
Satellites [ edit ]
MENTOR 4 (USA-202) deployment and initial westward drift after launch in January 2009 was controlled by the Alice Springs Mission Ground Station. About 60 days after launch Menwith Hill Ground Station was to take over control, and initiate the collection mission. MENTOR 4's initial mission was to survey line-of-sight microwave towers and emitters in the People's Republic of China for 30 to 45 days as it was drifting from east to west. Moving further west, it was to collect data from the Thuraya network, and monitor Pakistan and Afghanistan, followed by another 200 days of monitoring of the PRC. This was to be followed by data collection covering the middle East, Northern Africa, and Latin America.[7][8]Hillary Rodham Clinton at East LA College / Credit: Helen Stickler
Last Thursday, I attended a Hillary Clinton rally at East Los Angeles College as part of her sweep through California before the June 7th primary. Thousands attended, and the majority of the crowd were women, people of color, immigrants, and LGBT people — a cross section of the Democratic party. All economic classes and income groups were present. There were young children and elderly grandparents. All there to be a part of history in the making, to be inspired and enlightened. Unfortunately we all shared an experience that many of us would rather forget, thanks to some misguided Bernie Sanders fans |
there is toothpaste down her top now, change entire outfit and head downstairs for breakfast. “I want the pink plate” as I lift out the green. Make toast and put it on the plate. “I want the green plate mummy it’s my favourite colour” GRRRRRRRR. Will we make nursery on time? Who knows?
Activities on Maternity
1st Maternity with Olivia
Hardly had a minute to myself! We attended baby massage, baby yoga, baby sensory, swimming lessons, baby gym, music class, rhyme time, babble and bounce, crafty kids, story time, parent and toddler groups… you get the picture I’m sure.
2nd Maternity with Olivia and Zanna
Zanna went to a music class while Olivia was away for the day and swimming lessons just started while Olivia is at nursery. We also managed to make one baby sensory class - woohoo! Definitely feeling the mummy guilt on this one.
Nap times
1st Maternity with Olivia
Olivia was text book. She slept for an hour in the mornings and anywhere up to 2.5 hours in the afternoon in her cot at home. I could have a snooze myself, browse the internet, watch trashy TV or just have a cuppa that is actually hot.
2nd Maternity with Olivia and Zanna
Zanna is a great sleeper so I've been blessed again. However while she sleeps I’m picking up 1200 seashells from the beach from every orifice of the house, putting on 3 loads of washing, emptying out the dishwasher, dusting while Olivia shouts at me to move out of her way as she can’t see the Trolls film for the millionth time (please note she does do other activities than just watch TV I promise) and occasionally some ironing does get done. Occasionally!
Transport
1st Maternity with Olivia
I walked everywhere possible. Daily. I had so much time on my hands I didn’t need to drive plus the walking helped me get that pre baby body back. Well… I’m still looking for it somewhere.
2nd Maternity with Olivia and Zanna
I have to drive everywhere even to nursery that’s just across the road as I’m late and the novelty of the buggy board slapping against my shins has worn off completely.
Baby Trivia
1st Maternity with Olivia
I knew Olivia’s age in weeks, days, hours and minutes. I knew all the milestones she should be hitting, the perfect weaning routine, her height, weight and even head circumference. I knew it all.
2nd Maternity with Olivia and Zanna
I just know Zannas age in months, had to order the free weaning guides online as I forgot what to do and when, can guess her weight judging by the size of the nappies and judge her development based on my iPhone pictures of Olivia at that age.
Returning to work
1st Maternity with Olivia
I wept at the thought of it. I left her with her childminder for some settling in periods and cried my way around Tesco. I wrote 4 A4 pages basically of her life for the childminder i.e. Dos and Don’ts, her favourite things, what to do to make her laugh, her routine etc.
2nd Maternity with Olivia and Zanna
Zanna is off to the same brilliant childminder next week for the first time, no settling in period she will just have to like it and I’ll just have to hope for the best. I’ve written one side of an A5 piece of paper with her routine at the minute. I’ve told Olivia, who will be with her after nursery, to help the childminder out as she knows what to do. Basically I’m asking my 3 year old to look after her sister and the childminder is just there for support. Sounds about right I think. I will also skip into work so I can have a hot cup of tea and go to the toilet by myself, it’s the small victories in life after all!
I still wouldn’t change it all for the world. I love my girls and I loved my maternity leave with them no matter how chaotic it was the second time around.
Hi, my name is Jillian. I’m married to Christopher and we have two wonderful daughters Olivia and Zanna. I work Part time but family life is full on and you can follow what we get up to over on Instagram @hennathome or on Facebook @hennathome or follow us on the blog www.hennathome.wordpress.com
Tagged with: advice forum for mumsThe Roosters winger was allegedly caught with 0.46 grams of cocaine at Ivy bar ahead of this weekend’s bye.
Meninga, who is readying his Australian troops for battle against New Zealand on Friday night, has no tolerance for bad off-field behaviour as evidenced in his banning of Andrew Fifita from last year’s Four Nations after the Sharks prop publicly supported one-punch killer Kieran Loveridge.
And it’s fair to say Meninga is not impressed with the former Kiwi representative’s arrest.
"He's been caught doing what he's doing," Meninga said.
"The game doesn't need this but now they're going to have to deal with it."
Kenny-Dowall is off contract at the end of the year and recently met with Newcastle coach Nathan Brown.
The Bondi club is not expected to re-sign him.Pride Toronto’s members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of keeping police out of this year’s and future parades, and to endorse all of Black Lives Matter Toronto’s demands.
The agenda for Pride’s annual general meeting (AGM) was initially set to focus on recapping last year’s highlights in its annual report and on a Q&A with prospective new board members. But members preferred to focus on Black Lives Matter and community concerns about accessibility, corporate sponsorship and anti-black racism.
Here’s Xtra’s recap of the AGM, which took place on Jan 17, 2017.
Pride members vote during the Jan 17 AGM. Nick Lachance/Daily Xtra
How did Pride Toronto agree to all of BLMTO’s demands?
Members Gwen Bartleman and Kami Chisholm asked Pride Toronto to officially endorse all of Black Lives Matter’s demands, “and commit to [it] in terms of practice, policy and funding priorities.”
But the meeting’s chair said the agenda could not be amended. Any additions must have been added 60 days prior to the meeting, said the chair, an outside facilitator brought in by Pride to run the AGM.
But several community members said they didn’t receive notice 60 days prior to the meeting.
After Bartleman successfully challenged the chair’s ruling, a large majority of attendees voted to add Black Lives Matter to the agenda.
Gary Kinsman, a long-time activist and a founding member of the Toronto Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Committee, said he was “strongly in favour of Black Lives Matter Toronto’s demands.”
“Strongly in favour of Black Lives Matter Toronto’s demands,” says long-time activist Gary Kinsman at the Pride Toronto AGM. Nick Lachance/Daily Xtra
Pride should not allow police in the parade due to their history of violence against various communities including black and indigenous communities, two-spirit people and trans folks, he said.
Police are still targeting men who have sex with men, he pointed out, citing the recent undercover sting at Marie Curtis Park.
Pride’s co-chair Alica Hall maintained that Pride Toronto was sticking to its promise to Black Lives Matter. “We made a commitment to Black Lives Matter’s demands. We have not made any new contradictions,” Hall said. “Our goal is to elect five new members who will continue this work and our commitment.”
After a heated debate, community members voted overwhelmingly to approve all of Black Lives Matter’s demands, including the one to remove all police floats or booths in all Pride marches, parades and community spaces.
Black Lives Matter Toronto’s nine demands, originally posted on the BLMTO Facebook page. Black Lives Matter Toronto/Facebook
During the Pride parade on July 3, 2016, BLMTO staged a 30-minute sit-in and asked that Pride Toronto sign a list of nine demands, the majority of which were to reinstate and fund programming as well as more hiring of queer and trans people of colour, and one asking for the removal of police from the parade. Hall and former executive director Mathieu Chantelois signed the list of demands, but the following day, Chantelois drew heavy criticism for saying that he only signed the demands to “make the parade move.” Chantelois later resigned on Aug 10.
Three days after the parade, Jacqie Lucas, a volunteer team lead, resigned in protest over the way Pride handled the Black Lives Matter demands. In September, Pride Toronto’s communications manager Victoria Schwarzl left the organization for a job at another company.
Removal of police from floats and booths has become a divisive issue within the LGBT community. It was heatedly discussed at Pride Toronto’s first town hall on Aug 30, when they announced that instead of removing police from Pride, they would leave the decision to a dispute resolution process. In September, they released a lengthy statement apologizing for wrongdoings, a history of anti-black racism and a lack of accessibility at the parade.
Pride Toronto had its first town hall on Aug 30, 2016 to discuss issues arising from last year’s Pride. xtraonline/YouTube
What is Pride doing about accessibility and ASL interpreters?
Board members were grilled on the lack of accessibility at Pride, in particular when it comes to ASL. Several community members said that the board needs to have a relationship with the deaf community, and to hire more interpreters from diverse backgrounds.
Pride co-chair Aaron GlynWilliams said that finding interpreters for events is an operational decision made by Pride Toronto staff, not the board. “There’s a strong desire for Pride Toronto to be as diverse as possible in our hiring,” he said, adding that interpreters are chosen depending on who is available at the time.
How are Pride Toronto’s finances?
Last year, Pride Toronto had 33 sponsors, all of which are returning for Pride 2017. These sponsors include major cultural attractions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and Ripley’s Aquarium. Pride made $2,269,180 in sponsorships, an increase from 2015. Pride’s total revenue for last year totalled $4,409,478, compared to $3,104,906 in 2015.
GlynWilliams said Pride 2016 brought in $600 million in economic spending to Toronto.
However, community members expressed concerns over corporate sponsorship and their attempts to pinkwash for profit.
“The banks are not our friends,” said speaker Kami Chisholm, telling the audience that some trans customers have had issues with TD Canada Trust, one of Pride’s long-time sponsors.
Kami Chisholm told the AGM that the true spirit of Pride has been diluted by corporate sponsorship. Nick Lachance/Daily Xtra
Chisholm added that Pride should be more focused on returning to a more political, community-focused parade. “It flies in the face of everything we stand for in our communities,” Chisholm said. “It is not our job to fund the city’s economic development.”
Who’s leaving the board?
Treasurer Chris Tremeer, co-chair Aaron GlynWilliams and Dana Suvagau are stepping down as board members.
Co-chair Aaron GlynWilliams (right) is stepping down from the board of directors. Fellow co-chair Alica Hall (left) will remain on the board. Nick Lachance/Daily Xtra
Who’s joining the board?
This year there were 13 candidates for the five available spots on Pride Toronto’s board. Ten were selected by the board recruitment committee — Paul Bozzo, Sarah Cooper, Nicole Desnoyers, Susan Gapka, Hussain Haider Ali, Robert Hampsey, Elijah Monroe, Kevin Rambally, Maurice Tomlinson and Kenneth Tong.
Three members — Rolyn Chambers, Joey Fascio and Akio Maroon — were not selected by the recruitment committee but secured 10 signatures to be eligible for election to the board.
Pride Toronto members voted to elect Akio Maroon, Sarah Cooper, Kevin Rambally, Nicole Desnoyers and Elijah Monroe as new members to the board.
When is Pride 2017?
This year, Pride will take place from June 1–24, 2017.President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was welcomed by evangelical voters, pro-Israel organizations and some of his biggest donors.
Though many Middle East experts warned that the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital could inflame tensions in the area, Trump’s decision to follow-through on his campaign pledge was praised in other quarters.
The Zionist Organization of America released a lengthy statement hailing the move as “historic, moral and just.” The Republican Jewish Coalition took out a full-page ad in the New York Times expressing similar sentiments, offering continued support for his presidency.
“President Trump has acted with moral clarity,” the ad reads. “The bond between the U.S. and Israel is strong and after eight years of the Obama administration, the days of daylight between our nations are over.”
Polls show that most Americans oppose moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem — 63% in one recent national poll. But evangelical Christians, who overwhelming supported Trump in the 2016 election, back the move, although more narrowly, with 53% supporting it in the same poll.
Shibley Telhami, a non-resident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and “Professor, and Director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll and a critic of the decision, noted that presidents from both parties have pledged to move the embassy for years but never followed through. He said it’s not clear that Trump would have been hurt among the evangelical community if he hadn’t gone ahead, especially since he’s worked on other priorities for them.
“None of them would have abandoned him if he hadn’t taken this stance because he’s given them so much more,” he said.
Trump’s decision was also popular with small group of major donors who backed his presidential campaign.
Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a supporter of the embassy move who backs both the Zionist Organization and the Republican Jewish Coalition and, along with his wife Miriam, is also a major donor. He donated at least $20 million to a super PAC designed to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and $5 million to Trump’s inauguration committee.
So is Bernard Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, who donated $5 million in 2016 to a super PAC that backed Trump’s candidacy, and, like Adelson, sits on the Republican Jewish Coalition board of directors, and Elliott Broidy, a venture capitalist who was National Vice Chairman of the Trump Victory Campaign during the campaign and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. A representative for Adelson did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and a representative for Marcus declined to comment. The sentiment however, according to a Republican operative with close ties to the Jewish community, is that any pressure put on Trump is nowhere near comparable to what congressional Republicans were facing on tax reform.
“I think everyone was confident the President one day would do it and they’re very happy and impressed it happened now,” Broidy told TIME on Wednesday. He said that he had been in touch with Trump, but not on this specific issue, but that he had spoken with people who were unhappy that the President did not make this announcement six months ago. “It’s one issue of many that matters to me.. I am happy he followed through on his campaign pledge.”
Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said his entire organization — including members of his Board of Directors — have frequently been in touch with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as key members of his Middle East policy team, including Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, the Representative for International Negotiations, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
“We never miss a chance in talking to administration folks, also the Republican friends in the house and the Senate and the Governors [about] how important the recognition of Jerusalem is in moving our embassy,” Brooks said. “It comes up in many of the conversations we have.”
Still, Telhami, who said he has spoken with White House advisers conducting the negotiations, said Trump didn’t simply act to please his donors.
“When you consider the strategic consequences, Adelson alone cannot possibly explain the outcome,” he explained. “He still has three years to go in his first term, so even if Adelson wasn’t happy about a delay, Trump had plenty of time and opportunity to placate him.”
A Republican operative had similar sentiments. “Clearly there are a lot of people the president admires but is this a bone he’s throwing to certain donors? Not at all? Were there people who have access to the president who were able to make a case for these issues and reinforce them? Absolutely. But the fact that he’s doing this for his donors couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
The timing of Trump’s announcement was fortuitous, coming on the eve of Thursday’s White House Hanukkah Party, where hundreds of Jewish leaders are expected to be in attendance — and will likely praise Trump for his decision.
“It’s going to be overwhelming, it’s going to be appropriately so,” said Brooks of the event. “The speech today by this president was probably one of the most historic and consequential speeches on Israel by any U.S. president ever.”
“Anything they felt frustrated about — it will be instantly forgotten,” said the Republican operative with close ties to the Jewish community. “He will be genuinely loved in that room for doing this.”
Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com.Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo gave a press conference Tuesday and responded to questions whether Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock had been “radicalized.”
WATCH:
Speaking to reporters, Lombardo said, “I want to understand the motivation that you described, okay, to prevent any future incidents, and, you know, did this person get radicalized unbeknownst to us? And we want to identify that source.”
The Islamic State repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attack Monday, though federal authorities have said there is no evidence that is the case.
Paddock, a 64-year-old white male, wired $100,000 to an account in the Philippines a week before his attack, which was the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. (RELATED: Shooter Wired $100,000 To Philippines The Week Before Massacre)
Paddock’s girlfriend, 62-year-old Marilou Danley, an Australian national of Filipino descent, was in the Philippines at the time of the attack. She is still in the Philippines, and American authorities want to talk to her when she returns.
WATCH AERIAL FOOTAGE OF WHERE THE LAS VEGAS SHOOTING TOOK PLACE:
Follow Justin on TwitterThat is the best Spawn sketch card ever. It was drawn by the madman genius known as Nar! It is nestled comfortably in our collection now that it has been freed from the chains of its foil wrapping in a pack of 2006 Family Guy 2 trading cards by Inkworks.
But who is Spawn? Spawn is the brainchild of Todd McFarlane. Spawn changed the world of comic books forever. Spawn evolved into a company that changed the world of action figures forever. And yes, Spawn had his own movie.
That is a full scale Violator sculpture by a brilliant artist named Evan Campbell. Evan worked on the original Spawn movie in 1996 and 1997. Now, 15 years later, Todd McFarlane is talking about making a new Spawn movie. And Evan Campbell is making more sculptures. Coincidence, or the best of both worlds? Look closely into the clay and see if you can find out.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set up the facility on May 31. According to a press release, the medical unit is staffed by "a medical team from the HHS National Disaster Medical System -- a doctor, two nurses, two emergency medical technician paramedics (EMT-P) and a pharmacist."
For over two weeks, my NewsHour colleagues and I reached out to media contacts at HHS, the U.S. Coast Guard and everyone listed as a possible media contact for BP, in an attempt to visit the unit and get a general sense of how many people were being treated there, who they were and what illnesses they had. We got nowhere. It was either "access denied," or no response at all. It was something that none of us had ever encountered while covering a disaster. We're usually at some point provided access to the health services being offered by the federal government.The Internet Age has sparked a remarkable wave of innovation and entrepreneurship. It has transformed the way we communicate ideas, tackle problems and offer new solutions. Oftentimes, the problems consist of overcoming obstacles put in place by governments.
Such is the case with ride-sharing services such as Uber, widely available, including from parts of Hunterdon County; Lyft, most locally in North Jersey; and SideCar, from eight regions in the U.S., on the East Coast in Boston and Washington, D.C.
Some in government, of course, don't like it when people find ways to sidestep their edicts. The special interests who benefit from those governmental directives don't like it, either.
All of which explains why governments and the taxi industry are trying to crack down on ride-sharing services.
As Uber and Lyft have grown in popularity in New Jersey, so has scrutiny from state regulators and taxi industry groups; the Limousine Association of New Jersey has led the charge to include these services in existing regulations.
The Virginia DMV decided to ban the services altogether, and recently sent cease-and-desist letters to Uber and Lyft. The cities of Las Vegas, Miami and Brussels have also banned the services.
Ride-sharing services have raised the ire of taxi drivers in the U.S. and Europe, in such cities as Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Milan.
Cabbies realize that the added information, convenience, potential cost savings and safety that the technology provides to consumers is cutting in to their business.
They rightly note that ride-sharing services do not have to comply with some of the expensive regulations they do. But sympathy for traditional taxis must be tempered by the fact that this restrictive red tape was vigorously lobbied for by the taxi industry itself in order to keep out competition.
Instead of calling for the same anti-competitive laws to be placed on ride-sharing companies and drivers, they should advocate repealing the unnecessary burdens — this doesn't mean safety rules — they have placed on themselves.
But there have been some relative success stories, too. Colorado became the first state to authorize the ride-sharing services in legislation, albeit with some regulations attached.
After initial clashes between ride-sharing companies and the California Public Utilities Commission, California in September became the first state to regulate the services. The Golden State cannot resist its natural urge to foist more rules and regulations on businesses, however. Under Assembly Bill 2293, the state would increase its insurance requirements for ride-sharing drivers for periods between fares.
Consumers and investors love ride-sharing services. This is evidenced by the companies' growing popularity with customers and by Wall Street's judgment of the industry's value. After Uber's latest round of funding, the company is now valued at $18.2 billion.
As is often the case, those in government are harming consumers while claiming to protect them.
Ride-sharing companies already offer extensive safety protections such as criminal and driving record background checks, insurance requirements, vehicle inspections, customer rating systems and other measures — not because government requires them, but because they know customers value such protections and they must offer them to be profitable.
State and local governments should embrace innovative ideas and services such as ride-sharing that provide jobs and benefit consumers, rather than stifling them with endless regulations.
More Hunterdon County news: NJ.com/hunterdon • Facebook • TwitterSTANFORD, Calif. -- Every i was dotted and every t was crossed, just they had been under Randy Hart's watch for 46 seasons.
Desk so clean you could eat off it? Check. Stanford defensive line in good shape? Check. Honest talent assessment? Check.
This time, he was evaluating himself, not his players. That's why he resigned last month as the Cardinal defensive line coach, left the game that has been his life since that November day in suburban Cleveland in 1965 when Woody Hayes made a recruiting visit to his house. Not just any November day -- Thanksgiving Day. With 45 minutes' warning. When the Harts had 28 people at their holiday table.
"That place was cleaned up," Hart said, "Twenty-eight people were grabbing their stuff and running out the door eating turkey wings. Woody Hayes is coming!"
Stanford will be without Hart for the first time in six years. This is a big loss for the Cardinal, which in those six years won 66 games and went to five New Year's Six bowls, three of them Rose Bowls. But that's not nearly as big a loss as the one suffered by college football, which is without Hart for the first time in 50 years.
Fifty years. Half a century. More than a third of the history of the entire sport.
Hart arrived at Ohio State as a freshman lineman in 1966, the year Joe Paterno became a head coach. When Hart graduated in 1970, Hayes made him a graduate assistant. Hart never wanted for a job again. Hart worked for only seven schools in 46 seasons. Four of his bosses are in the College Football Hall of Fame: Hayes, Earle Bruce, Jim Young and Don James. Hart participated in 10 Rose Bowls -- one as a player, nine as an assistant -- the second most in the history of the Granddaddy of Them All.
It is an accomplishment obscured by the anonymity of assistant coaching. Most athletic halls of fame don't recognize assistants -- historical snobbery on a grand scale. But if ever a coach should make the College Football HOF rethink its policy, it's Hart.
Hart could always see talent more clearly than other coaches. That's how, early in his 21-season tenure at Washington, he ended up with a two-star recruit named Steve Emtman. Hart turned him into the first player selected in the 1992 NFL Draft. At Stanford, he developed walk-on David Parry into the Colts' fifth-round pick last year. Parry started every game.
Hart loved the guys that Bear Bryant said had no talent and didn't know it. Hart pushed and pushed. That's why he never strayed from Saturdays.
"My style is not good for the NFL," he said. "I'd be locked in a locker. They'd kill me."
Five years ago, the late Chester McGlockton, the 12-year NFL defensive lineman, had just started an apprenticeship at Stanford when he died at age 42. Hart recalled how McGlockton watched him grind his defensive linemen, wearing them down and then demanding more.
"If I was playing for you, we'd have fought," McGlockton said.
"If you were playing for me, you'd still fricking be playing," Hart replied.
He laughs a lot. Hart's lack of narcissism in this Instagram world reflects his age, as do his expressions. He may have been the last coach in college football still saying, "Golly Ned!"
Hart summed up his coaching philosophy in a way that every athlete who ever had a demanding coach could understand.
"They play good, I'm going to rip their ass," Hart said. "They don't play good, I'm going to try to pump them up."
That strategy really worked well at Stanford, a campus that attracts students who demand a lot of themselves. Hart used to tease his players about their intellect.
"You're doing calculus, statistics," Hart would tell them. "You're over on the main part of campus solving world problems. And you can't find the A, B or C gap."
Or this:
"Men, understand one thing. We're not gonna argue who's going to have the lowest SAT in this building. Some day you're going to work for somebody without quite that test score that you've got. So it's a lesson in humility how to handle them. I'm in charge. You're working for me."
Randy Hart coached against Iowa in the last of his 10 Rose Bowl appearances in January. Katie Meyers/Icon Sportswire
Last season, even as Stanford won its third Pac-12 championship in four seasons, Hart's eye for talent landed on someone whose effort didn't measure up to Hart's standards. Hart saw himself slipping.
"That's what you live by," he said. "I don't wear a beard. I've still got to shave every morning."
No one noticed. In fact, from the outside looking in, last season was one of Hart's best as a coach. Graduation and injuries left the Cardinal with four defensive linemen for most of the year. Tackle Aziz Shittu still made All-Pac-12.
"I've never not wanted to go on the practice field," Hart said. "And all of a sudden, that starts to get to be work."
When Stanford beat Notre Dame with a 45-yard field goal as time expired and sheer delirium erupted on the Cardinal sideline, Hart said he wasn't two steps onto the field before he thought, "Oh God, we got the championship game next week."
Hart retired because he read the actuarial tables. He really did.
"When you see, '68 years old,' and 'you've got 12.6 years to live,' there's a little bit of finality to that!" Hart said. "It's not good!"
He retired because he asked Earle Bruce, his lifelong mentor, for advice. Bruce, his position coach under Hayes at Ohio State, gave him his first full-time assistant job at Tampa in 1972. The $8,000 salary was $5,000 more than he had been getting from Hayes as a graduate assistant.
Bruce lost his wife five years ago. He told Hart, "I tell you what I'd do, if you could financially do it. You get out of it this year and you spend time with Linda. You spend time with your wife."
Hart can barely choke that story out.
He retired because of the 3:45 a.m. wake-up calls. Stanford must recruit nationally, because that's what it takes to find 25 talented guys with the grades necessary to gain admission. The defensive linemen that Hart brought in this year are from Fort Worth, Tampa, Indiana and Austria via suburban Chicago.
"Schools are open from 7 to 3, so you never travel then," Hart said. "There are no flights after the home visit, so that means you're going to fly early in the morning to get where you're going, which means a 6 [a.m.] flight. Which means a 3:45 get-up."
And he retired because he has four grandchildren under three years old in Seattle. He didn't see his two boys grow up.
"You haven't done anything in your life except work with somebody else's kids," Hart said. He listens to how that sounds. "Which is not a complaint. It's a lovely thing."
The feeling is mutual. When Hart retired, former Stanford defensive lineman Ben Gardner, another walk-on that Hart developed into an All-Pac-12 lineman, posted his love on Facebook.
"Coach Hart believed in me when nobody else did," Gardner wrote. "He gave me a shot as a 3-4 defensive end after a rocky freshman year, despite being 40 pounds undersized. He never let me use it as an excuse, coaching me as if I was just as big and strong as the next guy. Four years and countless grueling Randy Hart practices later, I was a three-time all-conference player, team captain and NFL draft pick. Coach Hart saw it well before I did and never let me sell myself short."
A Stanford player who never got the chance to play for Hart, 2016 signee Bo Peek, felt the same way.
"I will take everything you have taught me thus far and run with it," Peek wrote on Twitter. "I'll make you proud at Stanford."
The last time a college football season began without Randy Hart, the number-one single on the Billboard charts was "Help!," by the Beatles. The sport survived the loss of Knute Rockne, the Wing-T and Keith Jackson. It will survive the loss of one assistant coach.
But for all the attention that the Barry Switzers and Bobby Bowdens receive, the bedrock of the sport is men like Hart, who devoted their careers and sacrificed their family life to teach the young men in their charge.
Hart could no longer make that sacrifice. He and Linda have already returned to Seattle and to their grandchildren.
"They're not going to ever see me with a whistle," he said. "... I mean, who's going to have it better than me?"
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Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed new rules to crack down on pervasive health care discrimination against transgender men and women. The draft rules address forms of discrimination that were banned years ago on paper but remain a constant feature in many transgender individuals’ dealings with doctors and insurance companies—from being refused basic services such as blood tests to not being reimbursed for health care screenings such as Pap smears or prostate exams.
If approved, the rules would force many health care providers and insurers across the country to provide transgender patients with the same medical treatments and level of care they provide to nontransgender people—parity that most insurers never even approach.
In a recent survey of transgender men and women by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 19 percent of people polled reported that someone refused them medical care because of their gender identity. Twenty-eight percent had postponed medical care because of discrimination, and half reported that they had to explain transgender health issues to their own doctors. These practices have contributed to disproportionately negative health outcomes for transgender people compared with the general population, such as staggering rates of depression, suicide, and HIV.
A series of actions at the federal level to end such discrimination did little to change the reality for most transgender patients. When it passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act included a provision that explicitly barred many providers from sex discrimination. In 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services clarified that sex discrimination included discrimination against transgender patients on the basis of gender identity. A federal court in Minnesota backed up that interpretation in March this year, giving transgender people the ability to sue. But states still have broad authority to determine what actually constitutes discrimination—leaving a substantial loophole when it comes to enforcing protections.
The rules proposed last Thursday do not compel insurers to cover the medical components of the transition process, such as hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery. But Mara Keisling, the founder and director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, stresses that health care discrimination goes far beyond transition treatments. It can be as simple as “access to hospital rooms,” says Keisling. “Being placed with a roommate of the wrong sex.” Transgender patients have reported being forced to undergo a pelvic exam when going to the doctor for a sore throat or being grilled at length about their gender identity and sexual history when seeking treatment for a broken arm. Keisling adds that insurance companies routinely refuse transgender men and women sex-specific preventive care—such as mammograms or prostate exams. These rules would force insurers to cover whatever preventive services a doctor finds necessary, regardless of what gender is listed in the patient’s medical history.
Thirty-seven-year-old Seth Marlow’s medical history reads like a catalog of such abuses. Marlow works in health care IT and is well connected in transgender advocacy circles. But even he has struggled to get basic medical care. At one point, Marlow says, he was unable to have routine blood work done because a doctor he visited said his Christian faith prevented him from treating Marlow. His previous insurance company refused to pay for a fertility clinic to extract and freeze his eggs—which was one of the insurer’s covered benefits—seemingly because he identified as a man.
“As much as there’s this great transgender tipping point,” Marlow says. “I still can’t get health care.”
Part of his problems stem from the fact that until this year, the Obama administration did not define what discrimination specifically means. That definition was originally left up to the states, and only a handful have applied the protections in the Affordable Care Act to transgender people.
Marlow now lives in Virginia, a state that has not enacted any of these protections. The health care plan he purchased on the Obamacare exchanges routinely denies him coverage for hormone therapy, even though the insurer covers the same hormone treatments for other, nontransgender patients. More recently, Marlow’s insurer refused to cover his annual pelvic exam and pap smear. In a September letter that Marlow shared with Mother Jones, his insurer suggested he contact his state legislator if he was unhappy with Virginia law.
“I’ve spent probably 10 years of my life fighting these exclusions,” he says. “On paper, I’m protected. But in practice, I’m getting blown off and shut down at every turn.”
Most civil rights advocates point out that these actions by insurance companies are already illegal under the Affordable Care Act, and when such cases go to court, they are usually settled in favor of transgender litigants. But legal action is time-consuming, costly, and undertaken when there are no other options. “After they announced the rule, I went to our Facebook page,” Keisling says. “And person after person was saying, well that’s great, but I doubt it will help me.”
Marlow is also skeptical that the proposed rules will reduce health care discrimination, given that many rules were already in place and not enforced. “I’m so jaded and so tired that it’s hard to believe this is going to make any difference,” Marlow continues. “There’s a little progress. But it’s painfully, gruelingly slow.”As expected, Square has filed to go public. The financial transactions shop reported in its S-1 document that during the first half of 2015, it had revenue of $560.6 million, and a loss of $77.6 million. Those numbers compare favorably to the year-ago six-month period during which Square reported $371.9 million in revenue, and a slightly steeper $79.4 million in losses.
In short, Square grew at a decent clip while managing a minor reduction in losses. That’s a good thing. The company is going to list on the NYSE. The company’s reported half-year gross profit of $164.6 million, compared to its total revenue underscores how competitive, and expensive the payments business is.
Notably, the company’s net loss fell in its second quarter to $29.6 million, down from a far steeper $47.9 million in its first quarter. To be clear, however, Square has a history of losses, and it doesn’t appear to be in close reach of profitability at its current rate |
any nutritious goodness. You can order your copy here.
H/T NerdcoreI have searched several music sources and asked numerous individuals for the answer to the following question. Obviously you are my best bet as your book series now occupies the shelves previously held by my Britannica. What the heck does 25 or 6 to 4 mean in the song by Chicago (previously Chicago Transit Authority — everything seems shorter these days)? Any help is appreciated, oh wise Cecil and/or research staff.
SDStaff Songbird replies:
It’s always wise to leave such big things in our hands, Dennis.
Big Thing, incidentally, was the band name used by Robert Lamm, James Pankow, Walter Parazaider, Lee Loughnane, Terry Kath and Danny Seraphine when they first got together. After some mild success, they opened for a band called The Exceptions for two weeks. When The Exceptions’ bassist (a guy named Peter Cetera) heard the Big Thing’s new sound, he took exception to his own band and joined Big Thing.
When the group’s sound really began to come together, they changed their name to Chicago Transit Authority and cut an album. Then the real CTA objected to the name, so they shortened it for their second album to the now familiar Chicago.
The song “25 or 6 to 4” appeared on “Chicago II” and was written by organist/vocalist Robert Lamm. The title and lyrics have puzzled many since it appeared in 1970. Some say it’s a drug reference, suggesting a unit of measurement involving the quantity of joints that can be rolled from a what-used-to-be dime bag. Some feel it’s about looking for spiritual revelation, undergoing a mysterious soul-searching journey.
Perhaps you’re too young to recall that in the late ’60s and ’70s it was a popular parlour game — if not quite an intellectual pursuit — to read hidden messages and double meanings into song lyrics. Many people thought “Hey Jude” was about shooting heroin. Just about everything Bob Dylan wrote went through hours of scrutiny by his fans. Did you ever check into the “Hotel California” by the Eagles? Many of the Rolling Stones songs were supposedly about drugs, though it’s hard to ignore the more explicit meanings (“You make a dead man come.”) What about “I Am the Walrus,” which was supposedly written on an acid trip about Paul McCartney’s greatly exaggerated and rumored demise? Goo goo g’joob, baby.
Lamm says it’s simpler than that. “The song is about writing a song. It’s not mystical,” he says. Take a look at some of the lyrics:
Waiting for the break of day — He’s been up all night and now it’s getting close to sunrise. Searching for something to say — Trying to think of song lyrics. Flashing lights against the sky — Perhaps stars or the traditional flashing neon hotel sign.
Giving up I close my eyes — He’s exhausted and his eyes hurt from being open too long, so he closes them.
Staring blindly into space — This expression can be seen often on the faces of writers and reporters. Trust me.
Getting up to splash my face — Something you do when you’re trying to stay awake, though a good cup of Starbuck’s does wonders for Cecil and me.
Wanting just to stay awake, wondering how much I can take — How far can he push himself to get the song done?
Should I try to do some more? — This is the line that makes many think it’s a drug song. But it is just as easily construed as a frustrated writer wondering if he should try to do some more lyrics/songwriting.
As for the curious title, Lamm says, “It’s just a reference to the time of day” — as in “waiting for the break of day” at 25 or (2)6 minutes to 4 a.m. (3:35 or 3:34 a.m.)
I think we can take Lamm’s word for the whole thing. Because, when it’s that early in the morning, does anybody really know what time it is?
SDSTAFF Euty comments:
Does anybody really care?
Send questions to Cecil via cecil@straightdope.com.
Related
STAFF REPORTS ARE WRITTEN BY THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD, CECIL'S ONLINE AUXILIARY. THOUGH THE SDSAB DOES ITS BEST, THESE COLUMNS ARE EDITED BY ED ZOTTI, NOT CECIL, SO ACCURACYWISE YOU'D BETTER KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED.Veteran charity money shenanigans, of course. Short version: the Trump campaign reportedly collected six million bucks for veterans’ groups; only, nobody’s been able to trace more than half of that money being distributed, and it’s like three months later. The Daily Beast reports that New Hampshire state rep Al Baldasaro, Donald Trump’s campaign adviser for veteran’s affairs, doesn’t know and doesn’t care what happened to about the three million or so in missing charitable contributions. The exact quote is “I could ask, but it’s not high on my priority list.”
…Man, Trump can just pick ’em, huh? Normally you’d see more of a sense of self-preservation in a state representative*. When you’ve inserted yourself into a publicity event – delivering over-sized checks to veterans’ groups, forsooth! – to the extent that Baldasaro has then you’d better be prepared to answer questions like “So, where’s the rest of the money?” and “When are the veterans’ groups getting the rest of that money?” and “No, seriously, where’s the rest of the money?” Because this is a really easy story to tell. It practically writes itself: Veterans’ charity money is MIA! Who’s to blame? …Who, indeed?
And, at that, Al Baldasaro probably has to worry the least, because he’s not directly involved with the actual process where six million bucks of other people’s charity money somehow managed to settle in transit to about three million or so. No, the people who have to worry are the people who were actually involved in the money going away. And, let’s be honest? If they had their hands on the money, it’d be disbursed already. The fact that the Trump campaign didn’t powerfully argues that it screwed up somehow** and can’t disburse the money now, because they don’t really have it anymore.
Imagine how that’s gonna fly at the Justice Department. Particularly since there’s one thing you can say about the next Attorney General: to wit, that he or she will not be a Trump appointee. And since Trump will himself probably be spending the rest of his life in civil suits, probably rather bitterly, well…
Via @rumpfshaker.
Moe Lane
PS: Note that nowhere in this post is there any suggestion that Donald Trump would go to jail over this, even if others do. That’s because he won’t. He’s a rotten administrator, sure – but this money either got lost or stolen at a lower level than the one that Trump would personally oversee. I believe that the term of art is… “plausible deniability.”
PPS: Actually, people can totally go to jail over three million dollars’ worth of charity money ‘disappearing.’ And people [have gone to jail who] have stolen far less. Not that I’m accusing anybody of stealing that money. Yet.
*No, really. Those folks have no margin of error at all.
**GASP.IDEAS
This spring, Rina’s four-year-old kindergartner Bram Julius will learn about colors, shapes, how to play nicely with other children, and take his first steps towards learning about sexuality at school. In these early sex ed lessons the class will discuss butterflies in your stomach, friendship, and whether or not you’re happy to hold hands with another child. Meanwhile, my nine-year-old daughter Ina will be having class conversations about the physical changes during puberty and romantic relationships.
Each spring, Dutch children between the ages of four and twelve receive a week-long national sex-education program at school. The aim of these lessons is to allow for open, honest discourse about love, relationships, feelings, personal boundaries, and sex. The Dutch approach is even more surprising when I think about the climate I grew up in. Sex-ed was something you were taught at school in an embarrassing biology lesson. You couldn’t talk about it openly. The Dutch national sex-ed school program might seem odd or controversial, especially since a recent CDC study shows that nearly 80% of American children and teenagers do not receive any formal sex and sexuality education before having sex. But given the bigger picture, we think the Dutch are onto something.
The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world while the Dutch have among the lowest—eight times lower than their American counterparts. Research also indicates that, on average, teens in the Netherlands do not have sex at an earlier age than those in the US. This is the case even though Dutch society and parents are more relaxed, even allowing romantic sleepovers in their own homes. If you treat teenagers as if they are mature and responsible enough to make decisions, they might actually live up to those expectations.
It seems that with American children being constantly exposed to sexual content in the media through music videos, prime-time TV, and the internet, American parents anxiously avoid talking to their children about sex in the hope of not exposing them any further. This, in a climate where sexting, sending sexually explicit texts, is becoming increasingly common, even as early as in middle school.
While Dutch schools are providing age-appropriate lessons on intimacy and sexuality, instilling in children a safe code of conduct and respect for others, Dutch parents keep nothing from children. Nothing is taboo. Questions are answered simply and honestly, at the child’s level of understanding and maturity, as they arise. It was one of the first pieces of parenting advice we received from other parents here. Recent questions from my son, Ben, who is just a couple of years shy of becoming a fully-fledged teen, include: “Is sex fun? How?” and “How does a sperm donor get the sperm out?” I have been answering my kids’ questions on anatomy and reproduction from almost as early as they could talk.
Of course, sex can be a tricky, embarrassing topic no matter what culture you’re a part of. But by talking more openly about sex, parents can ease into discussing topics that become more complicated as their children grow older. Topics like gay marriage, sexuality, gender issues, and consent. There’s an added bonus to all this communication: children who have a good relationship with their parents tend to wait longer before having sex.
Read more: Why Schools Can’t Teach Sex Ed
Like most expats, we were shocked to hear that Dutch parents allow their teenage children to have friends of the opposite sex to stay the night. But here, most teenagers have their first sexual experience in the safety of the parental home—how many Americans can say the same? According to a UNICEF report, 75% of Dutch teenagers use a condom the first time they have sex, and data from the World Health Organization shows that Dutch teens are among the top users of the birth-control pill. So teenage sex is allowed, but preferably in a controlled environment, that is, under the teen’s parents’ own roof. A safe place to have sex encourages safe sex.
Dutch children are well equipped with knowledge about sex before they enter puberty. If they are, the Dutch have learned, they will take fewer risks later on and know how to protect themselves.
It’s no wonder that Dutch kids are considered to be the happiest kids in the world! The Dutch have a very different view of what a child actually is—including accepting the reality that their children will have sex at one point or another. If American parents are anxious to keep their children safe, perhaps it would be better if they, and teachers, were more open about sex after all.
Acosta and Hutchison are the authors of The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) By Doing Less
Contact us at editors@time.com.'Human Sadness' will appear on the soundtrack to indie film 'She's Lost Control'
A new Julian Casablancas track titled ‘Human Sadness’ has been unveiled online – listen to it below.
The song features on the soundtrack for US indie film She’s Lost Control, which will debut at SXSW festival in Austin, Texas in March (2014). It is a collaboration with composer, and the film’s executive producer, Simon Taufique.
Casablancas announced his involvement in the film back in 2012, when he promised to provide music to the project if it secured enough money to go into production. The Strokes frontman appeared in a video posted alongside the Kickstarter appeal, in which he said he will make the music as a favour to his friend, Taufique.
She’s Lost Contro tells the story of a sexual therapist who teaches men to be intimate before falling for one of her clients.
The Strokes will make their live return at the Governors Ball in New York this June. The three-day event will take place on Randall’s Island between June 6 and 8. OutKast were announced as the headliner alongside Jack White and Vampire Weekend. As well as performing with The Strokes, Julian Casablancas will also perform as a solo artist at the event.
The Strokes’ last live show came in November 2011 when they performed live at the Planeta Terror festival in Brazil. The group have not played in the US since September of the same year. They have not performed in the UK since they headlined Reading & Leeds Festivals in August 2011. The band were joined by Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker for a rendition of The Cars’ ‘Just What I Needed’ during their Reading performance.
The Strokes released their fifth album ‘Comedown Machine’ last year but didn’t tour or do any interviews. Speaking to NME recently, the band’s guitarist Albert Hammond Jr said: “There might be times when we’re not doing things but I don’t feel like we’ll ever stop,” he said. “We’ve come to the point where we’ve been together so long and been through so much that why announce anything besides what we’re doing? We’re just together.”
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Julian Casablancas – “Human Sadness” (New 2013 Track) from Krlng5 on Vimeo.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a session of parliament to debate his proposed cabinet, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. Iran's president issued a direct threat to the West on Tuesday, claiming his country is capable of restarting its nuclear program within hours — and quickly bringing it to even more advanced levels than in 2015, when Iran signed the nuclear deal with world powers. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s president warned Tuesday that it could ramp up its nuclear program and quickly achieve a more advanced level if the U.S. continues “threats and sanctions” against his country, which signed a landmark nuclear accord with world powers in 2015.
Hassan Rouhani’s remarks to lawmakers were his most direct warning that the deal could fall apart and risked ratcheting up tensions with the United States. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to scuttle the accord, which limited Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon while ending most sanctions against it.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said late Tuesday: “The nuclear deal must not become ‘too big to fail.’”
“Iran, under no circumstances, can ever be allowed to have nuclear weapons,” she said in a statement. “At the same time, however, we must also continue to hold Iran responsible for its missile launches, support for terrorism, disregard for human rights and violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.”
Earlier this week, Iran’s parliament voted to increase spending on the country’s ballistic missile program and the foreign operations of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The move came in response to U.S. legislation passed earlier this month imposing mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them. The U.S. legislation also applies terrorism sanctions to the Guard and enforces an existing arms embargo.
If Washington continues with “threats and sanctions” against Iran, Tehran could easily step up its nuclear activities, Rouhani said in parliament Tuesday.
“In an hour and a day, Iran could return to a more advanced (nuclear) level than at the beginning of the negotiations” that preceded the 2015 deal, Rouhani said, though he underlined that Iran’s preference is to remain in the accord.
The maneuvering around the Iran deal comes at a time when tensions have skyrocketed between the U.S and North Korea, which has tested nuclear weapons and threatened in recent weeks to fire a ballistic missile into the waters off the U.S. territory of Guam.
The agreement between Iran and world powers two years ago capped Iran’s uranium enrichment levels in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
The U.S. and other world powers fear Iran seeks the ability to produce atomic weapons. Iran has long denied that it seeks nuclear arms and says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
It was not immediately clear what Rouhani was referring to — and whether he meant Iran could restart centrifuges enriching uranium to higher and more dangerous levels.
He also offered no evidence of Iran’s capability to rapidly restart higher enrichment, though Iran still has its stock of centrifuges. Those devices now churn out uranium to low levels that can range from use as reactor fuel and for medical and research purposes, but could produce the much higher levels needed for a nuclear weapon.
In December, Rouhani ordered up plans to build nuclear-powered ships, something that appears to be allowed under the nuclear deal.
Rouhani’s remarks were likely an attempt to appease hard-liners at home who have demanded a tougher stand against the United States. But they are also expected to ratchet up tensions further with the Trump administration.
Iran has said the new U.S. sanctions amount to a “hostile” breach of the 2015 nuclear deal.
“The U.S. has shown that it is neither a good partner nor a trustable negotiator,” Rouhani added. “Those who are trying to go back to the language of threats and sanctions are prisoners of their past hallucinations. They deprive themselves of the advantages of peace.”
But Rouhani also tempered his own threat, adding that Iran seeks to remain loyal to its commitments under the nuclear deal, which opened a “path of cooperation and confidence-building” with the world.
“The deal was a model of the victory of peace and diplomacy over war and unilateralism,” said Rouhani. “It was Iran’s preference, but it was not and will not remain Iran’s only option.”
Among the staunch supporters of the nuclear deal is U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that Guterres considers the accord “to be one of the utmost diplomatic achievements in our collective search for peace and security — and we need to do whatever we can to preserve it.”
___
Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.On December 4, 2013, Donna Schaper, Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church, expressed her frustrations regarding abortion rights, Hobby Lobby, and the Supreme Court in a piece for The Huffington Post entitled “Most Women Under 40 Haven’t Heard the Pro-Choice Moral Argument.”
I’m a woman under 40, so I gave Schaper a chance to teach me about this pro-choice moral argument through her article. All I learned is that like most pro-choice women, Schaper doesn’t understand that being anti-abortion is not even remotely the same as being anti-women. Schaper writes:
It is painful to have to fight for what is already won, even more painful for one Christian to have to argue with another one about the freedom of the human to make choices. It is sad as well to see the constant struggle – now initiated by a toy and hobby company – about women being choice making human beings. What is it about women that the religious right can’t tolerate? Is it that important for us to be sub-human? Do that many people really think of women as toys or hobbies or second-class citizens? Apparently, yes. The core argument needs to be made again, no matter how hoarse we are in making it.
Schaper’s argument is that women are “choice making human beings.” I agree, as would any other person who is anti-abortion. As a woman, I make choices every single day. Some are good, like the choice to feed my children a healthy breakfast. Some are not so good, like the choice to feed myself cookies for lunch or procrastinate my work.
Schaper also writes that “assuming that a woman cannot decide for herself if and when to bear a child demeans women.” Being pro-life doesn’t mean I don’t value women. Quite the opposite is true. Being pro-life means that I believe in the strength of women. That I believe women are capable and loving and intelligent. Abortion devalues women.
