Split (1)

train · ~970k rows (showing the first 140k)

decoded_text stringlengths 4.18k 47.6k
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governance.” She revealed that Trump’s attacks on a Gold Star family, “denigration of women,” and determination to build a Mexican border wall are just some of the things that made her decide not to attend the event. She kept listing reasons, too, She listed and listed, condemning Trump’s seemingly preferred methods of governance and his attack on her colleague John Lewis, causing Harlow to give a few stuttering attempts at follow-up questions that fell short. Harlow endeavored to get Lee to give a concise soundbite regarding whether she agrees with Lewis’ assertion that Trump is not a “legitimate” president because of possible Russian interference in the election, but Lee continued to barrel through Harlow’s line of questioning. It continued like that. You really just need to watch. Let this be a lesson that in-person interviews are always easier to control than ones that take place over the phone. [image: screengrab] Lindsey: Twitter. Facebook. Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comMLP thoughts and questions My first use of TwitLonger is an important one -- thoughts on My Little Pony. After watching what I feel like is lots of My Little Pony, I have some thoughts and questions about the show. 1. How is Pony society not more stratefied? There are 4 types of Pony: - Regular ponies. No powers. - Pegasus. They can fly. - Unicorns. They have magic. - Ponies with both unicorn horns and wings. These are all royalty. Ok so, already we see stratification. The ponies who have the most power (magic and flying) are literally all royalty. The Pegasus and the Unicorns can do SO MUCH MORE than the regular ponies. Even the "Wonderbolts" which seems to basically be the most famous sports team or something like that, is only made of Pegasus. How is this all not causing huge divides in Pony society? 2. What's the deal with Spike? Unlike the other pets, who are all animals who do not talk, Spike is like a regular level of intelligence. Yet he is controlled by the ponies. They literally DO NOT LET HIM GROW UP. Dragons grow up by hoarding treasure, as far as I can tell. His pony "friends" actively prevent him from doing so, keeping him as a baby dragon. After what was sure to be millions of years of evolution, this is what his species does: it hoards treasure and grows into large adult dragons. How will Spike cope with this when he's in his middle age and literally every single example from his race has grown up and moved on, perhaps reproduced, etc. Meanwhile he's carrying around books for Twilight Sparkle. 3. Pinkie Pie is the best character, by far. 4. What was the exact reason to cast John de Lance as Discord? It seems really obvious, but almost too much so to be true. Being the actor who played Q on Star Trek, he is basically the same character in My Little Pony. When casting for the roll did they just look at that and be like "yeah, that's the voice of an all powerful prankster. Let's do it."? I'm not complaining, he's great, just wondering. Does he have that all powerful prankster voice on lockdown due to being cast as Q so many years ago? 5. Cutie Marks. Lots of these ponies are getting their cutie marks at very young ages. What if their interests change as they grow older? People change a ton until their 30's, right? What about ponies? Reply · Report PostIn 2016, more than 17 million British people voted to leave the European Union. But – as the journalist Tim Shipman’s new book, Fall Out, which covers the political turmoil of the 15 months since the referendum, makes clear – only two British people decided that this meant leaving the European single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European court of justice. Those two people were Theresa May and her former aide Nick Timothy. These fateful national decisions were their personal interpretations of the vote to leave the EU – and theirs alone. As Mr Shipman explains, these foundational decisions of the UK’s withdrawal strategy were not discussed by Mrs May’s cabinet, let alone by parliament. Instead they were simply prime ministerial edicts to the 2016 Conservative conference. Later, they were included in the Tory manifesto for the June 2017 election, in which the party lost its overall majority, Mrs May’s leadership was humiliated and Mr Timothy lost his job. They were and are reckless and foolish policies, not justified by the 2016 referendum outcome, at odds with the national economic interests of Britain, inimical to peace in Ireland, and threatening to the internal cohesion of the UK. They are largely responsible for the mess into which Mrs May led the British negotiating effort in Brussels this week. The choice to leave the market, which is a project that had been shaped by Britain for more than 30 years, and the customs union collided on Monday with the reality that to do so will inflict a hard border inside Ireland or create a new border in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Britain. On Tuesday, while ministers and officials in London, Brussels and Dublin tried to piece back together a version of the deal that had been vetoed by the Democratic Unionists, MPs from all parties at Westminster made clear that neither of these options is acceptable. The MPs are right. Cobbling together a form of words that will pass muster with the EU, the Irish government, Tory backbenches and the DUP may get Mrs May over the immediate negotiating hurdle in Brussels next week. But in the long term, even if Brexit goes ahead, it is not sufficient. The policy itself needs to change. In a Commons performance marked by too much complacency and condescension, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, continued to take the cobbling option. His aim is “regulatory alignment” between the EU and the UK (the Irish Sea option has been ditched) rather than convergence or harmonisation. He seeks “mutually recognised rules, mutually recognised inspection”. But this is to offer a superficial and semantic solution to a deep and material problem. Without harmony there is only disharmony or stasis. The economy, jobs and the Irish issues all require a clearer and more engaged approach. That approach is to stay in the customs union and to keep the single market on the negotiating table, as Labour significantly now advocates. Labour’s tougher stance is principled. It marks a clear rejection of the deregulatory liberalism that lurks behind so much Brexit thinking. Tuesday’s Commons exchanges strongly suggest there is in fact a majority in parliament – as there is in the country – for doing this. Staying in the customs union as the best way of protecting the UK economy and avoiding a hard border in Ireland was backed not just by most Labour MPs, but by several Tories and most other parties. Even the DUP could probably live with it. “We are as one,” said the Tory Anna Soubry. “Just do it,” said Labour’s Chris Leslie. Do it indeed
and snow, being afraid that we would get frostbites on our fingers and not be able to play the gig!I remember one winter we had a gig at Hull City Hall in England. We were driving in heavy snow when we hit black ice and the car hit the motorway barriers so hard that it was never able to be driven again. However, it was fortunate that a passing farmer saved the day by letting us pile into his old Land Rover and was kind enough to drive us to the gig!It seems just like yesterday, as they say, that we were on tour with our good friends BUDGIE, ACCEPT, WARLOCK, AC/DC, SAXON, PANTERA... to name just a few. Very good memories indeed!Actually, I have just received a copy of Accept's new album Blood of the Nations. And was really happy that Wolf and the boys are still creating great classic metal. I think it was back in '81 that Priest and Accept hit the road together for the first time and what a great tour that was! I really hope that we can meet up with the guys next year, at least on some of the festival dates and have a good laughwhen talking about the old times.It was our great fortune, as time passed, to go on and tour with almost every band that you can think of. Some tours included very cool line-ups that many people may not even be aware of: e.g. Priest, WHITESNAKE and IRON MAIDEN / PRIEST, SCORPIONS and DEF LEPPARD / Priest and UFO... and the list goes on.People often ask me what it's like to be on a tour and I always say the same things about it: simply it's the hardest thing that you will ever do, but you wouldn't change it for the world. The travelling becomes such a major part of your life that you actually feel like a piece of luggage yourself! But I must confess when you get to go to places that you have never been before like Korea, Turkey, Romania, Columbia etc. it's no surprise that you feel like the luckiest man alive. I guess mainly because for me - growing up as a kid - thinking of going to any of these places would have been pure fantasy.I would like to end this blog by taking this opportunity to congratulate Jukka and Teija who are to be married this weekend in Finland. Jukka and Teija first met at Jari's 40th birthday party. Jukka, guitarist for Priest tribute band PRIESTONE, was also at the party to play some Priest songs with the guys. It's so amazing that the happy couple who live 250 miles apart would most likely never have met if the 'Priest Connection' had not been in place... so I guess you could say that the Priest well and truly worked it's magic!"Gold Coast Titans captain Greg Bird has been fined after he urinated on a police car a day after his wedding in Byron Bay. Police said the 30-year-old representative forward was spotted by a number of witnesses urinating on the fully marked police car moments after leaving a Bay Street premises at 7:45pm on Sunday. A photo posted on Instagram of Greg Bird dancing with his bride Becky Rochow. Credit:Instagram account: @birdman_013 Bird attended Byron Bay police station on Monday morning where he was issued with a criminal infringement notice, police said. The incident happened a day after Bird married Becky Rochow, the sister of Newcastle Knights forward Robbie Rochow, in a ceremony at Byron Bay. Pre-wedding drinks: Greg Bird with several NRL stars, including Paul Gallen, Josh and Brett Morris and Luke Lewis. A number of Bird's NSW teammates, including captain Paul Gallen and Brett and Josh Morris, were present for the Saturday nuptials. Bird told News Corporation he was putting his honeymoon on hold and would return to pre-season training on Monday before heading to the US and on a Caribbean cruise.Mini Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecakes are topped with homemade salted caramel sauce and whipped cream create one of the most delicious cheesecakes you’ll ever eat. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the most wonderful time of year. The air is crisp, there’s the smell of bonfires in the evening, and I’ve got the opportunity to make pumpkin and apple everything to my heart’s content. I’ve been dreaming of mornings filled with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Apple Pie Muffins, and trying to think of other ways to amp up my autumnal flavor addiction. That’s where the idea for these Mini Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecakes with Salted Caramel Sauce came from. Sure, I’ve got mornings covered. But a girl needs dessert. Especially when she’s spending long days dreaming up new recipes for your Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. Pecans are one of my favorite nuts. There’s just something about them, especially when toasted, that makes me happy. When you combine Fisher’s Pecans with spicy gingersnaps – talk about a delicious cheesecake base – seriously, I may have taken a few bites of just the crumbs! I especially love using Fisher Nuts because they’re preservative free. Nothing in the bag but the nuts as they came off the tree. That’s something this dessert lover can get behind. Creamy cheesecake is one of my most favorite things, I’ve made no secret of that over the years here on MBA. But I wait all year for pumpkin cheesecake. Those two creamy textures, swirled together with pumpkin pie spice and even more pecans = pure heaven. Then I just got ridiculous and covered each mini pumpkin cheesecake in salted caramel sauce, whipped cream and more Fisher’s Pecans. Because that’s how I roll. Another reason for cheesecake? Celebrating another year of Fisher Nuts My Fresh Twist Recipe Contest. From now until October 21st, recipes submitted to the My Fresh Twist website will be featured there. Submit recipes that use pecans, walnuts, or almonds – they’ll be judged on originality, integration of nuts, taste, and appearance. Fisher Nut fans and your family and friends will be able to vote for your recipe! Voting takes place October 22nd through November 4th. Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and a panel of judges will choose the grand prize winner from the finalists. There are tons of prizes, including a trip to NYC to meet Chef Guarnaschelli! I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes Yield: 18 mini cheesecakes Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes These gluten-free mini pumpkin cheesecakes are the perfect make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert and can also be made with all-purpose flour. Print Ingredients For the Crust 6 ounces crispy gingersnap cookies (see note below) 1/3 cup Fisher Nuts chopped pecans 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon homemade pumpkin pie spice For the Cheesecake 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 large eggs 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice For Garnishing salted caramel sauce whipped cream Fisher Nuts chopped pecans Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper baking liners. 2. In a food processor or blender, combine the gingersnap cookies, Fisher Nuts chopped pecans, and pumpkin pie spice. Pulse the machine until the cookies and nuts form crumbs. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter, mix until combined. Press crumbs onto the bottoms of the lined muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese for about two minutes. Add in sugars and mix for another minute. Add egg, pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice, beat well. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is thoroughly mixed. 4. Spoon batter into each cup (about 3 tablespoons), filling each 2/3 full. 5. Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool in pan on wire rack. (Mini cheesecakes will deflate in center upon cooling.). 6. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, spoon 1 heaping teaspoonful of salted caramel sauce onto each mini cheesecake. Pipe or spoon on a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of Fisher Nuts chopped pecans. Notes - I used 30 Archway Crispy Gingersnap Cookies Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes will keep in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by My Baking Addiction on behalf of Fisher Nuts. The views and opinions expressed on My Baking Addiction are purely my own.Over on the SDL Facebook wall, I asked you what the creepiest thing was that you’ve ever heard a kid say. I had no idea what to expect. This is what I got. 32 More of the Creepiest Things Ever Said by Kids 1. My daughter had an imaginary friend named Sally, she told me once about how Sally was in jail for chopping her mom’s head off…. 2. Two years ago my door bell rang. When I answered there was a little kid 4 or 5 standing there that I didn’t recognize. Before I could say anything, she yelled “just so you know it’s your turn to die!” and she disappeared around the corner again. I followed but couldn’t see her anywhere. Luckily I didn’t die. 3. My 5 year old handed me a rock and said, “You can use this for your grave.” 4. My daughter when we were home alone one night, “mommy, who’s that man on the ceiling?” 5. My kids ( ages 5,4,&3) are constantly talking about the “bloody girls” in their rooms. They each go into detail about them. Their names… Their clothes, what they talk about. It started when my oldest had just turned three. He said that they had been in a small green car, that fell in the water. The water turned red and their mommy and daddy were really sad. He said they liked their rooms because they have fun toys. 6. My son (3 at the time) threw a huge tantrum when we were trying to leave the house because he “didn’t want to crash and die”. After about 10 minutes he just stopped and was ready to go. As we were walking out of the house there was a very bad accident on the street in front of our house – right where we would have been driving if he hadn’t thrown his fit. 7. “The shadow man keeps talking to me at my window.” 8. My almost 4 year old burst in on me in the bathroom. When I screamed for her to get out, he said, “Mommy, it’s just a coochy. I see them all the time!” 9. I was reading a story to my daughter when she suddenly slammed it shut, point to the empty doorway, and screamed “you get out of here! You’ve killed enough people!” 10. My 2yr old talks and walks in his sleep. About a month after his second birthday I heard him talking in his sleep in the middle of the night so I thought aww cute I will go listen. Peeked in and he was sitting bolt upright in bed eyes wide open hands folded in lap. He said, “naughty mummy. Naughty daddy. No more mummy, no more daddy.” Then he laughed really creepily lay down and started snoring. 11. “I need to get my hands on a giant penis so I can put this fire out all the way!” CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGEAfghanistan to seek 'home' ground in India: Reports Ashraf Ghani, The Afghan President, is scheduled to visit India next week. Reportedly, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is hoping that the president manages to convince Indian authorities to allocate a ground to the Afghan cricket team, where they can stage ‘home’ matches. The Afghanistan team have displayed big appetite to compete with the big boys and their meteoric rise in the field of cricket has been noted by the world. The Afghanistan team, presently ranked at number 12 in the World, use the Sharjah ground in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for purpose of hosting matches. However, they are hoping for the BCCI to grant them the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi to stage home matches. They put forth a similar request in 2013, according to Sportskeeda.com. According to Basheer Stanekzai, manager of the Afghan Cricket Team, Afghanistan hold the Indian cricket in high regards and he believes that the cricket-mad country can provide with technical assistance and amenities to further propel Afghanistan cricket to greater heights. “It will really help our players if India were to reserve a home ground for us. Our players are good; they need exposure and facilities like camps. If the younger ones get to play in India, they can get noticed and picked for IPL teams. Besides, we are also hopeful that the BCCI will help us with technical assistance and infrastructure, which are of international standards,” Stanekzai said.Like the guy with a drawer full of $800 Vicuna socks, some people spend more on auto accessories than a normal person spends on an entire car. A luxury newbie might think that a Ferrari 488 GTB, that 661-horsepower Maranello mauler, would come stuffed to its pretty gills for its $249,150 base price. But no: The version I recently drove tagged on $109,000 in options—enough to buy a 650-horsepower Corvette Z06, with change left for a used Silverado. Ferrari isn’t alone, of course. Porsche is notorious for its encyclopedic options lists, including such gotta-have additions as a $380 leather-lined fuse box for its 911. Cadillac and Jaguar are among luxury brands taking a page, however gilded, from mainstreamers like Hyundai by undercutting rivals’ base prices but leaving plenty of room to load up with optional goodies. Audi’s relentless move upmarket has seen it cheerfully adopt the no-free-lunch strategies of Mercedes-Benz and BMW; those wursts look delicious and semi-affordable in the window, but wait until you see what they charge for mustard. At Rolls-Royce, the typical customer now spends another 20 percent beyond the sticker price to flatter their sense of personal style. Since the most affordable Rolls-Royce, the Ghost Series II, starts at $300,000, that means buyers are spending $60,000, minimum, in options. Bills rise quickly with extras like the Starlight Headliner, a fiber-optic universe best thought of as a mobile for extremely spoiled babies. Price, $10,000 to $15,000. For the moment, the Bentley Bentayga SUV takes the pricey cake with its optional, self-winding dashboard clock, the Breitling Mulliner Tourbillon. For just $160,000, you’ll know it’s time for your psychological exam. That winds us full circle to the Ferrari. How, exactly, does one stuff $109,000 in options into a car that just fits two occupants, some soft luggage, and a 3.9-liter V-8? Hang onto your wallet and let’s do the math, starting with a stripper 488 GTB at its $249,150 base price. Or build your own here. Carbon Fiber EverythingTweet 7 iulie 2017 a fost în cel mai propriu sens al expresiei la cinci secunde de a deveni ziua celei mai negre tragedii din întreaga istorie a aviației comerciale mondiale. În timpul procedurii de aterizare pe Aeroportul Internațional San Francisco (SFO) din motive încă neclare, piloții zborului Air Canada 759, un Airbus 320 cu o capacitate de 146 de locuri, au aliniat avionul nu cu pista 28R pe care fuseseră autorizați să aterizeze, ci cu calea de rulare paralelă pistei pe care alte patru avioane așteptau să decoleze după aterizarea zborului Air Canada. Din nou în cel mai propriu sens al noțiunii de „ultimul moment”, controlorul de trafic din turnul SFO, alertat și de piloții avioanelor care așteptau să decoleze, a realizat pericolul și a transmis zborului Air Canada comanda scurtă: „Air Canada, go-around!”. Adică i-a ordonat abandonarea aterizării și urcarea imediată la un nivel sigur pentru a intra uletrior într-o nouă procedură de aterizare. Astăzi a fost publicată o animație care reconstituie evenimentul pe baza datelor exacte de zbor și arată că avionul Air Canada a trecut la doar 15m pe deasupra unui Airbus A340 al Philipine Airlines, dintre cele care așteptau la decolare. Ținând cont de faptul că în total în cele cinci avioane se aflau circa 1200 de pasageri și că trei dintre avioanele de la sol plecau în zboruri intercontinentale, adică aveau rezervoarele pline cu combustibil, un eventual accident care ar fi implicat cel puțin trei, dacă nu chiar patru avioane (Air Canada și cel puțin două avioane de la sol) ar fi fost o catastrofă de neimaginat. Vor trece câteva luni până la clarificarea contextului în care piloții Air Canada au greșit atât de flagrant și de neînțeles procedura de aterizare. Întâi pentru că luminile pistei de aterizare sunt complet diferite și mult mai puternice decât cele ale căii de rulare, deci cele două nu pot fi confundate. Apoi pentru că înșiși piloții Air Canada au constatat că ceva este în neregulă, cerând turnului o nouă confirmare a permisiunii de aterizare, pentru că au văzut lumini în mișcare pe ceea ce credeau ei că este pista. Înregistrarea discuțiilor dintre piloți și turnul de control este însă remarcabilă prin calmul impecabil al piloților și mai ales al controlorului de trafic, atât în timpul incidentului, cât și imediat după. Deși cu toții realizează imediat gravitatea situației, fără să de piardă, controlorul de trafic emite ordine scurte și explicații calme, păstrând situația sub control în momentul maxim de criză. Așadar, controlori de trafic aerian profesioniști la San Francisco. Dăm timpul înapoi cu exact șase ani și rotim globul cu 146 de grade. Ajungem la Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă (Otopeni) în ziua de 11 iulie 2011. Un scenariu întrucâtva similar celui de la San Francisco. Un avion Airbus A320 al Aegean Airlines așteaptă pe calea de rulare TWY A permisiunea de intra pe pista O8R în vederea decolării. În acel moment se afla în aterizare pe aceeași pistă un avion A320 Lunfthansa. Controlorul de trafic îi transmite pilotului Aegean un mesaj confuz, respectiv că trebuie să aștepte până la trecerea traficului, după care va primi permisiunea de intrare pe pistă. Confuzia apare din faptul că pilotul Aegean consideră drept „trafic” doar avionul Lufthansa deja în curs de aterizare și mai mult consideră că deja a primit permisiunea de acces pe pistă după ce avionul Lufthansa o va fi părăsit. În același timp controlorul de trafic din turnul de la Otopeni prin „trafic” se referise inclusiv la avionul B737 Tarom care urma să aterizeze imediat după A320-ul Lufthansa. Din cauza confuziei, de îndată ce avionul Lufthansa a părăsit pista, fără o altă autorizare explicită pe care pilotul Aegean a considerat că a primit-o anterior, avionul A320 al companiei grecești pătrunde pe pistă și se aliniază pentru decolare. Acela este momentul în care controlorul din turnul de la Otopeni (Romatsa, dacă vă aduceți aminte) se pierde pur și simplu și se concentrează eronat pe oprirea rulării avionului grecesc. Numai că acesta era deja pe pistă, iar spre el se îndrepta oricum avionul Tarom. Trec 13 secunde extrem de prețioase până când avionul Tarom primește în sfârșit comanda salvatoare „Tarom, go-around!”. Ulterior incidentului, în comunicarea cu avionul Aegean Airlines contorlorul Romatsa este pierdut și își găsește greu cuvintele. Și asta după ce începuse comunicarea în momentul de maxim al crizei cu profund „proceduralul” și autentic „engelezescul” – limba aviației comerciale internaționale – „Aoleu!” Diferența de profesionalism dintre cele două înregistrări este cât distanța dintre București și San Francisco, așa că nu e nimic de comentat. Dar merită însă să comentată diferența dintre salariile celor doi contolori. Mai precis un controlor de trafic din turnul de la San Francisco are un salariu net de $4800 / lună, în vreme ce un controlor de trafic Romatsa din turnul de control de la Otopeni are un salariu net de 7000 EUR / lună. Dublu, dacă ținem cont și de cursul valutar, sau chiar de 6-7 ori mai mare dacă ținem cont și de costul vieții mult mai mic de la București. Mai țineți minte cum vroiau sindicaliștii Romatsa să saboteze minivancața românilor de la începutul lui iunie, miza fiind un bonus în valoare cât o casă primită la pensionarea anticipată de către fiecare controlor de trafic aerian de la Romatsa? Ei bine, așa ceva controlorul de trafic de la San Francisco nu poate nici măcar să viseze că va primi vreodată. Și la final un bonus: mai țineți minte accidentul de la Fântâna Miorița de acum doi ani, cel care doar printr-un noroc nu a fost fatal? Șoferul excesiv de nervos al Volkswagen-ului Touareg era controlor de trafic aerian la Romatsa, instituția aceea în care numai cei mai competenți și mai rezistenți la stres ajung să fie controlori de trafic aerian. De asta și merită salarii de 2 ori mai mari decât judecătorii, de 3 ori mai mari decât piloții și de 6 ori mai mari decât medicii. Articol aparut pe blogul autorului Citeste articolul anterior: Vagoanele pe care nu le-a uitat nimeni Ai informatii despre tema de mai sus? Poti contribui la o mai buna intelegere a subiectului? Scrie articolul tau si trimite-l la editor[at]contributors.roBreaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. March 11, 2016, 8:18 PM GMT / Updated March 11, 2016, 8:20 PM GMT By The Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. — A young Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge, months after authorities say he and his fiancee tried to go to Syria to join ISIS. Court papers show 23-year-old Muhammad Dakhlalla pleaded guilty Friday to providing material support to terrorism. Dakhlalla faces up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 fines and lifetime probation. His fiancee, Jaelyn Delshaun Young, has her trial set for June 6. The couple was arrested Aug. 8 before boarding a flight from Mississippi with tickets for Istanbul. Authorities say they contacted undercover federal agents last year, seeking online help in traveling to Syria.DENVER -- Michael DiZoglio has a dog to thank for saving his life. CBS Denver reports DiZoglio's father's dog — a Husky named Mickey — loves when he comes over. "One time he jumped on me from the right and I didn't feel any pain, and I thought it should have hurt," he said. DiZoglio says he thought the lack of sensation was worrisome. So he underwent a series of testing. And on his 28th birthday, his doctors informed him that he had testicular cancer. "I didn't cry, laugh, I didn't overreact," he said. "I felt dumbfounded. I never anticipated that kind of news." The treatment hasn't been easy, but DiZoglio says he began to think positively after receiving the diagnosis. "The best thing in my life is that I had testicular cancer," he said. "What if it had been my spleen or liver? I wouldn't have known." DiZoglio has been receiving chemotherapy treatments since August. He's taken a break from work due to the difficulty of his therapy. An operation successfully removed a tumor, but it's an aggressive type, known as embryonal carcinoma. Unfortuantely, a scan detected the cancer spread to his lungs, which showed a series of spots. DiZoglio says he is hopeful that good news could come from a scan scheduled for early December — his chemotherapy could potentially be over at that time. Catching his cancer early was key. DiZoglio says he thinks it's important to pay attention to what might be wrong with your body. "Someone's looking out for me through the dog," he said. "I felt like something's going into place to protect me."COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) - Vivica A. Fox stopped by "Good Day Columbia" last Tuesday to discuss her role on Fox's hit show "Empire," her out-of-this-world comeback in "Independence Day 2" this summer, and campaigning for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Toward the end of the interview (watch it all in the video player above), WACH's Fraendy Clervaud asked Fox about her support for Clinton. Clervaud: "You're campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Why Hillary?" Fox: "Why not? Why not Hillary? I mean, I got to experience history when I got out and I campaigned for Barack Obama and stomped the grounds, and I got to see the first African-American man become president. I am so here to support Hillary Clinton. The Clintons have been so respected for so many years. I love that she's got enough guts to go at this one more time. She's respected internationally, she cares about our community. We have to keep things going forward. If we trust the other side, the Republicans, we're gonna be going back to a time that has passed, and I just feel that with Secretary Clinton, we will continue to go forward." The South Carolina Democratic primary is slated for Saturday, Feb. 27. Fox advised voters, "Please do me a favor: pay attention. Pay attention to what's going on in this election. This election is very important, and I just want to make sure everybody gets out and votes, make sure you're registered properly, and that you get out and vote." Later on "Good Day Columbia," Fox was asked, "You are a very busy lady, so what made you decide - of all the things you have to do - that you had to get behind Hillary?" Fox answered, "Because I care about our, my community, and I care about our country. So, it's important to make sure... people think that I'm out in Hollywood and that I don't care about the community. I've always been y'all favorite sister girl that cares about the community. And so, I'm telling, making sure, especially Generation X, that they have to understand that their vote counts. It's our civic duty. Vote, y'all!... Go, Hillary!"Healthy breast tissue has more of a 'good' bacteria known as Methylobacterium, say researchers who have also discovered that the breast area has its own'mini-microbiome'. This suggests that breast cancer could be treated with prebiotics and probiotics if tissue was being screened for bacterial imbalances, say researchers from the Cleveland Clinic. They also discovered that the urine of cancer patients has increased levels of another type of bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Actinomyces. Other researchers have for a long time suspected that breast tissue has its own micro-biome, but the Cleveland team is the first to positively identify it. It suggests that other organs could also have their own mini-microbiome that keeps bacteria in balance, and, in turn, helps maintain health. The researchers examined the breast tissue from 78 patients who had had a mastectomy, as well as samples from an oral rinse and urine.Dive Brief The nation’s electric grid is expected to stay reliable this winter, witnesses told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday, undermining a key argument used to justify the Department of Energy’s cost recovery proposal for coal and nuclear plants. FERC staff and regional grid operators said they expect sufficient generation capacity and operating reserves to provide power throughout the winter as mild temperatures and market reforms enacted since the Polar Vortex bolster power supply security. New England and Southern California remain points of concern due to gas transport and storage constraints. FERC also issued a new rulemaking order on cybersecurity to protect utility systems from malware installed by mobile devices. And the commission approved a new hydropower licensing policy, extending the default license length to 40 years from 30. Dive Insight Federal energy regulators turned their attention toward the coming winter on Thursday, hearing presentations from staff and each RTO and ISO about expectations for the colder months. "At this time," staff said, "we do not see major risk factors that would likely lead to significant market disruptions during this winter." Reserve margins are expected to remain healthy in the nation's organized power markets this winter. FERC staff winter '17 report The six organized market operators under FERC jurisdiction reinforced that claim, saying even in markets like New England, where gas pipeline capacity has raised power supply concerns, they are prepared even if temperatures drop below expectations. “The generation assets and transmission assets perform well and are accustomed to cold weather,” ISO-NE Vice President for System Operations Peter Brandien said. “We may have some delayed starts for units that haven't been on and we're bringing them on in a cold morning but we don't see forced outages due to cold weather.” Those comments, echoed by other RTOs, run counter to the Department of Energy’s justification for its proposal to provide cost recovery for coal and nuclear plants with 90 days of fuel onsite. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry has repeatedly said the rule is necessary to protect the grid from events like the Polar Vortex, an extended cold snap that forced some generators offline in 2013-2014. “I don’t think any of you want to stand up in front of your constituents and explain why the decision had to be between turning our lights on and keeping our family warm,” Perry warned House lawmakers at a hearing last week. Brandien said long periods of extreme cold could still pose problems in ISO-NE, when plants “are using oil and LNG pretty hard and we don’t have time to get shipment or replenishment of those fuels.” The ISO’s winter reliability program is meant to combat such issues by requiring generators to keep stockpiles of oil or LNG onsite. This is the last year for the program, which Brandien said was always meant as a “stopgap,” after which the ISO will implement a new “pay for performance” tariff in the capacity market. Other ISOs said their post-Polar Vortex reliability reforms are on track as well, including new capacity performance rules in PJM intended to ensure ample firm generation is available to meet demand. “Capacity performance megawatts have increased from 95,000 MW last year to 112,000 MW in the delivery year 2017-2018 and should be up to 100% [of the ISO's target] by the delivery year 2020-2021,” PJM Director of Operations Planning Dave Souder told regulators. PJM also continues to study grid resilience, Souder said, including extreme weather events, physical and cyber grid attacks and the increased reliance on gas pipelines. A contingency analysis of the pipeline system is due later this month, he said, and the ISO will run a cybersecurity drill on the gas and electric system early next year, as well as an assessment of storm surge impacts on the mid-Atlantic power grid. Outside of the Eastern Interconnect, reliability problems could surface in Southern California, due to the recent disruption of two pipelines near the Aliso Canyon storage facility in the Los Angeles basin, which continues to operate at only partial capacity. “At this point [gas transport] hasn’t impacted the bulk electric system or our generation because our loads are lower,” said California ISO Executive Director for System Operations Nancy Traweek. “However with those lines out and depending when they come back they could impact us this winter because gas generation is first off when it gets cold.” The reliability threats outlined by grid operators largely focused on the natural gas system, not the coal and nuclear plants targeted for cost recovery by the DOE’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR). Asked after the meeting how the NOPR would address those issues, FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee said an expanded evaluation of reliability may be needed. “I think as evidenced by the considerable effort that has gone into their price formation proposal, PJM is struggling with that question [of resilience],” Chatterjee said. “It is not lost on me that a lot of what the NOPR appears to be trying to address are the situations in PJM and I think one of the sensitivities that we will have to look to is that in regions of the country where these resources aren't a factor, how can we construct a path forward that actually solves the problem." Also on Thursday, a group of eight former FERC regulators filed comments with the commission asking it to reject or substantially alter the DOE NOPR and open regional grid resilience assessments with the RTOs. And earlier this week, Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur said the DOE proposal is likely not detailed enough to form the basis of a final rule and will likely need more consideration. Last week, Chatterjee laid out a long list of options for action FERC could take on the NOPR, including outright rejection or superseding it with another rule. But at this juncture it’s too soon to know whether more consideration will be needed, he said. “I think we need to wait for the process to play out. The comment period closes on Oct. 23 and I'm looking forward to working with the staff to analyze what comes in, so [LaFleur] may be right,” Chatterjee said. “Maybe we will have to turn to some of the other options that I laid out and formulate a different approach but we won't know that until we've done the analysis.”By Bill Parry An Astoria man has been sentenced to up to four years in state prison in the fatal hit-and-run collision that took the life of 21-year-old Betty Jean DiBiasio in June, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced last week. Nicholas Colleran, 25, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and failure to yield the right of way for going through a stop sign and striking the young Astoria resident in a marked crosswalk. Colleran, who had been held in lieu of $200,000 bail since his arrest in June, pleaded guilty to the charges last month before Acting Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Chin-Brandt, who last week sentenced him to the maximum under the law—an indeterminate term of from 1 1/3 years to four years in prison. “This case is yet another example of how deadly motor vehicles can be and the consequences of ignoring traffic regulations,” Brown said. “Driving is a privilege, not a right, and extreme caution should be exercised at all times in order to prevent lives from being senselessly destroyed.” According to the criminal charges, DiBiasio was crossing at the intersection of Ditmars Boulevard and 19th Street on the night of June 27 when Colleran drove his 2002 Chevy Impala through the stop sign and struck DiBiasio. Witnesses at the scene said DiBiasio hit the driver’s side windshield and fell to the ground and the Impala took off without stopping. The
his followers, the "Quodoushka teachings" (also known as "the "Q" to adherents), guided exercises and rituals are credited by believers with allowing a person to improve relationships and reach "higher levels" of orgasm and sexual ecstasy.[3][5] Demonstrations at Chuluaqui Quodoushka retreats include male and female self-pleasuring techniques,[5] close up examinations to show variations in the shapes of genitalia,[5] and participants having sexual intercourse while Reagan and other trainers watch and "coach" them.[3][5] Criticism [ edit ] The sexual rites of passage which Reagan references as being drawn from spiritual practices of the Olmec, Mayan and Toltec cultures, and what he claims are secret societies within the Cherokee Nation, have been denounced as fraudulent by the traditional teachers of these cultures.[1][2][3][4] Many cultures contain rites of passage - usually social and spiritual ceremonies held as a child moves into adulthood. Reagan claims to take inspiration from these ceremonies. However, Reagan's many critics agree that Reagan's claims of what these ceremonies consist of stands in stark contrast to the actual teachings and beliefs of the cultures he claims to represent.[1][2][3][4] The Cherokee Nation disavows Reagan's claims entirely, noting that Reagan is not an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, nor is he a member of any Cherokee community. After being denounced by the Cherokee Nation,[1][2][3][4] Reagan abruptly changed his back story and now claims the teachings are inspired by a variety of cultures. Language [ edit ] In the workshops a woman's genitalia are called "Tupuli", which Reagan claims is a Cherokee term for "sacred black hole of creation," and a man's genitalia are referred to as "Tipilli" also claimed by Reagan to be a Cherokee term meaning "like a tipi pole." However, according to Durbin Feeling, who is a linguistic specialist for the Cherokee Nation,[6] there are no such words in the Cherokee language, and Cherokee do not and never have lived in tipis. In fact, the word "tipili" applied to genitals is likely taken from Gary Jennings' novel, Aztec. Feeling said Chu-Lua-Qui refers to Cherokee people; he said the closest translation he could find for Quodoushka is "(a)qwv-tol u- ska" a graphic term for a male sexual organ that has nothing to do with Cherokee spirituality. "It's pretty ugly. I don't know if he (Harley Reagan) realizes what it means." Feeling added as an afterthought, "He probably does know what it means."[citation needed] Credentials [ edit ] Despite the claims that the Chuluaqui Quodoushka is based on ancient traditions there is no corroborating evidence for this. Much of the ancient Maya religious tradition is still not understood by scholars and there is no surviving information about Mayan sex rituals. The Olmecs were a people in Mexico who predated the Aztecs. Their culture disappeared and the only clues left about them are some stone statues and hieroglyphic carvings. Olmec mythology has left no documents and therefore cannot have anything to do with modern-day sex rituals. Reagan claims that the teachings are also Toltec in origin, also unsubstantiated. The Cherokee Nation firmly denies any involvement in the Chuluaqui-Quodoushka. Harley Reagan appeared on the Home Box Office program "Real Sex in America" in 1992, promoting his sex therapy "Quodoushka" as a Cherokee ritual. The chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma at the time, Wilma Mankiller, threatened to sue HBO for misrepresentation, and a resolution was passed by the Cherokee condemning Reagan and other "plastic shamans".[4] It is believed by some that in order to avoid a lawsuit, Reagan changed his story to the claim that Quodoushka is a blend of many ancient sexual traditions.[3] Dr. Richard Allen, a research and policy analyst of the Cherokee Nation, says of the Chuluaqui Quodoushka, "Reagan's made it up. We learn about sex like everyone else does, behind the barn."[1] Proponents [ edit ] One of the fans of the "Q" is porn star Porsche Lynn who studied with Harley Reagan and has praised the "Q" workshops. In film [ edit ] A movie called "Quodoushka, Native American Love Techniques" (or "Quodoushka") came out in 1991, distributed by Vivid Video and starring such hard-core porn actresses as Ashley Nicole, Heather Hart, Hyapatia Lee and Madison. Porn star Hyapatia Lee was a student of Harley Reagan, and claims to be of Cherokee descent. The film itself is a pornographic film made to look as though it is a documentary. The film depicts various women of supposed Cherokee ancestry copulating in various ways with mostly white men. Notes [ edit ]One of the major milestones for Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) was completed on Monday with the arrival of Orion’s Pressure Vessel at the launch site. The capsule hardware was constructed at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans ahead of a trip on a NASA Super Guppy aircraft to the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). Orion to KSC: EM-1’s Orion is following a similar path to that enjoyed by the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) Orion, where the bare bones of the spacecraft were constructed at the former home of the Shuttle External Tank production, ahead of months of outfitting work at KSC. Work to construct the hardware officially began in September of last year, although processing information cited May 1 was the initial target for the historic milestone for the EM-1 Crew Module shell “first weld”. A large amount of pathfinder work also took place earlier in the year. Despite the short slip to the start date for welding operations, the construction appears to have benefitted from the EFT-1 and Pathfinder paths, with two sections of the Orion spacecraft’s primary structure were welded together on September 5, prior to the joining of all seven large aluminum pieces – via the friction weld process – without any further delays. “The team at Michoud has worked incredibly hard produce a lightweight, yet incredibly durable Orion structure ready for its mission thousands of miles beyond the moon,” noted Mark Kirasich, Orion program manager. “The work to get us to this point has been essential. Orion’s pressure vessel is the foundation on which all of the spacecraft’s systems and subsystems are going to be built and integrated.” The Orion pressure vessel is a key element for the spacecraft as it provides a sealed environment for astronaut life support in future human-rated crew modules. With its processing at MAF complete, it was then packed inside a protective container and loaded onboard NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft. On Monday, the unique-looking aircraft touched down on KSC’s famous Shuttle Landing Facility. Engineers will unload it into a fixture in the Armstrong Operations & Checkout (O&C) Building where it will undergo testing on its subsystems. Those tests will ensure the structure is sound before being integrated with other elements of the spacecraft. Click here for more Orion News Articles It will then begin a long process of outfitting – following the path of EFT-1’s preparations for launch – with additional elements of the spacecraft set to arrive at KSC over the coming months. The outfitting work – which was scheduled for a run of 17 months for EFT-1 – will involve a lengthy process ranging from the addition of secondary structures, through to the wiring that will allow Orion to come to life. That latter milestone will be marked by the first power up of the EM-1 Orion inside the O&C Building and the checkout of the spacecraft’s avionics. Once Orion has completed its O&C processing path, it will be transported out of the building to be mated atop the Space Launch System (SLS) inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for what is currently a mid-2018 test flight. EM-1 involves an unmanned mission that will send Orion 70,000 kilometers past the Moon. It will allow for a major test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket – although the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) will be immediately changed to the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) following this initial mission. Orion will also sport the European Service Module (ESM), with a structural test version of the hardware currently onsite at the Space Power Facility (SPF) at NASA Glenn for testing. The historic debut launch of SLS and Orion will be led by veteran spaceflight engineer Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, following her selection this week as the launch director for EM-1. The selection of the former Space Shuttle firing room controller also makes her the first woman to oversee a NASA liftoff and launch team. “I remember when I walked into Firing Room 1 during a tour before I was hired many years ago, and one of the guys said if you take this job you will sit here at this console,” Ms. Blackwell-Thompson noted. “I was amazed at even being in the firing room, and the thought of being on the launch team then was unbelievable. “So take that feeling and fast forward to getting the opportunity to walk into Firing Room 1 as the launch director for the SLS/Orion vehicle; that is something very special.” (Images: NASA and L2 (Orion transit near the Moon via Nathan Koga. The full gallery of Nathan’s (SpaceX Dragon to MCT, SLS, Commercial Crew and more) L2 images can be found here) (To join L2, click here: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)The misery index is an economic indicator, created by economist Arthur Okun. The index helps determine how the average citizen is doing economically and it is calculated by adding the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to the annual inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation create economic and social costs for a country. [1] Harvard Economist Robert Barro created what he dubbed the "Barro Misery Index" (BMI), in 1999.[3] The BMI takes the sum of the inflation and unemployment rates, and adds to that the interest rate, plus (minus) the shortfall (surplus) between the actual and trend rate of GDP growth. In the late 2000s, Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke built upon Barro's misery index and began applying it to countries beyond the United States. His modified misery index is the sum of the interest, inflation, and unemployment rates, minus the year-over-year percent change in per-capita GDP growth.[4] Hanke has recently constructed a World Table of Misery Index Scores by exclusively relying on data reported by the Economist Intelligence Unit.[5] This table includes a list of 89 countries, ranked from worst to best, with data as of December 31, 2013 (see table below). World Table of Misery Index Scores as of December 31, 2013. Political economists Jonathan Nitzan and Shimshon Bichler found a negative correlation between a similar "stagflation index" and corporate amalgamation (i.e. mergers and acquisitions) in the United States since the 1930s. In their theory, stagflation is a form of political economic sabotage employed by corporations to achieve differential accumulation, in this case as an alternative to amalgamation when merger and acquisition opportunities have run out.[6]The United States solar market just shattered all previous quarterly solar photovoltaic installation records. According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s Q4 2016 U.S. Solar Market Insight report, 4,143 megawatts of solar PV were installed in the U.S. in the third quarter of the year, a rate of 1 megawatt every 32 minutes. That pace is even faster today, with the fourth quarter on track to surpass this past quarter’s historic total. FIGURE: Annual U.S. Solar PV Installations, Q1 2010-Q3 2016 Source: GTM Research / SEIA U.S. Solar Market Insight report “Coming off our largest quarter ever and with an extremely impressive pipeline ahead, it’s safe to say the state of the solar industry here in America is strong,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA’s interim president. “The solar market now enjoys an economically winning hand that pays off both financially and environmentally, and American taxpayers have noticed. With a 90 percent favorability rating and 209,000+ jobs, the U.S. solar industry has proven that when you combine smart policies with smart 21st century technology, consumers and businesses both benefit.” The report points to an “unprecedented rate of project completion” in the utility-scale segment as a key growth driver. In fact, the utility-scale segment represented 77 percent of solar PV installed in the third quarter of the year. GTM Research anticipates that a massive 4.8 gigawatts of utility PV projects will come on-line in the fourth quarter of the year -- that’s more than was installed across the entire utility PV segment in all of 2015. “Driven by a large pipeline of utility PV projects initially procured under the assumption of a 2016 federal ITC expiration, the third quarter of 2016 represents the first phase of this massive wave of project completion -- a trend that will continue well into the first half of 2017,” said Cory Honeyman, associate director of U.S. solar at GTM Research. The non-residential segment posted its second-largest quarter ever. With 375 megawatts installed, the segment grew 15 percent over the second quarter of the year and 37 percent annually. Part of this growth is attributed to a community solar pipeline that is finally beginning to materialize, a segment that accounted for a record 20 percent of the non-residential PV market in Q3 2016. This past quarter marks the sixth consecutive quarter in which more than a half gigawatt of residential PV was installed; however, the segment is experiencing a slowdown from its peak growth quarters. The residential PV segment grew just 2 percent year-over-year and actually fell 10 percent from last quarter’s total. The report cites changes in the sales cycles in mature state markets, like California, and challenges posed by rate design reform, such as the elimination of net metering in Nevada, as reasons for the shift. A mere three years ago, the United States eclipsed 10 cumulative gigawatts of PV installed. By the end of 2016, GTM Research forecasts the United States will have installed 14.1 gigawatts this year alone, up 88 percent over 2015’s total. Key Findings Primarily driven by utility PV, the U.S. installed 4,143 megawatts of solar PV in Q3 2016, increasing 99 percent over Q2 2016 and 191 percent over Q3 2015. This marks the largest quarter ever for the U.S. solar industry. On average, a new megawatt of solar PV capacity came on-line every 32 minutes in Q3 2016. Between Q1 and Q3 2016, solar accounted for 39 percent of all new electric generating capacity brought on-line in the U.S., ranking second only to natural gas as the largest source of new capacity additions. Through Q3 2016, the U.S. solar PV market has already surpassed its record total from 2015, driven by 14 states that installed more than 100 megawatts between Q1 and Q3 2016. In Q3 2016, California became the first state ever to add more than 1 gigawatt of utility PV in a single quarter. For only the second time in five years, the residential PV market fell quarter-over-quarter, primarily due to a slowdown in major state markets, especially California. In Q3 2016, community solar added more capacity than the segment installed in all of 2015, playing a key role in supporting the second-largest quarter ever for the non-residential PV market. GTM Research forecasts that 14.1 gigawatts of new PV installations will come on-line in 2016, up 88 percent over 2015. Utility PV is expected to account for over 70 percent of that new capacity. To purchase the report or download the executive summary, click here.J. Doherty asks: How do Honey bees produce a queen bee? I mentioned this in an article on Honey bees a couple years ago in the Bonus Facts, but for those who missed it, Honey bees create a queen bee for a few different reasons, such as the death of the previous queen bee, if the hive gets overpopulated resulting in not enough space to lay eggs and the like. The making of a new queen bee after the death of the old one is particularly critical to be done quickly as the existing eggs must be less than three days old in order for them to do what’s necessary to make it into a queen bee. In any event, to answer your question, Honey bees create a new queen bee as follows: Step 1: Bees construct up to 20 wax queen cells. Step 2: The current queen lays fertilized eggs in each queen cell (or in the case of the death of the queen, some existing eggs under three days old will be converted to queen cells by the method in the following step). Step 3: The young nurse bees feed the young queen larvae with a special rich creamy food called Royal Jelly and extend the cell downwards until it is about 25mm in length. Step 4: About nine days after laying, the first queen cell is sealed with a layer of wax. Step 5: Assuming a new queen is being made because of an overpopulation within the hive, a large swarm, called the prime swarm, of bees leaves the hive, led by the older bees. The old queen gets starved so she is thinner and able to fly with the swarm and they go off scouting for a new place to create a colony. During their trip, the swarm will take frequent breaks to send out scouts to go search on their own. The scouts report back and from this information, they choose the best spot to go next until they finally settle on an optimal location. Step 6: Back in the hive, about a week later, the first of the new queens will leave her cell. The new queen will then either choose to locate and kill her sister potential queens by stinging them through the wax wall of their cells or she will take a small swarm and go start a new hive somewhere, particularly if the hive is still somewhat crowded. If she leaves, then the next to emerge from her cell will make the same decision. Eventually one will decide to stay. Step 7: The young queen flies around and orients herself to her new surroundings. Step 8: The queen will take several mating flights and will mate with up to 20 male bees called drones; the drones will die after mating. Step 9: A few days later, the mated queen will begin to lay fertilized eggs at a rate of about 2000 per day. Fertilized eggs become female worker bees. Unfertilized eggs get fertilized by male drones and become new drones. At any given time in a healthy hive, there is 1 queen bee, up to 40,000 or so female worker bees, and a few hundred male drones. Step 10: This queen will stay with the colony for at least a year until a large enough swarm is available to go start a new colony somewhere else. Though the worker bees only live 40 or so days and drone bees die in mating or are evicted from the hive in the autumn to conserve food as they do no actual work, the queen bee can live up to 5 years. For many more fascinating Honey Bee facts, including that Honey Bees assign jobs based on the age of the bee, go here: Honey Bees Know the World is Round and Can Calculate Angles Other Articles You Might Find Interesting:The Do Not Track efforts led by self-managed advertising groups aren't going as well as some might hope, with at least eight participating companies continuing to track users across the Web even after they opt out. The finding highlights the weaknesses of an entirely voluntary system: just because the companies say they will do it doesn't necessarily mean that they will. The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) is one of several self-regulating groups aimed at adopting voluntary codes of conduct when it comes to advertising to users online. Late last year, those groups (including the NAI) announced that they would begin pushing the Advertising Option Icon, an icon that is meant to let users know which sites are participating in behavioral tracking. Users would then be able to easily opt out of any behaviorally targeted advertising if they so choose. Collectively, the groups represent some 5,000 other companies that advertise online, though use of the icon itself is voluntary as long as they offer the opt-out functionality. But how many companies are actually respecting those rules? Stanford's Center for Internet & Society recently examined the tracking behavior of 64 of 75 of NAI's member companies when users turn on the Do Not Track settings or opt out of behavioral ad tracking. Of the 64, the CIS said that 33 companies left their tracking cookies in place after the user opted out. This in itself sounds surprising, but it's not—as part of their agreement with NAI, companies only have to agree to stop offering behaviorally targeted ads to users when users want to opt out. They can continue to keep cookies on your machine, as long as those cookies aren't being used to create specially targeted ads. So what about the rest? Two advertising companies took overt steps to respect the Do Not Track headers sent by browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, which we just learned is actually a step beyond NAI's baseline requirement. Another 10 companies went even further by stopping the tracking and removing the cookies altogether (and just for interest's sake, it's worth noting that Google falls into this category). That leaves us with the eight companies dwelling in the hall of shame: 24/7 Real Media, Adconion, AudienceScience, Netmining, Undertone, Vibrant Media, Wall Street On Demand, and TARGUSinfo AdAdvisor. These guys all specify in their privacy policies that users can opt out of behavioral tracking and advertising, but the CIS researchers found that they all kept some form of unique user information around on the user's computer even after opting out. Most of them removed certain pieces of information while keeping other items, but one (Vibrant Media) simply kept on tracking as if the user had never opted out in the first place. That's 12.5 percent of the 64 companies that seem to outright violate their own policies, and it's anyone's guess as to how that extrapolates out to the 5,000 other entities that are participating in these self-regulatory initiatives. (Update: Ian Leuchars from 24/7 Real Media reached out to us to defend his company's case. "We do not track, target or store data on users who have opted out. That is not our policy or our practice," Luchars said. "We have tried to reach the researcher whose material you reference in your article, as it seems that there has been an error within his reporting.") Update 2: Jonathan Gardner from Vibrant Media has also reached out to us with an explanation of what the company is doing: "We drop a user ID cookie when a user initiates engagement with one of our ad units. This collects non-personally identifiable information on keywords a user has engaged with. If the user doesn’t visit a site in our network for 10 days, we delete this data. If someone opts out, we add a do-not-track cookie. We had been deleting any data associated with the user ID, but had not been deleting the cookie itself (based on our understanding, this is acceptable for NAI compliance). When we encounter someone with a do-not-track cookie, we completely ignore the user ID and therefore don’t use their information to serve ads. To outside eyes, because the user ID cookie still exists and the last seen timestamp is updated, it may look like information gathering is enabled, however it is not. To prevent further misunderstanding, we will start work to delete the user ID cookie, and if the if do-not-track cookie is present we will not create a new user ID cookie. Although the cookie was remaining, we do not reference or use the ID in any way and we completely delete all data, be it in logs or storage devices for that particular user ID. Going forward, we will also be deleting that cookie. This is not to say Do Not Track is ineffective—there are already a number of high-profile industry supporters, and more are getting on board every day. But respecting the Do Not Track headers is voluntary, and the ad industry is still trying to cobble together it own cookie-based regulations. There has yet to be a single standard for not tracking users across the Internet, and there are certainly no laws yet that require any entity to comply with any set of relevant rules. Some legislators are trying to change that, though. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011 in May of this year, which would create a "universal legal obligation" for companies to honor users' opt-out requests on the Internet and mobile devices. It would also give the Federal Trade Commission the power to take action against companies that don't comply. Numerous privacy groups—including the ACLU, Consumer Protection, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, to name a few—threw their support behind the bill immediately, describing it as "a crucial civil liberties protection for the twenty-first century." The final details of the bill have yet to be hammered out, but the privacy groups are optimistic that legislation is the way to go and that the FTC can handle the burden. The FTC itself has been pushing for a Do Not Track mechanism online since 2010, and the Obama administration has voiced its support for some kind of "consumer privacy bill of rights," so it certainly sounds like there's government support if the bill were to pass. The advertising industry has so far fought this kind of legislation, but given the CIS's findings so far, the industry had better focus on getting its member companies in line with their own rules before arguing that less is more.A Pennsylvania man who died at age 88 was buried Saturday -- but not before a stop at Burger King on the way to the cemetery for a Whopper Jr. The York Daily Record reported that David S. Kime Jr. of West York loved those burgers -- along with other fast food -- so his family and friends followed the hearse through the drive-through window at the Manchester Burger King. The manager said 40 Whopper Jr. burgers were prepared, including one for Kime, who died Jan. 20. "He always lived by his own rules," Linda Phiel, one of Kime's three daughters, told the Daily Record. "His version of eating healthy was the lettuce on the Whopper Jr." Phiel said her 5-foot-tall father was a borderline diabetic for years and had pacemaker, but he began eating what he wanted after his wife died 25 years ago, according to the Daily Record. "He was not prejudiced," Phiel told the Daily Record. "He would go to any fast food place anyone invited him to." After a while, she said, she gave up lecturing him: "When you're 88 years old, I guess you've earned the right to do what you want to do." A photo in the Daily Record shows Phiel placing her dad's last burger atop his casket amid a spray of flowers.As a group of feted Japanese architects currently take issue with what they consider to be the inappropriate scale of Zaha Hadid’s stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in the context of its daintier neighbours, there is no such debate raging in Baku. Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Centre, which opened officially in the Azerbijan capital this week, quite simply is the neighbourhood. The vast and curvaceous building - which, while under construction, won ’Best Building Site’ in our 2011 Design Awards - contains 101,000 m2 of floor area, and sits on a 111,292 m2 graphically landscaped site beneath which there is parking for 1,500 cars. Under its 39,000m2 of fluid roof, it houses a 1,000-seater auditorium, a conference centre, a library, a museum, cafes, restaurants and expansive meeting points between all these where Bakuvians can hang out and mingle. It is, in reality, a massive new chunk of civic realm. Architecturally, the building, named after the last president of Azerbaijan, is mesmeric: its rolling exterior form devoid of a single straight line, it is as much a landscape as it is a piece of architecture. Visitors happily walk up its more gently sloping sides; surely someone will ski down it when the winter snows come. As Hadid has said of its fluid, continuous lines, ’You don’t know where it begins and ends.’ At its front, the roof dips down to create a canopy that just touches the ground. ’That’s what we call the Nureyev moment,’ says the project architect Saffet Kaya Bekiroglu. ’We like the fact that you don’t know if the fin is landing or if it’s taking off. We want to provoke you.’ (Bekiroglu, it turns out, is a great lover of ballet and contemporary dance. ’It’s like architecture,’ he says. ’It communicates without words.’) Inside, the curves of its volumes are amplified by being rendered entirely in multiple shades of white and flooded with natural light. ’Baku is a petrol city, full of oil particles and pollution, and this is an antidote to that,’ says Bekiroglu of the seamless and currently spotless interior. On the opening night, Zaha Hadid, her many guests who’d flown in from Miami, Istanbul, London and places in between, and the great and good of Baku were treated to a patchwork concert of opera, folkloric dancing and rousing orchestral music in the auditorium - a rippling box created from strips of American oak, planed in situ according to classic boat building techniques. While the auditorium’s curving form bears some relationship to the organic language of art nouveau, but writ very large indeed, its acoustic qualities, expertly hidden technology and extreme adaptablity are very much of this century. As the audience applauded enthusiastically at the concert’s end, it was hard to know if they were cheering the performances, or the extraordinary architecture in which they’d taken place.Christopher Nolan looks to be headed to France during World War II for his next project. Sources tell Variety that Nolan will direct “Dunkirk” from his own original screenplay as his next project. Insiders say the yet-to-be cast unknowns will lead the cast, but that Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy are in talks to join the ensemble. Nolan will also produce the film with his longtime producing partner and wife, Emma Thomas. The story is set during the legendary evacuation of the northern French city during WWII. Nolan and his casting department recently began testing teenagers in London for lead roles, but the director also wanted to nail down some choices for the few adult roles in the film before the holiday. “We are thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Christopher Nolan, a singular filmmaker who has created some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of all time,” said Greg Silverman, president, Creative Development and Worldwide Production. “‘Dunkirk’ is a gripping and powerful story and we are excited to see Chris, Emma and their cast realize it on the big screen.” Warner Bros. has dated the film for July 21, 2017. The large-scale production will be shot on a combination of Imax 65mm and 65mm large format film for maximum image quality and high-impact immersion. Shooting will begin in May using many of the real locations of the true-life events, which form the background for the story. Rylance, who received a Golden Globe nomination for “Bridge of Spies,” will next rejoin Steven Spielberg in “The BFG,” slated for 2017. He is repped by Hamilton Hodell. Hardy, who is repped by CAA, can be seen in Fox and New Regency’s “The Revenant” while Branagh most recently helmed “Cinderella” for Disney.Rep. Jeff Miller and Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill would give the VA Secretary new authority. Lawmakers announce VA deal Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jeff Miller have reached a $17 billion agreement to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs. The legislation, which was announced Monday afternoon, will give the VA secretary broad new authority to fire or demote senior officials accused of mismanagement and will create a system where veterans can seek private care if VA doctors are unable to treat the patients within 14 days. Story Continued Below “We have a VA that is in crisis today. This agreement will go a long way to helping resolve the crisis,” Miller said. “Helping get veterans off waiting lists is extremely important and this bill does that.” Sanders said the bill is a true compromise from Democrats and Republicans in a “dysfunctional” Congress. ( Also on POLITICO: VA reform hits stalemate) “Rather than go through why we didn’t do this a month ago and get it done, the important point is that we are here together having done something,” Sanders said. “I’m proud of what we have accomplished.” The deal will allocate $5 billion to hire new doctors and nurses and removes bureaucratic barriers that slowed hiring so the VA can more quickly fill medical vacancies. The legislation must be approved by the House and Senate and time is running short before Congress goes on a five-week recess Friday. Last week, Miller said his goal is to send a bill to President Barack Obama for his signature before the August recess. If the Senate is able to clear procedural hurdles in time, aides are eyeing Thursday as a potential day to vote on the agreement. Miller said on Monday he believes the House will vote on the bill first. ( Also on POLITICO: Panel approves Robert McDonald's nomination to VA) There is intense political pressure for Congress to help veterans in the wake of revelations that poor health care resulted in deaths in some instances. Still, there could be some resistance among House Republicans because the bill is not entirely paid for with spending cuts. On Sunday night, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) urged lawmakers to hold off on supporting the package until the Congressional Budget Office is able to give a precise estimate of the bill’s cost. The price tag for VA reforms has been a major roadblock in passing legislation. When the Senate and House passed their initial legislation, a $50 billion cost estimate spooked lawmakers. The bill looks to limit those costs by capping costs for veterans seeking private care. The legislation also prohibit bonuses for VA employees through fiscal year 2016 and provides authorization for 27 new “major medical facility” leases — a win for Sanders who repeatedly stressed the need to expand the VA’s space. The deal also moves on the continued controversy of how the military responds to sexual assault within its ranks. The Miller-Sanders agreement directs the VA and the Department of Defense to conduct an assessment each year on how the agencies are treating victims and helping them transition from the military after an assault. The legislation will also allow current service members to use the VA’s sexual assault counseling centers. Burgess Everett contributed to this report.One of the fun things to do with any new OS that runs bash is to hit a random letter and then TAB twice. As you probably know, that displays commands in your search path that begin with the letter(s) you typed. That's what led me to sandbox-exec yesterday, and it's what brought me to "opensnoop" today. Opensnoop uses the powerful Dtrace facility, which does mean that you need to run it with "sudo", but if you can do that, it can watch any or all files you like for "open" events - including failed opens (which can be useful for troubleshooting and is far less wordy than poring through strace output). By the way, there is a large pile of pre-made Dtrace scripts available on Leopard. An "apropos Dtrace" shows me all these: bitesize.d(1m) - analyse disk I/O size by process. Uses DTrace cpuwalk.d(1m) - Measure which CPUs a process runs on. Uses DTrace creatbyproc.d(1m) - snoop creat()s by process name. Uses DTrace dappprof(1m) - profile user and lib function usage. Uses DTrace dapptrace(1m) - trace user and library function usage. Uses DTrace diskhits(1m) - disk access by file offset. Uses DTrace dispqlen.d(1m) - dispatcher queue length by CPU. Uses DTrace dtrace(1) - generic front-end to the DTrace facility dtruss(1m) - process syscall details. Uses DTrace errinfo(1m) - print errno for syscall fails. Uses DTrace execsnoop(1m) - snoop new process execution. Uses DTrace fddist(1m) - file descriptor usage distributions. Uses DTrace filebyproc.d(1m) - snoop opens by process name. Uses DTrace hotspot.d(1m) - print disk event by location. Uses DTrace httpdstat.d(1m) - realtime httpd statistics. Uses DTrace iofile.d(1m) - I/O wait time by file and process. Uses DTrace iofileb.d(1m) - I/O bytes by file and process. Uses DTrace iopattern(1m) - print disk I/O pattern. Uses DTrace iopending(1m) - plot number of pending disk events. Uses DTrace iosnoop(1m) - snoop I/O events as they occur. Uses DTrace iotop(1m) - display top disk I/O events by process. Uses DTrace kill.d(1m) - snoop process signals as they occur. Uses DTrace lastwords(1m) - print syscalls before exit. Uses DTrace loads.d(1m) - print load averages. Uses DTrace newproc.d(1m) - snoop new processes. Uses DTrace opensnoop(1m) - snoop file opens as they occur. Uses DTrace pathopens.d(1m) - full pathnames opened ok count. Uses DTrace pidpersec.d(1m) - print new PIDs per sec. Uses DTrace plockstat(1) - front-end to DTrace to print statistics about POSIX mutexes and read/write locks priclass.d(1m) - priority distribution by scheduling class. Uses DTrace pridist.d(1m) - process priority distribution. Uses DTrace procsystime(1m) - analyse system call times. Uses DTrace runocc.d
Civil War" has a May 6, 2016 release date directed by Anthony and Joe Russo starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Emily VanCamp, William Hurt, Martin Freeman and Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. Synopsis: Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.Video: Mary Fallin doesn’t know the three branches of government… It looks like someone forgot to read her Devon Energy talking points… Yesterday, Governor Fallin traveled up the turnpike to address the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. During a Q&A segment, someone asked her a question regarding the 10 Commandments monument controversy. After rambling for over a minute, she closed with this statement… “You know there are three branches of our government. You have the Supreme Court, you have the legislative branch and you have the people – the people and their ability to vote.” Seriously, guys, I’m not making this shit up. Check out the video clip via The Tulsa World: Wow, that’s a new low for someone who specializes in new lows. Not only did she make up three new branches of government – The Supreme Court, the people and the people with the ability to vote – but she left out the one branch she represents. She’s going to make a great Republican vice presidential candidate some day. Seriously, that was painful to watch. I almost felt sorry for her. You could tell she had no clue what she was talking about and was totally lost. Halfway through the clip I expected her to start rambling about US Americans and The Iraq and such as. I bet the batteries in the microphone Larry Nichols uses to speak into her ear went out or something.First Filipino Meetup The first NEM Filipino Meetup was held on Saturday, July 8 from 12pm to 5pm and was a great success in creating a broader awareness about Blockchain & NEM. Important topics during the Meetup covered were Basics of Bitcoin, Mining Bitcoins and Altcoins, Trading Bitcoins and Altcoins but also very especially the NEM Blockchain. About 80 participants came to meet the meeting. Most participants were traders, miners and of course Philippine’s based NEMbers. During the meetup, the participants filled the room with a relaxed but highly concentrated atmosphere which proved that a high interest and demand in these topics exists. As a follow up we are establishing NEM Philippines to promote NEM and to guide some potential startups if they wish to develop their platform with NEM. So far most of them are early investors of NEM and are still holding strong due to the strong fundamental understanding of the NEM Blockchain. Nelson Valero, Foundation Council Member from NEM, guides this foundation laying knowledge. Hence Nelson is further expanding the awareness about NEM and Blockchain in the Philippines on a daily basis. The NEM Team would like to take this opportunity to say we are happy to have Sir Emerson spearheading the educational process about blockchain and crypto. Furthermore his team is representing NEM Philippines. They are previously experienced in conducting trading seminars and are a good fit to spread the good word about NEM and its technology.Current Announcements BSB/EB – Heating Hot Water Outage February 27 Heating hot water service to the BSB and EB will be shut down from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, for leak repairs. The outage will affect comfort heating to both the BSB and EB. For additional information, contact the Facilities Service Center at 458-4262. XL/XAG – Parking Spaces and Driving Aisles Closed Between March 7 and March 24 Parking spaces and driving aisles in the Ximenes Avenue Lot (XL) and the Ximenes Avenue Garage (XAG) will be closed for tie-in of the new Science and Engineering Building (SEB) to the South Thermal Energy Plant (STEP) as follows: XL Lot & XAG Garage Closures: Dates: Location: Purpose: XL – driving aisle & 22 parking spaces 3/7/2019 – 3/17/2019 West of XAG Staging of piping and plumbing materials and crane set up XL – driving aisle & 4 parking spaces 3/11/2019 – 3/14/2019 South of XAG Delivery and installation of new chiller and crane set up XAG – entire top level 3/11/2019 – 3/17/2019 Top level of XAG Lift piping and plumbing materials to top of XAG XAG – 10 parking spaces on top level 3/7/2019 – 3/24/2019 Top level of XAG Preparation and installation of new piping & plumbing Garage detour signage will be posted in and around the XAG and temporary barricades and construction tape will be placed around the parking and driving aisle closures. For additional information, reference the attached map or contact the Facilities Service Center at 458-4262. XAG Closures for South Thermal Plant Work XL: Portion of Parking Lot Aisle Closed March 1 and March 15 A portion of the Ximenes Avenue Lot (XL) parking aisle, adjacent to the South Thermal Energy Plant (STEP), will be closed from 4:00 a.m. on March 1, 2019 until 7:00 a.m. on March 2, 2019 and from 4:00 a.m. on March 15, 2019 until 7:00 a.m. on March 16, 2019, for slab pours. A slab for a 2000-ton chiller will be poured south of the STEP and a slab for a transformer will be poured east of the Ximenes Avenue Garage (XAG). Barricades, construction tape and a concrete truck placed along the aisle closure during both pours will be removed by 7:00 a.m. on March 2nd and March 16th. For additional information, reference the attached map or contact the Facilities Service Center at 458-4262. XAG Concrete Slab Pours CC: Installation of New Air Handler Unit Feb 15 – May 3 Work to install a new air handler unit in the Convocation Center (CC) is scheduled to begin on February 15, 2019 and go through May 3, 2019. Two cranes and a construction truck will be placed on the exterior south side of the building until approximately March 18, 2019, to assist with equipment mobilization and debris removal. For additional information, reference the attached map or contact the Facilities Service Center at 458-4262. 2018502 UTSA FY-18 – Crane Lift LocationsA FORMER pizza shop worker with a fetish for animated child porn will find out today if he will spend time behind bars. Nathan Gianoncelli, 25, was described by his own lawyer as “somewhat of an unusual person” and a loner whose only social outlet was the world of online gaming. Barrister Michael Dalton said his client “showed an unhealthy attachment to the internet” during years of accessing animated child pornography, which progressed up to actual child porn in the final few months of his offending in late 2014. Mr Gianoncelli has pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to access child pornography material and one count each of use of a carriage service to transmit child pornography and possess child exploitation material. The court heard police raided his home in December 2014 and found three hard drives containing 10,000 child porn images. A number were rated at “level four” of this type of offending. Some of the offending stretched back more than a decade. Commonwealth prosecutor Patrick Berends said the anime porn proved a “gateway” to more serious offending and Gianoncelli was “morally culpable”. “The offender has been methodical in his activities,” he said. But Mr Dalton argued the “bulk” of the images were anime and despite one of the charges carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years’ jail, the most serious offending only took place in the final few months. He said a medical report said his mental health issues were improving to a stage where he was now considered a “low risk” of reoffending and suggested Judge Brian Harrison could potentially grant immediate parole. The court heard Mr Gianoncelli had not been back online since his 2014 arrest and he had reintegrated into society by joining a game group that participates in role-playing card game Magic the Gathering.Censor.NET reports citing OstroV. Separatists of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR") have blocked such widely read Ukrainian news sites as TSN, 24 TV, Tyzhden, Segodnia, Ukrainska Pravda, Obozrevatel and Novoie Vremia. The users see the following message when trying to access these sites: "Website is currently unavailable". At the same time, OstroV, Radio Svoboda and BBC are still available. Read more: Ukraine's Freedom on the Net status twice as better as Russia's, - Freedom House It should be reminded that the "Ministry of Information" of the "LPR" has forced Internet service providers in Luhansk to block access to 117 Ukrainian news sites on Dec. 16. In addition, the "Ministry of Information" included the British BBC online news outlet into the list of websites banned in the occupied territories of the Luhansk region. The following news outlets were also included: 10minut.info, 112.ua, 24tv.ua, 5.ua, 7days-ua.com, apostrophe.com.ua, comments.ua, daily.com.ua, censor.net.ua, depo.ua, donbass.ua, eizvestia.com, gazeta.ua, espresso.tv, galnet.org, glavred.info, fakty.ua, hvylya.net, informnapalm.com, forbes.ua, ictv.ua, focus.ua, crime.in.ua, facenews.ua. obozrevatel.com, podrobnosti.ua, tsn.ua, lb.ua, kp.ua, timeUA.com, nua.in.ua, timenews.in.ua, uapress.info, nv.ua, telegraf.com.ua, Ukrop.org, zn.ua, zik.ua, novosti.dn.ua, svidok.ua, stb.ua, zaxid.net, newsru.ua, strana.in.ua, vesti-ukr.com, newsoboz.org, segodnya.ua, nedelya.net.ua, replya.net, ukrinform.ua, unn.com.ua, unian.net, unian.ua, rbc.ua, radiosvoboda.org, radio24.ua, nbnnews.com.ua, racurs.ua, uainfo.org, mediasat.info, magnolia.tv.com, lugradar.net, proua.com.ua, vidomosti-ua.com, liga.net, lg-news.net, press-centr.com, vgolos.com.ua, real-vin.com, pohlyad.com, vchaspik.ua, tyzhden.ua, tribun.com.ua, ostrovok.lg.ua, izvestya.in.ua, irtafax.com.ua, ipress. ua, interfax.com.ua.According to the latest ranking of the Crime Index 2017 Mid-Year, Tunis was ranked the most peaceful and safest city in Africa, with a fairly low crime index (36.11) for a relatively high security index. A study of the site Numbeo had reached the same conclusions in August 2017… Cities in the top 5 of the world ranking are: * Abu Dhabi in the Arab Emirates: 1st place in the world * Doha in Qatar 2nd * Basel Switzerland 3rd * Munich in Germany 4th * Singapore 5th. On the other hand, cities like San Pedro Sula in Honduras, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Caracas in Venezuela, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa and Fortaleza in Brazil are classified as ultra dangerous. The Crime Index 2017 Mid-Year ranks cities according to their crime and safety index. This is an estimate of the overall level of crime in a given city or country. According to this index, crime levels below 20 can be considered very low. While crime levels above 80 are considered very high.The scattered wood looked like scattered matchsticks, but the cleanup requires road crews and heavy equipment. A truck carrying a trailer loaded with lumber crashed into the a bridge in Prince George's County, affecting Monday traffic. The accident took place at the intersection of Allentown Road and Branch Avenue, in the Suitland area of Prince George's County. Police said the accident involved a single vehicle, the truck loaded down with fencing material. Although the front cab was crushed against the masonry wall of the bridge, the driver was able to crawl out of the vehicle. He was transported for minor injuries. NFL Cheerleaders A hazardous material crew was on hand, because the truck's diesel fuel spilled onto the roadway. Our camera crew on the scene reports as of 8:30 a.m. the westbound lanes of Allentown Road are shut down, and the eastbound ramp to Allentown Road from Branch Avenue is closed.Once A Boon For Investors, House Flipping Is Back Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Dossier Capital Courtesy of Dossier Capital House flipping is back. A popular phenomenon during the housing boom, flipping is when a house is bought and sold within a six-month period. Flippers are real estate investors who buy houses, fix them up quickly and then resell them, making money off the renovation. In parts of California, it's happening at some of the fastest rates in a decade. Typically, our houses are in escrow first week, maybe even the first day that it's listed. At a recent open house in Glassell Park, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, curious buyers and neighbors streamed into a green stucco house that had just come onto the market. The multilevel property, built in 1979, is fashioned into a hillside. It has new windows and hardware, a freshly poured concrete driveway and tidy new landscaping. The renovations continue into the house, which has new floors, fresh paint and a redesigned kitchen with upgraded stainless steel appliances and trendy tile. Michael Delacruz is one of the real estate investors from Dossier Capital, the group hoping to sell this house. He says it was purchased a few months ago in a short sale. Records show Dossier Capital bought it for $390,000. It's now listed for more than $720,000. The key for investors, or flippers, is speed. Their success depends on buying low and selling high, and quickly. Dossier targets up-and-coming neighborhoods and has real estate agents looking for distressed properties they can fix up and flip. They've done quite well. "Typically, our houses are in escrow first week," Delacruz says, "maybe even the first day that it's listed." The demand can be intense. Houses are getting multiple offers, sometimes five or six the first day they are put on the market. Part of the reason is pent-up demand. Another key factor is a limited supply of houses, and thus ensues a frenzy. "First of all, most of the foreclosure crisis is behind us, so there are far fewer foreclosed homes now on the market waiting to be sold," says Jed Kolko, chief economist for the real estate website Trulia. Another factor, Kolko says, is that construction is still recovering and new homes are not going up as fast as they once did. In addition, though prices are rising, many people are still underwater — they owe more on their houses than the market says the homes are worth. Those who can sell their homes and live in up-and-coming neighborhoods, like Glassell Park, are in a good position, Kolko says. "It's a seller's market; houses are going for above asking prices," he says. "We're seeing homes spend less time on market before they sell.... Prices are still relatively low, and mortgage rates, of course, are very low." For buyers, however, this can be frustrating. Connie Molina came through the open house in Glassell Park with her husband. They've recently started looking for a house. "We'll see a house, and then... within a week, it's already sold," she says. "It's gone." According to DataQuick, a company that analyzes real estate trends, flipping is up in some parts of Southern California by as much as 45 percent over last year. And in April, the region reached a milestone: Home sales hit their fastest pace in seven years. Both economists and investors agree that as long as mortgage rates stay low and the economy keeps growing, this housing recovery will continue.In what FCC chairman Tom Wheeler calls ‘a huge victory,’ the rules will go into effect Friday despite a handful of lawsuits challenging them Net neutrality rules to go into effect after court rejects bid to block them Net neutrality rules will go into effect on Friday, after a federal court rejected a bid by cable and telecommunication companies to stay the rules while a lawsuit challenging them is pending. “This is a huge victory for internet consumers and innovators!” Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said in a statement. “Starting Friday, there will be a referee on the field to keep the internet fast, fair and open.” “Blocking, throttling, pay-for-priority fast lanes and other efforts to come between consumers and the internet are now things of the past. The rules also give broadband providers the certainty and economic incentive to build fast and competitive broadband networks.” The fight for an open internet is far from over, however. “I plan to fight the order all the way to the supreme court,” said Daniel Berninger, founder of the Voice Communication Exchange. At the end of February, the FCC approved a 313-page order that would allow it to treat internet access like a public utility. Cable and telecommunication companies objected, saying the order was an overreach by the FCC and that such rules should be created by Congress. FCC's net neutrality rules challenged in lobbyist lawsuit Read more By mid-April, a handful of lawsuits had been filed against the FCC, seeking to overturn the net neutrality rules. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) filed one such suit; so did the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the US Telecom and the American Cable Association. “I am pleased that the FCC’s Open Internet Order and strong rules to ensure there are no slow lanes on the internet become effective tomorrow,” said Mignon Clyburn, a FCC commissioner, on Thursday. “A free and open internet is vital to our democracy and competitive market. I am proud to stand up for the consumer to protect free speech and a free market.” Not everyone at the FCC was as thrilled. Ajit Pai, one of the two Republican FCC commissioners who voted against the plan, said he was disappointed with the court’s decisions. He added that the “development was not unexpected”.Local authorities will get just £500,000 - down from £1m last year and £3m in 2011-12 - despite manifesto pledge to increase efforts to tackle dirty air The government has halved the amount of money it gives English local authorities to fight air pollution, despite a manifesto pledge to do more to tackle the UK’s dirty air. Just £500,000 will be distributed to councils including Leeds, Manchester, and Southampton for 2015-2016 under the air quality grant programme, the environment department has confirmed. That is down from £1m the year before and £3m in 2011-2012. The cut comes despite the government being forced to publish a national cleanup plan because many British cities breach European safety limits, and recent figures showing the percentage of people dying prematurely from pollution in England has increased. The Conservative party promised in its manifesto this spring that “we will continue to do even more to tackle air pollution”. Alan Andrews, a lawyer at ClientEarth which won the supreme court case which forced publication of the government’s cleanup plan, said the government’s approach to the health crisis was laughable. “Why, when ordered by a court to take immediate action, have they halved the money for local authorities? It was already a desultory amount of money [even before the cuts] given the cost of the health impacts.” “It [the grants cut] really neatly encapsulates everything that is wrong with the government approach to air pollution.” In total, the government spends nearly £10m each year on directly tackling air pollution, which the health watchdog says is responsible for nearly 29,000 premature deaths a year. The local authorities grants programme has issued £52m since it began in 1997, £11m of that since 2010. The £500,000 this year, which was first reported by the trade magazine ENDS Report, will be partly spent on supporting electric car charging points, and promoting walking and cycling. But a large chunk will be spent on feasibility studies for the five cities earmarked for ‘clean air zones’ by 2020, which the government announced last month. Leeds gets the largest chunk of the funding, at £107,850 in total for emissions modelling, a feasibility study on its clean air zone and monitoring of the toxic gas NO2. Ealing and Islington in London, where some parts of the capital breached annual pollution limits in days earlier this month, also receive funding. A Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs spokeswoman said: “Tackling air pollution is a priority for this government and the air quality grant scheme is just one of the many ways we are supporting action on air quality.” She cited a £40m Department for Transport pot awarded this week for cities and towns to encourage electric cars, which have no tailpipe emissions.Minnesota United has expanded its soccer operations staff, naming Amos Magee the club’s first director of player personnel. An experienced player and coach with an eye for talent, Magee joins Minnesota following three years as an assistant coach with D.C. United. “I’ve admired the vision of Minnesota United from afar since Dr. McGuire took over,” said Magee. “The growth of this club in the market is so significant from when I was here as a player and coach of the Minnesota Thunder. “Leaving D.C. United was a really difficult decision based on how much we accomplished together. Their sporting staff and the way they are going as a club made the decision to come to Minnesota very difficult. In the end I wanted to be a part of this club more, this is home. I have been a part of trying to grow soccer in Minnesota for a really long time. I’ve truly enjoyed my time at my previous clubs, but in my mind and in my family’s mind, we always wanted to come back home to Minnesota.” As director of player personnel, Magee will work closely with Sporting Director Manny Lagos to develop Minnesota United’s sporting vision as it pertains to certain soccer curriculum as well as be responsible for vertically integrating this vision from the academy system to the first team. “Amos is someone I’ve known for a long time and it’s a great story that he is from Minnesota, but the bigger story is that he has been incredibly well-regarded over the last several years in Major League Soccer working with some very successful teams to build their clubs both on and off the field,” said Lagos. “That said, he also truly understands this state and this market and we believe that he is the best person to help our organization grow and to develop the sporting vision for who we are as a club both on the field and in the community.” Magee, a St. Paul, Minn., native, played high school soccer with Lagos at St. Paul Academy and went on to attend Wesleyan University where he became the all-time leading scorer with 35 goals and 85 overall points for the Cardinals. He spent nearly his entire professional playing career with the Minnesota Thunder, and was the club’s all-time leading scorer with 64 goals. Magee also played for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. He retired as a player in 2004, but spent a portion of the year as a player and assistant coach. Magee returned to coach the Thunder from 2006 to 2008. In December of 2007 Magee was asked to coach the US Maccabi team in the 2007 Pan American Maccabiah in Buenos Aires, in which he led the team to the gold medal. In 2009, after leaving Minnesota, Magee was named the director of soccer development for the Portland Timbers, at the time still in the United Soccer League. In 2011 he helped oversee the Timbers’ move to Major League Soccer and was part of the first team’s coaching staff, and led the Timbers’ reserve team. Magee joined D.C. United in 2014 where he was a first team assistant coach, as well as the coach of the club’s U-23 team. In addition to developing the sporting vision with Lagos and the rest of the sporting staff, Magee will be responsible for assisting in scouting players from across the globe and will work closely with the coaching staff to construct a competitive roster that represents the club’s technical vision, culture and community. Minnesota United kicks off its inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2017. The club will play its home matches at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. Secure your spot in history today, become a season ticket holder and join the exclusive members of the Itasca Society. Call 763.4SOCCER or visit mnunitedtickets.com to learn more.Foodies, take note — Evernote has released a new version of its Evernote Food app for Android, described as "the essential app for food lovers." The latest version, Evernote Food 2.0, is designed to help you find new recipes and keep track of your favorite dishes. The newly updated app is divided into four sections: Explore Recipes, My Cookbook, Restaurants, and My Meals. "From exploring new recipes to curating your own digital cookbook, keeping a journal or planning a trip to a faraway place, Evernote Food gives you the tools to pursue and document your food passions," Evernote marketing manager Kristina Hjelsand wrote in a blog post Monday. The Explore Recipes section has thousands of recipes you can browse, search, and save. Simply type in any ingredient — like, say, heirloom tomatoes — to get recipe ideas from a host of popular food blogs and websites. When you find one you like, tap the elephant icon on the right side of the screen to clip it to your My Cookbook section. Besides helping you find new recipes, the app should also make your recipe collection a lot more organized. The app recognizes recipes saved to Evernote in different formats — including those you have scanned or photographed, manually typed into a note, and clipped using the desktop Web Clipper — and brings them all into your digital cookbook. The app automatically syncs notes across all your devices, meaning you can clip a recipe using your Android tablet, then pull it up on your phone in the grocery store to see the ingredient list. There's also a new recently viewed feature to help you quickly go back to something you were browsing. For those times you don't feel like cooking, the app lets you search for restaurants in your area, and keep a list of places you want to try. When you're ready to make a reservation, you can book a table right from the app. The team behind the app also revamped the My Meals section, which lets you "create gorgeous shareable photo essays documenting all of your food adventures." You can add photos, a description of what you ate, as well as a time and location to help you remember great meals. After you're done, you can share your note on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Evernote Food 2.0 is now available for download on Google Play. For more, check out the video below.King Salman of Saudi Arabia has a preferred vacation site – Tangier, Morocco. At the end of July he landed at the local airport, was received with pomp by the prime minister, settled into his 74-acre estate and housed his entourage in the city’s most expensive hotels. Over 1,000 people including ministers, advisers, relatives, security people and associates landed with Salman. About 800 hotel rooms were reserved, 200 cars were leased (in addition to the vehicles the king brought with him) and the finest catering companies were brought on board. The month-long vacation is expected to cost more than $100 million. That’s apparently the most expensive “all-inclusive package” ever. You probably shouldn’t plan a trip to Tangier this month, especially if you plan to go around by car. But not only the Saudi king enjoys himself in Tangier; the Moroccan Finance Ministry and local industries including the hotel and tourism sectors are also bullish. Salman’s vacation is expected to account for 1.5 percent of the country’s revenue from foreign tourism this year, which is estimated at $6.5 billion. Tangier, Morocco In fact, tourism and remittances by Moroccan workers abroad are responsible for 12.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Only the phosphates industry does better, at 18 percent. This year, the government signed agreements with the Chinese and Russian tourism ministries to add new sources of tourists. According to the Tourism Ministry, credit-card spending by Chinese tourists has surged around 10-fold. Meanwhile, since June, about 2 million Moroccan expatriates have arrived in the country as part of Operation Marhaba, designed to get Moroccan expats to vacation in their homeland. Another reason for the tourism bonanza is that Morocco isn’t suffering terror attacks like its neighbor Tunisia, though over the past year the government reported the discovery of 18 terror cells. About 1,500 Moroccans are thought to have joined the Islamic State. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close Morocco’s economy is flourishing after last year’s drought that stung agricultural production and exports, which constitute 15 percent of GDP. In the World Bank’s most recent report on Morocco, the country was praised for its economic policy, which includes subsidy reform, new legislation to encourage foreign investment, and the accelerated development of industry. This particularly covers sectors that require advanced technology such as the manufacture of spare parts for the European aeronautics industry. Tangier, Morocco Last year’s weak economic growth of 1.5 percent is expected to climb to 3.8 percent this year or even top 4.5 percent, analysts say. Morocco’s budget deficit is a modest 3.9 percent, which is planned at 3 percent for next year if the forces of nature don’t interfere. Growth should be helped by the new car factories to be built by European companies (their names have yet to be released). These firms will join the large Renault plant and the planned Peugeot-Citroen plant. Morocco aspires to become Africa’s largest car manufacturer in Africa – a title now held by South Africa. Morocco makes about 40 percent of the spare parts used in its manufacture of cars, a number it expects top 65 percent in 2020. That of course could reduce the country’s high unemployment rate – Morocco’s Achilles’ heel. The country has had problems reducing unemployment, currently at 9.3 percent, or 23.5 percent for people between 15 and 24, and 17 percent for people with diplomas. It’s true that many of the unemployed generate income by working as peddlers, taxi drivers or unregistered temporary workers, but those aren’t the kind of jobs that tamp down the frustration that morphs into anger and political protest. King Mohammed VI, center, is flanked by Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, left, during a visit to Saudi King Salman at his residence in Tangier, Morocco. Moroccan Royal Palace via AP For example, demonstrations in Al Hoceima in the north erupted last fall when a fishmonger was crushed inside a garbage truck, trying to save his goods from the work of government inspectors. The protest spread to other cities, but Morocco has been spared the revolutions of the Arab Spring, in part due to the generous assistance of the Gulf countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Still, these grants, which have steadily shrunk, couldn’t bridge the gaps between the small wealthy class and the majority of workers, who earn on average 400 euros a month. These gaps are the tinder from which protests and revolutions explode, so they require an economic policy taking into consideration that over 60 percent of Moroccans live in large cities. The country needs to invest in the outlying areas, especial where the Berbers are a majority, such as the Rif region and the Grand Atlas Mountains. Eighteen years after becoming king, Mohammed VI is impressing with his administrative skills, and his popularity is stable despite his use of the many powers the constitution grants him. The question is whether he can balance the economic pressures in a way that neutralizes the threat of political shocks. Tangier, MoroccoAs 2014 is drawing to a close, it's time to begin the Rust 1.0 release cycle! TL;DR: we will transition to a six week release cycle on Jan 9, 2015, and produce Rust 1.0.0 final at least two cycles afterwards: Rust 1.0.0-alpha -- Friday, Jan 9, 2015 Rust 1.0.0-beta1 -- Week of Feb 16, 2015 Rust 1.0.0 -- One or more six-week cycles later We talked before about why Rust is reaching 1.0, and also about the 6-week train model (with Nightly, Beta, and Stable channels) that will enable us to deliver stability without stagnation. This post finishes the story by laying out the transition to this new release model and the stability guarantees it provides. The alpha release Reaching alpha means three things: The language is feature-complete. All gates are removed from features we expect to ship with 1.0. The standard library is nearly feature-complete. The majority of APIs that will ship in 1.0 stable will already be marked as #[stable]. Warnings for #[unstable] features are turned on by default. (Note that the #[experimental] stability level is going away.) In other words, 1.0.0-alpha gives a pretty accurate picture of what 1.0 will look like, but doesn't yet institute release channels. By turning on warnings for unstable APIs but not excluding them altogether, we can get community feedback about which important APIs still need to be stabilized without those APIs simply disappearing over night. While we expect the pace of breakage to slow dramatically when we reach feature-complete status, 1.0.0-alpha is still a pre-release: A pre-release version indicates that the version is unstable and might not satisfy the intended compatibility requirements as denoted by its associated normal version. That is, we will reserve the right to make minor breaking changes to both the language and libraries -- including #[stable] APIs -- throughout the duration of the alpha cycle. But we expect any such changes to be relatively minor tweaks, and changes to #[stable] APIs to be very rare. The beta release(s) Six weeks later, we will begin the beta period: Both the language and libraries are feature-complete. All APIs shipping for Rust 1.0 are marked #[stable]. Release channels take effect: feature gates and #[unstable] APIs are available on nightly builds, but not on the beta. This change is part of our commitment to stability. Unlike the alpha cycle, where we still expect some minor breakage, the beta cycle should not involve breakage unless a very significant problem is found. Ideally, the beta cycle will be focused on testing, bugfixing, and polish. We plan to run at least one beta cycle before the final release. The final release Finally, after one or more beta cycles, we will have produced a release candidate that is ready for the world: We are ready to promise stability -- hassle-free upgrades -- for the duration of the 1.X series. The core documentation (The Guide/Guides) is fully in sync with the language and libraries. We are incredibly excited for Rust to reach this point. What this means for the ecosystem With the launch of Cargo and crates.io, Rust's ecosystem has already seen significant expansion, but it still takes a lot of work to track Rust's nightly releases. Beginning with the alpha release, and especially approaching beta1, this will change dramatically; code that works with beta1 should work with 1.0 final without any changes whatsoever. This migration into stability should be a boon for library writers, and we hope that by 1.0 final there will be a massive collection of crates ready for use on the stable channel -- and ready for the droves of people trying out Rust for the first time. Let's do this!For the third year in a row, New Jersey-based property and casualty insurer, Farmers of Salem, recently partnered with its independent agent network to raise awareness and donations for Habitat for Humanity. As part of their annual second quarter 2017 “Earn More, Give Back” contest, agents were offered the opportunity to support Habitat for Humanity with Farmers by donating $15 per policy written to the agency’s local Habitat affiliate. The donations, which totaled $10,000.00, were made in the name of the agency, in partnership with Farmers of Salem. Presentations of checks will be made to various Habitat for Humanity Affiliates in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Kim Lorenzini, V.P. of marketing and business development for Farmers of Salem said, “A big part of being a good corporate neighbor is giving back to the local community. Habitat for Humanity does important work right in our backyards. Our expert independent agents and generous staff employees really got behind this campaign to help Build Homes, Communities and Hope." This is a list of qualifying agents for 2017 and Habitat for Humanity Affiliates receiving donations amounts: WORLD INSURANCE ASSOCIATES LLC $615 SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTY $30 BUCKS CO INNOVATIVE INSURANCE GROUP $495 BERGEN COUNTY $135 MORRIS THE BARCLAY GROUP $570 BURLINGTON CO & GTR TRENTON-PRINCETON $45 G
North Koreans are much closer to going nuclear than they were when the U.S. negotiated a flawed interim deal in 1994, known as the Joint Framework Agreement, to halt their progress. Pyongyang has already detonated nuclear devices on five occasions. The first of these tests was in 2006, and the last two were in the final year of the Obama administration. The North also has continued to make progress on ballistic missiles. The latest test went farther and higher than previous ones had. It’s only a matter of time until the regime of Kim Jong-un will perfect this technology, along with the relatively easier task of shrinking a nuclear device to fit on a warhead. Then the North will have an effective nuclear weapons system — a functional warhead atop a reliable ICBM. North Korea will arm itself with nuclear weapons, because the regime knows that its survival depends on it. In the first round of nuclear negotiations, there was a credible threat of force against North Korea. The deal offered for the last quarter century was essentially: we let you survive if you give up your nuclear ambitions. Today, that offer is no longer credible. North Koreans delivered this message as recently as last month to a group of Western experts who met with them in Sweden in what is known as Track 2 diplomacy. Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and expert on North Korea, explained it to her counterparts at an event last month at the Asia Society. “The North Koreans emphasize over and over, denuclearization is completely off the table,” she said. “We are smoking something if we think this is something that is achievable. They say it’s not negotiable, it’s over, it’s done, this is not something we can talk about.” Terry went on to say her North Korean counterparts said, “We are so close to completing the nuclear program, we are so close to perfecting this nuclear arsenal, we did not come this far to give it up.” She added that they gave the examples of Libya and Iraq as regimes that abandoned nukes only to face regime change later. It’s not just Terry who at this point is persuaded the goal of a denuclearized North Korea is not attainable. Bill Clinton’s former secretary of defense, William Perry, told a group of journalists last month in Washington that the best the U.S. could hope for now would be a freeze on North Korea’s program, similar to the one the Obama administration negotiated with Iran. But again, this would not roll back the considerable progress the regime has made. What’s more, he said he would not recommend today a pre-emptive strike against the regime’s arsenal. This is in part because North Korea has thousands of mortars capable of hitting Seoul, but also because a military strike wouldn’t be able to take out the country’s entire nuclear infrastructure. Perry is less gloomy than other experts. Michael Auslin, the Williams-Griffis fellow in contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution, was blunt. He told me: “Negotiations won’t work.” Auslin explained that over a quarter century, Pyongyang has used the negotiations to buy time and extract concessions from the West. Among the concessions the North Koreans have gained from the negotiations are being removed from the U.S. list of regimes that sponsor terrorism, shipments of food and fuel, the promise of light water plutonium reactors and the removal of crippling economic sanctions. Despite all of these carrots, the regime has cheated on the commitments it has already made. The George W. Bush administration discovered this in its first term when it learned of North Korean work on a uranium enrichment facility. In 2002, an envoy for the regime acknowledged it in talks, and the Bush administration pulled out of the 1994 joint framework negotiated by Clinton. The truth is there are no good policy options today for North Korea. It’s doubtful that regime change is even possible. The U.S. government is culturally ill-equipped to foment insurrection inside such a notoriously closed society. And an invasion of North Korea would be about as popular in America today as cancer. It’s possible that sabotage and other forms of cyber attacks could delay the North’s nuclear capability. What about working with China? President Donald Trump acknowledged Wednesday morning in a tweet that his desire for China to apply more pressure on North Korea has not worked. “There is no good existential answer to North Korea,” Auslin told me Wednesday. “It’s not just about negotiations. It’s about the entire set of political, economic, social, security threats we face.” He said at this point the regime had accomplished a stalemate, and was close to achieving a checkmate against the West. That’s not the kind of thing Americans like to hear. We dream big. But in foreign policy, it’s important to be realistic. The Trump administration has an opportunity to level with the public in a way prior administrations did not. If you want to stop North Korea from getting a nuke, that requires war. If you’re not prepared to go that far, stop pretending the U.S. can achieve its goals with more talking. It won’t work. BloombergBiketoberfest has always been one of my favorite rallies, for a few reasons. I like to call it “Bike Week Light,” simply because there are fewer people there during the four day run. This makes getting around to all the events easier and the events themselves more enjoyable. Another reason is because it is only four days. This makes it a quick getaway, and most people can stay for the entire rally. Lastly, the weather is usually amazing. With the Spring Rally, you never know if it’s going to be cold, moderate, or hot. The fall rally however, typically offers nice riding weather that is neither too hot or cold. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Biketoberfest, you should definitely put it on your calendar. Here are my 5 favorite things to do during “Bike Week Light” in no particular order. Hopefully this list ensures a great time whether it’s your first visit or even if you are a seasoned Biketoberfest attendee. There is so much more to do, but these are my favorites. The Speedway If not for motorcycle racing, we may not even have a Spring Rally in Daytona, much less Biketoberfest. The Speedway is always a great time. With multiple classes of racing happening Friday through Sunday, you are bound to catch some awesome action on the famed raceway. Racing isn’t all that happens at the Speedway though. There is a huge vendor section with parts from many of the top names in the industry being installed while you wait. There are also services offering motorcycle repairs. Plus, there are so many smaller businesses that you may not get to see other places. The speedway is a must see. The Rat’s Hole Bike Show We go to rallies because we love motorcycles, so no rally can be complete without hitting at least one custom bike show. The Rat’s Hole Show never fails to amaze. The hottest bikes from all over show up to show off. You can spend hours admiring the details, as well as the fit and finish, of some of the best custom builds in the world. Willie’s Tropical Tattoo Bike Show Another must-do event is the ride in bike show at Willie’s. This isn’t anything like the Rat’s Hole show. At this show, you will see the baddest choppers and bobbers in town. From rats to full show bikes, they all pile in on top of each other at Willie’s. You’ll see anything from Knuckleheads to Yamaha XS650s and everything in between. The show starts at noon on Thursday every year, but the bikes are rolling in bright and early. Check out the bikes, get a tattoo, and buy yourself a shirt to show your friends back home that you were at the coolest party in Daytona! Destination Daytona While technically not in Daytona, Destination Daytona has become a huge part of the Daytona rallies. The place has everything. You can check out the latest offerings from the motor company at Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson and grab a souvenir shirt. If you want food, there are great places to sit down and eat, or you can get some real-deal rally grub from one of the many food vendors set up. The J&P Cycles retail location in Destination Daytona has everything you need to keep on riding at their huge store, as well as mechanics on duty to install most anything you could want. All of the top dogs in the business will be displaying their wares in the huge vendor area. There is something for everyone at Destination Daytona, so be sure to check it out. Main Street If you don’t hit Main Street; you didn’t do Daytona. There are so many bars that have been around for more fads in the motorcycle industry than you can imagine. These bars saw real choppers back in the day long before there were any TV shows glorifying them. From Froggy’s and Boot Hill Saloon to the Bank & Blues Club and Main Street Station, you can really have a blast. You’ll find great live music some places and a cold beer and stories from old timers at others. If you can fog a mirror, you can find something fun to do on Main Street. I can’t wait to get to Daytona this year to check out all of my old haunts. Maybe I’ll see you at one.The revelation by Governor Godwin Obaseki that no fewer than 3,000 Edo State indigenes have died in the last one year as a result of human trafficking is frightening. This is just a fraction of the 10,000 indigenes of the state that had been trafficked in the last one year. Like Obaseki admitted, Edo State has a major crisis of human trafficking and modern day slavery to contend with. “It is on record that from Edo State alone, over 10,000 young people have been trafficked within the last one year with almost 3,000 of them losing their lives,” Obaseki told the state lawmakers during budget presentation recently. For one state, out of the 36 states of the federation, to have lost 3,000 lives to human trafficking within one year calls for a declaration of national emergency. Human trafficking comes in different forms. Basically, it is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker. It is a crime against the victim because of rights violation through coercion. Just recently, one Victor from Edo State recounted in a repatriation camp in Libya how he and some other migrants were auctioned as slaves, having failed in their desperate bid to seek greener pastures in Europe. Today, hundreds of Nigerians are stranded in Libya and other countries. Hardly a week passes without Nigerians being repatriated abroad. Two weeks ago, 26 Nigerian teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 18 were found dead in a ship at Mediterranean Sea after they had been sexually abused on their way to Europe. We call for tougher measures against human trafficking. No sane government folds its hands while its citizens, especially the vulnerable of the society, are being trafficked. One of the cardinal responsibilities of government is to protect its citizens. And when vulnerable citizens are being trafficked by merchants, then government has failed in its core mandate. The Federal Government should partner Edo State government to end the scourge. Governor Obaseki must work with stakeholders, including civil societies, to curb human trafficking in his state. Already, Obaseki had stated that he has set up a taskforce in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and foreign governments to nip human trafficking in the bud. “We have taken a very tough stance on the crisis of human trafficking and modern day slavery to protect the very vulnerable citizens in our society… “As we speak, the state’s draft bill against trafficking in persons is being considered by the state House of Assembly for passage into law,” he said. We call on the Federal Government to declare a national emergency on human trafficking. Government should activate various laws against human trafficking. Those who are merchants of human trafficking must be dealt with. The traffickers who have been arrested must be prosecuted in a record time. The law enforcement agencies should ensure that those who are on the run are brought to book. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) must be strengthened and provided with required resources to carry out its mandate of suppressing and eliminating the scourge of trafficking in persons and child labour in Nigeria. Human traffickers operate as syndicate. This is where intelligence gathering is crucial. Credible intelligence information by various law enforcement agencies and the community will help to expose the merchants and their tricks. The community knows those trafficking in persons. Hence, we strongly advocate the incorporation of whistle blowing strategy into the fight against human trafficking. By this measure, anyone who sights any baby factory or suspicious mass transit of children should report at the nearest police station or NAPTIP office. There is need for public enlightenment on the ills of human trafficking. Various agencies of government must embark on aggressive sensitisation on trafficking. We call on Edo State to embark on public awareness in the nooks and crannies of the state. Many of those trafficked are from the rural areas and indigent citizens. Some of the victims of human trafficking have been brainwashed by unscrupulous individuals. Most times, it is a promise of greener pasture, whereas nothing is greener in the VENTURE. Most of the victims ended up being used as sex slaves. We also believe that one of the potent ways of addressing this crime is by addressing the booming unemployment market. There are millions of qualified Nigerians without source of livelihood. This is no fault of theirs. Government must urgently address the growing unemployment in the system. It is imperative that the Edo State House of Assembly and other legislative bodies speed up the passage of bill against trafficking in persons before them. The timely passage of the bill will help, to a large extent, curb this growing crime against humanity. Government should also bring to book some of the parents aiding the trafficking of their children. There are instances where parents participate actively in this crime all in their desperate quest for financial gain. Like this: Like Loading... RelatedWhether or not she would be pleased, take-offs of the much-loved children’s books look set to follow the success of Ladybird spoofs “We are certain Enid Blyton would have delighted in the gentle parody of her characters,” says Anne McNeil of Enid Blyton Entertainment. “Characters which have helped to create a multimillion-selling global brand.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Five Go Gluten Free, one of the new Famous Five parodies. Photograph: Quercus McNeil was speaking about the imminent launch of a series of Famous Five parodies, hot on the heels of the sales triumph of the Ladybird books for grown-ups. (Think of those lovely Peter and Jane books, except Peter is a hipster and Jane has a hangover). This Christmas, we can look forward to the continued adventures of Julian, Dick, George and Anne as adults, along with Timmy the dog who must be about 400 in dog years by now – in Five Give Up the Booze, Five Go Gluten Free, Five Go On A Strategy Away Day and Five Go Parenting. A few details from Five Go Gluten Free, to give you a flavour of what’s in store: the gang “are all feeling really rather rum, and it’s been going on for days. Nothing seems to work, and with their doctors mystified, they’re driven to trying out various expedients to cure themselves. Julian goes online to self-diagnose that he’s got pancreatic cancer, bird flu and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Anne decides that the old methods are the best and decides to have herself exorcised – which proves to be an awful lot of bother for everyone, and such a mess. Dick goes to a witch doctor who calls himself a ‘homeopath’ (“sounds only one short of sociopath, Dick!”) but it’s George who discovers they need to go on an exclusion diet, so they enter a world of hard-to-find, maddeningly expensive specialist foods …” Are we sure, really, that Blyton “would have delighted” in this “gentle parody”? Her daughter, Imogen Smallwood, doesn’t appear to be convinced, telling the Mail: “Oh my goodness, I know absolutely nothing about them. It is completely news to me and I don’t think I want to know.” Whether she’d be delighted by much on these characters is another question; Smallwood doesn’t paint a particularly gentle portrait of her mother, saying in 2002 that “the truth is, Enid Blyton was arrogant, insecure, pretentious, very skilled at putting difficult or unpleasant things out of her mind, and without a trace of maternal instinct”. Ladybird book pastiches become stocking-filler hit of 2015 Read more Whether or not these parodies would count as something difficult and unpleasant for Blyton, it’s not the first time the Five have been reimagined, and it won’t be the last. Whether it’s Jennifer Saunders et al Going Mad in Dorset (“I say Jule, that man looks foreign!”): … Lucy Mangan ripping them apart in this very paper: “It says the Famous Five are still the most popular children’s books ever,” said George, wolfing down a slice of delicious fruit cake they had bought from the local paedophile – sorry, red-cheeked farmer and his wife - that morning. “I call that pretty ripping,” said Julian as Anne brushed the crumbs from his pullover and flagellated herself with a willow branch for being a girl. ... Or the non-Blyton-penned continuing adventures that I read as a child. I chose these because I was desperate for more from the Kirrin Island crew, even as they dropped it into a unbearable meta-hell in titles like Famous Five Go on Television. It seemed then, as it does now, that the Famous Five really can’t die. Enid Blyton's Famous Five get 21st-century makeover Read more There are, of course, issues around Blyton’s attitude to race and class; her publisher recently adapted her language, changing very “of their time” phrases such as “dirty tinker” to “traveller”. But she remains one of the UK’s most popular writers. So I imagine that the latest parodies (“Who’s been sneaking messages through the hotel dumb waiter about secret assignations? Is there a smuggler’s plot afoot? Or is Shelly from Production shagging Postroom Luke?”) will be just as popular as the pastiche Ladybirds, which according to the Bookseller have sold 1.74m copies to date. I can see exactly why those have done so well – I just wish they were actually funny, rather than endless variations on “Ho ho, mums like to drink” and “dads don’t look after babies very well, do they?” Fingers crossed, the Famous Five reworkings are something better. Meanwhile, let’s brace ourselves for an inevitable onslaught of gifty spoofs of other favourite children’s books by the end of the year. Spiffing.No matter if you’re an independent developer, if you work for a startup or if you are employed in a huge international company: every user counts. It is among our ultimate goals to provide a valid service to users, but at the same time to keep them engaged and to gain their trust. Therefore, we need to treat our users with extreme care — a broken experience could scare them away forever. This poses a difficulty that, compared to other platforms, is particularly harsh on Android, due to the countless combination of OS versions, manufacturers, and hardware. We need to make sure that our product works on every device (or at least, on a vast majority of them), and given that we cannot possibly have access to every Android device in the market, we need to test the product in production. But how do we test in production without the risk of endangering our entire user base with the threat of malfunctions and crashes? Curtains up. Enter the staged rollout. What is a staged rollout To explain the concept using Google’s own words, a staged rollout is a way for your update to reach only a percentage of your users, which you can increase over time. This lets us release an update only to a small subset of the user base, monitor its stability or any other metric of interest, and decide whether to roll out the update to more users, to wait for more data to come in, or to halt the rollout altogether. A sample history of a staged rollout at Clue. Pro tip: avoid releasing on Fridays! In general, a staged rollout follows the following rules: From your perspective, users who take part in the staged rollout (i.e. that receive the update) are chosen randomly; there is no way for you to target users based on some property From a user’s perspective, there is no way of telling if they received a regular update or an update from a staged rollout Every new staged rollout uses a potentially different user group (again, users are selected in a random fashion) Staged rollouts can only be used in production (no alpha or beta channel) Staged rollouts can only be used when updating an existing app There is almost no minimum percentage, you can target as low as 0.01% If everything goes well, you will start a staged rollout, monitor the metrics and keep increasing the percentage until you reach 100%. … but what if something goes wrong? Halting a staged rollout Say that one of the metrics you’re monitoring is off, or you check the user reviews and you see some complaints on a specific topic. In order to prevent more users from potentially experiencing wrong behaviors, you can halt (as in, pause) the rollout. Users in the staged rollout that haven’t installed the new version will no longer be able to receive the update and will only have access to the last fully published version. This lets you analyze the situation without the fear of everything burning around you! At this point, several scenarios might unfold. You might find out that the metric wasn’t that off, or that those crashes were related to a third party, so you can decide to resume the rollout and to even increase the percentage. Or, as Murphy would have it, your app is severely broken and requires some proper fixing that takes quite some time. You will then start all over again with another rollout and see from there. There’s a third scenario, perhaps the most interesting and lesser known. Assume that you introduced a problem that is now compromising 30% of your user base. You are not sure about the solution, so you need to release an update. Ideally, you would want that update to be released to the same set of users, but I mentioned before that every staged rollout targets a different random set of users. Or does it? Playing with percentages Until some time ago, the Google Play Console wouldn’t allow you to update a staged rollout with a percentage lower than the current one. However, a couple of weeks ago I’ve noticed this: When you halt and then resume the rollout of your release, you’ll be affecting the same set of users. [1] and shortly after this: When you do a staged rollout of a new release before completing the rollout of the previous release, the new release will use the same group of users as the previous release (depending on the percentage of the rollout). [1] Back to our example, where we were stuck with a bad staged rollout at 30%, we could release an update to 5%, but those users would still be part of the previous “30%” group! This is great, because it allows for testing the fix only on users that were actually affected by the problem. The Google Play console shows handy stats like the number of users of your app and the number of targeted user based on the rollout percentage. However, it is unclear what happens if you try to reduce the percentage even further. Do you target the “5%” group or some other users within the “30%” group? That “depending on the percentage of the rollout” is not very specific. Bottom line Staged rollouts are incredibly powerful and beneficial. I can’t think of a valid reason why you wouldn’t be using them almost every single time, given the fact that they come with a lot of advantages and literally zero disadvantages. At Clue we use them extensively, and we recently had a situation where we successfully reduced the percentage of the rollout to better understand the situation. Moreover, the console is extremely well organized and gives you a lot of information and context around present and past staged rollouts. App is stable. Users are happy. Curtains down.Hey again. Last week, we talked about creating a softlock and controlling the board. This week, we’ll be doing an in-depth analysis of a Chainer deck a reader sent in. Here is the decklist. The first problem I immediately see is a lack of a win-condition. You’ve got the Living Death loop - I use that too in a different deck, albeit substituting Xia-Hou for Eternal Witness. That doesn’t seem like enough though. For those who don’t know, the combo works like this. First, you have to have six or more creatures distributed among your Graveyard and the battlefield. One of those creatures needs an Enter- or Leave-the-Battlefield effect, or you can have seven creatures in one of those zones instead. One of those creatures has to be Xia-Hou. You also need a Phyrexian Altar in play. You sacrifice all your creatures to Phyrexian Altar, then cast Living Death, returning all of them. Use Xia-Hou to grab Living Death, then sacrifice your field to Altar, giving you enough mana to cast Living Death again, and repeat an arbitrarily large number of times for infinite mana and/or ETB triggers. In mono-black, another solid combo is Mikaeus and Triskelion. While I’m a big fan of Mikaeus stand-alone, Triskelion is less powerful without its brother Mike. We could include this combo, or we could focus on ending the game with a few massive creatures. We were given a few useful end-games in the form of Eldrazi a few years ago. One of these guys can serve as a decent end-game, but I’d recommend including both. While they might seem counterintuitive in a graveyard-based deck, note that you can reanimate them at instant speed with Chainer in response to the shuffle trigger. (Note - this trick doesn’t work with Blightsteel Colossus, which has a replacement effect instead of a trigger.) To get them into your graveyard, you can use Entomb, or the more-cumbersome-but-still-effective Buried Alive. Chainer decks are all about repeatedly using Enter-The-Battlefield, Leave-The-Battlefield, and Sacrifice effects. Here, we use that theme effectively. Some especially effective cards I notice are missing include Burnished Hart, Big Game Hunter / Dark Hatchling, Corpse Connoisseur, and Thought Gorger. Respectively, those all offer either resource acceleration (counting your graveyard as a resource) or removal. You’ll also need repeated sacrifice. When you get a bunch of creatures that you want to recur over and over, you need a way to put them in the graveyeard. We’re already playing Dimir House Guard, Phyrexian Altar, Infernal Tribute, Trading Post, High Market, and a few one-time effects. Couple this with Ashnod’s Altar and Altar of Dementia and you’ll be fine. There are some Chainer staples you’re missing that I recommend. Mikaeus is an absolute bomb. I’m aware that your opponents’ creatures will undie on their side of the battlefield, but the advantage you get will almost always outweigh the cost. You’ll also have a sacrifice outlet on the field a lot of the time, so you can respond to whatever would kill the creature you control that your opponent owns by sacrificing Mike. If you’re really that worried about it, remember that you can often reanimate your opponents’ undying creatures with Chainer in response to the trigger. Another important staple is Black Market. While it’s a high-priority kill, the value that you’ll get out of it while it remains on the table is notable, and at least that’s removal that isn’t going towards Chainer. Black Market is one of those cards that can win games if you can make it stick. It’s got mad synergy with another auto-include, Nim Deathmantle. A final card you ought to consider is Bitter Ordeal. You can use this card either to exile specific cards your opponent plays, making a lot of their combos impossible, or in conjunction with infinite combos to exile all libraries. In terms of cards that seem like dead weight in the deck, there are a few. Bloodghast and Reassembling Skeleton are pretty good with Skullclamp but are otherwise not very powerful; I wouldn’t include them. Wurmcoil Engine beats, but rarely ends games, and Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble don’t do enough. You play a lot of sweepers - Mutilate is the worst; I’d cut it. Your creature sweepers, Kagemaro and Massacre Wurm, are redundant - cut whichever seems worse. Sangromancer is simply sub-par; while it has some cute synergies, it doesn’t do enough by itself. Liliana of the Dark Realms is also not very good - planeswalkers attract combat damage, especially in a multiplayer format. Sickening Shoal or Dismember should probably be Snuff Out. There’s no reason for Withering Boon to not be straight-up removal - it seems bad in general. Trading Post seems slow, and Caged Sun can be replaced by High Market. Graveborn Muse doesn’t do enough. Loxodon Warhammer just seems awkward. Wayfairer’s Bauble turns into Burnished Hart. After a few edits, the final list looks like this. The deck plays smoothly, if a tad slowly, and has cards to hate out other strategies. We’re able to race other combo decks or grind out late games, and we have multiple win-conditions. Thanks for reading. Hopefully the reader who owns this deck is satisfied with the changes, and I hope the rest of you learned something about Chainer - maybe you want to create a deck, or maybe you’re interested in it so you have a better matchup. Anyway, I’ll see you next week.A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth (the "cargo") of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices. Cult members believe that the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors. Cargo cults developed primarily in remote parts of New Guinea and other Melanesian and Micronesian societies in the southwest Pacific Ocean, beginning with the first significant arrivals of Westerners in the 19th century. Similar behaviors have, however, also appeared elsewhere in the world. Cargo cult activity in the Pacific region increased significantly during and immediately after World War II, when the residents of these regions observed the Japanese and American combatants bringing in large amounts of material. When the war ended, the military bases closed and the flow of goods and materials ceased. In an attempt to attract further deliveries of goods, followers of the cults engaged in ritualistic practices such as building crude imitation landing strips, aircraft and radio equipment, and mimicking the behaviour that they had observed of the military personnel operating them. Over the last sixty-five years, most cargo cults have disappeared. However, the John Frum cult, one of the most widely reported and longest-lived, is still active on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. This cult started before the war, and only became a cargo cult afterwards. A number of editions of the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier from late 1969 report an apparent latter-day cargo cult, but with more traditional practices.[citation needed] Contents Causes, beliefs and practices Contacts between members of different cultures can often produce misunderstandings. These misunderstandings are not limited to an isolated society's first contact with the other cultures—a result, for example, of exploration, colonization, missionary efforts or warfare. Often people will have doubts about the fully human nature of those being encountered: outsiders will also have difficulties understanding those from the isolated society. Attempts may be made by both sides to fit the contact into the existing beliefs of the culture, with members of the other culture being assimilated to various non-human roles: spirits, demons, animals.[citation needed] With time, each culture learns that the others are mortal and that their respective material cultures differ in important ways. Disagreements often arise over how parts of this material culture (whether manufactured goods (the "cargo") or handicrafts) are shared. In cargo cults, natives develop rituals that express their disagreements with outsiders who refuse to share cargo on acceptable terms. Full article ▸BOSTON (AP) — Bill Cosby‘s wife refused to answer dozens of questions during a combative deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed by seven women who say the comedian branded them liars after they accused him of sexually assaulting them, according to a transcript released Friday. Camille Cosby was subjected to intense questioning by the women’s lawyer, who repeatedly pressed her to say whether she believes her husband “acted with a lack of integrity” during their 52-year marriage. The lawyer also asked if her husband used his position and power “to manipulate young women.” -Source Says Camille Cosby Believes Accusers “Consented” To Drugs And Sex Camille Cosby didn’t answer those questions and many others after her lawyer cited marital privilege, the legal protection given to communications between spouses. She repeatedly said she had “no opinion” when pressed on whether she viewed her husband’s behavior as dishonest and a violation of their marriage vows. About 50 women have publicly accused Bill Cosby of forcing unwanted sexual contact on them decades ago. Cosby has denied the allegations. He faces a criminal case in Pennsylvania, where prosecutors have charged him with sexually violating a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand. He has pleaded not guilty. Camille Cosby answered questions in the deposition Feb. 22 and again April 19 after her lawyers argued unsuccessfully to stop it. A judge ruled she would have to give a deposition but said she could refuse to answer questions about private communications between her and her husband. -Keisha Knight-Pulliam Shuts Done Amber Rose After Bill Cosby Diss Camille Cosby’s lawyer, Monique Pressley, repeatedly cited that privilege and advised her not to answer many questions asked by the women’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata. The exchanges between Cammarata and Cosby became testy at times, and she admonished him: “Don’t lecture me. Just keep going with the questions.” Using a transcript of a deposition Bill Cosby gave in a civil lawsuit filed by Constand in 2005 and a transcript of an interview she gave to Oprah Winfrey in 2000, Cammarata asked Camille Cosby about extramarital affairs her husband had. “Were you aware of your husband setting up trusts for the benefit of women that he had a sexual relationship with?” Cammarata asked. She didn’t answer after her lawyer cited marital privilege. -NY Times Presses Phylicia Rashad On Bill Cosby Cammarata asked her about Shawn Thompson, a woman who said Bill Cosby fathered her daughter, Autumn Jackson, in the 1970s. Jackson was convicted in 1997 of attempting to extort money from Bill Cosby to prevent her from telling a tabloid she’s his daughter. He acknowledged he had an affair with her mother and had given her money. “Was it a big deal when this came up in the 1970s that your husband had — big deal to you that your husband had an extramarital affair and potentially had a daughter from that extramarital affair?” Cammarata asked. “It was a big deal then, yes,” Camille Cosby replied. She said she had “no opinion” on whether her husband’s admission he obtained quaaludes to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex violated their marriage vows. -Kanye West: Bill Cosby Is Innocent Her lawyer objected and instructed her not to answer when Cammarata asked her if she ever suspected she had been given any type of drug to alter her state of consciousness when she had sex with her husband. A spokesman for the Cosbys declined to comment on her deposition. The Cosbys have a home in Shelburne Falls, an hour’s drive from Springfield, where the lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages, was filed. An attorney handling a separate lawsuit against Bill Cosby revealed Friday that Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner provided sworn testimony Wednesday. In the sexual battery lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Judy Huth says Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him at the Playboy Mansion around 1974, when she was 15. Bill Cosby’s former lawyers have accused Huth of attempting to extort him before filing the case and have tried unsuccessfully to have it dismissed. Huth’s attorney, Gloria Allred, said Hefner’s testimony will remain under seal for now. Hefner also was named as a defendant in a case filed Monday by former model Chloe Goins, who accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify people who say they’re victims of sexual abuse, but the women accusing Cosby have come forward to tell their stories. ___ AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report from Los Angeles. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.I just learned about a new biogerontology journal: AGING, described on its website as “an open-access Impact journal on aging”. (The word “Impact” in that phrase refers to the publisher, Impact Journals LLC, which at this point has no web site of its own, and of which AGING is the flagship — and sole — current title.) The journal advertises “Constructive peer-review, instant publication of accepted papers and Open access”, and it’s aims and scope also sound promising: AGING publishes high-impact research papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research including but not limited to cellular senescence, DNA damage and repair, organismal aging, age-related diseases, genetic control of aging from yeast to mammals, regulation of longevity, evolution of aging, anti-aging strategies and drug development and especially the role of signal transduction pathways in aging and potential approaches to modulate these signaling pathways to extend lifespan. How “high-impact” will be defined is an open question, especially as it might be distinguished from other types of studies. I’d be interested to see the instructions send to reviewers. The concept is elaborated but not exactly elucidated in this “clarification”: AGING publishes high-impact research (of outstanding significance and of ground-breaking discoveries) free for the authors (no page charges, no color fees, no submission or any other fees). For the first 3 issues, we also consider for publication (free for the authors too) regular, high quality papers that are scientifically-sound and well technically performed. After 3 months, only high-impact research will be published (free for the authors) as Priority Reports. The
and cons of my Bugs, what kind of opponents always gave them trouble, and by extension, how I could bring balance to the team if it wasn’t subject to my self-imposed play rules. In short, I began to think about my in-game team a lot like a competitive team, constantly considering what I needed to bring, what my opponents would bring, and how best to succeed in, if you like, the meta of the story. Here’s an example of what I ended up with — even if you also tried out the Bug type for this challenge (which I’d highly recommend), you might end up with something quite different. I based my team on two Pokémon that I could maneuver into advantageous situations and sweep with. Volcarona: Victory (Volcarona) (F) @ Sitrus Berry Ability: Flame Body EVs: 160 HP / 16 Def / 224 SpA / 108 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk – Quiver Dance – Fiery Dance – Bug Buzz – Giga Drain And Heracross: Invincible (Heracross) (M) @ Heracronite Ability: Moxie EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe Jolly Nature – Close Combat – Bullet Seed – Rock Blast – Pin Missile Volcarona’s item and EVs have gone through a number of changes along with the rest of the team, currently built with the intention of surviving even a super-effective special hit whilst boosting up with Quiver Dance. The powerful Hurricane is an option on the legendary (small ‘l’) moth, but she forces plenty of switches out to water types which a boosted Giga Drain regularly destroys. She is also incredibly versatile if I wanted to go a different way with the build. Both of these two have been mainstays since the early days of team conception and rarely steer me wrong if I’m on my game. The next most important thing — in fact possibly the most important thing, was supporting these two war-winners. Through using Volcarona I discovered the importance of hazard removal, as Stealth Rocks are the bane of her sweeps. I tried a few ‘mons in the role including, for a long time, a 252 HP/252 SpD Forretress to use Rapid Spin and pivot Volc’ in with Volt Switch (why oh why can’t he learn U-turn?), but a recent favourite has been Armaldo, who has the same spinning capability and fair defenses whilst also bringing decent offensive presence and some handy options like Aqua Jet/Tail for those pesky Fire types. Since I realised how slow Mega Heracross was and setting up Trick Room for a Bug team is incredibly fiddly (trust me, I have tried), speed control was another thing I had to learn about and implement. Sticky Webs are readily available to Bug teams through members including Shuckle and Galvantula, who have both been great users of the hazard in otherwise opposite roles. I also discovered the Baton Pass strategy and set about making it a key part of my own through one of my all-time favourite Bugs, Scolipede: Dauntless (Scolipede) @ Black Sludge Ability: Speed Boost EVs: 200 HP / 24 Atk / 44 SpD / 240 Spe Jolly Nature – Substitute – Poison Jab – Earthquake – Baton Pass You can play around a lot with the EVs on this guy depending on how important his speed is before boosting (for setting up Substitutes, for instance), or if you would rather invest in his modest defences. The Baton Pass strategy is simple and can be very effective. If you manage to get a +2 or even 3 M-Heracross on the field (maybe snagging a Moxie boost before Mega Evolving if you are lucky) and Talonflame is nowhere in sight, you are laughing. Once you have more experience of competitive play yourself, you may find these basic strategies that seek to cover very targeted weaknesses lacking. What is important is understanding them and learning to use them together: the more you understand the more you can combine strategies with other elements and begin to shape your team to its fullest potential. To begin with I used these very mechanically — heck, to begin with my Pokémon did not have perfect IVs. Don’t worry about going from nought to the top of Battlespot or Showdown 1800s straight away. The most important thing you can do is start working through the options available to you in the best-sized chunks for you to manage. Soon enough you’ll realise if there is a gap in your knowledge or your play, and now that you know the basics you’ll be able to articulate to more experienced players what you’re doing, and they can help you as well. A sense of community happens when we feel able to enter into a dialogue with its members — don’t be afraid to take your time and do personal experiments until you can do so. Once I found myself inside the competitive community, having moved from researching and formulating plans on my own to asking for advice from others, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted more. If the main body of the games were a log in the forest, I had lifted it up and found an entire hidden, teeming world underneath. I didn’t yet understand a lot of the exotic varieties of play I could see, but I wanted to, and I knew myself capable of doing so. By focusing on what I had found fun about the series and following that path with a singular mind to its conclusion, I had come by a roundabout but inevitable route into a deeper level of gameplay, and found another community in the process. Perhaps this sounds banal to you: maybe you don’t like the idea of a monotype game, or you want to jump into battling others at a high-level right now, without all this faffing. This is a story about all it can be – how I ended up crossing the bristling threshold of the competitive scene. I believe that coming at it the way I did prepared me for all of the salient aspects of competitive play, including what play suits my style best and, most importantly, inspiring a desire and a willingness to experiment, to adapt, to even scrap everything and start again as I learnt what more was needed until I ended up with what works perfectly for me. There are many different avenues into the centre of this wonderful playground that might look like a fortress from outside. The one way through to the end of any of them, in my opinion, is to always retain that will to challenge yourself and experiment with how you love to play Pokémon. You’ll need a lot of love for it to weather the tests and occasional tedium of competitive battling and breeding. If you really want it though, you’ll be rewarded with even more to explore and enjoy. AdvertisementsSALT LAKE CITY — The Orlando Magic will be without their leading scorer, Evan Fournier, for the foreseeable future. Fournier aggravated the same right-heel bruise that forced him to miss five consecutive games from Dec. 23-Jan. 2, and he did not play when the Magic faced the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Although there is no timetable for Fournier’s return, it seems highly unlikely that he will play in either of the remaining games on the Magic’s road trip, which ends on Wednesday. “I was compensating a lot, so now it’s more than just the heel,” Fournier said. “It’s just the bottom of the foot, period. It’s frustrating, man. I could probably keep playing like this, but it’s not getting any better and I’m playing [at] like 60 percent [of my ability].” Fournier’s recent struggles were obvious to anyone who watched him play from Jan. 4 through Friday night’s win in Portland. He appeared reluctant to plant on his heel and often kept his weight on the ball of his right foot. The injury impacted his performance. In his last five games, Fournier made only 36.1 percent of his shots and just 29.4 percent of his 3-point tries. “I thought he was moving pretty well,” coach Frank Vogel said. “But some of the [assistant] coaches mentioned that they felt like he was not moving as well.” Jodie Meeks started in Fournier’s place Saturday night, and Fournier’s absence also could result in more minutes for D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson and Mario Hezonja. Fournier suffered from a right-heel bruise during the 2014-15 season, his first season with the Magic. He only missed one game. Now, the uncertainty about the length of this absence gnaws at him. “You know,” Fournier said, “every time I have an injury it’s always complicated, man. It can never be, ‘OK, in 10 days, you’re going to be better. It’s always a day-to-day thing, see how it feels and go from there.’ That’s probably the most frustrating thing as a player: not knowing what’s ahead of you.” CAPTION Columnist Mike Bianchi on if Magic will make playoffs Columnist Mike Bianchi on if Magic will make playoffs CAPTION Columnist Mike Bianchi on if Magic will make playoffs Columnist Mike Bianchi on if Magic will make playoffs CAPTION The Orlando Magic welcomed Markelle Fultz on Thursday during a press conference officially introducing their newest player. The Orlando Magic welcomed Markelle Fultz on Thursday during a press conference officially introducing their newest player. CAPTION Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford comments on Markelle Fultz trade. Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford comments on Markelle Fultz trade. CAPTION The Orlando Magi's trade for physically injured and mentally fragile Markelle Fultz is actually a great deal! The Orlando Magi's trade for physically injured and mentally fragile Markelle Fultz is actually a great deal! CAPTION Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman talks about the decision to trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman talks about the decision to trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. Coaching contributions Nikola Vucevic, Elfrid Payton, Augustin and Meeks made significant contributions to help the Magic defeat the Trail Blazers 115-109 Friday night. But their coach made a difference, too. With his team mired in a four-game losing streak, Vogel set a tone for victory on Thursday, when he held a light workout that included shooting games instead of an arduous practice. “He did try to kind of keep a positive energy with the shooting games and different stuff,” Vucevic said. “I think those things can help, especially when you have a tough stretch when you’re not playing great basketball and guys get down. I think those things can help. I think he did a good job with that. I think that was important for us to kind of get back in a positive groove.” The practice kept the Magic loose — as loose as possible for a team that had lost six of its previous seven games. Did Vogel sense his team felt tight? “I got a sense that I was feeling tight,” Vogel answered. “And I was feeling a little bit of misery surrounded by all the losses. It’s not the way out. You have to just appreciate each other and appreciate the opportunity we have and enjoy the challenge. It’s the game of basketball. It’s meant to be fun. Win or lose, you go out and you compete, and, hopefully, our guys heard that message.” But Vogel did more than that. At least one of his X’s-and-O’s decisions paid dividends. With the score tied 90-90 and the game starting to slip from Orlando’s grasp, Vogel brought his entire starting frontcourt of Aaron Gordon, Serge Ibaka and Vucevic in off the bench. It was a bit early to do that. But they gave the team the boost it needed. Vogel felt like he left Gordon, Ibaka and Vucevic on the bench too long during the first half — that their absence contributed to a Trail Blazers comeback from 20-3 down. “I really second-guessed myself for not coming back to them sooner in the second quarter,” Vogel said. Ibaka, for instance, was subbed out when he picked up his second foul with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter and Orlando ahead 20-7. Vogel didn’t put Ibaka back in until 4:11 remained in the second quarter. By that time, Orlando led only 50-47. Vogel didn’t make the same mistake twice. He took a bit of a gamble in the fourth quarter, but his hunch paid off. jrobbins@orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/ magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.An Indian Army soldiers at Pakistani positions in a village across an open field, 1,500 yards inside the East Pakistan border at Dongarpara on Dec. 7, 1971. Exactly 40 years ago, India won a famous victory over Pakistan due to its brilliant soldiers, an unwavering political leadership, and strong diplomatic support from Moscow. Less well known is Russia’s power play that prevented a joint British-American attack on India. Washington DC, December 3, 1971, 10:45am. US President Richard Nixon is on the phone with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, hours after Pakistan launched simultaneous attacks on six Indian airfields, a reckless act that prompted India to declare war. Nixon: So West Pakistan giving trouble there. Kissinger: If they lose half of their country without fighting they will be destroyed. They may also be destroyed this way but they will go down fighting. Nixon: The Pakistan thing makes your heart sick. For them to be done so by the Indians and after we have warned the bitch (reference to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi). Tell them that when India talks about West Pakistan attacking them it's like Russia claiming to be attacked by Finland. Washington, December 10, 1971, 10:51am. A week later the war is not going very well for Pakistan, as Indian armour scythes through East Pakistan and the Pakistan Air Force is blown out of the subcontinent’s sky. Meanwhile, the Pakistani military in the west is demoralised and on the verge of collapse as the Indian Army and Air Force attack round the clock. Nixon: Our desire is to save West Pakistan. That's all. Kissinger: That's right. That is exactly right. Nixon: All right. Keep those carriers moving now. Kissinger: The carriers—everything is moving. Four Jordanian planes have already moved to Pakistan, 22 more are coming. We're talking to the Saudis, the Turks we've now found are willing to give five. So we're going to keep that moving until there's a settlement. Nixon: Could you tell the Chinese it would be very helpful if they could move some forces or threaten to move some forces? Kissinger: Absolutely. Nixon: They've got to threaten or they've got to move, one of the two. You know what I mean? Kissinger: Yeah. Nixon: How about getting the French to sell some planes to the Paks? Kissinger: Yeah. They're already doing it. Nixon: This should have been done long ago. The Chinese have not warned the Indians. Kissinger: Oh, yeah. Nixon: All they've got to do is move something. Move a division. You know, move some trucks. Fly some planes. You know, some symbolic act. We're not doing a goddamn thing, Henry, you know that. Kissinger: Yeah. Nixon: But these Indians are cowards. Right? Kissinger: Right. But with Russian backing. You see, the Russians have sent notes to Iran, Turkey, to a lot of countries threatening them. The Russians have played a miserable game. If the two American leaders were calling Indians cowards, a few months earlier the Indians were a different breed altogether. This phone call is from May 1971. Nixon: The Indians need—what they need really is a— Kissinger: They’re such bastards. Nixon: A mass famine. But they aren't going to get that…But if they're not going to have a famine the last thing they need is another war. Let the goddamn Indians fight a war. Kissinger: They are the most aggressive goddamn people around there. The 1971 war is considered to be modern India’s finest hour, in military terms. The clinical professionalism of the Indian army, navy and air force; a charismatic brass led by the legendary Sam Maneckshaw; and ceaseless international lobbying by the political leadership worked brilliantly to set up a famous victory. After two weeks of vicious land, air and sea battles, nearly 100,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before India's rampaging army, the largest such capitulation since General Paulus' surrender at Stalingrad in 1943. However, it could all have come unstuck without help from veto-wielding Moscow, with which New Delhi had the foresight to sign a security treaty in 1970. As Nixon’s conversations with the wily Kissinger show, the forces arrayed against India were formidable. The Pakistani military was being bolstered by aircraft from Jordan, Iran, Turkey and France. Moral and military support was amply provided by the US, China and the UK. Though not mentioned in the conversations here, the UAE sent in half a squadron of fighter aircraft and the Indonesians dispatched at least one naval vessel to fight alongside the Pakistani Navy. However, Russia’s entry thwarted a scenario that could have led to multiple pincer movements against India. Superpowers face-off On December 10, even as Nixon and Kissinger were frothing at the mouth, Indian intelligence intercepted an American message, indicating that the US Seventh Fleet was steaming into the war zone. The Seventh Fleet, which was then stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin, was led by the 75,000 ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise. The world’s largest warship, it carried more than 70 fighters and bombers. The Seventh Fleet also included the guided missile cruiser USS King, guided missile destroyers USS Decatur, Parsons and Tartar Sam, and a large amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli. Standing between the Indian cities and the American ships was the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet led by the 20,000-ton aircraft carrier, Vikrant, with barely 20 light fighter aircraft. When asked if India’s Eastern Fleet would take on the Seventh Fleet, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice Admiral N. Krishnan, said: “Just give us the orders.” The Indian Air Force, having wiped out the Pakistani Air Force within the first week of the war, was reported to be on alert for any possible intervention by aircraft from the Enterprise. Meanwhile, Soviet intelligence reported that a British naval group led by the aircraft carrier Eagle had moved closer to India’s territorial waters. This was perhaps one of the most ironic events in modern history where the Western world’s two leading democracies were threatening the world’s largest democracy in order to protect the perpetrators of the largest genocide since the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. However, India did not panic. It quietly sent Moscow a request to activate a secret provision of the Indo-Soviet security treaty, under which Russia was bound to defend India in case of any external aggression. The British and the Americans had planned a coordinated pincer to intimidate India: while the British ships in the Arabian Sea would target India’s western coast, the Americans would make a dash into the Bay of Bengal in the east where 100,000 Pakistani troops were caught between the advancing Indian troops and the sea. To counter this two-pronged British-American threat, Russia dispatched a nuclear-armed flotilla from Vladivostok on December 13 under the overall command of Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov, the Commander of the 10th Operative Battle Group (Pacific Fleet). Though the Russian fleet comprised a good number of nuclear-armed ships and atomic submarines, their missiles were of limited range (less than 300 km). Hence to effectively counter the British and American fleets the Russian commanders had to undertake the risk of encircling them to bring them within their target. This they did with military precision. In an interview to a Russian TV programme after his retirement, Admiral Kruglyakov, who commanded the Pacific Fleet from 1970 to 1975, recalled that Moscow ordered the Russian ships to prevent the Americans and British from getting closer to “Indian military objects”. The genial Kruglyakov added: “The Chief Commander’s order was that our submarines should surface when the Americans appear. It was done to demonstrate to them that we had nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean. So when our subs surfaced, they recognised us. In the way of the American Navy stood the Soviet cruisers, destroyers and atomic submarines equipped with anti-ship missiles. We encircled them and trained our missiles at the Enterprise. We blocked them and did not allow them to close in on Karachi, Chittagong or Dhaka." At this point, the Russians intercepted a communication from the commander of the British carrier battle group, Admiral Dimon Gordon, to the Seventh Fleet commander: “Sir, we are too late. There are the Russian atomic submarines here, and a big collection of battleships.” The British ships fled towards Madagascar while the larger US task force stopped before entering the Bay of Bengal. The Russian manoeuvres clearly helped prevent a direct clash between India and the US-UK combine. Newly declassified documents reveal that the Indian Prime Minister went ahead with her plan to liberate Bangladesh despite inputs that the Americans had kept three battalions of Marines on standby to deter India, and that the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise had orders to target the Indian Army, which had broken through the Pakistani Army’s defences and was thundering down the highway to the gates of Lahore, West Pakistan’s second largest city. According to a six-page note prepared by India's foreign ministry, "The bomber force aboard the Enterprise had the US President's authority to undertake bombing of the Indian Army's communications, if necessary." China in the box Despite Kissinger’s goading and desperate Pakistani calls for help, the Chinese did nothing. US diplomatic documents reveal that Indira Gandhi knew the Soviets had factored in the possibility of Chinese intervention. According to a cable referring to an Indian cabinet meeting held on December 10, “If the Chinese were to become directly involved in the conflict, Indira Gandhi said, the Chinese know that the Soviet Union would act in the Sinkiang region. Soviet air support may be made available to India at that time.” Interestingly, while the cable is declassified, the source and extensive details of the Indian Prime Minister’s briefing remain classified. “He is a reliable source” is all that the document says. There was very clearly a cabinet level mole the Americans were getting their information from. Intolerable hatred On December 14, General A.A.K. Niazi, Pakistan's military commander in East Pakistan, told the American consul-general in Dhaka that he was willing to surrender. The message was relayed to Washington, but it took the US 19 hours to relay it to New Delhi. Files suggest senior Indian diplomats suspected the delay was because Washington was possibly contemplating military action against India. Kissinger went so far as to call the crisis “our Rhineland” a reference to Hitler’s militarisation of German Rhineland at the outset of World War II. This kind of powerful imagery indicates how strongly Kissinger and Nixon came to see Indians as a threat. An Indiana University study of the conflict says: “The violation of human rights on a massive scale—described in a March 30 US cable as “selective genocide”—and the complete disregard for democracy were irrelevant to Nixon and Kissinger. In fact, the non-democratic aspects of Pakistani dictator Yahya Khan’s behaviour seemed to be what impressed them the most. As evidence mounted of military atrocities in East Pakistan, Nixon and Kissinger remained unmoved. In a Senior Review Group meeting, Kissinger commented at news of significant casualties at a university that, ‘The British didn’t dominate 400 million Indians all those years by being gentle’.” Nixon and Kissinger phoned Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and asked for guarantees that India would not attack West Pakistan. “Nixon was ready to link the future summit in Moscow to Soviet behaviour on this issue," writes professor Vladislav M. Zubok in A Failed Empire. "The Soviets could not see why the White House supported Pakistan, who they believed had started the war against India. Brezhnev, puzzled at first, was soon enraged. In his narrow circle, he even suggested giving India the secret of the atomic bomb. His advisers did their best to kill this idea. Several years later, Brezhnev still reacted angrily and spoke spitefully about American behaviour." Cold Warriors Another telephone conversation between the scheming duo reveals a lot about the mindset of those at the highest echelons of American decision making: Kissinger: And the point you made yesterday, we have to continue to squeeze the Indians even when this thing is settled. Nixon: We've got to for rehabilitation. I mean, Jesus Christ, they've bombed—I want all the war damage; I want to help Pakistan on the war damage in Karachi and other areas, see? Kissinger: Yeah Nixon: I don't want the Indians to be happy. I want a public relations programme developed to piss on the Indians. Kissinger: Yeah. Nixon: I want to piss on them for their responsibility. Get a white paper out. Put down, White paper. White paper. Understand that? Kissinger: Oh, yeah. Nixon: I don't mean for just your reading. But a white paper on this. Kissinger: No, no. I know. Nixon: I want the Indians blamed for this, you know what I mean? We can't let these goddamn, sanctimonious Indians get away with this. They've pissed on us on Vietnam for 5 years, Henry. Kissinger: Yeah. Nixon: Aren't the Indians killing a lot of these people? Kissinger: Well, we don't know the facts yet. But I'm sure they're not as stupid as the West Pakistanis—they don't let the press in. The idiot Paks have the press all over their place. All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.A campaign for YouTube Music in the middle of last year highlighted five individuals, including a young woman in a hijab, rapping to a song by Blackalicious while walking through a school corridor. The inclusion of the ad, “Afsa’s Theme,” was purposeful, said Danielle Tiedt, the chief marketing officer at YouTube, adding that highlighting diversity is “more important than ever.” “I don’t think diversity is a political statement,” she said. “This is an issue of universal humanity.” For its ad, Amazon was painstaking in its attention to detail, checking with religious groups about costuming and background imagery, and sending over final proofs of the ad for review, said Mr. Abid and Antonios Kireopoulos, an associate general secretary of the National Council of Churches, another group Amazon consulted. Ads showing any kind of racial diversity can now attract heaping amounts of vitriol online — most of it delivered anonymously — as State Farm discovered last month when it posted an ad of a black man proposing to a white woman on Twitter. Anti-Muslim remarks, like “they don’t belong here,” peppered the comments under Chevrolet’s video in June of two twins from Los Angeles, named Ruqaya and Qassim, who were accepted into a soccer program the company sponsors. They were 8 years old when the video, which did not mention religion, was made. Mr. Brady said the agency had prepared Honey Maid for potentially hateful responses to its ad, though it fielded fewer than he feared. (On Facebook, the top comments are appreciative and heartfelt.) Nida’a Moghrabi, a cheesecake seller and mother of three daughters who starred in the commercial with a neighbor she befriended a few years ago, said she had initially been irritated by some rude comments on Facebook and YouTube until she realized how ubiquitous such remarks were. “If you go to the adoption commercial from Honey Maid, you still see nasty comments,” Ms. Moghrabi said, referring to an ad of a child talking about his new brother. “So I was like, if they’re complaining about adopted kids, of course I’m not going to worry about their comments about me.” The response from her community was positive, she said. Such ads are “encouraging for the younger generations, like those who are afraid to mention that they’re Muslims,” she added. “My daughters are more confident now, and I believe their friends who are Muslims, they know that we’re accepted and we’re loved.”An inelegant tweet about President Obama’s deceased grandmother during last night’s debate has KitchenAid – which is usually better known for its mixers and blenders – backpedaling hard. The message, which was posted to the home appliance company’s Twitter profile as Obama sparred with Republican rival Mitt Romney, has since been deleted. But according to the legions of retweets, the note referred to Obama’s maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who passed away in November 2008. Since then, the tweet has sparked debate among customers. Cynthia Soledad, the senior director of KitchenAid’s brand and marketing division, took to the social media site to apologize. See the full, ugly progression below. But first, a reminder that KitchenAid is far from alone in the world of crass corporate tweets. Microsoft apologized last year after sending out a tweet asking Amy Winehouse fans to remember the deceased singer by downloading her tunes from its online Zune store. And in July, after a gunman rampaged through a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., online retailer Celeb Boutique had to backtrack after suggesting in a tweet that its Aurora dress was causing the term to trend on Twitter.Posted on Monday, November 30, 2009 Pemberton Potato Jack is featured in a new short film at the 2009 Whistler Film Festival. Pemberton Potato Jack Goes Hollywood! The Great Pemberton Potato Story is directed by Angie Nolan. Pemberton’s mascot Potato Jack and friends visit local farmers to learn about the local potato seed industry. The short film will be shown at the Whistler Film Festival on Sunday December 6, 2009 - 3:30 p.m. at the Whistler Village 8 Cinemas - Theatre 7. Pemberton's Famous Potatoes Pemberton Meadows is famous for producing seed potatoes used throughout the North America potato industry. "The soil in Pemberton is so rich and produces such beautifully flavoured potatoes" notes long-time Pemberton farmer Jeanette Helmer. Chefs from well known restaurants in Pemberton, Whistler and Vancouver rave about the flavour of Pemberton potatoes. Check out the Pemberton Farmers' Institute website.In an unannounced move, it appears that YouTube has pulled all ads from gun related videos. You might be thinking that is is a good thing and are happy about the decision, but you would be wrong. Thanks to the removal of any revenue that creators use to cover costs and even make a living, YouTube gun channels are in danger of disappearing forever. Even our own channel, TFB TV, is in grave danger if the new change sticks. While some gun channels will be able to sustain themselves through services like Patreon, channels like ours that have a small Patreon support base will suffer greatly. This means content could be reduced quite a lot, creators will move on and no longer devote the time to making videos for you to enjoy, and the big YouTube gun guys that rely on it for a living will either have to find another way to create the income to pay their bills or even cover the costs associated with filming. What can we do about it? Nothing really. Sadly Google makes their decisions and sticks to it. What you can do is support your favorite content creators through whatever donation site they are a member of. You can find the TFB TV Patreon page here: http://www.patreon.com/tfbtv Please consider visiting our Patreon page and pitching in a buck or two a month so that James, myself, and the rest of the TFB TV crew can keep the videos coming like you have become accustomed to regardless of what Youtube decides. Update: It appears that all gun related videos on YouTube have been flagged as restricted material. That means that either YouTube’s algorithm or users have flagged them as inappropriate for one reason or another. Once a video is flagged it is no longer eligible for monetization. I have spoken with several other YouTubers in the gun community and all of them are reporting the same thing we are seeing. There is no indication from YouTube if this is a temporary change or a permanent one at this time. We are still waiting on YouTube to respond to our request for comment.Image caption The Scottish government is committed to ensuring all children have an equal chance of going to university, regardless of their background The first minister has acknowledged there is "work to do" after statistics showed a fall in the number of 18-year-olds from Scotland's poorest areas going to university. But Nicola Sturgeon insisted it was "quite simply wrong" to suggest progress was not being made. She was speaking at first minister's questions after the figures were raised by Labour leader Kezia Dugdale. The data was released by university admissions body Ucas. It showed that 1,215 applicants from the most deprived 20% of areas were awarded a university place last year, down from 1,305 the previous year. Most affluent The figure was also lower than the 1,235 successful applicants from that group in 2013 - but higher than the figures for the three years before that. There was also an increase in 18-year-olds from Scotland's most affluent communities going to university, with the figure rising from 4,605 in 2014 to 4,685 last year. The Scottish government has placed a major focus on cutting the attainment gap between rich and poor, and increasing the number of Scots from the worst-off communities who make it to university. Ms Sturgeon told the Holyrood chamber that Ms Dugdale was right to ask her about the statistics, which the first minister said "show that we are absolutely right to prioritise fair access to university". Image caption The number of students from the most affluent areas going to university has increased, while there was a drop in applicants from the poorest communities She added: "Looking at 18-year-olds exclusively, the numbers from our most deprived areas dropped slightly from 2014 to 2015 but nevertheless are up considerably on 2010. "The more fundamental point is that not everyone who goes to university goes at 18, so when you look at the figures for people of all ages, the numbers from the most deprived areas both applying to and being accepted to university is up in 2015 compared to 2014, in both cases by about 10%. "So yes, we have got work to do, I have been very clear about that. That is why implementing the Widening Access report is so important. "But it is simply wrong to say that progress isn't being made." Ms Dugdale said Ms Sturgeon had used "three different excuses" rather than explaining why her government "had not done enough". 'Grants and bursaries' She added: "What these figures very clearly show is that there has been a drop in the number of people from poorer backgrounds applying to university. "There has been an even bigger drop in the number of poorer people being accepted when they do apply. This is what happens when you cut grants and bursaries by a third. "This is a government that recently tried to scrap a scheme that secured university places for the poorest students, and students are worried that the first minister will try that again." Ahead of the debate, the Scottish Conservatives' education spokeswoman Liz Smith said the "damning" Ucas report confirmed that the SNP "just isn't doing enough to close the attainment gap or increase opportunity among Scotland's least-privileged". Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens added: "If we want to encourage more students from less well-off backgrounds we need to tackle financial and cultural barriers, and do more to reach out to those students to support their aspirations. No one should be put off applying for university because of their family's income." And Tavish Scott of the Liberal Democrats said: "The SNP have had nine years to ensure that young people from a poorer background are on a level playing field with their contemporaries. "But while they have been busy building monuments to their education policy, students have been let down badly." A spokeswoman for Universities Scotland described the figures as being a "very useful but highly-detailed and complex data set that needs further examination". She said: "The one factor that underpins all of the data for Scotland is that whoever you are and whatever your background, it is a lot more competitive to get into university in Scotland than it is in other parts of the UK, and that comes down to the limited availability of places here in Scotland." Read the Holyrood Live report of FMQs here.Alaska’s Super Tuesday events infused the state’s Republican Party with new blood. Young voters registered in large numbers to vote in the 2012 Presidential Preference Poll and to participate in district conventions. But, many are not feeling a warm welcome from party veterans and some are even alleging rule-breaking in Super Tuesday’s process. Late last Tuesday night, Randy Ruedrich, the Chair of Alaska’s Republican Party declared Mitt Romney as the winner in Alaska’s Presidential Preference Poll. Ruedrich, says participation in Tuesday’s events was a high. “We know we’re over 13-705, which is what we had four years ago, so we’re going to end up with a larger number of ballots cast.” But not everyone who participated is happy. Evan Cutler is the volunteer organizer for the grassroots group, ‘Alaskans for Ron Paul 2012’, which has 650 or so members on Facebook. Cutler says Tuesday night his email inbox was overflowing with complaints. “We were receiving reports from a variety of people about different kinds of irregularities, like people complaining that they’d been turned away from the polls, even thought they’d registered to vote.” District 18 encompasses all of downtown Anchorage and includes Bootleggers Cove, Government Hill, the South Addition, Fairview and areas adjacent to Merrill Field. Conventions for 6 districts, including district 18 were held at The Al Aska Shrine — that also happens to be Ruedrich’s voting District. “What I was told happened in that district, was that a certain number of people had shown up for Romney and that a certain number of people had shown up for Ron Paul, all wanting to be delegates, and that people there realized that they didn’t have
paraphimosis, and syphilis and sequelae. The good such a law would bring to the people of this country, especially the coloured people of the South land, where virtue is so slovenly and so loosely worn by our women, morality so little valued, and the marriage relationship so easily adulterated, or sullied, can be better appreciated by comparing the American races with the Sandwich Islanders. It is said that one hundred years ago there were (400,000) four hundred thousand inhabitants on these islands, healthy, prolific, and, in their peculiar way, prosperous; but since the importation and propagation of syphilis amongst that people, they have dwindled to (40,000) forty thousand, with a death rate equal to, if not exceeding, the birth rate; and as matter of fact it will be only a few decades when these people must become extinct, unless a check is made to the depopulating disease which is now threatening them, or unless the islands are peopled by a foreign element whose mode of living will be within the limits of a sanitary surveillance worthy of the name. Beside a very heavy death rate, there is another factor working against the islanders, and that is sterility, which is common to a very large number, both male and female, owing primarily to the thorough work of this disease, which has been described as “riding a man through the world and then jumping on his ghost and riding it through eternity”. It is but right, looking these facts sternly in the face, for the government to look after the welfare of the races, black and white, and especially our own race, because as yet the race is infantile in the correct mode of living, ignorant of sanitary laws, and often heedless when known, and blind yet as to the daily and inexorable laws of nature to which all humanity must conform in order to be healthy and happy; the importance of this the race has not yet been taught. The Jew is well provided for. His dietary is on a higher and more wholesome basis than the most fastidious American can boast of, and he sees that his food is not only prepared well for the table, but that it is killed scientifically. They hold circumcision in high esteem only as an ordinance enjoined as a sanitary necessity – a health safeguard. At the present rapidity by which the venereal taint is being propagated among the coloured people, even mere children being the worst sufferers, owing to fear and an attempt at secrecy, it will only be a matter of time when we will wish to call a halt; but it will be too late. [4] Daniel’s Texas Medical Journal, Vol. 5, July 1889, pp. 7-11 Comment from Kansas Apropos of Dr Vandavel’s article in Daniel’s Texas Medical Journal, entitled, “Circumcision enforced by law”, we do not think the people of Kansas would submit to such an apparent infringement of their personal rights, even if they are all willing to have their meat and drink restricted by temperance and prohibitory amendments. Some medical writers claim that the tonsils are not essential to mankind; other organs are likely to be attacked soon in a similar manner; the capillary adornment of many of our scientific heads is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and we must call a halt in the near future, or we will answer to the melancholy Jacques’ description: “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”. But, without adding constitutional amendment, it would be well if about half our male population were in the condition of the Shechemites when they were attacked by Simeon and Levy (Genesis xxxiv, 24 and 25). [5] False modesty too often manifests itself in a neglect of the toilet of the prepuce, and we heartily agree with Dr Vandavel that the elongated foreskin predisposes to venereal disease and adds not a whit to the beauty or utility of the organ. Kansas Medical Journal, Vol. 1, 1889, p. 208 2. Compulsory circumcision to solve “the Negro rape problem” In the 1880s, compulsory circumcision was urged as means of helping the “coloured race” overcome its infantile ignorance of the laws of hygiene and protect it from syphilis and many other diseases. In the 1890s, however, the emphasis shifted: circumcision was now to be enforced as a means of curtailing and controlling Black sexuality and protecting white women from assault by sex-crazed niggers. The charge was led by long-time circumcision crusader, Dr Peter Charles Remondino. Dr Remondino’s surgical option, 1894 The study of anthropological science in its broadest sense and in its applicability, or as a basis for preventing ill-conditions, is something that is very much neglected. The intimate relations – suggestive, reflex and retroactive – that exist between the body and the mind are things not sufficiently taken into account. The mind is not so much to be praised or always held to be as culpable as many affect to believe. Zimmerman, the eminent Hanoverian physician, relates in his works the case of a wonderfully bright German boy, whose quick and penetrating intellect was the pride of his village, who lost all his great mental gifts and soon relapsed into the stupidity of the average village lad of his surroundings on the removal of a tapeworm, which had for years inhabited his intestinal canal. An overflowing bladder as well as an irritating and ulster-proportioned and over-generously sebaceoused and generally too robust prepuce, will often cause the simulation of the evidences of an over-exuberant and impatient virility, something which should have for its only prompters over-filled or distended seminal vesicles. From our observations and experience in such cases, we feel fully warranted in suggesting the wholesale circumcision of the Negro race as an efficient remedy in preventing the predisposition to discriminate raping so inherent in that race. We have seen this act as a valuable preventive measure in cases where an inordinate and unreasoning as well as morbid carnal desire threatened physical shipwreck; if in such cases the morbid appetite has been removed or at least brought within manageable and natural bounds, we cannot see why it should not – at least in a certain beneficial degree – also affect the moral stamina of a race proverbial for the leathery consistency, inordinate redundancy, generous sebaceousness and general mental suggestiveness and hypnotizing influence of an unnecessary and rape, murder and lynching breeding prepuce. It would certainly be more humane for a State legislature to pass an act legalizing and enforcing circumcision as a preventive measure, just as it would enforce either vaccination or quarantine regulations, than to enact laws to castrate or eunuchize the accused after his infraction of the laws. The many burnings, hangings, shootings and stonings that have of late taken place should suggest the search of the physical cause of this law-breaking and of some preventive measures; the radical means adopted by mobs certainly cure the burned, hung, shot or stoned to death, but they seem in no wise to act as preventative in others. Circumcision, as a preventive measure, certainly stands at the head of all possible suggested measures. Were criminal anthropology a more advanced or practised science we should have had a cast of the prepuces of Col. Valentine Baker as well as that of the Rev. Mr Bell. When Clothaire subdued a Saxon rebellion he caused all the Saxon prisoners who exceeded in height the length of his good double-handed sword to be immediately decapitated. If on examination the prepuces of these two moral anarchists should have shown any proportionate relationship to those sported by the natives of Senegambia, they should then at once have been judicially excised – a procedure which would have effectually prevented any moral relapse and which, in the end, would only have gained for them a moral, mental and physical betterment. Although the male Jews are much given to unholy and unedifying carnal pursuits, and in that field make records only equalled by the great Nimrod as a hunter, still, we never hear of a Jewish rapist. It would be well for the legislative Solons of our border and our Southern States to seriously investigate this question. in all of its bearings. With the discovery of cocaine and idioform gauze, catgut sutures and of the artistic and serviceable dressings that can be made from a combination of aseptic gauze and of dextrine in alcoholic solution, circumcision can no longer be termed either barbarous, dangerous, annoying, painful, nor labour or occupation interfering; the operation is simple, quickly done, and with a permanent dressing that will need no renewing, the circumcised may go to work in the field, store, at the desk or in the court or pulpit – the sutures and healing taking care of themselves – the patient himself often being able to remove the dressing on the sixth or seventh day and find perfect recovery. If an infant, the wound should be simply dusted with a powder composed of two thirds boracic acid and one third aristol, care being taken to keep the parts perfectly dry by dusting with the above several times daily and avoiding the contact of any cloth and not bathing the parts until complete union and cicatrization have taken place. In the South negro male children are much more subject to nervous disorders than girls. Tetanus and ailments of a kindred nature, convulsions, strabismus and like disorders which we have been induced by preputial irritation are not uncommon affections with the little negro males. Tetanus is especially a very sudden, severe and fatal disease with our little African cousins, and the relations that preputial adhesions and such like irritations bear as etiological factors have not as yet been sufficiently investigated, although their position as such factors are obvious. An uncontrollable degree of zealous piety and fervour at the shrine of Venus Porcina as a racial trait should most certainly lead us to look for its cause in the same lines wherein we should look for a like condition in the average female. To simply look upon it as a racial immoral trait or as a furor Africanus only to be cured by the stake and the faggot or the contents of half a dozen Winchester magazines can hardly be considered sanity or being abreast of fin de siecle nineteenth century scientific and humane advancement. Such remedies are rather more in keeping with thought and actions that prevailed before the revival of medicine, when the unfortunate demented were chained like demoniacs in out-of-the-way dungeons or chased about the streets like made dogs. There are anatomical or pathological reasons for this condition – which is akin to epilepsy – that should remove it from being investigated from the single plane of the moralist, and the subject I assuming such proportions that it should be worthy of an investigation at the hands of a scientific and competent commission. The sociologist will naturally ask, “Was the condition existing in ante-bellum days? Has it a since-the-war foundation? What sociological changes have the coloured raced undergone since the war that would develop such a trait, or has unconfined and riotous liberty reawakened traits that prevailed in the race before their transportation from the wilds of Africa? Have they lost the affinity that should attract them to the female of their own race, or what are the causes that drive them to seek the females of the white race?” The purely medical man will look for pathological causes or in differing physiological conditions. The purely sentimental moralist has no legitimate position in such an inquiry any more than a bull in a china shop. We here see the constant need of the existence in our nation of a body analogous to the French Academy. Such a body composed of tried and seasoned scientists – not mere dilettantes who simply join this or that scientifically presumed body to give them the airs of men of science – from literature, the arts, and from the three sister sciences, would investigate such a subject from some tangible base. Were such a body to exist, their deliberations and findings would, on being transmitted or reported to Congress, receive the attention of that body, and some other solution for the subject be found for their remedy besides kerosene and tar saturated faggots or hangings and bullet riddling. … [etc etc etc] P.C. Remondino MD, "Questions of the day: Negro rapes and their social problems", National Popular Review, Vol. 4, January 1894, p. 3-6 The Maryland Medical Journal agrees A great deal has been said and written upon the question of rape by the Negro in the south. The brutal and uncontrollable passion of the Negro has been traced to a variety of causes, the chief of which has been referred to a perversion of his sexual instincts and ungoverned sexual passion. The treatment for this peculiar crime has been, so far, extremely radical. The individual has, with rare exceptions, paid for his lust by accepting violent forms of death. Lynching and other forms of torture have shown no tendency to check the criminal practices of this unfortunate class. Among the remedies proposed, legal castration has very warm advocates. It is quite doubtful whether this method could be made to reach any large number of cases, nor is it probable that a law could be enforced with any degree of justice or humanity that would be practicable and efficient. A recent suggestion has been made by Dr P.C. Remondino, in the National Popular Review (January 1894), which throws some light on this question, and is, at least, worthy of consideration. Dr Remondino is a well known student and writer on the subject of circumcision. He has made researches into the origin and practices of this religious rite by the Jewish and other races, and has studied its influences from a physical, moral and religious standpoint. He has observed that whilst male Jews are noted for their strong sexual proclivities, such a character as a Jewish rapist is never heard of. He attributes this fact to the practice of circumcision, and he now suggests that the legal enforcement of circumcision among the Negro race would effectually remedy the predisposition to aping inherent in this race. He says: “We have seen this act as a valuable preventive measure in cases where an inordinate and unreasoning as well as morbid carnal desire threatened physical shipwreck; if in such cases the morbid appetite has been removed or at least brought within manageable and natural bounds, we cannot see why it should not – at least in a certain beneficial degree – also affect the moral stamina of a race proverbial for the leathery consistency, inordinate redundancy, generous sebaceousness and general mental suggestiveness and hypnotizing influence of an unnecessary and rape, murder and lynching breeding prepuce. “It would certainly be more humane for a State legislature to pass an act legalizing and enforcing circumcision as a preventive measure, just as it would enforce either vaccination or quarantine regulations, than to enact laws to castrate or eunuchize the accused after his infraction of the laws.” The male Negro child, he claims, is subject to many nervous disorders from slight irritation. This characteristic follows him through life. An enlarged prepuce is assigned as the most frequent cause of irritation, and its removal, he believes, will lead to the stopping of sexual crimes and to the moral improvement of the race. There is much good sense in this suggestion, as there is much good sense in the practice of circumcision among neurotic male children of the white race. The general adoption of circumcision as a legal measure for any class would, no doubt, meet with violent opposition. It seems practicable, however, to secure much success in this direction from the co-operation of the medical profession. If circumcision was more frequently advised and practised as a hygienic and preventive measure in selected cases, we feel assured much good would result to society from such a measure. Such suggestions are entitled to careful reflection and consideration. “Circumcision for the correction of sexual crimes among the Negro race”, Maryland Medical Journal, Vol. 30, February 1894, pp. 345-6 So does the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (Now the New England Journal of Medicine) The solution to the yearly more serious problem of Negro rape in the south is a most difficult but important task. Lynching, with its attendant tortures, has proved as useless as it is atrocious. In the November number of the Virginia Medical Monthly, Dr Lydston strongly advised legal castration as a remedy; and he is supported in a more recent issue of the Texas Medical Journal, by Dr Daniel. The quieting effect of this treatment upon each criminal would, of course, be efficient for that one man, but it is doubtful how far it would carry a deterrent warning to other Negroes in the blinding heat of lust. Dr P.C. Remondino, in the January number of the National Popular Review, urges the adoption, not of expiatory laws, but of preventive legislation. It is not rational, he claims, to look upon the unbridled licentiousness of the Negro solely as a racial trait. The Negro child, especially the male, is subject to many nervous disorders from slight irritation, and this characteristic he carried with him to adult life. Accordingly, Dr Remondino sees in the removal of “an irritating and ulster-proportioned prepuce” the efficient and gentle means of stopping the sexual crimes and improving the moral system of the Negro race. He says: “Although the male Jews are much given to unholy and unedifying carnal pursuits, and in that field make records only equalled by the great Nimrod as a hunter, still, we never hear of a Jewish rapist. “From our observations and experience in such cases, we feel fully warranted in suggesting the wholesale circumcision of the Negro race as an efficient remedy in preventing the predisposition to discriminate raping so inherent in that race. We have seen this act as a valuable preventive measure in cases where an inordinate and unreasoning as well as morbid carnal desire threatened physical shipwreck; if in such cases the morbid appetite has been removed or at least brought within manageable and natural bounds, we cannot see why it should not – at least in a certain beneficial degree – also affect the moral stamina of a race proverbial for the leathery consistency, inordinate redundancy, generous sebaceousness and general mental suggestiveness and hypnotizing influence of an unnecessary and rape, murder and lynching breeding prepuce. “It would certainly be more humane for a State legislature to pass an act legalizing and enforcing circumcision as a preventive measure, just as it would enforce either vaccination or quarantine regulations, than to enact laws to castrate or eunuchize the accused after his infraction of the laws.” “The solution of the Negro rape problem”, Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 130, February 1894, pp. 126-7 Circumcision and castration: The contribution of Dr G. Frank Lydston “Sexual crimes among the southern Negroes – Scientifically considered” Virginia Medical Monthly, May 1893 (extracts) Dear Dr Lydston, – After reading your paper on “Sexual Perversion” I am induced to ask you to give me … some scientific explanation of the sexual perversion in the Negro of the present day. Before the late War between the States, rape by a Negro of a white woman was almost unknown; now the newspapers tell us how common it is. The crime of a Negro assaulting a white woman seems to be growing in frequency. … It is not the legal, moral or political aspect of this perverted sexuality in the Negro upon which I ask your opinion. The subject has been discussed in these ways, and without any good. I want you … to investigate it as a scientific physician – one who has devoted much time to this and kindred matters. I do not know, in all this land, one so capable of making the examination complete, and I sincerely hope the investigation may result in some benefit to the negro race. … Sincerely your friend Hunter McGuire "I'm glad you asked me that, Dorothy... " [In a lengthy and verbose reply, Lydston first enumerated seven “special causes” which accounted “for the frequency with which the crime of rape is perpetrated by the Negro in this country.”] 1. Hereditary influences descending from the uncivilized ancestors of our Negroes. When we take into consideration the ancestry of the American Negro, and reflect upon the peculiar sexual relations sustained by that ancestry, it is by no means surprising that ancestral traits crop out occasionally. Marriage among certain Negro tribes is as close a simulation to what is designated rape in civilized communities as could be well imagined. … 2. A disproportionate development of the animal propensities associated with a relatively low differentiation of type. … [Thanks to white blood and association with the white race] the mulatto may be much less liable to sexual crimes than his Negro ancestor. 3. A relatively defective development of what may be termed the centers of psychological inhibition. This defect is characteristic of all races of a low grade of civilization and a relatively low grade of intellectual development. … 4. Physical degeneracy involving chiefly the higher and more recently acquired attributes, with a distinct tendency to reversion to type, which reversion is especially manifest in the direction of sexual proclivities. … 5. The removal of certain inhibitions placed upon the Negro by the conditions which slavery imposed upon him; these were removed by liberation. … It should be by no means surprising that the Negro, when thrown upon his own responsibility, with a complete removal of all the inhibitory influences of his previous bondage, should be unable to adapt himself to his new environment. This is by no means apologetic for the criminal acts of the Negro, but is simply an argument worthy of the consideration of those sentimental idiots who believe that the Negro question is one entirely of skin and political complexion. Such sentimentalists will one day awaken to a realization of the fact that the Negro question is one of the most serious with which we are confronted at the present time, and one which may be settled by the physical degeneracy and death of the Negro race, but which can only be settled in that way. It certainly cannot be settled by political manipulations of any kind, or by sentimental arguments. 6. An inherent unadaptability to his environment both from a moral and legal standpoint, the result of his unadaptability being an imperfect or perverted conception of his relations to his environment. … 7. An incapacity of appreciation of the dire results to himself of sexual crimes. This incapacity is quite characteristic of individuals of a low type of organization, and such little sense of personal responsibility as a large proportion of the Negro race possess is readily inhibited by excitement of the lower brain centers, such as may be produced by anger, alcohol or the furor sexualis. … When all inhibitions of a high order have been removed by sexual excitement, I fail to see any difference from a physical point of standpoint between the sexual furor of the Negro and that which prevails among the lower animals in certain instances and at certain periods. … The furor sexualis in the Negro resembles similar attacks in the bull and elephant, and the running amuck of the Malay race. [What to do?] [Turning to the question of the remedy for these problems, Lydston asserted that he was not going to discuss the question “from the standpoint of political buncomb [?bunkum], maudlin sentimentality and intentional bias of certain blatherskite newspapers in the North”, but was going to be “entirely utilitarian”. While he felt that Judge Lynch had “accomplished great good in many isolated instances”, Lydston was not in favour of capital punishment because it was manifestly not a deterrent. What he favoured was something lingering that would present a constant spectacle of fear to others – namely, both castration and circumcision of the offender.] I object to any method of punishment which is followed by forgetfulness on the part of surviving prospective criminals. With them, current events soon obliterate all recollections of the criminal, his crime, and its punishment. To my mind there is only one logical method of dealing with capital crimes and criminals of the habitual class – namely, castration. This method of punishment leaves behind it evidence which will prove a wholesome warning to criminals of like propensities. It prevents the criminal from perpetuating his kind. The murderer is likely to lose much of his savageness; violator loses not only the desire, but the capacity for a repetition of his crime, if the operation be supplemented by penile mutilation according to the Oriental method. A few emasculated Negroes scattered around through the thickly-settled Negro communities of the South would really prove the conservation of energy, as far as the repression of sex crimes was concerned. Executed, they would be forgotten; castrated and free, they would be a constant warning and ever-present admonition to others of their race. “Sexual crimes among the southern Negroes – Scientifically considered – An open correspondence between Hunter McGuire MD, LLD of Richmond, Va, and G. Frank Lydston, MD, of Chicago, Ill”, Virginia Medical Monthly, Vol. XX (2), May 1893, pp. 105-125 G. Frank Lydston Lydston was Professor of Genito-Urinary Surgery and Syphilology at the State University of Illinois. He was the author of many books and articles on sexual pathology and a prominent advocate of both castration of Negroes for sexual offences and of surgical eugenics, as well as universal circumcision of boys as a deterrent against masturbation and a prophylactic against other diseases. This meant sterilization of criminals and other forms of the unfit as a means of controlling various “social diseases”. In his book Diseases of Society (1905) he wrote: “not only crime, but all of the diseases of society [are] … more or less remediable by castration or resection of the vasa differentia and the Falloppian tubes”. (“Sex mutilations in social therapeutics”, New York Medical Journal, Vol. XCV (14), 6 April 1912, pp. 677-85.) For further details, see Philip Reilly, The surgical solution: A history of involuntary sterilization in the United States (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991), pp. 37-8. Lydston was also a keen supporter of Cesar Lombroso’s theories of hereditary criminality and of his belief that character could be determined by skull measurements, the so-called science of craniometry. See G. Frank Lydston, “Studies of criminal crania”, in Addresses and Essays, 2nd edn (Louisville, Ky: Renz and Henry, 1892), pp. 65-92. He was frequently cited as an authority by other circumcision advocates, such as Abraham Wolbarst, particularly in his “Universal circumcision as a sanitary measure”, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 62, 1914, p. 95 JAMA enters the debate: Circumcision and prophylaxis of syphilis The Negro springs from the southern race, and as such his sexual appetite is strong; all of his environments stimulate this appetite, and as a general rule his emotional type of religion certainly does not decrease it. Both Quillian [6] and Murrell [7] state that they have never examined a Negro girl over 16 years of age who was a virgin, and the leading Negro physicians of Washington admit that virginity is very rare among the poorer members of their race. … [What to do?] The prophylaxis of syphilis in the Nero race is especially difficult, for it is impossible to persuade the poor variety of Negro that sexual gratification is wrong, even when he is in the actively infectious stage. It is probable that sex hygiene lectures will not have the slightest effect on this type, especially when one considers the risks that many of our own medical students run. As regards personal prophylaxis, all male babies should be circumcised, both for the purpose of avoiding local irritation which will increase the sexual appetite and for preventing infection. It is questionable whether adult Negroes should not be taught the use of prophylactic packages, which appear to have worked much good in certain quarters. H.H. Hazen, “Syphilis in the American Negro”, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. LXIII (6), 8 August 1914, pp. 463-468 Racist stereotyping lives on The same racist assumptions about Negro promiscuity, licentiousness and ignorance were apparent in Eugene Hand’s promotion of circumcision as a preventive of venereal disease in 1949. It is easy to see the same white fear and jealousy of Black sexuality, and the same determination to limit and suppress it, in contemporary suggestions that African blacks should be circumcised to “protect them” from HIV-AIDS. As Dr Eugene Hand wrote: Through the ages, Jews have universally been circumcised on the eighth day after birth. This procedure as given them protection against venereal disease even when they have been exposed. Though they may be promiscuous in their own race, Jews certainly are less promiscuous than Negroes. When infected they tend to seek medical advice early. Thus venereal disease has not been introduced into the Jewish race generation after generation. Instead the rate has remained the same or decreased, so that the chance of Jews’ being infected has decreased. Circumcision is not common among Negroes. When done it often is later in life and frequently is due to recurrent venereal disease. The sex education of most Negroes is meager. They tend to accept venereal disease with less fear or social taboo than do most Jews and gentiles. Many Negroes are promiscuous. In Negroes there is little circumcision, little knowledge or fear of venereal disease and promiscuity in almost a hornet’s nest of infection. Thus the venereal rate in Negroes has remained high. Eugene Hand, “Circumcision and venereal disease”, Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology, Vol. 60, 1949, pp. 345-6 FURTHER INFORMATION Peter Charles Remondino AIDS and circumcision Robert Darby, “Where doctors differ: The debate on circumcision as a protection against syphilis, 1855-1914”, Social History of Medicine, Vol. 16, Spring 2003 Laura M. Bogart and Sheryl Thorburn, “Are HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs a Barrier to HIV Prevention Among African Americans?”, Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Vol. 38, No. 2, February 2005, pp. 213-18 Full text available here Discussion of article here NOTES and REFERENCES 1. The journal was edited by Dr. F.E. Daniel (d. 1914), a fanatical crusader for surgical solutions to both medical and social problems. He particularly advocated the castration of “insane criminals and sex perverts”, and supported a Texas bill providing that persons found guilty of rape, attempted rape or incest should be castrated – a measure that was passed by the House, but rejected by the Senate in 1907. He also lent his weight to the widespread movement to introduce sterilization of the insane and otherwise “unfit” on eugenic grounds. In 1894 he gave his warm support to Dr Pilcher, the superintendent of the Asylum for Idiots and Feebleminded Youths at Winfield, Kansas, when he revealed that he had castrated 44 boys and 14 girls for persistent masturbation. Daniel’s editorial praised the salubrious effects of castration and asserted that “these operations are occurring constantly”. Details from Philip Reilly, The surgical solution: A history of involuntary sterilization in the United States (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991), pp. 37-8, 29. See also Ronald Hamowy, “Medicine and the crimination of sin: ‘Self-abuse’ in 19th century America”, Journal of Libertarian Studies, Vol. 1, 1977, pp. 229-270, and Robert Darby, “Circumcision as a preventive of masturbation: A review of the historiography”, Journal of Social History, Vol. 36, Spring 2003. 2. On the medical construction of the ancient Jewish prophets as forward-looking sanitarians, see Leonard Glick, Marked in your flesh: Circumcision from Ancient Judea to modern America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005) 3. An assumption common among medical researchers with a cause, and underlying the position of many circumcision advocates today: that if they can show that a procedure, no matter how costly, risky or mutilating, has or may have some prophylactic effects against a feared disease, it is perfectly acceptable to enforce it on children or other ignorant persons without any requirement of informed consent, and without having to offer equally effective, but non-injurious, alternatives. The case of circumcision as a protection against AIDS comes to mind. 4. The sort of doomsaying alarmism typical of medical scaremongers: the situation is so critical that unless the world quickly adopts my own patent solution to the problem, we face certain ruin. A line popular among old style quacks, who were fond of painting lurid scenarios of the disasters that would inevitably befall unless people bought their liniment or paid them for certain intimate surgical procedures. 5. In this well known Bible story, the Hebrews agreed to let the Hivite men marry some of their women on condition that they submitted to circumcision. While they were recovering from their wounds, and thus helpless, Hebrew warriors attacked and massacred them all (Genesis xxxiv, 24 and 25). 6. Quillian, Med. Era. St Louis, xx, 1911, p. 416; Am. Jour. Dermat. and Genito-Urin., x, 1906, p. 277 7. Thomas W. Murrell, “Syphilis and the American Negro: A medico-sociological study”, JAMA, Vol. LIV (11), 12 March 1910, pp. 846-49. This article drew heavily on, though did not cite, Lydston’s comments in the article, “Sexual crimes among the southern Negroes”, Virginia Medical Monthly, May 1893.The eighth-grader shot by a Baltimore police officer who mistook a BB gun the boy had for a real firearm will not be charged with a crime, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Saturday. Dedric Colvin's mother, Volanda Young, also will not be charged with a crime, Davis said. He spoke during a panel discussion hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists at Morgan State University. "Absolutely not. He's not going to be charged. The mother's not going to be charged. That's not going to happen," Davis said. Dedric was shot in the shoulder and leg on April 27 by a plainclothes officer on the one-year anniversary of riots that followed the death of Freddie Gray from spinal injuries suffered in police custody. After Dedric was shot, Young said she was handcuffed and placed in a cell before being released. Davis has said that Young was belligerent and that officers made "a judgment call." Police said Dedric is 13 years old; the family has said he is 14 years old. He attends City Springs Middle School. Davis has defended the officer's actions, but lamented the boy was injured. Police have said Dedric was carrying a "replica" gun and ran from police, and Davis has said officers can't wait to determine if a gun is real before taking action. Panelist and activist Korey Johnson criticized Davis and the Police Department, saying it seemed they were seeking empathy when a black teenager was the one who was hurt. Activist DeRay Mckesson, who ran and lost in the Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday, said that the actions police took during a bomb scare Thursday at Fox 45 studios seemed far "more measured" than the actions taken to disarm Dedric. Alex Michael Brizzi, a 25-year-old white man, has been charged in the bomb scare. He was shot by police during the incident. Davis said those two situations were "apples and oranges." The commissioner also said that if his sons had been in Dedric's situation, the outcome might have been different. "They're two 13-year-old white kids," Davis said. "If they had a gun in their hand, would it be perceived differently? Yeah, I'd be the first one to admit that." Davis said Dedric is expected to heal physically, but he is "worried about him emotionally and mentally" and wants to remain involved in the boy's life. "I'd like to figure out how we can otherwise contribute to him in his years ahead, and I don't know what that looks like right now," Davis said. "I don't want to walk away from that young person." Dedric's family is being represented by attorney William H. "Billy" Murphy, who declined to comment Saturday. Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, said she sees Davis' efforts to improve police conduct and community relations. But, she said, some officers do not follow orders, and that is "beyond the commissioner's control." "I don't think that they're being defiant. I think there are some police that are racist. I think there's some police that don't understand the communities that they work in, and that's the thing that needs to change," Hill-Aston said. krector@baltsun.com twitter.com/rectorsun bbritto@baltsun.com twitter.com/brittanybrittoBANGKOK — Protesters seeking to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra disrupted Thailand’s general election on Sunday in what appeared to be a prelude to more political upheaval. The opposition forces, who represent a minority of Thais and are seeking to replace the country’s elected government with an appointed council of technocrats, said they would challenge the election results in court while continuing to hold street demonstrations in Bangkok, the capital. Protesters stopped the distribution of ballot boxes on Sunday and pressed election officials to call off voting in a number of districts in Bangkok and in most of southern Thailand, the stronghold of the protest movement. Although no violence was reported during voting hours, a battle in the capital on Saturday between would-be voters and gunmen allied with the protesters left at least seven people wounded and might have deterred voters the next day. One of those unable to vote on Sunday was an election commissioner, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, whose polling place in Bangkok was shut because protesters prevented the delivery of ballot boxes. Furious Bangkok residents filed complaints at police stations while protesters nearby, many of them looking threatening with military-style clothing and covered faces, blocked access to roads near polling places.- Police are looking for the man who shoved a bag of feces down a woman's shorts on the Upper East Side and then ran off. The bizarre incident occurred at 6 p.m. Monday on East 74th Street near First Avenue. The man allegedly grabbed
gonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBaileyThe general assumption in our culture is that children must be taught to read. Vast amounts of research go into trying to figure out the scientifically best way to do this. In the stacks of any major university library you can find rows and rows of books and many journals devoted solely to the topic of how to teach reading. In education circles heated debates--dubbed "the reading wars"--have raged for decades between those who believe that most emphasis should be placed on teaching phonics and those who take what is called a "whole language" approach to reading instruction. Many controlled experiments have been conducted comparing one instruction method to another, with kindergartners and first graders as the guinea pigs. The phonics people say that their method has "won" in those experiments, and the whole language people say that the experiments were rigged. The evidence from the standard schools is that reading does not come easily to kids. Huge amounts of time and effort go into teaching reading, from preschool on through most of the elementary school years. In addition, educators encourage of young children to teach reading at home in order to prepare the children for reading instruction in school or to supplement that instruction. Large industries have developed around the creation and of instructional materials for this purpose. There is no end to interactive computer programs, videos, and specially sequenced books designed--"scientifically," according to their proponents--to teach phonics and provide a growing base of sight words for beginning readers. I recently read an article by two scientists claiming that the next development in reading instruction is going to be individualized instruction.[1] According to the authors, modern brain imaging methods will be used to figure out the unique learning style of each child, and digital text-delivery programs will be used to teach reading to each child according to his or her unique needs and way of learning. The authors and their colleagues are, indeed, working on developing such systems. To me, this seems silly. The unique needs of each child, as they affect learning to read, are not just functions of differences in brain hardware, but vary from day to day and moment to moment based on the child's specific experiences, wishes, and whims, which the child himself or herself controls. I'll begin to believe these researchers' claims when I see evidence that brain imaging can be used to predict, in advance, the contents of daydreams. In marked contrast to all this frenzy about teaching reading stands the view of people involved in the "unschooling" movement and the Sudbury "non-school" school movement, who claim that reading need not be taught at all! As long as kids grow up in a literate society, surrounded by people who read, they will learn to read. They may ask some questions along the way and get a few pointers from others who already know how to read, but they will take the initiative in all of this and orchestrate the entire process themselves. This is individualized learning, but it does not require brain imaging or cognitive scientists, and it requires little effort on the part of anyone other than the child who is learning. Each child knows exactly what his or her own learning style is, knows exactly what he or she is ready for, and will learn to read in his or her own unique way, at his or her unique schedule. Twenty-one years ago two of my undergraduate students conducted a study of how students learn to read at the Sudbury Valley School, where students are free all day to do as they wish (look back at my essay on Sudbury Valley).[2] They identified sixteen students who had learned how to read since enrolling in the school and had received no systematic reading instruction, and they interviewed the students, their parents, and school staff to try to figure out when, why, and how each of them learned to read. What they found defied every attempt at generalization. Students began their first real reading at a remarkably wide range of ages--from as young as age 4 to as old as age 14. Some students learned very quickly, going from apparently complete non-reading to fluent reading in a matter of weeks; others learned much more slowly. A few learned in a conscious manner, systematically working on phonics and asking for help along the way. Others just "picked it up." They realized, one day, that they could read, but they had no idea how they had learned to do so. There was no systematic relationship between the age at which students had first learned to read and their involvement with reading at the time of the interview. Some of the most voracious readers had learned early and others had learned late. My son, who is a staff member at Sudbury Valley, tells me that that study is now out of date. His is that most Sudbury Valley students today are learning to read earlier, and with even less conscious effort than before, because they are immersed in a culture in which people are communicating regularly with the written word--in computer games, email,, cell-phone texting, and the like. The written word is not essentially different to them than the spoken word, so the biological machinery that all humans have for picking up spoken language is more or less automatically employed in their learning to read and write (or type). I'd to study this in some way, but so far haven't figured out how to do it without being intrusive. Several weeks ago (see post of January 6, 2010), I invited readers of this blog who are involved in unschooling or Sudbury model schooling to write to me with stories about learning to read without formal instruction. Eighteen people--most of whom identified themselves as parents of unschoolers--kindly shared their stories with me. Each story is unique. Just as my students found in their study at Sudbury Valley, there seems to be no pattern to how unschooled children today are learning to read. By listing and organizing the main points made by each story, I did, however, extract what seem to me to be seven principles that may cast some general on the process of learning to read without schooling. I have chosen to organize the remainder of this essay around these principles and to exemplify each with quotations from stories that were sent to me. Some of the people who sent stories asked that I use only their first names and not their children's names, so I will use that convention throughout. Seven Principles of Learning to Read Without Schooling 1. For non-schooled children there is no critical period or best age for learning to read. For children in standard schools, it is very important to learn to read on schedule, by the timetable dictated by the school. If you fall behind you will be unable to keep up with the rest of the curriculum and may be labeled as a "failure," or as someone who should repeat a grade, or as a person with some sort of mental handicap. In standard schools learning to read is the key to all of the rest of learning. First you "learn to read" and then you "read to learn." Without knowing how to read you can't learn much of the rest of the curriculum, because so much of it is presented through the written word. There is even evidence that failure to learn to read on schedule predicts subsequent naughtiness in standard schools. One longitudinal study, conducted in Finland, found that poor reading in preschool and kindergarten predicted poor reading later on in elementary school and also predicted subsequent "externalizing problem behavior," which basically means acting out.[3] But the story is entirely different for unschooled children. They may learn to read at any time, with no apparent negative consequences. The stories sent to me by readers of this blog include 21 separate cases of children learning to read in which the age of first real reading (reading and understanding of novel passages of text) was mentioned. Of these, two learned at age 4, seven learned at age 5 or 6, six learned at age 7 or 8, five learned at age 9 or 10, and one learned at age 11. Even within the same family, different children learned to read at quite different ages. Diane wrote that her first daughter learned to read at age 5 and her second daughter learned at age 9; Lisa W. wrote that one son learned at age 4 and another at age 7; and Beatrice wrote that one daughter learned before age 5 and the other at age 8. None of these children has difficulty reading today. Beatrice reports that the daughter who didn't read until age 8 is now 14 years old and "reads hundreds of books a year," "has written a novel," and "has won numerous poetry awards." Apparently, late reading is not inconsistent with subsequent extraordinary literary ability! This daughter did, however, show other signs of literary precocity well before she learned to read. According to Beatrice, she could recite from memory all of the poems in the Complete Mother Goose book by the time she was 15 months old. [Note: See Beatrice Ekwa Ekoko's excellent blog at http://radiofreeschool.blogspot.com/.] The message repeated most often in these stories of learning to read is that, because the children were not forced or coaxed into reading against their wills, they have positive attitudes about reading and about learning in general. This is perhaps most clearly stated by Jenny, who wrote, regarding her daughter (now 15) who didn't read well until age 11: "One of the best things that came out of allowing her to read at her own pace and on her own initiative was that she owned the experience, and through owning that experience she came to realize that if she could do that, she could learn anything. We have never pressured her to learn anything at all, ever, and because of that, her ability to learn has remained intact. She is bright and inquisitive and interested in the world around her." 2. Motivated children can go from apparent non-reading to fluent reading very quickly. In some cases unschooled children progress from non-reading to reading in what seems to observers to be a flash. For example, Lisa W. wrote: "Our second child, who is a visual thinker, didn't learn to read until he was 7. For years, he could either figure out what he needed to know from pictorial cues, or if stuck, would get his older brother to read to him. I remember the day he started reading. He had asked his older brother to read something to him on the computer and his brother replied, "I have better things to do than to read to you all day", and walked away. Within days [my Italics] he was reading quite well." Diane wrote, "My first daughter could not read when she turned 5 in March but by the end of that year she could read fluently, out loud, without pause or hesitation." And Kate wrote that her son, at age 9, "taught himself to read" in a period of just one month. In that time span he deliberately worked at reading, on his own, and progressed from being a hesitant, poor reader to highly fluent reading, well beyond what a standard school would have regarded as his "grade level." Such step-like progressions in overt reading ability may occur at least partly because earlier, more covert stages of learning are not noticed by observers and may not even be noticed by the learners. Karen attributes the rapid onset of reading that she observed in her son to a sudden gain in. She wrote: "Over this past summer, son A [now age 7] went from hiding his ability [to read at all] to reading chapter books. In a summer! Now, six months later, he feels confident enough in his reading ability that I regularly get up in the morning to find him reading aloud to his sister. He even offers to read to his father and me. This was unheard of a year ago when he hid his ability level from us in his and lack of confidence. I'm so glad we didn't push him!" 3. Attempts to push reading can backfire. Three of the people who sent me stories wrote that they at some point attempted to teach reading to their non-reading child and that the attempt seemed to have negative consequences. Here is what they said. Holli wrote that when her son was "about 3 1/2" she began trying to teach him reading. "I think the Bob books are stupidly repetitive and inane, but I found ones that were at least moderately engaging and had him start practicing them.... He really was not ready yet, I think, for actual reading, and whether he was or not, he resented being made to do something that wasn't his idea, so he resisted.... Pretty quickly I realized that in spite of the progress he was making in reading skill, I was doing more harm than good to my son, because I was making him hate reading. I immediately ceased formal instruction in reading, and just went back to reading to him whenever he wanted me to." Holli went on to note that, roughly two years later, her son "entirely surreptitiously" began to look at books on his own and eventually to read, apparently hiding his interest and practice so as not to feel pressured. Beatrice wrote, of her daughter who learned to read at age 8: "I too am of trying to ‘make her' read, when she turned 6, worried that the kids at school would be learning this skill and not wanting her to be left behind. After a couple of weeks of insisting she read and keep a journal with me spelling everything and she copying it all out, she told me flatly to ‘leave me alone,' that she would have no part in my scheme and would learn to read when she was ‘good and ready.'" And Kate, a homeschooling mom in the UK, wrote, concerning her attempts to teach reading to her son: "By age 9 he was resistant to any English and reading became a regular battle. He resisted it and found it boring and he was distracted, so finally I got over my own schooly head and tried a new policy of letting go. I said that I would never make him read again or even suggest it.... Over the next month he quietly went to his room... and taught himself to read.... I had spent four years teaching him the basics [when he wasn't interested], but am now sure that he could have learnt that in a few weeks." 4. Children learn to read when reading becomes, to them, a means to some valued end or ends. There's an old joke, which I recall first hearing several decades ago, about a child who reached age 5 without ever speaking a word. Then one day, at lunch, he said, "This soup is cold." His mom, practically falling over, said, "My son, you can talk! Why haven't you ever said anything before?" "Well," said the boy, "up until now the soup has always been warm." This story is completely apocryphal as applied to learning to talk, which is why we understand it to be a joke. Children learn to talk whether or not they really have to talk in order to get their needs met; they are genetically programmed for it. But the story, somewhat modified, could apply quite reasonably to learning to read. Children seem to learn to read, on their own, when they see some good reason for it. Many of the stories sent to me illustrate this idea. Here are some examples: Amanda wrote, concerning her daughter who attends a Sudbury model school: "She had consistently told people that she didn't know how to read until she made brownies this past November [at age 7]. She asked her father and myself to make her favorite brownies for her, but neither of us was willing to make them. A little while later she ran into the room and asked me if I would turn on the oven for her and find her a 9x11 pan (she said, "9 ex 11" instead of "9 by 11"). I got her a pan and turned on the oven. Later she ran in and asked me to put the brownies in the oven. Then she said, 'Ma, I think I can read now.' She brought me a few books that she then read out loud to me until she jumped up and said, ‘those brownies done. Will you take them out now?'... Now she tells people that she knows how to read and that she taught herself how." Idzie, a 19-year-old unschooled but beautifully educated blogger, sent me a link to an essay, on her blog, about her own of learning to read. She wrote, in part: "When I was something like age 8 or 9, my mother was reading the first Harry Potter book aloud to my sister and me. But, well, she had things to do other than read, and if she read too long, her voice would get hoarse. So, being quite frustrated at how slow a process this was, and really wanting to know what happened next, I picked it up and began to read." Marie, an unschooling mom, wrote about her son, now age 7: "[He] found the incentive to become a better reader through acting at a local theater. He has always been passionate about putting together ‘shows,' but now he is old enough to have real acting experience. He sees that reading is an integral part of this activity that he loves and it has given him a strong reason to grow and develop as a reader. He recently had a part in A Midsummer Night's Dream and had to read and memorize Shakespeare. It took no instruction on the part of a ‘teacher' whatsoever." Jenny wrote that her daughter, who didn't begin to read books until age 11, was able to satisfy her love of stories by being read to, watching movies, and checking out CDs and books on tape, from the library. She finally began reading because there was no other way for her to satisfy her interest in video games, such as ToonTown, and manga books, which require reading that nobody would do for her. 5. Reading, like many other skills, is learned socially through shared participation. Observations at Sudbury Valley School, and at other Sudbury model schools, suggest that many children there learn to read through age-mixed play. Non-readers and readers play games together, including computer games, with written words. To keep the game going, the readers read the words and the non-readers pick them up. Vincent Lopez, a staff member at the Diablo Valley School, a Sudbury model school, sent me this sweet example of age-mixed learning: "In the art room they are making signs to imitate a TV show that had just started. It is in my opinion, a dumb, low-, -driven, free for all show; I've let this be known before. In their own way they are processing the future to come.... but I digress. The jewel of this snippet is that the 5-year-old is attempting to read the sign with the help of his multi-aged peers....Students learn because they want to get the jokes, be more advanced like the peers around them." Nearly all of the stories from home unschoolers include examples of shared participation in reading. One of my favorites is that presented by Diane, who noted that her daughter, who learned to read at age 5, became interested in reading because of the family's regular Bible reading time. Before she could read she insisted on having her turn at Bible reading, "and she would just make up words as her turn!" Others wrote about shared family games involving words, or about shared television viewing in which the onscreen guide and captions would be read for the benefit of nonreaders. Over time, the nonreaders needed ever less help; they began recognizing and reading more and more words themselves. The most often mentioned examples of shared participation are those of parents, or sometimes siblings, reading stories to nonreaders, often as part of the bedtime ritual. Nonreaders look on, at the words as well as the pictures, and sometimes read some of the words; or they memorize books that have been read to them repeatedly, and then later they pretend to read the books while actually attending to some of the words. Pretend reading gradually becomes real reading. In previous essays I have referred to the great Russian developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky, whose main idea was that children develop new skills first socially, through joint participation with more skilled others, and then later begin to use the new skills privately, for their own purposes. That general principle certainly seems to hold in the case of reading. 6. Some children become interested in writing before reading, and they learn to read as they learn to write. At least seven of the people who sent me stories said that their child was interested in writing, or typing, either before or simultaneously with their initial interest in reading. Here are four examples: Marie wrote, of her son, now age 7: "He is an artist and spends hours drawing things, especially stories and inventions. So naturally he wished to make his pictures "talk" with captions, titles, instructions, and quotations.... There was a lot of ‘MOM? How do you spell Superdog wants to go home?' I would spell out the sentence and five minutes later, ‘MOM? How do you spell Superdog sees his house?'" This boy learned to read, at least partly, by reading the sentences that he, himself, had written. Beatrice told a similar story about her youngest daughter, who learned to read before age 5. "She learned to read from her desire to express herself through the written word. Starting from the time she could hold a pencil, be it writing a poem, a song, designing an ad, she needed me to tell her the spelling: ‘How do you spell beaver, how do you spell suggest?'" Lisa R. wrote of her son, who is presently in the midst of learning to read: "His reading skill relates to his writing efforts.... He has written short notes and story titles using his own phonetic spelling. Sometimes he asks how to spell words for a note or a book. Through repetition, he now remembers some of these words." Lisa W. wrote: "Our oldest child learned to read when he was 4 years old as a by-product of trying to find free online games on the computer. He would open the browser and ask me to spell free, then online, then games. All of a sudden he was reading." 7. There is no predictable "course" through which children learn to read. Lest you leave this essay with the that I and the people who have contributed these stories have taught you something useful about how to "teach" or "help" your child to read, I assure you we have not. Every child is unique. Your child must tell you how you can help, or not help. I have no idea about that, nor does any so-called reading expert. My only advice is, don't push it; listen to your child; respond appropriately to your child's questions, but don't go overboard by telling your child more than he or she wants to know. If you do go overboard, your child will learn to stop asking you questions. Quite a few of the people who wrote to me expressed surprise at the sequence that their child went through in learning to read. Some learned to read quite exotic words, which never appear in the primers, well before they learned simpler words. Some, as I said, learned to write before they could read. Some seemed to be learning at a rapid rate and then they just stopped for a couple of years before progressing further. We adults can enjoy watching all of this as long as we remember that it isn't our responsibility to change it. We're just observers and sometimes tools that our children use for their own chosen ends. ---------------- I am very to the people who took time to write their stories so thoughtfully and send them to me. I hope that many of you who have just read this essay will add to these stories with stories of your own, in the comments section below. It's high time that we created a real account of the many ways that unschooled children learn to read, an account to contrast with all those rows of books on teaching reading that exist in the education section of every university library. Finally, I can't resist ending with a little story about my son's learning to read. He was a very early reader, and one of the first indications of his reading ability occurred when he was about three and a half and we were looking at a Civil War monument in a town square somewhere in New England. He looked at the words, and then he said to me, "Why would men fight and die to save an onion?" ---------- See new book, Free to Learn ---------- Notes [1] D. Rose & B. Dalton (2009), Learning to read in the digital age. Mind, Brain, and Education, 3, 74-83. [2] R. M. Savio (1989), Self-initiative in the learning process; and A. DelGaudio (1989), SVS Reading Study. Unpublished senior honors theses. [3] A. Halonen et al., (2006). The role of learning to read in the development of problem behaviour: A cross-lagged longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 517-534.MMOHuts has partnered with R2Games to ring in the summer with Dragonbone Dynasty, a new fully featured MMORPG packed with squad strategy and a unique character creation system. Welcome to Dragonbone Dynasty! Prepare to set forth on a journey filled with action and excitement. Uncover the secrets of the old world, and restore the realm to full glory! Featuring a unique class system in a persistent online universe, players are free to make a name for themselves in the ranks of champions. Beta Pack Includes: Silver * 100 Common Salve * 2 Lv. 1 Jewel Pack * 2 Lv. 3 Experience Scroll * 5 To Redeem Your Key: Register for Dragonbone Dynasty here. . Click the Luxuries button located at the top of your screen. Enter your code into the input field and click the Collect button to see Gold credited instantly to your account. Giveaway is no longer active.Recently in Weigel Showing 1–20 of 8101 -30- Chris Christie, Better Than Ever Washington’s Acting Roles The Gaffe Police Are Back to Make Politics Glib and Boring Hey, Data Journalists: Lay Off the Scottish Referendum Pollsters The Senate’s Roll Call Vote on Syria, Explained A Clever Attempt at Explaining Away a Vote Against the Farm Bill In Defense of Congress Leaving Town Without a New War Vote Ex-Im Bank Creates New Jobs for Political Consultants From Fringe to Mainstream: How We Learned to Panic About Terrorists Crossing the Border Does This Colorado Poll Show Latino Voters Bailing on the 2014 Election? Once Again, a Climate Policy Hearing Descends Into Absurdity Here’s Who Voted to Fund Syrian Rebels and Get This ISIS Conflict Really Cooking How the First Benghazi Committee Hearing Humbled the Hillary Clinton State Department ISIS Helps Snuff Out Conservative Opposition to Government-Funding Bill Here It Is: The Flimsiest Campaign Attack Ad of 2014, Which Won’t Stop Running An Alaskan Nationalist on the Scottish Independence Movement Ted Cruz Will Not Join a Protest of The Death of Klinghoffer After All Kansas Secretary of State Loses Battle to Protect Senator From Tough Race “I’m Relieved That 70 Percent of People Believe Our Homeland Is Threatened”In May 2014, I invited the public to join me in helping the Whitney Museum of American Art with its illCLITERACY problem. My intervention included a new technology called CLITglass which can be worn by anyone interested in neutral vision. When viewers gaze through the perspective of the clit, phallocentric hubris in Museum exhibitions is filtered out, allowing the viewer to attain neutral vision. CLITglass can also be worn at work, while watching television or even at the gym. The second part of my intervention was creating CLITforms in primary colors. I excluded the color white, as the Whitney Museum seems to have white covered. Participants were invited to play a game "Put A Clit On It" whereby placing the unknown, un-curated CLITforms wherever they saw fit, in the Museum. For one night, we CLITdazzled the Whitney. You can see more of the intervention by following #CLITglass #PutAClitOnIT #WhiBi2014 My intervention was part of The Clitney Perennial which included 25+ artists and was organized by Go Push Pops and Anne Sherwood Pundyk.Last month, the Stokes County Board of Commissioners (in North Carolina) voted unanimously to put the words “In God We Trust” in the County Courthouse. While this is obviously a promotion of religion, legal arguments against it across the country have failed because advocates always argue “But it’s our motto!” and get away with it. But resident Steven Hewett (below) is now trying to use the same script to advance his own slogan: The Stokes County Board of Commissioners decided Monday night to consider a request adding “In Reason We Trust” on the Stokes County Courthouse. The commissioners will vote on the request… at their May 11 meeting in Danbury, said Darlene Bullins, the board’s clerk. Brilliant! Now, given what the Commissioners said last month — subtly applauding the Christian who brought forth the “In God We Trust” proposal — I don’t know that this discussion will go anywhere. But why not? If the sign would be free of charge and promote “reason” (as opposed to atheism), what argument would they have against it? “Reason is bad”? Of course not. By the way, if Hewett’s name is familiar to you, it’s probably because he’s a war veteran who fought a years-long lawsuit to remove a Christian flag from a local war memorial. In January, city officials accepted a settlement offer that got rid of the flag, removed a statue of a soldier kneeling before a cross, and paid the legal fees for Hewett’s attorneys. (Thanks to Brian for the link)With the GOP united against the Democratic bill, Mr. Obama said Sunday he would ask Republicans "to put their ideas on the table." The half-day meeting will be Feb. 25 and broadcast live, the White House said. "I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward," the president told CBS in an interview broadcast Sunday. The American people have overwhelmingly rejected both of the job-killing trillion-dollar government takeover of health care bills passed by the House and Senate. The problem with the Democrats' health care bills is not that the American people don't understand them; the American people do understand them, and they don't like them. "The best way to start on real, bipartisan reform would be to scrap those bills and focus on the kind of step-by-step improvements that will lower health care costs and expand access. The House Republican alternative, which would lower premiums by up to 10 percent while increasing access for Americans without health insurance, would be a solid starting point. I look forward to discussing these issues with the Democratic Leadership and the President." If we are to reach a bipartisan consensus, the White House can start by shelving the current health spending bill, and with it their goal of slashing a half trillion dollars from Medicare and raising a half trillion in new taxes. The American people want lower costs, not Medicare cuts and tax increases. Setting these proposals aside would be a sign that the administration and Democrats in Congress are listening to the country and are truly interested in a bipartisan approach. “The fact is Senate Republicans held hundreds of town halls and met with their constituents across the country last year on the need for health care reform, outlining ideas for the step-by-step approach that Americans have asked for. And we know there are a number of issues with bipartisan support that we can start with when the 2,700-page bill is put on the shelf.” real After going it alone on health care reform for nearly a year, President Obama has decided he wants to bring Republicans into the conversation. Here’s the problem: unless the President and Speaker Pelosi are willing to scrap their government take over and hit the reset button, there’s not much to talk about. Republicans believe the status quo is unacceptable, but so is any health reform package that spends money we don’t have or raises taxes on small businesses and working families in a recession. To that point, House Republicans have offered the only plan, that will lower health care costs, which is what the President said was the goal at the start of this debate. The President is adamant that we seize this historic moment to pass meaningful health insurance reform legislation. He began this process by inviting Republican and Democratic leaders to the White House on March 5 of last year, and he’s continued to work with both parties in crafting the best possible bill. He’s been very clear about his support for the House and Senate bills because of what they achieve for the American people: putting a stop to insurance company abuses, extending coverage to millions of hardworking Americans, getting control of rising premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and reducing the deficit. The President looks forward to reviewing Republican proposals that meet the goals he laid out at the beginning of this process, and as recently as the State of the Union Address. He’s open to including any good ideas that stand up to objective scrutiny. What he will not do, however, is walk away from reform and the millions of American families and small business counting on it. The recent news that a major insurer plans to raise premiums for some customers by as much as 39 percent is a stark reminder of the consequences of doing nothing. This morning-- in a discussion on CNN about Sarah Palin's scrawled notes on her hand at the teabagger convention-- former Reagan advisor Ed Rollins mentioned that the Republican Party is an opposition party and its job isn't to get things done for the American people in Washington but toPresident Obama from getting anything done. This harkens back, somewhat more politely, to what shrill reactionaries like Rush Limbaugh and Jon Kyl were screeching from the day Obama was overwhelmingly elected president with an electoral vote of 265-173, most of the 173 being former breakaway Confederate states plus much of the Mormon West. From the very beginning, the obstructionist Republicans have done everything they could to demonize Obama in the minds of the most gullible Americans-- and they have quite the media empire to facilitate just that-- and to undermine his authority with outlandish claims that his presidency is somehow "illegitimate."A cautious moderate, Obama has played into their treachery with his quest for a kind of bipartisanship they had already made clear they would never participate in. Yesterday, amidst all the hullabaloo over the Saints-- representing Blue America-- kicking the ass of the favored Colts-- representing Red America-- Obama announced a bipartisan forum for February 25 to sit down with leaders of both parties to work out the parameters for a healthcare reform bill. If it takes two to tango, this conference was D.O.A.In polling after the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, it seemed clear that voters there want a better healthcare bill than the corporate-friendly bill in the Senate. Republicans choose to interpret Brown's election as though the voters (nationwide) are demanding evensolutions than what the conservative Senate has hammered out. Republican reaction to Obama's invitation to work together was predictable-- and very much in line both with what Limbaugh said about wanting the president to fail and with what Rollins said today about not solving problems, just keeping the Democrats from solving them. In both cases, the underlying goal is to make the situation worse for Americans so that they react in anger against Democrats.When the Republicans tried this after they caused the Great Depression and FDR was swept into office with majorities in both houses of Congress, FDR and the Democrats were deft enough to turn the obstructionism against Republicans. The GOP's 270-164 seat majority in the House in 1928 sank to a 218-216 majority in 1930 and then turned around when FDR won the presidency in 1932 to a Democratic landslide everywhere in the country, the GOP losing 101 seats in the House to give the Democrats a 313-117 majority. The 117 Republicans embarked on an identical program of hysterical obstructionism and name-calling. But FDR and his team-- unlike Obama's inept Chicago team led by the blustery incompetent Rahm Emanuel -- knew how to deal with the treacherous Republicans. (Perhaps if David Plouffe calls the shots instead of Emanuel, the Democrats' electoral fortunes will start looking more like 1934 and less like 1994.) In the 1934 midterms the GOP lost 14 more seats, and in 1936-- FDR's first re-election-- the GOP, still hell-bent on obstructionism, was dealt another mighty blow from the public. With 15 more seats lost, itts 103 minority was turned into an 88 seat rump. A similar pattern was taking place in the Senate, where the former GOP majority was gradually cut down to a total of 17 seats by 1936.Both John Boehner, the GOP House leader, and Miss Mitch McConnell, the Senate leader, answered the president's call for bipartisan solutions with more hysterical right-wing posturing and extremist ideology. Boehner:The GOP "solution," as embodied in the "roadmap" prepared by Paul Ryan: gutting Medicare and Social Security and giving the wealthiest Americans bigger tax cuts in the hopes that some may trickle down to the rest of the country someday, although this has never worked in the history of mankind. And McConnell was just as discouraging of any kind of real intention of working together for the American people:Wall Street shill Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA-$3,677,585) speaks for the whole obstructionist GOP when he says that it doesn't matter that Obama won the presidency and that America elected more Democrats than Republicans in the House and in the Senate. If Obama wants GOP help to pass healthcare, he has to throw out all Democratic ideas and adopt the failed and rejected reactionary Republican ideology, which basicallyamounts to a Law of the Jungle (death panels) approach:Whether you're marking the birthday of Renoir, Meher Baba, Zeppo Marx, George Harrison or Carrot Top on February 25th, it's highly unlikely you will be celebrating any kind of a breakthrough that will make the healthcare system in America better for anyone other than the big insurance companies, which have spent so many millions of dollars bribing politicians and lying to the public.This is how Robert Gibbs responded to the obstructionist letter the White House got from Boehner and Cantor today on behalf of the Republican House caucus: Labels: bipartisanshipLast week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch announced that they were filing a request for the court to unseal any and all juvenile records for Michael Brown. They decided to file the request after lying liar and former Daily Caller writer Charles C. Johnson (who is NOT Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs) claimed Brown was facing felony murder charges. This was a classic effort to slime the victim because, well
My son died he ain’t live, but I still try to think positive Cause in life, God take, God give 15. KRS-ONE, WHY IS THAT, VERSE ONE- BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS The day begins, with a grin And a prayer to excuse my sins I can walk anywhere I choose Cause everybody listens to the B.D.P. crew We’re not here for glamour or fashion But here’s the question I’m askin Why is it young black kids taught {flashin?} They’re only taught how to read, write, and act It’s like teachin a dog to be a cat You don’t teach white kids to be black Why is that? Is it because we’re the minority? Well black kids follow me Genesis chapter eleven verse ten Explains the geneology of Chem Chem was a black man, in Africa If you repeat this fact they can’t laugh at ya Genesis fourteen verse thirteen Abraham steps on the scene Being a descendent of Chem which is a fact Means, Abraham too was black Abraham born in the city of a black man Called Nimrod grandson of Kam Kam had four sons, one was named Canaan Here, let me do some explaining Abraham was the father of Isaac Isaac was the father of Jacob Jacob had twelve sons, for real And these, were the children of Isreal According to Genesis chapter ten Egyptians descended from {Hahm,Kam} Six hundred years later, my brother, read up Moses was born in Egypt In this era black Egyptians weren’t right They enslaved black Isrealites Moses had to be of the black race Because he spent fourty years in Pharoah’s place He passed as the Pharoah’s grandson So he had to look just like him Yes my brothers and sisters take this here song Yo, correct the wrong The information we get today is just wack But ask yourself, why is that? 16. JAY-Z, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY, VERSE THREE Now you know ass is willie When they got you in a mag For like half a billi And your ass ain’t lily White That mean that shit you write must be illy Either that or your flow is silly It’s both I don’t mean to boast But damn if i don’t brag Them crackers gonna act like I ain’t on they ass The Martha Stewart That’s far from Jewish Far from a Harvard student Just had the balls to do it And no I’m not through with it In fact I’m just previewin it This ain’t the show i’m just EQ'in it One, Two and I won’t stop abusin it To groupie girls stop false accusin it Back to the music The Maybach roof is translucent Niggas got a problem Houston What up B They can’t shut up me Shut down I Not even P.E. I'ma ride God forgive me for my brash delivery But I remember vividly What these streets did to me So picture me Lettin these clowns nit pick at me Paint me like a pickaninny I will literally Kiss Tee-Tee in the forehead Tell her please forgive me Then squeeze until your forehead I’m not the one to score points off In fact I got a joint to knock your points off Young Hova the God nigga blast for me I’m at the Trump International Ask for me I ain’t never scared I’m everywhere You ain’t never there Nigga why would I ever care Pound for pound I’m the best to ever come around here Excluding nobody Look what I embody The soul of a hustler I really ran the street That CEO’s mine That marketing plan was me And no I ain’t get shot up a whole bunch of times Or make up shit in a whole bunch of lines And I ain’t animated, like say a, Busta Rhymes But the real shit you get when you bust down my lines Add that to the fact I went plat a bunch of times Times that by my influence On pop culture I supposed to be number one on everybody’s list We’ll see what happens when i no longer exist Fuck this 17. ICE CUBE, BIRD IN A HAND, VERSE ONE Fresh out of school cause I was a high school grad Gots to get a job 'cause I was a high school dad Wish I got paid like I was rappin’ to the nation But that’s not likely, so here’s my application Pass it to the man at AT&T 'cause when I was in school I got the A.E.E. But there’s no S.E. for this youngsta I didn’t have no money so now I gotta punch the Clock at a slave, and be happy man But whitey says there’s no room for the african Always knew that I would clock G’s But welcome to Mcdonalds can I take your order please Gotta sell you food that might give you cancer 'cause my son doesn’t take no for an answer Now I pay taxes that you never give me back What about diapers, bottles, and similac Do I gotta go sell me a whole lotta crack For decent shelter and clothes on my back? Or should I just wait for help from Bush Or Jesse Jackson, and Operation Push If you ask me the whole thing needs a douche A Massengil what the hell crack’ll sell in the neighborhood To the corner house bitches, Miss Parker, Little Joe and Todd Bridges Or anybody that he know So I got me a bird, better known as a kilo Now everybody know I went from poor to a nigga that got dough So now you put the feds against me Cause I couldn’t follow the plan now the president see I’ll never givin’ love again But blacks are too fuckin broke to be republican Now I remember I used to be cool Till I stopped fillin’ out my W-2 Now senators are gettin’ high And your plan against the ghetto backfired So now you gotta pep talk But sorry, this is our only room to walk Cause we don’t want a drug push But a bird in the hand is worth more than a Bush 18. NAS, REWIND The bullet goes back in the gun The bullet hole’s closin this chest of a nigga Now he back to square one Screamin, “Shoot don’t please” I put my fifth back on my hip It’s like a VCR rewindin a hit He put his hands back on his bitch My caravan doors open up I jumped back in the van and closed it shut Goin reverse, slowly prepared My nigga Jungle utters out somethin crazy like, “Go he there” Sittin in back of this chair, we hittin the roach The smoke goes back in the blunt, the blunt gets bigger in growth Jungle unrolls it, put his weed back in the jar The blunt turns back into a cigar We listen to Stevie, it sounded like heavy metal fans Spinnin records backwards of AC/DC I give my niggas dap, jump out the van back first Back upstairs, took off the black shirt I’m in the crib with the phone to my ear Listen up so y'all can figure out the poem real clear The voice on the phone was like, “Outside right we” So with my mouth wide, holdin my heat Bullets I had plenty to squeeze, plenty for ya 'Cause Jungle said, “Block your on enemies the” Hung up the phone, then the phone rings (phone ringing) I’m laid in the bed thinkin 'bout this pretty young thing Who left, she came back, her clothes just fell to the rug She fell to my bed and gave me a hug I told her, “No hell” She talkin 'bout, “Me kiss” Bobbed her head then spit the nut back in my dick Started suckin with no hands, a whole lotta spit Then got up and put her bra back on her tits Got fully dressed and told me, “Stressed really I’m” Picked up her Gucci bag and left her nigga behind Walkin through the door, she rang the bell twice I vomited Vodka back in my glass with juice and ice The clock went back from three, to two, to one And that’s about the time the story begun That’s when I first heard the voicemail on the cell It said, “Son we found that nigga we gotta kill” Message Beep Ay yo son, ay yo son, you hear me, you hear me? Listen man, this dude right on the block, right now, man I found him, right now, I see him right now! Let’s kill him) Message Beep “Yo, this Nas, leaving, Peace” 19. JEAN GRAE, #8- JEANIUS Possibly I could, drop in some knowledge I should But I ain’t finish college and I’m not a Kanye, got it, good Intelligent rhetoric, brain packed like a tenement Aim back at the tenants my face crack in a venomous rage I really wanna blaze all you, burn you like 8 whores do Pearl you like Florida store furniture Permanent marker Jean is tagging blacking up your partners penis Pardon the phoenix while I mark you plus I bark the meanest Hardly elitist, I know the struggle I mostly bubble underground like a soda below some broken rubble At ground zero I get down nigga, like them brown people Saturday night like Geechi Suede and Sonny Chiba lift ya I’ll levitate the scriptures just so I can see em better Each and every letter was conceived by Jean I’m the Coretta Scott King of my day I mean, stand by my mate, my king Planning for Jamaica honeymooning, vacationing CD break it in, skipping on this track like I been scraping it, scraping it, scraping it, bring it back Sicker than rap, I’ll stick you with a picket axe Pick up your soul and then control it what’s bigger than that? You don’t like the way I flow? “She needs more emotion” no I’ll give you emotion, it’s you, holding your broken nose I’ll leave you comatose with a pound of Columbian snow At your side so when the cops arrive, they’ll just say you overdosed This ain’t a battle, I would make your cranium rattle Skull in pain as if a hundred veins had popped, a dangerous madam The Heidi Fleiss of words, like a verse, find a purse I could make you love me if you fuck with me violence occurs New York pimp game the worst chic since the birth of words That I first met on a Thursday I think I’m cursed Don’t blink niggas, cuz I will figure A way to kill you in a second with my ring finger Think quicker, my vision multiplied like liquor drinkers I’ll kick your sister til she’s crippled make you step with her Cuz I could mark you too, show you what a dart could do When your aorta’s a target, nigga, pardon you 20. BIG PUN, DREAM SHATTERER, VERSE ONE Ay-yo I shatter dreams like Jordan, assault and batter your team Your squadron’ll be barred from rap like Adam & Eve from the garden I’m carvin’ my initials on your forehead So every night before bed you see the “BP” shine off the board head Reverse that, I curse at the first wack nigga with the worst rap 'cause he ain’t worth jack Hit 'em with a thousand pounds of pressure per slap Make his whole body jerk back, watch the earth crack Hand him his purse back I’m the first Latin rapper to baffle your skull Master the flow, niggaz be swearin’ I’m blacker than coal Like Nat King, I be rapping and tongue’s packing The ones, magnums, cannons and gatling guns It’s Big Pun! The one and only son of Tony…Montana You ain’t promised manana in the rotten manzana C'mon-pana we need more rhymers Feel the marijuana snake bite anaconda I’m in Havana with Juana, try to match my persona Sometimes rhymin’ I blow my own mind like Nirvana Comma, and go the whole nine like Madonna Go try to find another rhymer with my kinda grammar 21. BUSTA RHYMES, SCENARIO- A TRIBE CALLED QUEST Watch, as I combine all the juice from the mind Heel up, wheel up, bring it back, come rewind Powerful impact BOOM! from the cannon Not braggin, try to read my mind just imagine Vo-cab-u-lary’s necessary When diggin into my library Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Eating ITAL stew like the one Peter Tosh UH uh UH, all over the track, man UH, pardon me, UH, as I come back As I did it yo I had to beg your pardon When I travel to the Sun I roll with the squadron RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW like a dungeon dragon Change your little drawers cause your pants are saggin Try to step to this, I will twist you in a turban And have u smelling rank, like some old stale urine Chickity-choco, the chocolate chicken The rear cock diesel buttcheeks they were kicking Yo, bustin out before the Busta bust a nut the rhyme the rhythm is in sync (UHH!) the rhymes are on time (TIME!) Rippin up the sound just like a radio Observe the rhyme and check out the scenario!! 22. JAY-Z, REGRETS, VERSE TWO I found myself reminiscin, remember this one When he was here he was crazy nice with his son I miss him, long as I’m livin he’s livin through memories He’s there to kill all my suicidal tendencies In heaven lookin over me, or in hell, keepin it cozy I’m comin life on these streets ain’t what it’s supposed to be Remember Newton, mutual friend well me and him feudin On your life I tried to talk to him But you know niggaz, think they guns can stop four niggaz Frontin like they’re, Big Willie but really owe niggaz Hoe niggaz, this year I’m show niggaz think I’m slippin I’m bought to send you a roommate, no bullshittin For my hustle’s goin too well to hit him You was right niggaz want you to be miserable wit em Anyway, I ain’t tryin to hear it, I think I’m touched This whole verse I been talkin to your spirit, a little too much 23. NOTORIOUS B.I.G., NOTORIOUS THUGS Armed and dangerous, ain’t too many can bang with us Straight up weed no angel dust, label us notorious Thug ass niggaz that love to bust, it’s strange to us Y'all niggaz be scramblin, gamblin Up in restaurants with mandolins, and violins We just sittin here tryin to win, tryin not to sin High off weed and lots of gin So much smoke need oxygen, steadily countin them Benjamins Nigga you should too, if you knew What this game’ll do to you Been in this shit since ninety-two Look at all the bullshit I been through So-called beef with you know who Fuck a few female stars or two Then I blew like, nigga who, like Mike, shit Not to be fucked with Motherfucker better duck quick, cause Me and my dogs love to buck shit Fuck the luck shit, strictly aim No aspirations to quit the game Spit yo’ game, talk yo’ shit Grab yo’ gat, call yo’ click Squeeze yo’ clip, hit the right one Pass that weed, I got to light one All them niggaz I got ta fight one All them hoes I got ta like one Our situation is a tight one Whatcha gonna do, fight or run? Seems to me that you’ll take B Bone and Big, nigga die slowly I'ma tell you like a nigga told me Cash Rule Everything Around Me Shit, lyrically, niggaz can’t see me Fuck it, buy the coke Cook the coke, cut it Know the bitch 'fore you caught yourself lovin’ it Nigga with a Benz fuckin it Doesn’t it seem odd to you Big come through with mobs and crews Goodfellas down to the Mo Thugs dudes Who’s the killa, me or you? 24. COMMON, COMMUNISM Chick-a chick-a i’m Chick-a chick-a on Chick-a chick-a my My, own shit Like an entrepreneur, that stepped in manure Man I’m newer than a jack I went up the hill with Jill And jacked Jill’s big booty I did the booty up, I told the bitch she better have my money Or step to the AMG You know Com Sense, OK him be That nigga that be making all the bid-by-by-bye sounds But since then, Common calm down! I’m on some calm shit watch com get complicated Simple motherfuckers say the way that com communicated Was too complex, I got a complex not to complain On my brain no complain and so will my community And I prefer compliments So I complement at an angle, of ninety degrees It’s the nineties, and easy got known for grease I got a sense of direction and a compass Come past mc’s with compassion, though I heard the screams of em But I ain’t Shai, so why shall I comfort Com should’ve been at the fort with jeff I’m so ill But I chilled in my compartment with no company and no meals Now com can get the pan(t)y, but I want my own company And Com is on a mission not to work for commission It’s a common market and it’s so much competition But to me, competition is none To my comp I’m a ton I get amped like Watts in a riot My compact disc is a commodity, so buy it Instead of competing with pete Com compromised, com made a promise Not to commercialize, but compound the soul With other elements, compelling sense into communism 25. GHOSTFACE KILLAH, IMPOSSIBLE- WU-TANG CLAN Call an ambulance, Jamie been shot, word to Kimmy Don’t go Son, nigga you my motherfuckin heart Stay still Son, don’t move, just think about Keba She’ll be three in January, your young God needs you The ambulance is taking too long Everybody get the fuck back, excuse me bitch, gimme your jack One, seven one eight, nine one one, low battery, damn Blood comin out his mouth, he bleedin badly Nahhh Jamie, don’t start that shit Keep your head up, if you escape hell we gettin fucked up When we was eight, we went to Bat Day to see the Yanks In Sixty-Nine, his father and mines, they robbed banks He pointed to the charm on his neck With his last bit of energy left, told me rock it with respect I opened it, seen the God holdin his kids Photogenic, tears just burst out my wig Plus he dropped one, oh shit, here come his Old Earth With no shoes on, screamin holdin her breasts with a gown on She fell and then lightly touched his jaw, kissed him Rubbed his hair, turned around the ambulance was there Plus the blue coats, Officer Lough, took it as a joke Weeks ago he strip-searched the God and gave him back his coke Bitches yellin, Beenie Man swung on Helen In the back of a cop car, dirty tarts are tellin But suddenly a chill came through it was weird Felt like my man, was cast out my heaven now we share Laid on the stretcher, blood on his Wally’s like ketchup Deep like the full assassination with a sketch of it It can’t be, from Yoohoo to Lee’s Second grade humped the teachers, about to leave Finally this closed chapter, comes to an end He was announced, pronounced dead, y'all, at twelve tenToday UK GDP preliminary reading showed UK economy is on its way to another block buster pace of growth in second quarter. GDP increased by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2015. GDP is expected to grow at 2.6% in the second quarter from a year ago. GDP grew by 0.4% in first quarter. However notably, this block buster economy has its strength too concentrated on services sector. The largest contribution to the increase came from the services sector, contributing 0.5 percentage points to second quarter. Problem with UK's growth is that though overall pace and services sector surpassed peak before 2008 great recession, manufacturing and construction activity still after six years remain well below their pre-crisis peak. With Bank of England ready to reverse its crisis easing, it won't be easier for these two rate sensitive sectors. And Britain's crown jewel service sector is facing a grave risk. UK Prime Minister has proposed a referendum by 2017 over its stay within EU, if the government fails to negotiate some pre-conditions, which will protect Britain, moreover London from EU rules and taxations and in turn will benefit UK's services sector mainly financials. IF Prime Minister Mr. Cameron's government fails to negotiate UK's demand, which might require a treaty change in EU and people of Britain still vote to stay in EU, services sector will be single biggest loser. In the short term GDP boosted pound, which now stands as the best performer today so far, trading at 1.561 against dollar.If the title hasn't already driven you away, you must be a brave soul or a fan of Jersey Shore (in which case, you're the bravest of us all). In an attempt to commercialize Christmas even more, HSN brings to you...drum roll... Jersey Shore Christmas ornaments! Made by glass ornament company, Kurt S. Adler, you can pick between Snooki, DJ Pauly D and The Situation or you can buy all three for $24.95. The bizarre Jersey Shore ornaments are true to life with The Sitch holding up his tee to reveal his abs, Pauly D in a tank top and huge headphones and last but not least, Snooki in a too-short dress, excessive cleavage and her signature pouf. The only reason I'd even consider these ornaments is as a Secret Santa present for someone I hate. Miraculously, they have been sold out on the HSN website but if you plan to hang this on your tree, destroy them so mankind wont have to endure them or give it away a a cruel Holiday present, try your local Walgreens. Apparently it's $5.99 per ornament $10 for two or you could try your luck on Ebay. Just a heads-up, the warning label reads "Children under 14 are not allowed to use the ornaments." PG rated ornaments? That's amusing. So, tell me ladies, would you be willing to make these Jersey Shore characters a part of your Christmas? If you answered no, tell me what celebrity Christmas ornaments would you consider buying?2:55 – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Arif Alvi expressed his happiness in a very emotional manner, saying that “Nawaz Sharif has gone.” 2:50 – Reacting to the ruling, Khawaja Saad Rafique said the formation of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is a victory of the stance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Khawaja Asif called upon others petitioners including Imran Khan Siraj-ul-Haq to respect the judicial verdict. “We are ready for all kinds of investigation but the judgement establishes that all proofs presented in the court were inadequate,” said Khawaja Asif. 2:45 – PML-N leaders including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railway Minister Saad Rafique and Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal spoke to media outside the court and reacted over the decision. “Two of the bench judges have not declared him Sadiq and Ameen… He must step down,” Imran Khan said. “He has lost the moral reason to stay in the office, and also the investigation team can’t work freely in his presence.” 2:40 – Imran Khan urges PM to step down after remarks by two judges. 2:35 – The Prime Minister is likely to address the nation on television this evening at 7:00pm. 2:30 – Maryam Nawaz Sharif reacted over the ruling, expressing her happiness. “Praise & glory be to Allah alone. Shukrana & mubariks… Mubarik! Wazir-e-Azam Nawaz Sharif ….. Alhamdolillahi Rab-al-Aalameen,” Maryam said on Twitter. Praise & glory be to Allah alone. Shukrana & mubariks 😍 pic.twitter.com/yM92bIJJoc — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 20, 2017 2:20 – A reference against PM can also be filed if required, SC said. The JIT will be formed within seven days. Officials of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SICP) and NAB will also be in the proble team. Officials of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), ISI and MI will also be part of the investigation team. The JIT will comprise of a senior official of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) having a post equal to Additional Director General. 2:15 – The court has tasked FIA with finding answers of key questions: How the money was transferred to Qatar? How the Gulf Steel Mills was set up and how it was sold? What about the Sale Deed? Where the money came from for Flag Ship? 2:15 – In a blow to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the SC has ordered him to face the investigation commission. 2:12 – In its historic ruling, the Supreme Court has ordered constitution of a joint investigation commission to probe into the alleged offshore assets of Sharif Family, directing the panel to conclude the investigation within two months. The Election Commission should de-notify the PM: Dissent note 2:10 – The PM is no more ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’: said the judges in dissent note, rejecting statements of the PM’s children. 2:10 – It’s an split decision as two of judges out of five-member bench – Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar – opposed the ruling with dissent note. 2:05 – Supreme Court announcing Panama case ruling. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa reading out the judgement of 540 pages. 2:00 – Politicians reach Supreme Court to attend announcement of Panama Case ruling. 01:00 – PML-N senator Nehal Hashmi claims that there is not possibility of midterm elections in the country in the wake of Panama Papers decision. 01:00 – PML-N senator Nehal Hashmi claims that there is not possibility of midterm elections in the country in the wake of Panama Papers decision. 12:40 – Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq says the SC ruling will end corruption in the country. “It will be corruption’s death after Supreme Court’s ruling. Whatever the decision came, it will wake up the nation and rise political temperature. 12:35 – Maryam Orangzeb says the PM will win the case. “The law and constitution will be victorious today…,” she said, adding that placing banners ‘is our right.’ 12:30 – PML-N’s Talal Chaudhry says SC will put Imran Khan in trouble. “He’s preparing to flee the country,” Chaudhry claimed. 12:00 Senior lawyer Farogh Naseem says today’s decision can put the PM in trouble. 11:30 – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan says the Panama case decision will be in accordance with people’s aspiration. “After the ruling, corruption will come to an end. I foresee a new Pakistan,” Khan said, while speaking to Samaa, claiming that he did not level mere allegations but ‘presented proofs’ in the court. Panama case: Our journey for Insaf pic.twitter.com/mZI7HgKq8k — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 20, 2017 11:00 – Maryam Nawaz Sharif‏, the daughter of Prime Minister, took to twitter, claiming that her father enjoys ‘overwhelming support’ regardless of the any fear of the verdict. “Whatever the verdict, am amazed & humbled to see the overwhelming support for Nawaz Sharif. For a leader, that’s the most prized possession… That is so true & looking back, am thankful for that. As I said, strongest steel is forged in hottest fires,” she said in a series to tweets ahead of the ruling. Whatever the verdict, am amazed & humbled to see the overwhelming support for Nawaz Sharif. For a leader, that’s the most prized possession. — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 20, 2017 That is so true & looking back, am thankful for that. As I said, strongest steel is forged in hottest fires ☺️ https://t.co/pY5zWnyp1t — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) April 20, 2017 The country braces for an unusual and historic decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan today (Thursday) on Panama Papers scandal involving Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children. All eyes are on the apex court that will announce its eagerly-awaited verdict this afternoon. Authorities have beefed up security in the federal capital, especially at the Supreme Court and adjoining areas, deploying Rangers with police. Nearly one year after the Panama Papers scandal surfaced, the verdict was reserved by the court on 23rd February this year after conducting 26 hearings. The case was heard by a five-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa. As the countdown to the decision begins, the three main political parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — have finalised their strategies post-Panamagate. The PM chaired a party meeting at the Prime Minister House where he appeared to be unfazed. The Prime Minister has asked PML-N workers not to come to the Supreme Court today for hearing the verdict. In a statement, he said irrelevant people should refrain from entering the court’s premises. PTI chairman Imran Khan expressed hope that the prime minister would not be given a ‘clean chit’ in the verdict and would be penalised in some way for “hiding his and his family’s assets off shore”. The PTI has announced a public meeting at the Parade Ground following the apex court’s decision. The PPP leadership met at the federal capital where party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari said he did not expect much from the verdict. PPP spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said his party would decide its future line of action after the verdict announcement. He said the party leadership would meet again at 2pm on Thursday, “to sit together to listen to the verdict”. – SamaaMicrosoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison is underlining the company's support of the new Kinect with Xbox One. According to an interview with CVG, Harrison dashes the hopes of fans holding out for a cheaper, Kinect-free Xbox One bundle. When asked if the Xbox One will always come with a Kinect, Harrison responds, "Correct. Xbox One is Kinect. They are not separate systems. An Xbox One has chips, it has memory, it has Blu-ray, it has Kinect, it has a controller. These are all part of the platform ecosystem." Check out the full interview on a variety of topics including Microsoft's reversal of several Xbox One policies, the possibility of a pack-in game in North America, and the lack of a firm Xbox One release date. [Source: CVG] Our Take: This seems like a very definitive choice that Microsoft is making, especially since it's already confirmed that the Xbox One will work without a Kinect plugged in. Past console launches have taken advantage of separate SKUs at different price points with different features. Even though Microsoft seems to be firm on this, it has gone back on plenty of Xbox One policies already. I wouldn't give up hope on a Kinect-free bundle just yet. It may take a year or two, but I think there's a chance.Patrons have been let back into Melbourne Zoo after it was earlier sent into lock-down when an orangutan managed to escape from its enclosure. It's believed Malu the Sumatran orangutan used a blanket as leverage to break the top wire of his enclosure, before walking along the roof to briefly escape. Melbourne Zoo Director Kevin Tanner said patrons were promptly sent into a lockdown area. "They were completely safe... at no time were staff or visitors at any danger at all," he said. One patron told 9NEWS visitors were politely "shuffled into the bistro" and given drinks while waiting to be let back in. The 11-year-old was captured after being distracted with treats, while a tranquilliser was administered to his shoulder by a zookeeper. "He'll wake up tomorrow morning not knowing exactly what happened, but thought he had a good time," Mr Tanner said. Malu escaped the orangutan enclosure. (9NEWS) () Witnesses reportedly saw Malu use a blanket to hoist himself out. (9NEWS) () Zoo vet staff are now working to assess the inquisitive orangutan. Visitors to Melbourne Zoo were allowed out of lock-down shortly after 4.30pm The zoo reportedly issued free entry passes to those affected. Zoo patrons were ushered into secure areas. (9NEWS) () © Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019Guys...we're so close. I can taste the end. It tastes like tears and garlic. "So Ruby and Weiss are totally dating now, right?" "Jaune!" Pyrrha gave the blonde-haired boy a sharp but playful elbow to the gut. "Mind your own business." She turned back to Blake and Yang, whispering conspiratorially. "But it is quite obvious that they are, so tell us. Is it official?" "Hey!" Jaune exclaimed. "Come on Pyrrha, no fair!" The spartan simply grinned mischievously. "Hush now Jaune, can't you see that Yang's trying to speak?" Jaune looked ready to respond, but upon noticing that the blonde across the table indeed did have her mouth open, he sank back into his seat and glared at Pyrrha. "It's hard to say really." Yang began. "They do spend an awful lot of time together, and we know for a fact that they've kissed..." "More than once." Blake cut in. Yang nodded, grinning as she continued. "But you guys know how Weiss is. The ice princess would probably wait until the day she proposes to even let Ruby know that they were dating in the first place!" Yang laughed at her own joke, Blake chuckling slightly as well. "Hmm." Pyrrha began. "It does seem like 'feelings' are not one of Weiss's best areas. Frankly I'm quite shocked that they've managed to grow so close, seeing how they're just so different from one another." She was interrupted by Jaune clearing his throat rather loudly and giving her a pointed look, and blushing, she turned back to her friends. "But I suppose opposites do attract." Jaune winked at Blake across the table, who grinned back, until her ears picked something up from across the dining hall. "Heads up, lovebirds inbound." Blake had to kick Yang hard in the shin in order to stifle the blonde's giggles as Ruby and Weiss approached the table, hand-in-hand – a fact that did not go unnoticed by anyone present. "Hey guys!" Ruby's voice was bright and cheery as she practically dragged Weiss over to the table and plopped down beside her sister on the bench. The heiress's face was unreadable as ever, but Blake thought she might have picked up a ghost of a smile as the girl sat down beside her partner. "Where are Ren and Nora?" Weiss asked, oblivious to the scrutinizing looks being shot her way by the table at large. Pyrrha was the first to shake herself out of'snoop-mode' and offered a genuine smile. "I would imagine that they're still out training. Nora has been working Ren very hard in order to improve his stamina, so I wouldn't expect them back for a while." Yang leaned over and whispered in Blake's ear. "Working hard to improve his stamina huh?" At this, the Faunus turned beet-red and playfully smacked her girlfriend's arm, trying desperately to suppress a giggle when Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "BLAKE!" The girl in question shot up at the sound of her name being called from across the room. "YANG!" Sun Wukong burst out of a nearby crowd and sprinted towards the table where RWBY and JP sat, knocking over several people in his haste to reach his friends. "Guys! Ozpin asked me to get you! Says it's extremely important so you better go now!" He panted, doubled over in exhaustion. Blake's eyes met Yang's, and that was all they needed. Are you ready? Yeah. Blake nodded to her other teammates, who leaped up to join them.
1. Jindal was born on June 10, 1971. So that’s just about four months later. Back in the days when people like Trump were clamoring for President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate, Jindal moved to ensure that no such questions would hang about him. In 2011, the Times-Picayune reported that Jindal had produced his birth certificate. It showed that he was born at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge to Raj Gupta, his mother, and Amar Jindal, his father. At the time, his mother had a scholarship to study nuclear physics at Louisiana State University, and his father, an engineer professor, was working for a subsidiary of the Kansas City Southern Railway. A couple of years later, Amar Jindal took a new job with the Exxon oil company. Jindal’s mother Raj Gupta earned two master’s degrees, one in physics and another in nuclear engineering. She ultimately worked for the state Labor Department in information technology. Mike Reed, communications director in the Louisiana governor’s office, told us that Raj Gupta became an American citizen in 1976, and Amar Jindal followed 10 years later in 1986. Why does that matter? Because those dates mean that Jindal’s birthright citizenship played no legal role in his parent’s citizenship applications. Let’s see why. 21 is the magic number Two leaders in immigration law explained that Jindal only could have helped his parents become citizens when he had turned 21 years old. Under the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, the child of immigrants can sponsor them to become permanent residents. The child must be a citizen and must be 21 or older. Once the parents are permanent residents, they must live in America for five straight years. After that, they can apply for citizenship. If Jindal’s citizenship had made any difference, the earliest his parents could have been eligible would have been 1992, five years after he turned 21. When his mother became a citizen in 1976, Jindal was 5, and in 1986, for his father’s naturalization, he was 15. It’s not even close. "If both parents had lawful permanent residence, then it doesn’t make a difference if they had a kid," said David Leopold, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Lenni Benson, a law professor at New York Law School, also said that given the Jindals’ circumstances, the son’s citizenship was "irrelevant." "Once they secured immigrant visas and became lawful permanent residents, they could seek naturalization on their own after five years of residence and meeting other requirements," Benson said. Everything Leopold and Benson told us matches the rules that we found on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. At the end of the day, there is no evidence that Jindal was an "anchor baby." Occupy Democrats did not return a message to the group’s email address. Our ruling Occupy Democrats said Bobby Jindal’s parents used his birthright citizenship to become Americans. We reviewed the law and spoke to two experts in immigration law. The only way Jindal might have been able to help his parents become citizens is if he had been 21. He was 5 when his mother became a citizen and 15 when his father took the same step. The experts we reached told us Jindal’s citizenship was irrelevant, bringing Occupy Democrats' claim into the realm of ridiculous. We rate this claim Pants on Fire!The medulla oblongata (or medulla) is a long stem-like structure located in the brainstem. It is anterior and partially inferior to the cerebellum. It is a cone-shaped neuronal mass responsible for autonomic (involuntary) functions ranging from vomiting to sneezing. The medulla contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers and therefore deals with the autonomic functions of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. During embryonic development the medulla oblongata develops from the myelencephalon. The myelencephalon is a secondary vesicle which forms during the maturation of the rhombencephalon, also referred to as the hindbrain. The bulb is an archaic term for the medulla oblongata and in modern clinical usage the word bulbar (as in bulbar palsy) is retained for terms that relate to the medulla oblongata, particularly in reference to medical conditions. The word bulbar can refer to the nerves and tracts connected to the medulla, and also by association to those muscles innervated, such as those of the tongue, pharynx and larynx. Anatomy [ edit ] Medulla oblongata (animation) Medulla and parts (10-16) - (10) pyramid; (11) the anterior median fissure; (15) is the choroid plexus in the fourth ventricle; (13) olive and (7) the pons The medulla can be thought of as being in two parts: an upper open part or superior part where the dorsal surface of the medulla is formed by the fourth ventricle. or superior part where the dorsal surface of the medulla is formed by the fourth ventricle. a lower closed part or inferior part where the fourth ventricle has narrowed at the obex in the caudal medulla, and surrounds part of the central canal. External surfaces [ edit ] The anterior median fissure contains a fold of pia mater, and extends along the length of the medulla oblongata. It ends at the lower border of the pons in a small triangular area, termed the foramen cecum. On either side of this fissure are raised areas termed the medullary pyramids. The pyramids house the pyramidal tracts–the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts of the nervous system. At the caudal part of the medulla these tracts cross over in the decussation of the pyramids obscuring the fissure at this point. Some other fibers that originate from the anterior median fissure above the decussation of the pyramids and run laterally across the surface of the pons are known as the anterior external arcuate fibers. The region between the anterolateral and posterolateral sulcus in the upper part of the medulla is marked by a pair of swellings known as olivary bodies (also called olives). They are caused by the largest nuclei of the olivary bodies, the inferior olivary nuclei. The posterior part of the medulla between the posterior median sulcus and the posterolateral sulcus contains tracts that enter it from the posterior funiculus of the spinal cord. These are the gracile fasciculus, lying medially next to the midline, and the cuneate fasciculus, lying laterally. These fasciculi end in rounded elevations known as the gracile and the cuneate tubercles. They are caused by masses of gray matter known as the gracile nucleus and the cuneate nucleus. The soma (cell bodies) in these nuclei are the second-order neurons of the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway, and their axons, called the internal arcuate fibers or fasciculi, decussate from one side of the medulla to the other to form the medial lemniscus. Just above the tubercles, the posterior aspect of the medulla is occupied by a triangular fossa, which forms the lower part of the floor of the fourth ventricle. The fossa is bounded on either side by the inferior cerebellar peduncle, which connects the medulla to the cerebellum. The lower part of the medulla, immediately lateral to the cuneate fasciculus, is marked by another longitudinal elevation known as the tuberculum cinereum. It is caused by an underlying collection of gray matter known as the spinal trigeminal nucleus. The gray matter of this nucleus is covered by a layer of nerve fibers that form the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve. The base of the medulla is defined by the commissural fibers, crossing over from the ipsilateral side in the spinal cord to the contralateral side in the brain stem; below this is the spinal cord. Blood supply [ edit ] Blood to the medulla is supplied by a number of arteries. Anterior spinal artery: This supplies the whole medial part of the medulla oblongata. Posterior inferior cerebellar artery: This is a major branch of the vertebral artery, and supplies the posterolateral part of the medulla, where the main sensory tracts run and synapse. It also supplies part of the cerebellum. Direct branches of the vertebral artery: The vertebral artery supplies an area between the other two main arteries, including the solitary nucleus and other sensory nuclei and fibers. Development [ edit ] The medulla oblongata forms in fetal development from the myelencephalon. The final differentiation of the medulla is seen at week 20 gestation.[1] Neuroblasts from the alar plate of the neural tube at this level will produce the sensory nuclei of the medulla. The basal plate neuroblasts will give rise to the motor nuclei. Function [ edit ] The medulla oblongata connects the higher levels of the brain to the spinal cord, and is responsible for several functions of the autonomous nervous system which include: Clinical significance [ edit ] A blood vessel blockage (such as in a stroke) will injure the pyramidal tract, medial lemniscus, and the hypoglossal nucleus. This causes a syndrome called medial medullary syndrome. Lateral medullary syndrome can be caused by the blockage of either the posterior inferior cerebellar artery or of the vertebral arteries. Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) is a disease that attacks the nerves supplying the bulbar muscles. Infantile progressive bulbar palsy is progressive bulbar palsy in children. Other animals [ edit ] Both lampreys and hagfish possess a fully developed medulla oblongata.[3][4] Since these are both very similar to early agnathans, it has been suggested that the medulla evolved in these early fish, approximately 505 million years ago.[5] The status of the medulla as part of the primordial reptilian brain is confirmed by its disproportionate size in modern reptiles such as the crocodile, alligator, and monitor lizard. Additional images [ edit ] Lobes Anteroinferior view of the medulla oblongata and pons. Base of brain. Diagram showing the positions of the three principal subarachnoid cisternæ. Medulla oblongata Micrograph of the posterior portion of the open part of the medulla oblongata, showing the fourth ventricle (top of image) and the nuclei of CN XII (medial) and CN X (lateral). H&E-LFB stain. References [ edit ] This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 767 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)Boris Johnson (L) and Michael Gove on the Vote Leave campaign trail. Carl Court / Getty The betting odds for the EU referendum changed direction over the weekend and now firmly favour a Remain vote with just three days to go. Last week many bookmakers had predicted a Leave Vote to be the odds-on favourite by the weekend, with over 72% of bets on a Brexit, but that has not happened. Ladbrokes has given just a 27% chance of a Vote Leave while William Hill has it as 28.5%. Ladbrokes added that 95% of betting on was a Remain vote on Monday. Matthew Shaddick, head of political betting at Ladbrokes, said the shift back towards Remain had been "significant." "Looking closely at the figures," he said, "the proportion of money being placed on Leave hit its peak a couple of weeks ago. The picture certainly looks significantly different to last Monday." Will Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe, who last week called the Brexit markets extremely "volatile," agreed that Remain was now the most likely outcome in the betting. ''Remain has indeed remained favourite ever since the date of the Referendum was confirmed in February," he said,"although it has been both shorter and longer odds during the course of the campaign." He added that most bets were still on a Leave, and that such an outcome in the June 23 referendum would hurt William Hill's bottom line: "Leave has attracted by far the greater number of bets in total and is the result we fear financially. Despite having taken bets of £100,000 ($146,170); £60,000 and £40,000 for 'Remain' we still stand to pay out much more should Leave win." Here are the Vote Leave odds as of Monday morning: Ladbrokes — 11/4 William Hill — 13/5 Paddy Power — 11/4 Sky Bet — 11/4 Coral — 12/5 Betfred — 11/4 Betfair — 11/4Ryan Smyth is out of the IIHF World Hockey Championship. The Canadian captain missed Monday's 6-1 win over Latvia due to an ankle injury and the team said after the game he would not return to the lineup for the rest of the tournament in Mannheim, Germany. "It's unfortunate that Ryan can't continue in this tournament," Canadian general manager Mark Messier said in a statement. "As everyone knows, Ryan is Captain Canada and has had a huge impact on this team, especially with our younger players." Smyth appeared to be favouring his left ankle or foot during Sunday's practice, but said afterward that it was nothing serious. He then missed Monday's morning skate and coach Craig MacTavish said he would be a game-time decision. "It's difficult for he and us to take, but that's hockey," MacTavish said following Monday's victory. Canada was forced to play with just 11 forwards against the Latvians because it had already reached the maximum number of players it can register for the opening round. It will be able to add up to two more skaters and one goaltender after facing Switzerland on Wednesday. Junior forward Jordan Eberle has been with the team as an alternate and could be a candidate to be added to the roster at that point.The guerrilla graffiti artist Banksy is believed to be behind an artwork which has appeared on the side of a house in Cheltenham. The Gloucestershire Echo reported that the owner of the house, Karren Smith, 48, said she saw men packing a white tarpaulin into a van at about 7.30am on Sunday. She said: 'They were taking it down and putting it into the back of the van. I thought it might be something to do with the police, like when a crime happens. I saw these people looking and then saw the graffiti. It's pretty good. It livens up the street.' The work, on the corner of Fairview Road and Hewlett Road, surrounds a BT telephone box and is already drawing fans. The new artwork comes in the wake of the storm over surveillance by GCHQ and the NSA revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden5462565 Has Google, the world’s most popular search engine, changed the definition of the word “fascism” to protect liberal mobs using violence to silence those who disagree with them politically? The evidence suggest they have. You see it on signs at every protest or riot — liberals accuse President Donald Trump of being a fascist. The word’s association with Adolf Hitler and its use now is no accident, it’s meant to strike fear in people’s hearts of tyranny. the word “fascism” as “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” The secondary definition is “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.” Merriam-Webster defines the word “fascism” as “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” The secondary definition is “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.” This definition reflects the fact that Nazis were, in fact, both fascists and of the political left. They were the “National Socialist German Workers Party,” which favored a heavy-handed government in business and the personal lives of its citizens. The authoritarian government of Nazi Germany not only oppressed opposing political views and used violence to enforce it, they supported a powerful central government which heaped social benefits on its citizens. The second part of Nazism is the “socialist” part, which is very similar to what the modern American political left advocates. For all their bluster to the contrary, Hitler was a man of the extreme left, and so was fellow fascist and Axis Powers member Benito Mussolini. But if you type the word into Google, the definition they provide is quite different. The world’s largest search engine pins fascism on the political right, not the left. Google defines fascism as, “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.” (emphasis added) The secondary definition is, “(in general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice.” That’s a striking difference from how the word has been defined for decades. Screen capture from Google Political conservatives advocate for small, less intrusive government where power rests with the states and individuals, and the federal government lives within its Constitutional restraints. Progressive liberals advocate for just the opposite: a powerful central government with authority vested in a strong leader who has the ability to impose decrees from Washington on everything from health care to education. Google curiously adds “right-wing” to its definition and omits the “severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition” part. By the traditional Merriam-Webster definition of “severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition,” the violent mobs protesting and rioting over President Trump’s actions are the ones engaging in fascistic tactics. The exact reason Google has changed the definition of fascism to reflect on the political right rather than the left is unknown. However, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, one of the world’s richest men, has been a vocal critic of President Trump, an activist liberal, The exact reason Google has changed the definition of fascism to reflect on the political right rather than the left is unknown. However, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, one of the world’s richest men, has been a vocal critic of President Trump, an activist liberal, and has protested the President’s executive order on immigration. Many members of the mainstream media have unquestioningly adopted the new Google meaning without explaining why, leaving their audience with the impression that speech or advocacy contrary to liberal orthodoxy is fascistic when, by definition, it is not.Singer Joy Villa, who famously wore a "Make America Great Again" dress to the 2017 Grammy Awards, revealed on Twitter why she chose to vote for President Trump, despite political pressures of Hollywood and the threat of losing fans, contracts, and money. "Touring Asia, EU heard about Trump running 4 Pres. Was critical, skeptical... politics had failed USA, why would he be different," Villa wrote late Wednesday in a series of 26 tweets explaining how her ideology aligned with Republicans, Democrats, and then Trump in 2016. Touring Asia, EU heard about Trump running 4 Pres. Was critical, skeptical...politics had failed USA, why would he be different...? /15 pic.twitter.com/VrdP2Jm1I0 — Joy Villa (@Joy_Villa) November 2, 2017 "Very close [girlfriend] told me about Trump. I started research. Found Oprah interview, became redpilled... started following Maga accounts... secretly," she continued, referring to a scene from the 1999 film, "The Matrix," in which protagonist Neo takes a red tablet to be shown reality. "As a registered Republican, I voted 4 Trump. Still had reservations. Hated the division in US, but was finally hopeful for change." As a registered Republican, I voted 4 Trump. Still had reservations. Hated the division in US, but was finally hopeful for change.../19 pic.twitter.com/XcIDQuEnFV — Joy Villa (@Joy_Villa) November 2, 2017 Villa, who announced in October she was considering a run for Congress, tweeted about her struggles with drugs and alcohol as "Hollywood took its toll" on her beliefs. I tried "to play both sides & reconcile being a Republican inside but living outside as Dem," she added, before she eventually returned to her faith and music. She said her Grammy dress with designer Andre Soriano was her "coming out," despite her husband, Danish writer and photographer Thorsten Overgaard, warning her about a likely backlash. "Now that I'm out, I hope to lead the way 4 others to be bold," she wrote.Oh My God: Now the Deep State is Leaking the Name of the Undercover, Clandestine Agent Appointed to Be Head of Iran Desk, Because He's an "Iran Hawk" Who Might Undo Their Iran Deal Obama loyalists leaked the name, and this time, it's a real clandestine agent, not a fake one, like Valerie Plame. They did so to make him unable to take the job. The New York Times acted as their all-too-willing accessory. The New York Times, while admitting that the man is still actually undercover, says they feel comfortable doing so, because a newspaper has previously published his name before, but not as an agent having anything to do with Iran, but as overseeing the drone program in Yemen and Pakistan. The newspaper they cite as the culprit for previously leaking his name, which now gives the New York Times permission to leak it again when he takes a very critical undercover job? Why, the New York Times. The New York Times outed him in 2015 as the head of Obama's drone program in Yemen and Pakistan, and now the New York Times cites the New York Times as precedent to out him again as the new Iran head. Prosecute. Drain the swamp, fill the jails.As deep into the Stephen King renaissance as we are now, it’s easy to gloss over the little blip over the summer that was The Dark Tower. Highly anticipated by King fans and Idris Elba fans alike, The Dark Tower opened to meager box office returns and even worse movie reviews. Trouble had been brewing long before it was released in theaters — Nikolaj Arcel‘s adaptation of the series that King has called his “magnum opus” had a slim 95 minute run time — and fans were skeptical over whether the incredibly dense, decade-spanning novels could be condensed into one movie. Turns out they were right. But that doesn’t stop Elba from keeping his hopes up for a sequel. In an interview with Radio Times (via BirthMoviesDeath), Elba revealed that he lives in a bubble of delusion, saying that talks are “definitely” underway for a sequel to The Dark Tower: “I think any TV series that is an offshoot from the film can have more time to explore some themes. I’d personally prefer to do another Dark Tower film, exploring some more of the gunslinger – as a film…I don’t know much about where they are with the TV show – but I think there’s definitely talks to try and do another one.” While there were discussions of a Dark Tower TV series and other offshoots from the movie in development, that was before the movie was released in theaters and embarrassingly tanked. As a reminder, The Dark Tower still boasts a whopping 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and made a little more than $100 million worldwide. Listen, I’m as sad as anyone that Idris Elba hasn’t gotten his break as a leading man yet — most of my hopes were pinned on The Dark Tower. Elba is a charismatic, talented actor who has long deserved a franchise under his belt, and not one where he’s made indistinguishable by sci-fi make-up. But the man better start looking somewhere other than The Dark Tower because this summer proved that no one is looking forward to a sequel to it. Now as one of the older versions of the kids in It? That’s a Stephen King sequel starring Idris Elba that I would sign up for.Having been raised in a family of pro-business Republicans in Massachusetts, I sometimes wonder what it would take to restore the GOP to its earlier status as a reasonable and responsible political organization like it, more or less, was during the days of Dwight Eisenhower. Back then, the Republican Party was skeptical of too much government but recognized government's vital role in building a strong nation. Eisenhower and Republicans of his time would have understood President Barack Obama's comment about the importance of publicly financed roads, bridges and other infrastructure in helping business succeed. Those Republicans wouldn't have ripped the "you didn't build that" line out of context, attached the "that" to the wrong antecedent -- the building of individual businesses -- and then made the distortion the centerpiece of a national convention. Unlike Eisenhower's GOP, today's breed of Republican displays a willful know-nothing-ism, a determination to wallow in a swamp of anti-intellectualism and made-up facts. In my youth, the Republicans were considered the more reasonable ones. - Advertisement - These troubling Republican trends have gotten worse over several decades but only recently has this reality penetrated the consciousness of the Washington Establishment, finally prompting two committed centrists, Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, to detect the reality. Earlier this year, they penned a Washington Post Outlook article entitled "Let's just say it: the Republicans are the problem": "In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party. "The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition." At the top, Republican leaders -- from Ayn Rand ideologues to neoconservative warmongers -- believe in elitist concepts like "perception management," i.e., using lies and propaganda to manipulate the rank-and-file. Among the rank-and-file, there's almost a pride in being manipulated. So, despite all evidence, high percentages of Republicans believe that Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya, that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction, that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks. Instead of anger over being misled, today's adherents to GOP orthodoxy react to the truth by hugging the lies more tightly. If this were the behavior of some fringe group on the Right or the Left, it might not matter much. But the Republican Party is part of the governing structure of the United States, the world's most powerful nation with a bristling arsenal of nuclear weapons and a vast array of other exotic weapons. - Advertisement - Bolstered by an extraordinary propaganda system -- reaching from newspapers, magazines and books to radio, TV and well-funded Internet sites -- the Republicans have shown they can win elections, especially in times of fear and anger, and cause great harm from starting unnecessary wars to tanking the global economy. George W. Bush, one recent example of Republican arrogant ignorance, took the United States from an era of general peace, prosperity and, yes, budget surpluses to a desperate time of war, financial collapse and trillion-dollar deficits. Bush's ineptitude is still being felt by millions of jobless Americans and a struggling world economy. Yet, the Republicans and their impressive propaganda machine have convinced large numbers of Americans that what is needed is a bigger dose of George W. Bush in the person of Mitt Romney, who, despite his mincing steps contrasted to Bush's swagger, represents Bush's policies on steroids, i.e., more tax cuts, more global belligerence. Romney is trusting that the combination of true-believers and the truly confused will get him over the hump, and some polls show that he remains within range of reaching his goal, the White House. But what would happen if he gets his "50.1 percent"? Misdiagnosing the Problem Though Romney sees his experience as a venture capitalist as his top qualification to be President, he misdiagnoses the biggest problem facing the U.S. economy, a lack of consumer demand. That resulted from the middle class suffering three-plus decades of decline, mostly under GOP tax-and-trade policies favoring the rich and the outsourcers.The field for San Antonio’s May 6 municipal elections is set with 79 candidates vying for 10 spots on the City Council and the mayor’s seat. This pool of candidates, according to City Clerk Leticia Vacek, is the largest in a San Antonio municipal election since 2004. The 2015 election saw only 42 total candidates. No matter how these races shape up, at least 40 percent of the council will be new after the election thanks to four sitting council members — in Districts 6, 8, 9 and 10 — either choosing not to seek re-election or reaching a term limit. With important issues such as a new budget, ongoing contract negotiations with the San Antonio Fire Department, City Manager Sheryl Sculley’s contract expiration in 2018 and a pending “Bathroom Bill” in the Texas Legislature looming, that turnover could have an instant, major impact on the Alamo City, said local political strategist Christian Archer. “We need a City Council that works well together, but it’s going to be different because of all the fresh faces,” Archer said. “There are major issues... on the horizon, and this City Council is going to have a steep learning curve.” Voters will also be deciding on $830 million in bond projects. Mayor Incumbent Ivy Taylor, appointed by a council vote in 2014 after former Mayor Julian Castro’s departure to become then-President Obama’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was first elected in a runoff over challenger Leticia Van de Putte in June 2015. Taylor will presumably face the possibility of another runoff, due to expected challenges from current District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina. Rounding out the mayoral ballot are independent contractor Antonio Diaz, paramedic Keven Roles, consultant Gerard Ponce, clinical psychologist John Velasquez, retired security guard Rhett Smith, senior federal officer Michael Idrogo, security guard Will McLeod, inspirational speaker Felicio Flores, public servant Stephen Lucke, Napoleon Madrid and political activist Julie Oldham, who will appear on the ballot as “Mama Bexar.” Archer, who managed five mayoral campaigns for mayors Phil Hardberger and Castro from 2005-2013 and ran Van de Putte’s 2015 push for the seat against Taylor, said a winning 51 percent margin could be hard to find in 2017. “When there are three strong candidates in a race like this - and 11 others taking away 3-4 percentage points - it’s hard to imagine there not being a runoff there,” Archer said. District 1 Incumbent Roberto Treviño will face attorney Lauro Bustamante, organizer Robert Feria, consultant Adrian Flores, attorney Michael Montaño and association manager Ross Treviño. District 2 Incumbent Alan Warrick II will face attorney William “Cruz” Shaw, school liasion officer Keith A. Toney, and office manager Dori L. Brown. District 3 Incumbent Rebecca Viagran will face student Nathan Carrizales, Sylvia E. Don, Ralph E. Gerber, Ismael Reyes, Jerome C. Durham and cultural worker Jessica O. Guerrero. District 4 Incumbent Rey Saldaña will face youth minister Rey Guevara and Johnny Arredondo. District 5 Incumbent Shirley Gonzales will face CEO Cynthia T. Cavazos, attorney David C. Yanez, HR employee Richard Montez, business owner Daniel Lopez and office coordinator Dolores Sotomayor. District 6 With Councilman Ray Lopez reaching his term limit, eight candidates will vie for the District 6 spot. Logistics employee Eric Gosset, teacher Ricardo “Rick” Trevino, attorney Melissa Cabello Havrda, consultant Joseph Cortez, metadata analyst Ropal Anderson, Greg Brockhouse, payroll analyst Robert Castaneda and Don Page have all filed to run. District 7 Incumbent Cris Medina will face Michele Dalbis-Robledo, teacher Marco Reyes, public health scientist Ana Sandoval and Alfredo Esparza Colunga. District 8 With Nirenberg’s departure for the mayoral race, six candidates will run for the District 8 seat. Attorney Manny Pelaez, business owner Patricia Stout, UTSA employee Shane A. Hinze, product management employee Tony Valdivia, Cynthia Brehm and investment adviser Paul Martin have all filed. District 9 With Joe Krieropting out of the race, voters have 10 new choices: educator John Courage, physician David “Doc” Cohen, CEO Patty Gibbons, legislative staffer Lynlie Wallace, salesman Matt Pina, CEO Marco Barros, business owner Patrick Von Dohlen, managing partner Adam Goodman, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Bert T. Cecconi and mental health clinician Sandra Martinez-Deyarmond. District 10 Mike Gallagher has decided not to return, so voters have 10 choices in District 10: Andrew J. Padilla, Clayton Perry, Jonathan Delmer, attorney Ezra A. Johnson, real estate investor Reinette King, retired soldier Lon Jett IV, school psychology specialist Diana Kenny, therapist John Alvarez, producer Eric Robert Morse and child care provider Celeste Montez-Tidwell. While Archer said this group of candidates is “diverse” and should “make for some great races,” Vacek said the uptick in participation could have a different driver. “There’s a great deal of interest” in these spots, Vacek said, “and I believe we can attribute that to the fact that the council members and mayor are paid (positions) now.” jgerlach@express-news.netA B.C. Supreme Court judge has stayed murder and conspiracy charges against gangster Jamie Bacon in the Surrey Six killings, at least partly because of how RCMP investigators handled confidential information. The full reasons for Justice Kathleen Ker's decision have been sealed by the court. However, an abbreviated ruling reveals that Bacon's lawyers had somehow come to possess privileged information that affected the accused killer's right to a fair trial but could not be used in his defence. "In part this arose from the manner in which the police handled aspects of privileged and confidential information," Ker wrote. The exact nature of that information and how the RCMP might have mishandled it is not clear, as most of the proceedings were conducted in a courtroom that was closed to the public. Bacon had been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit the murder of Corey Lal, one of six people who were killed on October 19, 2007 at the Balmoral Tower apartment building in Surrey. 2 innocent victims The victims of the gangland hit included four men with criminal backgrounds as well as two innocent bystanders: 22-year-old Chris Mohan and 55-year-old Ed Schellenberg. Mohan's mother, Eileen Mohan, learned of the stay of proceedings against Bacon on Friday morning. "I'm just outraged. All my insides are burning like a fever. I have to cool down and start to think, where do we go from here? What happened?" she said. "During these 10 years, I held my head up so high, that I believe in the justice system, I believe that the courts will deliver justice for me... unlike today's verdict, which is just so unacceptable." Chris Mohan was one of two innocent victims of the 2007 Surrey Six murders. ((Facebook)) Crown prosecutors will be reviewing the decision to determine whether to file an appeal, according to spokesperson Dan McLaughlin. "While the matter is under consideration by the prosecution service, we won't be commenting," he said. No peace for the families Attorney General David Eby, on the other hand, said he was shocked and tremendously disappointed by the decision. "The families of the victims and all who have been impacted by this terrible crime deserve peace, and they will not find it today," Eby said in a statement. Two other men are now serving life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years in connection with the murders. Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were convicted in 2014 of six counts of first degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Bacon remains in custody on a separate charge of counselling the murder of an individual and has not applied for bail. Allegations of police misconduct This isn't the first time that the alleged behaviour of RCMP officers has complicated the prosecution of the Surrey Six slayings. Four Mounties have been charged with breach of trust, obstruction of justice and fraud in connection with their investigation of the case. Derek Brassington, Paul Johnston, David Attew and Danny Michaud are all accused of sexual contact with protected witnesses in the case. Derek Brassington, shown here in Dec. 2013, is one of four investigators accused of having sexual contact with witnesses involved in the Surrey Six murder case. (CBC) With files from Michelle GhoussoubWinter is here, so it’s time to dust off your skiing gear and start planning this year’s mountain vacation. Out of ideas on where to go? Maybe this will help! 15. Alyeska, Alaska Alaska has the rugged landscapes and the snow to be a great destination for ski lovers, unfortunately it is its inaccessibility which has stymied its development in this regard. It seems, however, that the Land of the Midnight sun has drawn all of potential and poured it into the great resort of Alyeska, 40 miles south of Anchorage. Its best features are closely related to its special location: few crowds, few trees, and about 12 hours of daylight in March, all making this a great spot for those willing to go far for a great ski experience. 14. Baqueira Beret, Spain Baqueira Beret is Spain’s most popular ski resort. Set in the Aran Valley, part of the Pyrenees, the retreat has a little bit of something for everyone. Families and casual travelers will enjoy the multiple of beginners` slopes, dog- and horse-pulled sleds,
In fact, behind the Kremlin’s decision-making is a set of consistently expressed beliefs. On the United States “The USA is a great power. Probably the only superpower in existence today. We accept that and we are ready to work together with them. What we don’t need is for them to get involved in our affairs, tell us how to live our lives, and prevent Europe from building a relationship with us.” St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, June 2016 On allegations of Russia’s foreign meddling “There is constant US propaganda, and direct funding of US NGOs… Is that not interference, which continues year in, year out? Take a globe, spin it, and randomly put your finger on any spot – I can guarantee that there are American interests and meddling there. What do the Americans want? For everyone to just bow their heads in deference? We have our own opinion and we express it openly. It is not some form of undercover sabotage.” Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, June 2017 On Europe “Does it benefit European states to simply service Washington’s foreign and even domestic policy aims? I am not sure. Is this the purpose of serious politics, and is this the role countries take on if they desire to call themselves great powers?” Russia Calling! Investment Forum, October 2016 On Catalonia’s independence crisis “At one time, the EU welcomed the collapse of a whole range of states in Europe, not bothering to hide their glee. Why did they need to so thoughtlessly – for the sake of short-term interests and to please ‘Big Brother’ in Washington – unconditionally support the secession of Kosovo, provoking similar processes on the continent and beyond?” Valdai Discussion Club, October 2017 On NATO “There is no more Soviet Union, no Eastern Bloc. In my view, NATO needs an external enemy to justify its existence, so there is a constant search for one, and provocations to create adversaries where there are none. …Today it is an instrument of American foreign policy. There are no partners in it, only vassals.” Oliver Stone interview, June 2017 On the Middle East “There has been an attempt to reformat the region, to impose an outside model on it, either through regime change, or outright use of force. Instead of fighting extremism, instead of imitating such a fight, some of our peers want chaos to become a permanent state of affairs.” Valdai Discussion Club, October 2017 On North Korea “Of course we condemn North Korea’s nuclear tests and comply with all UN Security Council resolutions without exception. But to solve this problem you must use dialog, not by trying to corner North Korea with military threats, and not resort to name-calling and public exchanges of insults. Whether you like the regime in Pyongyang or hate it, you have to recognize that DPRK is a sovereign state.” Valdai Discussion Club, October 2017 On the toppling of Viktor Yanukovich in Ukraine “What happened in Kiev is an armed and unconstitutional seizure of power – a coup. No one is arguing with that. The question is – why did it need to be done like that? Viktor Yanukovich had already given up his power, and had no chance of re-election. Why plunge the country into chaos? As a demonstration of power? This was a stupid decision and had the reverse effect. I believe it was these actions that destabilized the situation in the east of the country.” Media briefing in Novo Ogarevo, March 2014 On the government in Kiev “The interests of the Russian and the Ukrainian peoples are the same. What isn’t the same is the aims of the Ukrainian government and elites. …They have only one good left to export for international consumption – Russophobia. And the politics of division between the two countries. Some in the West believe that these two states should never be allies, and so Ukraine has been successful exporting that idea.” Hamburg G20 Summit, June 2017 On Russia’s political system “Monarchy was a legacy passed down from the Empire to Soviet times, even though the plaque on the building changed. Only at the beginning of the 1990s, events came to pass which laid the foundation for a new stage of Russian development. Certainly, you cannot imagine that we can instantaneously get the same government model, the same structures, as in the United States, in Germany, in France. Society, just as every living organism, has to develop stage-by-stage, organically. That’s the normal development process.” Oliver Stone interview, June 2017 On Russia’s role in the world “Russia is a country with a thousand-year history and has almost always enjoyed the privilege of a sovereign foreign policy. We are not going to betray this tradition today. At the same time, we are well aware of how the world has changed and we have a realistic understanding of our own opportunities and potential. We would like to interact with responsible and independent partners with whom we could work together in constructing a fair and democratic world order that would ensure security and prosperity not only for a select few, but for all.” Munich speech, February 2007Sad state of XYZ — or What happens when you pick shiny new stuff RDX Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 13, 2016 I recently had a chance to read https://medium.com/@wob/the-sad-state-of-web-development-1603a861d29f#.6dq6lppcn. All the author’s points are valid. But the summary is: This is what happens when you pick shiny new stuff The author says: The web (specifically the Javascript/Node community) has created some of the most complicated, convoluted, over engineered tools ever conceived. Want to take a peek at the “DevOps” world? New Infrastructure tools are coming and going out by the dozens. What was last year’s hot DevOps tool is this year’s dud. Hadoop is dead, long live Spark. Storm became legacy. Went from Postgres to MongoDB and back to Postgres. Containers are still going from Deis to Kubernetes to ECS to GCE to Mesos to Swarm. Shiny new “products” rain from the Cloud almost everyday. Want to know how complicated it is to build a single app? Lambda, DynamoDB, Kinesis, IoT, RedShift, API Gateway, Firehose, duh I’m not even scratching the surface. So that original post, although long and full of real examples, was not about Javascript fatigue really. Its change fatigue. Let’s be clear, if you’re picking something new, you’re making a conscious choice to grow up with it. Either be strong enough to do that, or smart enough to avoid that. Change is inevitable, but learn to avoid the fanboys and don’t be one as well.Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks at a rally in support of repealing the state's death penalty in January. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) The Maryland legislature voted Friday to abolish the death penalty, which would make the state the sixth in as many years to end capital punishment and add to a canon of liberal policies recently embraced by state leaders. The 82 to 56 vote in the House of Delegates, which followed two hours of debate, reflected a growing unease among lawmakers in Maryland and across the country that the risk of putting an innocent person to death remains too great with the death penalty in place. The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, now goes to the desk of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who claimed a long-sought victory. Aides said he will sign the bill in coming weeks. Since taking office in 2007, O’Malley has urged lawmakers to end capital punishment. He has also led successful efforts to legalize same-sex marriage, extend in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrants and raise income taxes on wealthy residents. In an interview, O’Malley credited the grass-roots lobbying efforts of the NAACP and faith leaders, turnover in the state Senate and some last-minute conversions with helping achieve an objective that had previously eluded him. “I’ve felt compelled to do everything I could to change our law, repeal the death penalty, so that we could focus on doing the things that actually work to reduce violent crime,” said O’Malley, who rose to political prominence as a tough-on-crime mayor of Baltimore. Repeal advocates said the win in Maryland — which has five prisoners on death row but hasn’t executed anyone since 2005 — would continue momentum nationally. Benjamin T. Jealous, president of the NAACP, which has made repeal of the death penalty a national priority, noted that Maryland would become the first state south of the Mason-Dixon line to do away with capital punishment. “This is a big day for Maryland. It’s a bigger day for the country,” said Jealous, who watched Friday’s vote in Annapolis from the House gallery and appeared at a news conference with O’Malley afterward. “It shows that the anti-death penalty movement is accelerating.” He said that repeal advocates are within striking distance in Delaware, Colorado, New Hampshire and Kansas. Although the death penalty remains on the books in 33 states, many are using it more sparingly than in the past. Last year, 77 people were sentenced to death nationally, the second-lowest number since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. “State after state is deciding that the death penalty is simply not worth the risks and costs to retain,” Richard Dieter, the executive director of the center, said Friday, predicting that Maryland “won’t be the last” to end capital punishment. During Friday’s debate in the House, opponents of the repeal bill argued that capital punishment can be an important law-enforcement tool and should be kept on the books for heinous cases, several of which were recounted in graphic detail. “I wish that we did not need the death penalty... but I’ve seen the worst of the worst, and I know it’s necessary,” Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), a former prosecutor, told colleagues. But his side was outnumbered by delegates who said they’ve come to view life without the possibility of parole as an acceptable alternative. More than a dozen members made references to Kirk Bloodsworth, a former death-row inmate who was exonerated by DNA evidence and released from prison in 1993. Bloodsworth, a former Marine convicted of raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl in Baltimore County in 1984, watched the proceedings Friday from the House gallery. “Human beings cannot devise a system of justice that is perfect,” said Del. Anne Healey (D-Prince George’s). “What I can’t live with is, if we make a mistake, it costs somebody else his life.” A couple of members said they had reached their decision only in recent days. “I’m a reluctant convert to supporting repeal, but a convert nonetheless,” said William J. Frank (R-Baltimore County), citing a “respect for human life.” Maryland voters could still get the final say on the measure. A provision in the state constitution allows citizens to petition recently passed laws to the ballot, as happened with same-sex marriage legislation last year. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) has said the death penalty is likely to be placed on the 2014 ballot, although no group has announced plans to spearhead an organized effort to collect signatures. The outcome of a ballot measure would be far from certain. A Washington Post poll released last month showed that a majority of Marylanders want to keep the death penalty despite widespread skepticism as to whether it is a deterrent to murder or is applied fairly. Repealing the death penalty was not an issue that O’Malley campaigned on in 2006 when he first defeated then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). But in December 2006, a month before he took office, the Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s procedures had not been properly adopted and halted executions until new regulations could be issued by the administration. It was then that O’Malley, a practicing Catholic, said he sensed an opening to pursue a long-held belief of his. Rather than put forward new regulations that would allow the death penalty to resume, O’Malley focused on lobbying the legislature for repeal. In high-profile testimony shortly after he took office in 2007, the governor argued that capital punishment is “inherently unjust,” does not serve as a deterrent to murder and consumes resources that could be better used to prevent crime. In 2009, after two repeal bills sponsored by lawmakers had failed, O’Malley decided to put the full weight of his office behind the measure and sponsor it himself, even though it was unclear if there were enough votes in the Senate. That measure was rejected by the chamber, with members choosing instead to tighten evidentiary standards in capital cases. Since then, several lawmakers have suggested that their attempt to “fix” the death penalty in 2009 was insufficient. Those include Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), the primary author of the 2009 amendment, which limited capital cases to those with DNA evidence, videotaped confessions or videotape of the crime itself. Zirkin said he wrestled with his position for months and still was conflicted as he cast his vote for the repeal, expressing no moral qualms about putting to death people who are guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. “From an emotional standpoint, I want to kill these people myself,” he said. “But that’s a different question than whether, legally, the state should be involved in their death.” In the weeks before the vote, three other members announced that they would vote for the bill, citing a variety of reasons, including visits from families of murder victims who opposed capital punishment. “The idea of strapping someone down and deliberately taking their life — it was a little difficult for me,” said Sen. John C. Astle (D-Anne Arundel). “I didn’t come to my decision easily.” The outcome in the House on Friday was expected, but that didn’t lessen the drama. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) characterized his chamber’s death-penalty vote and its legalization of same-sex marriage last year as two of the most emotional and important undertaken by state lawmakers. Aaron C. Davis contributed to this report.Five years have passed since the heroic struggle of the students during the “Maple Spring.” This magnificent movement shook the province to the core and ended with the defeat of the Liberal Party and the canceling of the tuition increase. However, five years later, austerity continues at a steady pace and the Liberals seem to be comfortably seated in power. The fifth anniversary of the maple spring is an occasion for us to revisit those historic events and to highlight the lessons of this fantastic movement. 2012, a turning point The youth have always been a barometer of the state of any given society. In most most mass movements the youth are the first to move, igniting the spark of a revolutionary upsurge. In 2012, the students erupting onto the scene of history was the symptom of the crisis developing in Quebec for many years. The repeated attacks of the Jean Charest Liberals provoked the reply of Quebecois youth, who answered loudly “enough is enough!” One of the lessons from 2012 is that of leadership. The activists leading the ASSE gave a bold and fearless direction and defiantly threw down the gauntlet in a direct challenge to not just the government, but the entire capitalist class. In 2011, in a speech used to mobilize students for the strike, the now famous Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois finished the speech by stating: “Never forget that the people who want to increase tuition fees, the people who want to cut public services, the people who want to privatize health-care, the people who want to weaken – in other words abolish - environmental regulations, the people who despise women's rights, indigenous rights and the rights of all minorities, the people who have worked tirelessly over decades to prevent workers from forming unions, all these people are the same. “These people are few in number. These people control everything. They always want to control more. These people have common interests. These people have a common political project. “There was a time, in Quebec, in Canada, not so long ago, that a minority like this, that controls the political and economic institutions of a country, that shares common interests, not so long ago we would call this a class. “We need to stop being afraid of words. We must call these people by their name. These people are the ruling class. These people are the bourgeoisie. “The struggle against the tuition increase, the struggle of those who are indignant all over the world must be called by its name. It is a class struggle. This is a struggle of the minority that owns everything against the majority that obviously owns nothing and vice versa. A gluttonous and vulgar minority. A minority that views life as a business opportunity, a tree as a natural resource and a child as a future employee...When we are in the streets fighting against the tuition increase, it is also this that we are fighting against." In August 2011 in their publication Ultimatum, in an editorial titled “We are at an end” written by Nadeau-Dubois, it made an appeal which amounted to a call for revolution. In a section of the article titled “we are not alone” it stated: “All over the world, in Spain, in Italy, in Greece, in Portugal, in Great Britain, in Syria, in Egypt or Tunisia, the people are revolting to claim what is theirs....After the Arab spring, will we witness a Quebecois spring?” It then went on to state “The response from ASSE is categorical : we must. This semester will begin with a massive mobilization on all campuses in Quebec.… More and more we hear, in the corridors of colleges and universities, a whisper, like a rumor, three letters, always the same three: GGI. This rumor, since last spring has become more and more insistent. GGI : Unlimited General Strike... Given the magnitude of this challenge, no hesitation can be permitted. We need to mobilize ourselves right now, in great number and with great determination. It is up to us.” Given the firm and uncompromising leadership, the response from the student population was overwhelming. By March, 75% of all post secondary institutions were shut down by the strike and on March 22nd, over 200,000 people flooded the streets of Montreal. The confidence and elan was palpable. In the weeks and months following the beginning of the strike, the government dug their heels in and refused to back down. The government demonized the CLASSE (The enlarged strike committee of ASSE) and insisted that they would not negotiate with them. This was incredibly insulting to students on strike of which a majority were represented by this coalition. The media, owned and controlled by the capitalists, played their nasty game of ignoring the movement when they could and portrayed the students as “entitled,” “violent” and “enemies of the workers.” At this point the government had already started imposing injunctions against the picket lines and were making mass arrests of hundreds of students. The SPVM (Montreal police) as well as the SQ (Provincial police) became particularly hated due to their brutal tactics. One student (Francis Grenier) even lost his eye in early March due to the police firing a flash grenade in his face. This hypocritical demand that the student leaders must denounce the violence of a few student protesters when the police had been unleashing a systematic and violent crackdown on the right to protest, created a rage among not only the student population but also the working class. What was the 2012 Student Strike? Students in Quebec have a long tradition of militant strikes going all the way back to the 1960s. This is the main reason why post secondary education in the province is by far one of the cheapest in the country. In previous movements, the government was quicker to back down faced with such general outrage and such numbers on strike and on the streets. As recent as 2005, a student strike that lasted just 6-weeks forced the Liberal government to back off on their attempts to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bursaries. But the strike in 2012 was unlike previous student strikes. Occurring just four years after the economic crisis of 2008, this strike was occurring in a new epoch of capitalist crisis and austerity. The economy of the province as well as the province's financial situation were in a sorry state. The capitalist class in Quebec and their lackey politicians sought to offload the cost of this crisis onto the backs workers and youth. There was a dire need, a constant pressure coming from the bourgeoisie to send a clear message to workers and youth in the province that resistance to their agenda would not be tolerated. The bourgeoisie in Quebec, in 2012, knew very well what was at stake. The Montreal Gazette explained that “Any ‘social peace’ [the government] would buy from the students would not be permanent, because every other interest group opposed to future austerity measures would see that not only the present government but the society it represents can be intimidated.” Clearly there was a fear that the students would set an example for the broader working class. This was a justified fear and the Liberal government acted accordingly to attempt to crush the movement. This fundamentally changed the struggle from a simple student strike to a movement that questioned who ruled society. The youth and the workers In this context, students needed to spread the struggle to the wider working class in order to achieve victory. Students, in spite of all of their enthusiasm and their impressive ability to mobilize, are far from possessing the same economic leverage as the workers. A student strike, in spite of its importance, can not shut down production in the decisive sectors of the economy. It is the workers who have this power. It is therefore not surprising that the Liberals made no real concessions to the students during the 2012 crisis, despite the unprecedented scope of the movement. As long as the workers were not brought into the movement, the government would not bend, which is all the more true during a period in which the capitalist system is in a deep crisis, where the bosses are determined to pass the bill onto the workers and youth in the form of austerity measures. Faced with this situation, the ASSE leadership, to their credit, made an appeal for students to “go further than the unlimited general (student) strike,” and made an appeal for a “Grève sociale” - that is a general strike of the whole society. They correctly said that this government only listens to the language of money and therefore they would need to “occupy and disrupt the economy.” However, there was no collective organized expression given to this movement and there was no clear idea about how this would be done. Many times this manifested itself in isolated actions of students blocking or occupying public buildings, with little or no connection or communication with the workers who worked there. This played into the narrative coming from Jean Charest that the students were “enemies of the workers.” Despite the fact that the polls showed that there was massive support for the students among the general population and there was a clear desire among students to bring the workers into the struggle, this never occurred in an organized fashion. What was needed was not just statements about the need for a general strike but for this to be organized on the ground. The leaders of the main trade unions had made it clear that they did not want a general strike, so a grassroots movement of the members in favor of a 24-hour general strike needed to be organized to bring the pressure to bear. In order to do this, students needed to reach out to and engage in a dialogue with the workers. At every school, student-worker solidarity committees should have been struck with the task of identifying all of the major workplaces in the area that they could visit. These committees could mobilize the local student population to go to these work places and ask for some time to put their case to the workers. They could have explained the broader situation: that a defeat for the students, at the end of the day, is a defeat for the workers; and that after the government had finished with the youth, it would be coming down hard on them. Sympathetic workers' unions, sympathetic shop stewards could have been contacted and involved in the discussions. Unfortunately this did not happen, the workers were not brought into the movement and the deadlock continued. The masses hold their leaders to account In May, as the movement dragged on, the representatives from the traditionally conciliatory, FEUQ and FECQ stated that they would be prepared to negotiate with the government without the representatives from the CLASSE being involved. In order to be involved in the negotiations, the CLASSE denounced the violence of the demonstrators and the government was forced to include them in the negotiations. The FEUQ and the FECQ representatives quickly demonstrated that they were prepared to accept a sellout deal. Representing the core of striking students and mandated to accept absolutely no concessions, the CLASSE representatives were brought under immense pressure from all major institutions in society. The government brought in the leaders from the major workers' unions to try to convince the CLASSE negotiators to be'reasonable' and 'do a service for the good of Quebec'. The result of this blitz of negotiations on May 4-5th was a complete sellout deal being agreed upon by the government and the student leaders. The representatives of the students touted it as a “partial victory” but this was quickly rebuked by Liberal ministers who insisted that the plan to raise tuition was still going ahead as planned. Even worse was the fact that the proposed entente would implicate the student leaders in a government committee to oversee cost cutting at universities. This committee would be dominated by elements from the state and big business and would simply use the authority of the student leaders to sell austerity to the rank-and-file. To the dismay of the elites and the student and workers leaders alike, students gathered in general assemblies at campuses all over the province rejected this rotten deal. By Wednesday, May 9th, fourteen colleges had rejected the deal and only two had voted to accept it. Votes at the universities similarly delivered a crushing rejection of this deal. This led to another breakdown in negotiations. In response to this, the education minister Line Beauchamp was forced to resign. The movement had its first concrete victory! The whip of the counter revolution By May, a questioning mood had developed among the student population. What are we going to do? We can't simply strike forever! What is going to happen? The Charest Liberals, having failed to kill the movement through subterfuge, lies and smears decided to try to crush the movement and put an end to this once and for all. On May 18th, the Liberal party, with support from the right-wing CAQ party passed Bill 78 – a brutal anti-democratic law seeking to curtail the right to protest in the province, levying heavy fines against individuals and unions if they continued to block the access to the schools with picket lines. This led to the amusing situation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pilla warning of a worrying trend of governments violating fundamental human rights like the right to protest in places like Syria, Mali, Nepal, Mexico, Russia, North Korea, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and... Quebec! She stated that "In the context of student protests, I am disappointed by the new legislation passed in Quebec that restricts their rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly." Marx famously said once that, “revolution advances under the whip of the counter-revolution.” The Liberals, angry and arrogant, had completely miscalculated with this law and it ended up producing the exact opposite result than they desired. The anger and rage spread throughout Quebecois society like wildfire. On May 21st, the CLASSE held a press conference and announced that they considered the law to be unjust and that they would not be respecting it. They started a website where anyone could upload a picture of themselves holding a sign that said “I defy law 78.” This website exploded with thousands and thousands of people from all over the province uploading their photos in defiance of the law. Up until this moment, the trade union leaders had been playing a dastardly role. While from time to time they denounced the government, they also continued to appeal to the CLASSE leaders to be reasonable and to accept a compromise. They refused categorically the idea of organizing a solidarity strike of the workers and generally tried to hold back their members so that the situation did not get out of control. The imposition of law 78 changed all of this. The pressure from the rank and file members of the unions became too much and the unions were forced to mobilize their members for a big demonstration on the 22nd of May. The result was incredible. The imposition of law 78 had given new life to the movement and started to spread the movement to the working class. Over 400,000 people demonstrated that day. The police could do absolutely nothing when faced with the unstoppable power of the masses. The masses were feeling their own power in the biggest demonstration and show of civil disobedience in the history of the province or even the country. On top of this, the night of May 24th, with no official leadership, dozens of demonstrations spontaneously erupted in different neighborhoods in Montreal in defiance of the anti-demonstration law. Around 8pm, no matter which neighborhood you were in, you would start to hear the clinking of pots and pans, a tradition which has its roots in protests against the despotic premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis during the “Great Darkness” in the 1940s and 1950s. Hundreds of working class people would flood the streets banging pots and pans spontaneously. These “casseroles” continued for weeks and made law 78 inapplicable in practice. This also posed a fantastic opportunity to spread the struggle to the working class. The casseroles were largely comprised of working class people, upset at their children being arrested and defiant in the face of a government that had become more and more authoritarian. One of the most notable things about this period is the near complete absence of leadership. The leaders of the CLASSE, who had heroically called on the masses to rise against the government and the capitalist class as a part of an international wave, clearly did not have a plan of action once the masses heeded the call. The government refused to back down and the student leaders made continued calls to “continue the struggle.” They officially stood for a “social strike” and called for it repeatedly but did very little to concretely help the rank and file workers overcome the conservative nature of the trade union bureaucracy. The situation could not have been riper for the students to go to the workers, engage in a dialogue with them and forge links of solidarity with them, and put forward the case for a united general strike against the government. Quebec youth lacked not the enthusiasm or determination but the necessary leadership. Even though the spring semester have been suspended until August, the movement continued throughout June andu July with almost daily demonstrations, during the day, at night and in almost every neighborhood of Montreal. The repression and political profiling unleashed by the state reached epic proportions. Between February and September 2012, over 3,500 people were arrested and the Montreal police force spent over $7.3 million just on paying overtime during the spring of 2012. Student caught wearing a red square were regularly stopped, harassed or arrested by police, even when they were not in a demonstration. The Fall Elections As the fall semester approached, the Charest government once again changed their tactics in an attempt to put an end to the movement. On August 1st, Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne dissolved the national assembly at the request of premier Jean Charest and called an election for September 4th. Charest framed the election as a choice between “order and stability” or “lawlessness and violence” of the streets - an obvious reference to the protests that had been rocking the province. He said that “We have heard from those who have been hitting away at pots and pans. Now, is a time for the silent majority to speak.” As soon as Charest called the election, the question of what to do became the key question in the student movement. The FEUQ/FECQ had the position that the students should end the strike and vote for “anyone but the Liberals.” This essentially amounted to a vote for the Parti Quebecois, which had been wearing red squares, banging pots and pans and hypocritically pandering to the movement. They even had FECQ leader, Léo Bureau-Blouin as a candidate in the riding of Laval-des-Rapides. The anarchists argued to boycott the election and continue the strike. People like Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois wanted to support Quebec Solidaire but lost out to the anarchists. Unfortunately, the CLASSE adopted the abstract position of “elections are not a solution.” Of course, it is true in an abstract sense that under capitalism, elections do not fundamentally change the system. However, we need to be able to exploit all opportunities to hand defeats to the capitalists and increase the confidence and fighting capacity of the masses. This is why the Marxists argued that we shouldn’t draw a false dichotomy of “strike or election”, but instead continue the strike and use it as a mobilizing tool during the election to not only hand a defeat to the Liberals but to all of the capitalist parties that had been pushing for the tuition increase, including the PQ. This meant getting active in and supporting Quebec solidaire, the self described “party of the streets and the ballot box” and the only significant party that supports free education. Unfortunately, due to the boycott tactic, the election played a significant role in spreading confusion and demobilizing the movement. The student population did not follow the position of the CLASSE, which had tremendous authority in the population at the time, but instead saw the election as an opportunity to overthrow Charest. By the end of August, only a few thousand students at UQAM and UdeM were still on strike. Was it inevitable for the strike to lose momentum during the election? We don’t believe so. We actually entirely agree with Jean Charest that this essentially was an election about who ruled Quebec. The fact of the matter is that everyone knew that a victory for the Liberals and Charest would be seen as a huge rebuke to the students and everyone who had been protesting. In the same logic, a victory, or a significant increase in support for Quebec solidaire would have sent exactly the opposite message. In reality, the position that the CLASSE took managed to open up the field for the moderate FEUQ/FECQ leaders, Martine Desjardins and Léo Bureau-Blouin to play a role. Instead of explaining how students could use the election to continue the strike and hand a defeat to Charest at the ballot box, they allowed the Parti Quebecois and their supporters, which had largely been sidelined by the movement, to put forward the argument that if we wanted to defeat Charest, we had to end the strike and vote for the Parti Quebecois. Charest Defeated! The result of the election was a massive rejection of Jean Charest and the Liberal party. The Liberals lost the election and Charest lost his seat. He was forced to resign in embarrassment after 28 years of political life. The Liberals saw their share of the vote drop to its lowest level in 40 years. Interestingly enough, the vote share of the PQ also dropped a couple percentage points and they were only able to form an extremely weak minority government. This was in spite of the fact that voter turnout was up from 57% to 75%. In order to even manage this paltry victory, the PQ had to bend significantly left, opportunistically pandering to the student movement, pledging to cancel the tuition increase, law 78 and a few other unpopular measures pursued by the Liberals. However, this victory didn't last very long. Within a few months after abolishing the tuition increase, the PQ went ahead with a new tuition increase under the guise of “indexation.” The PQ, after having opportunistically supported the student movement, was now at the helm and began championing austerity. After 18 months of another austerity government, the PQ was relegated to the status of official opposition and the Liberal Party was returned to power, with a comfortable majority in the National Assembly. Since being elected three years ago, the PLQ, without attacking the students as they did in 2012, has been carrying out the worst austerity government in the history of Quebec. For many people, it seems as though the movement has gone back to square one. Some would ask “All of this just to put the Liberals in power two years later?” Was the struggle of 2012 made in vain? Prepare for future struggles! An article recently publishing in the daily paper Metro posed a question about the heritage of 2012: “Who, in Quebec, is still inspired by the movement? Lets face it – very few people. Its as if the events of the spring of 2012 drained all of the energies that could be devoted to protest.” Explaining that no major demonstrations took place in response to the austerity measures of Pauline Marois, the article states that the Couillard Liberals were able to cut massively everywhere “in almost complete apathy.” And he concludes that, “Quebec is not overflowing with young progressives with sincere and selfless ideas.” The truth is that the masses cannot be in a constant state of intense struggle. The class struggle contains ups and downs. It is normal that after 8 months of struggle, students did not initiate a new movement at the drop of a hat. The article is also mistaken when it states that the austerity measures have been accepted in “almost complete apathy.” Was the author even in Quebec between 2014 and 2016? During this period, public sector workers in particular mobilized in a struggle that was unprecedented in the last 40 years. Unfortunately, this movement was sold-out by the trade union leaders who accepted a deal that was far below the demands of the workers, while deliberately putting the breaks on the movement at every step. Unionized workers were demanding wage increases of 13.5% over three years but the union leaders accepted just 5.25% over five years! The workers, without an alternative, agreed to back this agreement with some unions trying to keep fighting in spite of the capitulation, but to no avail. Therefore it was not the “almost complete apathy” of the masses that caused the defeat of the movement against austerity but above all the conciliatory leadership of the movement. Finally, the cynical conclusion of the article contains a superficial and erroneous assessment of the process developing within the youth. On the surface it may seem like the youth are apathetic, but this is only because the radicalization has not found a way to express itself politically yet. Quebecois youth and workers are not immune to the process of increasing radicalization seen all over the world. Quebec, like other countries, is full of young people who sincerely wish to fight against austerity and even against capitalism, they just lack the political vehicle to do this. The workers and youth in Quebec have a rich history of struggle
Carleton (2,664 votes) Ahmadou Gitteh, Change CUSA (2,455 votes) Dan Crich, ACT Now Carleton (1,374 votes) Abstentions (318 votes) Vice-president (finance): Craig Handy, Your Carleton (2,972 votes) Gurinder Singh, Change CUSA (2,529 votes) Abdulla Alromaihi, ACT Now Carleton (907 votes) Abstentions (403 votes) Vice-president (student life): Sean Smith, Change CUSA (2,695 votes) John Mesman, Your Carleton (2,653 votes) Shonalie Raha, ACT Now Carleton (1,065 votes) Abstentions (398 votes) Vice-president (student services): Frena Hailekiros, Your Carleton (2,727 votes) Sadia Wamunya, Change CUSA (2,548 votes) Chany Singh, ACT Now Carleton (1,072 votes) Abstentions (464 votes) Vice-president (student issues): Maddie Adams, Your Carleton (2,932 votes) Ashley Courchene, Change CUSA (2,455 votes) Roy Sengupta, ACT Now Carleton (998 votes) Abstentions (426 votes) Vice-president (internal): Sofia Dala, Your Carleton (2,856 votes) Rasha Choudhury, Change CUSA (2,394 votes) David MacMillan, ACT Now Carleton (1,175 votes) Abstentions (386 votes)Salmonella outbreak grows in Canada, investigation ongoing The number of Salmonella Infantis cases reported in the multi-province outbreak in Canada has grown to 91 cases in nine provinces, according to Canadian health officials. This is an increase of nine cases during the past 10 days. The investigation into the outbreak that started in mid-October (original notice) continues and health officials try to determine the source of the outbreak. Currently, poultry products are food items of interest; however, more evidence is required to definitely state this as the source. Currently, the 91 cases have been reported from the following provinces: British Columbia (6), Alberta (11), Saskatchewan (2), Manitoba (2), Ontario (53), Quebec (13) Nova Scotia (2), Prince Edward Island (1) and New Brunswick (1). Individuals became sick between March 15 and November 30, 2015. The majority of cases (60%) are female, with an average age of 40 years. Sixteen people have been hospitalized, and all have recovered or are recovering. No deaths have been reported. Salmonella is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting or abnormal pain. The illness primarily impacts young children, frail and elderly people and those with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill. Related:North Korea is facing international condemnation after investigators blamed it for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. Pyongyang rejected the claim as a "fabrication" and threatened war if sanctions were imposed. The international report found a North Korean submarine's torpedo sank the South Korean navy ship, causing the deaths of 46 sailors. China urged restraint and did not criticise the North. READ THE REPORT IN FULL Investigation result on the sinking of Cheonan [72KB] Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Excerpts: Ship sinking report US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Washington supported the findings of the investigation. He added that the Pentagon was in "close consultation" with Seoul to determine the best way to respond. Britain, Australia and Japan also expressed anger at North Korea. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledged to take "stern action". UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the report was "deeply troubling". Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said North Korea's actions would deepen the international community's mistrust. 'UN resolution' The investigation team, which included experts from America, Australia, Britain and Sweden, said it had discovered part of the torpedo on the sea floor and it carried lettering that matched a North Korean design. NORTH KOREAN ATTACKS Jan 1967 - attacks South Korean warship near border, killing 39 sailors Jan 1968 - commandos storm presidential palace in Seoul in a failed attempt to kill President Park Chung-hee Jan 1968 - captures USS Pueblo - one crew member dies and 82 held hostage for 11 months Dec 1969 - hijacks South Korean airliner taking dozens of passengers hostage Oct 1983 - bombs hotel in Rangoon, Burma in failed attempt to kill South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan - 21 people die Nov 1987 - bombs South Korean airliner, killing 115 Sept 1996 - North Korean submarine crew land in South, sparking deadly manhunt Mar 2010 - torpedoes Cheonan warship, 46 sailors killed Attack leaves no easy options How the ship was sunk Timeline: North Korean attacks Q&A: Cheonan sinking Send us your comments Pyongyang said it would send its own inspection team to the South, to "verify material evidence" behind the accusation. A North Korean defence spokesman said the country would "respond to reckless counter-measure with an all-out war of justice", the state KCNA news agency reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Beijing had "noted" the report and would make its own assessment, but called on both sides to exercise restraint. The Cheonan went down near the disputed inter-Korean maritime border, raising tension between the two nations, which technically remain at war. The shattered wreck of the 1,200-tonne gunboat was later winched to the surface, in two pieces, for examination. Investigators examined eyewitness accounts, damage to the vessel, evidence collected from the seabed and the injuries sustained by survivors and those who died. There had earlier been a number of explanations suggested for the sinking, including an accidental collision with an unexploded sea mine left over from the Korean War. Mr Lee's presidential office said he had told Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd his government would be taking firm measures against the North, and through international co-operation would make the North admit wrongdoing. Japan's Prime Minister said in a statement that North Korea's action was "unforgivable". Yukio Hatoyama said Japan would support South Korea if it sought a UN Security Council resolution against North Korea. However the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says agreeing on an international response will be difficult as the diplomatic options will be limited.The "original affluent society" is a theory postulating that hunter-gatherers were the original affluent society. This theory was first articulated by Marshall Sahlins at a symposium entitled "Man the Hunter" in 1966.[1] The significance of the theory stems from its role in shifting anthropological thought away from seeing hunter-gatherer societies as primitive, to seeing them as practitioners of a refined mode of subsistence. At the time of the symposium new research by anthropologists, such as Richard B. Lee's work on the!Kung of southern Africa, was challenging popular notions that hunter-gatherer societies were always near the brink of starvation and continuously engaged in a struggle for survival.[2] Sahlins gathered the data from these studies and used it to support a comprehensive argument that states that hunter-gatherers did not suffer from deprivation, but instead lived in a society in which "all the people's wants are easily satisfied."[3] Overview [ edit ] The basis of Sahlins’ argument is that hunter-gatherer societies are able to achieve affluence by desiring little and meeting those needs/desires with what is available to them. This he calls the "Zen road to affluence, which states that human material wants are finite and few, and technical means unchanging but on the whole adequate" (Sahlins, Original). This he compares to the western way towards affluence, which he terms as the "Galbraithean way" where "man’s wants are great, not to say infinite, whereas his means are limited..." and "the gap between means and ends can eventually be narrowed by industrial productivity".[3] Thus Sahlins argues that hunter-gatherer and western societies take separate roads to affluence, the former by desiring little, the latter by producing much. Through this comparison Sahlins also stresses that hunter-gatherer societies cannot be examined through an ethnocentric framework when measuring their affluence. For example, one cannot apply the general principles of economics (principles which reflect western values and emphasize surplus) to hunter-gatherers nor should one believe that the Neolithic Revolution brought unquestioned progress. By stepping away from western notions of affluence, the theory of the original affluent society thus dispels notions about hunter-gatherer societies that were popular at the time of the symposium. Sahlins states that hunter-gatherers have a "marvelously varied diet"[4] based on the abundance of the local flora and fauna. This demonstrates that hunter-gatherers do not exist on a mere subsistence economy but rather live among plenty. Through knowledge of their environment hunter-gatherers are able to change what foreigners may deem as meager and unreliable natural resources into rich subsistence resources. Through this they are able to effectively and efficiently provide for themselves and minimize the amount of time spent procuring food. "[T]he food quest is so successful that half the time the people do not know what to do with themselves".[4] Hunter-gatherers also experience "affluence without abundance"[4] as they simply meet their required ends and do not require surplus nor material possessions (as these would be a hindrance to their nomadic lifestyle). The lack of surplus also demonstrates that they trust their environment will continuously provide for them. By foraging only for their immediate needs among plentiful resources, hunter-gatherers are able to increase the amount of leisure time available to them. Thus, despite living in what western society deems to be material poverty, hunter-gatherer societies work less than people practicing other modes of subsistence while still providing for all their needs, and therefore increase their amount of leisure time. These are the reasons the original affluent society is that of the hunter-gatherer.[4] Through his thesis on the affluent society, Sahlins deconstructed the then popular notions that hunter-gatherers are primitive and constantly working hard to ward off starvation. However, one must take into consideration that there has been much progress in this field since 1966 and that ideas on the category of hunter-gatherer are always shifting, with new paradigms continuously emerging.[2] One must also acknowledge that one cannot generalize about hunter-gatherer societies. Although they have been pushed to the margins of society, there are still many such societies in the world and they differ greatly from each other. "Work time" and "leisure time" [ edit ] Sahlins' argument partly relies on studies undertaken by McCarthy and McArthur in Arnhem Land, and by Richard Borshay Lee among the!Kung[5][6]. These studies show that hunter-gatherers need only work about fifteen to twenty hours a week in order to survive and may devote the rest of their time to leisure.[4] Lee did not include food preparation time in his study, arguing that "work" should be defined as the time spent gathering enough food for sustenance. When total time spent on food acquisition, processing, and cooking was added together, the estimate per week was 44.5 hours for men and 40.1 hours for women, but Lee added that this is still less than the total hours spent on work and housework in many modern Western households. The Three to Five Hour Working Day [ edit ] Sahlins concludes that the hunter-gatherer only works three to five hours per adult worker each day in food production.[7][8] Using data gathered from various foraging societies and quantitative surveys done among the Arhem Landers of Australia and quantitative materials cataloged by Richard Lee on the Dobe Bushmen of the Kalahari, Sahlins argues that hunter-gatherer tribes are able to meet their needs through working roughly 15-20 hours per week or less. Criticism [ edit ] Sahlins' theory has been challenged by a number of scholars in the field of anthropology and archaeology. They assert that hunter-gatherer societies were not "affluent" but suffered from extremely high infant mortality, frequent disease, and perennial warfare.[9][10][11] This appears to be true not only of historical foraging cultures, but also prehistoric and primeval ones. David Kaplan collected references to several problems with the "original affluent society" theory and especially the McCarthy and McArthur and Lee studies, including the definitions of "affluence," "work," and "leisure," the nutritional adequacy of the hunter-gatherer's diet, and the occurrence of "demand-sharing," the constant pressure to share as a disincentive to increased effort.[12] See also [ edit ]I’ve been bombing hills all of high school—hitting races, filming videos, going on skate trips, and other adventures of that sort. For example, I’m writing this month’s Wheelbase column from the backseat of the PDX Skate Bus—heading to Santa Barbara on a six day skate trip. My other schoolmates have 2 days left until break and are probably sitting at home on Facebook procrastinating on that project due tomorrow. Good thing I turned my project in this morning! Now, I’m chilling with the homies, headed to a beautiful part of California for a little R&R. It’s actually pretty easy to pull this off; more and more high school students are taking time off school to pursue “extra-curricular activities”. Below are some tips to kicking back, but not slacking. Check it: Get a job; money is helpful. Figure out your school’s grad requirements, finish them ASAP. This way by 11th and 12th grade you barley have any classes. It sounds weak, but meet with your school’s principal and let them know what’s up: “I skate a ton, I’ll need to disappear for days at a time, but since I have an above average GPA it is totally chill.” This is what I said and it worked for me. Girlfriends (but not girls) are kind of a weak. Don’t party like an idiot. Drive slow; crashing cars is expensive and painful to skate funds. I’m not claiming a deep knowledge of this subject, but I am a traveling skateboarder dealing with high school and this is just my two cents. Anyway, when that stuff is all dialed-in and you are in a rhythm it’s pretty mellow. Chill hard, skate new and cool places, remember the roots. -Liam Morgan ________________________________ GENERAL DISCLIAMER: The statements, comments, and opinions expressed by Liam Morgan through Notes of a Greasy Young Man are those of “Mr. Greasy” himself, who is solely responsible for them, and they do not necessarily represent the views of Wheelbase LLC. Questions or comments regarding any information listed in this particular column can be addressed by contacting aliens, or channeling the spirit of Isaac Hayes. Wheelbase Management Share +1 Share Shares 0Evaluating the financial crisis and Great Recession is an exercise in benchmarking. Today’s US jobs report is a good example: While employment finally reached levels last seen before the housing bubbled popped—huzzah!—the relative share of people who are employed remains far below the pre-recession trend—boo! Every sign of progress can also be seen as a failure to meet potential. no-caption That’s why, for all the attention that former US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s recent narrative apologia for American financial policy has received, you should turn to Tufts University political scientist Dan Drezner’s new book, The System Worked: How the World Stopped Another Depression, for a wider view. Like Geithner, Drezner’s depiction of these events, warts and all, makes the case that global economic governance helped pull the fat from the fire. “In some ways, the informal title for this would have been ‘it could have been so much worse,'” Drezner says. “Look, the performance was sub-optimal, but it wasn’t sub-par.” What prompted the book, Drezner tells Quartz, were his own low expectations before the 2008 crisis: He was planning a book predicting the breakdown of the global economic order. But when the crisis came, global economies defied his expectations. They coordinated through the G20 group of nations to launch a worldwide stimulus program, avoided protectionism in trade policy, and pushed for stricter international standards for banks. Rather than a repeat of the Great Depression, when trade withered and economies adopted beggar-thy-neighbor policies, we got away with just a Great Recession—and one that many emerging markets bounced back from quickly. Take the G20’s coordinated stimulus. It was a big deal in 2009, and in part it came about because of interdependence—Drezner cites Apple’s supply chain, which led the US to send $1.9 billion to China in 2009 for iPhones alone. Unlike in past periods, when trade failed to operate as a unifying force (before World War I, say), today’s trade isn’t just finished goods between countries: China imports 96% of the materials and components necessary to build an iPhone. That level of micro-integration arrayed interests, not just in China but in a community of countries, against cutting back on participation in the global economic system. But wait—wages, growth and jobs are still lagging in the United States and the European Union. That has a lot of those countries’ citizens blaming globalization and the institutions that support it, such as the International Monetary Fund. Don’t blame globalization, Drezner says: Blame your governments. In the recovery stage of a financial crisis, growth is expected to be slow—clearing debt off balance sheets takes longer than responding to other kinds of shocks. Hastening growth requires policies that were not fully adopted in either the US or Europe, as austerity dominated policy debates. (It’s worth noting that the IMF was long a critic of US fiscal policy, calling for more near-term stimulus and longer-term efforts to deal with debt.) And the EU, with its mixed record of addressing its own debt crisis and recession—Drezner calls it “an unmitigated disaster”—is more of an actor in global governance than an example of it. In developing economies, which didn’t suffer from the same balance sheet problems, recovery has been faster—and citizens are commensurately more optimistic. And, Drezner says, the developed economies are set for more expansive growth. There are good signs that global governance will get stronger. For one, institutions are adapting: the IMF has relaxed some of its traditionally neoliberal arguments and is a more broad-based institution; the G20 provides a platform for the BRICs and the G7 nations to coordinate; Basel III has put a floor on bank regulation. For another, countries are recommitting to the global system with a flurry of bilateral and regional trade deals under discussion, even if Edward Snowden’s revelations have clearly chilled US talks with Europe. Of course, there are other worrisome signs. Where politics trump economic interest, global governance can be weak: Everyone looks warily to trouble-spots such as the South China Sea and Crimea, where tensions run high. But Drezner seems less worried. He notes that for all its territorial probing, China has been a responsible economic stakeholder; in Crimea, Russia’s aggression has been checked by the amount of capital leaving the country, even if its ability to hang on to the seized territory suggests fraying around the edges of the international system. And some security problems—notably piracy at sea—have been met with a decisive global response. Of course, that still leaves climate change and inequality, two challenges that may be unaddressable with current institutions. Drezner—also the author of a popular tome on zombies and international relations—acknowledges that sometimes a glass-half-full analysis makes a theorist more vulnerable to criticism. In academia and journalism, pessimism becomes mere prudence if your prediction is wrong, while false optimism makes you “the next Norman Angell.” But for all Drezner’s concern, there’s something to be said for an honest evaluation: A diverse array of countries surprised nearly everyone with their willingness to bond together, at least briefly, in the interest of saving the world economy. It’s worth studying why and how that happened.A cool little improvement just landed in Chrome Canary (the nightly builds of chrome) in version 41 that allow you to show which HTTP protocol was used to retrieve resources in the Network Tab of the inspector. Update: this feature is now available to everyone in Chrome, it's been added to the main releases. The current "stable" version of Chrome is 39, so it'll take a few weeks before version 41, that contains this feature, will be generally available. To use it, you first need to enable it: open the DevTools by right-click any page and choosing "Inspect Element". Go to the network tab, right-click the columns in the and enable the "Protocol" column. Once enabled, refresh the page and it'll show you what protocols each resource are using. A quick reminder; HTTP/1.1: the "classic" HTTP protocol, known and loved for over 15 years SPDY/3.1: Google's first version of the HTTP/2 spec, formed the basis of HTTP/2 H2-14: H2 stands for "HTTP 2", the 14 will refer to "draft 14" since the HTTP/2 spec isn't final yet H2C-14: H2C stands for "HTTP 2 Cleartext", the HTTP/2 protocol over a non-encrypted channel This new column will definitely be useful when HTTP/2 becomes mainstream.Orange Blossom Honey from MoreBeer: “A unique, premium honey for making a one-of-a-kind mead. Our Orange Blossom honey should be used for your very best mead creations. It comes directly from orange tree orchards in the California Central Valley and has the unmistakable floral aroma of orange blossoms. By far, one of our favorite honey for mead” Could be used for make a mead or as a fermentable in your next homebrew Product Description – Here – Use coupon code BEERDEAL to get this discount. Availability: This is a More Beer Deal of the Day. Quantities are limited. Check the Deal of the Day section – Here – to see if this is still available. Orange Blossom Honey (3 lbs) HY40 – $21.99 $16.99 + Free Shipping with a $59 order MoreDeals! at MoreBeer: More: Recent MoreBeer Finds Looking for a MoreBeer Deal? – Today’s Deal of the Day \| Sale Items \| MoreBeer DealsA manned mission to Mars is a hot topic in space, and has been for a long time. Most of the talk around it has centred on the required technology, astronaut durability, and the overall feasibility of the mission. But now, some of the talk is focussing on the legal framework behind such a mission. In April 2016, SpaceX announced their plans for a 2018 mission to Mars. Though astronauts will not be part of the mission, several key technologies will be demonstrated. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule will make the trip to Mars, and will conduct a powered, soft landing on the surface of the red planet. The capsule itself will be launched by another new piece of technology, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. It’s a fascinating development in space exploration; a private space company, in cooperation with NASA, making the trip to Mars with all of its own in-house technology. But above and beyond all of the technological challenges, there is the challenge of making the whole endeavour legal. Though it’s not widely known or talked about, there are legal implications to launching things into space. In the US, each and every launch by a private company has to have clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). That’s because the US signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1969, a treaty that sets out the obligations and limitations to activities in space. The FAA has routinely given their ascent to commercial launches, but things may be starting to get a little tricky in space. The most recent Humans To Mars Summit, a conference focussed on Mars missions and explorations, just wrapped up on May 19th. At that conference, George Nield, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the FAA, addressed the issue. “That’ll be an FAA licensed launch as well,” said Nield of the SpaceX mission to Mars. “We’re already working with SpaceX on that mission,” he added. “There are some interesting policy questions that have to do with the Outer Space Treaty,” said Nield. The Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1967, and has some sway over space exploration and colonization. Though it gives wide latitude to governments that are exploring space, how it will affect commercial activity like resource exploitation, and installations like settlements in other planets, is not so clear. According to Nield, the FAA is interested in Article VI of the treaty and how it might impact SpaceX’s planned mission to Mars. Article VI states that all signees to the treaty “shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities.” Article VI also says, “the activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty.” What this language means is that the US government itself will bear responsibility for the SpaceX Mars mission. Obviously, this kind of treaty obligation is important. There isn’t exactly a huge list of private companies exploring space, but that will change as the years pass. It seems likely that the bulk of commercial space exploration and resource utilization will be centred in the US, so how the US deals with their treaty obligations will be of immense interest now and in the future. The treaty itself is mostly focused on avoiding military activity in space. It prohibits things like weapons of mass destruction in space, and weapons testing or military bases on the Moon or other celestial bodies. The treaty also states that the Moon and other planets and bodies cannot be claimed by any nation, and that these and other bodies “are the common heritage of mankind.” Good to know. Taken as a whole, it’s easy to see why the Treaty is important. Space can’t become a free-for-all like Earth has been in the past. There has to be some kind of framework. “A government needs to oversee these non-governmental activities,” according to Nield. There’s another aspect to all of this. Governments routinely sign treaties, and then try to figure out ways around them, while hoping their rivals won’t do the same. It’s a sneaky, tactical business, because governments can’t grossly ignore treaties, else the other co-signatories abandon said treaty completely. A case in point is last year’s law, signed by the US Congress, which makes it legal for companies to mine asteroids. This law could be interpreted as violating the Treaty. Governments can claim, for instance, that their activities are scientific rather than military. Geo-political influence depends greatly on projecting power. If one nation can project power into space, while claiming their activities are scientific rather than military, they will gain an edge over their rivals. Countries also seek to bend the rules of a treaty to satisfy their own interests, while preventing other countries from doing the same. Just look at history. We’re not in that type of territory yet. So far, no nation has had an opportunity to really violate the treaty, though the asteroid mining law passed by the US Congress comes close. The SpaceX mission to Mars is a very important one, in terms of how the Outer Space Treaty will be tested and adhered to. More and more countries, and private companies, are becoming space-farers. The legality of increasingly complex missions in space, and the eventual human presence on the Moon and Mars, is a fascinating one not usually addressed by the space science community. We in the space science community are primarily interested in technological advances, and in the frontiers of human knowledge. It might be time for us to start paying attention to the legal side of things. Space exploration could turn out to have an element of courtroom drama to it.Champagne Vollereaux is a sixth generation family owned Champagne House established in 1805. Champagne Vollereaux was established by Victor Vollereaux who achieved his first vintage in 1923 offering his production to a circle of family and relations. Today, Champagne Vollereaux is owned and managed by sixth generation, Franck Vollereaux, who with the help of previous generations has established a prestigious Champagne business in the heart of the Champagne region in France. The Vollereaux family vineyard consists of 40 pristine hectares, split up between the principle vintages in the Champagne region and on the slopes of Epernay. It is in Pierry that the Vollereaux house vinifies and sells its Champagne. Vollereaux Champagne is the fruit of six generations of family tradition based on the constant search for rigour and perfection, where experience and “know-how” have been developed from working the vines up to the total elaboration of Champagne. This is Champagne Vollereaux inaugural venture into Australia State: VIC, NSW, QLD, FNQ Brut Reserve Blanc de Blancs Rose de Saignee Brut Cuvee Marguerite 2008King Oedipus appears at the door of his palace to listen to the Chorus of Old Men of Thebes, who have come to him in their time of terrible trouble. They are asking for his help, they say, not because they think of him “as a god”: ... but rather judging you the first of men in all the chances of this life and when we mortals have to do with more than man. It turns out that, unwittingly (as more or less everything in the play is unwitting), the Chorus is right. Oedipus alone can help. The cause of the trouble is himself; the chances he has had in his life are precisely the source of the plague. He righteously refuses to avoid discovering his guilt, and when Tiresias finally reveals the truth, Oedipus removes himself, banished, blinded and bereaved, and the curse on Thebes is lifted. Oedipus Rex strikes me as the most tragic of Greek tragedies: ignorance and benevolence, however sincere, are no protection against guilt for wrongdoing and subsequent punishment. Picking up and playing with the myth in the early 20th century, Freud uses Oedipus to deny original innocence. We are all, from the outset, guilty of desire. But the play written by Sophocles in the 5th century BC knows nothing of this. Aristotle, writing a hundred years earlier, insisted that tragedy required an essentially good person who is brought down by a mistake (hamartia). (The idea of hamartia being a character flaw in the hero is a mistranslation that was used by Shakespeare in, for example, the tragedies of Hamlet, Othello, Lear.) In other Greek plays the protagonists have clear and conscious motives for their behaviour. Clytem - nestra in the first part of Aeschylus’s Oresteia has a reason for her anger when she kills her husband, Agamemnon, on his return from Troy. He isn’t an innocent, either, having killed their daughter in order to gain a fair wind. Euripides’s Medea, fleeced and forsaken after loving and helping Jason, is neither innocent nor motiveless when she kills their children in revenge. But Oedipus at the opening of the play has no idea, nor any reason to suspect, that he has done anything wrong, let alone what it is. His only conscious act, his mistake, was to try to avert the foretold disaster of killing his father. It was this challenge to fate, rather than a desire for worldly power or revenge, that brought catastrophe to the city and his family. What the Greek protagonists all have in common is social status: they are kings, queens and heroes. Tragedy requires a fall, and a fall from a high elevation and great fortune makes the tragedy all the more pronounced and delectable to onlookers. This was another of Aristotle’s requirements for tragic drama, that its suffering subject be a person of worldly importance. The truth about the crime Oedipus committed can be revealed by the Theban herdsmen, but the fall has to be taken by the king. As far as I know, until modern times there were no tragic stage dramas involving the equivalent of rural English virgins, bourgeois Scandinavian housewives or American travelling salesmen. Another particular aspect of ancient Greek drama is that it was played out on a stage with actors who were masked in order precisely to prevent any of the specificity and individuality we prize so much today. Some masks were sad, some laughing, but there were no close-ups of the suffering or tearful faces of the fallen, or of horrified witnesses, just fixed expressions speaking anguished and resigned words. The plays pitted men and women of good fortune and worldly power but no fleshly face against circumstance and misfortune – call them gods, who by their nature are unconcerned by and disinclined to make a distinction between group or individual suffering, or ignorance and guilt. The higher and prouder the mortal, the more powerful the message to be taken away by the 12,000-strong audiences at the theatre of Dionysus in ancient Athens. The playgoers observed that even the likes of King Oedipus were “mere mortals” when confronted by the “more-than-man” hazards of fate or accident. Since then, our various modern versions of stages have become bigger so that huge numbers of people can witness the dramas, and smaller, too, in their intricate detail, in that today heroes and men and women of fortune are much more widely defined, while being subject to far greater and more close-up scrutiny. Small screen Greek tragedy hasn’t had much of an airing on our most popular medium recently. In June, the BFI screened a season of previously televised Greek dramas, including a 1958 extract (the earliest it could find) from Women of Troy, an Electra shown in 1962 in modern Greek and without subtitles (would any channel dare to do that now?), King Oedipus with Ian Holm from 1972 and most recently Iphigenia at Aulis, broadcast by the BBC in 1990. Since then, the BFI says, television adaptations of Greek drama have disappeared from our screens. So have most TV adaptations of stage plays from all periods. It might be largely due to the futile race for audience figures that are supposed to justify funding or bring in advertising. But perhaps another reason for the dearth of televised stage drama, beyond the lack of belief in an audience for it, is that television has started to take itself more seriously as a form. It now offers quite a new kind of drama to the world, mostly from the US, conceived for viewers prepared to put in the time (as well as wait years for any conclusion) to watch the lengthy, complex interplay between human doings, relationships and circumstances. The Wire, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Weeds, Breaking Bad and Mad Men all have the kind of political, social, emotional and psychological weight that staged drama is supposed to have, and in addition take enormous amounts of real-world time to develop their stories and characters. Even though they don’t conform to Aristotle’s unities of action, place and time (was 24playing with that somewhat?), they are not a million miles from the intentions of the Greek tragedians. While soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street offer the supposedly “ordinary life” ratcheted to melodrama, HBO and AMC series are the form in which we are now inclined to watch the rise and fall of influential or favoured individuals (Mad Men, The West Wing), dynasties (The Sopranos), power groups (The Sopranos, Deadwood, The Wire) and occasionally mere mortals (Breaking Bad, Weeds) who seem to be so placed, by fortune, family or choice, as to “have to do with more than man”. The masks have been taken off, and in the personal relationships we follow on our television screens we want extreme close-up characterisation and expression, but what we see is still not a plain view of individuality. The most admired shows present common stereotypes in order to elaborate on them, and also to comment more broadly on the society in which they operate. The parallels between the drug and police worlds in The Wire, the frustrated idealistic and corrupted intentions of well-meaning or cynical politicians in The West Wing and the quotidian and extraordinary trials and dark necessities of running a family and Mafia organisation in The Sopranos all double as masks, pseudo-documentary and socio-political analogy. Deadwood depicted the goodies and baddies manoeuvring around each other as society and the law emerge to chasten and politicise unbounded human drives in an anarchic goldrush settlement. As the writers develop the dawning of American civilisation from wayward origins, they query both. Perhaps the least Aristotelian of them, Breaking Bad, looks into the malleability of the decidedly unheroic, unimportant, decent enough common man, as through both circumstance and choice he turns into a monster, bringing disaster down on himself and his family. Walter White is neither great nor innocent; what we watch is an ordinary guy losing control of human decency (somehow hilariously) through a misbegotten attempt to take responsibility for his family. What all these shows, presented in the most popular form of their time, have in common is the moral weight of classical tragedy underscored by a more modern sense of daily human comedy. Bold and beautiful Still, before we get too pleased with ourselves and our sophisticated viewing habits, we should consider how such innovative dramas might have come about. I find myself thinking that the giant glamour soaps of the 1980s, Dallas and Dynasty, lurk in the origins of The Wire and The Sopranos. Young and developing writers who watched them must have seen in the group scriptwriting and longue durée all sorts of novel structural possibilities. Even the astonishing insouciance of an entire series of Dallas being written retrospectively as “Pammy’s dream”, rolling back the narrative to the previous year in the blink of an eye, or seeing most of the cast apparently killed off by automatic gunfire in the “Moldavian wedding massacre” in one series finale and then discovering most of them had suffered only minor injuries at the beginning of the next, gave a sense of the potential for talented
in the Bundestag that the article was tantamount to high treason and that the authors would be prosecuted. The editor/owner of the magazine, Rudolf Augstein spent some time in jail before the public outcry over the breaking of laws on freedom of the press became too loud to be ignored. The FDP members of Adenauer's cabinet resigned from the government, demanding the resignation of Franz Josef Strauss, Defence Minister, who had decidedly overstepped his competence during the crisis. Adenauer was still wounded by his brief run for president, and this episode damaged his reputation even further. He announced that he would step down in the fall of 1963. His successor was to be Ludwig Erhard.[7] In the early 1960s the rate of economic growth slowed down significantly. In 1962 growth rate was 4.7% and the following year, 2.0%. After a brief recovery, the growth rate slowed again into a recession, with no growth in 1967. A new coalition was formed to deal with this problem. Erhard stepped down in 1966 and was succeeded by Kurt Georg Kiesinger. He led a grand coalition between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This was important for the introduction of new emergency acts: the grand coalition gave the ruling parties the two-thirds majority of votes required for their ratification. These controversial acts allowed basic constitutional rights such as freedom of movement to be limited in case of a state of emergency. During the time leading up to the passing of the laws, there was fierce opposition to them, above all by the Free Democratic Party, the rising German student movement, a group calling itself Notstand der Demokratie ("Democracy in Crisis") and members of the Campaign against Nuclear Armament. A key event in the development of open democratic debate occurred in 1967, when the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, visited West Berlin. Several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the Opera House where he was to attend a special performance. Supporters of the Shah (later known as Jubelperser), armed with staves and bricks attacked the protesters while the police stood by and watched. A demonstration in the centre was being forcibly dispersed when a bystander named Benno Ohnesorg was shot in the head and killed by a plainclothes policeman. (It has now been established that the policeman, Kurras, was a paid spy of the East German security forces.) Protest demonstrations continued, and calls for more active opposition by some groups of students were made, which was declared by the press, especially the tabloid Bild-Zeitung newspaper, as a massive disruption to life in Berlin, in a massive campaign against the protesters. Protests against the US intervention in Vietnam, mingled with anger over the vigour with which demonstrations were repressed led to mounting militance among the students at the universities in Berlin. One of the most prominent campaigners was a young man from East Germany called Rudi Dutschke who also criticised the forms of capitalism that were to be seen in West Berlin. Just before Easter 1968, a young man tried to kill Dutschke as he bicycled to the student union, seriously injuring him. All over West Germany, thousands demonstrated against the Springer newspapers which were seen as the prime cause of the violence against students. Trucks carrying newspapers were set on fire and windows in office buildings broken.[8] In the wakes of these demonstrations, in which the question of America's role in Vietnam began to play a bigger role, came a desire among the students to find out more about the role of the parent-generation in the Nazi era. The proceedings of the War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremberg had been widely publicised in Germany but until a new generation of teachers, educated with the findings of historical studies, could begin to reveal the truth about the war and the crimes committed in the name of the German people. One courageous attorney, Fritz Bauer patiently gathered evidence on the guards of the Auschwitz concentration camp and about twenty were put on trial in Frankfurt in 1963. Daily newspaper reports and visits by school classes to the proceedings revealed to the German public the nature of the concentration camp system and it became evident that the Shoah was of vastly greater dimensions than the German population had believed. (The term "Holocaust" for the systematic mass-murder of Jews first came into use in 1979, when an American mini-series with that name was shown on German television.) The processes set in motion by the Auschwitz trial reverberated decades later. The calling in question of the actions and policies of government led to a new climate of debate. The issues of emancipation, colonialism, environmentalism and grass roots democracy were discussed at all levels of society. In 1979 the environmental party, the Greens, reached the 5% limit required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen provincial election. Also of great significance was the steady growth of a feminist movement in which women demonstrated for equal rights. Until 1977 a married woman had to have the permission of her husband if she wanted to take on a job or open a bank account.[9] Further reforms in 1979 to parental rights law gave equal legal rights to the mother and the father, abolishing the legal authority of the father.[10] Parallel to this, a gay movement began to grow in the larger cities, especially in West Berlin, where homosexuality had been widely accepted during the twenties in the Weimar Republic. Anger over the treatment of demonstrators following the death of Benno Ohnesorg and the attack on Rudi Dutschke, coupled with growing frustration over the lack of success in achieving their aims led to growing militance among students and their supporters. In May 1968, three young people set fire to two department stores in Frankfurt, they were brought to trial and made very clear to the court that they regarded their action as a legitimate act in what they described as the "struggle against imperialism".[11] The student movement began to split into different factions, ranging from the unattached liberals to the Maoists and supporters of direct action in every form—the anarchists. Several groups set as their objective the aim of radicalising the industrial workers and taking an example from activities in Italy of the Red Brigades (Brigade Rosse), many students went to work in the factories, but with little or no success. The most notorious of the underground groups was the "Baader-Meinhof Group", later known as the Red Army Faction which began by making bank raids to finance their activities and eventually went underground having killed a number of policemen, several bystanders and eventually two prominent West Germans, whom they had taken captive in order to force the release of prisoners sympathetic to their ideas. In the 1990s attacks were still being committed under the name "RAF". The last action took place in 1993 and the group announced it was giving up its activities in 1998. Evidence that the groups had been infiltrated by German Intelligence undercover agents has since emerged, partly through the insistence of the son of one of their prominent victims, the State Counsel Buback.[12] Political developments 1969–90 [ edit ] In the 1969 election, the SPD—headed by Willy Brandt—gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP. Although Chancellor for only just over four years, Willy Brandt was one of the most popular politicians in the whole period. Brandt was a gifted speaker and the growth of the Social Democrats from there on was in no small part due to his personality. Brandt began a policy of rapprochement with West Germany's eastern neighbours, a policy opposed by the CDU. The issue of improving relations with Poland, Czechoslovakia and East Germany made for an increasingly aggressive tone in public debates but it was a huge step forward when Willy Brandt and the Foreign Minister, Walther Scheel (FDP) negotiated agreements with all three countries. (Moscow Agreement, August 1970, Warsaw Agreement, December 1970, Four Power Agreement over the status of West Berlin in 1971 and an agreement on relations between West and East Germany, signed in December 1972.)[13] These agreements were the basis for a rapid improvement in the relations between east and west and led, in the long-term to the dismantlement of the Warsaw Treaty and the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe. Chancellor Brandt was forced to resign in May 1974, after Günter Guillaume, a senior member of his staff, was uncovered as a spy for the East German intelligence service, the Stasi. Brandt's contributions to world peace led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971. Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) formed a coalition and he served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a leading FDP official, became Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister. Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and the Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA".[14] In October 1982 the SPD–FDP coalition fell apart when the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence. Following national elections in March 1983, Kohl emerged in firm control of both the government and the CDU. The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, due to the entry into the Bundestag of the Greens, who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties. Kohl's CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, slipped from 48.8% of the vote in 1983 to 44.3%. The SPD fell to 37%; long-time SPD Chairman Brandt subsequently resigned in April 1987 and was succeeded by Hans-Jochen Vogel. The FDP's share rose from 7% to 9.1%, its best showing since 1980. The Greens' share rose to 8.3% from their 1983 share of 5.6%. Reunification [ edit ] With the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, there was a rapid move towards German reunification; and a final settlement of the post-war special status of Germany. Following democratic elections, East Germany declared its accession to the Federal Republic subject to the terms of the Unification Treaty between the two states; and then both West Germany and East Germany radically amended their respective constitutions in accordance with that Treaty's provisions. East Germany then dissolved itself, and its five post-war states (Länder) were reconstituted, along with the reunited Berlin which ended its special status and formed an additional Land. They formally joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, raising the number of states from 10 to 16, ending the division of Germany. The expanded Federal Republic retained West Germany's political culture and continued its existing memberships in international organisations, as well as its Western foreign policy alignment and affiliation to Western alliances like NATO and the European Union. The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990 was held at the Reichstag building, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the Reichstag building. However, at that time, the role of Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, the Bundestag concluded on 20 June 1991, with quite a slim majority, that both government and parliament should move to Berlin from Bonn. West German "economic miracle" [ edit ] The West German Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle", coined by The Times in 1950) was due to the economic aid provided by the United States and the Marshall Plan.[citation needed] This improvement was sustained by the currency reform of 1948 which replaced the Reichsmark with the Deutsche Mark and halted rampant inflation. The Allied dismantling of the West German coal and steel industry finally ended in 1950. The Volkswagen Beetle – for many years the most successful car in the world – on the assembly line in Wolfsburg factory, 1973 As demand for consumer goods increased after World War II, the resulting shortage helped overcome lingering resistance to the purchase of German products. At the time Germany had a large pool of skilled and cheap labour, partly as a result of the flight and expulsion of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe, which affected up to 16.5 million Germans. This helped Germany to more than double the value of its exports during the war. Apart from these factors, hard work and long hours at full capacity among the population and in the late 1950s and 1960s extra labour supplied by thousands of Gastarbeiter ("guest workers") provided a vital base for the economic upturn. This would have implications later on for successive German governments as they tried to assimilate this group of workers.[15] From the late 1950s onwards, West Germany had one of the strongest economies in the world, almost as strong as before the Second World War. The East German economy showed a certain growth, but not as much as in West Germany, partly because of continued reparations to the USSR in terms of resources. In 1952 West Germany became part of the European Coal and Steel Community, which would later evolve into the European Union. On 5 May 1955 West Germany was declared to have the "authority of a sovereign state".[b] The British, French and U.S. militaries remained in the country, just as the Soviet Army remained in East Germany. Four days after obtaining the "authority of a sovereign state" in 1955, West Germany joined NATO. The UK and the USA retained an especially strong presence in West Germany, acting as a deterrent in case of a Soviet invasion. In 1976 West Germany became one of the founding nations of the Group of Six (G6). In 1973, West Germany—home to roughly 1.26% of the world's population—featured the world's fourth largest GDP of 944 billion (5.9% of the world total). In 1987 the FRG held a 7.4% share of total world production. Demographics [ edit ] Population and vital statistics [ edit ] Total population of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, as collected by the Statistisches Bundesamt.[2] [16] Average population (x 1000)[17] Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) TFR 1946 732 998 588 331 144 667 15.9 12.7 3.2 1947 781 421 574 628 206 793 16.6 12.2 4.4 2.01 1948 806 074 515 092 290 982 16.7 10.6 6.0 2.07 1949 832 803 517 194 315 609 16.9 10.5 6.4 2.14 1950 50 958 812 835 528 747 284 088 16.3 10.6 5.7 2.10 1951 51 435 795 608 543 897 251 711 15.7 10.8 4.9 2.06 1952 51 864 799 080 545 963 253 117 15.7 10.7 5.0 2.08 1953 52 454 796 096 578 027 218 069 15.5 11.3 4.2 2.07 1954 52 943 816 028 555 459 260 569 15.7 10.7 5.0 2.12 1955 53 518 820 128 581 872 238 256 15.7 11.1 4.6 2.11 1956 53 340 855 887 599 413 256 474 16.1 11.3 4.8 2.19 1957 54 064 892 228 615 016 277 212 16.6 11.5 5.2 2.28 1958 54 719 904 465 597 305 307 160 16.7 11.0 5.7 2.29 1959 55 257 951 942 605 504 346 438 17.3 11.0 6.3 2.34 1960 55 958 968 629 642 962 325 667 17.4 11.6 5.9 2.37 1961 56 589 1 012 687 627 561 385 126 18.0 11.2 6.9 2.47 1962 57 247 1 018 552 644 819 373 733 17.9 11.3 6.6 2.45 1963 57 865 1 054 123 673 069 381 054 18.4 11.7 6.7 2.52 1964 58 587 1 065 437 644 128 421 309 18.3 11.1 7.2 2.55 1965 59 297 1 044 328 677 628 366 700 17.8 11.6 6.3 2.51 1966 59 793 1 050 345 686 321 364 024 17.8 11.6 6.2 2.54 1967 59 948 1 019 459 687 349 332 110 17.2 11.6 5.6 2.54 1968 60 463 969 825 734 048 235 777 16.3 12.3 4.0 2.39 1969 61 195 903 456 744 360 159 096 15.0 12.4 2.6 2.20 1970 61 001 810 808 734 843 75 965 13.4 12.1 1.3 1.99 1971 61 503 778 526 730 670 47 856 12.7 11.9 0.8 1.92 1972 61 809 701 214 731 264 -30 050 11.3 11.8 -0.5 1.72 1973 62 101 635 663 731 028 -95 395 10.3 11.8 -1.5 1.54 1974 61 991 626 373 727 511 -101 138 10.1 11.7 -1.6 1.51 1975 61 645 600 512 749 260 -148 748 9.7 12.1 -2.4 1.45 1976 61 442 602 851 733 140 -130 289 9.8 11.9 -2.1 1.46 1977 61 353 582 344 704 922 -122 578 9.5 11.5 -2.0 1.40 1978 61 322 576 468 723 218 -146 750 9.4 11.8 -2.4 1.38 1979 61 439 581 984 711 732 -129 748 9.5 11.6 -2.1 1.39 1980 61 658 620 657 714 117 -93 460 10.1 11.6 -1.5 1.44 1981 61 713 624 557 722 192 -97 635 10.1 11.7 -1.6 1.43 1982 61 546 621 173 715 857 -94 684 10.1 11.6 -1.5 1.41 1983 61 307 594 177 718 337 -124 160 9.7 11.7 -2.0 1.33 1984 61 049 584 157 696 118 -111 961 9.5 11.4 -1.9 1.29 1985 61 020 586 155 704 296 -118 141 9.6 11.6 -2.0 1.28 1986 61 140 625 963 701 890 -118 141 10.3 11.5 -1.2 1.34 1987 61 238 642 010 687 419 -45 409 10.5 11.3 -0.8 1.37 1988 61 715 677 259 687 516 -10 257 11.0 11.2 -0.2 1.41 1989 62 679 681 537 697 730 -16 193 11.0 11.2 -0.2 1.39 1990 63 726 727 199 713 335 13 864 11.5 11.3 0.2 1.45 Religion [ edit ] Religious affiliation in West Germany decreased from the 1960s onward.[18] Religious affiliation declined faster among Protestants than among Catholics, causing the Roman Catholic Church to overtake the EKD as the largest denomination in the country during the 1970s. Religion in West Germany, 1970 religion percent EKD Protestant 49% Roman Catholic 44.6% Other & Unaffiliated 6.4% Year EKD Protestant [%] Roman Catholic [%] Muslim [%] None/other [%][19] 1950 50.6 45.8 - 3.6 1961 51.1 45.5 - 3.5 1970 49.0 44.6 1.3 3.9 1980 42.3 43.3 - - 1987 41.6 42.9 2.7 11.4 Position towards East Germany [ edit ] The official position of West Germany concerning East Germany at the outset was that the West German government was the only democratically elected, and therefore the only legitimate, representative of the German people. According to the Hallstein Doctrine, any country (with the exception of the USSR) that recognised the authorities of the German Democratic Republic would not have diplomatic relations with West Germany. In the early 1970s, Willy Brandt's policy of "Neue Ostpolitik" led to a form of mutual recognition between East and West Germany. The Treaty of Moscow (August 1970), the Treaty of Warsaw (December 1970), the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971), the Transit Agreement (May 1972), and the Basic Treaty (December 1972) helped to normalise relations between East and West Germany and led to both German states joining the United Nations. The Hallstein Doctrine was relinquished, and West Germany ceased to claim an exclusive mandate for Germany as a whole. Following the Ostpolitik the West German view was that East Germany was a de facto government within a single German nation and a de jure state organisation of parts of Germany outside the Federal Republic. The Federal Republic continued to maintain that it could not within its own structures recognise the GDR de jure as a sovereign state under international law; while at the same time acknowledging that, within the structures of international law, the GDR was an independent sovereign state. By distinction, West Germany then viewed itself as being within its own boundaries, not only the de facto and de jure government, but also the sole de jure legitimate representative of a dormant "Germany as whole".[20] The two Germanys relinquished any claim to represent the other internationally; which they acknowledged as necessarily implying a mutual recognition of each other as both capable of representing their own populations de jure in participating in international bodies and agreements, such as the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act. This assessment of the Basic Treaty was confirmed in a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1973;[21] "... the German Democratic Republic is in the international-law sense a State and as such a subject of international law. This finding is independent of recognition in international law of the German Democratic Republic by the Federal Republic of Germany. Such recognition has not only never been formally pronounced by the Federal Republic of Germany but on the contrary repeatedly explicitly rejected. If the conduct of the Federal Republic of Germany towards the German Democratic Republic is assessed in the light of its détente policy, in particular the conclusion of the Treaty as de facto recognition, then it can only be understood as de facto recognition of a special kind. The special feature of this Treaty is that while it is a bilateral Treaty between two States, to which the rules of international law apply and which like any other international treaty possesses validity, it is between two States that are parts of a still existing, albeit incapable of action as not being reorganized, comprehensive State of the Whole of Germany with a single body politic." [22] The West German Constitution (Grundgesetz, "Basic Law") provided two articles for the unification with other parts of Germany: Article 23 provided the possibility for other parts of Germany to join the Federal Republic (under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany). Article 146 provided the possibility for unification of all parts of Germany under a new constitution. After the peaceful revolution of 1989 in East Germany, the Volkskammer of the GDR on 23 August 1990 declared the accession of East Germany to the Federal Republic under Article 23 of the Basic Law; and so initiated the process of reunification, to come into effect on 3 October 1990. Nevertheless, the act of reunification itself (with its many specific terms and conditions; including fundamental amendments to the West German Basic Law) was achieved constitutionally by the subsequent Unification Treaty of 31 August 1990; that is through a binding agreement between the former GDR and the Federal Republic now recognising each another as separate sovereign states in international law.[23] This treaty was then voted into effect on 20 September 1990 by both the Volkskammer and the Bundestag by the constitutionally required two-thirds majorities; effecting on the one hand, the extinction of the GDR and the re-establishment of Länder on the territory of East Germany; and on the other, the agreed amendments to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic. Amongst these amendments was the repeal of the very Article 23 in respect of which the GDR had nominally declared its postdated accession to the Federal Republic. The two German states entered into a currency and customs union in July 1990, and on 3 October 1990, the German Democratic Republic dissolved and the re-established five East German Länder (as well as a unified Berlin) joined the Federal Republic of Germany, bringing an end to the East-West divide. Politics [ edit ] Political life in West Germany was remarkably stable and orderly. The Adenauer era (1949–63) was followed by a brief period under Ludwig Erhard (1963–66) who, in turn, was replaced by Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1966–69). All governments between 1949 and 1966 were formed by the united caucus of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), either alone or in coalition with the smaller Free Democratic Party (FDP) or other right-wing parties. The Brandt cabinet of 1969 on the steps of President Heinemanns's residence in Bonn, the Villa Hammerschmidt Kiesinger's 1966–69 "Grand Coalition" was between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This was important for the introduction of new emergency acts—the Grand Coalition gave the ruling parties the two-thirds majority of votes required to see them in. These controversial acts allowed basic constitutional rights such as freedom of movement to be limited in case of a state of emergency. Leading up to the passing of the laws, there was fierce opposition to them, above all by the FDP, the rising German student movement, a group calling itself Notstand der Demokratie ("Democracy in a State of Emergency") and the labour unions. Demonstrations and protests grew in number, and in 1967 the student Benno Ohnesorg was shot in the head by a policeman. The press, especially the tabloid Bild-Zeitung newspaper, launched a campaign against the protesters. By 1968 a stronger desire to confront the Nazi past had come into being. In the 1970s environmentalism and anti-nationalism became fundamental values among left-wing Germans. As a result, in 1979 the Greens were able to reach the 5% minimum required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen state election, and with the foundation of the national party in 1980 developed into one of the most politically successful green movements in the world. Another result of the unrest in the 1960s was the founding of the Red Army Faction (RAF). The RAF was active from 1968, carrying out a succession of terrorist attacks in West Germany during the 1970s. Even in the 1990s, attacks were still being committed under the name RAF. The last action took place in 1993, and in 1998 the group announced it was ceasing activities. In the 1969 election, the SPD gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP. SPD leader and Chancellor Willy Brandt remained head of government until May 1974, when he resigned after the Guillaume Affair, in which a senior member of his staff was uncovered as a spy for the East German intelligence service, the Stasi. However the affair is widely considered to have been merely a trigger for Brandt's resignation, not a fundamental cause. Instead, Brandt, dogged by scandal relating to alcohol and depression[24][25] as well as the economic fallout of the 1973 oil crisis, almost seems simply to have had enough. As Brandt himself later said, "I was exhausted, for reasons which had nothing to do with the process going on at the time".[26] Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) then formed a government, continuing the SPD–FDP coalition. He served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a leading FDP official, was Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister in the same years. Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and the Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA". The goals of SPD and FDP however drifted apart in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On 1 October 1982 the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence. Following national elections in March 1983, Kohl emerged in firm control of both the government and the CDU. The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, because of the entry into the Bundestag of the Greens, who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties. The Social Democrats concluded that not only were the Greens unlikely to form a coalition, but also that such a coalition would be far from a majority. Neither condition changed until 1998. Denazification [ edit ] In 1951 several laws were passed, ending the denazification. As a result, many people with a former Nazi past ended up again in the political apparatus of West Germany. German President Walter Scheel and Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger were both former members of the Nazi Party. In 1957, 77% of the German Ministry of Justice's senior officials were former Nazi Party members.[27] Konrad Adenauer's State Secretary Hans Globke had played a major role in drafting anti-semitic Nuremberg Race Laws in Nazi Germany.[28] Culture [ edit ] In many aspects, German culture continued in spite of the dictatorship and wartime. Old and new forms coexisted next to each other, and the American influence, already strong in the 1920s, grew.[citation needed] Sport [ edit ] In the 20th century, association football became the largest sport in Germany. The Germany national football team, established in 1900, continued its tradition based in the Federal Republic of Germany, winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup in a stunning upset dubbed the miracle of Bern. Earlier, the German team was not considered part of the international top. The 1974 FIFA World Cup was held in West German cities and West Berlin. After having been beaten by their East German counterparts in the first round, the team of the German Football Association won the cup again, defeating the Netherlands 2–1 in the final. With the process of unification in full swing in the summer of 1990, the Germans won a third World Cup, with players that had been capped for East Germany not yet permitted to contribute. European championships have been won too, in 1972, 1980 and 1996.[citation needed] After both Olympic Games of 1936 had been held in Germany, Munich was selected to host the 1972 Summer Olympics. These were also the first summer games in which the East Germans showed up with the separate flag and anthem of the GDR. Since the 1950s, Germany at the Olympics had been represented by a united team led by the pre-war German NOC officials as the IOC had denied East German demands for a separate team.[citation needed] As in 1957, when the Saarland acceded, East German sport organisations ceased to exist in late 1990 as their subdivisions and their members joined their Western counterparts. Thus, the present German organisations and teams in football, Olympics and elsewhere are identical to those that had been informally called "West German" before 1991. The only differences were a larger membership and a different name used by some foreigners. These organisations and teams in turn mostly continued the traditions of those that represented Germany before the Second World War, and even the First World War, thus providing a century-old continuity despite political changes. On the other hand, the separate East German teams and organisations were founded in the 1950s; they were an episode lasting less than four decades, yet quite successful in that time.[citation needed] As of 2012, West Germany have played a record 43 matches at the European Championships.[29] Literary scene [ edit ] Besides the interest in the older generation of writers, new authors emerged on the background of the experiences of war and after war period. Wolfgang Borchert, a former soldier who died young in 1947, is one of the best known representatives of the Trümmerliteratur. Heinrich Böll is considered an observer of the young Federal Republic from the 1950s to the 1970s, and caused some political controversies because of his increasingly critical view on society.[citation needed] The Frankfurt Book Fair (and its Peace Prize of the German Book Trade) soon developed into a regarded institution. Exemplary for West Germany's literature are – among others – Siegfried Lenz (with The German Lesson) and Günter Grass (with The Tin Drum and The Flounder). Geographical distribution of government [ edit ] In West Germany, most of the political agencies and buildings were located in Bonn, while the German Stock Market was located in Frankfurt am Main, which became the economic center. The judicial branch of both the German Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) and the highest Court of Appeals, were located in Karlsruhe. The West German government was known to be much more decentralised than its state socialist East German counterpart, the former being a federal state and the latter a unitary one. Whilst East Germany was divided into 15 administrative districts (Bezirke), which were merely local branches of the national government, West Germany was divided into states (Länder) with independently elected state parliaments and control of the Bundesrat, the second legislative chamber of the Federal Government. Present geographical and political terminology [ edit ] Today, North Rhine-Westphalia is often considered to be Western Germany in geographical terms. When distinguishing between former West Germany and former East Germany as parts of present-day unified Germany, it has become most common to refer to the Alte Bundesländer (old states) and the Neue Bundesländer (new states), although Westdeutschland and Ostdeutschland are still heard as well. See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] ^ Though all stanzas were official, only the third stanza was sung in practice. a b Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg states "In the October 23, 1954, Paris Agreements, Adenauer pushed through the following laconic wording: 'The Federal Republic shall accordingly [after termination of the occupation regime] have the full authority of a sovereign state over its internal and external affairs.' If this was intended as a statement of fact, it must be conceded that it was partly fiction and, if interpreted as wishful thinking, it was a promise that went unfulfilled until 1990. The Allies maintained their rights and responsibilities regarding Berlin and Germany as a whole, particularly the responsibility for future reunification and a future peace treaty".[5] Detlef Junker of thestates "In the October 23, 1954, Paris Agreements, Adenauer pushed through the following laconic wording: 'The Federal Republic shall accordingly [after termination of the occupation regime] have the full authority of a sovereign state over