Abortion tells a woman that she isn’t good enough to care for her child. That her child isn’t good enough to be adopted and loved by another couple. That there’s no way she can be both a mother and a student or a mother and a career women. Abortion is not a feminist act. Abortion is the killing of two human beings – the baby in flesh and spirit and the mother in spirit.
Schaper attempts to argue that “abortion can be a highly moral choice for a woman.” This can be true only if murder or child abuse can be a highly moral choice. If we are allowed to kill unborn children because we decide they are unwanted and better off dead, or we decide that our lives are better without them, then why not any children, or any person we feel our lives would be better without? Why not our coworker who we believe received the promotion we deserved? Just because a person feels that a child’s life isn’t worth living or that her own life would somehow be better without her own child in it, that doesn’t mean that that child should die. It is not a moral choice to choose death for our own children in order to live the life we want to live. As Mother Teresa said:
It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.
A poverty. Not a moral choice.
Schaper goes on to argue that “other life sustaining medical procedures are not considered immoral. Why the complaint against abortion?” Let me make it simple for her: abortion is not a life-sustaining medical procedure. It is a life-taking medical procedure. Abortion does not save. It kills.
Finally, Schaper uses God in her argument, stating that it is a “God-given right to hold your own belief” and that “each person and each community of believers has the right to follow the dictates of their conscience.” God gave us the power to choose. This does not mean he approves of our choices. We have the power to decide if we will injure another human or steal or cheat or lie. That doesn’t make those choices moral or right.
It isn’t that women under 40 haven’t heard the pro-choice moral argument. It is that no pro-choice moral argument exists.A visibly pregnant woman, screaming in Spanish for the officers to stop, can be seen running towards the melee. As she approaches, Jones swipes at her legs, tripping her to the ground — face and stomach down. According to Fox 13, Jones later told a superior he believed the woman was going to kick him.
"Those were the hardest punches I have ever heard," Levi Frasier, the witness who recorded the incident on a tablet device, told Fox 13.
The unidentified plainclothes cops were then joined by two uniformed officers, Charles Jones IV and Christopher Evans. The video footage shows Evans holding down Flores while Jones proceeds to punch his face six times after audibly yelling, "Spit the drugs out! Spit the drugs out!"
According to Fox 13, witnesses and police agree that the man in question, identified as David Nelson Flores, stuffed a white sock into his mouth when he saw an undercover narcotics officer approach his car. The officers pulled Flores from the vehicle, bringing him to the ground.
Video footage from August showing a Denver cop punching an unarmed man six times in the face and then tripping his pregnant wife has been made public by Fox 13.
Read more
Video footage from August showing a Denver cop punching an unarmed man six times in the face and then tripping his pregnant wife has been made public by Fox 13.
According to Fox 13, witnesses and police agree that the man in question, identified as David Nelson Flores, stuffed a white sock into his mouth when he saw an undercover narcotics officer approach his car. The officers pulled Flores from the vehicle, bringing him to the ground.
The unidentified plainclothes cops were then joined by two uniformed officers, Charles Jones IV and Christopher Evans. The video footage shows Evans holding down Flores while Jones proceeds to punch his face six times after audibly yelling, "Spit the drugs out! Spit the drugs out!"
"Those were the hardest punches I have ever heard," Levi Frasier, the witness who recorded the incident on a tablet device, told Fox 13.
A visibly pregnant woman, screaming in Spanish for the officers to stop, can be seen running towards the melee. As she approaches, Jones swipes at her legs, tripping her to the ground — face and stomach down. According to Fox 13, Jones later told a superior he believed the woman was going to kick him.
Frasier said that when police noticed that he was recording, they demanded that he turn over his device and threatened him with arrest. He said that the officers seized his device despite his protestation that they had no authority to do so. He alleges that they sifted through his personal photos and images, and that on returning the tablet, he found that the video of the Flores incident had been deleted. The footage had been immediately uploaded to the cloud, however, and Frasier was able to retrieve it and share it with the media.
Police reports make no mention of deleting video footage.
Images of Flores's face, also obtained by Fox 13, show him to be distinctly bruised. The suspect was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and two drug felony charges. The pregnant woman, Mayra Lazos-Guerrero, faced charges for obstruction, drug possession, and child abuse because there was a child in the car during the arrest. Following a missed court appearance, Denver police has issued a demand that the two suspects turn themselves in.
Fox 13 reported that the Denver Police Department initially declined an offer to access Frasier's footage. The FBI Public Corruption Unit confirmed that they were investigating both the incident and the Denver Police Department's response to it.
Watch Frasier's video via Fox 13:
Stay tuned in to the state of policing in America with VICE News's Officer Involved blog.Found in the North Palace at Ninevah, stone panels depicting the Royal Lion Hunt of the last Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, are as violent as any video game: A female lion flies upside down, arrows protruding from her back and belly. Beneath her, a male rears back, arrows piercing his nasal passages while another male drags his hindquarters behind him. From the king’s chariot, attendants drive spears through the chest of another.
The panels are two-and-a-half thousand years old, and the story they tell is nearly over. In Africa, the lion’s numbers have declined sharply in the past decade, to as low as 23,000. The tiger is near extinction. Earlier this year, a mountain lion walked 1,800 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota to the East Coast — one of the world’s longest recorded journey by a land mammal — only to be killed by a sport utility vehicle near Milford, Connecticut, 50 miles from New York City.
Experts on predation have become increasingly convinced that ecosystems are ruled from the top.
Just as the world’s lions, tigers, and bears are disappearing worldwide, a scientific consensus is emerging that they are critical to ecosystem function, exerting control over smaller predators, prey, and the plant world. Studies of predation — a so-called “top-down” force in nature — have always run a weak second to ecology’s traditional focus, which holds that the foundation of life springs from bottom-up processes enabled by plants capturing energy from the sun. While no one disputes the importance of photosynthesis and nutrient cycling, experts on predation have become increasingly convinced that ecosystems are ruled from the top.
Beginning with aquatic experiments, they have amassed considerable evidence of damage done to food chains by predator removal and have extended such studies to land: Predation may be as consequential, if not more so, than bottom-up forces. With a comprehensive new book (Trophic Cascades) and a major Science review published this summer, these specialists present the case that our persecution of predators menaces the marine and terrestrial ecosystems that produce food, hold human and zoonotic diseases in abeyance, and stabilize climate.
Using such terms as “deep anxiety” and “grave concern” to signal their alarm, the authors contend that the loss of large animals, and apex predators in particular, constitutes humanity’s “most pervasive influence” on the environment. It amounts, they argue, to a “global decapitation” of the systems that support life on Earth.
These are hardly new ideas: Both publications catalogue decades of work examining the power of predators. Charles Elton, an Oxford ecologist, first conceptualized food webs in the 1920s, speculating that wolf removal would unleash hordes of deer, a notion that weighed on Aldo Leopold’s mind as he compared the consequences of wolf-extirpation in German forests to still-thriving, intact systems in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife
These insights gave rise to the 1960s “green world” hypothesis, which held that plants prevail because predators hold herbivores in check. Profound food chain effects — caused by adding or removing top species — are now known as “trophic cascades.” In a classic 1966 experiment, biologist Robert Paine removed the purple seastar, Pisaster ochraceus — a voracious mussel-feeder — from an area of coastline in Washington state. Their predator gone, mussels sprouted like corn in Kansas, crowding out algae, chitons, and limpets, replacing biodiversity with monoculture.
Corroborating evidence multiplied. Less than a decade after Pisaster, marine ecologists James Estes and John Palmisano reached the astonishing and widely reported conclusion that hunting of sea otters had caused the collapse of kelp forests around the Aleutian Islands. While the cat was away, the prey (sea urchins) stripped the larder bare. When otters returned, they regulated urchins, allowing “luxuriant” regrowth of biodiverse kelp communities. Around islands farther out to sea, where the mammals had not reestablished themselves, “urchin barrens” remained.
The Science review this summer and other recent research have highlighted the cost of cascades in other marine systems. Extirpation of great sharks along the eastern seaboard caused an irruption of rays and the collapse of a century-old scallop fishery, a glimpse of the future as shark populations crash worldwide. Overfishing of cod, a top predator of lobster and sea urchins, upended the coastal North Atlantic, producing hyper-abundant lobster and a market glut in the Gulf of Maine, as well as an urchin boom-and-bust cycle off Nova Scotia, where urchins have been periodically wiped out by disease.
Yet, as data from aquatic systems proliferated, skeptics suggested that top-down forces might be “all wet” — limited to marine or freshwater systems, with a dearth of evidence for cascades in terrestrial systems.
Where was that evidence? Designing experiments to reveal cascades on land, across large-scales and over long time periods, seemed nearly impossible. So many ecosystems had already been irreparably altered that predator-related effects — including damage done to food chains, so-called “trophic downgrading” — could not be measured with certainty. Long-term trials teasing out wide-ranging interactions among predators and other species promised to be unwieldy and expensive.
‘We have to pay attention to the well-being of predators if we want a healthy ecosystem,’ says one scientist.
Nonetheless, startling revelations continued to crop up. In a Venezuelan valley flooded by construction of a dam in the 1980s, Duke University ecologist John Terborgh and his students documented the strange perturbations that afflicted the “islands” of Lago Guri. Top predators — jaguar, mountain lion, harpy eagle — fled rising waters. Multiplying out of control, howler monkeys went mad as their numbers soared and the plants they ate increased toxins in self-defense. Some islands were cloaked in thorns as leaf-cutter ants — undeterred by armadillos or other predators — starved the soil of nutrients by carrying every leaf down to their lairs.
In 1995, the terrestrial camp landed an extraordinary boon as Yellowstone National Park gave William Ripple, director of Oregon State University’s Trophic Cascades Program, the chance to study top-down forcing in action. Ripple watched in amazement as the wolf’s return to Yellowstone — an ecosystem where elk had had the browse of the place for 75 years — gave willow and other trees the chance to take hold along stream banks, cooling water temperatures for trout and encouraging the return of beaver, whose ponds host long-absent amphibians and songbirds. Yellowstone proved that damage to a terrestrial food web could be reversed and an ecosystem restored with the return of a single species. It is a sobering lesson for the eastern U.S., where the explosion of white-tailed deer has eradicated hemlock, a keystone species in once-biodiverse hardwood forests.
Yet despite such developments, researchers of trophic cascades have despaired of securing the money and means to examine predator removal in large-scale, long-term trials on land. Some have dealt with constrictions by adopting a more manageable, meadow-sized scale. In a three-year experiment, ecologist Oswald Schmitz of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies found that even the tiniest of predators (spiders) exercise a more significant top-down influence on plants than bottom-up factors. The type of predation — active versus ambush hunting — also appears to be consequential, affecting the composition of plant communities and nitrogen levels. Spiders that hunt actively reduce grasshopper density, allowing grass and goldenrod to dominate other plants and increasing available nitrogen. Ambush hunting has an opposite effect, forcing grasshoppers, which would rather feed on grass, to shelter in goldenrod, yielding a more diverse plant community and less nitrogen. Taken together, Schmitz says, “it’s the richness of the functional role of predators that becomes important to conserve.”
‘The idea that plants are affected by the things that eat them has not been widely appreciated,’ says one expert.
Estes and Terborgh, editors of Trophic Cascades, question whether spiders and grasshoppers will “convince anyone that orcas, great white sharks, wolves, tigers, and jaguars are important.” But Schmitz, who grew up north of Toronto where wolf-hunting was a way of life, thinks the process is underway: “Piece by piece, it’s taken 20 years to accumulate the evidence, and the culmination is in that Science paper — that the world is driven by predators as well as nutrients. We have to pay attention to their health and well-being if we want a healthy ecosystem. Simply eliminating them because we want more prey or because we don’t think they’re important is very misguided.”
Indeed, the Science review presses the trophic case into new territory, extending predation’s impact to human health. A reduction in lion and leopard populations in Ghana has led to an explosion of olive baboons. The release of such “mesopredators” — mid-sized carnivores such as cats or raccoons that run rampant without control — has wreaked havoc around local villages, where baboons attack livestock, damage crops, and spread intestinal parasites to the human population.
In the Science paper, the authors call for “a paradigm shift in ecology.” Scientists and land-managers, they argue, must adopt top-down forcing as a given “if there is to be any real hope of understanding and managing the workings of nature.”
In Trophic Cascades, Terborgh and Estes go farther, criticizing national science agencies for failing to fund research on predator removal in terrestrial systems, accusing them of clinging to old views and “retarding progress” while ecosystems are undermined. “The idea that plants are affected by the things that eat them,” Estes says dryly, “has not been widely appreciated.”
But Alan James Tessier, program director of the National Science Foundation’s Environmental Biology Division, disagrees, asserting that the agency has funded much research into top-down processes. “It’s ridiculous to talk only about top-down or bottom-up control,” said Tessier. “Both are happening all the time.”
In science, new ideas are rightly met with skepticism, if not denials and dismissals. But as the consequences of predator loss become increasingly measurable and predictable, they implicitly call for a reassessment of our ancient foes. Estes is as reluctant as any scientist to weigh in on the wolf wars, but his frustration is clear. “That’s not the way we should be behaving as a species,” he says.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Amateur footage from inside the shrine shows people fleeing the scene
A suicide attack in a popular shrine in southern Pakistan has killed at least 72 people, police say.
The bomber blew himself up among devotees in the shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in the town of Sehwan in Sindh province, police said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack, which has been claimed by so-called Islamic State.
It is the deadliest in a string of recent bombings claimed by IS, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants.
Image copyright AFP Image caption There were children among the injured
The shrine, one of the country's oldest and most revered, was crowded as Thursday is considered a sacred day for Muslims to pray there.
Witnesses said the attacker struck as worshippers were performing a sacred dance. Local media said he blew himself up after throwing a grenade.
"I saw bodies everywhere. I saw bodies of women and children," one man told local media.
Another described scenes of chaos and devastation, with the shrine's courtyard "filled with thousands of people who were crying and wailing".
Images from inside the shrine showed the floor covered with blood, with clothing and sandals strewn around.
Image copyright Alamy Image caption The shrine where the blast happened is one of the most revered in Pakistan (file picture)
Image copyright EPA Image caption The attacker hit as devotees were performing sacred dances
The Edhi Welfare Trust, which runs Pakistan's largest ambulance |
74]
In 2001, Albright was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[75]
Also in 2001, Albright founded the Albright Group, an international strategy consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. that later become the Albright Stonebridge Group.[76] Affiliated with the firm is Albright Capital Management, which was founded in 2005 to engage in private fund management related to emerging markets.[77]
In 2003, Albright accepted a position on the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange.[citation needed] In 2005, she declined to run for re-election to the board in the aftermath of the Richard Grasso compensation scandal, in which Grasso, the chairman of the NYSE Board of Directors, had been granted $187.5 million in compensation, with little governance by the board on which Albright sat.[citation needed] During the tenure of the interim chairman, John S. Reed, Albright served as chairwoman of the NYSE board's nominating and governance committee. Shortly after the appointment of the NYSE board's permanent chairman in 2005, Albright submitted her resignation.[78]
Albright serves on the Council on Foreign Relations Board of directors and on the International Advisory Committee of the Brookings Doha Center.[79] As of 2016, she is the Mortara Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.[80] Albright serves as chairperson of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.[81] She is also the co-chair of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor[82] and was the chairwoman of the Council of Women World Leaders Women's Ministerial Initiative up until November 16, 2007, when she was succeeded by Margot Wallström.[83]
On October 25, 2005, Albright guest starred on the television drama Gilmore Girls as herself.[84] She also made a guest appearance on Parks and Recreation, in the eighth episode of the seventh season.[85]
At the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2007, Albright declared that she andWilliam Cohen would co-chair a new "Genocide Prevention Task Force"[86] created by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute for Peace. Their appointment was criticized by Harut Sassounian[87] and the Armenian National Committee of America, as both Albright and Cohen had spoken against a Congressional resolution on the Armenian genocide.[88]
Albright endorsed and supported Hillary Clinton in her 2008 presidential campaign.[citation needed] Albright has been a close friend of Clinton and has served as an informal advisor on foreign policy matters.[citation needed] On December 1, 2008, then-President-elect Barack Obama nominated then-Senator Clinton for Albright's former post of Secretary of State.[89]
In September 2009, Albright opened an exhibition of her personal jewelry collection at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, which ran until January 2010.[90] In 2009 Albright also published the book Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box about her pins.[citation needed]
In August 2012, when speaking at an Obama campaign event in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Albright was asked the question "How long will you blame that previous administration for all of your problems?", to which she replied "Forever".[91][92] In October 2012, Albright appeared in a video on the official Twitter feed for the Democratic Party, responding to then-GOP candidate Mitt Romney's assertion that Russia was the "number-one geopolitical foe" of the United States. According to Albright, Romney's statement was proof that he had "little understanding of what was actually going on in the 21st Century [and] he is not up to date and that is a very dangerous aspect [of his candidacy]".[93]
Albright has described Donald Trump as "the most anti-democratic leader" in US history.[94][95] She has also criticised the Trump Administration for its delay in filling some diplomatic posts as a sign of "disdain for diplomacy".[96][97]
As of 2016, Albright serves as chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a consulting firm,[98] and chair of the advisory council for The Hague Institute for Global Justice, which was founded in 2011 in The Hague.[99] She also serves as an Honorary Chair for the World Justice Project.[100] The World Justice Project works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.[101]
Investments
Madeleine Albright is a co-investor with Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, and George Soros in a $350 million investment vehicle called Helios Towers Africa, which intends to buy or build thousands of mobile phone towers in Africa.[102][103]
Controversies
Deaths by sanctions against Iraq
On May 12, 1996, Albright defended UN sanctions against Iraq on a 60 Minutes segment in which Lesley Stahl asked her, "We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?" and Albright replied, "We think the price is worth it."[104] Albright later criticized Stahl's segment as "amount[ing] to Iraqi propaganda," saying that her question was a loaded question.[105][106] She wrote, "I had fallen into a trap and said something I did not mean,"[107] and she regretted coming "across as cold-blooded and cruel."[104] Sanctions critics took Albright's failure to reframe the question as confirmation of the statistic.[107][108][109] The segment won an Emmy Award.[110][111]
In the context of the 1998 Iraq campaign, Albright expressed another justification, saying, "But if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see the danger here to all of us."[112]
2003 Iraq War
According to Politifact, Albright opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, although after the U.S. was committed to the war, she said she would support the President.[113]
Art ownership lawsuit
Following the Washington Post's profile of Albright by Michael Dobbs, an Austrian man named Philipp Harmer launched legal action against Albright, claiming her father had illegally taken possession of artwork, which belonged to his great-grandfather, Karl Nebrich.[114] Nebrich, a German-speaking Prague industrialist, was forced to abandon some of his possessions when ethnic Germans were expelled from the country after World War II under the Beneš decrees. His apartment, at 11 Hradčanská Street in Prague, was subsequently given to Korbel and his family, which they occupied before also being forced to flee to America. Harmer felt Korbel stole his great-grandfather's artwork, which was left in the apartment. The matter was handled by Albright's brother, John Korbel.[114]
Allegations of hate speech against Serbs
The place where the Prague incident took place.
In late October 2012, during a book signing in the Prague bookstore Palác Knih Luxor, Albright was visited by a group of activists from the Czech organization "Přátelé Srbů na Kosovu". She was filmed saying, "Disgusting Serbs, get out!" to the Czech group, which had brought war photos to the signing, some of which showed Serbian victims of the Kosovo War in 1999. The protesters were expelled from the event when police arrived. Two videos of the incident were later posted by the group on their YouTube channel.[115][116] Filmmaker Emir Kusturica expressed thanks to Czech director Václav Dvořák for organizing and participating in the demonstration. Together with other protesters, Dvořák also reported Albright to the police, stating that she was spreading ethnic hatred and disrespect to the victims of the war.[117][118]
Albright's involvement in the NATO bombing of Serbia was the main cause of the demonstration – a sensitive topic which became even more controversial when it was revealed that her investment firm, Albright Capital Management, was preparing to bid in the proposed privatization of Kosovo's state-owned telecom and postal company, Post and Telecom of Kosovo. In an article published by the New York-based magazine Bloomberg Businessweek, it was estimated that the deal could be as large as €600 million. Serbia opposed the sale, and intended to file a lawsuit to block it, alleging that the rights of former Serbian employees were not respected.[119]
Albright supported Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign. While introducing Clinton at a campaign event in New Hampshire ahead of that state's primary, Albright said, "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other" (a phrase Albright had used on several previous occasions in other contexts).[120] The remark was seen as a rebuke of younger women who supported Clinton's primary rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, which many women found "startling and offensive."[121] In a New York Times op-ed published several days after the remark, Albright said: "I absolutely believe what I said, that women should help one another, but this was the wrong context and the wrong time to use that line. I did not mean to argue that women should support a particular candidate based solely on gender."[120]
Honorary degrees and awards
Medlin Olbrajt Square in Prishtinë, Kosovo named in honour of Madeleine Albright
Albright holds honorary degrees from Brandeis University (1996), the University of Washington (2002), Smith College (2003), Washington University in St. Louis (2003),[122] University of Winnipeg (2005), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2007),[123] Knox College (2008),[124] and Tufts University (2015).[125]
In 1998 Albright was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[126] Albright was the second recipient of the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award presented by the Prague Society for International Cooperation. In September 2006, Albright—along with Václav Havel—received the Menschen in Europa Award for furthering the cause of international understanding.[127]
Books
Personal life
Albright married Joseph Medill Patterson Albright in 1959.[29] The couple had three daughters before divorcing in 1982.[132]
Albright was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Episcopalianism at the time of her marriage in 1959. Albright's parents had converted from Judaism to Catholicism in 1941, during Albright's early childhood.[9] When The Washington Post reported on Albright's Jewish heritage shortly after she had become Secretary of State in 1997, Albright called the report a "'major surprise.'"[133] Albright has stated that she did not learn until age 59[134] that her parents were originally Jewish and that as many as a dozen of her Jewish relatives in Czechoslovakia—including three of her grandparents—had died in the Holocaust.[14][15][135]
Albright has mentioned her physical fitness and exercise regimen in several interviews. In 2006, she said she was capable of leg pressing 400 pounds.[136][137]
Albright was listed as one of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by the Guardian in March 2013.[138]
See also
References
Works citedAre free concert tickets too good to be true?
Ticketmaster customers seem to think so. Earlier this week, the online ticket vendor started emailing millions of customers in an effort to make good on a 2013 class action lawsuit settlement over fees. Customers who purchased tickets between late 1999 and early 2013 were alerted to their newfound fortune: vouchers to free concerts or discounts to concert tickets.
Oh but there's definitely a catch.
Customers are taking to Twitter to report that their eligible tickets are for concerts like the Barenaked Ladies and Darius Rucker. Darius who? It's so bad that it's so good. Livid customers are sharing their voucher sub-par offers on Twitter:
On Facebook, Ticketmaster has fielded some heat over its painfully difficult process to getting those precious vouchers.
Ticketmaster is 'experiencing extremely high call volumes'
Are you one of the millions of people who got a voucher? Share your experience with us. Drop us a line in the comments.The folks currently sailing on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy cruise ships probably thought they wouldn’t have to deal with a hurricane when they booked their Caribbean excursions.
After all, late-season hurricanes like Sandy, currently brewing off the Florida coast and headed in our direction with an expected landfall early next week, is a once-in-a-lifetime meteorological occurrence.
Those passengers should be assured that Disney Cruise Line will do everything in its power to keep them safe and sound as they ride out the storm.
“We are currently monitoring Hurricane Sandy very closely as the safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” said Rebecca Peddie, Manager, Public Affairs Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club & Adventures by Disney.
“For the past several days, we have been preparing our private island [Castaway Cay] and expect that tropical force winds will have cleared the island area by tomorrow afternoon.”
This past August, we were on board the Dream as Hurricane Isaac began to gather strength in the Caribbean. It was windy and the seas were choppy, to be sure, but the only way you noticed was if you looked out a port hole: The Dream handled the waves with ease.
The captain steered clear of the storm and, aside from having some difficulty docking at Castaway Cay during the first of our two visits, Isaac wasn’t much of a problem.
As you might expect, alterations to the Dream and Fantasy itineraries during the current storm have been made.
“The Disney Fantasy skipped its stop in Castaway Cay today [Friday], and instead, guests are enjoying a sunny day at sea a safe distance from the storm,” Ms. Peddie said.
“The Disney Dream replaced its stop in Castaway Cay tomorrow with a call on Nassau.”This article is over 4 years old
Vintage-style ceramic cups feature an image of a Nazi-era postage stamp that shows a black-and-white profile of Hitler
A German furniture store chain has apologised for selling coffee mugs featuring faint portraits of Adolf Hitler it had mistakenly ordered from a Chinese supplier, a news report said on Thursday.
The vintage-style ceramic cups feature a faint image of a Nazi-era postage stamp that shows a black-and-white profile of Hitler, postmarked with a swastika stamp, all obscured by other design elements including a rose and cursive script.
The Zurbrüggen furniture chain had ordered 5,000 of the mugs and sold at least 175 when the mistake was noticed, reported the Neue Westfälische Zeitung in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The owner blamed the "terrible" mistake on "a stupid chain of unfortunate circumstances". "No one noticed the problem during unpacking," the store owner told the newspaper, adding that every customer who had bought a mug would get a €20 gift voucher.Do more on jobs, Dems tell Obama
By: Alexander Bolton
Senior Senate Democrats are growing frustrated by what they see as President Obama's passivity on the economy, and are beginning to discuss a large infrastructure package funded by tax increases.
Some Democrats, such as Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who serves as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, think such a package could lower the unemployment rate by as much as two percentage points.
But the plan is not without political risk - Republicans would be quick to slap Democrats with the old "tax-and-spend liberals" label. And the prospect of passing such a plan through the GOP-led House of Representatives - where conservative freshmen hold significant clout - is slim.
"I am concerned about the Obama administration's approach on this," Harkin said. "It always has been about jobs. I think the administration kind of got snookered talking about the deficit and the debt after the last election.
"The last election was about jobs and the economy, and now we're in a position where we really do need some economic pump-priming by the federal government," he said.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, endorsed Harkin's argument for more infrastructure spending, and said it is gaining support in the broader caucus.
"There's very broad support," Rockefeller said. "There's no other way to get at this problem."
Rockefeller said a spending package was discussed at several meetings Wednesday and that there's a recognition Democrats need to be tougher in negotiations with Republicans.
"We have to be much more aggressive about all this, because as soon as they say ‘We're not going to do that,' as they've been saying for so long about so many things, you just kind of say ‘oh.' We've got to stop saying ‘oh,' " he said, referring to the hard line Republicans have taken for Medicare cuts and against tax increases.
Even centrists like Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) say a major infrastructure package funded by tax revenue-generating measures is what's needed to strengthen the economy. But Conrad wants a smaller package than some of his more liberal colleagues. He has suggested $100 billion in infrastructure spending.
Conrad estimates the Treasury loses about $1.1 trillion in revenue a year in special tax breaks - or what some Democrats call tax expenditures. Some of these tax breaks - subsidies for oil companies and breaks for companies that relocate factories overseas, for example - could be ended to fund infrastructure projects.
"We have a significant shortfall in the trust fund to pay for transportation. How do you pay for it? You got to pay for it with other spending cuts or additional revenue," Conrad said. "I would prefer to go after offshore tax havens to pay for it."
Conrad, citing data from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said closing these offshore tax havens could generate up to a $100 billion a year.
Senior Democrats discussed the prospect of a major infrastructure package at meetings Wednesday, and several endorsed the idea, according to Democratic sources.
Jared Bernstein, former chief economist to Vice President Biden, said Democrats should not shy away from spending money to energize the economy.
"There are some things you can do without spending money, but that's obviously a very tough constraint and not one that politicians should accept," he said.
Bernstein, who met with the Democratic Caucus Thursday, said it would be ambitious to hope that more infrastructure spending could reduce unemployment by 2 points, but nevertheless said it's a smart idea.
"Given the realities and politics around it, any package that would create some jobs through infrastructure investment, I would support," he said.
Even if Democrats can move a significant infrastructure-spending package paid for by closing tax subsidies through the Senate, pushing it through the House would be much tougher.
"It would never get through the House of Representatives," Conrad said.
But it might have a better chance if it were added to a massive deficit-reduction package that saves $4 trillion or more over the next decade.
Democrats are concerned about a report released last week by the Labor Department showing the economy added only 54,000 jobs in May and that the unemployment rate increased to 9.1 percent.
Democratic leaders have felt their hands tied by the $1.6 trillion federal deficit and a constant barrage of Republican criticism over spending.
Centrist Senate Democrats facing tough reelections are even reluctant to raise the national debt ceiling if a plan is not accompanied by spending cuts. This has underscored the political reality that jobs legislation cannot pass if its costs are not offset by tax increases or other cuts.
The tight budget picture has forced Democrats to advance relatively modest jobs bills, such as the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration, now pending on the Senate floor. Democrats want to boost the agency's budget to $500 million a year, a small increase compared to the roughly $15 trillion national economy.
"It's small but it's helpful, it's in the area where unemployment is, which is largely unskilled people who need a manufacturing-type job," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
Without ending tax breaks to fund new stimulus legislation, jobs bills will have to remain modest.
"The political, fiscal situation combined almost puts handcuffs on governmental actions. It's frustrating," she said.NSA's 'Apology' For Backdooring Crypto Standard Really A 'Sorry We Got Caught' Kind Of Apology
from the not-buying-it dept
With hindsight, NSA should have ceased supporting the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm immediately after security researchers discovered the potential for a trapdoor. In truth, I can think of no better way to describe our failure to drop support for the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm as anything other than regrettable. The costs to the Defense Department to deploy a new algorithm were not an adequate reason to sustain our support for a questionable algorithm. Indeed, we support NIST’s April 2014 decision to remove the algorithm. Furthermore, we realize that our advocacy for the Dual_EC_DRBG casts suspicion on the broader body of work NSA has done to promote secure standards. Indeed, some colleagues have extrapolated this single action to allege that NSA has a broader agenda to “undermine Internet encryption.” A fair reading of our track record speaks otherwise. Nevertheless, we understand that NSA must be much more transparent in its standards work and act according to that transparency. That effort can begin with the AMS now.
The trouble is that on closer examination, the letter doesn't express regret for the inclusion of Dual EC DRBG in national standards. The transgression Dr. Wertheimer identifies is simply the fact that NSA continued to support the algorithm after major questions were raised. That's bizarre.
The Dual_EC_DRBG was one of four random number generators in the NIST standard; it is neither required nor the default.
The NSA-generated elliptic curve points were necessary for accreditation of the Dual_EC_DRBG but only had to be implemented for actual use in certain DoD applications.
The trapdoor concerns were openly studied by ANSI X9F1, NIST, and by the public in 2007.
This might all be academic, but keep this in mind: we now know that RSA Security began using the Dual EC DRBG random number generator in BSAFE -- as the default, I remind you -- in 2004. That's three years during which concerns were not openly studied by the public.
To state that the trapdoor concerns were 'openly' studied in 2007 is absolutely true. It's just completely irrelevant.
As you may recall, one of the big Snowden revelations was the fact that the NSA "took control" over a key security standard allowing backdoors to be inserted (or, at least, a weakness that made it easy to crack). It didn't take long for people to realize that the standard in question was Dual_EC_DRBG, or the Dual Elliptic Curve Deterministic Random Bit Generator. It also came out that the NSA had given RSA $10 million to push this compromised random bit generator as the default. That said, as we noted, many had already suspected something was up and had refused to use Dual_EC_DRBG. In fact, all the way back in 2007, there was a widespread discussion about the possibility of the NSA putting a backdoor in Dual_EC_DRBG, which is why so few actually trusted it.Still, to have the details come out in public was a pretty big deal, so it also seemed like a fairly big deal to see that the Director of Research at the NSA, Dr. Michael Wertheimer (also former Assistant Deputy Director and CTO in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence), had apparently written something of an apology in the latest Notices of the American Mathematical Society. In a piece entitled, "The Mathematics Community and the NSA," Wertheimer sort of apologizes, admitting that mistakes were made. After admitting that concerns were raised by Microsoft researchers in 2007, and again with the Snowden documents (though without saying why they were raised the second time), here's Wertheimer's "apology."However, as security researcher/professor Matthew Green quickly shot back, this is a bullshit apology, because he's really only apologizing for not dropping the standard when they got caught red handed back in 2007.Green also takes on Wertheimer's weak attempt to still defend pushing the compromised Dual_EC_DRBG as ridiculous. Here were Wertheimer's arguments for why it was still okay:But, again, those don't make much sense and actually make Wertheimer's non-apology that much worse. As Green notes, even though there were other random number generators, the now infamous RSA deal did lead some to use it since it was the "default" in a popular software librarybecause NIST had declared the standard safe, meaning that people trusted it. Green also goes into great detail describing how the second point is also incredibly misleading. It's worth reading his full explanation, but the short version is that despite some people fearing the NSA's plan would have a backdoor, the details and the possible "alternatives" to avoid that were completely hidden away and more or less dropped.And that final point, well... really? Again, that's basically saying, "Well, people thought we might have put in a backdoor, but couldn't prove it, but there, you guys had your chance to debate it." Nevermind the fact that there actually was a backdoor and it wasn't confirmed until years later. And, as Green notes, many of the concerns were actually raised earlier and swept under the rug. Also, the standard was pushed and adopted by RSA as a default long before some of these concerns were raised as well.In other words, this isn't an apology. It's an apology that the NSA got caught (and didn't stop pushing things the first time it got caught), and then a weak defense of why they still went ahead with a compromised offering.Wertheimer complains that this one instance has resulted in distrust from the mathematics and cryptography community. If so, his weak response isn't going to help very much.
Filed Under: apology, backdoor, cryptography, dual_ec_drbg, elliptic curve, encryption, matthew green, michael wertheimer, nist, nsa, random number generator, standards, surveillanceAdvancing technology in the digital world is allowing for new possibilities of shaping major social organizations. In the name of progress, governments have been showing interest in these recent advancements, supporting an innovative approach. In the UK, distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been given a great opportunity to be applied towards innovative projects across many fields – from banking to healthcare to energy supply.
EPSRC
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has set aside over £3.6 million to fund seven different projects using blockchain technology in April this year. The EPSRC is the primary funding agency of scientific research, and invests approximately £800m annually towards new initiatives. The Digital Economy Theme of the UK’s Research Council focuses on the “transformational impact of digital technologies on aspects of community life, cultural experiences, future society, and the economy.” The research aims to find new uses for DLT which incorporate elements of trust, identity, security and privacy within a digital business model.
Each of the projects funded by the EPSRC collaborates with high-ranking universities, as university professors lead the projects. This brings academia together with industry partners to figure out the technical, social, legal and economic aspects of the blockchain.
“Distributed Ledger Technology may be synonymous with Bitcoin to many, but as these projects show it has disruptive potential across a wide range of products and services. If it delivers on its radical promise, it could make a significant impact on the economy and society.” – Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC Chief Executive
BARAC
Blockchain technology for Algorithmic Regulation And Compliance (BARAC) is the project with the highest funding, with a grant of £617,000, which will be examining how blockchain technology may overturn the current regulatory compliance system into a more effective and secure model. The consortium of BARAC includes University College London, London School of Economics, Kings College and the University of Reading from the academic sector; partners from the financial industry, such as the Bank of England, RBS, HSBC and R3 Consortium; partners from the technological field, such as British Telecom and ATS; as well as law firms. The Cyprus International Institute of Management has the role of transferring the technological knowledge of the blockchain to the different stakeholders, and to work together with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission to show how this technology can be used to obtain and record financial activity and date which is securely retrievable for regulation and compliance purposes.
Household-Supplier Energy Market
This project aims to revolutionize the energy market by creating a peer-to-peer free trade between household-owned micro-generators. The trading of energy on a household level democratizes the system and allows both individuals and companies to trade, based on a trusted distributed ledger technology. This means that each trade and transaction is recorded, secured through encryption, and verifiable, guaranteeing accurate assignment of rights and responsibilities for trades and billing, allowing equal access to all interested participants. With a grant of £459,000, HoSEM brings together Universities and Lancaster and Exeter with EDF Energy.
Trusted and Transparent Voting Systems
This projects makes use of blockchain technology to enable a trustworthy digital system in voting within organizations, such as trade unions, private companies, political parties, professional organizations, clubs or charities where balloting is required. This voting system using a blockchain accommodates the specific or pre-emptive voting rights of different shareholders which are encoded in agreed-upon smart contracts. EPSRC claims that with this technology, the voting system would be able to give results which more closely reflect the collective choice of the voters. The partners developing this include Crowdcube Ltd, Electoral Reform Services, Monax Industries together with Kind College London, with a grant of £614,000.
Other projects include: ARCHANGEL – Trusted Archives of Digital Public Records, Co-operative Models for Evidence-based Healthcare Redistribution, Distributed Ledgers and Decentralised Energy in sub-Saharan Africa, and Smart Money: Precision Data Management for Distributed Ledger enabled Central Bank issued Digital Currencies.
The recent funding by the ESPRC demonstrates the interest for and support of innovative applications of distributed ledgers. The UK Government Office for Science report from 2016 states that technical innovations of the blockchain can enable “revolutionary changes” which will “ultimately cause major changes in the way in which the economy and society itself is organised and governed”. This funded research for the development of the various uses of blockchain depicts the realization that efficiency, verifiability and accountability provided by this technology.
Image from Wikimedia Commons.REYHANLI, Turkey — With bombs in its cities, refugees on its borders, and Syrian rebels operating from its soil, Turkey is on the verge of entering into a full-scale conflict with its war-wracked neighbor.
But by taking on the regime of Syria’s Bashar al Assad — a brutal dictator with Russian backing and a core of staunch supporters inside Syria — Turkey threatens to further ignite the regional conflagrations already kindled by the country’s destabilizing and widening civil war.
More aggressive intervention into the Syria conflict — in which more than 80,000 people have been killed since 2011, human rights groups and the United Nations say — could put Turkey into near-direct conflict with Iran, a regional power and stalwart ally of the Syrian government.
It could also roil Turkey as it negotiates a fragile peace deal with Kurdish fighters now withdrawing to northern Iraq as part of the accords after 30 years fighting the Turkish state. The fighters, who belong to the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), wield considerable influence on the sizeable Kurdish community inside Syria.
Turkish intervention could threaten the relative self-autonomy Syrian Kurds have forged since the uprising, prompting a backlash against Turkey on both sides of the border.
More from GlobalPost: Kurdish militants begin historic Turkey withdrawal
All of these things “risk straining Turkey's economy, accentuating its sectarian and political divisions, and compromising its overall stability," a January report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) says.
Turkey is also embroiled in the war in broader strategic terms, the report says.
With the border areas serving as a smuggling, logistics and operational hub for Syria’s disparate rebel groups, as well as a home for 350,000 refugees, Turkey has indeed long been involved in the conflict that began as a popular uprising in 2011. But it quickly morphed into a full-scale armed civil war.
In what was the first major incident of tension between the two sides, Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet off the Syrian coast — but that Turkey maintained was in international airspace — in June 2012. Turkey then called for an emergency session of NATO’s North Atlantic Council, the defense alliance to which it belongs, but no military action was taken.
In February, a car bomb exploded at the Turkey-Syria border crossing at Bab al Hawa, killing 14 and that Turkey blamed on the Assad government. Mostly errant artillery shells from Syria have also landed in Turkey numerous times.
In a deadly attack earlier this month, at least two car bombs exploded in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province, killing 56.
More from GlobalPost: (PHOTOS): Deadly explosions strike Turkish border town of Reyhanli
Authorities here said a Turkish, pro-Assad Marxist group was responsible for the attack, which left entire blocks of shops and homes in ruins.
Distraught locals looked on from behind police lines in disbelief, as rescue teams searched through smoldering buildings sand overturned cars for survivors.
But Turkey’s options for retaliation or even intervention remain limited, particularly without the political and perhaps military backing of the Obama administration.
While Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama agree that Assad should go, they appear to disagree on how vigorously that goal should be pursued.
Erdogan has long called for the establishment of a no-fly zone to halt air attacks on rebel-held areas inside Syria. Obama reportedly requested plans for a no-fly zone from the Pentagon, the Daily Beast reported Tuesday.
But largely, the administration has been reluctant to commit US troops or air support to yet another bloody conflict in the Middle East.
The United States stepped up its "nonlethal" support for the Syrian opposition, including body armor and night vision goggles. But the rise of extremists, including some linked to Al Qaeda, within rebel ranks is worrying policymakers in Washington — and Turkey can’t guarantee that weapons it gives to the opposition won’t end up in the hands of PKK militants.
“I believe the government will reduce their support [of the Syrian opposition] in the aftermath of the Reyhanli bombings,” Turkish political analyst and author, Kenan Camurcu, told GlobalPost.
Indeed, perhaps the biggest challenge to Turkey intervening in Syria will come from within.
In a survey released earlier this month by Pew Research Center, a public opinion group, 65 percent of Turkish citizens oppose Turkey supplying arm to the rebels, and more than half were concerned the violence would spill over into Turkey.
More from GlobalPost: Turkish military fired back after Syrian shell lands in its Hatay province
The Turkish demonstrators mounting ongoing protests against the fresh violence say Syria’s rebels are directly involved in the attacks they say will drag Turkey into the war on the opposition side.
Others simply blame the presence of anti-Assad fighters inside Turkey for provoking regime-sponsored attacks.
The Reyhanli attack happened “to create chaos in Turkey, to carry the war over here, and to spark the hatred between the same races that are fighting in Syria,” activist and protest organizer Ferit Diker said at a protest in Samandag, Turkey last week.
The other protestors chanted anti-government slogans, and carried signs criticizing Erdogan’s rulng Justice and Development Party (AKP). “The day will come, AKP, when you will have to account for our actions,” read one placard.
But Turkey is already suffering the effects of their limited involvement in Syria, including an economic strain.
In November, exports from Hatay to Syria had fallen to less than half their 2010 level, according to WINEP. Turkey had exported iron, steel and crude oil to its Arab neighbor. But now, key exports — mostly via smuggled routes — are food supplies, cement and an illegal weapons trade.
In addition, the refugee crisis is costing the Turkish state roughly $40 million each month, according to figures announced by Turkish deputy prime minister, Ali Babacan, in January.
There is “no magic formula for dealing with an extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria’s,” Obama said at his joint press conference with Erdogan at the White House on May 16.
More from GlobalPost: Israel and Turkey: Fair-weather allies?
But analyst Camurcu says Erdogan must come up with one soon.
“The people don’t want war,” he said. “They want their government to find a peaceful solution.”Jack Dorsey is tightening Twitter’s belt.
Just days after being named permanent chief executive of Twitter, Mr. Dorsey is planning a series of cost-cutting maneuvers at the social networking company, including layoffs and halting a plan to expand the company’s San Francisco’s headquarters, according to three people familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details are private.
The plans are part of an effort to trim what many insiders see as an organization that has grown bloated — Twitter has over 4,100 employees in more than 35 offices — over the past few years, these people said.
A Twitter spokesman declined to comment.
The moves, with the layoffs set to come as soon as Tuesday, signal swift action by Mr. Dorsey, who was named permanent chief only on Monday. Mr. Dorsey, 38, who also co-founded Twitter, had held the interim chief title since July 1 and has had time to assess the company’s prospects, strengths and weaknesses.
He returned to a company in crisis. While Twitter went public in 2013 in a wave of hype, its stock price has more recently fallen — at one point dropping below its $26 initial public offering price — as the company has struggled to attract new users. Twitter faces intense competition for consumer attention from rivals like Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp, threatening its ability to attract new advertising dollars.Editor’s note: Legendary investor Vinod Khosla is the founder of Khosla Ventures. You can follow him on Twitter at @vkhosla. And make sure to catch Khosla’s fireside chat at Disrupt SF at 1:55 pm PT on Wednesday.
I recently read Ben Austen’s WIRED article about Steve Jobs, which prompted me to put together my thoughts about the tradeoffs of being a successful entrepreneur. Austen’s article draws a caricature of Jobs and puts forth a series of false choices. After reading it, you might be convinced that you can either be a jerk and successful or decent and mediocre. Let’s take a look at some of the examples that the article highlighted from Jobs’ life:
1. In 1975 |
Ring and the Peculiar doll for later. * (Darkroot Garden Pre-Gate) You can summon Witch Beatrice for the Moonlight Butterfly boss fight. Her summoning sign is hidden behind a bush beneath the stairs leading to the fog gate. * (Darkroot Garden Pre-Gate) You can trade the Divine Ember to Andrei of Astora for some dialogue. * (Darkroot Basin) See Havel above. * (Darkroot Basin) Defeat the Hydra. Quit and reload your game. Move past the lake and hug the left wall until you can see a Golden Golem. Defeat it. Dusk of Oolacile will spawn and offer Sorceries. Accept. Ran back to the large boulder near the Hydra, and summon her. She has some short dialogue. Learn her Gesture. * (Darkroot Basin) Return to where you fought the Golden Golem to find Dusk's corpse along with her set of clothes. May require reloading. * (The Catacombs) This is somewhat of a side-track (and quite difficult, as you most likely won't have any Divine weapons at this point), but if you go through The Catacombs, you can meet Patches at the lever near the second bonfire (the hidden one). He'll offer some short dialogue and ask if you are a cleric. Answer **"No"**. He will attempt to kill you by using the lever if you try to pass the bridge (regardless of your answer). Return to him for some more dialogue. Tell him you aren't happy about what he did, and he'll give you one Humanity. * (The Catacombs) Vamos will only offer some short dialogue. Killing him yields Hammer of Vamos and Royal Helmet (**Not Recommended!**) * (The Catacombs) Enter the coffin near the Titanite Demon and wait for 20-30 seconds. Pray to the Gravelord and enter his Covenant for the Gravelord Sword and Gravelord Sword Dance miracle. Trading him 10 Eyes of Death will reward you with the Gravelord Greatsword Dance miracle. * (The Catacombs) If you are Human, you can summon Paladin Leeroy for the boss fight by dropping down on to a ledge in the pit with all the floating Skull bombs. * (Lower Undead Burg) Griggs of Vinheim can be freed. Will offer some dialogue. He'll move to Firelink Shrine afterwards. Talk to him there for more dialogue and Sorcery services. * (Lower Undead Burg) The Female Undead Merchant will only have some short dialogue. Note that she'll say some new lines if you haven't spoken to her in quite some time. * (Firelink Shrine) After defeating the Capra Demon, you can backtrack to the Firelink Shrine. If you do, you'll find that Reah and her two bodyguards will have arrived. Petrus will have some new lines of dialogue, but still offer services. Reah and her bodyguards will also have some short dialogue. Exhaust all of it to progress. * (Firelink Shrine) You'll probably have to quit/reload or move to a different zone and then come back. Reah and her cohorts will have left Firelink Shrink. Petrus may be gone as well, zoning again may result in him reappearing. Speak to Petrus, and he will mention how he has been separated from Reah and her cohorts. If you speak to Lautruc now, he may offer some information to you, in exchange for 100 Souls per Level you have. It will trigger an attitude change in Petrus, if you speak to him again. * (Tomb of the Giants) You'll meet Patches again near the first bonfire. Talk to him and do what he says. After returning, talk to him again and tell him "No.", and he'll give you a Twin Humanities. * (Tomb of the Giants) You'll find Reah near the spot where you fell down to. Talk to her. Kill her hollowed Bodyguards nearby and speak to her again. You'll receive the miracle Replenishment. * (Undead Parish) After returning from the Tomb of the Giants, you can find Reah praying at the altar in the church. Talk to her for some dialogue and answer "Yes." to access her services. Learn her gesture. If you buy all her miracles, she will eventually leave that spot. Note that if you don't buy all her miracles or kill Petrus before visiting 2-3 new areas, she will be assassinated (7 Humanities, Pendant as drops, Petrus will drop her Ivory talisman if killed afterwards). * (Firelink Shrine) If you speak to Petrus now, he may first talk about him failing Reah and regretting it, but eventually he may change his attitude and openly criticize Reah. * (The Depths) Back on track now, you can rescue Laurentius of the Great Swamp by rolling into the barrels. He'll offer some short dialogue and move to the Firelink Shrine after you change areas. * (Firelink Shrine) Laurentius will offer more dialogue and Pyromancy related services. * (The Depths) If you pick up the Large Ember, you can later offer it to Andrei of Astora for some dialogue. * (The Depths) If you are Human, Kirk, Knight of Thorns will invade you in the short passageway between the giant rats and the Basilisks. Drops include Humanity and possibly Barbed Sword and Spiked Shield. * (The Depths) Domhnhall of Zena will be near the Blighttown entrance. Talk to him for some short dialogue. Note that everytime you buy something from him, he may offer one piece of advice (up to 3 or 4 times). Make sure to select "Talk" immediately after leaving the buying screen or you'll be forced to buy another item. * (The Depths) If you are Human, you can summon Knight Solaire and Knight Lautrec for the Gaping Dragon boss fight. Both signs are right before the last set of stairs that lead to the fog wall. * (The Depths) Destroying the Gaping Dragon's tail will yield the Dragon King Greataxe. * (Blighttown) If you are Human, Maneater Mildred will invade your world near the second bonfire. Drops Humanities, a Butcher Knife and sometimes a Sack. * (Blighttown) Quelana of Izalith will appear near a pillar between the second bonfire and Quelaag's Domain - but only if your Pyromancy Flame is sufficiently upgraded (+7-8 or higher, I think). She offers some short dialogue. Buy at least one of her unique Pyromancies for Laurentius' progression. * (Blighttown/Quelaag's Domain) Pillaging the Firekeeper's Soul or ringing the second Bell will trigger Lautrec of Carim to kill the Firelink Shrine's Firekeeper. She drops her armor and the Black Eye Orb. * (Quelaag's Domain) If you are Human, you can summon Maneater Mildred to fight against the boss. The sign is right next the fog gate. * (Quelaag's Domain) Talk to Eingyi and answer "Yes." He will let you pass, and will offer some dialogue. Note that if you deliberately let yourself be infected by a worm egg (by having one of the aggressive egg carriers impregnate your head) and wait until it spawns, he will be friendlier, offer more dialogue and sell Pyromancy to you. Also, if you have higher than 12 Intelligence (13-15, not sure how much), he will offer you a Pyromancy Flame. * (Quelaag's Domain) Quelaan will offer dialogue if you have the Old Witch's Ring (Starting Gift or trade Snuggly for it). Enter her Covenant for Chaos Great Fireball. Optional: Trade her 30 Humanity at any point in time (without leaving inbetween) for Chaos Storm and access to an important shortcut (don't leave the Covenant until you have actually opened it). **Note that you may want to hold off on this until later in the game, as there are several upcoming Covenants you can join for rewards.** * (Firelink Shrine) Laurentius will offer some dialogue if you haven't spoken to him yet. If at any point you have already bought Pyromancy from Quelana, he will ask about it. If you tell him, make sure you've already bought everything from him, as he will vanish afterwards. You can then find him Hollowed in Blighttown, midway between Quelaag's Domain and The Great Hollow. * (Firelink Shrine) Domhnhall of Zena will have moved beneath the huge Aqueduct after you rang the second bell. He'll offer some short new dialogue and certain boss armors for those you've defeated. He'll still offer the bits of advice after a trade. * (Firelink Shrine) Kingseeker Frampt will have appeared in Firelink Shrine and offer dialogue and garbage disposal. Note that trading him any of the Souls items that yield less than 500 Souls will result in 500 Souls, thus increasing their value. * (Sen's Fortress) Speak to Siegmeyer of Catarina for some dialogue. * (Sen's Fortress) Using the Master key or Cage key, you can free Big Hat Logan for some dialogue. He'll move to Firelink Shrine afterwards. * (Sen's Fortress) Crestfallen Merchant has some dialogue. Will have some more if you haven't spoken to him in a while. * (Sen's Fortress) Defeat Undead Prnce Ricard for his Ricard's Rapier. * (Firelink Shrine) Griggs and Logan both have some more dialogue. Buying all of Griggs Sorceries and items, as well as all of Logan's spells will lead to Griggs eventually becoming Hollow and moving to Sen's Fortress. * (Sen's Fortress) If you are Human, you can summon Iron Tarkus (TAAAARRRKUUSSSSSS!) in the empty room near the fog gate to the boss. * (Anor Londo) Lady of the Darkling will have some short dialogue. * (Anor Londo) At the very bottom of the moving spiral staircase, you can speak to Dark Sun Gwyndolin and join his Covenant "Blades of the Darkmoon". Trade 10 Souvenirs of Reprisal for the Darkmoon Blade miracle and Darkmoon talisman. * (Anor Londo) You can meet Solaire of Astora once more next to the third bonfire after the Silver Knight Archers gauntlet. He has some entertaining dialogue. * (Anor Londo) Siegmeyer will be in a side room, dozing away. Speak to him a bit, kill the Silver Knights in the adjacent room and return to him. He'll thank you and give you the Tiny Being's Ring. * (Anor Londo) The Giant Blacksmith offers a little bit of dialogue. Killing him yields Blacksmith Giant Hammer (**Not recommended!**) * (Anor Londo) You can use the Black Eye Orb in the large central room to invade Knight Lautrec's world as a Spirit of Vengeance. Kill him to receive Humanities, the Ring of Favor and Protection and the stolen Firekeeper's Soul. * (Anor Londo) You can summon Solaire of Astora for the boss battle. His sign is located on the large stairs leading to the Giant Blacksmith. * (Anor Londo/Chamber of the Princess) After using the elevator located in the boss room, look to the side opposite of the bonfire to find the corpse of Knight Lautrec, containing his armor set. May require quitting and reloading. * (Chamber of the Princess) Talk to Gwynevere for some dialogue. Join her Covenant, "Princess's Guard" for the Ring of the Sun Princess. * (Anor Londo) Optional: Kill Dark Sun Gwyndolin for some treasure and his soul. Lady of the Darkling will now be aggressive and attack you on sight - the bonfire will be permanently disabled once you kill her. Killing her will yield a Firekeeper's Soul. * (Chamber of the Princess) Optional: Kill Gwynevere to permanently darken Anor Londo. All Giants (save for the Giant Blacksmith), Winged Demons and Silver Knights will vanish for that playthrough. Lady of the Darkling will move near the large, moving staircase. You'll be able to continue using her bonfire as long as you do not kill her. If you are Human, you will always be open to invasions despite the boss being dead. Two non-respawning Undead warriors will wait for you in the central hall. * (Anor Londo) You can gain access to the Painted World of Ariamis by touching the massive painting in the large cathedral that is being guarded by the Painting Guardians. * (Painted World of Ariamis) The Dark Ember found here can be traded to Andrei of Astora for some short dialogue. * (Painted World of Ariamis) If you are Human, King Jeremiah will invade you if you trespass on the graveyard with the swords/spears. Drops Humanities and a Notched Whip. * (Painted World of Ariamis) Crossbreed Priscilla will have some short dialogue. Destroy her tail for Priscilla's Dagger. If you've killed King Jeremiah earlier, you can find his corpse on the left side shortly before the exit, containing his peculiar armor set. * (Firelink Shrine) Speak to Siegmeyer and answer "Yes." - he will reward you with the Emit Force miracle. * (Firelink Shrine) Speaking to Frampt will offer new dialogue, but beware: if you place the Lordvessel with his help, Darkstalker Kaathe and the Darkwraith covenant will be unavailable for this playthrough. On the other hand, you can keep using Frampt's services and Anastacia will have some more dialogue. **I'll assume from here on out you want access to the Darkwraith covenant.** * (Darkroot Garden Post-Gate) There are 3 Forest Hunter NPCs who do not respawn: two Undead Warriors with Fog Rings and Pharis. Killing Pharis will yield Humanities, Black Bow of Pharis and Pharis's Hat. * (Darkroot Garden Post-Gate) Speak to Alvina for some dialogue. Join her Covenant - slaying 3 foes by using the Cat Covenant Ring will reward you with a Divine Blessing and the Ring of Fog. You can now also speak to Shiva of the East right outside the building for some dialogue. Note that this is the first opportunity to kill his Ninja bodyguard for the Darkwood Grain Ring. You can safely pull the Ninja without aggroing Shiva by using a ranged weapon. (**Not yet recommended.**) * (Blighttown) If you've joined the Forest Hunter covenant, you can now find Shiva of the East beneath the wooden structure that offers a way back to the surface. He offers some dialogue, sells a unique selection of rare weapons and a ring. Learn his Gesture. Note that this is the second opportunity to kill his Ninja bodyguard for the Darkwood Grain Ring. Doing this will result in expulsion from the Covenant, though. If you fail to kill him by dying, Shiva and his Bodyguard will move back to Darkroot Forest. You can pull the Ninja pretty easily there, without aggroing Shiva. You can force this without dying by simply running away or using a Homeward bone, in case you don't want to deal with Shiva. * (Blighttown) Optional: Kill the Hollow Laurentius of the Great Swamp if you haven't already. * (Blighttown) Speak to Siegmeyer of Catarina near the large gnarly tree. Trade him 3 Purple Moss Clumps for a Pierce shield. * (Blighttown) Proceed to run up the ramp of the large tree. To the left of the corpse inside, you can reveal a path by hitting an illusory wall. Right behind the chest within that hallway, another illusory wall obscures the path to the Great Hollow. * (The Great Hollow) Make sure to pick up the Cloranthy Ring that requires you to roll into a hollow tree stump from atop the walkway. The Great Hollow also houses the largest amount of Crystal Lizards of any area - quitting and reloading is practically mandatory if you wish to hunt them all. * (Ash Lake) Speak to the immortal dragon to join the Covenant "Path of the Dragon" for the Dragon Eye and Dragon Head Stone. Trading 30 Dragon Scales will reward you with the Dragon Torso Stone. If you cut off the immortal dragon's tail (no repercussions whatsoever), you will receive the Dragon Greatsword. * (Darkroot Garden Post-Gate) If you trade the Enchanted Ember found here to Rickert of Vinheim, he'll offer some extra dialogue. * (Darkroot Garden Post-Gate) **Note that this is only available if you've completed the AotA/PtD storyline, which *requires* you to have placed the Lordvessel to access The Duke's Archives (solo or via Frampt) - this means you cannot side with Kaathe if you wish to see this scene!** Triggering the boss battle with Sif will yield an alternate scene where she acknowledges you with profound sadness due to past events. * (New Londo Ruins) Rickert of Vinheim will offer some blacksmith services and some dialogue. * (New Londo Ruins) Ingward will give you the key to the seal, offer some services as well as some dialogue. After you defeat the Four Kings, he will move to Firelink Shrine. * (New Londo Ruins) Trading the Very Large Ember you can find here to Andrei of Astora, will get you another tidbit of dialogue. * (New Londo Ruins) If you are Human, you can summon Witch Beatrice right before the fog gate that leads to the Four Kings. After defeating the Four Kings, you can find her corpse along with her belongings in the Valley of the Drakes, along a cliff (on the Firelink/Blighttown side). * (The Abyss) Darkstalker Kaathe will offer some dialogue. If you place the Lordvessel using him, he will also offer you access to the "Darkwraith" Covenant. **Note that this will cause Kingseeker Frampt to leave the next time you meet him.** If you join, you'll be rewarded with a Dark Hand, and you can buy Cracked Red Eye Orbs. If you offer him 10 Humanity, you'll receive a Red Eye Orb. Offer him a total of 30 Humanity, and you'll receive a full set of Dark(wraith) Armor, as well as a Darksword. * (Sunlight Altar/Undead Parish) You can find Solaire of Astora here. Talk to him for some dialogue. * (The Duke's Archives) Kill the dormant Crystal Golem for the Broken Pendant. This will unlock access to the DLC areas. * (The Duke's Archives) If you bought all of Reah's miracles and she left Undead Parish, you'll now be able to find her in a prison cell, hollowed. Killing her will yield her Ivory talisman and Humanity. * (The Duke's Archives) If you listen closely, you can hear two of the Pisaca (the tentacle monsters) quietly sobbing. Killing them yields the Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight miracles. * (The Duke's Archives) Speak to Big Hat Logan, who was imprisoned yet again for some short dialogue. * (The Duke's Archives) Free Big Hat Logan using the key found in the library. He will then move to said library. You can speak to him there for some dialogue and Sorcery services. * (The Duke's Archives) To obtain Avelyn, follow these steps: Kill all archers and the Channeler in the first room of the Archives. Then proceed to the moving staircase right above Avelyn. Take a look at where the bookshelf with Avelyn is located. Move the staircase so that you can go to the side of the balcony that is *closest* to Avelyn. Move to the balcony and then back on to the staircase. Use the lever to activate the staircase, and once it has stopped moving, quit and reload. You should now be back on the balcony. You can simply run forward to safely drop on to the bookshelf with Avelyn. * (The Duke's Archives) If you bring the Crystal Ember found here to the Giant Blacksmith, you'll get some dialogue. * (The Duke's Archives - Outside) Defeat the Golden Golem to release Sieglinde of Catarina for some dialogue. * (Crystal Cave) Cut off Seath the Scaleless's tail to receive the Moonlight Greatsword. * (The Duke's Archives) After having defeated Seath, go back to Big Hat Logan and buy up **all** of his remaining spells. Speak to him some more, then quit and reload. He should have vanished now (if not, warp to another area and then back). Now back all the way to where you first fought Seath the Scaleless (where you could not damage him). You'll find Logan in a Hollowed state. Grant him mercy, then pick up his Tin Crystallization Catalyst and White Dragon Breath Sorcery. * (The Duke's Archives) In the same room where you fought Logan, you'll find a prominent chest with the Large Magic Ember. Deliver it to Rickert of Vinheim for some dialogue. * (Firelink Shrine) Speak to Sieglinde of Catarina for some dialogue - tell her that you *did* see her father. ("Yes") * (Demon Ruins) If you are Human, Kirk, Knight of Thorns will invade you when you are at the cliffside. Potential drops are the same as before. * (Demon Ruins) The Large Flame Ember can be traded to Vamos for some dialogue. * (Demon Ruins) Optional (**Recommended**): If you've successfully attained (or retained) the Chaos Servant +2 rank, you can now open the shortcut leading to Lost Izalith. If you do so, **make sure you kill the Sunlight Maggot with the glowing red head** - it will drop the Sunlight Maggot helmet (pick it up!). To be safe, kill all the other Maggots, as well. **Note that if you don't open the shortcut and obtain the Sunlight Maggot, Solaire will turn Hollow the moment you enter Lost Izalith - this cannot be reverted. However, this will also provide certain closure to his storyline and you will receive his armor set and his Sunlight talisman for killing him. Alternatively, if you do not wish to open the shortcut, you may use Poison Mist or Toxic Mist to kill the Sunlight Maggots through the stone gate, preventing Solaire from going insane. Note that while the helmet drop will be available even if you go all the way around through Lost Izalith, it will be lost if you die at any point inbetween. Also, there is a chance that you might not successfully hit and kill the correct Sunlight Maggot as there is no way of visually confirming its death without opening the shortcut.** * (Demon Ruins) If you are Human, you can summon Solaire of Astora for the boss fight against the Centipede Demon. * (Demon Ruins) With the Charred Orange Ring in hand, you can now collect the Chaos Flame Ember, which you can trade to Vamos for yet more dialogue. * (Lost Izalith - Normal Entrance) You can find Solaire of Astora near the bonfire here for some short dialogue. * (Lost Izalith) If you are Human, Kirk, Knight of Thorns will invade near the fog gate leading to the boss. Same potential drops as before. * (Lost Izalith) You will find Siegmeyer of Catarina at the Chaos Eater pit, dozing off yet again. You now have several options to continue his questline: 1. Defeat all but 1 Chaos Eater (the fifth one in the hallway does **not** count), then speak to him repeatedly until he jumps down to kick some butt. Assist him if needed (make sure he ends up with *more* than 50% Health left), then speak to him until he dozes off again. Go to *Firelink Shrine* and speak to Sieglinde of Catarina - answer "Yes.", you did see him. Proceed to *Ash Lake* Near the first bonfire, you will find Sieglinde and Siegmeyer. Speak to Sieglinde to be rewarded with a Titanite Slab. (**True Ending**) 2. See the above, except that he ends up with less than 50% Health. He will commit suicide - just loot him afterwards. 3. Kill all four Chaos Eaters before speaking to him. After the deed is done, talk to him and he'll reward you with the Speckled Stoneplate Ring. (**"Happy" Ending**) 4. Kill him for his Speckled Stoneplate Ring and delicious Humanity. (**Not recommended.**) * (Demon Ruins/Izalith Shortcut) You'll be able to find Solaire sitting here in the hallway, talk to him for some dialogue. May require more zoning or quitting/reloading. * (Quelaag's Domain) You will be able to find the corpse of Kirk, Knight of Thorns, laying against the wall near Quelaan, containing his full armor set. * (Tomb of the Giants) *I assume you've already been here before.* In a pit with Giant Skeletons, you'll find a Large Divine Ember. Return with it to Andrei of Astora, and you'll get some short dialogue. * (Tomb of the Giants) If you are Human, Paladin Leeroy will invade you shortly after reaching the lit part of the Tomb. He'll drop Humanity, Grant and Sanctus. * (Tomb of the Giants) After defeating Nito, quit your game and reload. You'll be able to find Paladin Leeroy's corpse along with his Paladin armor in a corner. * (Firelink Shrine) Patches will now have moved to Firelink Shrine after Nito's defeat. He'll offer some insight on many other NPCs and sell some items. If you kill him, he will drop Humanity and his Crescent Axe (**Not recommended unless you've already bought everything and want to exact revenge.**) **DLC Content:** * (Sanctuary Garden) Destroy the Sanctuary Guardian's tail for a Guardian's Tail whip. * (Oolacile Sanctuary) Speak to Elizabeth for some dialogue. * (Sanctuary Garden) Return to the boss arena to meet 2 non-boss, respawning Sanctuary Guardians. You can try to get their tails, as well. * (Royal Wood) Speak to Marvellous Chester for some dialogue and shopping. * (Oolacile Township) After defeating Artorias, quit and reload (or move back and forth between areas). You'll find Lord's Blade Ciaran paying respects to Artorias in the former battle arena. Trade her Artorias' soul for her two weapons, Gold Tracer and Dark Silver Tracer. Alternatively, you can kill her to gain the aforementioned two weapons in addition to a full set of Lord's Blade armor (without losing Artorias' soul). * (Oolacile Township) If you are Human, Marvellous Chester will invade your world. No drops, but returning to him in Royal Woods will lead to some new dialogue. * (Oolacile Township) There's a message on the ground with the Knight icon that mentions light. Use the Skull Lantern, the Sunlight Maggot or a Light spell to reveal a hidden room with the Silver Pendant inside. * (Chasm of the Abyss) Follow Alvina's projected image and banish the illusory wall she leads you to. Defeat all the Humanity enemies to free Sif. You'll be rewarded with the Cleansing Greatshield. * (Chasm of the Abyss) If you are Human, you will be able to summon Sif to fight alongside you during your battle with Manus, Father of the Abyss. When you first drop into the arena, the sign will be to the left of you. Unlike normal signs, you just have to touch it once - no confirmation dialogue is necessary. * (Chasm of the Abyss) Killing Dusk here will yield nothing. But if you return to the Oolacile Sanctuary, Elizabeth will have vanished, leaving behind 3 Elizabeth's mushrooms (**Not recommended.**) * (Oolacile Township) With the Crest Key from the Oolacile Township Dungeon in hand, you can open the door that leads to the tower where Hawkeye Gough is imprisoned. If you've met Kalameet before, he will offer to shoot him for you so you may defeat him in battle. You'll have to talk to him a second time in case you've met him only after meeting Kalameet. * (Royal Woods) Destroy Kalameet's tail for the Obsidian Greatsword. This is very difficult - I recommend enlisting Phantom support. * (Oolacile Township) Return to Hawkeye Gough and talk to him for a bit - he'll reward you with his Greatbow. * (Oolacile Township) Optional: You may kill Hawkeye Gough for his armor set. * (Oolacile Sanctuary) Return to Elizabeth for some dialogue and 3 Elizabeth's mushrooms. Note that you may kill her at any point in time before or after beating Manus (without talking) and you will still receive the 3 mushrooms. * (Darkroot Basin) Summon Dusk once more and talk to her for some closing dialogue. **End of the DLC Content.** * (Kiln of the First Flame) If you've successfully prevented Solaire from picking up the Sunlight Maggot, you will now be able to summon him for the battle against Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. His summoning sign is to the left right after the bridge section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2012 André Fobbe (Rhayve)Spread the love
“They’re going to have to take him from my cold, dead hands before they get a hold of him“
Moreauville, Louisiana – A town in Louisiana has recently voted to ban all Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, calling them “vicious breeds” of dogs. Current owners of these specific breeds have just one more month to either move out of town, or hand their family pet over to the government to be killed.
While there has traditionally been heavy debate over larger breeds of dogs, in recent years the debate has began to die down, because an overwhelming majority of people now agree that like humans, a dog’s temperament and personality are largely based on their upbringing and life experiences.
Sadly, town officials in Moreauville, Louisiana are stuck in a very immature state of mind where they are basically prejudice against breeds of dogs.
Dog owners were notified of the recent ordinance by mail, in a letter which stated that the dogs will be taken away by the local government and killed on December 1st.
The letter reads:
TO ALL PITT BULL AND ROTTWEILER OWNERS: PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT THE VILLAGE OF MOREAUVILLE IS ENFORCING THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED ON OCTOBER 13TH, 2014 THAT BANS PITT BULLS AND ROTTWEILERS WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF MOREAUVILLE, LA. YOU ARE HEREBY GIVEN NOTICE THAT YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 1, 2014 TO REMOVE YOUR PITT BULLS OR ROTTWEILERS FROM YOUR PREMISES. IF YOUR PITT BULLS OR ROTTWEILERS ARE NOT REMOVED BY THIS DATE, YOUR ANIMALS WILL BE IMPOUNDED AND TRANSPORTED TO A VETERINARY CLINIC FOR FURTHER DISPOSITION. YOU WILL ALSO BE FINED FOR VIOLATING THE ORDINANCE.
KALB News channel 5 asked town official Penn Lemoine why the ordinance was put into place, and if there were any documented dog attacks in the area to justify the recent decision. Lemoine responded by saying that there were dog attacks, but they were not documented, and he claimed that these specific breeds of dogs were running the street, and frightening neighbors.
“We had several residents that were complaining about not being able to walk along the neighborhoods because these dogs were basically running along town,” Lemoine said.
When asked about the “disposing” of the dogs, Lemoine attempted to dodge the question saying “I’d rather not elaborate on that.”
When pressed further about whether or not the government was going to be killing the animals, Lemoine finally admitted “If that’s what the ordinance says, then that’s what it says.”
Some local residents are refusing to go along with the new ordinance, and have promised not to back down easily.
“They’re going to have to take him from my cold, dead hands before they get a hold of him,” Pit Bull owner O’hara Owens said.
Brooke Buford of the local NBC News affiliate reports:
O’Hara Owens is trying to spend as much time as she can with her beloved pit bull, Zeus, before the village she lives in promises to take him away from her and dispose of him on December 1. “If anything ever happened to him, I would just shut down,” she said. O’Hara suffers from severe neck problems and has been forced to wear a halo brace and use a wheelchair. She says Zeus acts as a sort of “therapy dog,” providing love and support for her and her other brothers and sisters. “I can sit here if I’m in pain, he comes and he notices it before I even make any noise,” she said. But, Zeus has been blacklisted as a “vicious” breed in Moreauville.
The Owens family has also started a petition which hopes to overturn the ordinance.
If you are interested in signing the petition, please visit this link.
John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work he is also the owner of a successful music promotion company. In 2013, he became one of the organizers of the Free Your Mind Conference, which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com.Now any Python duct-taper integrate-anything junkie like me has a need to schedule their things (in production) every once in awhile. Usually this is not a problem - Unix / Linux cron jobs handle this nicely - but for a client or job that runs on a Windows server - the built-in "Scheduled Tasks" just never really cut it for me - in fact, I've always though that it was pretty Mickey-Mouse and not super reliable (just my opinion - don't flame me, you wily Windows Dudes - I know that there are 1,000 ways to skin a cat, here's mine!)...
It honestly gave me the creeps to put production stuff on there that NEEDED to be run every X minutes, hours, etc. Besides, making a batch file to fire off a python scripts feels so... well, unpolished - and pretty much of a lazy hack that made it into prod...
Disclaimer: Hey, I love hacks - they make the IT world go around, but I don't like delivering shit to clients that have loose feeling triggers like that. Especially, if some smart ass IT dickface (who COULDN'T pull off what I did, or else I wouldn't have been paid to do it) is going to dig into them one day and bad mouth me about it (rightfully so). Besides, I'll find you! :)
Enough blather - here is the whole script. Modify and distribute where you see fit - parts of it were written by others that I can't recall (so if its you - please accept my apology and an expired gift card).
### Run Python scripts as a service example (ryrobes.com)
### Usage : python aservice.py install (or / then start, stop, remove)
import win32service
import win32serviceutil
import win32api
import win32con
import win32event
import win32evtlogutil
import os, sys, string, time
class aservice ( win32serviceutil. ServiceFramework ) :
_svc_name_ = "MyServiceShortName"
_svc_display_name_ = "My Serivce Long Fancy Name!"
_svc_description_ = "THis is what my crazy little service does - aka a DESCRIPTION! WHoa!"
def __init__ ( self, args ) :
win32serviceutil. ServiceFramework. __init__ ( self, args )
self. hWaitStop = win32event. CreateEvent ( None, 0, 0, None )
def SvcStop ( self ) :
self. ReportServiceStatus ( win32service. SERVICE_STOP_PENDING )
win32event. SetEvent ( self. hWaitStop )
def SvcDoRun ( self ) :
import servicemanager
servicemanager. LogMsg ( servicemanager. EVENTLOG_INFORMATION_TYPE, servicemanager. PYS_SERVICE_STARTED, ( self._svc_name_, '' ) )
#self.timeout = 640000 #640 seconds / 10 minutes (value is in milliseconds)
self. timeout = 120000 #120 seconds / 2 minutes
# This is how long the service will wait to run / refresh itself (see script below)
while 1 :
# Wait for service stop signal, if I timeout, loop again
rc = win32event. WaitForSingleObject ( self. hWaitStop, self. timeout )
# Check to see if self.hWaitStop happened
if rc == win32event. WAIT_OBJECT_0 :
# Stop signal encountered
servicemanager. LogInfoMsg ( "SomeShortNameVersion - STOPPED!" ) #For Event Log
break
else :
#Ok, here's the real money shot right here.
#[actual service code between rests]
try :
file_path = "C: \w hereever \m y_REAL_py_work_to_be_done.py"
execfile ( file_path ) #Execute the script
inc_file_path2 = "C: \w hereever \M ORE_REAL_py_work_to_be_done.py"
execfile ( inc_file_path2 ) #Execute the script
except :
pass
#[actual service code between rests]
def ctrlHandler ( ctrlType ) :
return True
if __name__ == '__main__' :
win32api. SetConsoleCtrlHandler ( ctrlHandler, True )
win32serviceutil. HandleCommandLine ( aservice )
# Done! Lets go out and get some dinner, bitches!
As you can see |
Yemen’s Houthi rebellion to Beijing in November 2016 is also likely to have raised suspicions about China’s intentions in Yemen’s civil war given the diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Saudi Arabia is determined to reverse Houthi gains through military action and reassert its influence in Yemen while China has advocated for a peaceful resolution of the conflict (Middle East Observer [Stockholm], December 3, 2016; al-Araby al-Jadeed [London], December 1, 2016). China’s continued support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria represents another potential concern given Saudi Arabia’s support of efforts to topple the Ba’athist regime. During an August 2016 meeting with Syrian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister General Fahd Jasim al-Furayj in Damascus, Chinese Rear Admiral Guan Youfei reaffirmed China’s support for the Ba’athist regime and relayed a commitment to increase Sino-Syrian military cooperation. Youfei also conveyed China’s concerns about the prevalence of Chinese and other ethnic Uighur militants associated with the al-Qaeda-affiliated Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) who have joined the most radical factions within the Syrian insurgency (Diplomat [Tokyo], January 27; South China Morning Post [Hong Kong], August 16, 2016). TIP is implicated in a host of attacks in China’s Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Province and beyond.
Security Affairs
Unlike its energy, economic, and diplomatic aspects, the security dimension of China’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has received less scrutiny. Historically, the security dimension in Sino-Saudi relations has been quite limited. The extent of Sino-Saudi security relations is generally attributed to Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of China’s Dongfeng-3 (DF-3; NATO CSS-2 [“East Wind”]) nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) in the late 1980s (China Brief, October 24, 2002). The conclusion of the missile deal occurred prior to the 1990 establishment of formal diplomatic relations between both countries. Saudi Arabia is also known to have subsequently acquired DF-5 (CSS-5) intercontinental ballistic missiles from China. Saudi Arabia is also reported to have procured the yet more advanced DF-21 missile system in 2007, allegedly with U.S. approval (Middle East Institute, February 9, 2016; Nuclear Threat Initiative, August 2015; Defense-Update [Qadima], May 2, 2014; Diplomat, January 31, 2014). Saudi Arabia’s pursuit of Chinese ballistic missile platforms served to enhance the kingdom’s deterrent capacity against Iran, Iraq, and Israel after its requests for U.S. missile and other advanced defense systems were rejected. The Chinese-supplied missiles are operated by the Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force and are deployed in numerous locations, including the Al-Sulayyil Strategic Missile Base, southwest of the capital Riyadh. It is one of at least two missile bases reportedly constructed by China in the 1980s (ababiil.net [Yemen], July 1, 2015).
The security umbrella afforded by the longstanding U.S.-Saudi strategic relationship remains the foundation of the kingdom’s national security strategy. Saudi Arabia’s reliance on U.S. weapons platforms is further illustrative of its dependence on the United States. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest importer of weapons, having surpassed India in 2014 as the single-largest arms importer overall. The kingdom is also the single-largest importer of U.S. defense systems (SIPRI, February 2016). Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated at least a passing interest in purchasing additional Chinese defense systems, including the jointly produced Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 fighter (The News International [Karachi], November 17, 2016). Saudi Arabia is also reported to have reached a deal with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) for the purchase of a number of medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations as well as targeted strikes (Arab News [Jeddah], September 1, 2016). Saudi Arabia is also rumored to have expressed an interest in potentially developing a submarine with Chinese assistance (Tactical Report [Mansourieh], September 2, 2016).
President Xi’s January 2016 visit to Saudi Arabia yielded a commitment from both sides to increase bilateral security cooperation, especially in the counterterrorism arena (Xinhua, January 20, 2016). A delegation led by Meng Jianzhu, a special envoy of Xi’s, traveled to Riyadh in November 2016 to meet with King Abdulaziz to discuss a range of security issues. Both sides announced a commitment to forge a five-year plan to increase bilateral security cooperation (Arab News, November 7, 2016; Middle East Observer, November 7, 2016). Jiazhu’s visit followed a milestone in Sino-Saudi security relations. China and Saudi Arabia staged their first joint counterterrorism exercise in October 2016. Dubbed “Exploration 2016,” the exercise was held over a fifteen-day period in China’s southwestern city of Chongqing. The exercise featured Special Forces units attached to the Royal Saudi Land Forces and their People’s Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts. The exercises, which featured two 25-member contingents representing both countries, were designed to improve the respective capacities of both countries to conduct counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and other complex operations (South China Morning Post, October 27, 2016; Asharq Al-Awsat, October 27, 2016; Asharq Al-Awsat, October 23, 2016).
Looming Risks
A snapshot of Saudi Arabia’s geopolitical picture reveals some of the risks China faces as its engagement with the kingdom grows. Despite its autocratic character, Saudi Arabia has been spared the wave of upheaval witnessed elsewhere in the Arab world. Even as it confronts a domestic terrorist challenge in the form of a resilient al-Qaeda and self-anointed Islamic State, heightened sectarian tensions, and growing displays of popular dissent, Saudi Arabia has managed to present an image of constancy. Its reality is far more complex. Saudi Arabia is beset with a litany of challenges to its domestic security, political stability, economic viability, and regional standing. The fall of oil prices has undermined the kingdom. The removal of a number a number of economic sanctions levied against Iran following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement has helped facilitate the steady return of Saudi Arabia’s archrival into energy markets. The growth of the U.S. shale industry has likewise helped to chip away at the kingdom’s comparative advantage in the oil sector. In a measure designed to help bolster oil prices, Saudi Arabia helped the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries reach an agreement to slash production, but any short-lived increases in the price of oil are not likely to offset the kingdom’s many structural challenges (Economist [London], December 3, 2016). Given the blows to China’s interests in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and other Arab countries beset by instability in recent years, the potential destabilization of Saudi Arabia would have major repercussions for Chinese interests. Saudi Arabia’s problems extend to the foreign policy front. Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen has been disastrous. Saudi Arabia has also failed to achieve its objectives in Syria and other fronts. Despite its official repudiation of extremism, Saudi Arabia remains the ideological wellspring of the austere Wahhabist and Salafist philosophies that have helped to nurture violent radical Islamist currents worldwide. This includes ideological movements that have helped spawn extremists in China or are otherwise targeting Chinese interests abroad.
Conclusion
While Sino-Saudi relations will continue to flourish, the kingdom’s precarious geopolitical predicament exposes China to multiple energy and economic risks. The security facets of the bilateral relationship will likely draw the most attention, although are no indications that they will exceed its energy, economic, and diplomatic facets even as the kingdom is likely to invite closer security cooperation. Despite its impressive inroads, China is in no position to displace or otherwise categorically offset U.S. influence in Saudi Arabia or the wider Middle East. Just as important, there are no indications to suggest that China has its sights set on overtaking the United States as the region’s dominant military actor. Saudi Arabia remains a critical member of an entrenched U.S. regional alliance network, a reality that is not likely to have been lost in Beijing. At the same time, China’s rising influence in the Middle East does provide it with tangible strategic advantages, including crucial leverage that could be brought to bear over the United States in a future crisis in the South China Sea or other possible friction points in Asia or elsewhere down the line.
Chris Zambelis is a Senior Analyst specializing in Middle East affairs for Helios Global, Inc., a risk management group based in the Washington, D.C. area. He is also the director of World Trends Watch, Helios Global’s geopolitical practice area. The opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of Helios Global, Inc.Fox News psychiatrist Keith Ablow has jumped the shark with his latest column. The guy was never exactly a model of rational thinking - what with his diagnosing of Vice President Joe Biden without benefit of examination, his likening President Barack Obama to a wife beater and Psy's Gangnam Style video to a narcotic. But Ablow's latest column on FoxNews.com in which he accuses President Obama of engaging in a "black ops" psychological warfare against Americans is so off the wall that Fox really ought to consider committing him. Right after they dump him.
Ablow starts off crazy in the column:
I believe that the Obama administration is conducting psychological warfare on conservative Americans. Not only that but it is also waging this war on all Americans who previously viewed themselves, their country, their Constitution and their overwhelming belief in God as a force for good in the world.
And then gets crazier: Ablow goes on to suggest that President and Mrs. Obama deliberately and "malignant(ly)" planted "the seeds of self-hatred and self-doubt" in Americans.
Psychological warfare has been described as a set of techniques aimed at influencing a target audience’s value systems or beliefs and inducing confessions of wrongdoing or attitudes favorable to the group proffering the techniques. The techniques are often combined with black ops strategy, in which covert initiatives seek to dispirit, disempower and confuse adversaries. The psychological warfare has continued, I believe, with other opportunities the president has had to make American’s question their individual freedoms and autonomy.
Ablow cites as examples of the "black ops" strategy the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and the IRS controversy. Then, he gets to the cream of the crazy with this assessment of the attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya:
Seen through the lens of psychological warfare, the failure to defend our embassy in Benghazi need not be understood simply as a screw-up. It could reflect an actual strategy on the part of the administration to reinforce the notion that homicidal violence born of hatred toward America is understandable—even condonable—because we have generated it ourselves and are reaping the harvest of ill will we have sown. In other words, we should take our punishment....(This) may disclose not just incompetence and may not just be evidence of a cover-up, but may be evidence of exactly what I am theorizing here: that the president, with the help of his administration, is attempting to conduct psychological warfare on Americans who value autonomy and free will and free markets and small government, by convincing them that they are wrong-minded, prejudiced and pathological and should deeply question their beliefs—including some ensconced in the Constitution.
Mark, at NewsCorpse sums up the lunacy:After all of the games this past weekend, here’s where the Riverhounds, now in a tie with idle Bethlehem, their next opponent, stand in the playoff race for the final spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Hounds (35 points), after a 1-1 draw vs Rochester on Saturday, have four games remaining, starting with a match against Bethlehem Steel FC, who they’re tied with, on Sunday, September 24 at Lehigh University.
PAST WEEKEND UPDATES:
FC Cincinnati beat NY Red Bulls II, 4-1, before a USL-record crowd of more than 30,000 fans in its last home game of the season to jump forward in the standings. FCC will close out its season with the last four games on the road.
Orlando City B currently have a tenuous hold on the eighth and final playoff spot after a 2-0 loss on the road to Saint Louis, who suddenly are only one point behind Pittsburgh. According to Mane Land, OCB has lost a number of key players, many who are now with Orlando City’s first team.
Bethlehem Steel FC earned a 2-2 draw against front-running Louisville City FC on Friday. Now tied with the Hounds, the teams will play for the third, and final, time this season in a game that may swing things either way if there’s a victor. Bethlehem has not won since August 13, when beating last place Toronto FC II. With Steel FC owning two games in hand over the Hounds, it will be imperative that the Hounds pick up a positive road result.
SEVEN TEAMS FOR FINAL THREE PLAYOFF SPOTS:
In summary, here’s how it looks for the seven teams battling for the last three playoff spots:
6. FC Cincinnati – 39 points, four games remaining: at St. Louis (Sept 23), at Charlotte (Sept 29), at Ottawa (Oct 8), at TFCII (Oct 14).
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – all road games remaining for a team that has not fared well on the road this season. Still, if you take out Charlotte, I’d day they pick up a win and two draws (5 points) in at least two out of three of those matches, bringing them to 44 points.
7. NY Red Bulls – 38 points, four games remaining: vs Pittsburgh (Sept 30), at Tampa Bay (Oct 4), at OCB (Oct 7), at Rochester (Oct 14).
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – like FCC, NYRBII finish with three straight road games. Having been very up and down this year as well, and defensively vulnerable, I don’t see that changing very much. I say they’re good for a win, a draw and two losses — bringing them to 42 points.
8. Orlando City B – 36 points, four games remaining: vs Charleston (Sept 23), at Richmond (Oct 1), vs NYRBII (Oct 7), Tampa Bay (Oct 12)
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – having lost some very important players to the Lions’ first team, it will be tough for them to repeat the level of play during 12-game unbeaten string. But, such is life for an MLS-owned team in the USL. Richmond has been playing better, Charleston will be playing to stay in top four and NYRBII and Tampa for playoff positioning makes for a very tough schedule down stretch. I’m going to say they draw twice and lose the other two — stumbling in for a 38 point finish.
9. Bethlehem Steel FC (35 points, six games remaining: vs Pittsburgh (Sept 24), vs Tampa Bay (Sept 27), at Tampa Bay (Sept 30), at TFCII (Oct 6), at Rochester (Oct 10), vs STLFC (Oct 15).
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – Steel FC have to be encouraged by last week’s 2-2 draw vs Lou City despite riding a six-game winless streak. Match vs Pgh will be very important for both sides. Then they have a home-home vs Tampa Bay, then finish with three games in an eight-day stretch. I’m going to give them wins over Tampa Bay at home, at TFCII and at home vs STLFC on last day of season (9 pts!) — and draws vs Hounds and road losses at Tampa and Rochester, which has them finishing with 45 points.
10. Pittsburgh Riverhounds -35 points, four games remaining: at Bethlehem (Sept. 24), at NY Red Bulls II (Sept. 30), vs Rochester (Oct. 7), vs Ottawa (Oct. 14).
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – the match versus Bethlehem is super critical in the race for the Hounds. I think the Red Bulls II game could be a dandy — and another high scoring affair (six or seven goals!) — and another dog-fight vs Rochester at home and then probably a must win vs Ottawa to close out season at home should be a win. Conservative outlook tells me they draw the next three, then win in home finale vs Ottawa. Though, with one road win in the next two (at Bethlehem or at NYRBII) — and four points in the final two at home vs Rochester/Ottawa likely gets them in. But my projections have them with 41 points.
11. Saint Louis FC (34 points, four games remaining:
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – Preki always seems to have flair for the dramatics and this team has shown plenty of fight this season. That being said, prior to beating struggling OCB, they had gone winless in four games going back to a 2-1 win over Tulsa. They are home to Cincy and Richmond, and travel to Harrisburg and Bethlehem. I’ll say they pick up four points at home (draw FCC, beat Richmond), and three on the road (beat Harrisburg, lose to Steel FC), and they finish with 41 points.
12. Ottawa Fury (32 points, five games remaining:
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast – this is another team that hasn’t won since Aug. 12, a surprising 3-0 win over 2nd place Charlotte. They travel to Harrisburg this week, then host Charleston and Cincy before a season finale here in Pittsburgh on Oct. 14. With a lot to play for, I believe they draw Harrisburg on road, split with Charleston and Cincy, and lose at Pittsburgh in the finale — good for five more points — giving them 37 for the season.
PghSoccerScribe’s Forecast Projections:
Of course, I’ve been known to be wrong (many times) before, and that’s why they play the games, because anything can happen.
It should be a fun final four weeks!
If you combine my forecast totals, here’s my projections.
6. Bethlehem Steel FC – 45 points
7. Cincinnati – 44 points
8. NY Red Bulls II – 42 points
9. Pittsburgh Riverhounds – 41 points
10. St. Louis FC – 41 points
11. Orlando City B – 38 points
12. Ottawa Fury – 37 points
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RelatedIt was recently announced that the Director Jose Padilha ( Elite Squad ) is to direct a reboot of the Robocop franchise. I am a huge fan of the Verhoven classic and welcome this reboot with open arms, in the hands of Jose Padilha I amm sure it will be fanastic. Inspired by this news I set about creating a homage to the classic itself.This is by far the largest image Ive done, in terms of time/ content and indeed file size 10300 x 5050 pixels. Approx 60 hours to complete. The image is all about setting the scene and composing a strong mood, one significatley different than any of the previous incarnations of the franchise. Iv re-designed the look and feel of Ed-209 ( giving a harder edge and miltary feel, cops, riot police, punks. Going for a much more gritty, visualy violent and manic feel overall. When it came to Robocp himself, I played around with sleek designs ( but sleek to me, felt too much like IronMan so I dropped that idea), massive mech vesions and so on. I settled with a throw back to the original but with much more outer machanical elements, as a bare bones, hardend, military machine.Iv purposely left the helmet off in this version, I wanted the human face to balance the added mass of machine. I may do another version later, with the helmet and play around with some more design elements.thanksLarger versionClose ups 01Close ups 02Close ups 03Jason Day has likened his emergence as golf's world number one to if Rory Mcllroy and Jordan Speith had a baby.
But day insists his new status as world number one 'doesn't feel like much' as he targets a fifth win in his last seven events to ensure it is not a brief stay at the top of the rankings.
Day overtook Rory McIlroy after winning the BMW Championship on Sunday, his second win in three FedEx Cup play-off tournaments and fifth of the year.
Jason Day is top of golf's world rankings, replacing Rory Mcllroy after winning the BMW Championship
Australian Day played down the significance of being world no 1, saying: 'To be honest it doesn't feel like much'
The 27-year-old is 101 under par for his last seven events, including a major championship record of 20 under in winning the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
However, with the top three of Day, McIlroy and Jordan Spieth separated by less than one ranking point, the Australian knows he will need to keep winning to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
'I know I have put the work in and have done so much to get to where I am, but to be honest it doesn't feel like much,' Day said of his ranking ahead of the Tour Championship.
'It's not like that one big shining moment or one big sense of relief that I've done it now.
Day pictured in his practice round ahead of the TOUR Championship By Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia
'It makes me a lot more hungrier to try and keep my position at number one because I want to try and extend it, but I am still the same guy as I was the week before I won and got to number one. I still feel the same.
'It's like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlory had a baby, and I was it.
'It's great to see my name up there, it's pretty cool to be the best player on the planet, but I understand that to be the best you have to win consistently so whatever I am doing right now, I need to keep doing that because that's my blueprint that has been working.'
The new world number one has said that he can't stop chasing wins and wants the $10million Fedex Cup prize
Any of the 29 players in the field in Atlanta - Jim Furyk has withdrawn with a wrist injury - can win the USD10million bonus for lifting the overall FedEx Cup title, but only the top five are assured of doing so by winning at East Lake.
Day, who could theoretically finish 28th and still claim the bonus, said: 'I wish it was the old format where I could cruise to a FedEx Cup win, that would have been nice. But now obviously the top five do control their destiny.
'Being number one does give me a better chance if I don't win the tournament but I am just trying to get to my eighth (career) win now. When I look at wins I've had, to me personally it feels low.
Day jokingly said it was like Rory Mcllroy (left) and Jordan Spieth (right) had a child and it was him
'That's what my mentality is with wins, I can't stop chasing them. I have to try and get as many as I can before my career is done and this week is a perfect opportunity to add to it because it is a smaller field.'
Day struggled to come up with ideas for what he would do with the $10million, but admitted it would be on his mind if he was in contention on the back nine on Sunday.
'It did in 2011 and I choked,' joked Day, who began the final round two off the lead but shot 71 to finish sixth.
Day, Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson are the players with their destiny in their own hands, Stenson seeking to win the FedEx Cup title for the second time in three years.
But this time the Ryder Cup star could do so without winning a single tournament all season, with joint third possibly good enough thanks to the way the points accumulated through the year are reset before the Tour Championship.
'You can be world number one without winning a tournament in a year and you can win the FedEx Cup or Race to Dubai or anything else without winning a tournament,' said Stenson, who has finished second, second and 10th in the play-off events.Image caption US troops have been packing up as their combat operation in Iraq officially ends
"This," a leading American supporter of President George W Bush wrote in a British newspaper back in February 2003, just before the invasion of Iraq, "is our imperial moment".
He went on to argue that the British had no right to criticise America for doing what they themselves had done so enthusiastically a century before.
But America's imperial moment did not last long. And now, seven years later, the US is criticised for just about everything that happens here.
Opinion is evenly divided between those who are glad to see the Americans go, and those who criticise them for leaving too soon and potentially laying Iraq open to fresh sectarian violence.
It is a pattern that every occupying power becomes used to. America, it seems, cannot do anything right - not even getting out.
Most of the arguments in favour of invading back in 2003 have come to nothing.