evidence you realize the danger you’re in,” explains Cruz, as he wanders by what seems to be an army shooting range in Lima’s bleak desert. The location seems ominous. Was it there where they buried the victims? The video effectively holds the viewer’s attention with its gripping tale of the uncovering of the massacre and the brutal repression unleashed by the dictatorship, desperate to prevent the truth from coming out. However, the director never widens her lens to probe why the Fujimori government set up a police dictatorship that committed not one—as is explained in the final notes—but thousands of similar massacres with the same pattern of criminality; there is no attempt to connect the dictatorship’s brutal repression with underlying historical and social processes. “Basically all that we wanted to accomplish was the reconstruction of the investigation. It’s not a historical documentary. It’s not about the case”, explained Gonzales in an interview. But, what can one say about a piece of art (especially a documentary) that presents only one piece of the puzzle as a finished product, leaving it to others the task of assembling the complete image? And in this regard, the film raises more questions than it answers. After watching it, one cannot help but ask: Was La Cantuta the first massacre by the Fujimori dictatorship? What was happening in Peru at that time? The claim, repeated over and over by apologists of the regime, that “extraordinary measures” were necessary to combat Shining Path, became the perfect excuse to silence all those who opposed the dictatorship and create an atmosphere of terror and corruption, where basic rights were systematically violated. While Fujimori was not the one who created the system of military repression that was unleashed on the country as a response to Shining Path, but, as he himself boasted, under his own government the acts of repression had multiplied. For example, from 1981 to 1991 some 575 Peruvians were convicted of so-called terrorism; but in the 11 months that followed the enactment of the new laws, after the infamous Autogolpe, 589 people were convicted. By the year 2000, Fujimori’s state terror machine had summarily executed thousands of trade unionists and workers. It had been honed as an instrument for the suppression of the class struggle and the defense of a social system characterized by grinding exploitation and staggering inequality. “People from younger generations” says Gonzales, “no longer remember the Fujimori government. We are talking about people that right now are citizens and we must tell these stories so that they can form their own opinions. Disinformation is quite dangerous”. In another interview, the protagonist Cruz states that the project “was born as a product of the conviction that, that 40 per cent of Peruvians are in disagreement with Fujimori’s conviction [on charges relating to the La Cantuta and the Barrios Altos massacres, as well as corruption and illegal phone tapping]. This reveals ignorance; it is a problem of consciousness, a problem of memory and forgetfulness. For this reason we undertook this project”. It is apparent, however, that more than ignorance is involved. According to press reports, the response to Cruz’s film has included repeated death threats The films DVD release in April was timely because both candidates who ran for the presidency this past June 5, the winner Ollanta Humala from Gana Perú and his rival Keiko Fujimori, the dictator’s daughter, from Fuerza 2011, are connected to this repression. In one sequence of the film the candidate herself is shown defending her father’s dictatorial regime: “I, Keiko Fujimori, will lead the fight for the liberty of Alberto Fujimori, “ she exclaims during a political rally. “Five hundred documents have been shown but the question is: where is the evidence?” President Ollanta Humala, a former army officer, participated in Fujimori’s repressive apparatus. He is linked to the killing of several people in the region of Tingo María. Later on, he was investigated by the judiciary for being connected to abuses against the population of Madre Mía, although the case was closed for lack of evidence. In March of this year, it came to light that many people had been bribed to keep silent about the Madre Mía case. Gonzales’ La Cantuta in the Jaws of the Devil strikes a blow against the “problem of forgetfulness” described above by Cruz and the director. It brings to life a terrible crime that deserves to be seared into the collective memory of Peru and, indeed, the entire world. But Gonzales’ and Cruz’s self-imposed limits leave unexplored the social and political contradictions that gave rise to this and so many other crimes as well as their connection, in all but the most superficial sense, to the conditions and struggles confronting Peruvian workers and students today. The documentary is available online on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciUe_l3hSYI)More than 1,000 residents of Delano and surrounding areas joined in a candlelight gathering Sunday night to show their support of a local black family whose home was broken into and spray-painted with racial slurs a week earlier. Their message: The community won’t tolerate hate, and the incident doesn’t reflect how most residents think or act in the city of 6,000 located on the metro area’s western edge. “What we need to do is unify everybody together,” said Mayor Dale Graunke. “For all the people who are discriminated against, to say there’s help here for them and this is a safe place to be.” The event inaugurated an anti-racism campaign dubbed Delano United. On March 12, someone broke into and vandalized the house of Latanza Douglas, her husband and their three foster children. “Get out” was spray-painted on its siding, and the vandals also left a note that said “Next time it’s going to be fire.” Swastikas were drawn on interior and exterior walls, items were stolen or damaged and garbage was thrown around. Televisions, a new couch and photos were also spray-painted. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The crowd joined together to sing "This Little Light of Mine" at the conclusion of the vigil Sunday night in Delano. At the vigil, attendees lit candles as Graunke, faith leaders, a state representative and the Delano school district’s superintendent spoke and prayed in the street near City Hall. The event ended with a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” Superintendent Matt Schoen said he lives eight houses down from the Douglas family and spent Wednesday walking through their damaged home and talking with Latanza Douglas. “Words can’t express the absolute shame I felt listening to her,” Shoen said. He said he’s spoken with state Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius about finding resources to address racism with kids at school. Graunke said he has plans to print “Delano United” stickers and signs and continue the campaign. The Rev. Matt Sipe of Delano United Methodist Church invited the community to the first meeting of a new task force that will address racism on April 25 at City Hall. “We recognize that we need to do a better job as a community,” Sipe said. Many residents said they were stunned that a possible hate crime had occurred in their city, which has come together in the past after havoc caused by floods and a tornado. Patti Loftus said she came from nearby Stockholm Township to “stand up against hatred and to show support for this family and other families of color who are perhaps quite fearful these days.” Missy Larson, a parent whose daughter, Mollie, is a Korean adoptee, acknowledged that racism still exists in Delano. Mollie Larson, a sophomore at Eden Prairie High School, said she left the Delano district this winter because she’s experienced prejudice, including kids mocking the shape of her eyes. “Every year I’ve dealt with racism,” Mollie Larson said. “It’s just sickening and nasty.” The incident at the Douglas home may be investigated as a federal hate crime. The Wright County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating but had made no arrests as of Sunday night. Gov. Mark Dayton met with the family privately on Saturday to apologize on behalf of all Minnesotans, while Delano city leaders released a letter on the same day to say racism won’t be excused. Despite the community outreach, the Douglas family — who didn’t attend the vigil — have left their multilevel house, located in the 200 block of 2nd Street SW., to live in a community where they feel more welcome. They had just arrived in December and described the house as their dream home. Naresh Uppal, whose company, Advanced Homes, built the Douglases’ home, said he will buy back the property. He’s acting as spokesman for the family, which has requested privacy. The couple has three foster children ranging in age from 9 to 12; Uppal described them as “at risk.” Two of the children are black and one is white. Uppal started a GoFundMe campaign for the family. He said the money raised at tinyurl.com/zmuuvtf “will be used to alleviate costs associated with moving, as the family no longer feels safe in their home” and to replace damaged items. More than $33,000 had been pledged as of Sunday night, exceeding the fund’s $25,000 goal.Microsoft just demoed an awesome new feature for Skype that will actually let you speak to people in other languages—in real-time—by doing all the translating dirty work for you. Skype Chief Gurdeep Pall teased the new feature at Re/code's Code Conference, calling up a German-speaking exec to show off the new translation chops. According to a few German-speaking members of the audience, the translation was "pretty good"—but not perfect. Advertisement When in use, the new feature displays a translation of the other person's words at the bottom of your screen. It's not quite instant (you'll have to wait until the other person finishes before you can see what they're saying), but it's an impressive start nonetheless. And the more people use the new feature, the better it hopes to get at providing accurate, near-instant translations. Microsoft is planning to start with just a handful of language and—here's the catch—it will only work on computers running Windows. Although, support for other languages and other computers will obviously come eventually. As for the initial beta round, you should see it hitting PCs sometime later this year. [Microsoft]"Over a year, this adds up to hundreds of dollars in more expensive fuel bills," said Matt Levey from Choice. About 11 million cars are affected by Volkswagen's emissions scandal. But are other carmarkers fudging their emissions figures as well? Volkswagen this month confessed to fitting devices into 11 million cars worldwide to cheat fuel emissions standards, including Audi and Skoda models. Its chief executive Martin Winterkorn stepped down and its market value went into freefall. Volkswagen's local arm is yet to reveal if any of the 50,000 local cars are affected. It is being probed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to see whether it misled buyers and breached the law. Mr Levey said the Volkswagen scandal and Choice's results showed Australians could not trust the car industry to self-regulate. Choice is calling for the government to enforce independent testing and on-road checking of manufacturers' questionable fuel usage and emissions claims. Danger of becoming 'dumping ground' for dirty cars It is also demanding Australia adopt compulsory standards for vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse emissions, so "we don't become a dumping ground for dirty, costly-to-run vehicles". "The industry says real-world tests are different to the laboratory. But new research from Europe shows the gap between car makers' claims and real-world performance keeps growing, and is now at 40 per cent," he said. "Australia is also the only advanced economy to have no compulsory standards for fuel efficiency or greenhouse emissions. In fact, in 2012, our average greenhouse emissions from new vehicles were 44 per cent higher than Europe." Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said manufacturers followed a government-set standard for measuring and reporting the fuel consumption of new light vehicles, which was based on definitions in the United Nations Regulation. He said results from laboratory tests could differ from user experience. "The test drive cycle may not be representative of their average driving environment. There may be more low-speed city driving over a longer distance than in the test, or when driving in summer, the air conditioning may be used," he said. "A lower specification fuel may be used. Or driver behaviour, such as the amount of equipment carried in the car, acceleration and braking habits [could result in different figures]." Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said he will introduce a private members bill in October that would impose harsh penalties of up to $50 million on car manufacturers which deliberately "game" the system. At present, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development only conducts audits of car makers at random to test fuel consumption figures, and the only sanction available is for the ACCC to launch action for false and misleading conduct. "Car companies can use artificial test conditions, including taking out the back seats to make the car lighter or switching off features like air conditioning to make inaccurate fuel economy claims," said Mr Xenophon. "Testing for fuel economy can be difficult, but the gaps between what is advertised and what is actually achieved on the road really does stretch the credibility gap," he said. "A family could typically be many hundreds of dollars a year worse off from what they budgeted for because they've been misled into buying a particular car." Leading class action law firm Maurice Blackburn announced an investigation into a potential consumer law case against Volkswagen amid its global pollution rigging scandal. The firm's class action principal Damian Scattini said the global test rigging scandal was likely to affect Australian car owners. "We believe that if it is confirmed that Australian cars are impacted then consumers may have grounds to take action against Volkswagen, including pushing for extended warranties given people as yet are still in the dark about the full impacts of this issue," he said.The Philippe Gilbert transfer saga has finally come to a close with Team BMC announcing today that they had won the race for the Belgian's signature. Gilbert had been weighing up whether to stay with current team Omega Pharma-Lotto or to move on, and it seems the prospects of linking up with Thor Hushovd and Cadel Evans in 2012, and a multi-million Euro contract, was too good an opportunity to turn down. Related Articles Quick Step and Omega Pharma merger complicates Gilbert transfer saga Lefevere holding out for Gilbert and Van Den Broeck Vasseur: BMC not the best option for Gilbert Gilbert closes in on Evans' WorldTour lead Gilbert: Conceding defeat at Eneco gave me the strength to win Lefevere disappointed with Gilbert's BMC switch The deal ties Gilbert with the team until the end of the 2014 season, however the value has not been disclosed by BMC. Gilbert's 2011 season so far has seen him dominate the classics as well as develop his skills in short stage races. Team Manager Jim Ochowicz welcomed Gilbert, who he believes to be coming to BMC in the prime of his career. "He will act as one of our leaders during the classics and other races throughout the season," Ochowicz said. "His power and tenacity will play a big role in support of Cadel's defense of his Tour de France title." Ochowicz also believes there is plenty Gilbert can pass on to the growing number of talented youngsters at BMC. "His experience will be shared in a mentorship role to the younger riders on the team like Taylor Phinney and Greg Van Avermaet as they continue to develop their skills in the classics." For his part Gilbert was relieved to finally be able to announce his 2012 team after a long period of legal to-and-froing with regard to his current contract. The Belgian admitted that once the all-clear was given the decision was easy. "BMC were interested in me from the beginning," Gilbert said. "Plus, I know the team well. They are well-organized, very professional and a close group." Gilbert also explained that he'd be following a similar program in 2012 to this year. "My objectives are clear: to go for the one-day classics and then go to the Tour to learn and help Cadel," he said. "Next year with the start in Liege, it's close to my home. So I will try to win a stage and then help Cadel win the Tour." Cadel Evans, currently preparing for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado welcomed Gilbert, who he raced with previously at former team Silence-Lotto. "I'm happy to be back with one of my old teammates," Evans said. "We've always remained friends, but now we get to be teammates again and that's fantastic," Evans said. "I suspect I'll be a domestique in the Ardennes week, but I look forward to it and it will be a pleasure."Thousands of refugees from the newly-annexed Crimea have begun pouring into mainland Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the peninsula last month, headed for hastily-assembled shelters and the homes of countrymen. So far, most appear to be ethnic Tatars, who account for about 12 percent of the peninsula's 2 million residents. But several thousand Ukrainian soldiers, their families and other residents of the peninsula who do not want to live under Russian occupation are also expected to leave. “We will accommodate each and every Ukrainian citizen who does not desire to remain in Crimea and Sevastopol during Russia’s temporary occupation of the peninsula,” Ukraine’s Social Policy Minister Lyudmila Denisova told deputies. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said the mainland is currently preparing to assist tens of thousands of refugees. Shelters for displaced Crimeans have already been organized in Ukraine’s central and western regions. [pullquote] Russia’s Federal Migration Service has denied reports that residents of Crimea are fleeing in droves, reporting that only 82 Ukrainian citizens have applied to Russia for refugee status so far in 2014. According to Denisova, a native Russian, regions in western Ukraine have so far been the primary destination for Crimean Tartars leaving Crimea. Denisova told lawmakers in Ukraine’s parliament last week that some 3,608 Crimeans have already asked for help getting to what are being called “regional coordination centers.” Emergency workers and volunteers in Kherson have already established a temporary shelter along the Kharkiv-Simferopol highway to assist the increasing numbers of people fleeing the peninsula. The encampment, which currently consists of five large tents and an army kitchen, will likely get bigger, sources there said. Its first inhabitants were families from the village of Chonhar, in Kherson province, who left their homes after Russian troops allegedly laid mines in nearby fields earlier this month. Lesya Aronets, co-founder of the Coordination Relief Council in Ivano-Frankivsk, in western Ukraine, said her organization is formalizing arrangements between refugees and local sponsors to provide free medical and psychological care, permanent lodging and financial assistance. “Most of the refugees will first live in hostels or with volunteering families until permanent arrangements can be made,” Aronets told FoxNews.com. Regional administrations in Ukraine’s central provinces have also pledged to help. Dnipropetrovsk Province Deputy Governor Boris Filatov said his office had already relocated more than a dozen families. Mykola Syvyrin, who coordinates relief efforts for public associations in Ukraine’s Ternopil Province, told FoxNews.com that preparations are under way to welcome hundreds more. In addition to government relocation centers, many Ukrainians are volunteering to take Crimean refugees into their homes. Some 150 Crimeans have already registered in the Kiev Coordination Center for Crimean Refugees established by the Ukrainian government on March 20. Another 50 have already been placed in old sanatoriums. “The uncertainty of the current situations makes Tatars the most nervous,” Oksana Yakovets, director of Lviv Region’s Social Services Department, told FoxNews.com. “The majority of them do not see their future as citizens of the Russian Federation.”Have you ever been pulled over with a bit of pot on you? You figure, it’s just a little if I give it to the cops, maybe they’ll just throw it out and let me go. Well, not if “just a little” ends up being 3,100 pounds of pot in a truck crossing state lines. A couple of full-grown men had to learn things the hard way this past weekend. Scent Giveaway The way the Mesa County sheriff’s patrol deputy was tipped off was by the smell. Apparently, it was so dank that a K9 unit was unnecessary. In fact, the bust was made using nothing but his nose. On Saturday afternoon, the sheriff’s deputy was driving south on 29 Road in Fruitvale with his windows down. That’s when he noticed a funky smell. The only thing that had changed during his drive was that he pulled up behind a white Penske moving truck with Indiana plates. After pulling the truck over for a speeding violation, the deputy stepped up to the truck. He smelled what could only be described as an “overwhelming” cannabis odor. Naturally, the first question he asked driver Sinh Chan Hoang, a 53-year-old Mandarin speaker and California native, was if there was any weed in the truck. 3,100 Pounds Of Pot Or “Just A Little?” “Yes,” Hoang responded, according to the deputy’s report. “Just a little.” When he admitted to having pot the deputy asked if he could see. Hoang agreed and opened the overhead door of the truck. He pulled out a large black plastic trash bag. Then, he poked a hole in it and pulled out some of the buds inside. “It’s just a little bit,” Hoang said again, according to the arrest affidavit. “I can throw it out.” However, he would need ample time and help to finish the task. After searching the truck, deputies discovered 3,100 pounds of pot—which was more than they’d ever laid eyes on. Even in Colorado, where weed is legal, the smell of weed isn’t overlooked by the police, especially while driving. According to the sheriff department’s spokeswoman Megan Terlecky, nobody in the Mesa County sheriff’s department could remember a larger product seizure. Where Was It Going? The truck had a rental agreement that said it was rented at approximately 11:53 a.m. on Friday in Pleasant View, Indiana. The arrest happened in Mesa County, Colorado on Saturday at 1 p.m. Since the weed was already in the truck and the driver lives in California, it was assumed that the weed was going from California back to where the truck was rented. In the state of Indiana, possession of any amount of marijuana is a crime punishable by at least a misdemeanor. Trafficking 3,100 pounds of pot worth over a million dollars in street value is a whole different story. Hoang and the other man in the car, Larry Tran, have a lot to learn about hiding the smell of weed. The Mesa County Court is making sure they aren’t let off easy. In fact, the judge denied their lawyer’s request for a recognizance bond, despite Tran’s clean record. Both the driver and his passenger had their bonds set at $100,000, cash-only. Looks like some folks in Indiana may need a new plug. Two traffickers were arrested, but that is only a minor win in the War on Drugs. It’s like plugging a leaky dam with scotch tape. You’re not going to stop it. As long as cannabis is federally illegal, interstate trafficking will continue.DOES anyone actually believe the feminist contention that women make politics better? The case of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, who was elected the first woman in the post four years ago in a wave of feminist euphoria, is more evidence to the contrary. Kane, a Democrat, was convicted yesterday of perjury and abuse of office charges in connection with her efforts to shut down a corruption investigation in Philadelphia and exact revenge against a political enemy. She was so unpopular that five of her former or current aides testified against her in court, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. In the course of her quick rise to power, Kane damaged her family as well. She divorced her husband, the father of her two sons, and he is seeking recovery of the $1.5 million he devoted to her campaign. Needless to say, she has not spent a great deal of time with her young sons over these years. Indeed, Kane’s crimes against her family appear to be far, far more serious than her crimes against the state. She is, of course, a victim too — a victim of her culture and its insane expectations. Most women in government and politics are not corrupt. Many work hard and truly sacrifice themselves for their constituencies, especially in local politics, but their influence in general has not made our government or cultural life better. This is not surprising. The entry of women in large numbers into politics was a strike against democracy in the first place, as most women didn’t even want the women’s vote when it was shoved down the throats of the nation’s citizens by extremist suffragettes who were bitter, marriage-hating socialists. The anti-suffragists — ignored by mainstream historians — organized by the tens of thousands and churned out eloquent arguments in their magazines and newsletters against women’s greater participation in politics. Most women cared about influencing their homes and families and communities through their customary roles, and not through the female vote or political careers. When women were given the vote and encouraged to go into politics in large numbers, they ironically lost some of their political power, which was based on their organized non-partisan influence. It was precisely because their influence was not connected to career, money or self-advancement that their voice and petitions had a special moral power. The whole rise of the female politician has not been a grassroots movement at all. It represents the revolutionary few against the many. Ordinary women fought the rise of the suffragette — but they lost because powerful, elite forces were against them. Kathleen Kane’s downfall is merely the latest episode in this story. Given this history and the ideological lies behind it, female politicians at the higher levels, I maintain, are more likely to be arrogant and beholden to no one. The feminist politician represents the reverse of what she is claimed to be. She is the emblem of a loss of feminine influence and power. Many male politicians have been guilty of corruption, of course, but they never gained power on the ridiculous, liberating idea that their entire sex is saintly. Kane was not qualified to be attorney general in the first place and it was feminist-style affirmative action that was most definitely partly responsible for her success and feminist-style arrogance that contributed to her downfall. Not only do women not make politics better, they are more likely to make things much worse — for themselves, for their constituencies, and, most tragically of all, for their families.A fake bomb left behind during a security exercise led police to evacuate Manchester United's home stadium on Sunday, disrupting the final day of the English Premier League season and bringing embarrassment to one of the world's best-known sports teams.Police initially described the device as "incredibly lifelike" as United's planned match with Bournemouth was cancelled, to boos from some fans, and a controlled explosion was carried out.But hours later, bomb technicians reported it was a fake. And a later statement by police said the device had been inadvertently left in a toilet during an earlier training exercise involving sniffer dogs.The series of events Sunday came amid tightened security at Premier League stadiums following last year's Paris attacks that targeted the Stade de France sports stadium as well as cafes, bars and a concert hall. It also followed the British government's announcement Wednesday that it was raising the nation's threat level due to intelligence indicating the "strong possibility" of attacks in Britain by factions of the outlawed Irish Republican Army.The Premier League has rescheduled the match for Tuesday. United said it was investigating the incident."It is outrageous this situation arose and a full inquiry is required to urgently find out how this happened, why it happened and who will be held accountable," said Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester's mayor as well as the district's police and crime commissioner.Sunday's match was the first Premier League game to be postponed because of a bomb threat. An exhibition soccer game between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled in November after police said they received a bomb threat. No explosives were found.Sunday's scare was set off after Manchester United staff found a suspicious device in a toilet in the northwest corner of one of the stands, police said. Fans sitting in other stands initially were allowed to stay inside the stadium, but about a half hour before the scheduled 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) kickoff, they were escorted out by security personnel, and a sweep of the 75,635-seat venue was carried out.Players from both teams were taken off the pitch during the warm-up and kept in the changing rooms. Some fans booed as a stadium announcer instructed them to exit the building.Hours later, Greater Manchester Police announced that the suspect item was not a "viable device.""We have since found out that the item was a training device which had accidentally been left by a private company following a training exercise involving explosive search dogs," John O'Hare, assistant chief constable from Greater Manchester Police.Earlier in the day, police had maintained a strong presence outside Old Trafford as fire engines attended the scene. Sniffer dogs were also seen inside the stadium.About 3,000 Bournemouth fans are estimated to have made the trip to Old Trafford for the game. Bournemouth is a town on the south coast of England, and it is a round trip of about 500 miles (800 kilometers) to the northern city of Manchester.The match was one of 10 taking place on the final day of the Premier League season. The other nine matches went ahead.United was vying with Manchester City to finish in fourth place in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. City drew 1-1 at Swansea, effectively ending United's top-four chances.United has to beat Bournemouth by a 19-goal margin or more to climb above City.In rescheduling the match, the Premier League had to take into account the FA Cup final between United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.Earlier, the Premier League apologized for the inconvenience that the postponement of the game caused to fans."We are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to do so," it said.Sunday's security scare rekindled memories of April 1997, when the dominant Provisional faction of the IRA used a telephoned bomb warning to force the evacuation of the Grand National horse race in Liverpool being attended by 60,000 fans, many of them Irish. That disrupted race eventually went ahead two days late in front of relatively few fans.United also enjoys a huge following in Ireland.The Provisional IRA has observed a cease-fire since July 1997 and renounced violence in 2005, but several rival factions continue to plot attacks in the British territory of Northern Ireland.On Wednesday, Home Secretary Theresa May told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the domestic intelligence agency MI5 had decided to raise its threat level of an IRA attack in Britain to "substantial," the third-highest level. That means MI5 - responsible for monitoring IRA splinter groups in Northern Ireland - considers an IRA attack in Britain a "strong possibility."Earlier this May, the world had come to know Niloofar Rhmani, the first female pilot to graduate from the Afghan Air Force in thirty years. She graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training and now works as a pilot at Kabul Air Base in C208 and C27 Battalion (Kandak). Twenty-one years old, the now 1st LT. Niloofar Rhmani grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan- a place that is in turmoil from years of war, unstable government, and limited women’s rights. Although Rhmani has a loving and supportive family, her childhood was bleak. “I have one brother and three sisters. I am really proud to have such a family that always support me and helped me…I grew up in Kabul and in Afghanistan was war and I haven’t had good childhood memory. I hope for a bright day in Afghanistan to see my family and my people to live in peace,” Rhmani said in an email interview. When she isn’t up in the air, Niloofar also enjoys playing the guitar. “It makes me really calm,” she said. In a country where women have limited rights and many lack education, Niloofar becoming the first female pilot in thirty years is an extraordinary feat for many Afghani women. According to a CNN report of a UN study in 2010, only twelve percent of Afghan women (fifteen years and older) could read or write. This is in comparison to thirty nine percent of Afghan men that can read or write in 2010. Only about forty seven women in Afghanistan make up the working force, compared to eighty six percent of men. It is in a country such as this that Niloofar was born, raised and educated. She explained how difficult it was to achieve her goal in a society that does not look favorably at women with unconventional careers. “Three years ago when I decided to be a pilot and try for it; I tried to change old culture. I want to change my people’s minds that they think females are not able to become pilots, it is…a social issue in Afghanistan. Me as a first female pilot- it was not a good thing for them. I face… lots of problems with people around me, but I really put all those behind and I kept going because I promise…myself to do this till end and achieve what I really want. I knew it gonna be tough for me in this society but I want to change every mind.” Niloofar’s inspiration comes from her father. He encouraged Niloofar to continue training and accomplish her ambitions despite opposition. “The person helped me to succeed in my dream it was my dad, and he is a good example in my life and my experience,” she said. Rhmani has achieved her dreams, but now she lives in fear for her family’s safety and her own. She and her family receive anonymous phone calls where they are threatened with violence. When she attempts to tell co-workers and others of the threats, no one seems to share her concerns. Some even replied saying to Niloofar that she should have thought about the consequences that comes with a female having an unconventional career in Afghan society. “Now I had many threats from different people. I always try to tell everybody at work but no one paid any attention and they didn’t want to hear about my problem,” Rhmani said. “When I tell them, they tell me when you decided to be a pilot in Afghanistan you should think about it [the consequences]. Nobody cares about me and my family and I am really scared for my family that those people…will hurt my family and they did many threats. I am scared of the day that because of me and my position my family [will get] hurt.” She added that she tried telling her commanders, General Wahab and General Barat, that she and her family were receiving violent threats, but no one seemed concerned or took any action. “I always try to tell my commanders…but nobody cares about me,” she said. The calls are made each time with different phone numbers, she added. Niloofar believes she has ‘enemies’ within the Afghani government and said that many individuals initially opposed her pilot training. When asked what she thinks the possible reason behind the threats is, Niloofar replied, “…I am the only female pilot in Afghanistan. That is why I get threats.” Niloofar’s story is similar to the story of the first Afghani female rapper, Soosan Firooz. According to a BBC, last October, the north Kabul native, made her debut with a rap song about the war in Afghanistan and her hope for the future. The music video addressing female oppression and the pain of being a refugee went viral. Just as Niloofar receives violent threats, Firooz and her family also received threatening phone calls and text messages by anonymous persons. Soosan’s supportive father encouraged her to achieve her dreams and even quit his full time job to become his daughter’s bodyguard. Violence against women exists globally, and is an immense issue in Afghanistan. According to the CNN report, from all incidents recorded against women, thirty percent were accounts of women suffering from physical violence. These statistics do not include unreported incidents or an estimation of them. Niloofar pleads for help from any foreign organization, stating that no one in Afghanistan seems concerned for her and her family’s safety. “I really love my job. I don’t want to stop working, but I need to be safe. People want me to stop my job, otherwise they will do something. I need someone to help me. I want you to tell some foreign organization if they care and can help me. The situation gets worse and worse, day by day and I am really in trouble.”Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig has given a hint about what to expect from the New York band’s upcoming fourth album. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the singer discussed how writing with Kanye West had influenced the approach the band took to the album. Koenig collaborated with Ye on a track that also featured Paul McCartney and Dirty Projectors‘ Dave Longstreth in early 2015, although the song never saw the light of day. You can read what Koenig had to say about working with Kanye below. “At this point in my life, I’ve started to have this admiration for songwriters. I’d never been interested in writing for other people, but when you hear somebody else sing a demo that you made, it’s surreal. It makes you think of yourself more as a songwriter, because you’re not the singer anymore. If you’re in a situation where Kanye hands you something and asks you to go come up with an idea and make a demo, suddenly you step out of yourself. You look at the craft of songwriting in a different way, without the narcissism of it being all about you and your presentation to the world. When I first started thinking about this album, I had big ambitions. I was like, “I’m gonna do this Kanye stuff, and if that means I work with 200 people, I’m down.” Every once in a while I’ll sit down and write a song by myself, but I really love writing songs with other people. Increasingly that seems like that’s the way that people work. It’s not just pop; that pop way of working starts to encompass the whole music industry. I was always interested in that. I was like, ‘I want to try that. I’m cool with it.’ [I have] huge admiration for the modern collaborative pop album format and [had] high hopes that I could make an album that way, but when push came to shove I don’t really have the constitution. Maybe I’m an introvert. I can’t constantly meet new people and make small talk. It’s
Ormerod Launching rockets has proved to be Copenhagen Suborbitals’ most successful fundraising strategy. Each attempt thrusts it back into the limelight — which in turn helps to attract potential sponsors and donors. “It’s our own little whip,” says Wilson. “We need to show our supporters that something is happening.” The planned launch of the Nexo I and II rockets this summer was the most important test to date. The purpose of Nexo, which stands 5.5m (18ft) tall, is to test multiple aspects of the launch, from the telemetry to the parachutes to the recovery operation. On July 23, Copenhagen Suborbitals launched Nexo I from its pontoon in the Baltic Sea. Most of the team had had only a couple of hours’ sleep, having worked through the night, and Wilson says the atmosphere was tense. The plan was for the rocket to reach an altitude of 6km before returning to Earth with a parachute. Instead it soared to 1,514 metres before plummeting into the Baltic like an asteroid. A ventilation valve had failed, triggering a cascade of problems, which culminated in the rocket burning its fuel twice as fast as intended. The engine simply stopped. Worse still, a computer hardware issue prevented the parachute from activating. Rocket parts in the group’s hangar at a former shipyard in Copenhagen © Robert Ormerod Despite this, the group declared the launch a success. “Everyone was very excited when it actually flew,” Wilson says. “The rocket ignited, it flew, it was guided and the engine performed. And then when it came down, it was like, ‘Oh, we didn’t get that quite right.’” The performance of the rocket’s guidance system was apparently a particular triumph. The failure of the ventilation valve meant the rocket flew too slowly — “it was literally crawling up there,” Wilson says — but it held its course. The group intends to launch Nexo II next year, implementing lessons learnt this summer. “We know what didn’t work and why,” he says. “It would have been a failure if we had failed and didn’t know why. As long as we know why we failed, we have a chance to correct it and do it better the next time.” The launch has also given the group a slew of publicity. Its website got 21,000 visitors on launch day, about 75 per cent of them from Denmark and 14 per cent from the US. About 70,000 people watched a livestream on several media sites. Christian Bason, chief executive of the Danish Design Centre, isn’t surprised by the appeal of the group’s unorthodox approach to spaceflight. “They [have] democratic values, participatory values, plus the principles of risk-taking and not being afraid of making mistakes,” Bason says. “It isn’t driven by capitalism or by the pursuit of profit or by government, but from the bottom up — by enthusiasts who have an entrepreneurial and technical interest.” A display shows where an astronaut would sit © Robert Ormerod “Every time we’ve launched a rocket, it has been one hell of a tremendous experience and people have been happy for a year afterwards,” says Kristian Elof Sorensen, 41, a software engineer who chairs the group’s five-strong board. “That’s the real goal, sitting in a little boat at sea and seeing a rocket disappear into the sky.” When asked what he’d otherwise be doing with his time, he looks stumped. “This has more or less taken over my life.” He’s not alone. This thrill of the chase explains why someone such as Bulskov can go from being a member of the “fan club” — donating a small amount of money each month — to working as the group’s security guard, to being its logistics manager. It also explains why volunteer Rune Henssel spends at least 20 hours a week at the workshop and sleeps on a camp bed when he misses the last train home. Asking whether Copenhagen Suborbitals will achieve its ambition and prove that amateur spaceflight is possible sometimes seems beside the point. “It’s just a brilliant group of people to be around,” says Bulskov. “Come the zombie apocalypse, these are the guys you’d want to be with because you would survive. We can build pretty much anything.” Photographs: Robert Ormerod Copenhagen Suborbitals’ Nexo IAre the two major political parties in America trading places, in demographic terms? Are Republicans becoming a populist party of the downtrodden and disenfranchised, while Democrats become the political home of the up-market urban elites? That may seem like too big a leap amid the intense divisions of 2016, when the Donald Trump distortion effect has so thoroughly warped the political landscape. But such a phase-shift has happened before, and there’s considerable evidence that it’s happening again. Now that the aftermath of the political conventions has settled down and Trump’s campaign of self-sabotage has shifted into a new and spectacular gear, we once again confront the possibility that Trump himself will be nothing more than a bizarre footnote to the story of this extraordinary year. In his own limited and vainglorious fashion, Trump understands that: “I am your voice,” he told the GOP gathering in Cleveland. He is a ludicrous outrider of the apocalypse, not the thing itself. From here, it looks like our nation is on the verge of a political meltdown, and a political realignment, whose long-term consequences are unknowable. Advertisement: I have a message for Democrats who look at Trump’s sliding poll numbers, in the wake of the Khan family feud and “Obama is the founder of ISIS” and “let’s try Americans at Gitmo,” and tell themselves that the nightmare is almost over and everything will soon return to normal. You are whistling past the graveyard. Hillary Clinton will very likely win this election, and it could end up as a blowout, although I’d be reluctant to bet the ranch on that. But what kind of "normal" are you so happy about? The paralysis and dysfunction of the entire last decade? To pretend that such an outcome — the candidate who is widely disliked and mistrusted defeating the candidate who is widely feared and despised — does anything at all to address the structural and ideological crisis that is eating away at both parties and the bipartisan system represents an epic level of denial. You know who you are, oh nice people who feel vaguely wounded right about now! Despite the Bernie Sanders insurrection and the fact that the Democratic Party has been electorally eviscerated between the coasts and has hit a historic low point in terms of voter self-identification, you have somehow convinced yourselves that nothing fundamental has gone wrong and it will all be OK. I mean, yours is the party of good government and rational foreign policy and tolerance and diversity, right? Once you get past this unexpectedly ugly (and unexpectedly disturbing) election and park Hillary in the White House, the future is secure. Just because the news cycle will be almost exclusively occupied with Trump and Clinton for the next 11 weeks, and one of them will apparently end up as president, it doesn’t follow that they’re the most important people on the stage. Clinton’s supposedly major economic address this week was especially awkward: She did her best to finesse her way around an entire career of supporting free trade, globalization and financial deregulation, in a year when those things have suddenly become toxic. No one should ever believe the vague economic promises made by presidential candidates, but even by those standards Clinton’s second-rate Bernie Sanders ventriloquist act was unconvincing. The conventions I recently attended in Cleveland and Philadelphia reflected parallel institutions in different stages of internal decay and discord. Both were profoundly troubled events, dedicated to fending off certain unpleasant aspects of reality. The real protagonist of 2016 has been the American electorate, which was confronted with a set of unpalatable choices and has made a series of decisions that may have been incoherent or self-destructive but were not entirely irrational. It has expressed its widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo, at the very least, although there’s nothing even close to a collective sense of what to do about it. From the beginning of this electoral cycle, I’ve been fascinated by two emerging and interconnected phenomena, both of which are essential to making sense of this crazy year. One is that the Republican Party has suffered an ideological implosion, despite its near-total stranglehold on Capitol Hill, and that the Democratic Party is not far behind. The other is that the Sanders and Trump movements, despite their opposing ideologies, share a perspective on the oligarchic nature of power in America and have exposed what Lenin identified a century ago as a central contradiction of “bourgeois democracy.” Capitalist society, the Bolshevik founder observed, produces a “liberal” understanding of individual rights and tends toward legal and political equality for all its citizens — equality in the marketplace, in other words. Along with that comes the implication, and often the direct promise, that such marketplace equality will ultimately produce greater levels of social and economic equality as well. But the opposite is true; the two species of equality are in opposition, not in harmony. Unfettered market capitalism concentrates economic power in the hands of a few and dramatically worsens inequality, producing an atmosphere of political and economic crisis that Lenin would have called a “revolutionary situation.” Advertisement: There’s no Leninist “vanguard party” in place to take advantage of such a situation (whatever they may claim on Fox News), nor am I advocating such an approach. What we have instead are two political parties in profound crisis. One of them has been compelled, however reluctantly, to confront the fact that its electoral coalition has collapsed and that its downscale white voters and zillionaire corporate funders have entirely different desires and goals. The other one is simultaneously in better shape and worse shape: It has won electoral pluralities in five of the last six presidential elections, which has allowed it to ignore the crisis or pretend it doesn’t exist. Hillary Clinton and her wing of the Democratic Party represent Lenin’s contradiction, and still deny that it’s a contradiction. They stand for women’s rights and LGBT rights and combating “systemic racism,” and there’s no reason to doubt their sincerity. But as Thomas B. Edsall wrote in the New York Times this week, the Democrats are no longer a “class-based coalition” with an economic agenda, but a loose coalition of “upscale well-educated whites” and African-American and Latino voters in big cities. They are the party of many flavors, all of them for sale at Whole Foods. Some connection is assumed between the culture-war and identity-politics issues at the heart of the party’s current identity and universal economic progress, but how that connection might work in practice remains unclear and essentially metaphysical. Edsall’s column flew through the political discourse almost unnoticed; it had nothing to do with Trump’s outsize personality or his outrageous utterances. But it might be the single most far-reaching journalistic analysis of this mad summer season. There has been a total “class inversion” among white Democratic voters, Edsall writes, since the era when Hillary Clinton’s husband ran for president. In 1992, Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush by large margins among voters making less than $50,000 a year and among those with high school educations or less. Bush won narrowly among college-educated voters, and carried those making $100,000 or more by 16 points. In an Aug. 1 CNN poll of this year’s Trump-Clinton race, that 1992 situation has been turned upside down: Clinton wins 57 percent of college grads and 55 percent of voters with incomes above $50,000. She and Trump are in a statistical dead heat among less affluent voters and those without college degrees, and it’s safe to conclude that Trump is far ahead among whites in those categories. I can feel Democratic loyalists converging around the idea that racism and xenophobia are the primary factors, and perhaps the only factors, driving support for Trump among working-class white Americans, and that the sense of dislocation and disenfranchisement those people feel is either imaginary or irrational. Advertisement: No one should discount the role that bigotry has played in this election. Republicans have preyed on racial fears and culture-war conflicts for decades, and the Trump campaign has forced those issues to the surface. Racial resentment and flag-waving jingoism are the unifying flavors in Trump’s secret sauce. But were poorer white Americans less racist 24 years ago, when most of them voted for Bill Clinton? Blaming downscale whites for retreating into prejudice is a transparent effort to evade the fact that the Clinton New Democrats gutted the FDR welfare state (“the era of big government is over,” Bill told us) and “abdicated too easily to market fundamentalism,” in the words of Harvard scholar Dani Rodrik. But the Democrats’ predicament goes beyond the fact that they jettisoned class-based economic populism in favor of a whole package of free-market policies aimed at liberating the global flow of investment capital, and that the carnage of that Bill Clinton-era decision is all around us. As Edsall says, the party is becoming “increasingly dependent on a white upper middle class that has isolated itself from the rest of American society.” That’s what I perceived in Philadelphia: a party with an agreeable multicultural roster, pathologically devoted to the proposition that nothing was wrong with America that a little sensitivity training and Kombucha can’t fix. If Trump voters perceive the Democrats as “the party of the winners,” a cosmopolitan coastal coalition with no cultural, geographical or social connection to working-class America, they have a point. If the party of the winners is likely to win this November, largely by default, the question of what lies ahead is murkier. Partisan reversals and inversions are hardly unknown. As we know from history, the Democrats were the pro-slavery party (or at least the non-anti-slavery party) in the 19th century, and the white supremacy party well into the 20th. They represented the “less educated” — the white immigrant working classes in the North, white farmers and small business proprietors in the South. Advertisement: Republicans, on the other hand, were the party of the affluent Northern elite and Midwestern middle-class Protestants; they were “liberal” on trade and economic policies (as opposed to protectionist or interventionist) and at least theoretically supportive of women’s rights and civil rights. Until at least the Great Depression, the small proportion of black Americans who were allowed to vote almost unanimously supported the party of Lincoln. It’s not coincidental that the first woman to be elected to both houses of Congress (Margaret Chase Smith) and the first African-American elected to the Senate (Edward Brooke) were both New England Republicans. Democrats shed the white South some decades ago, and have almost completely absorbed the old Northeastern Republican establishment. You could argue that Hillary Clinton’s Democratic Party effectively is the old Republican Party, translated into the cultural and demographic terms of the 21st century. That has left an immense political vacuum at the bottom end of the socioeconomic ladder, where left-wing populism and right-wing populism — Bernie Sanders socialism and Donald Trump nationalism — will fight for the future. Hillary Clinton’s economic ventriloquism can’t fill that vacuum, and the unanswered question is whether the Republican Party can reconfigure itself as a new version of the old Democrats, with the racism and xenophobia damped down a little. The real danger that lies beneath Trump’s Republican revolution is not Trump himself, but the more adroit figure -- the less Trumpian Trump -- who is sure to follow.Contractors for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office and the Kalamazoo Township Police Department will be performing an equipment upgrade in the Integrated Dispatch Center at 150 E Crosstown Parkway on Wednesday, March 22nd at approximately 4:00 am and Thursday, March 23rd at 4:00am. It is estimated that the upgrades will take approximately 1 hour each. 911 services will continue to be operational during this time-period. If a citizen needs to contact the Center for a non-emergency matter during this time and does not receive an answer, they should call: Kalamazoo Public Safety: (269) 337-8120 Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office: (269) 384-2036 -or- (269) 384-2037 -or- (269) 384-2038 Kalamazoo Township Police: (269) 337-8931 A second news release will follow once the systems are back in full operation. By authority of: Sheriff Richard Fuller, Chief Jeffrey Hadley and Chief Timothy Bourgeois Date: March 20, 2017 Address: 150 E. Crosstown Parkway, Kalamazoo, MI 49001(Andy Synn reviews the forthcoming sixth studio album from the Ukrainian band Kroda — GinnungaGap-GinnungaGaldr-GinnungaKaos — and we also have for you the premiere of the album’s fourth track, “Чорні Хребти Карпат” (Carpathian Black Spines). There are some albums you just never really get on with. Not that they’re necessarily bad, but albums you just don’t “click” with, for whatever reason. Where the pieces just don’t seem to line up properly and the overall package just seems lacking. Then there are albums that you fall in love with instantly, where even their tiniest flaws seem to have a necessary place in the grand scheme of things. This is one of those albums. Now Schwarzpfad, Kroda’s previous full-length, is one of my favourite Black Metal albums, and stands a good chance of being held up for consideration as one of my favourite albums in general. So this sets a ridiculously high bar for the band’s latest to live up to. And, under duress, I’d probably admit that GinnungaGap… isn’t quite the masterpiece its predecessor was. But it’s close. Very, very close. With the proggy excesses of the previous album reined in somewhat (where Schwarzpfad contained 5 tracks with an average length of around 10 minutes, GinnungaGap… has 8, with an average length more in the 4-5 minute range) it’s a more direct and song-focussed effort in many ways, with each and every one a gloriously anthemic display of true passion. Indeed, utilising a more restrained song length is actually a rather brilliant – albeit simple — decision, allowing the album to stand on its own two feet and step outside of the grand shadow cast by its predecessor, playing purposefully to its own strengths and carving out its own distinctive sonic identity. From the pulsing blasts and radiant blackened energy of “На Крилах Шторму”, to the captivating tremolo hooks and soaring guitar harmonies of “Чорні Хребти Карпат” (Carpathian Black Spines), to the sweeping melodic grandeur of “Туманом Снігової Імли”, every single track on GinnungaGap… positively bristles with righteous fury and fiery conviction, weaving its grand, folklore-ish melodies and epic, haunting atmospherics in amongst a pulse-pounding cavalcade of rough-hewn riffs and raging vocals with consummate ease. The tone and texture of the songs reminds me, oddly enough, of early Dark Tranquillity at points, while some of the heavier, more infectious rhythms definitely recall early Hypocrisy. And, of course, with the album’s deft mixing of proggy undercurrents of cosmic melody with majestic blackened riffage (“Прірва Себе” being a perfect example), comparisons with Isa/Ruun-era Enslaved are more than valid. Yet, like all of Kroda’s albums, GinnungaGap… remains clearly distinct from these influences. They are, in truth, little more than reference points drawn on by this reviewer to make some useful comparisons. Because simply saying that GinnungaGap… sounds like Kroda doesn’t seem sufficient, beyond establishing that this sees the band remaining at the very top of their game. So far, this has been an impressive year for Black Metal, in all its forms, already. And, off the top of my head, there’s a number of “big” releases still scheduled to come our way in the vast and misty field of folk-influenced Black Metal alone, not least with legendary acts like Negură Bunget and Drudkh (among others) either having just released, or just about to release, new albums of their own. Yet where Negură Bunget stumbled with the oddly disjointed Tau, and Drudkh continue to plough a familiar furrow of their own making, Ginnungagap… brims with a vitality and unabashed creative energy that’s simply unmatched. Pulse-raising in its undeniable passion, and surprisingly life-affirming in its boundless energy and vigour, Ginnungagap… is Kroda at their very best, marrying power and pathos, might and majesty, primal fury and grand, storytelling ambition, in a display of absolutely stunning harmony and balance. GinnungaGap-GinnungaGaldr-GinnungaKaos will be released on Walpurgisnacht, 2015. For further details as they come, visit these links: Label: http://purity-through-fire.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krodaua Bandcamp: http://kroda.bandcamp.com/There is a gaping hole in the latest effort to reinvigorate the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), one so big it could hold an estimated 357 million boxes of cornflakes. The hole opened last week when tech billionaire Yuri Milner announced the Breakthrough Listen initiative, a 10-year, $100-million shot in the arm for SETI, operated through Milner’s Breakthrough Prize Foundation. The initiative includes funding for unprecedented amounts of SETI time at three world-class observatories: the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the Automated Planet Finder telescope in California and the Parkes Observatory in Australia. What’s missing from the partnership is the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, which at 305 meters wide is the biggest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope in the world. SETI godfather and former Arecibo director, astronomer Frank Drake, once calculated that the instrument could not only hold all those cornflakes, but also receive (or send) radio messages throughout much of the galaxy. The omission at first seems inexplicable, because SETI and Arecibo are inseparably intertwined. Drake, a key player in Breakthrough Listen, famously used the telescope in 1974 to transmit his “Arecibo message” toward the globular star cluster M13. The message was meant to be an interstellar postcard from our culture, and included pictographic figures of our planet, our solar system and even the recipe for DNA. Today, the observatory remains the primary source feeding data to the groundbreaking SETI@home citizen science project, which uses idle computer time to scour the data for alien signals. Like Drake, SETI@home is also a key part of the Breakthrough Listen initiative, and will be distributing some of the project’s new data to its millions of volunteers. The foundation was and still is interested in partnering with Arecibo, Scientific American has learned. But according to Arecibo Director Robert Kerr, that partnership is currently being prevented due to a poison pill inserted by the observatory’s owner, the National Science Foundation (NSF). The situation is a startling example of a cash-strapped federal agency seeking to offload an expensive, world-class facility to the private sector—at the potential cost of compromising its ability to perform world-class scientific research. Driven by budget cuts, for years the NSF has sought to preserve its extensive program of research grants and to support newer facilities by divesting from older ones, including Arecibo, encouraging each one to find outside funding partners or to otherwise risk closure. The NSF reviews and approves all possible partnerships, provided the partnership does not interfere with an observatory’s obligations to the agency. For instance, the NSF also owns Green Bank and is seeking to divest from it as well, even though the state-of-the-art facility offers astronomers the world’s largest fully steerable radio dish (Arecibo is much bigger, but cannot be aimed at all parts of the sky). The NSF approved Green Bank’s Breakthrough Listen partnership, allowing Milner to purchase 15 percent of the telescope’s observing time for SETI, although NSF officials say even with that cash infusion Green Bank’s continued operations remain in jeopardy. According to Kerr, Breakthrough presented Arecibo with a contract for a similar partnership, but negotiations stalled when the NSF informed Kerr and the rest of Arecibo’s Executive Governing Committee that the deal would be considered part of the agency’s divestment strategy. That is, to accept money for Breakthrough Listen, Arecibo would first have to forgo further funding from the NSF, which currently provides some $4 million a year through a cooperative agreement that expires in September 2016. (The observatory also receives funding from other sources, including about $2 million a year from NASA, which uses Arecibo to monitor potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids.) Even with the Breakthrough money promised by the foundation, Kerr says, the NSF’s divestment “might well result in the cessation of science operations at Arecibo, and possibly closure.” If Arecibo managed to stay open after divestment, Kerr says, it would struggle to fulfill the proposed Breakthrough Listen contract, which does not include funding for basic operational costs such as electrical power for the telescope. James Ulvestad, director of the NSF’s Division of Astronomical Sciences, disputes Kerr’s characterization of the situation. Arecibo, he says, is “incredibly valuable,” and the NSF would be “quite pleased” if the observatory could partner with Breakthrough. Even so, he would not rule out the possibility of the observatory losing NSF funding through a future Breakthrough partnership. The decision, Ulvestad says, hinges on details of the proposed partnership that Arecibo’s management have yet to provide to the NSF. “We don’t have any hard and fast rule that says if you get some new partner that brings in a dollar, then we’re going to take a dollar away from you,” Ulvestad says. Instead, he says, the NSF evaluates any possible partnership based on how it affects the agency’s broader mission. The NSF mandates that all of its telescopes, including Arecibo, must conduct a program of observations proposed and selected via peer review by the U.S. astronomy community. “We’re in the business every day of making priority choices of where to spend a limited pot of money,” Ulvestad says. “If some fraction of [Arecibo’s] time isn’t being spent on open-user community science anymore, we have to think… Should we be giving them the same amount of money to do less of our mission?” Kerr rejects the NSF’s position as a catch-22 cleverly designed to further the agency’s budget-cutting goals. As appealing as the Breakthrough Listen observations at Arecibo might be, they would be taking place outside the realm of peer review, and would thus not contribute to that portion of the NSF’s mandate. The further cuts to NSF-mandated science observations that would likely be required to fulfill a Breakthrough Listen partnership could consequently provide the NSF with a convenient excuse to justify divestment. “This new situation waxes unscrupulous,” he says. “The NSF now insists that we do commercial, non–peer-reviewed science so they can divest—and show positively that Arecibo no longer does mainstream radio astronomy and is thus unworthy for NSF investment. Amazing.” In all likelihood, Breakthrough will continue to court Arecibo, seeking a middle ground between the struggling observatory and the NSF. In addition to Breakthrough Listen, Milner has formed a sister initiative for which Arecibo seems custom-made. Dubbed “Breakthrough Message,” the $1-million effort is an open competition to design digital messages to send to extraterrestrial civilizations. Milner, Drake and others involved with the project are careful to note that Breakthrough Message does not presently include plans to unilaterally transmit those messages—a practice that many astronomers now view as irresponsible and potentially dangerous because it could attract the attention of hostile advanced civilizations. But it is undeniable that transmitting targeted messages would require much less time on Arecibo than a broadband, wide-field search for talkative aliens, meaning it could more easily coexist with ongoing NSF and NASA peer-reviewed science observations. The NSF, for its part, seems to have a vested interest in playing along. A full divestment and closure of Arecibo—which was built in a giant limestone sinkhole deep in the Puerto Rican jungle—would obligate the agency to dismantle the observatory and return the area to its “natural state.” Two NSF-commissioned engineering studies since 2008 have priced that endeavor at around $100 million—the same price tag as Milner’s entire decadal SETI effort.ARLINGTON, Va. – Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has been named the NHL’s “Third Star” for the week ending Nov. 26, the NHL announced today. Ovechkin paced the NHL with five goals in four games (5-0—5) to guide the Capitals (14-10-1, 29 points) to a trio of wins. After being held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames Nov. 20, Ovechkin scored in each of his next three outings. That included one goal in both a 5-2 triumph over the Ottawa Senators Nov. 22 and 3-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning Nov. 24. Ovechkin capped the week with his 20th career hat trick – in front of one of his biggest fans, 13-year-old cancer survivor Alex Luey – in a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Nov. 25. The 32-year-old Moscow, Russia, native ranks first in the NHL with 18 goals in 25 contests in 2017-18 (18-7—25).Three thousand light-years away, a dying star throws off shells of glowing gas in this image from the Hubble Space Telescope of the Cat's Eye Nebula. The nearly 20-year-old Hubble Space Telescope has taken many iconic images of the cosmos and is even the star of a new 3D IMAX movie that gives viewers a chance to fly through those snapshots. But does Hubble show us what the universe really looks like? Yes and no, according to NASA. When Hubble beams down images, astronomers have to make many adjustments, such as adding color and patching multiple photos together, to that raw data before the space observatory's images are released to the public. Hubble doesn't use color film (or any film at all) to create its images. Instead, it operates much like a digital camera, using what's called a CCD (charge-coupled device) to record incoming photons of light. [Spectacular Photos From The Revamped Hubble Space Telescope] Hubble's CCD cameras don't measure the color of the incoming light directly. But the telescope does have various filters that can be applied to let in only a specific wavelength range, or color, of light. Hubble can detect light throughout the visible spectrum, plus ultraviolet and infrared light which is invisible to human eyes. The observatory will often take photos of the same object through multiple filters. Scientists can then combine the images, assigning blue light to the data that came in through the blue filter, for example, red light to the data read through the red filter and green light to the green filter, to create a comprehensive color image. [Most Amazing Hubble Discoveries ] "We often use color as a tool, whether it is to enhance an object's detail or to visualize what ordinarily could never be seen by the human eye," NASA officials explain on the agency's Hubble Web site. For some Hubble photos, such as the galaxy ESO 510-G13 for example, the end result is a close approximation of the colors people would see with their own eyes were they to visit the distant sight in a spacecraft. Though even these photos are an enhanced version, since most celestial objects, such as nebulas, emit colors that are too faint for human eyes to make out. It takes a telescope, letting light build up in its CCD over time, to see the rich hues in Hubble photos. And for other Hubble images, scientists assign colors to the filters that don't correspond to what that light would look like to human eyes. They do this when using light from infrared and ultraviolet filters, since those wavelength ranges have no natural colors, or when combining light from slightly different shades of the same color. "Creating color images out of the original black-and-white exposures is equal parts art and science," NASA said. For example, Hubble photographed the Cat's Eye Nebula through three narrow wavelengths of red light that correspond to radiation from hydrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, and nitrogen ions (nitrogen atoms with one electron removed). In that case, they assigned red, blue and green colors to the filters and combined them to highlight the subtle differences. In real life, those wavelengths of light would be hard to distinguish for humans. The Hubble Space Telescope launched in April 1990 and has been visited by NASA astronauts multiple times for vital repairs, maintenance and upgrades. The most recent visit was in May 2009, when astronauts performed five tricky spacewalks to add a new camera, spectrograph, and make unprecedented repairs and upgrades that left Hubble more powerful than ever before. NASA scientists hope those upgrades will add at least five more years of life to the aging Hubble Space Telescope.UD: November 2018 With its origins in the Bronze Age, one of the most mysterious phenomena in Celtic Europe is the practice of ‘Killing the Objects’ – the deliberate bending, breaking or otherwise deforming of weapons and other artifacts before depositing them in burials or as votive offerings at religious sanctuaries (on this practice see also Pleiner R., Scott, B. G. (1993); Kurz, G. (1995); Bradley R. (1998); Megaw J.V. (2003). The Gleninsheen Gorget from the Burren (Clare), Ireland (800-700 BC) Ridges on the right hand side of the dazzling gold collar show that it was roughly bent in two before it was thrust into a rock fissure. Most of the other eight surviving examples of such collars were “decommissioned” in a similar fashion before being deposited. Ritually ‘killed’ swords recorded in the British Isles and Iberia from the late Atlantic Bronze Age https://www.academia.edu/22189046/Beakers_into_Bronze_Tracing_connections_between_Iberia_and_the_British_Isles_2800-800_BC Ritually killed sword (iron with gold inlay) from an early Iron Age Celtic chieftain’s burial at Oss in the southern Netherlands. (ca. 700 BC) ‘Sacrificed’ Iron weapons from the sanctuary at Gournay-sur-Aronde (France) (3rd c. BC) Musée Antoine-Vivenel (Oise, France) Ritually killed weapons (sword/scabbard and spearhead), razor and shears, from a Celtic warrior burial at St. Johann (Württemberg) in southern Germany (3-2 c. BC) The ritual of Killing the Objects appears on the Balkans with the Celtic eastwards expansion of the late 4th – 3rd c. BC, with numerous examples recorded from Celtic burials stretching from the Adriatic Sea in the west to the Black Sea in the east. Examples have also been found north of the Carpathians at sites such as Korytnica in southeastern Poland and Mala Kopanya hillfort (7 ritually ‘killed’ late La Têne swords – Kazakevich 2012) in western Ukraine. Ritually killed La Têne sword from Mala Kopanya in western Ukraine (1st c. BC/1 c. AD) Ritually ‘Killed’ Spearhead from the Celtic (Scordisci) burial at Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia see: https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/the-warrior-and-his-wife-a-scordisci-burial-from-serbia/ Ritually ‘Killed’ Sword from Korytnica, (Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship), south-central Poland (1st c. BC) see: https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/the-celts-in-poland/ This practice was a common one in Thrace with examples of ‘killed’ weapons having been recorded in numerous Celtic warrior burials discovered on the territory of today’s Bulgaria, ranging from the 3rd c. BC onwards, such as those at Plovdiv (Bospacheva 1995), Kalnovo (Shumen region) (Ananasov 1992), Sofia (Kazarow 1926:41), or Kazanlak/Sevtopolis (Getov 1962). A particular high concentration of burials with ‘killed’ weapons comes from Scordisci territory in north-central and north-western Bulgaria (see: https://www.academia.edu/5385798/Scordisci_Swords_from_Northwestern_Bulgaria ). The latest recorded evidence of this practice comes from the Stara Planina (Balkan) mountains of central Bulgaria where the ritual is to be observed at sites such as Taja (Stara Zagora reg.), where ritually killed La Têne swords and other Celtic weapons have been found in burials dating to the 3rd/4th c. AD (Domaradski 1993), indicating that in certain parts of Thrace some Celtic groups retained their independence and identity into the late Roman period. Celtic burial goods including ritually ‘killed’ weapons from northeastern Bulgaria. (Varna Archaeological Museum) Ritually ‘killed’ Celtiberian La Tène sword from the Celtiberian necropolis at Quintanas de Gormaz, Soria, Castile and León, Spain (4/3 century BC) Ritually killed iron sword from a Balkan Celtic warrior burial at Kupinovo (Syrmia), Serbia (3rd c. BC) CULT SITES Besides weapons and other artifacts found in Celtic burials, the ritual of ‘killing the objects’ is also to be observed at Celtic cult sites across Europe. Sacrificed weapons and lead votive ‘Taranis Wheels’ (see Taranis article) from Nanteuil-Sur-Aisne in the territory of the Remi tribe in Gaul (2nd/1st c. BC) http://www.gaulois.ardennes.culture.fr/accessible/en/uc/05_01_
depot in order to stop deliveries being made to the British who had blockaded the Germans in Europe. You are walking on a site which saw one of the worse [sic] acts of terrorism in American history. A stained glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[38] Gallery View of the Statue of Liberty from the site of the explosion: The explosion caused $100,000 worth of damage to the statue, and from then onward the torch was off limits to tourists Commemorative plaque Stained glass windows from inside Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Jersey City, NJ. The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. Melted bottle from the Black Tom explosion See also [ edit ] Books [ edit ] Chad Millman. The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice (July 12, 2006 ed.). Little, Brown and Company. p. 352. ISBN 0-316-73496-9. Jules Witcover. Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germany's Secret in America, 1914–1917 (May 1989 ed.). Algonquin Books; First Edition/First Printing edition. p. 339. ISBN 0-912697-98-9. Ron Semple, Black Tom: Terror on the Hudson (October 30, 2015) Top Hat Books, p. 514. ISBN 978-1-78535-110-5The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters is a 2010 book by Brian Reynolds Myers. Based on a study of the propaganda produced in North Korea for internal consumption, Myers argues that the guiding ideology of North Korea is a race-based nationalism derived from Japanese fascism, rather than any form of Communism. The book is based on author's study of the material in the Information Center on North Korea. Author [ edit ] Brian Reynolds Myers was born in the U.S. and was educated on the graduate level in Germany.[1] He is an editor of The Atlantic magazine and the author of A Reader's Manifesto,[2] as well as of Han Sorya and North Korea Literature (1994), which was the only book in English about North Korean literature until Tatiana Gabroussenko's literary history Soldiers on the Cultural Front (2010). Myers has studied North Korea for twenty years and is fluent in Korean.[3] He holds an assistant professorship in international studies at Dongseo University in South Korea.[2] For the book, Myers studied North Korean mass culture with reference to domestically published novels, films, and serials available at the Ministry of Unification in Seoul.[3][4] Myers claims his analysis differs from that of conventional North Korea watchers, because he focuses on internal Korean-language propaganda, rather than on Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) external broadcasts and English-language reports from South Korea.[4][5] Contents [ edit ] The Cleanest Race is divided into two sections: the first covers North Korean history through its propaganda, from Korea under Japanese rule to the 2009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea.[6] The second section analyzes themes in the propaganda, including chapters such as "Mother Korea", Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, perceptions of foreigners, and South Korea.[5] Techniques of propaganda analysis by Myers include translation of poems, discussion of metaphors and monumental architecture, and description of racist tropes.[6] The book also contains sixteen separate pages of color illustrations,[5] including reprints of posters that ethnically caricature Japanese and Americans[7] and which portray the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as paternal figures.[8] Racial identity [ edit ] The Cleanest Race argues that the overarching ideology of the North Korean government's is founded on far-right politics rather than far-left politics. It notes that the North Korean government is xenophobic and militaristic. It cites a report of a mob attack on Black Cuban diplomats and the forcing of female North Koreans to abort mixed-ethnicity children.[4][7] It says that the 2009 North Korean constitution omits all mention of Communism.[7] The author argues that Juche is not the leading ideology of North Korea. Rather, he surmises, it was designed in order to trick foreigners.[4] Myers says North Korea's government does not base its ideology on Marxism–Leninism or Neo-Confucianism. He instead links it to Japanese fascism.[9] He states that the government's racist criteria for national identity paints its genetically Korean citizens as innocent and morally virtuous (as opposed to foreigners) but militarily weak,[6] requiring Kim Il Sung's charismatic guidance and protection.[3] The author supposes that this may be a strategy by the government to decrease the amount of repression and surveillance needed to control that public.[3] Foreign policy implications [ edit ] According to Myers, North Korean government propaganda portrays South Korea as a land polluted by foreign domination, particularly by the permanent presence of U.S. soldiers. Anti-Americanism is the cornerstone of North Korean foreign policy.[4] Similarly, internal propaganda within North Korea portrays U.S. humanitarian efforts such as food aid as signs of U.S. cowardice and make no distinction "between 'good' American workers and 'bad' American capitalists" as the Soviet Union's regime in the Cold War did.[3] He laments that North Koreans openly flout the "dictates of an impure world" as inapplicable to the pure Korean race.[9] Reception [ edit ] Press reviews [ edit ] Upon its release, The Cleanest Race received significant media attention and "rave reviews" in the United States press.[10] The journalist Christopher Hitchens (who had visited North Korea at the beginning of the 21st century) recounted that after reading the book, he concluded that his earlier view of the country as Stalinist was simplistic and incorrect.[7] Some reviewers confirmed anecdotal instances of North Korean xenophobia and alarm at the rate of interracial marriage in South Korea.[7][9] Hitchens also notes some "obscene corollaries" from Myers' conclusions, including that many South Koreans feel the North Korean regime to be more "'authentically' Korean" than their own government.[7] The New York Times characterized the book as "often counterintuitive" and its arguments as "wily and complex".[2] Bradley K. Martin of The New Republic, however, warned that the book could "[play down] the Stalinist, Maoist, and traditional East Asian contributions" to North Korean ideology.[9] Martin argues that North Korean ideology can be understood in the terms of Japanese pre-fascist psychology, including amae (dependence on parents) and banzai (wishing long life for the ruler).[9] Academic reception [ edit ] Journals [ edit ] Charles K. Armstrong in The Journal of Asian Studies states that the conclusions of the book are "not news".[10] He explains that historian Bruce Cumings, whom Myers excoriates, addresses the influence of "Japanese colonial militarism" on North Korea. Armstrong faults Myers for exaggerating the Japanese angle and suggests that North Korea is "actually closer to European fascism" than to Imperial Japanese fascism, because Imperial Japan lacked a charismatic leader and a mass-mobilizing party.[10] Alzo David-West in Journal of Contemporary Asia claims Myers writes "in the tradition of 'axis of evil' cultural criticism", obscures the differences between Nazism and Stalinism, and overlooks the historical influence of Maoism in North Korea. He also says Myers does not cite the relevant North Korean studies scholarship of Han S. Park, most notably North Korea: The Politics of Unconventional Wisdom (2002); makes scarce treatment of the Songun military-first ideology; and claims Juche ideology is universalist-humanist rather than ethnic nationalist.[6] Gerd Jendraschek in Studies on Asia says that Myers "downplays synchronic and diachronic variation"; he "does not explain"; he "ignores counter-evidence... while exaggerating"; he "contradicts himself"; and he is "anecdotal... biased and speculative".[11] Suzy Kim in Critical Asian Studies explains that Myers reads North Korea through an “infantilizing Orientalist gaze”; he "lack[s]... understanding of... Confucian relations", "denies Confucian influence" and "chooses to ignore North Korean kinship metaphors"; he has "his own preconceptions"; he "conflat[es] North Korean solipsism and nationalism with racism" and "whitewash[es] American racism and Orientalism"; he "never interrogates... representations and lived realities"; he "never contextualizes the different kinds of sources he is using" but "lumps together" a "Text" that "becomes a straw man... to serve his own arguments"; and he "takes at face value" the "simple dichotomy between 'Koreans' and 'foreigners'.'"[12] Craig MacKie in The Political Economy of Affect in East Asia says, "Myers' formulation of the 'child race' is deeply problematic as a result of the instrumental way he uses it in his text" even though the "work does correctly register... filial and familial themes and the fixation on the dead father that characterizes propaganda in North Korea."[13] Magazines [ edit ] Andrei Lankov in Far Eastern Economic Review states Myers takes a "fresh approach" to North Korea.[14] Other [ edit ] Felix Abt, a business affairs specialist who lived in North Korea for seven years, observes that Myers's book is "flawed"; makes "shaky," "absurd," and "questionable" claims; and takes North Korean "propaganda more seriously than North Koreans do themselves."[15] References [ edit ]U.S. Post Office employee Detra Parker chants during a protest outside a Staples store, Thursday, April 24, 2014, in Atlanta. Thousands of postal workers picketed outside Staples stores nationwide Thursday to protest a pilot program that allows the office supply chain to handle U.S. mail. The American Postal Workers Union fears layoffs and post office closings and says that unlike retail workers, postal workers "have taken an oath to protect the sanctity of the mail." (AP Photo/David Goldman) CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Postal workers in cities big and small protested in front of Staples stores on Thursday, objecting to the U.S. Postal Service's pilot program to open counters in stores, staffed with retail employees. Rallies were planned at 50 locations in 27 states. In Concord, more than 100 boisterous workers donned bright blue shirts and lined a busy commercial road near a Staples store. "Union busting, we say no," they chanted, "the Staples deal has got to go." In New York, about 100 workers marched from the main office on Eighth Avenue to a Staples store about five blocks away, carrying signs and chanting, while in Washington, D.C., more than 200 people gathered at a Staples, drumming on buckets and holding signs that read: "Stop Staples. The US Mail is Not for Sale." One of them, postal service maintenance mechanic Robert Black, called the pilot program "a backdoor way of privatizing the post office" and taking away jobs from postal workers. "It seems as though they are doing whatever they can to break down the union," he said. Last year, Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc. began offering postal services under a pilot program that now includes some 80 stores. The American Postal Workers Union objects, saying well-paid union workers have been replaced by low-wage nonunion workers. A union spokesman said postal workers make $25 an hour on average, far more than retail clerks. The union also worries the program will lead to post office closures. John Hegarty, president of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, which represents about 45,000 mail handlers, said the outsourcing endangers the sanctity and security of the mail. "We are highly trained, skilled postal employees, and they want to give it to employees who really don't know anything about the mail," he said. Staples customer Jon Lenzner in Washington agreed that security was a concern. "While the majority of postal workers are honest, it enlarges the pool of people who can take private, personal information," said Lenzner, a prosecutor. "You have, in essence, doubled the pool of people who can steal your mail." Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, representing 200,000 employees, called the Staples partnership "a dirty deal." "It represents a shift of good, living-wage jobs to low-wage jobs," Dimondstein said. Staples spokesman Mark Cautela would not address the workers' concerns, only saying the store is always testing new ways to serve its customers. The dispute comes as the financially struggling Postal Service looks to cut costs and boost revenues. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has said the Staples program has nothing to do with privatization. Rather, it's a "direct response to the changing expectations of customers who demand greater convenience and a one-stop shopping experience." It's also an opportunity "to grow the business," the Postal Service said in a statement Thursday. Janice Kelble, a 40-year postal service employee and legislative director for the Manchester local of the American Postal Workers union, said the workers are all for convenience as long as the counters are staffed with trained workers. Aside from Staples, the Postal Service has roughly 65,000 other retail partner locations around the country, such as CVS pharmacies and Wal-Mart stores that sell postal products. The Staples program, however, allows customers to buy stamps, send packages and use Priority and certified mail. The service lost $5 billion in the 2013 fiscal year and has been trying to get Congress to pass legislation to help with its financial woes, including an end to Saturday mail delivery and reduced payments on retiree health benefits. It lost $15.9 billion in the 2012 budget year. U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., joined postal workers at a rally in Los Angeles. "What you want to do is have as efficient an operation as possible but you shouldn't have to sacrifice efficiency and universal service just because somebody says you have to tighten your belt," Becerra said. ___ Associated Press writers Stacy A. Anderson and Pauline Jelinek in Washington and Michael Sisak in New York contributed to this report.This post is part of a series – go here for the index. And welcome back to my impromptu optimization series. Today, we won’t see a single line of code, nor a profiler screenshot. That’s because our next subject is the triangle rasterizer, and we better brush up on our triangle facts before we dive into that. A lot of it is going to involve barycentric coordinates, hence the name. Be warned, this post is a lot drier than the previous ones, and it doesn’t even have a big pay-off at the end. It’s a pure, uncut info-dump. The purpose is to collect all this material in one place so I can refer back to it later as necessary. Meet the triangle Let’s just start by fast-forwarding through a whole bunch of things I assume you already know. If you don’t, Wikipedia can help you, as can virtually any maths textbook that covers planar geometry. A triangle is a polygon with 3 vertices v 0, v 1, v 2 and 3 edges v 0 v 1, v 1 v 2, v 2 v 0. You can see a fine specimen on the left. A degenerate triangle is one where the three vertices are collinear, i.e. they all fall on the same line (or they might even be all the same point). Any triangle lies on a plane, and for all non-degenerate triangles, that plane is uniquely determined. This holds in any dimension, but is somewhat vacuous in 0D or 1D where any 3 vertices are going to be collinear. Restricting ourselves to 2D for the moment, a triangle, like any non-self-intersecting planar polygon, divides the plane into two regions: the interior, which is finite, and the exterior, which is not. The two are separated by the boundary of the triangles, which consists of the three edges. To rasterize a triangle, we essentially just need to query a bunch of points, usually directly corresponding to the pixel grid or arranged in some other regular pattern, and figure out whether they are inside or not. Since this is a binary result and our query provides a ternary answer (outside, on the boundary, inside), we need to define how points on the boundary are to be handled. There’s multiple ways to do this; I’ll cover them in the article about actual triangle rasterization. Since a triangle is always planar, it’s easy to extend these definitions to higher dimensions by always working in the plane of the triangle (or in a plane of the triangle, should it be degenerate). Finally, triangles are always convex: for any two points inside the triangle, the line connecting them is also fully inside the triangle. Convexity turns out to be important: in the plane, the inside of a convex polygon with n edges can always be written as the intersection of n half-spaces. That fact in itself is enough to write a triangle rasterizer, but if you haven’t done this before, you might be wondering what the hell I’m talking about at this point. So let’s take a step back and talk about the geometry of the situation for a second. Oriented edges Consider, for a moment, the edge v 0 v 1 in the image above. The edge itself is a line segment. The corresponding line divides the plane into two halves (the half-spaces I mentioned): a “left” side and a “right” side. This is shown in the image on the left, with the “left” side being shaded. Now, speaking of it in those terms gets problematic if the edge we picked happens to be horizontal (which of the two halves is the “left” one if they’re stacked vertically?). So instead, we’re going to phrase everything relative to the edge rather than the picture we’re drawing: imagine you’re walking down the edge from v 0 towards v 1. Then, we’re gonna refer to everything on your left side (if you’re looking towards v 1 ) as the “positive” half-space, and everything to the right as the “negative” half-space. Finally, points that are either right in front of you or right behind you (that is, points that fall on the line) belong to neither half-space. Now, if we apply the same construction to the other two edges and overlay it all on top of each other, we get this image: Walking through all its technicolored glory (apologies to the color-blind): The green region is in the positive half-space (I’m just gonna write “inside”) of v 1 v 2 and v 2 v 0, but outside of v 0 v 1. v and v v, but outside of v v. The cyan region is inside v 2 v 0, but outside the two other edges. v, but outside the two other edges. Blue is inside v 0 v 1 and v 2 v 0. v and v v. Magenta is inside v 0 v 1 – all that’s left of the region we saw above. v – all that’s left of the region we saw above. Red is inside v 0 v 1 and v 1 v 2. v and v v. Yellow is inside v 1 v 2. v. Finally, the gray region is inside all three edges – and that’s exactly our triangle. And so we have the picture to go with my “intersection of 3 half-spaces” comment earlier. This means that all we need to figure out whether a point is in a triangle is to figure out whether it’s in all three positive half-spaces, which turns out to be fairly easy. That is, assuming that such a point even exists – what would’ve happened if v 2 had been to the right of v 0 v 1 instead of to the left, or if the same thing happened with any of the other edges? We’ll get there in a minute, but let’s first go into how we figure out whether a point is in the positive half-space or not. Area, length, orientation If we have the coordinates of all involved points, the answer turns out to be: determinants. And not just any old determinant will do; given the three points a, b and c, we want to compute the determinant Clearly, if this expression is positive, c lies to the left of the directed edge ab (i.e. the triangle abc is wound counter-clockwise), and with that out of the way, we can start rasterizing triangles… Wait, what? Sorry, pet peeve. A lot of texts like to just spring these expressions on you without much explanation. That’s fine for papers, where you can expect your audience to know this already, but even a lot of introductory texts don’t bother with an actual explanation, which annoys me, because while this isn’t hard, it’s by no means obvious either. So let’s look at this beast a bit more closely. First, notice how the first expression simply puts the three vertices into the columns with an appended 1 – why yes, those are in fact homogeneous coordinates, thank you for noticing. We’re not gonna make use of that here, but it’s worth knowing. Second, because we just use the vertex coordinates as the columns, this should make it immediately obvious that this expression is the same for all possible orderings of a, b, c, up to sign (this is just a determinant identity). In particular, if we plug in in our vertex coordinates for a, b, c, we always get the same value (this time including sign) for all three cyclical permutations (v 0 v 1 v 2, v 1 v 2 v 0, and v 2 v 0 v 1 ) of the vertices. Which in turn means that the “sidedness” we compute is going to be same for all three edges, answering one of our questions above. Next, note that we can transform the first form (the 3×3 determinant) into the second form by subtracting the first column from the other two and then developing the determinant with respect to the third row, which should hopefully make it a bit less mysterious. There’s also a very nice way to understand this geometrically, but I’m not going to explain that here – maybe another time. Anyway, now that we know how to derive the 2×2 form, let’s look at it in turn. With arbitrary 2D vectors p and q, the determinant gives the (signed) area of the parallelogram spanned by the edge vectors p and q (I’m assuming you know this one – it’s a standard linear algebra fact, and proving it is outside the scope of this article). Similarly, a 3×3 determinant of vectors p, q, r gives the signed volume of the parallelepiped spanned by those three vectors, and in higher dimensions, a n×n determinant of n vectors gives the signed n-volume of the corresponding n-parallelotope, but I digress. So, with that in mind, let’s first look at our triangle and try to compute Orient2D(v 0, v 1, v 2 ). That should help us find out whether it’s wound counter-clockwise (i.e. whether v 2 is to the left of the oriented edge v 0 v 1 ) or not. The expression above tells us to compute the determinant which should give us the signed area of the parallelogram with edges v 0 v 1 and v 0 v 2. Let’s draw that on top of our triangle so we can see what’s going on: Now, there’s two things about this worth mentioning: First, if we were to swap v 1 and v 2, we would get the same edge vectors, just in the opposite order – we swap two columns of the determinant, which flips the sign but leaves the absolute value untouched. Now, our original triangle is wound counterclockwise: the third vertex v 2 is to the left of the first edge v 0 v 1. If we swap v 1 and v 2, we get the same triangle, only this time the third vertex (now v 1 ) is to the right of the first edge (now v 0 v 2 ). More precisely, the sign of the determinant turns out to be positive if our first turn is counter-clockwise, and negative if our first turn is clockwise. If it’s zero, all three vertices are collinear, so the triangle is degenerate – also useful to know. The second thing is that the parallelogram we’re looking at clearly has twice the area of the triangle we started with. This is no accident – constructing the fourth vertex of the parallelogram produces another triangle that is congruent to the first one, so the two triangles have the same area, hence the parallelogram has twice the area of the triangle we started out with. This gives us the standard determinant formula for the area of the triangle: The other standard formula for triangle area is, where b is the length of the base of the triangle (=length of one of its edges) and h is the corresponding height (=length of the perpendicular of b through the vertex opposite b). In fact, the proof for this formula uses the same parallelogram we just saw. Compare the two expressions and we note that our signed area computation can be written where h(v 2, v 0 v 1 ) denotes the signed height of v 2 over v 0 v 1 – this isn’t standard notation, but bear with me for a minute. The point here is that the value of this signed area computation is proportional to the signed distance of v 2 from the edge. That this works on triangles should not be surprising – the same is true for rectangles, for example – but it’s worth spelling out explicitly here because we’ll be doing a lot of signed area computations to determine what is in effect signed distances. So it’s important to know that they’re equivalent. Edge functions Now, let’s get back to our original use for these determinant expressions: figuring out on which side of an edge a point lies. So let’s pick an arbitrary point p and see how it relates to the edge v 0 v 1. Throwing it into our determinant expression: and if we rearrange terms a bit, regroup and simplify we get This is what I’ll call the edge function for edge v 0 v 1. As you can see, if we hold the vertex positions constant, this is just an affine function on p. Doing the same with the other two edges gives us two more edge functions: If all three of these are positive, p is inside the triangle, assuming the triangle is wound counter-clockwise, which I will for the rest of this article. If it’s clockwise, just swap two of the vertices before you start hit-testing. Now, these are normal linear functions, but from their derivation and the determinant properties we saw earlier, we know that they in fact also measure the signed area of the corresponding parallelogram – which in turn is twice the signed area of the corresponding triangle. Let’s pick a point inside the triangle and draw the corresponding diagram: Our original triangle is partitioned into three smaller triangles that together exactly cover the area of the original triangle. And since p is inside, these triangles are all wound counter-clockwise themselves: they must be, because these triangles have signed areas corresponding to the edge functions, and we know all three of them are positive with p inside. So that’s pretty neat all by itself. But wait, there’s more! Since the three triangles add up to the area of the original triangle, the three corresponding edge functions should add up to twice the signed area of the full triangle v 0 v 1 v 2 (twice because triangle area has the 1/2 factor whereas our edge functions don’t). Or, as a formula: If you look at the terms in the edge functions containing p x and p y that shouldn’t be surprising: Summing the three terms for p x gives (v 0y – v 1y + v 1y – v 2y + v 2y – v 0y ) = 0, and similar for p y. So yes, the sum of these three is constant alright. Now, looking at this in linear algebra terms, this shouldn’t come as a surprise: we have 3 affine functions on only 2 variables – they’re not going to be independent. But it still helps to see the underlying geometry. Why signed areas are a good idea Note that the statement about the edge functions summing up to the area of the triangle hold for any point, not just points inside the triangle. It’s not clear how that’s going to work when p is outside the triangle, so let’s have a look: This time, the triangles actually overlap each other: The two triangles v 0 v 1 p and v 1 v 2 p are wound counter-clockwise and have positive area, same as before – also, they extend outside the area of the original triangle. But the third (red) triangle, v 2 v 0 p, is wound clockwise and has negative area, and happens to exactly cancel out the parts of the two other triangles that extend outside the original triangle v 0 v 1 v 2. So it still all works out. If you haven’t seen this before, this kind of cancelling is an important trick, and can be used to simplify a lot of things that would otherwise be pretty hairy. For example, it can be used to calculate the area of any polygon, no matter how complicated, by just summing the areas of a bunch of triangles, one triangle for each edge. Doing the same using only positive-area triangles requires triangulating the polygon first, which is a much hairier problem, but again, I digress. So where’s the barycentric coordinates already? Now, this blog post is called “the barycentric conspiracy”, but strangely, this far in, we don’t seem to have seen a single barycentric coordinate yet. What’s up with that? Well, let’s first look at what barycentric coordinates are: in the context of a triangle, the barycentric coordinates of a point are a triple (w 0, w 1, w 2 ) of numbers that act as “weights” for the corresponding vertices. So the three coordinate triples (1,0,0), (0,1,0) and (0,0,1) correspond to v 0, v 1 and v 2, respectively. More generally, we allow the weights to be anything (except all zeros) and just divide through by their sum in the end. Then the barycentric coordinates for p are a triple (w 0, w 1, w 2 ) such that: Since we divide through by their sum, they’re only unique up to scale – much like the homogeneous coordinates you’re hopefully familiar with as a graphics programmer. This is the second time we’ve accidentally bumped into them in this post. That is not an accident. Barycentric coordinates are a type of homogeneous coordinates, and in fact both were introduced in the same paper by Möbius in 1827. I’m trying to stick with plain planar geometry in this post since it’s easier to draw (and also easier to follow if you’re not used to thinking in projective geometry). That means the whole homogeneous coordinate angle is fairly subdued in this post, but trust me when I say that everything we’ve been doing in here works just as well in projective spaces. And you’ve already seen the geometric derivations for everything, so we can even do it completely coordinate-free if we wanted to (always good to know how to avoid the algebra if you’re not feeling like it). But back to barycentric coordinates: We already know that our edge functions measure (signed) areas, and that they’re zero on their respective edges. Well, both v 0 and v 1 are on the edge v 0 v 1 (obviously), and hence . And we also already know that if we plug the third vertex into the edge function, we get twice the signed area of the whole triangle: . The same trick works with the other two edge functions: whenever all three vertices are involved, we get twice the signed area of the whole triangle, otherwise the result is zero. And we already know they’re affine functions. At this point, things should already look fairly suspicious, so I’m just gonna cut to the chase: Let’s set That’s right, the three edge functions, evaluated at p, give us p’s barycentric coordinates, normalized so their sum is twice the area of the triangle. Note that the barycentric weight is always for the vertex opposite the edge we’re talking about. Now that you’ve seen the area diagram, it should be clear why: what the edge function F 12 (p) gives us is the scaled area of the triangle v 1 v 2 p, and the further p is from edge v 1 v 2, the larger that triangle is. At the extreme, when p is at v 0, it covers the entirety of the original triangle we started out with. So that all makes sense. While we’re at it, let’s also define a normalized version of the barycentric coordinates with their sum always being 1: So the secret is out – the determinants we’ve been looking at, the signed areas and distances, even the edge functions – it was barycentric coordinates all along. It’s all connected, and everybody’s in on it! Cue scare chord. Barycentric interpolation And with that, we have all the math we need, but there’s one more application that I want to bring up: As I’ve said before, the barycentric coordinates are effectively weights for the various vertices. The definition uses this for the positions, but we can use those same weights to interpolate other stuff that’s supposed to vary linearly across a triangle, such as vertex attributes. Now, for the depth buffer rasterizer that we’re going to look at, we only need to interpolate one thing, and that’s depth. If we have z values z 0, z 1, z 2 at the vertices, we can determine the interpolated depth by computing and if we have the edge function values for p already, that’s fairly straightforward and works just fine, at the cost of three multiplies and two adds. But remember that we have the whole thing normalized so the lambdas sum to 1. This means we can express any lambda in terms of the two others: Plugging this into the above expression and simplifying, we get: The differences between the z i ‘s are constant across the triangle, so we can compute them once. This gives us an alternative barycentric interpolation expression that uses two multiplies and two adds, in a form that allows them to be executed as two fused multiply-adds. Now if there’s one thing we’ve seen in the previous posts in this series, it’s that counting operations is often the wrong way to approach performance problems, but this one simplification we will end up using in an inner loop that’s actually bottlenecked by the number of instructions executed. And, just as importantly, this is also the expression that GPUs normally use for vertex attribute interpolation. I might talk more about that at some point, but there’s already more than enough material for one sitting in this post. So see you next time, when we learn how to turn all this into a rasterizer.Islamic State militants, TTP commander among those killed At least 24 militants were killed in two separate US drone strikes in North Waziristan and Pakistan, Afghanistan border on Saturday. At least four militants, including a top commander of the banned Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan, were killed and several others were injured in a US drone strike in the Mangrooti area of the North Waziristan. The target of the drone strike was a militant hideout at Mangrooti, a village situated on boundaries of North Waziristan with Afghanistan in snow-covered Shawal mountainous region in Data Khel Tehsil. The deceased included Maulana Noor Saeed belonging to Jani Khel, Frontier Region. However, identities of other militants killed in the strikes couldn’t be ascertained as yet. Bloody battle: Afghan Taliban capture Da’ish stronghold in Nangarhar province Earlier today at least 20 militants were killed in a US drone strike near the Pakistan, Afghanistan border. Officials said the militants were suspected to belong to the Islamic State militant group. The suspects were killed in a drone targeting militant hideouts in Nangarhar’s Nazyan district. Several militant hideouts were also destroyed in the attack. There have been several drone strikes near the Pak-Afghan border in the past with recent targets being IS hideouts. Nazyan is one of the two districts left under the control of the militant group as it recently lost control of two districts in Nangarhar province. Earlier this week, the Taliban captured a stronghold of the IS’s Khurasan chapter in the Afghan province of Nangarhar after three days of fierce fighting that claimed over 150 lives on both sides. US drone strike kills six Islamic State militants near Pak-Afghan border Saad Muradi, a front-line man of IS, also known by its Arabic acronym Da’ish, was also killed in the three-day long battle, according to officials monitoring the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency. “The Taliban now control Batitkot and Chaparyal areas which were captured over the last two days while Nazyan fell today,” one official said. Banned TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah had survived a drone strike in Nazyan, while several IS fighters have been killed in the region in the US drone campaign. Local sources confirmed the development, saying more than 2,500 Taliban fighters were involved in the battle. They added that over 150 fighters were killed in fighting which is ongoing. “Of them, 35 are Taliban fighters.” Read full storyAn A-List tennis pro is suing a half dozen restaurant chains on behalf of consumers in the five boroughs for illegally adding automatic tips to smaller groups of diners. Ted Dimond claims that Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday, Marriott Marquis Hotel and Applebee’s in midtown have all added 15 percent or more gratuities to his bills at least once. A native New Yorker, Dimond, 47, runs the courts at Randall’s Island in the
] Howsam's ownership in the AFL was short-lived, as overwhelming debt forced Howsam to sell all his sports interests in 1961. His dream of major league baseball in Denver would be placed on hold for another 30 years. One condition of including Denver in the AFL–NFL merger announced in 1966 was expanding Bears Stadium to at least 50,000 seats. This required adding second and third decks along the west sideline (first base line). This expansion was completed in 1968, when the stadium was sold to the city of Denver, which renamed it Mile High Stadium and built the upper deck along the west side, thus raising capacity to 50,657.[7] 1970s [ edit ] Early '70s expansion The Broncos sold out every game in their inaugural NFL season. Every Broncos game—preseason, regular season (not including games with replacement players) and playoffs—has been sold out since, a streak that continued after the Broncos left Mile High. As ticket sales increased, the stadium expanded to 51,706 seats. With a $25 million bond issue in 1974 another stadium renovation added more seats. By 1976, seating was up to 63,532 as the upper decks construction was completed along the north end zone (third base line). The east stands An ingenious expansion that took place from 1975–1977 raised the capacity to 75,103 by extending the upper deck that was along the north side and building movable, triple-decked stands along the east side. When fully retracted toward the field, the stands would form a horseshoe for football, appropriate considering the team was the Denver Broncos. Yet when fully extended by 145 feet (44 m), the stadium could still fit a normal-sized baseball field with outfield distances of 335 feet down the left-field line, 375 feet to left-center and 423 to center field.[8] The movable structure was 450 feet (137 m) long, 200 feet (61 m) wide, and weighed nearly 9 million pounds (4,500 short tons, 4,000 metric tons). When a game or event required moving the stands the 145 feet in or out, engineers pumped water into 163 water bearings spaced out beneath the stands, lifting the structure off its foundation. A sheet of water ⅓-inch thick formed under the structure. Hydraulic rams then pushed the stands forward at the rate of two feet per minute, taking stadium engineers about six hours from start to finish to move the stands.[8] The south stands The south stands of Mile High Stadium had, for many years, a reputation for having the most vociferous fans. While not matching other cities' stadiums for rowdiness or bad behavior, the south stands ticketholders nevertheless represented some of the Broncos' most ardent fans who were able to generate an outsized impact on the noise level of the stadium despite the open gaps between the south stands and the east and west stands. Bucky Bronco In 1975, Denver approached actor Roy Rogers to commission a statue of his horse, Trigger, for display at the stadium. A 24-foot, 1,300-pound fiberglass replica of the horse had previously been produced for the Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, California. Rogers agreed, with the stipulation that the new statue not be named "Trigger". Denver fans were polled by The Denver Post to decide on a different name, and "Bucky" was chosen. Painted white to match the Broncos logo, the statue was mounted atop the scoreboard at Mile High, where it remained for 25 years before being relocated to the new stadium. Mounted, the statue measures 27-feet and 1,600 pounds.[9] 1980s [ edit ] Mile High Stadium, in the 1970s and 1980s, was the only professional-caliber baseball facility to have an all grass infield, with sliding pits around bases. This unique feature was similar to several newer Major League Baseball stadiums that also used sliding pits, except those other stadiums all had artificial turf infields.[citation needed] In 1986, 77 luxury suites were added atop the west stands, increasing the official seating capacity to 76,123. 1990s [ edit ] Mile High Stadium in 1995 The Colorado Rockies arrive [ edit ] The stadium's large capacity combined with enthusiasm for the new team and the lowest MLB ticket prices allowed the expansion Rockies to set Major League Baseball attendance records before moving to Coors Field for the 1995 season. The stadium was known for its loudness with the sound of fans stomping in the bleachers echoing within the horseshoe. The large center and right fields, foul territory areas (although left field was shorter than average), and center field's 30-foot (10 m) high fence, was not as problematic for pitchers as Coors Field would be. The club's 1993 season attendance was 4,483,350 in 79 home dates (81 games – 2 doubleheaders), an average of 56,751 per home date. The Rockies were on pace to exceed the record during the strike-shortened 1994 season. They had drawn 3,281,511 in 57 home dates (also 57 games), an average of 57,570 per home date. (Season attendance figures from The Sporting News Baseball Record Book, 2007, p. 234; Game counts are from game logs on Retrosheet.)[10][11] Final years (2000–2001) [ edit ] The final football game at Mile High Stadium was December 23, 2000, in which the Broncos routed the 49ers, 38–9. The Broncos had defeated every visiting franchise from the stadium's opening to close, enjoying perfect records against the Arizona Cardinals (3-0), Baltimore Ravens (1-0), Carolina Panthers (1-0), Green Bay Packers (5-0), and Indianapolis Colts (5-0).[12] The Colorado Rapids were the final professional team to play in Mile High Stadium, their home since 1996. Team Captain John Spencer that year became the first Rapids player ever to record a hat trick when he scored three times against Chicago in a 3-1 win in the Rapids' annual Independence Day blowout celebration at Mile High Stadium on July 4 in front of 60,500 fans.The Rapids played the last ever professional sporting event ever held at Mile High on September 8 of this year, a 2-0 loss to the LA Galaxy. The Rapids were scheduled to play the first ever professional sports event ever held in Invesco Field at Mile High soon after, but the match was cancelled following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Mile High Stadium was closed in 2001, after the Colorado Rapids and Denver Broncos moved to neighboring Broncos Stadium at Mile High (then known as Invesco Field at Mile High), upon completion of the new stadium. The demolition of Mile High Stadium began in January 2002, an event covered extensively by local newspapers and broadcast live on television. The demolition was performed by Spirtas Wrecking Company of St. Louis, Mo., the same group that led the demolition of arenas and stadiums in St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Seattle. The stadium demolition was completed by April. The former stadium is now a parking lot for Broncos Stadium at Mile High. The historical site of many games and events for 40 years is marked by the hills forming the west and north stands, the corner between them descended by a staircase, much as the stands were. The location of home plate is identified by a marker located at.[13] Notable events [ edit ] Concerts [ edit ] June 27, 28 and 29, 1969, concert promoter Barry Fey held The Denver Pop Festival at Mile High Stadium with many well known acts performing every evening. The city of Denver supported the festival and made available areas for camping and other services. The Denver Police however allowed non-ticket holders to enter the parking area whereupon they attempted to climb over chain link fencing to see the show while claiming that music should be "free". Police responded by lobbing tear gas canisters toward the fences knowing full well that the gas would affect everyone in attendance at the outdoor venue. Sunday night's final act was The Jimi Hendrix Experience which proved to be the Experience' final performance as a trio. The Denver Police were, somehow, complicit in the break up of the band. Bassist Noel Redding quit and simply flew back to England that night. Jimi did not perform again for 6 weeks until mid August when he closed The Woodstock Music and Art Fair with his new band. Jimi Hendrix died 13 months later in September 1970. Denver Police mourned. Mile High Stadium in 1994 Lynyrd Skynyrd played at the Stadium June 27, 1976, as part of their One More From The Road tour. The Jacksons performed two concerts at Mile High Stadium on September 7 and 8, 1984 during their Victory Tour.[14] The stadium was the penultimate stop on Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Born in the U.S.A. Tour, where they performed two shows on September 23 and 24, 1985. The stadium hosted the final show of The 1988 Monsters of Rock Festival Tour, featuring Van Halen, Metallica, Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come, on July 30, 1988. Metallica and Guns N' Roses brought the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour to the stadium on September 19, 1992, with Body Count as their opening act. On October 21, 1992, U2 performed at Mile High as part of the third leg of their Zoo TV Tour.[15] U2 would return again to perform in concert May 1, 1997 on the first leg of their PopMart Tour.[16] The stadium played host to Ozzfest on June 24, 1997. The stadium again hosted Ozzfest, for the second and last time, on June 21, 2001 and hosted the Area:One Festival on July 28, 2001. In film [ edit ] The stadium was featured in Michael Moore's 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine as the backdrop for Moore's interview with controversial rock musician Marilyn Manson during the 2001 Ozzfest tour.[17] Other events [ edit ] Billy Graham held his "Rocky Mountain Crusade" at the stadium in 1987. In August 1993, Denver hosted World Youth Day. On August 12 and 13, Mile High Stadium hosted two events with Pope John Paul II, the Papal Welcoming Ceremony and the Way of the Cross.[18]An effort to build a faster and more reliable bus route along the Roosevelt Way/Eastlake Ave corridor is also an incredible opportunity to improve biking and walking conditions along the way. The project — now called Roosevelt RapidRide — is going through a Federal Environmental Assessment, and public comment is open now until January 12 on the scope of that assessment. You know what that means. Let them know that biking and walking connectivity and safety should be top priorities, and that the protected bike lanes included in the plan will be huge improvements. There is a drop-in style open house TODAY (Monday) from 5 – 7:30 p.m. at the Silver Cloud on Fairview Ave N (apologies for the very late notice). You can also submit your comments in writing to RapidRide@seattle.gov. The project’s preferred alternative includes many of the most important bike connections for this project, such as upgraded bike lanes on 11th/12th Ave from Roosevelt to the U Bridge and protected bike lanes on Eastlake Ave E and Fairview Ave N. Unfortunately, very exciting bike lane concepts on Fairview Ave N in the heart of South Lake Union and on Stewart St have been cut. The bus improvements north of Roosevelt Station, including improvements going as far as Northgate, have also been scaled back since earlier versions. For biking, Stewart St is a particularly important and promising route for protected bike lanes, so it’s sad to see that left off the preferred alternative. Eastlake Ave E is one of the most important bike route improvements in the whole city, since it connects our state’s largest employment center to one of the only bikeable bridges across the Ship Canal. It’s hard to overstate how exciting it is to see those bike lanes in the preferred alternative. Here’s the planned project route and improvements under the preferred alternative: Here’s what scoping document (PDF) says about the bike connection needs: With significant transit service and dense, walkable n eighborhoods, there is a high level of pedestrian and bicy cle activity along the corridor, yet s everal intersections have above – average rates of bicycle and pedestrian collisions with vehicles. From 2010 to 2014, six intersections along the corridor were r eported to have three or more pedestrian injury collisions and five intersections with four or more bicycle collisions with injuries. 11 T he City of Seattle Bicycle Master Plan recommends protected bicycle lanes as one of the highest priority bicycle network investments, given the geographic constraints and limited bicycle route alternatives to the corridor. Additionally, numerous sidewalks and intersections do not meet current City of Seattle standards and do no t compl y with the ADA.Elsa realizes that she needs to tell Anna about her feelings for her. Not because she wants to, or because she has any illusions about a positive outcome, but because the fear of how Anna might react is making random ice pillars invade the castle whenever Elsa finds herself in her general proximity. Hiding in her room is no longer an option, and Anna is starting to worry that something’s wrong with her. She’s given her sister more than enough to worry about in one lifetime–the least she can do is let her worry about something with all the facts presented. Resigned to her fate, Elsa clears her schedule and arranges a meeting with her sister. She is somberly prepared to accept whatever cruel fate her powers have once again burdened their relationship with. Her script is very clear. Chocolates are made available, and when Anna appears for their appointment, the mood is appropriately bleak. Elsa slowly, diligently, lays her cards out on the table. …Then Anna goes and completely shatters Elsa’s perceptions of reality by interrupting in the middle of the apology portion of the speech to say that she loves Elsa too. And Elsa is lost and confused because what is this madness called requited love and why is it suddenly in her life. Kisses do not help the confusion. They are, however, greatly and enthusiastically appreciated.Girls in the Fast Lane: Meet Palestine’s All-Female Racing Team “How much will we let the occupation affect our lives? What are we supposed to do, stop living?” exclaims a woman’s voice against the sounds of roaring engines and gritty rock music. This politically provocative, femininity-reinventing moment is a tantalising teaser for Amber Fares’ upcoming feature-length documentary Speed Sisters. Set against the backdrop of brutal occupation, the documentary follows a group of five young Palestinian women quite literally trailblazing through all kinds of barriers and norms to become the Arab world’s first all-female car racing team. “I was racing cars when I was a kid, learning how to do it, speeding with the boys from school” says Mona Ali, 29. From the (illegal) age of 16, Ali would spend nights in her sister’s car, racing through the empty streets of her hometown Ramallah. In 2005, she would go on to become the first woman to join the Palestinian racing federation. “At first, the boys wouldn’t accept me; they didn’t want to race with me” Ali continues. “But I told them I’d carry on racing whether they like it or not.” Unable to afford proper racing vehicles, many of the women customise regular street cars to race against their male teams. When it comes to gender, the story of 23-year old Marah Zahalka – who was a racing champion at 19 – shows the changing landscapes of Arab femininity, particularly across generations, and the familial tensions that come with it. Whilst her grandfather, as expected, is ardently against her participating in such an aggressively male-dominated sport, her father, on the contrary, is easily her number one fan – and such is the case for most of the women in the team. Indeed, seeing her potential and passion from a young age, Zahalka’s family delayed the purchase of land to build a home in order to buy her a car. These tales of personal struggle, professional ambition and female drive are all inevitably weaved into the story of life and resistance under Israeli occupation. The trailer of Fares’ feature film opens with a TV presenter joking that “it’s easy to race cars anywhere but Palestine, because there are military checkpoints everywhere!” This light-hearted joke turns sour in light of the harrowing scene where one of the women is hit by a tear-gas canister fired by a solider whilst training on stretches of land next to Israeli military compounds. In the context of a society being consistently marginalised politically, geographically, culturally and economically, the increasing global popularity of the racing women is a small but empowering victory. Indeed, a quick look at the film’s marketing – and the history of the originally Lebanese, Canadian-born, Ramallah-dwelling Fares – reveals the undeniably political undertones of the project. Most notably, the film’s website promotes “Speed Sisters Keffiyehs”, made exclusively in the Hirbawi factory in Hebron, the only remaining Keffiyeh factory in Palestine, with each scarf hand-stitched by women from Hebron. Powered by its politics, Fares’ cinematic capturing of this ordinary story of human thrill seeking, told alongside the extraordinary story of defying several layers of oppression, has already garnered rave reviews from film critics worldwide. Most recently, it’s European premiere played to packed-out theatres at the renowned international documentary festival in Sheffield, UK. The film’s first premiere opened the third instalment of the six-day Ajyal Youth Film Festival in Doha, Qatar. Subscribe to our newsletterImage caption Female genital mutilation has been illegal in Britain since 1985 A woman and child have been banned from travelling abroad, to avoid the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM). On Thursday, Sheffield Family Court gave police the go-ahead to issue FGM protection orders to protect "a victim and a potential victim". A total of eight FGM protection orders have been granted to South Yorkshire Police since they were introduced in 2015. Police said the two had been identified during an ongoing investigation. The orders allow police to "prevent them from being taken out of the UK and into a situation where they could be at greater risk", a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said. FGM, also termed female circumcision, is illegal in the UK and carries a sentence of up to 14 years in jail. The term refers to any procedure that alters or injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Det Sgt Suzanne Jackson, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "The effectiveness of these orders has enabled us to safeguard victims and potential victims, and further prevent the detrimental and devastating long-term effect they could and may have been subjected to."Berlin is having a moment. In 2015, the city I live in was the fastest-growing startup ecosystem in the world and received the most venture capital investment of any city in Europe. Startups headquartered in Berlin, like Delivery Hero and SoundCloud, have become global giants, and many startups across the Atlantic run their European operations from here. Seemingly overnight, we have become Europe’s next great tech hub. As a startup founder, I love the scene that has sprouted up here. It channels the city’s creative energy — which has contributed to vibrant art, film and TV, gaming and publishing industries — into solving problems through technology. We are fortunate to enjoy a relatively low cost of living compared to other tech hubs like Silicon Valley and London. Living costs are 43 percent higher in London than Berlin, for instance. Berlin’s cost of living is very conducive to the early-stage startup salary (or lack thereof), and it helps that office space can be acquired for a reasonable price. Before Berlin can stake its claim as Europe’s undisputed No. 1 tech hub, however, I believe there are several things that could be improved. Here are three in particular: Forming a startup must become a streamlined process, not a complex bureaucratic exercise. As previously mentioned, Berlin is the world’s fastest-growing startup city. To put that in perspective, one startup is founded every 20 minutes in Berlin. When my co-founders and I were incorporating BuddyGuard, however, I was mystified by how time-consuming and bureaucratic the process was. It took us roughly nine months from our first appointment with a notary until we finally got our VAT number from the tax authorities. During that time span, we had to navigate lots of appointments and a mind-numbing amount of paperwork, the majority of which needed to be signed in the presence of a notary. The laws are simply suffocating during this initial phase, and the exhausting effort to get our company up and running could have been better spent developing our product. Seemingly overnight, we have become Europe’s next great tech hub. We need to follow London’s example, where a company can be registered online. If we hope to be the de facto European city for technological innovation and continue enticing entrepreneurs to establish companies here, legislators need to drastically simplify this process and eliminate bureaucracy from the equation. Investors need to develop an increased appetite for risk. Investors poured more than €2.1 billion (US$2.3 billion) into Berlin-based startups in 2015, outpacing London (€1.7 billion) and putting us atop the European leaderboard. Still, the investor climate here is tough, especially for early-stage hardware startups like mine where capital is critical. Whereas SaaS startups are booming with $5 million seed rounds and often face the luxury problem of picking their investors, young hardware companies are struggling to scrape together $200,000. Naturally, physical products are a riskier bet than software development, but the gains are much higher and the markets are way less saturated. We are grateful to have found investors who believe in our vision to make home security easy and intelligent, but the difficulties of raising funding reaffirmed that venture capitalists and angel investors in Berlin tend to be very risk-averse. If you have an out-of-the-box idea, it tends to be greeted with caution rather than interest. Most investors prefer to play it safe, which partly explains their willingness to fund startups like Rocket Internet that borrow from proven business models. The silver lining in all this is that it teaches startups to be extremely prudent from Day One. While Silicon Valley startups have only recently started to realize the importance of cutting their burn rates, building a profitable business has been engrained into our operations from the very beginning. The talent pool needs to expand, and the work approach could be refined. While Berlin is coming into its own as a tech hub, finding high-quality programmers and engineers remains a major challenge. This is obviously not unique to Berlin, and the hope is that as tech becomes an even more central part of Berlin’s identity, more people, whether they be Berliners or immigrants, will be inspired to join the movement here. I also wonder how much faster our tech community could grow if we became a bit more industrious. Unlike Silicon Valley, working long hours is not a source of pride in “Silicon Allee.” Approach to work is heavily influenced by “der Feierabend.” While there is no direct translation for this term, it essentially promotes a lifestyle outside of work in the evenings. While I’m very supportive of work-life balance, this mindset makes it very difficult to get things done during those times when you need all hands on deck.Understanding the very early stages of embryo development is of interest because this knowledge may help explain why a significant number of human pregnancies fail at this time. Once a mammalian egg has been fertilised by a sperm, it divides multiple times to generate a small, free-floating ball of stem cells. The particular stem cells that will eventually make the future body, the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) cluster together inside the embryo towards one end: this stage of development is known as the blastocyst. The other two types of stem cell in the blastocyst are the extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), which will form the placenta, and primitive endoderm stem cells that will form the so-called yolk sac, ensuring that the foetus’s organs develop properly and providing essential nutrients. Previous attempts to grow embryo-like structures using only ESCs have had limited success. This is because early embryo development requires the different types of cell to coordinate closely with each other. However, in a study published today in the journal Science, Cambridge researchers describe how, using a combination of genetically-modified mouse ESCs and TSCs, together with a 3D scaffold known as an extracellular matrix, they were able to grow a structure capable of assembling itself and whose development and architecture very closely resembled the natural embryo. “Both the embryonic and extra-embryonic cells start to talk to each other and become organised into a structure that looks like and behaves like an embryo,” explains Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz from the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, who led the research. “It has anatomically correct regions that develop in the right place and at the right time.” Image: Stem cell-modelled embryo at 96 hours (embryonic (magenta) and extra-embryonic (blue) tissue with surrounding extracellular matrix (cyan)). Credit: Berna Sozen, Zernicka-Goetz Lab, University of Cambridge Professor Zernicka-Goetz and colleagues found a remarkable degree of communication between the two types of stem cell: in a sense, the cells are telling each other where in the embryo to place themselves. “We knew that interactions between the different types of stem cell are important for development, but the striking thing that our new work illustrates is that this is a real partnership – these cells truly guide each other,” she says. “Without this partnership, the correct development of shape and form and the timely activity of key biological mechanisms doesn’t take place properly.” Comparing their artificial ‘embryo’ to a normally-developing embryo, the team was able to show that its development followed the same pattern of development. The stem cells organise themselves, with ESCs at one end and TSCs at the other. A cavity opens then up within each cluster before joining together, eventually to become the large, so-called pro-amniotic cavity in which the embryo will develop. While this artificial embryo closely resembles the real thing, it is unlikely that it would develop further into a healthy foetus, say the researchers. To do so, it would likely need the third form of stem cell, which would allow the development of the yolk sac, which provides nourishment for the embryo and within which a network of blood vessel develops. In addition, the system has not been optimised for the correct development of the placenta. Professor Zernicka-Goetz recently developed a technique that allows blastocysts to develop in vitro beyond the implantation stage, enabling researchers to analyse for the first time key stages of human embryo development up to 13 days after fertilisation. She believes that this latest development could help them overcome one of the main barriers to human embryo research: a shortage of embryos. Currently, embryos are developed from eggs donated through IVF clinics. “We think that it will be possible to mimic a lot of the developmental events occurring before 14 days using human embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells using a similar approach to our technique using mouse stem cells,” she says. “We are very optimistic that this will allow us to study key events of this critical stage of human development without actually having to work on embryos. Knowing how development normally occurs will allow us to understand why it so often goes wrong.” The research was largely funded by the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council. Dr Andrew Chisholm, Head of Cellular and Developmental Science at Wellcome, said: “This is an elegant study creating a mouse embryo in culture that gives us a glimpse into the very earliest stages of mammalian development. Professor Zernicka-Goetz’s work really shows the importance of basic research in helping us to solve difficult problems for which we don’t have enough evidence for yet. In theory, similar approaches could one day be used to explore early human development, shedding light on the role of the maternal environment in birth defects and health.” Reference Harrison, SE et al. Assembly of embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells to mimic embryogenesis in vitro. Science; 2 March 2017; DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1810Google has confirmed that it will make good on its 2015 promise to go as green as it can go. The company has said... Google has confirmed that it will make good on its 2015 promise to go as green as it can go. The company has said it will hit its target of offsetting 100% of the energy used at its data centres and offices against power from renewable sources, and will do it in 2017. ‘We’re set to reach 100% renewable energy — and it’s just the beginning,’ wrote Google’s senior vice president of Technical Infrastructure, Urs Holzle, in a blog post last week. Google is also currently the largest single corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world. Of course, Google still must use energy from Fossil fuel based power stations to run its offices and data centre. But the main point here is that the tech giant now buys enough electricity from renewable sources to offset that energy use. Holzle also wrote in the blog pot that Google will now plan to purchase “enough wind and solar electricity annually to account for every unit of electricity our operations consume, globally…. To reach this goal we’ll be directly buying enough wind and solar electricity annually to account for every unit of electricity our operations consume, globally.” Google currently operates 13 data centres across the globe, and are responsible for consuming around 5.7 terawatt-hours of electricity a year. Data centres also account for around 3% of the world’s current electricity supply, a figure set to triple in the next decade. Holzle goes on to write: “Our engineers have spent years perfecting Google’s data centres, making them 50 percent more energy efficient than the industry average. But we still need a lot of energy to power the products and services that our users depend on.” Over the last decade, the cost of renewable energy has fallen by 60-80% overall, thanks in part to generous subsidies by national governments, but also due to more efficient technology and improvements in the science behind capturing natural energy. As electricity is one of the largest costs for tech companies like Google, Holzle argues that investing in long term stable renewable power enables the company to insulate itself in an unstable and unpredictable energy market. Being an environmentally friendly company is something Google has always believed in Holzle concludes: “The science tells us that tackling climate change is an urgent global priority. We believe the private sector, in partnership with policy leaders, must take bold steps and that we can do so in a way that leads to growth and opportunity. And we have a responsibility to do so – to our users and the environment.”A man made it through security, onto a plane, and to his destination with a loaded handgun in his carry-on. The holiday season is one of the busiest travel times of the year, but this isn't an oversight that can reasonably be chalked up to busyness. Farid Seif, a businessman from Houston, Texas, always carries a loaded.40 caliber gun. He was flying out of Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and forgot the gun was in his carry-on bag. He was able to board the plane without realizing the oversight, though, because nowhere in the security checkpoints and screenings did anyone notice his loaded gun. Seif realized he had the weapon upon arriving at his destination, and promptly reported it. He was pretty shocked, particularly because there was nothing else in his carry-on; as he told his local ABC news outlet, "There's nothing else in there. How can you miss it? You cannot miss it." The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been in the news lately for various controversial screening techniques, such as full-body scanners and pat-downs. A representative for the Houston Airport System refused to comment on this incident. All I want is for everyone to get to keep their shoes on in the airport, but I'd certainly settle for no loaded handguns. Source: ABC 13, via Geek (Image)“If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you’ve made, if they don’t realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.” ― Steve Maraboli A new year is here. A new beginning, a new sun. But over the years, I have realized that more than wishing for new things, pretty things to happen to you in the coming year, it is more about letting go of the crappy things of this year. How will new things fill your cup until it is not empty? I must admit. I have been run over by people. By people from all walks and kind. People who mattered the most as well as by people who didn’t. By people who were close and by people I thought were close. All of them. And I started cursing them. Getting depressed. Thinking why me and feeling pity for self. Doing things to gain sympathy. Doing things for people so that they accept me. Doing things for people just so they give me their attention. It was almost like begging. No, it was exactly like begging. For love, attention and care. Sounds harsh but that is the cold truth. Today those people don’t matter. Hell, many of them aren’t even in contact. And they don’t occupy even tinge of space of mind. Why did I clinked to them then? Because, I couldn’t let go. Letting go. It’s not like I didn’t know, how such relations are affecting me. How I am injuring my conscience and how am I disrupting my peace. But I gave into the temptation. The need of attention, love and care. I don’t regret it though. That period of my life was one of the most difficult one but also from which I learnt the most. People are important. No doubt in that. But just ask yourself why did you build the relation? That trust, the bond, the love and the care? Was it for someone else? No, it was for you. So that you could be happy. So that you could feel the bliss of having people you can call your own. The relation you build is for you. So that you feel happy. So that you experience love. So that you can laugh, smile and be yourself. So that you have someone to share things with. For you. Not for the other person. Ask yourself. What remains the point of relation where you feel unwanted? A relation which does nothing else apart from reminding you of your flaws and making fun of you.A relation which does nothing else apart from pointing out to your mistakes over and over again. A relation because of which your peace of mind is lost and you feel miserable. A relation which doesn’t have happiness but desperation as the base. What is the point of such a relation? Attempt to fix the relations. Attempt it once, attempt it maybe twice. But not thrice. Then you must let go. What do you fear? Why can’t you let go? Do you fear being alone? You’re never alone. Never. Look around and you’ll find that there are people genuinely love you, genuinely care for you and genuinely want to be with you. Be with them. Love them. Care for them. Why bother with people who don’t reciprocate same feeling as you do for them? Do you fear being judged? You have been judged. You are judged. You’ll be judged. That’s how, we have evolved as a society. We make perceptions. Without knowing the stories behind. It will continue to happen. You cannot do much about it except on your individual level. It is not in your control. Let go of this emotion. Let go. Be yourself. And be with people who understand who you’re. Do you fear people not liking you? You cannot please everyone. The faster you accept it, the better. Some people will never like you. Regardless of whatever you do. They just don’t like you. Good for them. Why do you need their approval for who you’re anyways? Instead why don’t you focus on people who love you, care for you and want to be with you? Take a stand and maintain a distance from people who disrupt your peace. They might not like you still but they will surely respect you. Do you fear solitude? Always remember why you attach with people in first place- to feel happy, to feel content, to have someone for you, to have someone you can call yours. It is for you. What is the point of countless relations if you don’t connect to yourself? Having a deep, loving and compassionate relation with yourself is the best relation you’ll ever have. Hit me, if you found it to be not true. It is OKAY to move on from all the shitty relations. It is fine. You owe yourself that much. You owe yourself happiness. You owe yourself freedom. You owe yourself love around. You owe yourself bliss. You owe yourself peace and serenity. You owe yourself a caring smile. You owe yourself a caring hug. You owe yourself more than anyone else. Let go all the shitty relations. Let go all the depression. Let go all the taunts. Let go of all the neediness. Let go of the tendency to gain sympathy. Let go of the actions to attract attention. You’re much more than that. You’re so much more than that. You can fly. You can touch skies. Don’t let yourself be caged. Instead be with people you love. Be with people who love you. Be with them. Care for them. Love them. Share experiences with them. Remind them each day by words and actions that how they keep you happy. Add value to their life. Grow together. Laugh and smile with them. Share things with them. Do things to make them happy. Do happy things together. Dance. Sing. Live. Fly. Breathe. Reflect and you’ll realize, far too much time we all have wasted by being in such relations. By feeling sorry. Pitying self. Feeling Depressed. Get out of it. It is a new year. A new beginning. And the perfect time to let go of shitty relations. Just fucking move on, will you? Happy New years, folks! AdvertisementsDresses are often the hot topic when it comes to weddings, especially when that wedding is a Royal affair. Royal wedding dresses certainly have the ability to capture a nation, inspiring style movements through designs that echo both the occasion and the era they were crafted in. From Grace Kelly to Kate Middleton, the last century has brought us some unforgettable regal brides, many of
whom were ticketed and 6 percent when to unidentified drivers. Of the 2,347 warnings issued, 89 percent went to white drivers, 1 percent went to black drivers and 10 percent were issued to driver unidentifiable by their race. When comparing total numbers of tickets to warnings issued, 72 percent of black drivers stopped were issued a warning instead of a ticket. White drivers were issued warnings 60 percent of the time. SAPD Chief Gary Taylor said he requires his department to attend impartial police training and to know the policy of the department concerning discrimination. “I wouldn’t do it,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t tolerate it. I’d like to think it’s true of the entire staff.” “We ought to treat everybody the same,” he added. Taylor said it’s about targeting criminal behavior and not individuals or groups of people. “I think it’s about respect,” he said, and “trying to educate above and beyond ignorance.” He said he doesn’t want his department to fall prey to what’s happening in other areas of the country. “We try hard to arm the officers with a global perspective,” said Taylor. “I also like to think we are smart enough to learn from other’s examples.” According to data supplied by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), the sheriff’s department made a total of 2,407 stops between July 1, 2015 and June 30,2016. Of those, 1,757 were white drivers, 22 were black, eight were Asian, six were Hispanic and a little more than 600 were either labeled other, unknown or the race identification section was left blank. Of the 1,757 white drivers pulled over, 888 were given warnings, 810 tickets, and 50 were arrested for some type of violation. Of the 22 black drivers pulled over, 13 tickets were issued and nine warnings. FCSO ticketed 46 percent of white drivers and 59 percent of black drivers. However, because of the small sample size, just three fewer tickets to black drivers would have made the percentage of white and black drivers ticketed the same. For the SAPD, just one fewer warning to black drivers would have made the number of black and white drivers warned the same.“You go everywhere to follow the big news, but the questions you ask are too simple, sometimes naïve,” Mr. Jiang said. “I feel the need to impart to you some real-life experience.” Below is a transcript of the question from the Canadian journalist and Mr. Wang’s answer. I’ve translated Mr. Wang’s original Chinese response. The English-language translation given by the interpreter at the news conference was a little less blunt. The question partly concerned a Canadian couple, Kevin Garratt and Julia Dawn Garratt, who were detained in China in 2014. Mrs. Garratt was later released on bail, but last January, Mr. Garratt was charged with espionage and stealing state secrets while he lived near the border with North Korea — accusations that his family has rejected. The question also raised the issue of Hong Kong book publishers detained in mainland China. Question: “There are no shortage of concerns about China’s treatment of human rights advocates, such as the Hong Kong booksellers and its detention of the Garratts, not to mention the destabilizing effects of its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Given these concerns, why is Canada pursuing closer ties with China, how do you plan to use that relationship to improve human rights and security in the region, and did you specifically raise the case of the Garratts during your discussions with the foreign minister today?” Answer: “I want to make a response to the questions that the journalist has just raised concerning China. Your question was full of prejudice against China and an arrogance that comes from I don’t know where. This is totally unacceptable to me. Do you understand China? Have you been to China? Do you know that China has come from a poor and backward state and lifted more than 600 million people from poverty? Do you know that China is now the world’s second biggest economy with $8,000 per capita? If we weren’t able to properly protect human rights, would China have achieved such great development? Do you know that China has incorporated protecting human rights into its Constitution? I want to tell you that it’s the Chinese people who most understand China’s human rights record — not you, but the Chinese people themselves. You have no right to speak on this. The Chinese people have the right to speak. So please don’t raise such irresponsible questions again. China welcomes all well-meaning suggestions, but we reject all groundless accusations.” The Canadian Press news agency reported that the offending question, which was asked by a reporter for iPolitics, a news website, was devised through an agreement by several different news outlets, including itself. Since becoming Canada’s prime minister last October, Justin Trudeau has made soothing relations with China a priority. That has brought criticism from human rights advocates and some members of Canada’s large population of Chinese immigrants. But others in the country have favorably compared the approach to the decision made by Pierre Trudeau, his father and a former Liberal prime minister, to formally recognize China and reestablish diplomatic relations in 1970. In a series of Twitter posts, Tony Clement, the opposition Conservative Party’s spokesman for foreign affairs, criticized both the stern remarks by Mr. Wang and what Mr. Clement viewed as a weak response from Mr. Dion.Internet Censorship and Control The Internet is and has always been a space where participants battle for control. The two core protocols that define the Internet – TCP and IP – are both designed to allow separate networks to connect to each other easily, so that networks that differ not only in hardware implementation (wired vs. satellite vs. radio networks) but also in their politics of control (consumer vs. research vs. military networks) can interoperate easily. It is a feature of the Internet, not a bug, that China – with its extensive, explicit censorship infrastructure – can interact with the rest of the Internet. In the following collection, published as an open access collection here and as well in a special issue of IEEE Internet Computing, we present five peer reviewed papers on the topic of Internet censorship and control. The topics of the papers include a broad look at information controls, censorship of microblogs in China, new modes of online censorship, the balance of power in Internet governance, and control in the certificate authority model. These papers make it clear that there is no global consensus on what mechanisms of control are best suited for managing conflicts on the Internet, just as there is none for other fields of human endeavour. That said, there is optimism that with vigilance and continuing efforts to maintain transparency the Internet can stay as a force for increasing freedom than a tool for more efficient repression. This collection was edited by Steven J. Murdoch of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory and Hal Roberts of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.NEW DELHI — India’s Supreme Court upheld on Friday the death sentence for four men who were found guilty of raping and disemboweling a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in 2012, a crime that came to embody the menace lurking in India’s sprawling, chaotic cities. The decision was unusual. While Indian trial courts aggressively impose death sentences, 95 percent of them have been overturned or commuted by higher courts in recent years, a recent study showed, typically in consideration of “mitigating circumstances” like slipshod investigations or the potential of the accused to be rehabilitated. The “Delhi gang rape,” as it came to be known, riveted the public from the start, setting off street protests and months of play-by-play coverage. The 23-year-old, Jyoti Singh Pandey — dubbed “Nirbhaya,” or “fearless,” by Indian journalists — was a kind of avatar of aspirational India. Her father, who earns around $200 a month as an airport baggage handler, had sold family land to pay for her training as a physiologist. Sometimes, he called her “beta,” the Hindi word for “son.”"Orange, Red, Yellow" from 1961 Last night, Christie's auction of postwar and contemporary art hit record numbers, led by sale of the 1961 Mark Rothko painting "Orange, Red, Yellow" for $86.9 million. That payout for the 93" x 81¼" painting shattered the 2007 price paid for the 81" by 55.5" Rothko, "White Center," which David Rockefeller sold for $72.8 million. What recession!? Christie's had estimated that the 59 paintings sold last night would sell for a high of $330 million, but with works from Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, Barnett Newman, and Alexander Calder, the sale brought in $388.5 million, 59-lot sale. Bloomberg News points out, "It exceeded Christie’s $384.7 million tally in May 2007, the previous contemporary auction champ." A New York dealer said, "Billionaires have gone global. It’s very healthy for the market, obviously." Pollock’s "Number 28" from 1951, sold for $23 million (including fees), which was a record price for a Pollock. And Newman's "Onement V" sold for $22.4 million, well above its $10-15 million estimate and a record for a Newman. The auction also resulted in records for artists, like Gerhard Richter and Alexander Calder. The NY Times reports, "Fresh material from celebrated collections made the difference. But beyond that, as Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s, put it, 'this is the most popular collecting category we have globally, with the richest and deepest number of buyers.'" Another dealer told Bloomberg News, "I’ve never seen people wanting to shop so badly. People didn’t want to be under-bidders. They wanted to win."Suburbs of Chicago: Spring is filled with various ambiences and room tones all recorded in the springtime. This environment includes distant cars, car pass, motorcycle pass, bird chirps, close and distant lawnmowers, dog barks, leaf rustles, wet streets wind chimes, a tennis match. and even a dripping sewer! As an added bonus, this pack also includes inside a Hyundai Sonata driving during pouring rain, and while parked. Recordings are all exported as stereo 96kHz, 24 Bit stereo.wav files. Files range in length anywhere between 2 minutes and 55 minutes for ultimate creative control, or for the enjoyment of listening. All recorded using the Sennheiser MKH8050/30 and MKH20/30 in MS, Audio Technica AT2022 in XY, Zoom H1 XY, and the Sound Devices USBPre2 into the Tascam DR70d. All files are meta-data tagged using Basehead. 55 Files 1000+ Sounds Duration 08:52:19 8 Hours, 52 Minutes, 19 Seconds Sennhesier MKH8050 Hypercardioid Microphone Sennheiser MKH30 Bi-Directional Microphone Sennheiser MKH20 Omnidirectional Microphone Audio Technica AT2022 Stereo Microphone Zoom H1 Handy Recorder Tascam DR-70D Recorder Sound Devices USBPre2 Audio Interface/Preamp 96kHz 24 Bit Exported as Stereo.wav Files Suburbs of Chicago: Spring Cover Art designed in collaboration with: Elana ZussmanGUADALAJARA, Mexico – Mexico has slapped HSBC with a $27.5 million fine for failing to prevent money laundering through its accounts even after the British bank was warned about suspicious transactions on a number of occasions. The National Securities and Banking Commission said HSBC Mexico had paid the fine, which was the largest ever levied by the banking regulator, Bloomberg reported. A US Senate committee investigation found HSBC Mexico transferred about $7 billion in cash to the United States in 2007 and 2008. "Bulk cash shipments could reach that volume only if they included illegal drug proceeds," the committee said in a damning report released last week, which also found HSBC had laundered money for “drug kingpins and rogue nations” around the world. More from GlobalPost: HSBC 'allowed drug money laundering', says US Senate According to the Associated Press, HSBC Mexico was handling most of the dollar cash transfers from Mexico to the United States in the mid-2000s, even though it was not a major player in the country at that time. HSBC Mexico was fined for "non-compliance with anti-money laundering systems and controls,” Reuters said. HSBC has apologized for its lax controls and David Bagley, head of group compliance, has resigned. Europe's largest bank posted a net income last year of $16.8 billion. It operates in about 80 countries with assets of $210 billion in its US operations.The first time I ever played a Street Fighter game was in the arcade on one of the original Street Fighter II cabinets when I was a kid. I was instantly sucked in by all of the bright, garish colors, iconic character theme songs, and the different fighting styles of each of the characters. I remember when one of the older kids showed me how to shoot fireballs with Ryu. He had just summarily destroyed me by sitting across the screen and chucking them at me as I feebly tried to run up and punch him. I actually went home that day and drew pictures of Ryu shooting fireballs all week until I could finally get back to the arcade and get my ass handed to me by the older kids again. When Street Fighter II was eventually ported to the SNES, I got my little grubby hands on it as fast as I could. Saturday mornings consisted of me sitting in front of the TV in my underwear, SNES controller in my hands, shouting “hadouken” and “shoryuken” as the pixelated sprites jumped around the screen. Of course, there was also the occasional screams of frustration punctuated by “that’s so cheap!” or “you gotta be kidding me!” My mom would just laugh in exasperation and ask “why do you even play that game if it gets you so frustrated?” “Because I have to win, mom!” As I practiced, I eventually got to where conquering the computer with most of the cast was pretty easy (I still to this day have no idea what to do with Zangief), and I turned my attention to beating the other kids on the block. Unfortunately, I had gotten good enough to where most of the other kids were not really a challenge either and they didn’t want to play with me anymore because I was “too lame” or because I was “cheating”. Faced with a lack of worthwhile competition, I eventually moved on. I still played other fighting games (the Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, and Marvel Vs. Capcom series), but it was a long time before I touched another Street Fighter game. In 2009, I took another crack at it with Street Fighter IV (SFIV). The production quality was amazing: the same iconic music I remembered had been updated, the 3D models looked fantastic, and the action was flashy and eye-catching. The problem: I hated the gameplay. For my tastes, the inputs and mechanics were just way too complicated. Perhaps I had gotten too used to playing games like Mortal Kombat, but when faced with the prospect of having to do two quarter circles forward and then pressing all three punch buttons (how do you even do that on a Xbox 360 controller? not comfortably, that’s for sure) just to do one attack, I quickly got frustrated with it. This was further compounded for me by the extremely strict timing required by the game to execute combos and the excessively demanding execution requirements necessary to complete more advanced tactics. I like to approach fighting games as a fast paced chess game, where you can use your attacks to set traps for your opponent. For me, SFIV’s execution barrier was so high that it prevented me from reaching the point to where I could approach the game that way. Even though I had been burned by SFIV, when Street Fighter V (SFV) came out a month or so ago, it caught my eye. Again, the updated graphics looked amazing, and from watching some streams on twitch.tv, I learned that the gameplay’s complexity had been significantly curtailed. Most of all: it looked fun. After noodling around a bit, I found a discounted Steam key online and decided to pull the trigger. I was nearly giddy with excitement the first time the game loaded up. I was ready to blow some people away with those fireballs I had learned 20 years ago. I was ready for world domination! Lesson 1: Prepare to Lose. A Lot. There were bellows of frustration; there was gnashing of teeth; there was colorful use of profanity; but most of all, there was defeat. I just got pummeled. I felt like the same little kid that got destroyed by the older kids in the arcade 20 years ago. It was… humbling. But it wasn’t all bad! The more I played, the more comfortable I became with the game. I started to be able to control my character’s movements without thinking about them. I started to learn the moves without having to look at the command list. I was still getting pummeled, but I was starting to get familiar enough with the game that I could understand why I was losing. I began to look at each loss as an opportunity to learn from my mistakes and learn the techniques of my more successful opponents. I realized that it was ridiculous of me to expect that I would be able to just pick up the game and master it immediately. Many of my opponents had obviously been playing the game for longer than me, and had likely played quite a bit of SFIV as well. If I wanted to get better, I needed to build a solid foundation of knowledge so that I could compete. Lesson 2: Learn as Much as You can. When I first started to play the game, the only way to learn things was through trial and error, one quarter at a time. That simply is not the case anymore. There is an entire online community known as the Fighting Game Community (FGC) that has created an arsenal of online resources for fighting games in general, and even SFV specifically. For example, shoryuken.com has a wiki dedicated specifically to SFV that has all of the general mechanics of the game and character specific pages with moves lists and forums for character discussion. Additionally, I have found that the /r/streetfighter subreddit has been a tremendously helpful place to find information about the game. I’d like to give a special shout-out to user Joe_Munday for his extremely helpful series of posts: Gief’s Gym (you can find the older posts in the comments of the post). His exercises and videos have introduced me to all sorts of concepts I previously had no idea about for slightly more advanced tactics in the game. Finally, youtube.com is your best friend. I started off with a particularly helpful set of videos for beginners by Gootecks: The series is broken down into offense, defense, and throws and is designed to showcase the most basic mechanics in the game for beginners. It also introduces some beginner strategies for how to use these concepts in game. Lesson 3: Learn How to Block. Once I had a pretty good foundation of knowledge from the above resources, I decided to dive in to some online matches. Something quickly became apparent: I had no idea how to block. I would do pretty well when I could get into an offensive rhythm, but my tendency to to always press buttons left me open for easy counterattacks (this is something I am still working on). One aspect of SFV that allows counterplay is the fact that many of each character’s attacks are “unsafe”, meaning that once the move has been executed, your character can be left in a helpless state for a period of time, depending on whether the attack was blocked or not. Many attacks will leave a character vulnerable for a long enough period of time that it becomes unwise to continue attacking. Some attacks (generally special moves) will even leave a character vulnerable for an extended period when blocked, leaving them largely defenseless to counterattack. Because of these vulnerability states, blocking, when used correctly, can actually be one your best offensive tools. Once I began to learn which of my moves were unsafe, I found myself taking quite a bit less damage because I could halt my offense when I had left myself open by blocking. Blocking in this way also helped my offensive game because I could recognize my opponents’ vulnerabilities and capitalize on them. Lesson 4: Learn the Counters. SFV is like a complex game of rock paper scissors in that every type of attack can be countered by certain types of defenses, and every type of defense can be countered by certain types of attacks. For instance, blocks are strong against normal attacks, but throws are good against blocks, and some normal attacks can be used to stop throws. As I progressed in the game, I began to understand what sorts of defenses to use against the different attacks from certain characters. This allowed me to frustrate my opponents’ attacks and open them up for counter-attack. As my knowledge has progressed in the game, it has become instinctual to defend against certain attacks in certain ways. I have found this helps preserve my life bar, but also gives me many more opportunities for offense. Lesson 5: Learn to Vary Attacks. Because each type of attack has a counter, it became important to vary the types of attacks that I used. It can be easy to fall into a predictable pattern of attacks because they have worked in the past, but if your opponent wises up to your tactics, you will have to change your angle of attack. Keep in mind that you can attack from overhead, while crouching, and you can throw through blocks. Also, each button effects the speed and power of the attack you are using, adding an additional variable to your attack. Mix things up and keep your opponent guessing. Lesson 6: Develop an Overarching Strategy. It can be tempting to learn the most damaging attacks and just use them over and over again. When I first started on my journey, I played with Ryu. I mastered the most damaging combos and how to shoot fireballs. However, once I actually got into matches, I realized that, because I had no overarching strategy, I could not force my opponents into situations where I could use my combos. Shooting an endless stream of fireballs, it turns out, is a pretty good way to get punched in the face. However, when I forced my opponent into a corner, it was suddenly much more effective to shoot fireballs at them because their methods of escape were drastically limited. Additionally, I could dive into them after shooting a slow fireball and use the fireball as protection to cover me from counter attack as I got closer. Once I was in close, I could use a barrage of various attacks in hopes of eventually knocking them down, at which point their defensive options were even further limited. If they rebuffed my attacks, I could simply back up, keeping them cornered and reacting to whatever types of counter attacks they attempted. I had developed an overall strategy: force my opponent into a corner, using attacks that sacrifice damage in favor pushing them to the corner. Once I had cornered my opponent, I could use my positional advantage to initiate a more close ranged offense. From there, hopefully I close out the round. Once I had developed a strategy, I quickly skyrocketed out of the rookie ranks to around the 1350LP Super Bronze level. From there, I switched to Nash, whom I felt better fit my tendencies as a player. I dropped back down to to around 900 LP while I was learning the character. I also started watching Infiltration’s stream to learn some tips and tricks from the pros. Finally, once I had developed a new strategy with Nash, I climbed all the way back up to 1350, and in less than a week, up to silver. Now, I am not trying to say that Silver is some sort of huge accomplishment, and I certainly would not now consider myself “good” at SFV. However, it is nice to have an arbitrary marker to indicate that my efforts have not been wasted. I have, in fact, gotten measurably better at the game. Even still, I am always trying to learn new techniques. Since I hit Silver I have dived into learning other characters on the roster, trying out Necalli, and more recently becoming quite enamored with Laura. Hopefully I will keep improving and by the next time I write one of these, it will be about how i have joined the Gold ranks. Until then, I am going to keep street fighting in my underwear and trying to keep the colorful cursing to a minimum. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. If you want to challenge me to a set of matches to show me just how much of a scrub I am, I welcome all challengers. AdvertisementsHere is a quick overview of 5 command-line tools that come in incredibly handy when troubleshooting or monitoring real-time disk activity in Linux. These tools are available in all major Linux distros. iostat iostat can be used to report the disk read/write rates and counts for an interval continuously. It collects disk statistics, waits for the given amount of time, collects them again and displays the difference. Here is the output of the command iostat -y 5 : Each report, every 5 seconds, include the CPU stats and the disk stats. The CPU stats is a break up of where CPU time was spent during the interval. The disk stats includes the number of I/O requests per second ( tps ), the rate of read and write ( kB_read/s and kB_write/s ) and the amount of data read and written ( kB_read and kB_wrtn ). The -y argument instructs iostat to discard the first report which are the stats since boot and are rarely useful. The “5” in the command line specifies the interval in seconds. The CPU stats can be omitted by including the -d flag, although practically it is useful to have it there. iotop iotop is a top-like utility for displaying real-time disk activity. It can list the processes that are performing I/O, alongwith the disk bandwidth they are using. Here is how iotop -o looks like: The -o flag restricts the display to processes that are doing I/O, omitting it shows all the processes. You can also see the total disk bandwidth usage on the top two lines. In case you are wondering, the “total” values show the amount of data read from or written to the disk block device driver, and the “actual” values show the numbers for the actual hardware disk I/O. File system caching is one of the reasons for the difference in the values. dstat dstat is a little more user-friendly version of iostat, and can show much more information than just disk bandwidth. Here is dstat in action, showing cpu and disk stats: As you can see, it has nicely colored output. The command-line flags include -c for CPU stats, -d for disk stats, --disk-util for disk utilization and --disk-tps for disk transactions (I/O requests) per second. You can read more about dstat here. atop atop is particularly good for quickly grasping changes happening to the system. It does an excellent job of summarizing changes in each interval. Unlike the others, it can list all the processes that caused any system-level changes (like doing disk I/O) during the interval – this feature is present only in atop. Here we’re running atop with an interval of 1 second. The top section should be read from left to right: PRC shows process information, CPU the split of CPU usage, CPL the load averages, MEM the memory usage, SWP the swap file usage and DSK and NET the disk and network information respectively. The bottom section shows processes that did interesting things during the interval. You can read more about atop here. ioping ioping is a quick and dirty storage volume latency checker. It is useful for checking if the elevated disk times that you’re seeing are because of a degradation of the underlying virtual disk / network / hardware. Low numbers (<1ms) and low variance in the numbers are indicators of a healthy storage volume. Closing Notes All the tools listed above have more features and options, here are good places to start digging further: iostat, iotop, dstat, atop and ioping. If you’re interested in measuring disk performance, you should definitely also look at fio and sysbench. Both are fairly complicated, but are standard tools for the job. New Here? OpsDash is a server monitoring, service monitoring, database monitoring and application metrics monitoring solution for monitoring MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Memcache, Redis, Apache, Nginx, Elasticsearch and more. It provides intelligent, customizable dashboards and spam-free alerting via email, HipChat, Slack, OpsGenie, PagerDuty and Webhooks. Send in your custom metrics with StatsD and Graphite interfaces built into the OpsDash Smart Agent.The PS4 scene was pretty excited a couple days ago when the announce of a gamesharing modchip was made for the PS4. The device, named PS4 MTX Key, will allegedly let users share games with an unlimited amount of friends, technically enabling limited-scale piracy on the PS4. Today a tutorial video of the device was shared (see below) by user Westingame, a youtube account dedicated to wholesale modchips for consoles. The process (in addition to the soldering skills you’ll need to install the PS4 MTX) looks simple enough if a bit convoluted. It involves connecting and disconnecting from the same account a handful of times, deactivating the PS4, plugging/unplugging the LAN cable and pressing a couple of buttons on the MTX device. The video is more a tutorial than a video attempting to confirm the device works. There’s nothing that really proves anything in the video, although several hackers have already told playstationhax that the device is legit. The video states that the games can be shared with an unlimited number of people once the setup is done, and that the mod works up to the latest PS4 Firmware (currently 4.72). Since there is a huge trust factor involved (the user will need to login to a shared account that has all the games, meaning all “friends” will need to have access to the shared account’s credential), I’m am not sure how widespread or popular this device will be. The procedure seems a bit “risky” too from a financial perspective, as I can’t imagine that Sony will not take action against accounts that are suspected to be shared through this mechanism. Mess up one of the steps by having your console connected at the wrong time, and it’s possible Sony will detect the manipulation, and that the account gets deactivated. Invite one “friend” to your group who decides to change the password of the shared account and keep the games to themselves, and it’s probably game over too. It seems to me the risks will increase the larger the group of friends becomes. Since the device requires a shared account with legit games, losing the account means losing the money that was used to buy the games in the first place. However I can see how this will get the business of “mod shops” booming. These shops could easily set up one of those shared accounts, not share the credentials with their customers but instead set everything up for them with a Hard drive loaded full of pirated game. Basically, the brazilian jailbreak all over again: abusing the gamesharing mechanism has been a reality in mod shops for years now, and this device might just make it a bit more mainstream, at least until Sony blocks it, through software updates or a hardware revision. The PS4 MTX Key is set to be released at the end of the month, according to modchip retailers. Source: playstationhaxDemocrat Gregg announces Rep. Hale as running mate Copyright by WISH - All rights reserved John Gregg announces Rep. Christine Hale as his running mate Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (WISH Photo) [ + - ] Video Associated Press - INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Democrat John Gregg has introduced Indianapolis state Rep. Christina Hale as his running mate in the Indiana governor's race. Gregg said Wednesday morning that he picked Hale because she is a consensus builder who works across the political aisle. She is an Indianapolis Democrat. Hale is a former Kiwanis International executive who was first elected to the Indiana House in 2012, defeating a longtime Republican incumbent in a district on the north side of Indianapolis. She can be expected to help the Gregg ticket win votes in Marion County. That's another potential key to victory for the Democratic candidate. She has been a vocal advocate for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse during her time in the Legislature. Gregg's selection of Hale comes as a surprise to no one because women voters could be a key to the outcome in the race for governor. Republican Mike Pence has problems winning support from women. Hale is a second term state Representative from a district on the northeast side of Indianapolis who considered running for the U.S. Senate this year. "In Representative Hale I have found a full partner who's not only ready to govern," said Gregg, "but who has the experience and the passion, the desire to help me refocus Indiana's state government on the things that really matter to Hoosiers." "I've always learned that no matter what happens in life you have to keep moving forward," said Hale, "and I've learned the value of hard work. I bring this up because that's what Hoosiers need to do. When Indiana elects John Gregg our next governor we're gonna double down and get to work." Hale, who is now married, says she worked her way through college after becoming a single mother at age 19. Republican Gov. Mike Pence and Gregg are heading into a rematch of their 2012 campaign, which Pence narrowly won. Indiana Republicans say they're ready to debate the health of the state's economy now that the Democratic gubernatorial ticket is set. Republican Gov. Mike Pence issued a statement Wednesday congratulating state Rep. Christina Hale of Indianapolis for being picked as Democratic challenger John Gregg's running mate. "Congratulations to Rep. Christina Hale on her selection to join the Democrat ticket. We welcome her to the race and look forward to a spirited debate about continuing Indiana's job growth and soaring economic future." Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell also issued the following statement. Pence says he welcomes Hale to the race and looks forward to a spirited debate about continuing what he calls Indiana's "soaring economic future." State Republican Chairman Jeff Cardwell says there will now be a discussion with "the Clinton/Gregg/Hale ticket regarding Indiana's continued economic success." "With more Hoosiers going to work each morning than ever before, the creation of over 150,000 new private sector jobs, and record capital investment under Governor Mike Pence, Indiana Republicans look forward to beginning the conversation with the Clinton/Gregg/Hale ticket regarding Indiana's continued economic success. We are also pleased by John Gregg's decision to name a running mate who has been recognized as a champion for education reform."A Long Island teacher slapped a 1-year-old girl on the back of the head at a daycare on multiple occasions, police said. Long Island woman Jeanine Sammis, 36, was booked Thursday for attempted assault 2nd degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Cops told Pix11 that a coworker witnessed an incident, and started recording. The alleged abuse happened in late September. The daycare, KinderCare, issued a statement. “We take all concerns about our teachers and staff seriously and follow a very specific protocol anytime a concern is raised,” they told the outlet. The daycare said Sammis quit about a week before her arrest in order to work elsewhere. Cops said the baby did not sustain any injuries. This investigation is ongoing. For now, it’s unclear what Sammis’ defense would be: Pix11 could not get in touch with her when they showed up at her home on Friday, and The Nassau County District Attorney told the outlet she didn’t have a lawyer. A court date is set for Tuesday.ADVERTISEMENT Unredacted documents reveal prisoners tortured to death Stephen C. Webster Published: Thursday February 12, 2009 Print This Email This Human rights groups accuse Pentagon of running secret prisons, cooperating with CIA "ghost detention" program The American Civil Liberties Union has released previously classified excerpts of a government report on harsh interrogation techniques used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. These previously unreported pages detail repeated use of "abusive" behavior, even to the point of prisoner deaths. The documents, obtained by the ACLU under a Freedom of Information Act request, contain a report by Vice Admiral Albert T. Church, who was tapped to conduct a comprehensive review of Defense Department interrogation operations. Church specifically calls out interrogations at Bagram Air base in Afghanistan as "clearly abusive, and clearly not in keeping with any approved interrogation policy or guidance." The two unredacted pages from the Church report may be found here. The ACLU's release comes on the same day as a major FOIA document dump by three other leading human rights groups: Documents which reveal the Pentagon ran secret prisons in Bagram and Iraq, that it cooperated with the CIA's "ghost detention" program and that Defense personnel delayed a prisoner's release to avoid bad press. "In both cases, for example, [prisoners] were handcuffed to fixed objects above their heads in order to keep them awake," reads the document. "Additionally, interrogations in both incidents involved the use of physical violence, including kicking, beating, and the use of "compliance blows" which involved striking the [prisoners] legs with the [interrogators] knees. In both cases, blunt force trauma to the legs was implicated in the deaths. In one case, a pulmonary embolism developed as a consequence of the blunt force trauma, and in the other case pre-existing coronary artery disease was complicated by the blunt force trauma." In a press release, the ACLU summarized the documents as detailing, "[An] investigation of two deaths at Bagram. Both detainees were determined to have been killed by pulmonary embolism caused as a result of standing chained in place, sleep depravation and dozens of beatings by guards and possibly interrogators. (Also reveals the use of torture at Gitmo and American-Afghani prisons in Kabul). "[An] investigation into the homicide or involuntary manslaughter of detainee Dilar Dababa by U.S. forces in 2003 in Iraq. "[An] investigation launched after allegations that an Iraqi prisoner was subjected to torture and abuse at 'The Disco' (located in the Special Operations Force Compound in Mosul Airfield, Mosul, Iraq). The abuse consisted of filling his jumpsuit with ice, then hosing him down and making him stand for long periods of time, sometimes in front of an air conditioner; forcing him to lay down and drink water until he gagged, vomited or choked, having his head banged against a hot steel plate while hooded and interrog
. 2:00 pm to 3:00 / Hands On Git Git is a powerful version control language that allows distributed teams of developers to collaborate on large software projects. A brief workshop will introduce students to the use of this tool. 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm / Contribution Workshop Students will be looking through existing projects, working on issues and contributing solutions. Project leads and mentors will be available to provide assistance throughout the workshop. 3:30 pm to 4:00 / Break-Network! Network with your other Openhatch peers, and discuss the day so far. Snacks will be available.The Georgia Institute of Technology’s plan to offer a low-cost online master’s degree to 10,000 students at once creates what may be a first-of-its-kind template for the evolving role of public universities and corporations. When it agreed to work with Udacity to offer the online master's degree in computer science, Georgia Tech expected to make millions of dollars in coming years, negotiated student-staff interaction down to the minute, promised to pay professors who create new online courses $30,000 or more, and created two new categories of educators -- corporate “course assistants” tasked with handling student issues and a corps of teaching assistants hired by Georgia Tech who will be professionals rather than graduate students. New details about the internal decision making and fine print of Georgia Tech's revolutionary effort are based on interviews and documents, including some that the university provided to Inside Higher Ed following an open records request. Georgia Tech this month announced its plans to offer a $6,630 online master’s degree to 10,000 new students over the next three years without hiring much more than a handful of new instructors. Georgia Tech and Udacity, a Silicon Valley-based startup, will work with AT&T, which is putting up $2 million to heavily subsidize the program’s first year. The effort, if it succeeds, will allow one of the country’s top computer science programs to enroll 20 times as many students as it does now in its online master’s degree program, and to offer the degree to students across the world at a sixth of the price of its existing program. contract between Georgia Tech's research corporation and Udacity spells out the time that Udacity staff members are to spend helping students, though representatives of both the company and the university say their understanding of how much time students will need is likely to evolve. An internal faculty report generated by professors in the College of Computing says there were “ significant internal disagreements, " despite Georgia Tech’s portrayal of the deal as heavily supported by faculty. Interviews and documents also suggest that the full Georgia Tech Academic Senate had little chance to review the deal, which was negotiated at a “rapid pace,” according to the minutes of one faculty committee meeting. Many professors were unaware of the plans until they were announced at the end of the term, said the chairman of one faculty committee. Of particular interest to professors across the country, who are already on edge about what higher ed technology may mean for their jobs, are two classes of educators that Georgia Tech and Udacity plan to rely on to make the program work. On Udacity's side are company staff who will be helping students with "non-academic and academic tasks," according to the contract. On Georgia Tech's side is a new category of personnel who will help instructors manage the massive classes but, unlike teaching assistants in traditional courses, these employees are unlikely to be graduate students. Charles Isbell Jr., the senior associate dean of Georgia Tech's computing college, said professors will remain in charge of their courses. “The professor, as always is the case and must be the case, is in charge of all the curriculum and all the curricular details,” he said. But the contract says that Udacity’s course assistants will interact with students “in a variety of ways” and provide no less than an hour of support to students for each credit hour. The assistants will also report to "quality assurance" staff at Udacity, as well as to instructors. Accreditation standards require professors to assign grades, a Udacity spokeswoman, Erica Billups, said. But Udacity’s software will help correct non-graded exercises and its staff will help with some exercises meant to teach students how to program computers. “The professors are in charge of the final course grade,” Billups said. “Udacity course assistants help with many of the exercises and formative assessments.” The internal faculty report also suggests the course may rely in part on peer grading Georgia Tech is also working to hire a new class of university employees. These will be “people with domain expertise," Isbell said, who can work with faculty and the course materials. These employees will be a new professional class of employees and not graduate assistants. Umakishore Ramachandran, a computer science professor who chaired the working group that prepared the internal report, said moving away from graduate assistants might be a good thing. He said graduate student teaching assistants face a learning curve and do not remain T.A.s for life. A professional aide, he said, could “help in retaining uniform quality.” “In that sense, having a core of professional staff that can help in managing the grading part of it can actually be an asset,” Ramachandran said. In an otherwise detailed contract, it’s unclear how many of these employees Georgia Tech will need to hire and at what cost. Isbell said there is uncertainty about how many employees it will take to operate the program at full scale in the coming years. He said the "notion of developing and revisiting the contract was a central theme" of the discussions between Georgia Tech and Udacity. Despite that, the contract between Georgia Tech and Udacity does make precise cost estimates for the first three years of the program. The Georgia Tech program will have four enrollment tracks for students. Enrollment starts in January, though the first year will feature a small test run of several hundred paying students drawn mostly from the military and the corporate world, particularly AT&T. Georgia Tech and Udacity expect the program to cost about $3.1 million in its first year. With a $2 million one-time sponsorship from AT&T and about $1.3 million in tuition and fees, Georgia Tech and Udacity expect to split $240,060 in gains at the end of the first year. In the second year, without AT&T’s large subsidy, Georgia Tech and Udacity plan to spend $7.5 million and scrape out gains of just $14,848 for the whole year. By the third year, when the program is expected to be running at full steam, Georgia Tech and Udacity expect to spend $14.3 million on the program but bring in $19.1 million in revenue -- for a total gain of about $4.7 million. Georgia Tech will receive 60 percent of the revenue and Udacity the rest. The money to Georgia Tech will flow through its research corporation. Professors and the computing college both stand to gain from the effort. A professor will receive $20,000 for creating a course and $10,000 for delivering the content -- meaning most professors will receive $30,000 per course. Professors will receive a royalty of $2,500 each time the course is offered again. One of the computer science college’s hopes is that the plan will generate significant revenue and allow it to hire more faculty, according to the internal working group report. It also expects this effort can free up faculty time for research. Faculty Reservations and Competitive Pressures The working group of computer science faculty had serious concerns, though, including worries about diluting the Georgia Tech brand. Since Georgia Tech created its traditional on-campus master's degree program in 1991, fewer than 2,000 degrees have been awarded, according to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Under the new effort, that many could be awarded in a single year. The working group also fretted about another university beating Georgia Tech to the project. "It is an experiment that no other institution of our caliber has embarked on (yet!) but everyone is talking about moving in this direction, so if we want to do it, we should do it right away," the report, produced in late February, said. "There is an opportunity to be a leader rather than a follower if we act quickly and thoughtfully." The report also says there were “ significant internal disagreements ” about whether its new offering was the correct approach for the future of higher education -- even though multiple Georgia Tech administrators have tried to portray the decision as having significant faculty support. “I wouldn’t call it disagreement," Isbell said. "I would call it typical heated academic debate.” Eventually, when the computer science faculty voted on the plans in March, 75 percent of them backed the deal, university officials have said, though they did not provide records of the vote. Ramachandran, who chaired the group that prepared the report, said faculty viewed the new program as a roller coaster ride: A rush but one that is based in part on understood principals -- in this case, decades of Georgia Tech experience with distance education. Still, there is no question the new plan is unprecedented and worrisome to some faculty. “Even people who voted positively -- even the small minority that voted negatively – they all have trepidations about how to make this work on a large scale,” Ramachandran said. Benjamin Flowers, the chairman of the graduate curriculum committee at Georgia Tech, said a lot of faculty were taken completely by surprise when the Udacity deal was announced in mid-May. Part of the reason is the way the plan was maneuvered through the bowels of Georgia Tech. University administrators portrayed the partnership with Udacity as a simple modification of the existing online master’s degree program. That program enrolls fewer than 100 students, according to university officials. Designating the Udacity effort as nothing more than a modification meant that it was able to escape the traditional approval process new degree programs have to face. That's even though there are aspects of this new program that differ significantly from the existing online master's degree, including the creation of a new class of instructional aides at the university, not to mention the reliance on Udacity employees. Flowers said he is not sure Georgia Tech administrators made the right call. “I would say that scale of change gives one pause as to whether we are dealing with the same degree program,” Flowers said. He said he was not sure if there is widespread endorsement of the plan, which "radically deviated" from tradition. “What I would like to see is the larger question of, 'Is this kind of radical, quote unquote, disruptive change something that the faculty as a whole embrace [or is it just a subset]?' " Flowers said. He added that he thinks the effort is being “driven at Tech from the top rather than the bottom.” There's mixed evidence for such a claim. The deal started to come together about eight months ago in a meeting between Udacity CEO Sebastian Thrun and Zvi Galil, the dean of computing at Georgia Tech, according to interviews with both men. In fall 2012, the working group starting studying the issue, Ramachandran said. He said he did not face any pressure to approve the plan or to partner with Udacity. “We did not have any pressure, either the working group or the faculty in terms of having to do this," Ramachandran said. "It was immaterial to us who the partner was going to be, whether the partner was going to be Coursera or somebody else.” The working group created a “straw man” draft and then an “iron man” draft that was finished in late February. In March, about three-fourths of the computer science college’s 80 or so faculty members signed off on the arrangement in a series of votes. “I think the faculty, insofar as they want to be involved in even the nitty-gritty details, should be aware of them,” Isbell said. He said he personally talked to other deans about the plans. Still, it’s not clear that most faculty, or even groups representing most faculty at Georgia Tech, were kept in the loop. “I’m not sure if the faculty feel like they are being invited to engage in a decision making discussion,” Flowers said. Despite a year of considerable hype as leading colleges and universities created online partnerships to try to redefine higher education, a recent spate of strong faculty reactions make clear that tradition will not change easily or silently, especially at institutions with a strong history of faculty influence. In early March, an assistant dean at the College of Computing gave a presentation to the graduate curriculum committee Flowers is chairman of. At the time, the committee noted in its minutes that discussions with Udacity were progressing at a “rapid pace, and it will be important for the committee to be updated appropriately.” The same dean presented to the committee again on April 11, according to meeting minutes. The committee endorsed moving forward with discussions, according to the minutes. The minutes do not make clear if the graduate committee was told about the new classes of instructional aides the university and Udacity were both planning to create. Flowers said he never saw a formal presentation on the deal. The academic faculty and faculty senate's only crack at the issue appears to be on April 23. According to computing college spokesman Michael Terrazas, the senate, "per usual," was asked to approve meeting minutes for its various committees, including the committee that heard the reports about the Udacity deal. The state university system's Board of Regents took a look at the deal on May 14 and gave its blessing. Udacity and Georgia Tech announced the plan later that day. Flowers said it’s possible the full senate might want to take up the issue when professors return from the summer break. “Institutional reputation, which of course always in some ways lags reality, involves all faculty,” he said. Flowers said the announcement’s timing at the end of the semester was “very interesting.” Isbell said the timing was a factor of the timing of the Board of Regents meeting. Still, while there was not the university-wide debate -- or even chance for debate -- that faculty at other universities have had, there is clearly some willingness by some Georgia Tech faculty to try something that some see as the clear future of higher education. Ron Bohlander, the secretary of the faculty at Georgia Tech, the top faculty representative, said the faculty know they are pushing the envelope but the experiment with Udacity is an experiment worth doing. He said it's all a bit like packing for a trip to the Congo for the first time. "Do we know everything we're getting ourselves into?" Bohlander said. "Well, that just wouldn't be consistent with the adventure."A man arrested Saturday for throwing rocks from atop an abandoned building told police he had done methamphetamine and believed “the purge” was about to happen, according to court documents. Jeremy A. Perkins, 27, is charged with two counts of 2nd degree attempted assault, and two counts of armed criminal action. Court records state that police were called to 9th and Kenningston around noon on Saturday on a report of someone throwing rocks and passing vehicles. When police arrived, they saw Perkins standing on the roof of a building. An officer said as he exited his cruiser, Perkins threw a brick in his direction, which landed less than 5 feet in front of him. Police took cover and called for backup. A Tactical Response Unit responded and Perkins was taken into custody as he exited the vacant building. An officer stated that at one point he heard Perkins mention a sniper 400 yards away. Perkins was interviewed at Police Headquarters on Locust Street, where he said he had done methamphetamines the night before and climbed a tree and onto the roof of the building on 9th Street. He said someone had told him “the purge” was happening, an apparent reference to “The Purge,” a 2013 horror film that features a scenario in which all criminal acts are temporarily decriminalized and society plunges into violent chaos. Perkins told police he perceived everyone as an enemy and was throwing rocks from the roof in order to protect himself. When police asked if he would have shot people if he had a gun, Perkins said yes.Hamas has killed 18 Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel, a day after Israel killed three of the group's top military commanders in an airstrike on a house in southern Gaza Strip, witnesses and a Hamas website said. A Gaza security official said the first batch involved 11 people who were killed early on Friday at the Gaza City police headquarters. Six more were killed later in the day in a public execution in a central Gaza square, according to a Hamas website and witnesses cited by Reuters news agency. Three suspected collaborators were also killed on Thursday. The victims, their heads covered and hands tied, were shot dead by masked gunmen dressed in black in front of a crowd of worshippers outside a mosque after prayers, witnesses and al-Majd, a pro-Hamas website, said. The Gaza security official said the 11 men had previously been sentenced by Gaza courts, reported the Associated Press news agency. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the incident with reporters. Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders. "Israel has a long and successful history of recruiting collaborators and informers both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, and they do so through a variety of different means: sometimes it is financial inducements; other times it is blackmail, bullying, threats, promises [and] maybe intimidating family members," Rowland said. She said that by publicising the retribution brought down on the 18 people, Hamas was sending a deterrent to other Palestinians. Child killed The announcement came as five Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike, the latest since Egyptian-led ceasefire talks collapsed three days ago. Ashraf al-Kidra, a Gaza health official, said on Friday some of the victims were workers at a livestock farm that was hit in the airstrike. The Israeli military said it carried out 20 airstrikes early on Friday, targeting rocket launchers and weapons sites. It said a mortar strike from Hamas critically injured one child in the Negev region area. Friday's fighting came as funerals were held for three senior Hamas commanders killed by Israeli air raids. Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said Mohamed Abo Shamaleh, Raed al-Attar and Mohamed Barhoum were killed in an attack in Rafah on Thursday, little more than a day after an attempt on the life of its leader Mohammed Deif. The killed commanders' supporters later took over the streets as their funeral procession snaked through Rafah, which bears scars of Israeli bombing from previous days. Another 31 people were killed in other Israeli strikes in Gaza since on Thursday, raising the overall death toll to 2,087 in 46 days of conflict. Israel meanwhile said it was rotating 10,000 troops - meaning fresh soldiers were being prepared for possible future operations - a day after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel's offensive may be an extended operation. Hamas condemned the assasinations, with Sami Abu Zuhri, the group's spokesman, calling them a "big Israeli crime" for which it would pay. The fighting resumed three days ago after Egyptian attempts to broker an end to the monthlong war, with Palestinians firing dozens of rockets and Israel responding with airstrikes across Gaza.Story highlights Dexter King, Martin Luther King III want to sell MLK's Bible and Nobel Peace Prize Sister Bernice opposes selling the items (CNN) The children of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be in an Atlanta court Tuesday in the latest chapter of an ugly legal fight pitting the two brothers against their sister. At issue: control over two precious items that belonged to their father, his Bible and his Nobel Peace Prize. Bernice King contends her brothers aim to sell them, something she robustly opposes. Dexter King and Martin Luther King III succeeded last year in getting Bernice King to hand over the relics. Since then, they've been in a safe deposit box and, in a sign of how contentious the fight has been, only a judge has a key. Read MoreThe course is being offered by the University of Baltimore and will be taught by the author Arnold Blumberg, who wrote a book on zombie movies, and the curator of Geppi’s Entertainment museum, which specialises in American pop culture. Students taking English 333 will watch 16 classic zombie films and read zombie comics according to the Baltimore Sun. As an alternative to a final research paper they may write scripts or draw storyboards for their ideal zombie flicks. Jonathan Shorr, chairman of the university's school of communications design told the newspaper it was introduced to meet a demand for "interesting, off-the-wall" courses. "It's a back door into a lot of subjects," he said. "They think they're taking this wacko zombie course, and they are. But on the way, they learn how literature and mass media work, and how they come to reflect our times."The organizer for the Houston Beer Festival confirmed he is behind on paying his workers after he said he lost tens of thousands of dollars in stolen beer and overspent on production."I'm one of those who is going to speak out because I need my money, and I did my job," said worker Kevin Funchess.Funchess said he is out about $300. He said he's has reached out to the festival's organizer Timothy Hudson and was promised a check two weeks ago. Funchess said he has not received his check."Yes, I think they made well over enough money and they used us and the city and the people to make that money," said David Daniels, who also told Eyewitness News he's owed about $300 too.Eyewitness News reached out to Timothy Hudson late Wednesday. Hudson said he spent about $150,000 in beer for the event and only brought in about $30,000. Hudson said workers were giving away free beer, which he considers theft. Hudson also said his company overspent on production, although he would not say by how much.Eyewitness News obtained a check written by Hudson's marketing company that was returned for insufficient funds. The check was written to a worker for $420.Hudson said he gave out checks to security officers on the day of the festival. He asked everyone to not cash the checks until he said it was clear. The worker was charged $10 for the returned check by the bank.× Police interrupt early morning armed robbery, two 19 year old men charged CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. – A pair of 19 year old men are behind bars charged in an armed robbery that was interrupted by the arrival of police. It happen at 1 a.m. Wednesday at a residence in the first block of Richard Avenue in Shippensburg Township. Police say, Michael McDaniel and Chance Neilley, both of Bethlehem, in Lehigh County, forced their way through an open first floor window of the residence. Once inside they demanded money and drugs from six victims, 4 males and two females, while threatening them with a pellet gun that resembled a semi-automatic pistol and a knife. While McDaniel and Neilley were arguing with the victims local police arrived on the scene. Both suspects attempted to flee but were subsequently taken into custody. Charges against McDaniel and Neilley include Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery, Burglary, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, Simple Assault, Terroristic Threats, and Unlawful Restraint. Following arraignment, both suspects were sent to Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $139,000 bail each.Developer Jonathan Lunn shows the building's design to members of the 41st Ward Zoning Advisory Committee. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin EDISON PARK — A plan to demolish a vacant industrial complex in Norwood Park's commercial district and replace it with a three-story self-storage warehouse scored the unanimous blessing of the 41st Ward Zoning Advisory Committee on Wednesday. Under the plan, developer Jonathan Lunn would build a climate-controlled 88,000-square-foot facility with a drive-thru loading dock at 6250 N. Northwest Highway. Lunn is asking Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) for a zoning change so that he can build a 33-foot structure set back 25 feet from the street, with grass and trees filling the empty space. The 88,000 square-foot facility would have a single drive-up entrance and about 30 security cameras on site. [DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin] Without the zoning change, Lunn would likely build a two-story warehouse behind the existing building, he said. Unlike most alderman, who approve zoning changes at their own discretion, Napolitano defers to the committee, whose 11 members represent different community groups across the ward. The warehouse would be built with a single entrance alongside five new parking spaces, and it would be guarded by about 30 security cameras, Lunn said. With 800 total storage units, he predicted the building would see around 25 visitors per day, "pretty much the lowest on the traffic scale out of any kind of business," he said when unveiling the plan last month. A feasibility study of the area found only one other storage facility within two miles of the site, the developer said. The vacant industrial site that would be razed and be replaced by the storage facility [DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin] Lunn showed off a fresh design for the building on Wednesday, envisioning a layered masonry style with an array of windows facing Northwest Highway. Neighbors and committee members had bristled at the original design, which featured a more monolithic black facade. "We got some comments that that first design was just a little too contemporary for the location," Lunn said Wednesday. "It's always difficult to design a building as a group, but I took everyone's comments to the architect, and we ended up making it look more like a first-generation storage facility." Lunn flashed a height chart showing that his building would be nearly level with surrounding structures, including the next-door Harry's Lumber, 6220 N. Northwest Highway He also signaled that he would sign a restrictive covenant capping any future building on the site at 37 feet, if asked. Committee chairman Mike Emerson endorsed the proposal, saying it "really would be an improvement" over the existing brick warehouse. "It really does fit in with the massing and scaling of other buildings in both directions," Emerson said. "And the setback provides some relief and walking space that isn't there now." The project's attorney will aim to get the zoning change approved by the City Council in September, Lunn said. If the process doesn't hit any delays, construction could begin as soon as the spring, he said.Soylent (Rosa Labs) released a new product last week: Coffiest. I bought a case a few hours after the announcement and I made it my breakfast the past few mornings. This is the fourth, and best, type of Soylent I’ve tried. Here are my notes on the other ones I’ve tried: 1.4 (powder, no longer available) was thick, clumpy, and tasted like pancake batter. I added a lot of cocoa powder to it. 1.5 (also powder, different formula, no longer available) was thinner and had a more neutral taste. Not bad, but I thought the carb-to-fat content was a little too high. 2.0 (original pre-mixed version, still available) is pretty good. I really liked the convenience of not having to mix powder with water and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before I drank it. My main use-case for Soylent is a quick breakfast or lunch when I have a lot going on and no time to make something. Drinking a bottle of 2.0 keeps me going until dinner time. It is thinner and even more neutrally flavored than 1.5. It has a slight cereal milk taste. I didn’t dislike the flavor, but I found it to be a whole lot better when I added in some of my iced coffee. Coffiest is the latest addition to their line. It contains the nutrients of one meal and some caffeine to get you going. I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about what the flavor of Coffiest would be. I’m happy to say that Rosa Labs nailed it. Coffiest has a good balanced coffee flavor and just a little bit of the cereal milk base flavor peaking through. In fact, it tastes pretty close to what I mixed together myself with Soylent 2.0 and my iced coffee. Some people say there are chocolately overtones in there, but they don’t really come through for me. It isn’t too sweet and doesn’t leave a weird film in your mouth like coffee+milk. It tastes just like a balanced coffee drink should. It is easy to forget that this is a meal replacement drink because it is so thin. Remember that this is packed with the nutrition of a full meal, so consume it wisely! Be aware of the amount of caffeine you usually drink and how it compares to Coffiest. 150mg is roughly 1 large strong cup of coffee or 2 cups of weaker office coffee. I’m a caffeine addict, so Coffiest doesn’t replace my caffeine intake for the day. I usually follow it up 2-3 hours later with a cup of coffee or shot of espresso. If you arent a coffee drinker though, 150mg might be a lot for you. You might feel a little different after drinking Coffiest. It has 150mg of caffeine and 75mg of l-theanine, an amino acid in green tea that has been found to smooth out the effects of caffeine. In short, it helps keep you from getting jittery. I’ve taken l-theanine before and gives me a somewhat dazed feeling, even when combined with caffeine. If you aren’t used to it, it can be a little strange. I’ve had no problems so far consuming it on an empty stomach, unlike some of the early powdered versions. I’ve been taking it with me on my morning walks (see the photo at the top of this article), so by the time I get back home, I’ve had a walk, something to “eat”, and coffee. I’m pretty pleased with this version and I think it will become a regular breakfast item for me.Story highlights An increasing number of tea lovers are turning to rooibos for its health benefits The plant grows only in South Africa's Western Cape province The multi-million dollar industry is fighting to protect the rooibos name and its heritage Producers are lobbying for the tea to be given geographical indication status In cafes across Cape Town, brewing the perfect cup of rooibos has become a fine art. Measuring just the right amount of tea is key while great care is needed to not allow the leaves to swirl for too long. Once ready, the rooibos cups, gleaming in a sumptuous deep red color, bring with them a reedy scent that greets the noses of the customers waiting to enjoy a sip. Grown only in South Africa's Western Cape province, the naturally caffeine-free tea used to be a specialist drink appealing to only some taste buds. But in recent years, its refreshing taste and inviting aroma, coupled with its health benefits, have turned rooibos into a popular choice for tea lovers across the world. "Germany really was the start of the big export boom," says Martin Berg, managing director of Rooibos Limited in South Africa, the largest rooibos tea processing factory. "Since then, Holland, UK, USA, Japan -- all the first world countries, rooibos has grown in there, grown in popularity," he adds. JUST WATCHED South Africa's Redbush tea trade Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH South Africa's Redbush tea trade 04:18 The increasing popularity of rooibos, an Afrikaans word that means "red bush," has created an industry worth around $23 billion. Some 15,000 tons of rooibos are harvested every year and at least half of that is then exported to the increasingly health-conscious consumer. Willem Engelbrecht, whose family have been farming rooibos for four generations, believes that the natural herb's popularity has increased because of the plant's health benefits -- documented in several studies -- including its anti-oxidant properties. See where the Western Cape is "It's also got a soothing effect, and that is what we need for our everyday high-speed lifestyles," says Engelbrecht. "The Japanese did a lot of research early in the 1990s. Once that research became public and also South African research, people all over the world started to drink the product, not only for its very exceptional taste, but also for its wonderful health attributes." In Western Cape, the rooibos industry is a major employer during the summer months of harvesting. Under the hot South African sun, the workers, who are paid per kilogram, are constantly cutting down and piling up the tea to satisfy the increasing demand from abroad. Once the bushes, which are actually green, are cut down into small pieces, they are laid out to dry. The intense sunlight in the Western Cape slowly then turns the rooibos into its rich dark red color. After it has been processed and sterilized, the tea is ready for the consumer. This trade has become so lucrative that the industry is now trying to protect the rooibos name and its heritage. Producers are lobbying for the tea to be given geographical indication status (see fact box) to protect this unique brand -- a lengthy lawsuit with a U.S. company, which tried to use the rooibos name, went the way of the South Africans. But farmers, like Engelbrecht, believe more should be done. "There is not currently the legislation in South Africa to protect the word rooibos as a geographical indicator or G.I., similar to what exists in France, where the French government makes sure that champagne can only be used by the wine producers in the Champagne region of France," he says. "I think it is the responsibility of government to make sure that legislation come in place, because we need to protect our cultural assets," adds Engelbrecht. But while the industry waits for government reforms, plans are already in place for further expansion into new markets, such as India and China. As a result, laboratory tests are underway to develop new products to broaden the tea's appeal and suit different palates across the world. "We now have a vast array of different rooibos products, from the traditional unflavored tea to all the flavored tea, cappuccinos made from rooibos, cosmetics, rooibos used in cooking," says Engelbrecht. Back in Cape Town, customers are already enjoying some of these new products. There's a whole new menu of fruit-flavored rooibos teas, rooibos cappuccinos and even espressos. But despite this extensive range, the perfected traditional cups of rooibos remains the firm favorite.LaShon Harris was a sophomore linebacker when Odessa High defensive coordinator Mike Munguia threw him into the pool. Sink or swim. That watershed moment during the 2005 season opened the adrenaline glands in Harris and the eyes of every opposing coach in District 3-5A. “The game was so much faster than I was used to,” Harris said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, I was just trying to find the football. “But during the spring before my junior year, the game really slowed down and I was able to understand what I needed to do and where I needed to go. I’m still learning, but I’m a lot more comfortable out there.” Harris’ increased comfort level likely will mean a much more uncomfortable autumn for opposing running backs, tight ends and quarterbacks. Already gifted with an innate ability to find the football in a crowd, Harris has been elected by his teammates as one of the team’s captains. OHS head coach Ron King and Munguia are looking to the senior to inspire those around him. “LaShon is a leader and that’s what we expect him to be this year,” King said. “This is his third year in the system and he knows his reads and his keys and should be able to impact football games. “He’s not going to be a rah-rah type of leader, but will let his actions do the talking for him.” If that is true, Harris spoke volumes for the Bronchos last year. He led the team in solo tackles with 50, caused one fumble, recovered two others and finished with two tackles for a loss. Harris also worked well in pass defense, taking care of the tight ends on his side, along with chasing down running backs in the flat on screen or swing routes. “I’m glad I only have to play against him in practice,” Bronchos quarterback David Camacho said. “He gets to the ball and he’s going to hit you hard.” That’s what King and the rest of the coaching staff is counting on during each play — in practice and in games. They know that the attitude Harris brings to the field quickly filters through the defensive huddle to his teammates. While all else around him is spinning out of control, Harris is going to have to be the eye of the storm for the Bronchos defensive unit. Especially since the defensive unit likely will be the side of the ball that jells the quickest in the early part of the season. With six starters who saw significant playing time last year gathered around him, Harris is excited about the task in front of him. “I think this team is good enough to make the playoffs,” Harris said. “I thought we were good enough last year and just weren’t able to finish a couple of games. “I worked hard during spring and have been lifting and running all summer to get ready for this season. It’s been too long since OHS was in the playoffs and this team can be the one to change that.”Last night there was a rule change in the U.S. Senate that Republicans wasted no time in branding a "nuclear option." The phrase "nuclear option" was coined by Sen. Trent Lott (R., Miss.) in 2003 to describe a parliamentary maneuver in which the Senate could eliminate or modify the filibuster by a simple majority vote. (Under the dread Rule 22, you need 67 votes to change existing filibuster rules. That's seven more than the 60 votes you need under Rule 22 to break a filibuster.) The maneuver to which Lott attached this incendiary phrase was, at that time, one that the then-Republican majority was considering to break a string of Democratic filibusters on judgeship confirmations. In the end, a compromise was reached and the nuclear option was averted. Virtually all Democrats and even many Republicans opposed using the nuclear option when the matter came to a head in 2005. But I was for it. (My only objection was that it wasn't sweeping enough; the GOP rule change would have ended filibusters only for judicial nominations.) I was for it not because I had any fondness for the conservative judges that President George W. Bush was trying to appoint, but because I felt that it had become way too easy for any Senate minority, Democrat or Republican, to bring the