Many Iraqis welcomed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein - 50% regarded the invasion as a liberation, according to a BBC poll taken in 2004, while 50% regarded it as an occupation - but nowadays it is hard to find anyone who sees America as Iraq's friend and mentor.
Nor has the overthrow of Saddam Hussein led to a general domino effect towards democracy throughout the Middle East.
On the contrary, America's position in the Middle East has been visibly eroded.
Some of the things done by the American authorities in Iraq, based in the Green Zone in Baghdad, were sober, positive and practical.
Some have become a burden, for instance the constitution the Americans wished on Iraq, which makes it fiendishly hard to create a decent effective government.
Grotesque mismanagement
And because the Green Zone administration was thrown together in a huge hurry back in 2002-03, overseen by former Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld - a man with no interest in nation-building - some of what was done involved grotesque levels of corruption and mismanagement.
Image caption The toppling of Saddam Hussein failed to trigger any domino effect in the Middle East
Mr Rumsfeld was sent a careful, conscientious 900-page report by the state department containing detailed plans for the post-invasion period. He reportedly dumped it, unopened, straight into his waste-paper basket.
Iraqis, and some Americans, pile a good deal of the blame for what happened during this period on to Mr Rumsfeld's ally Paul Bremer, the temperamental pro-consul who often seemed unaware of what was going on right under his nose.
Former Vice-President Dick Cheney, when asked by the Saudi foreign minister why the US insisted on going ahead with the invasion, answered: "Because it's do-able."
But the problem began even higher up.
A respected Iraqi dissident, who later became vice-president, has described how shocked he was to find, a few weeks before the invasion, that President Bush seemed wholly unaware that Muslims in Iraq were divided between Shia and Sunni Islam.
American generals seemed to despair of finding a solution to the growing insurgency.
Petraeus's luck
The US forces, contrary to all the basic rules of counter-insurgency, allowed the enemy to attack "Route Irish", the main road between Baghdad airport and the Green Zone, as and when it chose.
British soldiers, used to Northern Ireland, pointed out again and again that occasional nervous sorties in armoured vehicles were not the same as taking control of it.
Their American counterparts took no notice, and the situation grew worse.
It took an expert in counter-terrorism, Gen David Petraeus, to turn the situation around. Like most successful generals, he had luck on his side.
Gen Petraeus understood that insurgencies have a specific life-span, and he was fortunate enough to arrive in Baghdad at the time when the Iraqi insurgency was starting to wind down.
Sunni Muslims were increasingly sick of the violence that Sunni extremists were causing, and he encouraged the growth of Awakening Councils which enabled moderate Sunnis to rise up and deal with both Baathists and supporters of al-Qaeda.
The supply of people willing to become suicide bombers began to dwindle.
Gen Petraeus's tactics turned the tide. At the height of the violence something like 100 people were dying each day across the country from bombings and shootings.
Now the number killed in political violence has dropped to about 10 a day - unacceptable in a more peaceable society, but a great relief here.
Uncertain future
Yet many Iraqis fear that with the Americans no longer here in force, and the Iraqi army and police still lacking sufficient training, the violent extremists on both the Sunni and the Shia sides could start fighting again.
Great military powers run big risks by putting their strength to the test against weak-seeming opponents
Whatever happens here for the next decade, the Americans will get the blame - unless of course Iraq becomes peaceful and prosperous, in which case no-one will thank them.
That is the usual fate of an occupying force.
Vast numbers of people have died, the overwhelming majority of them Iraqi.
Unthinkably large amounts of money have been spent here, and yet Iraq has slipped far down the world's rich list.
Has the United States benefited? It is hard to see how.
As the British learned in the Boer War, and Russia learned by invading Afghanistan, great military powers run big risks by putting their strength to the test against weak-seeming opponents.
America seems to have shrunk as a direct result of its imperial adventure in Iraq.
It will have to work very hard to persuade the rest of the world that it is strong again.Whether standard white bread or an artisanal sourdough loaf is “healthier” depends on the microbes living in a person’s intestines, a new study suggests.
Averaging results from 20 people who ate white and whole wheat sourdough bread for one week each, researchers found no difference in people’s response to the breads, which includes changes in blood sugar levels. But when researchers examined each person individually, a different pattern emerged. Some people’s blood sugar levels climbed more after eating white bread compared with sourdough bread. For others, the opposite was true, the team reports June 6 in Cell Metabolism.
The results are part of a growing body of evidence that nutrition advice should be personalized. Previous work by the same group at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, showed that different people’s responses to eating a variety ofADAMA Traores hopes of playing for the Socceroos have been dashed with Football Federation Australia confirming that he is ineligible despite being on the verge of gaining his Australian citizenship.
The Melbourne Victory left back represented Ivory Coast at youth level, which under FIFA guidelines disqualifies him from playing for another country.
Traore had been pencilled in for a Socceroos call-up with FFA’s technical department having identified the 23-year-old as a potential solution to the left-back conundrum.
The silver lining for Victory fans is that Traore will be classed as a local once he receives his citizenship, freeing up a spot for another foreign import.
"Under current FIFA regulations, Adama Traore will not be eligible for the Socceroos upon becoming an Australian citizen due to his participation in official matches for the Ivory Coast youth national teams at a time when he did not have Australian citizenship,"an FFA spokesperson said.
"Once Adama obtains Australian citizenship, he will nonetheless be treated as an Australian player for the purposes of participation in the A-League under A-League Regulations."
It was a little known rule until it was revealed that then Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta’s hopes of playing for England were scuppered in 2010. Now at Arsenal, Arteta represented Spain at under 16 and 17 level.
It’s believed Traore represented Ivory Coast at U17, 19 and 21 level.
FFA technical director Han Berger said Traore had been discussed with coach Holger Osieck as a candidate for the role which has been filled by David Carney, Matt McKay, Michael Zullo, Jason Davidson and Aziz Behich since Scott Chipperfield’s retirement.
"We were hoping that he could play for Australia and that’s right (there were discussions). I don’t think it’s a secret that left back position is a difficult one as it is for many teams and countries and he’s still a young player,"Berger said.
"We were interested to see how he would develop when he was fit again and if he could get an Australian citizenship and passport. He would’ve been an interesting option for that difficult position."
Traore, who has already received his Australian residency and is now preparing to sit his citizenship test, told the Herald Sun last month that he had told Ivory Coast of his intention to represent Australia.
“I’ve got the residency so my lawyer is working on the citizenship and hopefully we can get the results very soon. I believe everything is going to be all right,"Traore said.
“I believe so (I am good enough), I trust myself and if I get the opportunity to play for Australia I will take it with both hands."Students that stay up late are more likely to have lower grades, says a new study. Many students take naps during the day and remain awake at night to chat, cram for exams, watch movies or party. Of course, these activities occur irregularly, disrupting their sleeping pattern too. Unfortunately, having an irregular pattern of sleep may lead to poor grades even if the individual spends sufficient time in bed later. This means that having a regular right time is as important as maintain constant sleep duration.
The study was published in the Journal of Scientific Reports on 12 June, 2017.
In this study, researchers grouped 61 undergraduates into two groups (by asking them to keep a diary of sleep pattern over 30 days): regular sleepers (those who slept and woke up at consistent times) and irregular sleepers (those who kept changing their sleep and wake schedule). While the regular sleepers spent most of the night in bed, the irregular sleepers were often awake between 10pm and 6am, and took several naps during the day. Therefore, there was no difference between the two groups in the total time spent sleeping within a 24 hour period.
The result? Undergraduates who didn’t go to bed or wake up at consistent times of the day were more likely to have lower grades.
Most people are aware of the impact of sleep debt or insufficient sleep on performance, concentration and so on.
However, not having a regular sleeping schedule may have a negative impact too. According to CNN, the lead author of the study, Andrew Philips, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School said:
Our body contains a circadian clock, which helps to keep time for many biological functions,” he said. “One of the key markers of the circadian clock is melatonin. Usually, at nighttime, our circadian clock sends a signal that tells us to release melatonin overnight.
Is this study suggesting that everyone should go to bed at same time? Not at all! Rather, it highlights the importance of sleeping at consistent times. For instance, you may choose to go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 5am. Someone else may sleep from 10pm to 6pm. The point is schedule sleep and wake times and stick to it.
Have a Regular Pattern of going to bed
Do you endeavor to go to bed at about the same time every night? Having a consistent bedtime facilitates the onset of sleep and ensures you sleep long enough to be fully refreshed. This is because your body regulates its internal clock based on the time you go to bed and daylight hours among other factors. So, not having a regular schedule sends confusing signals to the body. As a result, you may find yourself struggling to stay awake or dozing off at odd times of the day or night.
Depending on your circumstances, you may find it easier to maintain consistent bedtimes during the week. However, are you tempted to spend more time in bed on weekends and holidays when you are not likely under pressure? Although, this may be a way of making up for inadequate sleep during the week, it may also contribute to sleeplessness.
Read more: Sleep Better by taking this 5 Simple Stepsaudio & video compilation
『ADORATIO』＜Online Shop Only＞Regular Press Edition
2017.11 release
It has just been announced that a Regular Press Edition for 『ADORATIO』, the latest audio & video compilation released by sukekiyo on June 21st, 2017, will be on sale exclusively at sukekiyo Official Online Shop starting from November, 2017.01. 擬似ネクロマンサー -giji necromancer-02. グニャ結論。そして血眼。 -gunya ketsuron. soshite chimanako.-03. 襞謳 -hidauta-04. 純朴、無垢であろうが -jyunboku, muku de arouga-05. マニエリスムな冷たい葬列者 -mannerism na tsumetai souretsusya-06. 艶 -en-07. 首吊り遊具 -kubitsuri yuugu-08. されど道連れ -saredo michizure-09. 死霊のアリアナ -shiryou no ariana-10. 嬲り -naburi-11. 耳ゾゾ -mimi zozo-12. 黝いヒステリア -aoguroi hysteria-13. 白濁 -hakudaku-TYPE : ＜Online Shop Only＞ Regular Press EditionPRICE : ￥3,200 (tax out)DISC : 1 DiscFORMAT : Blu-spec CD2CATALOGUE No. : PZSK-025Manufactured by sun-krad Co., Ltd.Distributed by sun-krad Co., Ltd.※Contents, title and version are subject to change without notice.※This product will be on sale exclusively at the Official Online Shop and at sukekiyo’s live venues (after the release date).＜How to order＞This product will be available for preorder starting from 21:00 of Sep. 2nd (Sat.), 2017 at the Official Online Shop「 GALAXY BROAD SHOP 」.Category All Singles Boosters Booster Boxes Sets Lots Bundles & Fat Packs Preconstructed |
Sanders Sanders State Campaign PACs Alabama $95k Arkansas >$1k Colorado $1.78m $29k Massachusetts $1.79m Minnesota $1.49m Oklahoma $988k Texas $171k $22k Total $6.32m $51k
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is not on air, and hasn’t been since spending money in South Carolina before last Saturday’s primary.
Voters on 2016: Crazy, Yes. Hopeful, No.
Political professionals and pundits watching the race for the White House are increasingly shaking their head at what they see as a frustrating, scary and crazy contest. And for once, voters outside the Beltway agree.
A new Morning Consult poll finds half of all voters say the word “crazy” accurately describes the way they think about the 2016 presidential contest. Forty-nine percent chose the word “scary,” and another 47 percent opted for “frustrating.”
Only a small handful of voters chose more optimistic words: Six percent described the election as “hopeful,” while 19 percent called the race “exciting.”
Just 10 percent called the race boring.
Do any of the following words describe what you think about the 2016 presidential race?
All Dem GOP Ind Crazy 50% 54% 46% 49% Scary 49 51 43 51 Frustrating 47 47 43 49 Interesting 35 33 38 34 Angry 26 27 22 29 Dreadful 22 22 26 18 Overwhelming 20 21 20 19 Helpless 20 18 19 22 Exciting 19 19 22 15 Boring 10 8 9 13 Hopeful 6 5 5 9
Self-identified Democrats were marginally more likely than Republicans to choose negative words, such as “crazy,” “scary” and “angry.” By a five-point margin, 38 percent to 33 percent, Republicans were more apt to say the race is interesting.
The partisan divide is more pronounced among backers of specific candidates, most pointedly among those who support real estate mogul Donald Trump, the front-runner in the Republican field, and those who back Sen. Bernie Sanders, running second behind Hillary Clinton. More than 60 percent of Sanders backers described the election as “crazy” and “scary.” Fewer than four-in-ten Trump voters used the same words.
The Morning Consult poll surveyed 2,002 registered voters around the country between Feb. 26 and Feb. 27, for an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Senators Squirm Over Trump
The Senate Republican mantra to date on the possibility of Donald Trump winning the presidential nomination has been simple. “I will support whomever is the nominee.”
The real estate mogul appears on the verge of cruising to victory on Super Tuesday, and perhaps all but locking up the Republican presidential nomination. With that, GOP senators are starting to openly grapple with the fact that they may be soon presented with an unpalatable choice — back an unpredictable and controversial party leader who often flies in the face of political civility or break with the nominee.
Asked Monday evening about the impact of a Trump nomination, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) was careful to frame his answer in terms of data analysis, rather than his personal preference.
“All the polling has shown — it’s not me saying it, I’m just reading the polls — that he is the least likely to be able to defeat Hillary Clinton. Now that’s what polls show. The most likely is [Sen.] Marco Rubio [R-Fla.],” he said.
Inhofe said if it came down to Trump or Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, he would ultimately choose the New York businessman. But he added that the polls also show that Trump would hurt Republicans in down-ticket races.
He concluded, “I think the ones you ought to be asking are the endangered species for 2016, don’t you?”
One of those endangered members up for reelection this year is Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
“I’ve always said I was going to support the nominee,” Burr said when asked about the prospect of backing Trump. He quickly followed up with an important caveat: “I’m hopeful I’ll be able to support the nominee.”
More from Will Dobbs-Allsopp here.
Kiwis for Bernie
Don’t forget the two other contests today, caucuses in American Samoa and a primary held by Democrats Abroad. Voting in the Democrats Abroad caucus kicked off late last night in Wellington, New Zealand, where 28 expats met at a bar (how appropriate) to cast their ballots.
Of those 28 voters, Bernie Sanders won 21; Hillary Clinton won six. And one ballot was spoiled. (How do you spoil a ballot in a precinct with just 28 voters?!?)
Democrats Abroad will cast ballots at a total of 111 primary sites in 41 countries.The president called the 2015 international agreement a "deal that punishes the United States," but added that the US will try to negotiate "a deal that's fair."
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post / Getty Trump announces the US withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord.
President Trump announced Thursday that he will withdraw the United States from pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions made in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Trump, with typical pageantry — which included a Marine Corps jazz warmup band — revealed his decision during a speech in the White House Rose Garden. "As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country," Trump said, adding "I cannot in good conscience support a deal that punishes the United States."
Trump said that the US would begin negotiations to "re-enter the Paris accord or a really entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States." "So we're getting out but we'll start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that's fair," Trump said. "And if we can, that's great. And if we can't, that's fine." Trump repeatedly framed the Paris agreement Thursday as an unfair deal for the US that would negatively impact the economy and bring about "a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other counties." The comments echo Trump's frequent criticism of the climate deal while he was on the campaign trail, and the withdrawal is sure to appeal to voters who took to his anti-globalist message.
It was unclear, however, how a renegotiation process might play out. Shortly after Trump's announcement, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement saying the Paris agreement cannot be renegotiated. And during a White House press briefing Thursday afternoon, an official speaking on background would say only that the "negotiation process will be determined by the president going forward."
Officials nevertheless described Trump as "sincere" in his desire to renegotiate, but said economics was the bottom line in his decision to withdraw. "When the president looked at the provisions of the agreement, he asked what is going to be the impact on the American worker, that was the bottom line," an official said.
White House officials would not answer reporters' questions about whether or not Trump believes climate change is real, calling the question "off topic." By the rules of the 2015 agreement, Trump cannot formally notify the United Nations of his intention to withdraw until three years of it coming into force — and then must wait another year for the withdrawal to take effect. That would be two days after the next US presidential election in 2020.
The announcement of the withdrawal comes after months of internal debate within Trump's family and administration. Many conservatives, including Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt, wanted out of the deal. By withdrawing, Trump will be parting with ExxonMobil, the Pope, and his daughter Ivanka — as well as European leaders who had reaffirmed their commitment to the deal in May at the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Sicily. There, German chancellor Angela Merkel called climate discussions with Trump "very difficult, if not to say very dissatisfying."
The only other two countries that aren't supporting the deal are Nicaragua and Syria. https://t.co/a1BwnAA4wo
Under the Paris Agreement, the Obama administration had pledged to cut emissions within a decade by at least 26% compared to 2005 levels. A rollback in clean power plant rules that Trump ordered in March had already lowered the nation's chances of reaching that goal. "The real consequence of withdrawal would be a catastrophe for US leadership and credibility in the world," retired US Navy Admiral David Titley, a climate scientist, told BuzzFeed News. Actual US commitments under the agreement only limited global warming a small amount, he noted, "but we are the world's second largest economy, so it actually does matter if the President does walk away, there is some damage to the climate." What's more, he added, damaging the Paris accord diplomatically gets the world off track to limit climate change in this century: "I won't be alive then, but I'd be very surprised if we aren't over 3 degrees [5.4 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer in 2100, probably up 4 degrees [7.2 degrees], which will be disastrous for the world." An array of environmental groups, politicians, and companies also criticized the withdrawal Thursday. Minutes after Trump began speaking, former President Obama called the Paris agreement an example of "steady, principled American leadership on the world stage." "The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created," Obama continued. "I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack."
Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called the move "a historic mistake." "The world is moving forward together on climate change. Paris withdrawal leaves American workers & families behind," she said in a tweet. Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that "withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement would be a horrific mistake." Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement that the decision to withdraw "is a devastating failure of historic proportions" that "puts America last in recognizing science, in being a world leader and protecting our shore line, our economy and our planet." "Future generations will look back on President Trump's decision as one of the worst policy moves made in the 21st century because of the huge damages to our economy, our environment, and our geopolitical standing," Schumer said. California Gov. Jerry Brown — who has made fighting climate change a key part of his administration and legacy — said that Trump "has absolutely chosen the wrong course" and is "wrong on the facts." "California will resist this misguided and insane course of action," Brown said in a statement. "Trump is AWOL but California is on the field, ready for battle." In the minutes before Trump announced the pull out, the Sierra Club tweeted congratulations to "President Bannon."
Congratulations, President Bannon. #ParisAgreement
Center for Biological Diversity executive director Kierán Suckling called the withdrawal "reckless" and said it "took a giant step toward turning our country into a rogue nation." Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made good on his promise to step down as an adviser to the president if the US withdrew, tweeting Thursday afternoon that he was "departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world."
In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for Amazon said that the online retailer "continues to support the Paris climate agreement and action on climate change." "We believe that robust clean energy and climate policies can support American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth," the spokesperson said. "We remain committed to putting our scale and inventive culture to work in ways that are good for the environment and our customers."
Grant Reid, CEO of candy maker Mars, said in a statement his company "stands by the Paris Climate Agreement." Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, tweeted that he was "disappointed with today's decision on the Paris Agreement. Climate change is real." Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, tweeted that he was disappointed but his company "will keep working hard for a cleaner, more prosperous future for all." And in a statement to BuzzFeed News, cereal company General Mills said it was "disappointed" by the withdrawal and remained committed to "addressing challenges related to climate change." Anticipating criticism, Trump argued in his speech Thursday that the US "will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth." "We'll be the cleanest," he said. "We're going to have the cleanest air, the cleanest water, we will be environmentally friendly but we're not going to put our businesses out of work and we're not going to lose our jobs." Thursday afternoon, a White House official speaking on background to explain the decision said "there's no question the Paris Agreement would be the nail in the coffin for US manufacturing. At the Pentagon, which for years has spoken of climate change as a threat that expands from the Arctic to the Middle East, Thursday's announcement was met with a notable silence. Privately, some defense officials seemed concerned about how the decision would affect the world's trust in America's word. For a military which makes agreements across battlefields with Iraqi troops, Afghan politicians, and even allied counterparts, trustworthiness is key. Still others were confused about what this decision means for how the US military will approach what it has described as a threat spurred by climate change. "What is our policy?" one defense official asked. In his comments Thursday, Trump made no mention of climate change as a potential national security threat. The climate accord went into force worldwide in November, days ahead of the US election, and has been ratified by 147 nations responsible for more than 55% of the world's greenhouse gasses. It pledges to limit emissions and promises financial aid to developing nations so they can build low-emissions energy industries.
Eppure si riscalda
As Trump spoke Thursday, the European Union and China were holding a summit in Brussels, where they will reaffirm limits to greenhouse gas emissions and plans to pursue clean energy investments worldwide. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters in Berlin that dealing with global warming was an "international responsibility," according to the Associated Press, and that China — the world's largest economy and emitter of greenhouse gasses — intended to honor the commitments it made in the Paris agreement. A leaked version of a joint EU-China statement released ahead of Trump's appearance said that those two parties, "confirm their commitments under the historic 2015 Paris Agreement and step up their co-operation to enhance its implementation." In Antarctica, meanwhile, an ice shelf the size of Delaware is about to drop off the frozen continent, according to researchers at the United Kingdom's Swansea University. The calving of the Larsen C Ice Shelf will birth one of the world's largest icebergs, and will open the door to more ice loss from the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the most rapidly-warming places on Earth.
The rift in Larsen C has grown by 17km in the last few days, and is now only 13km from the ice front. More details:… https://t.co/fbnobb3m2L
As early as 2010, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis publicly called climate change a national security threat. “Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today,” Mattis wrote in unpublished testimony provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee in the run up to his confirmation hearing, according to a March ProPublica report. And in 2010, Mattis, who was then a general and commander of the Joint Forces Command, released a report that listed climate change as a national security threat. In the foreword of the report, Mattis called climate change one of the “trends that remind us we must stay alert to what is changing in the world if we intend to create a military as relevant and capable as we possess today.” Nancy Youssef contributed to this report.NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- (Meki Cox) In an aggressive move to change the public perception of the cannabis industry and insure patient safety while demanding medical marijuana industry compliance and self-regulation, International Cannabis Association, Cannabis Career Institute and Cannabis Integrity Authority partnered together to create an entry level Cannabis Certification Program. This Certification Program will be BETA Pilot Tested at the ICA Regulatory Summit in New York City on October 11, 2014 with legislators attending, including NY Senator Diane Savino, for approval and recommendation for potential regulatory requirement.
Cannabis Career Institute logo (PRNewsFoto/Cannabis Career Institute) International Cannabis Association logo (PRNewsFoto/Cannabis Career Institute)
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141008/151019
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141008/151018
This is the first established and modulated Cannabis Certification Program made specifically for training and educating the cannabis professional at any level, including basic entry level. The design of the program is geared towards the industry worker, regardless of position, in a manner that is easy to understand, simple to process while exposing industry workers to business standards, patient care, higher expectations of compliance and self-regulation.
Unlike other certification programs that have been designed on students understanding laws, this program was made specifically for training and educating the cannabis professional base business practice and patient safety information, leaving the law requirements to each state to determine. This program was specifically designed to provide nationwide standardized expectations for the professional operations of cannabis businesses and focuses on the worker changing their perception of the industry by education. It is the first program geared towards the industry worker, regardless of position, at entry level, and was designed to provide patient safety and best practice standards for all Cannabis Industry employers, employees, care takers, medical personnel and volunteers who communicate with or are part of the process of recommending, growing, shipping, manufacturing, processing, storing, labeling or distribution of cannabis products to consumers or patients.
The purpose of creating professional standards and best practice training is to raise the expectation of self-regulation and compliance in a brand new industry that has negative stigma associated with it and to ensure patient safety. The demand to create this certification is vast and the need is critical, change of public perception is necessary and the only way to change perception is to prove the value of the industry.
The standards and best practice guidance will cause employers, employees and volunteers to strongly focus on quality services and quality medical marijuana products for the very ill, and provide safe products and informative education to all consumers and patients, while shaping the cannabis industry in a manner that will change the current negative perspective of the nation.
Contact
Robert Calkin
818-515-7600
http://cannabiscareerinstitute.com
http://internationalcannabisassociation.com
http://cannabisintegrityauthority.com
SOURCE Cannabis Career InstituteThe agent of Edinson Cavani has revealed that the Paris Saint-Germain striker is open to a Premier League move, alerting Manchester United and Arsenal.
The 20-times English champions are interested in signing the Uruguayan international as a replacement for Robin van Persie. United's league rivals Arsenal are also reportedly interested in signing the former Napoli star this summer.
Cavani's agent Claudio Anellucci says it is too early to make a decision on the South American striker's future, but hinted his client could make a switch to England or Spain at the end of this season.
"For the moment, it seems too early to make any such considerations. Edi is under contract with PSG and discussions of this kind are linked to different situations," Annellucci told Radio Olympia as quoted by Goal.com.
"Once the situation has been clarified, different scenarios could open up given that players such as him, at the height of their maturity, are coveted by the best teams in Europe.
"The markets of interest are Spain and England, and that currently excludes an Italian club being able to take part in going for Cavani," the striker's agent said.
Earlier in January, Cavani also dropped a hint that a move away from his current employers could be on the cards after admitting that "in football anything can happen."
"Future? I'm [in] one of the best teams in the world, there are great players and a great project. I am proud, but in football you never know what can happen. What I can say here is that I'm fine," Cavani told Uruguayan publication Ovacion.
United also have Radamel Falcao as a striker in the squad. The Colombian international is on a season-long loan from AS Monaco and has struggled at Old Trafford this season. Louis van Gaal could allow the former Ateltico Madrid star to leave and not sign him on a permanent transfer in the summer.
Van Persie and Falcao's future at United remains uncertain and the Dutch manager could allow one of these two strikers to leave and replace him with Cavani. Meanwhile, the Red Devils could face competition from Arsenal, who are also keen on securing the PSG striker's services.It didn't take long for Julie Liu -- late 20s, smartphone-addicted, constant Googler -- to get hooked on the online review site Yelp. Where to eat Friday night? Read some reviews by random anonymous diners. Oh, that looks good. Book a table online, show up, eat.
But after Liu and her sister opened Scion restaurant in Dupont Circle, they saw Yelp from a different angle. Liu said Yelp's salespeople phoned repeatedly, telling her that if she advertised on the site, negative reviews would move lower on Scion's page and positive reviews would move up.
Liu decided to fight back, joining nine other businesses this month in a class-action lawsuit against Yelp alleging similar tactics -- claims that Yelp executives deny. "Yelp does not manipulate content on behalf of advertisers or penalize those who don't advertise," a spokesman said.
The case raises questions not just about a site with 10 million reviews, but also about whether the booming economy of online reviews and product recommendations by everyday folks on Web sites and social networks is anything but what meets the eye.
What appears at first to be a spin-free, grass-roots marketplace of opinions and recommendations is rapidly turning into a hotly contested battleground where public relations firms and a new breed of imagemakers help businesses counter negative online comments and manage their online reputations -- even giving people free products in hopes of generating positive comments.
Companies including NBC, Sony and Microsoft partner with such firms as Ad.ly, paying individual Twitter users to allow commentary about products in their Twitter feeds. The posts are marked as ads in parentheses but look like regular tweets about what one had for lunch.
Some Web sites offer cash for reviews. For $2.50 each, ReviewStream.com says, "You could review anything around you including: any products, hi-end technics, companies, hotels, politics, cities, stores on your street, or even your neighbor's pets!"
PR companies track people who post negative comments about everything from pizza to gadgets and then offer those naysayers free products or technical support, hoping to reverse the flow of opinion about their clients' goods. Many start-ups sell online tools that scrutinize Twitter and Facebook to rank users' online influence, helping manufacturers, hoteliers, restaurateurs and PR firms figure out who can best spread messages quickly.
"It is critical for us to understand who is important," said Jonny Bentwood, an Edelman PR executive who created a Twitter scoring system called Tweet Level. "We want to understand who the key influencers are, what they are saying and what their impact is."
Online ads unpredictable
In olden days -- like 10 years ago -- companies big and small reached consumers through mass-marketing campaigns, interrupting magazine articles, TV shows or music on the radio with clever ads. Technologies such as TiVo, satellite radio and iPods (and iPhones and soon iPads) have reduced advertisers' opportunities to break into consumers' media usage. The prospects for online advertising are uncertain: More than 40 percent of surfers don't click on ads, according to a Pew Research Center study.
Online, the authority once vested in journalists and advertisers is often granted to total strangers: Seventy percent of Internet users trust online recommendations and reviews, according to a Nielsen study. "People are tired of traditional ad messages, and they feel that connecting with other consumers is more helpful," said Chris Dellarocas, a Boston University management professor who studies online comments. "It's more fun. Consumers love to interact."
Although consumers no doubt still get tips about new restaurants and businesses in old-fashioned ways -- at the office or kids' soccer games or on e-mail discussion groups -- marketers are focusing their energy on changing the word of mouth on the Web. Digital word-of-mouth marketing -- a new twist on a sales method that's sold stuff since long before the invention of the printing press -- is expected to top $3 billion a year by 2013. That explains why Google reportedly tried to buy Yelp last year for $550 million and why Yelp felt confident enough to essentially say, "No, thanks. We'll be worth even more later."Gunman shot to death after opening fire on Republican congressmen, aides
By Patrick Martin
15 June 2017
A 66-year-old man, apparently angered to the point of explosion by the election of Donald Trump, was shot and killed by police in Alexandria, Virginia Wednesday morning after he opened fire on a group of Republican congressmen, aides and lobbyists as they practiced for a charity baseball game.
According to press reports, James T. Hodgkinson accosted two congressmen leaving the parking lot of the baseball field about 7 a.m. Wednesday, asking them if the group practicing were Democrats or Republicans. When they identified themselves as Republicans, he turned and went towards the field.
Hodgkinson opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle, wounding Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House majority whip; Zack Barth, an aide to Representative Roger Williams of Texas; Matt Mika, a lobbyist for Tyson Foods; and two Capitol Police officers, David Bailey and Crystal Griner, working as bodyguards for Scalise, who returned fire.
Two Alexandria city police, responding to 911 calls, joined in the gunfire, and Hodgkinson was shot to death under circumstances that have yet to be fully explained. Hodgkinson fired at least 50 shots, wounding five people. It is not known how many shots the four police fired or how many bullets struck their target.
Scalise, the most seriously wounded of the five victims of the shooting, underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon and was listed as critical but stable. None of the five suffered life-threatening injuries, according to preliminary medical reports.
According to reports based on his social media postings and political activities, Hodgkinson was idealistic and concerned about rising economic inequality and other social issues. He was outspoken in his hometown of Belleville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, writing many letters to the editor and joining in a protest in 2012 outside the local post office, where he carried a sign identifying himself as part of the bottom 99 percent and calling for taxing the rich.
Belleville, Illinois is a working class suburb of St. Louis. According to press reports from the St. Louis media, Hodgkinson was married, with at least one child. He had an uneventful personal life, his main contacts with police involving traffic citations.
In 2016, he traveled to Iowa to support Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. A photo of Sanders was featured on his Facebook page. The defeat of Sanders and the election of billionaire Donald Trump seem to have left him so distraught that he ultimately wasted his life in a very tragic and counterproductive fashion.
In December, Hodgkinson closed the business he had operated for more than 30 years as a home inspector, tracking down mold, radon and other problems. In March, according to statements by his wife and several acquaintances, he left Belleville and moved to Alexandria, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, where he reportedly lived out of his van, using the facilities of the local YMCA.
Several regulars at that YMCA gave media interviews in which they described Hodgkinson as quiet, unassuming, seemingly normal, and expressed surprise that he could explode in violence. This YMCA was adjacent to the baseball field where the team of Republican senators, representatives and aides practiced for a charity game set for June 15.
As is usually the case in such tragedies, the violent event brought out the worst in the political establishment. President Donald Trump took it upon himself to make public the news of Hodgkinson’s death, delivering the announcement with evident relish.
Trump, who regularly vilifies his critics in the crudest terms and once suggested that the only proper response to a Hillary Clinton presidency involved the exercise of Second Amendment rights (i.e., shooting her), put on his most insincere face, declaring, “We may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember everyone who serves in our nation’s capital is here because, above all, they love our country. We can all agree we are blessed to be Americans.”
Congressional Democrats and Republicans followed suit, declaring their undying solidarity with each other, beginning with speeches to the House of Representatives from Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Such performances, which combine sanctimony and mawkishness, only underscore the reality spelled out by President Obama after the election: the conflicts between Democrats and Republicans are “intramural” scrimmages between two groups that in the final analysis are on the same anti-working class team.
The immediate effect of Hodgkinson’s misguided attack will be to strengthen the police state preparations of the federal government. There were reinforced security measures on Capitol Hill and anywhere that congressmen were to meet the public, including town hall meetings in their districts, which have been the occasion for raucous protests, particularly over the escalating attacks on health care.
Some Republican went further, suggesting that there should be a crackdown on criticism of President Trump and his party. Representative Chris Collins of Buffalo, New York, a leading Trump supporter in Congress, said after the shooting, “I can only hope that the Democrats do tone down the rhetoric. The rhetoric has been outrageous... the finger-pointing, just the tone and the angst and the anger directed at Donald Trump, his supporters.” Collins compared the gunman to protesters who had occupied his congressional office as part of a campaign against the health care cuts being imposed through legislation to repeal Obamacare.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.What will commerce look like 5, 10, 100 years from now?
Will we still use dollars? Will we still sell on marketplaces? Will we still use our phones?
Is it possible that everything we know today will be thrown out the window?
In this blog post I want to put some ideas down for the cool things that could, and should exist in the future relating to commerce.
We have the technological means to execute most of these things now… today.
The problem is mass adoption – that is a process that naturally takes a long time.
Society as a whole needs to be ready to change – a paradigm shift in how we view the world, whats important to us, and how technology should be embraced.
The question is simple – what will commerce look like in 100 years.
Hardware:
Almost everyone has a smartphone in their pocket.
50 years ago, computers were the size of buildings and cost millions of dollars to build.
The computers in our pocket today are 100x smaller, 100x cheaper and 1000x more powerful than what we had just 50 years ago. That’s a billion fold increase in price & performance.
If today is mobile, what’s 10 years from now?
The logical progression is some sort of device that exists on top of our visual field, an augmented reality.
I’d say google glass is the first step in the right direction, but by no means a final solution.
Following that progression, the iteration after google glass would likely be a computer interface that exists directly on the eye – in the form of a contact lens.
Up until this point, the way you navigate through the computer interface would probably be with voice. In my opinion, that isn’t the ideal way to interact with these types of interfaces.
The things you’re doing on computer should be private – and voice commands makes everything public – and loud. And awkward. Stop talking to yourself.
By the time we have contact lens based computers, we will likely have figured out and mapped enough of our brainwaves to build a software layer / api to control the computer interface. If not brainwaves, then we should be able to track the movement of your eye to predict where you’re looking. A modern day mouse.
You would move apps with your mind, and think words to write stories.
Text messages turn into telepathy. Communication becomes seamless – from mind to mind.
What Does This Mean for Commerce?
In this new world, to participate in commerce all you should have to do is look at the thing you want to sell, and think “go” – the rest should be taken care of for you.
For example, lets say you want to sell your old bicycle because it’s taking too much room up in your garage. You look at it, and think “sell”.
The first thing that happens is a picture is taken of your bike.
From that picture, the system would use a combination of mechanical turk and an OCR type software to generate an accurate title for the item being sold.
From that title, the software would search databases such as pricenomics & sematics3 via their API’s to find the both the historical and optimized sales price for that item.
From these databases we can also pull other information about the item like description, model number, and other various specifications.
Once your listing has enough information to be created, it would be pushed live and shot out to every relevant marketplace, social network, blog & forum on the internet.
Anyone who is “looking for” what you’re selling would automatically get a notification. Maybe they specified they wanted to get notified for anyone selling a “bike” within “40 miles”, and your listing meets that criteria.
In addition to sending push notifications to all relevant matches, it should also push your listing to every marketplace that exists (ebay, etsy, amazon, craigslist, backpage, etc.) – maximum exposure.
When a buyer across any of these platforms purchases your item, you’d get a notification that it’s been sold and the payment would be waiting for you in a secure escrow system.
You’d be able to meet up with the person if they’re local, or if you need to ship the item you’d be shown the location & directions to the nearest post office. Your shipping label would be purchased for you using the buyers address, and would be waiting for you at the post office.
While in-transit, the item would automatically be tracked by GPS, and when it was confirmed as delivered, the money would automatically be released to the seller (you).
That is the full lifecycle of a transaction happening seamlessly. This technology already exists, and the framework for this new era of commerce is being built as we speak.
Currency:
Today we have fiat money, which is backed by, essentially, nothing – I’ve covered this in a previous post (here).
In my opinion, the future will be run by cyrptocurrencies (or something similiar), which are basically digital, decentralized stores of value.
Currently, Bitcoin is winning as it has a tremendous network effect. Bitcoin is what people believe will be “the currency of the future”, however this is a slightly misinformed belief in my opinion.
There will be many – maybe even thousands of crypto currencies in the future. Just like there are tons of different types of fiat money today (USD, Yen, Euro, etc.) and many different stores of value (Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum, etc.).
Each cyrptocurrency has its own benefits and drawbacks. We’re seeing a lot of copycat cryptocurrencies because the bitcoin protocol is open sourced and it’s easy to clone something together similar pretty quickly.
There are, however, some cryptocurrencies that are improving upon bitcoin significantly, and building their own custom codebase, completely separate from bitcoin.
Companies and governments may even decide to create their own cryptos – Imagine Amazon Coin, Facebook Coin, Tesla Coin, Uber Coin, each having their own specific uses and settings.
The US could create AmericaCoin – where you’re required to hold a certain amount of your money in that coin to be considered a citizen. This coin would automatically tax 3% per year. Problem solved (but don’t do this, that would suck).
Marketplaces:
There are tons of marketplaces – and each have their own positives and negatives.
I don’t believe the future is going to allow for 1 marketplace to take over as a juggernaut. In my mind, we will have thousands of niche marketplaces, each serving a unique purpose.
It’s clear that if you’re selling shoes, the best place to sell is a niche forum or blog – the problem is a normal seller wants to spend less than 5 minutes selling their item, and they’re not going to do that searching, sign up, and learn a new website just to sell a pair of shoes.
Marketplaces should compete to get items sold for their users – or else another marketplace is going to generate that sale and the item will be deleted. It forces marketplaces to do their job – connect sellers with buyers and get your stuff sold. If marketplace 1 doesn’t sell your item, marketplace 2 will.
The framework for this type of omniscient commerce is being built now.
An API to Rule Them All:
I believe that the future of commerce will be simple.
All of these marktetplaces will be connected together by an underlying commerce framework.
We’re going to have multiple marketplaces, multiple hardware devices, and multiple currencies.
I think the most valuable technology that will be developed in the next few years will be the framework that conncets & powers commerce across all of these marketplaces & devices.
The ideal solution would be an API that anyone can pull from, and when a listing goes into the system, it can be pushed out to multiple marketplaces who then compete for the sale.
An API like this is extremely important for future innovation in the commerce space.
This would allow a google glass, or oculus rift developer to build a commerce application in hours instead of needing 6 months and $250,000.
Developers shouldn’t have to solve the same boring problems over and over again as they move to new platforms. They should focus on novel implementations of new hardware, instead worrying about how to build payments, or grow a marketplace or deal with fraud. A lot of these things have already been solved separately – but because there is no free, standard technology for developers to use, everyone looking to build in this area has to start from scratch.
SellSimple – The Future of Commerce
Now here’s the part where I plug my own company a tiny bit – SellSimple is building that API, and we want to give it to developers for free.
All of these ideas are cool, but unless they’re executed we’ll never see this vision happen.
My focus is to execute these visions through SellSimple.
With SellSimple, I’m trying to create an open API that allows developers to integrate “sell everywhere” technology into their app, pull listings from multiple marketplaces, and participate in revenue sharing for facilitating sales.
The goal today is to build a |
a victim.
Hysteria over rape leads to thinking like a victim.
If you want to avoid being raped, then do not fall for the hysteria.
Learn how to defend yourself.Food scene is changing in The Woodlands Residents regret loss of Hubbell & Hudson grocery, but all is not lost
Co-owner and chef Edelberto Goncalves works on the wood-burning grill at Fieldings in The Woodlands restaurant at 1699 Research Forest Drive, one of several craft restaurants open in The Woodlands area. Co-owner and chef Edelberto Goncalves works on the wood-burning grill at Fieldings in The Woodlands restaurant at 1699 Research Forest Drive, one of several craft restaurants open in The Woodlands area. Photo: David Hopper, Freelance Photo: David Hopper, Freelance Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Food scene is changing in The Woodlands 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Foodies and gourmands in The Woodlands may suffer a blow when the high-end grocer Hubble & Hudson closes its doors in March.
Still, these aficionados of the finer things on the plate are finding new venues to satisfy their sophisticated cravings.
Maris Blair, a lawyer by day and undercover gourmet cook, was among the many shocked at the news that the market in Town Center was scheduled to close its doors.
"I only live about a block from there, and I've been there since day one," Blair said. "I hate hearing that it is going to close. It's just sad."
With the announcement of the market's closure came the news that the adjacent restaurant would expand.
Blair said she is happy to hear about new dining options. In the meantime, she is preparing a shopping list for Hubble & Hudson's market.
"I'm going to get some of those ingredients that I just don't know where to find anywhere else," she said.
Market spokesman Haydar Kustu said the future will hold enhancements to Hubbell & Hudson Kitchen, Hubbell & Hudson Bistro and Hubbell & Hudson Catering.
"This has been a difficult decision, but as the saying goes, as one door closes, another opens," he said. "We'll continue to share updates and announcements as plans are finalized."
Hubbell & Hudson Market & Bistro opened in The Woodlands in 2008 and branched out to a second location at Black Forest Park, 4526 Research Forest Drive a few years later.
The second location, the Hubbell & Hudson Kitchen, will also remain open.
The original store, located at 24 Waterway Ave., became a culinary destination - with an array of produce, meat, seafood, dry goods and prepared foods.
Cary Attar founded Hubbell & Hudson - using his years of experience in grocery store management and culinary school to create a home for foodies in The Woodlands.
Attar said inspiration struck when he realized that he had to drive from his home in The Woodlands to Houston to shop for gourmet groceries.
He also realized that more people were on sugar-free and gluten-free diets and needed specialty items.
Attar sold his shares in Hubble & Hudson to Black Walnut Ventures in 2012 - with his sights on a new adventure in the culinary scene.
He and executive chef Edel Goncalves created Fielding Culinary Group – opening Fielding's Wood Grill in September 2013.
The business partners plan to open two other restaurants they believe will set a new standard in dining out.
"These will all be craft restaurants," Attar said. "We make everything from scratch."
At Fielding's Wood Grill, the steaks are hand-cut and the juices for the artisan mixology bar are fresh-squeezed. Chefs grind meat daily for the specialty burgers, make their own bacon and prepare sauces and sides from scratch. The restaurant even has a gluten free bun from its in-house bakery.
"We do as much farm-to-table as we can," Attar said. "We use all natural ingredients; we bake our own bread. Even our chicken is free-range and all natural."
He is convinced that the food scene is changing in The Woodlands - and that people are demanding more from menus and want fresher ingredients.
"The Woodlands' foodie scene is really growing," Attar said. "The market has grown and matured. They want something quality, and they want a good value. We're going to focus on quality of food and quality of service. We're going to focus on the experience."
Albert Nurick, a resident of The Woodlands who writes about food for the blog H-Town Chow Down, agrees that things are changing in the local restaurant scene.
He said when he first moved to the area in 2005, Amerigo's was the only good option for dining out.
"They've been here forever," Nurick said.
Now there are several options - including many independent restaurants. There are places for upscale dinner and fun fusion joints as well, he said, pointing out Tandoory Taco.
"We're starting to see little funky places like that - and I think that's when you get a good restaurant scene," Nurick said.
He also recommends trying Capri Italian Restaurant. "It's just extremely well-made, home-style Italian food," he said.
Nurick started a group on Facebook called Woodlands Area Foodies to encourage further discussion of dining options in the area.
"It's been great," he said. "I have 200 people in the group. If they find something cool, they will write about it."
Nurick invites other residents to join the conversation.
"These people are enthusiasts," he said. "And they like food."A Homer man shot and killed a charging sow brown bear at Humpy Creek last Friday. Kim Woodman, 57, shot the bear five times with a 10mm handgun before the bear fell about 6 feet from him. While backing away from the sow, Woodman fell and accidentally shot himself in the left foot.
Woodman was able to get to his skiff and return to Homer, where he checked into the South Peninsula Hospital emergency room. Woodman had no injuries from the bear, said Jack Blackwell, area superintendent of Alaska State Parks, Kenai-Prince William Sound region.
Blackwell said Woodman surprised a brown bear with two cubs while hiking about 4 p.m. July 29 off the trail along the southwest fork of Humpy Creek in Kachemak Bay State Park. The bears were probably feeding on pink salmon in the creek. Woodman filled out a defense of life and property report, and Park Ranger Jason Okuly and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Jason Herreman went to the scene and found the dead sow bear. They reported the sow had two gunshot wounds, one below the right eye and one in the chest.
They recovered the skull and paws to prevent trophy looting. The carcass was about 6 feet from where Woodman tripped.
“It was fairly close,” Blackwell said.
Fish and Game Kenai Area biologist Jeff Selinger said the sow had been lactating, but it’s unknown if the sow had cubs of the year or older cubs. Older cubs would have a good chance of surviving, but younger cubs would not. Selinger said Fish and Game won’t make an effort to look for the cubs unless they hear reports of the cubs hanging out in the area. Biologists would have to be certain the cubs were orphaned and not another sow’s cubs.
“We care about the animals. The thing we want to avoid is making a bad situation worse,” Selinger said.
Selinger said this is the first defense of life bear shooting he knows of since 2002, when he began working for Fish and Game on the Kenai Peninsula. Black bears are more common in Kachemak Bay State Park.
People who shoot bears in self defense are normally required to salvage the hide and skull, but because Woodman was injured, he did not have to do so, Selinger said.
This is not Woodman’s first defense of life bear shooting. In September 1992 while moose hunting near Ohlson Mountain, he shot a brown bear Woodman said was stalking him. According to an Oct. 1, 1992, Homer News article, Woodman injured the bear with a rifle shot at close range and then killed it when the bullet failed to pierce the bear’s skull and it got up.
Woodman does not have a public phone number, and he did not return a Facebook message for comment.
Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.Dutch bid to poach giants while UK’s back is turned
General aerial view of The Shard, Tower Bridge, 20 Fenchurch street, central London and Canary Wharf. Picture: PA PA Wire/PA Images
Post Brexit, Unilever and Shell could take advantage of lower corporate taxes in the Netherlands. ANGELA JAMESON reports.
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While we have all been braced to hear which American and Asian banks will hotfoot it out of London when Brexit comes, we should perhaps be more worried by signs that two huge British companies are thinking of saying goodbye.
Shell and Unilever, Anglo-Dutch giants that will be known in most British homes, are considering taking advantage of an aggressive move by the Dutch Government to scrap a 15% tax on dividends from January 2019 and make Holland their single corporate home.
The issue has prompted protests and parliamentary debates in the Netherlands yet it has barely raised an eyebrow here, despite being just the sort of move that David Davis would like to use to keep companies in Britain. Two announcem-ents underline the threat. The first was from Unilever, the UK’s third biggest company which owns PG Tips, as well as Dove, Persil and Knorr. It said that it would delay a decision on whether to choose the UK or the Netherlands for its headquarters, because of the political emotions running high in Europe.