1099). Under California law employees must be paid at least twice during each calendar month on the days designated in advance as regular paydays. The misclassification of workers as 1099 is a serious offense and penalties can be severe. Artists classified as 1099 also do not have the same protections about designated paydays and often wait months for payment, also if the company goes bankrupt they are often left unpaid, becoming just another creditor. Highs and Lows In terms of the overall state of the business, how do we stop the self inflicted spiral? Impossible projects with not enough time or money appear on the radar and companies fight over them like hungry piranha. Sometimes they take these jobs for cash flow, sometimes for the "reel", often just because they are not business people evaluating the real cost of doing the work. When the the work is being done under economically flawed conditions the last place left to squeeze is often the artists. This is when you start to see such things as eliminating provided meals on long days, not paying for every hour worked or ignoring labor laws regarding overtime, forcing vacations, mandating unpaid time off, taking months to pay... etc. The need for seamless, high quality visual effects is at an all time high, in every area of the business. One example, the Netflix reborn series "Arrested Development" - not a show that one would think of as a visual effect show, had 850 visual effects shots! From YouTube to IMAX films and everything in-between the visual effects business should be on a dizzying high, instead we have allowed ourselves to be left fighting over scraps. Someone is making record profits from our work... while we have artists in our ranks showering at a gym and sleeping on couches. Note: Photos are by Jeff Heusser and do not feature Victor.Several university professors say the federal government is going to have to boost research funding in order to replace data from the long form census, after the survey becomes voluntary in 2011. Ellen Goddard, who researches rural economies at the University of Alberta told the Canadian Press that academics will be forced to seek grants to fund private alternatives to the census. “We will be forced to try and find bigger research grants somehow and it’s not clear how that’s going to happen,” she said. A spokesperson for the Canadian Association of University Teachers added that “in a sense it is not really saving the federal government a lot of money... it’s adding more costs to universities and colleges.” The professors are concerned that the making the long form voluntary threatens its reliability as a research tool. In a written statement to Canadian Press, Industry Minister Tony Clement’s office neither confirmed nor denied that more funding would be coming. “The government finances researchers and data purchases through granting councils based on the merit of specific research proposals. This remains our policy,” the statement read.MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin announces resignation after backlash COLUMBIA - MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin announced Monday he would resign at the end of this year. This came just six hours after Tim Wolfe resigned as UM System president. Loftin said he would transition into a new job at the university that deals with research, effective Jan. 1, 2016. “I sincerely wish it was different, but events are such that the best course of action for the university at this time is for me to resign,” Loftin said in a news release from the UM System. Loftin has been MU's chancellor since February 2014 and is the former chancellor of Texas A&M. Nine University of Missouri deans called for Loftin's resignation in a letter sent Monday to Wolfe and the Board of Curators. They include the deans of the College of Education, School of Health Professions, School of Journalism, School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Law, Truman School of Public Affairs, Sinclair School of Nursing, College of Arts and Science, and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Twenty-six members of MU's English Department gave a vote of no confidence in Loftin's leadership during a meeting on Nov. 4. Loftin has been under fire for his handling of graduate student rights and the university's relationship with Planned Parenthood. He was also criticized by students, faculty and staff who said his leadership in the wake of racial tensions on campus was unsatisfactory. Last week, the group Concerned Student 1950 issued a list of demands to the UM System that included the removal of Wolfe from office, as well as a new amendment to UM System policies that would allow "a collective of students, staff, and faculty of diverse backgrounds" to have a role in selecting future presidents and chancellors. The UM System stated it would implement a series of initiatives within the next 90 days that will address the racial climate on its four campuses. These include: The creation of a new position for a Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Officer within the UM System A review of UM System policies regarding staff and student conduct Additional support for students, faculty and staff who have “experienced discrimination and disparate treatment” Additional support for the hiring and retention of diverse faculty and staff The UM System also announced the creation of system-wide and campus-based diversity, inclusion and equity task forces, as well as an education training program for holders of the university’s top leadership positions. The UM System said it will continue a review of student mental health services and resources.LATEST: 'Up to 18,000 properties affected by taniwha tax' Auckland’s so-called “taniwha tax’ is the topic of a discussion forum being held in Auckland this Wednesday. It is being held by the Auckland Property Investors’ Association, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Democracy Action and New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. (See report attached below) It features a briefing paper about Auckland Council’s new Mana Whenua rules – requiring anyone seeking resource or building consents to seek reports from iwi about what Auckland Council staff call “metaphysical” heritage. “The report will reveal to the public what some of New Zealand’s best known corporations have been saying behind closed doors, and what their PR departments may not want you to know,” is the teaser for the forum. NZ Taxpayers' Union executive director Jordan Williams says the problem is not about consultation but about the assessments that may be required. He says they cost householders about $4000 each and more for corporations. “Auckland Council says few are being required. The trouble is, they tell applicants they must go and ask iwi if they are required. “They not only cost money but can also take weeks and months for the reports to be completed. “We’ve gone through many of the submissions to the council’s long-term plan which highlight the issues. “Even the Archaeological Association says they are not necessary to protect heritage. “It’s all based around make-believe. You could substitute the word taniwha with Easter bunny.” The forum will be held on level 9 of the Crombie Lockwood tower at 191 Queen St at 10.30am tomorrow (Wednesday). RAW DATA: Auckland 'Taniwha Tax' briefing paper (PDF here)Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time spoke about her country's persecuted Rohingya Muslims, saying that the sensitive issue must be addressed "very, very carefully." When asked if the Rohingya Muslim community should be given citizenship, she said: "The government is now verifying the citizenship status under the 1982 citizenship law. I think they should go about it very quickly and very transparently and then decide what the next steps in the process should be." She told the Washington Post via a telephone interview that Myanmar has many minorities and that she is always "talking up for the right of minorities and peace and harmony and for equality and so on and so on...." Aung said the protection of rights of minorities is an issue which should be addressed very, very carefully, and as quickly and effectively as possible, adding that the government was not doing enough about the issue. When pressed further on what she meant by "very, very carefully," she replied: "It just means that it is such a sensitive issue and there are so many racial and religious groups, that whatever we do to one group may have an impact on other groups as well. So this is an extremely complex situation, and not something that can be resolved overnight." Aung, who is the chair of the National League for Democracy, had been under house arrest in Myanmar since early 1990s. She was released in 2010 and now sits as an opposition member of parliament in Myanmar. While highlighting her two decades of fight against the military regime in Myanmar, BBC news recently noted her continued silence over Rohingya Muslims, who live in Rakhine State, near the western border with Bangladesh. The plight of Ronhingya Muslims hit worldwide news headlines after they were found stranded on boats fleeing for a better life in other South East Asian countries. Aung's supporters have said that her silence on the issue does not mean she does not care about the Rohingyas, but it has more to do with politics, BBC reported. Myanmar's presidential elections are due to be held in November 2015. She is now carefully choosing her battles, some observers have noted. BBC highlighted that by defending the Rohingya community, Aung would "immediately put herself at odds with powerful Buddhist nationalist groups, potentially changing the dynamics of this year's all important general election." To make any political headway, she needs the support of the monks and a solid claim to be patriotically defending the Buddhist state, BBC said. There is already debate whether Aung will be able to run for president as a provision in the 2008 constitution bars anyone whose spouse or children is an overseas citizen from leading the country. The Nobel laureate's late husband and her two sons are British nationals.A multiple choice question for you: Did the stimulus a) work; b) fail; c) end up locked in an unexpected battle with the massive anti-stimulus that's ripped through the states? Most people would choose "a" or "b" (though I'd say "a" has the better of it). They probably haven't heard of "c." But ask Bruce Bartlett, a conservative economist who worked for Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Jack Kemp, and you'll hear all about it. "When the history of the current crisis is written, much of the blame will be placed on the sharp fiscal contraction of state and local governments," he says. "I think economists will view this as a preventable error equivalent to the Fed's passive shrinkage of the money supply in the early 1930s." Take my home state of California, with an unemployment rate of more than 12 percent. We need the government to help create jobs, and quick. But instead, Sacramento is raising taxes and cutting services. That's like bailing water into the boat rather than out. The Golden State has its reasons. Its budget is in terrible shape, and the constitution doesn't allow officials to run deficits. But in an effort to do right by the numbers, they're doing wrong by the economy. And they're not alone. Some 46 states are facing budget gaps that will require them to cut spending or raise taxes. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that in 2011, the states will have to come up with a total of $180 billion. These budget shortfalls are the equivalent of a massive anti-stimulus, which some experts believe has overwhelmed the $787 billion stimulus passed by the federal government in 2009. The argument goes to the very role of stimulus in the economy. People understand perfectly well that boom-time economies seem better than they really are. But the reverse is true for busts: They're generally worse than they need to be. In a downturn like the one we're in, there's idle labor and productive capacity (people, machines, shop floors, etc.) that could be working, but isn't. That's because the economic shock of 2007 left businesses and families cowering. Uncertain about the future, they spend less now. The role of the government is to step up and keep the economy moving until consumer confidence returns. That's what the federal stimulus was supposed to do. It might have been too small, and there's plenty to argue over in its composition, but analysts say it did essentially what it promised: IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisers and Moody's Economy.com all estimate it created around 2.5 million jobs. The problem is that it wasn't alone. Unlike the federal government, 49 of 50 states must balance their budgets (the exception is Vermont). So when the economy crashed in 2007, they went down with it. First, tax revenue dried up because residents lost jobs. Second, expenses went up as more unemployed people needed help. The states with the most responsible budget practices had reserve funds and tricks to hold them over for a year, and maybe even two. Three years in, they're all up against the wall. And because they cannot run deficits to hold them over until their economies improve, they're cutting services and raising taxes. Using the data for 2009 and 2010, and then projecting for 2011 and 2012, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities expects the total state shortfall will reach $610 billion. Because some of the federal stimulus dollars were saved rather than spent, the effective stimulus we've had has been less than the $789 billion that's often touted. It might even be less than $610 billion shortfall in the states. Which would mean the anti-stimulus overwhelmed the stimulus. Or, you could look at it in reverse: Nick Johnson, who directs the State Fiscal Project at CBPP, says that "the effect of the federal stimulus was to wipe out the negative effect of the state contraction." Either way, the assumption that total government spending has leapt up to counter the recession might be wrong. Worse, the federal stimulus money is going to thin dramatically this year, but the state budget problems could grow. And with unemployment sitting stubbornly at 9.7 percent, we're not in any shape to let the federal stimulus peter out and leave the state anti-stimulus to drag us down. That means that the federal government has to step in with aid for the states. The Obama administration has asked for about $50 billion for 2011, but experts say states really need about twice that. The trick, however, is that you don't want to reward bad budget practices under the cover of mitigating an economic disaster. And helping states solely on the size of their budget holes would do exactly that. All things being equal, a fiscally responsible state would get less than a fiscally irresponsible state. The best idea I heard for getting around this was to apportion the aid based on labor conditions. In general, whether unemployment is 4 percent (as in North Dakota) or 14 percent (as in Michigan) has less to do with state government than broader economic factors. If you tied the aid to, say, payroll data, you could help the states hit hardest by the economic storm while at least partially rewarding the states who didn't save for a rainy day. Finally, state and local aid happens to be an uncommonly effective form of stimulus. The difficulty with most stimulus spending is that not all of it gets spent. Tax breaks, for instance, often get saved. Mark Zandi, the chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, estimates that cutting the corporate tax rate gets you only 32 cents in stimulus for every dollar you spend on it. That's not the case with state and local aid. When you're plugging state budget gaps, you know that money will be spent, because it was being spent before, and usually on something that the state's residents actually wanted. Zandi estimates that every dollar spent on it actually gets you $1.41 in stimulus. It's the best anti-anti-stimulus you could ask for.As you might have already guessed based on some of my previous posts, I love dealing with the GBA and all of the hardware that goes into it. But one of the most interesting and perhaps underused peripherals for the GBA was the Wireless Adapter, which could be bought either as it’s own unit or with Pokemon Fire Red or Leaf Green. It worked on a select few titles which included the former titles plus Pokemon Emerald, the NES Classics for wireless multiplayer, and a few other games. These days, most emulators for the GBA support the wireless adapter, but one of the things which has been missing for quite a while has been the actual multiboot firmware which the wireless adapter transfers to the GBA at boot. Most people never saw this, unless they powered on their GBA without a cart, but with the wireless adapter attached, activating the cart’s multibooting capabilities. What most people called a “secret menu” is one of the small features of the adapter which allowed you to transmit games to other GBAs with wireless adapters, essentially the equivalent of the NDS’s Download Play. Why is this firmware so important? Well, considering it went undumped for so long it wasn’t strictly all that important, however it does provide some functionality to emulators which otherwise would have never happened, specifically for the NES Classic games. These games allowed you to let someone else play a NES game by transmitting it over wireless, and this menu was used for this purpose. The other reason, and my main reason for dumping it, was research. Firmwares like this are far and few between, we already have very few games which use the wireless adapter, and adding another title to the list (especially one completely dedicated to the wireless adapter itself) is great for research. So how did I go about dumping this exactly? Well, it actually started several months ago when I realized that this menu hadn’t been dumped, and as such I searched around to see if anyone had made a multiboot client spoofer to dump these downloadable binaries. I managed to find an ancient link to “mbdumper”, a program made by Loopy (who now does 3DS capture cards I believe). His program worked for Gamecube multiboots such as the Colloseum Demo WSHMKR Jirachi distribution program. However, it did not work at all for my wireless adapter or other multiboot programs I tested against, although Loopy’s program did end up helping later on. For a while though, I decided I didn’t want to go through the hassle of making a dumper myself. A few days ago I remembered that I had wanted to do this for a while, and being motivated by the Lanette Time Capsule project I decided to implement some basic serial IO to try and spoof a Pokemon trade. But alas, I got distracted and ended up making a multiboot dumper myself. It took a while, but I eventually managed to get a program up and going which could dump any standard multiboot program using an EZ Flash IV flash cartridge. The program itself (source here) almost fully implements the standard multiboot slave protocol, however the difference is in the fact that I also happened to store the program in RAM, and once decrypted, onto the EZ IV’s SD card as a file able to be ran in an emulator. However, I ran into a slight problem: The Wireless Adapter, being the pain it is, happened to be the only peripheral (outside of unofficial peripherals) to implement the 32-bit “normal” serial IO multiboot. I had implemented the 16-bit “multi” SIO multiboot. No fun. So naturally, I was back to floor 0, kinda. I had to reimplement a 32-bit serial exchange function, and from there adjust the protocol to follow proper. Lucky for me though, libgba happened to have XComms, a section of the library which used 32-bit SIO to talk over the old XBoo cables. So the implementation there was actually already done. From there though, it took quite a while to get my wireless adapter to even talk to me at all. I was able to read out what it was saying, but it would promply quit multiboot for some reason. What I needed was my end to send a 0x7202, and in return, get a 0x6102. However, it just sent 15 0x6200′s and then quit. No fun. I eventually figured out that the 32-bit protocol actually has the slave device shift it’s replies to the top half of the 32 bits, so I would send 0x72020000, and in return, get 0x72026102 (their reply shifted on top of mine). Although, with the wireless adapter, the master doesn’t have my reply shifted on top of theirs due to how they implement the serial, so we just get 0x6102 in return. However, another problem arose, and during the 0x60-long header exchange, it would also stop talking. I eventually figured out that this was a timeout issue, and that I needed to stop printing things for it to pass. Several more issues like this later, and my program finally works! Most of the mistakes were either timing or not adjusting things to the 32-bit protocol (certain replies and keys differ between different multiboot modes). The result? A completely emulatable binary of the wireless adapter firmware: Since this is an ancient firmware anyhow, I decided I’d put up downloads to this firmware that you can take a look at. The name I dubbed this firmware was rfu_firm.mb, due to the wireless adapter being named RFU internally (guessing it stands for Radio Frequency Unit). The decrypted binary can be found here. This binary cannot be directly emulated due to it’s polling of the link port for a post-boot check. A binary with that check patched out can be found here.Dynamic Witnesses for Static Type Errors (or, ill-typed programs usually go wrong) by Eric L. Seidel, Ranjit Jhala, Westley Weimer: Static type errors are a common stumbling block for newcomers to typed functional languages. We present a dynamic approach to explaining type errors by generating counterexample witness inputs that illustrate how an ill-typed program goes wrong. First, given an ill-typed function, we symbolically execute the body to dynamically synthesize witness values that can make the program go wrong. We prove that our procedure synthesizes general witnesses in that if a witness is found, then for all inhabited input types, there exist values that can make the function go wrong. Second, we show how to extend the above procedure to produce a reduction graph that can be used to interactively visualize and debug witness executions. Third, we evaluate our approach on two data sets comprising over 4,500 ill-typed student programs. Our technique is able to generate witnesses for 88% of the programs, and our reduction graph yields small counterexamples for 81% of the witnesses. Sounds like a great idea to make type systems more accessible, particularly for beginners. The current limitations are described the discussion, section 54: There are, of course, drawbacks to our approach. Four that stand out are: (1) coverage limits due to random generation, (2) the inability to handle certain instances of infinite types, (3) dealing with an explosion in the size of generated traces, and (4) handling ad-hoc polymorphism. It's also not clear whether this would produce proper witnesses for violations of higher kinded types or other more sophisticated uses of type systems. There are plenty of examples where invariants are encoded in types, eg. lightweight static capabilities.FCC hits Hilton with fine over WiFi jamming probe The Federal Communications Commission has proposed that Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. be hit with a $25,000 fine for reportedly obstructing a probe into whether it was jamming guests’ WiFi hotspots. In addition, the FCC has ordered Hilton to “immediately provide essential information” detailing its WiFI practices, and has threatened to increase the penalties if the company delays or obstructs the process in any way. The FCC detailed the legal matter today. According to a statement, the FCC says it received a complaint about a Hilton property located in Anaheim, California, which was reportedly blocking guests’ WiFi hotspots and instead charging $500 to access the hotel’s own WiFi network. This is only one of multiple similar complaints the commission says it has received. Following the initial complaint, which was received in August of last year, the FCC sent Hilton a letter of inquiry in November 2014 about, among other things, “specifics regarding Wi-Fi management practices.” About a year passed without Hilton providing the data, according to the commission. This isn’t the first instance of alleged (and confirmed) WiFi blocking actions by companies charging outrageous access fees for its own WiFi. Marriott, for example, was previously hit with a massive fine for similar actions. In January of this year, the FCC issued an advisory on the matter that made it very clear hotels aren’t allowed to jam guests’ WiFi hotspots. SOURCE: FCCSteven Melendez and Amanda Lynch of New York Theatre Ballet in Antony Tudor's DARK ELEGIES (Photo: Dariel Sneed) A beloved New York City institution is losing its home after 34 years, its impending demise another reminder that this world capital of arts and culture has become inhospitable to all but the behemoths. The small but illustrious New York Theatre Ballet, which runs a school and outreach program and rehearses its company of 12 dancers on the fifth floor of the parish house of the Madison Avenue Baptist Church at 30 East 31st Street, has been given until September 30th to move out. The church has sold the property to an unnamed buyer who intends to demolish the historic building and, presumably, erect a skyscraper of the variety ubiquitous to Manhattan. The historic Madison Avenue Baptist Church parish house at 30 East 31st Street, built in 1906, home to non-profit organizations including New York Theatre Ballet. (Photo courtesy New York Theatre Ballet) This sudden development is a calamity for this non-profit which, for over 30 years, has brought a highly original mix of classical and modern programming to New York audiences at ticket prices a third to a half of what it costs to see comparable performances around the city. Dance critic Deborah Jowitt observed: "We have two world-class ballet companies in New York. It's fortunate that we also have a small one as enterprising as New York Theatre Ballet to acquaint us with works we might not otherwise discover and to present major ones that we don't see often enough." New York Times critic Brian Seibert commended the company for "producing new works as good as -- and often better than -- its bigger siblings," and praised its "unpretentious dancers and high-class repertory." The company already has 50 performances contracted this year, including a national tour in March and April of 2014 -- all one-night stands in small cities -- and over 100 children registered in its school, which also provides scholarships, tutoring and other support services for homeless and at-risk youth. The only school in the city that offers the highly regarded Cecchetti method of training, New York Theatre Ballet has prepared several generations of city kids for professional careers in dance and theatre; currently, three of its students are appearing in notable plays around the city: Izzy Hanson Johnston in Scarcity at the Cherry Lane, Benjamin Levine in Machine at the Armory and Victor Rosario in The Tempest at the Delacorte. "The Company's mission is unique in the entire dance world," maintains Sarah Frank, who chairs New York Theatre Ballet's board of directors, "with its remarkable restorations of chamber ballet masterpieces, juxtaposed with new works from emerging choreographers, and its season of hour-long ballets to introduce children to dance and live performance. We do all this while maintaining affordable ticket prices. In a city that loves the arts and recognizes how important they are to the fabric of all of our lives, the idea that we would not have a home to continue our work is unthinkable." With the New York mayoral election just around the corner, candidates are noisily distancing themselves from the incumbent, charging him with ignoring the needs of the poor and the middle class. The Bloomberg administration's commitment to the cultural life of the city has perhaps been most clearly demonstrated by the recent earmarking of $50 million in city funds for the construction of a luxurious, 170,000-square-foot arts complex, incongruously named the "Culture Shed," to be built by a new organization that lacks a track record but is backed and managed by the mayor's friends. The unprecedented size of this gift has raised eyebrows and concerns that already-tight city funding for existing arts organizations, with grants typically on the order of thousands or at most tens of thousands of dollars, will further shrink. Will the next mayor have the foresight and taste to nurture the smaller cultural gems like New York Theatre Ballet, or will he or she continue to fund grandiose, ego-boosting projects, allowing sky-high real estate costs to drive out all but the titans of the performing arts world? Diana Byer, founder and Artistic Director of New York Theatre Ballet, has no time to find out.This month's highlight city is SUPERNOVA There will be several mob types running, city decorations and lottery droid. The city cantina will be open for you to easily obtain mind and doctor buffs. Please use the city entertainer group. If another group is needed to accommodate the number of participants, one will be provided. Please remember to tip the city entertainers and doctors as they are so graciously setting up to help. Please keep in mind: If you pop into SUPERNOVA prior to the system announcement and start killing mobs, you will be teleported to the center of town and frozen for the duration of the event. You will not be able to talk your way out of it. You may bring only one (1) character per person. No dual boxing. If you are caught dual boxing, your characters will be teleported to the center of town and frozen for the duration of the event and any loot you have obtained will be deleted. Normal rules of engagement apply with regard to overt/special forces players. Please choose your character accordingly. Additional information will be provided in game. The above is to ensure that the event is fair to all participants.Details Since the modern anti-globalization movement kicked off with the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, a new generation has been engaging in anti-capitalist direct action. Its aims, politics, lifestyles, and tactics grow directly out of the autonomous social movements that emerged in Europe from the 1970s through the mid-1990s. In fact, today's infamous "Black Blocs" are the direct descendants of the European "Autonomen." But these important historical connections are rarely noted, and never understood. The Subversion of Politics sets the record straight, filling in the gaps between the momentous events of 1968 and 1999. Katsiaficas presents the protagonists of social revolt—Italian feminists, squatters, disarmament and anti-nuclear activists, punk rockers, and anti-fascist street fighters—in a compelling and sympathetic light. At the same time, he offers a work of great critical depth, drawing from these political practices a new theory of freedom and autonomy that redefines the parameters of the political itself. George Katsiaficas—Fulbright fellow, former student of Herbert Marcuse, and long-time activist—is Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts. Author or editor of more than 10 books, he is writing a book on the Gwangju Uprising and East Asian social movements. "...a scholarly gem which is indispensable reading for anyone interested in how social change occurs, especially in the advanced industrial countries." —Carl Boggs, National University "This book is an important corrective to the all-too-common view that global capitalism is triumphant, that there is no basis for opposing the values it promotes." —Barbara Epstein, University of California at Santa Cruz "This elegantly and lively account has been meticulously researched and reveals new antisystemic forms of participatory democracy for achieving a greater individual and community control over everyday life. Thus the book's most notable value is to offer us some perspective on how to limit the damaging effects of global capitalism on our lives."—Susanne Peters, University of Giessen "AK Press's republication of George Katsiaficas's The Subversion of Politics comes at a good moment: when autonomous social movements are redefining the politics of the Americas from Mexico to Argentina. Katsiaficas's book is a unique history of autonomists in Italy, Germany and other parts Europe from the 1970s on. It affords a better understanding of the similarities (and differences) between the autonomy of the American and European movements. It is a good place to think and re-think the anti-party politics of the future."—George Caffentzis, Midnight Notes CollectiveFanfiction is everywhere. It's on independent websites. It's on journal sites. You can probably find some in the comments of comics discussion boards. And there's almost certainly more of it being produced than any of its source material. Even the smallest fandom has a mountain of it, and most comic book readers are familiar with fan-scripted stories about copyrighted characters, which range vastly in quality, continuity, and plausibility. Some companies have taken legal, if mostly futile, action to shut down fan fiction in its various forms. The stance of most publishers, however, is determined ignorance. They don't know about it. They don't think about it. They don't have an opinion about it. What people do on dreamwidth or LiveJournal is their own business, and they don't seem to even bother looking at it. It's a reasonable compromise, but with the shrinking comic book market and the growing journaling site population, it almost feels like a missed opportunity. Is it time for a DCwidth? Or a MarveLJ? Perhaps the current comic book companies can find a way to embrace and profit off fanfiction enthusiasm.The idea isn't as crazy as it seems. With digital comics finally approaching the runway for take-off (or at least circling the runway), comic book companies are at least acknowledging their new, online overlords. And Diane Nelson, DC Entertainment President, has a history of sympathy for fanfic. When she was managing the sprawling Harry Potter properties, she allowed fan fiction -- even adult fan fiction -- to flourish online, as long as its poster stated clearly that it was not an official Harry Potter product. Talk to creators, or even executives, and you're likely to find amused -- if unofficial -- acknowledgment of fan fiction and fan art. Meanwhile, journal sites and fan fiction aggregation sites are selling ad space for people reading about DC and Marvel's characters. The authors of the fiction aren't making money, but someone is, and that someone could be the official companies. There would be many advantages to bringing fan fiction writers into the fold. People are already producing an astonishing amount of work for no money at all. How much more work would they do if they got some acknowledgment from official creators? And how much work, on top of that, would they do if they had (likely delusional) hopes of having their talents or popularity get them an official job at a comic book company? There wouldn't be any question about prosecuting the fans, either. Provided a strong enough user agreement were in place, users would be 'working' for the comic book company, just like current fans are 'working' for insanejournal or fanfiction.net. There are also, of course, be many roadblocks in the way of such a step. When posting a piece of fan fiction in current journal sites, fans have no expectation of compensation or copyright. If they're posting work done on the site of the official company, they'd expect something more. To manage those expectations, the companies would have to have fans to agree to give up any intellectual or financial claim to their own work the moment they sign up for an account. Although regular fan fiction writers implicitly do the same, an explicit agreement can breed ill will. Although strict agreements like that may be problematic for public relations, managing a sprawling site filled with user-generated content would be even harder. Nelson favored allowing 'adult' Harry Potter fan fiction online, but having it at unofficial sites allowed the company to retain the ability to turn a blind eye to the more extreme stuff. DC, Marvel, and other publishers could do the same to their own sites, but no matter what they did, it would have the potential to turn into a stack of publicity problems. Firm censorship would allow outsiders to decry the kind of stuff the company allowed online. Throwing some out would invite comparisons between different kinds of fiction, and questions about why one kind was thrown out while another was left in. If nothing else, the publisher would have to edit out crossovers with other copyrighted characters. Once the company starts culling the herd, in any way, the open internet becomes more attractive than the official version. A relative absence of restrictions is what the open internet had to offer in the first place, and any restrictions at all will send a good portion running back to it. There's no question that the prospect of bringing fan fiction writers in out of the cold will be a huge headache for the person unfortunate enough to be put in charge of the project. It combines technical and legal challenges with the wrangling of thousands of different writers who happen to be obsessive fans. But obsessive fans are also obsessive readers, and obsessive readers will keep coming back to the site to write for free and read for fun. If executed expertly, that might be worth the headache.Neurotoxicants, Carcinogens and you! By General Maddox. (Real News Australia) Independent studies from scientists around the world have been screaming out for years about the poisons we’re exposed to on a daily basis. But they’ve those screams have fallen on deaf ears. The toxic substances we come in contact with in our day to day lives are slowly poisoning us and naturopaths, homeopaths, dieticians and the alternative media have all been covering it and advising us on how to avoid them for many years now. Unfortunately most people don’t go to a naturopath or a homeopath or even bother to look for an alternative to the main stream media. Well, we’re in luck. Every now and again a nugget of truth makes its way to the corporate controlled media and in front of millions of people around the world. Recently, CNN published a piece called “Putting the next generation of brains in danger“. Here’s an excerpt… Dr. Philip Landrigan at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Dr. Philippe Grandjean from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, authors of the review published Friday in The Lancet Neurology journal, say the news is so troubling they are calling for a worldwide overhaul of the regulatory process in order to protect children’s brains. The researchers named these five toxic substances as neurotoxicants. Lead, methylmercury, arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and toluene. A neurotoxicants is a substance that impacts brain development and can cause a number of neurodevelopmental disabilities including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, dyslexia and other cognitive damage according to the researchers. Dr. Landrigan and Dr
run by billionaire oligarch Viktor Rashnikov. Magnitogorsk has long been a proud hockey city: Evgeni Malkin grew up within walking distance of the arena, Nikolai Kulemin also came up through the city’s youth program, and the team won a number of championships in old iterations of Russian hockey leagues. Now, Metallurg is one of the KHL’s biggest spenders, with the league’s third-highest payroll after SKA Saint Petersburg and Ak Bars Kazan. It’s also a franchise willing to experiment with North American coaches. Dave King was brought on in 2005-06, and Paul Maurice took the job during last year’s lockout-shortened NHL season, which sent many players overseas. After a season, Maurice decided not to return, and Keenan, then working for NBC Sports during the playoffs, got a call about the position. He rang Maurice and grilled him for information about the team — its facilities, personnel, players, etc. — then he flew over to see for himself. ♦♦♦ “I found all his history, all his stories,” said Velichkin, explaining the Keenan hire. “I read everything about him, and I analyzed everything, and then gave it to my boss, the president of the club, Mr. Viktor Rashnikov. When the president read all my materials, he said, ‘Oh, I like it.'” If Velichkin really had found all of these stories, he must have known that as a young man, Keenan had worked his way up through the coaching ranks, with no assignment too small. (At one point, he patrolled the practices of a high school girls’ swim team.) Velichkin would understand just how much of Keenan’s calculated persona was influenced by Bowman, his idol, who gave Keenan that AHL Rochester Americans job when Bowman was the Sabres coach and GM. (“You hated him for 364 days a year,” one of Bowman’s former players, Steve Shutt, said about Bowman. “And on the 365th day you collected your Stanley Cup rings.”) Velichkin would have no doubt taken note of Keenan’s early successes: the championships in college, junior, and minor league hockey; the two trips to the Stanley Cup final with the Philadelphia Flyers in his first three seasons; the Canada Cup wins in 1987 and 1991; another Cup final with Chicago; and the seven-game series win over Vancouver in 1994 that gave the Rangers their first championship in more than half a century. But he’d also have read these sorts of takes: “The 36-year-old Keenan emanates all the color and warmth of a bottle of seltzer fresh from the refrigerator.” (1985.) “The majority of Keenan’s players would like to run him down with a Zamboni.” (1990.) “He tears professional hockey teams apart and puts them back together, and he does it with all the warmth and tenderness of one of those guys who club baby seals.” (1995.) And those were just from Sports Illustrated alone! In the ’80s, players on his Philadelphia Flyers and Canada Cup teams referred to Keenan as “Adolf” and “the Führer.” Denis Savard vowed to himself he wouldn’t let Keenan “break” him again. Keenan alienated Brett Hull, Pavel Bure, and Trevor Linden, among others. His Stanley Cup win with the Rangers came in his first and last season with the franchise; his subsequent exit — he fled the remaining four years on his contract — was so swift and acrimonious that he never even spent his allotted day with the Cup. Even players with whom he remains friendly, like Jeremy Roenick, remember Keenan as “a tyrant, a schoolyard bully, an oldschool coach who tried to motivate players through intimidation, belittlement and fear.” In his memoir, J.R., Roenick recalls some of Keenan’s tactics from back in the day: Wanting to know which players had broken curfew, he’d give a bellhop a Blackhawks hat and have him ask players to autograph it as they came in during the wee hours. Later, he’d take note of the names. (This is straight out of Bowman’s playbook: He’d ask his players for a light so he could check out which bars their matchbooks came from.) Those like Eddie Olczyk, whose life Keenan made miserable during the Rangers’ ’94 Cup season, remember him less charitably. “The belittling, the berating, the degrading way that he treated a lot of guys, whether it was one-on-one or, probably more disrespectfully, in front of the guys, is what really bothered me,” Olczyk said. “At the end of the day, was it calculated? Absolutely. Did he have a hand in us winning? Absolutely. But I think we would have won even if he didn’t have to be the way he was with certain guys.” Looking back now, Keenan stopped short of saying he would have done things differently. “I think the best way for me to summarize it is that my principles of coaching have never changed,” he said, “but the methodology has to change over time.” He says that as he’s evolved, so have the players themselves; they’re more coddled in some ways, but less entitled in others, particularly in comparison to some of the high-profile stars with whom he feuded in the ’90s. “We went through a tradition in the NHL,” he says, “where the players were very difficult to coach because they were making excessive amounts of money. And I used to tell them, ‘Just because you make a lot of money doesn’t make you really smart, or it doesn’t make you a really good hockey player. You’ve got to learn your craft, and work at your craft.'” Keenan, though, chased the money, too, as well as the control. He didn’t just want to coach; he wanted to pick and choose players and make trades. There was barely enough time in the day. In 1995, he told Gary Smith, “Humans overrate sleep. I’ve trained myself to sleep from two to six.” But he now admits that his constant insistence on playing the roles of both general manager and coach simultaneously — as he did in St. Louis, Chicago, and Florida — might not have been ideal. “It was all-consuming,” he said. “I had no life — zero. I don’t know how I even did it. Seriously — my life was like, get home from a game at one or two in the morning, and then I’d be on the road driving to the stadium and talking on the car phone with the scouts as I was driving at like 6:30. I now think back to it and I’m like, what … did you do? It wasn’t that tough, but it was just so consuming that I probably … after a while, I know I was getting burnt out, and I didn’t do either job justice.” In 20 seasons, Keenan worked for eight different teams, none for more than four years. After he was let go by Calgary, he turned to television. It was strange to see him on NBC Sports, grinning and joking around with Roenick, when you were used to watching him glare from the bench. Velichkin said when Keenan got to Magnitogorsk, the coach had very few questions, having prepped himself thoroughly before arriving. “Just the experience of seeing parts of this country — like, this is real Russia here,” Keenan said. “This isn’t Moscow. This is real Russia, where most of these people don’t speak English, and this is how they live. It’s hardworking people.” ♦♦♦ On weekdays, as factory workers bustle below, the massive statue of Vladimir Lenin outside the main gates of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works almost passes for fatherly. It presides over the dutiful chaos like a proud patriarch, one arm outstretched, as if to hold the front door open so all the kids can file inside to wash up for dinner. When I stood at the figure’s impressive stone base on a Saturday morning, though, the surrounding plaza was mostly empty. The statue, with its stone cloak draped off a stiff elbow, and its resolute middle-distance stare, now looked more like a matador alone in a ring — a giant Bolshevik in a bolero, just waiting for the bull. Behind me, the two Russian locals who had volunteered to be my ad hoc tour guides regarded Lenin and made visual comparisons of their own. One of them, Pavel Zaitsev, was a gracious and gregarious play-by-play announcer for Metallurg’s local TV affiliate. He spoke perfect English and routinely apologized that it wasn’t better. The other, Vladimir Letuchev, had been introduced to me as “a businessman” and “a friend of the club” the first time we met inside an arena office, and much about him remained cheerfully unclear. “I’m like a dog” was how he had described himself through a translator that day. “I can’t speak English, but I can understand.” I could do neither with Russian. But as Vladimir ashed his cigarette and made small talk with Pavel, the two of them squinting up through the spitting snowflakes at the former Soviet leader’s looming likeness, I caught a few familiar words that made me perk up. “He says,” Pavel relayed, “‘Doesn’t Mike Keenan sort of resemble Lenin?'” I was grateful for the tour, because my first attempt to see the city hadn’t exactly gone well. It started with a hopeless conversation with a well-meaning hotel receptionist that ended when she typed something into Google Translate, turned the screen to me, and nodded politely as I read the word “DANGER.” Things progressed from there. I had ended up walking along a stretch of road adjacent to the river that featured a surprising number of car dealerships, a massive nightclub I originally thought was a furniture store, lots of apartment buildings, an old billboard for the Russian Super League and one for a nearby ski resort also owned by Rashnikov, and finally, next to what appeared to be a circus venue, a closed-for-the-season amusement park with dead-eyed elephant rides and apocalyptic-looking swans. Vladimir opened the front door of his Chevy TrailBlazer for me. “Big American car!” he boasted. He was wearing a Sochi 2014 sweatshirt, a jacket with an American flag embroidered onto one bicep, and a baseball hat featuring a bald eagle and another American flag. He said he had bought the hat during a trip to Las Vegas shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. There was a deep permanent imprint in the shape of his heel near the Chevy’s gas pedal. Pavel sat behind us, leaning forward to translate Vladimir’s running commentary as we drove across the Ural River, which runs through Magnitogorsk and separates Europe from Asia. We passed clusters of weathered stand-alone homes and decaying rows of midrise buildings, and based on their proximity to the steelworks, it was easy to imagine the grueling efficiency of the town’s early workers’ daily paths. As the mines flourished (if not necessarily at the rate envisioned by the Soviet functionaries), Magnitogorsk became home to a technical university as well as a teacher’s college. The production was originally intended to serve domestic needs, but as the world tumbled toward war in the late 1930s, Magnitogorsk shifted toward becoming an engine of military supply. Pavel pointed out several municipal buildings as we continued on toward a town square, joking that — in true Russian fashion — they were all called “palaces.” On a soggy plaza, a World War II tank was mounted on top of a carved-out plaque. “The sign says, ‘In the Great Patriotic War every second tank and every third shell was built of our steel,'” Pavel read. “‘Produced at our plant.'” We took a detour down a mining road on our way to see one more monument, Vladimir ignoring various roadblocks as we drove further into work-site territory. Even on a weekend, trains full of rocks rattled past and big yellow trucks with fat wheels prowled the dug-out mountain. The scale of the landscape combined with the basic nature of the operation — essentially, moving earth around — was almost confounding to the senses; I felt like the hand of some giant cosmic toddler was going to reach down, grab one of the bright, chubby trucks, and plow it into a pile of sand. Pavel later told me that Vladimir’s business involved importing those trucks from Belarus. ♦♦♦ One of the first things Keenan did after deciding to coach in Magnitogorsk was make a phone call to an old friend, Mike Pelino. Keenan and Pelino first crossed paths in the late 1970s, when Pelino was a player on the Oshawa Legionaires Junior B team and Keenan was coach. (Keenan was also, at the time, teaching gym classes and coaching swimming and prep-school hockey.) Several years later, Pelino played for Keenan at the University of Toronto, where the team won a Canadian collegiate championship, and in 1991 Keenan made him an assistant coach at the Canada Cup. A decade later, they would pair up behind the bench again with the Florida Panthers, and after that, they both worked on the CBC reality show Making the Cut. Pelino had recently been fired as the coach of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, and before Keenan received the Metallurg offer, the two had been planning to go to Israel that summer to coach Team Canada at the Maccabi Games. “Mike had said, ‘Whenever I get called, or if I ever get called by the NHL again, I’d like to have you come work with me, so I’ll keep you informed if something happens,'” said Pelino, a barrel of a man with lots of smile lines around his eyes. “So he phones me up one day, and he says, ‘Well, there’s a team that wants me to coach them! But it’s in Russia, soooo …'” “He turned to his wife and said, ‘Well, we got a job! … But it’s in Russia,'” Keenan said. “Right off the bat I was excited — I mean, first of all, to have the opportunity to work with Mike again, and now all the sudden Russia,” Pelino said. “But I wanted to think about how it was going to impact my family. If it was just me I’d be like, ‘Yeah! I’m there! Let’s go!’ But my family was completely supportive. I didn’t know how my parents would react, but they were the strongest proponents. My dad’s 82, my mom’s gonna be 80, and I could see them saying, ‘Stay close to us,’ but no — my dad said, ‘No! Go! It’s with Mike!'” “They’re both from the old country, though,” Keenan said, smiling. “His dad’s Croatian and his mom’s Italian.” All of Pelino’s family — wife, kids, parents — have made the trip out to Russia at some point this season; when I caught up with him late last week on the phone, he said his son and wife were in town for a pair of playoff games. Keenan’s daughter Gayla and his sisters visited when the team was on a road trip in Moscow. His wife, Nola, was and has been particularly supportive, as she happens to be something of a Russian history buff. “She’s an American from Maine, but for some reason about 10 years ago she started to read about all these czars and this history,” Keenan said. “She knows more history about Russia than the Russians. It was just a fluke, but when I decided to come here it was: Absolutely.” Keenan and Pelino, along with Swedish goalie coach Tomas Bjuhr, live in the baza, a vestige from the old days of Russian athletics, when training took place year-round and players and staff lived, ate, and hot-tubbed together. Now, the athletes are mostly trusted with their own apartments — most live in the same concierge building in town — but the team-owned baza still stands about a 10-minute drive from the arena. It was rebuilt recently, and resembles the kind of dorm you’d find at a nondescript but state-of-the-art college campus. With their big apartments at the ends of the otherwise empty hallways, the coaches’ living situations are not unlike those of professors during the summer. A fourth coach, Ilya Vorobyov, chooses not to live there. The 39-year-old grew up with a father who played and coached hockey in Russia; Vorobyov’s spent more than enough time in bazas over the years. Both Keenan’s and Pelino’s wives “commute,” as Keenan put it, visiting for weeks at a time but not permanently relocating. When I visited, Pelino’s wife, Kim, had just left after a weeks-long stay, while Nola Keenan, a substitute teacher who splits time between Maine, Canada, and Florida, was around a little bit longer. When the women are not in Magnitogorsk, conditions at the baza devolve ever so slightly, but the coaches do take turns cooking for one another. (“We each have a special,” Keenan said. “I do a chicken special, Mike does, uh … grilled cheese sandwiches …” He trailed off.) I asked Pelino how he’d seen Keenan change over the years. He chose his words carefully. “I think at one point in Mike’s career, he was ‘win at absolutely all costs, whatever it takes,'” he said. “I think now there’s a little more … a different perspective on that. Though that’s still the ultimate goal. But it’s not necessarily as cutthroat or, whatever the word is, as ruthless as it could be.” As we sat in the coach’s office talking, with Vorobyov searching YouTube for Pavel Datsyuk videos, Keenan’s phone started to beep. “Uh-oh!” Pelino hollered. “That’s another neat thing that happens here,” Pelino said. “The way we’re hooked up with the bank, when your credit card gets used, you get a text right away.” “And it dings,” Keenan said. “And so when our wives are in town and use our credit card …” Pelino began, “we get” — he motioned at the phone, and — as if on cue — it dinged again. “She’s at the Metro,” Keenan said. “Have you been to the Metro? It’s like Costco. So that’s what that is.” Vorobyov started describing a Datsyuk clip to him that he wanted to show some players — “This one is all hits, all hits, all hits; it’s when guys go to hit him, and he’s quicker” — but Keenan’s phone dinged again, and his face broke into that trademark Jack Nicholson grin. Soon after, Nola called. “The card went through,” he announced when he hung up, “but they had to do it manually. We’re like, ‘It’s espionage!'” ♦♦♦ Russians do a lot of things really well, but up there in the top three or five would be monuments and saunas. Pavel and Vladimir, ever the thoughtful tour guides, took me to a perfect example of each. First we went to the Rear-Front monument, an enormous work on the bank of the Ural that depicts a steelworker handing a freshly forged sword to a Soviet soldier. The structure is stunning on its own, radiating the ideals of glory and labor and caution and pride, but takes on even larger significance when you learn it’s now considered to be part of a triptych of loosely related monuments that trace the role of the sword through World War II. The others are the iconic, Statue of Liberty–size (and possibly doomed) tribute The Motherland Calls, which rises up in Volgograd to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad, and the Warrior-Liberator statue in Berlin, which depicts a Soviet soldier carrying a German child as a shattered swastika — destroyed by the sword! — lies at his feet. Pavel and I looked over the etched names of World War II soldiers and the eternal flame, lodged inside a star, that burned despite the damp falling snow. Vladimir turned the car around and then got out to have a cigarette. When he finished, he smiled. “Banya!” he announced. “Banya is like church,” Pavel said. “When you are there, no differences matter, and everyone is the same.” We stopped at a market to buy grapes, beer, and nuts — a promising start. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I think my banya mental images were a little too far to the side of “Roman baths.” Instead, we walked in on a little ski chalet of a room, complete with a fire, karaoke-enabled TV, a spread of food, and several coed naked Russians. I was given a little felt hat — “so your hair doesn’t catch on fire,” Vladimir said solemnly — and a ripped piece of floral bedsheet for modesty. After some small talk and sips of tea laced with Russian honey, which I was told was good for the lungs, I lay on a wooden slab with my face pressed into a branch of fragrant pine needles. Vladimir struck me repeatedly with leafy birch tree branches. In his own felt hat, which came to a little curlicue on the top, he looked like a Bad Keebler Elf. Overwhelmed by the plumes of steam, I prayed I wouldn’t pass out on the table. I prayed the same thing as I got the first of three unyielding massages from two friends of Vladimir’s, a husband-wife couple named Andrei and Svetlana. They had apparently studied the practice in India, and they lectured me sternly, in Russian, on the failings of my lymphatic system. “You spend too much time in a chair, don’t you?” Svetlana said accusingly, drawing lines with her fingers across the backs of my thighs, as Pavel, wrapped in a floral sheet and standing off to the side, translated. I made a mental note to exercise more when I got back to the U.S. “Was it coed?” Keenan asked when I mentioned I’d been to the banya a few days later. It was, I said. “You have a bathing suit on?” he asked, alarmed. I did, I half-lied. “Yeah,” he said, relieved. “’Cause Pelino went somewhere like that. And he said it was like going through a car wash!” ♦♦♦ In many ways, coaching in Russia, especially in a place like Magnitogorsk, simplifies everything. Baza, rink, repeat. The winter? Not that bad, because you’re always focusing on hockey. The road trips? Long, to be sure — Metallurg’s first-round playoff opponent, Admiral Vladivostok, was an eight-hour flight away, near the border of North Korea — but balanced out in some ways by the schedule, which is shorter and has more midseason breaks than in the NHL. For someone like Keenan, there are other benefits, too. Here he has no real reputation to precede him; sure, people have heard of “Iron Mike,” but around these parts, that kind of nickname is looked at with respect. “I didn’t know a lot of details,” Evgeny Timkin, a 23-year-old with the team, told me through Igor, the team translator. “I just knew him to be rather popular, with his strong character, his iron character.” Keenan’s to-the-point personality pairs well with Russian sensibilities, and his coaching style — disciplinarian, yet also encouraging of creativity — has suited his Metallurg team. Another of his young players, 21-year-old defenseman Viktor Antipin (January’s KHL Defenseman of the Month), told me Keenan allowed a European style of play. When I relayed that to Timkin, he remarked: “Yes, I agree. And maybe not even European, but maybe sometimes even a Soviet style.” He added, quickly, that of course he had not played in Soviet times himself, but when I mentioned an offensive zone sequence the night before, when Metallurg’s nonstop passing made the team appear to be on the power play while they were actually even strength, he nodded. “That is what I am speaking about,” he said. One team observer I spoke with told me that, having heard about Keenan’s image, he was surprised at how laid-back and “calm” the coach was around the arena and offices. When I asked Velichkin what had surprised him most about his new coach, he said, “He very much likes music and likes singing.” And it’s hard not to think that in some ways, the language barrier might be a good thing. I asked Keenan if he’d picked up any Russian. He shook his head. “You know, I contemplated that,” he said. “And I said, no, I’m not gonna do that, because this is a really young group and English has now been declared as the international language of the world … I first went to Finland coaching Team Canada in the late ’70s and nobody could speak English. Now everybody can speak English there, and the same thing’s gonna happen here in 10 years.” Rather than undermine his authority with flubbed Russian, Keenan conducts his practices in English, same as always. When he needs translations, Vorobyov is there. (As the son of a coach, he’s well-attuned to the cadences of the profession.) Many of the players speak English — some have played in North American leagues, a couple are North American, one is married to a model who spends time in New York and Australia, others learned it in school — but in general, Keenan is otherwise limited. For someone who routinely dealt in the dark arts of manipulative sarcasm and mind games during his days in the NHL, this might be a blessing for everyone. At the very least, it’s made him reconsider some of his old habits. “You don’t even have to finish asking the question,” he said, cutting me off when I started inquiring about how he now thinks about the foreign players he coached decades ago. “Like, boy, are we ever arrogant. No appreciation for the young guys that come over. Here, we have an interpreter helping us. When we go to the grocery store, we’ve got someone to come around. We just throw those kids to the wolves and say, ‘See ya at practice tomorrow.’ They don’t even know what we’re saying.” Don’t mistake Keenan’s lack of Russian, however, for a deficit of cultural interest in the place and its people. He marveled about the way the country has changed over the course of his international hockey career. He likened the women who dress up in high heels and furs just to go to the Magnitogorsk mall to his own working-class parents putting on their finest attire just to have dinner at a friends’ house — those same small signs of proud progress. He loves the travel he’s done while coaching in the KHL. He compared Vladivostok to Vancouver, Zagreb to Prague, and laughed as he mentioned how people park willy-nilly on the sidewalk in Moscow. He described the shock of going from the German autobahn to Russia’s notorious roads. He made me promise to visit the Hermitage Museum when I was in Saint Petersburg. “It’s been a very interesting journey to see some really old cities, thousands of years old,” he said. “Makes you really appreciate this country. Americans and Canadians, we have no perspective — or very little — in terms of that kind of age of cities. Obviously, that didn’t exist in North America.” More recently, he’s watched the unrest in Crimea from all sides. The KHL team Donbass was forced to relocate its playoff games to Bratislava as tensions mounted in its home Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Keenan’s wife, Nola, who had been visiting and was going to extend her stay, decided to return to the U.S. And Vorobyov keeps Keenan and Pelino updated on what the local Russian news broadcasts are saying. “We’ve paid attention to it because Ilya, as you know, can translate for us, and every day we’re asking him about the reports here,” Keenan said. “And I watch CNN at the baza, so it’s interesting to get two perspectives. Putin is a hero right now in Russia, and then you’ve got the perspective from Obama and from the United States, as well as Europe. From a world-politics point of view, it’s fascinating … it makes you wonder what has gone on in history in the past.” Keenan said he hadn’t had any problems in Russia of late, noting that most Russians see Canadians as foes only when it comes to hockey. But even then, people make exceptions if it means their favorite team has a chance to win. “We think about our team as a very bright future,” said Velichkin, the general manager. “We have rather many good young prospective players … [Keenan] pays a lot of attention to the young players. And to my mind, such international work is much, much better than other work in geopolitics. Because this work — this work, here — makes international people from other countries much, much closer.” ♦♦♦ The news was, as usual, playing on TV when I went to the baza for dinner on one of my last nights in Magnitogorsk, but there was nothing about Ukraine; this was November, and the story of the day was a plane crash in relatively nearby Kazan. The elephant in the room was the Yaroslavl crash in 2011 that killed the entire Lokomotiv hockey team, including North American coach Brad McCrimmon. (Ilya Vorobyov’s father, Pyotr, coached Lokomotiv this season but stepped down at the Olympic break and was replaced by Dave King.) Keenan and Pelino agreed they didn’t worry too much during flights — driving freaked them out more. Nola, the kind of sharp-tongued woman you long to sit next to and gossip with at parties, came out of the kitchen with a dinner of chicken and pasta. Red wine was produced and poured into outrageously large glasses. “To the baza!” Keenan toasted. “To the ’gorsk!” added Pelino. As we ate, Keenan turned to his wife and asked her about a book he wanted to recommend. “The one written by an American, his parents were a little off-center and they sort of bought into communism, and he came and worked in this mill?” he prompted. “Behind the Urals by John Scott,” she said, encyclopedically. “That’s the one,” he said. “He came here and lived when this place was just being built, this factory. He talks about people dying trying to build it, freezing to death, and living in little, like, trailers and going to the grocery store and waiting in line and looking for food rations. It really is interesting.” Later, I read Behind the Urals, which I feared might be tedious, in the way so many old-timey primary-source documents are. But I found it sharp and illuminating, like a real-life Catch-22 set in the Soviet Union. John Scott’s spare (and unsparing) descriptions hold up almost eerily well: Of one prisoner-engineer named Tishenko, he writes, “He was not a wordy man. He had been [a] responsible engineer for a Belgian company in the Ukraine before the Revolution. He had had a house of his own, played tennis with the British consul, sent his son to Paris to study music. Now he was old. His hair was white. He had heard a great deal of talk since 1917, and had decided that most of it was worthless.” Scott lives in the worker’s barracks, labors as a welder and ultimately a chemist, meets and marries a Russian woman, and in 1937 is kicked out of Magnitogorsk as an increasingly paranoid Stalin tightens policies on foreigners. (Scott notes the efficiency of the purge.) He patronizes the local corner stores, participates in workplace gossip (and, sometimes, mourning), and at one point enjoys a monthlong earned vacation, complete with wacky travel mishaps. As he flies back to Magnitogorsk, he notes that, “from the air, [it] presented a very different picture from Chelyabinsk or Sverdlovsk … no glistening Socialist city, no shining whitewashed factory buildings.” Because of transportation problems, all the passengers have to get from the airport back to the city by foot. Still, Scott is thrilled to return. He writes: Nevertheless, when we arrived at the crest of the hill and saw Magnitogorsk spread out like a complicated differential geometry problem on a blackboard, crowned by its aura of thick black smoke, everybody in the party felt a distinct sense of pride … Even the least important of the builders, even those who worked under sentence in expiation of alleged crimes, felt that in a very real sense the city was theirs because they had helped to build it. “I love to teach, I love to coach, I like competition and winning, and I like learning,” Keenan said, explaining why he’d come to Magnitogorsk himself. “One of the first things I wanted to tackle and master and get an insight into was the mentality of the Russian hockey player. There’s a great saying I loved in education — that it’s better to understand than to be understood.”Half of American Indians living in native majority areas say they or a family member feel they’ve been treated unfairly by the courts, according to a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It’s a lack of justice that Wind River Reservation residents say they live with every day. Now the tribes are working together to solve the problem. One morning, Northern Arapaho member Rose was sitting at the table with her 14-year-old daughter, Latoya. “I told her to move her hair because she had her hair like this.” Rose shows how Latoya hid her neck and cheek by pulling her hair in front. “Because I noticed something and she went like that and she had marks, hickeys, just completely covering her, even almost on her face.” That’s when Latoya told her mother that she’d been forcibly kissed by a woman from another reservation who was six years older. (Because they’re afraid of retaliation, they asked WPR to use only their middle names.) “At that moment, I saw me in her,” Rose said with tears in her voice, “and there was just nothing I could do for her except let her know, it’s not your fault. It’s okay, I’ll protect you.” She wanted more than anything to protect her daughter because when Rose herself was six, she too was molested by an older girl. Studies show that one in three Native American women are sexually assaulted in their life, but Rose wanted to stop that cycle of abuse. According to an NPR poll, 36 percent of Native Americans living on reservations say they avoid calling the police because of a fear of discrimination. So Rose called tribal police. But they referred her to the FBI since her tribe isn’t qualified to handle felonies. But after an investigation, Federal Prosecutor Kerry Jacobson declined to pursue Latoya’s case. Like most assaults, the case rested solely on the victim’s testimony. “The only allegations involve the subject touching the minor’s lips, neck and upper chest and the knee and those areas do not fall within the definition of sexual contact.” Jacobson said she recognizes that testifying against a perpetrator can be traumatic and that’s why she leaves cases like this open as long as possible, in case a victim wants to tell more later. She said, the problem is, it’s much harder to get convictions later. Jacobson said these are the majority of her cases. “When a victim gets to a place where he or she feels safe enough and emotionally stable enough to divulge what happened, we have no scientific evidence left,” said Jacobson. “Those are very challenging.” Jacobson did not interview the alleged perpetrator or any witnesses. In fact, a recent Government Accountability Office report shows that federal courts declined to prosecute 67 percent of reservation sexual assault cases. And since Latoya’s case was dropped, the tribal police have taken over. But, unlike the feds, they moved forward, issuing a warrant for the subject’s arrest. The problem is, the tribal court can only issue misdemeanors, less than a year in jail. Leslie Shakespeare is a councilman for the Eastern Shoshone, the other tribe on Wind River. He wants to use the recently passed federal legislation called the Tribal Law and Order Act to do more. That law grants tribes the power to give sentences up to nine years and do it faster. “The wait is what really disenfranchises people,” he said. “So when they see that process happening quicker, which doesn’t always happen on the federal side, they feel like justice is actually working.” The two tribes have an ancient history of conflict, but Shakespeare said, the new law is motivating them to work together to create a stronger unified court. “It cuts down on the repeat offenders. It cuts down on the cyclical nature of some of the crimes that are prevalent on some of the reservations. The other part of it is, the community feels like their voice is being heard.” Since the act was implemented, the Department of Justice has even reported that the rates of prosecutions are on a slight uptick. Navajo tribal member and Wyoming State Senator Affie Ellis worked to write a report for the act called, “A Roadmap For Making Native America Safer.” “We’ve experimented a lot with having a strong federal presence, we’ve experimented in some states having an exclusive state presence, but we really haven’t experimented or tried letting tribes work this out themselves,” said Ellis She said, even though the act allows for longer sentences, there’s still one issue to work out. “It costs money to keep your inmates in prison. And so that’s another question that needs to be addressed before tribes can go down this path is, what are we going to do with these people if we put them through our justice system and find them to be guilty?” She said, they also have pay to hire law trained attorneys and judges. Eight other reservations have already been figuring those problems out as they adopt Tribal Law and Order courts. Rose is hoping Wind River will be the ninth so her daughter Latoya’s alleged assailant will finally face real justice. “That’s the whole thing,” said Rose. “She’s somewhere. And she’s somewhere probably doing this to another 14-year old.” The new court is scheduled to be up and running by early next year.In 1976, the citizens of Circleville, Ohio began receiving sinister handwritten letters
Korean test, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned of "catastrophic consequences" if the international community does not act more forcefully to sanction Pyongyang. The United States has deployed a naval strike group to the area led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which on Saturday began drilling with the South Korean navy.It was rookie quarterback Russell Wilson's turn to get extensive reps with the starting offense. He appeared in command and wasn't bashful about telling more experienced teammates where to line up. Wilson spoke to reporters afterward and again projected the qualities teams seek in a leader. He's confident, engaging and unafraid to answer questions head on. Can he play? The Seahawks will find out more during preseason. The Seahawks are loading up rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner with play calls, same as they did for K.J. Wright last season. Wright has been expected to handle the calls this season even though Wagner projects as the middle linebacker in the base defense. That might not be the case, however. Wright smiled and shook his head when asked about continuing to handle all the calls. He's heard and read the reports suggesting that will be the case. But Wright said Wagner is making the calls. Wright said he expects Wagner to make the calls this season. The Seahawks have options, but for now at least, they want to see what Wagner can handle. Hand strength is one of Wagner's biggest assets -- and an important one for middle linebackers, who must continually operate in heavy traffic.Ted Ginn Jr. will be moving on to a new team this offseason. The Arizona Cardinals announced Monday that Ginn Jr., the Miami Dolphins' No. 9 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, has been released. Ginn Jr. was owed a non-guaranteed $3.25 million salary for 2015. The release saves the Cardinals $2.5 million against the cap. Signed to a three-year, $9.75 million contract last March after a career year in Carolina, Ginn Jr. was ticketed for the No. 3 receiver role in Bruce Arians' offense. Once hotshot rookie John Brown started flashing playmaking ability, though, Ginn Jr. was an afterthought on offense. Remaindered to special teams, the 29-year-old was ineffective on kickoff returns, averaging a career-low 19.0 yards on 22 attempts. Ginn Jr.'s difference-making speed and track record as a return specialist should ensure a ninth NFL season, perhaps in a return to the Panthers. The latest Around The NFL Podcast breaks down all the latest from the combine and gives updates on Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.Following up the concept drawing I made for King K. Rool in Smash Bros., here’s Princess Daisy from the Mario series. While Daisy’s most prominent appearance over the years has been in the multiplayer games, for the most part I thought it’d be cooler if her attacks referenced her debut game, Super Mario Land. Each special attack is based on one of the four worlds from Super Mario Land. One notable thing is that most of her attacks have a small added effect that gives them different properties if they hit close or mid-range. Birabuto Sand does solid damage if the actual kick connects, whereas the sand portion stuns the opponent. Muda Torrent works similarly, where the uppercut hits hard but the water has something of a FLUDD effect. Easton Ganchan can transition from recovery move to bouncing projectile. Her Chai Hop, based on the Pionpi enemies from World 4, is a fairly basic move but varies her recovery options alongside her Side-B. Ideally, this means using her would involve deciding whether or not in any given situation to fight up close or at a slight distance, and what is the best way to transition back and forth between the two ranges. Daisy’s Final Smash comes from the Super Mario Strikers series and grants her boosts to speed and offensive power. Additionally, many of her attacks will launch flurries of mechanized soccer balls. While “clone” characters tend to look different but share similar moves with their base counterparts, Daisy is sort of the opposite, bearing obvious resemblance to Princess Peach but having significantly different attacks from top to bottom. Daisy is often described as being more of a tomboy than Peach, and so I thought it would be cool to have this come out in her attacks. Hence, she does things like throw hooks for Forward Smashes and kicks sand in opponents’ faces. Though not pictured, I see her small animations and jumps being more athletic as well. Of course, her taunt would be “Hi I’m Daisy!”The Social Affairs and Health Committee of the Finnish Parliament announced yesterday its unanimous support for designing a new health-based tax on foods and beverages, demanding that the preparatory legislative work be started without delay. Finland is moving ahead with its plan to levy a tax on sugary foods and beverages despite fierce opposition from the Finnish Food and Drinks Industries' Federation (ETL). “Studies indicate that the excess consumption of sugary beverages, in particular, increases body weight and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has been estimated that the adverse effects of sugary drinks are a consequence of how easy it is to consume them excessively,” it states in a report drawn up for the Parliament's Finance Committee. The tax is under consideration as a means to offset the financial effects of a ruling delivered by the European Commission that obliges the country to scrap its current tax on sweets and ice cream on grounds that the tax unfairly favours domestic producers. Petteri Orpo (NCP), the Minister of Finance, has expressed his support for the sugar tax but also acknowledged the challenges associated with its implementation. “If there's a way to do it, I'm all for it. It'd have a fiscal effect and it'd be a good tax. It's a Pigouvian tax with clear health effects provided that we can get it to work […] I've asked the ministry to explore the options further,” he said in an interview with Demokraatti on Tuesday. ETL contrastively believes the challenges associated with the implementation are insurmountable. “Not a single EU country has a sugar tax – and for a good reason: [the tax] is judicially, technically and economically infeasible,” says Heli Tammivuori, a director at ETL. She describes the sugar tax as a cork that re-surfaces regularly. “The possibility of introducing a sugar tax was previously explored in 2012–2013, as a diverse group of officials evaluated a variety of possible sugar tax schemes. All of the schemes evaluated were technically difficult to implement and dubious, to say the least, from a legal viewpoint,” she argues in a press release. Nor could any of the schemes guarantee a decrease in sugar consumption, according to Tammivuori. Supporters of the tax have estimated that the implementation is possible following the adoption of new new food labelling regulations by the European Union. ETL, meanwhile, insists that distinguishing between products with natural and products with added sugar will remain difficult regardless of the new regulations. “If the tax was levied on the sugar contents of products irrespective of the product in question, food with natural sugar, such as fruit and berries, […] would also fall under the scope of the tax. Drawing a line between foods with natural sugar and foods with added sugar is very complicated, if not impossible,” it states. Tammivuori stresses that the industry appreciates the concerns about sugar consumption but has to reduce the amount of sugar in foods and beverages gradually in order not to hurt sales. Aleksi Teivainen – HT Photo: Milla Takala – Lehtikuva Source: Uusi SuomiThe Rebel Room The Justin Hawkins Podcast UNLV reporter Taylor Bern welcomes in two guests to discuss senior guard Justin Hawkins — Hawkins' mother, Carmen, and author of "Play Their Hearts Out" George Dohrmann. The book features both Justin and Carmen as central figures, and Carmen and George join Taylor to dish out inside stories and discuss UNLV's "glue guy." Justin Hawkins didn’t want the kids to see him cry. Hawkins was at an area elementary school, one of several visits he makes through the UNLV athletic department, when he asked a young boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy responded that he wanted to be a veterinarian but changed his mind after his friends said that profession wasn’t cool. Children change career choices all the time, so that part was hardly revelatory. What hit Hawkins and forced him to fight back tears was that someone so young was willing to abandon his goal because of pressure from the outside world. “I sat down and told him, ‘Don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something. Never let anyone take your dreams from you,’” Hawkins said. Hawkins, a senior guard on the UNLV’s basketball team, knows about following through on a dream. In his case, the dream involves not only athletics but striving to get the most out of his college experience. Hawkins had a miniature hoop and basketball next to his crib and started playing organized games at age 4. His mother, Carmen Hawkins, who raised Justin and his younger brother Marcus, 19, mostly as a single mother, could put a game on TV and Justin would fall silent, basking in basketball. Hawkins is primed to play starters’ minutes for No. 18-ranked UNLV, starting at 7 p.m. today against visiting Northern Arizona in the season opener. He’s one of three seniors and four captains charged with pairing the Rebels’ experience with their newcomers’ potential and is being counted on by coaches and teammates to have a great season. That’s not the extent of the dream, though. Basketball always has been a big part of Hawkins’ life, but it’s just that: one part. In May, he completed his hotel administration degree — in just three years — and now he’s working on a master’s in public administration. No longer content to keep to himself on campus, Hawkins talks to anyone he can because, he said, you never know who’s destined for greatness or what you can learn from those around you. This has given Hawkins a support system of like-minded people, those who strive to be the best in any particular field. UNLV is getting a lot from Hawkins — stellar defense, toughness, leadership and a very capable ball-handler on the court; a classy ambassador off it — and his aim is to get just as much from the university by the time he’s done. That free education isn’t wasted on him, and neither are the resources in networking through basketball or academics. That master’s eventually will be completed, though the timetable is anyone’s guess. There’s professional basketball in his future — NBA or abroad — and a possible coaching career. Just as likely, however, is a run for public office. The goal is not to be ready for one of those things but all of them, to use the system more than it’s using you and to never let anyone stop you from dreaming big. “We’re going to be the next leaders of the world, so if we feel like we’re in this by ourselves, how can we really lead? Who are we going to be able to lead?” Hawkins said. “We’re all going to have to follow each other, to lead each other and lean on each other.... We’re going to take our world to the next level.” ‘I’m my mother’s son’ To learn a little about Hawkins’ childhood, you don’t have to ask him. You can read about it in 2010’s “Play Their Hearts Out,” Sports Illustrated senior writer George Dohrmann’s unflinching look at the world of grass-roots, or AAU, basketball through the lens of one super team in Southern California. The book’s main protagonist is Demetrius Walker, now a junior at New Mexico. Walker was discovered at age 9 by Joe Keller, a former car stereo installer with little basketball knowledge, who wanted to get a piece of the money flowing from shoe companies to elite youth teams. Keller formed the Inland Stars — named for the Inland Empire region in Southern California — and Dohrmann started tagging along with the idea of following the team all the way through high school. In 2000, Hawkins was playing for a team called, coincidentally, the Runnin’ Rebels, which was one of the only teams that could really battle the Inland Stars. Keller fixed that by adding Hawkins and another player to his team with the promise of bettering their chance to get a scholarship and play professionally. “To me, it was so obvious that he was a BS artist, but so many of these parents had the ‘Hoop Dreams’ syndrome and couldn’t get over the fact that maybe this guy could help their kid,” Dohrmann said. Carmen Hawkins was a notable exception. Now a fixture at many UNLV games, she knew nothing about the cutthroat world of youth basketball when her son started going to camps and playing on teams throughout California. Unlike most single parents in her position, though, she did research and asked questions, constantly challenging Keller’s claims of being able to ensure players received a basketball scholarship and eventually a professional contract. Dennis Young, Hawkins’ father, who works in Washington, D.C., as a legal counsel for the FDIC, wasn’t around for much of this. With age, Hawkins began to accept the situation. Young has been to both of Justin’s graduations and sees his son five or six times a year. He plans to make it to a few games this season. His absence, though, highlighted Carmen Hawkins’ importance in molding her son and protecting him from getting chewed up and spit out — the unfortunate reality for many of the other youth players featured in the book who didn’t achieve the greatness Keller sold them on. “She told me, ‘The system is always going to use you, no matter what,’” Hawkins said. “‘Whether you’re an athlete, whether you’re a scholar, someone’s always going to use you to their advantage. So while they’re using you, you might as well use them and get what you need out of it.’” ‘Coach Rice gave that feeling back to me’ Hawkins committed to UNLV before his junior year at Taft High School near Los Angeles. At the time, the Rebels were looking for two guards out of a group of three that included Hawkins and two locals, fellow senior Anthony Marshall and Kansas’ Elijah Johnson. After visiting with then-coach Lon Kruger, Hawkins and his mother went to the PF Chang’s just northwest of campus and discussed his future over chicken. They returned to Kruger’s office after lunch and committed on the spot. “I feel like after I committed I reached my goal. It hindered my development,” Hawkins said. “I didn’t really practice as hard as I should have because I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got a scholarship, what else do I need to go for?’ I really didn’t maximize my skills and maximize high school the way I should have. I should have won more city titles, I should have won a state championship, but I didn’t do it because I was so focused on, ‘I’ve already got mine, so let me help someone else get theirs.’” Hawkins wasn’t able to look back and realize the time he had lost until he was about two years into college. At that point, he was considering starting fresh somewhere new. Kruger’s departure to Oklahoma in 2011 solved that issue, though. Hawkins can’t help thinking about how different this year could have been if Dave Rice hadn’t come to Las Vegas. “If (Kruger) didn’t leave, I probably would have left because I wasn’t happy,” Hawkins said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the school, I love the community, I love everything off the court, but on the court, I wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel like I was wanted.” Hawkins saw himself as a character piece in his first two years at UNLV, a defensive specialist who would never reach his full potential because the system wouldn’t allow it to happen. He had done that to himself once before, in high school, and he didn’t want to sit by and let someone else do it to him again. When Hawkins saw the list of candidates to succeed Kruger, he liked the opportunity to play for either of the finalists — former players Reggie Theus and Dave Rice. He immediately started working on his offensive game, and it paid off when Rice was selected as the head coach. “Our first conversation, I told him, ‘I know what a good defensive player you are, but I also think you can be a terrific shooter for us, so I value what you do at both ends of the floor,’” Rice said. After that, Hawkins was all in. Last season, Hawkins set new single-game career highs in every category except blocks. For the season, he shot nearly the exact same percentage from the field — 41.7 as a sophomore, 41.8 as a junior — but took 93 more shots. He also made more 3-pointers (40) than he had attempted in either of his first two years, shooting 32.3 percent behind the arc. That has to get better this year, as does his 62 percent free-throw shooting from last season. Those things are easy to see, though. Where he wants to improve the most also is where he excelled last year: handling the ball. Hawkins had nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a junior and ranked seventh in the country in turnover percentage at 8.1, according to kenpom.com. That means for every 100 possessions he took, Hawkins had only eight of them end in turnovers; the rest were shots or passes. “I know where my teammates should and shouldn’t get the ball,” Hawkins said. That type of knowledge shows up more in coaches’ tape than it does in box scores, which is just fine with Hawkins. Outsiders likely will know him as an improved shooter and leader on defense, and that’s not wrong. It’s just incomplete. “He almost is our point guard defensively, especially with these young guys,” junior Mike Moser said. “He’s been passing along so much knowledge.... In the areas where you think we need leadership, that’s where people look to, is Hawk. He’s more than just what people would call the glue guy; he’s way more than that. “We go as Hawk goes.” ‘We can’t let our potential go to waste’ Wednesday’s narrow exhibition victory against Dixie State, which included familiar problems such as a bad second half and too many 3-pointers, put the team on notice. The Rebels survived 81-80 in overtime, winning on the last shot of the game in what would have been an embarrassing loss to a lower-level opponent. Hawkins was visibly upset during a lot of the game, particularly as the Rebels failed to rotate properly on defense or close out with their hands up on outside shooters. He’s determined to help make the team stronger this season after living through the disappointments of last year, when a fast start ended with a thud against Colorado in the Round of 64 at the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels started the season with eight straight victories, including topping then-No. 1 North Carolina and beating a quality UC Santa Barbara team in two overtimes on the road. Soon, the players started believing the hype. “No one knew how to deal with it,” Hawkins said of the attention last season. “The coaching staff, players, no one. We’d never been that highly talked about. There were times throughout the day all of our phones would be going off nonstop, people saying, ‘Congratulations,’ ‘You’re doing so well,’ ‘Oh, you guys are so good,’ everyone just feeding us all this stuff.” Last year’s team never figured it out. The pieces look like they fit together and complement each other better this season, though right now it’s just a look. “(Justin) came with the commitment to get UNLV back to its glory years and to win a national championship before he leaves,” Carmen Hawkins said. “He won’t admit that to you.” Hawkins’ impact at UNLV is felt far beyond the Thomas & Mack Center. He’s the face people most often see out in the community, the same one that may be on a campaign poster some day. He’s the guy most likely to make a game-winning steal, like he did last year at home against San Diego State, or read some poetry to schoolchildren. A deep thinker with ideas of bringing success to UNLV and the Las Vegas community on and off the court, Hawkins has a few more months to use the system, to follow and lead, and to lean on his teammates in their pursuit of big dreams. And don’t dare tell them they can’t do it. UNLV 4505 Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, NV 89154 Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.We've been wondering for awhile about the unhinged rhetoric that's been coming steadily from the mainstream right since Obama's election, and the kinds of effects it will have on its audiences, especially over time. Glenn Beck has become the most notable purveyor of this rhetoric in recent months, but its past master, Sean Hannity, is clearly intent on keeping his spot as the lead foam-flecked dog -- which was what last night's Fox News show was all about. It left Ellen at Newshounds wondering if Hannity was calling for armed revolt: Hannity suspended his usual “Hannity Headline” to bring a “special first segment of the show” that was straight out of Glenn Beck's playbook. Is Hannity getting nervous as Beck gains on him in the ratings? As patriotic music played in the background, Hannity, who just a few weeks ago vehemently supported Governor Rick Perry's threat of secession, quickly suggested that an uprising against the government might be in order. “In 1765, Parliament passed The Stamp Act, provoking outrage among the American colonists,” Hannity began. “Now, the leaders of the tax uprising were the sons of liberty.” Citing the names of Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, John Hancock and John Adams, Hannity explained that they met under a tree to “air their grievances against the tyrannical King George. The sons of liberty would become an early voice for the rights of an oppressed citizenry.” With awe in his voice, Hannity said that the colonists hung two tax collectors in effigy from a tree “and from that day forward, it became known as the 'Liberty Tree.'” In case anyone didn't quite snap to what he was getting at, Hannity added that under the last liberty tree, which stood at St. John's College in Maryland, colonists “held a tea party and listened to the words of founding father Samuel Chase.”..Hannity concluded by saying, “This administration has plucked the tree of liberty bare. It took more than 200 years but it now looks like we are headed back to where we started.” Meaning revolution? Hannity never said one way or the other. When mainstream talk show hosts, addressing an audience that is politically stymied and increasingly angry and frustrated, start talking about "revolution," they have to be aware that some of the more unstable elements in that audience -- particularly the paranoia-prone folks who have just been told repeatedly by the Hannitys and other Fox pundits that the DHS considers them a terrorist threat -- are going to be acting that rhetoric out in violent ways. [Y]ou can't tell me there's no relationship between this kind of rhetoric and the even crazier talk coming from the radical right. Because unlike the armchair right-wing pundits who indulge this stuff because it's a useful way to bestir the troops but couldn't act to save their asses, some of these other people, the radicals who hear this talk and then pump the irrationality even farther, to its illogical extreme, are perfectly capable of acting upon it. Of course, when it happens, Sean Hannity will find a way to blame liberals for it.Police have suggested that separate Islamophobic attacks at the University of Birmingham and a nearby mosque are linked, after the words "Islam must die" and a swastika were daubed on a wall at the student campus. Islamophobic graffiti was sprayed on walls at the university, in Edgbaston, and the Jahalabad mosque on Dartmouth Road, Selly Oak, on Friday evening (16-17 January). The offensive language and symbol have since been scrubbed from the wall of the old university gym, but students remain shocked at the incident. Hannah Myerson, a third year Jewish student studying English, told student newspaper The Tab: "As a Jewish student, I find it deeply disturbing that the rising anti-semitism in Europe has reached our campus. "This incident makes students of all minority groups feel alienated on the basis of their religious beliefs or background, and must be condemned." Sergeant Pete Sandhu, responsible for policing in Edgbaston, said: "Mindless hate of this kind has no place in 21st century Birmingham and work is underway to find the person responsible. "My officers have visited both sites and spoken to a number of people. "Evidential photographs have been taken and CCTV which may have captured the vandal is currently being reviewed." The graffiti has also been removed from the Jahalabad mosque as inquiries continue. The attacks come one week after American news channel Fox News was forced to apologise on behalf of commentator Steve Emerson, who described Birmingham as a "totally Muslim" city where "non-Muslims simply don't go." The pundit also issued a personal apology and donated £500 to a Birmingham children's hospital. Anyone with information should call police on 101. People who don't want to speak with police officers directly should contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.Several people now have asked me to post a transcript of what I said at the ReasonFest panel, so here you go: Is religion a force for good? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this question. What’s “religion”? It’s one of those things that’s easy to define until you try. What’s the difference between a religion and a cult? A culture and a religion? A philosophy and a religion? A delusion and a religion? To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, although he was talking about the definition of pornography, religion may be one of those things were we just know it when we see it. What’s “force”? I don’t think we mean the energy field created by all living things that surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. Do we just mean something that inspires or motivates people? Do we mean it causes good things in itself? Do we mean that the good it motivates outweighs the bad? And what’s “good,” anyway? Entire philosophy careers have been made out of nailing that one down and we still haven’t gotten it. Is “good” the minimizing of suffering of conscious creatures, as Sam Harris suggests, and is there more than one way to get there? Is “good” culturally dependent and relative? Is it even attainable? I was originally going to say something very different about this. I had a whole thing worked up about why religion is not a force for good. But the more I thought about it, the more my answer changed. I think it’s important that we feel free to be critical of ourselves in here. The framing of this question sets it up as a dichotomy—religion IS or IS NOT a force for good—and it’s a premise with which I disagree overall. Here’s why. Religion has inspired people to do all sorts of things they probably would not otherwise do. I’m not just talking about the Crusades and 9/11 and impeding stem-cell research and all the things we wish religion did not motivate people to do, but building the Parthenon and volunteering at soup kitchens and making a cappella music (a cappella is Italian for “in the style of the church”). Religion is responsible for inspiring and motivating art, music, architecture, literature, and charity. While I agree with Christopher Hitchens in that there’s nothing a religious person can do that a secular person can’t, I don’t think it’s fair to say that religion is not a force for good. But we clearly can’t call religion “a force for good,” either. It has redeeming qualities, and these seem to be persuasive enough to the majority of people around the world, though to be fair many of them have little say in the matter. While not all religions are structurally violent, especially to LGBTQ people and women—some pagan religions are downright feminist & sex-positive—the three Abrahamic religions, taken as written, certainly are. I’m not going to list all the atrocities religion has brought to human history, but I will summarize by saying that most religions, as practiced, can be terribly destructive to the welfare of conscious creatures on this Earth. I think that the best answer to this question of whether religion is a force for good or not is that religion just IS. Religion is a human invention, a tool, a meme, an adaptation, or as Dan Dennett simply calls it, a natural phenomenon. Its function is twofold. On the one hand, religion helps social animals establish loyalty to their group and to certain moral principles, so their genes can better benefit from the protections and gains-from-trade never before possible in pre-religious societies. On the other, religion provides explanations (albeit piss-poor ones) about The Big Questions: where did our universe come from? What’s the meaning of life? How ought we to act? What happens after we die? While philosophy and science have, especially in the last few hundred years, given us much better answers to those questions than any religion previously, I don’t think it’s ideal to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Before I became an atheist, I was a worship musician, and my favorite gig was always conferences, because I felt so connected to other people. I was so thrilled to learn about the existence of atheist conferences when I deconverted, because of the energy that comes from connecting with people this way. We are social animals and we thrive in these settings. Our health demonstrably suffers when we’re lonely. Our brains are adapted to flourish in these circumstances, and yes, religion can provide that. Is religion a force for good? It CAN be. Take science as an example. We have used the tool of science to double human lifespans, decrease infant mortality 90%, and decrease maternal mortality by 99%—and that’s just since 1900. We can also use science for evil. There was a time, not so long ago, when it was simply technologically impossible to kill more than a few dozen people at a time, a few thousand with an army. In the first week of August, 1945, the United States killed 100,000 people in Japan, and tens of thousands more died from radiation over the next few months. But it was not science in itself that did this; it was people. And just like with religion, it is people who use it for good or bad. Religion, like science, just is. We need to understand, and help others understand, that morality does not come from religion. In fact, morality predates religion and continues to shape and inform religion, whether religious people admit it or not It’s not good nor evil. Just like science, it ultimately depends on what we choose to do with it.as we speak Nexus One owners feeling a little Nexus S envy can breathe a little easier -- we're hearing that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is being pushed out to the N1. We'd imagine that all the slick new features that don't require new hardware (like NFC support ) will be there, and we're definitely interested in playing with this built-in WiFi calling stack. We'll let you know what we find -- won't you do the same?Looks like our flood of tips came from people who were seeing their N1s get a different, less-interesting update. Google tells us that Gingerbread isn't rolling out just yet, but is coming. Of course, we'll let you know when the actual 2.3 update hits the OG Nexus. Ah, the heady optimism of hope.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]For the past 30 years the economic orthodoxy that wealth would “trickle down” to working people has prevailed. We’ve been told that austerity was necessary too, to build a future for subsequent generations and lift living standards. Working people watched their wages stagnate and business profits soar, but didn’t necessarily see the quality jobs and higher living standards they were assured would follow. In the aftermath of the Great Recession, with even harsher austerity imposed across much of the developed world and with business profitability at an all-time high, the trickle became a very slow drip. As a member of the Inclusive Prosperity Commission chaired by Lawrence Summers and Ed Balls, I’ve been reminded yet again just how different the Australian experience was during the GFC. Here, over the past 20 years the rising tide of economic growth lifted all ships – including the smallest, which in other countries were left stranded. Our commission’s report was released earlier this month in Washington. It should renew pressure on politicians and economists to place inequality at the forefront of future discussions. It is in these future discussions that the Australian experience is highly relevant. The task is urgent: Oxfam recently reported that, by 2016, the top 1% will possess more than 50% of the world’s wealth. Over the past 30 years, Australia has done a better job matching strong economic growth with social equity than just about any other developed economy. During this time incomes, particularly in the middle, increased by 50%. In 2014, the OECD Better Life Index ranked Australia as the number one country in the world based on a cross section of economic and social measures. This outcome is no accident. It is the result of three decades of structural reforms which made Australia more open to the world and the world more open to Australia. These reforms increased productivity, competition and investment while maintaining a strong social safety net. They included the floating of the Australian dollar, bringing down of the tariff wall, prudent fiscal and monetary policy, enterprise bargaining (which occurs above a strong set of workplace conditions including a high minimum wage), a progressive targeted tax and transfer system, and universal systems for healthcare, education and superannuation. These reforms formed the foundation of the “Australian model” which has, over the past 30 years, seen Australia become the economic envy of the developed world. However, now – six years on from the Great Recession and with the twin shadows of secular stagnation and economic inequality hanging ominously over the developed world – there is once again a need for bold structural reforms. These reforms must centre on an inclusive agenda where the benefits of growth flow through to the wider community in the form of jobs, decent incomes, and rising living standards. Despite Australia’s strong performance between 2007 and 2013, where active fiscal policy and private investment supported strong employment gains, we are not isolated from global trends. If Australia and other developed economies are going to overcome the economic headwinds of secular stagnation and rising inequality, there is an ongoing imperative to implement structural reforms which drive productivity growth and fairly share its benefits. Over the past 12 months, we have seen Australia’s conservative government use the premise of structural reform as justification for undermining the Australian model at the very time the rest of the developed world is looking to Australia as a road map to more inclusive prosperity. The Australian government and governments across the developed world need to acknowledge and accept that inequality is not a fringe issue and not be sitting on the sidelines. Essential to combating its rise is the recognition that nurses, builders, teachers, labourers, hairdressers, shop assistants and waiters are as much generators of growth as bankers, investors, businesses and multinational companies. It’s understandable many in the developed world would be cynical and see the current debate on inequality as merely political positioning rather than a genuine discussion about our values and their link to sustainable and equitable growth. Therefore, it is a welcome development that US President Barack Obama not only used his State of the Union address to place inequality at the centre of American politics, but also unveiled a suite of reforms which aimed to create a more inclusive prosperity. These centred on making the tax system more progressive to support free community college, subsidised childcare and tax cuts for low and middle income earners. The political and economic debate is shifting – the discussion about the need to address economic inequality is no longer confined to the corridors of academia. And, as my fellow commissioner EJ Dionne argued recently, there are those on the political rightwing who are sensing the change. This gives the political (and economic) leftwing an opportunity it has not had for many years: a chance to set the terms of the debate and achieve lasting policy reforms, which become the great enablers of social mobility and economic growth in the 21st century.Joanna Newsom released Divers exactly one year ago today. And to celebrate the occasion, she’s just returned with a new song called “Make Hay,” an unreleased outtake recorded during the sessions for the album. Per the track’s slightly cryptic YouTube description: Joanna Newsom friends and faithful, we wish you a happy first AnniDIVERSary! The standard gift for the occasion is a timepiece, but watch out — here’s a piece of time out of time that you’ll never not have back again! Recorded for the “Divers” album, this represents the rarest of all birds: an actual unreleased outtake recorded at a Joanna Newsom session. “Make Hay” is for the divers and the delvers to divine — is it just another piece or the missing one? Only (your) time will tell. Second AnniDIVERSary gift is China — start digging now!Two days after issuing a public apology to a teaching assistant who was chastised for showing her students a televised debate on gendered pronouns, Wilfrid Laurier University President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy still will not say if the T.A.’s choice of material was appropriate. “Academic freedom and freedom of expression are very central to the university,” MacLatchy told CTV Kitchener on Thursday. “We recognize that there will be challenging and uncomfortable conversations, but it's not okay for them to be threatening -- and that's the overall balance that we look for in every class and in every tutorial.” Laurier graduate student Lindsay Shepherd says that she was subtly censured earlier this month for showing a debate on TVO’s The Agenda between controversial University of Toronto academic Jordan Peterson, who rose to national prominence after refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns in his classrooms, and sexual diversity scholar Nicholas Matte. After a student complained, Shepherd was forced to endure a disciplinary discussion with three faculty members -- a tense meeting that she secretly recorded. “They were telling me that you can’t debate something like this because it causes an unsafe or toxic learning environment,” Shepherd told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday. “I ended up being called transphobic and someone who causes harm and violence.” Shepherd says that she does not support Peterson’s views and was simply showing the clip to demonstrate how
-Injuries: On -Pre-Exisiting Injuries: Off -Practice Squad Stealing: On (After First Week) -Quarter Length: 8 Minutes -Accelerated Clock: On (25 Sec) -Custom Playbooks: Allowed -Advance: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (12 EST) if games are played we can advance early, barring any trade talk. ======Discord====== -We use Discord to communicate between members. You must remain active on Discord, feel free to use Xbox to talk to an owner if he isn't on Discord. If you are not active on Discord, you will be removed. =====Scheduling===== -If your opponent is being difficult or not responding to attempts to schedule your game, inform an Admin with screenshots and we will put them on Auto-Pilot so you can play the CPU. -Members who are put on Auto-Pilot for 2 games in a row or 4 games in a season will be removed due to inactivity, if they don't have an excused absence. ==============Game Play Rules============ ===CPU Games=== -No restarting games without reason/screenshot proof. -Play like you would against a player, i.e. no running up the score by passing the whole game. ===Offense=== -Try to vary your play calling, don't run the same play the whole drive. -4th Down: Be smart about it. Typically NFL teams will take their points if within field goal range. If you are too far for a FG and too close to Punt, we understand that. If you are up by multiple scores, punt it away or kick the FG. If you are losing in the 4th, that makes sense. If it is 4th and "inches" and you are in a good spot, that makes sense. Again, just use your head. -2 Pt. Conversions: Go for it where the situation makes sense, use common sense. i.e. to go up multiple scores, to win the game. ===Defensive=== -You must rush at least 2 defenders at the QB on every play. -No nano blitzes. -No complaining about passing when you're down and you are run committing. ===Disconnects=== -If the game disconnects in and both players agree to replay then replay the game. If there is any dispute, try to clip/screenshot the dispute and inform an admin. -If both players agree that the game had been decided when the disconnect occurs, the winning player will get the sim-win. -Rage quits will be handled on a case by case basis. =====Courtesy===== -Please be mature and considerate, we understand trash talk, but don't berate the opponent whether you are winning or losing. -Refrain from running up the score, i.e. throwing Four Verticals in the 4th quarter when leading by multiple touchdowns. We understand if you pick six someone who is heaving the ball up, return a fumble for a touchdown, break tackles on long runs. Use common sense, you know what running the score up is. If your opponent is constantly run committing as you are winning big, pass where it makes sense. Nobody enjoys running into a brick wall constantly. -Do not quit a game without a reason, especially rage quitting. -Refrain from constantly bailing on scheduled games. -Refrain from calling timeouts when the game is over, i.e. less than a minute left and you're losing by multiple TDs. -Refrain from excessive pausing. If you need to pause, message your opponent on Discord/Xbox so they know why and don't rush you with the timer. -If you feel anything is cheesy or borderline, contact an admin. -Broken rules will have your game force lost, and multiple offences will lead to suspension. =====Streaming Games===== -If you can stream your game, we greatly appreciate it. It gives entertainment to other members of the league and allows easier access to any disputes. -If you can not stream as not everyone has the upload speed able to/the stream is lagging, feel free to not stream the game. -If you are unable to stream, be sure to save any clips of anything that may be disputed, by double tapping the Xbox button on your controller and pressing X. -If you do stream, please archive your games to any disputes can be looked into. Look below to see how to set it up. __________________________________________________________________ \|Setting up Twitch to Archive: \| \|Click on your profile \| \|Click the wrench in the top left corner to enter the “settings” menu \| \|Click “Channels and Videos” \| \|Check the box that says “automatically archive my broadcasts” \| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- =====Position Changes===== -Position changes are not allowed. If you want an OLB at a DE, put them there on the depth chart. =====Trades===== -Human trades only. All trades must be ruled upon by majority of admins. Please post them in the Discord while tagging @admin and they will be voted upon. Contact the Commissioner or Admin with any other questions. RAW Paste Data ===================================RULES================================== ======OBJECTIVE===== -Couch Football League is an Xbox One League devoted to having a simulation-esque league. We want to find active players with common sense who will play the "normal" NFL way. =====League Settings===== -Skill Level: All-Pro -League Type: Coaches Only (Make a Custom Coach) -Trade Deadline: On -Salary Cap: On -Relocation: Off -Injuries: On -Pre-Exisiting Injuries: Off -Practice Squad Stealing: On (After First Week) -Quarter Length: 8 Minutes -Accelerated Clock: On (25 Sec) -Custom Playbooks: Allowed -Advance: Monday, Wednesday, Friday (12 EST) if games are played we can advance early, barring any trade talk. ======Discord====== -We use Discord to communicate between members. You must remain active on Discord, feel free to use Xbox to talk to an owner if he isn't on Discord. If you are not active on Discord, you will be removed. =====Scheduling===== -If your opponent is being difficult or not responding to attempts to schedule your game, inform an Admin with screenshots and we will put them on Auto-Pilot so you can play the CPU. -Members who are put on Auto-Pilot for 2 games in a row or 4 games in a season will be removed due to inactivity, if they don't have an excused absence. ==============Game Play Rules============ ===CPU Games=== -No restarting games without reason/screenshot proof. -Play like you would against a player, i.e. no running up the score by passing the whole game. ===Offense=== -Try to vary your play calling, don't run the same play the whole drive. -4th Down: Be smart about it. Typically NFL teams will take their points if within field goal range. If you are too far for a FG and too close to Punt, we understand that. If you are up by multiple scores, punt it away or kick the FG. If you are losing in the 4th, that makes sense. If it is 4th and "inches" and you are in a good spot, that makes sense. Again, just use your head. -2 Pt. Conversions: Go for it where the situation makes sense, use common sense. i.e. to go up multiple scores, to win the game. ===Defensive=== -You must rush at least 2 defenders at the QB on every play. -No nano blitzes. -No complaining about passing when you're down and you are run committing. ===Disconnects=== -If the game disconnects in and both players agree to replay then replay the game. If there is any dispute, try to clip/screenshot the dispute and inform an admin. -If both players agree that the game had been decided when the disconnect occurs, the winning player will get the sim-win. -Rage quits will be handled on a case by case basis. =====Courtesy===== -Please be mature and considerate, we understand trash talk, but don't berate the opponent whether you are winning or losing. -Refrain from running up the score, i.e. throwing Four Verticals in the 4th quarter when leading by multiple touchdowns. We understand if you pick six someone who is heaving the ball up, return a fumble for a touchdown, break tackles on long runs. Use common sense, you know what running the score up is. If your opponent is constantly run committing as you are winning big, pass where it makes sense. Nobody enjoys running into a brick wall constantly. -Do not quit a game without a reason, especially rage quitting. -Refrain from constantly bailing on scheduled games. -Refrain from calling timeouts when the game is over, i.e. less than a minute left and you're losing by multiple TDs. -Refrain from excessive pausing. If you need to pause, message your opponent on Discord/Xbox so they know why and don't rush you with the timer. -If you feel anything is cheesy or borderline, contact an admin. -Broken rules will have your game force lost, and multiple offences will lead to suspension. =====Streaming Games===== -If you can stream your game, we greatly appreciate it. It gives entertainment to other members of the league and allows easier access to any disputes. -If you can not stream as not everyone has the upload speed able to/the stream is lagging, feel free to not stream the game. -If you are unable to stream, be sure to save any clips of anything that may be disputed, by double tapping the Xbox button on your controller and pressing X. -If you do stream, please archive your games to any disputes can be looked into. Look below to see how to set it up. __________________________________________________________________ \|Setting up Twitch to Archive: \| \|Click on your profile \| \|Click the wrench in the top left corner to enter the “settings” menu \| \|Click “Channels and Videos” \| \|Check the box that says “automatically archive my broadcasts” \| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- =====Position Changes===== -Position changes are not allowed. If you want an OLB at a DE, put them there on the depth chart. =====Trades===== -Human trades only. All trades must be ruled upon by majority of admins. Please post them in the Discord while tagging @admin and they will be voted upon. Contact the Commissioner or Admin with any other questions.I love Instagram because it’s the best way to find new makeup artists. The other day I happened across this amazing image by artist Joonyoul Seung, which I posted to Reddit in the hopes that I’d be able to find a similar lip product. Apparently he used: Mac Diva, Guerlain 324, & MAC Please Me for the lips. I immediately fell in love with the bright pink cheeks and messy gradient/stained lips but unfortunately did not have this combination of shades. With winter weather rapidly approaching (it snowed for almost a day and a half this week), I really appreciated the pink/gray ‘après ski’ look. Here’s my quick recreation of the lips. They look quite a bit brighter and summery on me, but I think that’s just the nature of pink lips on dark skin. The light pink on the edge of the lips was very flattering in person, and really nice change from my normal look. PRODUCTS & APPLICATION MAC Cosmo – applied all over the lips, as a “base.” Missha Velvet Gradation in Sangria Wine– applied to the centre of the lips with the applicator and then blended out with my finger. This is the best tint I’ve tried, and it’s a nice non-drying $15 alternative to Too Faced’s $25 Melted Lipsticks. Pat McGrath clear gloss – all over. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal – applied to the cupid’s bow. I hope this was useful! xx Alyssa AdvertisementsScientists in Australia have warned that we'd better get hopping and slow down climate change if we want to prevent the world's smallest kangaroo from going extinct. The musky rat-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus), which reaches just 35 centimeters in length, lives in a tiny stretch of tropical rainforest on Australia's northeastern coast. According to researchers from the University of Queensland (U.Q.) and the University of New South Wales, the miniscule kangaroos adapted to their current habitat millions of years ago and may be unable to adjust to changing conditions. "We must carefully monitor the tropical rainforest because if climate change does affect it, the musky rat-kangaroo, and possibly other species, will have nowhere else to go," Kenny Travouillon from the U.Q.'s School of Earth Sciences said last week in a press release. He pointed out the fruit-eating mini roo's important role in seed dispersal, which helps to keep the entire rainforest healthy. Only one other species, the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), fulfills the same role in that ecosystem. Travouillon and other researchers recently discovered several prehistoric species of related musky rat-kangaroos that lived in the same region 20 million years ago. They say their discovery, published this past March in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, is an indication that the one remaining is too specialized to move to a different environment. Trovouillon told the Brisbane Times that the kangaroos have never been found outside of tropical rainforests, not even in nearby temperate rainforests, which have lower rainfall levels and hold completely different plant species. Their rainforest habitat could experience temperature rises of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius and a corresponding 5 to 10 percent less rainfall by the year 2070, according to current climate models. The kangaroo faces other threats aside from climate change, too. Some of its habitat is also being cut down to make way for golf courses and suburban development. Luckily most of the remaining habitat is in a national park, so the species is protected enough for now that the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies it on its Red List of Threatened Species as of "least concern" in terms of extinction risk. That might change in another few decades, though. You can see the musky rat-kangaroo hopping through the jungle in this short video: Illustration: A 1927 drawing of the musky rat-kangaroo by Gustav Mutzel via Wikipedia. Public domain. Photo by RachTHeH via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licenseThe tenor of the heavy comment I receive from Canadian readers indicates that there are large numbers of Canadians who are alarmed by the failure of almost any media outlet in this country to separate reporting from comment, and are offended by its sanctimonious do-right, feel-good, uniformity of perspective. To my pleasant surprise, messages I received after my comments on the native people in this space two weeks ago ran 50 to one in my favour. I take no issue with the remarks of Chief Joe Dion in the National Post on Aug. 14, which purported to be a reply. When someone is accused of being “unhelpful,” as I was, that means that the author disagrees but has no grounds for factual refutation. I agree with most of Chief Dion’s piece and wish him complete success in all the endeavours he mentioned. I should clarify that the complaint of inadequate consultation in the Ktunaxa case arose from the Constitution, and not the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as it seemed from my omission of a single word in my final edit. I apologize for the slip. The response to last week’s piece about the Korean crisis was also gratifying, and maintained about the same ratio. But I have a ghastly, sinking feeling that Tina J. Park’s comments in Maclean’s on Aug. 14 are representative of what the Canadian media think: that the problem is that two madmen, Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, are endangering the world with their mutual and escalating irresponsibility. Park hallucinates. Trump’s “fire and fury” comments about a North Korean attack on the U.S. did not have an “eerie doomsday-like tone;” the defence secretary, General Mattis, has not “rushed to downplay Trump’s message,” he echoed it; and Trump did not “haphazardly” toss off “reckless threats.” It was all quite clear: if North Korea attacked Guam or an American ally conventionally, the response would be conventional but overwhelming; if North Korea launched a nuclear strike, the response would be nuclear and devastating; and unspecified was whether the response would be military or economic if North Korea doesn’t attack, but continues its progress toward an intercontinental deliverable nuclear capability. Though the U.S. president didn’t say this, the answer to this question obviously rests with China and whether the People’s Republic will join to make economic quarantine effective. There is nothing irrational or flippant about this, and even former Canadian Charles Krauthammer, who is no Trump supporter, thought the “fire and fury” statement appropriate, and “worthy of President Truman.” It was all quite clear: if North Korea attacked Guam, the response would be conventional but overwhelming Furthermore, it was successful, as Kim announced mid-week that he would not be firing missiles near Guam after all. Park’s portrayal of North Korea as some sort of worthy protagonist of the United States was bunk; it either does not have, or would not retain after one hour of hostilities with the United States, “one of the largest standing armies in the world, advanced nuclear and missile capabilities … and the latest submarine, cyber, and aircraft capabilities.” It has 20 small diesel submarines, a minuscule air force and a grossly under-equipped army. The only military issue is whether the U.S. in a preemptive strike could destroy enough of the artillery massed to bombard Seoul (the booming and immense capital of South Korea), before it could be fired. North Korea is not a formidable adversary, and has a GDP smaller than that of Nova Scotia, and a per capita income of five per cent of that of South Korea. It is a starving, tyrannized basket case that could not withstand or answer an American conventional first strike for 10 minutes. This does not mean that war should be entertained frivolously as a policy, as it habitually is in Kim Jong-un’s polemics, and Park rightly points out that Trump has inherited a mess created by the utter lassitude on this subject of his three predecessors (Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama). But her proposal that “Canada could inspire a much-needed fresh approach in tackling the root causes of North Korea’s military program” is a mad conjuration. She advises that the “liberal-democratic world can only exist if those who threaten it with violence are constrained by diplomatic measures which encompass respect, political engagement, humanitarian values and strategic capability, and … Canada has a lot to offer in this regard.” The fresh approach that is needed is precisely the one Trump is taking The fresh approach that is needed is precisely the one Trump is taking: if North Korea does not stop threatening the liberal-democratic world, it will be strangled economically with China’s co-operation, or smashed militarily by the United States. Her recitation of the dispatch of Canadian missionaries to Korea in the 1880s, and of Canada’s commendable but minor role in the Korean war (we sent fewer men than the U.S. suffered in combat deaths in that war), and her comments on trade between Canada and South Korea, are all fine, but they have nothing to do with solving this problem. The only realities that will produce an acceptable outcome are the credibly threatened economic and/or military pulverization of North Korea. We are down to traditional power politics where the correlation of forces between the U.S. and North Korea is several thousand to one, and the notion that Canada brings anything to the party is self-serving moonshine. The new president of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, was elected three months ago promising dialogue and said he would not deploy the U.S. THAAD anti-missile defense system; he made a 180-degree turn on that subject after one month’s “dialogue” with Kim. Taking up Park’s historical analysis, the West should now recognize that the individual who had it right in Korea was Gen. Douglas MacArthur. His insubordination was intolerable, but strategically, he was correct, as were his civilian supporters such as Richard Nixon and John Foster Dulles, and we could have got rid of this horrible Kimist pestilence 65 years ago at less human cost than what was incurred in allowing the war to drag on for two years. A united Korea today would be a G8 powerhouse. Most of the Canadian media gleefully parroted the outrage My sampling of Canadian press treatment of public affairs last week was rounded out by our hysterical account of the Charlottesville riots. What started as a civic dispute over whether to remove the statue of distinguished Confederate commander Gen. Robert E. Lee was escalated by both sides, though especially the so-called alt-right, into a riot between the neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen who despise non-whites, and the Antifa protestors who are specialists in smashing up universities, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, which includes its own share of extremists. Local law enforcement made no serious effort to prevent or constrain the violence, and the government of Virginia handed the national and international media the opportunity to blame Donald Trump for the polarization of America, and to falsely impute to him ambivalence about extremist violence. Most of the Canadian media gleefully parroted this outrage. It is just the latest wheeze of the Never Trumpers; racism, misogyny, Russian collusion, chaos in the White House, and Korean war-mongering all having fizzled. Canada knows that its media is weak, and thoughtful people know that weak media ultimately help produce poor government. It is a serious problem, as it was when my associates and I founded this newspaper. National Post cbletters@gmail.comMatibool, 40, bled to death on a road in Delhi after being hit by a tempo Police have detained the milk delivery man seen on CCTV footage hitting a pedestrian with his tempo in Delhi and then driving off without helping the victim. He is now being questioned.On camera, the tempo driver approaches 36-year-old Matibool, the man he hit, but turns away quickly, looks up and down the road, checks his tempo and then drives off.Matibool, an e-rickshaw driver, lay bleeding on the road in west Delhi's Subhash Nagar for over an hour on Wednesday morning. No one tried to help; the one man who stopped is seen on CCTV footage picking up his mobile phone and walking off.By the time policemen took him to a hospital just half a km away, he had died.CCTV images chronicle the staggering lack of compassion often ascribed to the capital city.In the 30 minutes that it took for a friend to spot Matibool and run for help, 140 cars, 82 three-wheelers, 181 bikers and 45 pedestrians passed the dying man without helping. Among them was a police van that responds to emergencies.Matibool, a father of four who worked two jobs, was on his way home around 5.40 am after an overnight shift when the three-wheeler, speeding on the deserted road, rammed him.He hit a pole and collapsed.The driver is seen on camera approaching him but turning away quickly, looking up and down the road, checking his tempo and then driving off after making sure that his victim is alive.After many come and go without stopping, one man stops a rickshaw and walks towards the prone figure. Finally, some help - it appears in the video. Until this man walks right by, picks up Matibool's mobile phone and returns to the rickshaw.A team of policemen arrived around 7 am and took him to hospital. Matibool had already died of excessive bleeding, doctors confirmed.Matibool, who came to Delhi from Bengal 10 years ago, drove an e-rickshaw in the day and worked as a watchman at night. He has two sons and two daughters. "He used to walk by this spot everyday on his way home, and stop for a cup of tea," said one shop owner who knew him. The police are now looking for the man who stole Matibool's mobile. He has not been identified yet.As the latest in a series of studies, researchers at Plymouth University, National Institutes of Health and University of California, Riverside, have shown the ability of a vaccine vector based on a common herpesvirus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), to provide protection against Ebola virus in the experimental rhesus macaque, non-human primate (NHP) model. Demonstration of protection in the NHP model is regarded as a critical step before translation of Ebola virus vaccines into humans and other great apes. The study is published today, Monday 15th February, in the online journal from Nature publishing, Scientific Reports. In addition to establishing the potential for CMV-based vaccines against Ebola virus, these results are exciting from the potential insight they give into the mechanism of protection. Herpesvirus-based vaccines can theoretically be made to produce their targeted protein (in this case, Ebola virus GP) at different times following vaccination. The current CMV vaccine was designed to make the Ebola virus GP at later times. This resulted in the surprising production of high levels of antibodies against Ebola virus with no detectable Ebola-specific T cells. This immunological shift towards antibodies has never been seen before for such primate herpesvirus-based vaccines, where responses are always associated with large T cell responses and poor to no antibodies. "This finding was complete serendipity," says Dr Michael Jarvis who is leading the project at Plymouth University. "Although we will definitely need to explore this finding further, it suggests that we may be able to bias immunity towards either antibodies or T cells based on the time of target antigen production. This is exciting not just for Ebola, but for vaccination against other infectious as well as non-infectious diseases". A largely untold story is the devastating effect Ebola virus is having on wild great ape populations in Africa. Although the present study administered the vaccine by direct inoculation, a CMV-based vaccine that can spread from animal to animal may be one approach to protect such inaccessible wild animal populations that are not amenable to vaccination by conventional approaches. The current study is a step forward, not only for conventional Ebola virus vaccines for use in humans, but also in the development of such'self-disseminating vaccines' to target Ebola in great apes, and other emerging infectious diseases in their wild animal host before they fully establish themselves in humans. ### Link to paper - http://www. nature. com/ articles/ srep21674 DOI: 10.1038/srep21674 For more information about this news release please contact Andrew Gould, andrew.gould@plymouth.ac.uk About Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and DentistryBy Andrew L. Seidel Staff Attorney Freedom From Religion Foundation “Red Mass” sounds like an unfortunate medical condition. Sadly, it’s worse. Red mass is a condition that plagues our body politic (or judicial). Every year on the Sunday before the start of the Supreme Court term, some of the highest judges in our land attend a Catholic mass. The purpose of the mass is to ask for God’s guidance for the Supreme Court justices and others who work in the law. (Presumably that includes the attorneys for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, but so far, I’m not feeling a godly tickle, let alone divine guidance.) Last Sunday, as Hurricane Matthew turned toward Haiti, the Cathedral of Matthew the Apostle hosted five Supreme Court justices—John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, all of whom are Catholic, and Stephen Breyer, who is Jewish. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg went once, but has since refused because of the experience: “I went one year and I will never go again, because this sermon was outrageously anti-abortion. Even the Scalias—although they’re very much of that persuasion—were embarrassed for me.” During the Red Mass sermon this year, Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s message was “where there is no mercy, there is no justice.” The brazen hypocrisy of the Catholic Church is almost too much to bear. Hebda has been called in to run the Minneapolis/St. Paul diocese after the child rape cases there. But the church has, to put it charitably, an overabundance of mercy. Child rapists who happen to be in the Catholic hierarchy escape secular justice. Sure, they might be defrocked, but that’s not enough. People who rape children belong in jail. Getting fired is, frankly, irrelevant. But even if the messenger is a hypocrite, the message is one worth exploring. During the mass Archbishop Hebda urged, “We need to remember that real people are at the heart of what we do and are affected by the decisions we make.” That’s a thought the U.S. Supreme Court should have considered when it decided that thousands of working class women should be subjected to the personal religious beliefs of their corporate bosses in the Hobby Lobby case. Should we now exercise mercy for corporations, since the Supreme Court granted them personhood in Citizens United? And what about mercy for the American taxpayer, who foots an $800,000 annual bill so that the House and Senate can pay chaplains to pray. According to the John Carroll Society, which has hosted the D.C. mass since 1953, the name “Red Mass” “derives from the traditional red color of the vestments worn by clergy during the Mass, representing the tongues of fire symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit.” Yup. Tongues of fire. That’s from the Book of Acts, Chapter 2. The people interpreting our Constitution, striking down and upholding law, gather because: When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Talking snakes, talking donkeys, speaking in tongues, and the Holy Spirit acting like a babel fish are just a few of the bible’s oddities. Also in Chapter 2 of Acts, God discusses “his slaves” (2:18), “sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,” (2:20) to signify the coming of the Lord, when “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (2:22) Non-Christians are presumably left to burn in hell and, as a result of that fear, Acts says a bunch of people convert (2:37-42). This is not exactly the message we want our highest judges to take away. We shouldn’t want judges to gather and celebrate such a book—devoid of the mercy the archbishop wishes to proclaim. In our system, justice is meant to be blind, not contingent on which religion one adheres to, as in the chapter of the bible that gives the Red Mass its name. So while I sit here, awaiting the divine guidance that the Red Mass is supposed to bestow upon me and my fellow attorneys, I have my own message for our esteemed Supreme Court Justices: Do you job with empathy. Try to empathize with those of diverse backgrounds, not just with those in the Christian majority, but also with minority religious and nonreligious people. Perhaps a good first step would be to stop inviting your Jewish colleagues to attend your silly tongues of fire ritual. And maybe leave out the traditional chant, “God save the United States and this honorable court,” to kick off the day’s proceedings. It’s a bit alienating to the quarter of Americans who are not religious. That’d be a far better start than the Red Mass. FFRF is a national nonprofit dedicated to keeping state and church separate and educating about nontheism. We depend on member support, please join today.Receiving Wide Coverage... Move over bitcoin: Speculators drove up the price of a single unit of Zcash – a new virtual currency that was built to be all but untraceable – to over $1,000 on Monday, a few days after it was introduced. The online currency, developed by scientists at Johns Hopkins and MIT, uses advanced cryptography that enables Zcash "to be sent around the world essentially without a trace, unlike Bitcoin." Price volatility aside, Bloomberg offers a smart take on why anonymity is important for a currency's fungibility. Wall Street Journal Atomic Ant: Ant Financial Services Group, the financial affiliate of Chinese online-shopping giant Alibaba, is building a global network of merchants that accept its payment services by forging partnerships with companies around the world. "For now, those overseas services are aimed at a surging number of Chinese tourists who use Ant Financial's Alipay mobile-payments application at home," the Journal reports. "But by distributing its technology platform to retailers world-wide, Ant is laying the groundwork for what could eventually be a challenge to Visa and Mastercard." Ant has more than 450 million users and processed more than 150 million online transactions a day in the first quarter, nearly as many as Mastercard and about 60% of Visa's volume. Not so Good: JPMorgan Chase allegedly withheld a $12 million payment to Good Technology, a mobile security company, worsening a cash shortage that forced it to sell itself to BlackBerry for $425 million, a deal brokered by the bank. According to court documents unsealed last Friday, the plaintiffs, including some Good Technology employees, accuse the bank of accelerating the company's demise, even while the bank was advising it on a sale. The plaintiffs argue that the deal, in which the bank earned $4.1 million in fees, undervalued Good Technology in order to win future business from BlackBerry. Swaps probe: Citigroup said it is cooperating with an industrywide investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission into investment banks' trading and clearing of interest rate swaps. Financial Times Outperformers: Bank stocks outperformed the broader U.S. equity averages in October. Financial stocks gained 2.5% last month, compared to a 1.9% loss for the full S&P 500. "Out of the top 30 companies by market value, banks and some large tech companies led the charge," the paper reports. "JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup all rallied more than 3% in October after disclosing better than expected quarterly results." New York Times A 'fun' read: The paper reviews a biography of former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan ("The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan"). "While Greenspan was (and is) a more capable economist than he gets credit for these days, he was an even better politician. This view of Greenspan as a political animal is central to [author Sebastian] Mallaby's account. It is also, along with the often amusing depictions of Greenspan's personal life, what makes it so much fun to read," according to reviewer Justin Fox. Quotable... "You are going around on the Bitcoin blockchain leaving a trail of everything you do, which will last forever. The idea of Zcash is you don't have to go to special lengths to achieve privacy — privacy is baked into the system." -- Matthew Green, Zcash developer.I may earn a small commission on purchases made through any product links on this page. Thanks for your support! This Applesauce Donut Recipe is low in fat and big in flavor. Treat yourself to these easy doughnuts for breakfast! Have you been to a wedding or party lately with one of those photo booths? They usually have costume pieces and props so you can take fun pictures to commemorate the occasion. Here’s an example from a wedding Matt and I attended a couple years ago: claim your free gift! We're giving away a Free Meat Thermometer as a gift to our subscribers! Send Free Thermometer! Gift in partnership with whatsgoodcooking.com Sometimes taking food photos for my blog reminds me of those photo booths. Instead of just taking a picture of the food I want to show you, I try to gussy it up with props and stuff to make it prettier. Do you think I really stack linens and use garnishes and have ingredients and kitchen tools lying around while I cook and eat? No way! I am very simple when it comes to food. I just want it to taste good, and I don’t care that much about how it looks on the plate. I try my best to make my dishes look good for you here, but it’s against my nature to get too fancy. For these tasty applesauce donuts, I didn’t have time to even make my usual lame attempt at getting fancy. I made them on Sunday morning and glazed half of them for us to eat right away. By the time I got a chance to glaze and photograph the rest, it was 4:30 in the afternoon. I had to make a casserole to deliver and take pictures of these tasty donuts in a hurry, so that’s why there aren’t any cute napkins or carefully placed spoonfuls of cinnamon or anything else in these photos. Just donuts! I hope these little O’s of sweet, cinnamon goodness speak for themselves and you try them soon! If you don’t already have a donut pan, click here to see the one I used. I need to buy another to make all 12 at once. (This is an affiliate link.) If you love apple cinnamon, you’ll also love these recipes! 1.2K Shares'God allows governments to use capital punishment. Even Jesus Christ was sentenced to death because the government imposed the rule then,' says Senator Manny Pacquiao Published 7:10 PM, January 17, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – "Even Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by the government." Senator Manny Pacquiao said this on Tuesday, January 17, as he strongly defended the need to reimpose the death penalty for drug cases. The athlete-turned-pastor said both the Bible and the Constitution allow capital punishment, with the latter specifying only for "compelling reasons involving heinous crimes." "Ano ba basis mo to oppose? Because of your religious beliefs or because of the Constitution? Siguro naman the Constitution allows death penalty for heinous crimes," Pacquiao said in an interview with reporters. (What is your basis to oppose it? Because of your religious beliefs or because of the Constitution? The Constitution allows the death penalty for heinous crimes.) "And then sa Panginoon, biblically, binibigyan ng Panginoon ng karapatan ang government to use capital punishment. Even Jesus Christ nga nasentensyahan nang kamatayan dahil ang government nag-impose talaga ng kamatayan," he
his preliminary hearing, prosecutors played a tape recording in which a co-defendant, Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, confessed that he, Weemer and Sgt. Jose Nazario killed the prisoners. Nazario, no longer in the Marine Corps, faces charges in federal court in Riverside. -- Tony Perry, in San Diego Photo: Sgt. Ryan Weemer enters a courtroom at Camp Pendleton. Credit: San Diego Union-TribuneI've recently come across a fringe fermentation method that, unlike the breads and brews and yogurts and pickles and misos we know and love, isn't run by the usual benign microbes. The engine behind this fermentation method is Clostridium perfringens, a close relative of bacteria that cause botulism, tetanus, and food poisoning. It can eat flesh. It gives gas gangrene its name by causing putrefying flesh wounds that bubble and foam with flammable hydrogen. And it can make something surprisingly delicate and tasty. As befits a nasty pathogen, Clostridium perfringens grows aggressively. Its cells can divide every ten minutes, a handful turning into trillions of hydrogen makers overnight. That hydrogen gas can leaven dough just as yeast-generated carbon dioxide does. The result is something known as "salt-rising bread." A century ago, a scientist went so far as to bake bread leavened with Clostridium perfringens drawn from an infected wound, in what the West Virginia Medical Journal called "perhaps the most macabre experiment in culinary history." And so I present to you an all-you-can-eat story not about the limits of stomach capacity, but about the far shores of edibility. * * * The origins of salt-rising bread are unclear but seem to lie in the nineteenth-century American frontier, where it was likely difficult to obtain fresh yeast or keep a bread starter cool and regularly fed. The salt-rising process produces a leavened loaf from grains and water in about eighteen hours. The name is misleading, because salt doesn't play a major role. (Perhaps "salt-rising" was just a way of saying "yeastless-rising.") The real key to the process is heat: scalding-hot liquid to start with, then a feverish but perfringens friendly 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit for the starter, sponge, and dough. Of course there are many different recipes and contradictory advice on the details, but the basic process begins with making an unusual starter. You boil milk or water, pour it over some cornmeal and/or wheat flour and a little salt, and let the hot mix sit in a warm place overnight until it gets bubbly and smelly from bacterial growth. Cornmeal and milk accelerate the process and help flavor the bread, but they're not essential. You mix the starter with additional flour, water, and baking soda into a batter-like sponge, and keep it warm for a few more hours until it, too, swells with bubbles. Then you add enough flour to make a dough, shape it, put it in a pan, and keep it warm for another few hours until it has doubled in volume, at which point you bake it. The result is a tight-grained, dense yet tender loaf with an unusual aroma that's usually described as "cheesy." The social historian J. C. Furnas, who learned to love salt-rising bread as a child in the early twentieth century, wrote that "the flavor was once well defined by my sister as like distant dirty feet," but to his older and more discerning self it tasted "as if a delicately reared, unsweetened plain cake had had an affair with a Pont l'Eveque cheese." In my experience, salt-rising breads made with milk smell like a combination of swiss and parmesan -- sharp rather than stinky. Milk-free salt-rising breads tend to be pungent in their own less cheesy way, though one of them, my all-time favorite so far, came out with a wonderful washed-rind aroma. This curious flavor variability in salt-rising breads comes at least in part from variability in the microbes in the flour and cornmeal that we select to do the fermenting. And the selection process is pretty drastic. You notice that the recipe starts with scalding-hot liquid poured onto the dry ingredients. This step kills all of our familiar friendly yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, and, in fact, most microbes of any kind. The survivors are those bacteria that happen to be present as dormant and tough spores, which are actually stimulated by the high heat to germinate when the temperature drops back down to livable levels. Does that situation ring a warning bell? It should. The standard recipe for salt-rising bread instructs us to do something we're warned against in the name of food safety: leave thoroughly cooked foods to sit in a warm place for hours. Cooking kills bacteria that are already active, but spores survive and are stimulated to grow -- and grow fast -- when the food temperature drops from piping hot to warm. That's exactly how Clostridium perfringens ends up being a common cause of food poisoning. And yet in salt-rising bread we make a point of encouraging it. The realization that the salt-rising bacterium was a form of pathogen came in 1923, when a USDA microbiologist named Stuart A. Koser analyzed commercial salt-rising starters. He found that they were teeming with Clostridium perfringens, then called the Welch bacillus, a microbe already known to be very common in soil, water supplies, and foods, and especially numerous in the human intestine and in sewage. It hadn't yet been connected with food poisoning, but it was implicated in gangrenous flesh wounds. So Koser checked to see whether bakery loaves of salt-rising bread contained any of the bacillus. Indeed they did, but in the form of spores rather than live cells. He tested these bread strains on guinea pigs and found that they didn't cause gangrene. He obtained a bacillus culture that had originally been taken from a soldier's infected wound. And he made bread with the wound bacteria. Koser then wondered if a known disease strain could grow well enough in dough to leaven it and so pose a hidden hazard to the consumer. So he obtained a bacillus culture from the army that had originally been taken from a soldier's infected wound. It was called the "Silverman" strain, probably after the soldier or his doctor. And Koser made bread with these wound bacteria. "The salt rising bread prepared with the Silverman strain compared favorably in size and texture with that prepared from the [commercial] starter," he reported. Regrettably but understandably, he didn't report on the flavor. Less understandably, he didn't test the wound-risen bread for toxicity. But his creepy experiment made clear that there were different strains of the bacillus with different toxicities, and that though the strain in the commercial breads was relatively innocuous, it was possible that other breads might contain a dangerous strain. It wasn't until the 1940s and '50s that scientists recognized Clostridium perfringens as a leading cause of foodborne illness as well as wound infections. Since then, they've found that there are at least five major types of the bacterium that produce different toxins and cause different kinds of disease. Their surveys have also found that most samples from the general environment don't produce the toxin that causes food poisoning. The safety of salt-rising bread was revisited in 2008 by a physician at West Virginia University and a microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Professors Gregory Juckett and Bruce McClane noted Koser's "macabre" but inconclusive 1923 experiment, and set out to determine whether salt-rising bread "should be viewed as the Appalachian equivalent of fugu, the poison-laden pufferfish of Japanese gourmands." They analyzed a number of bread starters and found that all of them contained strains of Clostridium perfringens type A, the group associated with food poisoning rather than wound infection. But none of these strains actually produced toxins. Given that finding, together with the fact that both toxins and active bacteria are inactivated by the heat of baking, and the lack of any known cases of the bread causing illness, Juckett and McClane concluded that "it seems reasonable to continue the consumption of this delicious old-fashioned bread." Good! It also seems reasonable to begin exploring new possibilities for this old-fashioned and unusual process. Where familiar fermentations convert food carbohydrates primarily to alcohol or to lactic or acetic acid, Clostridium perfringens produces a cocktail of organic acids that includes acetic and lactic but also butyric -- the characteristic sharp smell of aged cheese -- as well as propionic -- typical of Emmental-style swiss. A hot loaf of just-baked clostridium bread emits enough of these volatile acids to sting the inquiring nose. Milk in the starter seems to boost the butyric, but I've found that even dairy-free breads can sometimes be good and cheesy. It should be possible to select clostridium cultures and starter ingredients to produce distinctive flavors reliably. The most useful practical survey for the salt-rising experimentalist is a 2002 article by Reinald S. Nielsen in issue 70 of Petits Propos Culinaires, the quirky small-format journal published in the UK by Prospect Books. Nielsen had started making salt-rising bread in the 1950s, and over the years collected and tested old recipes and sent samples to a microbiology lab for analysis. He discovered that cornmeal is a far richer source of Clostridium perfringens than wheat flour, but that various materials can serve as slow but workable sources of starter microbes. Not just all kinds of grains, milled or flaked, conventional or organic, including packaged breakfast oatmeal and shredded wheat, but even bark from oak and black locust trees. Taste-of-place fans take note: Clostridium perfringens is everywhere. The possibilities are endless. If you do give clostridium bread a try, a word of caution: Don't lick the spoon or nibble the raw dough. Just in case. Remember which family of microbes you're playing with. Recipe: Salt-Rising Bread Salt-rising bread is most conveniently started in the evening to bake late the following afternoon.Continue Reading Below Advertisement Kevin Smith is just like everyone. After Clerks, Smith went on to make a bunch of other mostly funny and mostly successful films. But, in every interview, he still came across as just a regular guy who dug movies. Sure, he made some weak movies, but even Cop Out has a scene where Tracy Morgan punches a child in the dick. So how bad can it be really? And even if he makes a REALLY shitty movie, he just seems like a cool guy, the type of dude you want to sit down and have a beer with. His speaking engagements are always hilarious, his Podcasts are entertaining, and he always struck me as very down to Earth and just naturally funny. There's a video of him making fun of a heckler at Comic-Con and it always brings a smile to my face. Always charming, always self-deprecating. Real class act. Also he's from Jersey, so we must stick together. But, Unfortunately... Kevin Smith can sort of be a huge baby. He never used to have a problem with critics but, over the last few years, he's campaigned against them several times, on his podcast, in interviews or on Twitter. He doesn't like the idea of letting a bunch of critics see his movie for free if they're just going to shit on it; he'd rather just show it to fans and friends and his Twitter followers. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The thing is, it's not that he just suddenly said, "I don't like critics anymore." He started his anti-critics crusade immediately after they gave bad reviews of Cop Out. Once critics admitted that this one movie he made was maybe kind of shitty, he took to Twitter and said that, in the future, he's done with critics' screenings, and he very clearly stated that he would not do press interviews to promote his latest movie. He's even distributing it himself, which would be cool, but his reason is that he refuses to let anyone else distribute it because "they don't get it." It's the director's equivalent of taking your ball away when you get tagged out at the schoolyard. It's always hard to hear or read criticism about something you made, but there are better ways to handle it. We get our fair share of criticism in the comments here at Cracked. For all of the wonderful folks who support us, there are plenty that have nothing but negative things to say. Usually it's to the tune of "This article would've been better if it wasn't written by such a shithead" or "I liked you better last year, before you got all that shit in your head," or "Uh, actually, [fart noise fart noise fart noise]." Happens to all of us. You can read and then brush off the comments, or you can read and make adjustments in the future in an effort to cater to a few of the unhappy commenters, or you can straight up not read the comments. I've done all three.Court says sacked Catalan leader and four cabinet members who fled to Belgium have shown willingness to return to Spain A Spanish judge has lifted the extradition order on the former Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, and four former cabinet members who fled to Belgium to avoid charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. In a surprise move as campaigning officially began for this month’s Catalan election, supreme court judge Pablo Llarena withdrew European arrest warrants for the five, but national warrants still stand – meaning they would be likely to face arrest if they chose to return to Spain. Puigdemont said after the supreme court decision he would stay in Belgium “for the moment”. Llarena said he had been moved to act after becoming aware of a discrepancy between Belgian and Spanish law that would limit the charges under which the Catalans could be extradited and therefore be charged on their return. Sources in Brussels believe Puigdemont’s lawyer was preparing to argue that the definitions in Belgian law for the crimes of sedition and rebellion are different to those on the Spanish statute books. Extradition through the European arrest warrant in most cases requires “double criminality”, meaning the crimes must exist in the statutes of both countries. The only charge on which the Belgians would have agreed to extradition was believed to be the lesser one of misuse of public funds for which the accused would be fined and banned from holding public office but not imprisoned. Extradition to Spain under such conditions would mean that Puigdemont and the other four in Belgium would face different charges from ministers who stayed in the country and are currently either in preventive custody or out on bail. Their lawyers could also have used a Belgian ruling to argue for the most serious charges of sedition and rebellion to be dropped. “As it appeared possible that Belgium might partially deny the detention order this raised the possibility of limiting the charges that could be brought against the fugitives,” Llarena said, as he withdrew the extradition request. He said the crime was “perpetrated in concert by all those under investigation” and therefore all the defendants must be treated as a single, unified group. Llarena also said, somewhat mischievously, that since the five had “shown a willingness to return to Spain to assume elected office” there was no reason to pursue their extradition. A spokesman for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office said they could not comment. National arrest warrants already been issued for Puigdemont, Toni Comín, Clara Ponsatí, Lluís Puig and Meritxell Serret, mean they could expect to be detained on their return to Spain and held in custody since they had already established they were flight risks. Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, Puigdemont’s lawyer, confirmed on Catalan television that “the moment Puigdemont sets foot in El Prat [Barcelona airport] or crosses the border he’ll be arrested and taken immediately to the supreme court”. The ruling puts Puigdemont in a quandary as campaigning begins for the 21 December vote. He is a free man so long as he doesn’t go home and continues to campaign for president from Brussels. But with Oriol Junqueras, his former number two and now his chief rival in prison in Madrid, the pressure is on Puigdemont to come back from what is now a voluntary exile in a Brussels apartment. If he stays in Belgium, he risks ceding the moral high ground to Junqueras. Madrid has used the judicial system to manipulate and wear down members of the former Catalan government, locking them up then offering them bail if they recant October’s unilateral declaration of independence. Junqueras was on Monday denied bail by a judge who said it remained to be seen whether his pledge to abide by Spanish law was “truthful and real”. A poll published on Monday showed Junqueras’ Esquerra Repúblicana running slightly behind the centre-right Ciutadans party, with Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya in third place. The poll predicts that the combined secessionist vote would fall short of an overall majority.49ers legend Jerry Rice may be hoping that with football season in full swing, it might be a good time to try to sell his house again. Not having too much luck in the past, the former star wide receiver has listed his Atherton home on and off every year for the last four years, starting in 2008. The home is back on the market again, asking $10.5 million. window._taboola = window._taboola \|\| []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type:'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola \|\| []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-10', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 10', target_type:'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola \|\| []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-15', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 15', target_type:'mix' }); window._taboola = window._taboola \|\| []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-16', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 16', target_type:'mix' }); Photo: Redfin.com Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Image 2 of 17 The front of the house The front of the house Photo: Redfin.com Image 3 of 17 Elegant stairwell leads to the 2nd floor Elegant stairwell leads to the 2nd floor Photo: Redfin.com Image 4 of 17 Living area Living area Photo: Redfin.com Image 5 of 17 Image 6 of 17 More casual entertaining area More casual entertaining area Photo: Redfin.com Image 7 of 17 Chefs kitchen Chefs kitchen Photo: Redfin.com Image 8 of 17 Home theater Home theater Photo: Redfin.com Image 9 of 17 Master bath Master bath Photo: Redfin.com Image 10 of 17 Image 11 of 17 Game room Game room Photo: Redfin.com Image 12 of 17 Jerry's workout space Jerry's workout space Photo: Redfin.com Image 13 of 17 Outdoor BBQ Outdoor BBQ Photo: Redfin.com Image 14 of 17 Outdoor living area with fireplace Outdoor living area with fireplace Photo: Redfin.com Image 15 of 17 Image 16 of 17 Jacuzzi Jacuzzi Photo: Redfin.com Image 17 of 17 Will the 4th time be the charm? Jerry Rice relists Atherton home 1 / 17 Back to Gallery The 7 bedroom, 9.5 bath, 13,908 square foot home was built in 2001 and sits on 1.41 acres at 267 Atherton Ave. There’s multiple entertaining areas, a movie theater, game room, pool, outdoor BBQ and dining/living area. Of course, as expected of any pro athlete, there’s an impressive gym where the weights and equipment are worth about $500,000. Perhaps 4 is the magic number and this will be the year Jerry Rice will finally sell his pad.HHS Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday in the face of multiple federal inquiries and growing criticism of his use of private and government planes for travel, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 million since May. The White House said the former seven-term Georgia congressman, 63, offered his resignation earlier in the day and that President Donald Trump had accepted it. Story Continued Below Price becomes the first Trump administration Cabinet secretary to step down. The White House said Trump asked Deputy Assistant Health Secretary Don Wright to serve as acting secretary of the agency, which has an annual budget $1.15 trillion and includes the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as the FDA, NIH and CDC. As late as Thursday, Price said he believed he had the president’s support. But the tumult surrounding his travel became another distraction for an administration already reeling from the defeat of repeated Senate efforts to repeal Obamacare and criticism for its hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico. Price ran afoul of Trump in part because his actions seemed to symbolize everything the president had inveighed against on the campaign trail by vowing to "drain the swamp." The fallout extended to the entire Cabinet Friday night when the White House announced that chief of staff John Kelly must approve almost all travel on "government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft." Price, in his resignation letter, expressed regret that "recent events" distracted from efforts to overhaul the health care system. "In order for you to move forward without further disruption, I am officially tendering my resignation as the Secretary of Health and Human Services effective 11:59 PM on Friday," he wrote. POLITICO Pulse newsletter Get the latest on the health care fight, every weekday morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. Senate Democrats quickly served notice they were preparing for a potential confirmation fight over Price's successor, saying the next HHS secretary must not undermine Obamacare. Under Price, the department cut the law’s enrollment period in half and slashed advertising and outreach for the enrollment period starting in November. “The next HHS secretary must follow the law when it comes to the Affordable Care Act instead of trying to sabotage it," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "Tom Price’s replacement needs to be focused on implementing the law as written by Congress and keeping the president’s promise to bring down the high cost of prescription drugs,” Senate Finance ranking Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a statement. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a close ally, praised Price as a dedicated public servant. "His vision and hard work were vital to the House’s success passing our health care legislation," Ryan said in a statement. POLITICO revealed that Price flew at least 26 times on private aircraft at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, a sharp break with his predecessors’ practice. Many of Price’s flights were between major cities that offered inexpensive alternatives on commercial airlines, including Nashville, Philadelphia and San Diego. On some of those trips, Price, an orthopedic surgeon, mixed official business with leisure. He took a government-funded private jet in August to get to St. Simons Island, an exclusive Georgia resort where he and his wife own land, a day and a half before he addressed a medical conference he and his wife have long attended. In June, HHS chartered a private jet to fly Price to Nashville, where he owns a condominium and where his son resides. Price toured a medicine dispensary, spoke to a local health summit organized by a friend and had lunch with his son, an HHS official confirmed. Cable news reacts to Tom Price's resignation poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201709/3805/1155968404_5593501676001_5593501819001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Price also used military aircraft for multi-national trips to Africa, Europe and Asia, at a cost of more than $500,000 to taxpayers. The White House said it had approved those trips but not the private jets within the United States. Price tried to defuse the controversy by promising on Thursday to reimburse the government for the approximately $52,000 cost of his own seat on his domestic trips. But that wasn’t enough to tamp down the scandal, which had infuriated the president and prompted a bipartisan inquiry from the House Oversight Committee and separate calls for accountability from lawmakers including Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. The inspector general of Price’s own agency is reviewing if Price complied with federal travel regulations. The White House put Cabinet officials on notice Friday that it would crack down on use of private planes, telling them chief of staff John Kelly must approve almost all travel on "government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft." Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent out the memo soon after Price’s resignation was made public, reminding department and agency heads that, by regulation, “Government-owned, rented, leased, or chartered aircraft should not be used for travel by Government employees except with specific justification.” The issue of Cabinet members' travel has already extended beyond Price: POLITICO reported Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his aides took several flights on private or military aircraft, including a $12,000 charter plane to take him to events in his hometown in Montana and private flights in the Caribbean. Zinke dismissed the furor as a “little B.S.” during a Friday appearance at the Heritage Foundation. Price’s wife, Betty, accompanied him on the military flights, while other members of the secretary’s delegation flew commercially to Europe. HHS spokeswoman Charmaine Yoest said Price reimbursed the agency for his wife’s travel, but declined to elaborate. White House officials have groused about Price’s frequent travels, with one senior White House official saying the HHS secretary was “nowhere to be found” as they mounted a last-ditch unsuccessful push to repeal Obamacare. Congressional Democrats attacked Price for advocating spending cuts to the health agencies he oversaw and health care programs while spending taxpayer dollars on private jets. “There could not be a clearer statement of the Trump administration’s priorities,” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said. Key Democrats overseeing health issues in Congress had formally requested that HHS's inspector general review Price's travel practices. In June, Price defended a proposed fiscal 2018 budget for HHS that included a $663,000 cut to the agency’s $4.9 million annual spending on travel, or roughly 15 percent. “The budgeting process is an exercise in reforming our federal programs to make sure they actually work — so they do their job and use tax dollars wisely,” Price told the Senate Finance Committee on June 8. Ethical questions dogged Price even before questions about his travel arose. During his Senate confirmation hearing to helm HHS, Price faced pointed questions about his personal investments in health care companies during his time in Congress. Democrats called on government ethics officials to investigate Price’s health care stock trades, following reports that he got a sweetheart deal from a biotech company and invested in Zimmer Biomet, a medical device-maker, just days before writing legislation that would have eased regulations on the sector. The Senate confirmed Price by a 52-47 margin in February after he maintained full Republican support. Price carved out a reputation as a staunch fiscal conservative during his decade-plus tenure in the House of Representatives. He generally supported reducing government spending on health care while shifting more of the financial burden onto individuals. Like most conservatives, he's supported privatizing Medicare so that seniors would receive fixed dollar amounts to buy coverage and limiting federal Medicaid spending to give states a lump sum, or block grant, and more control over how they could use it.A U.S. Senator who campaigned against video games and blamed them for causing violence has been sentenced to five years in prison charged with weapon smuggling and corruption. The Senator, Leland Yee, admitted to political corruption charges including accepting bribes for favours. Yee also admitted to being involved in a plot to smuggle guns from the Philippines into the U.S., however this plot was never completed. As a result of his crimes, the Prosecution were seeking an eight year jail term for Leland Yee, but the Judge handed Yee a five year jail sentence in a federal prison instead. Other charges were brought against Yee for racketeering, selling guns without a license and agreeing to join a murder-for-hire plot suggested by an undercover FBI agent, however these charges were dropped following Yee’s guilty plea to corruption. Leland Yee had been a California Senator for 25 years having served in office as a Democratic representative of California. It was back in 2011 that Yee came to the spotlight for his campaign against video games in which he proposed a new law that was rejected by the US Supreme Court. Following the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, Yee once again tried putting the blame on the video games industry stating, “Gamers have got to just quiet down,” Yee said at the time. “Gamers have no credibility in this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the industry’s lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is about their self-interest.” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer told Yee, “The crimes that you committed have resulted in essentially an attack on democratic institutions, Breyer said to Yee, according to a courtroom report today from San Jose Mercury News.This is a serious, serious injury to a governmental institution.” Yee asked for leniency in sentencing saying that he was ashamed of his actions and that they would haunt him for the rest of his life. “I have taken full responsibility for my actions and crimes I have committed,” said Leland Yee. “That will haunt me the rest of my life.” In addition to campaigning against video games, Yee also campaigned for stricter gun controls in the US. Ironic right?Is the raqîa‘ (‘firmament’) a solid dome? Equivocal language in the cosmology of Genesis 1 and the Old Testament: a response to Paul H. Seely by James Patrick Holding Anti-Christian sceptics often denounce the Bible as teaching a faulty cosmology. One example is the assertion that the Hebrew word רקיע rāqîa‘, or ‘firmament’ in the KJV, denotes a solid dome over the earth, so that the Bible is guilty of scientific error. Such enemies of the Gospel have an ally in the professing evangelical Paul H. Seely, who maintains that both the social background data and the text of the Bible itself support this conclusion. Seely’s conclusion is both presumptuous and untenable, and he fails to recognize that the description of the rāqîa‘ is so equivocal and lacking in detail that one can only read a solid sky into the text by assuming that it is there in the first place. One can, however, justifiably understand Genesis to be in harmony with what we presently know about the nature of the heavens. Introduction It is common for sceptics to attack the Bible for teaching a primitive cosmology, including a flat earth and geocentrism. They use these arguments to claim that the Bible cannot be the word of God, rightly pointing out that God would not make errors in his Word. Neither would Jesus, if he were truly God in the flesh, endorse erroneous teaching. However, such sceptical arguments against the Bible’s cosmology have been repeatedly refuted by conservative Christians.1 More recently, the enemies of Christ have acquired an ally in the professing evangelical Paul H. Seely, who has also claimed that the Bible makes scientific errors. In giving ammunition to sceptics and others who want to destroy the Bible, thus feeding into the world system and giving it comfort, in some ways Seely is more dangerous to Christians than atheists. Although his papers are not cited in any Bible commentary I could find at the Reformed Theological Seminary at Orlando, Florida, his views seem to be beloved of Christians who desire to compromise the plain teachings of Scripture with the man-made theories of evolution and billions of years. Therefore this article is justified as pulling out this tree of misinformation by its roots. A solid dome? In particular, Seely has published two papers in the Westminster Theological Journal claiming that the Bible teaches that there is a solid dome above the earth. He announces near the very start of his 1991 article: ‘The basic historical fact that defines the meaning of raqiya‘—the Hebrew word in Genesis 1 which the King James Bible reads as ‘firmament,’ but many modern translations render ‘expanse’—‘is simply this: all peoples in the ancient world thought of the sky as solid.’2 Following this statement is an impressive and informative list of citations that goes on to prove just that point: from American Indians to the neighbors of the Hebrews in the ancient East; from ancient times until the time of the Renaissance, there were almost no recorded dissenters, leading Seely to the resolution, ‘When the original readers of Genesis 1 read the word rāqîa‘ they thought of a solid sky.’2 Then, after an analysis of relevant Biblical texts, Seely concludes: ‘… (T)he language of Genesis 1 suggests solidity … and no usage of raqiya‘ anywhere states or even implies that it was not a solid object … The historical-grammatical meaning of raqiya‘ in Gen. 1:6–8 is very clearly a literally solid firmament.’2 Biblical inerrancy We will have much to say regarding the specific Old Testament citations that Seely uses in defence of his thesis, but for the present, I perceive some rather gaping holes in Seely’s general logic. In terms of the meaning of rāqîa‘ and the composition of Genesis, there are three basic possibilities: First, it is possible that what Seely says is correct. The terms given in Genesis had only one possible meaning and no other, and Genesis was written, even under inspiration as Seely professes to believe, with this basic error in thought preserved. Second, it is possible that the Genesis account was written before any of the erroneous cosmological theories of solid skies that Seely lists. It is not an uncommon suggestion that Gen. 1–11 was founded in sources prior to Moses — some would say the story derives from Abraham; we may even suppose that it derived from the experiences of Adam. If this is so, and if we can show that the descriptions in Genesis 1 are compatible with our present-day observations of the natural world, then Seely’s entire argument collapses. All he has shown is that the Hebrews and all of those following misinterpreted the meaning of rāqîa‘ according to their own perceptions and derived from Genesis the idea of a solid sky. We may regard this solution as satisfactory, but a question mark remains in that we have no exact idea of the original composition date of Genesis 1. Finally, there is a third option. Truly enough, one can indeed read Genesis 1 and say that a solid sky is in mind. But one can also, with as much justification, read Genesis 1 and say rather that it comports exactly with what we know today of the atmosphere and the solar system, with or without adjustments made for phenomenological language, and this is because of the utterly equivocal nature of the language used in Genesis 1. Certainly Seely is correct to quote Warfield’s dictum that it was not the purpose of the writer of Genesis3 to describe the nature of the sky; Seely is also correct (if a bit chauvinistic in tone) to say that ‘there is no reason to believe the Hebrews were any less scientifically naive than their neighbors.’4 Where the line must be drawn is before the implication that inerrancy is not compromised by reading a solid sky into Genesis 1, and allowing no other interpretation. It does not do to say that ‘God has sometimes allowed his inspired penman to advert to the scientific concepts of their own day.’5 Seely confuses adaptation to human finitude with accommodation to human error—the former does not entail the latter.6 As I know all too well, having spent several years confronting critics of the Bible,7 such ‘allowances’ as Seely asserts easily open the door to ridicule of the inspired Word, and the critics are correct to see such rationalizations as Seely’s as totally invalid. It also opens the door to those who claim that the Bible writers’ teaching on morality was also a reflection of ‘the scientific concepts of their own day’. For example, was their teaching against adultery and homosexual acts in ignorance of the modern scientific ‘fact’ that such behaviour is ‘in the genes’, programmed by evolution? This is hardly a caricature, since some liberals already use such arguments,8 showing that Seely’s attitude is the top of a perilous slippery slope. (Of course, it is fallacious to claim that behaviour is completely controlled by genes,9 and the ‘gay gene’ finding has been strongly questioned.10) Rather than wave the white flag over inerrancy with this compromise over rāqîa‘, it is better served, under this third option, to realize that the inspired author of Genesis was allowed to use the only terms available to him in his language to describe natural phenomena, but was not allowed to offer anything more than the vaguest, most minimal descriptions of those phenomena, thereby leaving nearly everything unsaid about their exact nature. Genesis 1 was perfectly designed to allow that interpretation which accorded with actual fact, for it ‘says nothing more than that God created the sky or its constituent elements’ while remaining ‘completely silent’ about what those elements were.11 It only depended upon where one started: if one starts with the presumption of a solid sky, one will read into the text a solid sky. If one starts with a modern conception, the text, as we shall see, permits that as well. Put another way: if today we say ‘the sky is blue’ to a person who is a member of a ‘primitive’ society, and they happen to define the ‘sky’ as ‘the solid expanse over our head’, this does not make our original statement, ‘the sky is blue,’ in error. Their thought-concept is indeed in error, but our original statement is not—even if we both happen to use the same word, ‘sky’, to describe different concepts. So it is that God, using an inspired penman under the constraints of human language, did not err in Genesis. The cosmology has been kept so basic and equivocal that one must force certain meanings into the text and analyze what the writer ‘must have been thinking’ (as well as pay no attention to the fact that God, not man, is the ultimate author of the text)
000 to be disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commission. New South Wales laws banning property developers from making political donations were upheld by the High Court last month. 'Urgent' reforms needed before next election The Victorian Ombudsman's investigation found the councillors received campaign donations from property developers with considerable interests in the municipality. "One property developer had 610 planning applications before the council over a two-year period, and made donations to the councillors' political campaigns of $44,000 and $32,575," the report said. Ms Glass said urgent reforms were needed before the next election. It's clear that Victoria has some of the weakest political donation laws in the western world. Ellen Sandell, Greens MP "We should not wait for a scandal for this to happen," she said. Greens MP Ellen Sandell will introduce a bill to Parliament next month to try to ban council candidates and political parties taking donations from property developers. "It's clear that Victoria has some of the weakest political donation laws in the western world," she said. "I don't think property developers would donate to political parties unless they were getting something out of it, unless they were getting some kind of benefit. "There's huge potential for corruption." Planning Minister Richard Wynne said all political parties must comply with donation disclosure laws. "I have never taken one cent from a developer," he said. Topics: state-parliament, states-and-territories, elections, political-parties, vicLondon is the third most expensive city to live in, coming just behind super-wealthy cities in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. According to figures from Expatistan, which uses crowdfunded data to create a cost of living index for a number of world cities, London comes in third in a list of cities by their cost of living, behind Grand Cayman, in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands, and Zurich, in Switzerland. According to the figures, bound to be depressing to Londoners, London has the second most expensive public transport in the world, the third most expensive utility costs, and the fifth most expensive theatre tickets. 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. It's the second most expensive city in Europe (after Zurich), and, obviously, the most expensive in the UK. Shape Created with Sketch. The most expensive cities in the world 2015 Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The most expensive cities in the world 2015 1/10 1. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands The largest island in the Cayman Islands group, Grand Cayman is the most expensive city in the world to live in David Rogers/Getty Images 2/10 2. Zurich, Switzerland Switzerland's largest city, Zurich, takes the number two spot FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images 3/10 3. London, United Kingdom The British capital of London is the third most expensive city in the world Chris Jackson/Getty Images 4/10 4. Geneva, Switzerland One of three Swiss cities to appear in the top 10, Geneva is the world's third most expensive city Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 5/10 5. New York City, USA The Big Apple is the fifth most expensive city in the world Afton Almaraz/Getty Images 6/10 6. San Francisco, USA San Francisco, on the other side of the country, comes one place behind NYC Ezra Shaw/Getty Images 7/10 7. Washington, DC, USA America's seat of power, Washington, DC, is the 7th most expensive city Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images 8/10 8. Bern, Switzerland The Swiss capital is the 8th most expensive city in the world FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images 9/10 9. Hong Kong The city-state of Hong Kong is the ninth most expensive city in the world PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images 10/10 10. Singapore Another city-state, Singapore, edges in to the top 10 most expensive cities in the world ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images 1/10 1. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands The largest island in the Cayman Islands group, Grand Cayman is the most expensive city in the world to live in David Rogers/Getty Images 2/10 2. Zurich, Switzerland Switzerland's largest city, Zurich, takes the number two spot FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images 3/10 3. London, United Kingdom The British capital of London is the third most expensive city in the world Chris Jackson/Getty Images 4/10 4. Geneva, Switzerland One of three Swiss cities to appear in the top 10, Geneva is the world's third most expensive city Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 5/10 5. New York City, USA The Big Apple is the fifth most expensive city in the world Afton Almaraz/Getty Images 6/10 6. San Francisco, USA San Francisco, on the other side of the country, comes one place behind NYC Ezra Shaw/Getty Images 7/10 7. Washington, DC, USA America's seat of power, Washington, DC, is the 7th most expensive city Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images 8/10 8. Bern, Switzerland The Swiss capital is the 8th most expensive city in the world FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images 9/10 9. Hong Kong The city-state of Hong Kong is the ninth most expensive city in the world PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images 10/10 10. Singapore Another city-state, Singapore, edges in to the top 10 most expensive cities in the world ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images By contrast, Madras in India was deemed the least expensive city to live in. The bottom end of the list was mostly made up of smaller cities in Eastern Europe. The cheapest city in Western Europe to live in is Lisbon in Portugal, boasting a cost of living index of 127 in comparison to London's 308. It will be little consolation to Londoners that the capital has actually dropped down the global list. In July last year, it occupied the number two spot, but has since been overtaken. By contrast with other UK cities, London is significantly more expensive - 36 per cent pricer than Manchester, 38 per cent more than Glasgow, and 40 per cent more than Belfast. After London, the most expensive UK city is Aberdeen - which has notoriously high rents and prices due to it being a centre for Britain's oil industry in the North Sea. While an interesting insight into skyrocketing prices in London, the new figures prove nothing new. The Independent reported in June that London rents were now more than double the national average, and in May is was announced by forecasting group Oxford Economics that it was likely the average home in London would cost £1 million by 2030. Fortunately, newspapers covering London rent prices will have more to write in future - a study conducted by Liverpool Economics on behalf of four London borough councils found that the Government's plans to sell off more council homes through an extension of the Right to Buy scheme would drive rent prices up even further. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowYou know you're getting old when... You throw your back out on the toilet. You shave your ears. Your second wife calls your first wife “ma’am.” You're genuinely excited when your prescriptions arrive in the mail. You read the obits in the newspaper to check the ages of the dead people. You read a newspaper. You're bummed out that the smokin’ hot chick from Body Heat now looks like William Shatner in drag. You say “bummed out.” Women your age have real breasts and artificial hips. Masturbation leaves you winded. You try to amuse the kid hooking up your Blu-ray player by telling him about Betamax. You pee in morse code -- dots and dashes -- and have to look down to see when you’re done. Your car radio is set to “classic rock” so you have something to switch to during NPR pledge drives. Your doctor says things like, “that’s normal for a man your age” and “consider yourself lucky.” Beneath your chin is what appears to be a neck skin hammock. Beneath your penis is what appears to be two ping pong balls hanging from a flesh-colored bolo tie. You choose your new car because it offers great lumbar support and convenient cup holders. Watching “The Who” perform at the Superbowl made you inconsolably sad. You wonder if the orgasm you're about to have will actually end your life. Your doctor tells you a new medication will reduce the amount of semen in your body and your only response is, “so what.” Your car radio is set to “classic rock” so you have something to... oh, wait, I already did that one. 1st Aired: 8 March 2010You have to agree: whatever is going on between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung is much more exciting than, say, Bombay Velvet, the IPL or even PM Modi’s trips around the world. Ideally, the Kejriwal-Jung face-off should disgust all of us. Whatever they are fighting over, in real terms it will translate into a mismanaged, ungoverned capital. Delhi lost a lot of shine under L-G Najeeb Jung’s rule. And as for Kejriwal, the last time he engaged in a fight (ironically, with those who wield real brooms) the city ended up with mounds of rotting garbage and unbearable stink. That’s just a month-old memory. Ideally, we should ask both men to disappear for a while, settle their scores privately and then come back to govern the city as it should be. Yet, the more they fight, the more we find it impossible to look away. The reason is simple and complex. Celebrity roast is the new cool. And when two well-known people decide to "roast" each other publicly — we all end up having a good time, even if there are not too many witty one-liners. Ok. At least, it’s a bit like watching WWE on TV. And Delhi has always liked WWE in politics. Not just today, this millennium or the last century. But for thousands of years, Delhi has survived and thrived through messy court intrigues, political backstabbing, power games between freebooting warlords and the great nobles. And it has all been — just like Kejriwal and Jung’s turf-war — over legitimacy. Except for those years when exceptionally powerful emperors like Akbar held sway, Delhi elites generally pushed, shoved, bulldozed and killed their way up: to “kiss the threshold” of the throne. There were always too many claimants to ultimate power. Take Delhi’s high aristocracy during the Lodi dynasty. They could not accept the idea of one great power centre. The royals were reminded again and again that they should share power. Bahlul Lodi, who did not even bother to build a throne, had a fairly peaceful time. His son Sikandar was not so generous, but he was smart enough to keep the aristocrats happy. But his son and the last Lodi sultan, Ibrahim, was hopelessly arrogant and inefficient. Babur did not invade Delhi in a fit of fancy. Nobles, who did not like the rules of Ibrahim’s game, lobbied actively for his removal. I don’t know if a democracy allows this or not. But like the ulemas of the past, lawyers today are busy interpreting questions of legitimacy — CM or Lt Governor? There is intense power-play between the bureaucracy and the CM, with the L-G actively trying to share more power. If lessons of history mean anything, Kejriwal will change the game only if he manages to replace his current set of court elites with others loyal to him. Perhaps, that’s what he is trying to do?There's a cheerily childlike spring to his step. You wouldn't believe that 52-year-old Karnal Singh spent 59 days in jail even as he nursed a severely crushed forearm-result of a brutal police lathi-charge. The stainless steel prosthesis doctors put in to save his battered limb still hurts, but for the first time in his life it's been worth all the pain. On Baisakhi this April 14, after working as serfs for many generations, cutting and bringing in the crop of upper-caste Jat zamindars, Karnal Singh joined 700 other Dalits of Balad Kalan village in Punjab's Sangrur district, in the first real harvest of their lives-2,640 quintals of wheat sown, tended and collected from farmland they leased jointly from the panchayat. Now, they are looking to bring home an even more bountiful crop of paddy. From seeding to eventually being allowed to reap the rewards, it's been a truly tumultuous and decidedly painful journey for 143 Dalit households in Balad Kalan. Although a key 1961 legislation-the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act-decrees that all panchayats in the state must mandatorily reserve 33 per cent of all available shamlat or common land for lease to Scheduled Castes (SCs), for years upper-caste farmers, local sarpanchs and revenue officials have invariably been complicit in hosting dummy SC claimants to deprive real Dalit families access to such holdings. The story was no different in Balad Kalan. On June 27, 2014, Karnal Singh and his comrades, for the first time alerted to their rights by the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC), a loose, Left-oriented coalition working for land rights in Sangrur, came out of their homes to battle a 500-strong posse of Punjab Police men. The riot-ready policemen had been called out to support panchayat and revenue officials attempting to subvert the auction of 121 acres of common land reserved for lease to SCs. "They (the police) were brutal," says Paramjit Kaur, 38, who spent weeks in a coma after a particularly vicious policeman repeatedly pounded her on the head with his baton. Forty-one Dalit men were charged with "attempt to murder" and incarcerated without bail for 59 days. This, until August 28, 2014, when the state administration and panchayat agreed on a'samjhauta' and surrendered control of the land. Balad Kalan echoes an unprecedented transformation that is overtaking rural Punjab, quietly but firmly challenging, even demolishing, age-old caste equations. Dalit collectives like in Balad Kalan have managed to take control of common land legally reserved for Scheduled Caste communities in as many as 16 Sangrur villages. Sandip Kaur, 25, Matoi village, Sangrur district She led an agitation by educated Dalit girls in 2014 to win the lease of 17 bighas of farmland on May 28, 2015. Fodder crops from the land now mean that her mother Amarjit Kaur and other women no longer need to forage for green fodder to feed their cattle Sandip Kaur, 25, Matoi village, Sangrur district She led an agitation by educated Dalit girls in 2014 to win the lease of 17 bighas of farmland on May 28, 2015. Fodder crops from the land now mean that her mother Amarjit Kaur and other women no longer need to forage for green fodder to feed their cattle While Dalits have for long been agitating for access to land, the movement for village commons began to gather steam after 2008, when a group of youths in Benra village, 50 km from Balad Kalan, succeeded in rallying together all 250 Dalit households to gain control of nine acres-even forcing the district administration to cut lease rates. "Like in every other village, here too the Jat zamindars had proxies helping them bid for land that could only be leased to Dalits. We created a situation wherein no Dalit had the courage to stand in as a proxy for a zamindar," says Bahal Singh, 30, who helped raise the Kranti Pendu Mazdoor Union to lead the campaign in Benra. Right through the summer and monsoon of 2008, every Dalit man, woman and child maintained a zealous vigil forestalling attempts by Jat landlords intent on grabbing land reserved for Scheduled Castes. "We physically surrounded and forced, even carried away, proxy claimants from the auctions," says Balbir Kaur, 65, who led Benra's Dalit women and schoolgirls to stand vigil at the land lease auctions. Late in 2008, Bahal Singh and his friends succeeded in winning the lease for the nine acres, also paving the way for what must be documented as the first functional Dalit collective farm in Punjab. The nine-acre holding has been life-altering for impoverished households. Twenty-seven-year-old Harbans Kaur used to trudge for miles every day in search of green fodder for the lone cow her family struggled to feed. "There were days when I had to return with no more than a handful of weeds," she recalls. Increasing mechanisation and use of herbicides on farms increased yields particularly for crops such as paddy, but also meant that the weeds Dalit workers traditionally gathered as fodder were no longer available. Left to forage along irrigation canals and the fringes of Jat-owned farms, Dalit women invariably became targets of abuse. Benra's Dalit women were understandably reluctant to describe the abuse but the Punjabi hinterland abounds with tales of oppression, from Bant Singh Jhabbar whose limbs were hacked off by a group of Jats for trying to protect his daughter from sexual abuse in January 2006, to the 16-year-old Dalit girl of Sangrur's Kalbanjara village who set herself on fire on August 5 this year reportedly to escape harassment by upper-caste youth. In a deliberate departure from the traditional wheat-paddy cycle, all nine acres leased by the Dalit collective are planted with fodder crops-barseem (clover) and chari (sorghum)-all year round. And for as little as Rs 400 (half the market price) members of the collective can harvest one biswa (1/96th of an acre). But since there is limited land, each Dalit family is allowed no more than 10 biswa. The system, managed by an 11-member committee, works seamlessly, dividing the produce equitably, while ensuring sufficient earnings to bid for the land year after year. "The chari this year is sweet like sugarcane," Bahal swears, happily chewing a stalk of sorghum. Inspired by what had been accomplished in Benra, a group of eight Dalit girls in Matoi, a small hamlet outside the Muslim-majority township of Malerkotla, also decided to stand up for themselves. After a year this May, Sandip Kaur, 25, and her friends, all college students, won the lease for 17 bighas (3.4 acres) of land. Although relatively small, Sandip's mother Amarjit Kaur says the holding is a "godsend" that now makes it possible for several Dalit families in the village to keep cows and buffaloes. Karnal Singh, 52, Balad Kalan village, Sangrur district The landless wage earner sustained serious injuries in 2014 during a Dalit agitation to take control of 121 acres of common land. He, along with other Dalit families, has benefited with a share in the biannual wheat-paddy harvest and multiple fodder crops Karnal Singh, 52, Balad Kalan village, Sangrur district The landless wage earner sustained serious injuries in 2014 during a Dalit agitation to take control of 121 acres of common land. He, along with other Dalit families, has benefited with a share in the biannual wheat-paddy harvest and multiple fodder crops In Balad Kalan, where the Dalits possess a significantly larger land holding (550 bighas or 121 acres), the benefits added up to a virtual bounty. At the Baisakhi harvest this April, each of the 143 Dalit households received four quintals of free wheat and a trolley load of toori (dry fodder) and the right to harvest fresh fodder from 10 biswa land. The land also ensured round-the-year employment for 100 people as farmhands and occasional work for many more during the sowing season. "We also sold wheat worth Rs 24 lakh in the mandi and used the money to make a repeat bid for the land in May," says Rampal, 55, responsible for maintaining records for Balad Kalan's Dalit collective. ZPSC convener Mukesh Malaudh, 28, who has been closely associated with the movement to reclaim reserved common lands, is convinced that collective farms are the only real solution for Dalit families to benefit from what is their right. "A third of the 1.54 lakh acres cultivable shamlat land in Punjab should legally only be in Dalit hands. But barring the handful of Sangrur villages, a major chunk of the holdings are usurped unlawfully by upper-caste zamindars," he says. "Depriving Dalits of land has been part of an insidious design in which upper caste landlords and the establishment are complicit," says P.S. Verma, a Chandigarh-based academic and author of a pivotal early 1990s study of rural common lands in Punjab and Haryana. It is only with the organisational backing of some Left groups that villages in Sangrur and some others in the Doaba region (Jalandhar-Kapurthala-Hoshiarpur) are now making successful bids for their land, Verma adds. Dalits in only a few dozen among Punjab's 12,000-plus villages have gained access to their share of the shamlat. The numbers, although small, are significant in a state like Punjab which has been increasingly in the grip of an agrarian crisis amid shrinking size of landholdings, rapidly depleting groundwater table and rising cost of pursuing the Green Revolution cropping cycle of wheat and paddy. Both with the fodder crops in Benra and the mix of fodder and wheat in Balad Kalan, the Dalit collectives are happily proving that farming can still be a mutually beneficial venture-making for distinctly better living and the sense of empowerment that land brings to deprived people. Follow the writer on Twitter @AsitjollyBiography Edit Swann was a claimed psychic who called himself a "consciousness researcher" who had sometimes experienced "altered states of consciousness". He said, "I don't get 'tested', I only work with researchers on well-designed experiments."[5] According to Russell Targ and Harold E. Puthoff, "Swann-inspired innovations" have led to impressive results in parapsychology. Indeed, experiments not controlled by Swann have not been successful, and they are rarely mentioned, and if so, only in passing.[6][7] Remote viewing Edit Swann helped develop the process of remote viewing at the Stanford Research Institute in experiments that caught the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency. He is commonly credited with proposing the idea of controlled remote viewing, a process in which viewers would view a location given nothing but its geographical coordinates, which was developed and tested by Puthoff and Targ with CIA funding.[4][8] Uri Geller Edit Due to the popularity of Uri Geller in the seventies, a critical examination of Swann's paranormal claims was basically overlooked by skeptics and historians.[9] Uri Geller commented very favorably on Swann, saying, "If you were blind and a man appeared who could teach you to see with mind power, you would revere him as a guru. So why is Ingo Swann ignored by publishers and forced to publish his astounding life story on the Internet?"[10] Both Geller and Swann were tested by two experimenters, Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, who concluded that they did indeed have unique skills.[4] Others have strongly disputed the scientific validity of Targ and Puthoff's experiments.[11] In a 1983 interview, magician Milbourne Christopher remarked that Swann was "one of the cleverest in the field".[12] Out-of-body experiment Edit In 1972 in the newsletter of the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR), their director of research Karlis Osis described his personal controlled out-of-body (OOB) experiment with Swann. The targets that Swann was to attempt to describe and illustrate were on a shelf two feet from the ceiling and several feet above Swann's head. Osis does not describe the height of the ceiling.[13] Swann suggests, the ceiling was 14 feet in height.[5] The room was illuminated by two kitchen-style overhead fixtures. Swann sat alone in the chamber with wires from electrodes fastened to his head running through the wall behind him. Swann sat just beneath the target tray.[5] He was given a clipboard to use for sketching. Any movement while drawing did not result in "artifacts" in the brain readout.[14] In Swann's book To Kiss Earth Goodbye there is a photograph of the objects on the shelf. Swann wrote that he was aware of most of the objects on shelf above his head, but he did not know it held four numbers on a side that would not have been visible if a reflecting surface had been angled near the end.[15][16] Psychological scales were developed for rating the quality and clarity (as subjectively described) by Swann of his OOB vision, which varied from time to time. The results were evaluated by blind judging. A psychologist, either Bonnie Preskari or Carole K. Silfen, was asked to match up Swann's responses without knowing for which target they were meant. She matched all the eight sessions. Osis stressed the odds about Swann being correct were forty thousand to one. There is no record of any experiments being performed in the dark.[17] Together, Silfen and Swann prepared an unofficial report of later out-of-body experiments and circulated it to 500 members of the ASPR, before the ASPR board was aware of it. According to Swann, Silfen has disappeared and cannot be located. He was searching for her and was asking for the public's help.[18] According to Swann, in April 1972 a move was made at the ASPR in New York to discredit him and throw him out, because he was a Scientologist.[19][20] Magnetometer psychokinesis tests Edit When Swann arrived at SRI, Harold Puthoff decided he would first be tested for PK. On June 6, 1972, the two men paid a visit to Dr. Arthur Heberd and his quark detector, a magnetometer, at the Varian Physics Building. The well-shielded magnetometer had a small magnetic probe in a vault five feet beneath the floor. The oscillation had been running silently for about an hour, tracing out a stable pattern on the chart recorder. Putoff asked Swann if he could affect the magnetometer's magnetic field. Swann said he focused his attention on the interior of the magnetometer and was getting nothing.[7][21] Then there are different versions of the following events. Puthoff states that after about a five-second delay,[7] Heberd says it was a ten- to fifteen-minute delay, the frequency of the trace recorder oscillation doubled for about 30 seconds, reportedly a common occurrence due to variations in the shared helium line to the laboratory. Heberd continues, when the curve burped, Swann asked, "Is that what I am supposed to do?"[22] Swann said he responded,"is that an effect?"[21] Then according to Heberd, Swann crossed the room taking his attention away from the chart recorder.[22] Swann said he took his mind off the machine and was sketching.[21] Others watched the recorder to see if the irregularity would be repeated, and it was. Puthoff asked Swann, "Did you do that too?"[22] Swann said he again responded, "Is that an effect?"[21] According to Puthoff, Swann said he was then tired and couldn't "hold it any longer" and let go. The chart recorder pattern returned to normal.[7] More supportive sources say that Heberd supports Puthoff's version that in the second instance Heberd suggested he would be more impressed if Swann could stop the field change altogether. Heberd denies he told James Randi that he never suggested it.[7][22][23] Swann recalled he heard, "Can you do that again?" from Puthoff. Swann said his feats frightened some doctoral candidates, claiming that two "virtually ran" from the room and one collided with a "totally visible" structure support.[21] Puthoff writes Dr. Heberd suggested all along there must be something wrong with the equipment. The following day it was certain the magnetometer was malfunctioning. "The equipment was behaving erratically; it was not possible to obtain a stable background signal for calibration." Therefore, the experiment was not repeated. Swann related this SNAFU in his book, Remote Viewing: The Real Story.[19] In his CIA report, paranormal expert, Dr. Kenneth A. Kress, does not record anything about Heberd's malfunctioning suggestions. Kress only writes, "These variations were never seen before or after this visit."[24] Though Swann was to spend a year at SRI, in their book, Targ and Puthoff present no further data and, Swann did not mention he was involved in any other PK experiments with the magnetometer than those that occurred and were recorded on June 6, 1972.[7] Immediately after, Puthoff wrote a brief paper in a draft form. Rather than publishing the results in a scientific journal inviting peer review, this paper was circulated hand to hand throughout research and academic institutions across the US, and Puthoff accepted invitations to speak.[25] This paper caught the attention of the CIA and two agents paid a visit to Hal Puthoff at SRI and also met Swann. Later this paper was published as a part of a conference proceedings.[26][27] Early Coordinate Remote Viewing experiments Edit Targ and Puthoff write about their pilot experiments, "We couldn't overlook the possibility that perhaps Ingo knew the geographical features of the Earth and their approximate latitude and longitude. (It is Swann who suggests these Coordinate Remote Viewing tests, not the experimenters. He is in control.) "Or it was possible that we were inadvertently cueing the subject (Swann), since we as experimenters knew what the answers were."[28] Soon Targ and Puthoff performed more experiments with Swann and the controls were tightened to eliminate the possibility of error. This time Swann was given the latitude and longitude of ten targets, in the end there would be ten runs, for a total of 100. Only the evaluations of the ten targets from the tenth run, the last, were disclosed. The results of the targets from the previous ninety (runs 1-9) are ignored. For the tenth run Swann had seven hits, two neutral and one miss. The experiments came to a close. Targ and Puthoff were positive "Something was happening, but they are not clear what it is."[29] (This method of selecting a small number of "guesses" from a larger, sometimes never disclosed larger number, is known as the free response method in remote viewing but could be called cherry picking.)[30][31][32] According to Swann and Stanford Research International, his RV was correct probably 95% of the time. His personally trained students' RV were 85% correct, 85% of the time.[33][34] See:Stargate Project Swann's descriptions of Jupiter Edit Swann proposed a study to Targ and Puthoff. At first they resisted, for the resulting descriptions would be impossible to verify. Yet, on the evening 27 April 1973 Targ and Puthoff recorded Swann's remote viewing session of the planet Jupiter and Jupiter's moons,[35] prior to the Voyager probe's visit there in 1979. Swann asked for 30 minutes of silence. According to Swann, his ability to see Jupiter took about three and a half minutes. In the session he made several reports on the physical features of Jupiter, such as its atmosphere and the surface of its core. Swann claimed to see bands of crystals in the atmosphere, which he likened to clouds and possibly like the rings of Saturn. The Voyager probe later confirmed the existence of the rings of Jupiter, although these rings are not in the planet's atmosphere.[36] However, Swann's claim that crystals are present in the atmosphere is supported by observations by NASA's Galileo spacecraft of clouds of ammonia ice crystals in the northwest corner of Jupiter's Great Red Spot.[37] The following are Swann's own version of his statements from 1995, 22 years later than the 1973 experiments took place:[38] [6:06:20] Very high in the atmosphere there are crystals... they glitter. Maybe the stripes are like bands of crystals, maybe like rings of Saturn, though not far out like that. Very close within the atmosphere. [Unintelligible sentence.] I bet you they'll reflect radio probes. Is that possible if you had a cloud of crystals that were assaulted by different radio waves? [6:08:00] Now I'll go down through. It feels really good there [laughs]. I said that before, didn't I? Inside those cloud layers, those crystal layers, they look beautiful from the outside. From the inside they look like rolling gas clouds – eerie yellow light, rainbows. [6:10:20] I get the impression, though I don't see, that it's liquid. [6:10:55] Then I came through the cloud cover. The surface – it looks like sand dunes. They're made of very large grade crystals, so they slide. Tremendous winds, sort of like maybe the prevailing winds of Earth, but very close to the surface of Jupiter. From that view, the horizon looks orangish or rose-colored, but overhead it's kind of greenish-yellow. [6:12:35] If I look to the right there is an enormous mountain range. [6:14:45] I feel that there's liquid somewhere. Those mountains are very huge but they still don't poke up through the crystal cloud cover. You know I had a dream once something like this, where the cloud cover was a great arc... sweeps over the entire heaven. Those grains which make that sand orange are quite large. They have a polished surface and they look something like amber or like obsidian but they're yellowish and not as heavy. The wind blows them. They slide along. [6:16:37] If I turn, the whole thing seems enormously flat. I mean, if I get the feeling that if a man stood on those sands, I think he would sink into them [laughs]. Maybe that's where that liquid feeling comes from.[38] Swann's transcript contained in "Mind-Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Ability" by Russell Targ & Harold Putoff [39] is slightly different from Swann's later version. There is no mention of sand and he also states, "I feel there is liquid some-where... liquid like water." Swann's total observations lasted for about 20 minutes. He made no mention of the many moons of Jupiter, which as of February 2004 counted 63.[40] The raw data comprised only four pages, but according to Swann, the confirmatory data appeared throughout the published scientific and technical articles and papers. It was decided that all of these should be included in their entirety to ensure that no scientific passage was inadvertently used out of context. The feedback data, therefore, amounted to about 300 pages. Brain activity during remote viewing Edit In November 2001, there was an article by Michael Persinger published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences. The results with Swann suggested that during his remote viewing there were associated measurable changes in brain activity. There was bipolar electroencephalographic activity over the occipital, temporal and frontal lobes. Persinger concluded that there was "significant congruence" between the stimuli and Swann's electroencephalographic activity.[41] Psychic detectives Edit Swann reported that out of the twenty-five criminal cases he worked between 1972 and 1979, twenty-two were flops and three were successes.[42][43] According to Swann, Gerard Croiset[44] and Peter Hurkos[45] were super sensitive sleuths.[46] Authors Arthur Lyons and Marcello Truzzi Ph.D., also a founder of the International Remote Viewing Association,[47] wrote the Croiset and Hurkos cases were "pure bunk" in their 1991 book The Blue Sense: Psychic Detectives and Crime. Ufology Edit Swann was a supporter of ufology and James W. Moseley's Saucer Smear newsletter. Swann, writing "in appreciation of 'Saucer Smear' and its Esteemed Editor", wrote that "although many of its readers might view 'Saucer Smear' merely as a droll ufology gossip rag, in the larger picture it is rather more accurately a profound 'window' opening up onto the sociology of ufology. Therefore its cumulative issues constitute a precious historical archive."[48] In his 1998 autobiography Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy, Swann described his work with individuals in an unknown agency who study extraterrestrials (E.T.), his remote viewing of a secret E.T. base on the hidden side of the Moon and his "shocking" experience with a sexy scantily dressed female E.T. in a Los Angeles supermarket. He concludes that extraterrestrials are living on Earth in humanoid bodies. Swann deduces that there are many extraterrestrials, that many are "bio-androids", and that they are aware their only foes on Earth are psychics. Later, Swann and an individual known as "Mr. Axelrod" took a flight to an unknown
Granting Tickets (TGTs), also called authentication tickets. As shown in the following graphic, there is no AS-REQ or AS-REP (steps 1 & 2) communication with the Domain Controller. Since a Golden Ticket is a forged TGT, it is sent to the Domain Controller as part of the TGS-REQ to get a service ticket. The Kerberos Golden Ticket is a valid TGT Kerberos ticket since it is encrypted/signed by the domain Kerberos account (KRBTGT). The TGT is only used to prove to the KDC service on the Domain Controller that the user was authenticated by another Domain Controller. The fact that the TGT is encrypted by the KRBTGT password hash and can be decrypted by any KDC service in the domain proves it is valid. is a valid TGT Kerberos ticket since it is encrypted/signed by the domain Kerberos account (KRBTGT). The TGT is only used to prove to the KDC service on the Domain Controller that the user was authenticated by another Domain Controller. The fact that the TGT is encrypted by the KRBTGT password hash and can be decrypted by any KDC service in the domain proves it is valid. Golden Ticket Requirements: * Domain Name [AD PowerShell module: (Get-ADDomain).DNSRoot] * Domain SID [AD PowerShell module: (Get-ADDomain).DomainSID.Value] * Domain KRBTGT Account NTLM password hash * UserID for impersonation. * [AD PowerShell module: (Get-ADDomain).DNSRoot] * [AD PowerShell module: (Get-ADDomain).DomainSID.Value] * . The Domain Controller KDC service doesn’t validate the user account in the TGT until the TGT is older than 20 minutes old, which means the attacker can use a disabled/deleted account or even a fictional account that doesn’t exist in Active Directory. Microsoft’s MS-KILE specification (section 5.1.3 ): “Kerberos V5 does not provide account revocation checking for TGS requests, which allows TGT renewals and service tickets to be issued as long as the TGT is valid even if the account has been revoked. KILE provides a check account policy (section 3.3.5.7.1) that limits the exposure to a shorter time. KILE KDCs in the account domain are required to check accounts when the TGT is older than 20 minutes. This limits the period that a client can get a ticket with a revoked account while limiting the performance cost for AD queries.” Since the domain Kerberos policy is set on the ticket when generated by the KDC service on the Domain Controller, when the ticket is provided, systems trust the ticket validity. This means that even if the domain policy states a Kerberos logon ticket (TGT) is only valid for 10 hours, if the ticket states it is valid for 10 years, it is accepted as such. The KRBTGT account password is never changed and the attacker can create Golden Tickets until the KRBTGT password is changed (twice). Note that a Golden Ticket created to impersonate a user persists even if the impersonated user changes their password. It bypasses SmartCard authentication requirement since it bypasses the usual checks the DC performs before creating the TGT. This crafted TGT requires an attacker to have the Active Directory domain’s KRBTGT password hash (typically dumped from a Domain Controller). The KRBTGT NTLM hash can be used to generate a valid TGT (using RC4) to impersonate any user with access to any resource in Active Directory. The Golden Ticket (TGT) be generated and used on any machine, even one not domain-joined. Used to get valid TGS tickets from DCs in the AD forest and provides a great method of persisting on a domain with access to EVERYTHING! Mitigation: Limit Domain Admins from logging on to any other computers other than Domain Controllers and a handful of Admin servers (don’t let other admins log on to these servers) Delegate all other rights to custom admin groups. This greatly reduces the ability of an attacker to gain access to a Domain Controller’s Active Directory database. If the attacker can’t access the AD database (ntds.dit file), they can’t get the KRBTGT account password data. The KRBTGT account is disabled and stores the current password as well as the previous one. The KRBTGT password hash is used to sign the PAC in Kerberos tickets as well as encrypt the TGT (Authentication ticket). If a ticket is signed/encrypted with a different key (password) then the DC (KDC) is expecting, it checks the KRBTGT previous password to see if that is successful. This is the reason why both passwords are kept. It’s advisable to regularly change the KRBTGT password (it is an admin account after all). Changing it once, then letting AD replicate, and changing it a second time about 12 to 24 hours later, will update both of the KRBTGT passwords (current and previous) in a manner that doesn’t invalidate every existing Kerberos ticket. This process should have no negative impact on the environment (but as always, test first). This process should be the standard method for ensuring the KRBTGT password changes at least once a year (and when an AD admin leaves the organization, loss of control of AD backup media, etc). Once an attacker has gained access to the KRBTGT account password hash(es), they can create Golden Tickets at will. Invalidate any existing Golden Tickets (and all active Kerberos tickets) by changing the KRBTGT password twice rapidly (aka “double-tap”). This invalidates all Kerberos tickets and removes the attacker ability to create valid Golden Tickets with their KRBTGT (assuming they don’t have the ability to pull the updated KRBTGT pw hashes). This KRBTGT password “double-tap” is required when in a breach scenario and there’s an active attacker operating on the network. Contact an Incidence Response company if you are in this situation first. Using Mimikatz to Forge Kerberos Tickets: The Mimikatz command Kerberos:Golden is used to create the “Golden Ticket” (forged TGT authentication ticket). Mimikatz command example: kerberos::golden /admin:ADMIINACCOUNTNAME /domain:DOMAINFQDN /id:ACCOUNTRID /sid:DOMAINSID /krbtgt:KRBTGTPASSWORDHASH /ptt Silver Tickets: Silver Tickets are forged Ticket Granting Service tickets, also called service tickets. As shown in the following graphic, there is no AS-REQ / AS-REP (steps 1 & 2) and no TGS-REQ / TGS-REP (steps 3 & 4) communication with the Domain Controller. Since a Silver Ticket is a forged TGS, there is no communication with a Domain Controller. Alluded to at BlackHat during the “Golden Ticket” presentation (Duckwall/Delpy) and discussed partly during Tim Medin’s DerbyCon 2014 talk. Skip & Benjamin have provided additional information on Silver Tickets since, but confusion remains. The Kerberos Silver Ticket is a valid Ticket Granting Service (TGS) Kerberos ticket since it is encrypted/signed by the service account configured with a Service Principal Name for each server the Kerberos-authenticating service runs on. is a valid Ticket Granting Service (TGS) Kerberos ticket since it is encrypted/signed by the service account configured with a Service Principal Name for each server the Kerberos-authenticating service runs on. While a Golden ticket is a forged TGT valid for gaining access to any Kerberos service, the silver ticket is a forged TGS. This means the Silver Ticket scope is limited to whatever service is targeted on a specific server. While a Golden ticket is encrypted/signed with the domain Kerberos service account (KRBTGT), a Silver Ticket is encrypted/signed by the service account (computer account credential extracted from the computer’s local SAM or service account credential). Most services don’t validate the PAC (by sending the PAC checksum to the Domain Controller for PAC validation), so a valid TGS generated with the service account password hash can include a PAC that is entirely fictitious – even claiming the user is a Domain Admin without challenge or correction. The attacker needs the service account password hash TGS is forged, so no associated TGT, meaning the DC is never contacted. Any event logs are on the targeted server. In my opinion, Silver Tickets can be more dangerous than Golden Tickets – while the scope is more limited than Golden Tickets, the required hash is easier to get and there is no communication with a DC when using them, so detection is more difficult than Golden Tickets The following Mimikatz command creates a Silver Ticket for the CIFS service on the server adsmswin2k8r2.lab.adsecurity.org. In order for this Silver Ticket to be successfully created, the AD computer account password hash for adsmswin2k8r2.lab.adsecurity.org needs to be discovered, either from an AD domain dump or by running Mimikatz on the local system as shown above (Mimikatz “privilege::debug” “sekurlsa::logonpasswords” exit). The NTLM password hash is used with the /rc4 paramteer. The service SPN type also needs to be identified in the /service parameter. Finally, the target computer’s fully-qualified domain name needs to be provided in the /target parameter. Don’t forget the domain SID in the /sid parameter. mimikatz “kerberos::golden /admin:LukeSkywalker /id:1106 /domain:lab.adsecurity.org /sid:S-1-5-21-1473643419-774954089-2222329127 /target:adsmswin2k8r2.lab.adsecurity.org /rc4:d7e2b80507ea074ad59f152a1ba20458 /service:cifs /ptt” exit Detecting Forged Kerberos Tickets: Most logon & logoff events include the following detail. Normal, valid account logon event data structure: Security ID: DOMAIN\AccountID Account Name: AccountID Account Domain: DOMAIN I discovered that the domain field in many events in the Windows security event log are not properly populated when forged Kerberos tickets are used. The key indicator is that the domain field is blank or contains the FQDN instead of the short (netbios) name and depending on the tool used to generate the Kerberos tickets, other domain field anomalies may be present in the events. The likely reason for the anomalies is that third party tools that create Kerberos tickets (TGT & TGS) don’t format the tickets exactly the same way as Windows does. The following includes some of the events I have identified that are logged when forged Kerberos tickets are used. Note that Silver Ticket events could be logged on any computer in the AD domain depending on what the target is, workstations, member servers, or Domain Controllers. Golden Tickets and MS14-068 exploit tickets, all of which are TGTs, will have events logged on the Domain Controller. NOTE: As of 4/16/2015: Mimikatz generated tickets may include the string “eo.oe.kiwi : ) ” in the domain field. NOTE: As of 6/29/2015: Mimikatz generated tickets may include the string “<3 eo.oe – ANSSI E>” in the domain field. As stated at the top of this post, as of January 5th, 2016, Mimikatz no longer includes static values in Kerberos ticket domain fields which previously may have had anomalies from being blank to containing the string “eo.oe”. As of the Mimikatz update dated 1/5/2016, forged Kerberos tickets no longer include a domain anomaly since the netbios domain name is placed in the domain component of the Kerberos ticket. This means that attackers using the Mimikatz version dated 1/5/2016 and/or Invoke-Mimikatz with this updated DLL will not trigger alerts based on the invalid domain fields I identified in the past. One method that is reliable is to look for RC4 encrypted Kerberos ticket usage. These should be rare on a modern network since Windows Vista & Windows Sever 2008 and newer support AES Kerberos encryption. Note that if the attacker uses the NTLM password hash when creating the Golden Ticket, the TGT ticket will have RC4 encryption. If the Golden Ticket is created using the AES string, the TGT ticket will use AES, and will be very difficult to find. Read more about this in the Mimikatz guide. User behavior analysis tools such as Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA) is the best current method to detect this and other attack types (though these methods also tend to involve ticket encryption type in the detection techniques). The best way to detect Golden Tickets is to correlate TGS requests to prior TGT requests. Since a TGT request should always preceed a TGS request, if there’s no prior TGT request (within a threshold), then the TGS request may be related to a Golden Ticket. Golden Ticket event from using Mimikatz dated (11/2015): Has the an invalid domain value (“<3 eo.oe – ANSSI E>“) Golden Ticket event from using Mimikatz dated (1//05/2015): Has the correct domain value (“RD”) Expect that Mimikatz will continue to have different values in this field and that attackers may update this field to match the targeted environment. While these indicators may continue to have some value, they can’t be relied on as primary detection of forged Kerberos ticket use. With that noted, monitoring events for domain field anomalies may still be the best and easiest way to detect forged Kerberos tickets other than looking for “special logon events” involving non-admins – these events are logged when accounts with admin rights log on. The following is left here for historic purposes and may be removed at a later date. SILVER TICKET DETECTION Silver Ticket events may have one of these issues: The Account Domain field is blank when it should be DOMAIN when it should be The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. Event ID: 4624 (Account Logon) Account Domain is FQDN & should be short domain name Account Domain: LAB.ADSECURITY.ORG [ADSECLAB] Event ID: 4634 (Account Logoff) Account Domain is blank & should be short domain name Account Domain: _______________ [ADSECLAB] Event ID: 4672 (Admin Logon) Account Domain is blank & should be short domain name Account Domain: _______________ [ADSECLAB] GOLDEN TICKET DETECTION Golden Ticket events may have one of these issues: The Account Domain field is blank when it should be DOMAIN when it should be The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. Event ID: 4624 (Account Logon) Account Domain is FQDN & should be short domain name Account Domain: LAB.ADSECURITY.ORG [ADSECLAB] Event ID: 4672 (Admin Logon) Account Domain is blank & should be short domain name Account Domain: _______________ [ADSECLAB] MS14-068 Exploit Ticket Detection MS14-068 events may have one of these issues: The Account Domain field is blank when it should be DOMAIN when it should be The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. when it should be. Account Name is a different account from the Security ID. PYKEK Events Event ID: 4624 (Account Logon) The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. Account Name is a different account from the Security ID Event ID: 4672 (Admin Logon) The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. Account Name is a different account from the Security ID Event ID: 4768 (Kerberos TGS Request) The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. KEKEO Events Event ID: 4624 (Account Logon) The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. Event ID: 4672 (Admin Logon) Account Domain is blank & should be DOMAIN. Event ID: 4768 (Kerberos TGS Request) The Account Domain field is DOMAIN FQDN when it should be DOMAIN. (Visited 46,335 times, 48 visits today)Looking for Web Designers to beta test new CMS We are web designers and developers that have built static and dynamic websites and were looking for an easy way to roll out clean sites with built-in content management. Since there was nothing on the market that fit our needs, we developed a new system that allows web designers to build CMS-driven sites quickly and efficiently using standard, semantic HTML. We are looking for web designers to beta test a new system for developing web sites. Our framework allows you to build a custom CMS into a website by simply using regular HTML. 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Let us know what your preferred software is for editing HTML (Dreamweaver, Emacs, Notepad++, CoffeeCup, etc.).Submitted by Michael Lord as part of our contributors program. 5 Undervalued Small Cap Stocks Yielding High Dividends The appeal of small cap stocks with little to no debt on the books is hard to deny, but the following stocks are also priced at or below book value and pay handsome dividends. In order to select five of the best undervalued small cap stocks with high dividends, we screened thousands of companies, funds, and trusts according to the following parameters: 1. Market Capitalization: $250 million to $1 billion 2. Dividend Yield: Greater than 8% 3. Debt/Equity: 0.0% 4. P/B Ratio: Under 1.0 After screening stocks using these preliminary filters, we ended up with 20 undervalued small cap stocks with impressive dividends. We were able to reduce the list down to our top five favorites based on a number of other factors, including cash flow, stability, analysts ratings, and so forth. However, as with any investment, especially micro and small cap stocks with higher perceived volatility and limited liquidity, it is important to perform your own due diligence before making an investment decision. 1. Ellington Financial LLC Common Shares (EFC) Ellington Financial LLC is a finance company that specializes in acquiring and managing a variety of mortgage-related assets, such as residential mortgage-backed securities with interest and principal payments guaranteed by US government agencies or enterprises, residential mortgage-backed securities that are backed by sub-prime, prime jumbo, manufactured housing, and Alt-A residential mortgage loans, mortgage-related derivatives, commercial and residential mortgage loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities, equity securities, corporate debt, and other forms of mortgage-related assets. With a market cap of $611.6 million, Ellington Financial LLC is a fairly large small cap company that realized a net income of $22.6 million for the first quarter of 2014. In addition to strong quarterly growth, the company also provides investors with a dividend yield of 12.9%, a P/E ratio of 10.78, and a price that is below book value. 2. AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc. (MITT) AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc. is an REIT, or real estate investment trust, that acquires, manages, and invests in a diversified portfolio of real estate securities, including residential mortgage assets. Traded on the NYSE, the trust provides shareholders with risk-adjusted returns in the form of capital appreciation and attractive dividends. With a below book value price, a strengthening housing market, solid financials, and a dividend yield of 12.8%, or $2.40, AG Mortgage Investment Trust Inc. provides dividend investors with a solid opportunity. It is also worth noting that as a result of its strong growth and performance, the trust is projected to offer higher yields in the immediate future. 3. Royce Micro Capital Trust, Inc. (RMT) Royce Micro Capital Trust, Inc. is an equity mutual fund that was launched by Royce & Associates, LLC to specifically invest in United States public equity markets. The fund invests in a diverse range of companies operating in a variety of sectors. However, as its name suggests, Royce Micro Capital Trust, Inc. primarily invests in the stocks of undervalued companies with market caps under $500 million. The fund uses the Russell 2000 Index as a benchmark for the performance of its diversified portfolios. In addition to having no debt on the books, the company follows the disciplined investment approach of its founder Chuck Royce, who has 40 years of experience as a successful mutual fund manager, in order to select undervalued micro and small cap companies. With a market cap of $406.7 million, Royce Micro Capital Trust, Inc. is not the largest small cap fund, but it has a stable history, a remarkably high dividend yield of 31.20%, and an annual dividend growth rate of 3.88%. A substantial amount of the fund’s shares are owned by insiders, providing valuable insight into the fund’s current and future performance. 4. Wells Fargo Advantage Global Dividend Opportunity (EOD) Managed by one of the most stable banks in the US, the Wells Fargo Advantage Global Dividend Opportunity Fund is a well-managed global ETF that primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks in the U.S. and abroad under normal market conditions. The fund only invests in stocks that are highly likely to increase its dividend offering over time. The Wells Fargo Advantage Global Dividend Opportunity Fund pays out a yield of 8.7% to its shareholders each quarter. The fund has a P/B ratio of 0.98, making it a suitable option for income value investors. With a stable performance history and a 52-week range of $7.04 – $8.59, this undervalued small cap stock is perfect for investors in search of consistent gains and dividend payments. 5. SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (SDR) I typically shy away from royalty trusts due to their penchant for volatility, but the SandRidge Mississippian Trust II is grossly undervalued and offers a substantial dividend yield of 29.5%, making it worthy of further exploration. The Sandridge Mississippian Trust II owns natural gas and oil wells in Mississippi, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Currently, it has overriding royalty interest in over a dozen wells awaiting completion throughout these states and over 200 horizontal development wells slated for drilling in the oil rich Mississippian formation. In addition to having a relatively small market cap of $658.6 million, the royalty trust has exhibited a number of volatile price movements as of late, tumbling by more than 26% over the trailing six-month period. However, SDR’s reserves are valued at $9.5 billion, which is well above its current $5.5 billion enterprise value. In addition to having a wealth of resources underground, the trust also owns an industrial saltwater disposal system that would be valued at 10 times EBITDA if its ownership was in a MLP structure. Due to these factors, the company is significantly undervalued and its stock stands poised to rebound in the near future. The 29.5% dividend yield may also warrant a closer look for dividend investors. Although each of these small cap stocks are undervalued, have zero debt, and offer substantial yields greater than 8%, it is always a good idea to perform a thorough review of their financial statements and balance sheets in order to identify any unknown liabilities that may affect their future performance. Despite potential concerns related to mortgage exposure or volatility in the commodity markets, the low debt levels of these high dividend, small cap players should mitigate the majority of concerns. Disclaimer: This content is not meant to be financial advice. The facts written above are the author’s personal experience only. Applying these methods to your finance should be done with caution, and is at your own risk. This article may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “potential” and similar expressions. These statements reflect the Company’s current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or advise in the event of any change, addition or alteration to the information catered in this article including such forward-looking statements.What is Roslyn? Roslyn is a complete new compiler for.NET. However, it’s more than just a simple compiler. We called it earlier a “compiler as a service”. Now they call it the compiler platform. Well it ain’t your run of the mill compiler. It doesn’t just take code and outputs machine code (or IL for.NET). This compiler allows you to participate in the compilation of your software itself and tell the compiler what to do with it. Scenarios like Aspect Oriented Programming becomes relatively trivial and doesn’t require the use of plugins or post-build event. You have a cool refactoring that you want to implement in a very specific way? Want to convert properties with certain attributes to code blocks? Just code it. Roslyn allows you to integrate your refactoring within Visual Studio directly and share it with everyone. One specific scenario would be to code company code guidelines directly within a VSIX that you deploy on every developer’s machine. This allow developers to all have the same rules as for what the company is concerned. This could definitely give an edge to a company that want to standardise code quality directly at the source. APIs Basically, it comes with three type of API. Features, workspaces (solution, projects, files) as well as the compiler APIs. Features are based around refactoring and fixing code. Those are high level functionality that are tightly link to Visual Studio. Workspace API relate to code formatting, finding references, etc. They are also linked to Visual Studio. Compiler API relates to Syntax trees, emitting code, analysing flows of code… they are the most low-level API related to the compiler and are also the most interesting. Well… technically you now have access to the C# compiler with an Apache 2 licence. Here’s what is now possible… Participate in the next features of C# Create a new language and integrate it within Roslyn Better/custom code analysis for your code Creating compiled.NET DSL for businesses Simple scenario #1 – Creating a new refactoring Using the Roslyn SDK, I create a new Visual C# > Roslyn > Code Refactoring. The default template reverse the string of a type. So I press F5, create a new project, create a class and do ALT +. on that class. I now have an additional refactoring option which brings my class “ThisTest” to “tseTsihT” with live preview. This is nothing but it’s a refactoring that you are 100% in control with which doesn’t require external tools. I know. This refactoring is useless. If something is valuable for you, you can simply implement it or wait for someone in the community to develop it. Simple Scenario #2 – Flagging improperly named fields So let’s say we want to flag any field that uses the old “m_something” convention. Doing this is as simple as the following code: 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 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 /// <summary> /// This is used to identify where problems are. /// </summary> [DiagnosticAnalyzer] [ExportDiagnosticAnalyzer("NoMUnderscore", LanguageNames.CSharp)] internal class FieldsDoNotStartWithMUnderscore : ISyntaxNodeAnalyzer<SyntaxKind> { public const string RemoveMDiagnosticId = "NoMUnderscore"; public static readonly DiagnosticDescriptor RemoveMUnderscoreRule = new DiagnosticDescriptor(RemoveMDiagnosticId, "Remove m_", "Invalid name. Field name must not start with m_", "Usage", DiagnosticSeverity.Error); public ImmutableArray<SyntaxKind> SyntaxKindsOfInterest { get { return ImmutableArray.Create(SyntaxKind.FieldDeclaration); } } public ImmutableArray<DiagnosticDescriptor> SupportedDiagnostics { get { return ImmutableArray.Create(RemoveMUnderscoreRule); } } private static bool CanHaveTheMRemoved(FieldDeclarationSyntax fieldDeclaration, SemanticModel semanticModel) { if (!fieldDeclaration.Modifiers.Any(SyntaxKind.PrivateKeyword)) { return false; } var token = fieldDeclaration.Declaration.GetLastToken(); return token.Text.StartsWith("m_"); } public void AnalyzeNode(SyntaxNode node, SemanticModel semanticModel, Action<Diagnostic> addDiagnostic, CancellationToken cancellationToken) { if (CanHaveTheMRemoved((FieldDeclarationSyntax)node, semanticModel)) { addDiagnostic(Diagnostic.Create(RemoveMUnderscoreRule, node.GetLocation())); } } } /// <summary> /// this is used to integrate within Visual Studio refactor capabilities /// </summary> [ExportCodeFixProvider("NoMUnderscore", LanguageNames.CSharp)] internal class CodeFixProvider : ICodeFixProvider { public IEnumerable<string> GetFixableDiagnosticIds() { return new[] { FieldsDoNotStartWithMUnderscore.RemoveMDiagnosticId }; } public async Task<IEnumerable<CodeAction>> GetFixesAsync(Document document, TextSpan span, IEnumerable<Diagnostic> diagnostics, CancellationToken cancellationToken) { var root = await document.GetSyntaxRootAsync(cancellationToken); var diagnosticSpan = diagnostics.First().Location.SourceSpan; var declaration = root.FindToken(diagnosticSpan.Start).Parent.AncestorsAndSelf().OfType<FieldDeclarationSyntax>().First(); return new[] { CodeAction.Create(FieldsDoNotStartWithMUnderscore.RemoveMUnderscoreRule.Description, c => RemoveMAsync(document, declaration, c)) }; } private async Task<Document> RemoveMAsync(Document document, FieldDeclarationSyntax fieldDeclaration, CancellationToken cancellationToken) { var nameToken = fieldDeclaration.Declaration.GetLastToken(); var newNameToken = SyntaxFactory.Identifier(nameToken.Text.Replace("m_", "")); var variableDeclarationSyntax = fieldDeclaration.Declaration.ReplaceToken(nameToken, newNameToken); var newLocal = fieldDeclaration.WithDeclaration(variableDeclarationSyntax); var formattedLocal = newLocal.WithAdditionalAnnotations(Formatter.Annotation); var originalRoot = await document.GetSyntaxRootAsync(cancellationToken); var newSyntaxRoot = originalRoot.ReplaceNode(fieldDeclaration, formattedLocal); return document.WithSyntaxRoot(newSyntaxRoot); } } This require quite a bit of code. However, it is possible to regroup and refactor common operation on certain elements (fields, constructors, etc.) to reduce the amount of code. Of course, this code is not production ready and not unit tested. Do not take it as is. It is full of bug and is not ready for any type of environment. This is only to show what is possible. Conclusion This of course is just the beginning. I’ve just showed you what is possible. It took me less than an hour to prepare those two examples. With more time, it could be possible to create some very complex scenarios of very high quality. We’re living in a crazy world right now. We’re getting more and more control over the code that we write. The possibilities that are opening up when we can interact to something as low-level as the compiler are just breathtaking. For me, it’s tools that are built for the developers, for our needs and of course… fun to use. Get Roslyn Now Roslyn Roadmap Language Features implementation status Roslyn Sample and WalkthroughThis story appears in my collection Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present, 2007 Baen’s Universe, August 2006 The Rake, December 2006 Podcast: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth“>Full cast radio drama, QN Podcast French fan-translation, courtesy of Zen le Renard (Text, HTML) Spanish tranlsation (Axxon) Italian Translation (Fantascienze, Dec 2007) I started writing When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth on July 6th, 2005, while teaching Clarion. The next day, the London Underground and busses were bombed, including the bus I rode to work every morning (I was in Michigan, teaching Clarion, thankfully). These kinds of coincidences can be spooky when you’re a writer. I ended up putting the story away for some months. When I returned to it, I was fired anew with the story of Felix and Van and their vainglorious struggle to keep the servers online as the world went offline. Once created, apocalyptic anxiety can’t be destroyed — the 1980s fear of nuclear annihilation I grew up with surfaces anew with each theoretical disaster: Y2K, climate change, und so weiter. There’s something primal about a story of the Earth’s impending doom. I was a sysadmin at an earlier stage in my career and I have infinite respect for the field: sysadmins are the secret masters of the universe, and they keep your life running. He piloted the car into the data-center lot, badging in and peeling up a bleary eyelid to let the retinal scanner get a good look at his sleep-depped eyeball. He stopped at the machine to get himself a guarana/modafinil power-bar and a cup of lethal robot-coffee in a spill-proof clean-room sippy-cup. He wolfed down the bar and sipped the coffee, then let the inner door read his hand-geometry and size him up for a moment. It sighed open and gusted the airlock’s load of positively pressurized air over him as he passed finally to the inner sanctum. It was bedlam. The cages were designed to let two or three sysadmins maneuver around them at a time. Every other inch of cubic space was given over to humming racks of servers and routers and drives. Jammed among them were no fewer than twenty other sysadmins. It was a regular convention of black tee-shirts with inexplicable slogans, bellies overlapping belts with phones and multitools. Normally it was practically freezing in the cage, but all those bodies were overheating the small, enclosed space. Five or six looked up and grimaced when he came through. Two greeted him by name. He threaded his belly through the press and the cages, toward the Ardent racks in the back of the room.I presented a talk about signify at BSDCan on Friday. It went really well; during and after the talk many people told me I was wrong. Here’s a list of things that are less than perfect, either with the signify tool or with its usage. tool Some issues affect the signify tool itself. I’m happy that so far they’re quite minor. Secret key files contain a 64-bit hash (truncated SHA512) of the secret key data which is used to verify the user’s password. You wouldn’t want to enter the wrong password and accidentally sign something with a bogus key. Unfortunately, this creates something of an oracle. If you steal somebody’s secret key, instead of guessing passwords which will be terribly slow because of the KDF, you can just guess keys and compute hashes until you get a match. The good news is that the key space is fairly large; you won’t have much luck guessing one. Harmless as this may be, it’s bothered me quite a bit because it’s plainly wrong. (The rationale for this decision was that encrypting the hash as well would require another iteration of the KDF.) Florian Weimer pointed out that fingerprint is a poor term to use, given the conventional understanding of the term. This was easy to fix; the fingerprint field was renamed to keynum. The file formats are very primitive. This was by design, and it’s sufficient for our purposes, but it’s an impediment to other projects using signify as is. Instead, people are rolling their own similar but slightly different tools. usage Other issues affect OpenBSD’s usage of signify. I don’t think they are critical, but they deserve consideration. The paper A Look In the Mirror covers many attacks against package managers. We don’t do much to prevent freeze attacks. Obviously, if you want to install 5.7 and your mirror only lists 5.6, you’ll know something is up. pkg_add does do some basic timestamp checking of the quirks metapackage, but I’m not sure it’s sufficient. This is a hard problem to solve completely, especially for a system that’s supposed to work offline. We don’t require an always on timestamp server. A replay or rollback attack is not possible with packages, as I understand it. The package version will increment from (e.g.) p2 to p3, and pkg_add will not normally consider p2 to be an upgrade to p3. Base releases, however, could be rolled back to a beta snapshot. signify was intended to prevent the injection of backdoors, not to guarantee you’re absolutely secure. What you install is what we built (at some point), but not necessarily exactly what’s sitting on the build servers today. I think it’s fair to say freeze attacks are out of scope. But that’s a dodge when it comes to rollbacks. Reinjecting a known fixed fault is roughly equivalent to injecting a new backdoor. We
Boer is an artist that believes that cats would look way more awesome if they were wearing some freaking armor. And he's totally right. He's been making armor for animals since the 90's, and started with protective gear for mice (see pictures after jump). He then moved on to his line of cat battle gear, and I've got to say, it looks great. I've got one cat in particular that would look great in these get-ups. His name is Tiny, but we call him the terrorist or Shitty Bill. He would totally rock the hell out of the neighborhood cats if we gave him a suit like this. Of course then the little bastard would probably turn on me and kill me in my sleep. So I'm just going to make him cardboard armor instead. If he's lucky he may get a tinfoil helmet, but definitely no lance. UPDATE: Shitty Bill cried until I promised him a lance. So I guess I'll make him one out out of a broomstick or something. UPDATE: Jesus, now he wants a mount to ride. UPDATE: Tied him to the dog. They look great, totally ready for battle. A bunch more pictures along with a link to the whole gallery after the jump. Jeff de Boer's Cats And Mice Gallery Thanks to Sebastian, whose sword is swift and deadly, for the tipYou know that “gentleman’s agreement” between ESPN and the NFL Network to have their reporters be selective about tweeting during NFL draft? Well, it doesn’t apply to Jason La Canfora. After last year’s NFL draft, La Canfora left the NFL Network to become the NFL insider for CBS. As a result, any Twitter restrictions during the draft don’t apply to him; CBS isn’t providing live TV coverage of the draft. So it’s open season for La Canfora. He intends to tweet as much as possible. Beware: that includes upcoming picks before they are revealed on TV (if he gets them) to his nearly 300,000 followers. He also will be contributing updates to CBSSports.com. “We’re not a broadcast partner for the draft,” La Canfora said. “I will be trying to get the information out as quickly and accurately as possible. What event is made more for Twitter than the NFL draft? If the teams have the information; if the guys in the production truck have the information; if the commissioner has the information; why wouldn’t passionate football fans want it as well?” Later, La Canfora added: “It’s very rare to have a job like this and you’re charged with stifling information. It goes against every instinct.” However, after working at NFL Network, La Canfora understands why the networks want to set Twitter limitations. There are many viewers who don’t want to be tipped off about upcoming picks. “We’d have these production meetings at NFL Network where after people complained, one producer would say, ‘Don’t put the picks on Twitter,'” La Canfora said. “Then you’d have another producer say, ‘It OK. Go ahead and put them on Twitter.’ “I understood it. I didn’t fight my bosses on it. I knew what the rules were. But if the rules don’t apply to you, I think you have to get the story.” What about the followers who don’t want the story? Or at least those who don’t want to know until the picks are officially announced on the telecasts? La Canfora says the solution is simple: Unfollow him during the draft or stay away from Twitter. You can’t have it both ways, he says. “I’m going to do what I think best serves the people who follow me,” La Canfora said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s draft experience, but I also have a job to do.”After having been decorated with triple platinum status in Finland as well as with gold statuses in numerous European countries (Germany, Switzerland, Poland, among others) for their latest studio masterpiece »Imaginaerum«, after the release of their very own highly successful fantasy motion picture »Imaginaerum by Nightwish« and after having been on tour all around the globe in the course of the `Imaginaerum World Tour´, legendary Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH are approaching the end of a cycle now, as the last three live shows in support of »Imaginaerum« are closing in. And what would be a better way to celebrate the grand finale than to capture the entire upcoming show at Wacken Open Air – the world’s biggest heavy metal festival – for a live DVD/Blu-ray? Mastermind and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen states: “The time has come soon to wrap up the magical & memorable one-and-a-half year `Imaginaerum World Tour´ 2012-2013! We still have three shows left, one of them being at the legendary Wacken Open Air Metal Festival on the 3rd of August. This show will be something extra special, since it will be released later this year on DvD/Blu-ray, together with a massive `Imaginaerum World Tour´ 2012-2013 documentary. Our darling flying Dutchwoman, Floor Jansen, has been nothing but incredible during her time in Nightwishon this tour, so this is a perfect opportunity to immortalize the current vibe of the band on film! “ Be sure to be right in front of the True Metal Stage at Wacken Open Air on coming Saturday, August 3, at 22:45 CEST when NIGHTWISH will capture their bombastic live magic for eternity! The final »Imaginaerum World Tour« shows: 03.08. D Wacken - Wacken Open Air 10.08. B Kortrijk - Alcatraz Festival 11.08. D Hildesheim - M’era Luna Festival www.nightwish.com \| www.facebook.com/nightwish \| www.nuclearblast.de/nightwishLoris Karius is on a mission to convince Jurgen Klopp to make him Liverpool's No 1. The German keeper enjoyed a rare Premier League start in Wednesday's goalless draw with West Brom after Klopp decided to rest Simon Mignolet, who had been hampered by an ankle problem. Mignolet is fully fit and likely to be recalled for Sunday's trip to Bournemouth, but Karius is hoping that his performance against the Baggies leads to his services being retained on the South Coast. The former Mainz shot-stopper, who has been given the Champions League matches this season, has only featured twice in the Premier League in the past 12 months. “It had been quite a while,” Karius said. “Obviously I've had the Champions League games but there are not that many so I was happy to get a start here. I wasn't really expecting it but it was nice to play. “It is always a battle, it doesn't matter in which club or which position. If you don't perform well, even when you start, you might lose your spot in any position so you have to perform and the rest is up to the manager. “I was happy I got a start and I'll just try to keep the standard high in training. That's all I can do. The decision who plays is the manager's job.” (Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) The Champions League is on hold until Liverpool face Porto in the last 16 in February and Karius is keen to ensure that he doesn't have to wait that long for more first-team action. “It's difficult in football to plan too far ahead,” he added. “I want to play every game and my favourite option would be to play again on Sunday. But I have to take it as it comes and perform well when I am in the squad. “I think I did a decent job against West Brom. The manager has trust in me otherwise he wouldn't have thrown me in. “I have to show him in training I am ready for the upcoming games and then he is the one who picks. I would prefer to play every single game now so we will just have to wait and see.” Karius was a spectator for long periods against West Brom as Liverpool battled in vain to break down Alan Pardew's side. “It was very frustrating,” he said. “They did a good job, their game plan was just to sit back. We could have done better in the first half. We did a bit better in the second but it was not enough. We didn't create that much in general. “You need to score a goal so they open up and then it is a better game for us. But when they have 11 men behind the ball you just have to focus on the counter-attack. At least we kept a clean sheet which is probably the only positive.” (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) Back-to-back stalemates with Everton and West Brom have dented momentum after the emphatic wins over Stoke, Brighton and Spartak Moscow. Much has been made about Klopp's rotation policy with another six changes for the dour draw with the Baggies. However, Karius doesn't believe that chopping and changing is to blame for the Reds' recent wobble. “I think if you look at the starting XI that is pretty much a starting XI which has played together before,” he said. “It is not as if there are six new young players coming in – we are all professionals and have played a bunch of games so there is no excuse. “The manager picks the strongest team and the fittest one and I think it was a very strong team. “We have dropped points but we still believe in our ability. We did when we played well and we do when we drop points. “It is a long season and there are so many games to play and so many points to get so I feel other teams will drop points too. “We saw it with Tottenham recently and the only team flying completely right now is Man City. "I am still confident in us. We just have to focus on the next one and get the points there.”Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has had issues ever since he arrived in the NFL in 2012. He's been sitting on the sidelines all this year after being suspended for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. But that hasn't stopped the former Baylor Bear from getting in some serious workouts. Gordon has been posting videos of his training on his Instagram account quite frequently over the last few weeks, and it appears the record-setting wide receiver has been going hard in an attempt to stay in shape despite being away from his team for the duration of the season. There's Gordon in the weight room, performing Box Jumps, Resisted Sled Pulls, Dumbbell Presses, Squats and Hang Cleans. There's Gordon on the beach, running sprints and tossing med balls. The man looks hard at work, and the results are impressive, judging by the picture below.Although nearly all the RAC patrols said the Watchdog team could drive on and get the battery replaced elsewhere, some patrols said the car might not start again, and half informed the undercover team that if they called out the RAC again with another battery problem, there would be a charge. The RAC says it stands by its results due to the advanced technology it has introduced to test batteries and says it has not sold any more batteries than it did before. "If a member has a battery issue, as identified by our tester, the patrol will discuss the options available to them including a jump start," it said. "Around 70 per cent will choose a jump start so they can go on to resolve the problem themselves or simply hope that it will recharge sufficiently while driving. We are not in the business of offering our members batteries they don’t need. We take any member complaints very seriously." It added: "We invest in new technology and train our patrols in new engineering procedures, to make sure that we are offering the best service possible for our members. Our approach to battery testing is no exception. "On average, we are called out to 2.3 million breakdowns a year, over a quarter of which are battery related. In response, this year the RAC rolled-out the world’s most advanced battery testing technology. "This extremely reliable equipment allows our patrols to carry out two tests rather than one which gives a more extensive battery health diagnosis. This is more accurate than any other roadside testing equipment in use in the UK. "It does this by not only measuring whether the battery can start a vehicle once, but also whether it has enough endurance to keep the vehicle starting over the coming days and weeks. About 15 thousand technicians already use this technology in leading vehicle retailers, manufacturers, and other breakdown assistance companies globally, but we are the first to have adopted it in the UK. "Since introducing this technology, we have sold no more batteries than we used to, and the proportion of battery-related member complaints has fallen to 0.01 per cent. We therefore stand by our patrols and the test results conducted in the 10 Watchdog simulated breakdowns."Do you remember the old little paper plane you used to play with when you were just a kid? It was one of childhood’s best toys when it came down to flying. You could design it yourself, there were all kinds of models available you could try out, and everybody could have one, as long as they found some paper. But right now things have gotten a lot more serious. And a lot more pricier too. Today, nobody cares about paper planes anymore, because drones are here and they’re taking over the world. Literally. Remote controlled, able to film or take magnificent pictures from places or angles no one can reach, drones are today’s most interesting toys. And they’re for grown ups too. Now take a deep breath and hide your credit card because this is a list of the 10 most expensive drones in the world. 10. Lockheed Martin Indago Priced at $25,000, Lockheed Martin’s Indago is the cheapest drone on our list. It weights 4.9 lb, can carry only 0.44 lb which is the average weight of a smartphone, but it has a maximum flight time of 45 minutes, and it can fly up to 500 feet with a speed of 45 mph, within a range of 1.2 miles. It also features a decent built in camera. It’s intended use is for civil or military applications. 9. MULTIROTOR G4 Surveying Robot As its name suggests, this drone was built with only one thing in mind: surveying. It weights 6 lb, can fly up to 20 minutes and it’s quite slow at its 19 mph maximum horizontal speed. The operating range is 1.8 miles and it comes with an impressive price-tag of $25,420. 8. MULTIROTOR G4 Eagle V2 One of the largest MULTIROTOR drones, the G4 Eagle V2 can carry an extra payload equal to its weight of 5.5 lb. It has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes, a maximum horizontal speed of 37 mph and can operate within a 1.2 miles range. It supports the attachment of various cameras, depending on the purpose it’s used for, and it comes with a price tag of $28,260. 7. MULTIROTOR Eagle V2 + FREEFLY MoVI M5 Priced at a cool $33,940, this drone is on the heavy side, with a weight of 9.9 lb, and it’s able to carry a payload of just 4.4 lb. The maximum flight time is only 10 minutes and its max speed is 36 mph and it doesn’t come with a built in camera, but one can be attached. Its operating range is 0.6 miles. You might say the specifications are matching the average drone, but that high price is surely not average. 6. MULTIROTOR G4 Eagle V2 Cargo The MULTIROTOR G4 Eagle V2 Cargo is mainly the same with the one at number 8, but its primary role is that of a sky-crane. It has a flight time of 30 minutes, a weight of 5.5 lb, a maximum horizontal speed of 37 mph and a 1.2 miles operating range. It doesn’t come with a camera, but one can be attached on its cargo gimbal. It sells at a price of $35,360. 5. AEE F50 At $37,000, the AEE F50 is another heavy drone with its 4.4 lb. It has an autonomy of 40 minutes and a maximum flight altitude of 2,952 feet, but with its speed of 11 mph it won’t go too far away. The drone has some advantages to justify its price, which are the ability to operate within a 12.4 miles range, and the built in camera which is one of the best available on the market. It can primarily be used by the police or other similar institutions for emergency or survey purposes. 4. Sci.Aero cyberQuad Used for agriculture, film and photography, mapping and public safety, the Sci.Aero cyberQuad is on the heavy end of the market, with a weight of 3.7 lb. It operates at a maximum horizontal speed of 37 mph, within a range of 1,640 feet, for up to 25 minutes flight time, and it can be controlled by a remote control combined with a mobile device. Its price-tag is also $37,000. 3. AEE F100 A more pricey drone at $58,000, the AEE F100 is a remote controlled heavy drone suitable for filming and photography or emergency survey operations. It has a weight of 13.2 pounds and can fly as fast as 62 mph for up to 70 minutes at the maximum altitude of 4,921 feet. The impressive drone can be also operated in more extreme conditions, which makes it suitable for emergency situations. It also has one of the highest resolution cameras built in. 2. XactSense Titan Classified as an octocopter, the XactSense Titan has an operating range of 9.9 miles, a flight time of 30 minutes and can fly up to 180 feet. The payload it can lift is 50 lb, which makes it fit enough to carry big loads, and even the heaviest DSLR, since it doesn’t have a camera of its own. It’s controlled through a combination of a separate remote controller and a mobile app. This one will leave you with empty pockets, since its price is $120,000. 1. EHang 184 With a flight time of 23 minutes and top speed of 63 mph, this is definitely the best drone you could have right now. It is controlled through a mobile app and can fly up to 11,482 feet above sea level, but the most impressive thing is that the EHang 184 weights 440 lb and can carry up to an extra 220 lb of payload. You think that the specs are crazy for a drone, right? Well, this one is special. The EHang 184 is a manned drone and you’ll get to be inside the cockpit. Sounds downright scary, doesn’t it? To fly something that’s controlled by an app on your smartphone? The producers state that they have many redundancies built in, so you should be safe. But it will also leave you with your pockets empty since its price is $300,000.disappointed in this product and support I purchased this to be a backup device for my laptop, I used it for a few months with no issues backed up files and used the drive without any problems Using my usb3 port and getting good transfer speeds, then decided to finally start to transfer approx 600 gigabytes of data using a cut and paste method in windows 10, it was going fine for approx 45 minutes and then seemed to stall, thinking this was normal I left it alone after leaving it for about 4 hours i went back to remove the drive and noticed that it was still sitting at the same file location. So as you guessed all the files that were transferred and all the existing data on the 2 TB drive has been completely lost worst part the website for support gives no real utilities to check the drive, was stuck with the basic windows check disk and it reported the drive needed repair and scan, and also that did not work. As for seagate website they have an option basically the same cost of the drive to send it in and try to recover the lost data. needless to say it is not worth the money as I still have older backups on older USB ext drives. Now comes the hard part dealing with Seagate to get a replacement without the receipt..ctvbc.ca Former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, whose popularity plummeted following the introduction of the harmonized sales tax, has been appointed Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Campbell's new post, which is among the country's highest diplomatic positions, Monday morning with 10 other appointments. Campbell spent 26 years in politics before stepping down as premier last November, including three terms as Mayor of Vancouver and 18 years as leader of the provincial Liberal Party. During his nine years as premier, Campbell pursued a business-friendly agenda but saw the province's minimum wage move from the highest in Canada to the lowest. But it was the surprise unveiling of the HST that made his career in provincial politics untenable. In the weeks before his Nov. 3 resignation, polls suggested Campbell had the support of only nine per cent of voters, the lowest popularity rating Angus Reid pollsters had seen in four decades for any Canadian politician. The commissioner's office is located in London, with a mandate to to foster political, economic, academic and cultural ties between Canada and Britain. Campbell replaces James Wright, who previously worked in Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's office and was appointed high commissioner in August 2006.One of the greatest automobile museums in the world is getting a Forza Motorsportmakeover – and it promises to be the greatest car museum you’ve ever seen. The Petersen, a Los Angeles landmark since 1994, houses more than 300 historically relevant cars and motorcycles, including everything from vintage vehicles from the dawn of automobiles, to famous cars used in some of your favorite Hollywood blockbusters. The museum is shutting down for a year for a massive remodel, and when it reopens, Forza Motorsport will be a major part of it. When the site reopens in 2015, it will also feature the Forza Motorsport Experience. This integrated exhibit will focus on the influence of video games on car culture, and vice versa. You can plan on seeing simulators and gaming stations, along with some very immersive visuals. The news was announced at the gala dinner late last month that was attended by a few lucky members of the Forza community, Forza representatives, as well as racing personality Tommy Kendall and Forza Ambassador Tanner Foust. Source: Xbox NewsLast week, after taking a 3-0 series lead, the boisterous Indian cricket team left the Harare Sports Club in a rush to celebrate the triumph at their hotel. But their rivals, the Zimbabweans, like on all match days, were in no hurry to leave. With no team hotel to go to, their dinner was a buffet at the venue. Besides, the home players had to also discuss car pool arrangements or figure out public transport schedules to reach Bulawayo for the second leg of the series. In Bulawayo, for the last two games, the Zimbabweans have checked in at Holiday Inn. But the team still has to travel to the stadium three times a day for meals. Zimbabwe cricket's financial woes are not a secret but the fact that the Test-nation's cricket body cannot afford to pay for the breakfast, lunch and dinner of its players at the team hotel or arrange for their transport points to a near-bankruptcy. Former opener Grant Flower, who is now the team's batting coach, accepts that Zimbabwean cricket is in trouble and adds to the gloom by saying that there is no silver-lining in sight. "We are struggling. I'm not sure when we will come out of it. I don't know the exact answers but Zimbabwe cricket is under heavy debt," said Flower. "If this continues, our cricket might soon lose its identity." The one-sided games in the series have brought to focus the contrasting skills of the two young teams. Beyond the boundary, the disparity in resources and in the incentives the two countries provide their teams is far more stark. The world's richest board and the one that is barely managing to provide basic amenities to its players have hardly anything in common. In India, a Grade-A central contract fetches skipper Virat Kohli close to $186,000 a year. His counterpart Brendan Taylor earns around $6,000 a year - just $1,000 more than what every member of the Indian team is paid for participating in an ODI. Besides the match fee, the Indians also get a daily allowance of $80. ... contd. ALSO READ Seamers put Karnataka in driving seat Please read our terms of use before posting commentsSuccessful negotiation: Streetwise ploys & playing the game in a 3D world The ability to negotiate is a skill that is imperative in the world of business and IT management. Financial management, and therefore negotiation, is a key part of a CIO’s job. Negotiation are essential to successful project implementation within the IT industry that emphasize long-term success and the creation of valuable agreements. In this lecture, streetwise ploys used by both manipulators and successful negotiators will be explored with extra care being made to assist in recognition and management of such tactics, and 3-dimensional negotiation that allows for successful and valuable agreements will be discussed. Streetwise ploys: Caveat Emptor ” …the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.” Avoiding manipulators and manipulative tactics enables negotiators to employ a more 3D approach that allows for long-term success and the unlocking of value post-deal. Recognising and using tactics known as Streetwise ploys during a negotiation is imperative for this process. The figure below shows the various tactics that fall under the Streetwise tactics umbrella. Manipulators and short-term deal-makers make use of these ploys in order to “win” and ensure that they get what they want out of the deal, paying no mind to the other party/parties involved or long-term value. Manipulators hold the desire to win above anything else and will demand difference splits, threaten, bluff walkouts, set phoney deadlines etc. in an attempt to close their deals. To ensure that one remains a successful negotiator who can combat such manipulators, the long-term value and benefits for both parties must be considered. Although the aforementioned tactics can still be employed in successful negotiations, modifications should be made that allow the sharing of information, the alignment of stakeholders, upholding of realism, and the formation of a working relationship i.e. winning does not trump all as it does for manipulators. These factors, in conjunction with the employment of Streetwise tactics, ensure successful negotiation that promotes long-term success and project implementation within the IT sector. It is of the utmost importance to envision the goal of the agreement as beyond the discussed finish line e.g. signing of contracts etc. This is what distinguishes short-term deal-makers from successful negotiators who create valuable agreements that carry their value far passed the dictated finish line. The ability to identify and use the various tactics mentioned previously enables successful negotiation and ensures that an agreement can be reached that benefits the negotiator’s side as efficiently as possible. 3D negotiation The concept of 3-dimensional negotiation involves the identification of barriers within negotiation strategies that function in 3 complementary dimensions. Each dimension incorporates strategies that ensure successful negotiation and are crucial for achieving long-term value from the negotiations being made. The table below illustrates each dimension with their respective focus, common barriers, and approach. Whilst these dimensions have been identified, literature shows that negotiators and research regarding successful negotiation focus primarily on the first two dimensions without incorporating the third. Whilst this may work in some cases, often it is not sustainable and does not consider long-term value and increased scope. Let us consider an analogy involving simple 5-card poker. The aim of the game is to collect 5 cards by the end of the game that contain a sequence that represent a group that has an increased chance of winning the game i.e. a strong hand. The stronger the hand, the higher the probability of winning and succeeding in the long-term. Possible simple hands include a pair of the same card, a triplet, or 4 of the same card (the strongest hand, called Poker). This logic can be applied when analysing successful negotiation tactics. If some parts of the 3D framework are not incorporated, a weaker negotiation strategy (or hand) may be employed and the probability, therefore, of long-term success and value decreases. If, however, the 3D framework is incorporated in its entirety with each dimension being covered and accounted for, the negotiation will be more successful and have a higher probability of succeeding in the long-term i.e. the hand is stronger, possibly a Poker hand since strategies have allowed for the highest, strongest hand to be obtained. This analogy is illustrated in the diagram below. Conclusion Successful negotiation is an integral part of the functioning of a business and its IT counterpart. Tactics must be employed that ensure long-term success and value maintenance so that the organisation may flourish and get the most out of the negotiation made. Such tactics include streetwise ploys such as the bogey, the krunch, the nibble, good cop/bad cop, salami, add-on, Mother Hubbard, and Russian front. Each strategy involves the employment of manoeuvres that ensure the best result for the organisation through that negotiation. It is critical to note, however, that once must not adopt a manipulative approach by using these approaches and it is of the utmost importance to be able to identify manipulative behaviour from negotiation partners. Along with the employment of these tactics, information must be shared, stakeholders must be aligned, realism must be upheld, and working relationships must be maintained. This ensures that winning does not become the be-all-end-all and that strategies are employed that benefit everyone and ensure long-term success and value. To reinforce the approach that promotes extension of the organisation’s vision beyond the “finish line” of the negotiation, a 3D strategy must be utilised. This ensures that all dimensions of negotiation are addressed including tactics, deal design, and setup. Incorporating all these dimensions increases the scope of the negotiation and its success and also ensures that organisation is getting the most out of the negotiation process into which it is entering. The take-home message, simply put, is: negotiation strategies should include more than just end-game ploys to ensure that long-term success and value is achieved. This is done by modifying existing tactics to avoid and recognise manipulation as well as the incorporation of a 3D approach. Resources Lax, D., & Sebenius, J. (November 2003), 3-D Negotiation – Playing the whole game. Harvard Business Review, 65-74. What is next Previous Post Next post IT Budgeting Enterprise Architecture For all our PodcastsPhiladelphia's inclusive flag started as a way for the city to heal after ugly incidents at the city's queer bars and clubs. It ended up sparking a national dialogue. A leaked video of a gay bar owner in Philadelphia using racial slurs sent shockwaves through the city’s LGBT community last year. But for people of color, the incident was all too familiar. “Ni-ni-ni-ni-ni----s, every one of 'em,” said Darryl DePiano, who operates ICandy, a cream-colored nightclub located in the heart of Philadelphia’s gayborhood. In a 21-second video recorded on an iPhone, DePiano repeatedly uses the epithet to describe his black customers, who he claimed attempt to grift the bar for free drink tickets. DePiano would apologize for the three-year-old recording in a Facebook post, saying that those comments no longer reflect his views, but the damage was already done. Protesters with the Black and Brown Workers Collective, an organization dedicated to liberation for queer people of color, staged a sit-in of ICandy in October, just hours after the video went viral. Joined by organizers from the Pennsylvania chapter of Black Lives Matter, the group blocked the bar area — preventing patrons from ordering their gin and tonics. “Since the 'n-----s' can’t get their free pass drinks, you can’t get a drink,” BLM organizer Asa Khalif said at the time. The most potent symbol of protest, however, was a pair of Timberlands hung on ICandy’s doors. These boots became synonymous with racial exclusion in the Philly gayborhood after the bar's bouncers instituted an unofficial dress code policy last year that denied entry to anyone wearing the brand.* People of color say these rules were designed to keep them out. The bar also banned hooded sweatshirts, an image that became permanently associated with blackness after Trayvon Martin was gunned down five years ago in Florida. (RELATED: If You Hate the New Pride Flag, You're Part of the Problem) Malcolm Kenyatta, who serves on the mayor’s inaugural commission for LGBT affairs, said that prior to last year, these issues were difficult to talk about in Philadelphia without being silenced or dismissed. “When you brought up these problems, people would say we were making things up,” said Kenyatta, who is also the cochair of Liberty City Democrats, in a phone interview. “We can all look and say, ‘Hey, somebody yelling the n word is wrong.’ But the more difficult conversation is, What do we do when somebody’s not saying those words but they’re doing equally damaging things to people of color?” A new Pride flag unveiled in June was designed to show that while the city can’t fix these problems overnight, Philadelphia is listening. But the response to the new flag shows just how far the LGBT community has to go. The new version of the rainbow flag added black and brown stripes to Gilbert Baker’s iconic design, which has been through several iterations over the years. The 1978 original included hot pink, turquoise, and indigo. These colors would be dropped because they were too expensive for manufacturers to produce. To memorialize those who died during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a black stripe was added during the 1980s. The Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs worked with Tierney, a local design firm, to bring black back to the Pride flag. “It’s a symbol of our city’s commitment to fighting these issues in a substantive way,” Amber Hikes, the office’s new executive director, told The Advocate. “More specifically, it’s a promise of my office that the concerns of the community won’t fall on deaf ears.” But after national news outlets picked up the story, those concerns were quickly drowned out on Facebook and Twitter by fierce outcry from an extremely vocal minority of the LGBT community, primarily white gay men. Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, cofounder of the Black and Brown Workers Collective, said some critics of the Philadelphia flag “scribbled out” the black and brown stripes online. Others posted the design to social media with the word “NO” written over the flag, while others added a white stripe in protest. “This is not the Pride flag,” Muhammad explained. “This is what we want to present as one option of many. People are like, ‘No, you can’t even have this option!’ No one is saying that the rainbow flag is discontinued or we’re going to take it away from you if we see you with it at Pride. You get to have your flag; we get to have our flag.” And in reality, there already exists a Pride banner with a white stripe. The color was added in a 1996 edition — included as a vertical stripe placed at the hoist. The change was intended to demonstrate that “all are included.” But people of color in Philadelphia know that statement is a fallacy. When white is treated as the default, it’s always at the expense of everyone else. Racial divides in the gayborhood were first documented more than 30 years ago in a 1986 report from the Coalition on Lesbian-Gay Bar Policies. Formed two years earlier, the coalition was intended to address what Philadelphia Magazine writer Ernest Owens called the “racial segregation at popular gayborhood bars and the practices that abetted it.” Its findings, as Muhammad explained, detailed a “culture of exclusivity” at the city’s LGBT nightclubs. “There was no space for you to be black or brown,” Muhammad said. “If you were not white, you were not being welcomed into gay spaces.” That has changed little in the decades since. A 2017 study from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Rights came to the same conclusions as the earlier report. It said gay bars in the city were “preferable environments for white, cisgender male patrons.” A black lesbian cited in the report said that she frequently waited for more than 15 minutes to get a drink at the gayborhood clubs, while other patrons were served before her. Others have alleged that they are asked to show multiple forms of identification or required to open a tab before ordering their beverage — because of fears that they’ll skip out before paying. Nearly every queer person of color in Philadelphia has a story of feeling like they’re unwelcome in a scene they hoped would embrace them. Owens has written that when going out to bars, other gay men have slapped him on the behind and called him “Hot Chocolate.” Muhammad was once targeted by plainclothes police officers who said he fit the description of a suspect they were seeking. Law enforcement officials grabbed him and pulled him outside of a club. The bouncer knew Muhammad from his nonprofit work in the city and didn’t try to stop it. He said nothing. Damon Humes, executive director of Colours, which offers health and wellness services to black LGBT Philadelphians, said this has been a jarring reality to face. When Humes first started coming to Washington Square West, the Center City district that is home to many of the city’s gay bars, it was a time when queer and trans people were frequently harassed and targeted by police. Young LGBT people have long sought out the neighborhood as a safe space, but cops have a storied history of raiding gay bars and beating up patrons. That’s true in nearly every city in the United States. Such widespread brutality led to the Stonewall riots in 1969, a protest many view as igniting the modern gay liberation movement. “You faced so much discrimination just for being on the street and out there having a good time with your friends and your peers,” Humes said. “And then as people of color, we have to add to that the internalized oppression we feel from our own community.” Racism among LGBT people, however, isn’t strictly a Philadelphia problem. A 2015 report from Gay Men Fighting AIDS, a U.K.-based charitable organization, found that 80 percent of black gay male respondents had experienced prejudice in the LGBT community. The rates weren’t much lower for people of other ethnicities. Seventy-nine percent of Asian men and 75 percent of South Asian men that the organization spoke with said they had witnessed racial bias
operated on veterans and children was “suddenly … cozying up to street gangs.” But he turned serious when he noted that Gillespie has “gone on record in the past condemning the very same kind of rhetoric he’s using now.” “What he’s really trying to deliver is fear. What he really believes is, if you scare enough voters, you might get enough votes to win an election,” Obama said. He also tried to reassure moderate undecided voters who might be concerned about immigration that Northam understands the importance of keeping Virginians safe from violence, “but he also believes we can accomplish these things without fanning anti-immigrant sentiment that makes none of us safer.” The former president also talked extensively about a hot-button issue that has been trouble for Northam: The debate over Confederate monuments. He did not say whether he believes monuments should be moved from public squares to museums, or taken down entirely. Instead, he recast the argument as one between those who seek to unite and those who want to divide the country. He introduced the subject by noting that on his mother’s side, he was a distant relative of Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. “Think about that. I’ll bet he’s spinning in his grave,” Obama said to laughter. But as he went on, Obama was at his most passionate when expounding on the need to “claim all of our history, the good and the bad.”After pondering several development deals, Hexum came upon a project he felt had possibilities: Cover Up. When the series began production in 1984, Hexum played Mac Harper, an undercover CIA operative posing as a male model, opposite co-star Jennifer O'Neill. Hexum described the role as part " Indiana Jones, James Bond, Mr. Magoo, and Superman." According to then-girlfriend, actress and singer Elizabeth "E.G." Daily, "he loved living this rich fantasy life. He was a big strong man, looked kind of like a Viking bodybuilder, and he loved to show his strength. He also liked the whole idea of guns and soldiers." On Friday, October 12, 1984, the cast and crew of Cover Up were filming the seventh episode of the series "Golden Opportunity" on Stage 17 of the 20th Century Fox lot. One of the scenes filmed that day called for Hexum's character to load bullets into a.44 Magnum handgun, so he was provided with a functional gun and blanks. When the scene did not play as the director wanted it to in the master shot, there was a delay in filming. Hexum became restless and impatient during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. Apparently, he had unloaded all but one (blank) round, spun it, and, apparently simulating Russian roulette with what he thought was a harmless weapon, at 5:15 p.m., he put the revolver to his right temple and pulled the trigger.[6] Hexum was apparently unaware that his actions were dangerous. Blanks use paper or plastic wadding to seal gunpowder into the cartridge, and this wadding is propelled from the barrel of the gun with enough force to cause injury if the weapon is fired within a few feet of the body should it strike at a particularly vulnerable spot, such as the temple or the eye. At a close enough range, the effect of the powder gasses is a small explosion, so although the paper wadding in the blank that Hexum discharged did not penetrate his skull, there was enough blunt force trauma to shatter a quarter-sized piece of his skull and propel the pieces into his brain, causing massive hemorrhaging.[1][7] Hexum was rushed to Beverly Hills Medical Center, where he underwent five hours of surgery to repair his wounds.[7] On October 18, six days after the accident, Hexum was declared brain dead. With his mother's permission, his body was flown to San Francisco on life support, where his heart was transplanted into a 36-year-old Las Vegas man at California Pacific Medical Center.[8] Hexum's kidneys and corneas were also donated: One cornea went to a 66-year-old man, the other to a young girl. One of the kidney recipients was a critically ill five-year-old boy, and the other was a 43-year-old grandmother of three who had waited eight years for a kidney. Skin that was donated was used to treat a 3½-year-old boy with third degree burns.[9] Hexum's body was then flown back to Los Angeles. He was cremated at Grandview Crematory in Glendale, California, and a private funeral was held. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, near Malibu, California, by his mother. He left an estate estimated to be worth $255,000.[10] Hexum's death was ruled accidental.[11] His mother later received an out-of-court settlement from 20th Century Fox Television and Glen A. Larson Productions, the production team behind Cover Up.[1] The episode on which Hexum had been working was broadcast on November 3, 1984, two weeks after Hexum's death. Cover Up continued production without Hexum's character. Three weeks later, on November 24, Antony Hamilton was introduced as agent Jack Striker, posing as a new member of the modeling team.[12] Hexum's character, Mac, is noticeably absent, said to be on another mission. At the end of the episode, Jack breaks the news that Mac has been killed on the other assignment and would not be coming back.[13] As the tears flowed, the camera panned back, and a memoriam written by Glen Larson appeared onscreen: When a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for millenniums. John (sic) Eric Hexum died in October of this year... but the lives he touched will continue to be brightened by his light ... forever... and ever.Classes for the 2014-15 year began for students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the fourth largest district in the country, on Monday, Aug. 18. And so did student standardized testing. Yes, it’s time not only for class but also for a new slew of standardized tests in Miami and everywhere else in the country — and this year, more of these exams are expected to be given to students than ever so that kids be assessed and so can their teachers, and their principals, and their schools and their districts. Thanks to then Gov. Jeb Bush well over a decade ago, the state of Florida has been a national leader in the use of high-stakes standardized tests in public schools. And this year, thanks to a requirement for end-of-course exams for every subject — including music and physical ed and dance — in every grade (including kindergarten) so that the results can be used to evaluate teachers, the school year calendar is jam-packed with tests. Here is the published testing schedule by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. If your system has a testing calendar that boggles the mind, send it to me or publish it in the comments: MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2014-2015 TESTING CALENDAR, GRADES PreK-12 Tentative: August 12, 2014 The calendar will be updated periodically as additional information is obtained about the District, state, national, and international tests administered to the students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. DATE DESCRIPTION ABBREVIATION PARTICIPANTS MANDATE July 14 – 25 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments Algebra 1, Biology 1, Geometry, and US History CBT* NGSSS EOC Grades 9-12, eligible students Federal and State July 30 – 31 Alternative Assessment for Grade 3 Promotion AAGTP Grade 3, retained only State August 18 – September 5 Interim Assessment Tests: Baseline Science IA Grades 5 and 8 State and District August 18 – September 30 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (Work Sampling System and (Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading) FLKRS (WSS and FAIR) Kindergarten State August 25 – November 7 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment Period 1 (AP1) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State and District September/October Preliminary ACT Test ACT PLAN Grade 10, Optional Nationally Offered September 2 – 30 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment Period 1 (AP1) VPK Prekindergarten State September 15 – 26 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics, Geometry, and US History CBT* NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State October 1 – 31 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District October 6 – 17 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Reading and Mathematics Retake CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0 RETAKE Grades 10+,11, 12, eligible students State October 6 – 24 District ELA Writing Pre-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District October 15 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test PSAT/NMSQT Grade 09, Optional Nationally Offered Grade 10 State Grade 11, Optional Nationally Offered October 27 – November 14 Interim Assessment Tests: Fall English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics IA Grades 3-12 State and District November 12 – 13 Grade 3 Mid-Year Promotion GTMYP Grade 3, eligible, retained students State December 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State December 1 – 19 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments Algebra 1, Biology 1, Civics, Geometry, and US History CBT* NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State Florida Stanards Assessments English Language Arts – Writing Component Field Test CBT* FSA Grades 4-11, selected schools January 5 – March 19 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment Period 2 (AP2) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State January 6 – February 4 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment Period 2 (AP2) VPK Prekindergarten State January 12 – 23 District ELA Writing Post-Test DWT Grades 3-11 District January 20 – May 8 Grade 3 Reading Student Portfolio GTRSP Grade 3 State January 26 – February 13 Interim Assessment Tests: Winter English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, and Civics IA Grades 3-12 State and District January 26 – March 6 National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading, Mathematics, and Science NAEP Grades 4, 8, 12, Selected schools Federal February Florida’s Postsecondary Education Readiness Test PERT Grade 11, eligible students State March 2 – 13 Florida Standards Assessments English Language Arts – Writing Component FSA Grade 4; and Grades 5-11 CBT* Federal and State March 2 – April 3 Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment CELLA Grades K-12, all current ELLs and eligible former ELLs Federal and State March 2 – April 7 Florida Alternate Assessment FAA Grades 3-11*** State March 16 – April 2 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Reading and Mathematics Retakes CBT* FCAT/FCAT 2.0 RETAKE Grades 10+, 11, 12 eligible students State Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments Algebra 1 Retake CBT* NGSSS EOC RETAKE Grades 7-12, eligible students Federal and State March 16 – April 10 Florida Standards Assessments English Language Arts and Mathematics FSA Grades 3 and 4 Federal and State March 30 – May 29 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study TIMMS Grades 4, 8, 12 Selected schools Federal April 1 – 30 FITNESSGRAM Pretest FITNESSGRAM Grades 4-12, students enrolled in PE courses District April 13 – 17 Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition Reading and Mathematics SAT-10 Grades K-2 District April 13 – May 8 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 Science FCAT 2.0 Grades 5 and 8 Federal and State Florida Standards Assessments English Language Arts CBT* FSA Grades 5-11 Mathematics CBT* Grades 5-8 April 13 – May 29 Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading Assessment Period 3 (AP3) FAIR-FS Grades K-3, all students; Grades 4-10, Levels 1 & 2; Grades 11-12, Retake** State April 20 – May 15 Forida Standards Assessments: End-of-Course Assessments Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 CBT* FSA EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State April 20 – May 22 Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards End-of-Course Assessments Biology 1, Civics, and US History NGSSS EOC Grades 6-12, eligible students Federal and State April 21 – May 18 Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Assessment Period 3 (AP3) VPK Prekindergarten State April 27 – June 12 Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education Examinations AICE Grades 10-12, enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered May 1 – 5 Florida Competency Examination on Personal Fitness FCEPF Grades 10-12, Optional State May 4 – 15 Advanced Placement Exams AP Grades 8-12, enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered May 4 – 26 International Baccalaureate External Written Examinations IB Grades 11-12, enrolled, registered students only Internationally Offered May 5 AP SEMINAR AP Grades 10-11, Selected schools, enrolled, registered students only Nationally Offered May 11 – June 5 District-Designated End-of-Course Assessment DDEOC Grades K-12 State May 26 – June 3 Alternative Standardized Reading Assessment ASRA Grade 3, eligible students State TESTS GIVEN ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS DESCRIPTION ABBREVIATION PARTICIPANTS MANDATE Florida Post Secondary Education Readiness Test Dual Enrollment Placement, College Placement Testing, Post Remediation, Comparative Scores for Algebra 1 EOC PERT Grades 10-12 State Aprenda La Prueba de los Logros en Español Segunda Edición Placement decision for Gifted Program, Spanish-speaking ELLs APRENDA Grades K-12, eligible ELLs State The Iowa Tests (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development) Placement decision for Gifted Program ITBS/ ITED Grades K-12, eligible students Federal and State Exit ESOL Program (six semesters or more) Grades 2-12, eligible students, Charter Schools only ACCEL Option Selected students Miami-Dade County Oral Language Proficiency Scale Revised Placement decisions for ESOL Exit ESOL Program-Second Instrument Needed M-DOLPS-R Grade K, eligible students Federal and State On-line Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment Placement decisions for ESOL Extension of services for ESOL Program On-line CELLA Grade 1-12, eligible students Federal and State COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS NATIONALLY OFFERED FOR INTERESTED, REGISTERED STUDENTS Anticipated SAT and SAT Subject Test Dates* ACT Test Dates October 11, 2014 March 14, 2015 (SAT Only) September 13, 2014 April 18, 2015 November 8, 2014 May 2, 2015 October 25, 2014 June 13, 2015 December 6, 2014 June 6, 2015 December 13, 2014 January 24, 2015 February 7, 2015 SAT Sunday administrations usually occur the day after each Saturday test date for students who cannot test on Saturday due to religious observance. Notes: Designates computer-based testing. The following students in all schools must participate in FAIR as follows: – Grades K-3, all students; – Grades 4-10, Levels 1 and 2; – Grades 11-12, Retake eligible ***Only includes ESE students exempted from standardized testing at these grade levels. M-DCPS : 1450 NE 2nd Ave. : Miami, FL 33132 : Phone: (305) 995-1000 (For Non Technical Questions Only) Copyright 2014 Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mThomas Tuchel is one of the favourites to take over as Everton boss Thomas Tuchel has not ruled himself out of the running to become Everton's next boss, Sky Sports News understands. Tuchel has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund in May, just days after winning the German Cup final, and has stated publicly that he would like to work in the Premier League. Until now, Tuchel has been reluctant to consider any club not playing in the Champions League, but Sky Sports News has been told he would be open to an approach from Everton. Everton sacked Ronald Koeman on Monday afternoon and are yet to draw up a shortlist for the role, although Tuchel's odds have been slashed since the bookmakers opened their market on his replacement. Tuchel is competing with Burnley boss Sean Dyche and Everton's own U23 manager David Unsworth at the head of the betting. Unsworth has been placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs and will be in the dugout when Everton take on Chelsea in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. David Unsworth will take charge of the first team at Chelsea on Wednesday Sky Sports News understands Unsworth is the preferred candidate of chairman Bill Kenwright and also has the support of a significant number of senior players - he was also in caretaker charge last year when Roberto Martinez left the club. Dyche says he is "flattered" by the link to the Everton job while Manchester United great Ryan Giggs threw his hat into the ring on Monday in an interview with Sky Sports.Researchers from the University of Hawai'i -- Mānoa (UHM), Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de L'Environment (France), and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently discovered that O'ahu actually consists of three major Hawaiian shield volcanoes, not two, as previously thought. The island of O'ahu, as we know it today, is the remnants of two volcanoes, Wai'anae and Ko'olau. But extending almost 100 km WNW from Ka'ena Point, the western tip of the island of O'ahu, is a large region of shallow bathymetry, called the submarine Ka'ena Ridge. It is that region that has now been recognized to represent a precursor volcano to the island of O'ahu, and on whose flanks the Wai'anae and Ko'olau Volcanoes later formed. Prior to the recognition of Ka'ena Volcano, Wai'anae Volcano was assumed to have been exceptionally large and to have formed an unusually large distance from its next oldest neighbor -- Kaua'i. "Both of these assumptions can now be revised: Wai'anae is not as large as previously thought and Ka'ena Volcano formed in the region between Kauai and Wai'anae," noted John Sinton, lead author of the study and Emeritus Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the UHM School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). In 2010 scientists documented enigmatic chemistry of some unusual lavas of Wai'anae. "We previously knew that they formed by partial melting of the crust beneath Wai'anae, but we didn't understand why they have the isotopic composition that they do," said Sinton" Now, we realize that the deep crust that melted under Waianae is actually part of the earlier Ka'ena Volcano." This new understanding has been a long time in the making. Among the most important developments was the acquisition of high-quality bathymetric data of the seafloor in the region. This mapping was greatly accelerated after UH acquired the Research Vessel Kilo Moana, equipped with a high-resolution mapping system. The new data showed that Ka'ena Ridge had an unusual morphology, unlike that of submarine rift zone extensions of on-land volcanoes. Researchers then began collecting samples from Ka'ena and Wai'alu submarine Ridges. The geochemical and age data, along with geological observations and geophysical data confirmed that Ka'ena was not part of Waianae, but rather was an earlier volcanic edifice; Wai'anae must have been built on the flanks of Ka'ena. "What is particularly interesting is that Ka'ena appears to have had an unusually prolonged history as a submarine volcano, only breaching the ocean surface very late in its history," said Sinton. Much of our knowledge of Hawaiian volcanoes is based on those that rise high above sea level, and almost all of those formed on the flanks of earlier ones. Ka'ena represents a chance to study a Hawaiian volcano that formed in isolation on the deep ocean floor. Despite four different cruises and nearly 100 rock samples from Ka'ena, researchers say they have only begun to observe and sample this massive volcanic edifice. While this article was in press, SOEST scientists visited Ka'ena Ridge again -- this time with the UH's newest remotely operated vehicle, ROV Lu'ukai -- and collected new rock samples from some of its shallowest peaks. With these new samples Sinton and colleagues hope to constrain the timing of the most recent volcanism on Ka'ena.Thomas Pletzinger’s Funeral for a Dog, a riveting story of search and loss, combines its protagonists’ physical and mental restlessness with something of an old-European lingering. A marathon across continents and between past and present, the book nevertheless thrives on its characters’ condition of “just being”—they’re not exactly idle but not productive either. Disorientation prevails as the author ponders life’s two grandest mysteries: love and death. Pletzinger’s debut novel propelled him to the front row of new German fiction and will be published in English this spring. When BOMB approached Pletzinger for an interview, he wished to speak with musician Sufjan Stevens who, indirectly, shaped his book—namely by inducing a certain state of mind with his songs. (Pletzinger continually listened to Stevens’s albums while writing Funeral for a Dog.) There are obvious affinities between the two artists’ works: an interest in the symphonic, in empathy, and a “courage for pathos”—a resolution that Pletzinger’s main character, a writer, arrives at in the end of the book. Pletzinger and Stevens met for the first time via Skype while they were both on the road. Their conversation drifted from missing limbs to hip-hop and will no doubt continue in some form. —Sabine Russ Thomas Pletzinger Hello, Hong Kong? This is somewhere near Cologne. Sufjan Stevens Hello? TP Good. I’m very excited to talk with you. SS Ah, it is beautiful, this technology that we have access to now. TP Did you have a chance to read my book? SS I haven’t quite finished. I’m reading a whole bunch of things at once. TP What else are you reading? SS I just finished Patti Smith’s memoir about her and Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids. TP Did you like it? SS I love Patti Smith. She’s so sublime. As a performer, she is a real social-energy force for transcendence. Whenever I see her I’m inspired. Reading her book I loved the anecdotes, the history, and all the nuanced information in it. She and Robert had a beautiful and symbiotic relationship—companionship. The book is worth reading, even just as a voyeur if you have interest in that ’70s scene in New York. It was the tail end of the Andy Warhol thing. TP I translated a collection of poetry by the American poet Gerald Stern into German. Have you heard of him? SS Yeah. TP He is 85-years-old now. Last year I invited him on a trip to Germany and we did a series of readings, one of them in Cologne, at the literary festival lit.Cologne. When Gerald Stern and I checked into the hotel, Patti Smith was there. She had this whole entourage with her and she was the star of the festival. I found her very charismatic. And Gerald Stern approached her and patted her on the back. They were chitchatting for a bit and she seemed really, really nice. Stern and Patti Smith talked about Warhol, actually. Stern grew up in Pittsburgh and knew Warhol back then. When Warhol moved out from home, Stern was the one who drove him to the train station. SS Oh my lord. TP Warhol was going to be a commercial artist for a shoe company or something in New York. So Stern gave him a lift to the train station. Warhol had all these bags and he had this painting with him. He gave that painting to Stern for driving him. SS No … TP So Stern went home and gave it to his mother and she said, “Really, that Warhol, that pimply Polack, can paint?” And then she threw that very early Warhol away. (laughter) Stern always says it’s the story of his first lost million. SS Wow, that is tragic. Well, you know, money wouldn’t have done him any good anyway. Poets are meant to be poor. TP Yeah, yeah. But he is not really poor. (laughter) You live in Brooklyn, right? Have you gotten to the New York chapters of my book yet? SS I have, actually. I was excited about the number of times you referenced the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the BQE. TP Well, my protagonist Svensson and his dog walk to Williamsburg and through Greenpoint on the BQE. I myself was living on Lorimer and Skillman, right next to the BQE, across the street from a bar called Union Pool. Do you know that one? SS Yeah, Union Pool is right on the expressway. TP So, in my imagination, my characters live on this street corner. Right above a corner store. In reality, there is no store. I simply put one there for the book. SS Were you writing the book while you were in the city or was this something you wrote afterward? TP I was living in New York from 1999 to 2001, but I didn’t write the book then. I wasn’t even writing, really, at that time. I wrote it several years later, mostly in 2007. By the way, I was listening to your BQE album yesterday. Last night, actually. I put it on at dinner for my sister and her kids. They didn’t quite get it. SS The BQE is not good for digestion, I suppose. TP You’re probably right. The two little kids wanted song and we wanted to listen to Wagner in traffic on the ugly highway. They wanted sugar and storytelling and we kept telling them to listen carefully. It was hard for my sister to hear anything, let alone references to architecture and urban planning and development and weirdness and Robert Moses—all translated into music. (laughter) I was actually wondering if you thought the New York parts in my book were okay? You know, they were first written with a German audience in mind. SS I really appreciated a lot of the references. There’s a kind of linguistic cacophony. The characters in the prose are very distracted, which is evocative of the physical New York landscape. Especially that area in Brooklyn, near the expressway, where you have all these bisecting lines of streets. Your narrative has that same kind of shape to it, narratives upon narratives. There are three different time sequences going on in the same story. TP Yeah, for the characters it is a very distracting time, because it is September 11. I didn’t want to tell a story where people are able to make up their minds. Everyone at that time was making resolutions and deciding to do this or that—to change their lives, to move somewhere else, to hate Arabs, and so on. People were making up their minds and going in one direction. My characters don’t do that. I felt that this was more a sign of the times than anything else—they had to go back and forth, they had to talk a lot, about both nonsensical and very interesting things. And they have to get drunk because they can’t make up their minds, really. SS It’s interesting that you position this kind of major catastrophe with this collection of people. They are so ambivalent. There is a kind of emotional anarchy in these characters; they never seem to come to grip with the event itself, you know, with this major event. Instead, there is this nearsightedness; they only see what is in front of them and they are just barely getting by from space to space and from moment to moment. It becomes almost surreal, in a way. And at some point you have the dog talking as well. TP Yeah. SS Because the prose is kind of surreal in itself—everyone is drunk, doing drugs, or wandering around—it seems very natural that the dog starts talking.(laughter) TP Yeah, the dog is what you would call, in team sports, the glue. (laughter) He is the one that holds it all together. The dog offers his opinion or his reflections, usually when everyone is drunk. It’s then that he seems to be able to talk. Later in the book he actually really speaks and articulates his wisdom and all the pain he experienced. He is a real character in the book, he is not only a dog. SS The dog is the prophet in some ways, he’s the spiritual advisor. TP Absolutely. Have you gotten to the point where his leg is amputated? SS I’ve gotten to the part where Tuuli cleans the fish for dinner and she insinuates that she had amputated the dog’s leg. But I haven’t gotten to that scene yet. I’m so behind. I need to finish it and call you back. (laughter) TP No, don’t worry at all. It’s nice to talk about a half-book. It happens very often, but people always—more or less successfully—pretend otherwise. Let’s talk about unfinished things. SS The story of my life is the story of half-finished projects and half-read books. TP Is it? SS Yeah, I never really finish anything. TP Sometimes I finish something, but in comparison to how much I start, it’s pretty shameful. (laughter) But that is how things work, don’t you think? You start more than you finish. SS How do you know when you are finished? TP With this book? Actually, I’m supposed to be finished with it, but I’m not. And probably will not be finished for a long time. For the next novel, I’m using the same characters again. SS Oh. TP I didn’t want them to go away and abandon me. Tuuli, who is a medical student in Funeral for a Dog, will be an older doctor, a surgeon, in the next novel. And she will be amputating my protagonist’s leg, again. SS Oh my lord. TP But my next protagonist is 85-years-old and Tuuli gets to work on his leg as a surgeon. It sounds terrible, but she is a good doctor. SS So what’s your fascination with amputated limbs? TP You know, in Germany, every young man has to do mandatory military service or a substitute public service. You can work in a hospital instead, or care for children, or the elderly. Everyone has to do something, right? I didn’t want to go to the army, so first I worked with kids and then I worked with an elderly woman. I went to see her every day, helped her with whatever she needed, like cutting her toenails, or going shopping, feeding her parakeet—all these things. Apart from high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, she had this infected toe. All these conditions that don’t kill you fast but add up to real misery. Because she had diabetes and her leg was gangrenous, the infected toe was amputated first. Then half her foot had to be amputated, then the entire foot, then the leg below the knee. She remained strong somehow or at least she pretended to keep her spirits up, although she physically disappeared, really. And I found this terrible, of course, but fascinating at the same time. I thought one day I’d want to use that experience in my writing. So eventually I used it on the dog in Funeral for a Dog. I also wanted this dog to have a name with three letters and his name was Lula before, when he was a police dog in Brazil. Then one of his legs is shot off and he becomes Lua, the three-legged, talking, beer-loving dog. SS So you lose a letter and you lose a leg. TP Yeah, they shoot off his letter. SS I’ve seen three-legged dogs and cats. They seem to get on as if nothing is missing. A three-legged dog doesn’t appear tragic. TP They can run really fast with three legs. When their entire body gets up to speed, you don’t even notice the missing leg anymore. SS A person is much more affected, whereas an animal is still proficient in spite of the disability. You mention in the book that the dog doesn’t experience phantom-limb sensation. TP Exactly. Dogs don’t know nostalgia and melancholy either, do they? Humans are sad and nostalgic, so my next book is a sad story of a missing leg. I will talk about a human amputee. Even before his leg is removed, he thinks about everything he once was able to do with his leg and everything he will be missing. The biography of a leg. SS It seems like the human characters in Funeral for a Dog are all experiencing phantom-limb syndrome. Even though they are not missing limbs, there is this anxiety about something missing and an anguish about the past. TP Yeah, that is what they deal with, right? They live in ruins, basically. And Svensson literally lives in a ruin—a rundown house with holes in the roof, surrounded by garbage. Everyone else deals with their own ruins and broken-down situations, broken homes, in some way. This is what the book is about. The different parts—the New York, Brazil, Finland, and Italy parts—all come together at one point and it becomes clear that the characters are all dealing with ruins. SS In spite of all the movement … And there is so much geographical movement, change of landscapes and countries and continents. It’s that restlessness versus the kind of static deconstruction of the ruins, the lightness of movement versus the heaviness of the ruin. How did you manage all this motion in the book? TP Well, the characters are moving around, trying to find a place they can call home. And then there is this Svensson guy who decides that all this traveling is probably not a good idea, so he tries to pin himself down. He settles in this one traumatic place where his best friend, the mysterious Felix, has died. He stays in a boathouse on the lake and doesn’t move—to see what that’s like. Technically, it’s montage. You jump from chapter to chapter, switch places on a page, or from paragraph to paragraph. I think it can be confusing, but I wanted it to be a kind of a voyage for the reader too. Is that a kid crying in the back? SS Yeah, that’s my nephew, my sister’s two-year-old. I’m surrounded by stuffed animals right now. TP I’m actually surrounded by a collection of old Donald Duck comics. (laughter) I’m at my sister’s house too and my little nephew just woke up and came in here. He’s three and a half. Do you have kids? SS No, no kids. TP I’ll be a father in six weeks. SS Wow! Congratulations. TP Thanks. I’m excited to see what that’s like. SS Will this be your first? TP Of course. I mean, not of course, but it is. (laughter) What’s your favorite name? We are still hunting for a name for the baby. SS I always liked Maximilian. It sounds like a dictator. TP It is. SS Or like a robotic space leader. I think that one is from Walt Disney’s The Black Hole. TP It’s a holy Roman emperor’s name. Where does your name come from? SS Well, Sufjan is probably Persian. TP Is it your real name or an artist name? SS No, it is my given name. TP Does everyone in your family have Persian names? SS Four of us do. We are six kids. There is Djamilah, Djohariah, Marzuki, and Sufjan. My parents changed their names to Rasjid and Hadidjah, which are very Middle-Eastern names. TP But they are originally from America? SS Yeah, they were born in the US. My parents were members of a spiritual group called Subud. The leader of the group, Bapak, would sometimes rename group members or, if you wanted that, name the children. He was Indonesian and Muslim, so he chose a lot of Middle-Eastern names.Masashi Kishimoto’s great Naruto manga is over and the anime could very easily continue with canon material, but instead the Naruto Shippuden fillers have returned. The focus will be the same as the title of episode 394, The New Chunin Exams. It will take place during the timeskip when Naruto was away training with Jiraiya. Gaara, now the Kazekage, is looking to make things right after the incident with Orochimaru from the first Chunin Exams shown in the series. With the help of the Leaf, the Hidden Sand Village will take on the responsibility as host. Unbek
head at the last moment to avoid PI and make a play on the ball, Carey is there too to make sure it's not a catch. *Houston and Green both called for defensive holding later on in that quarter. This is a result of playing press coverage 3 straight plays and being too physical.* Target 6 (3rd Quarter 5:36): Last target against Houston. In man coverage again, and Suh brings great pressure on Ryan. Ryan tosses it up but a little overthrown. Credit to Suh on that one. Interesting to see the halftime adjustments on defense. Lions really looked better in man coverage throughout that whole game. Ryan was picking apart our zone defense. @ Tennessee Week 3 Houston was graded a +3.3 against Tennessee by PFF, which was his 2nd best grade, but received his highest pass coverage grade at a +3.4. He was targeted 10 times, gave up only 5 catches and had 2 pass deflections. A good performance on his part. After re-watching this game, I noticed that the Lions really love using Houston in man coverage, specifically loose-man. Houston seems to be at his best in man coverage when giving the receiver a few yards of cushion, rather than playing him close and jamming him at the line of scrimmage. Houston only played press coverage/mirror technique 11 plays, while playing loose man 20+ plays. We didn't run a whole lot of zone or Tampa 2 plays, surprisingly. Target 1 (1st Quarter 10:35): Lions look to be in zone coverage. Short pass to Cook for 2 yards, Houston not in position to make the play, but tackles him instantly. Target 2 (1st Quarter 2:13): Houston in loose-man coverage, Titans in the red-zone, 3rd and 5 on our 13 yard line, Locker tosses it up to his tall WR Britt. Houston recognizes where Locker is going instantly and watches the ball the entire time, gets himself in great position and breaks up the play in the endzone with a nice pass deflection. Houston starts the play by playing off of Britt by about 7-10 yards, and is reading his man by looking at his receiver, rather than looking at Locker. After Houston reads his man, he realizes that the ball is in the air, turns his head immediately and makes a great play on the ball ending up with his 1st of 2 pass deflections. Houston had Britt's number all game long. *In between targets 2 and 3, there was a screen pass to Wright, which didn't count as a target towards Houston, but Houston did a great job of recognizing the screen and was in great position to make the play, although it was dropped.* Target 3 (Q2 5:55): 3rd and 5 deep in their own territory, the Titans went to their big target Kenny Britt again, and saw Houston in man coverage. They tried to go to Britt for a quick slant, but Houston did an awesome job of jamming Britt at the line. Britt actually made a nice grab after he tipped it up to himself, but Houston did a nice job of holding him for only 3 yards. Huge stop on 3rd down by Houston. Britt tried to go 5+ yards for the 1st down, but as you can see, Houston did a nice job jamming him at the line, and forced him to make a play on the ball a couple yards short of the sticks. Target 4 (3rd Quarter 12:13): On this play, Houston is lined up as the RCB to cover Britt. Britt did okay this game, but he couldn't get virtually anything done when covered by Houston, so I'm guessing they liked this match-up and had Houston follow him for most of the game. Locker tried to throw it downfield to Britt, but it was well short thanks to the former lion, Sammie Lee Hill. Houston might have been in trouble on this play, as he had his head facing the receiver the entire time, we can thank SLH for that one. Target 5 (3rd Quarter 12:06): On 2nd and 15, Houston gives up a lot of room for Nate Washington on this play, resulting in a 9 yard catch on a curl route. Secondary was playing deep, and I assume that Gunny was letting them take their short pass, and trying not to give up a big play. *Very next play Houston is in press coverage again. He ends up being too physical with his man and gets called for defensive holding. That was the 3rd straight target towards Houston. I guess the Titans didn't get the memo that he was on his A game that day.* Target 6 (3rd Quarter 3:15): Locker tries to go to Britt again, Houston is mirroring his every move and forces the overthrown pass. Target 7 (3rd Quarter 8:12): Identical play as the last target, however Houston gives Britt a little extra room. Britt puts his hands on the ball and almost reels it in, but Houston puts a nice hit on him and jars the ball loose for an incompletion. Target 8 (4th Quarter 11:57): Houston is in man-to-man coverage, but doesn't jam him at the line. Wright makes a move on him and catches the ball on a curl route, but Houston tackles him instantly and is able to force a fumble. Another huge play by Houston. Target 9 (OT 12:05): Houston plays way off of his man, and allows Williams to get a 13 yard completion. Target 10 (OT 10:53): Houston blankets Williams this time, and makes a huge pass break up on 3rd down to force the field goal, and allow us to get the ball and try to win the game (we all know how that ends). Conclusion I think Houston is a very good corner, and a good #1 CB corner. I think he does best at man coverage when giving his man a small cushion, and gets burned a little too often in press coverage against elite WR's, but can more than hold his own against average/good #1 WR's. Houston showed that he can shut down a guy like Britt, which leads me to believe that if we can get Slay to develop as a #1 CB, then Houston could be a great, or even elite #2 CB, which is what I think he was meant to be. Houston will get beat by elite #1 WR's, but can completely shut down weaker #1 WR's and good #2 WR's (unless you're unfair and have Julio Jones as your #2 WR). So what do you guys think? Is he average, good, or great as a #1 CB, and how do you think this position will end up going forward? Do you think Slay will end up being our #1 CB in the future like me, or is Houston our guy until his contract ends? TL;DR: Houston is a good #1 CB, but can be an elite #2 CB if we can develop Slay into a #1 CB (or find one somewhere else). Slay is more of a prototype #1 CB who can play more physical with his height, just needs time to develop. I'm pretty optimistic about Slay, and I think in a few years he can develop as a good shutdown #1 CB, which will allow Houston to move to the other side. Slay strugged a little against the Vikings on Sunday, but he showed flashes of great coverage (I.E deflection leading to Levy's pick 6) Sorry for the extremely long post, didn't realize what I was getting into, lol.Fresh off big-name endorsements from U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham, Republican 1st District congressional candidate Mark Sanford collected the endorsement of infamous smut mag publisher Larry Flynt. Flynt reportedly shopped around a print ad to South Carolina papers this week, including the City Paper, but thus far the ad has yet to appear on newsstands. In a two-minute video cut to announcement his endorsement, Flynt says the move to back Sanford was "not an easy decision," but says despite the former governor's "journey down this Appalachian Trail of deceit," Flynt contends that "no one has done more to expose the sexual hypocrisy of traditional values in America today." Flynt said he wrote a check for the maximum allowed amount, $2,600, to Sanford's campaign, but a spokesperson told Daily Caller the check won't be accepted. Talking to press yesterday, Sanford called the endorsement "silly." "It’s one of those endorsements that’s designed to hurt you... I can say with certainty that it’s not going to help me," Sanford said, according to Politico. On Tuesday, affair matchmaking website AshleyMadison.com announced a double-billboard along I-26 near Columbia featuring Sanford's image. So far, advertising representatives at Bluffton Today, the Myrtle Beach Sun News, and the Columbia Free Times have said that Flynt did not submit an advertisement to them. "We were not approached by Larry Flynt for ad space," Free Times Associate Publisher Kerry Powers says in an e-mail. "We, however, reached out to his office and our calls were not returned." The Hilton Head Island Packet, the Post and Courier, and The State have not said whether Flynt submitted the ad to their sales departments. Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford will appear on the ballot with Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Green Party candidate Eugene Platt in Tuesday's 1st Congressional District special election. UPDATE: Flynt released a statement earlier today, saying, among other things, that the papers who refused his ad — including the City Paper — were acting as censors. I was surprised and dismayed that a distinguished newspaper like The Post and Courier decided to act as a censor and refused to publish my paid advertisement endorsing Mark Sanford for Congress. I was even more surprised when the publisher of the Charleston City Paper also refused my family friendly advertisement endorsing Mark Sanford. These newspapers' shameful decisions to act as censors instead of voices of democracy damage their reputations as standard bearers of the First Amendment and freedom of speech. They have both disgraced themselves. I have endorsed Mark Sanford because he is America’s great sex pioneer for exposing the sexual hypocrisy of traditional values. The Post and Courier and Charleston City Paper now stand as the leading examples of hypocrisy in America regarding the First Amendment. Publisher Noel Mermer stands behind his right to refuse any ad and rejects the idea of it being censorship. "I was approached about running this ad by LFP, Inc. and rejected it on the grounds that I thought it was an inappropriate mockery of our local election," says Mermer. "I knew it would garner a lot of press, but it wasn't the kind I wanted us to be associated with." Advertising director Blair Barna and editor Stephanie Barna believe the City Paper should've taken the ad. "I was so excited when I heard about the ad buy that I was shocked we ended up in a weekend-long argument about whether or not to take the ad," says Stephanie. "Larry Flynt is a champion of the First Amendment and we should've run his ad, regardless of whether or not it made a mockery of the election." Reached for comment, South Carolina Press Association Executive Director Bill Rogers noted that newspaper publishers will sometimes reject ads for reasons such as libel, legality, obscenity, community standards, and false information, but retain latitude to decide what ads they publish to their readers. "This is not a First Amendment issue," Rogers said, “This is a decision by a publisher not to accept an ad that does not meet his or her publication standards.”Code: * Internal Changes * there's now an F-Droid only variant * there's now an on-device framework-patcher * Note 1) after full wipe it is suggested to boot into the ROM once, else the dalvik-cache does not exist and the patching process takes ages * Note 2) pro tip: if your ROM supports automatic OTA udpates with the ability to flash extra zip file, place the `Magisk` and `NanoMod` zip files in that directory which holds that extra auto-flashed zip files, so the OTA updater does all the work in one go * ensure all binaries installed by NanoMod (full package) are executable * minor fix in `nanomod-overlay` script * added `fdroid` parameter to `mod.sh`, to create the F-Droid only package from git * added `patcher` parameter to `mod.sh`, to create the on-device framework-patcher package from git * revised `mod.sh` (cleaner code) * revised `mod.sh` (should now be fully functional on Mac OSX) * added `nanomod.mapsv1` setup variable to `nanomod-setup` configuration file * the location of the `.nanomod-setup` file was changed from `/data/media/0/.nanomod-setup` to `/data/.nanomod-setup` * if the old file is found, the installer will move it to the new location * this is in order to ensure the file is usable when users have adoptable storage in use * the location of the `.nanomod-overlay` file was changed from `/data/media/0/.nanomod-overlay` to `/data/.nanomod-overlay` * if the old file is found, the installer will move it to the new location * this is in order to ensure the file is usable when users have adoptable storage in use * also install the `nanomod-overlay` script in the microG only package * so that `nanomod-overlay -p` is available * revised README in many places * README now features many graphical links for most things featured in full package, pointing to F-Droid pages, github repos, or the-like, to make it much easier to get additional information * Updates * F-Droid (0.103.alpha2) * AnySoftKeyboard (1.8.735) * NewPipe (0.9.2) * Play Store (7.7.17.O) * Amaze (3.1.2~beta10) * Substratum (671) * Twidere (3.5.18) * K9-Mail (5.207) * (Simple) Gallery (2.8.4)Chapter Fifteen: Hamartia Ruby couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. She and Pyrrha were studying for the upcoming semester finals, or rather, Ruby was trying to study while Pyrrha was spacing out. It felt just like a few months ago, when Pyrrha had been down. Like the couple of weeks after I found her crying in the practice room… In the months since then, Ruby's friendship with Pyrrha grew - so much so that Ruby considered Pyrrha to be one of her closest friends. Yet in the entirety of their second semester, Ruby was no more closer to finding out why exactly Pyrrha had been crying, why she had looked so… un-Pyrrha-like that night. That's not to say Ruby wasn't trying to figure it out; no, it was more of a matter of privacy. The young team leader figured that Pyrrha probably had a good reason to be so sad and gloomy for a few weeks, for breaking down in the practice room. As curious as Ruby was, she wasn't going to press the issue. After a time, Pyrrha stopped being gloomy and more like her old self again – Ruby had figured whatever troubled her had been resolved. Still, Ruby had her a few theories on what had happened. They ranged from failing a test – if she is anything like Weiss – to a rejected confession – not that Ruby had a shred of evidence for it. The only credible theory Ruby did have was that Pyrrha might have had a falling out with Jaune. It made sense; ever since then, Pyrrha was hanging out far less with her partner. Then again, we've barely hung out since he started dating Velvet… maybe he is just too busy to hang out with anyone? As Pyrrha sighed for what must have been the tenth time, Ruby felt concerned. Did something happen? The emerald eyes that usually seemed so focused and driven were staring at the book laid out in front of her, with no indication of Pyrrha reading the words. Pyrrha had spaced out again. Ruby frowned, she was cheerful in class earlier… It's time to figure out what's going on! Ruby had promised herself to get Pyrrha to smile and laugh more only a few days ago. She wasn't going to break her pledge so soon! "Um… Pyrrha?" Ruby queried hesitantly. Pyrrha didn't move, only sighing as she stared down at the book. That's… bad? "Pyrrha?" This time Ruby spoke a bit more loudly, but still to no effect. Drastic measures were called for. "Hello~?" Ruby drew out the word before waving her hand in front of Pyrrha's face. "Anyone home?" This, however, did get a response; Pyrrha flailed about at the sudden visual stimulus, her chair tipping backwards before Ruby grabbed on to it, preventing the taller redhead from falling on the ground. "Sorry!" Ruby blurted out the apology to Pyrrha. She had wanted to get the girl's attention not cause her to fall over! "I didn't think you'd fall over a-a-and I-" "It's fine!" Pyrrha weakly waved off the apologies. "It's fine, I didn't even fall. You caught me, after all, and it was my fault for zoning out." Pyrrha stiffly looked towards Ruby's books. "Did you need help with something?" "Uhh…" Words were not coming to Ruby's mouth, causing her to panic. I should have thought this through! The younger girl frantically gestured towards the sheets of paper spread out where she was sitting. "I… uhhh… finished this." Her brain automatically switched to why they were there, for studying. "Could you double check it?" "Oh. Sure." Ruby watched as Pyrrha scooched over and started to read over her work. The small movements of Pyrrha's head as she read causing her long red ponytail to swish back and forth. It didn't take long for the elder girl's actions to slow down, the swishing stopping, and the sense of déjà vu returning. It was clear even to Ruby that Pyrrha was lost in her thoughts as she stared, unmoving, at the school work. Okay, I just need to ask her what's wrong, that's all! It's not that difficult! This time, Ruby hesitantly tapped Pyrrha on the shoulder to get her attention, the taller girl seemingly coming back to life. "Sorry, I must have zoned out again, is something wr-" "What's wrong?" "Huh?" Pyrrha seemed taken aback at the sudden question. "What do you mean?" The lethargy that had its grips on Pyrrha today seemed to abate slightly as she gave Ruby a reassuring smile. "I'm fine." To Ruby, it was anything but reassuring. Ruby had seen when Pyrrha had smiled; after all, she had spent a considerable amount of time with her over the months and knew enough to tell that the smile Pyrrha was currently sporting was anything but genuine. Whatever doubt Ruby had about staying out of Pyrrha's personal matters started to leave her as concern filled the empty space it left. "No. No, you aren't." Ruby's voice had a hard edge to it, something that not only surprised Pyrrha but herself. "You've been spacing out a lot. Like a lot a lot. And you're sighing a bunch, like something sad is on your mind…" Pyrrha's smile drooped slightly as the melancholic quality returned to her movements. "I'm just tired, that's all. I spent too long staying up helping Jaune train and study for exams." She shook her head. "That's all." Pyrrha repeated, trying to reinforce the idea. Ruby frowned. There isn't much else I can do, is there? "Well, if that's it, maybe you could take a nap? I think I got the hang of this." She gestured towards the schoolwork. Yet thoughts filtered into Ruby's head as she stared down at the table. This isn't right, I know something else is wrong with Pyrrha. "I see." Pyrrha seemed to mull over the words before stiffly getting up and gathering her books and notebooks. "Perhaps that would be best." Even just doing that, Pyrrha's movements were slow and unfocused. It took Ruby a moment to realize Pyrrha was doing; she wasn't making any real effort to pack up, but rather she was stalling, wasting time. The dawdling stopped altogether after a minute, leaving Pyrrha motionless. Just as Ruby was opening up her mouth to say something before Pyrrha sighed loudly and sat down - her things half packed up on the table - hands clasped in her lap as she looked down at them. "Jaune and Velvet are breaking up." Huh? Ruby's eyes widened. "Wha…. W-what do you mean?" This was not what Ruby had been expecting; she'd been expecting something involving Pyrrha, not Jaune. Moreover, the fact that the two were breaking up was just… crazy. "W-w-why?" "I… I don't know." Pyrrha gave a brief head shake. "Velvet was asking about Jaune before you got here." Ruby could hear Pyrrha's voice shake as she spoke with a tone that Ruby couldn't quite put her finger on. "Jaune has been avoiding her, and Velvet thinks he's going to break up with her at the end of the semester. " It was surreal to think Ruby's first friend at Beacon would break up with anyone, let alone Velvet. I've seen those two together. Jaune's always been happy with her and Velvet looked happy too… Jaune breaking up with Velvet? That can't be right. It wasn't just surreal, it also wasn't like the awkward, dorky blonde that Ruby knew at all. I might not of have hung out with Jaune much this semester, but he can't of changed that much… could he? "Jaune… Jaune wouldn't do that…" Ruby looked at Pyrrha, who just seemed to be frozen in her seat. "He wouldn't do that right? I thought Jaune really liked her, especially after the dance! He even skipped out on our trip to the ValeExpo because Velvet couldn't go…" Ruby was starting to find it hard to speak. "He wouldn't do that… right?" Pyrrha just shook her head again. "I really don't know." Ruby's shoulder slumped at the response. "Velvet… she broke down in tears." It's really going to happen isn't it? They are really going to break up… The small group of friends Ruby had at Signal had never dated anyone – had never even gone on a date herself for that matter – but she knew about break ups from Yang. She knew how bad they were and how much they hurt, how they turned a once-beautiful friendship into bitter hatred. Ruby didn't want to see Jaune and Velvet go through that - it'd be devastating to them. "I told Velvet I'd talk to Jaune," Pyrrha quietly spoke, her voice barely audible to Ruby. "I said I'd try and figure out what's going on." "Oh." Wait, that doesn't make sense. Ruby's brow furrowed. If Pyrrha had said she was going to help, why was she here? "Why aren't you already there right now, then?" "I don't know what to do!"Pyrrha burst with frustration, her hands wringing in the air, her rigid posture flexing as she leaned over the table. "I don't know why Jaune is avoiding Velvet, I don't talk with him much, and I don't know if Velvet actually did something!" Pyrrha pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't even know if Jaune thinks there is a problem." Ruby didn't know what to say to that; what was there to do? It was clear Pyrrha didn't know what to do and while Ruby might be Jaune's friend, Pyrrha was his partner; she should know what's best. Speaking of which, this must be horrible for Pyrrha! Ruby eyed her as she tried to imagine what she would do if they were in switched places. I'd be terrified for Jaune! Yet Pyrrha didn't look like that all; quite the contrary, the older girl looked nowhere near as panicked as Ruby would expect. She wasn't twitchy or jittery like Ruby would be – then again, she is Pyrrha Nikos: cool, calm, and collected. Even so, the several-time champion had her cracks - Ruby knew that from experience - yet they weren't, instead Pyrrha looked conflicted. That makes sense in a way, I guess? I mean, I would be too. Ruby snapped her fingers as a thought occurred to her; if Pyrrha doesn't know what's going on, I could ask Jaune for her. That way, Pyrrha would know what's going on better and make a better choice! Ruby stood up, drawing Pyrrha's attention, startled emerald eyes tracking her. "Maybe I can help?" The seated girl's head titled. "I, um... I could talk to Jaune as a fellow team leader and ask what's go-" "No!" Ruby flinched, surprised at the hard edge she heard in Pyrrha's voice and the hand she felt grab onto her arm. When Ruby looked at Pyrrha, however, she didn't see that harshness in her expression; rather, her emerald eyes were wide with panic. "T-t-there is no need to drag you into this! I-I-I told Velvet I would talk to him, not you or anyone else." "O-okay." Ruby said, deflated in the face of Pyrrha's words as she sat back down. To Ruby, it made sense in a way, but Sun's words flashed in her head - 'You should always get friends involved!' I guess Pyrrha didn't want to involve me. "I was just trying to be helpful…" "I know, I know." Pyrrha's voice softened, almost terrified at her own severity. "I just really need to do this by myself, and I need to do it right or else they'll break up." What struck Ruby as crazy was the shaking that had been in Pyrrha's voice from earlier was gone. Is she not nervous about this? Ruby thought as she studied Pyrrha. The redhead didn't seem as distraught or even as distant as she was ten minutes ago. No, that can't be right - Pyrrha cares for Jaune, right? She must be just really good at hiding it, is all? Ruby was so lost in her thoughts that she very nearly didn't hear Pyrrha speak, only noticing her lips move. "Perhaps I should just… let the chips fall where they may." Ruby didn't immediately register the significance of what Pyrrha had just said. For her to even suggest that… "Wha-what do you mean?" I can't have heard that right. "It's not my place to meddle in Jaune's affairs, and if he wants to break up with Velvet, why stop him?" Pyrrha said with a straight face. I didn't hear her wrong, then… "All I'd be doing is prolonging something that he doesn't want." Ruby stared at Pyrrha in shock. "But… wouldn't Jaune be sad?" Figuring out her logic was starting to frustrate Ruby; why isn't Pyrrha doing anything? "Aren't you his partner? Don't you care?!" "I do care." The hard edge returned to Pyrrha's voice. "That's why I think it might be best to just let it come to pass… if they aren't meant to be, then they aren't meant to be." Pyrrha sighed as she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table. "…and maybe I'll get my friend back." "Huh?" Pyrrha's words only confused Ruby more. "Isn't Jaune already your friend?" "Yes, of course he is." "So why can't he be your friend and dating Velvet?" Ruby tilted her head. "I'm confused." Pyrrha's brow knitted in concentration before continuing. "Before he was dating Velvet…" Pyrrha trailed off as she fumbled with words. "Jaune was… That is to say…" Pyrrha took a deep breath and closed her eyes to collect her words. Tiredly exhaling, she asked, "Ruby, have you ever liked someone?" "Yup!" Pyrrha gave Ruby a strange look at the quickness of the response. "I like you and Weiss and Jaune and Blake and Nora and Ren… why would I be friends with someone I didn't like?" "Romantically." "Oh." Ruby could feel the heat rising from her cheeks as she thought back to Signal. There had been a few persons-of-interest there, but she'd never gotten the courage to ask them out. Then, there was Beacon; while Ruby felt a close connection to her friends – some more so than others - it wasn't like she exactly had a crush on any of them, at least, I don't think I do? Ruby could admit that she wasn't the most perceptive cookie in the cookie jar, as the saying goes. "I… guess?" Pyrrha nodded. "Did you ever ask them out?" Ruby slowly shook her head. "What does this have to do with Jaune and Velvet?" "Jaune was-" Pyrrha stopped herself before restarting. "Jaune is the person I wish I was with." "Oh…" "Ruby, I don't have many friends… I didn't have any when I came to Beacon. I had love and praise, but all that did was put me on a pedestal, a place where no one could reach me." Pyrrha's voice grew bitter. "Would you believe it when I say I chose to go to Beacon for a fresh start, away from Mistral?" Pyrrha had a faraway look in her eyes. "When I was partnered with someone who didn't know about the Invincible Girl, who didn't think of me as some idealized champion… it was like a dream come true. Jaune… Jaune was the first person to actually treat me like a person in years. I had a friend. I... I was happy for the first time in a long time." An odd smile tugged at the corners of Pyrrha's mouth. It looked… sad. Far sadder than how a smile should look. "I was finally with people that didn't think of me as someone other than just… Pyrrha." Pyrrha didn't look happy to Ruby, is she trembling? "If someone makes you happy, happier than you can remember being, that means you're meant for each other, right? Right?" The smile reversed as Pyrrha's mood fouled. "Then my source of happiness left." "It was like a void had appeared, sucking the happiness I had gained away." Pyrrha's eyes glistened as she continued, her hands gripping the edge of the table, as if holding onto it would help - like the table was her lifeline. "It felt like what it had been before, when I was alone." Her voice sounded small, feeble, vulnerable– it was hard to believe it belonged to a nearly six-foot-tall combat tournament winner. "I was lonely." "You aren't alone!" Ruby blurted out. "You have your friends!" Pyrrha regarded Ruby with a questioning look. "You have Ren and Nora… and you have me." "Yes. Yes I do." Pyrrha favoured Ruby with a genuine smile – one that didn't carry the same sadness as before, her grip slackening on the table. "I have you." The warm smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared while the table groaned in protest. "But wouldn't it better if I could have both?" Ruby's response died in her mouth as the Pyrrha continued. "I-if they break up, I can have Jaune back. I get that happiness back." Tears started to stream down Pyrrha's cheeks as she continued. "He might never notice my f-feelings, but it's b-better than not trying, better than n-never knowing what it would be like to be with him. All that needs to happen is Jaune and Velvet b-b-breaking up." Pyrrha snapped out of her trance, the death grip on the table released only for her to hug herself as she looked directly at Ruby, emerald eyes misty. Curled up in a ball like that, Pyrrha looked as if she just wanted to shrink away from the world. Ruby could not fathom how to react to it all. She was frozen with uncertainty of what to do, hands hovering lamely in an attempt to reach out to her crying friend. Ruby stumbled for something to say, but a pained croaking gave her pause. "Do-does that m-m-make me a bad p-person? I-I just… I jus… I just want to be happy..." It clicked. It finally clicked in Ruby's brain. Pyrrha's uncharacteristic sadness in the training room at an unholy hour of the morning, when she had broken down upon Ruby had hugged her. Why she had seemed to be agitated in class. Why the cloud of gloom that had followed the redhead for weeks. The way she had seemed so forlorn. Why Pyrrha had been so angry after seeing Jaune and Velvet on a date. The reason for why Pyrrha was presently softly sobbing over the table and had even suggested allowing Jaune and Velvet to break up. It all made sense now. Pyrrha is heartbroken. Editor: ASouthernRussian AU: Well that was a thing. Now I am sad over my two redheads. I had this chapter done and sent to editing within a week of the last chapter. Problematically when my editor, ASouthernRussian, sat down and started to edit he basically said "Yeah, so, this might take a bit longer then a week." I think the extra two weeks did wonders for this chapter and allowed me breathing room, which was great. Release for the next chapter is going to be targeted for the first week of November. I have many real world obligations this month plus my editor does as well. So I'm going to set a hard limit of November 6th, or five weeks from now. You may or may not of noticed I like to do updates at the beginning of the month, which is why you are getting a Spoon Equality, Dilation and Acceptance updates within a six hour span of time. I'll try and do it the first Friday of every month. Try being the key word. I would like to keep updates going at least once a month even though I'm stupid busy compared to summer. If you remember from last time, I mentioned commissioning a story... well the person I was trying to allude to was Momoxtoshiro, i.e. Hana. Also, that particular story is now out, so have some more Pyrrha/Ruby everyone! The story in question is called 'Date at the Zoo' Kudos to ASouthernRussian (my editor) for the chapter name. Hamartia is a term from Greek theater and is defined as: 1. Sometimes employed to mean acts of sin "by omission or commission in thought and feeling or in speech and actions" 2. concerns the "weakness of the flesh" and the free will to resist sinful acts. I think its personally quite fitting considering Pyrrha's situation as of now. Yup. I have a question for you all as well; what do nicknames, pet name or term of endearment do you think Pyrrha and Ruby would come up with for each other? As always, thank you for reading, and the extremely kind words (and useful feedback) you dudes and dudettes leave in reviews. Seriously, thank you guys! :D Thank you for reading and have a great day! Omake: "Do-does that m-m-make me a JOHHHHHHHHHHN CEEEEEEENAAAAAAA? I-I just… I jus… I just want to be AT THE WWE SUUUUSUUUUPER SLAAAAAAAAAAM!"For a good long while, it’s been fashionable to talk about SEC football in terms of passion and tradition and occasionally even religion. (It’s been pretty profitable, too.) Whether those paeans stem from nostalgia or devotion, they reflect that people care, and people care because it’s fun. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that SEC football is more fun when Steve Spurrier is winning. Click here for more from our 2014 preview. It was more fun when he was a player, and even more fun when he resurfaced at Florida a quarter-century later as the league’s most irrepressible playcaller. Hell, his offense had “fun” right in the title. The Ol’ Ball Coach certainly got his kicks in the ’90s, a decade full of not only perennial SEC championships for his alma mater, but also of “Free Shoes University” and “You can’t spell ‘Citrus’ without ‘U-T,’” and the one about the coloring books being destroyed in a fire at Auburn — the vintage Spurrier bons mots that get the Internet equivalent of the Bartlett’s treatment whenever he says something remotely interesting. Which, of course, he so often does. Like a wrestler playing up the part of a smirking, visor-flinging heel, Spurrier has no peers when it comes to giving rival fans reasons to hate him — or to pretend to, at least, because deep down the people who claim to hate the OBC have always been the ones who love him the most. That distinction never used to be lost on reporters, for whom Spurrier quips in those days were always accompanied by the sound of a cash register. And oh, how they’ve missed those barbs in the meantime. The Spurrier who returned to college football in 2005 retained the same twang, but the puckish smirk that had accompanied it at Florida was gone, the casualty of a 12-20 record in two years with the Washington Redskins and a 2004 season spent on the golf course. When Spurrier’s old job opened that fall, his former boss, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley, pointedly declined to kill the fatted calf in anticipation of the prodigal son’s return. South Carolina, the school that dug Spurrier out of the mothballs instead, had never posed enough of a threat as a division rival to earn the OBC’s mockery, having posted an 0-10 record against Spurrier’s Gators, with those losses coming by an average margin of 25 points per game. “Some people ask, ‘How did you end up [at South Carolina]?’” Spurrier said in July during his turn at the SEC’s annual cattle call for assembled media. “I said, ‘I was available and they were the only ones who offered me a job at the end of 2004.’” In his first five seasons, South Carolina lost at least five
declared in tin-pot-dictator rhetoric: “It is frankly disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write.” That’s a direct repudiation of the First Amendment in the context of threats to pull NBC’s license. That’s not merely outrageous and indefensible; it is, I would argue, one of many instances in which Trump’s words reveal an inability to carry out his oath of office. Bob Bauer writes: “A president who is a demagogue, whose demagoguery defines his style of political leadership, is subject for that reason to impeachment.” That’s not as shocking as one might think. He reasons: In Federalist No. 65, Hamilton defines an impeachable offense as one that inflicts “political” injury on a democratic society; it is not hard to imagine a chief executive who, by his or her speech, achieves this level of harm. An openly racist president would fall into this category. So would one who lied about the reasons for taking the country to war. We need not rely on hypotheticals. The Nixon case is precedent on this question. The House Judiciary Committee approved an article of impeachment citing Nixon’s publicly stated falsehoods about the Watergate break-in and his actions to investigate it, as violations of his constitutional oath to take care to faithfully execute the laws and his office. There is, then, no basis for the claim that words alone cannot justify the institution of impeachment proceedings. When we add to that Trump’s public abuse of members of his own Cabinet, members of Congress, judges, etc., we can see classic demagogic conduct. That entails, Bauer argues, “manipulation of language to attract and maintain popular support in service of the demagogue’s unbounded self-interest. The leadership function has become pathologically personalized; personal ends and ambitions are of primary importance to the demagogue. His self-interested ends justify the use of virtually any means—or at least any he could hope to get away with.” And that description truly embodies Trump’s behavior. Recall that Trump thinks members of the executive branch including the FBI owe an oath of loyalty to him personally rather than to the Constitution. That too is the mind-set of a lawless demagogue. Add to that Trump’s lies, the constant big and small ones, the ridiculous and the mendacious. We know from his persistent telling of untruths that have been long ago debunked that he has become indifferent to or unfamiliar with the real world when facts do not comport with his views. Couple that with his attack on an independent source of information — the free press — and one sees a president morphing into an authoritarian who imagines he is unencumbered by the law. Bauer recalls some of the most dangerous lies, threats and rejections of democratic government: Trump’s speech in office, much of it delivered in 140 characters to millions, is extremely and consistently loose with truth, often outrightly false, and contemptuous of institutions, including courts of law. His assaults on the media for “fake news” include the flat-out denial of reporting, including reporting he knows to be true, such as emerging chronicle of the 2016 Russian intervention … He fired James Comey as FBI director for the stated reason that Comey was investigating that intervention—an investigation with implications for his, his family’s and his campaign’s legal interests. Then, he threatened Comey with the disclosure of “tapes” of their conversations; tapes that he later acknowledged did not exist. … Trump’s speech, like that of the classic demagogue, is not merely replete with falsehoods and disdain for limits. Of Trump it may be said, as [Sen. Joe] McCarthy’s biographer said of him, that “he [has] delighted in revenge and when attacked [will] return a blow twice as hard,” and in argument, he has “refused to concede a single point and clung tenaciously to his position.” In and of themselves, Trump’s words might not be sufficient to justify impeachment. But when you combine them with his severe intellectual and temperamental limitations that require constant monitoring by a triumvirate of generals, and his attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation, there is little doubt that he is precisely the sort of person whom the Founding Fathers had in mind when they included the impeachment clause.A plane belonging to Israel's national airline El Al sits on the tarmac of Ben Gurion International airport, near Tel Aviv, on July 23, 2014 (AFP Photo/Gil Cohen Magen) Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hamas said Wednesday that the suspension of international flights to and from Israel over security concerns about Gaza rocket fire was a "great victory." "The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement. A rocket fired from the embattled Palestinian territory hit near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Tuesday, prompting US and European airlines to suspend all flights to and from the Jewish state. The flight ban was still in place on Wednesday, as Israel bombarded Gaza for a 16th straight day in an operation to stop rocket fire and destroy tunnels constructed by Hamas, the main power in the territory. Since the operation began on July 8, militants have fired 2,120 rockets or mortar rounds at Israel, 1,752 of which have hit the Jewish state, according to the army. Israel's Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted 433 rockets.Hey everybody! Chris here. Update #18, To... the future! has a ton of information about what is going on with the kickstarter in terms of our plans for a re-launch and so forth, but I figured it was time for an update. That was 8 days ago, after all! 30% Funded! First off, just had to mention this. We did at least hit that number, so that's very exciting. As of this post, we're sitting at $91k raised with 49 hours left in the campaign, so that's pretty exciting. Last week I had been wondering if we could break $90k, but now I'm wondering if we'll actually top $100k before this is all over. Evidently there's lots of evidence that the "spike at the end" is a myth, but at the same time evidently you can have a campaign remind you two days before it closes. I've used kickstarter continually-if-intermittently since funding Castle Story in 2012, but there's still lots of things I'm learning. Why Didn't We Cancel? Last update I said that we'd run the campaign for "at least a few more days," but folks were imploring us to not end it early. For one thing, "you never know," but also an unsuccessfully-funded campaign looks better than a canceled one I guess? I see the logic behind that, and I think that when I've looked at other creator's bios and see a lot of canceled projects, that does send a certain message to me subliminally, so sure. The other reason is that we needed time to get our ducks in a row anyhow for a re-launch, and canceling this first campaign wasn't going to make that happen any faster. May as well have this first campaign open and visible and gaining new backers who hopefully will follow us to the re-launch next week! Next Week? That's right! We're planning, barring anything unforeseen, to have a relaunched campaign on November 17th. We've been unusually quiet on this kickstarter for the last little while (really sorry about that!) because we've been working really hard on the new kickstarter. A Better Second Outing! We've had a huge amount of support, but a lot of folks have commented that our video in particular was underwhelming in a few ways, and that our campaign copy itself could use some work. We spent a lot of time during this campaign rewriting and redesigning the campaign itself (both from a backer reward tiers standpoint and a visual standpoint and an amount-of-text standpoint). That's something that we've addressed as much as we could within the time constraints of the first kickstarter while also getting all the other work done. Ultimately we spent a lot of time on things that didn't net us any real success (advertising is too high of a cost per acquired backer, for instance), and so for the next campaign we won't be running around trying to do that stuff. The campaign should look better and cleaner from the start, and we're redoing our approach to the video as well. Overall Tom Chick as well as a number of folks here made it really clear: we need to spend less time on talking about what makes this different and better compared to the first game (preaching to the choir to some extent), and more time early on explaining what the player experience is going to be like in general. How will it feel to play this game, and what is it like? Etc. Obviously speaking about improvements over the original is important as well, and we'll continue to do that. But those sort of folks are engaged enough that they can generally be bothered to scroll down the page to read that. At the very top of the campaign page, when we're basically trying to grab the eyeballs of anyone and everyone, we need to be better on message about what this is rather than how it evolved from something they may not be familiar with. Your Feedback Helps! We'll be sharing our new campaign page with you in advance of the re-launch and soliciting feedback on it, and we hope you'll weigh in if you see something amiss. In the meantime, if there's something you think we should focus on that we didn't really address clearly in this first campaign, or that you had to scroll around too much to find or whatever, please let us know! What's Different About The Re-Launched Design? I'm normally a super open book, and so it pains me to say that there are a few things on this front that I'm not yet comfortable talking about -- solely because I don't want to create accidental misinformation. Keith is working on the design document for the second campaign, and he and I have been kind of negotiating ideas and figuring out a core budget and what goes in stretch goals and how to accomplish certain things. Since that isn't all nailed down yet -- and in particular since we're having to make so many decisions based on a harshly cut budget -- I don't want to misrepresent something that he's working on that we're not in sync on yet. I don't mind eating crow and being wrong about something, but I also don't want to give you conflicting messages. The biggest overall change in the new campaign is going to be the people involved. Blue and I will still be involved on the art front in particular, and I'll be involved in basically "presentation layer code" (GUI aside), but Keith will be taking over a lot more of the design work. You're in super good hands with him, as he basically ran the show for AI War Classic from 2011 to now. An important note on that front, though, is that he and I have a bit different approaches to design. He's retaining the coolest things that I or others introduced as ideas for AI War 2 (sometimes those are stretch goals, though, simply for budget), but he's also adding some cool new things that I wish I had thought of (and that fit better in a reduced budget), and overall is retooling a number of the ideas from this first design so that they fit better in the new budget. There were some things that I was basically building in an R&D budget for in the sense of "we're making this massive new interface for planets that we'll have to spend a lot of time refining, but it's okay because we're setting aside X amount of budget and buffer for that." Turns out we don't have that much budget to work with, so he's focusing more on things that don't require so much experimentation, but that are clear and strong improvements over the original game (to a crazy degree, really, in so many cases). This is horribly vague, but my goal is for us to have an actual design document and budget to start showing you later this week so that you're able to actually see specifics. Sorry about the vagueness in the interim, but I figured that an overview was better than radio silence. That said, here is one important preview from the new design document which gets at a lot of things: Adjusted Statement of Purpose Our original design document for our first AI War 2 Kickstarter was long and in-depth, and outlined a certain version of what this sequel could be. This vision was driven by Chris, and perhaps almost too-grandly reinventive. Taking a bit of a step back: at core, our goal ultimately has to boil down to this: to revive AI War and get it growing again. The new vision certainly involves Chris, but is fundamentally driven by Keith, who was the chief architect behind some of the golden years of the AI War Classic creation period (AI War Classic 5.0 through 8.x, mainly). Bear in mind the above is subject to change in the short term prior to the re-launch, but we're confident enough in it that I don't feel too much at risk of sharing misinformation by presenting this now. ;) Once we re-launch, of course, we're locked into what we promise. So we want to make darn sure we get it right, and have our focus in the best possible places with the core. Adjusted Budget For The Re-Launch The exact starting budget is something that we're still figuring out, but we're trying to keep it under $50k if we can. Based on this first kickstarter, it seems reasonable that we might actually hit that goal within the first 72 hours and then spend the rest of the campaign pursuing stretch goals. If that's the case, that would be incredible, because there's a lot of stuff in stretch goals I'd really like to see. Breaking with tradition from this first campaign, we actually will be laying out some of our first stretch goals from day one of the new campaign, so you can see what we're shooting for (and our core video can refer to those things, too, then, which will be nice). Beyond the point where our first campaign conservatively tells us we can expect funding, we'll start only revealing stretch goals as we near them, since that's the general good advice for kickstarters. My Role Coming Up To be blunt, in order to keep Keith having a job long enough to actually finish the new AI War 2 core in a way that maximally benefits the players, there's not too much room in the second kickstarter's core budget for me. A variety of the stretch goals bring me in more and more, which is one reason I'm excited for those, but either way the project will be something that I'm involved in from a producer's position. But I'm basically being demoted from design lead to instead being a co-designer at best, and some of the programming work is being shuffled to Keith instead of me. So what the heck am I going to be doing with myself?? Well, obviously I'm still going to be involved in the project either way -- I have quite a bit of code to contribute still, and some design bits to weigh in on, and general producer duties, and playtesting on my own personal time, and so on. But in terms of my core working hours, I'll be working on some other project instead. I want to be super clear about that up-front, so that you're not surprised if we launch another kickstarter after this one for the project I'm working on, or something of that sort. We're still trying to figure out that stuff, but AI War 2 is the priority focus so that's still pretty nebulous. Put one way: I've had to partially lay myself off of this project in order for it to be the best that it can be and come to fruition, but I still need to work to put food on the table so to speak, so you'll see me doing other things. I'll always be plenty happy to answer any questions about where money is going in budgets, and we'll be as transparent as we can upfront about that, too. Arcen has had multiple simultaneous projects at a number of points in the past, with basically split working groups where Keith is the design lead on one set and I'm the design lead on the other. In those cases we each tend to program on our own projects more exclusively, but will pop across to help one another on areas of our respective expertise. It works out really well -- all of the last 3 AI War expansions were all developed under that sort of arrangement for example. That's Enough Rambling For Today! The TLDR is that we're still working away, AI War 2 is still going to be great, and we'll share everything on the new vision for it with you soon. Things are changing in a variety of ways, and it's a lot of complex juggling to make sure that we're doing things in as optimal a fashion as possible, but we're getting it figured out in a way that is making us happy, so that's a good sign. Until next time! ChrisCats and their human devotees are a misunderstood bunch. This I learned when I wrote “Why cats never became man’s best friend” explaining how the newly mapped cat genome reveals that, compared with dogs, house cats are only partly domesticated. The backlash on Quartz’s Facebook page was epic. The post received nearly 1,700 comments—more than any other post on Quartz’s Facebook page, ever. What prompted this outpouring? I referenced the cat stereotype commonly traded among dog people that cats are passive-aggressive and emotionally unavailable. On the face of it, dog people seem to be less touchy. Our article last year on dogs’ genetic wildness (“Stop coddling your dog—he’s 99.9% wolf”) was widely read, but it sparked hardly any response from dog people at all—and certainly no outrage. So why do cat people come off as so darned sensitive? Maybe because they are. Studies do indeed show cat people tending toward greater nervousness and moodiness than the pro-canine crew. Recent research also suggests pet owners with more neurotic traits are also inclined to feel more anxiety about their pets’ feelings toward them. Whether consciously or not, both media and society seem to love to rub this insecurity in. Yet many in the pro-cat camp argue that the bond they share with their cats is superior to what dog people experience with their pets: Sounds pretty bitter, maybe. But on this point, at least, the cat people are not as crazy as the stereotype maintains. Their pet of choice has largely resisted the human meddling that has somehow hewn chihuahuas and whippets from the genes of wolves—meaning: cats just aren’t programmed to please people the way dogs are. And this may explain why cat people seem to have an incredibly deep bond with their pets. How cats domesticated themselves By Flickr user Lauri Rantala (image has been cropped; available here: https://flic.kr/p/KCeRy) Compared to dogs, house cats still have much more in common genetically with their wild cousins—something the recent mapping of the cat genome (paywall) highlighted. It’s the differences between kitties and wild cats, however, that illuminate a lot about the history of human-cat relations. Harry Whittier Frees, Library of Congress Cats in human drag: amusing back in 1914. Among the biggest divergences involve genes that influence reward-seeking behavior and response to fear. About 9,000 years ago when grain agriculture began spreading throughout the Fertile Crescent, scientists think wild cats began encountering people more often as they hunted the rodent populations that swarmed granaries during harvests. Farmers likely responded by rewarding those cats that stuck around with food scraps. The offspring of those whose genes allowed them to tolerate the presence of humans are the ancestors of modern-day house cats. Communication, too, is something that cats most likely adapted as they developed the need to avoid fighting with other cats, as well as to win protection of humans—a process that “extended cats’ social repertoire,” wrote John Bradshaw, a professor at the University of Bristol and the author of Cat Sense, in a 2013 Washington Post article. Reuters//Pilar Olivares Peruvian surfer Domingo Pianezzi rides a wave accompanied by a cat named Nicolasa at the San Bartolo beach in Lima. “Domestication” refers to the changing of an animal’s genetic makeup through selective breeding to enhance traits and behaviors that appeal to humans. House cats have been domesticated, but it’s little thanks to selective breeding by humans (pure breeding began only 200 years ago). Only a tiny fraction of cats mate with partners that humans choose for them, as recent research highlights, and uncontrolled breeding of feral and free-roaming cats generates most of the house cat population. “In contrast to almost every other domestic animal, cats retain remarkable control over their own lives. Most go where they please and when they please and, crucially, choose their own mates,” wrote Bradshaw in the Post. ”Unlike dogs, only a small minority of cats has ever been intentionally bred by people.” Because house cats continue to mate with wild populations, their hunting abilities have stayed largely intact. This is a big part of why today’s house cats still retain the wild cat genes that make them formidable predators—retaining night vision, for example, or the broadest range of hearing among carnivores. Unlike most dogs, they haven’t evolved in ways that make them more dependent on humans for food. In pop culture, dogs are heroes, cats are zeroes Flickr user Hannes Engelbrecht (image has been cropped; available at https://flic.kr/p/opkb2g) Aversion to cats’ lingering wildness might have something to do with how they’re typically portrayed. One of the biggest points of antagonism for cat people is a dog-cat rivalry that the media and popular culture stoke—and the fact that it almost always favors dogs. Compare Lassie, Toto, Air Bud, Benji, and Max, with Garfield, the Cheshire Cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, Azreal, Lucifer, Tom, Si and Am. Dogs are heroes, trusty sidekicks—at worst, pesky but lovable rascals like the eponymous pup of Marley & Me. Villains and their companions of choice? Cats, by a mile. You’d think these cliches might get tired. Yet the media relentlessly breathes new life into these conventions (myself included: dogs, as my previous headline alluded, are “man’s best friend,” cats “man’s best frenemy”). Dogs are loyal, affectionate, friendly, and playful, according to the common wisdom. In fact, a recent study (paywall) found that news stories about dogs tend to be picked up more frequently than non-dog-related stories. Examine cat coverage and it becomes apparent that the media openly exploits the dog-cat rivalry, often portraying them as aloof at best—and at worst, cold, calculating, manipulative, bloodthirsty, toxic, and incapable of love. Sometimes all of the above. Screenshots clockwise from top left: Atlantic.com, NBCnews.com, Vox.com, NYMag.com, Jezebel.com, guardian.com The media love to hate cats. Meowing martyrs Flickr user Suzi Duke (image has been cropped; available at http://flic.kr/p/q99Er) Stereotype brought to you by Pope Gregory IX. This hating on cats thing—it isn’t all that original. The conceit’s true pioneer was Pope Gregory IX, who declared in 1233 that during Satanic masses, the Devil took the form of a black cat. All over Europe, the Catholic Church tortured and executed cat owners for witchery. Since having cats could get you burned at the stake, people began slaughtering domestic cats—a trend worsened by the misconception that cats caused the Black Death, which began ravaging the continent in the mid-1300s. Europe’s entire domestic cat population was very nearly wiped out, and many tens of thousands of “witches” were burned at the stake over the next 400 years. It wasn’t just Catholics who had it in for cats, though; Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation festivities included burning a cat alive (so festive!). To this day, cats endure torture and persecution that just doesn’t seem to happen to dogs. For instance, people might say this about specific dog breeds—pit bulls or poodles, say—but not about dogs in general: Dogs, the people-pleasers Against that backdrop, it’s not really all that surprising that cat people might be sick of fighting the prevailing wisdom that dogs are more generous of spirit than cats. And, scientifically speaking, this bias is unfair. Recall that dog genes have been shuffled around for millennia to suit human needs. While people throughout the ages were burning and brutalizing cats, dogs were by their sides fetching ducks, chasing foxes, and killing Attila the Hun’s enemies, to name a few of the skills they were bred for. This brings us back to the evolution issue. Again, house cats are mainly a product of natural, and not artificial, selection—they domesticated themselves, you might say. Dogs, not so much. Starting between 11,000 and 16,000 years ago, when dogs were first domesticated from ancient wolves, they’ve been bred to please people. The ease with which humans can breed them also means that humans have selected for genes that make dogs more appealing to them—and not just for skills, but also for aesthetics and personality. That lack of mystery might have something to do with why Hollywood, the media and the general populace is more inclined to relate to dogs than cats, notes Mikel Delgado, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley and a professional cat behavior consultant. “I think part of the [media bias] is because cats are less transparent to us—they appear to have less facial expression,” she says. Dogs, by comparison, are thought to act on their whims and readily reflect what seem to humans to be familiar emotions. But dogs have probably been bred for these traits, says Delgado. “They were fed because they could wrinkle their eyebrows, and we bred them further to mirror our own expressions,” she says. A bond of mutual respect Flickr user Peretz Partensky (image has been cropped; available at https://flic.kr/p/6YVMpK) This goes for communication, too. Thanks to many millennia’s worth of dog gene-tweaking, humans have set the standard for what behaviors convey pet affection. In fact, dogs now automatically treat humans differently from how they treat other dogs, notes Bradshaw in this National Geographic interview. Genetically speaking, though, cats come out of the box less programmed to socialize with humans than dogs do. In fact, they treat humans much as they treat other cats, says Bradshaw. Scientists don’t know for sure what behavior indicates affection for humans. But since cats haven’t been bred en masse to please, each is different enough from the next that the repertoire of physical and vocal communication they use to express affection also isn’t standard. Cats also tend to be much less reliant on people than dogs are. They are good at taking care of themselves—e.g. hunting and cleaning themselves—and will reject abusive owners. Mutual dependency is therefore more balanced than it is with dog ownership; pet and pet owner both have to work to understand each other, negotiating emotional and physical needs in a similar way to how human friends do, says Bradshaw. Being totally different animals—ones with conflicting views on things like, say, ideal time of day to sleep, definitions of cleanliness, or the recreational value of a W2 form—makes that process much less straightforward. But it means that when cats give and receive affection, it’s not necessarily in exchange for food or because their DNA is hardwired to do so. It’s probably because, like humans, they feel inspired to express it. Cat people: more neurotic than dog people? Reuters/Yves Herman Cat people are different. It should come as no surprise that just as cats and dogs differ so too do the people who identify as their owners. A now renowned 2010 study by University of Texas psychologist Samuel Gosling and colleagues examined personality traits of people who label themselves “dog people” and “cat people,” among survey respondents in North America, the UK, Australia and other countries. They found that cat-lovers tended to be less cooperative, compassionate, and outgoing than those who dig dogs, and tended toward more anxiety and depression. Cat people were also found to be more artistic and intellectually curious than dog people. Most of those findings held up in a study of pet owners by Berkeley’s Delgado and Gretchen Reevy, professor at California State University, which will be published in the upcoming edition of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. Their research also revealed that while cat and dog people seem to love their pets equally, cat people “might have a slightly more anxious relationship with their pet than dog people,” says Delgado. Maybe that has something to do with the roaring conviction with which Quartz’s cat people readers insist their pets truly love them. The feline mystique Philippe Halsman, via the Library of Congress A 1948 portrait of Salvador Dali and three airborne cats. More provocative, though, is what turned up in the comments section at the end of Delgado and Reevy’s survey, in which pet owners of both types could remark on their animal of choice. Cat people rhapsodized about their cat’s individuality, writing things like “my cat is the smartest.” Dog owners, on the other hand, tended either to celebrate their pet’s obedience or make general statements about all dogs (e.g. “I love dogs” or “dogs are sweet!”), says Delgado. The Facebook comment thread lends more proof to the cat part of that phenomenon. Dolly, Boris, Buddi, Cuddles, Snowy, Salem, Isis, George Hubert, and Noodle are among hundreds of other cats praised in sometimes TMI-levels of detail. This makes sense. Cats’ independence, lack of transparency, and self-sufficiency means when people finally reach harmony with their kitty, they’ve overcome huge natural barriers to build a bond of mutual respect. Why cats—and not dogs—won the internet But it doesn’t seem that cat people alone admire this independence. It’s cats, not dogs, that have long since conquered the World Wide Web, inspiring the LOLCat craze and helping turn Buzzfeed into a media empire. Clockwise from top left: Flickr user Cherrysweetdeal (https://flic.kr/p/562e4X); micklpickl (https://flic.kr/p/4dYFmY); Clancy Ratliff (https://flic.kr/p/JFCnm); London looks (https://flic.kr/p/8exryn). Images have been cropped. Clearly that viral sensation isn’t driven by pet-type allegiance; according to Gosling’s study, just 11.5% of respondents identified as cat people, while self-professed dog people make up nearly half. It’s hard to say exactly why cats are so enduringly hilarious, but something about their attitude is clearly ripe for spoofing. Dogs go viral too, of course. But the exceptions prove the rule. No one shares YouTubes of how obedient or friendly or guilty-looking they are; those are expected of them. They mainly go viral only when they’re doing something virtuoso, like warbling ”I love you.” Flickr user stutefish (https://flic.kr/p/ZtgMN) Dogs have to do something super-smart to attract attention. Cats, though, just have to be; the captions write themselves. The universal fun that seems to come from imagining a cat’s thoughts hints at a grudging respect for the fact that they appear to be thinking anything at all. Dog-shaming, by comparison, is a one-note joke playing on dopey dog naughtiness. Cats have a much richer range of ambitions and emotions for LOLCat-maker to exploit. To put it another way, cats trounce dogs on the internet precisely because they are misunderstood—or, more accurately, because they’re so much harder than dogs to understand. We can pat ourself on the back for that. In breeding his own best friend, man made a creature inclined to listen to him more than to Nature. Cats haven’t let that happen, and yet they still choose to love people. You don’t have to be a cat person to respect them for it. Feature image is by Flickr user cloudzilla. The image has been cropped and sharpened.Wikipedia has cancer: In biology, the hallmarks of an aggressive cancer include limitless and exponential multiplication of ordinarily beneficial cells, even when the body signals that further multiplication is no longer needed. The Wikipedia page on the wheat and chessboard problem explains that nothing can keep growing exponentially forever. In biology, the unwanted growth usually terminates with the death of the host. Exponential spending increases can often lead to the same undesirable result in organizations. The Wikimedia Foundation's expenses have grown aggressively every year; Wikipedian Guy Macon offers his analysis. Guy Macon has been a Wikipedian since 2005, has more than 30,000 edits to his name, and is the author of the Wikipedia essay WP:1AM. He runs a consulting business, rescuing engineering projects that have gone seriously wrong. WMF expenses by fiscal year, from founding in 2002-'03 through 2015-'16. Lines at US$ 20 million increments.Arizona Sunshine is VR’s latest hot shooter. Unfortunately, for about a day after launch, the game restricted certain features to i7 CPUs. You may have seen Arizona Sunshine placing favourably on Steam’s top sellers list these past couple of days. The game is a VR zombie shooter that supports single-player and online multiplayer. Unfortunately, it was quickly discovered that the single-player horde mode is only available to players running 5th, 6th, and 7th generation Intel Core i7 CPUs. Though it’s common in the world of PC gaming for games to only work on PCs that meet or exceed certain requirements, locking specific modes to certain CPUs when the game itself has no problem running on a wider range of specs, is particularly weird. What compounded this issue further is that Steam users have had to realise this on their own, since developer Vertigo Games never actually announced this limitation. The studio later revealed it wanted to give 5th, 6th and 7th gen Core i7 users “first glimpse into these additional modes,” thanks to a partnership it had with Intel. The plan was to make horde mode available March 6, 2017 for everyone. However, following outcry on the Steam forums as well as Reddit, Vertigo decided to make all modes available to everyone who can to run the game, regardless of whether or not they own the previously mentioned processors. “We have recommended and still recommend using the Core i7 in order to maintain a constant 90FPS with advanced physics,” the studio said in a statement. “We also realise that these chips cost money. We created bonus content that was not advertised as a reward for those of you who took us up on our recommendation.”Few nations have killed as many beautiful aircraft projects as France. Several on this list were felled by the German occupation- some by France’s traditional dislike of heavy fighters- and some were just unlucky. Though he does not make it onto the list itself- innovative designer Michel Wibault deserves a special mention- not only did he come up with the concept that the British Harrier was based on, he also worked on the exquisite Republic Rainbow. Here are eleven of the most fascinating aircraft, designed in France, that were never to enter service. To keep this blog going- allowing us to create new articles- we need donations. We’re trying to do something different with Hush-Kit: give aviation fans something that is both entertaining, surprising and well-informed. Please do help us and click on the donate button above – you can really make a difference (suggested donation £10). You will keep us impartial and without advertisers – and allow us to carry on being naughty. Once you’ve done that we hope you enjoy 10 Incredible Soviet fighter Aircraft that never entered service. A big thank you to all of our readers. (Cancelled aircraft from all around the world can be found here) 11. SNCASO SO8000 Narval In a parallel universe, fighters look like the Narval, or I at least hope they do. The Narval offered a fascinating insight into how piston-engine fighters may have evolved if they had not been so rudely pushed out of the way by the coming of the jet engine. Two prototypes were produced for the proposed SNCASO SO.8000 Narval (Narwhal) naval fighter. The engine was the Arsenal 12H (essentially a Jumo 213, which also powered the incredible Nord Noroit). Two prototypes were constructed, the first being flown for the first time on 1 April 1949 – the type was clearly obsolete as it offered a piffling top speed of 454 mph (in the same year the 600mph+ Sabre had entered service in the United States). SNCASO gave up this beautiful turkey in the early ’50s. Only two prototypes were constructed, and the type did not enter production 10. SNCASO SE.100 The SNCASO SE.100 was an outstanding aircraft blessed with a sensational 360 mph top speed and exceptionally powerful armament. It apparently handled well, which is surprising given its truncated fuselage and some decidedly odd features, not least the ‘Mercier’ ailerons, wherein the entire wingtip swivelled to give lateral control, and a tricycle undercarriage featuring rear wheels that retracted into the tail fins. Incredibly the production version was to be armed with ten 20-mm cannon, eight firing forward and two in a turret for rear defence, an armament unmatched by any fighter of the war. By the time France fell the prototype had been tested (and admittedly crashed) and the Citroën car factory was tooling up for mass production but not a single production aircraft was destined to be built and operational service of the ‘French Beaufighter’ was sadly never to occur. 9. C.A.P.R.A R40 Little is known about the proposed C.A.P.R.A R40 twin-engined fighter. From what information is available, it seems that it would have been an extremely effective machine. A top speed of 398 mph would have been combined with the awe-inspiring armament of six forward-firing MAC rifle-calibre machine-guns and two 20-mm cannon and five rearward firing 7.5-mm machine-guns. The even more capable R41 would have had a top speed of 413 mph. The aircraft would have been powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Ys. 8. Dassault Mirage 4000 France’s Mirage 2000 has been described by many fighter pilots as the perfect flying machine. Its ferociously high performance and almost telekinetic responsiveness have left pilots of all nationalities giddy
on the ineffectiveness of the Japanese antiaircraft fire. Gambier Bay and her escorts laying a smoke screen early in the battle. Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.1 ("Taffy 1") consisted of the Carrier Division 22 escort carriers Sangamon, Suwannee, Santee, and Petrof Bay. (The remaining two escort carriers from Taffy 1, Rear Admiral George R. Henderson's CARDIV 28 Chenango and Saginaw Bay, had departed for Morotai, Dutch East Indies on October 24, carrying "dud" aircraft from other carriers for transfer ashore for repair. They returned with replacement aircraft after the battle.) Rear Admiral Felix Stump's Task Unit 77.4.2 ("Taffy 2") Carrier Division 24 consisted of Natoma Bay and Manila Bay, and Rear Admiral William D. Sample's CARDIV 27 Marcus Island, Kadashan Bay, Savo Island, and Ommaney Bay. Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3") consisted of Carrier Division 25 Fanshaw Bay, St. Lo, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, and Rear Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie's CARDIV 26 Kitkun Bay and Gambier Bay. Screening for Taffy 3 were the destroyers Hoel, Heermann and Johnston, and destroyer escorts Dennis, John C. Butler, Raymond, and Samuel B. Roberts. Though each escort carrier was small, and carried an average of about 28 planes, this gave the 16 CVEs of the three "Taffies" a combined total of approximately 450 aircraft, equivalent to four large fleet carriers. While their top speed of 17.5 kn (20.1 mph; 32.4 km/h) was adequate to escort cargo convoys or to provide ground support, they were too slow to engage or to escape a fast task force in combat. Since their aircraft were intended for ground attack, defense against aircraft, and antisubmarine warfare, the first flights from Taffy 3 were armed only with machine guns, depth charges, and high-explosive and antipersonnel aerial bombs, that were effective against enemy troops, aircraft, submarines, and destroyers, but not very effective against I.J.N. battleships and cruisers. In later sorties from the carriers of Taffy 2, the aircraft had enough time to be rearmed with torpedoes and armor-piercing bombs that could be expected to be more effective against warships. Battle [ edit ] Movements during the battle. Kurita's force passed through San Bernardino Strait at 03:00 on October 25, 1944 and steamed southwards along the coast of Samar, hoping that Halsey had taken the bait and moved most of his fleet away as he had in fact done. Kurita had been advised that Nishimura's Southern Force had been destroyed at Surigao Strait and would not be joining his force at Leyte Gulf. However, Kurita did not receive the transmission from the Northern Force that they had successfully lured away Halsey's Third Fleet of battleships and fleet carriers. Through most of the battle Kurita would be haunted by doubts about Halsey's actual location. The wind was from the North-Northeast and visibility was approximately 23 miles (20 nmi; 37 km) with a low overcast and occasional heavy rain squalls which the US forces would exploit for concealment in the battle to come.[9] Taffy 3 comes under attack [ edit ] Steaming about 60 nmi (69 mi; 110 km) east of Samar before dawn on October 25, St. Lo launched a four-plane antisubmarine patrol while the remaining carriers of Taffy 3 prepared for the day's air strikes against the landing beaches. At 06:37, Ensign William C. Brooks, flying a Grumman TBF Avenger from St. Lo, sighted a number of ships expected to be from Halsey's 3rd Fleet, but they appeared to be Japanese. When he was notified, Admiral Sprague was incredulous, and he demanded positive identification. Flying in for an even closer look, Brooks reported, "I can see pagoda masts. I see the biggest meatball flag on the biggest battleship I ever saw!" Yamato alone displaced as much as all units of Taffy 3 combined. Brooks had spotted the largest of the three attacking Japanese forces, consisting of four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and about ten destroyers. They were approaching from the west-northwest only 17 nmi (20 mi; 31 km) away, and they were already well within gun and visual range of the closest task group, Taffy 3. Armed only with depth charges in case of an encounter with enemy submarines, the aviators nevertheless were determined to carry out the first attack of the battle, aggressively setting the tone of the battle by leaving a calling card of several depth charges which bounced off the bow of a cruiser. The lookouts of Taffy 3 spotted the antiaircraft fire to the north. The Japanese came upon Taffy 3 at 06:45, achieving complete tactical surprise. At about the same time, others in Taffy 3 had picked up targets from surface radar and Japanese radio traffic. At about 07:00, Yamato opened fire at a range of 17 nmi (20 mi; 31 km). The Americans were soon astonished by the spectacle of colorful geysers as the first volleys of shellfire found their range. Each Japanese battleship used a different color of dye marker so they could spot their own shells. Lacking the American's gunnery radars and Ford Mark I Fire Control Computer, which provided coordinated automatic firing solutions as long as the gun director was pointed at the target, Japanese fire control relied on two mechanical calculators (one for ballistics and one for own and target course and speed) fed by optical range finders aided by color-coded dye loads in each shell. Only the Type 1 AP projectiles of the battleships carried dye loads: Nagato used a brilliant pink, Haruna used a greenish yellow variously described as green or yellow by the Americans, and Kongo used a blood red dye which could appear red, purple, or even blue in some circumstances. Only Yamato which had relatively primitive fire control radar, used no dye loads, so her shell splashes appeared white.[N 1][10] Not finding the silhouettes of the tiny escort carriers in his identification manuals, Kurita mistook them for larger fleet carriers and assumed that he had a task group of the 3rd Fleet under his guns. His first priority was to eliminate the carrier threat, ordering a "General Attack". Rather than a carefully orchestrated effort, each division in his task force was to attack separately. The Japanese had just changed to a circular antiaircraft formation, and the order caused some confusion, allowing Sprague to lead the Japanese into a stern chase, which restricted the Japanese to using only their forward guns, and restricted their anti-aircraft gunnery. Sprague's ships would not lose as much of their firepower in a stern chase as their stern chase weapons were more numerous than their forward guns, and his carriers would still be able to operate aircraft. The Run to the East [ edit ] At 06:50 Admiral Sprague ordered a formation course change to 090, directed his carriers to turn to launch their aircraft and then withdraw towards a squall to the east, hoping that bad visibility would reduce the accuracy of Japanese gunfire. He ordered his escorts to the rear of the formation to generate smoke to mask the retreating carriers and ordered the carriers to take evasive action, "chasing salvos" to throw off their enemy's aim, and then launched all available FM-2 Wildcat fighter planes and TBM Avenger torpedo bombers with whatever armament they were already loaded with. Some had rockets, machine guns, depth charges, or nothing at all. Very few carried anti-ship bombs or aerial torpedoes which would have enabled aircraft to sink heavy armored warships. The Wildcats were deemed a better fit on such small aircraft carriers instead of the faster and heavier Grumman F6F Hellcats that were flown from the larger U.S. Navy carriers. Their pilots were ordered "to attack the Japanese task force and proceed to Tacloban airstrip, Leyte, to rearm and refuel". Many of the planes continued to make "dry runs" after expending their ammunition and ordnance to distract the enemy. At about 07:20 the formation entered the squall and the Japanese fire slackened markedly as they lacked gunnery radar that could penetrate the rain and smoke.[11] Admiral Kurita meanwhile was already experiencing the consequences of ordering a General Attack, as his Fifth Cruiser Division and Tenth Destroyer division cut across the course of the Third Battleship Division in their haste to close with the American carriers, forcing the battleship Kongo to turn North out of formation. Kongo would act independently for the remainder of the battle.[12] Concerned that his destroyers would burn too much fuel in stern chase of what he presumed were fast carriers while obstructing his battleships' line of fire, Kurita ordered his destroyers to the rear of his formation at 07:10, a decision which had immediate consequences as the Tenth Destroyer Squadron was forced to turn away just as they were gaining the right flank of the American formation. For the Second Destroyer Squadron the consequences were more significant if less immediate: ordered to fall in behind Third Battleship Division Yahagi and her accompanying destroyers steamed North from their position on the South side of Kurita's formation seeking division flagship Kongo, leaving no Japanese units in position to intercept the American carriers when they turned back South at 07:30. Despite his General Attack order Kurita would continue to dictate fleet course changes throughout the battle.[13] American destroyer and destroyer escort counterattack [ edit ] Destroyers of Taffy 3 making smoke under fire. Three destroyers and four smaller destroyer escorts had been tasked to protect the escort carriers from aircraft and submarines. The three Fletcher-class destroyers—affectionately nicknamed "tin cans" because they lacked armor—were fast enough to keep up with a fast carrier task force. Each had five single 5 in (127 mm) guns and light antiaircraft guns which were not designed to take on armored warships. Only their ten 21 in (530 mm) Mark-15 torpedoes—housed in two swiveling five-tube launchers amidships—posed a serious threat to battleships and cruisers. One advantage the American destroyers had was the radar-controlled Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System which provided coordinated automatic firing solutions for their 5 in (127 mm) guns as long as the gun director was pointing at the target. A dual-purpose system, the Mark 37's gunfire radar and antiaircraft capabilities allowed the destroyers' guns to remain on target despite poor visibility and their own radical evasive maneuvering. The Japanese reliance on optical range finders aided by color-coded dye loads in each shell and mechanical calculators made it difficult for them to identify their targets through the rain and smoke and limited their ability to maneuver while firing. The four John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts were smaller and slower, since they had been designed to protect slow freighter convoys against submarines. Armed with two 5 in (127 mm) guns without automatic fire control they also carried only three torpedoes, though their crews rarely trained for torpedo attacks. Since the torpedoes only had a range of about 5.5 nmi (6.3 mi; 10.2 km), they were best used at night. During daylight, an attacker would have to pass through a gauntlet of shellfire that could reach out to 25 nmi (29 mi; 46 km). In this battle they would be launched against a fleet led by the largest battleship in history, though it was their ability to generate dense, heavy smoke from their funnels and chemical smoke generators which would most influence the course of the battle. After laying down smoke to hide the carriers from Japanese gunners, they were soon making desperate torpedo runs, using their own smoke for concealment. The ship profiles and aggressiveness caused the Japanese to think they were cruisers and full-sized destroyers. Their lack of armor tended to aid clean penetration of armor-piercing rounds before Japanese gunners switched to high-explosive (HE) shells, which caused much more extensive damage. Their speed and agility enabled some ships to dodge shellfire completely before launching torpedoes. Effective damage control and redundancy in propulsion and power systems kept them running and fighting even after absorbing dozens of hits before sinking, although the decks would be littered with the dead and seriously wounded. Destroyers from Taffy 2 to the south also found themselves under shellfire, but as they were spotted by Gambier Bay, which had signaled for their assistance, they were ordered back to protect their own carriers.[14] USS Johnston [ edit ] At 07:00, Commander Ernest E. Evans of the destroyer Johnston, in response to incoming shell fire bracketing carriers of the group he was escorting, began laying down a protective smokescreen and zigzagging. At about 07:10, Gunnery Officer Robert Hagen began firing at the closest attackers, then at a range of 8.9 nautical miles (10 mi; 16 km) and registered several hits on the leading heavy cruisers. The Japanese targeted Johnston and soon shell splashes were bracketing the ship. In response and without consulting with his commanders, Evans ordered Johnston to "flank speed, full left rudder", beginning an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor.[15] Johnston, still making smoke and zigzagging, accelerated to flank speed towards the Japanese. At 07:15, Hagen concentrated his fire on the leading cruiser squadron's flagship, the heavy cruiser Kumano.[16] Firing at the 5 in (127 mm) gun's maximum range of 10 nmi (12 mi; 19 km) Johnston scored several hits on Kumano's superstructure, which erupted into flame and smoke.[17] At 07:16, Sprague ordered Commander William Dow Thomas aboard Hoel, in charge of the small destroyer screen, to attack. Struggling to form an attack formation, the three small ships (Hoel, Heermann, Samuel B. Roberts) began their long sprint to get into firing position for their torpedoes. Johnston pressed its attack, firing more than two hundred shells as it followed an evasive course through moderate swells, making it a difficult target.[16] Johnston closed to within maximum torpedo range, and at 4.4 nautical miles (5.1 mi; 8.2 km) she fired a full salvo of ten torpedoes.[18] At 07:24, two or three struck, blowing the bow off Kumano.[17] Minutes later, at 07:33, Kongo was narrowly missed by four torpedoes. (Morrison asserts Kongo was forced to turn away north to avoid these torpedoes but this is not reflected in Kongo's own action report. It is not clear if these torpedoes were fired by Johnston or Hoel.) [19][20] The heavy cruiser Suzuya, suffering damage from air attacks, was also taken out of the fight, as she stopped to assist Kumano. The effect of Johnston's attack was to generate confusion in the minds of the Japanese commanders, who thought they were being engaged by American cruisers. Evans then reversed course and, under cover of his smoke screen, opened the range between his ship and the enemy. At 07:30, three battleship main battery shells passed through the deck of Johnston and into her portside engine room, cutting the destroyer's speed in half to 17 kn (20 mph; 31 km/h) and disrupting electric power to her aft gun mounts. Hagen reports these as 14 in (360 mm) shells from the battleship Kongō, at a range of 7 nmi (8.1 mi; 13 km), but this is unlikely as Kongo was on the far side of the Japanese formation and Kongo's action report states she was not engaging any targets at this time as she was blinded by a rain squall. Based on the bearing and angle of fall it's far more likely these were 18.1 in (460 mm) shells fired by Yamato from a range of 10.029 nautical miles (11.541 mi; 18.574 km), as moments later, three 6.1 in (150 mm) shells from Yamato struck Johnston's bridge, causing numerous casualties and severing the fingers of Commander Evans's left hand. The ship was mangled badly, with dead and dying sailors strewn across her bloody decks. Yamato reported sinking a "cruiser" (the Japanese consistently overestimated the size of the US ships engaged) with a main battery salvo at 07:27.[21] Destroyer Kishinami, which was also firing at Johnston at the time, reported "The Yamato sank one enemy cruiser" at 07:28 [22] But Johnston was not sunk. Her stores of fuel had been seriously depleted before the battle, saving her from a catastrophic explosion.[23] The ship found sanctuary in rain squalls, where the crew had time to repair damage, restoring power to two of the three aft gun mounts. Johnston's search radar was destroyed, toppled to the deck in a tangled mess. The fire control radar was damaged, but was quickly returned to service. Only a few minutes were required to bring Johnston's main battery and radar online, and from its hidden position in the rain, Johnston fired several dozen rounds at the lead Japanese destroyer at 4.9 nautical miles (5.7 mi; 9.1 km) beginning at approximately 07:35. Fire was then shifted to the cruisers approaching from the east. Several dozen more rounds were fired at the closest target at 5.4 nautical miles (6.3 mi; 10 km).[16][17][24] Since neither of these targets could be observed visually they could not be positively identified but Johnston's presumed "cruiser" was most likely the battleship Haruna.[25] At 07:37, Commodore Thomas ordered a torpedo attack via voice radio. Johnston and Heermann acknowledged.[26] As Johnston continued its course away from the Japanese, it came upon the charging screening force, led by the damaged Hoel. Evans then had Johnston rejoin the attack to provide gun support to Commander Thomas' small squadron on their torpedo run. Attacking Tone, the leading heavy cruiser to the east of the formation, Johnston closed to 6,000 yards (3.0 nmi; 5.5 km), now firing with reduced efficiency due to her lost SC radar, yet still registering many hits.[27][28] All available fighters and bombers from the Taffys converged on the Japanese fleet. At 08:40, moving erratically through the smoke and rain, Johnston avoided Heermann by the narrowest of margins.[29][30] Heermann was "within potato range" at one point (between 08:08 and 08:25) of a Japanese destroyer for several minutes, before being separated by the smoke.[31] During the battle, Evans engaged in several duels with much larger Japanese opponents. At 08:20, emerging through smoke and rain squalls, Johnston was confronted by a 36,600-ton Kongō-class battleship. (probably Haruna, which reported engaging a US destroyer with her secondary battery around this time)[32] Johnston fired at least 40 rounds, and more than 15 hits on the battleship's superstructure were observed. Johnston reversed course and disappeared in the smoke, avoiding Kongō's 14 in (36 cm) return fire. At 08:26 and again at 08:34, Commander Thomas requested an attack on the heavy cruisers to the east of the carriers.[26] Responding at 08:30, Johnston bore down on a huge cruiser firing at the helpless Gambier Bay, then closed to 6,000 yards (3.0 nmi; 5.5 km) and fired for ten minutes at a heavier and better-armed opponent, possibly Haguro, scoring numerous hits.[33] At 08:40, a much more pressing target appeared astern. A formation of seven Japanese destroyers in two columns was closing in to attack the carriers.[16][17][34][35][36] Reversing course to intercept, Evans attempted to pass in front of the formation, crossing the "T", a classical naval maneuver which would have put the force being "crossed" at a great disadvantage. Evans ordered Johnston's guns to fire on this new threat. The Japanese destroyers returned fire, striking Johnston several times. Perhaps seeing his disadvantage, the commander of the lead destroyer turned away to the west. From as close as 7,000 yards (3.5 nmi; 6.4 km), Hagen fired and scored a dozen hits on the destroyer leader before it veered off. He shifted fire to the next destroyer in line, scoring five hits before it too turned away. Amazingly, the entire squadron turned west to avoid Johnston's fire. At 09:20, these destroyers finally managed to fire their torpedoes from extreme range, 5.2 nautical miles (6.0 mi; 9.6 km).[16] Several torpedoes were detonated by strafing aircraft or defensive fire from the carriers, and the rest failed to strike a target. Now the Japanese and American ships were intertwined in a confused jumble. The heavy smoke had made the visibility so poor by 08:40 Johnston nearly collided with Heerman while crossing the formation to engage the Japanese Destroyers, forcing Samuel B Roberts to evade them both.[37] Gambier Bay and Hoel were sinking. Finding targets was not difficult. After 09:00, with Hoel and Samuel B. Roberts out of the fight, the crippled Johnston was an easy target. Fighting with all she had, she exchanged fire with four cruisers and numerous destroyers. Johnston continued to take hits from the Japanese, which knocked out the number one gun mount, killing many men. By 09:20, forced from the bridge by exploding ammunition, Evans was commanding the ship from the stern by shouting orders down to men manually operating the rudder. Shell fire knocked out the remaining engine, leaving Johnston dead in the water at 09:40. As her attackers gathered around the vulnerable ship, they concentrated fire on her rather than the fleeing carriers. Johnston was hit so many times that one survivor recalled "they couldn't patch holes fast enough to keep her afloat." At 09:45, Evans finally gave the order to abandon ship. Johnston sank 25 minutes later with 186 of her crew. Evans abandoned ship with his crew, but was never seen again. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. However, it was the Japanese themselves who first recognized Johnston's incredible actions that day: As the Japanese destroyer Yukikaze cruised slowly by, Robert Billie and several other crewmen watched as her captain saluted the sinking Johnston.[38] USS Samuel B. Roberts [ edit ] Although destroyer escorts were conceived as the most inexpensive small ships that could protect slow cargo convoys against submarines, they had retained a basic anti-ship capability with torpedoes and 5 in (127 mm) guns. In this battle, USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) would distinguish itself as the "destroyer escort that fought like a battleship" when thrown into the fray against armored cruisers which were designed to withstand 5 in (127 mm) gun fire. Sometime around 07:40, Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Copeland maneuvered his small ship to evade the charging Heermann and, as he watched the destroyer receding towards the enemy, sized up the situation,[39] which he passed to his crew over the 1MC public-address circuit: "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can." He realized that at his current heading and location his small ship would be in a textbook position to launch a torpedo attack at the leading heavy cruiser. Without orders, and indeed against orders, he proceeded at full speed and set course to follow Heermann in to attack the cruisers. Under the cover of the smoke screen from the destroyers, Roberts escaped detection. Not wanting to draw attention to his small ship, he repeatedly denied his gun captain permission to open fire with the 5 in (127 mm) guns; even though targets were clearly visible and in range, he intended to launch torpedoes at 5,000 yards (4.6 km). A stray shell, probably intended for one of the nearby destroyers, hit Roberts' mast which fell and jammed the torpedo mount at 08:00. Finally recovering, at 4,000 yards (3.7 km), Roberts launched her torpedoes at Chōkai without being fired upon. Quickly reversing course, Roberts disappeared into the smoke. A lookout reported at least one torpedo hit, and the crippled Chōkai started losing speed and fell to the rear of the column at 08:23.[40][41] By 08:10, Roberts was nearing the carrier formation. Through the smoke and rain, the heavy cruiser Chikuma appeared, firing broadsides at the carriers. Copeland changed course to attack and informed his gun captain, "Mr Burton, you may open fire."[42] Roberts and Chikuma began to trade broadsides. Chikuma now divided her fire between the carriers and Roberts. Hampered by the closing range and slow rate of fire, Chikuma fired with difficulty at her small, fast opponent. (Early in the battle, when it had become apparent that Roberts would have to defend the escort carriers against a surface attack, chief engineer Lt. "Lucky" Trowbridge bypassed all the engine's safety mechanisms, enabling Roberts to go as fast as 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).)[43] Roberts did not share Chikuma's problem of slow rate of fire. For the next 35 minutes, from as close as 5,300 yards (4.8 km), her guns would fire almost the entire supply of 5 in (127 mm) ammunition on board—over 600 rounds.[44] In this seemingly unequal contest, Chikuma was raked along its entire length. However, unknown to the crew of Roberts, shortly after Roberts engaged Chikuma, Heermann also aimed her guns at the cruiser, putting her in a deadly crossfire. Chikuma's superstructure was ripped by salvo after salvo of armor-piercing shells, high-explosive shells, anti-aircraft shells, and even star shells that created chemical fires even in metal plates. The bridge of Chikuma was devastated, fires could be seen along her superstructure, and her number three gun mount was no longer in action.[45] However, Chikuma was not alone, and soon the Japanese fleet's multi-colored salvos were bracketing Roberts, indicating that she was under fire from Yamato, Nagato, and Haruna.[46] In a desperate bid to avoid approaching shells, Copeland ordered full back, causing the salvo to miss. Now, however, his small ship was an easy target, and at 08:51, cruiser shells found their mark, damaging one of her boilers. At 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph), Roberts began to suffer hits regularly. Credit is given to Kongō for striking the final decisive blows at 09:00, which knocked out her remaining engine.[29] Dead in the water and sinking, Roberts's part in the battle was over.[47] Gunner's Mate Paul H. Carr was in charge of the aft 5 in (127 mm) gun mount, which had fired nearly all of its 325 stored rounds in 35 minutes before a breech explosion caused by the gun's barrel overheating. Carr was found dying at his station, begging for help loading the last round he was holding into the breech. He was awarded a Silver Star, and a guided missile frigate was later named for him.[48] The guided missile frigates Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) and Copeland (FFG-25) were named for the ship and its captain. Companion destroyer escorts USS Raymond (DE-341), USS Dennis (DE-405), and USS John C. Butler (DE-339) also launched torpedoes. While they missed, this helped slow the Japanese chase. Dennis was struck by a pair of cruiser shells, while John C. Butler ceased fire after expending her ammunition an hour into the engagement. USS Hoel [ edit ] The fast destroyer Hoel—captained by Commander Leon S. Kintberger— was the flagship of the small destroyer and destroyer escort screen of Taffy 3. As towering splashes from Japanese shells began bracketing the ships of the task group, Hoel started zig-zagging and laying smoke to help defend the now fleeing CVEs. When the Japanese had closed to 18,000 yards (16 km) Kintberger opened fire, and was in turn targeted by the Japanese. Yamato's 6.1 inches (15 cm) guns scored a hit on Hoel's bridge at 14,000 yards (13 km), knocking out all voice radio communication, killing four men and wounding Kintberger and Screen Flag Officer Commander William Dow Thomas.[49] Admiral Sprague then ordered Thomas to attack the Japanese with torpedoes. From his position on the damaged Hoel, he formed up the three destroyers of his command as best he could and at 07:40 ordered "Line up and let's go."[50] Through rain showers and smoke, Hoel zig-zagged toward the Japanese fleet, followed by Heermann and Samuel B. Roberts. Lurking in the rain, Johnston was targeting unsuspecting Japanese cruisers with her radar. Kintberger now had to quickly choose a target as the distance closed rapidly. In the Combat Information Center, Executive Officer Fred Green quickly suggested a course that would put Hoel in position to attack the leading "battleship", either Kongo or possibly the heavy cruiser Haguro. Without hesitation, Kintberger ordered Hoel in. No consideration was given to the fact that the course would put the small ship in the middle of the charging Center Force.[51] Gunnery Officer Lt. Bill Sanders directed Hoel's main battery of five 5"/38 caliber guns in a rapid-fire barrage and scored several hits, drawing the attention of a substantial portion of the Japanese fleet. Soon shells of all calibers were straddling the attacking destroyer. Sometime near 07:27, at a range of 9,000 yards (8.2 km), Hoel fired a half salvo of torpedoes and reversed course.[52] The results of this salvo were not observed, but several histories report that Haguro was forced to turn sharply away from the torpedo attack and dropped out of the lead to behind Tone,[53] an assertion that is contradicted by Haguro's detailed action report, which records turning to engaging an "enemy cruiser" (Hoel) at 10,300 yards (9.4 km), but not a torpedo attack.[54] Moments after Hoel loosed her first half salvo, a devastating series of multi-caliber shells struck Hoel in rapid succession, disabling all the primary and secondary battery weapons aft of the second stack, stopping her port engine, and depriving her of her Mark-37 fire control director, FD radar, and bridge steering control. His ship slowing to 17 knots under hand steering, Kintberger realized he would have to fire his remaining torpedoes quickly before his ship was shot out from under him.[55] Heading southwest after his initial torpedo attack, Commander Kintberger turned west and launched his second torpedo salvo at a "Heavy Cruiser" (probably Yamato or Haruna, both sides having difficulty with target identification in the poor visibility) at approximately 07:50. This time, Hoel's crew were rewarded by what appeared to be the sight of large columns of water alongside their target. The torpedo hits could not be confirmed, however. The water spouts were probably near misses by bombs. Japanese action reports reveal that Hoel's target was probably Yamato, which turned hard to port to evade a torpedo salvo at 07:54 and was forced to run north until the torpedoes ran out of fuel, taking Kurita out of the battle and causing him to lose track of his forces.[56] Hoel was now crippled and surrounded by the enemy, with her speed reduced to 17 knots. Within a few minutes, steerage had been restored from the aft steering room. Kintberger ordered a course south towards Taffy 3. In the process of fishtailing and zig-zagging, she peppered the closest enemy ships with her two remaining guns. Finally at roughly 08:30,[52] after withstanding over 40 hits from 5–16 in (127–406 mm) guns, an 8 in (200 mm) shell disabled her remaining engine. With her engine room underwater and No. 1 magazine ablaze, the ship began listing to port, settling by the stern. The order to abandon ship was given at 08:40, and many of her surviving crew swam away from the ship. A Japanese cruiser and several destroyers closed to within 2,000 yards (1.8 km), giving the two forward gun crews, under Gun Captain Chester Fay, a large, close target. For about ten minutes, they traded salvos with the Tone-class cruiser. When the destroyers slowed and approached to about 1,000 yards (910 m), they were also fired upon. The Japanese fire only stopped at 08:55 when Hoel rolled over and sank in 8,000 yards (7.3 km) of water, after enduring 90 minutes of punishment.[57] Hoel was the first of Taffy 3's ships to sink, and suffered the heaviest proportional losses: only 86 of her complement survived; 253 officers and men died with their ship. Commander Kintberger, who would live to retire a rear admiral, described the courageous devotion to duty of the men of Hoel in a seaman's epitaph: "Fully cognizant of the inevitable result of engaging such vastly superior forces, these men performed their assigned duties coolly and efficiently until their ship was shot from under them." USS Heermann [ edit ] Heermann—captained by Commander Amos T. Hathaway—was on the disengaged side of the carriers at the start of the fight when at 07:37 he received an order from Commodore Thomas to take the lead position in a column of "small boys" to attack the approaching enemy fleet. Heermann steamed into the action at flank speed through the formation of "baby flattops" through smoke and intermittent rain squalls that had reduced visibility at times to less than 100 yd (91 m), twice having to back emergency full to avoid collisions with friendly ships, first with Samuel B. Roberts, and then at 07:49 with Hoel, as she tried to take her assigned position at the head of the column in preparation for a torpedo attack.[58] At 07:50, Heermann engaged the heavy cruiser Haguro with her 5 in (127 mm) guns, while hurriedly preparing a half-salvo torpedo attack. In the confusion of battle, the torpedoman on the second torpedo mount mistakenly fired two extra torpedoes at the same time as the number one mount before he was stopped by the mount captain. After firing seven torpedoes, Heermann changed course to engage a column of three battleships that had commenced firing upon her.[58] Hathaway may now have been responsible for causing a series of events that may have had a decisive influence on the outcome of the battle. He directed 5 in (127 mm) gunfire on the battleship Haruna, the column's leader. Then he quickly closed to a mere 4,400 yd (4.0 km) and fired his last three torpedoes.[58] Haruna evaded all of them, but Morison, with his usual disregard for Japanese sources, asserts that Yamato was bracketed between two of Heermann's torpedoes on parallel courses, and for 10 minutes was forced to head north away from the action, while Lundgren, based on a comparison of both Japanese and American sources, asserts that these torpedoes came from Hoel's second salvo fired at 07:53.[59] In either case Admiral Kurita and his most powerful ship were temporarily out of the action. The Japanese had now lost the initiative. The stubborn American defense had completely taken the wind out of the Japanese attack. At 08:03, believing that one of the torpedoes had hit the battleship, Hathaway set course for the carrier formation, zigzagging and under the cover of smoke. Still undamaged, Heermann was able to fire through the smoke and rain at nearby targets. Now under continuous fire, Heermann began an unequal duel with Nagato, whose salvos were beginning to land uncomfortably close.[58] At 08:26, Commander Thomas requested covering fire on the cruisers firing on the CVEs from the east. Hathaway responded, but first had to pass through the formation of carriers and escorts. This task proved hazardous. Traveling at flank speed, Heermann again had two near misses, this time with Fanshaw Bay and Johnston. Finally on course for the enemy cruisers, Heermann came upon the heavily damaged Gambier Bay which was being pummeled at point-blank range. At 12,000 yards (11 km), Heermann engaged Chikuma as her guns cleared Gambier Bay. Now Chikuma was caught in a crossfire between Heermann and Samuel B. Roberts and taking considerable punishment. During this phase of the battle, Heermann came under fire from the bulk of the Japanese fleet. Colored splashes of red, yellow, and green indicated that she was being targeted by Kongō and Haruna. Many uncolored splashes were also observed, likely from the line of heavy cruisers being led by Chikuma. At 08:45, a hit on Heermann's wheelhouse killed three men outright and fatally wounded another.[58] A series of 8 in (200 mm) shell hits flooded the forward part of the destroyer, pulling her bow down so far that her anchors were dragging in the water, while one of her guns was knocked out. At 08:50, aircraft from VC-10 approached the scene and were vectored via VHF by Taffy 3 to the cruisers to the east. By 08:53