The consumer group, which saw off an unwanted takeover attempt from Kraft Heinz last year, would like to unify its dual-structure in favour of one single legal corporation, because that would make it easier to do deals and spin off businesses.
But Unilever has recognised that taking a decision right now would inevitably be politicised and kicked it down the road. That does not mean the issue will disappear though, and the Dutch move on tax will strengthen the Netherlands’ claim on the company.
Also this week, Royal Dutch Shell announced that it would resume paying its dividend in cash, rather than paying part of it in so-called scrip dividends. The scrip dividend was a way for the Anglo-Dutch energy company to save cash when the oil price tanked but it meant it had to issue thousands of new shares, diluting ownership for investors who are dual-listed in Holland and the UK.
Shell openly lobbied for the Dutch tax to be cut and could make significant savings if it scrapped its complicated dual share structure, which gives shareholders different rights.
If Shell and Unilever both decide to list in the Netherlands, the overall FTSE All share dividend yield – the amount pension funds, insurance companies and other investors earn from UK shares – would fall by 14%. With interest rates at historic lows and investors constantly searching for places to find better returns, this would be unwelcome.
With Brexit looming, competition to attract multinational companies has ramped up. David Davis has talked about making the UK a Singapore-style economy with ultra-low taxation, but the Dutch have already cut the corporate tax rate from 25% to 21%.
While our politicians are distracted by Brexit negotiations, without any apparent progress, other nations could easily copy the Dutch and push ahead of us with enticements for big business.
Good news from the Bank of England: the country’s biggest banks can survive even a “disorderly” Brexit. However, the Bank is concerned about the stress the banks would face if Britain crashed out of the EU without a deal, at the same time as a global recession.
That is why it is forcing banks to hold an extra £6bn in capital to guard against any egregious risks and it could insist on them holding more, the following year. So we’re clearly not out of the woods yet.
One of the big risks the Bank of England did not cover with its stress tests was that of a Labour government, led by Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister.
Bankers at Morgan Stanley have told clients in their 2018 predictions that there could be another General Election in the UK towards the end of the year, when Theresa May has to admit that she could not get the Brexit deal her party wants.
Morgan Stanley warns that for those thinking of investing in the UK, the domestic situation and the prospect of nationalisation, higher taxes and Labour spending priorities could be a bigger risk than Brexit. Coming from a US bank, that recommendation will no doubt win Corbyn a few more fans.Post-mortem report of a woman, who was found hanging from a tree in Bihar yesterday, has revealed she was not raped. The police say the woman may have committed suicide.The police had yesterday said the 32-year-old victim, who was a passenger of the Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail, was dragged to the mango orchard and allegedly gang-raped by unidentified people. The police had found liquor bottles from the spot of the suicide. A railway ticket and cellphone number of her village head written on a piece of paper was recovered from the victim's possession, police said.The victim, who hails from New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, took the train from Alipore to Delhi, along with her son, according to the police. As the train was crowded, she tried to get down at Sahibganj but was prevented from doing so by co-passengers, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Bhagalpur, Meenu Kumari told PTI. When the train slowed down between Vikramshila and Kahalgaon stations, she jumped out, according to the police.The cliche is that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” but the author of that phrase probably never realized how strangely true it could turn out to be in the form of artistic upcycling. In today’s world of weird and amazing art some of the most compelling and creative works have been born out of the simplest and most abundant of materials: garbage. These seven trash-obsessed artists may have had a similar starting point but have managed to create an inspiring variety of art from abandoned refuse. And see more under our collection of 70 Works of Recycled Art and Design.
HA Schult’s haunting ‘trash people’ have graced the streets of many of the world’s most major cities … silently open to interpretation as they travel the world and sit everywhere from the parks of New York City to the Great Wall of China. It took Schult 6 months and 30 assistants to create these strange sculptures from crushed cans, computer parts and virtually anything else he could appropriate to assemble them. What is their purpose and meaning? It is difficult to say, but they are certainly trans-cultural and intended to engage, inspire and engender reflection in those who see them and are a foil to see the reactions of different nations and groups of people.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster are an incredible artistic duo based in England who have worked on a variety of related projects experimenting with trash and projected shadows. From looking at the rubbish they collect from the streets of London it is virtually impossible to determine a rhyme or reason to the apparent mess. However, once a projector is set up at just the right angle the art pops to life and animated shades are created with crisp and clear outlines delineating the controlled forms hidden with chaos.
Robbie Rowlands is one of a number of artists who had a rare opportunity to do whatever they wanted to a building that was soon to be demolished. The Depot project questions the nature of the world around us and the everyday stable objects we take for granted – such as the interior structure of our dwelling spaces. He (quite literally) peels back the layers of everyday reality to reveal surfaces not typically meant to be seen. Based in Melbourne, Robbie studied at the Pratt Institute in New York and has been working ever since.
Dr. Evermor‘s Forevertron (previously featured as a work of insane architectural genius) has elements of trash dating back to Thomas Edison and the Apollo space missions. These are combined to create one of the most amazing metal sculpture parks in the world – which also features the world’s largest metal sculpture (120 feet by 60 feet and 50 feet tall, weighing 320 tons). It should come as no surprise that, prior to retirement, this eccentric artist was a professional wrecking and salvage expert.
Of course using trash as a basis for art doesn’t have to mean creating works from the objects themselves. An additive approach can also work as in the graffitied pieces of furniture shown above. In fact, the Wooster Collective encourages you to graffiti the urban objects around you and turn your own local trash into art (see the link above for more information).
The above trash sculpture was created from recycled carrier bags as part of the Eden Project near Cornwall. Of course, trash ‘art’ isn’t limited to strange sculptures and architectural deconstructions. There is also a great deal of creative recycled urban furniture to keep an eye on not to mention some amazing works of recycled architecture created from bottles, cans, tires and basically any scrap that one can find in bulk.‘Unemployed’ is a scary word, and ‘unemployed in a recession’ is a scarier phrase.
So when you finally do get a job interview everyone knows you should dress smart, smile lots and don’t do anything that might stack the odds against you… like reveal that you’re gay. Right? Wrong wrong wrong, writes Rosie Kirk.
Coming out
Imagine this scenario: it’s the end of the job interview. It’s gone well, and the boss is just wrapping up with some final chit chat. She asks you how you got to the office. “My partner gave me a lift,” you say. “That was good of him,” she says.
Except it wasn’t good of ‘him’, it was good of ‘her’. What do you do? Should you come out in a job interview? Yes. And here are 9 reasons why.
1. It shows you’re brave
Coming out is not easy. Homophobia is rife, and you never know how people are going to react. To come out to a stranger who wields power over you is therefore a brave decision. A smart employer will see that, and see the benefit of hiring someone who has guts and will stand up for themselves.
2. It shows you’re honest
The unfair truth is that by not correcting an assumption of heterosexuality you’re being dishonest. After all, you can smile and nod when someone asks if you have a boyfriend, but what happens when they ask his name? Make up one lie and you’ll find yourself telling more and more lies until you’ve fabricated an entire life.
3. It’s flattering to the company
Most companies like to think that they are welcoming, forward-thinking places that would never dream of discriminating against LGBT people. By coming out in an interview you flatter them by showing that you believe the hype. After all it might even be true.
4. It ticks boxes
Positive discrimination: the bane of every privileged, white, male Daily Mail reader. It’s true that many companies are trying to recruit more diverse workforces, but sorry your sexuality won’t win you the job. After all if it were that easy everyone wouldn’t claim to be a wheelchair-using non-Caucasian LGBT person…?
5. It normalises it
For an increasing number of people – and this potentially includes your new boss – sexuality just isn’t a big deal. Drop it into conversation and they won’t bat an eyelid, and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was ever about.
6. You’ve got nothing to lose
In the UK it’s actually illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone because of their sexuality. So if you’re sure that coming out lost you the place then you have grounds to take them to court. Of course the big problem is proving that your sexuality was the reason you didn’t get the job. But if you think you have a case, especially if you have any evidence, get legal advice.
7. It cuts down on gay jokes
It’s depressing and a sign of weakness, but sometimes managers turn a blind eye to jokes made against gays/immigrants/insert other minority here. After all, the jokes are ‘harmless’ – ie there’s no one around of that minority to get upset. But, magically, having a real-life minority in the room suddenly makes the jokes a whole lot unfunnier, and the jokes stop.
8. It saves time
Come out in the interview and hopefully the rumour mill will do some of the work for you before you start. People might pretend they haven’t heard that you’re gay, but chances are they probably will know – and that means they’ll not make some stupid faux pas that embarrasses you both on your first day.
9. It weeds out the homophobes
Of course you want a job, but in six months’ time do you really want to be stuck in an office of homophobes for 40 hours a week? Heaven knows you’ll be miserable then.
Coming out as a ‘lifestyle choice’
Coming out is a life-long process. You might be 100% out, but every time you meet someone new, whether they’re an acquaintance, a neighbour or a work colleague, you have to come out all over again.
Remember it’s not about ‘flaunting’ your sexuality or ‘pushing it in people’s faces’ – it’s just redressing the assumption, mostly made by heterosexuals, and made by heterosexuals most of the time, that everyone else is heteroseuxal too.
And that assumption applies to you too – when worrying about whether or not to come out, consider this: what makes you so certain that your boss is heterosexual?....................................................................................................................................................................................
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story confused the entrance wounds from bullets that entered Boyd’s arms. It has been updated with corrected information.
The homeless man shot and killed by Albuquerque police in the Sandia Foothills in mid-March was shot three times, including in the lower-left back, and had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system, according to an autopsy and toxicology report released by the Office of the Medical Investigator on Thursday.
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James Boyd was seen on helmet-cam video March 16 as officers tried to coax him out of the foothills, where he’d been camping illegally. He brandished two small knives at officers but appeared to agree to leave and to begin walking down the hill when officers shot at him.
The 30-page autopsy said Boyd suffered three gunshot wounds from separate bullets, but the one to his lower back seems to have been the most destructive: A bullet passed through the muscle in his lower abdomen, his left adrenal gland, his large intestine, spleen, diaphragm and left lung before exiting his left armpit. The bullet then re-entered his upper left arm and was recovered by medical investigators, according to the autopsy.
The other bullets also struck Boyd’s arms, including one in his upper right arm that entered from the back and exited the front of his arm. In addition, a bullet struck Boyd’s upper left arm and exiting through back, according to the autopsy.
Because of the damage done to Boyd’s right arm, doctors had to amputate it as they conducted several emergency surgeries to try to resuscitate him, according to the report. He arrived at the University of New Mexico Hospital at 8:15 p.m., the autopsy stated, and his time of death was shortly before 3 a.m. on March 17.
The report also said Boyd suffered several blunt-force injuries, contusions and abrasions on his buttock and right leg, some of which were “consistent with injuries produced by a dog.” Officers were seen on the video loosing a police dog on Boyd.
In addition to documenting the injuries, medical investigators found that Boyd appeared older than his stated age and that he had no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system.
Among the items investigators associated with Boyd were clothes, a toothbrush and a Bible. They also pulled Taser prongs from his clothing, according to the report.
Video of Boyd’s death sparked national and international outrage, and it provided a rallying cry for a series of protests against the Albuquerque Police Department amid a federal investigation that ultimately found APD has a pattern of excessive force and unconstitutional policing.
Police identified the officers who shot Boyd as Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez. The FBI has said it is looking into the shooting for potential criminal prosecution.
Since Boyd’s death, Albuquerque police have shot and killed four other people, stoking continued public criticism of the department.
A few weeks after the Boyd shooting, the Department of Justice wrapped up its investigation into APD and found the department needed drastic reforms of its use-of-force policies and training and accountability practices.
Boyd AutopsyThe Rio 2016 Olympics have provided an abundance of memorable moments. Here are some of the best - good, bad, and ugly.
One of the first Olympic moments to go viral happened when Pita Taufatofua, Tonga's flag-bearer, appeared at the opening ceremony. The taekwondo athlete emerged topless, wearing traditional Tongan dress and apparently covered in baby oil. It did not go unnoticed.
Opening ceremony had warmth, passion and hope
Athlete outfits from the opening ceremony
One photograph quickly demonstrated that the Olympic games caters for all shapes and sizes. This photo of US gymnast Ragan Smith and basketball player DeAndre Jordan swept across the internet as soon as she posted it online.
Another Olympic highlight captured on social media. Lee Eun-ju of South Korea and Hong Un-jong of North Korea provided a moment of unity as the two gymnasts - from countries technically still at war with each other - posed for a smiling selfie.
North Korean athlete selfie: What happens next?
It wasn't always so friendly in the swimming pool. Twitter went into meltdown after swimming legend Michael Phelps was pictured giving rival Chad le Clos a "death stare". He was caught putting his game face on while in the warm-up area of the Olympic pool, prompting #Phelpsface to trend on Twitter.
The first golden moment for the host nation - the story of Brazil's 57kg judo champion Rafaela Silva shone a light on some of Rio's poorest residents. From one of Rio's toughest neighbourhoods, the so-called City of God, Silva was disqualified at London 2012 and later labelled an embarrassment. Her victory marked a fairytale rise.
Brazil's first gold from the City of God favela
It wasn't long before Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, broke into a smile, beating le Clos of South Africa in the men's 200m butterfly final. Some suggested le Clos should have been looking where he was swimming rather than watching his rival.
It was not all about the winners in the pool. Rami Anis - a swimmer for the refugee team who fled war-torn Syria in 2015 before travelling by boat across the Mediterranean Sea to Turkey - earned a standing ovation after setting a personal best in the men's 100m freestyle.
It wasn't just the swimmers attracting all the attention. Some bored-looking lifeguards - who had been charged with watching over the best swimmers in the world - caught the attention of many people on social media.
A memorable moment for a small nation. Fiji's rugby sevens players burst into song as they celebrated winning their country's first-ever Olympic medal - a gold - after beating Great Britain 43-7 in the final.
Nineteen-year-old US gymnast Simone Biles took the Games by storm, producing a stunning performance to win the women's all-around Olympic gold medal. She ended up taking home four gold medals and a bronze. She was even watched by Buzz Aldrin, a man who has walked on the moon.
Why Simone Biles is the best at the Games
The colour of the water at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre became a major talking point, after it turned from aquatic blue to a murky green overnight. Games organisers blamed chemical levels in the water.
Pictures of Egypt's women's beach volleyball team swept the internet, after Doaa Elghobashy took part while wearing a hijab.
Does this picture show a culture clash?
American swimmer Katie Ledecky dominated in the pool, taking nearly two seconds off her own world record to win the women's 800m freestyle final in eight minutes 4.79 seconds - finishing nearly 12 seconds clear of the rest of the field. She also won the women's 200m freestyle, the 400m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay.
The first world record inside the Olympic Stadium went to Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana, who smashed the previous record by more than 14 seconds to win gold in the women's 10,000m.
Egyptian Islam El Shehaby caused controversy when he refused to shake the hand of Israeli opponent Os Sasson after losing in the men's judo. El Shehaby was roundly booed by the crowd and was later sent home from Rio, the International Olympic Committee said.
Singapore's gold medallist Joseph Schooling, who idolised Michael Phelps as a child, managed to get the better of his hero in pool, winning the 100m butterfly ahead of Phelps, Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Cseh - who finished joint second. A photograph of a young Schooling, then just 13, with Phelps at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 quickly went viral.
One of the images from the track cycling came when Laurine van Riessen, of the Netherlands, managed to avoid a nasty crash with France's Virginie Cueff by riding up and along the barrier at the side of the track. Such was the extent of her precautionary action, she became almost horizontal.
Some athletes were disappointed to miss out on gold, or with having to settle with a mere silver or bronze medal. Not Aurimas Didzbalis of Lithuania. The weightlifter celebrated pocketing a medal in the men's 94kg with an impressive back flip.
A nation gasped when he tripped and fell, but despite taking a mid-race tumble, Britain's Mo Farah became the first British track and field athlete to win three Olympic gold medals as he retained his 10,000m title with a thrilling victory.
It wasn't all tears on the podiums. Britain's Sir Bradley Wiggins instead poked out his tongue to celebrate winning the men's cycling team pursuit - his fifth Olympic gold medal. He also became the first Briton to win eight Olympic medals.
Wiggins and other podium moments
Chinese diver He Zi had just collected her silver medal in the 3m women's springboard final when fellow diver Qin Kai entered the podium presentation. He duly got down on one knee, produced an engagement ring and proposed. She said yes.
Never far from the spotlight, Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt managed to find time to smile for the cameras while easing to a 100m semi-final victory. It prompted a flurry of internet memes. He later won the final in a time of 9.81 seconds - his third 100m crown in three Olympic Games.
How do you upstage Mr Bolt? Why not break a world record less than half an hour before the great man was due to run in the 100m final? South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk shattered Olympic legend Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record by 0.15 seconds to sensationally win Olympic gold. Apparently the credit goes to his 74-year-old great-grandmother - who happens to be his trainer.
Old master, new hero: How Bolt was nearly upstaged
How can you forget a dancing weightlifter? Big David Katoatau, from Kiribati, threw some shapes every time he successfully made a lift. He finished sixth in the men's 105kg Group B final but certainly kept the crowds entertained.
Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas somehow managed to win a dramatic gold medal in the women's 400m final - by diving over the line. Miller stumbled in the final stages and then lunged forward as she headed towards the track, edging out American world champion Allyson Felix to win in 49.44 seconds.
Ireland's bantamweight Michael Conlan went out of the boxing tournament in the quarter-finals - losing on points to Vladimir Nikitin of Russia. Conlan was furious at the verdict, which was booed by the crowd, and he vented his frustration at the judges afterwards, saying he had been "robbed" of his dream of winning Olympic gold.
A golden night for Britain's golden couple. Laura Trott first won gold in the women's omnium - following up her victory in the women's team pursuit. She then had to sit trackside as fiance Jason Kenny won his third gold of the games and his sixth in total in a dramatic keirin - which twice had to be restarted. One relationship, 10 Olympic gold medals. Not bad.
Laura Trott & Jason Kenny - Britain's golden couple
Cycling's Posh and Becks: Golden couple 'just Laura and Jason'
There were tears on the podium for France's Renaud Lavillenie, but for all the wrong reasons. The pole vault silver medallist was booed by the Rio crowd for a second time in 24 hours, having lost out to home favourite Thiago Braz da Silva in a dramatic final.
One of the most bizarre stories from Rio involved American gold medal-winning swimmers and a petrol station. Ryan Lochte, Jimmy Feigen and Jack Conger became embroiled in an international scandal over a made-up robbery. It became an Olympic mystery and resulted in a police investigation and a series of apologies.
US falls out of love with the ultimate 'bro'
Ryan Lochte, Prince Harry and the 'grill'
Was it fratricide? Was it brotherly love? It definitely ended well for the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny, who won gold and silver in the men's triathlon. The image of the British brothers collapsing into each other arms at the finish line will live long in Yorkshire memories.
The inside story of the Brownlees' triumph
Unperturbed Bolt, once again, shows his gregarious personality by pointing in admiration at Canada's Andre De Grasse as both men cross the line - in first and second place respectively - in the men's 200m semi-final. Bolt went on to win the final, of course.
Morolake Akinosun ploughed a lonely furrow down the home straight after the USA women's 4x100m relay team was allowed to re-run their heat after dropping the baton. They successfully argued they had been obstructed in their first race and ran on an empty track to qualify for the final. All the extra effort was worth it as the USA went on to win the final in 41.01 seconds - the second-fastest time in history.
Nick Skelton became Britain's second-oldest Olympic gold medallist when he won the individual show jumping event. The 58-year-old, who had retired in 2000 after breaking his neck in two places, triumphed after a six-way jump-off. The only person older than Skelton to win gold for Britain was shooter Joshua Milner in 1908 - aged 61. Skelton will not beat that record as he has ruled out competing in the Tokyo Games in four years' time.
The true Olympic spirit shone out when New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin (left) and Abbey D"Agostino of the USA helped each other out after colliding in their heat of the women's 5000m. D'Agostino tore her anterior cruciate knee ligament in the incident but both runners insisted on completing their race. They were both handed places in the final but the injury prevented the American taking part.
The triple triple? The treble treble? However you dress it up, Usain Bolt has nine Olympic medals from three Olympic Games. He said victory in the 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m relay would make him "immortal". It is hard to argue.
Bolt's amazing Olympic career in numbers
Brazil exorcised the demons of their 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-final in Belo Horizonte in 2014 by beating them in a penalty shoot-out to win the Olympic gold medal. The match had finished 1-1 after extra-time and star striker Neymar, who missed the World Cup humiliation because of injury, scored during normal time before converting the decisive penalty and bursting into floods of tears.
Britain's Mo Farah completed the double double as he became only the second man, after Finland's Lasse Viren, to retain both the 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic titles. His four gold medals make him his country's most successful track and field athlete.
After the competition, came the party as Rio produced a carnival-style closing ceremony full of music, dancing and colour.
The Olympic flame was extinguished with artificial rain - on a night where there had been plenty of actual rain.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario, with the next Olympics being held in Tokyo in 2020.Not content with Chelsea taking on Manchester United at the sharp end of the Premier League, André Villas-Boas wants to see the best of the English game challenging at the top of the Championship as well. Chelsea's manager believes youth football in England is due a revolution, and the best way to produce the highest-calibre talent is for top clubs to have a B team to compete outside the Premier League, as is the case in Spain.
"I was always of the opinion that the youth competitions should be differently organised in England," he said. "B sides could be a good option in England – a Chelsea B and a Man United B – and these teams should be able to play.
"I know it collides pretty much against the culture of British football and the defence of the historic principles of British football, but I think these teams should allowed to play up to Championship level. The reserve league is not as important for it to be the step below the first team. It is not the level it should be."
Reserve team football has become a wasteland and serves minimal useful purpose to England's high and mighty, who prefer to loan out young prospects or established players who are on the periphery, as a better option for those who need game time they are unlikely to get inhouse.
The potential value of the idea is exemplified by Barcelona B. Lionel Messi, Xavi and Carles Puyol head a list of luminaries who have all spent time with the B team. Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique have both been manager of the side. Although promotion to the top division is not allowed, last season Barcelona B finished third in the second tier of Spanish football.
"I think a reorganisation of the structures of youth competitions would be better," Villas-Boas said. |
in minimum temperatures of 4.6 °C). In addition, we grew Q. rubra seedlings in growth cabinets (GCs) mimicking the seasonal differential between the city and rural sites (based on a 5-year average). In the field experiment, we found an eightfold increase in biomass in urban-grown seedlings relative to those grown at rural sites. This difference was primarily related to changes in growth allocation. Urban-grown seedlings and seedlings grown at urban temperatures in the GCs exhibited a lower root: shoot ratio (urban ∼0.8, rural/remote ∼1.5), reducing below-ground carbon costs associated with construction and maintenance. These urban seedlings instead allocated more growth to leaves than did rural-grown seedlings, resulting in 10-fold greater photosynthetic area but no difference in photosynthetic capacity of foliage per unit area. Seedlings grown at urban temperatures in both the field and GC experiments had higher leaf nitrogen concentrations per unit area than those grown at cooler temperatures (increases of 23% in field, 32% in GC). Lastly, we measured threefold greater 13C enrichment of respired CO 2 (relative to substrate) in urban-grown leaves than at other sites, which may suggest greater allocation of respiratory function to growth over maintenance. It also shows that lack of differences in total R flux in response to environmental conditions may mask dramatic shifts in respiratory functioning. Overall, our findings indicating greater seedling growth and establishment at a critical regeneration phase of forest development may have important implications for the ecology of urban forests as well as the predicted growth of the terrestrial biosphere in temperate regions in response to climate change.
Introduction
Urbanization is accelerating across the globe, with city dwellers accounting for half the population worldwide (Pickett et al. 2001). The question of how the urban environment affects local plants and wildlife is becoming increasingly important. Urban plants affect local climate, biogeochemical cycling, wildlife habitat and quality of life for city dwellers. Additionally, they sequester anthropogenically produced carbon dioxide and may partially offset a city's carbon footprint. Lastly, urban environments may be useful as a ‘window into the future’ in global change research, as they exhibit several environmental factors that are expected in coming decades worldwide (Carreiro and Tripler 2005).
There are several environmental factors associated with the urban environment that likely affect plant growth and function. Cities tend to have greater tropospheric CO 2 concentrations, atmospheric nitrogen deposition and other pollution, and warmer temperatures compared with rural areas. The temperature increase in cities tends to be more pronounced at night: in New York City (NYC), the temperature differential between the city and surrounding rural areas is about twice as great at night than during the day (see the Results section). Extensive areas of concrete, asphalt, metal, stone and brick absorb solar radiation during the day and slowly release the heat overnight and significantly increase surface roughness; this is known as the ‘urban heat island effect’ (Kuttler 2010).
Fast-growing hybrid clones of Populus deltoides have been reported to grow faster in NYC than in surrounding rural areas, an observation attributed to the effects of ozone (Gregg et al. 2003). Higher night-time temperatures in the city may also contribute to this response since they tend to promote plant growth (Camus and Went 1952, Hussey 1965, Patterson 1993, Kanno et al. 2009, Way and Oren 2010). In particular, Kanno et al. (2009) reported that increased night-time temperatures promoted growth in rice plants through increases in both photosynthesis and respiration. Similarly, Turnbull et al. (2002) showed that elevated nocturnal temperatures stimulated night-time respiration in P. deltoides, which reduced leaf carbohydrate levels and led to increased photosynthesis the following day.
Physiological responses have also been reported to differ in mature trees growing in NYC compared with rural environments (Searle et al. 2011). These authors showed that leaf respiration rates of mature oaks growing in an urban setting were often higher than those of trees growing in more rural settings. Furthermore, the differences in leaf respiration were associated with changes in respiratory protein abundance (cytochrome and alternative oxidase) and changes in oxygen isotope discrimination reflecting changes in electron partitioning between the two respiratory pathways (Searle et al. 2011). Together these findings suggest that respiratory function and efficiency are altered in the urban environment. The carbon isotope signature of respired CO 2 can provide a tool to further assess such changes in respiratory activity, since a higher production of carbon skeletons from respiratory intermediates can support plant growth and has been shown to enrich the 13C content of the CO 2 released (Rossman et al. 1991, Duranceau et al. 1999, Ghashghaie et al. 2001, Hymus et al. 2005, Barbour et al. 2007, Gessler et al. 2009, Tcherkez et al. 2010).
Here we report on a series of experiments designed to clarify how the elevated night-time temperatures in NYC affect growth in seedlings of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), a native and regionally dominant tree species. These experiments build on each other. We first replicated the basic experimental protocols used in Gregg et al. (2003) and grew 1-year-old Q. rubra seedlings at four sites along an urban–rural transect from Central Park, NYC to the Catskill Mountains in upstate NY. Second, based on the results from this first field experiment, we undertook a growth cabinet (GC) experiment to isolate the effect of temperature from other potentially interacting environmental variables. The GCs simulated natural seasonal temperatures in NYC and at one of our rural sites. Quercus rubra seedlings were grown from acorns in this experiment and we measured photosynthesis, respiration and biomass allocation. We hypothesized that high night-time temperatures in the city would stimulate respiration and therefore photosynthesis, promoting growth in urban plants. At the same time we collected respired CO 2 from the field-grown plants to further test our hypothesis that respiratory responses were contributing to the observed growth response. We hypothesized that 13C enrichment would be found at the urban site relative to the others due to a higher production of carbon skeletons for growth from respiratory intermediates. Finally, we returned to the field to assess the biomass allocation response when acorns rather than seedlings are distributed to the four transect locations. Although natural year-to-year variations in the environmental conditions make each experiment unique, the results show many consistencies that allow us to conclude that the reduced diurnal temperature range found in urban environments is likely to contribute to the observed growth response in northern red oak.
Materials and methods
First transect study
We utilized four sites along a roughly 150 km urbanization gradient from NYC to the Catskill Mountains. The ‘urban’ site was located on the east of Central Park in NYC (40.780°N, 73.970°W), the ‘suburban’ site at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY (41.005°N, 73.950°W), the ‘rural’ site at Black Rock Forest near Cornwall, NY (41.430°N, 74.020°W) and the ‘remote’ site near the Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskill Mountains (41.925°N, 74.248°W). There was no replication of planting sites at each location. Each of the sites was exposed to full, direct sunlight, and was fenced to exclude large herbivores. Temperature data at the urban and remote sites were logged every 30 min using properly shielded HOBO pendant temperature/light data loggers at a height of 1 m (Model 8K-UA-002-08 Onset, Bourne, MA, USA). Long-term temperature records for Central Park are also available from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-operated weather station at Belvedere Castle in Central Park, NYC (www.ncdc.noaa.gov). Temperature at the rural site was measured hourly with a properly shielded thermistor (Model 107L thermistor and model 41303-5A 6-plate Gill Radiation Shield, Campbell Scientific Inc., Logan, UT, USA) in a standard weather station maintained by the Black Rock Forest Consortium. Temperature data at the suburban site were obtained from a personal weather station in the nearby town of Haworth, NJ, USA (www.wunderground.com/). Average daily minimum and maximum temperatures from the 2002 to 2006 growing season are reported in Figure 1. Although soil temperatures were not measured, they were likely similar to air temperatures as plants were grown in pots. Ambient CO 2 concentrations in NYC have been previously reported to be ∼390–400 ppm during the summer, excluding the morning rush hour, compared with 370–390 ppm measured at our suburban site (Hsueh 2009).
Figure 1. View largeDownload slide Five-year (May–July, 2002–06) mean air temperatures from the urban (Central Park, New York, NY, USA) and rural (Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, USA) field sites of the urban to rural transect. (a) Minimum and (b) maximum daily field temperature. Data from NOAA (Belvedere Castle Station CLINYC (http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/climate_cms.html)) and The Black Rock Forest Consortium (Open Lowland Station (http://blackrock.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/portal/browse/portal/station/objects/1/)).
Figure 1. View largeDownload slide Five-year (May–July, 2002–06) mean air temperatures from the urban (Central Park, New York, NY, USA) and rural (Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, USA) field sites of the urban to rural transect. (a) Minimum and (b) maximum daily field temperature. Data from NOAA (Belvedere Castle Station CLINYC (http://www.erh.noaa.gov/okx/climate_cms.html)) and The Black Rock Forest Consortium (Open Lowland Station (http://blackrock.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/portal/browse/portal/station/objects/1/)).
This study utilized acorns collected in the spring of 2001 and planted in garden boxes at Black Rock Forest in 2002. In 2004, they were transplanted into 26.5 l pots filled with soil from the rural site and 20 pots were distributed to each site along the urban–rural gradient. At the time of planting, an allometric relationship was established between stem diameter at the root crown and seedling mass by harvesting 25 seedlings spanning the entire range of planted diameters (total dry mass (g) = base diameter3.42 (mm), r2 = 0.95). Ten seedlings from each site were harvested in fall, 2006 and the leaf nitrogen concentration was determined. Preliminary gas-exchange measurements were made on these plants and have been presented elsewhere (Searle et al. 2007).
Growth cabinet study
Based on the observed responses from the first field study, two nearly identical GC experiments were conducted to further isolate the response to temperature. In the first, acorns of Q. rubra collected from the rural site in the fall of 2007 were planted in ‘Cone-tainers’ of vermiculite in an indoor greenhouse at Barnard College (New York, NY, USA) in January 2007. Once the first pair of leaves had emerged in most plants, the seedlings were transplanted to 6 l pots of sand in GCs (Conviron model E-15, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. In the second experiment, germinating acorns collected at the rural site in April 2007 were planted in 6 l pots of sand in GCs. In both experiments, four GCs were used in a split-plot design, with two cabinets set to simulate urban temperature regimes, and two to simulate rural temperatures. Ten plants were present in each chamber, for a total of 20 plants per treatment. The temperature regimes duplicated the measured hourly springtime field temperatures at the urban and rural sites averaged over the five previous years from 2002 to 2006 (Figure 1; rural site data obtained from the Black Rock Forest Consortium, and urban site data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA (www.ncdc.noaa.gov)). Hourly measurements were averaged over a 1-week interval (see Table S1 available as Supplementary Data at Tree Physiology Online), and the temperature regime in the GCs was updated each week to preserve the natural diurnal and seasonal temperature patterns. To keep each GC experiment consistent, the temperature regime was set to 9 April at the start and progressed seasonally from there. Relative humidity in the GCs was maintained at 50% at all temperatures. The first GC experiment ran for 52 days; the second ran for 89 days. Seedlings were watered every other day and were fertilized weekly. Light levels in the GCs were 350 ± 25 µmol m−2 s−1 of photosynthetically active radiation, measured at the top of the canopy. Seedlings grown at urban temperatures will henceforth be referred to as ‘warm-grown,’ and seedlings grown at rural temperatures will be referred to as ‘cool-grown.’
Ten seedlings from each GC (20 seedlings per treatment) were harvested in late July 2007 when the seedlings were 3 months of age. Stems were cut at the base. All leaves were removed and were analyzed on a leaf area meter (LI-3000, Li-Cor, Lincoln, NE, USA). Roots were removed from the pots and carefully washed to remove sand grains. Fine roots as well as coarse roots were included. Tissues were then bagged separately and dried in an oven at 65 °C for 3 days for leaves, and for 1 week for stems and roots. All dry tissues were then weighed. Root, stem and leaf mass were summed for total plant biomass.
Photosynthetic capacity (A max ) measurements and dark respiration measurements were made on 28 March 2007 and 27 March 2007, respectively. All gas-exchange measurements in the GC experiment were performed on seedlings in situ in the GCs, manipulating GC temperature to produce temperature response curves of respiration, as described below.
Respiratory CO 2 isotope study and 13C analysis
To avoid the possibility of root binding the original transect seedlings were replaced with a second cohort of red oak, which was planted in 2007. These plants came from germinating acorns (with a 0–2-inch radicle) collected at the rural site in April 2007, and were transported to each of the four transect sites. They were then planted in 26.5 l pots containing soil from the rural site. Seedlings were watered weekly throughout the growing season.
Three plants per site were used for this experiment and all 13C gas samples used in this analysis were collected between the hours of 21:00 and 24:00, when plants were in natural darkness. Incubation and gas sampling for isotopic analysis followed the approach of Hemming et al. (2005) and Hymus et al. (2005). Three healthy, mature leaves from each plant were placed in a darkened respiration chamber with a volume of 470 cm3. Three respiration chambers were connected in series with each other, and in sequence with a dessicant tube, a CO 2 infrared gas analyzer (LI-6200, Li-Cor, Inc.) and a gas collection vial. Carbon dioxide-free air was flushed through each of the chambers at a rate of ∼1 l min−1 for 3 min, after which the chambers were sealed. After half an hour of respiration, the chamber air was eluted by flushing CO 2 -free air through the first chamber, desiccant tube, CO 2 infrared gas analyzer and collection vial. When the peak CO 2 concentration (300–800 ppm) was detected on the infrared gas analyzer, the collection vial was presumed to be full of sample gas (based on preliminary tests) and was immediately sealed. This process was repeated at time intervals for the other chambers.
After collecting respired CO 2, the same leaves were used for bulk organic and soluble sugar analyses. The midribs were removed. Half the material was placed in an oven at 60 °C for 3 days; this material was later ground with a ball mill and analyzed for bulk organic carbon isotope composition. The other half of the material was wrapped in aluminum foil, snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and placed in a freezer at −80 °C. Approximately 1 g of this material was used for soluble sugar extraction according to the protocol of Duranceau et al. (1999) and Xu et al. (2004). For each 0.1 g of leaf material, 1 ml of deionized water was added and the mixture was ground in a mortar and pestle chilled with liquid nitrogen. The resulting extract was kept at 0 °C for 20 min and then centrifuged at 12,000 g for 10 min. The supernatant was boiled for 3 min and centrifuged again. The water-soluble fraction was then mixed with Dowex-50 (H+) and Dowex-1 (Cl−) resins in sequence to remove amino acids and organic acids, respectively. The eluate has previously been shown to have a carbon isotopic composition representative of leaf-soluble sugars (Brugnoli et al. 1988). The eluate was then dried in an oven at 60 °C for a day.
Isotopic composition of respired gas and soluble extracts was determined at the Weizmann Institute as described earlier (Hemming et al. 2005, Hymus et al. 2005). Briefly, organic matter 13C composition was determined on oven-dried and mechanically ground samples. Two replicates from each sample of ∼0.3–0.4 mg were weighed into 3 × 5 mm tin foil capsules (Elemental Microanalysis Ltd, Exeter, UK) and combusted in an elemental analyzer (Carlo Erba 1108; Carlo Erba, Milan, Italy, precision ± 0.5%) connected online to a continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Optima; Micromass Ltd, Manchester, UK). For analysis of respired CO 2, an aliquot of 1.5 ml was removed from each flask into a sampling loop and the CO 2 cryogenically trapped using helium as a carrier gas. It was then passed through a Carbosieve G packed column at 70 °C to remove N 2 O and analyzed on a Europa 20–20 continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (Crewe, UK). Batches of 15 flasks were measured at one time from a manifold system, with five flasks of a standard gas being measured for every 10 samples. The CO 2 concentration of each flask was determined by removing an additional 40 ml from the flask into a mechanical bellows and then passing the sub-sample through an infrared gas analyzer (LI-6262, Li-Cor Inc.). Two sub-samples were taken in series from each flask, with the value from the second sample being used to reduce memory effects between samples. Precision was ± 0.1 ppm.
(1) 13C, and R sam and R std are the isotope ratios (13C/12C) of the sample and standard, respectively, and the standard was Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite. Calibration of each batch run was done by measuring four samples of the acetanilide (Elemental Microanalysis Ltd.) international standard at the start of each run and two samples of a cellulose laboratory working standard for every 12 sample capsules, making a correction for a blank cup. Precision was ±0.1‰. Discrimination between respired CO 2 (δ R ) and soluble sugars (δ substrate ) during processes examined in this study was expressed as (2) Stable isotope ratios are expressed in the conventional delta (δ) notation in ‰ relative to an international standard: where δ is δC, and Rand Rare the isotope ratios (C/C) of the sample and standard, respectively, and the standard was Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite. Calibration of each batch run was done by measuring four samples of the acetanilide (Elemental Microanalysis Ltd.) international standard at the start of each run and two samples of a cellulose laboratory working standard for every 12 sample capsules, making a correction for a blank cup. Precision was ±0.1‰. Discrimination between respired CO(δ) and soluble sugars (δ) during processes examined in this study was expressed as
Second transect study
Acorns collected at the rural site in the fall of 2007 were planted at each site along the transect in pots containing soil from the rural site in May 2008. Seedlings were watered weekly over the growing season and fertilized with slow-release fertilizer (Osmocote, Marysville, OH, USA). From May to August, 2008, seedlings were sprayed weekly with insect repellant. Biomass, respiration, photosynthesis and leaf nitrogen measurements are presented for each of the five plants from this cohort. Five seedlings at each site were harvested in mid-August 2008 (at ∼5 months of age). The number of leaves per seedling was counted in 10 seedlings at each site (except for the rural site, where 7 were measured) on 16–17 July.
Temperature regimes at the four field sites were measured as described above (Figure 2). The year 2008 was an anomalous year with daytime temperature differences that were larger than the measured 2002–06 trends that were used to set the environmental conditions used in the GC experiment. Ozone concentrations were measured at weather stations near the urban and remote sites in 2008 and were found to be similar and relatively low (yearly averages of 30 ppb at each site) (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 2008).
Figure 2. View largeDownload slide 2008 May–August air temperatures from the four sites of the urban to rural transect (Urban = Central Park, New York, NY USA, Suburban = Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, USA, Rural = Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, USA, Remote = Ashokan Reservoir, Shokan, NY, USA). (a) Minimum and (b) maximum daily field air temperature.
Figure 2. View largeDownload slide 2008 May–August air temperatures from the four sites of the urban to rural transect (Urban = Central Park, New York, NY USA, Suburban = Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, USA, Rural = Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, USA, Remote = Ashokan Reservoir, Shokan, NY, USA). (a) Minimum and (b) maximum daily field air temperature.
Photosynthetic capacity (A max ) measurements were taken on 11 July 2008 and leaf dark respiration (R d ) measurements were taken on 12–15 August 2008. Photosynthesis measurements were performed on seedlings in situ in the field; however, seedlings and pots were transported to the GCs at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for respiration measurements in order to manipulate the temperature of the seedlings with the GCs. All gas-exchange measurements were performed as described below.
Gas-exchange measurements
Photosynthesis and dark respiration measurements were made using an LI-6400 (Li-Cor). Measurements of A were made at 30 °C. Measurements of R d were made at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C in the GC experiment, and at 10, 14, 18, 22 and 26 °C in the field study. Relative humidity was controlled at 50–75%. Fully expanded mature leaves were chosen randomly and the same leaf was used for all gas-exchange measurements on each replicate plant. Leaves were present in the cuvette for at least 3 min before measurements to allow equilibration in the chamber. Between 5 and 20 measurements were taken per plant at each temperature, and these values were averaged. Light intensity was set to 1500 µmol m−2 s−1 for measurements of A. Plants were allowed to stabilize for 30 min after each temperature change in the GCs before respiration measurements.
(3) 10 is the respiration rate at a reference temperature (here 10 °C), T 0 is the reference temperature (10 °C), T 1 is the measurement temperature of R and Q 10 is the increase in the respiration rate with a doubling of temperature (i.e., the temperature sensitivity of respiration). Non-linear curve fitting was performed using the Marquardt–Levenberg algorithm (Sigma Plot, software version 8.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The temperature response of respiration was modeled as previously described in Atkin et al. (2005) where R is the respiration rate, Ris the respiration rate at a reference temperature (here 10 °C), Tis the reference temperature (10 °C), Tis the measurement temperature of R and Qis the increase in the respiration rate with a doubling of temperature (i.e., the temperature sensitivity of respiration). Non-linear curve fitting was performed using the Marquardt–Levenberg algorithm (Sigma Plot, software version 8.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
Leaf nitrogen
Ten leaf samples from each site in both transect studies and in each of the treatments in the first GC experiment were analyzed for leaf N. Samples were ground with a ball mill and were analyzed for %N at the Stable Isotope Laboratory at Washington State University, or at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Percent leaf nitrogen is reported on a mass basis.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analyses were performed using R 2.4.0 (R Development Core Team). All data were tested for normality and ln transformed where needed (R :S ratio). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test differences between sites in the field study, and a Tukey post hoc test was used to determine the specific differences between sites. Tree size was added as a co-variate in the analysis of the root: shoot ratio between sites and treatments and was not found to influence results. A two-way ANOVA was used to test differences in the masses of plant components between treatments and chambers in the GC experiments, while a t-test was used to test differences in leaf nitrogen, A, and respiratory parameters between treatments in the GC experiments due to small sample size (n = 5). All comparisons were considered significant if P < 0.05. All error terms reflect the standard error of the mean.
Results
First transect study
Average daily minimum and maximum temperatures at the urban and rural field sites from early May to early July, 2002–06 are shown in Figure 1. The diurnal temperature range was significantly lower at the urban than at the rural site (6.7 vs. 10.4 °C, P < 0.05). The primary difference was at night with the minimum city temperatures nearly 4.5 °C warmer than the rural and remote temperatures. The daytime maximum temperature difference was much smaller, often 1 °C or less with a maximum of 2.0 °C. These 5-year average trends were replicated in the growth chamber experiments, which began in 2007, the year immediately following this record.
After 1 year of growth, seedlings from the urban site accumulated aboveground biomass at nearly twice the rate of the seedlings from the other three sites (Figure 3). There were no significant differences among the non-urban sites. Leaf nitrogen (N) was significantly different between sites along the transect, with urban-grown leaves having significantly greater N than leaves grown at other sites (Table 1).
Figure 3. View largeDownload slide The relative growth rate of above-ground biomass in Q. rubra seedling from the 2006 urban to rural transect field experiment. Values shown are mean ± SEM.
Figure 3. View largeDownload slide The relative growth rate of above-ground biomass in Q. rubra seedling from the 2006 urban to rural transect field experiment. Values shown are mean ± SEM.
Table 1. Experiment Site/treatment % N Significance 2006 field transect Urban 2.22 ± 0.07 a P < 0.001 Suburban 1.92 ± 0.06 b Rural 1.80 ± 0.02 b Remote 1.81 ± 0.06 b 2007 GC Warm grown 1.37 ± 0.08 a P = 0.025 Cool grown 1.04 ± 0.08 b 2008 field transect Urban 2.13 ± 0.05 a n.s. Suburban 2.16 ± 0.06 a Rural 2.17 ± 0.05 a Remote 2.22 ± 0.10 a Experiment Site/treatment % N Significance 2006 field transect Urban 2.22 ± 0.07 a P < 0.001 Suburban 1.92 ± 0.06 b Rural 1.80 ± 0.02 b Remote 1.81 ± 0.06 b 2007 GC Warm grown 1.37 ± 0.08 a P = 0.025 Cool grown 1.04 ± 0.08 b 2008 field transect Urban 2.13 ± 0.05 a n.s. Suburban 2.16 ± 0.06 a Rural 2.17 ± 0.05 a Remote 2.22 ± 0.10 a View Large
Table 1. Experiment Site/treatment % N Significance 2006 field transect Urban 2.22 ± 0.07 a P < 0.001 Suburban 1.92 ± 0.06 b Rural 1.80 ± 0.02 b Remote 1.81 ± 0.06 b 2007 GC Warm grown 1.37 ± 0.08 a P = 0.025 Cool grown 1.04 ± 0.08 b 2008 field transect Urban 2.13 ± 0.05 a n.s. Suburban 2.16 ± 0.06 a Rural 2.17 ± 0.05 a Remote 2.22 ± 0.10 a Experiment Site/treatment % N Significance 2006 field transect Urban 2.22 ± 0.07 a P < 0.001 Suburban 1.92 ± 0.06 b Rural 1.80 ± 0.02 b Remote 1.81 ± 0.06 b 2007 GC Warm grown 1.37 ± 0.08 a P = 0.025 Cool grown 1.04 ± 0.08 b 2008 field transect Urban 2.13 ± 0.05 a n.s. Suburban 2.16 ± 0.06 a Rural 2.17 ± 0.05 a Remote 2.22 ± 0.10 a View Large
Growth cabinet experiment
Total dry biomass, stem mass and leaf mass were significantly greater in warm- than in cool-grown seedlings in the second GC experiment (Table 2). Root mass was not significantly different between treatments. The root: shoot ratio and total leaf area were also significantly higher in cool-grown plants relative to warm-grown plants (Figure 4a and b, respectively). The percent leaf nitrogen was significantly greater in seedlings grown at warm temperatures relative to those grown at cool temperatures (Table 1). Leaf-scale photosynthetic capacity was not different between treatments (Figure 5a) nor were R 10 or Q 10 values, although on average warm-grown seedlings tended to respire at a greater rate than did cool-grown seedlings (Figure 5b; Table 3).
Figure 6. View largeDownload slide (a) δ13C of respired CO 2 in Q. rubra seedling leaves at each site along the urban–rural transect. (b) The discrimination in 13C by respiration (i.e., the difference in Δ13C between respired CO 2 and soluble sugars, assumed to be the substrate of respiration). Values shown are mean ± SEM. Letters indicate statistical differences.
Figure 6. View largeDownload slide (a) δ13C of respired CO 2 in Q. rubra seedling leaves at each site along the urban–rural transect. (b) The discrimination in 13C by respiration (i.e., the difference in Δ13C between respired CO 2 and soluble sugars, assumed to be the substrate of respiration). Values shown are mean ± SEM. Letters indicate statistical differences.
Figure 7. View largeDownload slide Q. rubra seedling biomass allocation measured during the 2008 urban to rural transect field experiment (a) root: shoot ratio, (b) number of leaves per plant and (c) total leaf area in field experiment. Values shown are mean ± SEM. Letters indicate statistical differences.
Figure 7. View largeDownload slide Q. rubra seedling biomass allocation measured during the 2008 urban to rural transect field experiment (a) root: shoot ratio, (b) number of leaves per plant and (c) total leaf area in field experiment. Values shown are mean ± SEM. Letters indicate statistical differences.
Table 2. Experiment Site/treatment Total mass (g) Root mass (g) Stem mass (g) Leaf mass (g) 2007 GC Warm grown 4.95 ± 0.30 a 2.36 ± 0.09 a 0.47 ± 0.06 a 2.12 ± 0.43 a Cool grown 4.09 ± 0.27 b 2.28 ± 0.17 a 0.35 ± 0.09 b 1.47 ± 0.22 b 2008 field transect Urban 125.4 ± 23.6 a 56.5 ± 10.1 a 42.9 ± 10.5 a 26.1 ± 3.3 a Suburban 90.3 ± 6.9 a 44.0 ± 7.4 a 23.8 ± 3.4 a 22.5 ± 2.4 a Rural 17.0 ± 5.6 b 10.6 ± 3.0 b 3.8 ± 1.2 b 2.8 ± 1.4 b Remote 15.4 ± 3.5 b 8.5 ± 2.1 b 3.2 ± 0.8 b 3.6 ± 1.0 b Experiment Site/treatment Total mass (g) Root mass (g) Stem mass (g) Leaf mass (g) 2007 GC Warm grown 4.95 ± 0.30 a 2.36 ± 0.09 a 0.47 ± 0.06 a 2.12 ± 0.43 a Cool grown 4.09 ± 0.27 b 2.28 ± 0.17 a 0.35 ± 0.09 b 1.47 ± 0.22 b 2008 field transect Urban 125.4 ± 23.6 a 56.5 ± 10.1 a 42.9 ± 10.5 a 26.1 ± 3.3 a Suburban 90.3 ± 6.9 a 44.0 ± 7.4 a 23.8 ± 3.4 a 22.5 ± 2.4 a Rural 17.0 ± 5.6 b 10.6 ± 3.0 b 3.8 ± 1.2 b 2.8 ± 1.4 b Remote 15.4 ± 3.5 b 8.5 ± 2.1 b 3.2 ± 0.8 b 3.6 ± 1.0 b View Large
Table 2. Experiment Site/treatment Total mass (g) Root mass (g) Stem mass (g) Leaf mass (g) 2007 GC Warm grown 4.95 ± 0.30 a 2.36 ± 0.09 a 0.47 ± 0.06 a 2.12 ± 0.43 a Cool grown 4.09 ± 0.27 b 2.28 ± 0.17 a 0.35 ± 0.09 b 1.47 ± 0.22 b 2008 field transect Urban 125.4 ± 23.6 a 56.5 ± 10.1 a 42.9 ± 10.5 a 26.1 ± 3.3 a Suburban 90.3 ± 6.9 a 44.0 ± 7.4 a 23.8 ± 3.4 a 22.5 ± 2.4 a Rural 17.0 ± 5.6 b 10.6 ± 3.0 b 3.8 ± 1.2 b 2.8 ± 1.4 b Remote 15.4 ± 3.5 b 8.5 ± 2.1 b 3.2 ± 0.8 b 3.6 ± 1.0 b Experiment Site/treatment Total mass (g) Root mass (g) Stem mass (g) Leaf mass (g) 2007 GC Warm grown 4.95 ± 0.30 a 2.36 ± 0.09 a 0.47 ± 0.06 a 2.12 ± 0.43 a Cool grown 4.09 ± 0.27 b 2.28 ± 0.17 a 0.35 ± 0.09 b 1.47 ± 0.22 b 2008 field transect Urban 125.4 ± 23.6 a 56.5 ± 10.1 a 42.9 ± 10.5 a 26.1 ± 3.3 a Suburban 90.3 ± 6.9 a |
the ocean of applause and let slip a lopsided smile. The 37-year-old comic was crushing. After almost two decades in comedy, the former fry cook had all but been handed the deed to the most important stand-up joint in the country. So he grinned and ambled off the stage into the arms of his wife, Lynn Shawcroft. Later that night, with the crowd still swirling, the couple slipped out the door into the neon embrace of Times Square.
Over the next week, they went off the grid, moving from hotel to hotel, dodging phone calls from increasingly concerned family and friends. On Tuesday, March 29, nine days after the Carolines gig, they holed up in an upscale hotel in Livingston, N.J. Early the next afternoon, Lynn called her husband’s publicist, who called his manager, who called his parents. One of the greatest comedians of a generation was dead.
”Young comedians are always trying to ape someone else,” says Conan O’Brien. ”Even when they’re good you can always tell where their influence was. ‘This guy is doing a Seinfeld with a twist.’ ‘That guy is doing Sam Kinison toned down a notch.’ And then you see someone like Mitch, and it’s like his brain was put in backwards.”
Hedberg’s stage persona read ”stoner freak.” He hid his face behind flowing hair and trademark amber sunglasses. He stared at the floor as he mumbled his lines. But he may have been the closest thing that contemporary stand-up had to a comic’s comic — a man who was absolutely revered by his peers.
His stuff was absurdist. Observational. At once completely clean and totally twisted. Other artists would marvel at lines like ”I like rice. Rice is great when you’re hungry and you want 2,000 of something.” On the page, his humor might seem simple, even a little silly, but when delivered in his beat-poet voice it was like listening to a creature that had fallen to earth.
”I always asked people, ‘How many times did you see him?’ ‘Once.’ ‘Once?’ That was like seeing the Grateful Dead once,” says Randy Kagan, a friend and fellow stand-up who frequently opened for Hedberg. ”You can’t see the Dead once. You had to see ’em over and over again to get an idea. That was what Mitch was like to me.”
And to his fans. Few other comedians had as passionate a cult following. Everyone from college kids to Canadian grandmothers called themselves partisans, lining up for blocks to see his shows, buying both his albums, and gleefully going online to swap favorite sets. By the end, they would even anticipate his punchlines, shouting them out if Hedberg couldn’t get them off fast enough. (”Didn’t you hear of a dramatic pause?” he’d complain whenever an overeager fan stepped on his jokes.)
George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, and Lewis Black were admirers. David Letterman had him on his show 10 times. There were dark rumors, sure, but no one wanted to believe that Mitch Hedberg was using heroin, a drug that could render him part of the grim lineage of Lenny Bruce and John Belushi. Not when the comedy was so warm and the guy delivering it was so nice.
”People would go, ‘Mitch is going to die’ and I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know,”’ says Mike Birbiglia, a Hedberg protégé who performed at one of the final shows at Carolines. ”He seemed to pull it off. He had this invincibility to him.”
Last week I helped my friend stay put. It’s a lot easier than helping someone move. I just went over to his house and made sure he did not start to load s— into a truck.
Mitch Hedberg was a listless baby and a difficult kid. The first six years of his life were spent in and out of a University of Minnesota hospital for heart problems (”I don’t think this heart will last forever,” he would write in his journal as an adult), and he started staging sick-outs from school as early as first grade. High school was a disaster — Hedberg graduated only by the grace of a sympathetic principal. And the second he got his diploma, he was out of there.
”I got a call from Wendy, our daughter who is a year older,” says his mother, Mary Hedberg, 61, who lives outside St. Paul. ”And she said, ‘Mom, I don’t know what’s goin’ on with Mitch, he’s packing paper bags.’ And I said, ‘With what?’ And she said, ‘Clothes.’ By the time we got home he was gone.”
Hedberg ended up on Florida’s Atlantic coast. He slept on the beach. Smoked a lot of pot. Spent Thanksgiving at the local mission. When he called home it would be to ask for money and to issue a progress report on a pamphlet he was writing called The Drifter’s Handbook, which was full of advice like how to get a free shower (sneak into hotel rooms just after someone checks out).
The vagabond life was perfect for a goofy 18-year-old with heavy metal hair and a wicked sense of humor. And it only got better in late 1989, when he met a kind, 20-year-old art student named Jana Johnson in a bar in Fort Lauderdale. ”By then he had an apartment, he and this guy Eddie,” she says, laughing. ”They were ice-cube poor. This apartment had nothing in it — they were literally eating ice cubes. But he was happy, there was no doubt about that.”
Before long, Hedberg and Johnson were a couple. While she finished school, he held down distinctly unfunny jobs — from fry cook to early a.m. distributor of promotional fliers for a local drugstore — and started doing his first open-mike gigs, mostly at a club called Haggerty’s in Boca Raton, Florida. He bombed, repeatedly. ”We were there for one of his first times,” remembers Mary Hedberg. ”He was…okay…” Hedberg’s 64-year-old father, Arne, shakes his head and snorts: ”Try terrible!”
The work started coming, though. The late 1980s and early ’90s were boom years for stand-up comedy, and before long, he hit the road, landing a job touring a chunk of the country not-so-affectionately known as ”the Spud Circuit.” Hedberg adored it. It didn’t matter that he got zero reception — his humor was way too odd for crowds weaned on sex jokes and airplane humor — he was doing what he wanted to do and getting paid to do it. Better still, he was constantly on the road. The heartland was filled with run-down bars and out-of-the-way corners, places that a man with an appreciation for a strong Jack and Coke and an eye for surreal detail could fall in love with. He would return from Spokane or Grand Forks or Great Falls bursting with stories for Johnson, who handled the bookings and bills while he worked the road and slowly improved his act. ”He was always painfully shy and socially awkward,” says former Man Show cohost Doug Stanhope, who frequently played shows with Hedberg in the mid-’90s. ”I mean, ‘pulling a Mitch’ was sneaking out a back door at a party or a bar without saying goodbye to anybody.”
Success came slowly. A spot on MTV in 1993. Killing at the ”New Faces” showcase in Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival in 1996. Booking his first Letterman. Then his second. And his third. In 1998, he made a glorious return to Montreal. His headlining set — a hilarious 10-minute ramble — left a theater of more than 2,000 people weeping with laughter, and as soon as the festival was over, he had a $500,000 sitcom deal with Fox. Mary and Arne Hedberg danced in their kitchen with joy when they heard the news. Hedberg just smiled his sheepish grin and cashed the check.
I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.
Nothing would ever come of the sitcom deal. It wasn’t for lack of trying — it’s just no one could find anything that would work on Fox for Hedberg. But now he had some serious money. That, and a new friend named Lynn Shawcroft. The two had been briefly introduced back in 1996 at the New Faces showcase. By the fall of 1998 they were close, and soon Mitch moved out of Johnson’s apartment and into the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. ”We were together nine years,” Johnson says. ”We tried, but that October we broke it off completely.”
Hedberg had fallen in love. Shawcroft was adoring and a little wild — the perfect match for his brilliant, insecure, and sweet temperament. They married a few months later. ”It happened in February of 1999. We found out in November,” says Mary Hedberg. ”I found out in an e-mail from another friend. She said, ‘Well, now that Mitch is married…’ I was at my desk and tears, lots of tears, just came flying and I said, ‘Married? Mitch is married?’ He didn’t want to tell us. They told us later that they didn’t want us to be hurt for Jana.”
The new couple hit the road. Whereas Johnson had kept a job at home, Shawcroft was more than happy to live out of rental cars and airport terminals with her new husband. They started traveling and didn’t stop. Watching horror movies in hotel rooms. Ordering chicken burritos. Doing shows and then swiftly sneaking out the door. Shawcroft’s job was to have the exit route planned and the car already started by the time Hedberg finished his set. They fancied themselves American outlaws, comedy’s answer to Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. ”He was into that whole romantic rock & roll Jim Morrison/Kurt Cobain thing,” says Johnson. ”It was who he was.”
The duo became famous for flaky behavior, stuff like deciding to drive cross-country to gigs on a whim and leaving a van at the Phoenix airport for seven months at $16 a day. (”By the time we got it out,” she laughs, ”the bill cost more than the van.”) ”Mitch and Lynn were together all the time,” says Hedberg’s longtime manager, Dave Becky. ”They lived in their own little world.” And that world included drugs.
No one is quite sure when Hedberg started seriously using heroin, but Shawcroft says he had tried the drug before they met. From the outside, it was hard to tell what was going on. Hedberg and Shawcroft’s relationship was startlingly opaque — Mary Hedberg estimates she and Arne spent a total of 24 hours with the couple over their six years of marriage — and the stand-up scene is filled with high-functioning drug users. Against that backdrop, he was the picture of professionalism. Despite rumors of heavy drug use, Hedberg would arrive, perform, and leave audiences happy.
”Mitch was a live-and-let-live guy,” says Becky. ”When we would talk about [the drug gossip] he would always say, ‘I’m fine, man. I’m writing jokes. I’m selling tickets. My fans love me.’ He never would say, ‘I have a problem. I’m in trouble. I’m unhappy.’ We always tried to get to the bottom of what he was doing and he kept saying ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.”’
But the rumors were becoming too pervasive, too worrying. In the summer of 2002, Mary and Arne tracked down the couple in Texas and confronted him about substance abuse. The conversation did not go well. ”Lo and behold, they talked us out of it,” says Arne, with a shake of the head. ”’This is all just a big myth. Here’s why and blah blah blah.’ They teamed up on us. The truth is, they snookered us.”
Any pretense that the comedian was clean was shattered a year later. Hedberg had just wrapped up a series of shows at an Austin comedy club when he and Lynn were stopped at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. A federal officer opened up a red bag covered with white flowers that had Hedberg’s name on it. Inside was a Red Bull can with three syringes and a smudge of heroin on the bottom. When the officer searched Hedberg’s backpack he found a fistful of pills — Valium and Xanax, as it turned out — that the comedian said he’d gotten from someone downtown. (He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge.)
Hedberg spent two nights in jail, where a routine examination showed that an infection had been festering in his right leg for months. He was shipped to a county hospital, and while he was there, doctors told Shawcroft the leg was in alarmingly bad shape. Mary and Arne arranged to have Mitch transported to a Houston hospital, where surgeons operated for 13 hours. The leg was saved — though Hedberg would limp for the rest of his life. But after that nobody had any illusions that Hedberg was actually okay. In fact, everyone was scared to death. Everyone except Shawcroft. ”To me it was a relief,” she says quietly. ”I mean, when he got arrested it was very scary. But it got us to stop working for a couple of months and almost back to health. For a while.”
I haven’t slept for 10 days. Because that would be too long.
Lynn Shawcroft sits in a hotel in Beverly Hills. The red paint on her nails is flaked and chewed. Her face is puffed and her eyes are hidden by dark sunglasses. Ripped jeans dangle over dirty sneakers. She looks a wreck.
”I’m scared,” she says in a thin, watery voice. ”I don’t know if I can do this.”
”Here’s the thing you really need to know,” says Kagan, who spent significant time with both Shawcroft and Hedberg. ”The story of Mitch Hedberg is a love story. A great love story.” Today, Shawcroft just looks at her shoes and says, ”It is a love story. It is, it is, it is.”
The time since Hedberg’s death has been tough on Shawcroft. There was the funeral. The endless condolence cards to answer. In fact, since her husband’s passing, she has become extremely hard to reach, refusing interview requests and avoiding most friends’ telephone calls. Now, as she opens up for the first time, it’s clear that the little moments hurt the most. ”I opened one of his journals after he died,” she says, ”and there was a line, ‘Do you believe in Gosh?”’ She grins. ”The f—er could write. I’d turn around and he’d have five new jokes.”
She starts shaking a bit as she remembers the end. ”We were going to Baltimore [that last night]]. We had been in New York for all these days, and we had kept jumping hotels…. It was the most confusing night of my life. I was in the bedroom, and then I went in the bathroom. And when I came out he didn’t look right. So I grabbed him and tried to give him mouth-to-mouth and called 911.”
”It’s so hard. How am I going to do this? He was beyond even a best friend. He loved monster movies.” She looks up as if to say Betcha didn’t know that. ”He did. He couldn’t watch them on his own, though. He’d make me watch them with him.”
She stops, gulps air, and takes off her sunglasses. Her eyes are wet with tears.
The thing that’s depressing about tennis is no matter how good I get, I’ll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They’re f—in’ relentless.
Back in 2003, after he was released from the hospital, Hedberg fought his way back to performing, playing 54 cities around the country with Dave Attell and Lewis Black. He missed only one show on that tour, in Phoenix. He had gotten stuck in traffic.
But as the money grew better and better — a Comedy Central special and a CD had sent his price tag as high as $25,000 for a night’s work — his health was getting worse and worse. It didn’t help that he had been on the road for six years straight. There was never a vacation. He and Shawcroft rarely made it to their home in the mountains outside of L.A., and then it was just a quick stop to collect piles of mail. They traveled so much that Mitch laid out $84,000 for a motor home, the only way he could see to drive from gig to gig. ”He was working too hard,” Shawcroft says. ”He partied hard, too, but I think everyone attributed everything to drugs without realizing that he was burning out as well. Now I look back and wish when we were in Texas I had just said, ‘No more.’ No more.”
His last tour — with singing comedian Stephen Lynch — was tough. For the first time in Hedberg’s 19-year career, there were reports of bad shows, sets where he would show up obviously drunk or stoned and lie on his back in the middle of the stage and burble nonsense. ”That happened toward the end,” says Clear Channel’s Geof Wills, who booked his last two tours. ”Sometimes [he was] brilliant. Other times I thought, ‘Hey, Mitch, that wasn’t the greatest thing in the world.’ He was clearly compromised.”
The final six shows at Carolines in March of this year were typical. About half of them were bad. Not awful. Just bad. Mitch would look at his notes and fret when the jokes didn’t sing, or just speed through his set. The rest were phenomenal, though, glorious 60-minute blocks that left people crying into their two-drink minimums.
It’s still unclear what exactly killed him. His parents say he struggled with peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis all his life, and Shawcroft, who has not released the coroner’s report to the public, confirms it was a heart attack. Even so, speculation persists that drugs might have played a role. ”Does it really matter?” asks Becky. ”He’s gone.”
Shortly after the funeral in Minnesota, something remarkable happened. Fans who had never met Hedberg — kids who listened to the albums once a day and housewives who thought escalators and bullfrogs could be funny as hell — went online to trade stories and jokes and to work out their grief. Other comedians chuckled over his odd behavior and A-plus material. Staff at clubs remembered his generosity. (”He didn’t care if you were the guy emptying the Dumpster, he’d tip you into the next tax bracket,” laughs Kagan.) They mobbed the memorials held around the country. Shut down the website. Bought up the merchandise. Hundreds of letters poured in to Mary and Arne’s house in Minnesota, and the phone didn’t stop ringing.
”My goodness, the calls,” says Mary. ”We had one gentleman call from Georgia to say, ‘You don’t know me. But I loved your son, and I just wanted you to know that.’ And just, you know, just…those things just meant so much to us.”
”He left a lot of brilliant comedy for people,” says Becky, letting a smile play across his lips. ”My grandkids are going to listen to his records and get him. I really like that. The bottom line is this: He was a stubborn motherf—er who was also just a really good dude. He lived his life the way he wanted to live it. And you know what? He was a f—ing genius. And that’s the truth.”Comcast, NBC Have Learned Little, Still Cling Tightly To Broken 'TV Everywhere' Mindset
from the change-is-apparently-hard dept
"The campaign, which carries the “Watch TV without a TV” tagline and will be backed by digital and on-air promos across NBCU’s portfolio, will focus on how consumers can access content across those channels and brands on a variety of connected devices as part of their existing pay-TV The new TVE consumer campaign, NBCU said, will be “laser focused on driving web traffic, mobile downloads, video views and increased engagement across NBCUniversal’s brands."
For years the cable and broadcast industry has tried to pretend it's keeping pace with the times via an initiative called "TV Everywhere." TV Everywhere essentially lets cable subscribers watch a selection of limited content on limited devices --you have a traditional cable connection. The idea is that if you've got TV Everywhere, there's simply no need to wander off campus to enjoy streaming services from the likes of Netflix. But as we noted years ago, the idea was unlikely to accomplish much given it's based on DRM'd, restrictive walled gardens and unskippable ads -- precisely the sort of things that drive users to streaming alternatives and piracy in the first place.Our skepticism appears warranted. A study from earlier this year indicated that 82% of consumers have no idea what TV Everywhere even is. While polite about it, the study concluded that this was because TV Everywhere as a concept, and inconsistently across carriers. The study also noted that just 4% even knew what their cable credentials are. Companies like Sling have seized on the TV Everywhere dysfunction, going so far as to launch entire ad campaigns mocking the concept for being overly restrictive and just kind of annoying.In an amusing attempt to right the TV Everywhere ship, Comcast and NBC Universal appear poised to launch a new TV Everywhere brand awareness effort. This will include, reports indicate, promoting the service via ads running the tagline "watch TV without a TV":Rather amusingly, this concept of "watching TV without a TV" only goes so far, given that while NBC is finally offering some live streams of its content on the company's website as part of this new initiative, in good-old TV Everywhere fashion you still need a traditional cable subscription to access it. In twenty years the cable and broadcast industry's attempts to fight consumers at every step of the way (skippable ads, walled gardens, a la carte) will be part of a hilarious master class in what not to do when fighting disruption. At the moment however, most of the cable and broadcast industry just believes it's being incredibly clever and innovative.
Filed Under: cord cutting, internet, over the top video, tv, tv everywhere
Companies: comcast, nbc universalA shortage of accomodation has prompted more than 1000 people to offer to "adopt" a Lions fan.
Photo: AFP
More than 20,000 international visitors are expected next month for the British and Irish Lions tour.
The rugby team will play 10 games across the country, finishing with two games against the All Blacks - one in Wellington and one in Auckland - at the beginning of July.
After concerns some fans who did not book accomodation immediately after the tour was announced would not be able to find or afford a place to stay, Adam Gilshnan set up a Facebook page to connect them with New Zealanders willing to billet them for free.
He said the response had been fantastic.
"You know the Kiwis are offering all sorts - getting picked up from the airport or train station or driven to the grounds.
"Some people are saying we've got kegerators [beer coolers] with two handles - so there's lots of beer. Some are saying for the Scottish fans 'we've got lots of whisky so come and join us, we'll have a barbecue'.
"You know, the generosity from the New Zealanders is just outstanding, I'm really stoked that Kiwis have taken it on board and are getting in behind it."
Mr Gilshnan said it would also be a chance for people to make new international friendships.LG has been demonstrating its expanding smart home ecosystem with more partnerships and collaborations, highlighted by its cooperation with Amazon at IFA 2016. LG is showcasing smart technology that actively understands consumer usage patterns and provides optimal solutions that cater to different user lifestyles.
At IFA 2016, LG will also be introducing a host of new IoT accessories including SmartThinQ Lightbulb, SmartThinQ Plug and SmartThinQ Motion Sensor that all work seamlessly with LG’s SmartThinQ Hub and Sensors.
Also on demonstrating is LG’s Smart InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerator equipped with a 29-inch transparent Touch LCD screen at IFA. Powered by the Intel Compute Stick, a tiny computer with an Intel Atom processor, this refrigerator can be used as both a monitor and a window to peek inside the fridge without opening the door using Knock-On, which makes the screen transparent with only two raps.
The refrigerator shown at IFA 2016 will be capable of running various useful apps to view recipes, listen to music, watch videos and even shop online. LG SIGNATURE refrigerator that evolves to suit customers’ different lifestyles by picking up environmental and usage patterns through advanced sensor technology. The LG SIGNATURE refrigerator features 2.0 megapixel panoramic super-wide-lens inter-nal camera to capture interior images from various angles that can be viewed on a smartphone by the user while grocery shopping.
This advanced appliance includes sensors for the door, humidity as well as external and internal temperature. The temperature sensor can tell when warm or hot food has been placed inside the refrigerator and adjusts the fan accordingly 30 percent faster cooling than conventional refrigerators.
Read MoreBiggest ever trade deal signed as US seeks to counter China
The biggest trade deal in history was signed Thursday, yoking 12 Pacific rim countries in a US-led initiative aimed at wresting influence from booming China.
The ambitious Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) aims to slash tariffs and trade barriers for an enormous 40 percent of the global economy -- but pointedly does not include Beijing.
"TPP allows America -- and not countries like China -- to write the rules of the road in the 21st century," US President Barack Obama said after the pact was signed in New Zealand.
Demonstrators and police come face to face as they close down streets in Auckland to protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on February 3, 2016 ©Michael Bradley (AFP)
The deal -- whose birth was fraught by domestic opposition in the US and in other key players, such as Japan -- is a key plank of Obama's so-called "pivot" to Asia, as he seeks to counter the rising power of China.
Along with a rebalancing of the US military machine towards the western Pacific, the TPP is recognition of the growing might of China, which has come to dominate the region, threatening American influence.
Supporters of the deal say harnessing the power of free trade in such a dynamic part of the world is vital if the US is to fend off China's challenge to its supremacy.
Trade ministers from 12 participating countries -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam -- signed the pact in Auckland early Thursday.
Beijing was muted in its reaction to the deal, saying its officials were studying the 6,000-page document.
A commerce ministry statement said China would "actively participate in and facilitate highly transparent, open and inclusive free trade arrangements in the region".
Despite Obama's comments, the US has also sought to play down any overt anti-China rhetoric.
US trade representative Michael Froman, in Auckland, said the agreement was "never directed against" any specific country and "it's important to have a constructive economic relationship" with China.
Although the signing marks the end of the negotiating process, member states still have two years to get the deal approved at home before it becomes legally binding.
"We will encourage all countries to complete their domestic ratification processes as quickly as possible," New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said.
"TPP will provide much better access for goods and services to more than 800 million people across the TPP countries, which make up 36 percent of global GDP."
However, ratification may prove far from easy, notably in the United States, where poisonous election-year politics are likely to stymie co-operation over a deal opponents have spun as a job killer.
"It's highly unlikely (ratification) before the national elections in November," Tom Switzer of the University of Sydney's US Studies Centre told AFP.
"In an election year, free trade is not a popular cause, and there are a lot of constituencies in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who are very much opposed to free trade or any kind of trade deal."
In Japan -- the second biggest economy in the bloc, and one that was a relative latecomer to the process -- mainstream politicians and economists have generally supported the TPP as positive for Tokyo's export-driven growth even amid concerns over its impact on its prized agriculture industry.
The Canadian government, which has changed since the deal was negotiated, signed up Thursday but has yet to decide whether to go through with ratification.
While the 12 trade ministers were shaking hands in Auckland, thousands of protesters clogged the streets outside to voice their opposition.
They argue the TPP will cost jobs and impact on sovereignty in Asia-Pacific states.
American economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz believes the TPP "may turn out to be the worst trade agreement in decades.
"In 2016, we should hope for the TPP's defeat and the beginning of a new era of trade agreements that don't reward the powerful and punish the weak," he recently wrote in The Guardian newspaper.
Factfile on the 12 nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (C) and Ministerial Representatives from 12 countries pose for a photo after signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in Auckland on February 4, 2016 ©Michael Bradley (AFP)
An activist holds up an American flag as demonstrators close down streets in Auckland to protest against the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on February 4, 2016 ©Michael Bradley (AFP)WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the bosses of some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies headed to Washington in January to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, it had all the makings of a potentially hostile meeting.
Just weeks before, Trump had sent drug stock prices plummeting after accusing the companies of “getting away with murder” by charging too much for medicines.
But the Trump who greeted chief executives of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), Novartis (NOVN.S), Merck (MRK.N), Eli Lilly (LLY.N), Celgene (CELG.O) and Amgen (AMGN.O) on Jan. 31 was a surprisingly genial host who even gave them a personal tour of the Oval Office, according to several participants in the breakfast.
“There is no question that it was better than it could have been or we thought it could be,” said one industry insider familiar with the meeting.
Trump did not repeat his public attacks on the industry. Instead, he focused on “outdated” regulations that drive costs up for drugmakers, according to participants interviewed by Reuters. The CEOs left with Trump’s word that he would streamline regulations and reform the high U.S. corporate tax rate.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has held at least nine meetings with groups of business leaders, including automakers, airlines, retailers and health insurers. On Wednesday, he was hosting lunch for a group of New York real estate developers and private equity CEOs, during which possible private-public partnerships on infrastructure would be discussed, according to a person briefed on the meeting.
Infographic ID: '2mXttym'
In early morning or late-night tweets and in speeches, Trump has lambasted many of these companies for cost over-runs, or high prices, or foreign manufacturing, often knocking down their share prices.
But Reuters interviews with nearly a dozen executives and lobbyists who have taken part in these meetings or have been briefed on them reveal a Trump who is very different from his uncompromising and demanding @realDonaldTrump Twitter handle.
When he meets the nation’s top chief executives in person, he is a mix of charm and cajoling. This Trump is flexible and inquisitive, a schmoozer who remembers birthdays and often lavishes praise on their companies, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity so they could freely discuss private meetings.
This private side of Trump sheds light on why many CEOs have expressed confidence that the Republican president is good for business, despite his share-denting public attacks. As recently as Tuesday, Trump tweeted he was working on a system to increase competition in the health industry and lower drug pricing, sending pharma shares lower.
In the White House meetings, Trump focuses much of his talk on cutting regulations, the sources said, underscoring one of his administration’s key priorities - getting rid of rules imposed by his predecessor Barack Obama. He typically asks which regulations are holding businesses back from adding new jobs and promises to resolve the issues, executives say.
“He said one thing for the cameras and the door shuts and then it’s like kumbaya,” said one person who was briefed on a meeting between Trump and a group of CEOs.
“He likes to be seen as engaging and buddy buddy with other big important business leaders,” said this person.
A former businessman, Trump runs his closed-door meetings with CEOs as if they were a corporate board meeting, attendees said. In contrast to his doctrinaire tweets, he likes to seek input from everyone at the table, and compared to former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, conversations are less scripted.
Trump’s approach to these meetings is “one of listening and not lecturing”, said a senior White House official who has participated in industry meetings. “I’ve seen a president who is listening and asking questions to get to how he can create a thriving economy,” the official said.
An Amgen spokeswoman said Trump made it clear that he wanted to work with the company on U.S. job creation and biotech innovation. Representatives of the other drugmakers declined to comment.
SHOWING OFF THE DRAPES
Because so little is known about how Trump interacts privately with CEOs, trade groups and company officials have begun to swap tips on how to approach their meetings with him.
“There is this undercurrent of information sharing about what to expect, what to do,” said one trade group official who prepared CEOs for a recent meeting with Trump. He said he has gotten a flurry of calls from other industries next in line for a White House visit.
FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump meets with pharmaceutical industry representatives at the White House in Washington, U.S. on January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo
At the end of most meetings, Trump leads CEOs into the Oval Office, showing off paintings, sculptures and the furniture, as well as the rug and curtains he has picked out. He also points out a bust of Martin Luther King Jr., which he inherited from Obama. Then he takes a group photo behind the desk.
“He becomes tour guide and brings them over to the Oval Office,” the same official said. “He’s very proud of the Oval Office.”
The White House official said Trump recognized the “awe” of the Oval Office.
CHAIR FOR GM, BIRTHDAY WISH FOR FORD
Chief executives of Detroit’s top three automakers - General Motors Co (GM.N), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCHA.MI) - were pleasantly surprised when they went to the White House for a breakfast with Trump on Jan. 24.
Since his election, Trump has frequently attacked the car companies for building in Mexico and warned U.S. firms would no longer be able to move U.S. jobs abroad “without consequences.”
When Trump entered the Roosevelt Room, he greeted GM CEO Mary Barra with a playful tap on the shoulder as he gently prodded her to add jobs in the United States and later pulled out her chair before the meeting started, a review of the video transcripts of the first part of the meeting shows.
He greeted Ford CEO Mark Fields with a “Happy Birthday. It’s his birthday ladies and gentlemen.” Trump said it was a “great honor” to see Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.
Trump did not specifically ask them to build plants in the United States - as he had tweeted he would before the meeting - but instead listened to their complaints about regulations and indicated a willingness to help them, people briefed on the meeting said.
Ford declined to comment and referred to Fields’ comments to dealers in January that Trump had asked for a list of regulations that automakers wanted cut or kept.
GM CEO Mary Barra said in a speech last week that Trump “really listened” to the automakers, while Marchionne told reporters at the Geneva auto show on Tuesday that Trump was “quite willing to make our lives easier” in terms of compliance and taxes in order to encourage U.S. job creation.
Slideshow (3 Images)
Trump has been complimentary of his high-profile guests - and at times playful.
After Denise Morrison, chief executive of Campbell Soup (CPB.N), introduced herself in one of those meetings, Trump quickly responded: “Good soup.”
At another, after Target Corp (TGT.N) CEO Brian Cornell spoke, Trump responded by pronouncing the name of the company as “Tar-Jay,” a common joke to make the retailer sound more fancy.There is a image on NeoGAF of what could be the box art for The LEGO Movie “Everything is Awesome Edition” Blu-Ray. The box shows Emmet on the cover as well as a image of what the exclusive LEGO Vitruvius minifigure looks like. This version of the Blu-Ray also includes DVD, Digital HD Ultraviolet, as well as the bonus 3D version and has tons of extras. This image seems to go along with the information we got yesterday of which version the Blu-Ray the Vitruvius minifig will be in.
Doing some research, Walmart could be the retailer that will be stocking the “Everything is Awesome Edition.” The page lists the Blu-Ray as well as the LEGO Minifigure. The retail price is $45.99 but they have a pre-order for $41.38. Will the price dissuade you from picking up the movie with the minifig?Apparently the president of the country requests that it officially be called Côte d’Ivoire by everyone, even those with English as a first language. This seems to be a bit of an anomaly amongst the world’s countries as all countries have differing names, be it local variations, French, English, Portuguese, but Côte d’Ivoire should always be Côte d’Ivoire! The only other example I can think of is East Timor, which is often referred to as Timor-Leste, even amongst many English speakers.
I arrived in Abidjan, the de-facto capital of Côte d’Ivoire after a short flight from Benin and was certainly taken aback by what I found. At first I thought I may be in Ireland, with their flag dotted around the airport terminal building, but upon closer inspection the |
permanent workers who will always be on their books.
Financial Times points out, lured many young men into dropping out of school for well-paying construction gigs. But now that building has gone into hibernation, all of those young men are left with no work and no education to fall back on. And, again, even if they can find temporary jobs, it's not as if the companies will spend money to develop their skills. But it gets worse. The housing bust hasn't just cast a shadow over household and bank balance sheets; it's cast one over young people's educations too. At its peak, building made up a whopping 19 percent of Spain's economy, which, as Tobias Buck of thepoints out, lured many young men into dropping out of school for well-paying construction gigs. But now that building has gone into hibernation, all of those young men are left with no work and no education to fall back on. And, again, even if they can find temporary jobs, it's not as if the companies will spend money to develop their skills.
No Hope
I wasn't exaggerating when I said this is one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. Spain needs shock therapy for its labor markets, but that's an impossible political sell when more than a quarter of the population is unemployed. In an ideal world, Spain would pair major reforms with major stimulus; in the real world, it will drag its feet on reforms, try to cut its deficit, and fall deeper into depression.
Let me leave you with this, well, depressing question: Assuming everything goes perfectly, how long will it be till Spanish unemployment gets below 20 percent?
Don't answer that.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Predatory Lending and the Subprime Crisis
NBER Working Paper No. 19550
Issued in October 2013
NBER Program(s):Law and Economics
We measure the effect of an anti-predatory pilot program (Chicago, 2006) on mortgage default rates to test whether predatory lending was a key element in fueling the subprime crisis. Under the program, risky borrowers and/or risky mortgage contracts triggered review sessions by housing counselors who shared their findings with the state regulator. The pilot cut market activity in half, largely through the exit of lenders specializing in risky loans and through decline in the share of subprime borrowers. Our results suggest that predatory lending practices contributed to high mortgage default rates among subprime borrowers, raising them by about a third.
Acknowledgments
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w19550
Published: Agarwal, Sumit & Amromin, Gene & Ben-David, Itzhak & Chomsisengphet, Souphala & Evanoff, Douglas D., 2014. "Predatory lending and the subprime crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(1), pages 29-52. citation courtesy of
Users who downloaded this paper also downloaded* these:How to repair your shattered eyeshadow. Today I’m going to share something with you, something precious and close to me.
It will help you preserve your sanity and hard earned dollars. It might be a little bit of fun for your Monday too, but I don’t want to assume things on your behalf. Have you ever shattered a brand new eyeshadow? I’m here to help with a makeup tip from the pros.
Are you here from StumbleUpon? Thanks so much for visiting! If you like what you see, I have plenty more where this came from. Subscribe to get a little Petit Elefant every day. Thanks!
So, a little while ago I discovered makeup tutorials on YouTube.
Where I found this tip and trick how to repair shattered eye shadow
I don’t even have time enough in the day to watch all the good stuff out there. There is such a vast pool of makeup information on the internet I don’t even know where to direct you, but YouTube is a great start. There’s a makeup artist for everybody on YouTube, and I’ve found mine. Her name is Kandee Johnson, a professional makeup artist and all around ball of sunshine who’s massively skilled. Last week Kandee taught me a skill that has already saved me about $45.
Do you ever break your eyeshadow? Like, drop it on the ground and shatter it? It’s heartbreaking, especially when you’ve forked over serious cash for the good stuff. I’ve thrown away hundreds of dollars in makeup because I’ve shattered it doing heaven knows what.
I’m here to teach you how to repair it.
Here’s what you need:
shattered eyeshadow
coin {I used an American quarter}
rubbing alcohol
tissue
butter knife
medicine squirter
{not pictured} plastic bag or plastic wrap
Step 1: Get everything together
Place the shattered makeup carefully into the plastic bag holding the plastic carefully over the top.
Step 2: Tear it all down back to the basics
Hold the plastic tightly across the top of the eyeshadow and with the back of the butter knife smash all the remaining bits of eyeshadow into a fine powder.
Step 3: Reconstitute with rubbing alcohol
When the eyeshadow looks like this, you’re ready to go. Pull the eyeshadow out of the plastic bag, we’re on to step 4!
Step 4: Press your shattered eyeshadow back into shape
Using the medicine squirter put a couple squirts of rubbing alcohol into the broken eyeshadow. Make sure the eyeshadow is completely saturated with the rubbing alcohol.
Step 5: Save mucho dineros
Now put the tissue on top of the eyeshadow and put the coin on top of that. Press down with all the force in the world. You’re re-compacting the eyeshadow, so don’t be shy.
Step 6: Keep saving money by doing DIY things yourself.
Enjoy your new eyeshadow!
Isn’t that awesome? I’ve already done this to three of my favorite shattered M.A.C. eyeshadow compacts. I’m so happy I can’t even tell you.
Listen, don’t judge me. It’s the small bits of happiness in life that make it worthwhile.
—
{Kandee Johnson makeup artist extraordinaire taught me this trick. All the credit belongs to her.}
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(Visited 656,902 times, 146 visits today)This is why Kylo Ren needs to die. That people are making excuses for and rushing to justify and explain away a 25 year old entitled white guy murdering children and committing genocide is exactly the kind of thinking behind headlines about “lone wolves” and “quiet misunderstood” types when white men walk into schools and gun down actual children or target and shoot women because they were “rejected.” We get treated to sob stories about his apparently “tragic” past and pictures of his sad family members as if this somehow excuses or explains his behavior.
Murderous white men constantly get the benefit of complexity, of empathy, of their behavior–no matter how heinous–being excused and explained away as not some internal flaw inherently tied to white privilege and male entitlement but as the result of some outside force…he wasn’t loved enough…someone else influenced him…anything to not have to face the fact that a straight white man chose to be inexcusably evil.
No, I don’t think Kylo deserves a redemption arc and I hope they don’t give him one. Around the age of 25 he chose to murder numerous children. Five years later he’s still kidnapping and torturing people, killing innocent people, helping lead a fascist regime, committing genocide, murdering his own father, and keeping the ashes of his victims. For power. He is fully aware that what he is doing is wrong yet he chooses evil anyway. That is irredeemable.
Hollywood and the media at large need to stop sending these messages that entitled white men who will kill for power are somehow just complicated and redeemable. No. He’s evil. Let him die. Let him burn. Let his fate serve as a lesson: We all have a past. Bad things happen. You don’t get to turn your “problems” into death sentences for other people. If you do, there will be no redemption. You will be remembered as exactly what you were–not a complicated misunderstood white boy–but a pathetic excuse for a human being who got what was coming to you.Second Year Law Student, Domen Simonic, has been missing in Maribor, Slovenia, since the early hours of this morning.
The Law Student travelled to Slovenia only for reading week, to visit his dad and some friends. The Slovenian Police have not yet managed to connect his disappearance with the cases of two other missing people who disappeared from the very same area.
Domen was last seen wearing a brown leather jacket, dark trousers and brown shoes.
Ervin Simonic, the father of Domen, said: “My son studies in London and he came to Slovenia for a week’s holiday. Friends had invited him to Maribor, as they had some concert tickets.
“They were together in the evening and until midnight; after that they parted ways. My son then went missing and nobody knows where he could have gone. He simply disappeared…
“Domen had previously arranged that after the night out, that he would stay with one of his friends. Before going out he left his rucksack at her place, but he never came back to her apartment.”
A close family friend told The Tab: “Domen travelled to Slovenia on Tuesday morning only for a week, to visit his dad and some friends. He went with friends to a club first, called Štuk, in Maribor.
Domen stayed in front of the club, where he was having a conversation with some people neither him or his friends knew, when his friends gave him his concert ticket, telling him that they would meet him at the concert hall.
His friends then left, hoping to meet him there, but nothing has been heard from him since 1am on Wednesday 24th February.
Domen said he would meet them there. At about half past midnight, Domen’s female friends left Stuk, but could not find Domen anywhere. They tried calling his mobile, but he did not answer. Domen’s mobile was last reached at about 1 am. Following this, his phone has had no signal.”
Domen’s family cannot believe that of all the dangers they expected him to face in the large city of London, they are now looking for him in the city of Maribor, which is so small in comparison.
She then continued to say: “His mother is so worried. Domen is such a good boy and he means the world to her. Doing anything to get himself in trouble is totally outside of his character and he would never do anything to put himself at risk.
The police have been informed and the search for him is very big. His mother’s hopes are not very high at all, since last year about three or four people went missing in Maribor, and their bodies were all found later in the river.”
Because of this, there have been police divers in the river searching for Domen, and it appears that the search party is growing, with over 100 people expected to join in the search by the end of today.
As of yet, there has still been no new information concerning Domen’s exact whereabouts or if he is at all safe.
If anybody has any information at all, please contact: [email protected]NEW DELHI: While intelligence agencies have expressed concern over some Indian youths going to Syria and Iraq to fight along the Islamic State (IS), earlier known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ), home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday played it down saying Muslims in India are fiercely opposed to the outfit and its ways.“There is no progress in ISIS recruitment in the country. All Muslim organizations have condemned the outfit and its ways in India. Everybody wants communal harmony in the country to continue. The approach of Islamic organizations in the country has been very positive as far as the issue of ISIS is concerned,” Singh told a press conference when asked about the government’s concern over ISIS recruiting from India.When Singh was further prodded that Indian youths joining ISIS was a reality that could not be ignored and that even families of some of these youths had met the home minister, Singh said, “At that time there was such information. But no such thing is happening now.”The statements assume significance in the light of Indian security agencies expressing concern over the development even as families of such youths asked Singh during a meeting last month that the government should do something to stop impressionable Muslim youths from getting radicalized.The statement is also being seen as Singh’s attempt to assure Muslims that the government would not be guided by presumptive and religion-coloured arguments on terrorism. It is also an acknowledgement of the fact that the growing threat of jihadi terror can only be fought with cooperation from the Muslim community.Some 20-30 youths from India belonging to various states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are suspected to have been inspired by IS’ ultra-right ideology and are known to be fighting alongside the outfit in the Syria-Iraq theatre.The home ministry had earlier issued advisories to all states to keep a watch on tensions developing between Shias and Sunnis after widespread atrocities on Shias at the hands of IS were reported from Iraq.Donald Trump has launched into a Twitter tirade against Meryl Streep after the actress rebuked him at the Golden Globes.
During her acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award, Streep attacked the President-elect for mocking a disabled reporter. She said it was the one performance this year which shocked her and argued it legitimised bullying and gave “permission” for others to do the same.
This is a reference to when Mr Trump imitated the New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski during a rally in November 2015.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
Mr Trump has now hit back at Streep on Twitter, saying she is one of the most “over-rated actresses in Hollywood” and is a “Hillary flunky who lost big”.
Shape Created with Sketch. Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural 1/14 A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty 2/14 A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty 3/14 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 4/14 A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 5/14 AP 6/14 A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP 7/14 People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 8/14 A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 9/14 AP 10/14 A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 11/14 A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 12/14 Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 13/14 A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 14/14 Getty 1/14 A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty 2/14 A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty 3/14 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 4/14 A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 5/14 AP 6/14 A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP 7/14 People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 8/14 A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 9/14 AP 10/14 A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 11/14 A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 12/14 Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images 13/14 A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty 14/14 Getty
“Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes,” he wrote on Monday.
“She is a Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never ‘mocked’ a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him ‘groveling’ when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media!”
Back in November 2015, the Republican billionaire was widely condemned for mocking Mr Kovaleski – who had disputed Mr Trump’s claim he witnessed “thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating on the day of the 9/11 attacks.
Mr Trump jerked his arms in a manner which poked fun at the reporter’s condition. Mr Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition affecting how his joints move.
In Hollywood’s first awards show of the year, Streep condemned Mr Trump’s decision to mock a disabled reporter, saying it made such behaviour appear acceptable and filtered down into the attitudes of wider society.
“There was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart,” she told a visibly shocked audience as she accepted the Cecil B DeMille award. “Not because it was good, there was nothing good about it, but it was effective and it did its job.
“It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can’t get it out of my head because it wasn’t in a movie, it was real life.”
Rather than turning straight to Twitter to hit back at Streep, Mr Trump initially responded by dismissing the actress as a “Hillary lover” in a brief interview with the New York Times. He said he was “not surprised” by “liberal movie people” attacking his character at the awards show and also denied mocking the disabled reporter.
In August, a poll by Bloomberg which asked likely voters which of Mr Trump’s controversies most bothered them found his impression of the disabled journalist ranked top. Bill Clinton drew attention to it in his convention speech, saying his wife “never made fun of people with disabilities. She tried to empower them based on their ability.”
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
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Until recently, I had never really thought about what happens to my old electronics. I took them to a community e-waste recycling drive, or dropped my old phone in a box somewhere, and I assumed my stuff was recycled.
An alarming portion of the time this is not actually the case, according to the results of a project that used GPS trackers to follow e-waste over the course of two years. Forty percent of all US electronics recyclers testers included in the study proved to be complete shams, with our e-waste getting shipped wholesale to landfills in Hong Kong, China, and developing nations in Africa and Asia.
The most important thing to know about the e-waste recycling industry is that it is not free to recycle an old computer or an old CRT television. The value of the raw materials in the vast majority of old electronics is worth less than it costs to actually recycle them. While consumers rarely have to pay e-waste recycling companies to take their old electronics (costs are offset by local tax money or manufacturers fronting the bill as part of a legally mandated obligated recycling quota), companies, governments, and organizations do.