I thoroughly wash my hands, which I do as much as possible." That's probably part of the reason Trump seldom talks to actual voters, instead preferring rallies where he can stand at a safe remove from his adoring flock. His only interaction with the common folk is a long-distance view of their worshipful faces as they tilt up to behold his magnificent splendor. It doesn't get any more honest the closer people get to him. Trump is used to being surrounded by sycophants, and seems to have an almost pathological need to assert his innate superiority and impending victory in all things. Which means that not only will his people be reluctant to deliver bad news to him, it also means he's left to seek it out himself to whatever degree he finds pleasing. You can see it in his unceasing discussion of polls, at least the ones showing him doing well, which are "tremendous," in contrast to the ones that don't, which are totally unfair. And with so many polls being taken every week, he'll always be able to find an outlier to show him the truth as he would like it to be. So Trump is unlikely to receive any information which suggests that anything other than glory awaits him. And should anyone suggest that things aren't going so well and he might need to alter his approach to the campaign, he'll respond, hey, I'm winning everything, so why change? All of which bodes well for Clinton. But it's more important than just race-horse politics. Unlike so much of what we spend time thinking about during the campaign, Trump's comfort in his self-affirming bubble actually provides some insight into the kind of president he would be. All presidents lament how isolating the job is; Bill Clinton, echoing Harry Truman, called the White House "the crown jewel of the federal penitentiary system," and Ronald Reagan would talk about his secret desire to "just walk down the street to the corner drugstore and look at the magazines. I can't do that anymore." Trump might find the isolation to be not much of a change from life atop his gold-plated tower, but the most important effect of it isn't in how the president feels, but in how he decides. George W. Bush wasn't wrong when he labeled himself "The Decider." Much of what the president does is choose between the options laid before him, often with dramatic and far-reaching effects. In order to make good decisions, he needs information, experience, wisdom, and the ability to see all aspects of important issues. Trump is not well-stocked with any of these things. But does anyone think that as president he'd be willing to hear bad news, seek to understand it and learn from it, and then make better decisions? Or would he be even more likely to believe, no matter the evidence to the contrary, that all his initiatives are smashing successes and all Americans are behind his every move? The more important the question — like, should we go ahead with this war? — the more consequential the limitations of his perspective would be. As if you didn't have enough to be concerned about already.COPS in Clackmannanshire were left to patrol without vital communication equipment last week as Police Scotland’s radio system crashed for almost 24 hours. The Airwave system, which ensures police can maintain contact and call for help if required, failed on Wednesday morning. Officers had to communicate using mobile phones as only a fraction of their radio calls were going through. The head of the force’s information and communication technology (ICT) claimed faults with the system were rare and said an investigation would be conducted into the cause of the issue. And while the system was back online as of Thursday morning, two officers in the Forth Valley area were assaulted during the crash. An inside source told the Advertiser: “Police Scotland’s ‘Airwave’ radio system covering the entire Forth Valley area crashed [on Wednesday]. Only important calls were getting resourced. “Two cops in Falkirk got a kicking at a call during the night and were unable to transmit a distress signal. “Cops were having to communicate by mobile phones and the system was off until 10.30am on Thursday.” The news was greeted with calls for an inquiry into the system, with Holyrood representatives seeking assurances from Police Scotland. Alexander Stewart, Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said: “This initially seems like an addition to a catalogue of issues with this problematic apparatus, however something as severe as this takes things to another level. “Once again it’s a demonstration that this system is not fit for purpose, especially as lives will be put at risk, both of the public and officers alike. “I suggest an immediate intensive investigation as to how this incident came about, along with a public assurance that it cannot happen again.” SNP MSP Keith Brown has also contacted police chiefs to seek clarification with regards to the incident. Force officials insist the problem did not originate from their side, but said efforts would be made to uncover its cause. Martin Leven, director of ICT with Police Scotland, confirmed: “At around 13.05pm on Wednesday, April 19, Police Scotland was made aware of an intermittent fault in small areas of the Airwave network, which is the externally-hosted radio system used by all UK police forces and other emergency services. “The fault was worked on by engineers throughout the day and overnight. At no point were there any faults on Police Scotland’s own infrastructure.” He added: “Such incidents are rare; however, Police Scotland has well rehearsed and tested business continuity plans to mitigate such an incident. These were swiftly enacted to ensure minimum disruption. “Unfortunately during the short outage, two police officers were slightly injured whilst responding to a report of a disturbance in Forth Valley Division. “Within a few minutes, additional officers were on the scene and provided assistance. The officers received support from colleagues including senior management to ensure their welfare. “I would like to stress the rarity of such incidents and confirm that further enquiries are being carried out to establish the root cause of the fault with the service provider.”Smoke is seen following an airstrike on the western frontline of Raqa on July 17, during an offensive by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a majority Kurdish and Arab alliance, to retake the city from Islamic State fighters. (Bulent Kilic/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE via Getty Images) As the U.S.-led coalition accelerates its campaign to destroy the Islamic State’s remaining strongholds in Syria, the Trump administration faces a big decision about the future: Does it want to keep some U.S. troops inside the country to help stabilize Syria after the jihadists are defeated, or does it want to pack up and come home? The dilemma is eerily like what President Barack Obama faced in Iraq in 2011, and the risks and benefits are similar. President Trump, like his predecessor, has expressed skepticism about permanent U.S. wars in the Middle East. But he also knows that pulling out U.S. troops from bases east of the Euphrates could create a vacuum that might trigger ethnic slaughter, regional proxy wars and a new wave of jihadist violence. The military and civilian officials who have been closest to U.S.-Syria policy appear convinced that America should maintain a residual presence, probably something under 1,000 Special Operations forces that could continue to train and advise — and also, restrain — the Syrian Kurdish militia that has been America’s key partner against the Islamic State. But this alliance with the Kurds is controversial, inside Syria and out. The political map of Syria, for now, looks like a patchwork quilt, with different bands controlled by rival groups and their patrons. The United States and its Kurdish partners dominate east of the Euphrates River. The Syrian regime, with its Russian and Iranian allies, controls the vast center of the country; Turkish-backed forces control a strip along the northern border; and a Jordanian-Russian “deconfliction” agreement has pacified the southwest. Few analysts expect that Syria can be reunified by President Bashar al-Assad. So, for the foreseeable future, the country will be divided into these zones of influence — awaiting a political transition process that can reestablish the legitimacy and authority of a new central government in Damascus. The U.S. piece of this puzzle is the area east of the Euphrates. The Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, advised by elite American forces and backed by U.S. air power, has swept across this area over the past three years, and in about six weeks is expected to seize the Islamic State’s capital of Raqqa. As they advanced, the Kurds recruited Sunni Arab allies into a broader coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The ad hoc military alliance that produced the SDF has many critics. The Sunni-dominated Syrian opposition fears that the Kurdish fighters want to create an independent state, and neighboring Turkey sees them as terrorists. But battlefield success generates its own political momentum, and as the United States and the SDF have advanced, something of a bandwagon effect has developed. Sunni opposition groups now seem eager to fight alongside the Kurdish-led forces, under overall U.S. command. This new willingness to work in tandem with the Kurds was voiced by Riyad Hijab, the head of the Syrian opposition coalition known as the High Negotiations Committee. He said in a recent interview that his supporters want “to fight ISIS and other terrorist groups, alongside with the SDF, as long as we fight independently in separate fronts.” Hijab claimed that up to 5,000 Sunni opposition forces would be ready to join the United States and the SDF in liberating Deir al-Zour, the next big town in the Euphrates Valley southeast of Raqqa. The Sunni opposition groups apparently prefer allying with Kurds to Assad’s regime. U.S. officials are pleased that Hijab and other opposition leaders want to join the fight in the Euphrates Valley. But they say the new recruits aren’t ready for heavy fighting, and that Deir al-Zour will almost certainly be taken by 10,000 Syrian regime troops that are already in the town, joined by regime forces now moving east, with Russian and Iranian backing. The Iranian presence worries some U.S. officials, but they say regime control of Deir al-Zour is probably inevitable. U.S. commanders say the real strategic prize is further south. They say as soon as Raqqa is secure, SDF troops (joined by whatever other Arab forces are ready), hope to advance toward the lower Euphrates Valley, south of Deir al-Zour. The United States hopes that Iraqi forces across the border will help check Iranian power in the area. What happens next? That depends in part on whether U.S. military advisers stay in eastern Syria. If they remain, say U.S. officials, they can curb the Kurds’ ambitions for independence, deter the Turks from intervening and encourage the Sunni opposition to work with all sides. A future U.S. presence “will be essential,” says Hijab. And if they leave quickly? We’ve seen this movie before. Read more from David Ignatius’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.When it comes to large numbers of people living in close proximity to the ocean, few people can beat the Dutch for experience. So, it makes sense that a Dutch engineering firm, DeltaSync, which specializes in "floating urbanization," was hired by the Seasteading Institute to develop initial plans for habitations at sea that would be safe, practical and meet the institute's goal "to guarantee political freedom, and thus enable experimentation with alternative social systems." With initial designs and specifications now delivered, the dream of floating political experiments takes an important step toward becoming reality. DeltaSync's Seasteading Implementation Plan works from the premise that early efforts will be anchored in sheltered harbors—specifically, the Gulf of Fonseca, bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua—until more experience is acquired. The modular design is still intended to be mobile, however, and potentially suitable for deep-sea location if surrounded by a breakwater. The first-draft design assumes the construction of concrete modules, 50 meters by 50 meters, each with a population of 225 people, which can be easily connected and disconnected. The modules could be moved by tugboat and linked in various configurations as needed. And those configurations could then be rearranged to suit the needs and preferences of community members. In terms of sustainability, the plan envisions algae farming, aquaculture, and aquaponics for growing fresh vegetables, so that at least some food could be locally sourced. Rainwater would be collected for freshwater and as an alternative to energy-intensive desalination or importation. Speaking of energy, a tropical, oceanic location lends itself to solar power collection, with battery storage and backup diesel generators. And the "why" of all this? That is, what's the motivation to wave goodbye to friends, family, and the nice people in the local bureaucracy to set up shop on a man-made island, far from tax collectors, regulators and— Wait, That answers itself, doesn't it? Nevertheless, the plan considers the question. While experimentation with rules and new forms of government is the highest priority for the seastead, economic influences cannot be ignored. This means the city should be attractive for a diverse array of manufacturing and service-based companies. Also sufficient incentives should be developed for companies and entrepreneurs to move to the seastead. Such incentives should include: clear and simple legislation, low taxes, lower office rents than in the city center, a diverse and well-educated work-force, access to knowledge, technology and innovation, good (public) transport connections to the wider metropolitan area, especially when the city is small at the beginning. Another important asset is the access to global markets by connections to an airport and seaport. The marketing to attract these businesses to the floating city should be very good. The first floating city in the world will also attract a large number of tourists, in order to create opportunities for recreational businesses like hotels and restaurants. None of this is a done deal, yet. Barriers remain to creating independent or semi-independent new communities at sea. And while those barriers are real, they increasingly look political, and surmountable, as the engineering and economic hurdles to such projects are understood and overcome. What's interesting about seasteading is that the mere ability to create new nations where innovators and dissenters might find refuge could put pressure on existing nations to at least moderate their excesses, even if the floating communities don't attract vast numbers of residents. The United States and Europe have been trying to reduce policy competition in recent years, specifically targeting "tax havens." Seasteading could blow that all open again, by creating new competitors. Don't miss Brian Doherty's coverage of the early days of the seasteading movement.NEW DELHI — After the oxygen ran out at an Indian hospital last month and at least 60 children died, who should take the blame? That question continues to vex the authorities here, and over the weekend, police officials in northern India arrested another suspect: the owner of the company that cut off the hospital’s oxygen supplies because of unpaid bills. The deaths, during a week in August when oxygen supplies were dwindling and then ran out at Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital, a government hospital in Gorakhpur, in Uttar Pradesh State, have stirred outrage in India. For days, pictures of sick children lingered at the top of India’s major newspapers, and the hospital became a sad symbol of health care in the country. The enormous, overtaxed system has so many people moving through it that mistakes are often not corrected until many lives are lost. And corruption takes its own toll, with money for critical health needs routinely stolen.poster="https://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201706/1072/1155968404_5468322696001_5468311253001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on June 12, 2017. Trump: Dems wouldn't pass healthcare bill even if it was the best in the world President Donald Trump on Monday touted his administration's legislative achievements while chastising Democrats for being "obstructionist," saying that even if he and the Republicans had "the greatest bill in the history of the world on health care," it would still fail to garner any votes from Senate Democrats. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, the president said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price have been working on the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, a signature campaign promise of Trump’s that has met with roadblocks in Congress. Story Continued Below But the president also chastised Democrats for being "obstructionist” – a common line of attack from Trump - saying Republicans will have "zero backing from the Democrats." He additionally stressed the need to "starve the beast" of Obamacare in order to garner more public support for the Republican-backed bill. The House passed a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare in early May, but the Senate is still in the process of passing a similar bill.Rick Perlstein is the author of "Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America" and "Before The Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus." The problem is not the Web. Anti-JFK rallies "revealing" to every school child in Orange County, California that Communists planned to colonize the United States by the year 1970 drew bigger crowds than Tea Parties today, with nary a blogger among them. Most mainstream of media outlets have become comically easy marks for those actively working to push public discourse to extremes. The problem is that elite media gatekeepers have abandoned their moral mandate to stigmatize uncivil discourse. Instead, too many outlets reward it. In fact, it is an ironic token of the ideological confusions of our age that they do so in the service of upholding what they understand to be a cornerstone of civility: the notion that every public question must be framed in terms of two equal and opposite positions, the "liberal" one and the "conservative" one, each to be afforded equal dignity, respect — and (the more crucial currency) equal space. This has made the most mainstream of media outlets comically easy marks for those actively working to push public discourse to extremes. Don't blame the minister and his bait-and-switch bonfire either. Once upon a time anticommunist book burnings and threats of book burnings were not unheard of. The difference is that Associated Press reporters did not feel obliged to show up. That shift in news values, not the rise of the Internet, is the most profound way that times have changed. In 1961 Time magazine called these "Ultras" alien and strange, and pronounced, "Wherever [they] arise, they cause domestic acrimony," and judged they should be "wooed back into normal channels of political expression." That last clause was perhaps a bit too much editorializing. But by 1995, however, any hint of stigma had devolved into slack perplexity: "Is Rush Limbaugh Good for America?" was a cover headline that year. Fifteen years later a bedazzled Time dropped the skepticism, crowning Glenn Beck as "the hottest thing in the political-rant racket….A gifted entrepreneur of angst….tireless, funny, self-deprecating," who "has lit up the 5PM slot in a way never thought possible by industry watchers." Such treatment of people who distort things for a living cannot but push the bounds of permissible ideological performance art in ever more extreme directions. There are responsible news stories to be written about people like this. On February 24, 2009, President Obama delivered the speech unveiling his economic stimulus package, renewing his promise for middle class tax cuts. The next day Rush Limbaugh reviewed it, introducing his now-frequent proposition that whatever the president says he "means the opposite in most cases." Rush Limbaugh has 20 million listeners every day, many of whom call themselves Limbaugh's "dittoheads." He teaches one of every 10 adult Americans to automatically disbelieve anything their nation's chief Constitutional officer says, as an axiom. This is news, maybe front page news. Likewise, just the other day, talker Steve Malzberg of WOR — a 50,000 watt heritage station with a weekly program hosted by Mayor Bloomberg — carried out a sympathetic interview with the book-burning pastor himself, with callers chiming in with approval for the spirit of his proposed act. That broadcast in itself is more newsworthy than whatever it is the minister's 50 followers did or didn't end up doing down in Gainesville — even if presented, as the AP promised to its client papers, "in a clear and balanced context." The coverage is already the context -- and was a priori unbalanced. The genie is of course already out of the bottle; after a certain point, news is news. Editors should reflect, though, for the future. "We're sick and tired of being ignored," a Beck follower was quoted in a cover story in Time magazine. Yet a Time/CNN poll found only 5 percent of a nationwide sample had participated in Tea Party events. This is not balanced coverage. It is coverage distorted grotesquely beyond measure.The world’s most popular online course is a general introduction to the art of learning, taught jointly by an educator and a neuroscientist. “Learning How To Learn,” which was created by Barbara Oakley, an electrical engineer, and Terry Sejnowski, a neuroscientist, has been ranked as the leading class by enrollment in a survey of the 50 largest online courses released earlier this month by the Online Course Report website. The course is “aimed at a broad audience of learners who wanted to improve their learning performance based on what we know about how brains learn,” said Dr. Sejnowski, the director of the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. With 1,192,697 students enrolled since the course was created last year, “Learning How to Learn,” which is offered by the University of California through Coursera, an online learning company which has partnered with a number of universities, has narrowly edged out the more tightly focused course, “Machine Learning,” taught by Stanford University professor Andrew Ng, which currently has 1,122,031 students enrolled. The similar enrollment figures are striking in part because the field of machine learning has become one of the hottest university areas of study in recent years. High technology companies are competing intensely in Silicon Valley and elsewhere for newly minted data scientists. The enrollment figures indicate that massively open online courses, or MOOCs, which in 2012 emerged as a potentially disruptive force that some believed might threaten the modern educational system, are continuing to evolve and gaining broad acceptance as part of an increasingly diverse marketplace for online education. The Achilles heel of the MOOC phenomena has been that while enrollments have been huge, the number of students who actually complete courses for credit has remained low. That has led traditional educators to argue that the new technology would fail because students are generally less motivated to complete coursework online. The completion rate — or “stickiness” — of the “Learning How to Learn” course has been above 20 percent, said Dr. Sejnowski, roughly twice the average for most MOOCs. He said the course is now attracting about 2,000 new students a day from 200 countries. The course was created after the two researchers met at the National Science Foundation-financed Science of Learning Center at the University of California at San Diego, which Dr. Sejnowski directs. Dr. Oakley, a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, acknowledged that although only roughly 50,000 of the more than one million enrollees in her course had actually received a certificate for the course, certification was the wrong metric to understand the impact of the new form of online education. “People frame it incorrectly,” she said. “Students are clearly hungry to learn, and they’re particularly hungry for practically useful, scientifically based information told in a way that they can really get it.” She is a passionate advocate of the MOOC concept against a range of academic critics. She recently wrote an essay defending online education technologies. Dr. Oakley claims there is evidence that the course has touched a nerve more broadly from a diverse audience that is eager to acquire to improve their learning skills. She cited a range of groups who are promoting the course from the California State Prison System, federal K-12 teacher certificate programs, as well as refugee camps in Somalia and Sudan, where she asserted that students threatened to overwhelm the meager Internet bandwidth available in those countries. There is evidence that MOOCs are being fed by a broad base of “life-long learning” interest said Merrill Cook, editor of the Online Course Report. “Your average person taking a MOOC has a bachelors degree and is in their 30s,” he said. He noted that there is now an increasing proliferation of a range of different online learning offerings beyond MOOCs. That can be seen in the shift in strategy in one of the earliest commercial efforts in the new approach to teaching. Take Udacity, which was founded by Sebastian Thrun, an artificial intelligence researcher who taught at Stanford and then founded Google’s X Lab research effort. After first offering MOOCs, the Mountain View, Calif.-based firm shifted its strategy and now offers “Nanodegrees” to train online customers in very specific skills. “If I look back at the MOOC hype, what actually happened was that people equated a cheaper delivery method with the replacement of the entire educational system,” Dr. Thrun said. “A cheaper technology is not the same as a business revolution.”You don’t have to talk to the police. With new legislation setting strict rules on how police can do street checks, they’ll have to remind you of that almost every time they approach you. But Windsor’s police chief calls the province’s plan “negligent,” saying it will handcuff officers trying to question suspicious-looking people or stop a crime before it happens. “It will really impact front-line policing,” said Chief Al Frederick. “They’re telling officers drive down the street and keep your eyes closed. They might as well stay in the station and just respond once the crime occurs, because that’s really what they’re asking us to do.” The province this week announced the draft regulation that also bans random carding or street checks, saying it will “protect civil liberties and support community safety.” There will be a 45-day public consultation on the regulations, which were drafted after racial profiling controversies in other cities. The rules will start taking effect in different stages next year. Officials with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services didn’t agree Friday to an interview to answer questions about Frederick’s concerns. They responded with an email, which also failed to address the concerns, but said they “look forward to reviewing feedback from interested parties.” There were public meetings about the regulations before they were drafted, but the closest one to Windsor was in London. Frederick said the province did not consult Windsor police on the plan. “We asked for that and it didn’t happen,” he said. “I think it’s important if they want to get a cross-section of the voices of Ontario that they reach every corner of Ontario. They did not.” The legislation will require police to tell people they are not legally required to talk to an officer or remain in the officer’s presence. If police are collecting information, they must tell the person why. The regulations also ban police from arbitrarily stopping people and collecting information about them. Random street checks have been a contentious issue in cities including Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, London and Hamilton, where police have been accused of racial profiling. The rules don’t apply to traffic stops, situations where an officer is investigating a specific offence or working undercover, or the citizen is actually being arrested. Frederick said Windsor police do stop people on the street for various reasons but added he doesn’t consider them random. He said those reasons could include investigating a suspicious-looking person or checking on sex offenders. “Our stops are all based on suspicious activity or are mandated through our other policies and procedures, like the sexual assault registry,” said Frederick. After stopping someone on the street, he said, telling them they don’t have to talk to police will essentially kill any potential investigation. “The officer himself is having the responsibility of saying ‘you don’t have to engage with me if you don’t want to,’” said Frederick. “That in itself is going to render the process pretty well null and void. The people will simply walk away at that point.” Frederick said the Windsor Police Service already informs people of their rights on its website and in pamphlets. On the street is not the place for it, he said. “If you’re driving a car you must stop,” said Frederick. “If you’re on the street, you know your rights, you don’t have to stop and engage with the officer. But to expect an officer to do that on the street is an unreasonable request.” Windsor police average 1,265 street checks a year, according to a report released at this week’s police services board meeting. In 2014, officers submitted 953 street check reports. The report also states that the drugs and guns unit has executed 66 search warrants so far this year. Information gleaned from street checks led to 18 of those search warrants. If people are told from the start they don’t have to talk to police and they walk away, said Frederick, those investigations might never have happened. “Maybe 18 different search warrants aren’t granted, and guns and drugs aren’t taken off the street,” he said. “This is how important the practice is.” twilhelm@windsorstar.com Twitter.com/WinStarWilhelmShare Remember the GTA: San Andreas Hot Coffee scandal? Of course you don’t, you were busy updating your Bebo profile, chatting on MSN messenger, patiently explaining to people why Limewire was so much better than YouTube, and all those other archaic things we used to do. Ah, the heady days of youth. Rest assured though, Hot Coffee nearly brought the games industry to its knees, and certainly not in a good kind of ‘Thai massage’ way either. A naughty hacker squirreled deep within the game’s code and discovered a desperately unexciting sex-based mini game and produced a patch to unlock it. At the time, parenting groups, senators and insane soon-to-be-ex lawyers jumped on the scandal and had a field day, but what did the general public really think? Apparently they were the rationally minded ones. A class-action lawsuit sought compensation for all those who were shocked to discover these grotesque digital parodies of the act of love making, but even though the case was won, only 2,676 claims have been filed. Considering the 8.5 million units sold in North America, we can safely call that ‘fuck all’. The lawyers all now feel decidedly stupid as this essentially shows that they can get all riled up about something incredibly inconsequential, and that may make potential clients think twice before bothering to wave the class-action banner in future. Or, y’know, they are guilty of bringing a meritless suit to trial. “Am I disappointed? Sure,” said Seth R. Lesser, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs. “We can’t guess as to why now, several years later, people care or don’t care. The merits of the case were clear.” Yep. I think I get it – it is possible to be offended for buying a game, downloading a patch to unlock sexual scenes that were never accessible or even intended to be in the standard over-the-counter content, then watching them. Oh, and then wanting money for it. Clear as mud. Possibly the fact that a number of years have passed since the case started and the best ‘compensation’ you can hope for is a $35 payout might explain some of the lacklustre uptake. Rockstar is believed to have lost around $2.5m over the incident, taking into account the legal fees, payouts, charitable donations, production alterations, etc. There’s just no way of knowing how many people bought the game simply to access the scandalous sex scenes after the story broke. GTA IV, however, made over $500m in its first week of sale. Go figure. San Andreas (via NYTimes) Related posts: Kids! Buy violent games online! \| Or from the high street! Share this: Email Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn Print Reddit Twitter Tumblr Pocket Like this: Like Loading...AKRON, Ohio— A 70-year-old man is accused of stabbing a 19-year-old landscaper because he got grass clippings on his truck. John P. Fenwick is jailed on $50,000 bond after his initial appearance in Akron Municipal Court. Fenwick is charged with second-degree felonious assault. Three landscapers, all in their teens, who mowed the lawn at an apartment building in the 400 block of Oxford Avenue sat in their truck about 5 p.m. Friday as they prepared to leave for the day. Fenwick stormed out of the apartment yelling at the trio about grass clippings that got inside his truck. Fenwick then stabbed the 19-year-old in his upper left arm with a large folding knife through the open truck window, according to police reports. The trio tackled Fenwick, held him to the ground and punched him several times until he dropped the knife, police reports say. The teens then drove to a different part of the neighborhood and called police. One of the teens with the 19-year-old said they mowed the lawn at the apartment for years and has previous problems with Fenwick and his 47-year-old girlfriend. The girlfriend told police that Fenwick argued with the teens over the grass clippings, but that he did not stab anyone and did not have a knife, according to police reports. She turned over a knife that police believe Fenwick used to stab man. The investigating officer said it appeared that someone wiped the knife clean, according to police. Fenwick told police that he confronted the landscapers because they did a poor job mowing the lawn on a regular basis. He also said they ran over children's toys and got grass clippings everywhere. Fenwick has one prior felony in Summit County. Court records say he served eight years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a family member in 1989. For the latest Akron news, like us on Facebook. Follow @akronohionewsExcerpt: "The U.N. high commissioner for human rights released its report on the Colombian peace process noting a 'deeply worrying' pattern of violence against human rights activists and community leaders." A paramilitary group in Colombia. (photo: Justice for Colombia) UN: Disturbing Pattern in Violence Against Colombian Activists By teleSUR "There is a pattern to where the killings are occurring. FARC's leaving these areas has really complicated the lives of [human rights] leaders." he U.N. high commissioner for human rights released its report on the Colombian peace process noting a "deeply worrying" pattern of violence against human rights activists and community leaders. The report found that in 2016 there were 389 attacks on social movement and human rights activists, including 127 assassinations, most of which occurred in areas until recently controlled by the FARC guerillas. "There is a pattern here relative to where the killings are occurring. FARC's leaving these areas has really complicated the lives of [human rights] leaders," said Todd Howland, the representative of the U.N. high commissioner for human rights in Colombia. Just last month thousands of FARC guerillas completed their demobilization into 34 U.N. controlled "safe zones" as part of the final peace agreement signed in January which brought to an end a brutal 52-year civil war. The vacuum left by FARC's demobilization has led to a spike in violence as right-wing paramilitaries and organized crime groups vie for control of areas largely abandoned by the Colombian state. "These are not isolated incidents," said Luz Perly Cordoba, a lawyer and community leader who spoke on a panel convened to release the report, adding that these attacks were "the biggest danger to the implementation of the [peace] accord." Her remarks echoed the concern of many that the pattern of violence is reminiscent of the vicious right-wing paramilitary attacks on leftist activists in the 1980s after the breakdown of a previous peace agreement. Indeed the report itself noted that the "high level of impunity in cases of aggression against human rights defenders" threatens confidence in the peace process. "We are deeply worried about the violence against [community] leaders and human rights defenders. The persistence of this violence puts at risk the common goal of peace in the country," said Martin Santiago, U.N. coordinator in Colombia. Despite the report, Colombia's defense minister Luis Villegas continued to deny any pattern to the violence, saying any attacks are "isolated incidents" purported by "criminal gangs", according to La Semana. "We could not document any systemization in the deaths of these social leaders," he told La Semana. Villegas' denial speaks directly to another finding in the report that continued refusal to recognize or acknowledge violence perpetrated by the state or government-linked paramilitary groups continues to pose a challenge to the peace process. "Broad official and political sectors still deny state agents have committed serious violations. In order to effectively contribute to the non-repetition of violence, recognition of violations committed by public servants must take into account the state, political, institutional and individual dimensions as a whole," the report noted.Silver mutual funds present another risk diversified dimension of silver investing to add to your portfolio apart from silver bullion investment that focuses mainly on purchasing physical silver and silver ETF that deals with “paper silver”. By definition silver mutual fund is a pool of investor funds that makes its objective to invest into shares of various silver mining companies and is considered less volatile compared to investing in a single silver mining company. You can choose from a multitude of silver mutual funds that differ by many basic parameters like no load and load mutual funds, investment objectives, aggressive and conservative investment strategies. You as an investor can choose from this variety and single out a silver fund that better represents your investment goals and long term objectives. Investing in silver or any other precious metals mutual funds takes the personal guesswork and necessity to analyze individual silver mining stocks and have professional mutual funds managers do it for you. Due to the volatile nature of the stock market and precious metals in general, most silver mutual funds hold other alternative precious metals instruments like physical gold, platinum and silver in their portfolio allowing them to spread the risk across the board. In addition, it helps to know that only 35% of total silver is mined directly, the rest comes as a by product of other precious mining industries. So majority of silver mutual funds hold mixed equities, they are not investing in silver bullion or silver stocks exclusively. Among many silver mutual funds, it’s worth noting several mutual funds like Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining with a symbol VGPMX and Permanent Portfolio with a ticker PRPFX. It’s important to study each silver fund asset allocation for risk diversification purposes. Vanguard Precious Metals fund is comprised mostly by mining stocks, while Permanent Portfolio is presented by alternative assets like bonds, stocks and physical precious metals bullions.by Brett Stevens on March 2,
?” On a conceptual level, I don’t entirely hate this ending. It allows for endless speculation about OA, and her ultimate destination. I enjoy the fact that we’re left wondering whether she is a charlatan or a prophet, with just enough evidence on either side to believe one way or another. And it does make sense: OA gave them her trauma, but then accepted theirs. But I am revolted by the way these final moments are executed. The shock value of a school shooting is unearned and distracts from the fantasy of the series by evoking true terror. It feels like a cheap “very special episode” plot line, and the implication that a form of prayer can stop someone wielding a powerful weapon is dangerous, to say the least. Advertisement Perhaps my opinion will change when I spend some more time mulling it over, but I don’t believe The OA can stand up to much scrutiny. It’s a ton of fun to watch when you’re going, ”whoa, what?” Still, I get the sense that Marling and Batmanglij think their show is way deeper than it actually is, and that’s what ultimately damns it. Stray observations There’s a lot more to nitpick here, but I wanted to look at the broad strokes of the series, and how it wrapped up. I’m torn on Marling’s performance. She has a tricky line to walk given that Prairie/The OA is both alien and shaman. Still, she frequently risks becoming too pedantic at times. The entire character of Hap frustrated me. I’m done with evil male characters who play god. All the actors who played the teens were wonderful. Many props should go to their understated and keen performances. Riz Ahmed continues his year of being in basically everything by popping up here as Elias, the FBI guy. Speaking of Elias, what is his deal? Why is he in OA’s home in the middle of the night? OA’s fellow prisoner Rachel is played by none other than Sharon Van Etten. So that’s why she can sing so well. Episode four had an aggravating bit of cross promotion. During one scene, Stranger Things plays in the background of a conversation. Netflix was very much trying to draw a link between the two shows—likely because they have similar elements—but that shout-out was just too obvious. I do wonder if a second season is in the cards. The ending is enraging, but I’m invested enough that I would definitely watch it.Thrall Of Orcus/Otherworldly Patrong The thrall of Orcus has devoted herself to the demon prince of undeath. In his service, she becomes a tool of misery, murder, and revenge. She revels in the company of the undead, preferring their decaying touch to that of living flesh.Thralls of Orcus often work in small groups. These cabals of necromancers and necrophiliacs consort with undead creatures and demons to form small cells of depraved evil hidden amid bustling cities and quiet villages. Thralls of Orcus hate and war against the thralls of Demogorgon and Graz’zt Expanding spell list Orcus lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you. Expanding spell list spell level Spells 1st Inflict Wounds, Ray of Sickness 2nd Blindness/Defness,Phantasmal Force 3rd Animate Dead,Bestow Curse 4th Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound,Locate Creature 5th Raise Dead, Contagion Carrion Stench starting 1st level,you emits a terrible smell in a 10-foot radius. Living creatures in the radius (excluding the thrall) must succeed at a Constitution save (DC 8 + your proficiency bounus + Con modifier) or take a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks Furthermore, mindless undead creatures within the radius of the stench believe the thrall of Orcus to be undead. Demon Wings starting at 6th level, Once per day,you can bring forth massive black wings from your back. These wings allow the thrall to fly at your current speed. You can create these wings as a bonus action on your turn.The demon wings last for up to 1 hour. At 14th level, the thrall can use his demon wings at will, and they last as long as needed Pallor of Death Beggining at 10th level, Your flesh becomes corrupt and dead as your body transforms into that of a undead figer. You become immune to poison, paralysis, stun, disease. You also gain advantage on Charisma skills when speaking to undead. You can apear normal as a bonus action by take 3d8 necrotic damage, or no damage if you make a successful Constitution saving throw. Death Touch starting at 14th level, once per day you are able to make a melee attack on a living creature. If the creature you choose has 100 hit points or fewer, it must make a Constitution saving throw if the target fails there saving throw it dies. Otherwise, it has no effect.How To Clean Crushed Velvet Furniture First of all, What Is Crushed Velvet? Crushed Velvet is a velvet fabric that is flat but gives the impression that it is creased. The fabric is popularly used on furniture such as sofas, beds, chairs, cushions and even clothing! How To Clean Crushed Velvet Furniture Accidents happen and spillages or food stains can end up on your new piece of crushed velvet furniture. Don’t panic as with most stains you will be able to clean the fabric to try to restore it to its original appearance. If you have a dry stain, make sure you hoover away any dry soil before applying a wet cloth. Take a look at two methods of how to clean your crushed velvet furniture. The Wet Method for Cleaning Velvet Furniture Liquid spillages happen, if they do you will need to soak up as much of the liquid as possible. You can do this using paper towels or a clean cloth. Try to remove as much of the liquid as possible from the fabric. Once you have done this mix together a small amount of clear washing up liquid or fabric detergent and warm water in a bowl or bucket and mix the water until it becomes sudsy. Get a clean cloth and soak it in the water, squeeze some of the excess then apply it gently to the stain. Make sure you dab the stain (do not rub!) until the stain disappears. You will then need to dry the velvet as quickly as possible. You can do this by using a hair dryer making sure you hold the hair dryer at least 20cms away from the fabric so that it does not over heat. The Dry Method for Cleaning Velvet Furniture Spilt liquids on your furniture will need to be dried immediately. To dry the fabric you can use paper towels or a clean cloth. Once you have done this, apply the dry cleaning detergent to a sponge and dab the sponge on to the stain until the stain is completely covered. Let the dry detergent dry on the fabric, you can speed up this process by using a hair dryer. Keep this more than 20cms away from the velvet fabric. Once the stain is dry, use a hoover to remove the dry detergent from the fabric. You may want to use a soft brush to unmat the velvet if it appears matted. We always recommend hiring a professional upholstery cleaner to clean any furniture. Remember to try to remove as much of the excess liquid with a clean cloth or paper towels as soon as the spillage occurs.I was raised on words. They tumbled off the kitchen table onto the floor where I sat: grandfather, uncles, and refugees flung Russian, Polish, Yiddish, French, and what passed for English at one another in a competitive cascade of assertion and interrogation. Sententious flotsam from the Edwardian-era Socialist Party of Great Britain hung around our kitchen promoting the True Cause. I spent long, happy hours listening to Central European autodidacts arguing deep into the night: Marxismus, Zionismus, Socialismus. Talking, it seemed to me, was the point of adult existence. I have never lost that sense. In my turn—and to find my place—I too talked. For party pieces I would remember words, perform them, translate them. “Ooh, he’ll be a lawyer,” they’d say. “He’ll charm the birds off the trees”: something I attempted fruitlessly in parks for a while before applying the admonition in its Cockney usage to no greater effect during my adolescent years. By then I had graduated from the intensity of polyglot exchanges to the cooler elegance of BBC English. The 1950s—when I attended elementary school—were a rule-bound age in the teaching and use of the English language. We were instructed in the unacceptability of even the most minor syntactical transgression. “Good” English was at its peak. Thanks to BBC radio and cinema newsreels, there were nationally accepted norms for proper speech; the authority of class and region determined not just how you said things but the kind of things it was appropriate to say. “Accents” abounded (my own included), but were ranked according to respectability: typically a function of social standing and geographical distance from London. I was seduced by the sheen of English prose at its evanescent apogee. This was the age of mass literacy whose decline Richard Hoggart anticipated in his elegiac essay The Uses of Literacy (1957). A literature of protest and revolt was rising through the culture. From Lucky Jim through Look Back in Anger, and on to the “kitchen sink” dramas of the end of the decade, the class-bound frontiers of suffocating respectability and “proper” speech were under attack. But the barbarians themselves, in their assaults on the heritage, resorted to the perfected cadences of received English: it never occurred to me, reading them, that in order to rebel one must dispense with good form. By the time I reached college, words were my “thing.” As one teacher equivocally observed, I had the talents of a “silver-tongued orator”—combining (as I fondly assured myself) the inherited confidence of the milieu with the critical edge of the outsider. Oxbridge tutorials reward the verbally felicitous student: the neo-Socratic style (“why did you write this?” “what did you mean by it?”) invites the solitary recipient to explain himself at length, while implicitly disadvantaging the shy, reflective undergraduate who would prefer to retreat to the back of a seminar. My self-serving faith in articulacy was reinforced: not merely evidence…Halo 5‘s campaign didn’t exactly work for me, this much I’ve written. Not in snobbery. I don’t hate popular done-over-and-over-again things in principle, any more than I hate baseball, chess, or the Tour de France. As Stephen King put it in his National Book Awards acceptance speech, you “don’t get social or academic brownie points for deliberately staying out of touch with your own culture.” But popular doesn’t entail safe, and Halo 5‘s story, despite what I’m sure comprises an unfathomable amount of developmental work, feels too much like kicking back in the easy chair and putting your feet by the fire. Characters end the game as they began it. Even the twist at the end just feels like a tee-up for Halo 6. Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor graciously engaged some of my criticisms after I’d finished the game. Here’s what he told me: O’Connor has no qualms with players who can’t relate to the Chief “It’s totally a fair conversation to have, and I can’t disagree with how you felt about the game, you felt the way you felt,” says O’Connor, responding to my critique of Master Chief, the series’ icon, as an emotionally blank cipher for players. “It’s a tension that we’ve had, and something I’ve spoken about many times in the past, the fact that Chief is a vessel into which you pour your heroism.” “I think the difference in Halo 5 is that there are eight people you have to do that with, and for them to not simply be clones of the Chief moving around in that space, we had to properly characterize them. And that meant, because it ends up being more of a social experience, we had to make sure that the characters were actually reflecting each other and not simply ignoring each other.” “That said, this is a long running issue we’ve had with the Chief. Over the years, people have grafted their own feelings about the Chief onto the Chief. And sometimes that’s meant, like in your case, holding him as a sort of paragon of useful emptiness. And I think that’s a completely fair way to approach this character.” “But we’ve also got lot of other players who, maybe they’ve read the books, maybe they’ve just followed the games very closely, and they’ve projected their ideals about heroism onto the Chief, and actually given him far more personality than we ever have. So I’m not contradicting anything you’re saying, I’m just explaining the intent, and we certainly have got opinions contrary to yours, of people who enjoy that, and there are definitely Master Chief fans who’ve been literally asking for this.” See The 15 Best Video Game Graphics of 2014 Sledgehammer Games/Activision Ubisoft Ashley Gilbertson for TIME The Creative Assembly Ubisoft Ubisoft Bungie Nintendo Sucker Punch Productions Ustwo Rockstar Respawn Entertainment Microsoft Studios/Turn 10 Studios Inkle Square Enix 1 of 15 Advertisement The ensemble cast exists partly to replace Cortana “I don’t think any of [Chief’s] Blue Team have particularly strong personalities,” says O’Connor when I ask about the challenge of maintaining emotional connection while jumping players between perspectives. “They’re not overwhelming you with things in the game. That’s in deliberate contrast to the much more chatty, less stoic Team Osiris. But when Chief’s with his team, there’s enough information coming that it does work as a kind of surrogate for Cortana’s absence, for her Virgil role where she’s leading you through the Inferno.” “I think the difference is that instead of being Odysseus this time, it’s much more of an ensemble piece. And in some ways I’m reminded of Return of the Jedi, where you have these perspectives that you switch between places and people, and each of the sets of people has a specific task in a specific place.” You can’t please everyone “We’ve got a lot of people who don’t care about the story,” says O’Connor. “We’ve got a lot of people who love playing campaigns but skip all the cinematics. We’ve got a lot of people who only play multiplayer. We have so many constituents to appease, that it’s always a careful balance and a fine line to walk.” It’s not meant to be subversive “Alan Moore [the graphic novelist and author] is a great example, because he often works with other characters that people are familiar with from other authors,” says O’Connor when I ask about the game’s departure from the marketing campaign’s intimations. “In some ways, that’s kind of what 343 was doing as it took over the franchise. I’m sort of a steady state, a bellwether in this, and the reality is that the Bungie who made Halo 2 was radically different from the Bungie that made the original Halo. In fact the Bungie that made the first Halo was radically different from the Bungie that made Halo for Mac and PC, before it was bought [and became an original Xbox exclusive].” “From my perspective, it’s just an organic flow of people and ideas no matter what. So while 343 taking over from Bungie was obviously a big deal, it wasn’t unnatural, because we would do that every time we shifted generations or platforms, or every time we did a sequel. Everything would be a new face. Even at the top.” “So to me, it’s never felt like the Alan Moore example, where a radically new voice comes in and upends things or subverts them. It’s always been more of a natural evolution. And Halo 5 in particular is, I think, in a very literal way, delivering on the promise teased in Halo: Combat Evolved. You’d look out at the skybox and you’d imagine these big battles, you’d imagine you were a superhero, because really then you were running at the same speed as a marine. You could flip Warthogs [militarized jeeps in the game], but you didn’t feel all that super-powered in the grand scheme of things. So through the games there’s been this natural evolution of gameplay, this natural expansion of scale. It’s never been about passing it on to a new auteur with radical new ideas, but about developing something incremental, sensible and occasionally controversial.” The studio wanted Halo 5 to be as fun to watch as it was to play “I think the interesting thing for me is, as I’ve gone back and played the older Halo games, to me they always felt like Halo,” says O’Connor, talking about the gameplay’s partial return to form. “But it’s funny to go back to something like Halo 3 and feel the really significant differences, and they may be only a couple pixels wide, but as you know that can make all the difference in the world. But the thing I’m really enjoying in Halo 5, is that with the new modes of gameplay, the new mobility, the ground-pound and charging, they’re going to allow people to chain together beautiful moments.” “Now I think we’re going to have this almost Matrix-like, organic superhero stuff happening. It’s still very much recognizably Halo, but you’re going to see someone leap off a building, snipe a couple of guys on the way down, finish off with a ground pound to take out a vehicle, and plant a plasma grenade on a Hunter in a game of Warzone. And that I think will really change up how Halo looks when you’re watching eSports. It’s one of the things that we did very deliberately. We wanted the game to not only be fun to play, but to be really fun to watch, so you’re not just seeing someone with a powerful weapon getting multiple kills for an hour. You’re going to see beautiful and skillful chains of ideas and moves that I think are going to look beautiful on screen.” The next game will feature a “much more human story” “Without giving away too much, at the end of Halo 5, as you well know, the universe has changed so fundamentally that we have no choice but to tell what I would call a much more human story in the next game,” says O’Connor. “Will it be an ensemble game? I think certainly we feel great internal success with the cooperative play in Halo 5, so I think it’s something we’re heavily invested in and we won’t simply abandon.” “But my hopes for the future of the universe are that we can tell a realistic story. I saw a complaint online, somebody had been reading spoilers, they hadn’t played the game, and they said ‘Why is this character evil?’ And my question back to them is, ‘What makes you say they’re evil?’ Certainly a lot of our younger players are going to struggle with that subtlety, that nuance, because they’re expecting Darth Vader.” The studio’s still figuring out how to tell stories in the medium “It’s our job to make this better, to make this untrue, but games right now have to tell stories in a certain way,” says O’Connor. “People expect it. There’s patterns people have become used to. But I think one responsibility every game developer has is to try to make that storytelling experience better. Not just for games on TV sets, but for virtual reality and so on. What’s the best way to tell a story? To immerse people in the story without the gameplay dissonance you were talking about earlier?” “So we have to come up with this sort of Citizen Kane that really modernizes that method of telling stories. We’re not there yet, but lots of people are making great strides. Sometimes we’re following in those footsteps, sometimes we’re trying to do things ourselves. But I think one of the reasons our Hunt the Truth tie-in podcast worked so well, is that we’re using a fully established medium for telling stories. And I hate to say this because so much work goes into Hunt the Truth, but it’s easier than making a game. You can control what people are listening to in a radio play, taking then down a very linear process.” “In a game, we’re still running into these weird, artificial barriers to telling a great story. And we keep knocking them down, every year. Sometimes it comes from a big game like BioShock, sometimes it’s a smaller indie game. The longer this industry exists, the better it gets. Fidelity isn’t just pixels, it’s also experience, and I think we’re getting better and better at it.” O’Connor can imagine a Halo-verse game where players shoot nothing “You asked me what I’d be excited about in the future, and certainly in terms of interactivity, I think games or methods of gameplay that aren’t simply shooting interest me,” says O’Connor. “I’d love to go do a xenoarcheological expedition to the original Halo ring. You know, take some scientists down, drive around, catch samples, do some detective work, maybe there’s a mystery. And it wouldn’t require shooting. It’s the universe and environment that can still be exciting, even without action. So that’s one of the things I’d love to see us invest more in.” See How These Famous Cartoon Characters Looked in Their Live Action Films Universal Paramount Universal/Getty Images Cannon Films Universal Pictures Universal Pictures/Getty Images Warner Bros. Universal Pictures 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Warner Bros. Pictures Paramount Pictures Sony Pictures Universal Pictures Disney Disney 1 of 16 Advertisement Write to Matt Peckham at matt.peckham@time.com.Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, a Texas District Court judge did not think so, so the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had to step in and set him straight in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Houston Funding II, Ltd. Back in February 2012, a Texas federal judge held that a woman who claimed that she was fired for seeking to use a breast pump at work had no viable claim under Title VII‘s prohibition against discrimination based upon pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition. He dismissed her claims on summary judgment stating that “lactation is not pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition,” therefore, “firing someone because of lactation or breast-pumping is not discrimination.” Needless to say, the opinion caused an uproar and resulted in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) filing an appeal with the Fifth Circuit. The EEOC explained that “lactation discrimination” violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”) because lactation is a medical condition related to pregnancy. Furthermore, the disparate treatment on the basis of breastfeeding, an inherently female function, constitutes “the essence of sex discrimination” under Title VII. As stated in the EEOC’s appellate brief, “[l]actation is a female-specific function. Thus, firing a female worker because she is lactating (i.e., producing and/or expressing breast milk) imposes a burden on that female worker that a comparable male employee simply could never suffer. That is the essence of sex discrimination.” The Fifth Circuit agreed with the EEOC and explained that a dismissal of a female employee motivated by the fact that she is lactating “clearly imposes upon women a burden that male employees need not – indeed, could not – suffer.” The Court held that “lactation is a related medication condition to pregnancy for purposes of the PDA,” and thus, cannot be used as a reason to fire or discriminate against an employee. Additional Protections for Breastfeeding Mothers in Workplace The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Affordable Care Act”), which amended Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), requires employers to provide reasonable break time for employees to express breast milk for nursing children for one year after a child’s birth. The Act also requires employers “to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which can be used by employees to express breast milk.” More details about this requirements can be found at the Department of Labor website here. Texas does not have a similar statute. However, Texas Health Code §165.002 (1995) authorizes a woman to breastfeed her child in any location, which would include a work place, and Texas Health Code §165.003 et seq. provide for the use of a “mother-friendly” designation for businesses who have policies supporting worksite breastfeeding. (HB 340) The law provides for a worksite breastfeeding demonstration project and requires the Department of Health to develop recommendations supporting worksite breastfeeding (HB 359), which can be found at www.texasmotherfriendly.org. Finally, the EEOC provides its Caregiver Best Practices Guidance (2011) for employers, in which it explains what employers can do above and beyond what is required by federal law in order to avoid discrimination claims and create a productive work environment. BOTTOM LINE: In the day and age when women make up 46.9% of the total labor force, and 51.5% of management, professional, and related positions, and when 55.8% of all mothers with children under the age of 1 are in the labor force, employers can no longer afford to ignore pregnancy-related issues in the workplace and need to familiarize themselves with the relevant law or face unpleasant consequences. Leiza Dolghih is a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP in Dallas, Texas and a Co-Chair of the firm’s Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Disputes national practice. His practice includes commercial, intellectual property and employment litigation. You can contact her directly at Leiza.Dolghih@LewisBrisbois.com or (214) 722-7108.By Duncan Kennedy BBC News, Rome No man knows the day or the hour - except those with clock-in swipe cards The Vatican has reintroduced a system of clocking in, nearly 50 years after it was last phased out. Senior clerics will have to swipe plastic cards when entering and leaving, all in a drive to improve time-keeping and efficiency. It was Pope John XXIII, fondly known as the Good Pope, who phased out clocking machines in the early 1960s. Now the Vatican has brought back a high-tech version involving electronic swipe cards for 2,000 employees. Lay and ecclesiastical staff working in the tiny city state, are now using the swipe cards. The cards have been issued to everyone from the lowest office staff to the heads of departments, even if they are priests and archbishops, though there has been no mention if Pope Benedict XVI carries one. According to reports some elder clerics in the Vatican have complained that clocking in and out is a headache, especially when they have to leave on pastoral duty. It is all part of a drive to increase efficiency and to make the Vatican more meritocratic. Next year there are plans to introduce performance-related pay.Image caption Protests in Pakistan clashed with police in September over the film, The Innocence of Muslims Pakistan's interior minister says he will restore access to video-sharing website Youtube in the coming hours, months after it was blocked. Rehman Malik tweeted: "There was a great demand to unblock YouTube... expect the notification today!" The site has been blocked to users in Pakistan since September when excerpts from an anti-Islamic film were posted, sparking protests across the world. Pakistan blocked Youtube in 2008 and 2010 because of sacrilegious content. It reimposed a ban on the site on 17 September following days of protests around the world after a translated version of an amateur film attacking the Prophet Mohammed was posted on an Egyptian website. The original English language version was posted on Youtube in July. Pakistan had reportedly asked Youtube and its parent company, Google, to block access to the video. But Pakistani media reports say Google was unable to comply because it had no formal agreement with Pakistan. Google had earlier said in a statement that the video was "clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube". But the US firm added that "given the very difficult situation" it had restricted access to the video in numerous countries including India, Libya and Egypt, where the protests started. There has been much discontent in Pakistan with the ban, which has also affected Android mobile phone services run by Google. However, it is unclear whether Pakistanis will have unfettered access to YouTube when the site is unblocked. Mr Malik also tweeted: "PTA [Pakistan Telecommunication Authority] is finalising negotiations for acquiring a powerful firewall software to totally block pornographic and blasphemous material."A violent disturbance in Cork city last night has resulted in three people appearing in court today. A violent disturbance in Cork city last night has resulted in three people appearing in court today. Gardai use mace as Cork city row gets out of hand A garda was taken to hospital after he was assaulted while trying to restrain one of those involved in the row in the Knocknaheeny area, on the northside of the city. The officer was taken to CUH - Cork University Hospital - where he was treated for his injuries. He was later discharged. Gardaí had been called to deal with an assault on Harbour View Road. When they tried to intervene, they were attacked by a local mop. Members of the Regional Support Unit and officers from the detective branch rushed to the scene. Mace was used to subdue the crowd and three people were arrested; a 40-year old, his teenage son and a woman in her thirties. All three were detained and brought to Gurranebraher garda station.Dash’s Director of Finance, Ryan Taylor, has been appointed as CEO of the Dash Core Project. Taylor’s responsibilities will include leading organizational growth, maintaining the project vision, and overseeing communications with Dash partners and investors. The London Summit 2017 is coming, get involved! Join the iFX EXPO Asia and discover your gateway to the Asian Markets The appointment comes as Dash Founder Evan Duffield is transitioning to an advisory role. Duffield plans to focus on other projects aimed at expanding Dash’s ecosystem, but will remain available to offer advice and consultation to the Dash Core and its developers. Suggested articles Why Brokerages Outsource Their Broker TechnologyGo to article >> Duffield said, “Since the beginning, my ambition was to create a sustainable and resilient blockchain project without any singular points of failure. Today’s announcement has been in development for many months, and I am proud to have helped Dash become the extraordinary project it is today. For the last several months, daily operations and technology development at Dash Core have been led by now-CEO Ryan Taylor and CTO Andy Freer. Our most recent software upgrade – deployed in February – was developed and released without my hands-on involvement. Thanks to the Dash Core, our developers, advisors, masternode operators and every single user around the world, the upgrade was the smoothest yet.” Taylor has been a key contributor to Dash since mid-2014. Before joining Dash, he was a hedge fund analyst and previously served as an Associate Partner at McKinsey. Taylor commented, “Evan is one of the most gifted minds in blockchain and fintech. He created something that will have a permanent and lasting impact on many people across the world in a rapidly evolving economy. The Dash Core team is committed to ensuring that we follow the grand vision Evan laid for Dash. Today, we have extensive resources in place to deliver that vision. Dash is fast becoming a popular payment option for many thousands of people around the world, and we look forward to announcing further progress in the near future as we create compelling and relevant solutions aimed at everyday people.”Wyden Pushes for Stronger Security in Collection of Personal Information Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pushed a federal panel to recommend that strong data security measures be employed by government agencies collecting and analyzing personal information in an upcoming report to Congress on evidence-based policymaking. In a letter today to the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, Wyden stressed the need to use privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) to protect private data that is collected and stored in government databases. The bipartisan commission was established by Congress in 2016 to recommend ways the government can secure and analyze data to improve public policy. The 15-member panel has held several public meetings over the last year and is expected to issue its recommendations to Congress sometime this fall. “As the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking works to finalize its conclusions and recommendations to Congress, I write to remind the commission that new government databases, even if they are created for well-intended purposes, can both threaten the liberty of Americans and create an irresistible target for criminal hackers and foreign governments,” Wyden wrote to the commission. “For that reason, I strongly urge the commission to recommend that privacy enhancing technologies (PETs), such as secure multi-party computation (MPC) and differential privacy, must be utilized by agencies and organizations that seek to draw public policy related insights from the private data of Americans.” Read the full text of the letter here. ### Related FilesJohn Nicolson’s bizarre outburst will live forever in a hashtag (Picture: Twitter/@AndyMcH) If you ask SNP MP John Nicolson about colleague Angus MacNeil’s sexuality, he’s likely to reply ‘he’s not gay’. In fact, if you ask Mr Nicolson anything whatsoever about Mr MacNeil, he might just respond with the same answer. Or at least that’s our assumption after a brilliantly awkward encounter on Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC Two show. The political journalist begins asking Mr Nicolson a question about Mr MacNeil – but doesn’t get very far before she’s interrupted. He flatly states ‘he’s not, he’s not gay’ – before learning that the question was in fact to do with Mr MacNeil’s expenses. He appears to glance away with regret, perhaps instantly realising that Twitter would soon be abuzz with our new favourite hashtag. Sorry, this video isn't available any more. User Andy McHaffie posted a video of the bizarre conversation, finishing his post with #hesnotgay. Advertisement Advertisement Before long, #hesnotgay was trending across the UK, specifically in Glasgow. Everything about the video is classic, from Mr Nicolson unnecessarily jumping in with the assertion to other guests of the programme’s expressionless watching in the background. But the MP defended himself on Twitter, telling one user: ‘Oh dear. It was a joke. He’s famously not gay.’ This is Angus MacNeil. He is not gay (Picture: Michael Stephens/PA Wire) The encounter in full Victoria Derbyshire: ‘Quickly before we go, as an SNP MP, you’d expect me to ask you about your colleague Angus MacNeil…’ John Nicolson: ‘He’s not, he’s not gay.’ VD: ‘No, it’s not about that, it’s whether he has been using taxpayer-funded expenses for staying in a hotel in London.’Thursday night The New York Times quietly issued a correction online that admitted one of the media’s major talking points about the Russia investigation wasn’t actually true. The correction was discreetly placed on their website under a 5 day-old article on Trump and Russia by Maggie Haberman called “Trump’s Deflections and Denials on Russia Frustrate Even His Allies.” So what did the Times finally admit wasn’t true? That oft-repeated claim that “Seventeen” intelligence agencies assessed that Russia hacked the 2016 presidential election. Here’s what the paper had to say about that: Correction: June 29, 2017 A White House Memo article on Monday about President Trump’s deflections and denials about Russia referred incorrectly to the source of an intelligence assessment that said Russia orchestrated hacking attacks during last year’s presidential election. The assessment was made by four intelligence agencies — the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency. The assessment was not approved by all 17 organizations in the American intelligence community. This correction is a hugely significant admission because this lie was widely propagated for over the past nine months. It was repeated by every major media outlet, on talk show hosts like The View and even by Hillary Clinton during the final presidential debate. This “fact” that the left ran with was the basis of many smug headlines meant to shame those on the right criticizing the media’s use of anonymous sources in the Russia investigation. For example, this USA Today article from October 21, still on their website, says in the headline, “Yes, 17 Intelligence Agencies Really Did Say Russia Was Behind Hacking.” However the Times wasn’t the first on the left to correct this myth. Obama appointee, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper contradicted the media’s narrative when he testified May 8, saying only “three” intelligence agencies actually made this assessment, not 17. For finally admitting months after the fact, that one of their major talking points wasn’t actually true, the paper earned mockery from those on the left on Twitter: Wikileaks: Even the correction is misleading by calling ODNI an intelligence agency. It is an oversight & policy body and does not collect information. — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 29, 2017 The Young Turks’ Michael Tracey:BEIJING: Military force cannot resolve tension over North Korea, China said on Thursday, while an influential Chinese newspaper urged the North to halt its nuclear programme in exchange for Chinese protection. With a U.S. aircraft carrier group steaming to the area and tension rising, South Korea said it believed the United States would consult it before any pre-emptive strike against the North. Fears have been growing that the reclusive North could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test or more missile launches in defiance of U.N. sanctions and stark warnings from the United States that a policy of patience was over. China, North Korea’s sole major ally and benefactor, which nevertheless opposes its weapons programme, has called for talks leading to a peaceful resolution and the denuclearisation of the peninsula. “Military force cannot resolve the issue,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing. “Amid challenge there is opportunity. Amid tensions we will also find a kind of opportunity to return to talks.” While U.S. President Donald Trump has put North Korea on notice that he would not tolerate any provocation, U.S. officials have said his administration was focusing its strategy on tougher economic sanctions. Trump has diverted the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group towards the Korean peninsula, which could take more than a week to arrive, in a show of
send it via TCP/IP. 6. A third-party software component on the client receives the PDF/PCL file. 7. The third-party software on the client invokes the local print process. The client device's local GDI generates an EMF file on the client device. 8. The client device's local printer spooler renders the print job with a locally installed printer driver. 9. The print job is transmitted to the client's printer, just like any print job in a non-Terminal Server environment. Advantages of Universal Print Driver Products • Universal print driver products allow printing to any printer without having to install different drivers on your Terminal Servers. • You don't have to worry about what kind of client printer is used. It can be replaced without having to notify the server administrator. • PDF / PCL files are smaller than raw print jobs, thereby increasing the speed of the printout and lowering the impact on the network. (Furthermore, some of the products compress the PDF/PCL print data.) Disadvantages of Universal Print Driver Products • Print jobs are rendered on the server, which means that the server must spend resources generating the printout. • Since the PDF / PCL documents are fully rendered, any compression that is used affects the quality of the printout. • Printer features are limited to the “lowest common denominator” capabilities of the universal driver. • These products do not work with all printers. Metafile-Based (EMF -Based) Printing Products ThinPrint and triCerat's products fall into the second group of third-party printing products known as “EMF -based” printing products. TriCerat has a product called “ScrewDrivers,” and ThinPrint's product is called “ThinPrint.” EMF -based printing products are technically superior to UPD -based printing products, but they are also more expensive. Both triCerat ScrewDrivers and ThinPrint install a simulated print driver on the server that receives print data from the GDI. This approach is similar to that of UPD -based products. However, unlike those products, these EMF -based products do not render the print job on the server. Instead, they send the device-independent EMF file to the client device. From there, triCerat or ThinPrint client software forwards the EMF print data to the client's print subsystem. The client device renders the print job and sends it to the appropriate printer. Figure 8.8 illustrates this process. Figure 8.8 The third-party EMF -based printing software process 1. The user prints from an application on the Terminal Server. 2. The GDI generates an EMF file. 3. The third-party software component running on the Terminal Server receives that EMF file. 4. The third-party software compresses and transmits the EMF file to the RDP client. It is usually transmitted through a virtual channel of the RDP protocol, although ThinPrint has the additional option to transmit it directly to the client via TCP/IP outside of the RDP protocol. 5. A third-party software component on the client receives the EMF file. 6. The third party software transfers the EMF file to the local print spooler on the client device. 7. The client device's local print spooler spools and renders the print job. 8. The print job is transmitted to the client's printer, just like any print job in a non-Terminal Server environment. Advantages of EMF -Based Printing Software • EMF -based printing software allows printing to any printer without having to install different drivers on your Terminal Servers. • EMF print data is smaller than raw print jobs, thereby increasing the speed of the printout and lowering the impact on the network. • EMF print data is also smaller than PDF / PCL files (used by the UPD -based products). Also, the compression ratio of EMF files is higher than PDF / PCL files. • You don't have to worry about what kind of client printer is used. It can be replaced without having to notify the server administrator. • Since the print job isn't rendered until it hits the client, you can automatically use the full capabilities of your printer. • Since the print jobs are not rendered on the server, you will not experience as large a performance hit in heavy printing environments as compared to UPD -based products. • Documents are printed with 100% of the original quality, since lossless compression is used. Disadvantages of EMF -Based Printing Software • More expensive than universal print driver software. • More complicated than universal driver solutions. Third-Party Solutions for Low Bandwidth Clients Often, Terminal Server environments are designed so that the users are at one location and the Terminal Servers are at another location. This design is preferred in many cases because it's desirable to place the Terminal Servers close to the data sources, usually located at corporate offices. One problem with this architecture is printing. Typically, the location that houses the users has its own print server, as is often the case with remote offices or factory floors, shown in Figure 8.9. Figure 8.9 Terminal Server in a WAN environment The problem with this design is that the WAN is not used efficiently. If client printers are used (see again Figure 8.5), the Terminal Server will spool the entire print job before it's sent across the WAN. Alternately, the printer could be configured as a server printer (see again Figure 8.3). However, with this configuration, the print job would still be spooled on the Terminal Server. Either way, inefficient print traffic is sent across the WAN. The third-party tools outlined previously offer some relief in this scenario as well. The UPD -based tools send the PDF or PCL data to the client, and the client then invokes its local print subsystem and prints the document as normal. The EMF -based solutions send the compressed EMF data to the client, where (again) the client invokes its local print subsystem and prints the document as normal. On the surface, it doesn't appear that there are any problems with the third-party tools as outlined. But what happens if your client device is connected via a low-bandwidth connection? Or if your client device is running on a platform not supported by the products listed previously? Fortunately, there is a solution here as well. Some third-party vendors offer products by which the print information is sent directly to the print server, completely bypassing the client device. (In effect, the print server becomes the third-party software client.) The exact implementation of this process depends on the vendor. UPD -based vendors such as EOL and Qnetix have solutions by which they can send PDF files directly to print servers, and ThinPrint can send EMF print data directly to the print server. The “standard” advantages and disadvantages of UPD -based and EMF -based solutions apply in this scenario also. The EMF-based solution offers better performance and quality at a higher price than the UPD-based solutions. Real World Case Study Dina's Gourmet Food Service Dina's Gourmet has decided to implement Windows 2003 Terminal Servers to provide several core applications for their users. They have 13 office locations and about 950 users. At this point, the project team has taken an inventory of their locations and users. Based on inventory findings, they were able to put together the basic design of their Terminal Server environment. Now all they need to do is figure out how to print. The project team decided that it would be easiest to create a solution based on the type of printing scenario. In looking at their Terminal Server system design, they realized that there were basically four different printing scenarios: • Main Office. There is 1 main office with 550 users and 14 Terminal Servers. All printing is handled by local print servers. • Regional Offices. There are 2 regional offices, each with 150 users and 5 Terminal Servers. All printing is handled by local print servers. However, these users will also need to print from sessions running on Terminal Servers at the main office. • Small Offices. There are 10 small offices, each with 5 to 15 users. These offices do not have local Terminal Servers—all their users run applications off of Terminal Servers at the main office. Each of these small offices has a local file server that doubles as a print server, with a laser printer and a color ink jet printer. • Home Users. There are fifty users that work from their homes. Each has a local printer connected to his laptop computer. The IT department had issued a “Home Office Supported Equipment” list to the departments that listed four different printer models that would be supported. In addition to identifying the different printing scenarios, the project team also created a list of business goals for their Terminal Server printing environment. These goals included the following: • Users should be able to log in anywhere and be able to print. • The printing process cannot be too confusing for the users. • The printing process must work at a reasonable speed. Keeping these three printing goals in mind, the project team decided to address each printing scenario separately, beginning with the main office. The Main Office All of the printers at the main office are standard network printers. Most of the print servers are running Windows 2000. The network printers are fairly standard and all have JetDirect cards. Figure 8.10 Network printers at the Terminal Server location At the main office, users' printers are automatically mapped via their logon scripts. Because the project team wanted the users to have the same environment when they logged onto a Terminal Server as when they logged onto their local workstation, the users will run their standard logon scripts (except for the virus update section which does not run if it detects that the user is logging on from a Terminal Server). Because the printers are configured via logon scripts, there will be no issues configuring printers for different users. Some project team members commented that printing performance would actually be faster when printing from Terminal Server than when printing from workstations since the Terminal Servers are in the data center two racks down from the print servers. Print jobs generated by users on Terminal Servers don't even have to leave the data center. There was only one issue with the network printers at the main office that the project team had to address. That issue dealt with printer drivers and the drivers that need to be installed onto the Terminal Servers. Some project team members wanted to install all of the drivers for all of the printers; other team members thought that only basic, generic drivers should be installed. To fully understand the difference of opinion, let's probe deeper into this issue. Dina Gourmet has eight different types of network printers in their main office. Three-quarters of these are HP LaserJets. The rest are more specialized, such as color printers and dot-matrix printers for multipart forms. Some project team members felt that all of the LaserJet printers should use the same driver, most likely a LaserJet 4 driver. While they might lose some functionality of the more advanced printers, they would not have to support very many drivers. Other team members felt that they could easily support eight different printer drivers. They pointed out that because these were all network printers, there was no chance that non-supported printers would ever be used. There was no risk that they would ultimately have to support hundreds of printer drivers. In the end, this driver issue was escalated all the way up to the CTO. His vision was pretty compelling. He said, “We have already spent a lot of money on fancy printers that can duplex, collate, staple and bind. With our vision of moving everything to a server-based computing model, it seems that Terminal Server will be a key part of our infrastructure for the next few years. For that reason, we should do everything we can to ensure that we are able to realize the full benefits of our printers in the Terminal Server environment.” With that, the project team decided to install all of the native printer drivers on their Windows 2003 Terminal Servers. The Regional Offices Dina Gourmet has two regional offices, each with about 150 users. Most applications that users need to access will be served from local Terminal Servers. However, a few users will need to access some database applications from Terminal Servers located at the main office. In either case, all printers at these regional offices are network printers. The print servers, which are all Windows 2000, are located locally at the regional offices. Figure 8.11 Network printers at the regional offices For the most part, printing in the regional offices mirror the main office, with users receiving their printer mappings via logon scripts. The users running RDP sessions on local Terminal Servers will have extremely fast and reliable access to the printers. The only issue here relates to those users who need to print from applications running on the Terminal Servers located back in the main office. In order to figure out how printing should be configured for them, the project team conducted an interview in order to create a “printer user's profile.” Their questionnaire addressed all printing information that the project team would require to determine the type of printer support needed. The following questions were asked of users to create the printer user's profile: • How many different printers do you use? Why? • Do you use any advanced printer features, such as duplexing, collating, copying, or hole-punching? • Do you print in color? How often? • Do you ever use different paper types or sizes? • Do you have any other special printing needs? • Do you print forms, Word documents, images, or presentations? • Who views your printouts? • How many times per day do you print? • What type of client device do you have? What operating system does it run? • How many pages are usually printed at once? In addition to surveying individual users, the project team also chose to look at the printers that they used and to collect the following information about them: • What is the printer's rated speed, in pages per minute? • How often is the printer used throughout the day? • How is the printer connected to the network? Can it be accessed via an IP address, or must it be accessed via a print server? • What special features does the printer support that might be lost by using alternate generic drivers? How many people use these special features? Remember, as far as the project team was concerned, they were only collecting printer information to evaluate printing options for users at the two regional offices (with local print servers) that had to print from applications running on Terminal Servers located at the main office. The evaluations revealed that only about twenty people from each regional office needed to print from Terminal Servers at the main office. Most of these were using Windows XP workstations, although a few in the Customer Service Department were using HP Evo thin client terminals. Some users needed to print in color, and they did print quite often from their central applications. The printers they used were HP LaserJet 8000N's, and they often printed on both sides of the page. Based on this analysis, and the information that the project team received from their interviews, they built this list of requirements: • Client platforms of Windows XP and Windows CE. • Monochrome and color printing. • High speed. • The printer must support duplexing. The project team determined that a third-party printing software solution was their best choice to meet these requirements. As outlined in Figure xxx, their users would be able to print to any printer without administrator intervention. A third party utility would provide the best overall solution for the regional office users that needed to print from applications running on the main office Terminal Servers. The only real disadvantage to that approach was the fact that the third party tool had to be purchased in addition to their Microsoft software. However, the team figured that increased performance and decreased configuration effort would allow the new software to pay for itself very quickly. The Small Offices All of Dina's ten small offices have local print servers, but all Terminal Server application execution takes place at the main office. Again, because the print server is not located near the Terminal Server, the spooled printer files must be sent from the Terminal Server across the WAN to the print server, which can be time consuming. Figure 8.12 Network printers at remote office locations In this case, the project team was able to quickly make a decision without any disagreement. They decided to use the same third-party printing utility that they will use for the regional offices, allowing the users at those facilities to make full use of their color and laser printers without the need to install any client software on users' workstations. Home Users Finally the project team addressed the printing needs of the home users. The home users all run Terminal Server sessions off the servers at the main office. Almost all of the fifty home users have local printers installed. The printers are connected to their laptop computers via USB or the parallel port. As the project team discussed earlier, the big challenge concerning these users was that no one can be sure of what kind of printers they have. Some team members estimated that there may be as many as thirty different types of printers out there. Figure 8.13 Local printers attached to client devices Fortunately, the printing technology decision for the home users was also easy to make. The project team knew that they were working with these requirements: • Any client computer make and model. • Any operating system. • Any printer make and model. • Extremely slow network connections (dial-up). • No user intervention. All of these requirements naturally lead the team to one solution: third party printer management software. The server component of this software would be installed on each of the Terminal Servers. A client component would be installed on every RDC client device. Once this client software is installed, the Terminal Servers send small, unrendered metafile print jobs to the client. The third party software installed on the client computer renders the print jobs locally, allowing any printer to be used, as shown back in Figure 7.8.Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email A wedding guest died when she was shot in the head during the party. The woman, aged 19 or 20, was in the street when celebratory shots were fired from a procession of cars involved in another wedding. Emergency services treated her at the scene in northern France but she later died in hospital. Fabien Thieme, mayor of the town of Marly, said: "This young woman of 19 to 20 years of age took a buckshot bullet to the head.” “They were driving past but the bullet hit her.” Locals detained a man in his late twenties before he and the 26-year-old driver of the car were arrested by police following Saturday's incident. Prosecutor of Valenciennes, Francois Perain, said: “The suspect took the hunting rifle to fire in the air to ‘add to the atmosphere’.” Casings found in the car suggest the suspect shot the gun, a 12-calibre shotgun, several times as they drove by. It is not the first time tragedy has struck following celebratory gunfire at a wedding party. In 2012 more than 20 than 20 women and children were killed at a wedding in Saudi Arabia after celebratory shots brought down an electric cable.Late in this NFL season, depending on the outcomes of the final two games, the Broncos could have ended up as either the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed or out of the playoffs entirely. And that hasn’t even been the wackiest part of their season. Denver has started two quarterbacks, a future Hall of Famer (Peyton Manning) and his possible successor (Brock Osweiler), and somehow the Broncos didn’t veer off course. Now they’re opening the playoffs against the Steelers, with home-field advantage, for a postseason ride that even Manning has said, “I’d be lying to say I’ve never thought” about it being his last one. For some perspective on the Broncos’ season, we talked to veteran tight end Owen Daniels, a trusted target for both QBs. VRENTAS: You last played the Steelers a month ago, a loss in Pittsburgh after which the Broncos weren’t assured a spot in the playoffs. How critical a juncture was the team at after that game? DANIELS: That game in Pittsburgh was tough for us. We had a great first half and felt like we were really in control, and then a really bad second half put us in a tough spot. Even to get into the playoffs at all, we had to treat the last couple weeks as if we were already in the playoffs, just to try to get to where we wanted to get. It’s a good example of what we have here in terms of how strong we are mentally and able to bounce back from things. That was a tough game, and other teams won that we didn’t want to win, so there was a lot of pressure on us the last couple weeks to get it done. But that was a little bit of a turning point for us. VRENTAS: And the big overtime win against Cincinnati the following week? DANIELS: We were down 14 early in that game, and we only had three possessions in the first half. To be able to bounce back after the tough second half against Pittsburgh and the tough first half we had against Cincy the following week, that gave us a ton of confidence going into the last week and the playoffs. That was huge for us, to be able to refocus. The previous three games before that, we scored zero points in the second half and lost two of those games. So that was big for us in the grand scheme, to be able to have a good second half and put ourselves back in position to win the game. VRENTAS: In a season when we’ve seen backup quarterbacks around the league struggle, the Broncos have won with both Manning and Osweiler. Why has this offense been able to succeed with two quarterbacks? DANIELS: Obviously we all know about Peyton and how good a player he is and has been for a very long time. He did a great job of leading us to victories early in the season and then we dropped two after being 7-0, and then we won some games with Brock and then had another little skid. We’ve been able to bounce back no matter who is in there. This offense is friendly to a backup who has a good feel for the game like Brock has, to be able to step in and match things. And having a great defense on the other side doesn’t hurt, either. VRENTAS: Gary Kubiak has been pretty up front all along about the quarterbacks, saying that Manning would be the starter when he was healthy again, and sticking to that. How much has his guidance helped the team navigate this situation? DANIELS: It could have been a very delicate situation. But he comes to us first and foremost every week and lets us know what the deal is, who is going to be in there and what the whole situation is so we aren’t in the dark. We’re not guessing; we’re not wondering as the week goes along what the plan is. For him to do that is awesome of him. I think him doing that allows us to focus on the game plan and what our individual jobs are, and that helps us deal with the distraction of all those questions you might get asked during the week: Who do you want in there? Who is looking good? Who does this offense function best for? All that stuff that gets asked, it’s pushed to the side just because we established who was the guy every week, so that helped out a ton. VRENTAS: And you especially get asked that a lot because you have played in Kubiak’s offense for 10 seasons—in Houston, Baltimore and now Denver. Is this the same Kubiak offense that you have played in at every stop, or did it change with Peyton vs. Brock? DANIELS: The Kubiak offense I have known for the previous nine years, it seemed like it was a little bit more along those lines with Brock in there, and maybe that’s just because he is a little more mobile so we could run more keepers and stuff with him. When Peyton was dealing with his foot injury, we couldn’t really get him out to do stuff like that. That movement is a big part of our offense, it always has been—or part of Kub’s offense, I should say. But we did implement some of what Peyton had done in the past, what we had done earlier this year with Peyton in there, in terms of the up-tempo stuff. I think that is a great thing to have, to be able to use. We used that to get back into a couple games, the Cincinnati game being one of them, we kind of went back to the up-tempo style. It was good to be able to do both, especially when you are playing up here in the elevation. It is Kub’s offense, but we like to mix some things in there. The more stuff you can do, the more stuff the defense has to prepare for and the more thinly spread they are. THE MMQB PODCAST: WITH ROBERT MAYS AND ANDY BENOIT VRENTAS: Is there an awareness around the team in practice that this could be Peyton’s last postseason, and does that play into the urgency at all? DANIELS: I think we are as urgent as we can be. It’s the playoffs, and I am sure there is a chance, like Peyton said, that it could be the last one. And he could go play more, who knows? He’s not the only one who is in that situation, and there are a lot of guys who haven’t been here, where you win two games and you are in the Super Bowl. We are really excited for the opportunity for what it is, not just because there are some guys who might be at the end of the road. VRENTAS: You’re one of those guys who’s never had a first-round bye, right? DANIELS: It is new. I’ve had to play wild-card weekend the three other times I’ve been in the playoffs, and that was fine, because that was the situation we were in and we were excited about it. But having a bye week, and watching teams beat themselves up a little more while we are getting healthier is a good thing. Sometimes people debate, is it better to keep playing and stay in the rhythm or get some rest? Now having both experiences, getting rest is huge. I am 33, so a week of rest at this point in the season is huge for a guy like me. My experience in the playoffs to this point has been clawing to get in, which we kind of had to do this year, but with the people we had we were able to earn that bye and earn a No. 1 seed. I haven’t had either of those throughout my career. I am looking forward to the opportunity to advance to a round I have never been to before. One win will do that. • WATCH—DENVER’S PLAYOFF KEY: Peter King’s Broncos One-Minute Drill VRENTAS: What was the feeling around the team at the end of the Chargers game in Week 17 when Manning led the comeback? DANIELS: Going into that game, pretty much everyone knew what had happened earlier in the day and that all we needed to do was take care of our business and then the playoffs ran through Denver. That was big to know. Unfortunately, we had a tough first half with turnovers, but having Peyton come in, it was definitely a spark for the team, for the fan base, and for everybody. VRENTAS: Manning has faced a lot of questions this season, both on the field, about his level of play, and off the field, with the Al Jazeera report alleging his link to an HGH supplier. Have you seen him draw any extra motivation as a result? DANIELS: Both Peyton and Brock have done a tremendous job of handling all the questions they have been getting every week about their health and how they have been playing. Those guys being very professional and being able to handle it the way that they did says a lot about them. And I know a lot has been said about Peyton. If he is who I think he is, he hears everything but he doesn’t let everyone know what he hears, and he definitely uses it. Great players use everything that they can as motivation and inspiration. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did get motivated by all the comments that people are talking about all season. I think that’s a good thing for us. VRENTAS: What does going into the playoffs with a guy like Manning do to the confidence of the guys on offense? DANIELS: It’s just an experience factor. You can’t put that on paper; you can’t replicate that. A guy that has been in as many big games as Peyton has, and played in the playoffs as many times as he has, to have that experience on our side is a tremendous confidence builder for us, knowing that there is nothing he hasn’t seen and he is always going to get us in the right play in any situation. That’s how I look at it. VRENTAS: You were on a Ravens team last season that beat the Steelers in the playoffs. Can you draw anything from that? DANIELS: You’ve got to play a complete game, and you have to be disciplined, especially playing against the Steelers’ offense. They always get a bunch of big plays out of scrambles and broken plays; they are tough to stick to, so playing every play through the whistle and carrying that through to the end of the game. I think that is what a lot of people say for any NFL game, but in the playoffs it’s even more important—and against this team it’s even more important. We obviously had a great start against them the last time we played. We didn’t finish, so we know we have to play a full 60 minutes to get it done. • DIVISIONAL-ROUND PREVIEW: Andy Benoit analyzes the weekend’s four matchups VRENTAS: You mentioned Kubiak’s leadership in navigating the team through sticky situations this season. How much do you think it means to him to do that for the Broncos, where he played and coached previously? DANIELS: I don’t think he will ever tell you how much it means to him, but it means a lot. It means a lot to him to be back here as the head coach, with the team he played for and won Super Bowls with as the offensive coordinator. Now he wants to get it done as a head coach. I have a ton of respect for Coach Kub and what he did for the franchise in Houston and what he was able to help us do last year in Baltimore. Now he is back home, so to speak, and I am excited for him that he is in this position and that we have the team that we have. We are trying to get it done for him. VRENTAS: You studied meteorology at Wisconsin, and we all saw the weather play a role in the playoffs last week. What home-field conditions are you hoping for in Denver this postseason? DANIELS: Nothing too cold. Nobody likes playing in cold weather, even cold-weather teams like Minnesota. No one wants to play when it’s that cold. Something that is comfortable enough where you aren’t thinking about how cold it is—30s, 40s is plenty warm enough for us. We’ve got the elevation on our side, so the weather can do whatever it wants. • Question? Comment? Let us know at talkback@themmqb.comThis 1986 AMC Eagle wagon (VIN 2CCCK3873GB700411) is said to be in very nice shape, with some minor nose touch-ups and a little under 33k original miles. Purchased new in South Dakota. the car doesn’t seem to have wandered far in 30 years. Groundbreaking when new, these cars signaled the way for the popularity of today’s 4WD Subaru wagons. Powered by AMC’s ubiquitous 258ci inline-six, loaded with options, well documented and very clean, this might be the nicest one left. Find it here on eBay in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for $21,500 OBO. Special thanks to BaT reader David L. for this submission. Based on the AMC Concord, these cars were introduced for 1980 and production ended under the auspices of Chrysler in 1987. Interestingly, FF Developments of Jensen Interceptor fame built the prototype cars, and when introduced, the Eagle featured independent front suspension, a near 50/50 torque split and impressive ground clearance. Described by the seller as a “piece of jewelry,” they add that it’s just as clean underneath as on top. Looking just as impressive from behind, brown with “woodgrain” and whitewalls with wire-wheel hubcaps are pure 80’s malaise nostalgia for kids who grew up in the decade. Except for the newer Chevy truck in the background, photos could be from a promo shoot. The interior doesn’t disappoint, either. The selectable 4WD switch is located to the left of the steering wheel, and we dig the floating package tray below the dash that also houses the A/C vents. Sure there is lots of vinyl, hard plastic and fake burled wood, but the seats look soft, the carpet appears clean and there are numerous neat details to look at while headed down the road. Under the tailgate, the cargo area shows few signs of hard use with good chrome even on the load floor strips. Those orange on black historical plates are pretty cool, too. It’s easy to forget how cluttered the engine bays of these cars can be, but this one also appears otherwise tidy. The 258ci straight-six was factory rated at 114 HP and a respectable 210 lb-ft. Backing it up is a Chrysler sourced 998 “Torque-Command” 3-speed automatic and a NPG119 transfer case. Considered to be the first modern transfer case, it received input from the rear driveshaft before sending power forward through a Morse Hy-Vo chain. A velocity-sensitive viscous coupling with limited slip was fitted as well, and offered some anti-skid protection by equalizing driveshaft speeds. While nothing specific to running condition is mentioned in the ad, with just under 33k miles it seems likely that this one should drive as good as it looks.Yes this is all done by hand no I did not trace any of it; minimal reference was used, mostly for colorgrab. I was strongly tempted to title this Never Again. That mane. That tail. My poor hand. The fact that I did it all at once (in about 5 hours) really didn't help. SO ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE A PICTURE THAT WAS DRAWN FOR TODAY'S (YESTERDAY'S) EQUESTRIA DAILY CHALLENGE; PONY BEING BLOWN BY THE WIND. AND ONCE AGAIN I FINISHED IT TOO LATE TO ACTUALLY SUBMIT THE DARN THING. I am sensing a pattern here. Maybe some day I'll add a background. When I figure out what exactly I want that background to be, anyway - I have too many ideas right now. Done in Photoshop, at entirely too large a size. So yeah, it's not a vector, it was just drawn stupidly large! EDIT: Holy cow you guys, 135 favorites? This hasn't even been up 24 hours yet! O.O I'm glad you all like it so much! EDIT2: I am still shocked at how much everyone likes this. Thank you for all the favorites and views!- Advertisement - Today was the day that Marvel was going to “shake the comic book industry” with its Legacy reveal. Speculation, excitement, and anxiety consumed the Marvel fan community. After a day full of reveals, Marvel Legacy is mostly a mixed bag of confusion. Seven rounds of reveals across seven different sites delivered nothing but variant covers and the same quote over and over again about “shattering the industry.” One new title was announced, Spirits Of Vengeance. Everything else was simply a variant of a current series returning to legacy numbering. - Advertisement - Marvel publicly stated that art doesn’t sell books, then tried to sell their entire line of books with new homage art. Without any creative teams tied to these books, assuming they’re at all different, what exactly are we supposed to be excited about? I struggle to see the difference between a month’s worth of Legacy variant covers and what they’ve already been doing (Venomverse, Hip-Hop Variants, AoA, etc.). These variants will likely sell but, just like their current sales tactics, it’s not sustainable. Legacy numbering and homage covers are no different than cancelling and rebooting all your titles every year. This can’t be all that Legacy is. Assuming that the content of the covers is actually somewhat related to what’s inside, some of these look pretty great. The X-Men titles in particular look promising (LONGSHOT FTW). We might be getting the first interesting Spider-Man arc in a while with Miles facing off against the Sinister Six. It’s not all bad, but it’s certainly not anywhere enough to win back the readers they so desperately miss. If this were a soft reveal out of nowhere, they would probably have gotten the response they wanted. Instead, after hyping up this earth shattering announcement and delivering almost nothing, it hurts more than helps. For a lot of Marvel diehards, until we see Fantastic Four in some capacity there will be no celebration. The Legacy covers paying homage to FF are a slap in the face to fans of the first family. At the end of the day, we don’t really know much more about Marvel Legacy than we did yesterday. For most of us, our pull lists will likely contain the same amount of Marvel titles this fall. There’s no way they showed all their cards today, no major publisher can be that oblivious to its industry. Expect more from Marvel as Secret Empire comes to a close and we actually get closer to the next era. What do you make of Marvel Legacy? Let us know in the comments below!When most people think about bees, they think about sociable honeybees or large furry bumblebees. However, in the UK alone there are 267 species of bees and over 90% are not social and do not live in colonies. These are called solitary bees. What’s so special about solitary bees? Solitary bees vary considerably in size, appearance and where they choose to nest. Roughly 70% are called mining bees and nest in underground burrows. Bees that nest in houses are called cavity nesting bees. Do not live in colonies, produce honey or have a queen. Do not produce wax to construct the cells inside the nest instead different species use different materials to construct their cells and nests. Drink nectar directly from the flower and spend most of their time collecting pollen which is mixed with a small amount of nectar as food for their young. Are fantastic pollinators: a single red mason bee is equivalent to 120 worker honeybees in the pollination it provides. Do not have pollen baskets for carrying pollen, meaning that each time they visit a flower they lose far more pollen than social bees, which makes them much better pollinators Provide each larvae with everything it needs but they do not tend to the young as
running water or electricity,” and, that as a result, artists should “be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left.” While concerts used to be a loss leader to sell albums, today concerts are a profit center. But there are limits to how much artists can charge their fans for concert tickets because of social pressures. Most people do not want to think of their favorite singer as greedy. There are a lot of great singers to choose from. Would you rather listen to a singer who is committed to social causes you identify with, or one who is only in it for the money? Part of what you are buying when you buy a recording or concert ticket is the image of the performers. The image and the music are intrinsically linked. Some of our greatest artists have also been great champions of important social and economic causes, including George Harrison, Joan Baez and Bono. If artists charge too much for their tickets, they risk losing their appeal. In this sense, the market for rock ‘n roll music is different from the market for commodities, or stocks and bonds. Considerations of fair treatment exert pressure on how much musicians can charge, even superstars. Along these lines, one of my favorite performers, Tom Petty, once said, “I don’t see how carving out the best seats and charging a lot more for them has anything to do with rock & roll.” And artists like Garth Brooks and, more recently, Kid Rock have made a point of charging a low price for all of the seats in the house when they perform. In fact, the best seats for the hottest concerts have historically been underpriced. This is a major reason why there is a market for scalped tickets. But many artists have been reluctant to raise prices to what the market will bear for fear of garnering a reputation of gouging their fans. They also protest when tickets sell for a higher price on the secondary market, and often try to prevent the secondary market entirely. And it is considered scandalous when performers sell tickets on the secondary market themselves. This behavior can only be explained in light of fairness considerations. Singers want to be viewed as treating their fans fairly, rather than charging them what supply and demand dictate. Indeed, you can think of market demand as depending on the perception of fairness. In many respects, concerts could be thought of as a giant block party instead of a traditional market. While it is socially appropriate to charge neighbors some fee for coming to a block party to pay for the provisions, it is inappropriate to charge them enough to make a hefty profit. There is a compact that fans come and bring their enthusiasm and support for the band, and the band charges a reasonable price and puts on a good show. Now, as inequality has increased in society in general, norms of fairness have been under pressure and have evolved. Prices have risen for the best seats at the hottest shows – and made it possible for the best artists to make over $100 million for one tour – but this has come with a backlash from many fans who feel that rock ‘n roll is straying from its roots. And this is a risk to the entire industry. Let me next turn to the role of luck. I said “best artists,” but I also could have added luckiest artists. Luck plays a major role in the rock ‘n roll industry. Success is hard to judge ahead of time, and definitely not guaranteed, even for the best performers. Tastes are fickle, and herd behavior often takes over. Even the experts, with much at stake, have difficulty picking winners. Columbia Records turned down Elvis Presley in 1955 and the Beatles in 1963. They turned down Bob Dylan in 1963, and almost rejected “Like a Rolling Stone” in 1965, which was later named the greatest rock ‘n roll song ever by Rolling Stone magazine. Or consider Sixto Rodriguez, the subject of the documentary movie Searching for Sugar Man. Rodriguez recorded two-and-a-half albums from 1970 to 1975, which were commercial flops. But he was a huge success in South Africa, and his music became the battle hymn of the anti-Apartheid movement. And – amazingly – he was unaware of his fame and influence. Both good and bad luck play a huge role in the rock ‘n roll industry. And the impact of luck is amplified in a superstar economy. This was clearly demonstrated in a fascinating experiment conducted by the sociologists Matt Salganik and Duncan Watts. With the musicians’ permission, the researchers posted 48 songs in an online music library. Subjects were invited to log on to the library and sample the songs, with the opportunity to download the songs for free. Participants could see the list of songs, ranked by the number of times each one had been downloaded up to that point. They could also see the exact download counts, so they were aware of the popularity of each song based on the collective opinions of other participants. From there, the subjects could click on a song to play it, and then were given the option to download the song for free. For the first 750 participants, the researchers faithfully tallied and displayed the number of downloads. However, the subsequent 6,000 participants were randomly – and unknowingly – assigned to one of two alternative universes. In one universe, they continued to see the true download counts. For the other participants, the researchers deviously created an alternative universe where the download counts had been flipped, so that the 48th song was listed as the most popular song, the 47th song was listed as the number two song, and so on. After this one-time inversion in the ranking, the researchers let the download tallies grow on their own. They wanted to see if the cream would rise to the top, or if the boost in ranking that the worst song received would lead it to become popular. Here’s what happened in the world where the download counts were presented accurately. By the end of the experiment, the top song (“She Said” by Parker Theory) had been downloaded over 500 times, while the least popular song (“Florence” by Post Break Tragedy) had been downloaded just 29 times – so the natural outcome of the experiment was that the most popular song was nearly 20 times more popular than the least popular song. Now let’s see what happened when the download counts were flipped, so that the new participants thought the least popular song was actually the most popular. As you can see, the download count for the least popular song grew much more quickly when it was artificially placed at the top of the list. And the download count for the most popular song grew much more slowly when it was artificially placed at the bottom of the list. In the alternative world that began with the true rankings reversed, the least popular song did surprisingly well, and, in fact, held onto its artificially bestowed top ranking. The most popular song rose in the rankings, so fundamental quality did have some effect. But, overall – across all 48 songs – the final ranking from the experiment that began with the reversed popularity ordering bore absolutely no relationship to the final ranking from the experiment that began with the true ordering. This demonstrates that the belief that a song is popular has a profound effect on its popularity, even if it wasn’t truly popular to start with. A more general lesson is that, in addition to talent, arbitrary factors can lead to success or failure, like whether another band happens to release a more popular song than your band at the same time. The difference between a Sugar Man, a Dylan and a Post Break Tragedy depends a lot more on luck than is commonly acknowledged. Decent Wages Let me next turn to the economy more generally. The same forces of technology, scale, luck and the erosion of social pressures for fairness that are making rock ‘n roll more of a superstar industry also are causing the U.S. economy to become more of a winner-take-all affair. The effects of technological change and globalization on inequality have been well documented in the past. It is abundantly clear that computer and information technology has revolutionized the way work is done in the U.S. In 1984, less than a quarter of workers directly used a computer on their job. Today, nearly two thirds of workers directly touch a keyboard at work, and millions of others have had their jobs altered by embedded computers and information technology. Computer and information technology has reduced the demand for jobs that can be routinized, and increased the demand for highly educated workers who can use the technology to increase their productivity The U.S. economy has also become much more integrated with the world economy in recent decades. While exports and imports made up only 11 percent of GDP in 1970, they made up 31 percent last year. You see signs of globalization everywhere: for example, American bands tour much more internationally today than they used to. A more globally connected economy increases the reach of successful entrepreneurs and artists, but also brings many more low-wage workers into competition with our workforce. These developments have contributed to some of the momentous changes we have seen in the U.S. economy. This chart shows the share of total income going to the top 1% of families starting in 1920. During the Roaring ‘20s inequality was very high, with the top 1% taking in nearly 20% of total income. This remained the case until World War II. Price and wage controls and the patriotic spirit that “we’re all in it together” during World War II caused inequality to fall. Interestingly, the compression in income gaps brought about by World War II persisted through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Beginning in the 1980s, however, inequality rose significantly in the U.S., with the share of income accruing to the top 1% rising to heights last seen in the Roaring ‘20s. After World War II, a social compact ensured that workers received a fair share of the gains of economic growth. This was enforced by labor unions, progressive taxation, a minimum wage that increased in value, anti-discrimination legislation and expanding educational opportunities. This social compact was good for business and good for the economy. But the social compact began to fray in the 1980s. You can see from the following chart that wages of production and nonsupervisory workers moved pretty much in lockstep with productivity until the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, however, labor compensation has failed to keep pace with productivity growth, and this has put stress on middle class workers. The next two charts show what has happened to income growth in other parts of the distribution.The charts show average annual income growth for families broken down to whether they are in the poorest fifth, second poorest fifth, and so on. First look at the post-war period through 1979. All segments grew together. But since 1979, the top has done better than the middle – which has barely grown over three decades – and those in the bottom have done even worse, with real income declining. An astonishing 84 percent of total income growth from 1979 to 2011 went to the top 1 percent of families, and more than 100 percent of it from 2000 to 2007 went to the top 1 percent. These trends are driven by a pulling apart of wages, with much faster wage growth for the highest income earners over the last three decades, and wages barely keeping pace with inflation or falling behind for everyone else. Now the forces that brought about these changes were not unique to the U.S., but they have had a more dramatic effect in the U.S. Consider the following chart again with other countries added. Inequality has followed a broadly similar trend in the U.K., France and Sweden, for example. But notice that the level of inequality varies considerably across these countries, and the rise in the share going to the top 1% varies considerably as well. In Sweden, for example, the share of income brought home by the top 1% rose just 3 percentage points, from 4% in 1980 to 7% in 2011, while in the U.S. it doubled from 10% to 20%. The widely differing responses to globalization and technological change suggest that other factors mediate these forces. This brings me to discuss the role of luck, education and institutions that ensure that prosperity is broadly shared. Globalization and technological change have increased the payoff to completing more education. Countries that have expanded access to education have weathered the polarizing effects of technological change and globalization to a better extent. To demonstrate the economic benefit of education, I’ll describe a study that a colleague and I conducted not very far from here, in Twinsburg, OH. For four summers in a row in the 1990s, we went to the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg. We interviewed identical twins about their education and their incomes. We were particularly interested in knowing whether a twin who had more education than his sibling also had higher income. The following graph shows the difference in wage rates and years of education between pairs of twins. You can see that, on average, twins with higher education tend to earn more than their other half with less education. On average, we find that completing four more years of education is associated with 60 percent higher wages. This and other studies demonstrate that education has a high payoff, on average. But, as we saw in the rock ‘n roll industry, luck also matters. Consider identical twins with the same level of education. They were raised by the same family, under the same roof, and typically were dressed alike and went to the same school. They are as alike as two peas in a pod. Yet in most cases they have very different economic outcomes as adults. Earnings differed by 25% or more for pairs of identical twins in half of our sample. And earnings differed by more than 50% in a quarter of identical twins with identical school levels. These discrepancies for such similar workers suggest that luck is an important factor in the labor market, as well as in the music industry. As in the music industry, the effect of luck is amplified in a winner-take-all economy. Consider the pay of CEO’s. The pay of top executives relative to their workers has soared since the 1980s. In 1965 the average CEO earned about 18 times as much as the average worker; now the average CEO earns over 200 times as much. As in Alfred Marshall’s time, successful executives can now command undertakings on a much vaster scale. This undoubtedly has played a role. But luck and an erosion of norms of fairness have also boosted CEO pay in many cases. For example, Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan show that the compensation paid to CEO’s of oil companies jumps when the price of oil rises. Since the price of oil is set on a world market, with gyrations caused by geopolitical forces well beyond the control of CEO’s, movements in the price of oil have nothing to do with their job performance. Yet they benefit when the price of oil rises. Next, let me consider the role that fairness plays in the economy. We already saw that social pressures for fairness affect the concert industry. Workers, like music fans, expect to be treated fairly, and if they perceive they are paid unfairly their morale and productivity suffer. To examine the role of fairness at the workplace, in a recent experiment Ernst Fehr and coauthors randomly varied the pay of members of pairs of workers who were hired to sell membership cards to discotheques in Germany. Obviously, it is not fair if, by luck of the draw, your pay is lower than that of your co-worker who was hired to do the exact same job. They found that increasing the disparity in pay between pairs of workers decreased the productivity of the two workers combined. Their findings suggest that a more equal distribution of wages would be good for business because it would raise morale and productivity. This conclusion is reinforced by fascinating new research by Alex Edmans of Wharton. Edmans finds that when a company makes the list of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” its stock market value subsequently rises by 2 to 4 percent per year. Because employee morale suggests that treating workers fairly is in shareholders’ interests. Unfortunately, too many executives have strayed from this ethic, to the detriment of their shareholders and the economy. The notion that profitable companies should share some of their success with their workforce used to be ingrained in U.S. companies. Earlier studies have found that companies and industries that are profitable tend to pay all of their workers relatively well, the managers as well as the janitors. In economics we call this “rent sharing”. While this is still the case, the practice has been eroded. The following chart shows the relationship between the average pay of managers and janitors across industries in the 2000s. The correlation is 0.7, indicating that pay is higher for janitors in industries where managers are relatively well paid. If the same analysis is done using data for 1980s, however, the correlation is higher (0.8), indicating that there used to be a stronger tendency for janitors’ pay to move together with that of managers in their industry. This suggests that companies are less likely to share their profits with all workers. It is not hard to find reasons why the institutions and practices that long enforced norms of fairness in the labor market have been eroded. At a time when market forces were pushing an increasing share of before-tax income toward the wealthiest Americans, the previous administration cut taxes disproportionately for the well off. Even earlier, in the 1980s when inequality was starting to take off, the nominal value of the minimum wage was left unchanged from 1981 to 1989, causing it to decline in the value by 27 percent after accounting for inflation. The minimum wage serves as an important anchor for other wages, and the whole wage scale was brought down by the decline in the minimum wage. A lower minimum wage and regressive tax changes sent a clear signal that maintaining fairness was not a priority. And policies and tactics that undermined the ability of workers’ to join unions and exercise their right to collectively bargain weakened a critical institution that has long fought for fairness in the labor market, and served to strengthen the middle class, both for union members and nonmembers. Consequences While we rightly celebrate the achievements of those who have been able to scale new heights of success in our economy, the shift toward becoming more of a winner-take-all economy has also had a number of adverse consequences for the U.S. economy that merit great concern. I’ll highlight three. First, the three-decades’ long stagnation in real income for the bottom half of families threatens our long cherished goal of equality of opportunity. In a winner-take-all society, children born to disadvantaged circumstances have much longer odds of climbing the economic ladder of success. Indeed, research has found that countries that have a high degree of inequality also tend to have less economic mobility across generations. This is shown in the next chart, which displays a plot of the degree of income mobility across generations in a country on the Y-axis (the intergenerational income elasticity) against a measure of the extent of inequality in that country in the mid-1980s (the Gini coefficient for after-tax income) on the X-axis. A little over a year ago, I called this relationship “the Great Gatsby curve,” because F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel highlighted the inequality of the Roaring ‘20s and class distinctions – I had no idea they would remake the movie as a result! Each point in the graph represents a country. Higher values along the X-axis reflect greater inequality in family resources roughly around the time that the children were growing up. Higher values on the Y-axis indicate a lower degree of economic mobility across generations. The points cluster around an upward sloping line, indicating that countries that had more inequality across households also had more persistence in income from one generation to the next. Note that the U.S. is on the upper right of the line, indicating that we have both high inequality and low mobility. The rise in inequality since the 1980s is likely to move us further out on the Great Gatsby Curve. Quantitatively, the persistence in the advantages and disadvantages of income passed from parents to children is predicted to rise by about one quarter for the next generation as a result of the rise in inequality that the U.S. has experienced over the last 25 years. We are already seeing a growing gap in the enrichment activities provided to children born to higher and lower income families. This next chart shows that since the 1970s expenditures on educated-related activities – including music and art lessons, books and tutoring – have been growing for children in families in the top 20 percent of income earners, but stagnant for children in the bottom 20 percent. And the following chart shows that there is a growing gap between the top and bottom in participation in extracurricular activities at school. And there is also a widening gap in participation in music, dance and art outside of school. Children of wealthy parents already have much more access to opportunities to succeed than do children of poor parents, and this is likely to be increasingly the case in the future unless we ensure that all children have access to quality education, health care, a safe environment and other opportunities that are necessary to have a fair shot at economic success. There is a significant cost to the economy and society if children from low-income families do not have anything close to the opportunities to develop and apply their talents as their more fortunate counterparts from better-off families, who can attend better schools, receive college prep tutoring, and draw on a network of family connections in the job market. Diverse observers from Raghuram Rajan of the University of Chicago to Robert Reich of Berkeley have suggested a second way in which rising inequality and slow income growth for the vast middle class have harmed the U.S. economy – namely, by encouraging families to borrow to try to maintain consumption, a practice which cannot go on forever, and by reducing aggregate consumption. As a result of the rise in inequality, the amount of income going to the top 1 percent of American families has increased by about $1 trillion on an annual basis. Because the middle class has a higher propensity to spend their income than the top 1 percent, this curbs consumption. An increasingly top-heavy distribution of income is a drag on aggregate demand and economic growth, and a contributing factor to credit bubbles. President Obama made this point very clearly in a speech in Osawatomie, Kansas: “When middle class families can no longer afford to buy the goods and services that businesses are selling, it drags down the entire economy, from top to bottom.” Third, an active line of research examines the connection between inequality and longer term economic growth. In a seminal study, Torsten Persson and Guido Tabellini found that in a society where income inequality is greater, political decisions are likely to result in policies that lead to less growth. A recent IMF paper also finds that more equality in the income distribution is associated with more stable economic growth. Historically, a growing middle class has led to new markets, supported economic growth and built stronger communities. Growing the Economy from the Middle Out In this year’s State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.” He went on to outline a robust set of proposals to grow the economy from the middle out, by creating more middle class jobs and opportunities for those who are struggling to make it to the middle class. I’ll conclude by explaining why the President’s agenda makes so much sense for our economy. This slide summarizes key elements of the President’s proposals to rebuild the middle class. First, we need to provide ladders of opportunity so we can fully utilize and develop the talents of everyone in our country. One example of such a policy is pre-school education. Much research has found that high quality pre-school pays for itself many times over down the road. All children should have access to a safe learning environment. Second, the only force stronger than globalization is the strength of community. There are synergies within local areas. There is the reason why tech companies agglomerate in Silicon Valley or movie producers in Hollywood. And it is why Motown produced so much great music. There can be positive spillovers within communities. Research by the economist Enrico Moretti, for example, shows that high school graduates benefit when the number of college graduates rise in an area. The Obama Administration is committed to revitalizing distressed communities. The President’s Budget proposed to designate 20 of the communities hardest hit by the recession as “Promise Zones”. These “Promise Zones” will benefit from coordinated federal support to reduce crime, build more affordable housing, revamp schools, and attract private investment. Third, the landmark Affordable Care Act expands access to health insurance coverage by providing subsidies for low- and moderate-income families, creates more competition and transparency in the insurance market, and gives providers and insurers new incentives to keep costs down. Fourth, to restore fairness to our economy, President Obama has proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour and indexing it so it rises with inflation. This would bring the real value of the minimum wage back to where it was in 1981. Government actions and the use of the bully pulpit can also strengthen norms of fairness when it comes to private sector pay. As part of the Wall Street Reform Act, for example, the President signed legislation that requires a nonbinding shareholder vote on the pay of top executives at public companies, called “Say-on-Pay”. About 3 percent of companies had shareholders vote against executive pay packages in Say-on-Pay votes in 2012. Although this may seem small, there were some very consequential and newsworthy negative votes, including at Citigroup and Hewlett-Packard. About one in four of the companies that lost Say-on-Pay votes in 2011 subsequently replaced their CEO. Moreover, the fact that pay packages must now be aired in front of shareholders should cause at least some compensation committees to moderate their proposals. President Obama has also proposed limiting the pay of federal contractors to the same salary received by the President himself, which was $400,000 this year (before he voluntarily returned 5% of his salary to the Treasury out of sympathy for federal workers who were forced to take pay cuts due to furloughs under the budget sequester). The current rules governing pay for federal contractors permits top managers at these firms to be reimbursed in line with the pay of top private sector CEOs. The contractor reimbursement level has skyrocketed by more than 300 percent since the mid-1990s, and the top rate is slated to rise from $763,000 to $950,000 this year if action is not taken. This proposal not only reduces waste and inefficiency in government, but also represents another step towards strengthening norms of fairness in pay setting. In addition, the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which passed at the beginning of this year and allows tax rates on the top 2% of income earners to return to where they were in the Clinton years, restores more fairness to our tax code, while maintaining tax breaks for middle class families. The manufacturing and construction industries were hit particularly hard by the Great Recession, and manufacturing languished before the recession. These industries provide relatively many middle class jobs, especially for workers with less than a college degree. To revitalize manufacturing, the President has proposed to create Institutes of Manufacturing Innovation, and one has already been launched in Youngstown, Ohio. He has also proposed investing more in our infrastructure. It makes tremendous economic sense to repair and rebuild our roads and highways, ports and airports, when unemployment is high in the construction sector and interest rates are low. This would put more people back to work today and improve our competitiveness tomorrow. Finally, all of these President’s proposals were made in the context of a sustainable federal budget. The budget is a means to an end, not an end in itself. President Obama has insisted on a balanced approach to deficit reduction that closes loopholes for the well-off and well-connected and addresses our long-run entitlement problems, while protecting the middle class and making key investments in infrastructure and research and development, which will raise our living standards in the future. We should not expect problems that have built up over decades to be solved overnight, but the President’s proposal would put us on a path to rebuild the middle class. Conclusion One of my predecessors as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Arthur Okun, wrote an influential book called, Equality and Efficiency: The Big Tradeoff. Okun argued that policies that increase equality often reduce efficiency. But given the dramatic rise in inequality in the U.S. over the past three decades, we have reached the point where inequality is hurting the economy. Today, a reduction in inequality would be good for efficiency, economic growth and stability. Growing the economy from the middle out is not only an economic necessity; it is also a national imperative. Our system of government as well as our economy work better when we have a rising, thriving middle class, with broad common interests. The expanding middle class in the post-war period was a defining experience for our country. Just like music, this shared growth and prosperity helped bring the nation together. President Obama captured the changes sweeping our economy well when he said, “The world is faster and the playing field is larger and the challenges are more complex. But what hasn’t changed – what can never change – are the values that got us this far. We still have a stake in each other’s success. We still believe that this should be a place where you can make it if you try. And we still believe, in the words of … [Theodore Roosevelt that] ‘The fundamental rule of our national life, the rule which underlies all others – is that, on the whole, and in the long run, we shall go up or down together.’” And I agree with the President that America is still on the way up.Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed offstage by the Secret Service during a rally in Nevada Saturday night, but returned within minutes. Moments ago: @realDonaldTrump was rushed off stage after a security incident at his Nevada rally, he returned moments later. pic.twitter.com/bG8iVtwkPr — Fox News (@FoxNews) November 6, 2016 The agency said in a statement that Trump was removed from the stage at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center after someone shouted "Gun!", causing a commotion. The Secret Service said that one person was apprehended and no weapon was found after a search of the surrounding area. KRXI reported that one man holding a "Republicans Against Trump" sign was briefly detained and was later released from custody. The man identified himself as Austyn Crites, 33, of Reno. In an interview with the Guardian, Crites described himself as a Republican and a conservative who was opposed to a possible Trump presidency. A source told Fox News that someone in the crowd saw another attendee reach around his back and toward his waistband. The first person shouted "Gun!" several times, sparking panic right in front of the stage where Trump was speaking. Two Secret Service agents quickly surrounded Trump before hustling him off the stage. Trump returned moments later and told the crowd," "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us. But we will never be stopped. Never, ever be stopped." Witness David Newton told the Reno Gazette-Journal that the man holding the sign was trying to get closer to the stage just before the disturbance. "He had something on his belly. I don’t know what it was,” Newton told the paper. “Somebody yelled 'gun' and everyone jumped on him. My friend put his knee on his head, but he kept getting up.” Crites confirmed witness accounts that he was moving toward the crowd toward the stage, but denied that he was aggressive or rude. He told the Guardian the sign was initially greeted with boos, but then "people next to me [started] to get violent; they’re grabbing at my arm, trying to rip the sign out of my hand." Crites went on to claim that members of the crowd kicked and punched him, while at least one person grabbed his testicles. He said he was relieved when authorities put him in handcuffs and escorted him from the arena. "The people who attacked me – I’m not blaming them," Crites said. I’m blaming Donald Trump’s hate rhetoric." The man went on to call Trump a "facist" and a "dictator." After the incident, Trump's son, Donald Jr. and top campaign aide Dan Scavino falsely claimed that there had been an "assassination attempt" against the candidate, even though no weapon was found. Both men re-tweeted a message that read, "Hillary ran away from rain today [at a rally in Florida]. Trump is back on stage minutes after assassination attempt." At Trump's next rally in Denver, a pastor, introduced as Father Andre Y-Sebastian Mahanna, also falsely called the Reno incident "an attempt of murder against Mr. Trump." Mahanna blamed the incident on the media for inciting hate against the Republican nominee. The Secret Service statement noted that magnetometers are used at presidential campaign sites. "All general public attending these events must go through a magnetometer screening prior to entering a protected area," the agency said. Fox News' John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.The 2006–07 Los Angeles Kings season was the 40th season (39th season of play) for the National Hockey League franchise. This season marked the beginning of a rebuilding phase, as the team hired Marc Crawford as their new head coach, the former general manager of the San Jose Sharks, Dean Lombardi, as their new GM, former NHL goaltenders Ron Hextall as assistant GM (and GM of their AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs), and Bill Ranford as goaltending coach. Their first big move came when they acquired rookie prospect Patrick O'Sullivan, along with a 2006 first-round draft pick (Trevor Lewis), from the Minnesota Wild for forward Pavol Demitra on June 24, 2006.[1] But the biggest move of the off-season for the Kings was acquiring goaltender Dan Cloutier from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2007 second-round draft pick and a 2009 conditional draft pick on July 5, 2006.[2] He was then named the team's starting goaltender ahead of Mathieu Garon, whom many fans expected to be their number-one goaltender. Before the season got underway, he was signed to a two-year contract, expecting a great performance from the former Canuck. However, at the end of December, Dan Cloutier was last in save percentage and goals against average (GAA) amongst NHL goaltenders who have played at least 12 games. Injuries to both Garon and Cloutier in January prompted the Kings to recall Yutaka Fukufuji as an emergency goaltender, who made his NHL debut on January 13 against the St. Louis Blues, becoming the first Japanese-born player in NHL history.[3] On January 18, prior to a home game against St. Louis, the Kings claimed goaltender Sean Burke off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Burke would be the fifth goaltender to play for the Kings during the season (after Cloutier, Garon, Barry Brust and Fukufuji). This marked the first time the Kings have had at least five goaltenders appear during one season since the 2000–01 season (Jamie Storr, Felix Potvin, Steve Passmore, Stephane Fiset and Travis Scott). On January 20, 2007, prior to a night-game against the Phoenix Coyotes, the Los Angeles Kings officially retired Luc Robitaille's number 20 sweater. This makes him the fifth player to have his number retired by the Los Angeles Kings, along with Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Wayne Gretzky. Regular season [ edit ] The Kings struggled on the penalty kill, finishing the regular season 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 77.86%.[4] Season standings [ edit ] Pacific Division No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts 1 2 Anaheim Ducks 82 48 20 14 258 208 110 2 5 San Jose Sharks 82 51 26 5 258 199 107 3 6 Dallas Stars 82 50 25 7 226 197 107 4 14 Los Angeles Kings 82 27 41 14 227 283 68 5 15 Phoenix Coyotes 82 31 46 5 216 284 67 Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs. Schedule and results [ edit ] October [ edit ] # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Attendance Record Pts 1 October 6 @ Ducks 3 – 4 Cloutier 17,174 0–1–0 0 2 October 7 Blues 1 – 4 Garon 18,118 1–1–0 2 3 October 10 Islanders 2 – 4 Cloutier 14,394 2–1–0 4 4 October 12 Stars 4 – 1 Cloutier 14,167 2–2–0 4 5 October 14 Stars 4 – 1 Garon 17,052 2–3–0 4 6 October 16 Red Wings 3 – 1 Cloutier 17,417 2–4–0 4 7 October 18 Wild 1 – 2 OT Cloutier 14,617 2–4–1 5 8 October 19 @ Coyotes 4 – 0 Garon 12,714 3–4–1 7 9 October 22 Ducks 3 – 2 SO Garon 18,118 3–4–2 8 10 October 23 @ Avalanche 1 – 6 Cloutier 17,284 3–5–2 8 11 October 25 @ Wild 1 – 3 Cloutier 18,568 3–6–2 8 12 October 27 @ Blue Jackets 0 – 2 Cloutier 16,087 3–7–2 8 13 October 28 @ Stars 2 – 3 Garon 17,711 3–8–2 8 14 October 30 Rangers 1 – 4 Garon 17,236 4–8–2 10 November [ edit ] # Date Opponent Score OT Decision Attendance Record Pts 15 November 1 Penguins 4 – 3 OT Cloutier 18,118 4–8–3 11 16 November 4 @ Coyotes 4 – 6 Garon 14,631 4–9–3 11 17 November 7 @ Avalanche 6 – 5 Cloutier 17,196 5–9–3 13 18 November 9 Sharks 7 – 3 Garon
was like a younger Sophia Loren." Advertisement: That this existed, even in their home of New York City, came as a shock. "Call us naive, or call us normal, I'm not sure which, but we had never thought about a scene like that one," they write. Once they saw it, they couldn't un-see it -- or stop talking about it. In fact, the next morning, they were already discussing how they would give swinging a try. "Just by dumb luck we had stumbled across the party that was going to change our lives forever. That evening was the start of an adventure that's evolved and transformed our world for eight years now, with no sign of letting up or slowing down." In fact, they refer to that fateful night as the "Great Awakening." The Kidds spoke with Salon about how to conquer jealousy, why women usually drive the decision to swing and how the whole scene is actually pretty vanilla. Tell me about the first time you went to a swinging party — you ended up there somewhat by accident. Christy: It was a New Year's Eve party; we thought it was actually a regular party, and we just wanted to do something for the holiday. We ended up at this loft in midtown. Everything was normal in the party, people were just walking around and whatnot, and we were almost ready to leave the party when I noticed a curtain with a guard in front of it. Mark had gone to the restroom, and I approached the guard and he wouldn't let me go in without the person I came with. I didn't know what that meant at the time. So as soon as Mark came back, we went up to the curtain and he opened it for us and we saw this crazy, completely opposite of what we were seeing on the outside, it was completely crazy with wall-to-wall people, mattresses on the floor, people were having sex and doing all kinds of crazy things. Mark: Like Christy was saying, it's definitely not something we expected. We didn't even know this existed. I had no idea people did this kind of thing in public. You must have heard of swinging before, but you didn't know that it happened in that public way? Advertisement: Mark: We had heard of it, but it was a general idea that we kind of knew nothing about. My idea of it was maybe 1970s notion of hot tubs and stuff. Just seeing normal people having sex and trading partners and having orgies, it was really incredible. How did you feel seeing this? Mark: It was a powerful experience for me. Christy: For both of us. It was initial shock, of course, because we didn't expect that to be behind the curtain, and intriguing as well. People were watching, it wasn't just people having sex. It was a totally a turn-on to see this happening before your eyes. Advertisement: Mark: It was a very powerful experience. We were captivated by it. We had to sit down. We both felt compelled to watch instead of running away. It started the conversation. The conversation the next day was inevitable. We had to explore this. How did you end up talking about it the next day? Mark: We first were completely fired up sexually. Because it was so visceral, our reaction to it all, we felt like we had to explore it. I think the conversation was that we couldn't stop thinking about it. And we both felt like we had to figure it out, we had to see what this was all about. Advertisement: How did you decide to actually try it out? Mark: We started on the Internet, because that was the most obvious starting place. That led us to meeting all kinds of crazy characters. Christy: We just Googled "swingers" and found AdultFriendFinder.com. Tell me about the first swinging experience you had. Advertisement: Mark: We toyed with it for almost a year before we were finally successful with it. We met one couple we were trying to get to know and the chemistry seemed good so we met them at a motel and it was just awkward. They brought a bag of sex toys. It just didn't work. So we ended up leaving. Christy: We didn't know what we were doing and we weren't ready to dive into the notion of swapping. We were still newbies and amateurish, and the couple we met had been in the lifestyle for a while. When we met them at the bar, they seemed normal, the chemistry was there. So then we met up with them at a motel -- a motel motel -- and had dinner in the room. It had a kitchenette. Mark: The four of us were eating at a dinette under a very bright light. There was lots of forks clinking on the plates. Christy: It was awkward. We started talking and everything and the girl brings out a roller bag full of sex toys. We weren't prepared for that. We ended up mutually leaving and deciding to meet up again, which was another failed attempt. Advertisement: Mark: There were a lot of missteps. Some of it was my fault. My jealousies had control over me. I couldn't get past the thought of Christy having sex with someone. I knew I wanted to pursue this, I just couldn't get past it for like a year. Finally after all those couples and experiences, we found the sex club that worked for us. Why did you decide to push through those feelings of jealousy? It seems like such a challenge. Mark: We really felt compelled to conquer this whole thing. Christy: We saw at that first party that people were having fun. It was a very joyful environment and we were like, "Why are we having all of these missteps?" Obviously we weren't to that point yet. Advertisement: Mark: What was really transitional for us in this learning process was one couple we met that essentially served as our mentor couple. They were really a free-spirited, Brooklyn-cool kind of couple that showed us how to have fun with it and take the personal out of it. Do you feel like you've conquered jealously? Christy: Not completely. Jealously is a human reaction and feeling. We've learned over time that you separate your feelings and personal live from sex. Sex is sex. Mark: I would say I've overcome 80 percent of my jealousies. I really have. In my previous relationships in college, jealousy was such an issue for me. Now it's not so much. I have that so much more in check. Advertisement: How do you overcome jealousy? Christy: We started on this journey together and have a very open line of communication, we're honest with each other, we talk through things. It's a mutual decision. We do everything together. By having that dialogue and doing this together has made us not as jealous because of the trust and honesty that we have. Mark: Sex in and of itself is not that big of a deal. In the book we talk about a two-year committed relationship that we ended up developing with another couple. I would get jealous of the relationship that Christy had with Brett and it had nothing to do with sex. Christy: Not everyone can do that. But we've just learned and kind of separate the two. Advertisement: Tell me about that committed relationship to another couple. Basically, we had been doing this for a while. Once when we were visiting Texas, we decided to meet up with an old high school friend-of-a-friend and his wife. There was some chemistry there when we were out one night having drinks and we approached them and they were kind of into the idea, so during that vacation we ended up all getting together. It turned into them coming to New York to visit us; we'd go down to Austin to stay with them and it evolved further as Christy and Brett developed their relationship and Terry and I developed ours. Christy: We would start doing things on our own as other couples, Brett and myself and Terry and Mark. And as a couple they would come visit us and bring their daughter. Every couple of months we would see each other. It got very intimate very quickly. Sounds like it could get very emotionally complicated. Advertisement: Christy: Very much so. Brett and I were very similar in the things that we liked to do. The same was true of Terry and Mark. I guess what Terry wasn't interested in, I was. So it complemented each other's couples. That's where some of the jealousy comes into play. When Mark sees a DVD of me and Brett skydiving he couldn't watch it because it was too much, it was something that Mark wouldn't do but that I always wanted to do. It was very difficult because it was not just sex anymore. How did that relationship end? Mark: Sadly, it ended with them getting a divorce. Unbeknownst to us they were having marriage problems in the beginning. They were using this lifestyle to improve their marriage, which is a big-time mistake. You mention in the book that it's pretty common for people to use swinging as a last-ditch effort to save a marriage. Do you think that ever works? Mark: I don't think so. I think it would make it worse. If you have a good relationship, it could make it really great. But if there's cracks in it it could really mess it up. What sort of boundaries do you guys have? Mark: First and foremost, we don't do it too often. We don't go to sex clubs or house parties more than once a month. We keep it light. Although we like to become intimate one on one with other couples, we don't communicate with them on the side. What was your sex life like before swinging? Mark: It was good. Christy: We've never had a problem or had any kind of disinterest in each other. This was just an added element that sparked a different flame. And it made us closer. Mark: There was never a deficiency, but it made it even better. What's the biggest misconception that you had about the swinging world? Christy: It's not any certain class of people. Mark: That's a big thing. You would think it might be all cool, edgy and good-looking people, but it's normal people. It's not just people tatted up for something like that. Christy: We've met AIDS scientists -- Mark: Nannies, teachers -- Christy: Casino owners -- Mark: Republicans, Democrats, lawyers -- Christy: This lifestyle has what we call a social equalizer. It doesn't matter where you're from, what you do -- Mark: Your status in life or anything. Everyone is equalized. Once their clothes are off, everyone's the same. We've been to parties where there are millionaires there, but everyone's the same. Christy: Also, it's interesting to note that women drive this process more than men. Mark: To the tune of 80 to 90 percent, I think. Why do you think? Christy: A couple reasons. Women want to spice up their sex life and so, of course, if they express interest in it, I don't think a man would say no to it. Mark: I think men are the more insecure and jealous of the two. It's usually the men that can't handle it. Christy: The woman will initiate this and the man will totally be on board, but when they get into an actual swinging situation the men are the ones that actually back out. Christy: One of the other misconceptions we want to dispel: Fetishes are completely different than swinging. Mark: This world is pretty vanilla. It's pretty standard sex, it's just partners trading with each other.perry anderson INCOMMENSURATE RUSSIA It will soon be a quarter of a century since Russia left communism behind. Its present ruler has been in power for fifteen years, and by the end of his current term in office will have all but equalled the tenure of Brezhnev. From early on, Western opinion of his regime divided sharply. That under Putin—after a period of widespread misery and dislocation, culminating in near state bankruptcy—the country had returned to economic growth and political stability, was evident by the end of his first term; so too the popularity he enjoyed because of these. But beyond such bare data, there was no consensus. For one camp, increasingly vocal as time went on, the pivots of Putin’s system of power were corruption and repression: a neo-authoritarian state fundamentally inimical to the West, with a wrapping of legal proprieties around a ramshackle pyramid of kleptocracy and thuggery. This view prevailed principally among reporters, though it was not confined to them: a representative sample could be found in Economist editor Edward Lucas’s The New Cold War (2009), Guardian journalist Luke Harding’s Mafia State (2012), Standpoint contributor Ben Judah’s Fragile Empire (2013), but expressed no less pungently by a jurist like Stephen Holmes. For Lucas, Putin, having seized power with a ‘cynical putsch’, and maintained it with the ‘methods of terrorists and gangsters’, had ‘cast a dark shadow over the eastern half of the continent’. For Harding, under Putin’s tutelage, ‘Russia has become bullying, violent, cruel and—above all—inhuman’. For Judah, Russia was ‘an anguished, broken society’ that is one of ‘history’s great failures’, in the grip of an apocalyptic system in which, since ‘Putin cannot leave power without fear of arrest’, the West ‘should ask itself whether it will offer him exile to avert blood’. For Holmes, ‘behind the mask of an authoritarian restoration’ there was no more than the ‘lawless feeding frenzy’ of ‘an internally warring, socially detached and rapacious oligarchy’, whose ‘various groups fight to grab their portion of massive cash flows’. The opposite camp had greater weight in the academy, where works by the two leading authorities on the politics of post-communist Russia delivered—without failing to note its darker sides—substantially favourable verdicts on Putin’s record in office. Daniel Treisman’s study of the country in the first two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, The Return (2011), expanded on his earlier claim that Russia had become a normal middle-income country, with all the typical shortcomings of these—crony capitalism, corruption, income inequality, media bias, electoral manipulation—but one that was incomparably freer than the petro-states of the Gulf with which it was often compared; less violent than such a respectable member of the oecd as Mexico; less statist in its control of energy than Brazil. Most Russians felt their freedom had increased since 1997, and their happiness too. ‘Does it really serve the West’s long-run interests’, he asked, ‘to assume some unproven imperial agenda, to exaggerate the authoritarian features of the current regime, to demonize those in the Kremlin and romanticize its liberal opponents?’ For his part, Richard Sakwa—the most prolific scholar writing on Russia in the new century: four major works, and a plethora of articles—argued that while Putin had taken advantage of the powers afforded him by the constitution he inherited, he has always acted within its framework, whose liberal norms have never been repudiated. What had emerged under his rule was neither a modern autocracy—there was no state of emergency, no mass imprisonment, no literary or visual censorship—nor a softer version of the Soviet regime, but a ‘dual state’, composed of a legal-constitutional order and a discretionary-administrative system, held in tension with each other by Putin’s centrism. ‘The essence of the Putin system’, Sakwa wrote in The Crisis of Russian Democracy (2011), ‘was to keep the two pillars in parity’. The rough balance between them allowed for a hopeful evolution towards full arrival at what he called ‘the “standard package” of constitutionalism, liberal democracy and free markets’ in the West, as ‘the powerful latent potential in the formal institutions of post-communist Russian democracy’ was activated: ‘At that point, the mimetic institutions of the standard package will gradually gain an autonomous life of their own, and the constitutional state will overcome the arbitrariness of the administrative regime.’ Dualities Such antithetical judgements were not, as typically in the thirties or during the Cold War, a product of differing ideological outlooks. All shared the same political standpoint, commitment to the ‘standard package’ of Western values as defined by Sakwa, whose mimesis is the gauge of Russian progress. What in their fashion the contrasts between them reflect are rather objective ambiguities of the system they depict. These run through the whole gamut of its economic, political and ideological forms. For the better part of the period since Yeltsin, of greatest concern to Western commentary at large have been the litmus-tests of any self-respecting capitalism—freedom of markets and security of property rights. How have these essential attributes of a liberal economy fared under Putin? By many a conventional indicator, this has been a business-friendly regime. Flat corporation and income taxes of 13 per cent would be the envy of Western ceos. After entry into the wto, the tariff ceiling on manufactured goods was under 8 per cent. Public debt, even after the global financial crisis of 2008, hovered around 10 per cent of gdp, with reserves of $500 billion—a position of which the us or eu states could only dream. The current account has been in virtually continuous surplus since the turn of the century. Since Putin came to power the private sector has increased from 45 to 60 per cent of the economy; as he has repeatedly assured investors: ‘We are not building state capitalism.’ In the energy sector, however, which in 2011 accounted for 52 per cent of the value of Russian exports and 49 per cent of federal revenues, gas remains a state monopoly and the share of the oil industry in the hands of the state has increased from close to zero to some 45 per cent under Putin. That private capital still controls a majority of the petroleum resources of the country makes Russia an outlier in the contemporary world, along with such bastions of free-market principles as the us, Canada and the uk—virtually everywhere else, from Brazil to Norway, Arabia to Angola, Indonesia to Venezuela, public ownership is the rule. But the distribution of titles matters less than the change in them. Putin, though well aware of the overwhelming popularity with which any general reversal of the booty-privatizations—prikhvatizatsiya—of the nineties would have been greeted, rejected any such notion. Nonetheless, in breaking the power of the single most ambitious and ruthless oligarch of the Yeltsin era with the expropriation of the Yukos empire, he altered the landscape of wealth and privilege in one fell blow. The fate of Khodorkovsky, glamorized in local and overseas media as a titan of New Russian entrepreneurship, sent an unequivocal message to his fellow plunderers. They could keep their billions, but on sufferance. Henceforward, no oligarch should think of challenging the power of the state, and when required, all should be ready to do its bidding. Where it mattered, at the heights of the economy, private property was not unconditional. It was concessionary—or, as some would have it, in a vocabulary deriving not so much from nineteenth-century colonialism as sixteenth-century absolutism—not unlike a modern version of the pomestie, the revocable lands granted his servitors by Ivan iv. The origins of this hallmark of Putin’s system lay in his formative experience in the landscape of post-Soviet society. After making the October Revolution in the capital city of imperial Russia, the Bolsheviks moved the seat of power from Petrograd to Moscow, as more defensible during the Civil War. Thereafter, across the lifespan of the ussr, what became Leningrad was gradually reduced to a political dead-end, the career of local leaders all but invariably cut short by death or disgrace. With the opening of the Russian economy in the nineties, making a renamed St Petersburg once again the city most oriented geographically and culturally to the West, as its founder had intended it to be, its possibilities altered. Arriving back from service with the kgb in Dresden, Putin became in no time assistant to its new mayor Sobchak, a liberal hero of the hour in 1991, who put him in charge of the city’s foreign economic relations. There he was at the centre of criss-crossing networks of political influence and business manoeuvre, bonding neo-entrepreneurs and veteran security personnel with legal and financial fixers of every sort, who in due course would supply the core of his regime. Towards the end of the decade Sobchak himself, under investigation for massive corruption, fled to Paris with the help of Putin, by then working in the Kremlin. Otherwise, most of the leading ornaments of the system that emerged after 2000 came from the web of pitertsy: among others, the neo-liberal hawks Chubais, Kudrin and Gref, the intelligence operatives Sechin, Ivanov and Yakunin, the security chiefs Patrushev and Bortnikov, the legal guns Medvedev and Kozak, and the billionaire personal cronies of the President, Timchenko and the Rotenberg brothers. Within this constellation, where personal fortunes have been made by all, no clear line of demarcation has ever separated economic liberals from statist siloviki: private accumulation of assets is politically constituted on every side. But forming a congeries rather than a clan, personal conflicts and shifting alignments are endemic to it, allowing Putin to shuffle positions and balance interests at will, as arbiter of the interflexion of state and capital at large. The most intelligent of his ‘political technicians’—advisers in the management of opinion—has offered a vivid account of the outlook behind such statecraft. In early 2012 Gleb Pavlovsky explained: ‘Putin is a Soviet figure who understood the coming of capitalism in a Soviet way. We were all taught that capitalism is a kingdom of demagogues, behind whom stands big money, and a military machine which aspires to control the world. It’s a very clear, simple picture and I think that Putin had this in his head, not as an official ideology but as a form of common sense. That is, of course, we were idiots; we tried to build a fair society when we should have been making money. For if we had made more money than the western capitalists then we could have bought them up. Or we could have created a weapon which they didn’t possess. So that’s it. It was a game we lost because we didn’t do several simple things: we didn’t create our own class of capitalists, we didn’t give the kind of predators described to us a chance to appear and devour their predators. These were Putin’s thoughts and I don’t think they’ve changed significantly since.’ The oligarchs created under Yeltsin had not understood their ultima ratio, and with Yukos had to be taught it. But there was no question of the need for their species. Vladislav Surkov, a flashier consigliere, told a reporter in 2011 that Putin realized any general dispossession of the oligarchs was impossible because there were not enough capable entrepreneurs to replace them. The pool of businessmen was ‘very thin and very precious... they are the bearers of capital, of intellect, of technologies’. So it followed that ‘the oil men are no less important than the oil; the state has to make the most of both’. In this economic syntax, the higher subject is the last. Order’s guarantor What of the political ingredients of the standard package? Putin has always insisted that the society over which he rules is a democracy. Few dispute that it is not a police or military dictatorship. Freedom of expression as such, in print or online, is not much less than in the West. Opportunities to exercise it in television or the press are far fewer, but little trammelled on the web, where Russia now boasts the largest internet public in Europe. Freedom of travel is well established. There is more electronic surveillance of citizens in the United States. Opposition parties, however nominal, are regularly elected to parliament. A constitution whose passage was hailed by the West remains untouched. International jurisdiction by the European Court of Human Rights is accepted. In domestic law, most civil jurisprudence proceeds without interference. Lineaments of a Rechtsstaat are not all imaginary. Enclosing them, however, is another, supervenient order. The constitution itself is the fruit of fraud—the faking of votes in a referendum that Yeltsin’s own control commission exposed, around which Western scholars and reporters have taken care to cast a mantle of silence. No election free of forgery or coercion has ever taken place since the fall of the Soviet Union. Yeltsin’s victory in 1996, greeted with special applause in the White House and Downing Street, was the most notorious confiscation of the popular will: sixteen years later Medvedev, a President elected under the same system, openly admitted that it was the sub-communist Zyuganov who had actually won the 1996 contest. Putin, unlike Yeltsin, would have achieved his presidential victories, if not the scale of them, even without distortion of the results; but the votes for his parliamentary décor, United Russia, have never corresponded to any real support for it. Under the constitution, substantive division of powers scarcely exists. At higher levels, the judiciary enacts the will of the Kremlin. Since Yeltsin shelled the Duma, the legislature has been a largely token body. Even the government is less than a genuine executive, since not only is the Prime Minister appointed by the President (save where Putin appointed himself) and can be dismissed by him, but the presidency enjoys sweeping powers above the government as such. The nub of the political system is a ‘super-presidentialism’ without constitutional equivalent in any major state of the contemporary world. Buttressing the machinery of stretched or fictive representation is an updated and expanded machinery of coercion. Since Yeltsin the size of the federal and local bureaucracy has more than doubled, to some 1.7 million. Under Putin the security apparatus has kept in step, expenditure on it increasing over twelve-fold. The fsb has grown to a corps of 350,000, forming a denser grid across society than the kgb of old, and supplying much of the top layer of regional administration. The war zones of the North Caucasus aside, direct repression is handled by omon squads of the mvd, riot police deployed against unauthorized protests or demonstrations. Contract killings, persisting from the time of Yeltsin and the oligarchs, are rarely clarified. Binding administrative, representative and repressive institutions into a common system is the glue of corruption, ubiquitous at all levels of government. Bribes and back-handers are reckoned by one authority to run into twelve figures a year: cash sealing and subsuming force and consent in the stabilization of power. So much for the internal bases of the regime. The standard package, however, by progress towards which it stood to be measured by the West, includes one further element that scarcely needed to be spelt out, since it was written into its definition as such: ideological commitment to the international community that embodies it, as a certificate of the requisite mimesis. For Washington and Brussels, construction of a modern democracy is inseparable from alignment with the Euro-American ecumene. How far did Russia meet this condition? At the outset of his rule, Putin insisted not only that the country belonged historically to Europe, but that it shared an identity with its most advanced region—‘We are West Europeans’. He even suggested it might join nato. If subsequent declarations were more tempered, the regime and its media never ceased to invoke the common values of Western civilization, defended by Russia alongside the us and eu, in its battle against contemporary terrorism. Diplomatically, Putin was the first to express solidarity with Bush after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon; closed down Soviet bases in Cuba and Vietnam; opened Russian airspace for American supply-lines to Afghanistan; made little case of nato expansion to the Baltics; ran down, rather than building up, his country’s military establishment—so many pointed demonstrations that Russia was a reliable partner of the West, and staunch member of the international community. But from the start there was always a caveat. Moscow had abandoned any pretension to offer an alternative to the civilization of capital and its political forms. But it had not relinquished its right to autonomy within it. Russia would continue to uphold traditions of its own, stretching far back in its history. In his ‘Millennium Message’ on the threshold of his presidency, Putin explained the central theme of these: For us, the state and its institutions and structures have always played an exceptionally important role in the life of the country and the people. For Russians, a strong state is not an anomaly to fight against. Quite the contrary, it is the source and guarantor of order, the initiator and the main driving force of any change. Abroad, that meant fulfilling the duties of derzhavnost’: Russia would continue to act as one of the Great Powers it had been since the eighteenth century. The contradiction between this vocabulary of the past and the normative discourse of an ‘international community’ in which any mention of hierarchy is banished, the better to enforce the hegemony of its overlord in reality, could hardly escape notice. In due course, as the United States appeared little moved by Putin’s overtures towards it, a doctrine designed to bridge the gap between the two was developed. What Russia stood for was a ‘sovereign democracy’, the noun reiterating adherence to the standard package, the adjective its index of deviation from it. The country would not be merely mimetic, either at home or abroad. The West would have to get used to that. 1. SHOCKS So matters stood as Putin’s second presidency came to an end in the spring of 2008, after an unbroken run of rapid economic growth, rising living standards, political stability and nation-wide popularity. As an apotheosis, it was short-lived. Since then four successive crises have shaken the regime, affecting one after another of its bases. The first struck within a few months, when the shock-waves of the Western financial crisis reached Russia. With its consistently high export surplus, the state had paid down the foreign debt accumulated under Yeltsin and built up ample reserves. But private firms and public banks had borrowed recklessly abroad, against security of state guarantees, in a credit bubble that nearly tripled their overseas liabilities in 2006–07. When short-term loans were called in by Western creditors caught by the Wall Street crash, and oil prices plummeted from $147 to $34 a barrel, the Russian stock market lost a third of its value virtually overnight. Massive injection of reserve funds into the banking system prevented a general collapse, but the ensuing recession was the deepest of any major economy in the world—gdp dropping by 7.9 per cent in 2008. By 2010 the economy had pulled out of the crisis, but the time of budgets in the black was over. To preserve its popular support, the regime had to sustain consumption with increased public expenditure of the kind that its neo-liberal hawks had always resisted: oil surpluses traditionally parked by the Finance Ministry in sovereign funds and deposits abroad now had to be spent on increasing pensions and other social benefits. Deficits would henceforward be the norm. But the boom was gone, growth slowing towards stalling speed in its aftermath. Concessionary capitalism had failed to renew the country’s physical stock or expand its technological frontier. The windfall profits of the energy sector had been put to little productive use, its plutocrats continuing to acquire real estate and financial assets abroad rather than modernize the industry at home. By 2007, investment had fallen 40 per cent below the last year of the Soviet Union, and at a current average of 20 per cent of gdp remains less than half that of China and two-thirds that of India—both countries possessing more globally competitive firms than Russia. In the oil industry that remains decisive for the future of the country, yields have been steadily falling, as readily exploitable fields start to run out—a four-fold increase of investment between 2006–10 generating only an extra 5 per cent of output. Across the economy, where manufactures account for less than a fifth of production, performance was little better: labour productivity is stuck at just over two-fifths of the levels of Western Europe or the us. The revenue horizon of the regime was narrowing. Reduced economic circumstances were followed by political troubles. Careful to preserve the constitutional legitimism that acted in part as a shield of his standing abroad, Putin passed the presidency to his aide Medvedev, picked as the figure in his entourage best calculated to reassure the West and liberal opinion of the progressive trajectory of the regime. But rather than withdrawing from the stage, even for an interim, he moved to the White House as Prime Minister. The effect was to suggest a personalized embodiment of the dual state as theorized by Sakwa. Mocked by its critics as a ‘tandemocracy’, the arrangement backfired. Medvedev, wishing to create a constituency of his own for a second term in the Kremlin, spoke out against fraud, corruption, lawlessness—‘legal nihilism’—and technological stagnation, wooed the independent media, and declared there could be no trade-off between welfare and freedom. But to these pronouncements corresponded no significant changes in the political system: rather, in one pointed respect intensification of its cast, with an extension of future presidencies from four to six years. The result was to raise hopes of reform in liberal circles, only to stoke their frustration when these were disappointed. Meanwhile, Putin for his part became increasingly edgy at the pretensions of his place-holder, frictions coming to the surface over Russian support for nato bombardment of Libya, justified as a salutary blow against barbarism by Medvedev, but a misuse of a Security Council resolution for Putin. By the autumn of 2011, leading political technicians—both Pavlovsky and Surkov—had defected to the camp of those more or less openly calling for a second term for Medvedev, and expectations were high in Moscow that with it, emancipated from his mentor, he would introduce an overdue liberalization of the regime. Dispelling the illusion, Putin announced in September, a crestfallen Medvedev at his side, that by ‘long-standing agreement’—manifestly untrue—the two would now swap jobs, and he would return to the presidency. This castling of positions, making too tactlessly clear who was grandmaster, was a miscalculation, provoking indignation rather than indifference or resignation in le tout Moscou. Worse followed, when in December more blatant fraud than ever was employed to cover a sharp drop in support for United Russia. This time reaction in the capital was explosive, up to 100,000 demonstrating against the regime—more than democrats could ever muster in the days of perestroika and its end. For the first time, Putin faced widespread opposition in the centre of the country, with weaker ripple effects in quite a number of outlying towns. But in society at large, some way off a critical mass. Drawn from the professional middle class of a metropolis set apart from the rest of Russia’s cities by an exceptional concentration of rents and services, most of the protesters in Moscow came from a privileged minority of the population, in which the old-style intelligentsia is being overtaken by a younger stratum of ‘creatives’, in the admiring Western term, from the worlds of advertising, fashion, public relations, programming, consultancy and the like. Though predominantly liberal in outlook, the range of demonstrators extended to nationalist groups on one side and leftist currents on the other—an ideological heterogeneity reflected in the unstable public symbol of the opposition, the xenophobe blogger Alexei Navalny, hammer not only of millionaire crooks but penniless migrants. Beyond calls for clean elections and honest officials, the gamut of dissent lacked any unifying programme capable of broadening its appeal to the majority of the population that does not enjoy its advantages, for whom material hardship—inequality, insecurity, poverty, inefficiency—matters more than juridical rectitude. As things stand, rejection of the formal structure of the regime without criticism of its social substance is unlikely to produce a popular awakening. Navalny’s recipe for liberation—ten brave businessmen and the government will fall—speaks for itself. To counter the challenge in the centre of Moscow, Putin bussed in public employees, workers and young toughs from the suburbs for noisy demonstrations of support, and mustered the full weight of the administration and state media for his re-election as President in March. Victory came without difficulty—the best the liberal opposition could put up against him was the billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, an oligarch famously arrested by the French police for pimping at an Alpine ski-resort—if with a reduced margin, on figures as usual inflated for effect, and an altered appeal. With the disintegration of the consensus which his first two presidencies had enjoyed, retention of power now required polarization—rallying the less well-off and well-educated against a pampered beau monde and its offshoots. In this strategy, the same constraints held as for the opposition. Public expenditure could help numb the plight of the lower depths, but the socio-economic substance of the regime was off-limits. Ideologically, support could not be mobilized on a class-political, only on a culture-war basis, pitting patriotic morals against deracinate license, the icons of an upright land and its faith against the viruses of a foreign-infected decadence. At national level, where it is explicitly pitched, the rhetoric of a clash of values could be of some political effect. At provincial level, necessarily much less so. There the gap between Putin’s personal standing as President and the credibility of his local stewards, already plain in the elections to the Duma, has only widened. In 2013, after a good deal of indecision by the regime, tacking between repression and concessions, Navalny was allowed to run for mayor of Moscow, and with 27 per cent of the vote—less than a tenth of the electorate, on a dismal turn-out of 33 per cent—declared moral victory, amid expectations of foregone victory for the Kremlin’s incumbent. Outside the capital, regional identities have always been relatively weak on Russia’s vast, undifferentiated plains, while in post-communist conditions social fragmentation has become exceptionally strong, splitting communities by the accident of resource endowments and their rents, or lack of them. If both features work to the advantage of central power, local issues also give national bluster little leverage. After earlier establishment upsets in Kaliningrad and Yaroslavl, by 2014 mavericks had won mayoralties in Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg, the third and fourth largest cities in the country. The cohesion of the regime was visibly fraying. Yet the loosening that permitted such electoral upsets could also be represented as the sign of a course correction. Surveying the scene, Sakwa
, that demonstrate new ideas or techniques for functional programming in Haskell; Tools, such as profilers, tracers, debuggers, preprocessors, and testing tools; Applications, to scientific and symbolic computing, databases, multimedia, telecommunication, the web, and so forth; Functional Pearls, being elegant and instructive programming examples; Experience Reports, to document general practice and experience in education, industry, or other contexts. Papers in the latter three categories need not necessarily report original academic research results. For example, they may instead report reusable programming idioms, elegant ways to approach a problem, or practical experience that will be useful to other users, implementors, or researchers. The key criterion for such a paper is that it makes a contribution from which other Haskellers can benefit. It is not enough simply to describe a standard solution to a standard programming problem, or report on experience where you used Haskell in the standard way and achieved the result you were expecting. More advice is available via the Haskell wiki. Regular papers should explain their research contributions in both general and technical terms, identifying what has been accomplished, explaining why it is significant, and relating it to previous work, and to other languages where appropriate. In addition, we solicit proposals for: System Demonstrations, based on running software rather than novel research results. Travel Support Proceedings Publication date: The official publication date of accepted papers is the date the proceedings are made available in the ACM Digital Library. This date may be up to two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. The official publication date affects the deadline for any patent filings related to published work. Submission Details Early Track Regular Track System Demos 13th March Paper Submission 1st May Notification 19th May ⋮ Abstract Submission 22nd May ⋮ Paper Submission 5th June Resubmission ⋮ Demo Submission 26th June Notification Notification Notification 19th July Final papers due Final papers due Deadlines stated are valid anywhere on earth. In this iteration of the Haskell Symposium we are trialling a two-track submission process, so that some papers can gain early feedback. Papers can be submitted to the early track on 13th March. On 1st May, strong papers are accepted outright, and the others will be given their reviews and invited to resubmit. On 5th June early track papers may be resubmitted, and are sent back to the same reviewers. The Haskell Symposium regular track operates as in previous years. Papers accepted via the early and regular tracks are considered of equal value and will not be distinguished in the proceedings. Although all papers may be submitted to the early track, authors of functional pearls and experience reports are particularly encouraged to use this mechanism. The success of these papers depends heavily on the way they are presented, and submitting early will give the program committee a chance to provide feedback and help draw out the key ideas. Program Committee More InformationThe economy of Star Wars Battlefront 2 is based entirely around credits now that premium transactions have been removed from the game, and earning enough credits to buy the loot boxes to get the cards you need or to unlock the heroes you want can take a lot of time. So clever players have found physical ways to cheat the system. While one player created a simple robot to keep their character moving in order to farm credits without being removed from the game due to inactivity, the same thing can be done by simply adding a few rubber bands to your controller. You may be hurting your team’s chances at winning and annoying the rest of the players on the server, but this is the world EA and DICE have created. It feels weird to get angry at players who are trying to stretch what’s acceptable inside an economy that was this ill-conceived. Just in case you want to ruin the game for others while earning enough credits to get whatever you want, this is how it’s done. It’s hard to get mad at these players due to the fact the economy has been hated since the first days of the beta. Locking away content in this manner and focusing on playing long hours to get credits to try to get the things you want from loot crates that randomly spit out loot gives players an incentive to give up and start farming. Right now you can get a minimum amount of credits just for showing up, which is what these farms are after. You can increase the amount you earn by doing well and taking part of each objective — and credits are given for playing the campaign and arcade mode as well — so this is merely the easiest way to get credits without putting any actual work into the process. This is what happens when your economy is bad. Things get sad for everyone, very quickly. These phantom players are going to ruin the online experience, and EA and DICE have no one to blame but themselves. We’ve reached out to EA and DICE for comment and will update when they respond.When producing a garment, roughly 50 to 60 percent of the cost comes from the raw materials, according to Brian Ehrig, retail strategist at Kurt Salmon. Another 20 to 30 percent is tied to labor, with the remainder of the expense attributable to transportation, duties and other supply chain costs. That means, when combining the fabric's price with shipping expenses, the majority of a garment's cost is directly related to the material. Though cotton prices have remained relatively stable over the past few years — and are nearly a quarter what they were at their all-time high in 2011 — the cost of labor is rising in the double digits, Ehrig said. That presents retailers with two popular options to protect their margins. They can either shift production to lower-cost countries in Southeast Asia — despite the potential implications it could have on worker conditions — or use lower-cost materials. "If the consumer isn't going to pay more for the same product and the input prices are rising, or at least a few are rising double digits, they have to cut somewhere," Ehrig said. "Raw materials, because that's where the cost is, that's one of the levers they have to pull."The other night I was outside smoking a cigarette and I noticed something over by the bedroom window crawling around in and out of things. Well this is Florida so I figured it was just a lizard or frog or whatever. A few days passed by without incident, then I saw it. A fucking rat/mouse whatever, darted out from nowhere. I was filled with disgust. How could this be? My place is clean, the kind of clean that Adderall makes you obsess about. All I knew was this fucker had to die. I went out and bought mouse traps, feeling completely ashamed, hoping that the cashier would think I was using them for a prank or science project. I put them out but all that would happen was the trap would go off little bastard would run away after eating the peanut butter. This was not acceptable. Those are the same fucking things that caused the plague and I’m sure as hell dying from that. This must be dealt with swiftly and with a fist made of so much iron that all of nature would fear me. But what to do? How do you torture a rat or make them die the worst, most painful death possible? Furthermore, can you even send the message of a brutal dictator to a rodent? The next few days, I tried traps, poison, I even constructed a gas chamber that knocked a cup of bleach into a cup of ammonia and trapped the fucking thing but I got nothing. Then it came to me, “I should ask PETA the most humane way to deal with this.” I emailed them around 5pm and was shocked at the turn around time. I mean like in two minutes they were begging me to use a live trap and set it free in the wild. What came next is exactly what I wanted and why I emailed them in the first place. (I’m shady and amazing at tricking people like that.) “Whatever you do, don’t feed them anything that is carbonated!! Rats don’t have the ability to burp and their insides will burst” I rushed out immediately and bought Pop-Rocks, Alka Seltzer and soda candy. That night I mixed all that stuff together with some peanut butter and some tiny pieces of broken glass for good measure. The next morning I found three dead bloody rats and haven’t seen another one since. Thank you PETA!!! I couldn’t have killed them without you!! AdvertisementsF1: What odds on Honda and Button racing in 2009? So, what do the markets think of Honda’s and Jenson Button’s chances of being on the start line in Melbourne in a couple of months’ time? We started wondering after we got a Google hit on the site a day or two ago from someone pondering exactly the same question. So we decided to take a look. It’s not an entirely straightforward exercise. For a start, most of the bookmakers only show a limited selection of odds on their websites, although they’d probably quote you on just about anything if you phoned them up. So it’s not possible to easily get information on the substantive question of whether Honda will make it to Melbourne. But on the related question of entrants to the 2009 drivers’ and constructors’ world championship – well, that’s another matter. There’s plenty of detail out there and we summarise the following with the usual provisos: odds correct at time of writing only, and conclusions our own informed guesses and no more. According to its website William Hill isn’t offering odds at all on Honda. It lists the nine manufacturers who will definitely be carrying over from next year with Ferrari on better odds than McLaren, BMW ahead of Renault and Red Bull ahead of Toyota. isn’t offering odds at all on Honda. It lists the nine manufacturers who will definitely be carrying over from next year with Ferrari on better odds than McLaren, BMW ahead of Renault and Red Bull ahead of Toyota. Ladbrokes doesn’t have a market open on the constructors’ championship yet – but it does list Jenson Button in its candidates for the drivers’ title. At silly odds of 80/1, admittedly, but this would seem to indicate some sort of a market for him racing in 2009. doesn’t have a market open on the constructors’ championship yet – but it does list Jenson Button in its candidates for the drivers’ title. At silly odds of 80/1, admittedly, but this would seem to indicate some sort of a market for him racing in 2009. Coral has Our Jense on the same odds and but doesn’t include Honda in its constructors’ market – which is a bit paradoxical because it’s a bit hard to work out where else he might be driving. Mind you, it is also quoting such hot title prospects as Bruno Senna, Lucas di Grassi, Romain Grosjean, Takuma Sato and Valentino Liuzzi. Either they really know something the rest of us don’t or it’s proof that there are always fools ready to be parted from money. has Our Jense on the same odds and but doesn’t include Honda in its constructors’ market – which is a bit paradoxical because it’s a bit hard to work out where else he might be driving. Mind you, it is also quoting such hot title prospects as Bruno Senna, Lucas di Grassi, Romain Grosjean, Takuma Sato and Valentino Liuzzi. Either they really know something the rest of us don’t or it’s proof that there are always fools ready to be parted from money. Victor Chandler has Button on slightly better odds of 66/1 which is roughly where he is usually to be found at the start of a racing season, all set to attract the sentimental money that wants to bet on British drivers. This company isn’t currently offering a market on the constructors’ championship. has Button on slightly better odds of 66/1 which is roughly where he is usually to be found at the start of a racing season, all set to attract the sentimental money that wants to bet on British drivers. This company isn’t currently offering a market on the constructors’ championship. Sky Bet has Button on the same 66/1 odds as Victor Chandler – and Rubens Barrichello on the same. It also rates the chances of these two drivers considerably more highly than a number of people with confirmed drives – and in a different order of magnitude from several kite-flyers including Davidson, Sato, di Resta and di Grassi. It has no market on the constructors’ title yet. has Button on the same 66/1 odds as Victor Chandler – and Rubens Barrichello on the same. It also rates the chances of these two drivers considerably more highly than a number of people with confirmed drives – and in a different order of magnitude from several kite-flyers including Davidson, Sato, di Resta and di Grassi. It has no market on the constructors’ title yet. 888.com is decidedly sceptical – listing neither Honda for the constructors’ title nor Button for the drivers’ championship. is decidedly sceptical – listing neither Honda for the constructors’ title nor Button for the drivers’ championship. Sporting Bet is also drivers-only – and doesn’t list Button So – what conclusions do we draw from this? Ones that are not altogether positive, unfortunately. The value we spot in all this – from a prediction point of view – is the difference in performance between Button and Honda. There seems to be much more confidence in Button competing in the 2009 championships than there is in Honda doing so. But with every race seat taken, team and driver are inextricably linked. No Honda means no Button. Which probably means that the odds being offered on Button are there to soak up the sentimental money – people that are betting on him more in hope than expectation and do it every year regardless. Definitely a reminder that the bookies are always happiest taking money when they are confident they’ll never have to pay it out again, and not necessarily the best sign of faith in Button’s and Honda’s continuing participation. In fact, there’s justification for saying that the betting markets have written the team off altogether, and would have done the same with the driver if there wasn’t still some money to be made from the terminally optimistic. But if you have different thoughts, let us know in the comments.U.S. Appeals Court: OK to check DNA of those arrested A closely divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has found that the collection of DNA samples from people arrested -- but not yet convicted -- of crimes is constitutional, in an opinion released today. In a precedent-setting ruling, the appeals court rejected U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone's 2009 order finding that law enforcement could not collect DNA from Ruben Mitchell, who faces a federal charge of attempting to possess and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Judge Cercone had found that requiring pre-trial detainees to submit DNA samples, which is done under the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000, violates the 4th Amendment's search and seizure rules. In an 8-6 ruling, the circuit judges found that people who are arrested have "a diminished expectation of privacy in their identities." Outweighing their privacy, they found, is the importance to law enforcement of correctly identifying people who are charged with crimes, determining their criminal history, potentially linking them to unsolved crimes and promptly ruling out involvement in a crime in cases in which the DNA does not match that found at the scene. The majority opinion, by Judge Julio M. Fuentes, said that DNA matching "promptly clears thousands of potential suspects." "In sum, under the totality of the circumstances, given arrestees' and pretrial detainees' diminished expectations of privacy in their identities and the Government's legitimate interests in the collection of DNA from these individuals, we conclude that such collection is reasonable and does not violate the Fourth Amendment," Judge Fuentes wrote. Judge Marjorie O. Rendell wrote for six dissenting judges who found that the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 overreached. "The privacy interests of arrestees, while diminished in certain, very circumscribed situations, are not so weak as to permit the Government to intrude into their bodies and extract the highly sensitive information coded in their genes," Judge Rendell wrote. "Moreover, the Government's asserted interest in this case -- the law enforcement objective of obtaining evidence to assist in the prosecution of past and future crimes -- presents precisely the potential for abuse the Fourth Amendment was designed to guard against." First published on July 25, 2011 at 1:46 pmA picture taken by mobile phone shows a funeral in Homs, which has become a bastion of anti-government rallies [AFP] Syrian forces have killed at least 28 people in a massive tank-backed raid on the central city of Homs, rights activists say, while Syria's strongest ally Iran made a surprising call for President Bashar al-Assad to end the violent crackdown. Wednesday's security operation came after 2,000 people had taken to the streets of the city a day earlier, activists said. Most of the killings occurred in old neighbourhoods of Homs, situated on the main northern highway 165km from the capital Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based independent Syrian rights group, said. "Military reinforcements including 20 truckloads of soldiers entered the city," it said, opening "intense gunfire in the market and governorate headquarters". The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), which organises the anti-regime protests on the ground, said the death toll continues to increase in Homs, where communications and internet services was cut in many neighbourhoods on Wednesday. At least two people were killed in raids and attacks on Idlib province's Sarmeen, and one other in the northern city of Hama, the LCC said. State-run news agency SANA reported that a "terrorist group" kidnapped two Baath party officials in the town of Rastan, near Homs, on Wednesday. "That may be the reason behind the intense raids in Homs," Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh reported from neighbouring Jordan. The Syrian government bans international journalists from entering the country. Activists and residents said heavy machine-gun fire was heard in the Bab Dreib and Bostan Diwan neighbourhoods of Homs on Tuesday night after the protesters had set out for the area from Bab Tadmor. Visit postponed The security operations came just hours after Syria requested Nabil Elaraby, the Arab League secretary-general, to delay his visit to Damascus, "due to circumstances beyond our control", SANA said late on Tuesday. League officials said Elaraby will now visit Syria on Saturday. Elaraby had been commissioned by the 22-member bloc to travel on Wednesday with a 13-point document outlining proposals to end the government's bloody crackdown on dissent and push Syria to launch reforms. According to a copy of the document, he was to propose that Assad hold elections in three years, move towards a pluralistic government and immediately halt the crackdown on anti-government protesters. The initiative, agreed at an Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo last month, calls for a "clear declaration of principles by Assad specifying commitment to reforms he made in past speeches". The initiative angered Syria which said it contained "unacceptable and biased language". 'Crimes against humanity' Separately on Wednesday, the French foreign minister accused Syria of "crimes against humanity" and expressed a desire for Russia's support in a UN condemnation of the crackdown. The Syrian authorities should be sent "a powerful signal that such actions cannot continue", Alain Juppe said during his talks in Moscow with Sergei Lavrov, his Russian counterpart. France has urged Russia to support a UN condemnation of the crackdown [EPA] Lavrov did not respond to Juppe's expressions of hope for Russia to change its stance and back UN condemnation of the crackdown. "We consider that inciting certain forces within the opposition to boycott the invitation to dialogue is a dangerous path and risks a repetition of the Libyan scenario, which neither Russia nor France wants," Lavrov said. Syria's regime, which has promised to launch a wide range of reforms to appease the protest movement, blames the deadly unrest on foreign-backed "armed terrorist gangs". Mohammad Jleilati, the Syrian finance minister, acknowledged on Wednesday that the violence has driven down economic growth expectations lower. "The current circumstances, no doubt, have some negative impact on the economy. We hope to overcome it through reforms," he said on the sidelines of an Arab ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi when asked about economic growth. The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, went on Facebook on Wednesday to denounce the Assad government over its crackdown on protests, which the UN says has left 2,200 people dead since March.by Zig Zag, Warrior Publications, Dec 13, 2013 A warrior is a person who prepares for and engages in warfare or fighting, not for personal gain but in the interests of his or her community. A warrior defends their people, territory, and way of life. These attributes distinguish a warrior from those who fight for personal motivations, such as money or power. Ideals such as sacrifice, courage, loyalty, and honour are often associated with the warrior. I believe most Natives would agree with this description of the warrior, and would acknowledge that not only were warriors a vital part of our cultures, but that they also served an important military function in defence of land and people. Some of our greatest heroes as Native peoples are warriors who engaged in armed anti-colonial resistance, such as Pontiac, Tecumseh, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Cochise, etc. In the last decade or so, I have seen a distortion of our warrior culture by some Natives that seek to portray warriors as—above all—peaceful and non-violent protagonists. This tendency has increased in the last few years with the infiltration of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs, with their fetish for nonviolent activities) into Indigenous communities, as well as the Idle No More mobilization of last year, which introduced pacifist ideology on a mass scale to Native grassroots movements in Canada. About that Sitting Bull meme You may have seen the meme: a photo of Sitting Bull staring into a camera, with a quote about what a warrior is. I’ve seen it shared numerous times by Natives and others on Facebook, often on Idle No More sites. The quote states: “Warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who can not provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity.” It appears to be a popular quote, judging by how frequently it is shared. There is truth in it, concerning most Native people’s views on what a warrior was (and is). But there’s two problems with the meme. First, there is no source for the quote. There are many other quotes by Sitting Bull, virtually all compiled by journalists, military or government officials, who were present at the time Sitting Bull’s words were translated (in the late 1800s). Yet, nowhere in any of the books or websites where his quotes are printed can one find this particular statement with a source attached. Ian Chadwick, who runs a blog, also looked into this meme quote. His conclusion? “I have yet to find any source that shows when or where Sitting Bull actually said it. So until then, it remains classified as a bad meme and likely by someone else.” (“Does this really sound like Sitting Bull?,” posted on March 18, 2012 by Ian Chadwick’s blog) http://ianchadwick.com/blog/does-this-really-sound-like-sitting-bull/ Chadwick suspects the quote may actually be from one of several New Age mystics, such as Carlos Castenada, Dan Millman, or Paul Coelho. All these authors use the imagery associated with warriors in their spiritual philosophies. These, in turn, are often used by Native pacifists as a means of portraying themselves as “spiritual warriors” while reinforcing their pacifist ideology. One can imagine the delight that Native pacifists and reformists must feel when they see this meme. One of the most well known warriors, who led his people in fierce anti-colonial resistance, saying that, at the end of the day, the warrior is actually a non-violent actor. The title of Chadwick’s editorial makes you think: Does this really sound like Sitting Bull? I don’t think so. Here are two quotes attributed to Sitting Bull, and which are sourced: “I have killed, robbed, and injured too many white men to believe in a good peace. They are medicine, and I would eventually die a lingering death. I had rather die on the field of battle.” Recorded by Charles Larpenteur at Fort Union in 1867. Published in The Lance and the Shield, by Robert M. Utley, New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 73. “I hardly sustain myself beneath the weight of white men’s blood that I have shed. The whites provoked the war; their injustices, their indignities to our families, the cruel, unheard of and wholly unprovoked massacre at Fort Lyon … shook all the veins which bind and support me. I rose, tomahawk in hand, and I have done all the hurt to the whites that I could.” Recorded by the Jesuit priest Pierre-Jean De Smet after a council with Sitting Bull on June 19, 1868. Published in The Lance and the Shield, by Robert M. Utley, New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1993. p. 79-80. There can be little doubt that these words accurately express the conditions under which Sitting Bull lived. Like Crazy Horse and many others, he had to kill enemies in order for his people to survive a genocidal warfare being waged against them. Nowadays, we’re living under different conditions in which the settler society is far more divided and fragmented and the logic of attacking any and all whites no longer makes sense. But this was certainly the dominant reality for the Lakotas during the 1870s. The second main problem with this quote is the obvious contradiction. Even if it were true that Sitting Bull made this statement, we can see in the quotes from Sitting Bull that are sourced that he engaged in a high level of combat that included the killing of enemies. Pacifists love this quote because it literally disarms militant warriors. If Sitting Bull, a great warrior and leader of the Lakota, states that a real warrior doesn’t fight, well then who are we to say otherwise? I think most Natives would agree with almost all the points in the alleged statement by Sitting Bull about what a warrior is. Ideas such as sacrifice, protecting the defenceless, helping those that cannot help themselves, etc. But at the end of the day we must acknowledge that a warrior is also one who prepares for and engages in warfare. That’s part of the sacrifice and how one may need to protect the defenceless. In order to defend a territory and people, our warrior ancestors had to fight and sometimes kill enemies attempting to invade our lands or raid villages, etc. During the early stages of colonization, our ancestors also had to fight and sometimes kill settlers and soldiers attempting to invade and occupy our ancestral territories. Nowadays, however, thanks in part to New Age mysticism as well as pacifist beliefs, some Natives are trying to tell us that our warriors were actually peaceful and serene beings who went around helping people by chopping fire wood. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this and I have seen many warriors carry out this function, along with hauling water, constructing shelters, digging outhouses, etc. Let’s not distort our own history or culture, however, in the interests of promoting some idealistic and pacified version of a warrior. Warrior Culture The caricature of the “peaceful” warrior is probably mostly derived from Indigenous warrior culture on the plains (such as the Lakota, Cheyenne, etc.), including the practise of “counting coup,” in which warriors who touched an enemy with an open hand, or a coup stick, received a special honour (perhaps a feather notched or painted in a certain pattern). While Indigenous warfare on the plains may have emphasized such acts of bravery, we should not delude ourselves into thinking that this was the extent of their military actions. Killing an enemy also brought honour to the warrior, and even though Native warfare differed considerably from European forms of genocidal warfare (with far lower casualties for example) it was still a life and death struggle. Warriors did not develop substantial skills in producing and using weapons just so they could slap an enemy on the head. Nor can we say that the plains Indigenous style of warfare, with its emphasis on personal bravery or its practise of counting coup, was common among all Indigenous peoples. On the Northwest Coast, among the Kwakwaka’wakw for example, warfare was not conducted to openly display one’s bravery. Instead, stealth, secrecy, and surprise attacks, including ambushes and raids, were far more common (a way of war that also became common in the Eastern Woodlands and Atlantic Coast once Native warriors began to acquire firearms, beginning in the late 1600s). Among the Kwakwaka’wakw, there were no honours for simply touching an enemy. It was a common practise of the warriors to cut off the heads of their slain enemies as a means of preventing them from carrying out revenge attacks from the spirit world. Warriors carried various weapons that were designed for killing, the most common being a heavy war club. Small obsidian knives were carried to cut the head off slain enemies, along with other body parts. Sometimes these body parts were displayed in front of the house of the warrior that had killed the enemy. Many aspects of Kwakwaka’wakw culture promoted “warriorism” and were in fact based on warfare. The highest ranking secret society of the Kwakwaka’wakw winter ceremonies was the Hamatsa, which was also the highest ranking warrior society. The Hamatsa was at one time possessed by a spirit that ate humans (Baxwbakwalanuksiwe), and during this initiation the Hamatsa craved human flesh (and for this reason is often called the cannibal dancer). Only by singing songs could the community pacify the Hamatsa so that he could rejoin human society. The Kwakwaka’wakw also have a warrior dance known as Hawinalal. During this dance, historically, the warrior would be pierced through the back and legs and suspended from a roof beam by cedar rope. In his hands was small knife which he used to cut himself. Like the Hamatsa, it was songs that pacified the warrior. The origins of this warrior dance come from Wi’naXwinagim, whose name means “Always-wanting-to-war.” This great warrior would be so possessed by the war spirit, Winalagalis, that even when he returned to his village from war he would go around trying to stab and kill people. The villagers bound him with cedar rope and hauled him up to the roof beams of a house, where they sang songs to pacify him so that he could rejoin society. The war spirit of the Kwakwaka’wakw was Winalagalis, whose name translates as “Making-war-all-around-the-world.” The dances brought by Winalagalis, including the Hawinalal, are the second most important series of dances after those from Baxwbakwalanuksiwe. The Kwakwaka’wakw term for warrior, Babak’wa, translates as either “hunter of men” or “merciless men,” implying a far more sinister role than simply helping the elderly and chopping firewood. These short examples should show that our warrior ancestors were not just peaceful, non-violent actors. They couldn’t be. The reality of tribal warfare, and later anti-colonial warfare, demanded that there be a force capable of militarily defending territory and people. As can be seen in the Kwakwaka’wakw example, in some regions warrior culture was an important foundation of the overall culture and served to reinforce a warrior spirit among the people. Today, of course, we are not faced with ongoing military attacks resulting in fatalities. And no one is advocating that we now reclaim the tradition of severing the heads of slain enemies since we are not engaged in continuous warfare. But the last 40 year period shows that we are still subject to violent police and military repression at times (i.e., Oka 1990, Ts’Peten and Ipperwash 1995, Burnt Church 2000, Six Nations 2006, or more recently the Mi’kmaq anti-fracking struggle), along with settler mobs (i.e., Chatteaguay during the 1990 Oka Crisis, and Caledonia during the 2006 Six Nations land reclamation). During such times, there needs to be a force capable of militantly defending our people and communities. By promoting the concept that warriors were peaceful nonviolent angels, we only disarm and disable warriors from carrying out their roles during such confrontations. AdvertisementsSTARRING Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell DIRECTED BY Josh Trank NOT YET RATED RELEASE DATE August 7 Turns out levitating hurts. On this humid day on the Baton Rouge, La., set of Fantastic Four, the psychically gifted Sue Storm (Kate Mara) is about to catch some major air. After a cosmic accident has rendered Sue and her three pals superpowerful (more on that later), the group is quarantined in a secret government facility. For this scene, in which Sue struggles to master her ability to float (she can also turn invisible and project force fields), Mara stands on a crane and makes faces usually reserved for squats or dead lifts. “Move your knees around,” yells director Josh Trank from below. “It’s painful! It’s painful!” In most comic-book adaptations, superpowers are mainly just supercool. In the new Four, they feel more like a disability. “It’s not easy at all,” Mara says. “It’s exhausting.” Fans of the franchise may be feeling a little fatigued too. Both the 2005 original, Fantastic Four, and the 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, performed well at the box office, but critics (and moviegoers) pretty much hated them. So Twentieth Century Fox went on the hunt for a fresh vision. Trank had delivered a 2012 sleeper hit for the studio with his found-footage superpowers flick, Chronicle. His immediate take on the Four was how terrifying it would be to have your arms suddenly turn into rubber, or your skin burst into flame. “I just kinda jumped to ‘body horror’ in my head,” he says. “Chronicle is about the evolution and strengthening of unique powers. This movie is really viewing them as a curse.” In this origin-story reboot, the Four—Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), and Sue (Mara)—are “infected” during an interdimensional-travel experiment. The event turns Reed into the elastic Mr. Fantastic, Johnny into the Human Torch, Ben into the Thing, and Sue into the Invisible Woman. “It’s as if you got into a car accident,” Mara says, “and a part of you is different for the rest of your life.” Making matters worse, the fifth member of their crew, Victor (Toby Kebbell), has transformed as well, into an updated version of Dr. Doom, and the gang must grapple with their new skills—and the loss of their old selves—while finding a way to defeat him. Trank describes the tone of the film as a cross between Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton—what he calls “Dark Amblin.” To help him achieve that, the studio paired him with writer-producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past). Trank told Kinberg he had two ambitions. First, the film had to feel scary and very real, more like a horror movie than a superhero flick. And second, it ultimately had to be a coming-of-age story. “Part of defining yourself,” Kinberg explains, “is that moment when you go from being dependent to being in control of your destiny.” Or the destiny of a franchise. Based on footage shown to EW, Trank may have succeeded in rescuing the Four from obscurity. “We have all the ingredients to make something special,” Jordan says. “Now we have to just wait and see how that cake turns out.” Dark and not too sweet.The boom is over, long live the boom. Such was the central message at the launch of Malcolm Turnbull’s national innovation and science agenda last week. According to the prime minister, “the mining boom inevitably has receded”, but by “unleashing our innovation, unleashing our imagination, being prepared to embrace change, we usher in the ideas boom.” The constructive tone of the Turnbull statement has been widely celebrated, particularly in contrast to the flag–draped, onion–munching fear–mongering of his predecessor. Having a leader prepared to frame Australia’s future with hope and ambition is a very welcome change. But if Australia is really to swap high vis for high res, then we need to take on the entrenched political economy that is holding things back. Dynamic innovation cannot be unleashed in a country that is captured by the vested interests of the fossil fuel mining industry. Innovation statement: startups 'free to fail' in bid to encourage risk-taking Read more It was Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter who observed that the “essential point to grasp is that in dealing with capitalism, we are dealing with an evolutionary process.” Turnbull clearly had biological metaphors in mind when he referred to an “ecosystem of innovation right across the economy” this week. But the thing about evolution and ecosystems is that they occur within an environment which conditions how things change and evolve. The same is true of an economy. And the problem we have in Australia is that our economic conditions are being warped by the political dominance of the fossil fuel mining industry that is determinedly inhibiting the potential for innovation. The hard numbers tell a clear story. The national innovation and science agenda involves the federal government spending commitments of $1.1 bn over four years. This figure is dwarfed by the $18bn in production subsidies to the coal mining industry per annum and the roughly US$30bn or so in fossil fuel subsidies equivalents which Australia gives away every year. And all this for an industry that is shedding jobs by the day. These subsidies, propping up the worst of the mining industry, are holding back innovation. According to the International Energy Agency, “by keeping prices artificially low, fossil-fuel subsidies encourage wasteful consumption, disadvantage renewable energy, and depress investment in energy efficiency.” The IMF says “it is generally in countries’ own interest to move ahead unilaterally with energy subsidy reform”; eliminate them and “the reform gains are large.” Yet it was just this month that Turnbull declined to sign an important fossil fuel subsidy reform communique in Paris
—but fame is not usually one of them. His uncle, Szolem Mandelbrojt, was a star of French mathematics in the 20th century, but he looked with suspicion on the kind of acclaim Benoit received when he published his 1975 book Fractals and its popular successor The Fractal Geometry of Nature in 1982. “There are 15 people in the world who read everything I write,” Szolem told his nephew. “That is enough. I find that very comforting.” What made Benoit Mandelbrot something of a cult figure was the fact that his key discovery, fractal geometry, generates a weird kind of visual beauty. The set of mathematical objects known as the Mandelbrot set is produced using a formula that he describes as “very plain”: “Pick a constant c and let the original z be at the origin of the plane; replace z by z times z; add the constant c; repeat.” A graph of the set produces an image of fantastic complexity and strange magnificence. It exhibits the key property of a fractal, which is that it is self-similar—it repeats its own pattern on every scale. This kind of pattern, Mandelbrot found, is common in nature and even in art. The illustrations in The Fractalist include an image of the human lung, a photograph of atmospheric turbulence on Jupiter, and Hokusai’s famous painting “The Great Wave”: All display the kind of regular irregularity that Mandelbrot taught the world to call fractal. (He came up with the name, he writes, after consulting his son’s Latin dictionary and finding the word fractus, “broken.”) More, his mathematical work had applications to a surprising range of fields: He made contributions to the study of linguistics, financial markets, geography, aeronautics, and cosmology, which were united by what Mandelbrot calls “roughness.” Or, as he put it in The Fractal Geometry of Nature, “Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line.” Mandelbrot’s life work was to develop mathematical tools able to measure that kind of fiendishly difficult, real-world complexity. The challenge facing The Fractalist is that it is almost impossible for a non-mathematician to advance beyond these generalities and understand what precisely it is that Mandelbrot accomplished. Knowing this, he allows no mathematical formulas or notation in the book—the formula for the Mandelbrot set is the sole exception. It is clear enough, however, that the mathematics Mandelbrot worked with has nothing to do with the kind most of us learned in school; it is infinitely more creative and exciting. His own gift, he writes, was an intuitive ability to “see” complex shapes. As a student, he could solve difficult problems much faster than the rest of the class by turning equations into mental geometry: “In no time, searching for and studying symmetry became central to my work … hopelessly complicated problems of integral calculus could be ‘reduced’ to familiar shapes that made them easy to resolve.” For this reviewer, reading The Fractalist is rather like reading about a poet who wrote in a foreign language for which no adequate translation is available. You know Mandelbrot is up to exciting things, but you have to take them mostly on faith. What he can share, and does copiously, are the steps of his worldly career: the professorial appointments, the job as a researcher at IBM, the papers published and colleagues courted and impressed. There is so much of this kind of thing in the second half of The Fractalist that it comes to read like an annotated CV, and it has the effect of making Mandelbrot seem very vain. But then, this is a man who decided early in life that he wanted to be a second Kepler, founding a new field of study and revolutionizing humanity’s picture of the world. (In his own view, he accomplished this: “In my Keplerian quest I faced many challenges. The good news is that I succeeded.”) All of this sits oddly with his later declaration that “a memoir is a lesson in humility.” What makes The Fractalist compelling, even for a non-mathematician, is its first half, which describes Mandelbrot’s childhood and adolescence as a Jew in wartime Europe. The fact that he survived to adulthood is itself something of a miracle. He was born in Warsaw in 1924 and raised in a modernizing Jewish family where Polish was the language of choice. (He could not talk directly to his Yiddish-speaking grandfather, he recalls.) The Mandelbrot family’s roots were in Lithuania, where it was said to have produced “men of great learning, some even famous within Jewry.” That it went on to produce Szolem and Benoit lends support to the idea that the intellectual skills prized by traditional Jewish learning are the basis of modern Jewish achievement in secular fields. The global depression combined with intense anti-Semitism made Poland during the 1920s and 1930s a very difficult place for Jews. Mandelbrot’s father, who had forsaken advanced schooling in order to become a garment dealer and support his family, emigrated to Paris in 1931, hoping to make a better living. Five years later, his family joined him—spurred, Mandelbrot writes, by the experience of a cousin who was denied admission to high school out of anti-Semitism. The decision was made just at the right time: If they had waited a few years, the Mandelbrots would have been trapped by the war and almost certainly would have died in the Holocaust, as did most of their Warsaw friends. Continue reading: The plight of the “exception Jew” Life in France was not easy, either—the family was extremely poor and lived in a tenement in the Paris slum of Belleville. But Mandelbrot’s parents believed strongly in the promise of France, and especially in the meritocratic school system. By insisting that Benoit acculturate quickly—learning to speak French without an accent and get along in French society—they gave him skills that would be indispensable after the fall of France in 1940. The Mandelbrots fled Paris for the southern, unoccupied zone, where they survived in the small town of Tulle thanks to the help of friends of uncle Szolem’s. “Our constant fear,” Mandelbrot writes,”was that a sufficiently determined foe might report us to an authority and we would be sent to our deaths. … We escaped this fate. Who knows why?” One reason why, he suggests, is that his academic brilliance won him special consideration. “Xenophobia lost, meritocracy won,” he writes, and this would become the motto of his French experience: The chronicles of Eastern Europe included a growing number of stories in which a would-be “butcher” is oversupplied with potential victims and a person perceived to be special is somehow spared. Father must have felt it was very bad to be overly conspicuous, but very good to be seen as rare and special. This attitude, which he probably brought from Warsaw, created in me an elevated level of commitment and ambition. Thus motivated, Mandelbrot advanced to excellent high schools and then, after the Liberation, to the École Polytechnique, one of the ultra-elite “grands écoles.” More than 60 years later, he still writes with pride about the score he received on his entry examination—the highest in France, not just in that year but possibly ever. From then on, he was more or less guaranteed a cushy career in French academia—though he ended up spending most of his adult life in the United States, drawn by the intellectual freedom offered by IBM’s pure research division. This back story gives a certain pathos to Mandelbrot’s late-life boasting. Hannah Arendt wrote in The Origins of Totalitarianism about the plight of the “exception Jew”—the Jew who is recognized as an equal in European society, but only because of his exceptional achievements or charm, like Benjamin Disraeli. For Mandelbrot, his mathematical genius might literally have saved his life during the war years; it certainly raised him from the immigrant poverty in which he was born and introduced him to an international fraternity of elite scientists. But there is also something tragic about Mandelbrot’s conviction he felt that he had to be a genius simply in order to survive. * Like this article? Sign up for our Daily Digest to get Tablet Magazine’s new content in your inbox each morning. Adam Kirsch is a poet and literary critic, whose books include The People and the Books: 18 Classics of Jewish Literature.Blake is the content manager for DailyMTG.com, making him the one you should email if you have thoughts on the website, good or less good (or not good). He's a longtime coverage reporter and hasn't turned down a game of Magic in any format ever. Earlier this week, we showed you the promos that serve as the faces of Intro Packs, but every set has a number of promos beyond those five. And, as a bonus, several of these are cards you haven't seen yet! Which ones? Read on! Launch If you play in any Launch event February 23–25—including FNM, and on top of any other promos you might receive—you might just find your defenses bolstered by a certain Mastodon. Game Day The weekend of February 14–15, 2015, stores all around the world will be holding Fate Reforged Game Day. Just for participating, you can receive this full-art Mardu Shadowspear, a powerful one-drop that we're also showing off for the first time here. And if you defeat all comers in the name of your clan? Then the Top 8 will give you an opportunity to secretly supplant your opponents, a card shown off today in The Week That Was. In addition, the winner of Fate Reforged Game Day will receive an exclusive playmat. Buy-a-Box Finally, stores will be able to provide a small number of the Buy-a-Box promo, Shamanic Revelation. The distribution is up to them, so ask your local store if you want to get your hands on a draw spell on steroids. Because why wouldn't you? Just look at this thing!Former Baylor star Brittney Griner said Sunday that her coach at Baylor, Kim Mulkey, asked her to not be publicly open about being gay out of fear it would hurt recruiting. "It was a recruiting thing," Griner told espnW.com. "The coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn't let their kids come play for Baylor. Not discussing one's sexuality "was more of a unwritten law," she said. "It was just kind of, like, one of those things, you know, just don't do it. They kind of tried to make it, like, 'Why put your business out on the street like that?' " Griner came out as gay last month, before being chosen by the Phoenix Mercury with the No. 1 overall pick of the WNBA draft.Talking about matchups in a one-game playoff is an almost futile enterprise. Batter versus pitcher numbers have proven to be mostly useless, and other than a perusal of the platoon situations, a discussion of roster decisions around the edges, and some tinkering with the order in which you throw your pitchers, previewing Tuesday’s American League Wild Card game seems like heavy-breathing about the pre-game coin toss in football. There is one way you can classify pitchers and hitters that may be meaningful to this game in particular, however. Because of the way swings work, there are matchup problems for certain hitters against certain pitchers. Most of the research says that extreme ground ball pitchers have problems with fly ball hitters — one study found fly ball hitters had better outcomes against ground-ball pitchers than any other matchup of batted ball mixes, and another found that this type of matchup produces the most line drives in baseball. And it makes sense, because fly ball hitters usually have ‘uppercut’ type swings that can reach down and produce power on the low pitch. Dallas Keuchel has the second-best ground-ball rate in baseball. The Yankees should have Chris Young bat leadoff. The right-handed Young should start the game, that much makes sense without going to the grounder/fly ball matchups. Fifty times, the Yankees have faced a lefty starter, and 47 of those times, Young started the game. That’s compared to 28 starts in the other 112 games. He’s a platoon guy who’s been 46% better against lefties than righties over his career. Even if you have to regress that split, he’s playing. Only once has Young started a game in the leadoff position, and that was against Keuchel earlier in the season. That might be because Young is the most extreme fly ball hitter on the Yankees roster. Brian McCann beats him out this year, but that’s a recent thing for the lefty-swinging catcher. Not even considering the platoon advantage, Young might be 47% more likely than Jacoby Ellsbury to get a line drive from the heavy grounder-inducing Keuchel. Then you add in the fact that Ellsbury is a lefty, and the decision at the top of the lineup should be easy. Young does have to replace someone, and the inclination is to replace left-handed Brett Gardner, since that’s what happened most often this year when everyone was healthy. And that’s probably the right way to go, since Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez can both swing from the right side. But it’s fair to wonder, since there is evidence that matchups based on batted ball mix can be predictive, it’s fair to wonder if we should look at how certain batters have done against the different types of pitchers out there. Selected Yankees Against Ground-Ball Pitchers vs GB Pitcher BA OBP SLG % Neutral OPS GB projected OPS Alex Rodriguez 0.304 0.387 0.51 88% 0.673 Carlos Beltran 0.283 0.354 0.462 96% 0.737 Brett Gardner 0.27 0.349 0.391 97% 0.714 Chris Young 0.267 0.34 0.466 111% 0.804 Jacoby Ellsbury 0.298 0.346 0.437 99% 0.715 Career stats % Neutral OPS = OPS vs ground-ball pitcher divided by OPS vs neutral pitchers GB Projected OPS = projected OPS multiplied by past ground-ball performance split (no platoon split factor) Of course, these are career numbers, and Gardner is much closer to his peak than the other two. He also plays better defense. And is a lefty. It might be tough to sit Alex Rodriguez with the season he’s having, but not only is he comparatively worse against ground-ball pitchers than anyone else in this mini-list, but he’s also been horrible against grounder pitchers this year, showing a.477 OPS that was 67% worse than league average in those situations according to Baseball Reference. But looking at what actually has happened for these players in the past begins to fall victim to some of the problems that happen when you use batter vs pitcher numbers. Especially if you try to look how a righty has done against lefty ground-ball pitchers, in particular, you degrade your sample past the point of usefulness. Alex Rodriguez has had 94 plate appearances against pitchers considered ‘ground-ball pitchers’ this year by Baseball Reference. Considering that Rodriguez is a righty, and Beltran leans towards the fly ball and can swing righty, you’ll probably see Gardner on the bench. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll be the most fearsome matchups for the ground-ball inducing Dallas Keuchel on Tuesday. That might be the righty with the third-most extreme fly ball swing in the major leagues over the last five years: Chris Young.Russell Westbrook Doesn’t Give a F* About His Historic Performance in Jordan 31 PE 4.38 / 5 57 VOTES This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. The opinions and information provided on this site are original editorial content of Sneaker News. Today marks the 31st anniversary of one of Michael Jordan’s greatest playoff performances, as he dropped 63 points in a double overtime loss to Larry Bird’s Celtics all the way back in 1986. It’s only right then that Jordan Brand’s own MVP Russell Westbrook have his own version of that game last night. As per usual, the triple-double machine carried the entire Thunder squad to what seemed like a Game 2 victory late in the 3rd quarter, only to have his teammates blow the lead when he went to take a breather minutes later. OKC would go on to lose in regulation, but that doesn’t discredit Westbrook’s ridiculous line of 51 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. Russ might look like a machine on-court, but even machines need to refuel, and he just ran out of gas. He went just 4/18 from the field in the final quarter. When asked about his historic game, Westbrook responded in only a way he can. We won’t repeat it here but just watch the video below for his response. Russ also broke out one of our favorite Jordan 31 PEs, a tri-colored combination of the Thunder’s Photo Blue on the heel mixed with a black to orange woven gradient throughout. Of course, this was accompanied by the Air Jordan 30 outsole for a PE hybrid with a galaxy print on the midsole shank. It was a game for the ages, but the Rockets were a better team. Stay tuned to see what Westbrook does in Game 3. Source: B/R Kicks/ Eric Christian Smith for AP Photo/ Sarah Phipps for The Oklahoman Thunder's Russell Westbrook on posting NBA's first postseason 50-point triple-double: "I don't give a f— about the line. We lost." pic.twitter.com/hRZG4zUkSy — Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 20, 2017Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? The 2011 Super Bowl was between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers—two squads whose monikers speak to their roots as factory teams in the industrial heartland. As these teams prepared to face off in the almighty spectacle that is the Super Bowl, the game’s pre-game show involved a salute to Ronald Reagan on his hundredth birthday. Considering how Reagan gutted the aforementioned industrial heartland, a more appropriate pre-game show would have been an intimate meeting at the fifty-yard line between a Reagan-disguised tackling dummy and fearsome Steeler James Harrison. (The Black Eyed Peas at halftime, however, made me long for another Reagan tribute.) It was also, by the way, Bob Marley’s birthday, and I’m going to guess that far more Super Bowl parties in this country reflected Marley’s legacy than Reagan’s. Ad Policy But it wasn’t just the film tribute that reminded viewers of the Reagan 1980s. The sheer tonnage of militaristic bombast with patriotic trimmings was like Top Gun on steroids and may have seemed over the top to the Gipper himself. Viewers were treated to a reading of the Declaration of Independence, coupled with Marines marching on the field, coupled with that twit from Glee singing “America the Beautiful,” coupled with more shots of the troops, coupled with a damaged Christina Aguilera stumbling through the National Anthem. By the time it was done, I was ready to get an American Flag tattoo and send my taxes to Hosni Mubarak like a Fox-Approved Good American. But fortunately for my sanity, I was watching the game with the DC Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against War at their annual Demilitarized Super Bowl Party. The vets, who booed every time Fox tried to use the troops to build its brand, made it clear that real war in Iraq and Afghanistan doesn’t have a damn thing to do with what the broadcast was selling. As Geoff Millard of Iraq Vets Against the War said to me, “We love sports but hate the way it’s used and hate the way the soldiers are used to sell war.” And yet somewhere amidst the noise, the smoke, the Reagans and the Black Eyed Peas, a football game actually broke out, and it was a dandy. In every previous Super Bowl, no team had ever come back from more than a ten-point deficit, and before you could blink, the Steelers were down 18, 21-3. This was thanks to two costly interceptions by Pittsburgh quarterback and twice-accused rapist Ben Roethlisberger. An electric interception return for a touchdown by Green Bay safety Nick Collins reminded a lot of us why we love this game in the first place. But Pittsburgh is a team with two dozen players who were part of their Super Bowl championship team two years ago and they refused to quit. The game wound down with Green Bay leading 31-25 and Pittsburgh having the ball with just two minutes to play. Green Bay’s defense held and a fantastic game ended as the Pack came away with the win. Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers was absolutely brilliant completing 24-of-39 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and winning the MVP. Yet for all the celebration of the Packers and their history, there was one brazen decision made by the show’s producers and announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman that was an insult to everything the team stands for. Often, the Super Bowl includes numerous shots of the two teams’ owners fretting in their luxury boxes like neurotic Julius Caesars. But the Packers are a team without an owner. They’re a community-run nonprofit owned by 112,000 fans. Rather than celebrate that fact, Fox didn’t mention the Pack’s unique ownership structure once. They also then didn’t include shots of the Rooney family, the most celebrated ownership family in the NFL. After the game, during the traditional passing of the Lombardi Trophy to the winning team’s owner, the award was handed to the Packers’ “CEO and Chief Executive Officer” Mark Murphy, who barely looks old enough to shave. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, as he threatens to lock the players out, clearly wants to hide the truth that the Packers have no single billionaire owner. They want it hidden because the team from Green Bay stand as a living breathing example that if you take the profit motive out of sports, you can get more than a team to be proud of: you get a Super Bowl Champion. It aint Tahrir Square, but it’s something, in our over-corporatized, hyper-commercialized sports world, to cheer. That is reason enough to celebrate the fact that the Lombardi Trophy has finally come home to Titletown.North and South Korean warships exchanged artillery fire in disputed waters off the western coast, South Korean military officials said, in the latest sign of rising animosity between the bitter rivals in recent weeks. Officials from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defence Ministry said on Thursday that a South's navy ship was engaged in a routine patrol near the country's disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea when a North Korean navy ship fired two artillery shells. The shells did not hit the South Korean ship and fell in waters near it, they said. The Associated Press news agency quoted unnamed Seoul officials as saying the South Korean ship then fired several artillery rounds in waters near the North Korean ship. South Korea was trying to determine if the North Korean ship had attempted to hit the South Korean vessel but missed, or if the shells were not meant to hit the ship. Officials said that residents on the frontline Yeonpyeong Island were evacuated to shelters, and fishing ships in the area were ordered to return to ports. In 2010, North Korea fired artillery at the island, killing two civilians and two marines. The North's military had threatened on Wednesday to attack South Korean warships "without any warning" if there was even a "trifle" violation of the maritime border. 'Absurd threats' The threat came a day after a South Korean naval ship fired warning shots to stop an incursion by three North Korean patrol boats across the sea. The South's navy urged the North to stop "absurd threats" and warned: "We will mercilessly punish any provocative actions by North Korea". The North does not recognise the Yellow Sea border, the scene of brief but bloody naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In addition, in November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island, killing four South Koreans and briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict. In March the North fired hundreds of shells in a live exercise near the sea boundary. About 100 shells dropped into South Korean territorial waters, and the South responded with volleys of shells into North Korean waters. Cross-border tension has been high for months, amid signs that the nuclear-armed North may be preparing to conduct a fourth atomic test.Scientist warns the world to 'think twice before replying to alien signals from outer space' BelfastTelegraph.co.uk A scientist responsible for finding signs of life on other planets has warned that human beings should probably think twice before making contact with aliens. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/technology/scientist-warns-the-world-to-think-twice-before-replying-to-alien-signals-from-outer-space-31399042.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article31183380.ece/fe29e/AUTOCROP/h342/love.jpg Email A scientist responsible for finding signs of life on other planets has warned that human beings should probably think twice before making contact with aliens. Weekly Business Digest Newsletter Professor Matthew Bailes is based at Swinburne University in Melbourne - and is leading Australia's efforts to find signs of extra-terrestrial life. But he warned that making contact with aliens capable of transmitting powerful signals to Earth over tens of thousands of light years could lead humanity into disaster, because they're likely to be so much more advanced. "The history of weak civilisations contacting more advanced civilisations is not a happy one," he said. Prof Bailes was recently put in charge of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation's $100m search for alien life, which is being financed by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and is backed by Professor Stephen Hawking. The team working on the project will use the Parkes radio telescope - one of the largest in the world - to scan the universe in what has been described as bringing a "Silicon Valley approach to the search for intelligent life". The initiative will cover 10 times more area of sky than previous programmes, according to News24. Prof Bailes told the news outlet that sophisticated computers would have to be installed at Parkes - which was the first telescope to receive transmissions showing Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon in 1969 - to sort through as many as a billion samples a second to try to detect patterns or likely signals. "The difficulty is to know what sort of signal we are looking for," Prof Bailes said. "There is no manual on how to find aliens. We'll have to imagine the sort of transmissions an alien race might send." The computers, he warned, would take a year to build, and the project has five years to run. But he said that the signal - if and when it arrives - would likely be quite feeble after travelling across such vast distances. He said that scientists hope that aliens will send a pattern human beings would be able to recognise - such as prime numbers. But he warned that we may all be "long dead and buried" before we worked out how to reply - and the aliens got an answer. Independent Independent News ServiceCartoon Network USA Scaresday Thursday Night Halloween Premieres: Thursday 27th October Thursday 27th October is the final Thursday in October before Halloween which means Cartoon Network USA will be airing terrifying new episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Mighty Magiswords, Regular Show: In Space and the Season four finale of The Amazing World of Gumball from 6pm ET/PT. Before the main event at 6pm ET/PT, there will be a new Halloween special of Supernoobs at 5.15pm ET/PT and a new Halloween special of The Powerpuff Girls at 5.30pm ET/PT. Can’t handle the horror of Halloween? There will be a new unscary episode of We Bare Bears at 7pm ET/PT. The frightening fun begins at 6pm ET/PT on Cartoon Network USA. Supernoobs Happy Noob-o-ween 5.15pm ET/PT Mem and Zen try to grasp Halloween while the noobs try to stop infected people at the Halloween fair. http://super-noobs.wikia.com/wiki/Happy_Noob-o-ween The Powerpuff Girls The Squashening 5.30pm ET/PT In order to escape a monster, the girls must tell him a scary story. http://powerpuffgirls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Squashening Teen Titans Go! Halloween vs. Christmas 6pm ET/PT When Santa tries to take over Halloween, it’s up to the Titans and a few ghouls to stop him. http://teen-titans-go.wikia.com/wiki/Halloween_vs._Christmas Mighty Magiswords Flirty Phantom 6.30pm ET/PT The Warriors come upon a haunted house inhabited by a phantom who seems to have taken a liking to Prohyas…! http://mighty-magiswords.wikia.com/wiki/Flirty_Phantom_(episode) We Bare Bears Everyone’s Tube 7pm ET/PT The bears post a variety of videos online. http://webarebears.wikia.com/wiki/Everyone%27s_Tube_(episode) The Amazing World of Gumball The Scam 7.30pm ET/PT Carrie backs up Gumball’s story about a monster, and the students want to hire them as ghost exterminators for Halloween candy. http://theamazingworldofgumball.wikia.com/wiki/The_Scam Regular Show: In Space Terror Tales of the Park VI (Half Hour Halloween Special) 8pm ET/PT The gang tells scary stories with a science fiction twist. http://regularshow.wikia.com/wiki/Terror_Tales_of_the_Park_VI Cartoon Network USA November 2016 News: Subject To Change New episodes of Clarence from Tuesday 1st November, new episodes will air daily at 5.30pm until Friday 4th November, there will also be a full week of new Clarence episodes airing daily between Monday 21st November and Friday 25th November at 5.30pm ET/PT. New episodes of Regular Show: In Space continue to air on Thursdays at 8pm. The Gem Harvest half hour special of Steven Universe will air sometime in November. The Adventure Time Season 7 finale will air on Saturday 26th November. New episodes of Transformers: Robots In Disguise will air every Saturday at 6.30am. Justice League Action could premiere in November on Cartoon Network USA, the show will premiere on Cartoon Network UK on 27th November. A list of Cartoon Network USA’s November 2016 premieres can be seen on the link below, the list is updated as soon as new scheduling information is released: http://www.toonzone.net/forums/threads/cartoon-network-november-2016-premiere-info.5569392/Submitted by John Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute, “Do exactly what I say, and we'll get along fine. Do not question me or talk back in any way. You do not have the right to object to anything I may say or ask you to do, or ask for clarification if my demands are unclear or contradictory. You must obey me under all circumstances without hesitation, no matter how arbitrary, unreasonable, discriminatory, or blatantly racist my commands may be. Anything other than immediate perfect servile compliance will be labeled as resisting arrest, and expose you to the possibility of a violent reaction from me. That reaction could cause you severe injury or even death. And I will suffer no consequences. It's your choice: Comply, or die.”— “‘Comply or Die’ policing must stop,” Daily KOS Americans as young as 4 years old are being leg shackled, handcuffed, tasered and held at gun point for not being quiet, not being orderly and just being childlike—i.e., not being compliant enough. Americans as old as 95 are being beaten, shot and killed for questioning an order, hesitating in the face of a directive, and mistaking a policeman crashing through their door for a criminal breaking into their home—i.e., not being submissive enough. And Americans of every age and skin color are being taught the painful lesson that the only truly compliant, submissive and obedient citizen in a police state is a dead one. It doesn’t matter where you live—big city or small town—it’s the same scenario being played out over and over again in which government agents, hyped up on their own authority and the power of their uniform, ride roughshod over the rights of the citizenry. In turn, Americans are being brainwashed into believing that anyone who wears a government uniform—soldier, police officer, prison guard—must be obeyed without question. Franklin Graham, the heir to Billy Graham’s evangelical empire, offered up this “simple” piece of advice for “Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and everybody else” hoping to survive an encounter with the police: Most police shootings can be avoided. It comes down to respect for authority and obedience. If a police officer tells you to stop, you stop. If a police officer tells you to put your hands in the air, you put your hands in the air. If a police officer tells you to lay down face first with your hands behind your back, you lay down face first with your hands behind your back. It’s as simple as that. Even if you think the police officer is wrong—YOU OBEY. Clearly, Graham’s message resonated with a core group of Americans : almost 200,000 individuals “liked” the message on Facebook, with an astounding 83,000 fans sharing his words of advice with their own friends, none of whom seem to recall that Jesus Christ, whom they claim to follow and model their lives after, not only stood up to the police state of his day but was put to death for it. It’s not just mainstream evangelicals who have been brainwashed into believing that a good citizen is a compliant citizen and that obedience will save us from the police state. In the wake of a grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officer responsible for the choking death of Eric Garner, Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, declared: “We have to teach our children, our sons and our daughters, no matter what they look like, to respect New York City police officers, teach them to comply with New York City police officers even if they think it’s unjust.” Similarly, Officer Sunil Dutta of the Los Angeles Police Department advises: “ If you don't want to get shot, tased, pepper-sprayed, struck with a baton or thrown to the ground, just do what I tell you. Don't argue with me, don't call me names, don't tell me that I can't stop you, don't say I'm a racist pig, don't threaten that you'll sue me and take away my badge. Don't scream at me that you pay my salary, and don't even think of aggressively walking towards me.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the right, it doesn’t matter if a cop is in the wrong, it doesn’t matter if you’re being treated with less than the respect you deserve. If you want to emerge from a police encounter with your life and body intact, then you’d better comply, submit, obey orders, respect authority and generally do whatever a cop tells you to do. In this way, the old police motto to “protect and serve” has become “ comply or die.” As I point out in my book A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State and in my forthcoming book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, this is the unfortunate, misguided, perverse message being beaten, shot, tasered and slammed into our collective consciousness, and it is regrettably starting to take root. Despite the growing number of criminal charges (ranging from resisting arrest and interference to disorderly conduct, obstruction, and failure to obey a police order) that get trotted out anytime a citizen voices discontent with the government or challenges or even questions the authority of the powers that be, the problems we’re experiencing in terms of police shootings have little to do with rebellion or belligerence or resistance. Rather, the problem arises when compliance doesn’t happen fast enough to suit the police. For instance, 15-year-old Jamar Nicholson was shot in the back by police after they spotted him standing next to a friend holding a toy gun. “Officers ordered the boy to drop the weapon multiple times,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “When he didn’t comply, one of the officers opened fire.” Martese Johnson, a 20-year-old college student, unarmed and in the process of walking away from a bar where he’d just been denied entry for being underage, was tackled by police and had his head slammed to the ground and bloodied, allegedly for being intoxicated, belligerent and using a fake ID. Johnson, who it turns out was polite, had a legal ID and was not drunk, survived the encounter after 10 stitches to his head. And then
. The first bend is a fast right-left kink named "Crooner Curves." "Willson Bend" is the first proper turn on the track and the first corner usually seen when The Stig is lapping a car.[5] "Chicago", a long right-hand around a tyre wall onto the main runway, was designed by Lotus as a steady state corner, designed to highlight understeer or oversteer of the chassis. Next is "Hammerhead", a left-then-right corner, which again highlights understeer and oversteer. The track comes to a right-hand curve, then the course turns right through the flat-out section called the "Follow Through". After the left hand "Bentley Bend" named after the person who first "discovered" Jeremy Clarkson and former Top Gear presenter, Jon Bentley, but commonly referred to simply as "the tyres", the course comes to "Bacharach Bend", which, after the first series, has been referred to as the "Penultimate Corner" or the "Second-to-last Corner" and is often regarded as one of the most challenging on the course. The final turn before the finish line is "Gambon" in honour of Sir Michael Gambon, who completed the turn on two wheels in episode 8 of Series 1. Prior to this, the corner was known as "Carpenters Corner".[6] Usage [ edit ] The track is used routinely for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car and Power Laps segments on Top Gear. It also serves myriad roles in other portions of the programme, especially in testing cars and in challenges. When testing cars, they are often driven around the airfield by the presenters. Afterwards, they are taken around the test track by The Stig to set a lap time. Occasionally, drag races and speed tests are held on the runway. Cars acquired during challenges must often post lap times (driven by either one of the presenters or The Stig) around the track against either a target time or a time set by The Stig in another vehicle. During many challenges, the track is used in more unorthodox fashions — for instance, serving as a makeshift motorway lane during a challenge testing tailgating prowess with vans. Power Laps [ edit ] Top Gear Test Track Power Laps is a segment of the programme in which The Stig completes a lap around the track in a reviewed car to compare its performance to previous contenders. To be eligible to appear on the Power Lap Times board, a vehicle must be a road-legal production car and must have sufficient ride height to clear a standard speed bump (referred to by the presenters as a sleeping policeman),[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] although occasionally vehicles that cannot appear on the list are still timed. Whenever a non-qualifying vehicle is raced, the time is compared to the official Power Laps but then removed from the board, for example—the Ferrari FXX owned by Michael Schumacher (1:10.7) was taken off the board after because it both failed to meet road legal standards and used slick tyres. All laps are timed with the car's manufacturer-provided adjustable settings configured for maximum performance—all adjustable suspensions are set at their most efficient, all gear shift maps are at their most aggressive, and driving aids such as traction control are deactivated. Lap times do not offer complete comparisons between the cars, mainly because wet or otherwise poor weather conditions (see time deductions below) can negatively affect lap times. The Power Board [ edit ] Due to the size of the list, only the top 20 are shown. See List of Top Gear test track Power Lap Times for the full list. The second most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the 1001 PS (987 bhp; 736 kW) Bugatti Veyron, was taken around the track by The Stig in Series 12, Episode 4, after 3 years of waiting. However, it disappointed the team by only managing fifth place on the Power Board (currently 26th), an unexpectedly low position ultimately attributed to the car's kerb weight of 1,888 kg (4,162 lb), more than any of the four faster cars.[17] In Series 15 Episode 5 however, the Stig took the 1,200 PS Super Sport version around the track in 1:16.8, thus setting a new lap record. For the 1:17.6 lap, the Koenigsegg CCX (written as "Koeniggggsenisseggsegnignigsegigisegccx2 with the Top Gear wing" on a much-longer magnetic strip, because none of the presenters were able to spell Koenigsegg) was fitted with an optional rear spoiler to provide downforce after The Stig spun the unmodified version off the track. The Stig allegedly recommended this modification, correctly predicting that the car would then be the fastest ever round the track,[18] although Koenigsegg stated that the improvement was due to other adjustments.[19] Lap times of non-qualifying vehicles [ edit ] A "non-qualifying" vehicle is one that does not meet the presenters' requirements to remain on the board; that is, one that is not a "road car", which according to Top Gear means being: available to buy, fully road-legal (lights, indicators, registration, profile tyres, etc.), and street-worthy (i.e. able to negotiate a speed bump).[7] The Caparo, Radical, and Westfield are road-legal in the UK but are unable to clear a speed bump. According to Caparo, the car driven by Top Gear was a prototype that didn't feature the adjustable ride height found on the production model. Because The Stig set his time in the non-adjustable prototype and the production version has not been driven around the track, the Caparo's time remains ineligible for the Power Lap board. Non-Top Gear laps [ edit ] Occasionally attempts at the Power Lap record are made without the support of the BBC. The following laps of Dunsfold were recorded, filmed and promoted independently of the Top Gear television programme. Ultima claim that their motive for running a non-televised lap was that they felt that the GTR was being specifically ignored by the producers of Top Gear.[29] Why Dunlop – Injection chose to run a lap of the Dunsfold circuit is not stated, although it is noticeable that the slower "official" Caterham run was limited by cold tyres. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car (series 1–22) [ edit ] Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a recurring segment on Top Gear. During most programmes, a celebrity (usually, but not exclusively of British fame) is interviewed by Jeremy Clarkson. Discussion is normally amusing, and focuses on car-related matters, such as the celebrity's car history. Then Clarkson and the studio audience watch the guest's fastest lap on the Top Gear test track, after which Clarkson puts the celebrity's time on the time board. Suzuki Liana (2002–05) [ edit ] Top Gear's Suzuki Liana s Suzuki Liana For the first seven series the car driven for lap times was a Suzuki Liana. When first introduced, the car was worth £9995.[30] The car used is stock except for a roll cage and racing seats added as safety measures. Each guest practises with The Stig before making several attempts to complete the test track in the fastest time. The guest does not learn their time until the interview. Practice laps, crashes and the drivers' facial expressions are also shown during the segment. The two slowest laps on the Liana celebrity list are held by Terry Wogan and Richard Whiteley, both of whom were beaten by Billy Baxter, a blind Bosnian war veteran. He guided the Liana through the track under direction from Clarkson in the passenger seat in a time of 2 minutes 2 seconds, which was 1.4 seconds quicker than Terry Wogan, and 4 seconds faster than Richard Whiteley. The fastest non-professional driver was Ellen MacArthur. Unlike most contenders she made no comments to the camera during her lap. She completed the lap in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, beating Jimmy Carr by 0.2 seconds. The current fastest professional driver in the Liana is Daniel Ricciardo with 1:42.2. The Liana endured considerable abuse from the stars while undertaking their laps. In one incident, actor Michael Gambon clipped the final corner, taking the car onto two wheels. It was done in such a spectacular fashion that the corner was named "Gambon Corner". When Lionel Richie drove the Liana, one of the front wheels fell off, invoking Clarkson to coin the term "pulling a Lionel". Trevor Eve also lost a wheel. The former British transport minister Stephen Ladyman added further injury to the Liana by denting the boot when he lost control during practice and slid backwards into a tyre wall. David Soul destroyed the gearbox of two Lianas during his time on the show due to his rough driving style. Patrick Kielty broke the Liana's front suspension during series 4 when he drove on the grass. Christopher Eccleston was the only celebrity to use a Liana with an automatic transmission, because a hesitant Eccleston admitted he was "only qualified to drive an automatic." To accommodate his needs, Top Gear succeeded in borrowing an automatic Liana, of which only 40 existed in the UK. As a reference to his role in Doctor Who, the automatic Liana was shown materialising onto the racing track, with a TARDIS materialisation sound effect played over it. The Liana has also been modified on several occasions. David Soul's Liana featured a red police light and a white stripe in reference to his Starsky and Hutch role. Johnny Vegas was provided with L-plates as he had not passed his driving test at the time. When Justin Hawkins came on the show, the Liana he drove had flame decals pasted on it. Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar had an ornate tissue box placed in the back, an homage to Indian drivers. In its service, the Liana covered 1,600 laps of the circuit; went through 400 tyres; its brakes were changed 100 times; and it required six new clutches, two new hubs, driveshafts, wishbones, struts and gear linkages and a replacement wing mirror.[31] In July 2005, Formula One driver Damon Hill appeared on the show for the first time as the star. This was kept a surprise to the audience and the viewing public, and when Nigel Mansell came on the show, it was covered up in magazines and on the internet by saying that the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car would be Alan Titchmarsh. Since Mansell's appearance the Liana has remained in use as a vehicle reserved for Formula 1 drivers. For some of the laps more than one person has been present in the car. This was the case for Clarkson's run when he had both Hammond and Jason Dawe in the car. Trinny and Susannah were both in the car for each other's runs. Denise Van Outen was in the car when Johnny Vaughan did his lap; Van Outen never did a lap driving the car. Clarkson was also present as a navigator for Billy Baxter's laps. Liana leaderboard [ edit ] Chevrolet Lacetti (2006–09) [ edit ] Starting with the eighth series the Liana was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti and a new blank scoreboard. The format was changed so that each star would have five practice laps, and then a final timed lap, with no allowance being given for mishaps. As a starter for the new car and format, an open day was held for any celebrity who wanted to take part. Seven stars recorded times that day: James Hewitt (who Jeremy and Richard referred to as the 'Well Spoken Man' after failing to recognise him), comedians Alan Davies and Jimmy Carr, rock stars Rick Wakeman and Justin Hawkins, footballer Les Ferdinand, and actor Trevor Eve who topped the time at 1 minute 47.0 seconds. Jimmy Carr, who held second place in the Liana behind Ellen MacArthur, spun off while doing his timed lap and got the second slowest time ever around the track at 2 minutes, 8.91 seconds. On 28 January 2007, Jamie Oliver posted a time of 1:47.70 in melted snow and standing water. Given the rivalry Oliver felt towards fellow celebrity chef, and then-lapboard leader, Gordon Ramsay, Oliver asked that the 4-second allowance normally granted for wet laps be used to put him at the top of the leaderboard "just for a day". Actress Billie Piper posted a time of 1:48.3 but was deemed by The Stig to have failed to complete a lap properly, as she failed to negotiate some corners. The Stig suggested a three-second time penalty, but after Clarkson consulted the audience, it was decided to let the time stand, which her Doctor Who co-star, David Tennant, tried to overturn on 23 December 2007 show, at the end of the following series. Clarkson remarked that if Tennant had worn a see through top (like Piper for her interview), he "would have been faster than Simon Cowell". In the 11 November 2007 episode, Simon Cowell retook his status as the holder of the fastest lap with a time of 1:45.90. According to Clarkson, the cameramen said they had never seen such consistency in the practice laps.[34] However, Cowell was knocked off the top spot in Series 11 by Jay Kay, who now holds the fastest time in the Lacetti, although Clarkson selected the fastest of Jay Kay's times rather than the last run, which was slower than Cowell's time, seemingly due to a dislike of Cowell (he claimed earlier in the episode that Cowell had been at the top of the leaderboard for too long). Had this not happened, Cowell would have been knocked off the top by Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud. Clarkson has referred to the part of the board with times of 1:51 and over as the 'Thespian Zone' due to the propensity for classically trained actors to post slow times. Series 11 featured a slight change to the format, with two 'Stars' per episode instead of the previous one (although there had been a couple of editions in previous series' with more than one guest). Each of the pair are professionally associated with their fellow guest, usually both either act in or present the same TV show. Unlike previous episodes where two stars have appeared, the stars drove individual laps without the other present in the car. On 28 March 2010, Richard Hammond attended the demolition of the two 550 ft chimneys at Lafarge Cement's Northfleet Works.[35] On the first episode of Series 15, it was shown that the Lacetti was partially crushed by placing it in the path of one of the falling chimneys. Lacetti leaderboard [ edit ] Kia Cee'd (2010–13) [ edit ] In the last episode of the fourteenth series of the show, Clarkson revealed that they were thinking about getting a new Reasonably Priced Car for the next series. On 27 June, during the first episode of the fifteenth series, it was revealed to be the Kia Cee'd and, as with the Chevrolet Lacetti, another open day was held to welcome the new car. Nick Robinson, Peter Jones, Al Murray, Bill Bailey, Peta Todd, Louie Spence and Amy Williams were among the initial drivers. Clarkson commonly refers to the Kia phonetically as the "Cee-apostrophe-d".[37] Sophie Raworth, Bill Turnbull and Fiona Bruce all did the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car for Children in Need 2012. Cee'd leaderboard [ edit ] Vauxhall Astra (2013–15) [ edit ] In the first episode of series 20, Clarkson, Hammond and May revealed their new Reasonably Priced Car – A 1.6 Tech Line Vauxhall Astra. In similar fashion to earlier "new starts", an open day was held for multiple stars to drive the car. Following the abrupt end of Series 22 as a result of Clarkson's dismissal from the show, the Astra was returned to Vauxhall before being auctioned off for charity on 27 December 2015 for £17,800. Astra leaderboard [ edit ] F1 drivers [ edit ] All Formula One drivers are put into their own list with regard to lap times because of their exceptional skill level. When the Liana was pulled out from retirement to allow Jenson Button to make a time, Clarkson noted that the Liana would be pulled out for use by Formula 1 drivers in the future. The original 'black' Stig and the first 'white' Stig have done laps around the track in the Suzuki Liana. Both had their times removed from the leaderboard upon their departure. The first Stig was Perry McCarthy, who once test drove for the Williams F1 team, and drove for the ill-fated Andrea Moda Formula One team.[38] The second Stig was Ben Collins; in the first episode of Series 13 the Stig was "revealed" to be Michael Schumacher, although this was a joke in the vein of the rest of his appearance on the show. On 6 July 2011, Sebastian Vettel managed to top the board with a time of 1:44.0. Vettel's lap was the first time someone taking a 'Formula One drivers' line through the first corner was able to top The Stig's time, as Rubens Barrichello took the tighter line. Clarkson also mentioned on this episode that the current Stig has yet to do a lap of the track in the Liana, therefore there is currently no time on the board for the Stig. On 17 February 2013, Lewis Hamilton returned to do a dry lap and lowered the F1 Drivers record by 1.1s to 1:42.9. This was in the wake of his move to Mercedes AMG for the 2013 season. On 8 February 2015, Daniel Ricciardo topped the board with a lap time of 1:42.2. Ricciardo took the tighter line through the first corner, claiming that it covered less distance. F1 Liana leaderboard [ edit ] Star in a Rallycross Car (series 23) [ edit ] For series 23, "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" was renamed as "Star in a Rally-Cross Car" segment, with the track expanded to include a "Rallycross" route, featuring the addition of a jump and a water splash obstacle, but retaining the use of some of the corners.[39] Two celebrities were invited to partake in setting a fast lap time with the use of a Mini Rallycross Car. This segment was used only in this series, as following Chris Evans' resignation, it was scrapped due to negative feedback.[40] Mini Rallycross leaderboard [ edit ] Star in a Reasonably Fast Car (series 24–present) [ edit ] Toyota GT86 (2017–present) [ edit ] Starting from the twenty-fourth series, the format of "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" was revived following the axing of the rally-cross format, though the name was changed to "Star in a Reasonably Fast Car" for its return.[41] The car introduced for this segment was the Toyota GT86, with both The Stig and Chris Harris going out to instruct the celebrities on how to drive the new car.[42] Footage of several celebrities who drove the car before the first episode of the twenty-fourth series, was aired on spin-off programme Extra Gear. GT86 leaderboard [ edit ] Time deductions [ edit ] Sometimes an additional term is written next to the time (such as H for hot). This indicates that The Stig and the Top Gear team consider that the prevalent weather conditions have affected the lap time or car's performance. The time on the board is not adapted: e.g. 1:50.0 MM (mildly moist) is deemed to be equivalent to 1:48.0 on a normal dry track, but is listed amongst the 1:50 times. The only lap ever done in the snow was that of Damian Lewis, whose time of 2:09.1 holds the record as the slowest ever completed lap; due to this, he was placed on a special separate "snow board". Lewis Hamilton on his first appearance had his lap listed as W+O (wet and oily) due to large slicks of oil left on the track after an earlier car test. The following list describes how many seconds it costs a car or gives a car an advantage. Term Conditions Adjustment[ citation needed ] Hot (H) Track surface or car performance affected by high temperature or humidity −2 seconds Mildly moist (MM) or damp (D) Track surface slightly damp with some dry patches after light rain or drizzle −2 seconds Moist (M) Track surface slightly wet due to shower of rain −3 seconds Wet (W) or melted snow (MS) Track surface wet due to light rain or melted snow −4 seconds Very wet (VW) Track surface wet (with large puddles) due to heavy rain −6 seconds Very very wet or flipping wet (FW)[43] Track surface wet (with flood water) due to heavy rain −8 seconds Snow (Snow) Track covered in snow (partially defrosted) Unknown (only used once; listed on its own board) Maps [ edit ] Appearance in games [ edit ] On 24 October 2007, it was announced that players of the PlayStation 3 game, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, would be able to download episodes of Top Gear within the game, and that the test track would be one of the included circuits in the full game (Gran Turismo 5).[44][45] A very basic yet driveable version of the track appeared around 2003 for the PC hardcore racing simulation Grand Prix Legends. There is also a version of the test track for the realistic PC racing simulation rFactor, produced with permission from Dunsfold park.[46] The track has also been produced as an add-on for World Racing 2.[47] Top Gear have also added a basic version of the test track on the games section of their own website, with the title of "Be a star in our reasonably priced car". A Top Gear mobile phone game also features the track.[citation needed] The game Gran Turismo 5, developed by Polyphony Digital features a fully rendered version of the Top Gear track. Players have the ability to drive and race on the track. The track also appeared in Forza Motorsport 4; the Top Gear logo appeared in a trailer for Forza 4 on the Top Gear website.[48] Cars were shown racing in the follow-through section during the E3 2011 trailer.[49] It is known that in the actual game there is options to race on the full track, race both of the rings in separate races and race on Top Gear's drag race mile. There is also an achievement in Forza 4 for completing a lap of the Top Gear Test Track in the Kia Cee'd fittingly named "Star in a reasonably priced car". Forza Motorsport 4's sequel, Forza Motorsport 5, also features the Top Gear test track. The track layouts from Forza Motorsport 4 return, with the exception of the drag race mile, which has been removed. Forza Motorsport 5's sequel, Forza Motorsport 6, also features the Top Gear Test Track, with the full track and both separated rings. This time, the rings are able to race frontward and backward. All the layouts are available with sunny or rainy weather. Top Gear - Extreme Parking, Android game.[50] The Top Gear test track is also available in Automation The Car Company Tycoon Game as "Airport Track" for players to test their cars on. Notes [ edit ]The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) says the death of a Cane Corso found beaten to death in Brampton last month, along with a string of puppy thefts in the area, could be evidence of a dog fighting ring in Peel Region. “We don’t have enough to point to a dog fighting ring definitively, but the pieces that we have before us have put us on heightened alert,” said Jennifer Bluhm, OSPCA’s deputy chief of operations, noting that incidents of puppies being stolen or going missing “could be an indication of a dog fighting ring.” There have been at least three incidents in the last two months in and around Peel where puppies have been stolen: • April 3: two gunpoint puppy thefts in Toronto lead police to two Brampton men now charged in connection with the incidents. The pups had been advertised for sale on Kijiji by separate owners, according to Toronto police. Both pups have been returned. • May 30: Peel Regional Police say a 17-year-old male, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property in connection with the theft of Junior‎, an 11-week-old American Bulldog who was grabbed from its young owner around 5 p.m. as the boy was walking his dog on the playing field behind Hickory Wood Public School on Ray Lawson Boulevard, just east of Chinguacousy Road. Junior has been returned to his home. • June 11: June 11, three suspects — two males and one female – went into a 27-year-old Malton man’s home posing as buyers interested in purchasing a puppy that was advertised for sale on an online classified site. The suspects pepper-sprayed the owner and fled with the 8-week-old, white female Argentine Dogo in a four-door, silver Honda Civic. The pup was found wandering in Whitby and the family who spotted it recognized it from media reports and contacted Peel Police. The puppy will stay with the Whitby family. Meanwhile, Brampton Animal Services is investigating after a dog was found beaten to death in a north end park last month. On May 10, officials from both the city and OSPCA were called to Spruce Park on Heart Lake Road, near Sandalwood Parkway, to investigate a report of a dead dog. Investigators say upon arrival, officers found a male Cane Corso dog dead near a parking area. The dog was approximately five years old with dark-brown brindle fur.Sam Bradford is a polarizing figure among St. Louis Rams fans. As the final #1 overall pick of the old collective bargaining agreement he comes with a hefty price tag, which I believe is the primary motivator for his detractors. When Bradford was taken first overall by the Rams in the 2010 NFL Draft he was brought into a franchise in absolute shambles. The Rams had set a record for futility under inexperienced head coaches such as Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo, while missing on draft pick after draft pick with Billy Devaney. Stan Kroenke became full owner of the St. Louis Rams a few short months after Bradford was drafted, which finally created a sense of stability at the top of the organization. Sam Bradford’s Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010 included bringing the Rams from a 1-15 record in 2009 to 7-9 and a game away from the NFC West title despite a notable lack of talent around him. Bradford’s 2011 campaign was riddled with injuries and brought about the end to the Spagnuolo/Devaney era in St. Louis. Stan Kroenke wasted no time in bringing in a veteran head coach, Jeff Fisher, and an up and coming General Manager Les Snead. In their first year together Snead and Fisher swung a blockbuster trade that gave the Washington Redskins the opportunity to draft RGIII and gave the Rams a bounty of draft picks, including their 2014 first round pick. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have nearly turned over the entire roster since arriving in St. Louis and it has resulted in the youngest team in the NFL for both the 2012 and 2013 seasons. When Steven Jackson departed for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, suddenly Bradford was no longer the developing young signal caller but the experienced veteran expected to be the primary leader in 2013. The Rams entered 2013 with high hopes that young players would reach their potential quickly and turn the long downtrodden Rams into a legitimate playoff contender. The Rams were Sam Bradford’s team and Brian Schottenheimer was clearly putting the entire offense on his shoulders early in the season. Having Bradford throw the ball an average of 45.5 times per game through the seasons first four, the Rams lack of a consistent running game was putting an awful lot of pressure on Bradford to carry the young offense. Bradford did manage to lead a stirring come from behind victory in the season opener, however the lack of a running game and the slow starts caught up with them over the next few games as they finished the first quarter of the season 1-3. It wasn’t until the insertion of Zac Stacy into the lineup in week 5 that the Rams offense really began to click, and the newfound running game certainly helped improved Bradford’s numbers. In weeks 5 & 6 Sam threw a total of 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions on only 50 pass attempts, while leading the team to double-digit victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. The Rams had scored 72 points in those two contests (with help from the defense and special teams) and appeared to be hitting a stride with their new run first identity. Through the first 6 weeks of the season Bradford was near the top of nearly every major statistical passing category with an impressive 13 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. Bradford entered the week 7 matchup in Carolina on quite a hot streak, looking to prove he could do it against a top flight defense. The Rams came out firing early with Bradford looking for the deep strike to Brian Quick on the first play from scrimmage. Unfortunately Zac Stacy didn’t quite do a good enough job with the blitz pickup and the blitzing safety hit Bradford’s arm as he was releasing the ball, changing the trajectory and leading to a pick 6 instead of an easy 80 yard TD. Bradford managed to recover pretty well following the costly turnover and was on his way to a decent statistical performance and a chance at a Rams comeback victory. Unfortunately Bradford went down awkwardly on the sidelines as he was attempting to scramble away from pressure and the rest as they say is history. I decided to put together a chart comparing Bradford’s first 7 games of the season to the current (through week 15) league leaders in QB Rating. These are numbers comparing each of these players first 7 games started, not necessarily the first 7 games of the season for everyone. Bradford was actually currently the 11th ranked QB in terms of QB Rating through week 15 with a 90.9 rating. Sam’s numbers compare quite favorably in nearly every category to the league leaders, the most notable exception being the yards per attempt. A large part of this is likely due to the playcalling of Brian Schottenheimer, and the fact that “big play” receivers Chris Givens and Tavon Austin hadn’t made their impact felt prior to Bradford’s injury. The Rams lack of a running game was allowing teams to rush the passer on nearly every down with little fear of being burned by a big play, which seriously limited the teams ability to pull of the play action passes that are a staple of any deep ball offense. Even with a limited running game and less than creative play calling Bradford was doing an admirable job of leading the young Rams to a.500 record after 6 weeks. With the sustained dominance of the Rams running game, as well as the emergence of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey as legitimate playmakers in the Rams offense it isn’t out of the question to assume Bradford’s week 5-7 pace would have continued through the rest of the season. Sam Bradford still has plenty to prove to NFL experts and St. Louis Rams fans, but those who suggest the Rams should move on from Bradford by drafting a QB with one of their two first round selections in 2014 are failing to see the big picture. They are blaming Bradford for being the beneficiary of a flawed system (the old CBA), and ignoring the fact that he inherited possibly the worst situation of any rookie starting QB in NFL history. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead seem to be all in on Bradford, and while Bradford still has work to prove them right it is my opinion that he is more than capable of leading the Rams back to the promised land. Sam Bradford is currently 3rd among active quarterbacks in INT rate behind only Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Of course one of Bradford’s flaws is his unwillingness to take risks on making a big play, but his knack for protecting the football combined with his impressive accuracy make for a dangerous combination. The Rams and their fans should feel lucky to have such a talented young signal caller, as the shortage of quality quarterbacks has never been more evident in the NFL. After the end of the regular season I will put together an article comparing Sam Bradford’s 2013 pace to the league leaders so stay tuned! Thanks for reading and as always, Go Rams!!!"I have to say that I enjoyed the F1 years a lot. From May 1st 2000 till end 2008 when Honda decided to stop F1 project…almost nine years. To watch F1 is kind of boring, but to do F1 is from the technical point of view is very, very exciting." Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing It was 2009 when Shuhei Nakamoto arrived in MotoGP. By then, HRC was going through the most complicated situation since its comeback to the world racing scene. In the five years prior to Nakamoto’s arrival, HRC had won just one championship and this one was achieved more due to the mistakes of its opponents than to its own merits. Nakamoto took over Honda’s reins to MotoGP after almost nine years as the key man responsible for Honda Motor Company’s most important investment: the F1 project. Being one of the top engineers in the company, he was sent to the bikes to straighten out their situation in the World Championship. But in reality, for Nakamoto it was a return to where he started in the company: HRC. As a recently graduated engineer, Nakamoto arrived at Honda Motor in 1983. “The first three months I worked in a car dealer; the next three in Suzuka, in the car factory”, recalled the 59-year-old. “After this shakedown period Honda Motor had to decide in which area of the company I would work… And I was lucky enough: my first job was HRC”. How old where you then? I think I was 26 years old; I arrived in HRC October 1st 1983. My first job was in the engine department, but after one month I went to my manager and asked him if he could change my job from engine designer to chassis designer. After seeing the Honda RC213V riders losing time on the brakes in his first visit to a MotoGP test, Nakamoto changed the engineering infrastructure in HRC to enable it to develop the machine in a more methodical manner. Photo courtesy of Honda Pro Racing Why did you prefer chassis engineering than engine engineering? Engine engineering is interesting, but the physical space in which you have to work is limited by the crankcases, while on the chassis the possibilities when it comes to design are much wider. And the answer of your manager was…? Yes, I was allowed to move to chassis area. So I deduce that your specialty as an engineer is chassis design. Yes, that’s right. What was the first project you were involved in? My first job was RS250 and RS125, I designed chassis for both bikes; later also the NSR250 as well. I continued doing it for several years, until the day I told my HRC manager that I wanted to do the NSR500. He asked me why? I told him that it was the natural evolution after having done the 125 and the 250. Instead he gave me the superbike project. Which one, the one with the V2 engine or the one with the V4? V4, the RC45 with Kocinski, Aaron Slight. But in 2000 I asked again to do the 500. Because the NSR500 was the F1 of the bikes, while Superbikes was like the Touring Cars category. And what happened this time with your request? What happened was that the director of HRC come to me and said, ‘OK, you can do F1.’ [Nakamoto opens his eyes wide as a surprise gesture] So you left the motorcycles to go to F1 without having had any experience in auto racing. Weren’t you scared with that responsibility? More than scared. I was surprised because, as you said, I had no experience in cars. But this was a company order and I had two choices: go to F1 or leave Honda. At that time I had two very small boys so there was no way for me leaving Honda, so I went to F1. [Laughs] And how did this challenge work out? I have to say that I enjoyed the F1 years a lot. From May 1st 2000 till end 2008 when Honda decided to stop F1 project…almost nine years. To watch F1 is kind of boring, but to do F1 is from the technical point of view is very, very exciting. Budget is very different from the motorcycle-racing budget and the numbers of the engineers as well…there is a big difference. There, the engineers cover a very narrow area but instead they can go deep, very deep. You mean they are very specialized in the areas they are focused? Yes. Motorcycle engineers cover wide areas. In the years in F1 I learned a lot of things engine-wise, chassis-wise and also aerodynamics, especially aerodynamics. So at the beginning of 2009, how was the comeback to the bike world? What did you face when you assumed the responsibility of Honda’s number one motorcycle project? Sepang test 2009. I have to say that I was very surprised with what I saw. In which way? The speed of the Hondas was very, very fast. It was quiet easy to overtake the Yamaha on the straight, but when we arrived at the corners, Yamaha easily overtook back on the braking. This was unacceptable. So this shocked you? Yes. The Honda machine was very fast, but on braking the Yamaha was much more stronger. My first thought was that we might have done something wrong. So we tried different setups. We managed to improve our braking efficiency, but still Yamaha was much more effective than us. I understand that when you took control of the GP project, you did it also as an engineer, not only as manager. Is this right? Yes. At that time I was already vice-president of HRC. I had
brilliant, element-bending universe of The Last Airbender, but the property was butchered into something unrecognizable not once, but twice now. The saddest part of all of this is that the show's own masters, Nickelodeon, are abusing the one aspect of the universe that's actually still good, the show itself. Even after The Last Airbender was beloved and successful enough to spawn Korra, Nickelodeon pulled it off the air midway through the third season. Then, they decided to air the fourth season almost immediately after, but only streaming online. Fans are still trying to figure out what the hell is going on, with the common thought that a combination of (relatively) low ratings and themes too mature for the channel have caused it simply not to fit into their line-up. That does make some amount of sense. The Legend of Korra is a very "adult" show, not in terms of violence or sex, but rather its actual maturity level. With that said, it is still bizarre that a network that has 24 hours of airtime every day can't find twenty minutes a week to air a show better than most live action dramas on TV today. All of this is just profoundly sad, and it's a tragedy how one of the most innovative, creative universes filled with rich, interesting characters has missed so many opportunities to expand into other forms of media effectively, and now the show itself is under attack by the channel that birthed it in the first place. I won't be playing The Legend of Korra to completion, as I don't need that series tainted like The Last Airbender movie marred the original Avatar. There's no word on where the series will go after Korra wraps, but hopefully Nickelodeon's mismanagement won't mean the universe is dead forever. There absolutely could be more sequel series, actually good film adaptations and amazing video games in The Last Airbender's future, but the brand has been dragged through the mud for years now, and hopefully it's not permanently crippled as a result. Read my follow-up post: Building a Better 'Legend of Korra' Video Game Follow me on Twitter, like my page on Facebook, and pick up a copy of my sci-fi novel, The Last Exodus, and its sequel, The Exiled Earthborn, along with my new Forbes book, Fanboy Wars. How should Destiny spend its $500M budget? I explain below:Going with the flow! Stunned tourists pictured sailing incredibly close to one of Europe's most active volcanoes as it ERUPTS Advertisement This is the spectacular moment a group of tourists came face to face with one of Europe's most active volcanoes in mid-eruption. Stromboli, located just off Sicilian coast in southern Italy - and famed for its volcanic activity - began erupting last week. The holidaymakers can be seen watching on with awe as fiery lava flows spill into the Mediterranean Sea, accompanied by plumes of smoke. One man can be seen filming the dramatic scenes on his phone. Images taken later at night capture the the lava streams burning bright as they run run down the face of the volcano. Standing at 3,034ft (926m) above sea level, Stromboli is often referred to as the 'Lighthouse of the Mediterranean'. Considered as active for more than 2,000 years, it has been erupting continuously since 1932, with the last major eruption occurring in April 2009. The National Institute of of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) has described the eruptions as 'the most significant in recent years.' The mayor of nearby Lipari island, Marco Giorgianni, described the situation as 'certainly not normal'. Tourist trips, which were cancelled over the weekend due to the volcano remaining 'too active', are expected to resume this week. Steam gushes into the air as lava from the Stromboli volcano gushes into the sea off Sicily Tourists have been flocking to catch a glimpse of the epic sight, caused by lava flows spilling out after one side of the volcano collapsed Tourists dressed only in their swim wear watch the steam rising from the seas around Stromboli from their boat Stromboli, one of Europe's most active volcano, is part of the seven-island Eolian Archipelago just off Sicily in southern Italy Eruption: A tourist boat sails close tot he action so holidaymakers can watch on as lava from the Stromboli volcano flows into the Mediterranean Sea Awe-struck: An impressed holidaymaker captures the eruption on his phone as the boat passes close to a trail of lava snaking its way down to the sea Sunning themselves: Holidaymakers steering their speedboat towards the eruption seem unbothered by the plumes of steam caused by the molten lava cooling in the seaTim Wellens had a fantastic grand tour debut at the recent Giro d'Italia but despite his two second places, he was overshadowed by his peers Wilco Kelderman and Fabio Aru. Claiming that the pair were not stronger than him when they competed in the youth ranks, the Belgian is a bit frustrated not to be able to match their results. In his second full season as a professional, Tim Wellens got his first taste of grand tour racing when he lined up in the recent Giro d'Italia. The Belgian did an excellent and aggressive race and was rewarded for his offensive spirit by taking two second places. While Wellens mixed it up in breakaways, Wilco Kelderman and Fabio Aru who are of the same age, were involved in the battle for the top positions on GC and that has left the Belgian slightly frustrated. Having competed against the pair since his time in the youth ranks, he believes that he is able to perform at their level "I am super happy for Aru and Kelderman who are from my generation, but in the youth ranks they were not better than me," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "In the youth ranks, Kelderman was not better than me and Aru could only beat me in the Tour of Tuscany because I punctured at a time when I was the virtual leader. "Sometimes I wonder why they are doing so well and I am not. But I know the reason. My body still isn't mature. They were bigger and stronger, I was small and skinny. It also proves that I still have roome for improvement. It is only difficult to predict how much room I have. But then I think: I can do what Aru and Kelderman can. "I am not going to claim that I will be in the top 5 in last year's Giro though. After the classics, I dare to say that I come back to win those races but you won't hear me saying that about the Giro. I am part of a golden generation with Aru, Kelderman, even Quintana. We will keep riding against each other." Despite his fustration, he is pleased with his debut. "I am satisfied with my Giro debut," he said. "But I was too good at the start because I had also been aiming at the classics. In those races I was better than I was in the Giro after the first week. At that point I could almost not feel my pedals but the scond week was hard. In the third week I got better again. "What I am most proud of? My two runner-up spots even though Maxime Monfort regards my 9th in the mountain time trial as an even better result." Going into the race, Wellens had no focus on the GC but after a great first week, he considered changing his mind. "After the first week I was ninth," he said. "Then I planned to see what I could do. In the first mountain stage, however, I finished in the last group. I can ride super well on climbs of 5-6km but the really long ones are too much for me." Wellens recently extended his contract with Lotto Belisol and will stay with the Belgian team until the end of the 2015 season.Writer Michael D’Antonio is author of more than a dozen nonfiction books including Mortal Sins and Never Enough, Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success. In 2016, there are 14 Republican presidential candidates for whom Ronald Reagan is both the benchmark for conservative values and the lodestar of conservative ideas. There’s also one who wrote, in the second to last year of Reagan’s presidency, that he had been “so smooth, so effective a performer” that “only now, seven years later, are people beginning to question whether there’s anything beneath that smile.” The gadfly was Donald Trump, writing in his book The Art of the Deal. But it wasn’t just a glancing blow; to promote the book, Trump launched a political campaign that tore into Reagan’s record, including his willingness to stand up to the Soviet Union. Advised by the notorious Roger Stone, a Nixon-era GOP trickster, in 1987 Trump took out full-page ads in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post blasting Reagan and his team. Story Continued Below In the text, which was addressed “To the American people,” Trump declared, “There’s nothing wrong with America’s Foreign Defense Policy that a little backbone can’t cure.” The problem was America’s leading role in defending democracy, which had been fulfilled by Republicans and Democrats all the way back to FDR. Foreshadowing his 2015 argument that would have Mexico pay for an American-built border wall, Trump then said that the United States should present its allies with a bill for defense services rendered. The ads, which cost more than $90,000, came after Trump had visited the Soviet Union and met with Mikhail Gorbachev. (A few years earlier, Trump had offered himself as a replacement for Reagan’s nuclear arms control negotiators, whom he considered too soft.) Trump followed his letter to America with a trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where voters were eyeing the candidates in the 1988 primary. There he spoke to the Rotary Club, which met at Yoken’s restaurant, where the sign out front featured a spouting whale and the slogan, “Thar she blows!” In his talk, Trump sounded some of the same themes he offers today, except for the fact that the bad guys who were laughing at the United States were the Japanese and not the Mexicans or Chinese. “We’re being ripped off and decimated by many foreign nations who are supposedly our allies,” said Trump. “Why can’t we have a share of their money? I don’t mean you demand it. But I tell you what, folks, we can ask in such a way that they’re going to give it to us—if the right person’s asking. … The Japanese, when they negotiate with us, they have long faces. But when the negotiations are over, it is my belief—I’ve never seen this—they laugh like hell.” Trump’s 1987 pseudo-campaign generated invaluable amounts of free publicity and contributed greatly to the sales of The Art of the Deal, which appeared on shelves a few weeks after Trump spoke in Portsmouth. The experience reinforced what Trump already knew about manipulating the press corps, which then, as now, found him irresistible. (Audiences loved him too. One woman in New Hampshire told a reporter that Trump reeked of the “aphrodisiac” of power.) In the pages of the book, he defended his practice of hype, calling it “truthful hyperbole,” and he hinted at his future practice of outrageous rhetoric, noting that the press “love[s] stories about extreme.” Although he barely touched on politics in The Art of the Deal, when he did, Trump was an equal opportunity critic. He criticized Reagan, but he also wrote that Democrat Jimmy Carter “couldn’t do the job” of president. After The Art of the Deal went into paperback in 1988, Trump contemplated challenging Ed Koch in the race for mayor of New York City. Stone was again consulted, along with Republican National Committee chairman Lee Atwater. Atwater was as rough as they came. He once explained, with shocking candor, how political race-baiting had evolved since the 1950s. “By 1968 you can’t say ‘nigger’—that hurts you, backfires,” he said. “So you say stuff like, uh, ‘forced busing, states’ rights,’ and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites. … 'We want to cut this,' is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than ‘Nigger, nigger.’” Trump, who had also considered running for governor of New York, decided not to try to become mayor. Throughout the 1990s, Trump was occupied with rebuilding a fortune he had lost after his Trump Shuttle airline failed and two of his Atlantic City casinos went bankrupt. When this work was finished and he had another book to sell, he left the GOP in 1999 in order to flirt with the Reform Party. Catnip for the media, he appeared on Meet the Press, Fox News Sunday and Face the Nation. His outrageousness then was comparable to his outrageousness now. He said of opponent Pat Buchanan, “He’s a Hitler lover; I guess he’s an anti-Semite. He doesn’t like the blacks, he doesn’t like the gays.” He said that his ideal running mate would be Oprah Winfrey because “she’s popular, she’s brilliant, she’s a wonderful woman.” Then, as now, Trump believed that Americans wanted an outsider who would offer more political pizazz than the likes of John McCain, Al Gore and the first George Bush, whom he described as “out of touch.” Among his sons, though, Trump found something to admire in Jeb. “He’s exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future.” He also offered some words of advice, and even comfort, to outgoing President Bill Clinton. He wrote that Clinton should have refused to answer all questions about the Monica Lewinsky affair and declared that Americans didn’t really care about Clinton’s sexual escapades. He also described a “conservative columnist, married, who was particularly rough on Clinton in this regard. He also brought his girlfriend to my resorts for the weekend.” And while he wrote that he disagreed with first lady Hillary Clinton’s health care reform specifics, he added, “No one can deny her good intentions.” He also called her “smart and resilient.” Trump’s campaign book, The America We Deserve, was offered as a souvenir for purchase to those who paid to attend the how-to-succeed speeches Trump made in the run-up to the party convention. Much of the book was taken up with a recapitulation of his life experience, which, he would insist, proved him ready to become leader of the free world. Trump argued in terms that would be familiar today. He said any president should be a great negotiator who can make deals. “The dealmaker is cunning, secretive, focused and never settles for less than he wants,” Trump wrote. “It’s been a long time since America had a president like that.” Among the few policy nuggets in the book were some with a truly liberal tone. Trump wanted a ban on assault weapons and waiting periods for gun purchasers. He also favored a national health care system. “We must have universal healthcare,” Trump wrote. “Doctors might be paid less than they are now, as is the case in Canada, but they would be able to treat more patients because of the reduction in their paperwork. … The Canadian plan also helps Canadians live longer and healthier than Americans. There are fewer medical lawsuits, less loss of labor to sickness, and lower costs to companies paying for the medical care of their employee. … We need, as a nation, to reexamine the single-payer plan, as many individual states are doing.” In that same book, Trump also proposed a one-time net-worth tax on the richest Americans (those worth more than $10 million) in order to reduce the federal debt. “By imposing a one-time 14.25 percent net-worth tax on the richest individuals and trusts, we can put America on sound financial footing for the next century,” he wrote. “The plan would cost me $700 million personally in the short term, but it would be worth it.” The Trump for President 2000 campaign featured his claim that “the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I’m more honest and my women are more beautiful.” He also complained of politicians who cited their humble origins. He mocked them for saying, in effect, “Elect me, I’m a loser.” Trump’s Reform Party bid ended with a whimper as he withdrew complaining that the people in the party were too hard-core right wing for his tastes. Never a fan of George W. Bush, Trump actually registered as a Democrat in 2001. (He then returned to the GOP, and was listed on New York registration rolls as a Republican in 2009.) On October 5, 2010, Trump called in to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show to say he was “absolutely thinking about” running for president in 2012. This time he didn’t have a book to sell, but his TV show, The Apprentice, was on the air. He followed up with Fox News, with a pitch that the audience could have heard from Trump in 1987. “We have no common sense. We have no common sense. And we’re losing this country. Mark my words, if we keep going this way, we’re losing this country. It will no longer be great. It’s not respected to anywhere near what it used to be.” Almost 40 years have passed since Donald Trump first began talking about how leaders in other countries have been outsmarting America and the nation was foundering due to poor leadership and a lack of backbone. His prescription for what ails the country has always been the same: a great big dose of Donald Trump, proven so effective when it comes to the construction of his own popularity and fortune. His upcoming book, Crippled America, is not likely to offer anything different; but in publishing it Trump will surely reap a profit in cash and attention. Readers who get him to sign their books should profit, too. A copy of The America We Deserve, signed by Trump in gold-colored ink, is offered today on eBay for $400.As the Coalition backs away from a pledge to consider a climate change policy that the energy industry says it needs, a new study is projecting a rapidly growing mass electricity generator for Australia in the decades ahead: the public. Consumers using rooftop solar panels and batteries will produce between a third and half of Australia's electricity by mid-century if the right policies are introduced, according to a roadmap from the CSIRO and power and gas transmission body Energy Networks Australia. The two-year analysis also found an emissions intensity scheme for the electricity sector - a form of carbon trading that was to be considered by a government climate policy review until that plan was abandoned on Tuesday afternoon - would be the cheapest way to cut carbon dioxide emissions. It suggests it could save customers $200 a year by 2030, while helping create a reliable electricity grid with zero emissions by 2050.Cellarman Willy Pelland stacks barrels filled with beer to age at the Oak Room at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont on Thursday. More photos: TimesCall.com. Feb. 23, 2017 ( Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer ) If you go What: Oak Room grand opening When: 5-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 (Doors open at 3 p.m.) Where: Oak Room at the Longmont Brewery, 1800 Pike Road On tap: Special beers on tap, live music, parade and stiltwalkers More info: facebook.com/events/132090277306491/ Old beer is in, and it's helping one local brewery grow. Longmont-based Oskar Blues is opening its new event space, Oak Room, this weekend in a Mardi-Gras themed party open to the public The 4,275-square-foot space is adjacent to Oskar Blues' barrel-aging room and, in fact, came about because of the need to store the brewery's growing collection of maturing beers. "Our barrel aging program was really picking up, and we needed space for that," said Chad Melis, marketing director for Oskar Blues. "The oak barrels were really good looking, and that inspired the direction of the room. "We figured we could turn it into something the community can use." About 1,000 barrels of beer will be aging at any given time in the aging room, visible through a large window from the event space. The space itself, which can hold up to 280 people, is outfitted with its own bar and a 24-foot projection screen. Advertisement Melis said that, while the room will be available to rent for private events, it will also host the company's internal gatherings. Oskar Blues has undergone considerable growth since starting as a Lyons brewpub in 1997. It now has brewing operations in Longmont; Brevard, N.C.; and Austin, Texas. Its beers can be found in all 50 states, and an international expansion announced in October will put them in 14 countries. Oskar Blues' soda subsidiary, B. Stiff and Sons Old Fashioned Soda Pop Company, also expanded distribution in 2016, and reported a 68 percent increase in sales. The brewery also made two acquisitions through its private equity owner, Fireman Capital Partners: Tampa, Fla.-based Cigar City Brewing and Michigan's Perrin Brewing Company. Beers from both will be on tap during Saturday's grand opening, and at a Friday release party for Oskar Blues' Hotbox Coffee IPA. The brewery recently started a club specifically for its limited releases. Memberships already sold out and there's a waiting list, proving how popular Oskar Blues brews really are. Said Melis: "It's been cool to see people super engaged and enthusiastic about what we're doing." Shay Castle: 303-473-1626, castles@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/shayshinecastleFlowers are subtle embodiments of nature and expressive symbols making great tattoo designs, especially for women. Almost every flower has a meaning in different cultures, and the carnation makes no exception. Generally, a carnation tattoo is associated with love, affection and strong feelings, but it gathers the most diverse meanings in different parts of the world. If you are born in the first month of the year, a carnation tattoo is a perfect choice, being January’s birth flower. In the last century, the carnation became associated with Mother’s Day and Women’s Day, but the diversity of its colors have inspired various symbols. White carnations, like most white flowers, are symbols of purity but also represent devotion, the pure love that hasn’t been consumed yet. A red carnation transmits strong feelings of passion and love, while pink carnations are associated with maternal love. The yellow shade of carnations is often associated with jealousy, but they can be rather interpreted as a sign of contempt and rejection. Purple carnations are associated with dreams and fantasies and the multicolored ones signify a refusal, especially in a romantic relationship. Many women choose carnation tattoos just to embellish their bodies but knowing the significance of each color of this beautiful flower can help you opt for the design that best suits you. #1 Pink Carnation on Forearm Photo: unlimitedinktattoojag #2 Delicate Black&Grey Carnation Tattoo Photo: christophervasquez22 #3 Carnation and Daisy Side Piece Photo: Leah Samuels #4 Small Pink Carnation on Arm Photo: Casey Hart #5 Carnation Bouquet on Inner Bicep Photo: sonjabowtattoos #6 Half Sleeve Colored Carnations Photo: Samantha Vail #7 Red Carnation Tattoo on Forearm Photo: pooka #8 Watercolor Carnation on Spine Photo: Eileen #9 Carnation Inside a Dopamine Molecule Photo: Kenny SanchezUsing Dataflow in Clojure to process Google’s huge new WikiReading dataset Alistair Roche Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 26, 2017 Yesterday I was exploring the new WikiReading dataset, and managed to get its 208GB of uncompressed JSON down into about 50GB by simplifying the structure of the objects — basically removing a bunch of denormalised fields. I used a simple command line tool: jq. But the files are still a little too big to slurp into a Clojure REPL on my laptop. Today I want to move from the 18.8 million triples of (document, property, values) to a map of ~4.7 million documents, each associated with a set of (property, values) tuples. This should drastically reduce the size once again. Technically I could do it with jq, but there would be no good way to parallelise the operation, unlike the mapping we did yesterday (where each line is a separate JSON object, and transforming it depends on just that line). To do a “group by” over all the data with jq, we’d have to read the entire data structure into memory, and then work on it in a single core. I’d have to spin up a special super-high-memory instance on Cloud Compute, and it’d still take ages to process. This might be a good use for Cloud Dataflow. There’s a great library called datasplash which wraps around the 1.x SDK of Dataflow. I used it even though Google have moved on to recommending Apache Beam, because clj-beam just isn’t there: when I tried to run the most basic examples, it failed due to cryptic interop issues. Moreover, the API isn’t nearly as high-level as datasplash’s. The pipeline I’m trying to create is very simple: Read all the JSON files for a given subset (training / validation / testing), turn them into a big collection of Clojure maps (with keys document, property, values) Group by the document Write to a single JSON file for each subset Compared to what I’ve done in the last few days with Dataflow, it’s simple — linear, and only a few steps. Take a look at datasplash’s examples for some meatier pipelines. Here’s a heavily commented gist: This is how I run it: And this is how it looks in the monitoring interface while it’s running: Here’s how long it took: And here’s the output in Cloud Storage: We’ve gone from 208GB → 50GB → 6.8GB without losing any of the information needed to replicate the results of the paper. Alright! I might even be able to play with this dataset on my laptop. There’s something satisfying about watching a bunch of computers dance for you without having to write much code. Dataflow takes care of all of the implementation details of the distributed computation. The code I wrote looks similar to how I’d write it for running on a single core, on a single machine — the main difference is that I’m using datasplash’s map, group-by and I/O functions instead of Clojure’s built-ins. I do wish that the pipeline construction was based on assembling data structures (like in Onyx) rather than mutating a Pipeline object. In fact, I would use Onyx, except that I’d have to do all my own devops, and learn what Apache Zookeeper is. Another day, perhaps! Or maybe one day Onyx will have its own fully-managed service like Dataflow. In any case, I’m now much closer to being able to quickly iterate in my exploration of WikiReading. Onwards!A Wisconsin woman is dressing as the abominable snowman to walk her dog, and people are loving it. She'll only introduce herself as Bumble – the abominable snow monster of the North from the classic claymation movie, "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" – and she told FOX 11 she's visiting from Misfit Island to "bring joy, happiness" to the people of Allouez, Wisconsin. Bumble, who wants her identity kept secret, and Blizzard – who is actually a champion show dog known as Andy – are getting a lot of attention as they bound down the street. They plan to continue their walks through the holidays, and maybe longer, and although she doesn't have much to say, she's reminding people to, "Love all, care about all, beyond holidays," FOX 11 reports. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website This embed is invalid News of Bumble and Blizzard has spread across social media, getting the attention of national media outlets. Washington Post says "a good life tip" is for people to walk their dog while dressed as an abominable snowman, because not only does it brighten the day of others, but it's also "an extremely clever way to outsmart the elements" of a brutal Midwestern winter. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website Here's some more reaction to Bumble and Blizzard:Walter White is selfishness incarnate, and perhaps one of the greatest tragic figures to ever grace television, making his ultimate descent into villainy that much more compelling. A brilliant chemist turned meth kingpin, Walter (or Heisenberg) spends five seasons lying, betraying, and killing his way to fame and fortune. And yet, even as his increasingly loathsome crimes begin to tear his loved ones apart, he still maintains that it’s all for the sake of providing for his family — denying the selfish enjoyment of his self-made empire until it’s too late. As vile as it all is, though, we can’t deny the thrill of watching Walter’s villainy take form, transforming him from a sympathetic underdog to the central baddie of Breaking Bad — even as we story continues to unfold from his warped perspective.CLOSE A quick overview of Ted Thompson's draft class coming out of the 2017 draft. (May 2, 2017) USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Former University of Manitoba guard Geoff Gray signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent. (Photo: Jeff Miller/Bison Sports) GREEN BAY – Of the 16 rookie free agents accumulated by the Green Bay Packers, guard Geoff Gray, a rare prospect from Canada, appears to stand out. An executive in personnel for an NFL team said Gray was the only one of the 16 to have a draftable grade on his club’s draft board. “We had a sixth-round grade on him,” the personnel man said. “That’s a good get. Like him. It’s going to take a year but, if he hits it, they got one.” Gray, who played at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, has ideal size (6-feet-5½ inches, 315 pounds) and impressive athleticism. At a pro day March 30 that was attended by eight NFL teams (including Green Bay) and two CFL teams, Gray posted a 31-inch vertical jump and a 9-6 broad jump. Both would have tied for second best among all offensive linemen at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. “Jumping is a great indicator of how explosive you are,” Gray said this week. “I compete in Olympic weightlifting in the offseason. That definitely helps my (jumps).” More importantly, Gray displayed a competitive temperament that must have been appealing to the Packers. “Aggressive to a fault,” said an NFL scout. “Likes to wear defenders out during a game.” Gray played both right tackle and guard for the Bisons, who are one of 27 collegiate teams in Canada. RELATED: Profiles on the Packers' undrafted free agents RELATED: Green Bay Packers 2017 draft picks RELATED: Complete Packers draft coverage Although Gray has the size and arm length (34 inches) to play tackle in the NFL, he expects to be tried first at guard, where the Packers have lost Pro Bowlers Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang in the last eight months. He also has been working at center. Now the question becomes, will Gray have any more success than tackle-guard Steve Morley and tackle Josh Bourke, the Packers’ last two offensive linemen from north of the border? Morley (6-6 ½, 330) was handed a $100,000 signing bonus in February 2004. After a high-school and collegiate career in Nova Scotia, the baby-faced Morley played one season in the CFL before arriving in Green Bay. Morley started the first two exhibition games at left guard for injured Mike Wahle before spending the entire season inactive. The demands and speed of the U.S. game shocked Morley initially, and on Sept. 3, 2005 the Packers were able to trade him to the Jets for a seventh-round draft choice in ’07. Cut several times by NFL teams, Morley went back to the CFL and played from 2007-14. Unlike Morley, Bourke (6-6 ½, 314) crossed the border from his home in Windsor, Ont., to play in high school (Orchard Lake, Mich.) and college (Grand Valley State). Signed by the Packers as a rookie free agent, Bourke spent all of 2006 on injured reserve (back) before being released in June 2007. Then he signed with the CFL Montreal Alouettes and became a star. From 2008-14, Bourke was an Eastern Conference all-star. In 2011, he was CFL offensive lineman of the year. In ’14, his $215,000 salary was the highest in the league for a non-quarterback. The model for Gray would be Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, the Kansas City Chiefs’ sixth-round draft choice in 2014 from McGill University in Montreal. He also played as a prep in Quebec. Duvernay-Tardif didn’t play as a rookie before becoming a starter at right guard in 2015. He played so well that the Chiefs signed him to a five-year, $43.06 million extension in February. Two other Canadians that became solid starters at guard in the NFL were Mike Schad (1985-’93) and Ian Beckles (1990-’98). In both the pro and collegiate game in Canada, defensive linemen must line up a full yard off the ball. In the NFL, centers can tell what nose tackles ate for breakfast because of the close proximity. “You have more time to react in Canada but also the defender has more space,” Gray said. “You don’t have to play more passively but you have more ground to protect and you have to be a little more conservative in your angles.” Gray’s first exposure to American football was playing in the East-West Shrine Game. He and James Campen, the Packers’ offensive line coach, watched East-West and Manitoba footage during his pre-draft visit to Green Bay. “He was happy with my body position and knee bend on a lot of blocks,” Gray said. “I asked him what I did wrong. He definitely sees the amount I can grow. The skills are all transferable.” The CFL will conduct its draft Sunday, and Gray should be selected fairly high despite his contract in Green Bay because a team drafting him would hold his rights for years. Neither Morley nor Bourke made it in Green Bay before going back to Canada and enjoying long careers. “Right now the Packers and the NFL are my primary focus,” Gray said. “I’m going to pursue that as far as I can and hopefully get a spot.”CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Browns notebook after their 17-13 loss to Carolina: 1. There were several distressing aspects to the two starts by Johnny Manziel. The bottom line for his six quarters included three points and only five first downs not from penalties. But the biggest surprise was his lack of speed. 2. Part of the reason the Browns drafted Manziel was his quickness. At Texas A&M, he could run away from pass-rushers. He created first downs with his fakes and fast first few steps. But in seven rushing attempts in the last two games, he has accounted for only 16 yards. At least twice, he has been pulled down from behind. He was sacked three times in the 30-0 loss to the Bengals. 3. If the 6-foot Manziel can't run, he's in huge trouble. He showed the speed when dashing 10 yards for a touchdown in a 20-10 loss to Buffalo. He relieved Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter of that game. But that one play has really been it. Manziel ran for 2,160 yards and 30 touchdowns in two college seasons. And yes, those fears of him being hurt while running came became a reality when he pulled a hamstring late in the second quarter. 4. About the only difference between Manziel's first and second start is that he had the linemen more organized. They didn't have all the false starts and wasted timeouts. The only timeout called to correct a problem was when Josh Gordon lined up in the wrong spot for a play. 5. Who knew that Hoyer (coming off ACL knee surgery) would run for more yards than Manziel? He had carries of 11 and eight yards. Manziel seemed to stumble twice when taking the handoff from under center and dropping back to pass. That is not his comfort zone, and it shows. He will need to learn that to survive in the NFL. Manziel threw out of the shotgun 99 percent of the time in college. 6. Karlos Dansby came off his knee injury to play his first game in a month, and he had 12 tackles. But the run defense remained horrible, allowing 209 yards on the ground. That comes after 234 last week in the loss to the Bengals. The Browns entered Sunday ranked No. 31 against the run. 7. Part of the problem is that so many defensive linemen are injured. Others are playing hurt. But there also may be some trouble with the defensive scheme. The Browns gave up a lot of yards rushing early in the season when most players were healthy. It's just more pronounced now. 8. Gordon has played four games since returning from his 10-game suspension. He has a modest 20 catches, none for a touchdown. He's averaging 12.9 yards per reception. He continues to struggle with the plays and running the right patterns. He looks nothing like the Josh Gordon who was a Pro Bowl player last season. 9. Manziel mentioned his frustration: "I've never done anything like this... playing any sport since I was a kid -- whether it's football, basketball, baseball... never had anything like this. It's so new to me, so frustrating." 10. Football has always come naturally to Manziel and Gordon. My guess is Gordon is thinking something like what Manziel mentioned... they both can't believe they are struggling. And that's when a player's confidence takes a major hit and his character is tested. 11. Clearly,
only trained technician who should be identified at all times, is a medical doctor. It is good to know this in case somebody suddenly becomes unconscious or fractures a hip. Simple and democratic. - Rappler.com Sylvia Estrada-Claudio is a doctor of medicine who also holds a PhD in Psychology. She is Director of the University of the Philippines Center for Womens Studies and Professor of the Department of Women and Development Studies, College of Social Work and Community Development, University of the Philippines. She is also co-founder and Chair of the Board of Likhaan Center for Women's Health.ALBANY – Nearly six in 10 registered voters believe Hillary Clinton is not honest or trustworthy, yet she continues to enjoy a strong lead over Donald Trump in the race for votes in heavily blue state of New York, a new poll has found. The new Siena College poll out Wednesday morning shows her beating Trump by 24 points - 54-30 percent - if the election were held today. In fact, Clinton's lead has grown from the 21 point lead she enjoyed a month ago in the last Siena poll. And while 58 percent said Clinton is not honest or trustworthy, 73 percent of respondents – including 40 percent of Republicans – voiced the same worries about Trump. Forty-six percent said they have an unfavorable view of Clinton, while 69 percent have the same view of Trump. While Clinton is expected to handily win New York, Siena’s poll shows a tighter race upstate between the former Secretary of State and the wealthy Manhattan real estate tycoon. That could have an impact on down-ballot races, especially in key state Senate races upstate, including Western New York. Broken down geographically, Clinton leads Trump 73-17 percent in New York City and 47-38 percent in the downstate suburbs. In upstate, Clinton’s showing over Trump is at 43-37 percent. The poll, taken October 13-17 of 611 self-identified likely voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. Nine percent of respondents said they support two minor party candidates. Libertarian Gary Johnson was backed by 5 percent of voters and Jill Stein of the Green Party got 4 percent. Seven percent said they either didn’t know who they were voting for, don’t plan on voting or don’t know yet how they’ll vote. A Republican has not won New York’s presidential campaign since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg said Clinton now has a 17 point lead over Trump among New York independent voters, up from just two points last month. And 79 percent of respondents, no matter their choice, think Clinton is going to win the presidency. “New York is poised to be a blue presidential state for the eighth consecutive election,’’ Greenberg said. Digging through the poll’s cross tabs reveals an unsurprising result: New York voters are not thrilled with the state of the country. Fifty-two percent said they are pessimistic Congress and the new president will be able to work together. Fifty-four percent said the nation is headed in the wrong direction. Among women voters, Clinton leads Trump 58-27 percent. Among males, her lead narrows to 50-34 percent. Among white voters, Clinton is ahead 46-38 percent, while she gets 81 percent of the African-American vote to Trump’s 7 percent. Latinos back Clinton 68-19 percent. And in the age crosstabs, Clinton has her strongest lead with voters between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Catholic voters are split – at 44 percent apiece – between Clinton and Trump, while Clinton has strong leads among Jewish, Protestant and voters of other religions. Not long ago, Trump talked of New York being in play in the presidential race. That has not happened, in part, given these basic numbers: there are 5.8 million registered Democrats in New York compared with 2.7 million Republicans. The Siena poll did not look at any other down ballot elections in New York other than the race for U.S. Senate. As previous polls have shown, it’s not much of a race: incumbent Sen. Charles Schumer leads Republican Wendy Long 63-28 percent; a third of Republicans say they back Schumer. email: tprecious@buffnews.comNTSC Xenoblade Finished Prior to E3 Nintendo of America Sitting on Announcement July 7, 2011 American localization of Xenoblade is complete, The Last Story is currently being translated to English for an American release, but there is no word on Pandora’s Tower localization. This information was disclosed to Operation Rainfall today from a source within Nintendo who wishes to remain anonymous. There is currently no indication of when Nintendo of America plans to formally announce these titles. Last week Nintendo of America told its followers on Facebook and Twitter that it had no plans to bring Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s tower to America “at this time.” Nintendo intentionally left open the possibility of release. Allegedly, the Redmond, WA branch has been working with other branches to bring Xenoblade and The Last Story to North America. According to our source, The NTSC version of Xenoblade was completed just over a month ago, while testing for the PAL and NTSC versions of The Last Story could begin in a month. There is currently no word on localization for an NTSC version of Pandora’s Tower. Remember, this information was disclosed to Operation Rainfall in confidence. Until Nintendo of America makes an announcement, there will be no official word of an NTSC release. However, this news has increased our hope for a North American release of these games. It could also explain why retailers like Amazon continue to have Xenoblade (Monado: Beginning of the World) listed on their website. Make of this information what you will, but after much internal discussion Operation Rainfall believed it would be best to share this information with our followers. Consider this our announcement of a forthcoming announcement.CNN: People in Puerto Rico Are 'Eating Dog Food" pic.twitter.com/l9G50O3zwF — Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) October 3, 2017 With President Donald Trump (finally) en route to visit hurricane stricken U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, CNN’s reporter on the ground, Leyla Santiago described a grim scene on the island. Out beyond the capital of San Juan, Santiago said things were so dire that a doctor in the town of Toa Baja told her that people were literally “eating dog food.” “I’ve got to tell you about an exchange I just had, just in the last 10 minutes, I spoke to the mayor of this town, and he was holding back tears, holding back tears, she said. “He is seeing people day-to-day, and he is saying the desperation is getting out of hand. He told me yesterday he had to deal with a gentlemen who was about to commit suicide. I spoke to a doctor who was right next to him who told me one of his patients was now eating dog food, eating dog food. Patients rating dog food in a clinic.” Also Read: Hillary Clinton Lends Support to San Juan, While Trump Is Still Tweeting About Mayor's 'Complaints' The camera panned back to CNN hosts Poppy Harlow John Berman — both of whom looked visibly disturbed at the news. Though FEMA has stepped up its support of the island, President Trump has come in for very public rebuke for what critics say has been a lackluster response to the devastation from Hurricane Maria. While he promised support for mainland U.S. victims of hurricane Harvey and Irma, Trump scolded Puerto Ricans in a tweet for “poor leadership” and wanting “everything to be done for them.” And on Tuesday, Trump said that “on a local level, they have to give us more help.” He has also engaged in a very public feud with the mayor of San Juan — Carmen Yulín Cruz. …Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They…. – Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 …want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job. – Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Related stories from TheWrap: Michael Che Calls Trump a 'Cheap Cracker' and 'Bitch' for Puerto Rico Response; Right Calls It Racist Lin-Manuel Miranda Tells Trump He's 'Going Straight to Hell' Over Puerto Rico Tweets Puerto Rico Crisis: Trump Blames 'Fake News,' San Juan Mayor Who Pleaded 'Help Us, We Are Dying' Daily Beast Slammed for Linking Hurricane Maria Devastation in Puerto Rico to 'Despacito'Chemists in the US have developed an easy way to integrate the ’bottom up’ assembly of DNA origami with the ’top down’ patterning of low cost lithography. The method, which involves sticking pieces of DNA to prepositioned gold islands, might help researchers in their bid to use DNA origami for nanoelectronics. DNA origami is a means of folding DNA strands into something like a pegboard, onto which different molecules can be attached. In principle the origami can self-assemble into circuits with features just a few nanometres in size, but so far researchers have had difficulty controlling them because the origami are made in solution, so when deposited on a surface they can go everywhere. The distance between components in electronics such as flash memory devices has shrunk to just tens of nanometres in recent years, and could drop even further, explains Hongbin Yu, a member of the research team at Arizona State University. One way to position components such as DNA origami that could be used in nanoelectronics is to go over the surface with highly precise lithography, but lithography at this scale requires expensive equipment. ’The cost of the tool to produce such features is so high only a handful of companies can afford them,’ says Yu. ’Using DNA self-assembled structures on a patterned surface is an exciting way to reach such small dimensions with relatively low cost.’ In the new technique the researchers, led by Yu’s colleague Hao Yan, modify the ends of DNA origami tubes with sulfur-containing ’thiol’ groups, which can bind to gold. Using low-cost lithography, they then position two gold islands, just tens of nanometres in diameter, where they want the origami to go. When they deposit the origami, the ends of a single tube attach to the two islands, thereby forming a link in the right location. ’This work is important in that it is difficult to fabricate devices whose salient features span sub-nanometre to millimetre scales in length,’ says William Shih, an expert in DNA nanotechnology at Harvard University, Cambridge, US. ’Success will lead to more sophisticated and powerful electronic devices than are possible today.’ ’Yan’s group seems to have struck a pretty good compromise, and they have come up with a good solution that will find application when we want to arrange 1D structures, like tubes, on a surface,’ says Paul Rothemund at the California Institute of Technology, US, who invented DNA origami. The researchers now plan to attach molecules such as carbon nanotubes, semiconducting nanoparticles or nanowires to the DNA origami to create functional networks with their gold islands. Jon CartwrightThere are a number of prerequisites writers are usually told to acquire for their books or novels to grab people’s attention in a crowded marketplace – an eye-catching title, a good opening line. But perhaps another is something they have slightly less leeway with. I’m thinking of their name. Of course, nobody is stuck with the name they are given at birth, and writers can get by without shedding theirs in real life –– readers over the world might love the books of W G Sebald but to his friends he was and always will be Max Sebald. Writers and many others have long taken pseudonyms to overcome what they might have perceived as social obstacles –– the Brontës and Georges Sand and Eliot taking on male monikers; Margarita Carmen Casino taking her mother’s maiden name to become Rita Hayworth and escape being typecast as a Latina; the Jewish movie stars who took on more “ethnically ambiguous” names such as Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas or Tony Curtis. Others simplified their names for the public in an adopted country – Józef Konrad Korzienowski to Joseph Conrad; Wilhelm Albert Vladimir Apollinaris de Kostrowitzky to Guillaume Apollinaire; Swedish director Viktor Sjöström produced his Hollywood work under the name Victor Seastrom. It has also become increasingly common for literary writers such as John Banville and Julian Barnes to write crime fiction under pseudonyms (an example that J K Rowling has followed in her new incarnation as Robert Galbraith), something many “career” crime writers have scorned. The reasons for such changes are usually pragmatic, born of hard-nosed economic logic, but there is also a liberating potential for some writers to write under different guises – the various heteronyms of Brian Ó Nuallain (Flann O’Brien, Myles na Gopaleen, Brother Barnabas, George Knowall) all produced stylistically distinct work; Fernando Pessoa went so far as to conceive intricate biographies for his various alter egos (Bernardo Soares, Ricardo Reis, Alberto Caiero and Álvaro de Campos, among many others) as well as giving them recognisably different authorial voices. By and large though, evidence would appear to show that most people prefer to publish, make films, produce art and so on under their own name. It might be a matter of pride or simply because it never occurs to them that they might change it to another. So what of those writers, actors and others who persist with their birth name, regardless of whether it might already be ‘taken’ (unlike David Bowie, for instance, who came to be known as such because he didn’t want to be mixed up with David Jones of The Monkees)? Do they get lost in the mix? In the past, it might have been an advantage to give yourself as “normal” a name as possible but today you might not really want to be one of those people whose name on Wikipedia appears next to the word “disambiguation”. Geoff Dyer is finding himself being shadowed, in a manner akin to Poe’s William Wilson, by another Geoff Dyer, the Financial Times’ Beijing bureau chief, whose books on contemporary China have no doubt snared a few unsuspecting buyers on Amazon. David Cloud Atlas Mitchell has, on at least one occasion, been represented in a broadsheet newspaper by a photo of David Peep Show Mitchell. Dyer and Mitchell are sufficiently successful not to have been damaged by the confusion. Still, circumstances can change. Who now remembers the American writer Winston Churchill – three years Sir Winston’s senior – who was one of the world’s best-selling novelists of the early twentieth century? Personally, I have to admit I am guilty of neglecting writers on account of their names being just a little too ordinary. It took me a long time to get around to James Salter and George Saunders and I shamefully ignored the late Mavis Gallant’s work because her name, for some reason, conjured up the image of country parsonages and village fetes. It took best-selling John Green’s zany Flavorwire videos for me to pay attention to him because his name just blended into the background too much. It’s one thing if you are getting a lot of press from the off – even then, if one is called Smith, it’s surely better to be a Zadie than a Jenny – but if you are relying, like most writers do, on word of mouth and exposure in bookshops and libraries, an ordinary name might not be the one you want. While China Miéville’s success is fully merited from a literary point of view, having a stand-out name has probably never harmed him either. A writer by the name of Peter Jones or Tom Jenkins is going to have a much harder time being remembered. Still, that level of familiarity would be something that foreign-language writers trying to break into the English-speaking market would kill for. Selling writers in translation in English-speaking countries is often a slog so having a foreign-sounding name most likely puts one at a disadvantage, even if "Günther Grass", "Javier Marías" and "Andrei Makine" are all fairly humdrum names in those writers’ native lands. There do exist people like me who tend to sit up and pay attention when the writer’s name is something foreign-sounding, and the stranger, longer, or shorter it is, the better. Having special diacritics like carons, tildes, umlauts or those strokes though the O that appear in Scandinavian languages wins extra marks. Judging by the sales of literature in translation though, people like myself are a small minority. Personally, I have been blessed with a name that is, even in Ireland, rare enough but not too hard to pronounce. If anything, it is neither exotic enough to scare off the culturally conservative nor mundane enough to be confused with anyone else. But that’s not to say that I, or any other man writing books, will be forever safe from the perils of ‘nomenclatural discrimination’. Male readers are known to be reluctant to read books by women. Female readers tend to be far less discriminating on the basis of an author’s gender. It is in the best interest of us male writers that female readers’ greater open-mindedness will hold, given they constitute the majority of readers of fiction. It wouldn’t do for a man to have to start disguising himself under a female pseudonym in order to sell books, would it?Shox The Rebel vs. Soul Who: Shox The Rebel (London, England) vs. Soul (Fife, Scotland) Where: Don't Flop's "Checkpoint 4" in London, England When: April 30, 2017 Don't Flop is still in crisis mode at the moment with several staff members and battlers having severed ties with the brand, but luckily the league was able to sneak in this classic before shit really started to hit the fan. For whatever reason, DF title matches tend to have a lot of replay value, and this is no different. It's hard to say what Shox will do with the belt now that the league is in shambles— or where we'll see Soul next for that matter— but at least there's this to show for it all. Regardless of your stylistic preference, this battle is living proof that in today's era, all else being equal, straight punches will prevail over any other approach. Soul took some risks with imagery and scene-setting that bordered on corny, but it's still hard to believe that Shox was able to win this convincingly over such a polished performance. That's not to say that Shox doesn't do angles himself, but his back-to-back punch format is unmistakable. You might disagree with the result here and actually have Soul winning, but you'll probably also see that there's not much to be done against haymakers that land this often. Dunsh vs. E. Farrell Who: Dunsh (Queens, New York) vs. E. Farrell (Manchester, Conn.) Where: iBattle's "Defiance 3" in Brooklyn, N.Y. When: April 1, 2017 Out of all the battles on this list, this one is still the most egregiously lacking in views. It's also the most innovative with its 5-round, 16 bar format. The clash manages to clock in at a digestible 20 minutes and as you might expect, not a second is wasted in terms of quotables. Farrell's style was built for this format, quite frankly, and he can make the most non-sequitur of punches sound natural in it. Dunsh does much of the same, but he also brings a hilariously self-parodying approach that includes a truly unforgettable opener. A sleeper classic and a strong indicator that, when done right, 5-round battles can be the total opposite of the snoozefest that was Mook vs. Solomon. Ness Lee vs. Pass Who: Pass (Oakland, Calif.) vs. Ness Lee (Atlanta, Ga.) Where: KOTD's "Blackout 7" in Toronto, Canada When: April. 15, 2017 Saying that Ness and Pass "can really rap" or something along those lines sounds awfully cliché at this point, but god damn if it isn't true. And although it might have been cool to see a more heated battle between Ness and PNut and it definitely would have been good to have Yung Ill back to battle Pass, this best-case-scenario replacement would have been hard to top either way. In a sense, the pressure was off since both these dudes were already saving the day by even agreeing to a last minute opponent swap. It's possible that had a positive effect, because despite how competitive it is round-for-round, the battle has a pretty lighthearted atmosphere. And there's very little "pretend this is my original opponent" material from either emcee; they were both able to completely rewrite in time to deliver what amounts to a near-classic at the very least. Bad Newz vs. Loso Who: Bad Newz (Rocky Mount, N.C.) vs. Loso (Tampa, Fla.) Where: BullPen Battle League's "Southern Crown 2" in Atlanta, Ga. When: March 11, 2017 Pitting two newcomers against each other at the peak of their buzz is a dependable recipe for replay value, and this is a marquee battle for Bullpen. Admittedly, neither Loso nor Bad Newz have followed this up with anything particularly wild (Newz reportedly took a loss to E-Hart on Bullpen and Loso had a debatable with Jimz on KOTD), but the competition factor is through the roof in the footage. That was pretty much a guarantee from the jump, what with the battle being between a punchline-heavy man of God and a shit-talking bully who makes believability an asset. The battle was judged in Newz' favor, but league owner John John Da Don swears it's a legitimate tie. Decide for yourself and check out a back-and-forth with a level of energy that hasn't been matched by many this year. Arsonal vs. QB Who: Arsonal (Newark, N.J.) vs. QB Black Diamond (Bridgeport, Conn.) Where: Rare Breed Entertainment's "Lift His Soul 3" in New York, N.Y. When: Feb 4, 2017 "Disrespect versus disrespect" battles are always a gamble, not to mention when you throw gender into the equation, but here's a reminder of how entertaining they can be when shit gets just close enough to flying off the handle without totally devolving. Yes, Arsonal greatly exceeds the bounds of human decency more than once and with more than just words, but QB is clearly here for it and does much of the same with the angles she uses. None of this is to say that these two weren't rapping either, and polished performances on either side take this beyond the gimmick category and much closer to classic territory. As far as mixed gender battles, nothing else has come close in a long time. Ooops vs. Xcel Who: Ooops (St. Louis, Mo.) vs. Xcel (Brockton, Mass.) Where: King of the Dot's "Massacre 3" in Ludlow, Mass. When: July. 23, 2017 A last minute addition, the Day 2 headliner for KOTD's "MASSacre 3" turned out to be a sleeper classic. Ooops made an appearance on GZ years ago versus Fredo but hasn't worked with KOTD since, and this was Xcel's third time at MASS but his first on Day 2. Needless to say, they made the most of it. First of all, a mandatory "hats off" to Ooops, or should I say Bruce Franks Jr. The man is currently a State Representative of the 78th District of Missouri, a calling that more than justifies his slip-ups in a few battles a while back, and now he's back to drop a quick classic. No matter how you slice it, that is impressive as hell. Xcel, after consistently putting in solid performances on smaller leagues, has now given KOTD no choice but to throw him another nice name next time around. As you might expect, there's a lot of real talk going on in this battle and it is so, so much more compelling than we're used to hearing from styles that emulate this approach. Bigg K vs. JC Who: Bigg K (Norfolk, Va.) vs. JC (Pontiac, Mich.) Where: RBE's "Blood, Sweat and Tiers 5" in New York, N.Y. When: May 6, 2017 Both Bigg K and JC have arguably had more noteworthy performances this year, but as a cohesive product, this is classic material. K has repeatedly said, and he's not lying, that although he gets labeled as a pure puncher, he does some of everything. In terms of versatility, he outdoes his opponent here with jokes and a nice angle about how JC's pen only holds the weight that it does because he "takes shots you can't miss" with comp. Still, even though JC's writing is as densely layered as always, which might obscure the depth he actually goes into here, he shows range with his angles as well. This has been hotly debated since it dropped, and for good reason. Two of battle rap's top writers, let alone punchers, in peak form. By the way, for another great showing from JC that was just shy of making this list, check out him versus Chef Trez as well. Real Deal vs. Soul What: Real Deal (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. Soul (Fife, Scotland) Where: Don't Flop: Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland When: Jan 28, 2017 Both incredible anglers who frequently use real life as a basis for picking their opponents apart, Real Deal and Soul have oddly similar styles that couldn't sound more different. They weren't trying to end each other's careers here, but they weren't being very nice either, and the result is the classic you'd expect if you're familiar with either emcee. In his second battle on this list (naturally; he's one of the few consistently killing shit in the UK), Soul has some truly unforgettable haymakers in his backyard of Scotland here, but of course RD keeps up with his more predictable but even harder hitting 4-bar format. Jaz The Rapper vs. E-Hart Who: Jaz The Rapper (Brooklyn, N.Y.) vs. E Hart (Yonkers/Bronx, N.Y.) Where: URL's "Born Legacy 4" in New York, N.Y. When: Jan. 28, 2017 Female battle rap has had a relatively mellow year so far, with plenty of solid battles but not many match-ups of this magnitude. The inclusion of this one is by no means a pity play to ensure female representation on the list either; this is still one of the hottest back-and-forths in existence from this year. At this point, Jaz is known for only battling once every couple years, and somehow it works for her. Every time, fan anticipation is through the roof and even when she doesn't perform as well as she's capable of, people tend to be no less excited to see her the next time. Here, she's in her bag and the crowd couldn't be more hype to see her, which interestingly works somewhat against her this time around. This looked like a decisive victory for Jaz in the building, but as she often does, Hart picked up a ton of support post-drop. Now, the consensus might even be that Hart took it. Regardless, it's always a good sign when both battlers can still arguably lay claim to the "GOAT" title after seeing each other in the ring. The Saurus vs. TOPR Who: The Saurus (Las Vegas, Nev.) vs. Topr (Asheville, N.C.) Where: Counter Productive's "Battle of the Zae 7" in San Jose, Calif. When: Jan 28, 2017 When this went down, it was immediately obvious to the crowd that it would be considered one of the best battles this year. TOPR is a freestyle legend, but it's probably safe to say few expected him to come back in the written format with a showing as strong as this one. When he did, and when Saurus matched the quality of every round after a questionable performance versus Aye Verb, the BOTZ crowd went apeshit as they realized they were witnessing a classic. Often times, an overreactive crowd can ruin the fluidity of a battle, but that's not the case here, and it wouldn't even be fair to call the reactions excessive. Besides, you try telling Head I.C.E to chill out during a battle. Honorable Mentions Geechi Gotti vs. Stuey Newton Tony D vs. Respek BA Brizz Rawsteen vs. Ill Will A. Ward vs. DNA JC vs. Chef Trez What do you think should have made our list? Let us know in the comments below.Illustration by Gary Neill Two mice perch side by side, nibbling a food pellet. As one turns to the left, it becomes clear that food is not all that they share — their front and back legs have been cinched together, and a neat row of sutures runs the length of their bodies, connecting their skin. Under the skin, however, the animals are joined in another, more profound way: they are pumping each other's blood. Parabiosis is a 150-year-old surgical technique that unites the vasculature of two living animals. (The word comes from the Greek para, meaning 'alongside', and bios, meaning 'life'.) It mimics natural instances of shared blood supply, such as in conjoined twins or animals that share a placenta in the womb. In the lab, parabiosis presents a rare opportunity to test what circulating factors in the blood of one animal do when they enter another animal. Experiments with parabiotic rodent pairs have led to breakthroughs in endocrinology, tumour biology and immunology, but most of those discoveries occurred more than 35 years ago. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the technique fell out of favour after the 1970s. In the past few years, however, a small number of labs have revived parabiosis, especially in the field of ageing research. By joining the circulatory system of an old mouse to that of a young mouse, scientists have produced some remarkable results. In the heart, brain, muscles and almost every other tissue examined, the blood of young mice seems to bring new life to ageing organs, making old mice stronger, smarter and healthier. It even makes their fur shinier. Now these labs have begun to identify the components of young blood that are responsible for these changes. And last September, a clinical trial in California became the first to start testing the benefits of young blood in older people with Alzheimer's disease. LISTEN Science writer Megan Scudellari discusses the rejuvenating effects of young blood You may need a more recent browser or to install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Plugin. “I think it is rejuvenation,” says Tony Wyss-Coray, a neurologist at Stanford University in California who founded a company that is running the trial. “We are restarting the ageing clock.” Many of his colleagues are more cautious about making such claims. “We're not de-ageing animals,” says Amy Wagers, a stem-cell researcher at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who has identified a muscle-rejuvenating factor in young mouse blood. Wagers argues that such factors are not turning old tissues into young ones, but are instead helping them to repair damage. “We're restoring function to tissues.” She emphasizes that no one has convincingly shown that young blood lengthens lives, and there is no promise that it will. Still, she says that young blood, or factors from it, may hold promise for helping elderly people to heal after surgery, or treating diseases of ageing. “It's very provocative,” says Mark Mattson, chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the US National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, who has not been involved in the parabiosis work. “It makes you think. Maybe I should bank some blood of my daughter's son, so if I start to have any cognitive problems, I'll have some help,” he says, only half-joking. The power of two Physiologist Paul Bert performed the earliest recorded parabiosis experiment in 1864, when he removed a strip of skin from the flanks of two albino rats, then stitched the animals together in hopes of creating a shared circulatory system1. Biology did the rest: natural wound-healing processes joined the animals' circulatory systems as capillaries regrew at the intersection. Bert found that fluid injected into a vein of one rat passed easily into the other, work that won him an award from the French Academy of Sciences in 1866. Since Bert's initial experiments, the procedure has not changed much. It has been performed on hydra — small freshwater invertebrates related to jellyfish — frogs and insects, but it works best on rodents, which recover well from the surgery. Up to the mid-twentieth century, scientists used parabiotic pairs of mice or rats to study a variety of phenomena. For example, one team ruled out the idea that dental cavities are the result of sugar in the blood by using a pair of parabiosed rats, of which only one was fed a daily diet of glucose. The rats had similar blood glucose levels owing to their shared circulation, yet only the rat that actually ate the sugar developed cavities2. Nik Spencer/Nature; Chart Data: A. Eggel & T. Wyss-Coray Swiss Med. Wkly 144, W13914 (2014) Clive McCay, a biochemist and gerontologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, was the first to apply parabiosis to the study of ageing. In 1956, his team joined 69 pairs of rats, almost all of differing ages3. The linked rats included a 1.5-month-old paired with a 16-month-old — the equivalent of pairing a 5-year-old human with a 47-year-old. It was not a pretty experiment. “If two rats are not adjusted to each other, one will chew the head of the other until it is destroyed,” the authors wrote in one description of their work4. And of the 69 pairs, 11 died from a mysterious condition termed parabiotic disease, which occurs approximately one to two weeks after partners are joined, and may be a form of tissue rejection. Today, parabiosis is performed carefully to reduce animal discomfort and mortality. “We observe the mice at length and have long discussions with our animal-care committee,” says Thomas Rando, a Stanford neurologist who has used the procedure. “We don't take this lightly.” Mice of the same sex and size are socialized with each other for two weeks before attachment, and the surgery itself is done in a sterile setting with anaesthesia, heating pads and antibiotics to prevent infection. Using inbred lab mice, genetically matched to one another, seems to reduce the risk of parabiotic disease. Joined mice eat, drink and behave normally — and they can be separated successfully. In McCay's first parabiotic ageing experiment, after old and young rats were joined for 9–18 months, the older animals' bones became similar in weight and density to the bones of their younger counterparts5. More than 15 years later, in 1972, two researchers at the University of California studied the lifespans of old–young rat pairs. Older partners lived for four to five months longer than controls, suggesting for the first time that circulation of young blood might affect longevity6. Despite these intriguing findings, parabiosis fell out of use. Those who have studied the technique's history speculate that researchers thought they had learned all they could from it, or that the bar for getting institutional approval for parabiosis studies had become too high. Whatever the reason, the experiments stopped. That is, until a stem-cell biologist named Irving Weissman brought parabiosis back to life. Back to the source Weissman learned to join mice together at the age of 16, under the supervision of a hospital pathologist in the small town of Great Falls, Montana, in 1955. His supervisor was studying transplantation antigens, proteins on the surface of transplanted cells or tissues that determine whether they are accepted or rejected by the host. Weissman remembers adding a fluorescent tracer to the blood of one mouse in a pair and watching it go back and forth between the animals. “It was really amazing,” he says. He went on to spend three decades studying stem cells and regeneration in natural parabionts, sea squirts of the species Botryllus schlosseri. In 1999, Wagers, then a new postdoctoral fellow in Weissman's Stanford lab, wanted to study the movement and fate of blood stem cells, so Weissman recommended that she use parabiotic mice and fluorescently label the cells she wanted to track in one animal of a pair. Wagers' experiments led to two rapid-fire discoveries on the nature and migration of blood stem cells7, 8. It also inspired her Stanford neighbours. In 2002, Irina Conboy, a postdoctoral fellow in Rando's lab, presented one of Wagers' papers at a journal-club meeting. Michael Conboy, Irina's husband and a postdoc in the same lab, was dozing in the back of the meeting room. The mention of stitching mice together jolted him awake. “We had been in discussion for years that ageing seems to be all cells in the body, that all tissues seem to go to hell in a handbasket together,” says Michael. Yet they had been unable to think of a realistic experiment with which to investigate what coordinates ageing throughout the body. “I thought, 'Hey wait, they're sharing blood,'” says Michael. “'This could answer that question we've been asking for years.'” At the end of the presentation, he ran up to Irina and Rando. He had not even finished his pitch before Rando said: “Let's do it.” “I thought, 'Hey wait, they're sharing blood. This could answer the question we've been asking for
squad with fellow creations and after a series of orders ends up with him being the only survivor, he sets out to seek his revenge against the general that gave the wrong orders. As Rogue was genetically created, he can withstand the harsh environment that the battles take place in, but while he can die, if shot enough, he will die. Thankfully if you have enough health in the parts, most of Rogue’s health will regenerate, if it drops to low, then you need to use a medpak, to restore it to its max level. In terms of shooting mechanics, it’s standard, at least until one of your fellow soldiers dies and you remove his implant, which is basically that soldiers’ personality, he adds it to his gun and then Rogue’s weapon will track enemies when you aim at them. In fact, the gun will start to talk to you at times and also provide a cool auto tracking function. As you find other soldiers and claim their chips you gain new abilities, which is in line with the comics. The source material is where I can see players going for more details on this character, the game will tell the story, but as its sourced from the comics, it might be limited. The version I played, while early, did have a cutscene at the start that tried to explain just how Rogue and his group came to be and what the humans that created them, or have to work with them, think about these blue skinned fighters. The actual gameplay on offer is pretty basic, so the game is going to either survive or die, based on how well people relate to the story that is being told. My time was limited, but I did enjoy it, will I enjoy the complete game, I honestly don’t know, the shooting is solid, the story is interesting, it will all come down to just how well it comes together, though having chatted with someone from the original game, who is not working on the Redux version, they seem to like where the project is going, so that is a good thing. I played the E3 build on a PlayStation 4, but the game is coming to Nintendo Switch, no exact release date has been announced yet.Three black women in congress made history on Tuesday when they announced the formation of the first and only Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls. U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) confirmed the news in a press release issued by the U.S. House of Representatives. The release described the caucus as a group devoted to creating public policy that "eliminates significant barriers and disparities experienced by black women." The formation of the caucus marks a hugely significant moment for minority communities as it is the first of 430 registered congressional caucuses and member organizations that is specifically designed to make black women and girls a priority. Getty A protester holds their first in the air outside of the Ferguson Police Department in Missouri. "Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by myriad [of] socioeconomic issues that diminish their quality of life and threaten the well-being of their families and communities,” Rep. Kelly said in a release obtained by The Huffington Post. “The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls gives black women a seat at the table for the crucial discussion on the policies that impact them while also providing a framework for creating opportunities and eliminating barriers to success for black women," she added. The caucus was inspired by Ifeoma Ike, the co-founder of Black and Brown People Vote, and a collective of six other women involved in the #SheWoke committee which is comprised of leading black women activists who consistently advocate for black women's rights, including Ike, Nakisha M. Lewis, Tiffany D. Hightower, Shambulia Gadsden Sams, Sharisse Stancil-Ashford, Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever and Sharon Cooper. Lewis shared the news on Twitter Tuesday: We officially have a Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls! Let's get this work done #SheWoke https://t.co/3rbcV3ziAB — Nakisha M. Lewis (@NakLew) March 22, 2016 Collectively, these women along with members of congress helped to launch a caucus that will aim to address issues important among black women, like economic equity, education, wellness and safety, among others. "We want to get everyone, including our sisters, aware of where we statistically fall within these issues. Knowledge is definitely power," Ike told The Huffington Post. "We're looking at this space as one of idea-sharing and policy creation. We're making sure we're included as a demographic that deserves to be addressed." The caucus said in the press release it aims to achieve similar success in the lives of black women and girls that President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative has done for black men and boys. Ike, who worked to help form Obama’s well-respected campaign, expects to apply her expertise and share her experiences as she helps to execute the mission of the new caucus. "I felt like I was supporting my brother but I didn't feel like my story or any of my sister's stories were included," Ike said of her experience working for the My Brother's Keeper campaign to The Huffington Post. "Through this work, and meeting other dynamic women, it's very important, especially in this political climate, that politicians look at our issues. By addressing black women, you address everyone." “Black women deserve a voice in a policy making process that frequently minimizes, or altogether ignores the systemic challenges they face." Rep. Watson Coleman Ike said the idea for both the caucus and the #SheWoke committee came about during a conversation in her apartment earlier this year, which, among other topics, touched on recent developments in the case of Sandra Bland. Two days later, the #SheWoke committee was formed as was a petition which called on congress members to create a space that puts black women's issues at the forefront. “March 22nd will undoubtedly be an emotionally charged day for my family," said Cooper, Bland's sister and fellow #SheWoke member, in the release. "Brian Encinia, the officer charged with perjury in my sister Sandra’s case, will be arraigned in a Texas court the same day. Sandra's case has served as the reverberating wake up call that we cannot treat these situations as one-offs or isolated incidents." Cooper said in the release that the elected officials who make up the chairs of the congressional caucus responded with urgency, and they are fully committed to the group's mission. “Black women deserve a voice in a policy making process that frequently minimizes, or altogether ignores the systemic challenges they face," Rep. Watson Coleman said in the release. "This caucus will speak up for them.”Key striker commits future despite other offers We are delighted to announce that Bayo Akinfenwa is staying at AFC Wimbledon after he turned down interest from home and abroad to sign a new deal. The experienced striker, who struck 15 goals during an impressive debut season with Wimbledon, revealed shortly after signing that he had an offer to play Major League Soccer in America and just this morning a rival League 2 club enquired about his services. Speaking during an extensive interview for Dons Player, Bayo Akinfenwa said: “There was a lot of interest in me, but that was not the sole reason for me going to America. It was also about my brand and shooting a documentary. I met with a couple of clubs in America and there was also interest from League 1 and League 2 clubs. I even got a call from a club as I was driving in here today. As a player you can only feel blessed that there are people interested in your services, but my heart has always been with AFC Wimbledon. “I think I have to apologise for making the fans wait for me to sign. I had to take a few things into consideration, but in my heart of hearts I always thought this was where I would end up. I think we underachieved with the squad that we had last season, but it was still progression as we got the highest points total since the club was reformed. “Last season we never got to achieve what we wanted, but hopefully by the grace of God we will next season and get closer to the play-offs. The manager was the number one reason why I came here first time around, but second time around the love from the fans and the players came into the equation.” Manager Neal Ardley expressed his delight after Bayo decided to stay for a second season with AFC Wimbledon. “I am very happy that Bayo has agreed to stay with us,” said Neal. “I knew he would have interest from elsewhere before he went away for the summer. Bayo mentioned that he was going to America and he wanted to have a look at that, but he said if he came back here then he would sign for us. “Bayo has been true to his word and I did not expect anything less from him. I am delighted because he was a big part of what we did last season. If we can put better players around him than we perhaps did last season and play good attacking football then we may be able to achieve something.” A full interview with Bayo Akinfenwa and a transfer update from Neal Ardley will be on Dons Player later this afternoon.INTRODUCTION If I were to tell you without qualification that the American people have a God-given right to alter or abolish the U.S. government or any state government and to replace them with something new, how would that strike you? Would you reject the idea because it is only me who is saying it? Does the idea seem too radical, or too extreme? Would it make a difference if you realized that without this type of radical extremist thinking, there wouldn’t be a United States of America at all? Let’s put it into context: We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men…. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. … Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Declaration of Independence (1776). Still think the idea of a right to alter or abolish any of our present governments is too radical or extreme? Well, some people certainly think so, and they’ve taken steps to make sure nothing like what happened in the American Revolution ever happens again. First, they have taken pains to discredit the Declaration and to restrict the way it is taught in government approved curricula and government sponsored schools (including universities). Second, they have enacted statutes to strongly discourage any “throwing off” of the government, to wit: Rebellion or insurrection. Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both…. 18 U.S.C. §2383. Seditious conspiracy. If two or more persons … in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, … they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. 18 U.S.C. §2384. Advocating overthrow of Government. Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State … by force or violence, * * * Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both…. 18 U.S.C. §2385. Just let the above words sink in for a moment. First we have a quotation from the founding document of our nation, beloved and cherished by Americans for well over 200 years, to the effect that people have not only the right, but the duty, to throw off an abusive, despotic or tyrannical government which tramples on their individual rights. Then we have laws enacted by that same nation having the primary purpose of ensuring that no one ever overthrows the existing government, conspires to overthrow it, or advocates its overthrow – without regard to whether those actions might actually be justified because the government has become abusive, despotic or tyrannical. Which illustrates a truism – the people have an absolute right to alter or abolish any given form of government, but the persons in power absolutely never want people to exercise that right. It should be painfully obvious this is one reason (among others) why the Declaration of Independence has not been seriously regarded as law by legal scholars for over 100 years (and why it has been denigrated in academia). If people actually took the words of the Declaration at face value it would create all kinds of problems for our modern world, and people in academia, law and government have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Belief in a government of limited powers, or (God help us!) a government that can be discarded from time to time, would put politicians and government workers of all stripes (as well as those in the symbiotic fields of law and education) at risk for losing their jobs – an intolerable risk. That is one reason why mainstream political culture left the worldview of the American founders in the ash heap of history long ago. However, I believe the Declaration yet has things to teach us that not only have value, but authority, as we deal with the pressing issues of an overreaching, over-regulating, abusive, and dare I say, increasingly tyrannical American government (both state and federal). I’d like to show you that the ideas embodied in the Declaration are really not radical or extreme at all. In fact, it’s not even complicated. For this purpose, I will assume the Declaration’s statements are not based on mere political expediency (i.e., that the founders just said whatever they needed to say to give their political goals plausibility). I assume the founders were not a bunch of political charlatans – they actually believed what they said and were not deceived in their beliefs either. So in that light, let’s consider the evidence from history and the laws of nature and nature’s God, and see whether we can discover any eternal principles which undergird the Declaration’s statements. NOT BY FORCE OR VIOLENCE I am not advocating the exercise of any right to alter or abolish our forms of government by force or violence. I say this not because Title 18 of the U.S. Code forbids it, but because I simply don’t need to. The right to alter or abolish is a natural right which is perfectly capable of being exercised lawfully without force or violence. The laws of nature and nature’s God allow for a way, actually several ways, to bring about fundamental government change peacefully without armed conflict. The most likely scenario for doing such a thing in America would be through a convention of states – either pursuant to Article V of the U.S. Constitution or apart from it through a Congress of States. At the state level, the people can similarly call for a constitutional convention directly. If we look at the American Revolution, we can see that this is how the founders tried very hard to act. When the Declaration of Independence was adopted, it was brought into existence by the states through their duly appointed representatives. The Declaration followed a long series of events and documents laying the foundation for its adoption, including the Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress (1765), the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774), and the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775). All of which were adopted through duly appointed representatives of the people. The war, when it came, was not instigated by the American founders. That is, the revolutionaries were careful not to be the military aggressors. Rather, the war was instigated by the British to prevent the American colonies from breaking free from Britain’s rule. For their part, the Americans fought a defensive war, i.e., to defend their right to declare independence against the British attempt to stop them. So even though a war was fought, throwing off the British constitution in the legal sense was not accomplished by force or violence. But as often happens in life, you may have to militarily defend your freedom to act in the way you deem best. The American Revolution also illustrates the truth that no government official ever views an attempt to overthrow his position as lawful in his own mind, no matter how lawfully it may be regarded in the minds of the people who want him removed. Looking at our current situation, no form of government can exist for over 200 years without building up a substantial amount of systemic inertia. By this I mean the tendency of all institutions to resist sudden or substantial changes to the direction they have been heading in up to that point. By definition, any attempt to alter or abolish any form of civil government is a jolt to the system which will clash with that system’s entrenched interests. Further, any entrenched interest will resist alteration or abolition from an outside source. And when that entrenched interest is attached to the power of the sword (i.e., civil power), it will resist violently. From the vantage point of those employed in government service (politicians, career bureaucrats, civil service workers, etc.), there is little difference between foreign attacks, domestic insurrection and lawful attempts to alter or abolish. Government employees are all part of the system, and foreign agents, domestic terrorists, and advocates of fundamental change are all outside the system. Thus, the response of government employees to all outside agents is the same – eliminate and crush all threats to their jobs. Keeping their jobs is more important than anything else. Are you surprised that the current U.S. government labels Tea Party members, libertarians and militia groups as domestic terrorists? Don’t be. To public employees, those people are all equally outside the government system who want to significantly reduce the size of government or fundamentally alter the way the government does things. Which ultimately always translates into reducing the number of government agencies and employees, i.e., cutting large numbers of public jobs. To those inside the government, government reduction is a threat. In a sense, it’s all about the jobs. Not just the money, but the power that goes with the position. Reduce government spending? Cut government programs? We’re not just talking about money in the abstract here – but money paid to government employees to wield power. Since that is their livelihood, and it is human nature to crave power, they will use all the force and violence they can to prevent interference with their jobs, i.e., positions of power. You can talk about special interests all you want, but it is the entrenched interests you should worry about. Whenever I hear someone refer to government employees as career bureaucrats, a shiver runs up my spine. These are the true government insiders, who view the President as a mere temporary employee, because the bureaucrats will be there long after any President leaves office. The upshot of which is that every government system – most especially the American system of government – will be extremely resistant to change. And that resistance will be fueled by a desire to prevent being forced to give up money and power. When people aren’t fighting over religion and power, they are usually fighting over money and power, and that is as strong a motivation as anyone needs to make things turn ugly fast. As a proponent of change (that is, to alter or abolish the form of government), you should expect that even if you are not looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for you. People in power will ignore you as long as they can, then slander and discredit you when that is no longer possible. They will heap economic and legal problems on you in an attempt to bury you under burdens that prevent your from forcefully advocating change. If that fails, ultimately they will use police actions and military force to put down your insurrection. The astute reader will note that there are no statutes prohibiting an overthrow of the existing government, conspiring to overthrow it, or advocating its overthrow by non-violent means. That is because such statutes are unnecessary. If you work to abolish the government peacefully, the response will be to initiate an attack against you. If you defend yourself against such an attack, you will be labeled the aggressor and be found in violation of the statutes against violent overthrow. It’s all very convenient. So be warned. As a proponent of fundamental change you must not ever be a violent aggressor or the initiator of armed conflict. If it comes to violence, let it not begin with you. Just realize that violence may be an unavoidable consequence of actions lawfully taken. This should be a sobering thought to all who consider the matter carefully. Ideas have consequences, and the ideas we are about to discuss in what follows are considered by some to be dangerous and/or extreme. So proceed at your own risk. But as for me, I will not be ruled by fear. Instead, I will follow the example of Jesus: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt. 10:28.DW: Mr. Steinberg, you are an expert on jihadism, Iraq and Syria and have just written a book on this topic. How deeply rooted do you think the jihad movement is in German society? Guido Steinberg: In the past few years, jihadism has become a German phenomenon. The perpetrators of 9/11 were Arab students, all of whom came to Germany between 1992 and 1996 to study, but who were influenced by their home country. Since 2006, there has been a steadily growing jihad movement in Germany whose members are without exception sociologically German - that means they have spent a large part of their lives, or grown up, here in Germany. More and more of them were born here. But ethnically, they are quite mixed - many are Turks and Kurds, there are many Arabs from North Africa, but there are also many Germans who have converted to Islam and even a number of Volga Germans in the movement. What motivates these people? Why is it that they are turning to such an extreme form of Islam? Steinberg says some terrorist attacks are probably planned in Germany Since 2006, German jihadists have been going to jihad war zones, first in Pakistan, Afghanistan and some to Somalia, and a few have tried to go to Chechnya. Now for the most part, they are going to Syria and Iraq. Their motivation to help sidelined Sunni Muslims is very strong. There is a second reason they are going, which has become more important in the last few months: these young Salafists want to live in an Islamic society and they believe this is not possible here in Germany nor in Arab countries, but only where jihadists are fighting the so-called enemies of Islam. Add to that more personal reasons, such as the urge to thrill-seek and boredom, and in the past few months it has also become obvious that some simply wish to live out their fantasies of violence. Do these jihadists really pose a threat to Germany - to the state and society? Yes, I believe there is a threat. But it shouldn't be exaggerated. We have been living with the phenomenon of German jihadists for eight years now. These are people who receive training from al-Qaeda and a number of other organizations to participate in jihad. Most end up returning and a number of them have planned attacks in the past. But at least the attacks planned by those returning from jihad have all failed or been intercepted. The statement you hear frequently - that it is only a question of time before an attack happens here - is nonsense in my opinion. But I do believe it is highly probable that attacks are planned here in Germany. How well prepared are Germany's security forces and intelligence to counter this danger? It has become evident over the past few years that German security is dependent upon help from the Americans. There has been at least one case, possibly two, in which plans were able to be foiled because the NSA in the US delivered information. That is an indication of how weak Germany's security services are. I believe that the security services are so weak because German politics want them that way. But considering the growing threat in Germany, I think a different response would be appropriate. We have seen in the past that German security has been very poor in keeping an eye on radicalization. Many terror suspects have been arrested relatively late and with American help. But I would say that this is a problem with the entire structure of security services - a problem with ministerial and also parliamentary oversight. Terror reigns where the 'IS' is in power Which role does Turkey play? Does it support the "Islamic State" (IS) or is it against the group? Turkey is playing an extremely problematic role, which does not cohere with its status as an ally to most Europeans in NATO. That has to do with priorities in Turkey's Syria policies. First and foremost, Turkey is after two things: it wants to topple the Assad regime - that is the number one goal for Turkey's foreign policy and is also a top personal priority for President Erdogan. The second main objective is containing the Syrian offshoot of the PKK. There are three territories in northern Syria which are governed by Kurds. There, the Democratic Union Party, short PYD, is controlling the current situation. The PYD is nothing other than the Syrian PKK; it is completely intertwined with the militia and monetary threads of the PKK. Turkey has surely developed an interest in containing 'IS,' but that falls far behind the other two priorities. That's why, time and again, we see that an influx of foreign fighters is tolerated in Turkey, which allows weapons to be smuggled across the Turkish-Syrian border. Two other states have been named in connection with 'IS': Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Both have been accused of financing terrorism since the civil war in Syria began. The biggest problem is, in fact, Turkey. As early as 2011, it started, together with Qatar, supporting Islamist and Salafist and jihadist groups, among them, the Nusra Front, the then Syrian offshoot of 'IS.' Turkey and Qatar have to be blamed for this. But for the past year and a half or so, they seem to be supporting a new partner, the "Free Men of the Levant," or "Ahrar al Sham" in Arabic. This is not a group of jihadists with an international agenda, but a group of Salafists with a more regional agenda. To a certain extent, they are the Syrian Taliban. Whether supporting them is smart politics is questionable. The "Ahrar als Sham" is not on any European blacklists, but in my opinion, it should be, and Turkey and Qatar should be moved to end their dealings with the group immediately. Saudi Arabia supports the US in its war against the 'IS' Saudi Arabia is a bit different. Saudi Arabia has supported the Free Syrian Army (FSA) since 2011. In the end, this is totally compatible with American and European politics. There is absolutely no evidence that the Saudi Arabian state has supported the Nusra Front or the 'IS.' On the contrary, Saudi Arabia has strongly opposed the group for a while and has worked with the Europeans and agrees with many of the Europeans' misgivings about Turkey's position. I believe it is completely wrong to accuse the Saudis of any wrongdoing in this regard. The biggest problem, however, is posed by Kuwait. It is the financial hub for Syrian insurgents in the Gulf region. However, it is not the state that is financing the groups. Will we have to start talking to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Will we have to team up with him to counter "IS" extremists? I think announcements by the Americans and also the Europeans in recent months have made clear that they accept that Assad will continue to rule part of the country. Personally, I believe we should not go so far as to place our hopes in him and cooperate with him. That is a mistake that the Western community, the Europeans, have made over the years - that they have cooperated with essentially unacceptable dictators. Steinberg's new book explains the German jihad movement I would advise Western politicians to avoid doing that if they want to retain any amount of credibility in the region. On the other hand, most states see a much larger threat in 'IS' than in Assad. But I think we shouldn't forget that Assad is responsible for nearly all of the 200,000 deaths incurred in Syria over the past three years and the 'IS' only for a fraction. Both the Assad regime and 'IS' are our enemies and they must both be fought. Guido Steinberg is an expert in Islamic studies and works at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. His area of expertise is politics of the Middle East with an emphasis on the Arabian Peninsula, political Islam and Islamist terrorism. Up to October 2005, Steinberg was an advisor on terrorism for the German Federal Chancellery and has been regularly consulted for terrorist proceedings.The Baltimore Ravens will go to the Super Bowl this year. Correction: The Ravens had better get to the Super Bowl this year. In 16 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, linebacker Ray Lewis has only one Super Bowl ring. Can he get his second this season? Mitch Stringer/US Presswire With playoff nemesis Pittsburgh out of the way, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Ravens and a trip to Indianapolis is themselves. Look around the remaining AFC playoff field, and there's a team that didn't have a winning record in the regular season (Denver Broncos), a team starting a third-string rookie quarterback (Houston Texans) and a team that has the AFC's worst defense (New England Patriots). You know that Ray Lewis broke into his pregame dance when he saw what was left in the AFC. Baltimore starts its postseason by playing the Texans on Sunday after a bye week. It was only three months ago that the Ravens beat the Texans by 15 points after a bye week. If the Patriots win the other AFC divisional-round game Saturday, the Ravens would have to play the AFC Championship Game in New England, where they beat Tom Brady and the Patriots by 19 points two years ago. If the Broncos work their magic again, the AFC Championship Game would be played in Baltimore, where the Ravens have won 10 straight. Everything is set up for the Ravens this year. If they don't reach the Super Bowl now, they might never do so under coach John Harbaugh. Some would say it's the Ravens' destiny to go to a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the city where the Colts moved from Baltimore. The fact is, the team's postseason path has never been more favorable, especially in Harbaugh's four seasons. Always a wild-card team, Baltimore has had to play all seven playoff games under Harbaugh on the road. As a No. 2 seed this year, the Ravens host a postseason game for the first time in five years. Baltimore failed to make it to the Super Bowl the previous three years because it couldn't get past Ben Roethlisberger (twice) and Peyton Manning. Roethlisberger is out of the playoffs after hobbling the past month on a high ankle sprain, and Manning has been out for the entire season after neck surgery. How many years will two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks be out of the Ravens' way before they play their first postseason game? The Ravens are stressing to everyone to play with a sense of urgency. "That’s the biggest thing that we emphasize to everybody in the locker room, whether they are 16 years in the league or rookies: Seize every moment," defensive end Cory Redding said. "Control the opportunity you are in. Never take this for granted." Part of that sense of urgency comes from not knowing how much longer the Ravens will have linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, two of the best to play their positions. Both have been struggling toward the end of the season and will be older than 33 next season. This Super Bowl run will come down to the Ravens' next generation, running back Ray Rice and linebacker Terrell Suggs. The Ravens are at their best when Rice is breaking long runs and Suggs is hitting quarterbacks. The Ravens, though, haven't played their best heading into the postseason. In the final three weeks of the regular season, Baltimore got routed in San Diego, survived a late rally against Cleveland and needed two big touchdown runs by Ray Rice to outlast Cincinnati. In Baltimore's defense, no AFC team is playing great. Houston and Denver both lost their last three games of the regular season, and New England had to come back from big first-quarter deficits (17 and 21 points) to win its last two games. What has separated the Ravens from the remaining AFC teams is their ability to beat the best teams. The Ravens went undefeated in a division that sent three teams to the playoffs. Baltimore is also 6-0 against this year's playoff teams, which is far better than New England (1-2), Houston (3-2) and Denver (1-3). “I’ve got the Ravens going to the Super Bowl," former Ravens coach Brian Billick told a Baltimore radio station. "They’re going to beat Houston. I think they can go in and beat New England." When it comes to the postseason, the biggest question mark for the Ravens is quarterback Joe Flacco. In seven playoff games, he has completed 53.3 percent of his passes, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions. But the only quarterback left in the AFC with more playoff wins than Flacco is Brady. “Normally, when you size up the playoff pool, it’s what? Rank the quarterbacks," Billick said. "In the AFC, obviously at the top of the pyramid is Tom Brady. I don’t think anybody would argue that, and no disrespect to Joe Flacco, but no one is going to pick Joe Flacco over Tom Brady. But there’s no question the Baltimore Ravens are a more complete team.” After three straight years of coming up short in the playoffs, the Ravens believe they're the more motivated team. "Everything fuels what you’re going through," Harbaugh said. "Every shared experience fuels who you become, what you become -- the disappointments as much as the triumphs. That was a big disappointment last year." Even if this year ends in similar disappointment, the Ravens will have plenty more trips to the playoffs in the future with the likes of Rice, Flacco, Suggs and Haloti Ngata. But an opportunity like this one in the AFC might not come around again. The time for the Ravens' Super Bowl is now.A week ago we were greeted with news of a hardcore Lotus Evora Sport 410 for the US market. Well, it appears Lotus’ engineers had a few too many at the launch party and have worked their magic on an Exige, too. And it may be the most crackers version, well, ever. Called the Exige Cup 380, it essentially takes the already sublime handling, searingly fast and track-ready Exige Sport 380 and exaggerates everything about it. Take the bodywork. There’s a 43 per cent increase in downforce, unlocked via a motorsport-spec diffuser and outrageous front splitter, plus 911 GT3 RS-style cut-outs in the shell. So, at the 175mph top speed, there’s 200kg of invisible pressure squeezing the Cup 380 into the road. Or track. Yes, make that ‘track’. Harnessing this grip are wider rear tyres: 285-section Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s. Wider tyres obviously add a bit of weight, and this has offended Lotus, who made merry with the carbonfibre machine elsewhere and used it for the side intakes, engine cover and interior trim. Select all the lightweight options, including a titanium exhaust and airbag delete (told you it was serious), and this thing posts a dry weight of 1,057kg. Power remains identical to the standard Exige Cup: a meaty 375bhp, courtesy of a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 connected to a world-class six-speed open-gate manual gearbox. Launch it hard and you’ll pass 62mph in 3.4 seconds. Meanwhile, there are new toggles for selecting the exact percentage of wheelspin you’d like from the traction control – or you can turn everything off. How brave are you feeling? Want one? You’ll need the number of a Lotus dealer sharpish, because only 60 examples of the Cup 380 are being made. You’ll also require the small matter of £83,000 pre-options. But if you miss out, there’ll most likely be an even faster, lighter Lotus next week instead. Stay tuned…The letter asks for an investigation into the Assad regime's role in killing US soldiers in Iraq In a first, two Congressmen — one Democrat and one Republican — have sent a letter to the US Department of Justice asking to open a case against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his alleged role in targeting American troops. The letter obtained by The National was coauthored by Congressmen Steve Russell, the Republican representative of Oklahoma, and Seth Moulton, the Democrat representative of Massachusetts. It was submitted to the Department of Justice on December 7 addressed to the office of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It asks for an investigation into the Assad regime's role in killing US soldiers. It would focus on the deaths of American troops not in the Syrian war, but in neighbouring Iraq between 2003 and 2009. “As combat and military veterans, we understand that from 2003 to 2009 the Assad regime was responsible for assisting terrorist groups to cross from Syria and enter into Iraq specifically seeking to target American troops, resulting in casualties and serious injuries” the letter reads. It continues to say that to this day US veterans and their families “continue to suffer the consequences of the reprehensible actions of these terrorists supported by Bashar Al Assad.” After presenting their case, the two Congressmen urged “the United States Department of Justice to open a case against the Assad regime for its role in these crimes and violations of international law.” It cites evidence from the US intelligence community, the defence department and independent experts who “have confirmed that the Assad regime was directly involved in facilitating the transfer of arms and personnel by Arab, Iranian, and Iranian backed militias who crossed Syria and entered Iraq between 2003 and 2009 specifically to attack American soldiers.” The letter also references former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki 2009 comments that "ninety percent of terrorists from different Arabic nationalities infiltrated Iraq through Syrian territory.” The Syrian government had previously denied these accusations. In 2009, Mr Assad called them "immoral." "When Syria is accused of killing Iraqis, while it is housing around 1.2 million Iraqis
ignore it. The fixation is fueled by 3 factors, none of them a symptom of bigotry. One is religion and culture. Half the planet and virtually the entire Western world worship a god that claims Jerusalem as her playground. If Darfurians and Sri Lankans wanted more of our attention, they should have had the foresight to write the bible first. As Le Monde Diplomatique's Alain Gresh reminded his readers recently, when Syria's Faisal was overthrown by French forces in 1920, General Gouraud went to Saladin's tomb and whispered snidely, "We're back. The cross beat the crescent!" A second reason for our focus is the Holocaust, which still carries enormous moral weight in the West. The third factor is geopolitical, and has much to do with the dark, oozy stuff that Jimmy Carter identified with our "vital interests." Of course, those who bristle at the critical focus on Israel, a focus they themselves share, object only to the critical part. So let's examine that angle. Perhaps only an anti-Semite can resist the charms of Netanyahu, Barak, and the saintly Avigdor Lieberman, but many democrats (lower-case d) rightly wonder how it is that Michigan has only 2 US senators in Washington but Israel has 100 of them. Americans were evenly divided about the Gaza offensive, yet the US Congress passed a resolution of support for Israel by a vote of 390-5. (I trust AIPAC asked Kim-Jong-il what to do with the 5 renegades.) You'd never know, listening to our fearless leaders, that 74% of Americans don't want the US government to take Israel's side in the conflict. When the IDF mowed down hundreds of women and children in Gaza, US politicians of all stripes jumped over themselves to support Israeli action. That's not friendship: that's prostitution. The latest flap over Chas Freeman was so laughable one almost wonders if it was not orchestrated by Walt and Mearsheimer themselves to validate their thesis. (The hasbaraniks who whine about their own incompetence, as they're wont to do, may have a point after all.) All true, but one must keep all of that in perspective. US support for Israel does not require AIPAC. With no comparable lobby, the vile government of Egypt receives comparable support. US imperial ambitions in the region have in Israel a natural ally. Since World War II, the US has supported nearly every non-Communist tyranny against the aspirations of the people. Are the Palestinians so different from the Chileans, the Nicaraguans, the Guatemalans, the Salvadorans, the Greeks, the Timorese, and the Vietnamese that the US should make an exception for them? AIPAC influences the modalities of US policy but not its foundation. Until the Palestinians find wisdom and give themselves a pro-American dictatorship, they'll always be the enemy. The failure of Taba in 2000 had nothing to do with the Israel lobby, and that's the closest the conflict came to a resolution in the last 40 years. AIPAC is the cherry on the cake of a notoriously paranoid bunch of Likudniks and Rapture-ready nut jobs. Would US policy be significantly different if they did not exist? No. That we focus on the I/P conflict does not mean that we should. They are, indeed, more serious issues facing this world. Western attention is warranted because the conflict represents the last vestige of Western colonialism. After 1967, with US support, Israel turned into a full-fledged colonial project embedded in an imaginary existential narrative. A signature trait of colonization is that it is optional. Occupying the West Bank never served any purpose of survival. It's always been a choice, not a necessity. Israelis are entitled to a state. All of the residents, regardless of religion or ethnicity, are entitled to live where they are. They just may not do so as occupiers enforcing an apartheid regime. It's not exactly advanced political science. For roughly two hundred years, most of the planet was a giant playground for the White Man. Niall Ferguson will tell you what a splendid idea that was. And, indeed, it was quite splendid for British white men like himself -- just a coincidence, of course, for that most objective of historians. World War II brought all of that fun to an end and catalyzed American imperial hegemony, which then grew under the cover of the Cold War. The last colonial bastion to fall was South Africa. Remember the good old days when these two icons of freedom, Reagan and Thatcher, were calling Nelson Mandela a terrorist while opposing sanctions against the most racist regime on earth. How one quickly forgets. Today, except for Syria, every Arab country is a "friend" of the US, and virtually every single one of them is a brutal, corrupt dictatorship. Plus ca change. The I/P conflict represents the last battle of a declining West against the Global South. "Clash of Civilizations" is a self-flattering phrase meaning "Crash of Colonizations." Like South Africa (and the US), Israel is a European creation. It was not intended as a colony but as a refuge. But it all went wrong in the 60s and became a colony. That the "homeland" happens to be local is a distinction without a difference. Most of the French in Algeria had lived there for 5 generations -- far longer than most of the Jews in Israel. Technically, Algeria was not a colony but an integral part of France: again, a distinction without a difference. The two main colonial characteristics, racism and domination, were present. As they are today in Israel. Westerners born after the 40s need not bear the guilt of their colonial past but they must bear its historical legacy. That's why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should also be theirs. — Bernard Chazelle Posted at April 9, 2009 02:53 PMSpoilers for books 1-3, and The Shadow Rising ch. 1-50\| More info and previous posts \|Please no spoilers for future books/events In my plan to read The Wheel of Time, and post about my experience, I’m now on book 4, The Shadow Rising. This post covers chapter 38-50. Schemes in Tanchico Finally we see Tanchico, but through the eyes of Egeanin (name sounds familiar but I can’t place her right now). The place seems full of intrigue and plotting; and full of poverty and shortage. Egeanin is for some reason buying a’dam from a shady character. And she’s also looking for some women. Bayle Domon is in Tanchico too, he seems to have survived Falme and is doing quite well for himself. Egeanin is working for Lady Suroth of the Seanchan. Ah, now I remember, she’s the one who captured Domon’s ship, back in The Great Hunt. No doubt spying for the inevitable return of the Seanchan invasion. Next is Jaichim Carridim, an officer of the Questioners and Darkfriend. The threat of his family being killed unless he kills Rand is being carried out, and he’s scared shitless. There’s a three way going on in Tanchico – between the Kings, the rebels and the Dragonsworn. What are the Dragonsworn even fighting for? Like, “Yay, the Dragon is here, let’s wreck stuff and kill in his name”. Anyway, the Whitcloaks clearly plan to gain power over the King by helping him win the war. Next step : forcefully install a Panarch, and secure the Panarch’s palace. Carridim is returns from the meeting, when he finds a woman with a rosebud mouth – Liandrin! (I don’t know what a rosebud mouth is supposed to look like, but I remember her being described as having one) – waiting for him. She instructs him to gain and keep control of the Panarch’s palace, for some reason. Carridim is unwilling but is forced to accept when Liandrin tortures and threatens him. Carridin, you are screwed. Liandrin returns to her hiding place – all the Black Ajah are in Tanchico. They plan to control Rand via something, likely a ter’angreal, that’s in the Panarch’s palace. Ah, that explains her orders to Carridim. Egeanin returns to her house, and has a surprise inspection by a Seeker for Truth, who seem like the Seanchan version of a secret police. He tells her that she is to kill any sul’dam who return to her. Except that Egeaning already has a sul’dam, collared, in her basement. The Seanchan seem not to know the two levels of channelers – those who have the ability inborn, and those who can learn. So I guess their tests end up making the first kind damane, and the second kind sul’dam. And that’s Tanchico. Full of intrigues and unrest and danger. And the dynamic duo of Nynaeve and Elayne walk into this mess. Straight off the boat they bump into Bayle Domon, who is remarkably eager to help them in return for abandoning them in Falme. Personally, I don’t think the guy owes them anything, but whatever. Domon leads them to an inn, whose innkeeper is remarkably similar to Liandrin (related, perhaps?), and they bring Domon up to speed about their quest. Then the party disperses – Sandar and Domon off to search, Thom to perform, Nynaeve to bed. Elayne enjoys the simple life – just hanging around, getting drunk. I guess being a princess must be luxurious and all, but all the formality and etiquette must make one feel rather constrained. The alcohol opens her mind, and she remembers Thom from her childhood – as Morgase’s lover. She’s kinda upset that her mom has had so many lovers – Gareth Bryne, Thom and now Gaebril. Two points – three is not too much!, and why the hell is Gaebril still around? Hasn’t Mat told Elayne that the guy planned to assassinate her? Hasn’t Morgase been informed of this fact? I mean, it made sense not to bring it up when Mat was a random guy in front of the queen, back in Caemlyn, but surely now something can be done. Sigh. So, Thom sends Elyane back to her room, where Nynaeve proceeds to almost drown the poor girl to sober her up. And with drunk Elayne on guard, Nynaeve is off to tel’aran’rhiod. Nynaeve firsts visits the Heart of the Stone, then accidentally transports herself to Rhuidean, where she sees a mysterious man who a mysterious woman tells her is dangerous. The mysterious woman is recognised as Birgitte, a legendary hero. Um, what? BTW, what did happen to all those heroes that Mat summoned with the horn? I had assumed it was a permanent thing, like they would be brought back to life and hang around to fight the shadow. Except we haven’t heard anything about them since the end of The Great Hunt. So what is Birgitte doing in Nynaeve’s dreams? Nynaeve flees to Emond’s field, where she sees another mysterious man who shoots at her, and Nynaeve wakes up. Wow, that was one mysterious dream. Next morning, Sandar confirms the presence of Black Ajah in Tanchico. But I don’t see how Nynaeve and Elayne can do anything to them – they maybe have the element of surprise, but it’s still a 2 v 11 fight. Hunter of Trollocs Back in the Two Rivers, Perrin is in full hunter mode. The prisoners are safe in Emond’s field, and he and his band of newbie warriors have had a couple of very successful skirmishes with Trollocs. Gaul brings news of another band of the creatures approaching, and Perrin sets up an ambush. This is not going to go well, I can feel it. Because if it was going to go as well as the last two times, it would be flashbacked like the last two, not described in such detail. And the odds – only 30-ish trollocs vs. Perrin’s 70, feel almost too good. Still, Perrin can hardly know all that, and sets up an ambush. They wait for a while, but it’s a no show – until the ambushers are ambushed from behind, by a much larger force than they anticipated. Perrin takes an arrow to the side, but still fights valiantly. But the rest of the party is rapidly overwhelmed, and casualties run high. Perrin is about to be killed by a Myrddraal when Ihvon, Alanna’s warder, saves him. That certainly did not go well. It’s a lesson to me too – the Aiel are good, but they are only human, and can make mistakes. The now broken and battered group makes it’s way back, luckily they aren’t attacked again, and come across a Tuatha’an encampment – and not any Tuatha’an, Mahdi and co., last seen when Perrin was with Elyas Machera. The Tinkers are welcoming as always. Perrin warns them about the Trollocs, but is paid no heed. The arrow in his side is barbed, so Perrin will have to wait to reach the Aes Sedai to be healed. Perrin is full of guilt at all the deaths, but Faile gives him some tough love, who tells him to take care of the living, not weep for the dead. Solid advice, but Perrin can hardly shrug of the deaths of these people – his own people, friends and acquaintances. Also, Faile is the cousin of the Queen of Saldaea, and her father a lord and general. Perrin is surprised, but I’m not. Mostly because with all these huge events, the fact that Faile’s dad is a nobleman feels really minor. Perrin reciprocates by telling her that he can talk to wolves. As I expected, Faile isn’t fazed at all by this news. And then Perrin is sedated and drifts to sleep, to the wolf dream. Roaming around, Perrin comes to the Waygate, and finds that it has been unblocked – and now, more Trollocs are coming in again. Damn, I was afraid of this. Perrin is then ambushed by Slayer. This time Perrin gets a good look at him, and he looks like Lan’s brother. I’m afraid I don’t remember all of Lan’s backstory, but I do remember some member of his family being a Darkfriend. This is no doubt the same fellow. And then Perrin wakes up – or at least tries to, in any case he gets away from Slayer. Emond’s Field Waking up the next day, Perrin finds everyone in much better spirits, thanks to a night of fun and frolic with the Tuatha’an, and they make their way to Emond’s Field. Perrin is in rather bad shape though, which is no surprise given he still has a bloody arrow stuck in him. They return to the village to find it fortified, armed and chock full of people, who give them a hero’s welcome, and are in awe of Perrin “Goldeneyes”. Verin is there, but she doesn’t want to heal Perrin, as she isn’t too good with it, and wants to wait for Alanna. Um, where is Alanna? Seriously, the Aes Sedai might be looking for girls who can channel, but I and Perrin both believe that’s not the whole of it. Also not present is Lord Luc. Perrin is almost convinced that he’s a Darkfriend, though I haven’t seen anything to suggest that. The guy is a pompous ass however. Lot’s of chatter, and finally Alanna arrives, and heals Perrin, who passes out in the process. He wakes up the next morning, healed but very weak still. Loial, racked by guilt at not closing the gate properly, is off with Gaul to fix things. Perrin’s all raring to go, but he’s no match for Faile and Mrs. al’Vere. They’re interrupted by an alarm – Trollocs! Or, Trolloc. Just the one. Well, that was anticlimactic. But wait, the Aiel bring news of five hundred of the creatures about to attack. Perrin finds himself directing the defenses. When the attack comes, the villagers give a surprising good account for themselves – every last one is shot down before it can reach close enough for melee combat. Including some Fades. Old Blood indeed. For all their protests about being “simple farmers” these people are pretty badass. The bad news is that this was nothing more than a testing of the waters. Tomas warns there will be a bigger, more organised attack. A surprise second attack turns out to be nothing more than Tinker refugees. The people are at first mighty scornful – the same scorn I guess, that the Jenn Aiel faced – but a few sharp words from Perrin bring them to their senses. The Tuatha’an did end up getting attacked, and honestly, I’m surprised even this many survived the Trolloc attack. I mean, these are people who have no idea how to defend themselves. But that all changes, when Perrin, after a hard day of telling people to do what they know better than him how to do, comes in for a bite, and Aram the Tinker picks up a sword, as was foreseen by Min. His grandmother freaks the hell out, but Perrin supports Aram. Honestly, their way makes for a nice dream, but Perrin is right to point out that faced with evil, a man has to defend himself. All this because of the Aes Sedai telling the Aiel to follow the path of non-violence, all those centuries ago. Why though? What’s so important that they should die rather than pick up weapons to defend themselves? The final arrivals are the Whitecloaks. Byar and Bornhald are all for arresting Perrin, but the villagers won’t let them touch their leader and hero. Perrin defuses the situation with the proposal that the Whitecloaks stay with them until the Trolloc threat has gone, and till then he won’t leave either. Um, BAD idea. I hope Bornhald comes to his senses before something bad happens. A Chance Meeting Egeanin is shadowing her employee/informant. The man has been kidnapping random women that look sort of like the ones Egeanin is looking for (who though? escaped sul’dam or damane, or someone else?), and instead of just telling him to quit it, she intends to catch him in the act. Those women happen to be Nynaeve and Elayne. A fight ensues, in which the three of them manage to beat down twice as many thugs. Another point for staves as weapons. Elayne does channel a bit, and Egeanin notices. They retire to the inn, and have a friendly chat. Except that Egeanin is basically going crazy inside. All her life she’s been taught that women who channel must be leashed – literally – as they’re little better than wild animals. But then she sees these women, who are Aes Sedai (well, technically Accepted, but she doesn’t know that), who are all nice and friendly and don’t have horns and stuff. Egeanin asks some questions about Aes Sedai and the tower, and leaves. I wonder how the Seanchan as a whole will react when this news breaks – that sul’dam can be leashed by the a’dam, that the Aes Sedai roam free and haven’t wrecked the world yet. And then another woman comes, and this one I’m pretty sure is a Forsaken, by how easily she bends Elayne and even Nynaeve’s minds, has them answer all her questions, eager as kids. The only good thing is that they answer like robots – no information given apart from exactly what is asked from them. And then the woman leaves, ordering them to forget her. Also, there is someone following Egeanin – one of those Seekers, perhaps? Coup d’état Siuan Sanche is busy doing paperwork, when Elaida and a bunch of Aes Sedai barge in, and coldly inform her that in a surprise meeting of the Hall, she was voted out of the Amyrlin Seat. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! This is not good. Quite apart from what Siuan will face, this is bad because who knows what Elaida will do to Rand, now that she is the Amyrlin Seat. I mean, Siuan was pretty controlling, but she was working with Moiraine and trying to help Rand. Elaida, on the other hand, is Red Ajah, and has nothing but dislike for men who can Channel. Min is bustling about, thinking of Rand and pretty dresses when fighting breaks out, and she sees Gawyn and the rest rushing off. Oh, oh my god, this is what Min foresaw. Not an attack by Black Ajah or Whitecloaks or Seanchan, but an attack from within the Tower. Siuan and Leanne are languishing in prison cells. Siuan did break down under torture – as was inevitable. Also, they’ve been stilled. Damn. I was still kinda hopeful in a desperate way that somehow this will all work out for her, but now… Now there’s no going back for them. Stilling is irreversible. Whatever happened to trials and proper procedure? Min comes to the rescue. It’s not much – she can hardly put things right now, no one can – but at least they’ll be free. Big surprise – Laras the cook is with her too. Siuan has been denounced as a Darkfriend in all but name, charged with letting aiding Mazrim Taim’s escape. I guess because what Siuan actually did wasn’t bad enough for Elaida’s liking – she needed something worse. It’s not like she did what she did for justice. No, the Red just wants power. One day, I hope, Siuan will have her revenge. But for now, there’s nothing to do but escape. Gawyn tries to stop them, but Min and Siuan convince him to not stop her. Also, Gawyn fought against the people trying to free Siuan. What? Why? On the way out of Tar Valon, they also meet Logain, and Siuan takes him along with the promise of revenge. Min sees two alternate futures for Gawyn, and one of them has him breaking Egwene’s neck. Ooh boy. Also, I just realised – no way will this book have a climax like the earlier ones, what with all these plotlines being so far away and separated. I mean, Siuan’s story has barely started. Cold Rocks Hold Rand and party have been travelling for days. Rand reminisces about them – chatting and learning about Aiel customs and wildlife from Aviendha, Kadere trying to sell information in return for Rand’s protection, the gleeman Natael quizzing Rand ostensibly because he wanted to write an epic about the whole story, Mat uneasy and staying away from him and flirting with Isendre and yadda yadda yadda. Pretty dull chapter. Finally they arrive at Cold Rocks Hold. Let me just state again that I think something feels very wrong about the peddlers – especially Isendre, but I can’t guess what exactly. Cold Rocks Hold, by the way, turns out to be a huge hollow mountain thingy. Full marks for creativity to Jordan, but I already saw that in Eragon, so no marks for surprising me. The place is described as having terraced walls which are actually houses, and gardens and paths in between them, but I’m having a hard time visualising the scene, so I’ll go with a staircase made of houses as my mental model. More descriptions – this time of Rhuarc’s home, their meal etc. etc. It’s all actually fun to read, but I’ll be skipping it because it’s very unlikely to be plot relevant what sort of carpets the Aiel use and stuff like that. The clans have started to assemble at Alcair Dal, but a full assembly will still take a month. A month! If Rand has to hang out here a month, he and I both will go nuts from boredom. After a meal, Rand goes off to look for a gift to placate Aviendha. Is Aviendha the third one? I remember reading somewhere – don’t even know if it was in the book or the internet – that Rand will have three women vying for his love. One is clearly Elayne, and the other is likely Min. I used to think Egwene would be the third, but maybe it’ll be Aviendha. Rand gets a nice ivory bracelet from the Maidens of the Spear, but when he gives it to Aviendha, she’s all upset because it apparently signifies that Rand is interested in her. At least she apologises to Rand. I like Aviendha, and it’d be pretty great if she and Rand got along. Rand takes a bath, screw the water shortage, and is having a nice little dream about Min and Elayne and Aviendha, when Lanfear crashes the party, and proceeds to do what feels uncomfortably like forcing herself onto Rand. The appearance of what I assume is another of the Forsaken saves neck’s Rand. Lanfear and the other guy argue, and then disappear. Rand wakes up, and finds someone in his room, freaks out and produces his firesword. It’s only Aviendha, phew. She lets it slip that the Dreamwalkers have been spying on his dreams, and Rand is pissed, as he should be. He’s ranting pretty hard, when he again senses evil. It’s a Draghkar, but the hypnotic song that held Moiraine, is no match for Rand, who promptly kills the foul thing. More Draghkar, and Trollocs attack the place. The battle is a short one – turns out the Trollocs were only a diversion, and the Draghkar were the main threat. Moiraine really wants Rand to confide in her, but is unwilling to meet Rand’s condition that she not try to interfere with her plans. I don’t know how I feel about Rand and Moiraine’s stand-off, except that I would really like for them to be working together. I can’t blame Rand for wanting to be independent and slow to trust given all his experiences, and I can hardly blame Moiraine for not agreeing to Rand’s rather harsh preconditions. The attack does make things more urgent, and Rand decides to leave for Alcair Dal, and with every warrior in the hold, custom be screwed. Yes, this post was a bit rushed. I’m sorry people, but honestly, this was all mostly buildup, and also, I’m in a hurry to finish this and go to the final chapters. I’ll try to make up for it in the finale of The Shadow Rising. AdvertisementsMy return to India begins the moment I leave the doors of Indira Gandhi International Airport. It almost always involves finding the railway station, where I commence my journey towards Punjab. Like many Indian cities, Delhi is known for its poverty, pollution and overcrowding. It is for the most part quite a surreal experience for a Londoner like myself to awaken to, especially after a really long flight. After boarding the train and taking the window seat, I stare out at the platform. The khaki uniformed police officers stand out very clearly amid the congestion. It suddenly dawns on me that had I been seated here, on November 1, 1984, it would have been quite likely that I would have been dragged out of this carriage by a mob. Kerosene would have been poured over my flesh. Before being ignited, I would have seen a woman being gang-raped and heard the cries of dying children. The officers of the station might have intervened, but only against me - to halt my retaliation. The rioters would have lynched young boys and men who donned turbans and caught girls and women wearing steel bracelets. They would have attacked anyone easily identifiable as a Sikh. Image: Reuters file photo Over 3,000 Sikhs were slaughtered on the streets of India’s capital over the next three days. Much distinguishes this pogrom from other communal riots which have happened of late. The violence which erupted was not initiated by the average Delhiite, who was bitter at Sikhs for sharing the same faith as Indira Gandhi’s assassins. Rather, it was instigated by members of the Congress party’s establishment itself. Many Congress officials were complicit in pinpointing the whereabouts of Sikh property. These were found using the voter registration lists which had been disseminated widely. Before the assailants gathered momentum and advanced towards the Sikh enclaves of the city, Sikh properties had been graffitied on and were marked with the letter “S”. Congress party members had also arranged for the distribution of weapons and other incendiary items. This disaster could have been prevented had the city’s police force acted promptly. According to a CBI report, some officers even ordered men in gurdwaras to disarm and surrender their weapons, hours before the crowds had arrived to mount their attack. Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv, was later sworn in as the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. It soon became apparent that he showed little concern for the plight of his fellow countrymen being butchered, so close to where he lived. When he was asked about the riots, he dismissed the violence by declaring that “when a big tree falls, the earth shakes”. The subcontinent has seen centuries of religious violence and bloodshed. Delhi was a sanctuary for Sikh refugees, who fled their villages in Pakistan at the time of the Partition. They found safety in a metropolis where so many of their co-religionists were already living. It is a great tragedy that these refugees and their children would live to face another round of ethnic cleansing 37 years later. Several attempts have been made to document and investigate the pogrom. At least 10 commissions have been set up since November 1984. Despite this, many of the offenders are still being allowed to walk freely on the same streets where they committed their acts three decades ago. As of late, less than 1 per cent of the admitted murderers have been convicted. The riots took place four months after Operation Blue Star, a controversial attack on the Golden Temple complex, by the Indian Armed Forces. The sense of betrayal and injustice felt by many Sikhs, propelled the growth of the Khalistani separatist movement, and set the stage for a brutal decade-long insurgency to commence, which transformed Punjab into a garrison state. In attempts to neutralise the militants, the government further compromised its respect for human rights. Enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, mass cremations, widespread torture and prolonged detentions without a trial were all very common in the years of the curfew. The Indian National Congress is not the only mainstream political party in India which has conspired against its minorities. The rise of nationalism as recently as 2013, saw the formation of a BJP government in the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat at the time of the 2002 riots in the state, was accused by some of having a role in facilitating the killings of Muslims in his home state. The British Sikh community remains greatly polarised on the issue of Indian patriotism and identity. Modi made a state visit to the UK two years ago, where he addressed 90,000 NRIs at Wembley Stadium - streets away from my house. I am used to seeing supporters of rival football clubs jeer and taunt each other as they approach the stadium's entrance, but I was quite bemused to find my fellow Sikhs behaving in a similar way. Loud arguments broke out between Sikhs draped in Indian colours and those who came to protest. India has much to be proud of. It is a historic melting pot, home to hundreds of languages, religions and cultures. With a fast-growing economy and a 1.3 billion strong population, it is destined to become a superpower by the end of the century. As we approach the 33rd anniversary of the pogroms, India must take a moment to reflect on its human rights record. The republic must do more to uphold BR Ambedkar’s egalitarian vision of a liberal and just democracy. Whilst the nation sends rockets to space and sets its eyes on the stars, the widows of Delhi still hang the portraits of their murdered husbands on the walls of their homes. They remain depressed in a state of anxiety and do not expect to see justice being served in the twilight years of their lives. Also read: Karwan-e-Mohabbat: Time we recall the painful memories of 1984 Sikh massacreThis post is my contribution to the DEBUTS blogathon spearheaded by Chris (Terry Malloy Pigeon Coop) and Mark (Three Rows Back). ‘Debuts’ will focus on directors’ first features (shorts not included), whether that be some little known feature no-one’s heard of or a breakthrough piece that catapulted them to stardom. We (well, Mark originally) thought it’d be interesting to see how a director’s first feature film compares with the rest of their filmography. When I first heard about this, I was initially going to do The Usual Suspects as I thought it was Bryan Singer’s debut, but I ended up settling with Ben Affleck’s first film instead, which I think is still the one to top out of the three excellent feature films he’s done. Per IMDb, this is Ben’s directorial debut in a major motion picture, although he did direct two other movies that never made it to the big screen. I saw this crime drama/mystery quite a while ago but I remember being quite affected by it. Set in Affleck’s hometown of Boston, starring his kid brother Casey, the story centers on an investigation into a little girl’s kidnapping, which turns out to become a professional and personal crisis for the two detectives involved. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name (who also wrote Mystic River, Shutter Island), this film has a strong cast that elevate the complex story that gripped me from start to finish. Casey Affleck, who I think is the better actor of the Affleck brothers, plays private investigator Patrick Kenzie. He opens the story with a monologue as we get a glimpse of the neighborhood where he’s lived his whole life “I’ve always believed it’s the thing you don’t choose that made you who you are…” It’s an effective opening montage that establishes Casey’s character and puts the grim kidnapping scenario into context. I’m not going to go into the plot as I feel that if you haven’t seen the film, the little you know about this film the better. What I can tell you is that, initially you might think the film is about one thing but slowly but surely, as details unfold, it becomes to be even more devastating that what you think it is. Another missing person case in the second half of the film inexorably shines a light to a darker world of corruption within the force. It’s not something new that we see stories about police corruption, how those who’re sworn to protect us end up betraying that trust, but the way things play out here certainly makes you stop and pause. Despite some hints along the way, the ending managed to still hit me out of left field. It’s such a simple scene but once you see it in context, Casey’s expression in that scene is just so gut-wrenching. In fact, as I re-watched it recently, it hit me how much of an emotional roller coaster this film was. What makes this a worthy debut? It’s quite a bold choice for Ben to tackle as his first film, considering the complex, twisty and morally-ambiguous Lehane’s novel is. This film stays with me for quite a long time after the end credits roll. It left me speechless as I pondered, ‘OMG! What would I have done? Would I have chosen to do the right thing? And what is really the RIGHT thing?’ What if the people you consider ‘righteous’ do unthinkable things because they believe they’re doing something for the greater good? Does that justify the act?? Things aren’t always so black and white in our world, and this film certainly made a good case for that. The way he filmed the underbelly of Boston feels authentic and raw, it’s not the typical glamorous-but-impersonal shot of the city. It turns out that the people in the backgrounds in a lot of the scenes are made of real local Boston actors and members of the local town. Ben made a deliberate choice not to cast professional extras for authenticity and it certainly worked. It’s clearly a personal project for Ben all around, as Gone Baby Gone is also his favorite novel. Now, that doesn’t automatically translates to a good film, but Ben has quite a keen eye behind the camera and he’s certainly has a way with getting great performances out of his actors. I love how layered the characters are, beautifully realized by Casey and the stellar supporting cast, especially Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan, Michelle Monaghan, and the oh-so-underrated Ed Harris. Ryan was nominated but I think Casey and Harris were both robbed that year IMO. What I admire about this film, and it’s become a signature of sort in Ben’s direction, is the lengthy dialogue. They can be as thrilling and tense as any action scenes, in this case, the well-written script is fully realized by terrific performances of the cast. The conversation between Casey Affleck and Ed Harris in this clip is a great example, take a look: … Ben Affleck – the Auteur? Ok, so maybe he hasn’t earned that label yet but he’s certainly a force to be reckoned with as a director. It’s interesting to note that Ben was at a low point in his career a few years before this… starring in forgettable to downright awful films like Paycheck, Jersey Girl, Gigli, Surviving Christmas, etc. He did ok in Hollywoodland but his career wasn’t exactly in the up and up. I think Ben made the right choice in not starring in this film and just focus on his work behind the camera. He did work on the screenplay, which is his first screenwriting credit since his Oscar win with his BFF Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting. I’ve seen all three of his feature film debuts and all of them are excellent. I think if I were to rate his films I’d go with Gone Baby Gone, ARGO and The Town. Yes, I know ARGO won Best Film at the Oscars