These are the countries BAN's trackers ended up. Image: BAN
Or at least, in a rational market, your office would have to pay an e-waste recycler to take their old stuff. But an astounding amount of US electronics recyclers will take old machines at no cost or for pennies per pound, then sell them wholesale to scrapyards in developing nations that often employ low-salary laborers to dig out the several components that are worth anything.
Based on the results of a new study from industry watchdog Basel Action Network and MIT, industry documents obtained by Motherboard, and interviews with industry insiders, it's clear that the e-waste recycling industry is filled with sham operations profiting off of shipping toxic waste to developing nations. Here are the major findings of the study and of my interviews and reporting:
Real, environmentally sustainable electronics recycling can be profitable only if recycling companies charge a fee to take on old machines; the sale of recycled materials rarely if ever covers the actual cost of recycling in the United States.
Companies, governments, and other organizations have a requirement to recycle old machines; because there is little oversight or enforcement, a secondary industry of fake recyclers has popped up to undercut sustainable recyclers. These "recyclers," which advertise themselves as green and sustainable, get paid pennies per pound to take in old TVs, computers, printers, and monitors. Rather than recycle them domestically, the recycling companies sell them to junkyards in developing nations, either through middlemen or directly.
These foreign junkyards hire low-wage employees to pick through the few valuable components of often toxic old machines. The toxic machines are then left in the scrapyards or dumped nearby.
Using GPS trackers, industry watchdog Basel Action Network found that 40 percent of electronics recyclers it tested in the United States fall into this "scam recycling" category.
"These companies are misrepresenting what they do and they're deluding the public," BAN Director Jim Puckett told me. "They're telling people that they're recycling waste in the US properly, that they're diverting e-waste from landfills but what they're doing is blatantly lying."
BAN's trackers found that Green Earth Electronics Recycling exports to Kenya.
Late last week, BAN and MIT published the results of the project, in which investigators stuck small GPS tracking chips into 205 pieces of e-waste (152 total "donations" to electronics recyclers, some donations contained more than one machine), including old CRT televisions, printers, and LCD screens. They found that 40 percent of those 152 deliveries ended up in other countries, passing through a total of 168 different "identifiable recyclers."
BAN is an nongovernmental organization that was created to make sure countries are adhering to the Basel Convention, a 1989 international treaty that prohibits the exportation of hazardous waste from developed countries to developing ones. The US signed the treaty but never ratified it.
The study found that in many cases, electronics recyclers that said they were seeking a "zero landfill" goal were actually not doing any recycling at all and instead were simply selling e-waste to other companies or were exporting it directly to Hong Kong or China themselves.
"There are people in China who will pay you pennies on the pound, so it's an economic decision," Puckett added. "It's more profitable to export, so that's what they're doing."
A service called Peony Online serves as a scrap and e-waste price list and marketplace. Motherboard obtained a price sheet from June that showed dozens of middlemen in the United States who would be willing to buy e-waste in bulk. Prices range from between $.19 per pound for an old cable boxes to a quarter a pound for old computers, to $.16 a pound for landline telephones and $.03 a pound for printers. Large LCD TVs and monitors were selling for $7.50 each. Considering that an estimated 1.25 million tons of e-waste goes through electronics recyclers in the United States every year, those numbers can add up.
Per-pound prices buyers were advertising for bulk e-scrap, pulled from a June catalog of "instant quotes." Image:PeonyOnline
Motherboard also obtained dozens of emails sent to electronics "recyclers" from companies that are looking to buy bulk scrap electronics for export.
A common email from would-be e-waste importers. This one notes that they have paperwork that will help a company pass R2 certification (I have not confirmed whether this company is in fact able to help make an export legal under R2).
"These guys, they have a few guys operating forklifts and not much else," John Shegergian, CEO of Electronic Recyclers International, the largest e-waste recycler in the US, told me. "They're not worried about OSHA, or EPA, or other groups because they just throw this stuff in shipping containers without overhead or labor. They have no investment [in recycling equipment], no labor, so it's all profit to them."
There are two types of electronics recycling certifications that the Environmental Protection Agency recognizes, both of which are actually administered by nongovernment organizations. The most common one is called R2; the other is called "e-Stewards" and was created by BAN. e-Stewards is an inherently stricter standard that requires companies to act as though the US had ratified the Basel Convention. The study found that companies with an R2 certification export raw e-waste at a higher rate than even those companies that have no certification at all. e-Stewards exported at a lower rate, but were still in some cases found to be involved in supply chains that exported e-waste to developing nations.
SERI, the group that administers R2, noted in a letter published by the group in July noted that a lot of raw e-waste can be exported legally and according to R2 standards if it is labeled for "re-use" in a foreign country: "Although they represent a small minority, too many recyclers are willing to illegally mislabel shipments of electronic junk as'reusable' in order to get the shipment through customs." BAN, however, noted that 96 percent of the exports found in its study were illegal either by US standards or in the country importing the waste. In an email, SERI executive director John Lingelbach told me the organization is looking into using GPS trackers in the future.
"SERI is continuously looking at ways to improve conformance to the standard and is currently evaluating the use of GPS trackers and other strategies," he said.
In theory, companies need to at least notify the EPA if they are planning on exporting CRT televisions, but a 2008 Government Accountability Office report found that there are many "exporters willing to engage in apparent violations of the CRT rule, including some who are aware of the rule... EPA has done little to ascertain the extent of noncompliance."
Image: BAN
Puckett says little has been done since then to get the problem under control. The EPA has not been willing to use GPS trackers, which, he says, is the only way to determine how much e-waste is leaving our shores. The most recent EPA study on the subject, published earlier this year, found that "the accreditation, certification and implementation process of the R2 and e-Stewards standards is working well." The study, however, was based only on interviews, surveys, and an in-person audit of just nine recyclers nationwide. No tracking devices were used to determine where the e-waste was going.
"We went to a meeting when the government was thinking about doing these tracking studies—we were there and the scrap industry was there. And even in that mixed group, when the EPA asked about the most effective way to track illegal exports, the group told them to use tracking devices," Puckett said. "They told them what to do and government ignored it. They chose not to do it so we thought, 'What if we did it?'"
The New Territories
A scrapyard in the New Territories. Image: Ken Christensen/KCTS Earthfix
Using the trackers, BAN found that the vast majority of e-waste that leaves the United States goes to junkyards in an area of Hong Kong known as "The New Territories." BAN describes the New Territories as a rural area filled with "furniture factories, scaffolding vendors, large metal fabrication, auto and bus body workshops, illegal gasoline vendors, a great deal of general import and export staging, and a very high percentage of electronics junkyards."
"There is no such thing as free recycling. Responsible recycling costs money."
According to BAN, workers at these junkyards are paid about 60 cents per LCD |
comments grew louder when Johnson addressed the courtroom.
“I did the crime, I’ll do my time like a man,” Johnson said. “You ain’t got to like me.”
Johnson said that, though the Adams family may not believe it, he is very remorseful. He said he knows what it’s like to lose a loved one. His own father was murdered when he was a child.
“I lost sisters, I lost a daddy, I lost uncles,” Johnson said. “I have a child, too, a daughter.”
Members of Adams’ family scoffed, saying they didn’t want to hear it.Nintendo is showing off a playable version of the next game in the Mario Party series, Mario Party 5. The game provides players with a wide collection of minigames set up to be played in a board game-like format.
The star collecting board game isn't in the demo being shown on the floor at E3, but a handful of the new minigames are available. The game contains the usual suspects for a Mario side project, including Toad, Luigi, Waluigi, Wario, Peach, and Yoshi.
Some of the minigames we saw including one where all four players must remain on a large ice block while tons and tons of penguins run in from the left, attempting to sweep up the players and push them off in the process. Another had a Mr. Driller-like thing going on, asking players to butt stomp their way through a series of blocks to get to a finish line at the bottom. Another has the party attendees climbing a beanstalk to see who can climb the highest before time runs out. Yet another has the foursome watching some dancing piranha plants and attempting to select the one dancing differently than the pack.
There were only a small handful of minigames available in the demo version, but it's expected that the final product should have several times as many games to choose from when the game ships to stores later this year.The always-expanding Nanny State does more than treat adults like children, it can also smother job creation—even in the "live free or die" state of New Hampshire. So as the national debate "pivots" from health care to jobs, Reason.tv suggests that politicians looking to "do something" about the stubbornly high unemployment rate first undo the regulations that ensnare entrepreneurs like Kim Ong.
Ong's parents brought her family from Vietnam to the United States in 1985. "They said this is a country of freedom, a country of opportunities," recalls Ong, who took their words to heart and now owns Kim's Spa & Nails in Derry, New Hampshire. When the recession hit she began looking for new ways to generate business. Her thoughts turned to a luxurious practice that's popular in parts of Asia—fish pedicures.
Ong spent over $6,000 to purchase fish and equipment, a big investment for the small business owner. However, her gamble paid off when she saw how much customers loved having their feet exfoliated by tiny fish. Soon Ong had a waiting list for this hip new service. But instead of hiring more employees, Ong hired a lawyer to plead her case to state regulators who questioned the safety and hygeine of fish pedicures. Unfortunately for Ong and her customers, New Hampshire's Board of Barbering, Cosmetology, and Esthetics banned the practice.
That's right, the state that lets adults motorcycle without a helmet or drive without a seat belt won't tolerate tiny fish nibbling at the dead skin on your feet. This is just one small example of a larger problem. Most people have no idea how many local, state, and federal regulations entrepreneurs struggle against, notes Adrian Moore, an economist with Reason Foundation. "Every day new businesses try to start but find out they're not allowed to because of some regulation or it's too expensive because of some regulation," Moore says.
And if the Nanny State is spreading into New Hampshire, the one place we thought was immune to it, we may all be in bigger trouble than we thought.
"New Hampshire Nannies" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Producer: Hawk Jensen; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick, Additional Camera: Meredith Bragg. Special thanks to Yvonne Hair & Nails in Alexandria, Virginia.
Approximately 5.30 minutes long. Scroll down for iPod, HD, and audio versions of this video.
Subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel and receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.Tesla is set to jointly unveil with SolarCity its new ‘solar roof’ product on Friday. The event is planned ahead of a scheduled shareholders vote on a potential merger between the two companies. The companies recently sent a joint proxy statement package to shareholders sparking speculation about the new solar roof product.
As we previously reported, a source with SolarCity’s engineering group said that the product will not be a solar shingle as some had speculated, but an entire roofing system similar to current steel roofing options. Not much else is known about the system at this point.
Now two pages in the joint proxy statement package sent to shareholders are rumoured to be a glimpse of the system.
The cover page and the last page of the package feature zoomed-in pictures of an unknown object as backgrounds. Here are the two relevant pages:
It’s hard to tell really. While it could be consistent with a rounded metal roofing system as previously mentioned, it could also simply be a zoomed-in part of a Tesla vehicle that we can’t recognised. Though it would make more sense if it had something to do with solar products since the document is about the merger with SolarCity.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
Additionally, Tesla is also expected to unveil other products related to its upcoming energy solutions at the event on Friday. Tesla also aims to unveil its next gen Powerwall and a new Tesla charger on October 28. The next generation Powerpack and Tesla’s commercial and utility-scale solutions are also expected to be part of the event. It could also be a glimpse of any of those.
If you want to install a solar array at your home or business, you can see if it makes sense for your property and if you can be saving money on your energy bill here.Gilbert Melendez didn’t even have to tape up his hands or even fly to Chicago on Saturday to walk away as the night’s big winner. No punches thrown, no kicks landed, and now, no one in front of him. After Benson Henderson barely scraped by a one-handed Josh Thomson, and Thomson said he might retire, Melendez is the de facto No. 1 lightweight contender for champion Anthony Pettis.
No one explicitly said this after Saturday night’s UFC on FOX main event; they didn’t have to. He is simply the best option at a time when one soon will be necessary.
Article continues below...
Video: Recap: Henderson vs. Thomson
Henderson always was going to have a tough time working his way back to Pettis. He’s already lost to him twice, and last time inside of one round. By his own admission, it was his job to change the minds of the UFC brass. Suffice it to say, they were not blown away by his split-decision victory.
But at least he’s already had his time at the top. For Thomson, it seemingly was his last chance, and as it turned out, just another cruel twist of fate in a career filled with them.
Benson Henderson kicks Josh Thomson during their lightweight fight at the FOX UFC Saturday event at the United Center.
He was at the vanguard of the UFC’s lightweight division almost a decade ago, in the summer of 2004 when he lost to Yves Edwards in a flying headkick knockout that is replayed in highlights to this day. Thomson might have had his chance to work his way back into the title picture except that after that, there was none. The UFC disbanded its lightweight division for two years, and by the time they returned, he was gone.
He would go on to earn some renown in Strikeforce, notably defeating Melendez in 2008 to become the champion, but injuries always seemed to steal his momentum. He broke an ankle. Then re-broke it. He cracked his ribs. There were others, but you get the point.
"I’m like the greatest fighter that never was," he once said in discussing how those injuries robbed him of his prime.
T.J. Grant interacts with fans during a Q&A session before the UFC 161 weigh-in at the MTS Centre.
But then it seemed he might finally have his swan song. He knocked out Nate Diaz and was given a title shot when T.J. Grant was sent to the sidelines. Finally, karma seemed on his side, but the cruel queen left him with a quickness. First he was robbed off the opportunity to cash in his title shot due to Pettis’ injury, and now he was really robbed, losing that top-contender spot for good in a split-decision that outraged many. Oh yeah, and that came after competing for four rounds with a broken hand. If that’s not a snakebit career, throw away the anti-venom, because no one else will need it.
On the flipside there is Melendez, who for all we know was sitting on his couch eating pizza, and yet managed to see himself elevate to the title challenger position. Right now, he’s in the midst of renegotiating a new deal, and his value just went up. Lucky him.
Pettis recently told FOX Sports that he hopes to be back for the UFC’s Fourth of July weekend show. That’s just more than a five-month wait for Melendez, which is lengthy but manageable.
Benson Henderson punches Gilbert Melendez in their lightweight championship bout during the UFC on FOX event at the HP Pavilion.
On its surface, a pairing between Pettis and Melendez is about an attractive a matchup as the UFC can make. Both have exciting styles, with Pettis’ use of flashy techniques and Melendez’s unwavering aggressiveness projecting into a crowd-pleaser. But more important than that is that Melendez is likely to get the shot. Let’s remember that it was less than a year ago when he fought Henderson for the belt, losing in another Henderson split-decision special. If Henderson still held the lightweight gold, Melendez might not be in the situation he is now. Sometimes, things have to break in your favor to get these huge opportunities. This is one of those times.
So Melendez is probably the night’s big winner without lifting a finger or taking a punch. It is sometimes head-scratching that our sport can work this way. That’s why we resort to meaningless little catch phrases like, "It is what it is." All that means is that we don’t know what else to say. That the declaration will have to be its own explanation.
At least Melendez’s overall credentials are beyond reproach. It’s not that he’s not deserving of what he’s about to be given; it’s just hard to accept what Thomson just lost given all that came before it. One-handed and racing time, he deserved better.Faulty air conditioning on Toronto Transit Commission subways has created a minor furor in Toronto this summer. The east-west Bloor Danforth line has the oldest subway cars in the system, and in a hot dry summer the cars are baking hot. People were upset and tempers frayed. I know, because I travel this route every day. On one trip home from the office, a fight broke out in my car. Given the extremely hot and packed conditions, I am slightly surprised that there weren't many more reports of such incidents. People began to complain, more and more loudly. Then the predictable finger pointing happened: city hall demanded the TTC fix the problem faster.
Yet at the same time as our local government was demanding an immediate solution, the TTC was instructed to make significant cuts to its operating budget. It was as if the problems were disconnected, as though there is no relationship between an institution’s finances and its ability to function effectively.
This, of course, is not true. It's a kind of political and economic law: these kinds of budget cuts always result in worse service. And there is a corollary: the conservative politicians who demand such cuts always refuse to accept responsibility for them, and pretend there is no connection between the actions they took and their direct repercussions.
They often get away with this because the consequences aren't immediately obvious to the general public, or only hit politically disempowered parts of the population. For example, in the 1980's and early 1990's, the TTC deferred maintenance as a way of coping with budget challenges. Deferred maintenance is another word for a cut. It's pernicious, because citizens can't easily see the cut and exercise their right to vote against it, yet it can have serious consequences. A tragic subway crash of 1995 in which three people were killed had a number of causes, the most critical of which was the failure of a fail-safe arm — a safety mechanism specifically designed to prevent an accident when a train misses a signal. It didn't work, and if it had, the accident would not have occurred. Following the accident, a coroner’s inquest found “underfunding since the mid-1980s has contributed to the deterioration of the system and has jeopardized the safety of the TTC.” As result, the transit commission changed its practices to make the maintenance of a state of good repair its highest spending priority.
“The conservative politicians advocating the cuts use euphemisms like ‘efficiency’ to pretend their policies are not going to affect people when they know, or ought to know, that isn't true.”
The effect of these kind of hidden cuts is felt at all orders of government — the Walkerton contaminated water disaster is a good example of provincial actions directly leading to a tragedy — but it is particularly challenging for cities because the vast majority of municipal spending is on actual day-to-day services. There is nothing else left to cut in the name of “efficiency.” Additionally, because municipal taxes (like the property tax) don’t grow with the economy, a tax “freeze” actually amounts to a cut, because inflation means that costs will rise no matter what.
We have seen it before. In 1997, the Ontario government significantly reduced provincial funding to the City of Toronto, in a process known as downloading. At the same time, then-Mayor Mel Lastman promised a tax freeze. Mayor Lastman got away with it for a while because the necessary service reductions were less noticeable. But after six years of his administration, parks were less well maintained, streets were visibly dirty, and buses were extremely old and well past their design life. Residents noticed, and my mayoral campaign, which included significant commitments to restore basic public services, was positively received by Torontonians tired of the then-visible results of these policies.
But other reductions that affect communities that aren't politically powerful may not get political attention. For example, in my first term as mayor, with the support of federal funding from the then-Liberal federal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin, Toronto opened more than 60 new childcare centres, generally in lower income neighbourhoods and always in Catholic or public schools. These facilities are significant as they ensure children of all backgrounds have access to high-quality early learning opportunities and their parents are able to work. Demand for such childcare is great in Toronto. Had the second phase of the program been completed, waiting lists would have been virtually eliminated (to an average wait of three months). But it soon was cancelled, one of the first victims of the Harper government’s cuts. The thousands of low income children and families that would have benefited have been permanently disadvantaged. Unfortunately, voting rates are lower in low income communities, and in Toronto many of the people affected could be landed immigrants without the right to vote.
In all of these situations, the conservative politicians advocating the cuts use euphemisms like “efficiency” to pretend their policies are not going to affect people when they know, or ought to know, that isn't true. In the case of Toronto, any experienced elected official knows that expenditure constraint has a direct impact on services. Yet we still see politicians calling for the TTC to provide better service at the same time as giving directions calling for significant budget cuts. They pretend the cuts won’t have an impact and hope that the public will not notice. But slowly and eventually, they will.
David Miller was mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010.When you see something you’ve never seen before, it can be hard to digest and understand at a basic level. Through the first five games, these NBA Finals have been confounding, and LeBron James, puppet master of the basketball world, has been manipulating them in a way that is borderline unprecedented.
We’ve all grasped the thought process behind what he’s been doing — holding the ball for damn near a quarter of every game, milking the clock, cutting turnovers and possessions, allowing teammates to rest, dragging the Warriors into a muddy slog that minimizes all of their advantages. It is both ugly and thrilling, and it has gotten this crew of Cleveland sad-sack leftovers halfway home against a 67-win powerhouse. He was using more possessions, and creating more of his team’s shots, than any player ever.
In the only way that matters, the strategy is working. “We don’t have to be better than these guys for 82 games,” Mike Miller says. “We just have to be better four times.”
More 2015 NBA Playoffs Check out all of our postseason coverage! But almost no one knows quite what to make of LeBron. He’s putting up monster numbers and clearly playing otherworldly hoops, but something feels a bit off — almost foreign. Has he crossed an unhealthy, unknown threshold of control? What standards can you even use to evaluate his play in this context? Is this just a totally unique basketball event? Does he really deserve Finals MVP, even if Golden State’s superior talent prevails?
Superstars hoarding the ball on the biggest stage isn’t new. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant chucked from midrange, Shaq and Tim Duncan bullied their way to titles, and Magic Johnson worked a hybrid post-passing game from the same slices of the court that James is wearing out now. But no extended bit of ball-dominance has ever been as out of step with prevailing league trends as LeBron’s Finals play in 2015.
“Could this be sustained?” Cavs coach David Blatt asked me from his office before Game 4. “No. Nor would we want it to be. I don’t know if it’s even sustainable for the rest of this series.”
You hear it over and over: “LeBron has no choice. This is the only way Cleveland can play without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.”
“Everyone wants to play beautiful basketball,” Timofey Mozgov says. “But in our situation now, that is not the best thing we can do. We have to be simple, with LeBron.”
Is that really true? That question nagged at me, and some members of both team brain trusts, earlier in the series. Basketball is a rhythm sport. It’s hard for role players to feel their way into a game when they never get to touch the ball, dribble it, set picks in scripted plays, and generally do basketball stuff.
The Cavs aren’t equipped to run an equal-opportunity offense, but perhaps they could splash in a few set plays for J.R. Smith, and maybe 10 more spread pick-and-rolls — plays on which LeBron could bend the defense, get bodies moving, kick the ball to Smith and Iman Shumpert, and let them stretch themselves against Golden State’s scrambling rotations. That would bring the risk of turnovers — chaos in which the Warriors breathe fire — but it could help the ragged supporting cast feel more involved and more prepared to contribute.
That nagging vanished in Game 5, and especially on this play, which hit me like a lightning bolt:
Cleveland tried to diversify its offense, but in the end, all it had was LeBron. This is a LeBron–Matthew Dellavedova pick-and-roll in which LeBron does everything. He screens and rolls hard to the basket, mostly because Dellavedova can’t dribble fast enough to turn the corner. LeBron catches the ball, draws help, and kicks the ball to Shumpert for a potential open 3-pointer. Nope. Shumpert kicks the ball to Mike Miller, who touches it back to LeBron, who finally returns it to Shumpert in the corner — a passing sequence so strange, and so LeBron-dependent, it leaves the Golden State defenders spinning aimlessly.
LeBron starts the play, carries it through its middle stage, and ends it. No one else even attempts so much as a dribble after Dellavedova throws that first pass to James. LeBron is alone. And what he is doing within this context is remarkable — one of the weirdest, greatest, toughest individual feats in NBA history.
“The special nature of his game is what has revealed itself more than anything,” Cavs GM David Griffin tells Grantland.
The Cavs are shooting horribly on any shot that LeBron does not take or create with a pass, and they are dying during those bite-your-nails moments when he rests. Through five games, he would be a worthy MVP, and it would be fitting if James joins Jerry West’s 1969 campaign as the only players from losing teams ever to claim the trophy. A loss would drop James to 2-4 in the Finals, and you can hear the carnival barkers screeching about his chops in the clutch. Those same screamers would laud West, Mr. Clutch, even though he went 1-8 in the Finals during a time when it was much easier to get there.
You can be clutch and finish second, and with the exception of a total meltdown in 2011, LeBron has lost championship series against superior teams. One player can’t win a title, especially now, as the NBA shifts even further toward constant five-man motion in which everyone has to be involved at both ends.
LeBron is alone in part because Golden State’s series-changing move to go all in on small ball has vaporized Cleveland’s other options on offense. The Cavs in Game 5 called a bunch of nifty plays for Smith, but Golden State’s like-size lineups snuffed them by switching on every pick — including this artful flare play:
The Cavs downsized to match Golden State, and the ideal Cleveland small-ball play is LeBron bolting around a high screen from his lone big man, three shooters surrounding them. The Cavs got some traction that way whenever Festus Ezeli and David Lee were in Game 5, since those guys are too slow to simply switch onto James; LeBron could get downhill, drive into Ezeli’s help defense, and find Mozgov rolling open to the rim. The Cavs are plus-8 when LeBron and Mozgov share the floor, and plus-7 in the 13 paltry minutes the LeBron–James Jones–Mozgov trio — a spread pick-and-roll group — has logged, per NBA.com. Mozgov is a better finisher than Tristan Thompson, and the Warriors are destroying small lineups with Thompson at center, per NBA.com. But those spread pick-and-rolls stalled out when Steve Kerr lifted Ezeli for Draymond Green:
If the small-ball groups can’t puncture the defense, it’s tempting to suggest that Blatt should go back to the behemoth Mozgov-Thompson combination. But that lineup has wilted against Golden State’s small ball in ways that represent the NBA’s ongoing evolution into a pace-and-space league. Mozgov simply isn’t fast enough to defend Green on the pick-and-roll, especially when Green sprints into a pick before Mozgov can set his feet:
Klay Thompson has too much space for that pocket pass, and though Green waltzes for a dunk here, these plays mostly create open drive-and-kick 3s for capable shooters. A size edge looks sexy on paper, until you realize the other team’s speed advantage produces an endless reel of shots worth 50 percent more points.
You see LeBron on the right wing, by the way? That’s his help assignment on Green, and he does nothing. That is a man who knows he has to conserve energy on defense in order to be Atlas for Cleveland’s offense. The super-small Warriors, with five capable playmakers, force you to defend every inch of the court. Mozgov is too slow for it, the rest of the Cavs too tired. Golden State is running them off the floor in the fourth quarter. Harrison Barnes’s spectacular offensive rebound tip pass to Andre Iguodala late in Game 5, setting up Iguodala’s circus and-1, neatly summed up the late-game energy gap. A back-end option outleaped LeBron, who stood with heavy legs, boxing out no one, hoping the ball would fall into his hands.
The speedy Warriors are equipped to patrol every inch on defense, and their small-ball wheels overwhelmed Cleveland’s size to open Game 5. The Cavs tried to work Mozgov in the post, but Golden State fronted, denied entry passes, and moved in a blur of wingspan:
When Cleveland did thread Mozgov the ball, the Warriors doubled him, and Mozgov coughed it away like a giraffe trying to throw a balloon.
Speed is winning, and the Cavs, even when they briefly put LeBron at center, may not have enough shooting and playmaking to beat the Dubs at their own game. Their best bet may be going back to the Mozgov-Thompson lineups, excising those Mozgov post-ups, and calling 50 isolations for LeBron on the wing — banking on their giants to destroy the offensive glass when LeBron misses. They could slot Thompson onto Green for pick-and-roll containment and hide Mozgov on Iguodala, as they did in Game 4.
Iguodala will find open 3s and driving lanes, but it might be the least painful choice for a limited team short on time.
On offense, everything will fall on LeBron — again.
“He alone makes everything possible,” Griffin says.
♦♦♦
On one level, the Cavs get that this style is unsustainable. “It would be hard to get through 82 games like this,” Miller says. “It would take a lot of tread off LeBron’s tires, for sure.”
It hasn’t even produced a good offense in the Finals. The Cavs have scored just 93.5 points per 100 possessions against Golden State, a mark that would have ranked ahead of only the Sixers in the regular season.
On another level, though, the smashmouth Cavs are two wins from the title. This style was enough to get them out of the East, in short order, with Love done for the season and Irving missing chunks of both the Chicago and Atlanta series.
“This works for us right now,” Cavs assistant Jim Boylan says. “It absolutely works. The league has changed a lot, but there is still a very basic style of basketball you can win with.”
Injuries have the Cavs veering to an untenable extreme of LeBron solos, but even if they bow out in Game 6, it’s worth thinking about what this strange run has taught us about LeBron — and how to build a team around him.
As we all bemoaned Irving’s knee injury, a minority among the Golden State traveling party braced for the Cavs to become more dangerous with Dellavedova in Irving’s place. Irving is much better, but he’s a worse defender, and he would siphon some of the ballhandling duties from LeBron. The Delly Cavs could defend Stephen Curry without rippling mismatches elsewhere, and on offense, they could slot an army of hungry role players around LeBron — subordinates ready to crash the glass and can open 3s as LeBron vacuumed the defense toward him.
“We have very clear role delineation with this team, and I’ve learned a lot about that,” Griffin says. “LeBron needs to have the ball so much for you to be as good as you can be, and you need to be very selective about the guys who get to have it when he doesn’t.”
Even amid their grief for Irving, the Cavs know they have enough to fight on.
“At no point did I think we were done,” Blatt says.
“These are freaking tough guys,” Boylan says. “I knew no one was going to come in here and just take us out.” The Cavs understood how far LeBron could take the right group of role players.
Stocking up on stars is obviously good, even if the second and third guys in the pecking order have to sacrifice some of the shots that made them stars. A first option acting as a third option — i.e., Kevin Love and Chris Bosh — will produce more than a third option acting as a third option. Some studies have found there really aren’t any diminishing returns to gathering a bunch of high-usage studs; their individual per-game stats might suffer, but they’ll score more efficiently, and five-man groups featuring all of them will produce like gangbusters — maybe even above expected levels.
But LeBron is an anomaly, and in a salary-capped league, the Cavs have to look hard at how he’s carried them. If they max out Love, retain Thompson at something close to the max, use Brendan Haywood’s nonguaranteed deal to land a key piece, and re-sign Shumpert and Dellavedova at reasonable numbers, they could set an all-time record for salary and tax payments next season with a bill north of $200 million. Blowing past the tax carries roster-building restrictions that make it harder to find supplementary players.
The Cavs will need another star around LeBron as he ages, and as the East inevitably snags a couple of big free agents from the West. But do they need two? Or could they get just as far redistributing the money from one star slot into role players who grind on defense and hit at least an average mark from 3-point range?
“I think that’s the right makeup for LeBron,” Miller says. “He just needs guys who make shots and can be physical on defense, because on offense, he’s gonna do what he does.”
Griffin has to tread around this issue carefully, and he’s still grappling with what he’s seen in the past two rounds. “It’s about role delineation,” he says again. “You can’t have too many guys who dominate the ball around LeBron.”
Still, Griffin maintains he wants Love back alongside Irving and LeBron. “We were 32-3 in our last 35 games with Kevin and Kyrie,” he says. “We weren’t just pretty good. We were the best team in the league. That team can be special. I want to be that juggernaut again.”
Given time, those three could develop a deadly chemistry on offense, just as LeBron, Bosh, and Dwyane Wade coalesced toward the end of their second season together in Miami. But neither supplementary Cleveland star has ever defended with the frenzy Wade and Bosh reached at their peaks, and as LeBron’s predatory pouncing on that end wanes, it’s possible that Cleveland’s star-heavy lineups may dip below championship-level defense.
For now, the trio of James, Thompson-Mozgov, and one solid wing defender (Shumpert) is enough to prop up the defense and free Cleveland’s spread offense to sing. That’s a championship combination. But there are other championship combinations, and LeBron has forced Cleveland to consider them — especially with one potential long-term wing partner, Andrew Wiggins, ready to burst out in Minnesota.
The Cavs might be just as good exchanging a piece of their star power for the right kind of depth — extra bodies that feed off LeBron’s once-a-generation skills and match the energy of the in vogue 10-deep teams that ping the ball around for 48 minutes.
That’s a question for the offseason, and one James has raised in giving everything to a team that might need even more. Rare is the performance so dominant, in such a weird and specific way, that it puzzles the people who live in and around this league. These Finals have been a remarkable ride — for James, for Curry and his delirious step-backs, for Iguodala’s see-everything brilliance, for Dellavedova’s hunched violence.
LeBron has a chance tonight to prolong them, to earn two days off to summon all he has for one last body-and-soul immersion in a winner-take-all Game 7.
If you’re rooting for drama, root for that.It has been a bad time for the network of a million tote bags. In October, NPR commentator Juan Williams was fired for saying that people in Muslim garb on airplanes frightened him. Earlier this month, NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller, caught in James O’Keefe’s sting operation, called Republicans “anti-intellectual” and Tea Partiers racist. (Although it soon became clear that O’Keefe had edited his tape to exaggerate Schiller’s comments.) Then his non-consanguineous boss Vivian Schiller was forced out. And then House Republicans voted to defund NPR.
I’ll leave it to others to decide whether NPR needs better leadership. NPR’s own ombudsman makes that case pretty well. But whatever its leadership’s failings, NPR itself is not troubled or failing (and I’m not just saying that because I have been an NPR commentator, and on occasional, an unpaid host). To the contrary, NPR is the most resounding media success story of the past 40 years.
There are media companies with greater reach than NPR—and with larger profits, since NPR is a nonprofit. But the Huffington Post and Fox News, to take two examples, are in growing mediums: the web and cable news. NPR, by contrast, has thrived on FM radio during the era in which FM radio has lost audience, not to mention cachet. For the most part, terrestrial radio has become a dreary wasteland, littered with the tumbleweeds of safe, adult-contempo and pop-country playlists, with few local DJs, even fewer local-news operations, and most programming done off-site by consultants and by schmaltzy evening hosts like John Tesh and Delilah. During precisely the years that FM radio has lost the diversity and the free-form progressivism of its 1970s heyday, NPR, which debuted in 1971 with live coverage of Senate hearings on Vietnam, has steadily gotten more adventurous, more popular, better.
Here, it is instructive to compare NPR’s history with that of its hideous, ugly televised brother, PBS.
In the mid 1970s, NPR was still fairly inconsequential. It broadcast All Things Considered every afternoon, but otherwise had very little daily programming. Many of its affiliates carried weekend fare like Prairie Home Companion, which debuted in 1974 and is not produced by NPR proper. Most affiliates played classical music during much of the weekday. That was nice, of course—I love classical music and actually regret that most NPR stations now play very little of it—but music is what many of those stations had done before they linked up with NPR, so the network hardly improved their offerings. By 1977, there were about 200 NPR stations. The flagship Morning Edition did not premiere until 1979.
Even then, many NPR stations initially did not carry Morning Edition. The older liberals who are now a core of the NPR audience were in many cases very attached to the jazz, classical, or folk music that they could get only on these small local stations. It was not yet an accepted fact that people wanted to be talked at, even by informed news reporters, every waking hour. I am old enough to remember how many people in Western Massachusetts were despondent when Morning Edition banished our beloved classical show, Morning Pro Musica, which originated in Boston and was hosted by the bass Robert J. Lurtsema, famous for his extremely … long … pauses.
Meanwhile, PBS, also born in 1970, almost immediately learned to fly. It aired lauded children’s education shows, like Sesame Street, which had debuted on proto-PBS stations in 1969, and Electric Company, which PBS commissioned and began airing in 1971. It imported good English television, often through its Masterpiece Theater series. In 1971, PBS took over Firing Line, William F. Buckley’s combative and exciting interview show. It offered a serious, long-form evening newscast with The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, which started in 1975. Like other television networks, PBS did not produce all of its shows, but it had the good sense to air shows like NOVA, which were produced by member stations or independent producers.
Today, it can be difficult to find what ambitious, interesting programming there is on PBS. Earlier this month, I tuned in a few times and was greeted by Antiques Roadshow, a doo-wop concert that I have seen before while channel-surfing, and—several times—the financial advice of Suze Orman. From those glimpses, it seemed that an average evening on PBS had all the intelligence of VH1 and all the youth appeal of CBS.
That may have been an unfair sampling. Last week, for example, I found a NOVA episode about the disaster in Japan; a show about the abuse of queer youth in the juvenile justice system; and a Frontline special about the influence of big money in the NCAA. But even in its best weeks, PBS lacks any sort of coherent sensibility. At a time when the most successful networks have an obvious style—the illicit, pervy edge of Showtime’s Weeds and Californication; the fine-grained realism of HBO’s best dramas—PBS shows are defined variously by shameless baby-boomer pandering of the self-help or nostalgia variety, by a kind of earnest love of newsy documentaries, or by old-school PBS Anglophilia.
Meanwhile, beyond its intelligent, serious news coverage, NPR—and its member stations, which are free to buy shows not produced by the NPR mothership—have become home to many spectacular radio serials: This American Life, Radiolab, Sound Opinions, All Songs Considered, and the list goes on. There is still a rump of NPR clichés—I have never been particularly moved by Car Talk or Prairie Home Companion, and I refuse to like Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me until they invite me to be a panelist. But those shows are the starting point for NPR in 2011; they aren’t the entire product. The network clearly knows that for all the love listeners show Garrison Keillor, NPR at its best is quirky and cerebral, in the style of Ira Glass and Robert Krulwich.
Why the diverging fortunes? First, to a great extent, their competitors have set the terms. In the past 30 years, cable television got extremely good, while private radio got extremely bad. Today, if you want to do creative television, chances are you would take a job at HBO, AMC, or Showtime; it is unclear why, given the greater freedom (and money) those cable stations offer, you would work for PBS. Meanwhile, the radio situation is reversed: it is unclear what kind of self-loathing idiot wants to work on programming at a Clear Channel radio station. And although SiriusXM satellite radio can be a delight—when I had my free media trial membership, I constantly listened to Little Steven’s Underground Garage—its nonmusical programming can be rather |
has increased across the board, and expectations have risen for each program.
While all seven fanbases are highly engaged and expect to win on the field, a look into the data over the last ten years shows that the “Big 3” of Alabama, Auburn and LSU have dominated the division thoroughly for some time.
Let’s look at a few numbers to illustrate:
SEC Championship Game Appearances (2005 – 2014):
Over the last ten years, the SEC West has put the following teams into the SEC Championship Game:
Alabama: 3
Auburn: 3
LSU: 3
Rest of SEC West: 1 (Arkansas in 2006)
NFL Draft Picks (2006-2015):
Here are the number of draft picks from the “Big 3” west schools over the last ten NFL Drafts.
Alabama: 56
Auburn: 34
LSU: 52
Total: 142
The other teams in the SEC West:
Arkansas: 33
Miss State: 20
Ole Miss: 15
Texas A&M: 25
Total: 93
The 2014 season saw the emergence of both Mississippi schools into the highest levels of competition for the SEC West title. Despite some key moments and wins, neither school was able to win the division.
How have the current head coaches of the “Other 4” SEC West schools fared against the “Big 3”? Let’s look at each season and the total records:
Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M:
2014: 1-2 (beat Auburn)
2013: 0-3
2012: 2-1 (beat Alabama, Auburn)
Total: 3-6 (.333)
Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss:
2014: 1-2 (beat Alabama)
2013: 1-2 (beat LSU)
2012: 1-2 (beat Auburn)
Total: 3-6 (.333)
Dan Mullen at Miss. State:
2014: 2-1 (beat Auburn, LSU)
2013: 0-3
2012: 1-2 (beat Auburn)
2011: 0-3
2010: 0-3
2009: 0-3
Total: 3-15 (.200)
Bret Bielema at Arkansas:
2014: 1-2 (beat LSU)
2013: 0-3
Total: 1-5 (.200)
Overall, the records against the “Big 3” SEC West teams leave a lot to be desired.
The historic 2014 season for Mississippi schools only produced a combined.500 record against Alabama, Auburn and LSU. The question to be answered is as follows: Is the 2014 season a building block for continued and increased success or was that as good as it gets for Ole Miss and Mississippi State?
Arkansas has some momentum heading into 2015, but few analysts think 2015 can be a season in which the Hogs compete for the western crown.
Texas A&M’s 2015 season could be the most critical out of the group as fans show frustration with the lack of consistent winning in College Station. The addition of John Chavis to the defensive side of the ball means there are no excuses left for Sumlin and his staff.
As pessimistic as that sounds, it’s difficult to point fingers at any of the “Other 4” head coaches. Each of them are top notch coaches doing their best to compete in the toughest division in football. The problem is that Alabama, Auburn and LSU are doing the same thing.
Unfortunately for Sumlin, Freeze, Mullen and Bielema, they might be a victim of their own success at some point. Increased salaries and increased fan expectations mean accountability is around the corner for the losing coaches.
Somebody has to lose. Which $4 million coach will own a losing conference record?On June 17, the Royals took sole possession of first place in the American League Central, as they stood a half game up on Detroit in the division race. Since that date, the Royals have gone 10-17, while the Tigers have gone 18-10, and Kansas City now finds themselves in third place, seven games behind the Tigers and a game and a half behind the Indians. They’ve even fallen to sixth in the AL Wild Race, which isn’t exactly overflowing with dominant teams at the moment.
As things stand today, our Playoff Odds model gives the Royals a 2.6% chance of winning the division and a 7.9% chance of winning a spot in the Wild Card game. A Wild Card game that would almost certainly be on the road, against either the A’s or the Angels, inarguably the two best teams in baseball to this point of the season.
In other words, even if they manage to sneak past Cleveland, New York, Toronto, and Seattle — and hold off the charging Red Sox and Rays — their reward would be a road game against a significantly better team. Anything can happen in one game, of course, but when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold at the deadline, the realistic upside has to be evaluated, and the Royals best case case scenario is still a probable loss in Game 163.
However, there’s a lot of upside in being the team selling a fall-back plan to the teams who lose out in the David Price sweepstakes. According to most reports, the Mariners, Dodgers, and Cardinals are the most interested teams in Price, and at least two of them are going to be disappointed that they didn’t get him. And when they look around for alternatives, they’re going to find… A.J. Burnett? Bartolo Colon? John Danks?
The market is ripe for the Royals to step in and fill the void with an available starter who is a legitimate upgrade for most contenders. The final two months of Shields’ contract will be far more valuable to another team than they will be to Kansas City.
Shields projects for about +1.4 WAR over the rest of the season, which is not quite Price-like but is far ahead of guys like Colon or Burnett. Because Jeff ran the numbers on a Price trade last week, we can crib off his data and estimate that acquiring Shields would lead to something like a 10% boost in playoff odds for nearly 10 teams. Even if we cross out the Indians, Yankees, and either the Mariners or Cardinals — assuming one of the two pays the David Price tax — then there’s still a half dozen teams who could significantly benefit from having Shields in their rotation for the final two months, plus a much more likely playoff series.
Maybe 10% doesn’t sound like a lot, but for many of these teams, the addition could easily end up being the difference between playing in the Wild Card game and getting a pass through to the division series. For a team like the Orioles or Blue Jays, they have a real chance to host a couple of postseason games, and reap the the revenues that come along with a playoff berth. Some estimates have the revenue gains associated with a postseason run at between $20 and $70 million, depending on how deep a team goes and how much the playoff push can invigorate a fan base.
For instance, the Pirates are up an average of 3,000 fans per game this year compared to last year. Even as TV money takes a larger role in a team’s financial picture, an extra 250,000 tickets sold at an average price of $40 apiece is $10 million in extra revenues. Sure, a good chunk of those fans would have still bought tickets this year even if the Pirates hadn’t made the division series last year, but there’s no question that their 2013 playoff run led directly to a revenue boost in 2014.
There’s a reason the A’s traded one of the game’s very best prospects for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. For mid-market teams who can’t count on getting to the postseason every year, it is imperative to take advantage of opportunities when they come. Those are the very same teams, however, that probably can’t afford to trade the farm for David Price, and are not going to see a big enough improvement to justify giving up real prospects for the back-end starters other teams are selling.
Even with Shields having a mediocre first half, he would fill a significant void in the market and give the Royals a legitimate chance to recoup a lot of the talent they gave up in acquiring Shields in the first place. They’re not going to get Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi back, but they might land a couple of good prospects that could turn into good players sooner than later.
The odds of the Royals re-signing Shields this winter are slim. Realistically, given their payroll, they shouldn’t even really be that interested in keeping him for his decline years. And other teams will pay more in value than the draft pick they’d get next summer by making him a qualifying offer and letting him leave via free agency.
It might be a tough pill for the Royals to swallow, given where they were just a month ago, but the right move for the Royals franchise is to put Shields on the market and play for 2015.“They expected me to be the player that they thought I was capable of being in all the facets of the game: play good defense, run the bases, hit for average and hit some home runs along the way, too,” Murton said. “That was a different style of player than they probably tried to go get in the past.”
The Boston Red Sox selected Murton in the first round of the 2003 draft. A year later, he was part of the four-team, eight-player trade that sent him and Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs and brought Orlando Cabrera and Dave Roberts to the Red Sox. In ways big and small, the trade helped propel Boston to a World Series championship just months later.
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Murton instantly became the sort of footnote to the trade that made for great baseball trivia questions, especially in Red Sox-happy New England.
He played 51 games for the Cubs in 2005 and batted.321. In 2006, he hit.297 in 144 games and drove in 62 runs with 13 homers. But he played less in 2007 and was traded to Oakland in the middle of 2008 and then to Colorado. In 2009, he split time between the Rockies and their Class AAA team in Colorado Springs, which was where Hanshin found him.
The sudden retirement of Hanshin’s leadoff hitter before the 2010 season led the Tigers to consider Murton for the top of the order. He became the rare foreigner to bat first in Japan and blossomed in the role.
In fact, among the Murton-themed merchandise Hanshin sells is a button bearing the Japanese expression so-ko-shu, meaning complete player. Each sound is represented by a character for speed, offense and defense. The button also has Murton’s cartoon image, complete with his red locks protruding from his cap and a smattering of red stubble on his cheeks and chin.
Across the top are those three characters plus a fourth, which represents study. Murton is depicted holding open a notebook, pencil in hand, with the caption: “All good kids should take notice of his habits.”
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Indeed, Murton keeps a detailed notebook of pitchers and umpires, which he diligently updates. He said that to succeed, he needed to record what he was seeing.
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“Last year was going to be my first year in Japan,” he said. “There was going to be a language barrier. A sinker to me might mean something different to them. Their terminology might be slightly different than how my brain processes it.
“I was like, if I can take my own notes and formulate my own game plan, then if there is a slight difference in terminology or definition, I’ll be able to formulate a better idea in my mind by writing it down myself.”
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Murton’s note-taking allowed him to minimize the language barrier and begin his march to Japan’s hits record and a.349 average.
Murton’s love for swing repetition has also found a home in practice-happy Japan. “You can never say here in Japan, ‘I didn’t get enough,’ ” Murton says. “If there’s more to be had, they’re going to give it to you. That aspect has been good for me. It allowed me throughout last year to grow as a player and to start to do some things maybe I hadn’t done in the past.”
Young Japanese players are notorious for taking extra batting work at the team hotel during spring training. They find space in the bowels of the hotel, on its roof or in a spare conference room.
Murton was asked if he ever wanders into one of those gatherings.
“No,” he said laughing. “I’ll stand in front of my own mirror sometimes or go out on the balcony and take some swings if I feel the need be. But those guys, it’s another level.”
In some ways, Murton is reminiscent of another foreigner famous in Japan more than 30 years ago. Charlie Manuel, a former outfielder in Japan who is now the Phillies’ manager, is still affectionately referred to as Aka Oni, or Red Devil, for the color his face would turn when he became angry during his career with the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Yakult Swallows from 1976 to 1981.
Manuel wowed Japan with his power, smacking 37 or more homers in four straight seasons. He outhomered Sadaharu Oh, the career home run leader, 166 to 152, during those four years.
Manuel found success in Japan after spending 13 seasons in the American major and minor leagues. He arrived when he was 32 and finished his career here.
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Murton will turn 30 in October and will have to decide what to do when his contract runs out after the season. Does he stay where he has thrived or try the major leagues one more time? Meanwhile, he keeps piling up base hits.Wide Leg Handstand Press Prep Techniques in Yoga, with Kino MacGregor.
So: this movement is one of the non-traditional magical tricks that I loved when I first started the practice of yoga. It was something that I never imagined I would actually be able to do. But yoga is the power of transformation where the impossible becomes possible. Here I’ll share with you some of the techniques that helped me learn this movement. Somehow it’s easier to lift up into handstand (or it was for me anyway) with wide legs rather than straight legs because the pivot point of getting the pelvis forward over the arms happens faster. Anyhow, have fun and enjoy! ~
When I first started practicing yoga, I was not naturally strong.
In fact, I was so weak so that I could not do the push-up position known as chaturanga dandasana even with the worst alignment you could imagine. I could either stay in a plank posture with straight arms or go crashing directly into the ground in a belly flop. The first time I tried a headstand, the teacher supported me for a few breaths and then suggested that it was better for me not to try. Handstand seemed like a Cirque du Soleil movement…that would be for another incarnation. I was never a gynmast or a dancer, and I never had any physical training before yoga.
Although I was inspired by the more challenging movements like handstand, I started slowly and first learned the basics like good alignment in chaturanga dandasana and how to balance in a headstand. There is no sense throwing your body into a handstand if basic strength and stability in the shoulder-girdle is lacking. After about five years of dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practice, my body was stronger than I ever imagined it would be. The journey into strength has been at the core of every posture within my practice of yoga. In order for me to move through the powerful transformation that has defined my yoga experience, I had to learn not just physical strength but deep inner resolution as well.
The movement that I’m sharing with you in this clip is not actually in the traditional Ashtanga Yoga series. But it is one that will help you build strength, alignment and technique that you can apply in many places throughout your practice.
If you’re working on lifting up in a wide-legged handstand, here are a few tips that will help you.
First, try the movement from a posture where you already feel comfortable like headstand. If you are able to move through the movement with easy technique and proper alignment, then the muscle memory is in place for a more complex movement. If that was hard then there is still more work to be done before attempting the full handstand lift-up. If the headstand movement was easy, you can try the same movement from forearm stand or pinchamayurasana.
If it was easy for you to lift up from a wide-legged position into pinchamayurasana, then you’re ready to try the full movement from handstand. Prepare by strengthening your shoulder-girdle, and then pressing into the solid foundation of your arms. Be sure that your deltoids, latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior are engaged. Grip the floor slightly with your finger tips and draw your lower ribs in to activate the transverse abdominals. Be careful not to arc your back. Instead, lift up from the front side by sucking the belly in and engaging the pelvic floor. Then, as you inhale, simply send the weight of your pelvis over the solid foundation of your arms and allow that subtle transference of body mass to initiate the lifting-up movement. Once you feel a floating sensation and your feet come off the ground, continue to press into your arms and send the pelvis forward until your body is hovering in balance. Remain calm, relax your breath and pull your body back into the center line to come to a complete balance in handstand. Exit the same way by rolling your pelvis forward over the solid foundation of your arms, sucking in the belly, drawing the lower ribs in and engaging the shoulder-girdle for stability. Melt into the ground when you land, if possible.
Keep your mind single-pointed and remember not to try so hard that you lose your sense of self-compassion.
Each posture that demands more physical strength also demands more spiritual, mental and emotional strength. In order to fully realize the benefits of the Ashtanga Yoga method you must be willing to go through the whole process of transformation. Weakness as a state of mind is just as limiting as weakness as a physical state within the body. I had them both. Whenever things got difficult in the physical practice I just wanted to quit, but my teachers always pushed me further. They believed in me when I wanted to give up on the journey, and it was their faith and dedication that helped me find my own strength. I had the great fortune to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in India and learn the Ashtanga Yoga method directly from him and his grandson R. Sharath Jois. Throughout the process, they constantly challenged me to be stronger in a way that always encouraged me to accept myself and yet go deeper.
My teacher R. Sharath Jois, the director of the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India, recently said in a conference that yoga students need “the Four D’s” in order to practice correctly. They are devotion, dedication, discipline and determination. Yogis have a disciplined life to help strengthen the mind. He said that a yogi’s mind gets stronger within by practicing every day and developing the quality of strength and steadiness of mind, known in Sanskrit as Sthira.
Once the mind is strong, then the yogi thinks about yoga and other spiritual pursuits rather than perpetuating old negative thoughts. Asana is the foundation for all spiritual practice and it paves the way for deeper realization to take root within your being.The Kansas economy gained far fewer jobs than normal in April, but the unemployment rate still went down a tenth of a point to 3.8 percent, the Kansas Department of Labor reported.
April is usually a time when the economy adds jobs in areas such as construction, leisure and hospitality, and outdoor lawn and garden activities, said Tyler Tenbrink, a labor market economist at the department.
On a straight head-count basis, the state gained 9,100 non-farm jobs during the month. But that was about 3,700 fewer jobs than the historic average for the month of April.
The biggest job gains in April were in professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality. There was no change in employment numbers in manufacturing or the mining sector, which includes oil and gas production.
Over the past 12 months, the state saw a net loss of 2,900 non-farm jobs, including 1,600 jobs in the private sector.
“Service providing industries have shown growth, but these increases continue to be offset by losses in Mining and Construction,” said labor economist Emilie Doerksen.
There were about 4,300 fewer construction jobs in April than a year ago and 1,300 fewer public-sector jobs. The biggest gains over the year were in manufacturing and leisure and hospitality, each of which added about 1,500 jobs statewide.
The Lawrence-area economy added about 230 jobs over the month, and 300 fewer people were counted as unemployed, lowering the local unemployment rate to 2.9 percent.
The Manhattan metropolitan area, at 2.6 percent, had the lowest unemployment rate in Kansas. The Wichita area had the highest jobless rate, at 3.8 percent.
On the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, the jobless rate was 3.2 percent. The Topeka area posted a 3.4 percent jobless rate.It takes excellent hand-eye coordination to play hockey at the NHL level. Take a look at Mark Stone’s third period goal in the Ottawa Senators’ 4-3 OT win over the Chicago Blackhawks as an example.
After Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford made a save on Erik Karlsson the puck flew up in the air. Stone waited for it to fall below the crossbar, so it wasn’t hit with a high stick. He then gently tapped it out of mid-air and past Crawford to put the Senators up 3-2.
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The video of the play is above. The goal was scored on the power play after Chicago was called for too many men on the ice.
It wasn’t quite Brad Marchand’s baseball-style goal when the Boston Bruins played the Toronto Maple Leafs in late November, but it still took a lot of skill.
Stone finished the game – a 4-3 Senators win in overtime – with one goal as Ottawa withstood eight total points from Patrick Kane’s line. Mike Hoffman scored two goals and added an assist and captain Erik Karlsson notched three assists. Forward Bobby Ryan scored one goal and added two helpers.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!Royal Dutch Shell today announced a 49% surge in first quarter profits as the energy giant joined rival BP in benefiting from higher oil prices.
The Anglo-Dutch group reported earnings of 4.9 billion US dollars (£3.2 billion) for the first three months of the year - a day after BP posted a figure of 5.6 billion US dollars (£3.6 billion).
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Chief executive Peter Voser said rising energy prices and an improved operational performance meant Shell's profits were sharply higher than the 1.18 billion US dollars in the final quarter of 2009.
Shell's performance has lagged behind BP as it has been forced to ramp up spending to secure new sources of oil and gas at a time when refining margins are under pressure due to global overcapacity and economic weakness.
The company cut 5,000 jobs last year and will remove another 1,000 in 2010 - mainly in downstream and corporate functions - to make it more competitive against its rivals.
Analysts believe the firm has suffered for "taking its foot off the pedal" in exploration in the late 1990s.
Mr Voser, who said the company's results had "improved considerably", claimed the recent turnaround was largely driven by Shell's own actions.
He added: "The priorities are for a more competitive performance, for growth, and for sharper delivery of strategy. There is more to come from Shell."
Today's results compare with the nadir of the recession in the first quarter of 2009, when crude prices averaged just over 41 dollars a barrel, although a year later this figure stands at an average 76 dollars.
Mr Voser said there were mixed signals for the near-term outlook.
"So far in 2010, oil prices have remained firm, and demand for petrochemicals has increased, but refining margins, oil products demand and spot gas prices all remain under pressure.
"Although there are signs of an improving economic outlook, we are not relying on it. We are continuing with our focus on cash flow growth, underpinned by new project start-ups and lower costs," he said.
Shell's operational improvement included a 6% rise in production volumes as it benefited from new upstream projects in Russia and Brazil. Earnings from upstream operations more than doubled to 4.41 billion US dollars (£2.9 billion).
Shell restored profitability in its downstream business after losses of 952 million US dollars in the final quarter of last year. Earnings of 1.33 billion dollars (£866.8 million) were 11% higher than a year earlier as Shell set about implementing its cost-cutting plans.
Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said today's results were comfortably ahead of forecasts.
He added: "A rising oil price aside, evidence of group self-help is clearly identifiable, a fact which appears to be moving market consensus opinion from a strong hold to an outright buy."
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At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Subscribe nowWhile the City of Seattle figures out how to regulate app-based transportation companies like UberX, Lyft and Sidecar, King County officials are taking matters into their own hands.
King County Executive Dow Constantine today proposed legislation to regulate these “Transportation Network Companies” — “TNC” for short — which allow everyday drivers to shuttle people around town.
Before delving into the details, it’s important to note that any legislation King County passes will only apply to those operating in unincorporated King County, which is essentially anything that doesn’t fall within the city limits of the county’s 39 cities — places like White Center, Vashon Island and Skyway. This means that any regulations the City of Seattle approves would supersede what the King County Council passes.
However, the proposed ordinance would affect drivers in the cities that contract with King County for taxi/for-hire licensing: Auburn, Bellevue, Burien, Covington, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, and Shoreline. King County also has a contract with the Port of Seattle, which includes Sea-Tac Airport.
Anywho, King County’s proposed legislation has some interesting aspects. It would regulate the TNCs with the same laws that taxi and for-hire drivers must already follow in King County. That means TNC drivers would be subject to the same vehicle inspections, training, testing and insurance requirements that are spelled out in county code and Washington state law.
“Our proposal handles TNC drivers the same way we handle for-hire vehicles and taxi drivers,” King County Administrative Officer Caroline Whalen told GeekWire. “We are leveling the playing field.”
However, there are a few special changes. Unlike the City of Seattle’s original ordinance — which has since been suspended — the legislation does not include a cap on the number of TNC drivers.
“We don’t have any caps on the for-hire and taxi vehicles, so our legislation does not propose caps,” Whalen said.
The legislation also lowers licensing and registration fees for taxi cabs and for-hire vehicles, while requiring TNC drivers to pay the same amount ($290 annually).
In addition, King County figured out a way for all drivers to use a less expensive insurance plan.
“We worked with risk managers to determine that we could reduce the grade of insurance, but still offer the same level of protection for folks who are using these services,” Whalen explained.
Whalen said that King County has been watching what the City of Seattle is doing in regard to TNC regulations. Now that those laws could potentially be left undecided until later this year, the county is pursuing its own agenda primarily to ensure the safety for both the drivers and passengers conducting business.
“Our primary concern is setting a reasonable standard for insurance,” Whalen said. “The TNCs are not regulated at this point and that’s a concern for us.”
The legislation will go to a King County committee, which will take action and eventually relay its decision to the full Council. Whalen said the regulations, if passed, would go into effect in early autumn.
Uber and Lyft certainly already operate — without regulation — in both unincorporated King County, and in the cities listed above. Here’s Lyft’s coverage map:
And Uber’s:
Meanwhile in Seattle, representatives from the TNCs, taxi companies and City officials are currently in the midst of a negotiation process to establish a new regulatory framework that would allow Lyft, Uber and Sidecar to operate legally in the city. A deadline has been set for June 2, and if no agreement is reached, Mayor Ed Murray said last month that he’ll have no choice but to issue a cease-and-desist letter.
Here’s the King County ordinance:The London Climbing Guide is a guide to indoor and rock climbing in London. The site aims to be a one stop shop that covers most aspects of rock climbing in London. Encompassing loads of areas such as where are the best places to climb in London, a break down of the indoor rock climbing centres, the best London climbing clubs, where to buy rock climbing gear in London, useful information for getting started if you've never rock climbed before and a whole host of other climbing related information. The site has been put together by rock climbers for rock climbers as an informal and unofficial guide to climbing in the wonderful city of London so we hope you find it useful and informative. The site is focused mainly on indoor climbing and bouldering but does touch on some wider relevant trad/sport climbing top put to good use when climbing outside of London.
If you have any questions that aren't answered on the site, you think there is something missing or we've got it wrong then feel free to get in touch at info@londonclimbingguide.com or join the discussion on Facebook, twitter or G+.Story highlights Guatemala's Public Ministry says 131 people are dead, hundreds missing after a landslide in El Cambray
The side of a hill crashed down on a village, engulfing homes
(CNN) The gangly arms of four backhoes dug through a mound of sandy soil that had buried many of the residents of El Cambray alive in a landslide.
Carefully, the diggers turned up sheet metal roofs, broken walls and the bodies of people trapped in the dirt bulging over much of the Guatemalan village.
By early Sunday, they had recovered nearly 90 bodies of people who died after the side of a towering hill broke loose suddenly and crashed down on the village in the darkness of Thursday night.
Since then, residents and rescuers have shoveled and even burrowed with their hands in search of the hundreds of victims the country's Public Ministry estimates were inside the dozens of homes that were instantly engulfed by the landslide.
By Sunday evening, the ministry was reporting 131 people were dead and more than 300 still missing.
Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Search efforts continue for victims of a deadly landslide in Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, on Monday, October 5. A massive landslide buried much of the El Cambray community near Guatemala City on Thursday, October 1. More than 160 people are dead, and authorities say hundreds remain missing. Hide Caption 1 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala People in Santa Catarina Pinula surround the coffins of four landslide victims on Sunday, October 4. Hide Caption 2 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Rescue workers help a woman after she identified two family members at the site of the landslide on Saturday, October 3. Hide Caption 3 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Relatives attend the burial of landslide victim Pamela Perez, 17, at a cemetery in Santa Catarina Pinula on October 3. Hide Caption 4 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Neighbors comfort each other as rescue workers continue the search for townspeople on October 3. Hide Caption 5 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Welsar Nazario carries the coffin of his 5-month-old nephew Alezandro Macario, who died in a mudslide, to the Santa Catarina Pinula cemetery on the outskirts of Guatemala City on October 3. Hide Caption 6 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala A doll and clothing lie in the mud as rescue workers continue to search the site of a mudslide on October 3. Hide Caption 7 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala The scene of the mudslide in El Cambray, Guatemala on Friday, October 2. Hide Caption 8 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Rescue workers work late into the night on October 2. Hide Caption 9 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Municipal firefighters rest during rescue operations on October 2. Hide Caption 10 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Rony Pu is rescued on October 2. Hide Caption 11 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Army soldiers and rescuers search for victims on October 2. Hide Caption 12 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala A rescuer carries the body of a child recovered from the mud and debris on October 2. Hide Caption 13 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala A woman stands in the midst of the debris on October 2. Hide Caption 14 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Rescuers carry a landslide victim on October 2. Hide Caption 15 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Rescue workers fan out around El Cambray village to search for survivors on October 2. Hide Caption 16 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Municipal firefighters recover a body from under the debris on October 2. Hide Caption 17 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Bodies recovered from the debris are seen at a provisional morgue in Santa Catarina Pinula municipality on October 2. Hide Caption 18 of 19 Photos: Landslide in Guatemala Volunteers carry aid for people affected by floods and landslides in Santa Catarina Pinula municipality on October 2. Hide Caption 19 of 19
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OKLAHOMA CITY - The fight over gun rights picks up in Oklahoma.
State lawmakers have filed dozens of bills to expand gun rights in the state.
Lawmakers may soon expand where people can legally carry firearms all in response to possible new federal regulations.
"My email box is filled with people scared and frightened," Rep. Jason Murphey (R) Guthrie said. "They want us to defend their Second Amendment rights."
Murphey authored one bill exempting Oklahoma gun makers from federal laws.
"The concept is because guns are made and purchased in Oklahoma, the federal government has no authority to regulate those purchases," Murphey said.
Another bill, authored by Representative Mark McCullough would allow CLEET-certified teachers to carry firearms at school events.
State Sen. Ralph Shortey would go even further, allowing any school employee with a firearms permit to bring their guns to school.
Nathan Dahm has filed one bill letting anyone over age 21 carry a gun in their vehicle even without a permit.
Another of Dahm's bills declares the federal government has no right to regulate firearms in Oklahoma
"It will make for a healthy discussion but I don't see that many making it to the governor's desk," Rep. Joe Dorman (D) Rush Springs said.
Dorman doubts most of the proposed bills have much chance of passing through the statehouse and becoming law.
"I seriously doubt any major changes will be made on gun laws in Oklahoma," Dorman said. "I think we'll realize the laws in Oklahoma are good."
A bill exempting Oklahoma gun makers from the interstate commerce clause did pass the statehouse in 2010 before being vetoed by former Gov. Henry.
The legislature begins this years session next month.There are many do’s and don’ts in the field of journalism. Do tell the truth, don’t intentionally bring harm to individuals. The list of rules journalists should strive to adhere to is endless, but above all else, we are told to go about our business objectively and fairly. With that in mind, The Volante finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place upon hearing the news that one of our photographers was killed in a car accident Tuesday in Minnesota.
What are we to do — grieve over the loss of our friend or do as we’ve been taught and report the news? Rebecca Kroeger, of Parkston, S.D., was one of our own. She was a Coyote. She was an avid art enthusiast and her presence projected raw creativity. Rebecca was a beautiful person and she was one of us — a student wandering through life who happened to walk into our newsroom a year ago looking to shoot a few photos.
From day one, Rebecca made it clear to everyone on staff she was not fond of reporting and preferred to capture snippets of those moments through photography. Even the slightest suggestion from another colleague that she consider getting a few student quotes to go along with her photo gallery resulted in a sassy, blank stare which sufficiently conveyed a resounding, “You’re kidding, right? No way, uh-uh.” As her photo portfolio for |
her; this morning unfolded the way so many of her mornings do, with a message about Tiffany reaching her on Facebook. This time, somebody claimed to have seen her panhandling off an exit ramp just north of downtown Atlanta—Tiffany dressed like a hippie with a man dressed like a bum. Lisa knows it is not Tiffany, knows it can’t be. She also knows that before long she will get in her car and drive to the exit and check to see if it is Tiffany, knows that she has no choice.
How long can this—she—go on? There is no answer; there is only absence, as endless as the void. She watched a TV show the other day on which the body of a missing woman was found after forty-one years. “I lost it,” she says. “Forty-one years! I’m going to die without knowing what happened to her. My mom’s going to die without knowing what happened to her.”
She has been, from the start, almost as haunted by Ashley’s presence in her life as she has been by Tiffany’s absence; she has been obsessed with making sure that he knows she is out there, in the void along with her daughter, and that he never thinks of Tiffany without seeing Lisa’s face. In the end, though, she is almost protective of Ashley; when she prays at night she hears herself praying for him: that he doesn’t get sick; that he doesn’t get killed; that he doesn’t die in prison. “Do you know how close I’ve come to offering Ashley money?” she asks, sickened by the sound of her own sentence. Now she finds herself dreading the prospect of justice being done without Tiffany being found, because “if there’s a conviction, it’s over—nobody’s going to be looking for her anymore.” Of course, she is not quite right; there will always be one person still looking for Tiffany Whitton.
But she will be all alone.
EPILOGUE: From the first time I met Lisa Daniels, in January 2015, she made me aware of a curious anomaly in her daughter’s disappearance, which is that all activity from Tiffany ended as of September 13, 2013, except a birthday message she sent on Facebook to her half brother, Blake Whitton, on or around January 5, 2014. Lisa regarded it as evidence that Ashley still had Tiffany’s phone and was using it to throw people off his trail. Investigators agreed; indeed, they never called Blake Whitton. But I did, on March 19, 2016, and asked about the time Tiffany seemed to contact him.
“Yes,” he said, “she called me about five days after my birthday.”
“She called you?”
“Yes, on one of those calling apps, with a weird return number. I wasn’t going to answer it, but I did, and it was Tiffany, apologizing for calling late.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
“Well, she called me by my nickname. She said, ‘Hey, Mudbug, how are you?’ She always called me Mudbug.”
“Have you ever told this to the police?”
“No, they never called me.”
It is doubtful that he is lying; as Lisa says, he has no reason to. But it is also doubtful he is telling the truth. He’s probably misremembering, mixing up a previous conversation with the birthday message he received on Facebook. After all, his half sister, Tiffany Whitton, stepped into the void on the morning of September 13, 2013. She ceased to exist. But Jesse Evans, the prosecutor, now has no choice but to try to obtain phone records, to see if it’s possible she simply ran away and never came back, numbered among the missing but not among the dead.
Additional reporting by Julia Black.At EA Play, Battlefield Squads pit 64-players in the first-ever livestream of Battlefield 1 gameplay. Next week at Gamescom, we're deploying it again. On August 16 at 12PM PT/9PM CEST, a new Battlefield Squads livestream will show off a new map filled with Only in Battlefield gameplay. There's a new trailer coming soon, too, with a trainload of new information about Battlefield 1.
In case you're wondering, yes, “trainload” is a tease.
This time around, team captains Stoddeh and Drift0r will be leading a crew of your favorite YouTube personalities, Twitch Streamers, and internet stars. They’ll be joined by the likes of StoneMountain64, XfactorGaming, ImAnderZel, TheRelaxingEnd, and many more, going on a destructive adventure into the desert to showcase a new map filled with points to capture, horses to ride, and things to demolish.
You can head over to the livestream page for more information.
What's going to happen? Who is going to win? Will anyone blow up a tank from horseback? You'll have to tune in on August 16 at 12PM PT/9PM CEST to find out.It has been less than 10 years since the launch of Apple’s app store and Google play store, mobile applications have become the part of our lives; you communicate, order food, shop, pay bills, manage bank accounts and even work. Today, we largely depend on apps to get our work done in a very simple way.
This App ecosystem has also created lot many opportunities for developers, designers, businesses to connect with the users directly. Hence, everyone from startup to enterprises are driving their strategies around Mobile. If you are also planning to step in the app startup business then your actual work begins on the day when you launch your app, as your ultimate goal is to survive in the market. Your story of survival begins….
Here, Application lifecycle management is something that will help you in your long-term goals. It’s like planning a lifecycle of an app from initial stage through the retirement. You keep on working and making improvements throughout the app development process and even after deployment.
We humans tend to learn from mistakes. Here we are going to see what mistakes some of the startups did or what they missed doing.
1. No market research done: If you don’t do a proper market research, such as what your customers want, who are your competitors and what are they offering, it is likely that your product will not survive for a long time.
Startup Example: ‘Remember’ now in memories
Adrian Tan, a former teacher, thought to build a safe and secure app that will make sharing and uploading pictures for new parents of their children seamless as there are dozens of images in the phone and that can make a phone stagnate.
The idea was to make an app that will capture and organize memories of children for parents. He founded the startup ‘Remember’. His plans got in motion in 2012, as he found two technical co-founders. But, within the year of starting ‘Remember’ had to shut down.
Now the reason for the shutdown was that there was no need for such a product in the market, they failed to prioritize customer market. The fact here was that parents were satisfied with Facebook. They didn’t really care about secured and private uploading, all they wanted was something that is fast.
Next big mistake was they didn’t realize that there was a competition in the market. Other companies such as Sony, who offered ‘Million Moments’ and more companies were already offering the same kind of app. Here ‘Remember’ also failed to validate their assumptions before making an app.
According to Adrian, if he got the chance to do it again, he would devote all his time to customer discovery, competitors, and Validate assumptions before building an app.
2. Inadequate financing: If you don’t have enough cash to carry through the first six months, even before making any profit, it becomes difficult to survive.
Startup Example: Circa News ran out of money
Circa News, a startup focused on mobile news delivery. Producing high-quality news can be costly and without the capital necessary to support further production it was not possible to survive. The most innovative thing about the service was that Circa knew how much of a story each of its users had seen—which updates were clicked on and which weren’t—and so it could send new information only to those who hadn’t already seen it.
Circa never had a concrete model, it didn’t have a proprietary technology that would command a high price. Unfortunately, it was unable to get a significant investment prior to becoming resource constrained.
In early May 2015 Circa was looking for a potential buyer after it was unable to get crucial investment. Now mobile-centric news has become common as everyone are using it, including The New York Times with NYT Now.
3. Legal challenges: When an idea is in place, you don’t just go ahead and start making a product. It becomes very important to set up the company based on legal terms. Legal complexities can result in shutting down of the startup.
Startup Example: Apple Computer’s iTunes music store Inc.: The same name game
Apple Inc. was Apple Computer’s earlier company and there was the same company which was music company also named Apple Corps. Ltd. owned by Beatles, So Beatles sued Apple Computers for selling music software on their name. Apple computers settled the case and agreed that they will not enter the music and record industry.
Then after the comeback of Steve Jobs and launch of iTunes music store, Apple Inc. was again in the market and it was again sued by Apple Corps. Ltd. this time for breach of contract, in using the Apple logo in the creation and operation of Apple Computer’s iTunes Music Store, which Apple Corps contended was a violation of the previous agreement. Apple Inc. lost the case. They had signed an agreement and now Apple Inc. can run iTunes.
So this was one of the legal issues of Copyright.
4. Early Hiring and lack of management skills: Managing the startup project in the initial time is crucial. Being the startup, it’s only possible to hire few people with right skills. Both poor management and early hiring can result in startup failure.
Startup Example: Wishareit failed to manage
GetSocial was born as Wishareit. Wishareit was an online platform that helped people to find, recommend, give and receive the perfect gifts with their friends and family.
Wishareit failed to manage its people. People have different goals, skills, interest, personalities, and Wishareit failed to manage all that while maintaining healthy and productive culture.
The second mistake Wishareit did was that it was getting good feedback within 2 to 3 months since it launched and based on that it hired too soon, too many people, which in turn cost the company, that it could have saved for long term goals. With just thousand people using it and without having a business model validated, Wishareit had a team of seven people and it was difficult for the company to manage the team of seven people with limited budget.
5. Lack of Knowledge on Technology: Lack of knowledge on new or existing technology can hinder a good project. Startups should hire those with good knowledge of the technology that will be used in the development of the product otherwise it will result in delays and unnecessary expenses.
Startup Example: Airtime suffered from multiple system issues
Airtime, an organization made by Napster’s Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, was a startup that presented browser video chat calling, incorporated with Facebook, in 2012. The product took two years and 33.5 million in ventures to create.
The product was launched in the market, it was unsuccessful to draw in users and suffered from multiple system issues. It worked out that Facebook clients weren’t keen on video calling and software bugs kept user movement from other, effectively settled, video calling services, for example, Skype.
6. Releasing product at the wrong time: Delay your launch if the product is not ready, because if you offer a half-baked product to your customers, they will surely reject it. Bringing customers back is not an easy job. On the other hand, if you delay the launch, it is possible that someone else will come up with the product and you may miss your opportunity.
Startup Example: Nexalogy Environics released at wrong time
Claude Theoret started Nexalogy Environics, a data analysis and extraction tool that allows companies to better understand what people are saying about them on social media channels.
In 2006, people were not really suffering from social data overload. Theoret attempt to solve a problem that didn’t exist with Nexalogy made it hard to get into the market. As there was no demand and need for such a product.
Although he didn’t give up and decided to stay the course. If he would have released the product after sometime, he would not have wasted much time and money earlier. They raised $1 million by 2007; by 2012, the total capital raised was in the realm of $4 million. The shares of the company diluted after taking investments for previous five years. The company subsequently shut down.
7. Drastic changes in-app business during the development process: The development process is vital. If any drastic changes are made in the middle of the development process it becomes difficult for the developers, as it is time-consuming and may cause delays.
Startup Example: Standout jobs didn’t go with changes during development process
Standout Jobs is a recruiting portal aimed at facilitating relationship-building between mid-sized companies and job candidates. Standout jobs had many reasons which made the founders take the decision on selling the startup.
But one of the many reasons was that Standout Jobs didn’t launch fast enough. The single and most important reason for the delay was constant changes in the product during the development process, adding and cutting features, getting feedback in between the development and then changing accordingly makes it more complicated. The Standout Jobs was sold out to Talent Technology in 2010.
8. Lack of money management skills and Over hiring in the company: Startups need to prioritize the funding if it is too little so that money as a resource is not wasted. Money sometimes also gets wasted if spent on nice-to-have things, with no return on investment.
But sometimes startups end up hiring more people in order to get the work done, which results in over-hiring and, on the other hand, it causes a delay in developing of the product, loss of resources and money.
Startup Example: TinyOwl’s roller coaster ride
TinyOwl, a food technology startup founded in August 2014 is scaling back its operations.
Today the condition is no Investor is keen to invest in the company and no one is ready to buy.
If we see here one of the mistakes that TinyOwl did was over-hiring, at its peak, the company had a tech team with 200 people working on just one app. The company fired 300 employees in September 2015. The uncoordinated hiring and then firing employees for cost-cutting shows that there was a lack of money management in the company.
The cash burn rate of TinyOwl was around 10 crores a month. The company was running out of money. Again in November 2015, the company initiated a second round of cuts. During that period company announced the new version of TinyOwl and hired a Chief Technology Officer, seeing all this the investors became more cautious.
When one of the founders and investors initiated a valuation audit, it was found that the company was on the verge of sale.
9. Premature Marketing Strategy: Marketing must be the part of your business from the very beginning. Your marketing strategy should make your product reach maximum customers, with minimum investment and effort.
Startup Example: Facebook Poke couldn’t survive
Facebook is a major brand but Facebook’s Poke app couldn’t survive in the market. At the same time, Snapchat was in the market, an app that lets you send photos and videos which are then destroyed within a matter of seconds. Facebook Poke was nearly a copy of Snapchat.
Big mistake Facebook did was it didn’t use its huge installed base to market Poke and just depended on organic word of mouth. Hence, the people who knew Poke were only the people who followed tech news or read tech blogs while Snapchat targeted and marketed to teens.
Despite being a big brand Facebook’s Poke lost it to market and Facebook had to shut down Poke. Sometimes even a well-established brand can make a mistake.
10. Not actively seeking or using customer feedback: Listen to your customers, before and after the product is made. Feedback will help you deliver a better product. Customer feedback provides you with valuable insights into what they think about your product and service.
Startup Example: Google wave didn’t listen to the customers
Google wave was a live, shared space on the web where people can discuss and work using text, photos, and maps. Google Wave just lasted for 15 months.
One thing that Google ignored here, was to go for an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) first and then come up with the actual product, based on customer feedbacks.
Wave was filled with lots of features, based on what Google assumed people wanted. They didn’t go out to people with MVP and get their feedbacks. Wave was a complex product and it was hard to explain Wave to someone who hasn’t used it. Google had to close Wave.
It’s always better to launch MVP and then go ahead with the final product based on customer feedback.
Other mistakes that app startups often do are
11. Selection of wrong technology, developers, designers etc.
12. No proper mentoring: If you will not help your employees learn and grow, your company too will not be growing in terms of sales, better productivity and profits.
13. Not ready for updates: Frequently updating your app makes it more reliable and flexible. if your app is not ready for updates, then it may soon vanish from the market. App market keeps on changing and as per the customer requirement, an app needs to make those changes.
14. No consistency: If the app is not consistent i.e. it is not performing well on all the devices or operating systems. The user will never use such mobile application.
15. Poor app designing: According to some stats, around 8% of mobile app fail or are rejected due to the poor design. Design the app in such a way that it is easy to use, attractive with high-resolution images and a very good user interface. Badly designed app is unpleasant to use.
The above mentioned things are not the ‘only’ mistakes made by startup as there are no fixed number of reasons due to which app startups don’t perform that well.
It’s just for you to understand why they were not able to survive. As the new ideas and app keep on evolving, so will be the mistakes or let’s say something they will miss. But, that’s the life, and moving on, keeping these things in mind, learn from others mistakes will increase your chances of success.
Looking ahead, Gartner predicts that by 2017, mobile apps will be downloaded more than 268 billion times, generating revenue of more than $77 billion, and wearable devices will drive 50% of total app interactions.
The figures mentioned above also remind us that all is not rosy, with continues economic growth and growth in app user base more challenges will come that could change everything. Here Guy Kawasaki, Alltop Co-founder and Entrepreneur has rightly said “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.”
Author Bio.Story highlights Final part of the three-part interview is expected to publish Wednesday
"Serial," a popular podcast, detailed an investigation into the 15-year-old murder of Hae Min Lee
Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was convicted
Key witness in the case against Syed was Jay Wilds, who spoke to The Intercept
The first season of "Serial" ended this month, but the story is far from finished.
The popular podcast detailed an investigation into the 15-year-old murder of Hae Min Lee, a popular high school senior in Baltimore. Her ex-boyfriend and classmate, Adnan Syed, was tried and convicted in 2000.
A star witness in the case against Syed was fellow Woodlawn High School student Jay Wilds, who stirred debate this week in a three-part interview with The Intercept. Parts one and two were published Monday and Tuesday. The final part will publish Wednesday.
He says he was unfairly portrayed in the podcast, which revisited in-depth the investigation and trial of Syed -- a key part of which was centered on Wilds' testimony.
Over the course of the 12-episode podcast, reporter Sarah Koenig pointed to several inconsistencies in Wilds' statements to police and testimony on the witness stand.
Some of what Wilds claims in the new interview also contradicts what he told police -- a point he addressed.
"They had to chase me around before they could corner me to talk to me, and there came a point where I was just sick of talking to them. And they wouldn't stop interviewing me or questioning me," he said of the police, in part one of the interview. "Once the police made it clear that my drug dealing wasn't gonna affect the outcome of what was going on, I became a little bit more transparent."
Lee and Syed were seniors at Woodlawn in Baltimore County, Maryland, in January 1999, when she disappeared. Her body was discovered in a city forest three weeks later.
Wilds told police that he helped Syed dig the hole where her body was buried and led police to her missing car. He did not serve time in prison after testifying for the prosecution.
In the interview, Wilds described seeing Lee, dead in the trunk of a car.
"There's nothing that's gonna change the fact that this guy drove up in front of my grandmother's house, popped the trunk, and had his dead girlfriend in the trunk. Anything that's going to make him innocent doesn't involve me. Hae was dead before she got to my house. Anything that makes Adnan innocent doesn't involve me," he said.
Wilds originally told police that he saw Lee's body in the parking lot of a Best Buy near the high school.
Rabia Chaudry, a civil rights attorney -- who grew up near Syed and tipped the host of "Serial" off to the story -- believes Wilds is lying. She pointed to several apparent discrepancies on Twitter.
"I think Jay's next move should be a live televised polygraph, preferably administered by Geraldo #FreeAdnan #Serial #TheMachineWillDie," Chaudry wrote.
Koenig, the host of "Serial," has not yet commented on Wilds' interview. He declined to be formally interviewed for her broadcast., which is a spinoff of the radio program "This American Life."A number of top talents have approached Vince McMahon in recent weeks voicing their concern over WWE's current product according to PWInsider.com.
One of the top talents had a verbal back and forth with McMahon in front of everyone. In this exchange, the talent basically told Vince the writing sucks and that McMahon doesn't have his finger on the pulse of things anymore. Since McMahon is out of touch with wrestling in 2012, the talent told him he needs to start listening to people around him. The final note was the talent saying when WWE goes to "hell in a handbasket" it will be all Vince's fault.
As of this time, the identity of the talent hasn't been confirmed to the point of being able to name them according to PWInsider.
McMahon's top stars, along with pressure from NBC Universal to fix the ratings is said to be a huge slap in McMahon's face. This all played a factor in McMahon making drastic changes.
Reportedly this is only the beginning and more changes are coming.In Taiwan, sea salt is being whipped into the creamy foam atop sweet coffee
Chinese people like to eat foods that Westerners consider unusual, things like pig-blood cake and chicken-butt kebab, to name just a few popular snacks. So the introduction of salty coffee shouldn't be such a shocker. What difference, after all, can a few sprinkles of salt make to your morning cup of joe? The chefs at Taiwan's top coffeehouse, 85C Bakery Cafe, pondered that question for six months before they started serving sea-salt coffee, which became their best-selling drink following its December debut.
That's no small feat considering that 85°C (which is named for the ideal temperature at which to brew coffee) has surpassed Starbucks to become the biggest coffee chain in Taiwan. Founded five years ago by tea-shop owner Wu Cheng-hsueh, 85°C now has 325 stores in Taiwan and is expanding into China, Australia and the U.S. Wu first built the business by finding good beans: in 2004, he went to the source of Starbucks' most popular beans and persuaded the Guatemalan supplier to sell him virtually all its arabicas (sorry, megachain). Then he hired five-star hotel chefs to concoct fancy drinks and desserts that sell for about half the price of Starbucks'. (See the top 10 food trends of 2008.)
What inspired those chefs to come up with sea-salt coffee? According to spokeswoman Kathy Chung, it was the Taiwanese habit of sprinkling salt on fruits like pineapple and watermelon to bring out their sweetness. Salty coffee also makes sense in a place where shaved-ice desserts are topped with corn kernels and breads get slathered with sugary frosting and bits of pork. "Taiwanese are greedy," explains graphic designer Xena Wang, one of six friends who recently tried the drink for the first time. "We like to get all the tastes we can in one bite."
A striking palette of tastes and textures has long been a hallmark of Chinese cuisine (think sweet-and-sour soup), and this affinity for taste-bud workouts has carried over to trendy drinks. The countless drink stands that line Taiwanese streets flood the thirsty soul with endless variations of bubble teas, a.k.a. hot or cold teas with chewy tapioca balls and tropical juice blends. One popular combo, green tea with passion fruit, tapioca pearls and chewy coconut cubes, helps explain why 85°C's next coffee innovations will use panna cotta and fresh fruit.
Salty coffee may sound strange, but it isn't so much an acquired taste as it is sequential tasting. You're supposed to lick the salty foam to arouse your senses, then savor the sweet, creamy coffee. "Through the contrast of textures, you experience the saltiness and coffee at different times," says architect Jeff Lu of his first encounter with the drink. "It's a multisensual experience that works."
After sea-salt coffee spent two weeks as the best-selling drink at 85°C outlets in Taiwan, the company is sending the flavor combo to its China branches. If it's a hit there, Chung says, this cup of Taiwanese sophistication may be exported to the West too. Could salty Frappuccinos be far behind?
See pictures of urban farming.
See TIME's Pictures of the Week.Britain's biggest array of solar panels has begun generating in Oxfordshire. The first large ground system to feed into the national grid will benefit from the tariff scheme paying a premium for supplying clean electricity.
Howbery business park's companies specialise in engineering, environmental and water research and development and its 3,000-panel array generates up to 682 MWh a year, a quarter of its needs, and thereby save 350 tonnes of CO 2 a year.
Derry Newman, chief executive of Solarcentury, the company that supplied the solar photovoltaic modules, said that the UK's famously overcast weather did not make it an unsuitable place for solar power.
"Solar works on daylight, not necessarily [direct] sunlight and it gets light every day in Britain," he said. "Of course it generates more on a very bright day than a dull day. If you average over the year, the amount of cumulative daylight, energy per square metre, is very well known and is very predictable. Over the life of the system, the amount of energy produced is very predictable."
Though the biggest in Britain, Howbery is dwarfed by those in Spain or Italy, up to 10 times bigger. Solarcentury, the panel maker, has similar projects due online next month, but these could be the UK's last big solar farms for some time. In February, the government announced a review of feed-in tariffs for anyone generating more than 50kW of power and cut the rates payable for large ground-mounted solar installations by more than 70%.
"This means that virtually all investors have withdrawn from financing such developments," said Newman. "There were probably many hundreds lined up for development across the country. they're pretty much all cancelled now because of the fast track review. This type of installation will be a relative rarity for a few years."
But Newman is optimistic about the solar industry in the UK, however.
"They will come back because tariffs and subsidies for solar are a necessary device to create the industry right now but the rate of change of price of solar is on a strong downward trend," he said.
"Within a few years, the amount of subsidy needed will go down significantly. When that happens, more of these can happen with less cost and become more attractive to investors."
John Ormston, chief executive of HR Wallingford, which is based at the business park, said that Howbery Business Park was proud of its green credentials. "A centre of excellence with two highly sustainable, BREEAM Excellent rated office buildings and an operational Green Travel Plan, we are committed to leading the way in renewable energy and are proud to be showcasing the UK's first solar business park.
Howbery Business Park will be one of only a few business parks in the UK where occupiers are able to secure a direct electrical supply from a solar array."
• This article was amended on 27th June. It originally stated that the "government announced a review of feed-in tariffs for anyone generating more than 50k of power". That should have read "50kW" and has now been corrected.While the creation of COBRA's first carrier units is generally considered to be of greater historical importance, one would be remiss to neglect mention of it's older sibling the Adder class. While the refitted Garter class Frigate was a considerable improvement in terms of speed, durability and firepower there were still concerns. While a general assessment of their capacities showed that they had become more than a match for their raider counterparts, their were still concerns about the threat posed by larger, better made dedicated warships of the established powers listed in the raider's logs could pose. Initially three ships were ordered in 2121 (the Adder, the Cottonmouth and the Asp, named for Cobra Prime's three continents) with MARS's engineers working day and night. Work began on this first batch in 2123 with the respective ships being launched in 2126, 2127 and 2129. In 2133 five more of these ships were ordered with some minor improvements and refinements, mostly to simplify production and improve reliability.
The Adder's warp systems were identical to those of the of the Wasp, as was it's general performance at FTL speed with better STL maneuverability due to the fact that it weighed only 130,000 tonnes. It was 190 meters long and had a crew of 200 spacers, in addition to some 30 Void Vipers and 300 B.A.T.s in storage. Each ship also carries a pair of S-5 Dragon shuttlecraft, though it could also carry three Stiletto fighters. It was heavily armored and carried a main armament of eight torpedo tubes and two heavy particle cannons, each of which was more twelve times as powerful as those medium models mounted on a Frigate but had a lower rate of fire, plus four aft medium particle cannons. It's main energy weapons were placed in armored turrets to maximize coverage.
The Adder was the product of brute force engineering applied to creating a brawler. Built to be both take and give punishment and specifically to engage craft either comparable or larger in size with concentrated firepower. Even so, this came at the cost of STL maneuverability and a limited ability to respond to multiple assailants and generally requires an escort for support. The Adder class first taste of combat against pirate vessels in 2134 and saw a few more engagements which were similarity easily won. Even so, their true test came in 2142 at the battle of C-3 when the Adder class Cruisers Asp and Copperhead (as well as four escorts) were confronted by a squadron of three Klingon D-5 Cruisers. In that fight two of it's escorting frigates were destroyed, another was crippled and had to be towed back to COBRA prime while the Asp suffered major damage and needed several weeks of field repair work before it could limp home for proper repairs. The Copperhead while suffering less damage still needed some yard work afterwards. Even so, one ship was destroyed outright while the remaining two were forced into retreat after receiving damage, with one of said ships being unable to limp back to Klingon Space, forcing her crew to abandon ship and scuttle. While this did prove that Coatl Station's Shipyards, MARS and the Academy of Science could produce ships which at least hold their own in a firefight with the established power, they were now faced with the threat of a large expansionist power. Among the responses of the Third Commander to this threat was the commissioning of three more Adder class cruisers with upgraded Warp systems.The Chandigarh administration has moved the Punjab and Haryana high against the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutes (NCMEI) order granting minority status to Vivek High School, Sector 38. The case is listed for hearing on September 12.
The education department, on behalf of the administration, has sought quashing of orders passed by the commission in 2012, saying that the school has violated the UT land allotment laws by not reserving seats for the economically weaker sections (EWS) students.
“The school applied for the minority status with mala fide intensions as the first application was filed immediately after the apex court judgment that minority unaided schools shall be outside the purview of the Right to Education Act.”
The petition filed by the director, school education, states that that the school applied for the minority status with mala fide intensions as the first application for the grant of minority status was filed immediately after the apex court judgment that minority unaided schools shall be outside the purview of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. “The timing of the application indicates that the only purpose for the grant of minority status was to circumvent the RTE Act,” reads the petition.
The petition has also stated that the school misled the commission saying that there was no competent authority in UT to deal with the issue of minority status.
Officials say out of 10 schools, which had sought minority status after the RTE Act came into force, only two schools got no-objection certificate from the education department.
MINORITY SCHOOLS Of the 82 private schools in the city, 22 are minority. Thirteen schools opted for minority status after the directions of the apex court in 2012, which had ruled that the minority schools are not bound to reserve 25% of their seats in entry level classes under the RTE Act.
On April 26, 2012, Vivek High School moved an application directly to the commission for grant of the minority status. On March 28, 2013, the plea was contested before the commission. The director, school education, appraised the commission that the school bypassed the channel of application.
On September 10, 2014, the director raised objection that the original trust deed of the school does not share that the beneficiary of the school were members of the Sikh Community and on February 16, 2015, the chairman of the school refused to provide any information regarding the admission policy, resolution policy or ratio of students as they are a minority institute. However, on February 4, 2016, the NCMEI granted the minority status to the school.
A total of 10 schools applied for a minority status after 2010, but only two schools got a no objection certificate from the UT administration, including Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School, Sector 40.
What is RTE?
As per the Right to Education Act, 2009, recognised private schools are bound to reserve 25% of their seats to EWS students. In 2014, the Supreme Court had, however, exempted minority educational institutions from giving this reservation.
First Published: Sep 12, 2017 14:32:12I’ve spent the last two weeks crunching on a vertical slice milestone, and it’s getting close to being finished. My deadline is Wednesday; Thursday we’ll be headed down to San Antonio for PAX South, and I’ll try to have a playable build ready in time for next week’s update.
The goal of this milestone (besides having a nice build that I can point to and go, “See that? That’s the game I’m making!”) has been to prove that my schedule is viable. I’m aiming for a June release, and in order to complete the game by that time, I’ll need to produce content at this same rate for the next four or five months. Maybe.
I haven’t met all my goals for this milestone, and it’s unlikely I will. I’m happy with how the vertical slice level looks, but I had intended to do more — much more — with environment art and decorations. And I just haven’t had the time to complete everything.
I knew when I was scheduling tasks that there would be a lot of work I hadn’t accounted for. In fact, I’d estimate about half my time these last couple of weeks has been spent on these unscheduled tasks. These included getting saved games working, handling death and game over states, wrangling random number generators to behave correctly in all cases, and various tweaks, polish, and bug fixes too minor and numerous to mention here.
Some of those tasks were one-time-only. Most of them, probably. Saved games work, for example. Barring minor polish or bug fixes, that’s not something I’ll have to touch again before shipping. But I know between now and June, there will be other tasks I haven’t allotted time for, and I can’t guarantee I’ll have any more of an opportunity to work on things like environment art than I’ve had this milestone.
So, considering the triangle of resources, scope, and schedule, what are my options? My resources are fixed. My schedule is pretty much fixed; there might be a little wiggle room in when exactly I launch, but for now, I’m disregarding that. So, scope. Cut scope. Obviously.
Maybe I don’t need as much decorative environment art as I thought. This level is already looking good (and comparatively miles ahead of where Super Win was at any point in its development). So maybe that’s good enough. Another possibility is that I lean harder on content reuse. I’ve been scheduling time for drawing a completely unique tileset for each level, and that might not be necessary. For one thing, I already have a number of tilesets in progress, dating back to nearly a full year ago, when I replaced tiles stolen from Faxanadu with an original set. For another, I suspect I’ll be able to get a lot of mileage out of swapping the palettes of my existing sets. It’s possible that a core set |
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