) the fee is $500 or 5000 signatures, with at least 500 from each Congressional district. Recognized Parties simply file their slate of Electors - their access is automatic, no fee or signatures required. For statewide office, the signature requirement is the same as that for President, but the fees are $750 for Governor and $600 for all other statewide offices. District and local office fees range from $40 or 50 signatures for a small town office, to $600 or 1000 signatures for US House. All signatures for district offices must come from within that district. If the office is for a political party committee, the signatures must be from people affiliated with that party. For Presidential Preference Primaries, the fee is $750 or 1000 signatures affiliated with that party from each Congressional district. [16] (pdf) Present Louisiana law only allows for Presidential Primaries if a party has more than 40,000 registered voters statewide. Currently, this only applies to the Democratic and Republican Parties. Louisiana law changed in 2004 under efforts from the Libertarian Party of Louisiana to relax rules in place at that time for recognizing political parties in the state. There are now two methods to gain official recognition. Method A allows a party to be recognized if it pays a $1000 fee AND has 1000 or more voters registered under its label. To retain recognition, it must field a candidate at least once in any four-year period in a statewide election – with no requirement on performance in the election. Statewide election slots include Presidential Elector, Governor, Senator, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Comm. of Insurance, and Commissioner of Agriculture. To date, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party have used this method to attain and retain official party recognition. Method B allows a party to be recognized if one of its candidates in a statewide race or for Presidential Elector achieves 5% of the vote. To retain recognition, it must repeat the 5% tally for statewide office or Presidential Elector at least once in any four-year period. To date, the Reform Party has used this method to gain and retain official party recognition. Due to their size, parties recognized by these methods are exempt from certain laws governing public elections of political committee offices and from certain financial reporting requirements until their membership reaches 5% of registered voters statewide. Recognized political parties in Louisiana are allowed to have their party name appear alongside their candidates on the ballot, and for their party to be offered as a specific choice on voter registration cards. Non-recognized parties appear as OTHER, and the party name must be written in on the registration card. Non-affiliated voters are listed as N for No Party. In the 2008 and 2010 Congressional elections, Louisiana experimented with closed primaries for House and Senate. Under this system, recognized parties participated in semi-closed primaries before the general election. Only one candidate from each party was allowed on the General Election ballot; there was no limit for OTHER or NONE. An attempt to pass a law differentiating "minor" parties similar to the rule for Presidential Primaries was defeated but made irrelevant by Louisiana reverting to its "Jungle Primary" system where all candidates, regardless of number from any party, all compete together on the same ballot. If no one achieves a majority, a general election is held as a run-off between the top two, also regardless of party affiliation. [17] [18] is one of the easiest states to get on the ballot. Anyone may obtain a spot on the ballot by either paying a qualifying fee, or submitting petition signatures. For independent candidates for President (or non-recognized parties) the fee is $500 or 5000 signatures, with at least 500 from each Congressional district. Recognized Parties simply file their slate of Electors - their access is automatic, no fee or signatures required. For statewide office, the signature requirement is the same as that for President, but the fees are $750 for Governor and $600 for all other statewide offices. District and local office fees range from $40 or 50 signatures for a small town office, to $600 or 1000 signatures for US House. All signatures for district offices must come from within that district. If the office is for a political party committee, the signatures must be from people affiliated with that party. For Presidential Preference Primaries, the fee is $750 or 1000 signatures affiliated with that party from each Congressional district. (pdf) Present Louisiana law only allows for Presidential Primaries if a party has more than 40,000 registered voters statewide. Currently, this only applies to the Democratic and Republican Parties. Louisiana law changed in 2004 under efforts from the Libertarian Party of Louisiana to relax rules in place at that time for recognizing political parties in the state. There are now two methods to gain official recognition. Method A allows a party to be recognized if it pays a $1000 fee AND has 1000 or more voters registered under its label. To retain recognition, it must field a candidate at least once in any four-year period in a statewide election – with no requirement on performance in the election. Statewide election slots include Presidential Elector, Governor, Senator, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Comm. of Insurance, and Commissioner of Agriculture. To date, the Libertarian Party and the Green Party have used this method to attain and retain official party recognition. Method B allows a party to be recognized if one of its candidates in a statewide race or for Presidential Elector achieves 5% of the vote. To retain recognition, it must repeat the 5% tally for statewide office or Presidential Elector at least once in any four-year period. To date, the Reform Party has used this method to gain and retain official party recognition. Due to their size, parties recognized by these methods are exempt from certain laws governing public elections of political committee offices and from certain financial reporting requirements until their membership reaches 5% of registered voters statewide. Recognized political parties in Louisiana are allowed to have their party name appear alongside their candidates on the ballot, and for their party to be offered as a specific choice on voter registration cards. Non-recognized parties appear as OTHER, and the party name must be written in on the registration card. Non-affiliated voters are listed as N for No Party. In the 2008 and 2010 Congressional elections, Louisiana experimented with closed primaries for House and Senate. Under this system, recognized parties participated in semi-closed primaries before the general election. Only one candidate from each party was allowed on the General Election ballot; there was no limit for OTHER or NONE. An attempt to pass a law differentiating "minor" parties similar to the rule for Presidential Primaries was defeated but made irrelevant by Louisiana reverting to its "Jungle Primary" system where all candidates, regardless of number from any party, all compete together on the same ballot. If no one achieves a majority, a general election is held as a run-off between the top two, also regardless of party affiliation. Maryland : Party certifications are done for each gubernatorial cycle (e.g. 2006–2010). If the number of registered voters to a political party is less than 1%, then 10,000 petition signatures must be gathered for that party to be considered certified. A party must be certified before voters can register under that party. A party can also be certified for a two-year term if their "top of the ticket" candidate receives more than 1% of the vote. : Party certifications are done for each gubernatorial cycle (e.g. 2006–2010). If the number of registered voters to a political party is less than 1%, then 10,000 petition signatures must be gathered for that party to be considered certified. A party must be certified before voters can register under that party. A party can also be certified for a two-year term if their "top of the ticket" candidate receives more than 1% of the vote. Michigan : Major party candidates for Congress, governor, state legislature, countywide offices, and township offices are chosen through a primary system. A candidate can appear on the ballot by filing petition signatures; candidates for certain offices may file a $100 filing fee in lieu of filing petition signatures. All minor-party candidates, as well as major-party candidates for certain statewide offices, are chosen by a convention. Candidates running for nonpartisan offices (including judgeships, school boards, and most city offices) can appear on the ballot via petitions, as can candidates running for partisan offices without party affiliation. : Major party candidates for Congress, governor, state legislature, countywide offices, and township offices are chosen through a primary system. A candidate can appear on the ballot by filing petition signatures; candidates for certain offices may file a $100 filing fee in lieu of filing petition signatures. All minor-party candidates, as well as major-party candidates for certain statewide offices, are chosen by a convention. Candidates running for nonpartisan offices (including judgeships, school boards, and most city offices) can appear on the ballot via petitions, as can candidates running for partisan offices without party affiliation. Minnesota : Major party candidates are nominated by the state primary process. Independent and minor political party candidates are nominated by a petition process; 2,000 signatures for a statewide election, or 500 for a state legislative election. Candidates have a two-week period to collect nominating petition signatures. Independent candidates may select a brief political party designation in lieu of independent. : Major party candidates are nominated by the state primary process. Independent and minor political party candidates are nominated by a petition process; 2,000 signatures for a statewide election, or 500 for a state legislative election. Candidates have a two-week period to collect nominating petition signatures. Independent candidates may select a brief political party designation in lieu of independent. Missouri exempts parties from needing to gather signatures if they attain 2% of the vote in a statewide election. [19] exempts parties from needing to gather signatures if they attain 2% of the vote in a statewide election. New York Main article: Qualified New York political parties : To be recognized, a political party must gain 50,000 votes in the most recent gubernatorial election. (There are, as of 2019, eight such parties. Three of these have primarily resorted to electoral fusion and usually only nominate candidates already on either the Democratic or Republican lines.) This allows for primary elections and allows statewide candidates to be exempted from having to petition. Any other candidate must file petitions. For statewide candidates, 15,000 signatures are required, and there must be at least 100 signatures from each of at least 1/2 of the congressional districts in the state (27 as of 2014). All state legislature and congressional candidates must file petitions regardless of party nominations, except in special elections. Village and town elections have less restrictive ballot access rules. [20] : To be recognized, a political party must gain 50,000 votes in the most recent gubernatorial election. (There are, as of 2019, eight such parties. Three of these have primarily resorted to electoral fusion and usually only nominate candidates already on either the Democratic or Republican lines.) This allows for primary elections and allows statewide candidates to be exempted from having to petition. Any other candidate must file petitions. For statewide candidates, 15,000 signatures are required, and there must be at least 100 signatures from each of at least 1/2 of the congressional districts in the state (27 as of 2014). All state legislature and congressional candidates must file petitions regardless of party nominations, except in special elections. Village and town elections have less restrictive ballot access rules. North Carolina's law pertaining to ballot access is codified in N.C.G.S Chapter 163 Elections and Election Law: [21] New Political Parties: According to N.C.G.S. §163-96(a)(2) [22] [23] for a New Political Party to gain access to the election ballot they must obtain signatures on a petition equal to at least 2% of the total number of votes cast for Governor in the most recent election by no later than 12:00 noon on the first day of June before the election in which the Party wishes to participate. In addition, at least 200 signatures must come from at least four separate US Congressional Districts each within the state. To qualify for the 2010 or 2012 election ballot a new political party must gather at least 85,379 signatures within approximately a 3.5 year time span, averaging at least 67 signatures every day for three and half years straight counting weekdays and holidays. [23] Political Party Retention Requirement: According to N.C.G.S. §163-96(a)(1) [24] in order for a political party to remain certified for the election ballot after obtaining access to the ballot, or to remain recognized by the State of North Carolina, that party must successfully garner at least 2% of the total vote cast for Governor for its candidate. If a party's candidate for Governor fails to receive at least 2% of the vote, that party loses ballot access (N.C.G.S. §163-97 [25] ) and must begin the petitioning process over again, and the voter affiliation of all registered voters affiliated with that party is changed to unaffiliated (N.C.G.S. §163-97.1 [26] ). Statewide Unaffiliated Requirements: According to N.C.G.S. §163-122(a)(1) [27] in order for an unaffiliated candidate to qualify for the election ballot for a statewide office, the candidate must obtain signatures on a petition equal to at least 2% of the total number of votes caste for Governor in the most recent election by 12:00 noon on the last Friday in June before the election in which the candidate wishes to participate. In addition, at least 200 signatures must come from at least four separate US Congressional Districts each within the state. To qualify for the 2010 or 2012 election ballot unaffiliated statewide candidates must obtain at least 85,379 signatures. District Unaffiliated Requirements: According to N.C.G.S. §163-122(a)(2-3) [27] in order for an unaffiliated candidate to qualify for the election ballot for a district office, the candidate must obtain signatures on a petition equal to at least 4% of the total number of registered voters within the district that the candidate is running for election in as of January 1 of the election year in which the candidate desires to appear on the election ballot. Signatures must be turned in by 12:00 noon on the last Friday in June before the election in which the candidate wishes to participate. District candidates effectively cannot start petitioning for ballot access until after January 1 of the election year they are running for election, giving them just under half a year to obtain signatures for ballot access. To qualify for the 2010 election ballot unaffiliated US Congressional candidates are required to obtain as many as 22,544 signatures and an average of 18,719 signatures required for access to the 2010 election ballot. [28] 's law pertaining to ballot access is codified in N.C.G.S Chapter 163 Elections and Election Law: North Dakota requires 7,000 petition signatures to create a new political party and nominate a slate of candidates for office. Independent candidates need 1,000 for a statewide office or 300 for a state legislative office. The independent nominating petition process does not allow for candidates to appear on the ballot with a political party designation, in lieu of independent, except for presidential elections. [29] requires 7,000 petition signatures to create a new political party and nominate a slate of candidates for office. Independent candidates need 1,000 for a statewide office or 300 for a state legislative office. The independent nominating petition process does not allow for candidates to appear on the ballot with a political party designation, in lieu of independent, except for presidential elections. Ohio : Late in 2006, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated Ohio's law for ballot access for new political parties in a suit brought by the Libertarian Party of Ohio. [30] After the November elections, the outgoing Secretary of State and Attorney General requested an extension to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court so that the decision to appeal could be made by the newly elected Secretary of State and Attorney General. The new Secretary of State did not appeal, but instead asserted her authority as Chief Election Officer of Ohio to issue new ballot access rules. In July 2008, a US District Court invalidated the Secretary of State's rules and placed the Libertarian Party on the ballot. [31] Three other parties subsequently sued and were placed on the ballot by the Court or by the Secretary of State. : Late in 2006, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated Ohio's law for ballot access for new political parties in a suit brought by the Libertarian Party of Ohio. After the November elections, the outgoing Secretary of State and Attorney General requested an extension to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court so that the decision to appeal could be made by the newly elected Secretary of State and Attorney General. The new Secretary of State did not appeal, but instead asserted her authority as Chief Election Officer of Ohio to issue new ballot access rules. In July 2008, a US District Court invalidated the Secretary of State's rules and placed the Libertarian Party on the ballot. Three other parties subsequently sued and were placed on the ballot by the Court or by the Secretary of State. Oklahoma : A party is defined either as a group that polled 10% for the office at the top of the ticket in the last election (i.e., president or governor), or that submits a petition signed by voters equal to 5% of the last vote cast for the office at the top of the ticket. An independent presidential candidate, or the presidential candidate of an unqualified party, may get on the ballot with a petition of 3% of the last presidential vote. Oklahoma is the only state in the nation in which an independent presidential candidate, or the presidential candidate of a new or previously unqualified party, needs support from more than 2% of the last vote cast to get on the ballot. An initiative was circulated in 2007 to lower the ballot access rules for political parties. : A party is defined either as a group that polled 10% for the office at the top of the ticket in the last election (i.e., president or governor), or that submits a petition signed by voters equal to 5% of the last vote cast for the office at the top of the ticket. An independent presidential candidate, or the presidential candidate of an unqualified party, may get on the ballot with a petition of 3% of the last presidential vote. Oklahoma is the only state in the nation in which an independent presidential candidate, or the presidential candidate of a new or previously unqualified party, needs support from more than 2% of the last vote cast to get on the ballot. An initiative was circulated in 2007 to lower the ballot access rules for political parties. Pennsylvania : A new party or independent candidate may gain ballot access for one election as a "political body" by collecting petition signatures equal to 2% of the vote for the highest vote-getter in the most recent election in the jurisdiction. A political body that wins 2% of the vote obtained by the highest vote-getter statewide in the same election is recognized statewide as a "political party" for two years. A political party with a voter enrollment equal to less than 15% of the state's total partisan enrollment is classified as a "minor political party," which has automatic ballot access in special elections but must otherwise collect the same number of signatures as political bodies. Political parties not relegated to "minor" status qualify to participate in primary elections. Candidates may gain access to primary election ballots by collecting a set number of petition signatures for each office, generally significantly fewer than required for political bodies and minor political parties. : A new party or independent candidate may gain ballot access for one election as a "political body" by collecting petition signatures equal to 2% of the vote for the highest vote-getter in the most recent election in the jurisdiction. A political body that wins 2% of the vote obtained by the highest vote-getter statewide in the same election is recognized statewide as a "political party" for two years. A political party with a voter enrollment equal to less than 15% of the state's total partisan enrollment is classified as a "minor political party," which has automatic ballot access in special elections but must otherwise collect the same number of signatures as political bodies. Political parties not relegated to "minor" status qualify to participate in primary elections. Candidates may gain access to primary election ballots by collecting a set number of petition signatures for each office, generally significantly fewer than required for political bodies and minor political parties. South Dakota : For a registered political party in a statewide election they must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the vote for that political party in the preceding election for state governor. An independent candidate must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes for state governor, and a new political party must collect 250 petition signatures. In state legislative elections, a registered political party needs to collect 50 signatures and an independent candidate must collect 1% of the total votes cast for state governor in the preceding election in their respective district. [32] : For a registered political party in a statewide election they must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the vote for that political party in the preceding election for state governor. An independent candidate must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes for state governor, and a new political party must collect 250 petition signatures. In state legislative elections, a registered political party needs to collect 50 signatures and an independent candidate must collect 1% of the total votes cast for state governor in the preceding election in their respective district. Tennessee : A candidate seeking a House or Senate seat at the state or national level must gather 25 signatures from registered voters to be put on the ballot for any elected office. [33] [34] Presidential candidates seeking to represent an officially recognized party must either be named as candidates by the Tennessee Secretary of State or gather 2,500 signatures from registered voters, and an independent candidate for President must gather 275 signatures and put forward a full slate of eleven candidates who have agreed to serve as electors. [35] To be recognized as a party and have its candidates listed on the ballot under that party's name, a political party must gather signatures equal to or in excess of 2.5% of the total number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election (about 45,000 signatures based on the election held in 2006). [36] A third party to be officially recognized was the American Party in 1968; none of its candidates received 5% of the statewide vote in 1970 or 1972 and it was then subject to decertification as an official party after the 1972 election. In 2012, a state court ruled that the Green Party of Tennessee and the Constitution Party of Tennessee would join the Republican and Democratic Parties on the ballot beginning with the 6 November 2012 election. : A candidate seeking a House or Senate seat at the state or national level must gather 25 signatures from registered voters to be put on the ballot for any elected office. Presidential candidates seeking to represent an officially recognized party must either be named as candidates by the Tennessee Secretary of State or gather 2,500 signatures from registered voters, and an independent candidate for President must gather 275 signatures and put forward a full slate of eleven candidates who have agreed to serve as electors. To be recognized as a party and have its candidates listed on the ballot under that party's name, a political party must gather signatures equal to or in excess of 2.5% of the total number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election (about 45,000 signatures based on the election held in 2006). A third party to be officially recognized was the American Party in 1968; none of its candidates received 5% of the statewide vote in 1970 or 1972 and it was then subject to decertification as an official party after the 1972 election. In 2012, a state court ruled that the Green Party of Tennessee and the Constitution Party of Tennessee would join the Republican and Democratic Parties on the ballot beginning with the 6 November 2012 election. Texas : For a registered political party in a statewide election to gain ballot access, they must either: obtain 5% of the vote in any statewide election; or collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes cast in the preceding election for governor, and must do so by January 2 of the year in which such statewide election is held. An independent candidate for any statewide office must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes cast for governor, and must do so beginning the day after primary elections are held and complete collection within 60 days thereafter (if runoff elections are held, the window is shortened to beginning the day after runoff elections are held and completed within 30 days thereafter). The petition signature cannot be from anyone who voted in either primary (including runoff), and voters cannot sign multiple petitions (they must sign a petition for one party or candidate only). [37] : For a registered political party in a statewide election to gain ballot access, they must either: obtain 5% of the vote in any statewide election; or collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes cast in the preceding election for governor, and must do so by January 2 of the year in which such statewide election is held. An independent candidate for any statewide office must collect petition signatures equal to 1% of the total votes cast for governor, and must do so beginning the day after primary elections are held and complete collection within 60 days thereafter (if runoff elections are held, the window is shortened to beginning the day after runoff elections are held and completed within 30 days thereafter). The petition signature cannot be from anyone who voted in either primary (including runoff), and voters cannot sign multiple petitions (they must sign a petition for one party or candidate only). Virginia: A candidate for any statewide or local office must be qualified to vote for as well as hold the office they are running for, must have been "a resident of the county, city or town which he offers at the time of filing", a resident of the district, if it is an election for a specific district, and a resident of Virginia for one year before the election. For any office the candidate must obtain signatures of at least 125 registered voters for the area where they are running for office (except in communities of fewer than 3,500 people, where the number is lower), and if they are running as a candidate from a political party where partisan elections are permitted, must pay a fee of 2% of their yearly salary (no fee is required for persons not running as a candidate for a primary of a political party). Petitions, along with additional paperwork, must be filed between about four and five months before the election, subject to additional requirements for candidates for a primary election.[38] 1,000 signatures are required for a US House race and 10,000 for a statewide race (i.e. US President, US Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General), including 400 from each Congressional district.[39] Nominees of a political party that "at either of the two preceding statewide general elections, received at least 10 percent of the total vote cast for any statewide office filled in that election" are exempt from needing to gather signatures.[40] Constitutional dimensions of ballot access laws [ edit ] The Constitution has limited the states' discretion to determine their own ballot acess laws: the right to equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment (when the restrictions involve a discriminatory classification of voters, candidates, or political parties); rights of political association under the First Amendment (especially when the restrictions burden the rights of political parties and other political associations, but also when they infringe on the rights of a candidate or a voter not to associate with a political party); rights of free expression under the first amendment; rights of voters (which the Supreme Court has said are "inextricably intertwined" with the rights of candidates); property interests and liberty interests in candidacy; other rights to "due process of law" the right to petition the government (this argument is sometimes raised to allege that signature-gathering requirements, or the rules implementing them, are unfairly restrictive); freedom of the press (which historically included the right to print ballots containing the name of the candidate of one's choosing); the right to a "republican form of government," which is guaranteed to each state (although this clause has been held not to be enforceable in court by individual citizens). The US Supreme Court precedent on ballot access laws cases has been conflicting.[citation needed] In Williams v. Rhodes (1969) the court struck down Ohio's ballot access laws on First and Fourteenth Amendment grounds. During the 1970s the Supreme Court upheld strict ballot access laws, with a 'compelling State interest' being the "preservation of the integrity of the electoral process and regulating the number of candidates on the ballot to avoid voter confusion."[41] The Supreme Court did strike down provisions in a ballot access law in Anderson v. Celebrezze,' 460 U.S. 780 (1983), but most of the subsequent court rulings in the 1980s–2000s continued to uphold ballot access laws in both primary and general elections. Among the most notable of these cases from the 1970s–1990s: The Supreme Court has not expressly ruled on the maximum level of restrictions that can be imposed on an otherwise qualified candidate or political party seeking ballot access. As a result, lower courts have often reached difficult conclusions about whether a particular ballot access rule is unconstitutional. Requiring an otherwise eligible candidate or political party to obtain signatures greater than 5% of the eligible voters in the previous election may be unconstitutional. This is based on Jenness v. Fortson, 403 U.S. 431 (1971); the court upheld a restrictive ballot access law with this 5% signature requirement, whereas the Williams v. Rhodes (1969) had involved a 15% signature requirement.[42] Most State ballot access requirements, even the more restrictive ones, are less than 5%, and the Supreme Court has generally refused to hear ballot access cases that involved an Independent or minor party candidate challenging a ballot access law that requires less than 5%.[43] International human rights law and ballot access [ edit ] International agreements that have the status of treaties of the US are part of the supreme law of the land, under Article VI of the United States Constitution: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 25 Copenhagen Document, ¶¶6-8, Annex I to 1990 Charter of Paris Another source of international human rights law derives from universally accepted norms that have found expression in resolutions of the U.N. General Assembly. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not binding under US law the way a treaty is, this type of norm is recognized as a source of international law in such treaties as the Statute of the International Court of Justice, to which the US is a party: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 21 (NB: to be completed) Write-in status versus ballot access [ edit ] Depending on the office and the state, it may be possible for a voter to cast a write-in vote for a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot. It is extremely rare for such a candidate to win office. In some cases, write-in votes are simply not counted[citation needed]. Having one's name printed on the ballot confers an enormous advantage over candidates who are not on the ballot. The US Supreme Court has noted that write-in status is absolutely no substitute for being on the ballot[citation needed]. The two most notable cases of write-in candidates actually winning are the elections of Lisa Murkowski in 2010 and Strom Thurmond in 1954, both to the United States Senate. Other cases include the election of Charlotte Burks to the Tennessee State Senate seat of her late husband, Tommy Burks, murdered by his only opponent on the ballot; and the write-in primary victories in the re-election campaign of Mayor Anthony A. Williams of the District of Columbia. All of these cases involved unique political circumstances, a popular and well–known candidate, and a highly organized and well–funded write-in education campaign. Other obstacles facing third parties [ edit ] The growth of any third political party in the United States faces extremely challenging obstacles, among them restrictive ballot access. Other obstacles often cited[by whom?] as barriers to third-party growth include: Campaign funding reimbursement for any political party that gets at least 5% of the vote—implemented in many states "to help smaller parties"—typically helps the two biggest parties; Laws intended to fight corporate donations, with loopholes that require teams of lawyers to navigate the laws; The role of corporate money in propping up the two established parties; The allegedly related general reluctance of news organizations to cover minor political party campaigns; Moderate voters being divided between the major parties, or registered independent, so that both major primaries are hostile to moderate or independent candidates; Politically motivated gerrymandering of election districts by those in power, to reduce or eliminate political competition (two-party proponents would argue that the minority party in that district should just nominate a more centrist candidate relative to that district); Plurality voting scaring voters from credibly considering more than two major parties, as opponents of one would have to unite behind the other to have the most effective chance of winning (see Duverger's law); The extended history and reputations of the two established parties, with both existing for over 150 years and being entrenched in the minds of the public; The absence of proportional representation; The 15% poll requirement by the non-government entity Commission on Presidential Debates; The public view that third parties have no chance of beating the worse of evils, and are therefore a wasted vote; Campaign costs of convincing interested voters that the party nominee has a chance of winning, and regaining that trust after an election where the third party got the third-most votes or, worse, split the vote between two similar candidates so that the most disliked candidate won (i.e. "spoiling" the election; this is less of a problem with condorcet voting and range voting). Justification of strict ballot access laws by two party supporters [ edit ] Strict ballot access laws are not required for a two–party system, as can be seen by the experience of the United Kingdom. However, the following arguments are put forth about the need for strict ballot access laws in the United States: With plurality voting, allowing third candidates on the ballot could split the vote of a majority and throw the race to a candidate not favored by the majority. Allowing only two candidates on the ballot ensures that at least the worst one is never elected. If a third party could get enough votes to win an election, then voters who would support the nominee could infiltrate one of the two parties by registering as members, and force a win in that party's primary. However, pulling this off would take considerable coordination on the part of the supporting voters, especially if half of them preferred to infiltrate the other major party or remain independent. It would also depend on the rules of the major party for how people may become candidates in their primary, and on which registered members may vote in the primary. There is a one person one vote mandate. If voters could vote in a primary for one candidate, and then sign a petition for another candidate, this would violate that mandate. Some voters might sign a petition for the candidate they want, and then vote in the primary for the candidate who would be easier to beat. Since primary votes are anonymous, and a party therefore cannot remove that voter's vote after it is cast, the only remedy is to strike the voter's signature on the petition. As for signatures not counting if a voter later votes in a primary, that could be reformed since the political party would know in advance about the signatures if they are filed in time. . If voters could vote in a primary for one candidate, and then sign a petition for another candidate, this would violate that mandate. Some voters might sign a petition for the candidate they want, and then vote in the primary for the candidate who would be easier to beat. Since primary votes are anonymous, and a party therefore cannot remove that voter's vote after it is cast, the only remedy is to strike the voter's signature on the petition. As for signatures not counting if a voter later votes in a primary, that could be reformed since the political party would know in advance about the signatures if they are filed in time. Sore loser laws, where a candidate who loses in a primary may not then run as an independent candidate in that same election, stem from contract laws. Similar–minded candidates run in the same primary with the contract that the losers will drop out of the race and support the winner so that they do not split the votes of similar–minded voters and cause the other party's nominee to win with 40% of the vote. The need for primaries is primarily because of plurality voting, whose rules state that the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even if not a majority. , where a candidate who loses in a primary may not then run as an independent candidate in that same election, stem from contract laws. Similar–minded candidates run in the same primary with the contract that the losers will drop out of the race and support the winner so that they do not split the votes of similar–minded voters and cause the other party's nominee to win with 40% of the vote. The need for primaries is primarily because of plurality voting, whose rules state that the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even if not a majority. Strict ballot access laws make it difficult for extremists to get on the ballot, since few people would want to sign their petition. See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]A man in Selma, Alabama, is facing three counts of attempted murder after allegedly shooting his girlfriend, 1-month-old son and a pastor inside a church Sunday morning. Witnesses told WSFA James Junior Minter opened fire at the church on Sunday, but members of the congregation were able to strip him of his gun before he fled. Police arrested Minter less than a mile from the church. >> Read more trending stories A 61-year-old pastor was injured in the shooting when he allegedly tried to wrestle the gun away from Minter. The Dallas County district attorney applauded the pastor's efforts, calling him a "good Samaritan" and saying he "probably prevented a lot more shooting." Police say a dispute over visitation as well as ongoing domestic violence could have been the motive for the shooting. All three victims are now in stable condition. If convicted, Minter faces 10 years to life in prison. Read more at newsy.com.Bills receiver Steve Johnson wins the award for stupidest tweet of the year after dropping a potentially game-winning touchdown pass in the Bills’ overtime loss to the Steelers on Sunday. This is some pretty staggering hubris, actually. I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS? HOW?!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO… Stevie Johnson
invading Iraq by citing its violations of a number of U.N. resolutions. When the United Nations would not authorize the use of force, the United States then ignored it, robbing the operation of its legitimacy. The United States went ahead anyhow, but 48 countries went along. It was a coalition of the coerced and co-opted, but it gave a fig leaf of international acceptability. If we attack Iran, no country, except perhaps Israel, will be joining us. There will be several Sunni autocrats quietly urging that we hit the Persian Shiites hard, but they will contribute nothing else. No other nation will be willing to kill Iranians and have its forces be killed by them. While the attack will be condemned around the world, its effect in Iran will be even worse. Invading Iraq brought down Saddam Hussein, but an attack on Iran will consolidate the power of the regime in power. The advocates of war say the Iranians will topple their government once it begins. But an attack will only strengthen the grip of the Iranian leadership just as 9/11 did for President George W. Bush. At that point the Iranians will have no reason to hide any intention to build a bomb and every reason for doing so. An air campaign would set back their program by two years at best. So it would not be a few air strikes and then victory parades. It would mean a semi-permanent state of war. And the Iranians will react to being bombed. At a minimum, the unrest and their geographic position on the waterways that carry much of the world's oil will make four dollars for a gallon of gas seem like the good old days. Then there are the unintended consequences. What if the day after the bombing starts an intelligence report comes in saying factions of the Pakistani military were so angered by an American attack on a fourth Muslim country that some of their nuclear weapons have gone missing and may be on their way to being used? Is that an impossible scenario from the hosts of bin Laden and the planners of the Mumbai terrorist attacks? A recent New York Times article talked about the real possibility of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamic extremists. But why if a war is such a bad idea, is it inevitable? The answer is domestic politics. If Mitt Romney wins in November, he has already made clear, during the Republican debate in Iowa, that Israel will dictate his policy in the Middle East. And he will need a war, just like Mr. Bush, to distract people from the failure of his economic policies, which are just like Mr. Bush's. If President Barack Obama wins, one might hope for a different outcome. A recent opinion piece in The New York Times was titled "How America Can Slow Israel's March to War." It was written by Dennis Ross. He worked in every administration since Jimmy Carter was president, with the exception of George W. Bush's, and is thought by many to have never been more than a front man for the Israeli right. His program for postponing war consists of providing political cover for an Israeli attack, providing political support once it happens and providing weapons and more weapons to make it possible. With bunker-busting bombs and midair refueling capabilities donated by the United States, Israel will be able to start a war, but it won't be able to finish one. Invariably the United States will be drawn into the conflict to protect its interests and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows there is a good chance his old friend Mitt won't be moving into the White House. And he knows that once re-elected, his leverage on President Obama will be drastically reduced. So the list has no doubt already been presented to American officials and, in order to avoid a crisis in the midst of an election campaign, promises to fill it have already been made. The article by Mr. Ross is just preparing public opinion for the day the payoff is made. It would be nice to think war could be avoided, but the steps necessary to do that are unlikely to be taken. On the American side, we could offer to open an embassy in Tehran to conduct some real diplomacy rather than shouting at each other through the media. The United States could also recognize that regime change in Iran will come from within and not through saber rattling from abroad. As for Israel, Iran would have no excuse for threatening it if peace were made with the Palestinians. The outline of what a settlement would look like has been on the table since the Clinton administration. Mr. Netanyahu is not Menachem Begin, however, who negotiated an agreement with Egypt with the help of Jimmy Carter. Mr. Netanyahu would rather hold on to power than take a chance on peace -- even if that means a war he can't win and the United States can't avoid. Originally published online for the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe grand final for the Salon dancers has taken place at the World Tango Festival and Championships in Buenos Aires. A part of UNESCO’s world’s intangible heritage list since 2009, the dance was born in Argentina and every year its best practitioners battle it out here for world cup prizes. Some 2000 dancers from around the world took part. However, to the delight of the crowd it was a home pairing who shone and took the first prize and the title of World Salon Tango Champions, against some stiff domestic and international competition on this, the world’s biggest stage for the dance. “The road is infinite, whether there is public recognition or not, to continue growing, continue dancing and continue enjoying it. I think that it’s worth it. It is an experience that is worth it. It is a challenge and it always makes you grow,“said Magdalena Gutierriez as partner German Ballejo grinned from ear to ear.. After picking up the prize the pair once again performed the dance that won over the judges, and public.The AMA announced its opposition in a letter Wednesday morning, hours before two House committees were set to mark up repeal legislation. It comes one day after a slew of patient advocacy and health industry groups including the American Hospital Association announced they were against the House GOP bill ― and it’s one more sign of political trouble for the Republican repeal effort. “While we agree that there are problems with the ACA that must be addressed, we cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations,” AMA chief executive James Madara said in the letter. In the detailed letter, Madara raises objections to the key pillars of the Republican plan, including a rollback of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. “Medicaid expansion has proven highly successful in providing coverage for lower income individuals,” he said, making a point that a variety of public health researchers have. Madara also pointed out that the Republican bill would reorient federal financial assistance for people who buy private coverage on their own. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government provides more money to people whose incomes are low or insurance costs are high ― in order to establish a guarantee of coverage. Republicans would instead introduce a system of flat tax credits, varying only by age, that would reduce subsidies ― sometimes dramatically ― for poor people and those with high insurance costs. “We believe credits inversely related to income, rather than age as proposed in the committee’s legislation, not only result in greater numbers of people insured but are a more efficient use of tax-payer resources,” Madara said. Republicans have suggested that their plan would improve access to health care, in part by stripping away regulations on insurance and thereby reducing premiums. But preliminary analyses of the GOP plan have suggested that it would cause millions to lose coverage and that the trade-off for lower premiums would be higher out-of-pocket costs ― in short, what Madara was saying in his letter. The AMA is the nation’s largest organization representing physicians. And although it has traditionally promoted itself as an advocate for America’s patients, it is like any other interest group, and spends much of its time looking out for the financial interests of its members. But it’s not clear that, overall, repeal would hurt physician incomes in a meaningful way The open opposition of so many health care organizations stands in stark contrast to their support of the 2009-10 reform effort that culminated in enactment of the Affordable Care Act. One reason groups like the AMA supported that legislation was that Democratic leaders had spent more than two years working with them, going back to before the 2008 election, in order to build a coalition that could give reform the political resiliency it would need to pass Congress. The Republicans trying to repeal the law now did not do that.SALT LAKE CITY — The first of seven public hearings to measure the appetite for a seasonal, residential wood-burning ban was attended by close to 200 people in Tooele County clearly fired up over any effort by the state to "regulate" their lives. The crowd that packed into the Tooele County Health Department on Wednesday afternoon was unanimously, unequivocally and boisterously opposed to proposed rule out for public comment that would ban wood burning in certain areas from Nov. 1 to March 15, beginning this year. "We are going down a slippery slope if the government does this ban without compromise," said Steve Pohlman. "Why don't they just ban all cars from driving?" Many residents described areas where they lived in Tooele County in which natural gas is not available and wood is a cheap, renewable way for them to heat their homes. "Wood is a renewable resource. Why the hell are we banning something that we don't have to pump out of the ground?" questioned Darrell Holden, asserting the "one-size-fits-all" approach does not work. Chad Allred, who works in the wood stove industry, said Environmental Protection Agency-regulated devices have already reduced emissions by more than 96 percent. "I would challenge any other industry to say they have reduced emissions by that much," Allred said. "It seems to me that we are shooting a fly with a shotgun. This is overreach on the part of government." If the rule is passed as approved, it would be the toughest seasonal wood-burning ban in the country. The seasonal ban would impact those areas in the state that are out of compliance for federal air quality standards for PM2.5 or fine particulate pollution. Those areas include all of Utah, Salt Lake and Davis counties, portions of Tooele, Box Elder and Weber counties and Cache Valley. Wood smoke accounts for about 4 percent of the areas' emissions inventory, generating by EPA estimates about 876 tons of pollutants. Of that, about 34 percent is direct PM2.5 emissions, while the majority of the rest is made up of volatile organic compounds that assist in the formation of PM2.5. William Hogan, of Rush Valley, wondered aloud at the blanket nature of the ban. "I don't even see an inversion where I live, yet you don't want me to burn a wood stove?" Others criticized that the proposed rule undercuts self-reliance, hurts small business and sets neighbor against neighbor. "How is this going to be enforced? Neighbor turning in neighbor? It took me five years to buy my stove because I wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem," said Aaron Holt, a Weber County resident who said he felt so strongly about the proposal that he drove down from Roy because he will be out of town for that meeting. "I think this will affect my ability to be self-reliant." The Utah Division of Air Quality already bans wood burning on those days when pollution begins to creep above federally set limits. On those mandatory action days, people cannot burn a solid fuel device such as a wood or wood pellet stove or a fireplace. The only exemptions apply to those who use wood burning as the only way to heat their house because of lack of other options. There are only a few dozen of those households in the state, and regulators are working to convert those to another source through financial incentives. A newly formed group, Utahns for Responsible Burning, wants exemptions applied to residential wood burning if it is done in an EPA-certified stove, and only on those days where a "voluntary action" is requested by the state. The group would adhere to a no-burning mandate on those days pollutants are above federal clean air standards. Several representatives at that group spoke at Wednesday's hearing, pleading for some measure of compromise. Another hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, 195 N. 1960 West, No. 1015, Salt Lake City. The Utah Air Quality Board put the proposed rule on the ban out for public comment in early January and is taking input until Feb. 9. It is expected that the board will make a decision within a couple of months of when the public comment period ends. Some Tooele County residents said regardless of the action the state takes, they will not adhere to an outright prohibition against residential wood burning. "I will be danged if I am going to worry about a ticket from a bureaucrat when it comes to the security of my family when it is 20 degrees below zero," one man said.If you had asked me at any point in my life whether I thought I would be an anti-bullying and equality advocate, I would have laughed hysterically. In fact, having been a frequent victim of bullying as a child, I became full of rage and set on vengeance. I can tell you the exact point in my life when this transformation occurred. I was in fifth grade, my brother in third. We had moved quite a bit during my childhood, and this is extremely difficult for any child, but we also happened to be poor. My mother gave birth to me when she was 15 years old and was just 17 when she had my brother. We struggled, we moved a lot (I'd gone to six different elementary schools by fifth grade), and my dad left us when I was 10. So, needless to say, my brother and I were perfect targets for bullies. Making friends is difficult at that age, especially when you don't have cool clothes or all the "in" toys or can't afford a telephone or cable. So my brother and I got a constant string of laughs, comments, teasing and just plain ignorance. It all came to a head one day in fifth grade. It happened shortly after transferring to a new school -- in the middle of the year, I might add! My brother and I were walking home from school (we actually did that in the old days), and two older boys were walking behind us, calling us names. Nothing new there, but the boys decided to take it even further and started shoving us around. Before I knew it, they had my brother on the ground, beating him and kicking him. Crying, I ran home as fast as I could to get help. When my mom and I got back to my brother, the boys were gone. I was still crying, but this time my insides felt like they were on fire! I remember thinking, "I'm so sick of this! I will be damned if it happens again!" Seriously, it was like my entire personality changed. I was shaken to the core, and I wanted to make people pay. From that day on I was the bully. I got into fights almost daily. I picked on people, hit people and made anyone and everyone feel the pain that I had experienced for so long. I became a "problem student," a smart alek, a teacher's worst nightmare. As each grade passed, I became increasingly consumed by anger and rage. Before long I was no longer in control of my anger; it was in control of me. It was blinding me. It was getting in the way of my relationship with my mom, my friends, everyone. I got kicked out of school and was constantly grounded, and all the while I was becoming angrier and angrier. The thing is, if people are afraid of you, they do not pick on you. I do not even remember many of the fights I got in. Years later, victims of my rage have had to remind me. Thankfully, as adults, most of them have been able to move past my indiscretions. You may be wondering what made me change my deviant ways. Well, it wasn't what but who: a softball coach. She refused to believe that I was this "bad" kid that I had worked so hard to become. She believed in me. I hadn't felt like someone believed in me for a long time. It felt good. I wouldn't let her know that, though. I tried to push her away, say mean things, hurt her feelings, but she was still there for me. She still believed in me. All the time I would think, "Is this lady an idiot, or does she like to be abused?" It turned out that neither was true. She was just a kind, loving person who really did believe in me. It's strange, but just realizing that somehow made me feel less angry. Of course, she wasn't the only factor in my transformation, but she was a huge part of it. My mother did her best, but she worked fulltime and was raising three kids. (She had my sister when I was 10.) So, though I knew she loved me (she's my best friend now), she struggled to handle all my "attitude"! As a result, I wanted to be as involved with my kids as I could. That was one of my goals as a scout leader. I wanted to be part of my son's life and share all the great bonding experiences that scouting offers. I wanted a chance to be that guiding force for some kid who maybe just needed to know that someone believed in him. I truly felt like I was making a difference in these boys' lives. Then it was ripped out from under me, not because I wasn't leader material (I had been told repeatedly that I was exceptional at it), but because I was gay. I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. I was being denied this amazing bonding experience with my son, something no parent should ever be denied. Well, that wasn't OK with me. I felt like I was that fifth grader again. I was being bullied again!! The difference this time was that it is totally legal for the Boy Scouts of America to bully people who are gay. Well, I am much, much older than I was in fifth grade, and usually much more capable of handling my anger. That is why I, along with many, many others backing me, set out to change this damaging BSA policy, because I know for a fact that when a child feels as though he or she doesn't belong or isn't good enough, that can have very negative effects on that child's fragile psyche. No child should ever be left out.By Rose Cahalan in 40 Acres, Research, Special on \| It’s a horrifying image: a decaying animal carcass crawling with beetles that feast on flesh. It’s also a vital scientific technique used in the Skeletal Preparation Laboratory in UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences. There, lab technicians have one of the creepiest jobs in academia: using flesh-eating bugs to turn animal specimens into skeletons. Jackson School of Geosciences public affairs representative Marc Airhart made a dozen visits to the lab over six weeks this spring to produce an audio slideshow called “Skeletons in the Closet.” He watched vertebrate skeleton technician Kenneth Bader “skeletonize” a Cooper’s hawk, transforming it from roadkill into a precisely preserved specimen for University researchers to study. In the audio slideshow, Bader skins and guts the bird, dries it, and then turns it over to a very hungry colony of dermestid beetles, which finishes the job. Airhart’s graphic slideshow is not for the faint of heart—YouTube deemed it so disturbing that it was removed from the site—but it’s a fascinating window into one of science’s weirdest corners. “I was both grossed out and engrossed by this story,” Airhart says. “It’s like something out of The X-Files, and very disgusting. On the other hand, it’s really important to help scientists understand how animals evolved over millions of years on Earth.” But why use beetles to clean skeletons—couldn’t a human do the job? “Oddly enough, this technique they’ve been doing for centuries still makes the most sense,” Airhart says. Researchers can also use an acid bath to dissolve skin and muscles, but that technique doesn’t preserve the skeletal structure as well as the natural way does. “If you have a bird with lots of tiny bones, for example, this is the way to do it,” Airhart says. “At the end, you’re left with an articulated skeleton, and it’s easy to identify where the bones go.” Paleontologists like the Jackson School’s Julia Clarke—who recently made significant breakthroughs in the study of Microraptor, a four-winged flying dinosaur—use the modern skeletons for comparison purposes. Examining a modern skeleton can shed light on the structure and evolution of ancient creatures. Still, Airhart says that some scientists who use the products of the Skeletal Preparation Laboratory refuse to set foot near the lab. “It’s dirty work,” he laughs. Watch the “Skeletons in the Closet” audio slideshow here. Photo by Marc Airhart.Continue Reading Below Advertisement Continue Reading Below Advertisement Continue Reading Below Advertisement Episode IV: A New Hope prefix wasn't there in the original theatrical release. It was added a couple years after, when it became evident that Star Wars was going to be a thing. Isn't that a nice little tweak? Doesn't it make the movie seem like part of a greater whole? "What an epic story this must be!" the audience says. "But where the hell were the first three parts? Did I... did I black out for several years again?" These troubling questions set the hook perfectly, priming the viewers for an unforgettable cinema experience and forcing them to confront their demons. Let's look at the biggest change being made in The Phantom Menace 3D, aside from the addition of the dreaded Z-axis. The original release featured a puppet Yoda that has since been replaced with the CGI version we see in the other two prequels. Now I've seen The Phantom Menace a few times, and I can't recall a thing about Yoda -- which I'm inclined to say is a good thing. In retrospect, this was probably my favorite interpretation of Yoda, in that he didn't do anygoddamned backflip sword fighting in this film. But if you look at new Yoda side by side with old Yoda, both look fine.I don't see what the problem was with the old one, and I don't see what the problem is with the new one. There's just nothing here to get worked up about, and there never will be, so long as there's no goddamned backflip sword fighting. Finally let's go back to "Han shot first" -- the most egregious violation of everything, ever. I won't defend this completely -- it's a clear-cut example of Lucas making his film worse -- but it's nowhere near the big deal some people would make it. For the uninitiated, here's the Coles Notes version of the controversy: While in the Mos Eisley Cantina, Han Solo is getting the gears from Greedo, a bounty hunter looking to collect space dollars. In the original film, as the conversation turns sour, Han gets the drop on Greedo, blowing him away under the table. In the revised version of this scene, Greedo shoots and misses, then Han shoots a fraction of a second later, finding his mark. Many people loathe this change, preferring the original version, where Han shoots first because they think this makes him more of a badass. I've since found out that Lucas has made about five more versions of this scene with small variations, but in all the versions, the same three things are unchanged: 1) Han was reaching for his blaster because he was about to use it. 2) After shooting Greedo, Han walks away coolly, like he's done this kind of thing before, and is kind of bored of it. 3) George Lucas is an idiot. Whether George Lucas is an idiot and Han is a badass or George Lucas is an idiot and Han is avery lucky badass honestly makes no difference in how we think of Han or watch the rest of the film or live our lives. I will freely acknowledge that it's a stupid change to make because of how it muddies the waters, but it's way less of a big deal than everyone makes it. And even though it is undoubtedly a mistake, that actually turns out to be a good thing, because...NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she does not need to ban plastic bags in NSW, "because 80 per cent of plastic bags" will already be banned by the supermarkets themselves. Addressing a meeting at the Tweed Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Ms Berejiklian welcomed the recently announced plastic bag bans at Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm Markets, but said they were the very reason she did not need to legislate a state-wide ban as Premier. "[Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm] produce about 80 per cent of the plastic bags in NSW, so in essence they themselves would ban the plastic bag," she said. "I don't need to [put a ban in place] because 80 per cent of plastic bags are already banned. I don't need to put a law in for something that's already happening." The comments have hindered hopes among environmental advocates, who considered the recent commitments from Australia's major supermarkets as a positive sign that there remained no more barriers to introducing a ban across NSW. "Despite the action by Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm, data shows that at least 10 million bags will continue to pollute the state's environment each year," said Jeff Angel, director of the Boomerang Alliance of 47 groups. "The facts are, the retailers' actions are voluntary and not enforceable. Key business sectors have called for a level playing field; and the community wants a full ban.The Sun newspaper had an exclusive interview with the parents The case of the 13-year-old who has fathered a baby highlights a worrying trend of "children having children", the Tory leader has said. David Cameron was speaking after Alfie Patten's girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, 15, gave birth on Monday. Latest figures from UK National Statistics show there were 7,826 conceptions in under-16s in 2006 - down 1,000 from 10 years earlier. Sexual health experts said teens should be encouraged to have "ambition". Children's Secretary Ed Balls said it was an "awful" and "unusual" case. "I want those kids to be safe and also the young child as well, and I want us to do everything we can as a society to make sure we keep teenage pregnancies coming down," he said. Mr Cameron said: "It is really worrying in our country today you've got children having children - and obviously we all hope that these very, very young children will grow up and be good parents, but frankly parenthood isn't something they should be thinking about. "That's what's gone wrong and we've got to put it right." In some of the more difficult communities, this has become pretty much the norm Iain Duncan Smith, Centre for Social Justice Support for 'boy' father Father at 14 'changed my future' Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who now runs the Centre for Social Justice said it "exemplified the point we have been making about broken Britain". He told the BBC the problem of teenage pregnancies was concentrated in certain communities. "Quite often what fails to recognise is that in some of the more difficult communities, this has become pretty much the norm. "I've visited many estates where there are very huge collections of very young mothers, often with multiple children - and often 'guesting fathers'. "This is a major problem in the UK." No prosecution The teenagers, both from Eastbourne, had kept the pregnancy secret until Chantelle's mother Penny noticed her daughter was getting bigger. Chantelle had her baby in Eastbourne District General Hospital, and is now home with her family. Sussex Police said no action would be taken with it "not in anyone's interests" to prosecute. East Sussex County Council said the teenage parents will be supported with intensive monitoring and health visitor support. We know that life as a teenage parent is hard Beverley Hughes, children and young people's minister Tony Kerridge, a spokesman for the sexual health specialist Marie Stopes International, said: "These sorts of lifestyle choices can be dealt with on an educational level if teenage girls realise what they are contemplating is a route into social deprivation and being in the benefits culture for the rest of their lives. "It may seem like a short term solution to problems at home, but the mid to long term prospects are probably a life stuck on benefits. "We should, as a society, be encouraging our young people to have much bigger and better aspirations than that." Simon Blake of Brook added: "Most under-16s aren't having sex, but young people do want more education about sex. "They want their parents to talk to them, their school to talk to them and they want confidential services to go to." Mandatory education Speaking on a visit to the Midlands, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "I don't know the individual details of the case, but of course I think all of us would want to avoid teenage pregnancies." Beverley Hughes, children and young people's minister, said 80% of under-18 pregnancies were in 16 and 17-year- olds. "Evidence shows that good quality sex and relationship education and parents talking to their children delays early sex and increases the use of contraception whenever they do have sex. "We know that life as a teenage parent is hard, with outcomes for them and their children often very poor. "That's why the government has issued guidance to local areas on providing the right support to improve the welfare of both the teenage parents and child." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionRadiohead's current tour in support of A Moon Shaped Pool is slated to end on July 19 with a controversial performance in Tel Aviv, Israel. What the band does after that has been a source of much speculation. But in a new interview with the band in Rolling Stone, the members put to rest any rumors that Radiohead are calling it quits. "I would imagine we’ll keep going. I mean, I don’t know how, or when, but no, we’re not gonna stop. I fucking hope not," Thom Yorke said. Colin Greenwood said, "I don't know what’s going to happen after July, so I can't say anything beyond that. But I love the people that I work with, and I love what everyone does. So we’ll see. But I'm happy to go play anywhere else." Phil Selway added, "It's a blank calendar at the moment [after this leg ends], but we all have other stuff that's been on hold for a little while. I feel that come July we will have done as much as we can with what we’ve got at the moment. I’d love the idea that we’d be back out again touring at some point, but I think this feels about right for this record." When asked by Rolling Stone about the possibility of Radiohead continuing to tour into their '70s, Ed O'Brien said, "You see that joy Leonard Cohen got. You see it with the Dead or Neil Young when he goes off with Crazy Horse. Everybody would like to see Pink Floyd do it. If we were to do it, it would have to be authentic. It might be like the Rolling Stones. It might be like Leonard Cohen or the Grateful Dead." Yorke also spoke about his own plans separate from Radiohead. "There's also a bunch of things I'm doing on my own that I have to finish," he said. "They've been on hold for ages. Whether they will translate into anything, I'm not quite sure. It's kind of weird. I don't have a plan for the second part of the year at the moment. I mean, I wasn't able to plan things for a long time now and now I can. I'm trying to get my head around that." Radiohead's current run of shows, which coincide with the 20-year anniversary of OK Computer (set to be reissued on June 23), are unlikely to feature the classic album performed in its entirety, the band told Rolling Stone. Selway said "'Fitter Happier' might have a few issues. We'd also have to play 'Electioneering' then, wouldn't we? So no, I don't think we'll do that." (The band has not performed "Electioneering" live in two decades.) You might still get to see them play "Creep" though, if you're lucky. "It's a good song," O'Brien told Rolling Stone. "It's nice to play for the right reasons. People like it and want to hear it. We do err towards not playing it because you don't want it feel like show business. But we started throwing it in last year." Yorke added, "The first time I'm feeling the fakes we'll stop. It can be cool sometimes, but other times I want to stop halfway through and be like, 'Nah, this isn't happening.'" Pitchfork recently celebrated the 20-year anniversary of OK Computer with a week of features, essays, interviews, and more. Find those here.The Chicago White Sox travel to take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park for a four-game series starting Monday night. Southside Showdown recently asked Sean Sylver, editor of BoSox Injection, a FanSided site about the Boston Red Sox, five questions about the upcoming four-game set. You can follow BoSox Injection on Twitter @BoSoxInjection and Sylver @sylverfox25. Here are his answers. 1. What do you think is the biggest reason the Red Sox have had such a fall in 2014? Do you think they can rally back to the top of the AL East standings being 8.0 games back headed into Sunday’s games? I’m one of the most optimistic fans out there, but there are only so many times you can watch a team struggle with the same aspects of the game over and over and expect a magical turnaround. 2013 was a gift for Red Sox fans. Expectations were not high, yet the team succeeded with a mix of good health and players doing exactly what they were paid to do, sometimes more. This year, they’ve struggled to get those key hits and clutch pitching performances, and they haven’t been healthy. I don’t have high hopes. 2. What are your thoughts on rookie third baseman Brock Holt? Do you believe he can keep up the pace he is currently on for the remainder of the season? I wish Brock Holt’s performance so far could be described as infectious, but really he’s been in quarantine – many nights it seems like he’s the only one hitting. He’s benefited from a healthy BABIP thus far, but he was a.300 hitter in the minors, so it’s not way off course to suggest he could stay north of that number. I’ve heard some Bill Mueller comps, and that would be great. Mueller wasn’t a big power hitter, either, and he had a productive Major League career.While the last 10 years have seen the rapid, consumerist adoption of HD everything — from TVs to DVDs to digital cameras — another far superior technology has been making the slow crawl from laboratory, to prototype, to the brink of public testing: Ultra High Definition TV, or UHDTV for short. With a resolution of 7680×4320 (8K or 4320p), UHD is comparable to IMAX — and 16 times larger than HD’s paltry 1920×1080. A single 8K frame consists of 33 million pixels — higher resolution than almost every DSLR on the market. UHDTV (also called Super Hi-Vision) has been entirely conceived and developed by NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting organization. Starting in 2003, NHK effectively strapped 16 HDTV cameras together to create a single 30-minute UHD clip. In 2005, a UHD TV program was transmitted over a 240km (160 miles) fiber optic network — and in 2010, NHK managed to transmit UHD from the UK to Japan, over the internet. Earlier in 2012, following various tech advances, NHK finally demonstrated the first shoulder-mounted UHDTV video camera — and now, the Japanese broadcaster has successfully transmitted UHDTV 4.2km (2.6 miles) over conventional, UHF airwaves. This is no mean feat: At 120 frames per second (UHD allows for 24, 25, 50, 60, and 120 fps), a raw 7680×4320 video feed clocks in at 48 gigabits per second (Gbps). The Super Hi-Vision spec (SMPTE 2036) supports 22.2-channel sound, too, which comes in at around 50Mbps. After compression (NHK has developed a special codec for Super Hi-Vision), the entire stream clocks in at around 500Mbps. To put this into perspective, a 1080p TV channel signal (over the air) is around 10Mbps. The new 802.11ac WiFi standard can reach similar speeds (500Mbps), but over tens of meters — not 4.2km. How does NHK transmit 500Mbps over a few miles, then? Using OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing), MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output, i.e. using more than one antenna), and two 8MHz UHF radio cahnnels. OFDM and MIMO, which are already used by many wireless technologies including digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T), 802.11ac and LTE, allow a vast amount of data to be squeezed into a single bandwidth block. The huge transmission distance is simply a function of the transmission frequency and power. UHF channels in Japan fall between 400 and 800MHz, while WiFi generally uses 5GHz. Longer waves (VHF and UHF) can travel further without being attenuated by obstacles (such as houses) and atmospheric conditions. While we don’t know the exact transmission power used by NHK, we’re probably talking about 35 to 150 watts; WiFi is usually around 100 milliwatts — and stronger signals travel farther. It might help to think of NHK’s UDHTV broadcast as simply being a high-powered, one-way version of 900MHz LTE. Moving forward, the main takeaway is that it’s actually possible — right now — to transmit 8K television shows (and movies!) over the air. The main problem, though, is that there isn’t a single commercial display on the market that’s capable of displaying that resolution. Even 4K (2160p) televisions — which have a quarter of the resolution of UHDTV — are incredibly rare. Earlier this year at CES
to raise, tilt and lower as needed, alongside keeping a great hold on the road. These hydraulics are backed up by backup torsion bars which, in the case of a hydraulic failure clank into action, as to prevent the effect of suspension domino malfunctions.The armor is made primarily of a titanium alloy - light and highly resistant to thermal and chemical/environmental stress.The "internal hull" is made of a single casted aluminum based structure covered in a mixture of lead/titanium matrix alloy, where the armor plates are bolted onto this structure. This offers good defence against the wildlife for which the TYHR90a was designed while keeping the vehicle as light as efficiently possible.All of this yields to a light vehicle able to hit the 98 miles per hour, just 12 miles faster than the currently fasted land based creature of it's environment, and it's tactical cruising range is approximately 721 miles.The TYHR90a features beefed up communications modules which can behave as to extend communication ranges if needed, regardless of how deep it happens to be in a jungle.In it's current, basic "a" configuration, the TYHR90 is loaded with an entire 18 tons away from it's hull's max carry range, although the Halcyon engineer which designed this vehicle insists it's only 8 tons away as to keep it as effective as possible, the TYHR90a vehicle weighting 39.81 tons.The TYHR90a is just a vehicle able to function for extended periods with little to no maintenance regardless of how damaged, uneven or problematic the driving environment is.A TYHR90b variant is considered, where this variant will mount 75mm cannon able to fire utilitary shells (cloud, etc).Credits and props goes to: for constructive criticism for design environment/problematic/reason for tank, constructive criticism, tank knowledge, bananas for the main texture used for this model, which can be found at black-light-studio.deviantart.…. Sure saved me the time of making it myself! Slightly modified for bump map effectprops to people on Flist artist channel for constructive criticism related to composition and some ideas for scene and how to make it better, alongside referring me to great HDR and asset sources/references.Done fully in what is the latest prototype version at the date of posting, rendered in Blender cycles at roughly an hour.If you need help or reference of how the materials were setup, feel free to ask. I might just give you themConstructive criticism is appreciated, alongside appreciation of this really awesome design!Mercedes looking as strong as everyone predicted. Sadly for the tifosi, this looks like it will be a damage limitation weekend for Ferrari! — Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) September 1, 2017 Hiding from the rain at Red Bull.... pic.twitter.com/wFQqTMxyYW — Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) September 2, 2017 I’m back from the Italian Grand Prix and, well, that was a bit one-sided!Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes showed why they are proven to be the more potent power unit in this whole new V6 Hybrid era. To finish 35 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari is probably as dominant performance that we’ve seen this season.When you look at it Vettel started further back and he came up through the places quite quickly and at that time the gap was only about five seconds to the leader and I thought “Ooh this could be interesting and maybe Ferrari are better than we thought at Monza.”But as the race went on it just was pretty obvious that the two Mercedes cars were in a league of their own on F1’s classic power circuit.That’s a bit of a worry for Ferrari and all the people in the engine and power unit departments in Maranello. They’ve got to be scratching their heads because, when we look through the rest of the season, we’ve got places like Singapore which should favour Ferrari – and we’ll come back to that.But there are circuits like Suzuka where you need a lot of power to grunt up from Spoon Curve through 130R. Abu Dhabi is another circuit with fairly long straight and big acceleration zones.Mexico has a massively long straight and those are three circuits where it’s going to be clear that Mercedes have an advantage.Ferrari have got one joker left to play which is they haven’t yet introduced their fourth engine and their final power unit configuration for this year which Mercedes have. So Ferrari could potentially spend a bit of time developing that last power unit – and that I’m sure is what is going on.It was really, really messy with the weather on Saturday and such a long day. As a driver it’s so tricky dealing with rain delays and waiting and waiting forever. There’s a lot of time where you’re psyching yourself up, particularly in the build-up to qualifying.You’re getting ready to go for that big blast and you know that is the one time of the weekend your senses are absolutely at a heightened level, you’re thinking about every time you hit the brake pedal, you’re thinking about every steering input you make, every throttle application, you’re thinking about every out lap and build lap, how you’re going to bring the tyres into the window.Your mind is at such a high level and then there’s a bit of a let-down when the session is red flagged and everything has stopped for such a long period of time. And then you get a 10-minute warning to get that level back up there.It is all a challenge for the driver but that’s where experience counts where in some way, a calm head and a driver who’s able to really get himself in the zone quickly can come to the fore.In the end, I thought Hamilton’s lap in Q3, was absolutely amazing.The track conditions were changing all the time and when you watch the on-board, he is really, really good at moving around the track and finding grip where the grip was away from the traditional racing line. You have to go out there and look for the grip, feel the grip and you have to understand where it is.I remember racing in Monza in 2008, and the lines were so different, we had to brake all the way on the inside, then you go across the line, and across the rubber and you have to use lots of parts of the track to brake and accelerate which you wouldn’t imagine doing in the dry. The grip level is so different in the wet and Hamilton exploited that very well.Hats off to Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon both of them did a fantastic job in Q3.Stroll deserves a big shout out really because Williams have been pretty underwhelming in wet conditions of late, but he was strong in Q1, Q2 and Q3 and so he proved it wasn’t a fluky one lap – he was good in all conditions.In the race he held his own. He had his teammate Felipe Massa behind him and he hung onto the back of Ocon. You have to say the Force India is a more competitive package than the Williams these days and so hats off to him, I thought he did a great job all weekend.So did Ocon who was best of the rest behind the top teams and did a good solid job to finish sixth.The race itself, as I said, was pretty uneventful. There was a bit of overtaking and a bit of ranting from Fernando Alonso on the radio but it wasn’t the most enthralling race, particularly at the front.It was impressive to see Daniel Ricciardo come through the pack. Red Bull have shown that on a circuit where really they had no business to be competitive, and in the same range as Ferrari or Mercedes on paper at least, in practice, when it came to the race, they were probably quicker than Ferrari.For Ricciardo to go from 16th up to fourth is a very strong performance and that bodes well for them.Going to Singapore, Suzuka and Malaysia, I think the next three races should be really good tracks for them; Singapore in particular they should be really strong.I thought Max showed a little bit of impatience in the early part of the race because he should of recognised that the Red Bull was a much stronger car than Williams and Force India and others in the midfield.Really if he had been a little bit more patient I think he could have got away without a puncture. The fact that Ricciardo finished fourth and only four seconds behind Vettel probably tells you what could have been for Verstappen.There’s no question he could have been closer because he was already up the order at that stage so I think it was a case of a bit of frustration from the penalties and maybe he could have shown a bit more patience.We ought to look ahead to Singapore and the rest of the season.Hamilton is now ahead in the world championship for the first time this season and by three points ahead of Vettel.Singapore is a really interesting race because it’s a street track which is still a bumpy ride.Monaco has been resurfaced, it’s no longer the bumpy challenge it used to be, it’s actually pretty smooth. Yes, it’s low speed corners, yes it’s narrow and you need a lot of good front end mechanical grip in the middle sector but Singapore is pretty unique.It’s a track where two years ago Mercedes had got the set-up wrong; the car was sort of three-wheeling, they had too much movement in it and it constantly had one wheel off the ground and they were completely at sea.Last year they got it together with Nico Rosberg who won the race but Hamilton wasn’t strong there and in some ways there was a sense that he was over driving the car, a bit like in Sochi this year, a bit like in Budapest until the Grand Prix itself.So, I’m really interested to see how he goes when we get to Singapore this year. The 2017 cars are different, there’s more grip, there’s more downforce and that may help him but equally I think it’s important to note that Ferrari and Red Bull are much closer to Mercedes than in the years previously.We are going to Singapore knowing that Ferrari are the favourites. It’s a big chance for Vettel to retake the lead in the world championship, it’s a big chance for Ferrari to get Raikkonen possibly into second place to try to push Hamilton further down.I think Mercedes are now going to start playing the games of team orders and making Valtteri Bottas start to play a more supporting role.So again we’re at that stage of the season where we’ve left Europe behind us and we’re going to the last flyaways. There’s firmly a sense that we’re counting down now to the end of the season.There’s still long way to go though. In the past the end of the European season used to mean Suzuka and Adelaide, but now we’ve got seven races still to go. So there’s a lot of action still to come.Apart from that not a whole lot happened in Monza - apart from having the best pizza in the world as usual. See you all in Singapore!A soft-porn iPhone and iPod app that showed a selection of naughty, but not naked, females briefly made an appearance on the Apple App Store at the weekend. Wallpaper Universe from FunMobility, a maker of Apple Apps, ringtones and wallpapers, debuted on the Apple App Store on Friday before mysteriously disappearing on Saturday. Apple famously doesn’t do porn, although there's no mistaking what the app is about. Even so, few people would have found the pictures on display offensive, with underwear covering the women’s modesty in the photos we saw. Apple won't reveal what goes on behind the scenes with their approval process, a process that often takes weeks, although someone at Apple appears to have clicked ‘approve,’ perhaps a little over excited, before checking the App's full credentials. There is a more serious side to this, Apple recently approved an app called BdEmailer, which duplicates Apple's Mail app (in contradiction to another contentious rule). This prompted Joshua Topolsky from Engadget to say: "either you've relaxed your policies on duplicate functionality, or you've gotten incredibly lazy when it comes to approving applications. We're inclined to believe it's the latter, as BdEmailer has a fair share of bugs that need working out, but really, people need some clarification here on what will and won't pass -- and moving the goalpost all the time isn't going to help." Apple rejected Internet Radio application CastCatcher entry into the App Store because of bandwidth concerns earlier this month, despite three prior releases to the store being accepted by Apple. And, of course, if an application as obviously unsuitable as Wallpaper Universe can pass through Apple's approval process, what's stopping a more seriously malicious program from being approved? Image via VentureBeat. Get four free Mac programs worth £82 and 40 free prints from Jessops with Macworld print magazine. On sale now! Click here for more information.Twelve Democratic senators are trying to thwart a highly regarded civil rights attorney in his position at the Health and Human Services Department because of his work on religious liberty issues. Roger Severino served as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division for seven years during the Obama administration. He also worked for a brief time on religious civil liberties at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society. Yet in a threatening letter to HHS Secretary Thomas Price, the senators claim to be “deeply troubled” by his hiring, alleging, without any evidence, “a long history of making bigoted statements toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and attacking women’s access to health care services and reproductive rights.” The letter does not substantiate the charge in any way. The letter suggests Severino would not respect and serve all people, including immigrants, people with disabilities, or people of varying religious backgrounds and beliefs. To disparage him, the senators ignored Severino’s lengthy civil rights record, which includes cases dealing with just those things: This first HIV discrimination case brought by the United States under the Fair Housing Act was lauded by gay rights groups. The United States won a suit alleging that the owner and property manager of a building in Chicago violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent to a woman because she was HIV-positive. St. Bernard Parish agreed to a settlement in excess of $2.5 million to resolve lawsuits alleging “it engaged in a multi-year campaign to limit or deny rental housing opportunities to African-Americans in the parish in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.” Severino’s division alleged that the parish’s actions both were intended to and had the effect of disproportionately harming African-Americans seeking rental housing in the parish. Severino’s division settled a lawsuit in Texas regarding discrimination against persons of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. A case involving familial status discrimination, specifically families with children, in housing in Pennsylvania. This complicated case dealt with the subjection of poor, black, single female tenants to unwanted verbal and physical sexual advances, denial of housing benefits based on sex, and adverse action against female tenants who refused sexual advances. Severino contacted mall authorities after a Muslim group referred the case of a security guard kicking a Muslim housewife out of the mall for wearing a hijab. The case was resolved without officially having to file a suit when the mall took action against the employee for his behavior. The Justice Department resolved its lawsuit against Lucky Joy restaurant in Flushing, New York over its refusal to serve Falun Gong practitioners. The restaurant ownership admitted that, in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the restaurant’s staff had ejected patrons who wore Falun Gong T-shirts. This case dealt with hundreds of violations of the Fair Housing Act’s requirement that apartments in the complex be designed and constructed to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Violations include lack of wheelchair access, excessively steep slopes on accessible routes, kitchen sinks and ranges that were inaccessible, outlets and thermostats that were too high or too low, and door thresholds that were too high. In this case, an apartment complex limited individuals with service animals, subjected them to pet fees, required such animals to be licensed and certified, and in some cases banned service dogs altogether. Severino’s lengthy civil rights work since he graduated from Harvard Law School — both within the government and in religious civil liberty positions — is to be commended, not derided by activists. Yet the senators in their letter critique his work on behalf of religious liberty, a constitutionally protected natural right. The letter also mentions “offensive statements.” One supposedly troubling comment he made was that “The radical left is using government power to coerce everyone, including children, into pledging allegiance to a radical new gender ideology over and above their right to privacy, safety, and religious freedom.” Perhaps trying to kick a civil rights attorney who cares about religious freedom, safety, and privacy out of his office because he doesn’t pledge allegiance to the denial of science inherent in radical gender ideology is not a good way to rebut the charge. If this is the standard for bigotry, anyone who doesn’t believe laws should be rewritten or reinterpreted to match the desires of the most radical of trans lobbyists is a bigot. If concern over poorly developed gender ideology’s effect on the privacy, safety, and religious rights of others is bigotry, then any human who recognizes the reality of sexual distinctions is a bigot. Matthew Franck noted at the time of Severino’s hiring that there is a need for political appointees to reverse some of the problems caused by an agency that pushed discrimination against others in recent years. “During the Obama administration, HHS became an aggressive discriminator against employers, insurers, and health care providers who only wanted to be left alone to act on their moral principles in favor of innocent human life, and on their religiously informed consciences against cooperation with evil,” he said. Some radical groups have a history of denigrating religious values and even religious liberty — the first freedom mentioned in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights — with bigotry and hate. Sometimes this conflation has sparked violence through venomous labeling, such as the case of a man who attempted to commit mass murder at a religious values organization. He was spurred on by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s irresponsible designation of that organization as a hate group. The same type of irresponsible rhetoric is at play in this letter from these senators, and the radical lobbyists egging them on.In a surprise move, earlier this week Disney restored multiplayer to the classic version of Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Originally released in 2005, the first version of Battlefront 2 was a massive success, with huge battles that took place in space and on the ground. The latest version of Battlefront 2 (2017) lands in November, with the Open Beta unlocking for all PC players on Oct. 6th. Many players diving back into Battlefront 2 (2005) are experiencing multiplayer issues and frequent crashing. Lots of players report they’re unable to connect, or that the game simply isn’t stable enough to play on modern operating systems. The sudden influx of new players is likely a heavy load on the fresh servers, but there’s another issue that might be causing problems — a scourge of incomplete patch installations and mic crashes. Follow the instructions below for a little extra help resolving patch issues and resuming online play in the awesome original Star Wars: Battlefront 2. It’s absolutely worth a revisit. How To Fix Online Play & Crash Errors If you’re struggling to get online and play Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005), try the following steps. This problem seems especially common on Steam, although the same fix should work on Gog’s launcher if you’re experiencing issues there. Download and install the latest update for Star Wars: Battlefront 2. If you don’t automatically download updates, launch the game once to start downloading. After the multiplayer update completes installation, you may continue to experience issues. If multiplayer isn’t working, right-click Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Classic, 2005) in your Steam library -> Open Properties Go to the Local Files tab and left-click Verify Integrity of Game Files. Wait for the download to complete. It may only be about 500 bytes. Restart and see if that helps. Below, we’ll also talk about resolving crash errors. Currently, there are many, many crash errors in-game — here are a few methods to might help you play crash-free. Compatibility Crash – How To Fix Find the Star Wars: Battlefront 2.exe file Go to Steam -> Steam Apps -> Common -> Star Wars: Battlefront 2 -> GameData Right-click the.exe and click the Compatibility tab. Check the “Run This Program In Compability Mode” box. Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2 / Service Pack 3) and run the game. Audio Stereo Mix Crash – How To Fix Go To Control Panel -> Sound -> Recording tab If “Stereo Mix” is not visible, right-click and show Disabled Devices. Enable “Stereo Mix” if it is disabled. The “Mic Trick” – Anti-Crash Trick To avoid crashes, try this mic trick. Plug earphones, headphones, or a mic into your computer before launching the game. Launch Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Jump into any game mode and see if the games does not crash. If it’s stable, you can remove the mic, headphones / earphones and the game will continue to work properly. Not a bad fix discovered by the Battlefront 2 community! Hopefully one of these tricks or methods will help get you online and into a more stable version of this classic Star Wars multiplayer shooter.The wait is over! The ballots have been submitted, counted, recounted, and are now here for your viewing pleasure. Dynamo Theory will announce the 2012 Creamsicles award winners one by one over the next 10 days, continuing with Rookie of the Year. We have a Creamsicles Storystream that will keep you updated with the entire list of award winners here. Rookie of the Year Warren Creavalle (69%) To be totally honest, this was probably an easy one for most voters. We only had three rookies, and only one had sufficient playing time. With that being said, the fact that Creavalle saw the field in his rookie season could have automatically handed him an award like this. That's not how it played out though. Creavalle earned this and quite frankly I'm surprised he didn't receive all the votes. He stepped into a few situations when needed and played like someone with at least a couple years under his belt, not a 37th pick in the most recent MLS SuperDraft. After impressing Dominic Kinnear in a preseason trial, he did enough to earn a contract. Then, through hard work on the training grounds, Kinnear felt the 22 year old was ready for prime time. Creavalle saw action in 11 MLS regular season games, starting in five. Kofi Sarkodie, who was a highly sought after college prospect the previous year, saw less action in his rookie year. That should tell you how much promise Kinnear sees in the young rookie. In addition, Creavalle started and played in all nine Reserve League matches, and added a US Open Cup match and three CONCACAF Champions League games to his resume. Talk about a successful kick off to his MLS career. Brian Ownby showed some life off the bench in a few matches in 2012 (played in 7 games), but was never able to break into the squad regularly. Colin Rolfe had three goals and an assist in the Reserve League, but never made an appearance on the senior roster. Dynamo Theory Staff Vote: Warren Creavalle (80%) Here are some comments taken from the surveys about fan's respective picks:Donate On April 26, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi announced at a press conference of the Russian Defense Ministry that Russia had withdrawn half of its warplanes from the Hmeymim Airbase near the Syrian town of Jableh. Rudskoi said that the number of Russian warplanes in Hmeymim between November 10, 2016 and January 10, 2017 did not exceed 35 fighters, 80 UAVs. Rudskoi added that the Russian Aerospace Forces has carried out four times more airstrikes than the US-led coalition against terrorist targets in Syria. He also confirmed that the withdrawal of some warplanes comes after the decreasing of the number of terrorists in Syria. “The number of terrorist units has decreased, which allowed us to withdraw almost half of the aircraft based at the Hemeymim airbase,” Rudskoi said, according to the Russian state-run news agency Sputnik. Rudskoi insisted that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has managed to fully recapture Palmyra and the nearby areas and to secure it thanks to air support from the Russian Aerospace Forces. “In a month and a half, the [Syrian] government forces <…> completely destroyed a Daesh terror group, advanced more than 60 kilometers and established complete control over Palmyra. The terrorists suffered serious damage.” The general added that Russia had deployed a multi-level control system in Syria that control the entire Syrian airspace from the Hmeymim airbase. It’s worth to remember that Russia deployed four Su-34 fighter bombers to the Hmeymim airbase last Sunday, raising the number of such bombers in Syria to 11. Along with 12 Su-24, 4 Su-35, 4 Su-30 and 4 Su-25, Moscow had a total of 35 warplanes of various types deployed in Syria. This number is identical to the number provided by the Russian general staff. DonateGiven the extreme levels of volatility in the oil market at present, percentage drops and upticks in front-month futures prices have begun to seem daft. With both Brent and WTI trading around historic 12-year lows and lurking either side of $30 per barrel level these percentages are relatively meaningless. A rise or drop of $2 triggers 5-6% gains or losses intraday, with headlines based on the movements proclaiming a bullish rally or a bearish mauling sounding just as phoney. The only percentage worth remembering is that oil ended 2015 over 36% lower than the year before. As further volatility for the next six months is inevitable, we should not lose sight of one crucial factor in the ongoing melee – oil market fundamentals have not materially altered. Addressing the oversupply argument first, I see Iran as the only producer that would make an addition to the global supply pool over the next 12 months based on current market intelligence from physical crude traders and ship brokers. The country’s government claims it will raise production by 500,000 barrels per day in a matter of months; a highly improbable figure given Iran’s dire need for infrastructural investment. Even if Iran manages to up its production rate by half the stated amount to add to its current 2 million bpd plus headline crude production, then it will be some achievement. Furthermore, Iranian production growth is highly unlikely to rise to 400,000 bpd before 12 to 15 months. Higher Iraqi and Saudi production volumes, and exports by both countries to the US Gulf coast have already been factored into the market’s thinking from the solver-modelling of physical buyers enjoying low prices to the paper traders in a net-short mindset driving them on. Libyan crude additions, while hard to predict given the security situation in the country, would still be random and relatively less worrying for the market. Yet, at the same time, I fully expect non-OPEC production to decline between now and June, more so as hedging strategies in place at smaller independents start rolling off. High risk/reward premised second tier oil and gas plays from Uganda to Trinidad managed by smallcaps, many of whom are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange ’s Alternative Investment Market, will see their operating risks stack up heightened by lower oil prices and rewards diminish. For most non-OPEC plays $60 per barrel remains the optimum price (see chart) while some unconventional plays need a three-figure price. An almighty push by the industry towards operational efficiencies when oil fell to $50 per barrel kept many going, but most are not designed to cope with a drop to $30; a level that is hurting even Middle Eastern producers with far lower labor costs. US producers - including shale players - are running out of ideas at $30 as well, with the Energy Information Administration now predicting a headline oil production decline of 570,000 bpd over the course of this year. Of course, acceleration of distress will not be uniform across Permian, Bakken and Eagle Ford, with the latter probably suffering the lowest rate of decline. However, a supply correction is inevitable and will become more pronounced over the next six months. Switching to demand fundamentals, trepidation over China’s economic prospects, even if not misplaced, is nothing new and does not merit the kind of bearish mauling oil futures have received for the first three weeks of 2016. Indeed, what the International Monetary Fund recently described as the ‘new normal’ for China, i.e. a lower 6.5% to 6.8% growth rate driven by domestic consumption, is something many nations would gladly accept. In 2015, for 11 out 12 months, China’s crude importation levels stayed within the established average range of 6.7 million bpd, with Reuters' data indicating the figure was as high as 7.82 million bpd in December. If the Chinese are in a state of wholesale retreat from the oil markets where is the evidence? Quite the contrary, Beijing is going full steam ahead in establishing a US-style strategic petroleum reserve and cracking crude in ever greater volumes for petroleum product exports to near Asia. In fact, China’s fuel exports alone rose 21.9% on an annualized basis to a record 693,300 bpd last year. Including China, global oil demand is likely to be in the region of 96.49 million bpd by the end of the year, according to the International Energy Agency. That represents a demand growth rate in the region of 1.2 million bpd in 2016. It is close to OPEC’s view of 1.26 million bpd and EIA’s prediction of 1.4 million bpd; lackluster but by no means disastrous. Now squaring supply and demand, estimates suggest surplus oil coming on to the global supply pool is in the variable range of 1.75 million to 2.5 million bpd. I see the projected Iranian uptick and the US production decline largely cancelling each other out. The existing supply glut would then adequately meet projected demand growth, with a possible outstanding surplus of around 1 million bpd. Assuming OPEC carries on with its Saudi-led stance of keeping the taps open despite desperate pleas from the likes of Venezuela and Nigeria to cut production, every non-OPEC producer from Brazilian deepwater operators to the Norwegian North Sea players would feel the pinch, with many already producing oil below operating costs. Russia, where a flexible taxation regime keeps a number of production sites going, has also raised the issue of non-viable sites being temporarily mothballed. Something has to and will give above and beyond the US oil production decline, especially as short-term weighting is wholly negative in favor of lower oil prices and while it will not last, a drop to $20 level is also no longer implausible. As the bloodbath subsides, from June onward the oil price will creep up to $50 per barrel. The uptick would be gradual and only up to $50, perhaps $55 tops, because of the copious amount of oil in onshore and offshore storage which needs to be factored in. What oil China (and to a lesser extent India) hold is for strategic purposes and may never be released on to the open market. But much of the stored volume is held in the spirit of private enterprise for the sake of contango plays that are highly unlikely to pay-off by as much as they did towards the turn of 2010. For instance, crude inventories at the US delivery hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, reached an all-time high for the week ending 1 January 2016, surpassing the previous all-time high set on 14 April 2015, by nearly 347,000 barrels, according to Genscape. Total built capacity at Cushing is currently at 87.69 million barrels with many of the available storage tanks full by 70% or more. Some oil held at Cushing, and other nook and crannies will inevitably be released with a sobering effect on prices preventing any price spike. Instead of obsessing about Iran, as many tend to, for me what’s held in storage and the complex set of circumstances under which stored crude returns to the market (or not) at various points remains the biggest known unknown. Then there’s the strength of the dollar, which if nothing else is prolonging the commodities cycle at the very least. Taking everything into account, the current oil market turmoil is neither justified by economic reality nor supply-demand fundamentals, with the latter being glut ridden for quite a while and not just the last few weeks that have brought utter pandemonium. Admittedly, things are pretty dire for oil producers, but recent declines have had more to do with a herd mentality in favor of shorting rather than anything else having materially altered. The next 12 months will result in substantial re-balancing with the first six months of the year being particularly messy. However, balance of probability and a loose squaring of barrels in surplus and actual barrels required points to a slow uptick to $50 by the end of the year, barring a financial tsunami which the IMF does not predict or an unlikely OPEC oil production cut that no one predicts. Follow the author on Twitter @The_Oilholic The above commentary is meant to stimulate discussion based on the author’s opinion and analysis. It is not solicitation, recommendation or investment advice to trade oil and gas futures, options or products. Oil and gas markets can be highly volatile and opinions in the sector may change instantaneously and without notice.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "The sense of violence and menace is growing", reports John Simpson in Crimea Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the US not to take "hasty and reckless steps" in response to the crisis in Ukraine's Crimea region. In a phone call with his US counterpart John Kerry, Mr Lavrov said imposing sanctions on Moscow would harm the US. Pro-Russian troops have been in control of Crimea for the last week. Earlier, a stand-off involving pro-Russian soldiers at a Ukrainian military base outside Sevastopol reportedly ended without incident. Crimea's parliament announced on Thursday it would hold a referendum on 16 March on whether to join Russia or remain part of Ukraine. Russia's parliament has promised to support Crimea if it chooses to become part of Russia. Crimea Autonomous republic within Ukraine Transferred from Russia in 1954 Ethnic Russians - 58.5%* Ethnic Ukrainians - 24.4%* Crimean Tatars - 12.1%* Source: Ukraine census 2001 Why Crimea is so dangerous Crimean vote tests Western nerves The vote has been denounced as "illegitimate" by the interim government in Kiev, which took power after President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia last month in the wake of mass protests against his government and deadly clashes with security forces. In their telephone conversation on Friday, Mr Lavrov warned Mr Kerry against taking "hasty and unthought-through steps capable of causing harm to Russian-US relations", Russia's foreign ministry reports. Mr Lavrov said imposing sanctions on Russia in response to its involvement in Ukraine "will inevitably have a boomerang effect against the US itself". The US State Department said Mr Kerry had "underscored the importance of finding a constructive way to resolve the situation diplomatically, which would address the interests of the people of Ukraine, Russia and the international community". "Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov agreed to continue to consult in the days ahead on the way forward," said the US statement. Journalists beaten Image copyright Reuters Image caption Pro-Russian troops have been blockading key installations in Crimea for a number of days Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The majority Russian-speaking Crimea region is of political and strategic significance to both Russia and Ukraine On Friday evening, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency cited Ukraine's defence ministry as saying a lorry had rammed open the gates of the missile defence base A2355 outside the Crimean city of Sevastopol and that about 20 "attackers" had entered, throwing stun grenades. The Ukrainian troops barricaded themselves inside a building and their commander began negotiations before any shots were fired, it added. The BBC's Christian Fraser, who visited the scene, said the gates did not appear to have been driven through, and there was no sign that the base had been seized. There were two military lorries with Russian number plates outside the gates, surrounded by irregular soldiers and a very hostile crowd of pro-Russian demonstrators, our correspondent adds. Two journalists who attempted to take photographs were beaten badly. Later, a Ukrainian officer told a Daily Telegraph journalist that the stand-off had ended after the "talks", and that the Russian lorries and about 30 to 60 Russians troops had withdrawn. No shots are believed to have been fired. 'Mortal danger' The Pentagon estimates that 20,000 Russian troops may now be in Crimea, while the Ukrainian border guards' commander puts the figure at 30,000. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ukraine's team was represented by a lone flag-bearer at the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games opening ceremony President Putin insists that the armed men are local "self-defence forces", and are not under his command. But he says Russia has the right to use force to protect Russian citizens and speakers who he says are threatened in post-uprising Ukraine. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Russian state television on Friday: "Can Russia stand idly by when Russians somewhere in the world - especially in neighbouring Ukraine - face mortal danger?" Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's James Reynolds reports from government buildings in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, a focal point for tension Calls for talks between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the West "make us smile", he said. The Russian foreign ministry separately accused the EU of taking an "extremely unconstructive position" by halting talks on easing visa restrictions on Russian citizens and on a new pact to replace the 1997 Russia-EU Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. Meanwhile, Russia's state-owned energy company, Gazprom, warned Ukraine that its gas supply might be cut off unless its $1.89bn (£1.13bn) of debts were cleared. Gazprom halted supplies to Ukraine for almost two weeks in 2009, a move that caused shortages in Europe. Ukrainian officials have said the state has come close to bankruptcy since protesters ousted President Yanukovych at the end of February. Officials say $35bn (£21bn) is needed to get through this year and 2015. Mr Putin said he hoped the Paralympic Winter Games, which opened in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday, would help "lower the heat of passions over Ukraine". The Ukrainian team was represented only by a single athlete carrying the national flag at the opening ceremony. Valeriy Sushkevych, head of the
reports that fighters trained by the U.S. and Turkey had been detained by the al-Nusra Front militant group in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the kidnappings showed the lack of ability of a sole train-and-equip program in the field.How To Clean A Swimming Pool – Here Are Some Professional Tips Cleaning a pool can seem like a never-ending job, right? That’s especially true if you don’t have the right tools and equipment in place. The size and type of pool you have everything to do with what you need to keep it clean. You can also count on a pool service company to do some or all of the work, depending on your situation. Here are some things you need to know about keeping that swimming pool clean. Even when discovering what you need for your particular pool and surrounding environmental conditions, you have options. For example, did you know that there are robot vacuums that can swim around on the pool floor, keeping it clean for you? And when it comes to skimming, well, that’s like a daily routine. Pool maintenance isn’t easy, but it sure is nice having one, right? You might also want to invest in a good pool cover, even if you plan to keep your pool heated for the off-season. A good pool cover comes in handy. You don’t want a storm blowing all kinds of leaves and debris into your pool. Also, just like you will see the suggestion of many pool skimming, you will also notice that scrubbing your pool is a good idea, too. Why is that? Well, there are certain things you can do and want to do to prevent the buildup of algae. That being said, you’re still going to have to do some scrubbing. I just saw an exciting tip for spots on pools that don’t want to go away. We’re talking about spots where algae growth has occurred. What can you do? The tip described the repurposing of some old sock you don’t need anymore. All you do is pour bleach on the sock, and then you allow it to sit on top of that spot. The chlorine is going to make short work of that algae, and that will make you smile. Now you even know how to get rid of those stubborn algae spots that won’t come off after a good scrubbing. Your pool is going to have a filter, but it can’t do all of the work. You’re going to need to do things to the filter from time to time to keep it running optimally. How often do you take the filter basket out and clean it? You’re going to want to know that the experts suggest that this should be done once each week. You’re also going to have to be consistent with the chemicals and know what you’re doing with the levels. This is one reason why people often involve the professionals. They want to be sure that the pool is clean and safe. One of the other main reasons is time. If you don’t have enough time to clean your pool, or you want help with the particulars, then a reputable pool cleaning company in your area can help you keep everything the way it’s supposed to be. For all your pool cleaning blue waters pool services is here to help simply contact us for a free quote.With high rates of unemployment and huge inequality, many South Africans are unable to pay for their children’s university fees. KOTAMILE DLAKAVU (72) worked as a truck driver for 36 years and managed to put all six of his children through university. He spoke to Pontsho Pilane about his family’s struggle. I grew up very poor. My father was a sheepherder and he could not afford to give us much. I only went up to Standard One [grade three] in school but I realised that not having an education would limit me, so when I was 18 I saved up to do my learner’s and my driver’s licence. I knew there would be more opportunities for me with a driver’s licence – this was my only choice. I started driving tractors in 1966, when apartheid was really bad. We were told that black people were not allowed to drive trucks and all we could do was drive tractors. I didn’t see myself driving a tractor all my life because I wanted to make money but for three years I drove a tractor. Then in 1970, just after I got married, I started driving trucks. My wife also did not finish school and did not have an education, but she learnt basic admin skills on the job. She worked as a clerk at a textile company until she got retrenched in 2011. We had our first child in 1974 and eventually had six children – four girls and two boys. Being a truck driver means you are not home a lot. I worked and lived in Mpumalanga, while my family was in the Eastern Cape. My wife also worked away from home, so my mother took care of our children. I would send money to her every fortnight. The only time I would go home was in December. It was not easy to live away from home. I missed out on some of the big moments in my children’s lives but this is what I had to sacrifice to make sure that they have a better future than I did. When I was home during December I would take them to the beach and do special things with them. I was fortunate that my children understood that I had to work for them. Because of the laws of apartheid, I could not save money in a bank but I was able to save at the post office. I learnt to save at a young age because my goal was to provide a better life for my children. When my eldest daughter went to university. She initially wanted to study law. I wasn’t sure she would pass, so I encouraged her to do teaching instead. In the end, she studied education and public administration. Two of my daughters studied engineering and now work for Eskom. My eldest son also studied engineering – he even got a scholarship to study his master’s degree in China and now he works for a big international company. My other son also studied engineering, and works for a shipping company in Cape Town. My youngest child is Simamkele, she is the well-known one in the family because she is a writer and an activist. She studied politics and international relations. She is doing well for herself, and is passionate about helping other people. I would not have managed their tuition fees on my own, so they had to apply for funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and they also got university merit awards for doing well. That helped a lot. When the older children started working they also helped out the younger ones financially. This is common in many families. My children knew that they needed to contribute to their younger siblings’ education so that they too could make something of their lives. When my last born was in first year, she did not have NSFAS or a scholarship – her brothers and sisters would give her money for clothes and food. My children are my biggest achievement. I am not an educated man, but I made sure my children were better off than me. Today, I sleep with a peaceful heart each night because I know that I have done all that I can for my children and that they are making a difference in society. – As told to Pontsho PilaneAs 2015 draws to a close; many people will be making plans for 2016 but before you leap-frog into the new year; it's time to make sure the old one is set right financially first. Consider us your timely financial alarm clock as we give you a checklist of steps you can take to close 2015 properly before speeding into the new year. Review All Your Statements By the year end you will be receiving all your yearly statements from insurance to loans; bank accounts to EPF. It's tempting to just chuck all these pieces of paper in a box where it will never see the light of day but it's better to know than not know. Especially if a mistake had inadvertently be made. Check the ins and outs of your bank accounts; loan activity statements; and even the input of your EPF contributions by your employer. Should any of these statements show discrepancies - do contact the other party ASAP. If you are sure that everything is as it should be; you can rest easy knowing that your financials in 2015 were correct and as they should be. Or make one if you haven't. Your wealth and material circumstances should change in a year be it for better or worse. These changes should best be reflected in your will as soon as you can manage it. Whilst the thought of the end is not at all pleasant; it will be made much worse if your estate is left to languish instead of being rightfully distributed. If you haven't made a will yet; now is as good a time as any. You can easily do this by finding a lawyer or checking with your usual financial institution. Many banks are now offering easy will-writing services that shouldn't bust your budget so do consider putting it all down to paper. This is more applicable if you have recently experienced a life-changing event that warrants the changing of nominations on your insurance policy and EPF. Perhaps you have recently married; divorced; had a child or lost the family member who was your beneficiary. All of this will require an update so both EPF and your insurer knows where to funnel these bequests should anything untoward befall you. Again, this, like the updating of a will is not pleasant but a necessary evil in the protection of your assets. Check Your Insurance Policies Have you taken out your insurance policy a long time ago? Perhaps, as mentioned above, a life-changing event has taken place. You may want to make extra provisions for a new family member or change in circumstance by either upgrading or changing your insurance policy. Check out the best medical card policies, term life policies and personal accident insurance all in one place: our website. If it's time to switch to a policy that serves you better; best do it before your next premium payment is due. Identify Ways to Be Financially Fitter in 2016 If you haven't already added it into your resolution plans for 2016, we're reminding you now! Even if you're doing pretty well already; improvements can always be made to help you grow your financial empire. Find new ways to save, invest or make more money. Here are some preliminary steps: 1) Identify where spending cuts can be made or money black holes that surfaced through the year. 2) Check if your banking products are helping you get more for your money or draining it instead. See how your fixed deposit stands up against some of the best in the market and do the same with your credit card. 3) Read up and/or contact your personal finance advisor to see if there are better ways you could be investing your money for optimum growth. 4) Identify avenues to make more money. Could you take on freelance assignments or perhaps a complete career change is in order. Get Ready For a Fantastic 2016 Nothing makes any future better than a healthy dose of optimism. Whatever challenges 2015 brought you financially or otherwise; there is all the possibility for it to get better. Do you have any tips to share or simply want to talk about your plans for 2016? We're all ears - or in this case eyes. Let us know in the comment section below."Knots Untie" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is the seventy-eighth episode of the series overall. It premiered on February 28, 2016. It was written by Matt Negrete and Channing Powell, and directed by Michael Satrazemis. Contents show] Plot After Rick comes to the realization that Alexandria might not be as safe as he thought, decisions must be made about where to go from here. Synopsis Abraham flirts with Sasha as they return from a patrol. Sasha informs him she's trading shifts with Eugene and will no longer be working with him. Abraham sighs. Abraham lies in bed with Rosita after sex. She gives him a necklace with a pendant made from the fuel truck's cracked brake light. As Rosita showers, Abraham thinks about Sasha. Later in the night, Maggie is discouraged it will still be some time before Alexandria's new garden yields any crops. Glenn assures her they'll be okay. They see Denise and Abraham running into the townhouse basement and sprint over to investigate. In Rick's house, Jesus waits for Rick and Michonne to get dressed. Carl discovers Jesus and points a gun at his head as the others arrive. Michonne and Rick emerge from the bedroom and assures everyone Jesus just wants to talk. Jesus tells Rick's group he's part of a community who raises livestock and crops, and his job is to search for other settlements with whom to open trade. He offers to take them to his community, the Hilltop, to prove he is telling the truth. Daryl prepares the motor home for the trip to the Hilltop, and reluctantly accepts a homemade oatcake as a parting gift from Denise. Meanwhile, Carl assures Rick he approves of his relationship with Michonne, but insists on staying behind to guard Alexandria. Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie and Abraham board the motor home with Jesus. En route to the Hilltop, Abraham asks Glenn about Maggie's pregnancy and shares his skepticism over bringing a child into the world. "We're trying to build something," Glenn explains. Rick slows the motor home as they approach an overturned car. Jesus recognizes it as belonging to the Hilltop and desperately begins searching the wreckage for his people. Daryl follows tracks to a nearby building. Maggie guards Jesus as Rick's group searches inside. They find four of Jesus' people, one of whom is injured. The group continues on towards the Hilltop. One of the newcomers, Harlan, introduces himself as a doctor. Glenn asks if he has any prenatal vitamins, and Harlan smiles, admitting he used to be an obstetrician. "I'd say you two just hit the jackpot," he says. Freddie, one of the newcomers, tells Jesus he saw a vision of his dead wife when he thought he was going to die. Abraham ponders Freddie's words. The motor home gets stuck in mud, forcing the group to disembark. Jesus points ahead to a massive wall. "That's the Hilltop," he says. Jesus leads the group to the main gate, where spear-wielding guards order Rick's group to disarm. Jesus tells Rick they can keep their guns and confides his community ran out of ammo months ago. The gates open, revealing a large manor house and a farming community inside. Jesus explains the house was once a living history museum. Jesus takes the group inside, where they meet Gregory, the community's leader. Gregory orders Rick's group to clean up before meeting with him. Annoyed by this man, Rick asks Maggie to speak with Gregory on the group's behalf. As they wait in the foyer, Abraham asks Daryl if he's ever thought about settling down. "You think shit's settled?" Daryl replies. Abraham plays with Rosita's necklace. Maggie meets with Gregory to discuss trade options. Gregory condescends to her and notes Alexandria is low on provisions. He offers to help on the condition Alexandria residents work at the Hilltop, insinuating Maggie would be very desirable in the community as a "smart, beautiful woman." Maggie rebuffs him and points out the Hilltop is low on ammo and medication, proposing they help each other. Gregory, insulted, ends the discussion. Jesus assures Rick and Daryl he can convince Gregory to make a fair trade. They hear a commotion outside. "They're back," a resident tells Gregory. Rick's group and Gregory walk outside as a Hilltop team returns from a mission to Negan's compound. The team reports Negan killed two of their group because their drop was too light, and he's holding another one of their members, Craig, until they deliver a message. Gregory asks for the message. "I'm sorry," Ethan says, stabbing Gregory in the gut. Rick's group intervenes. Abraham hears Sasha's voice in his head as he's throttled by a Hilltop resident. Daryl rescues Abraham. Rick stabs Ethan dead. Jesus calms astonished residents by pointing out Ethan initiated the bloodshed. Harlan rushes to Gregory's side. Abraham remains on the ground after the fight, stunned by his experience. It's as if he's had some kind of realization, or found some sort of peace. He assures Daryl he's alright. In fact, "I'm better than alright," he says. He stands, leaving Rosita's necklace behind in the dirt. In the library, Jesus explains Negan is the head of a group called The Saviors, who agreed not to attack the Hilltop in exchange for half of their supplies while Ethan's body is seen outside the window being burned in a funeral pyre. Rick's group offers to rescue Craig and wipe out the Saviors in exchange for food, medicine and supplies. Jesus agrees to take the offer to Gregory. Later, Jesus reports Gregory wants to discuss the offer with Maggie. Gregory, recovering from his injury in his bedroom, says he'll agree to the deal. Maggie realizes she's in a position to negotiate for even more, telling him Negan will continue to demand more provisions and will eventually deplete the Hilltop unless her group stops him. She says her group will kill the Saviors, but only in exchange for half of the Hilltop's supplies. Gregory begrudgingly accepts the offer. Rick's group loads the motor home with supplies from the Hilltop. Rick asks Andy, who had been one of the Hilltop's liaisons with Negan, to brief them on the Saviors' compound. In his medical trailer, Harlan performs an ultrasound on Maggie. Glenn and Maggie smile when they see the fetus and hear its heartbeat. Rick's group leaves the Hilltop. In the motor home, Glenn circulates an ultrasound photo of the baby. Abraham gazes at the photo and smiles at Glenn. Other Cast Co-Stars Uncredited Deaths Freddie's Wife (Confirmed Fate) Ethan Rory (Confirmed Fate) Tim (Confirmed Fate) Marsha (Confirmed Fate) Trivia First appearance of the Hilltop Colony. First appearance of Freddie. First appearance of Harlan Carson. First appearance of Kal. First appearance of Gregory. First appearance of Bertie. First appearance of Andy. First appearance of Wesley. First appearance of Eduardo. First appearance of Neil. First appearance of Hershel Rhee. (Ultrasound) First (and last) appearance of Ethan. First (and last) appearance of Crystal. The title of the episode, "Knots Untie", comes from Jesus's explaining to Rick's group how he escaped from the cell. , comes from Jesus's explaining to Rick's group how he escaped from the cell. This is the first episode where Rick acknowledges Negan. This episode marks Christian Serratos' 25th appearance on the show. This episode was aired in the UK on 2/29/16. 4 years before this, Issue 94 of the comic was released. Issue 94 features the first appearance of the Hilltop in the comics, just as this episode marks the first appearance of the Hilltop in the TV series. Coinciding with the comics, this episode is the last in the adapted version of the "A Larger World" story arc, and also the end of the second compendium. This is the first episode where the Hilltop Colony is the focus community. Despite Hilltop's rather large population of about 80 in Season 8, only 13 extras were used to make up the background cast for this episode. While talking about Maggie's pregnancy to Glenn, Abraham notes how there are precarious situations on "any given Sunday," likely referencing the fact that episodes of the Walking Dead air on Sunday nights. Comic Parallels Jesus taking Rick's group to the Hilltop to negotiate trade is adapted from Issue 94. Rick's group arriving at Hilltop is adapted from Issue 95. Gregory introducing himself to Rick's group is adapted from Issue 95. Ethan's attempt to kill Gregory for his brother's safety is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 95, where he attempts to kill him for Crystal's safety instead. Rick fighting and stabbing Ethan on the neck is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 95, where he fights and slices his throat instead. Rick's indifference claim of "What?" to the shocked Hilltop residents is adapted from Issue 95. Jesus calming everyone down is adapted from Issue 96. Jesus explaining to Rick's group about the Hilltop subjugation to Negan and the Saviors is adapted from Issue 96. Daryl claiming Negan is a made up boogyman is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 96, where Andrea claims Negan isn't real instead. Daryl proposing to Jesus that if they kill the Saviors they will receive Hilltop's supplies is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 96, where Carl proposes this to Jesus instead. Rick claiming that his group is good in confrontations is adapted from Issue 96. Ethan's funeral is adapted from Issue 96. Maggie and Gregory making the deal is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 96, where Rick makes the deal instead. Maggie receiving an ultrasound of her baby is adapted from Issue 109. Goofs/Errors Although Danai Gurira revealed in Talking Dead it had been 2 months since the events of "No Way Out", Abraham stated in this episode he and Daryl killed Negan's men "a month ago", however, he could have been understating.Oil train meeting: 'They're rolling bombs' Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Local elected officials held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the growing dangers of oil trains. March 3, 2015 (KOIN 6 News) [ + - ] Video Tim Becker and KOIN 6 News Staff - PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) --- Local elected officials held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the growing danger of oil trains -- they said, the issue involves a lot more than just explosive cargo. The meeting came one month after a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed a potential increase in the number of oil train derailments over the next two decades, which could cause more than $4 billion in damage and put people in densely populated areas at risk. Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved A fire burns Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, after a train derailment near Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/The Register-Herald, Steve Keenan) Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved A fire burns Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, after a train derailment near Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/The Register-Herald, Steve Keenan) "The recent massive explosion, fire and oil spill in West Virginia is a stark reminder," King County Executive Dow Constantine said. Concern was the core subject at Tuesday's meeting held just two weeks after the disaster in West Virginia, in which a 109 car oil train derailed and set off a fire that burned for almost a week. Two days earlier, a similar incident happened in Canada. "It's only happened so far in relatively sparsely populated areas," Mark Gamba from the Milwaukie City Council said. "Imagine it happening in downtown Portland or downtown Vancouver." The Department of Transportation analysis predicts trains carrying crude oil and ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year for the next two decades. Officials from places like Hood River, Milwaukie and Vancouver discussed concerns over old railroad tracks, that are stressed by the mile-long oil trains, and rail cars that aren't built to handle the potential for disaster. "What we need to do is work together to get our federal and state partners to take more seriously the need to prevent these problems in the first place," Constantine said. However, only the federal government can create regulations to force railroads to use stronger cars, build stronger tracks and apply other safety measures for oil trains. The group hopes they will be heard by the federal government. "Basically, they're rolling bombs," Gamba said. "We've seen all over North America where oil trains have exploded after derailments."Back in November of last year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) made a video decrying the abuse of PATRIOT Act Section 215, warning that it authorized the secret government acquisition of "gazillions" of records, and that in terms of Americans being snooped, "the number is beyond normal cognition." Watch: The in late December, the Senate convened an "unusual special session" to re-authorizing the FISA Amendments Act. Among the amendments to the re-authorization that were overwhelmingly shot down were a Rand Paul measure to extend Fourth Amendment protections to email, and an attempt by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) to require estimates from intelligence agencies of how many Americans were being surveilled. Said Wyden at the time: "I think, when you talk about oversight, and you can't even get a rough estimate of how many law-abiding Americans had their communications swept up by this law … the idea of robust oversight, really ought to be called toothless oversight if you don't have that kind of information." Wyden and Paul may be at the forefront of a nascent bipartisan Civil Liberties Caucus, but make no mistake: They are vastly outnumbered. Only when civil libertarians win national arguments, and only when a majority of lawmakers are consistent defenders of the Fourth Amendment no matter which major political party holds power at the moment, will America begin the process of even slowing down the relentless advancement of the surveillance state. Rand Paul praised Ron Wyden in his recent Twitter Q&A with Reason. UPDATE: Paul reacts to the latest news, calling it "an astounding assault on the Constitution."Image caption Royal Navy destroyer HMS York shadows aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov The crew of a Russian aircraft carrier has been accused of dumping waste off Scotland's north coast after seeking shelter from winter storms. Elements of the Baltic Fleet started arriving 30 miles (48km) off the Moray Firth on Monday. The SNP's defence spokesman Angus Robertson said there had been reports of crew throwing waste overboard. Portsmouth-based Royal Navy destroyer HMS York has been shadowing the vessels. The warships, including aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, were still off the firth earlier, but moving slowly. It was understood the Royal Navy informed the National Maritime Information Centre about rubbish being dumped from the carrier. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) source said it was almost certainly food waste that was dumped. They are a responsible navy and will follow those international regulations Ministry of Defence spokesperson Under environmental rules, food can be disposed off at sea provided this is done more than 12 miles (19km) from land. Plastics can never be dumped. Mr Robertson accused the Admiral Kuznetsov's crew of "marine fly-tipping" and "bad manners". He said: "Given the bad weather conditions the Russian vessels are very welcome to shelter off the Scottish coast, but it is more than bad manners to dispose of waste by simply throwing it overboard. "This is in contravention of agreements and normal practice and I think we need answers from the Russian and UK governments. "Have the appropriate authorities been informed? What was disposed of?" Following Mr Robertson's comments, the MoD said: "There are strict regulations, which are internationally recognised and which Russia is signed up to under the International Maritime Organisation which govern pollution and dumping of waste at sea. "They are a responsible navy and will follow those international regulations." The Scottish government said it was investigating the matter and was asking UK authorities for information. A spokesperson said: "We would expect all mariners, especially naval, to show respect for our precious marine environment. "Whilst Scotland welcomes all nations to its seas, it is important they observe international conventions." The Admiral Kuznetsov was headed for Syria when it and other vessels sought shelter in "deteriorating weather", according Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN. The Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence (MoD) have released images of HMS York close to the carrier. In a statement, the MoD said: "The 65,000 ton carrier, with other warships and support vessels, is thought to be en route to the Mediterranean on exercise. "The aircraft carrier anchored outside British territorial waters some 30 miles off the Moray Firth where she was thought to have taken advantage of the relative shelter to avoid the worst of current bad weather in the North Sea." Other Russian ships that sought shelter in the Moray Firth included the anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Chabanenko and escort ship Yaroslav Mudryy, according to Interfax-AVN. Foreign planes In May 2007, Tornado F3 jets from RAF Leuchars in Fife were sent to intercept two Russian aircraft spotted observing a Royal Navy exercise. The jets were scrambled after the foreign planes were detected by radar in the skies over the Western Isles. They were identified as Russian Bear Foxtrot planes, commonly seen by RAF pilots during the Cold War. The Russian aircraft were escorted from the area by the RAF who said no radio contact took place between the pilots.Anonymous 04/29/15 (Wed) 21:18:37 No.20 >>14 Not so much. We are as legal as any other cloud service - you have the right to keep personal backup of your games as long as you dumped them yourselves (especially in Europe, where we're located). We're pretty vocal about everywhere in the website that you shouldn't upload roms that you obtained illegally (and we will fix a few things to make it more explicit in the next release). The emulators are Gambatte and VBA-Next (both GPL), compiled to Javascript using Emscripten (thanks to the Libretro and a custom open-source project, Archjs, available on the Start9 github). I'll definitely add a demo on the homepage during the next few weeks (we already have a set of important features to deploy next week, such as filters :)In 2018, temptation is everywhere. Social media. TV. Alcohol. Drugs. Sex. Video games. Delicious shitty food. Consumer products. Porn. Sedentary lifestyles. From all angles, we’re bombarded with advertisements and signals urging us to give in to our lower impulses… “It’s okay. Everything is good. Who needs real goals and dreams? Who needs real health and physical vitality? Just let go. Sit back, be lazy, soak in this HD entertainment, chase that fleeting high, buy more shit you don’t need, lather, rinse, repeat.” In moderation, most of the things I listed aren’t bad for us. Hell, it’s healthy to make space in life for leisure time and a little Dionysian intoxication. But most of us aren’t good at moderating ourselves. In fact, we’re bloody awful at it. We’re like those lab rats in the 1950s that chose to push a little lever thousands of times per hour to deliver pleasurable sensations to their brains, ignoring food, water, and their children in favor of pure hedonic bliss. The problem, of course, is that endless hedonism tends to be a soul-crushing and hollow way to live. Many have observed that the pursuit of pleasure for pleasure’s sake is an unwinnable game—that genuine lasting joy tends to emerge only as a byproduct of non-hedonistic pursuits. Yet we see the desolation of unfettered pleasure-seeking all around us, in the form of addictions. World of Warcraft junkies putting in 18 hours per day. Morbidly obese people stuffing more Wendy’s into their faces. Facebook fiends scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, 8 hours per day, looking for that next hit of dopamine. Shopaholics whipping out the magic Visa wand for the 100th unnecessary purchase in a month. Cannabis abusers taking their 13th bong rip of the day, lost in a perpetual haze. You think such people feel good about themselves at the end of the day? You think they go to bed fulfilled and excited about the wondrous possibilities they intend to explore in this world? Hell no. They’re lost, afraid, trapped, and on some level they know it. And it burns. Eats away at them, acid-like. Scalds the part of them that wanted something more. So why do they keep doing it? Because in the moment it feels good. Because they lack the strength and discipline to change. Because they’re suffering, running from something. From the fear of actually staring into their own souls and accepting what they find there. From the fear of gazing into the abyss of this life, seeing how little we truly know, seeing the immense suffering of this reality, and accepting it. Or better yet, affirming it. Saying “Yes!” to it and resolving to help improve this world. The task seems overwhelming. And in case you think “they” refers to some far-off group of losers who we can all just pity and chuckle at, I got news for you: you and I are not outside of this. And you know it, on some level. Reading this right now, you’ve thought about your own toxic habits and borderline addictions. How you feel like you’re wasting too much time watching Netflix and scrolling Instagram, how you need to get back to the gym and stop watching so many Sasha Grey videos. How you need to resuscitate that dying passion project. Some version of that. I know you, human. And I love you. Because I’m in the same pirate ship. Over the years I’ve had my struggles. Alcohol, weed, video games, Internet black holes, overeating. Oh yeah, I’m far from immune. We’re all caught up in this game, working every day to find a way out of the hell of soulless hedonism into the light of a more meaningful, noble, purpose-driven existence. And the stakes are high. Lethally high. If I’m lucky, I might have some worthwhile advice to offer you—to help you navigate this game more expertly, to kickstart your progress toward a life you actually want to live. You see, despite having fought my fair share of personal battles, I’ve managed to come quite a long way on this path. I know this because I wake up almost every day excited to exist. I can’t remember the last time I felt bored. I look to the future and hope to live for thousands of years because there’s so damn much I want to create and experience in this universe. I regularly say “no” to impulsive hedonism in favor of practicing the good long-term habits that I know are the bedrock of a beautiful sojourn on this Earth. How did I reach this point? What’s the secret? Unfortunately I won’t be telling you about a little-known pill or bliss smoothie—just $19.95!—that you can take once and make all your problems disappear. Nope, what I’m going to share with you today is a lot less sexy, but a lot more real. The answer is this: Discipline. Strength. Habit-formation. The cultivation of willpower through something the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called a “gymnastics of the will.” What I’m about to tell you has the power to revitalize your existence. I swear to Nature I wouldn’t be writing these words if I didn’t believe that. So sit back, grab a tall glass of water, and toss your assumptions in the dumpster. The assumption dumpster. The, uh, Assumpster, heh heh. Let me show you how to exit Hades and discover a world that doesn’t suck. Habits: The Unsexy Building Blocks of the Good Life The first thing to understand—the fundamental message that I will repeat throughout this essay—is that habits are the answer. Habits aren’t flashy. They’re not sexy. They’re not shiny. They’re not quick fixes. And so most people overlook them, in search of a more convenient or luxurious solution to their problems. But in truth, your habits—the patterns of thought and action you play out every damn day—are what your life is made of. Life’s calculus forgets nothing. It is perhaps impossible to live a fulfilling life if you’re not spending most of your time thinking and acting in noble, useful, vitalizing, and/or wholesomely enjoyable ways. Doing things that are, in the most basic sense, healthy for you. Every day, or close to it. This message is deceptively simple. It seems like common sense. And yet it’s astonishing how many people ignore the wisdom of this approach to life, allowing toxic habits to solidify into addictions and never really giving good habits a chance to take root. As MF DOOM put it: “‘I can stop anytime I want to’— Famous last words that came back to haunt you” Or Warren Buffett: “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” We underestimate the power of habit, assuming we can change our core habits at any time if we really want to. And to an extent this is probably true: It’s almost always possible to change your core habits. But this attitude overlooks something absolutely pivotal: As time passes, habits become entrenched and exponentially more difficult to change. Thus the folk proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” It’s best to get in as early as possible and start shaping your fundamental habits into the ones which will serve you well for decades to come. If you don’t, you may wake up one day and realize you no longer have the will to reverse years of southbound momentum. “But how do you go about changing your habits? And how do you determine which habits will actually serve you well for the long-term?” The best answer I’ve found is that you undertake experiments of willpower. You deliberately stretch yourself. You set firm intentions to try on new habits for periods of time, or to practice abstaining from behaviors you think may be destructive long-term. In short, once more, you undertake what Nietzsche called a “gymnastics of the will.” Now, let’s take a deep dive into Nietzsche’s gymnastics of the will to understand what exactly it is, what exactly it is not, and how you can use it to live a life worth living. Nietzsche’s Gymnastics of the Will: The Path to Self-Mastery “From life’s school of war: what does not kill me, makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzsche Our story now turns to one of the most incomparable individuals who ever walked this Earth: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Let’s get something out of the way: I love this fucking guy. My website’s logo is an image of Nietzsche wearing a pair of headphones, for Buddha’s sake. I printed a thousand stickers displaying my ‘Audiophile Nietzsche’ logo and have been sticking them up all over Europe and the United States for the past year and a half. I make rap songs about him. I write articles about him. I made Audiophile Nietzsche t-shirts that I wear all the time. I’m literally wearing one right now. We at HighExistence partnered with a famous artist and made some badass Nietzsche shirts too. Hell, I
) was particularly influential in this respect, and even (tentatively and briefly) influenced the UK Treasury here, who argued in the 2010 Emergency Budget that: "These [the wider effects of fiscal consolidation] will tend to boost demand growth, could improve the underlying performance of the economy and could even be sufficiently strong to outweigh the negative effects" (HM Treasury 2010). The Treasury has not as far as I am aware repeated this argument, since the evidence shows precisely the opposite. The original paper has been widely questioned, debunked by further IMF research, and (more importantly) experience has hardly verified its claims. The conventional wisdom now is very much that of the IMF, which by October 2010 had already concluded that: "Fiscal consolidation typically lowers growth in the short term. Using a new data set, we find that after two years, a budget deficit cut of 1% of GDP tends to lower output by about 0.5% and raise the unemployment rate by one third of a percentage point." This result was later formalised in Leigh et al 2010. The IMF has if anything strengthened its views since, with the current Chief Economist, Olivier Blanchard, saying recently: "[fiscal consolidation] is clearly a drag on demand, it is a drag on growth" (Blanchard 2012). So I'm a Keynesian on this definition, but then so too are the Managing Director and Chief Economist of the IMF. And so indeed too are the Treasury, Bank of England, and the Office of Budget Responsibility; their models incorporate multipliers, and I do not think that senior officials at any of these institutions would deny for a minute that fiscal consolidation has, in practice, had a negative impact on growth in the UK. For example, the Monetary Policy Committee said in November 2011: "Growth had been weak throughout the past year, reflecting a fall in real household incomes, persistently tight credit conditions and the effects of the continuing fiscal consolidation." Definition 3 So under Definitions 1 and 2 I'm a Keynesian, but then so is pretty much everyone else whom one would take seriously. The final definition, then, of a Keynesian, appears to be a much more ‘political’ one – someone who thinks that slowing fiscal consolidation would be a sensible policy decision in the current UK (or US) economic context. But this definition seems to me to be misconceived, for two reasons. First, if ‘Keynesian’ means anything, it must surely have a more general significance than indicating one's position on a particular policy choice in a particular country at a particular time. Surely it should indicate a philosophy, a theoretical view, or at least a view of what the empirical evidence means? Perhaps more importantly, it is quite clear that – now that the ‘expansionary fiscal contraction’ hypothesis has been discredited – the main argument between those of us who favour slowing fiscal consolidation in the UK and those who think that this would be a dangerous mistake is not about whether the direct impact would be positive. It is whether the price of this direct positive impact would be ‘credibility’ with financial markets, and hence a damaging rise in long-term interest rates that would more than offset the gains. I think this risk is hugely exaggerated, while the damaging social and economic consequences of inaction are correspondingly not recognised (see my previous articles, Portes 2011a and 2011b), but the point here is not who's right, but that this debate really has nothing to do with Keynes at all. It's about a lot of things – how policymakers should deal with potential market irrationality, the role of the credit rating agencies, multiple equilibria, etc. But I don't see that taking one side or the other of these arguments makes you a Keynesian (or not). Finally, and returning to what I originally learned at the Treasury, there still remains the view that if we think demand is too low, then the right response is always through monetary rather than fiscal policy. Again, there is a vigorous debate among blogging economists on this topic (see Economist 2012 for an introduction to the debate). And here my perspective has indeed changed; I no longer subscribe to the Treasury View of the last two decades, described above, that fiscal policy never has any role to play in demand management, even though I don't think it should be the tool of first resort. (See the excellent discussion in Simon Wren-Lewis 2012a, especially the penultimate paragraph). But just as this approach was motivated by pragmatism more than theory – monetary policy was better suited to this task - my change of mind is similarly motivated. If monetary policy alone was indeed enough in practice, we wouldn't be where we are now, with unemployment in the UK a million higher than the official estimate of the natural rate, and no prospect of it coming down in the immediate future. As I have argued previously (Portes 2012), any demand management policy that delivers that outcome is not one that policymakers should regard as remotely adequate. So my views have indeed changed; not, I would argue, ideologically, but in recognition of the fact that life, and macroeconomics, is considerably more complicated than we thought. Again, this view is shared by Blanchard, who argues: "We’ve entered a brave new world in the wake of the crisis; a very different world in terms of policy making and we just have to accept it.... Macroeconomic policy [specifically fiscal and monetary policy] has many targets and many instruments." This pragmatic and questioning – but evidence-based – approach to macroeconomic policy is one I share. If he were here, I imagine Keynes would too. References Alesina, Alberto F and Silvia Ardagna (2009), “Large Changes in Fiscal Policy: Taxes Versus Spending”, NBER Working Paper No. 15438, October. Blanchard, O (2012), “Driving the Global Economy with the brakes on”, blogpost, January. Blanchard, O (2011). “The future of macroeconomic policy”, blogpost, March. Cochrane, J (2009), “Fiscal Stimulus, Fiscal Inflation, or Fiscal Fallacies?”, University of Chicago webpage, version 2.5, 27 February. Cochrane, J (2012), “Stimulus and etiquette”, blogpost, January. Delong, B (2012), “John Cochrane says John Cochrane used to be a bullshit artist”, blogpost, January.Lawson, N (1984), Mais Lecture. Economist (2012), “The zero lower bound in our minds”, 7 January. Guajardo, J, D Leigh, and A Pescatori (2010), “Expansionary Austerity: New International Evidence”, IMF Working Paper 11/158, Research Department, International Monetary Fund. HM Treasury (2010), “Emergency Budget”. Leigh, D, P Devries, C Freedman, J Guajardo, D Laxton, and A Pescatori (2010), "Will it hurt? Macroeconomic effects of fiscal consolidation", World Economic Outlook, October, International Monetary Fund Monetary Policy Committee (2011), Minutes, Bank of England. Portes, J (2011b), “Against Austerity”, Spectator, October. Portes, J (2011a) “The Coalition’s Confidence Trick”, New Statesman, August. Portes, J (2012), “The largest and longest unemployment gap since World War 2”, blogpost, January. Quiggin, J (2011), “Blogging the Zombies: Expansionary Austerity – Birth”, blogpost, November. Wren-Lewis, S (2012a), “Mistakes and ideology in macroeconomics”, blogpost, 10 January. Wren-Lewis, S (2012b), “The return of Schools-of-thought macro”, blogpost, 27 January.President Donald Trump slammed former President Barack Obama's campaign, citing a report that it paid nearly $1 million to a law firm linked to the company behind the controversial and unverified dossier alleging connections between Trump and Moscow. His comments came in the form of a tweet on Monday morning: Report out that Obama Campaign paid $972,000 to Fusion GPS. The firm also got $12,400,000 (really?) from DNC. Nobody knows who OK'd! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017 According to a report by The Federalist, Obama's campaign organization paid $972,000 to Perkins Coie, the law firm that had funneled money to Fusion GPS, the company behind the dossier. The Washington Post had reported that Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund the research that resulted in the dossier. A lawyer from Perkins Coie represented the Clinton campaign and the DNC and retained Fusion GP to conduct the research, The Post said. But a Federal Election Commission report reveals that Obama For America, paid nearly $800,000 to Perkins Coie in 2016 for "legal services," The Federalist reported. Another $174,725 was paid by OFA to the law firm in 2017. The Federalist noted the timing of the payments to the law firm raise questions where the OFA money was eventually winding up. OFA was responsible for Obama's successful 2012 re-election campaign. It reorganized after the 2016 election and planned to use its resources to oppose Trump, the Federalist said. The New York Times reported the law firm was paid $12.4 million to represent the Clinton campaign and the DNC during the campaign in 2016.The case of a young boy's circumcision and his parents' dueling perspectives about going under the knife for the procedure has prompted another legal action — this time in federal court. The boy's mother, Heather Hironimus, filed a federal lawsuit Monday in an attempt to block a state court judge's decision to allow the boy's father to circumcise their now 4 1/2-year-old son. The suit alleges that going forward with the procedure is a violation of the boy's civil rights. Hironimus has been fighting Dennis Nebus for years over circumcising their son. A 2012 court-approved "parenting plan" — signed by Hironimus — allowed Nebus to arrange for a circumcision. Nebus decided to go forward with the procedure in 2013, but Hironimus changed her mind and said she now did not want her son circumcised. Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Gillen, who is listed as a defendant in the federal lawsuit, ruled in May 2014 that the mother had to comply with a court order where she would give to boy to his father for him to arrange procedure. When Hironimus failed to hand over the boy in March after a series of lost legal battles, Gillen signed a warrant for her arrest. She is currently thought to be hiding at a battered women's shelter with her son. Nebus and Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw are also listed as defendants in the suit. Carline Jean, Sun Sentinel Dennis Nebus, of Boca Raton, testifies in a Palm Beach County court hearing. Nebus and the mother of his son are in a court battle over whether the 4-year-old should be circumcised. Nebus wants the procedure done, while the mother, Heather Hironimus, does not. Dennis Nebus, of Boca Raton, testifies in a Palm Beach County court hearing. Nebus and the mother of his son are in a court battle over whether the 4-year-old should be circumcised. Nebus wants the procedure done, while the mother, Heather Hironimus, does not. (Carline Jean, Sun Sentinel) Hironimus further argues the circumcision is not medically necessary and would cause psychological damage to the child if performed. His father argues that circumcision is medically beneficial. In the federal lawsuit, Hironimus and her attorney, Thomas Hunker, call the procedure "elective" and "cosmetic," and said the boy currently lives in fear about having a circumcision performed. "Under the circumstances of this case, circumcision is invasive, irreversible, painful and will cause [the child] physical and psychological harm," the suit reads. The suit also claims Nebus, Gillen and Bradshaw were all material to the circumcision decision and are all at fault for the civil rights violations. It also claims the parties conspired to violate the child's rights. Both a representative for Hunker and Nebus' attorney, May L. Cain, declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday. Nebus testified in court in 2013 that he wanted his son to get a circumcision after noticing that he was urinating on his leg. He said a doctor told him the boy had a condition called phimosis, which prevents retraction of the foreskin, but Hironimus said there has been no such diagnosis. Nebus also said in court that he thought circumcision was "just the normal thing to do." kjacobson@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6547 or Twitter @katejacobsonBy the end of December, if Jon Jones is still the UFC’s light heavyweight champion, we’ll know that he’s just as centered as he is prolific. Four fights in 10 months would be tough on anybody not in desperate need of cash and exposure -- but four fights over 10 months with escalating pressures and stakes, inflated expectations and increased scrutiny is something else. It’s warped. Happening at warp speed for a 24-year-old adjusting on the fly to media demands, stardom, promotional pressures, appearances and all the bodily/mental taxations in between. And these are just the personal issues that he’s been left to deal with since squeezing the chakras from Ryan Bader. What we see is Jones’ overall hit list in 2011, the more public half of the marvel. He ran through Bader on Feb. 5; he threw an artisan beatdown on then-light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua after bringing a purse-snatcher down in Paterson, N.J., on March 19; he beat former champion Quinton Jackson in his first defense on Sept. 24. On Dec. 10, he’ll fight another former champion in Lyoto Machida. The process to and through these pairings is too absurd to recount, but suffice to say that somehow, Rashad Evans -- yet another former champion -- factored into every fight without having fought Jones. That fight belongs to 2012 (presumably). The thing is, the pressure and intrigue to each event gets progressively more as Jones goes along. Leaps and bounds: So far, no one has come close to testing Jon Jones. Cliff Welch/Icon SMI Remember when people were calling the UFC smart for bringing Jones along slowly? Somewhere along the way -- maybe when he smashed Vladimir Matyushenko in August 2010 or when he Picasso’d Brandon Vera’s face -- the UFC shifted him in fifth and forgot about slow. That’s where we find ourselves as he goes about cleaning out the division with amphetamine speed. It’s a lot of prospects, defending and former champions to get through in the space of a year without time to reflect on anything. And that’s why you can’t help but wonder about burnout when he faces Machida in Toronto. What Jones is doing is unprecedented. Chuck Liddell defended his strap three times in 2006; two of those defenses -- against Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz -- were against former champions. That comes close. Georges St. Pierre fought four times in 2005, but none of them had title implications. Jones will have fought three former champions and one previously undefeated prospect. The annals of the UFC’s history can’t produce his equivalent. So far he’s handled the pressure of these events fine, though he’s taking his time more as he goes along. He’s finishing everybody, but chronologically speaking it’s taking him an extra round to do it: Matyushenko (first round), Bader (second round), Rua (third round), Jackson (fourth). Of all of these, Machida is arguable the hardest to solve, and is possibly the best reactionary fighter in the game. The style match-up will be fun to contemplate. So it’s a dangerous fight for Jones on the basic match-up level. But Jones will have to continue staying hungry through the process just as his belly got full. That new Bentley he just got? It might have to represent things still to come instead of what’s been accomplished so far. That’s a hard mode to keep in, especially when you’re 24 years old. But give Jones his credit. Never has anybody gained a legacy so fast, only to dangle it out there as often to be snatched away.Humpback whales and killer whales are losing up to 94 percent and 97 percent, respectively, of their communication space in the busiest areas of the ocean off the British Columbia coast, according to a new study. Although this simplified summary represents a somewhat pessimistic interpretation of 10,000 hours of underwater noise levels in various sites off the coast that yielded highly variable results, researchers say the finding is helpful because it demonstrates a method that tries to interpret what those noise levels might mean to fish or whales. "On average, what we found is, the habitats that are most important to resident killer whales — both northern and southern populations — are the noisiest of the sites we are studying," said Rob Williams, study leader and a whale researcher with the sea mammal research unit of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The areas most preferred by humpback and fin whales are quieter, he added, but there may be no legal protection to keep the sites that way. The study focused on three whale species, but the researchers hope to expand their work to more marine creatures, such as fish. Shouting above the dial tone Whale vocalizations serve many purposes, as far as researchers can tell. Calls can be used to coordinate whale movements to find food or head to mating grounds. Fish also emit calls: For example, male cusk-eels flex their muscles to emit mating calls through the water. Marine creatures can communicate across tens of miles, but no one knows just how far whales are using and responding to the acoustic information that may be contained in their songs, or how well they are able to compete with the noise from human ocean activities. Fin whales, in particular, have very loud calls, making it easy for them to shout above ship noise at short distances, the researchers found, whereas calls made by humpbacks and killer whales are fainter and, therefore, more likely to be masked by ship noise. "We really don't have good information on the size of the habitat that the whales are using," Williams told LiveScience. "You can say the whale's acoustic space is being reduced by 50 percent or 80 percent, but that is relative to our best guess about the range the whales are using." The calls were recorded on a device built by the Bioacoustics Research Program at Cornell University, led by co-author Christopher Clark. The underwater microphones, called "pop-ups," were placed on the seabed and programmed to record ship noise, whale calls or anything else that went by, collecting 4 terabytes of data between 2008 and 2010. The team sailed back to each deployment site in the fall, and played an underwater sound to retrieve the recorder. "It's like pressing a garage-door opener: The machine is smart enough to listen for that signal and nothing else," Williams said. "It releases an electric current that burns through a wire, and they slowly pop up to the surface with hard drive and electronics intact." Involving the whale community Williams' team decided to crowdsource their work as much as possible to cut down on research costs. Local boat taxis, whale watchers, scientists and other people on the water were asked to deploy and pick up all 12 microphones and associated equipment, which weighed anywhere between 200 and 500 lbs. (90 and 230 kilograms) depending on the equipment's configuration. Williams said his improvised collaborators were eager to help. Noise is an easy thing to fix in oceans that are facing acidification, a warming climate and other situations that would take decades to address, Williams added. To cut down on the cacophony, ships could slow down or avoid whale-filled areas, or manufacturers could construct quieter vessels, he suggests. The funding for the research came from a wide range of individual donors and private foundations, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the United States, the Marisla Foundation and the Canadian Whale Institute. A study based on the research was recently published in the journal Animal Conservation. Some members of Williams' team also did a study showing increasing humpback-whale populations in British Columbia that was published in the journal PLOS ONE in September. Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace. Original article on LiveScience. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.× Companies can increase the value they get from ERP systems, along with employees’ productivity, by deploying a “user experience platform” that makes ERP more intuitive. ERP systems are much maligned for being difficult to use, and often for good reason. Complicated, unintuitive user interfaces that require employees to jump to different modules or systems to complete transactions not only impair productivity, but they can also lead to multimillion-dollar losses when companies find themselves forced to write off investments in those systems due to lackluster user adoption. Even though ERP systems have a bad reputation among users, users’ expectations of enterprise software have risen dramatically. Easy-to-use consumer apps designed for mobile devices have made them less tolerant of kludgey ERP systems and hungry for a more consumer-like experience from the applications they use for work. They want enterprise applications that intuitively and seamlessly integrate with their roles and day-to-day responsibilities. It is now possible for companies to improve adoption by outfitting ERP systems with a “user experience platform” that knows the individual user, their role, and the information they need on a real-time basis to make them more productive, according to Jaco Van Eeden, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Digital ERP practice. The user experience platform is an analytics-driven, dynamic user interface that wraps around the ERP system and provides employees with a single point of entry to it, other transactional systems, and collaboration tools. Running on premise or in the cloud and built for mobile devices and desktops, the user experience platform uses analytics to proactively bring to users the priorities, data, and transactions related to their jobs in a single, easy-to-use interface, Van Eeden says. It can be tailored to specific roles and functions regardless of whether they exist inside or outside of an organization, such as customers, sales representatives, managers, vendors, buyers, technicians, or customer service agents. “The purpose of the user experience platform is to make it easier for employees to do their work,” says Van Eeden. “The platform shows them the prioritized activities they need to perform on any given day, allows them to execute tasks within three clicks or less, and reminds them of compliance policies, business workflows, leading practices for their roles, and standard operating procedures.” For example, a user experience platform designed for a procurement organization could guide procurement professionals step-by-step on cost effective and compliant ways to source raw materials. Because designers and developers build the procurement process, its policies and practices into the platform, it can highlight in real time materials that should be purchased together, correct quantities and shipment sizes, and recommended vendors, according to Van Eeden. It can also gather data from inventory management systems and use predictive analytics to determine when inventory levels are getting low and when purchase orders need to be placed. “Identifying available or excess inventory, its location, and whether it can be moved to another manufacturing facility are extremely difficult tasks to execute in a traditional ERP system,” says Van Eeden. “Consequently, procurement professionals either spend hours tracking down that information, or they don’t do it at all, both of which lead to waste and inefficiency.” How the User Experience Platform Works Designers apply the principles of persona design and process design to build the user experience platform. For example, they study users’ jobs, including how they execute tasks and interact with existing systems, according to Van Eeden. Based on their observations of and discussions with users, designers come up with streamlined processes and common sense procedures for each role or persona; these processes are intended to bring the ease of use associated with many consumer applications to ERP systems. Developers then build the processes, policies, and procedures into the new user interface typically using HTML5, JavaScript, and jQuery. The combination of programming languages allows the user experience platform to run on any device. Developers also integrate the user experience platform with a cloud-based architecture and an open-ended service oriented architecture (SOA). The SOA allows the user experience platform to bring together disparate systems. Pre-defined APIs and connectors let the user experience platform “call” back-end systems and databases (whether cloud-based or on premise), retrieve data from them, and ultimately populate the user interface with tasks and information. When Users Benefit, the Enterprise Benefits ERP systems aren’t known for simplicity, but the user experience platform holds the potential to change that perception. “The goal is to make the user interface so simple that employees can do their jobs without training,” says Van Eeden. Making the ERP system’s user interface more intuitive and tailoring it for specific roles can go a long way toward promoting adoption. “Companies that have deployed the user experience platform in functions where adoption lagged have seen tremendous momentum because the platform helps employees work more effectively,” he says. “And because analytics, leading practices, standard operating procedures, and compliance policies are baked into it, the platform drives consistent behavior.” The user experience platform also helps employees focus on “high value” problem-solving activities, adds Van Eeden. Take the example of a chemical manufacturer that deployed a user experience platform for its customer service organization. The user experience platform shows to customer service reps the orders that are off track globally; they no longer spend hours hunting down that information, and can more efficiently determine the reason a customer hasn’t received an order (for example, a shipment may be stuck in a port or documentation may be missing). The user experience platform also applies analytics to uncover patterns among problematic orders, such as shipments that repeatedly get hung up at a particular port. The manufacturer has since worked with the port to ease bottlenecks. “User adoption can make or break an ERP implementation,” says Van Eeden. “Enterprises that get enough employees using the ERP system in a consistent manner, tend to derive greater value from it. What better way to promote adoption than to provide employees with a system that makes them more productive, is easier to use, and allows them to focus on higher value activities?”My Stepmother Is an Alien is a 1988 American comic science fiction film directed by Richard Benjamin. The film stars Kim Basinger as Celeste, a extraterrestrial woman sent on a secret mission to Earth, after her home planet's gravity is mistakenly disrupted by Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd), a widowed scientist raising his daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan) as a single father. The film's screenplay was written by Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris and Jonathan Reynolds, based on an earlier script by Jericho Stone, who originally pitched the film to Paramount Pictures as a drama which would serve as an allegory about child abuse. When Paramount optioned the story, they suggested that it would be more believable as a comedy.[3][4] The film was unproduced for four years until Weintraub Entertainment Group put it into production in 1988. My Stepmother Is an Alien was a box office failure, grossing $13.8 million against a $26 million budget. The film also received negative reviews from critics, with most of the responses panning the film's humor and screenplay. Basinger and costar Jon Lovitz generally received favorable reviews for their comedic performances. In the New York Times review, Aykroyd was singled out for criticism in his performance as a romantic lead. Plot [ edit ] Celeste (Kim Basinger) is an alien sent on a secret mission to Earth, and Steven Mills (Dan Aykroyd) is a widowed scientist who is working on different ways to send radio waves into deep space. Steven accidentally sends a radio wave out of the galaxy to Celeste's home world (Cosine N to the 8th) which causes a disruption of gravity on her planet. She is sent to investigate who could affect gravity and how it was done, believing that it was an attack. She is aided by an alien device (called Bag) resembling a tentacle with an eye, which hides in a designer purse to aid Celeste with her encounters on Earth. Bag is able to create any object, such as diamonds and designer dresses almost instantaneously. Celeste crashes a party hosted by Steven's brother Ron (Jon Lovitz), where she immediately draws attention to herself by making dated references to old TV shows and political slogans under the mistaken belief that it was current (her superiors had just collected the information, which had taken 92 years to get from Earth to her home world). Celeste's inexperience almost results in her exposing herself as alien when she struggles with simple tasks like trying to kiss for the first time or cooking. She goes home with Steven and spends the night, after Bag teaches her what sex is (which she greatly enjoys). Jessie Mills (Alyson Hannigan), Steven's 13-year-old daughter, is at first happy that her father has found someone (her mother died five years previously) but becomes suspicious when she observes Celeste eating the acid out of batteries, and pulling hard boiled eggs out of boiling hot water with her bare hands. However, she cannot convince her smitten father that something is unusual about Celeste, and when Celeste tells him that she must leave in 24 hours he impulsively proposes, and she accepts. Ron also has his doubts about Celeste and tries to dissuade Steven from marrying Celeste on the idea she is an illegal immigrant or planning economic espionage, but then admits he is jealous his brother found his dream girl whereas he will never find a girl like Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. Celeste encounters new experiences such as sneezing and love. When finally confronted about being an extraterrestrial by Jessie, Celeste admits her home world is without emotion. Celeste plans to depart once she discovers how Steven created the radio signal and gets him to recreate it (which she says will reverse the gravity problems on her world), but is put in a quandary by Jessie, who says it will devastate her father, for whom Celeste has now developed feelings. After Jessie argues with her dad, she runs away and is nearly hit by a car, but is saved by Celeste's powers. This reveals to Steven that Celeste is indeed an alien and that she has fallen in love with him and accepted Jessie as her own daughter. Steven eventually realizes how he was able to create the radio wave and manages to repeat it, reversing the gravity on Celeste's planet and saving it. After destroying Bag (which tried to kill them), the leaders of Celeste's home world report in and ask her to destroy the planet Earth. She and Steven manage to convince them it was not an act of aggression, but an accident, and that Earth has many benefits that require further studying. They accept the explanation and demand that Celeste return to explain human culture to them, but settle for a native of Earth to serve as ambassador to their world as a token of goodwill. The ambassadorship is accepted by Ron, who departs for Celeste's world in a spaceship served by several flight attendants, all of whom look like Princess Stéphanie. Cast [ edit ] Production [ edit ] Screenwriter Jerico Stone developed the story under the working title They’re Coming as a drama, an allegory about child abuse. He pitched this version of the story to Paramount Pictures in 1981. Paramount agreed to option the story and paid him to write the screenplay, but felt it would be more believable as a comedy.[3][4] On June 20, 1984, Variety reported that Catalina Production Group was planning to start principal photography on They're Coming in late 1984 for Paramount, naming the screenwriters as Stone and Richard Benner; actresses considered for the lead by Paramount included Bette Midler, Julie Andrews and Raquel Welch.[4] Subsequently, the production moved to 20th Century Fox, who hired Herschel Weingrod and Timothy Harris to rewrite the screenplay. Fox considered Cybill Shepard and Joan Rivers for the part, but ultimately never produced the film, and it went into turnaround to Weintraub Entertainment Group, where the title was changed to Two Kids.[4] Director Richard Benjamin read an unfinished version of the screenplay in the early 1980s, but did not become interested in the project until reading a completed draft he received via Weintraub in 1987, and agreed to direct.[4] By 1988, the screenplay had received further rewriting by Jonathan Reynolds. Stone was ultimately credited only for the story, under his first name, Jericho.[4] The film went into principal photography on 29 February 1988, as well as wrapped in May of that year; the total cost of production and marketing was reported as $26 million.[1][4] Release [ edit ] My Stepmother Is an Alien received mixed reviews, Althoughreceived mixed reviews, Kim Basinger (left) and Jon Lovitz (right) were praised for their performances in the film. A July press release for the film stated that My Stepmother Is An Alien would be released on November 23, 1988, but it was later pushed to December 9.[4] The film premiered on December 3, 1988 in Washington, D.C., an event attended by stars Aykroyd and Basinger, as well as president George H.W. Bush, first lady Barbara Bush and vice president Dan Quayle.[4] Upon general release, Los Angeles City Mayor Tom Bradley declared December 9 “Stepmother Day,” to honor the “importance, dedication and contribution of stepmothers everywhere,” as well as an appreciation of the film shooting in Los Angeles.[4] The film opened at #7, grossing $2,066,980 in the opening weekend. It went on to gross $13,854,000 in the United States,[2] becoming a box office failure.[1] Critical reviews [ edit ] The film was met with negative reviews.[4] Roger Ebert wrote, "Basinger gets most of the good comic moments in the movie and does with them what she can, but Benjamin and his writers seem to have run short of invention. Most of the plot developments are forgone conclusions, and most of the big set pieces (like a wedding) are handled routinely, without inspiration."[5] Janet Maslin, reviewing the film for The New York Times, panned the film's screenplay and humor, as well as the performance of Dan Aykroyd, who she felt was not only miscast as the film's romantic lead, but also unfunny. However, Maslin praised the performances of Kim Basinger and Jon Lovitz, whose character she categorized as a "scene-stealing sleazeball".[6] In a generally favorable review, the LA Times criticized the film's sex humor, calling it "needlessly crass", but overall praised the film, writing, "My Stepmother Is an Alien is solid, wide-appeal holiday fare. It makes the best use of Aykroyd's warmth and proven talents in quite some time, and it does even more for Basinger, showing that she can be as funny and smart as she is sexy."[7] The Radio Times gave the film three out of five stars, writing, "Fine moments of inspired lunacy jostle with predictably slight comic relief, but Basinger's eager-to-please freshness and verve make this intergalactic muddle impossible to dislike."[8] Variety called the film a "failed attempt to mix many of the film genres associated with the 'alien' idea into a sprightly romp.[9] TV Guide gave the film one star, calling it "A standard formula comedy [which] tries to emulate popular alien-on-Earth films like STARMAN. Had it actually been told from the perspective of the scientist's daughter, as the title suggests, it might have been more appealing, but instead a predictable, amateurish script shifts the focus elsewhere."[10] People said that director Richard Benjamin "tries to disguise the threadbare plot with explosions and special-effects hardware", and called the film "a clanking bore, except for Basinger—a potential star still waiting for the vehicle that will let her shine. Her comic talent glimmers in a scene where she learns what a kiss is".[11] Time Out wrote, "The film offers several entertaining sequences, [but My Stepmother Is an Alien] is marred by cruel and juvenile gags."[12] The film has a score of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes.[13] Soundtrack [ edit ] The soundtrack album was released by Polydor Records.Star Wars Hails to A Pre-Vietnam America: This New Hope is Old Fashioned The first time I watched Star Wars I was actually exposed to Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I remember growing up being compared to young Anakin Skywalker, and greatly wanting a light saber of my own. It was not until I was much older and in college that I began to see universal distaste for the prequel trilogy. Old school Star Wars fans are very loyal to the original trilogy, from A New Hope to Return of the Jedi, Star Wars has touched the hearts of people all around the world. However, what made the original Star Wars film so popular in the first place? A New Hope was more than its astounding special effects for its time. It was more than its engaging plot and its characters. A New Hope presented two opposing ideas and Americans strongly clung to one. On the one hand, Americans could be the evil empire fighting against the Vietnamese people, and on the other hand Americans actually identified with the Rebel Alliance. For a post-Vietnam America, A New Hope quite literally provided a new hope for all Americans. With a group of ragtag rebels overcoming the great, evil empire through religious dedication and a western-vibe, A New Hope hails to American nostalgia and a simpler time. Star Wars came out during a time when America suffered a great existential crisis. America suffered its first loss to Vietnam, and years earlier Nixon betrayed the American people through the Watergate scandal. In 1972, Nixon’s Watergate Scandal caused an intense uproar because the betrayal came directly from the top of our system: the President. At the same time while Americans were initially gung ho about the Vietnam War and expected an easy victory against the underdeveloped people, our soldier’s brutality eventually turned the people against the war and American soldiers. As a direct result of these events, American faith in its government was wavering. While this “lack of faith” may have been “disturbing” as Vader would say, these events set Americans up perfectly to identify with Star Wars:
… Well, it’s certainly not a Happy Meal. The kids that get a Happy Meal with an apple slice in there or Tangerine Tango, whatever it is, are the same kids that are protesting this kind of crap being on their school lunches, and they’re not eating it. But this is clear as a bell what happened here. The cure for McDonald’s, just like the cure for the Republican Party and the cure for anybody, is to stand up to these people on the left and not be bullied by ’em, ’cause that’s all they are. They don’t want to work with anyone! They’re not trying to help McDonald’s. They’re not trying to make McDonald’s a healthier restaurant. They’re trying to shut McDonald’s down. That is their objective. On the militant left — I don’t care if it’s vegans, if it’s vegetarians, if it’s environmentalist wackos, if it’s feminazis — there is no desire to work together to compromise to take their enemies or their opponents and straighten ’em out and make ’em right. They want to shut everybody down. It’s like Obama. He wants not a level playing field. He wants to wipe out the opposition. It’s just who they are. That is part of their political existence and playbook. Eliminate the opposition. The very idea that a bunch of miserable, unhappy people in this country who are nameless and faceless don’t like McDonald’s and therefore need to embark on a crusade to shut it down? Okay, if you don’t like McDonald’s, don’t go there! But that’s not good enough. They want to shut down McDonald’s. They don’t like McDonald’s, and McDonald’s needs to be shut down. They don’t like McDonald’s — and by God you better not go! If they find out you go, you’re gonna get harassed. And it’s not… T his is exactly what happened, and it’s what the Republican Party’s up against. Whenever you hear the Republicans say, “Yeah, well, you know, we gotta meet the Democrats halfway on amnesty.” No, you don’t! That’s not the answer. You’re not gonna be loved and adored by people that hate you if you go halfway in on amnesty. It doesn’t work that way. They’re trying to eliminate you. They’re trying to get you to destroy yourself by supporting things your supporters are never gonna support you on. This is why it’s such a mystery. The Republican consultants should know this. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I’m gonna tell you one more thing about this McDonald’s thing. Some of you people, “No, no, no, Rush, they can’t follow your strategy.” I’m gonna tell you somebody who did. Scott Walker. Scott Walker running away with it so far, way too soon to mean anything, really, but in terms of early polling data right now Scott Walker is running away with every Republican presidential poll out there. You know why? Even though he may not be right on immigration for some people, and even though he may not be right on this issue or that issue, you know why he’s governor? Because he fights back on ’em; because he stands up to ’em; because he does not capitulate; because he does not try to compromise. He stands up to ’em. So many people on our side are just demanding and ready for anybody on our side to stand up and fight these guys. And the same lesson, I guarantee you, McDonald’s, whoever, stand up and fight the 10 or 12 people making themselves look like half a million, and you are gonna be rewarded. I know it’s hard to do. You think it’s a lot of customers upset that you’re selling French fries and beef tallow. Stand up to ’em. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: So I got some e-mails during the break questioning my take on what’s wrong with McDonald’s. There’s one thing I understand and I wish there were a way to change this. I think many of you people will agree with me that there are a lot of institutions, companies, businesses, individuals, who really, really do not understand the militant left. And even if you explain it to them, they think it’s crazy. They think you’re crazy for believing it. They think it isn’t possible. “Militant vegetarians? Come on,” is their reaction. They can’t possibly conceive of what is really actually happening to them. In McDonald’s case, for example, I would wager you, they just can’t come to grips, get their arms around whatever cliche you want to use, the fact that there are actually people who want to shut them down, other than their competitors. And so when presented with this reality, when presented with the possibility that, hey, do you realize that maybe the people hammering you to get rid of beef tallow or to get rid of French fries, replace ’em with apple slices for eight-year-olds, you maybe think that there are people who are not trying to help you? That they’re not gonna ever come in here and buy one of your Happy Meals anyway. That their real purpose is to get you to undermine yourself? It’s a serious problem. People do not understand the militant left. There is a militant left and there’s a docile left. Even the docile left can get militant. Occupy Wall Street, militant. The idea that there would be militant vegetarians doesn’t compute. Vegetarians, what’s their image? Rail-thin, waif-like, obsessed with themselves health freaks. They may be oddballs, but the idea that they would mobilize and try to bully other people? The idea that there are any group of people that believe in something so strongly that if you don’t do it as well they want to eliminate you. It’s just something that I don’t think enough people in our culture, particularly American businesses, understand about the militant left. Therefore, when you present them with the truth of how the militant left operates, in this case, you know, I don’t have any proof in this instance, but because I know it happens, and has happened for 27 years on this program, I can guarantee you that the people bitching at McDonald’s and sending ’em complaints and filing protests and all this, are trying to make themselves look like they’re actually McDonald’s customers, and they’re not. They’re just a bunch of anti-capitalist militants who have figured out Twitter algorithms and any number of other procedures to make themselves look like they are hundreds of thousands and maybe millions, when they are 10 to 20 people. They’re taking advantage of the fact that businesses can’t take the chance, getting this many complaints, why, we gotta respond to it. They’re not even really getting any complaints. They’re not getting any legitimate complaints. The complaints they need to be worried about are the people stopping shopping there, because the food doesn’t taste as good anymore. That’s the real complaint. They ignore that, and instead pay attention to the militants because they don’t understand who they are. It’s not just McDonald’s. I don’t mean to be harping on McDonald’s. I love McDonald’s. This has been going on a long time. Way back in the early days, do you remember we sent, Snerdley, one of your cousins, Mario, we sent Mario to a McDonald’s on Seventh Avenue to buy $1,500 worth of Big Macs one lunch hour, remember that? When the leftists were attacking McDonald’s back then, we stood up for ’em. And Mario Snerdley came back with $1,500 worth of Big Macs and Quarter Pounders to our studio and passed it out. He called us from the McDonald’s and put the manager on the phone. So we have a long history of standing up for American business, and particularly McDonald’s. I’m the one really trying to help them here. Why in the world would you eliminate the ingredient that makes your French fries the best in the world? Why would you do that? Well, because you’re trying to appease supposed health freaks who want you to believe that you’re killing people with your freaking French fries. And all you do is take that exclusive ingredient out that makes your French fries, which once used to be a signature item, no different than anybody else’s. And you expect to be rewarded by customers, “Oh, let’s go to McDonald’s, it’s healthy now.” Except that doesn’t happen. You lose your existing customer. If this sounds familiar in terms the Republican Party, it should. McDonald’s and other businesses do not know how expanding their customer base could happen if they would fight back against these people, but it’s so difficult. Trust me on this. It’s difficult to persuade people just who their enemies really are. It’s hard for people to conceive that there are vegetarians that are militant, that are the enemy, try to put us out of business. You tell them that, and if you don’t have any supporting documents, all you have is you know the left. I know who these people are. I’ve been targeted by ’em. I know exactly how they work. I know what they’re doing. I know why they don’t like you. Have you not been paying attention? They think cows are the biggest problem, global warming. Beef, have you not known they’re coming for you? They’ve been coming for you for 20 years. Did you not see what happened to Burger King? They demanded Burger King sell veggie burgers in Berkeley, of course, because in Berkeley they’re politically correct, they’re not gonna eat beef at all. Well, okay, so Burger King put veggie burgers on the menu. You know what? Burger King ended up closing. They lost their customer base, and the militant vegans didn’t go in and shop because that’s not what they’re about. I’m telling you, folks, from a personal and professional standpoint it gets real frustrating, and it has been for years, trying to persuade people that are not as politically educated and informed as we wish they were to try to tell them who their enemies really are and what their enemies’ tactics are and what their enemies’ objectives are. They reject it, because they personally can’t conceive of it. It doesn’t compute. They think that accusations made in this nature say more about the accuser. This has not happened, but just to illustrate what I just said. Let’s say that I was able to get a meeting with a generic executive at McDonald’s, don’t care, CEO, no names, don’t know anybody there. Let’s say I had a meeting and told him exactly what I just told you, he would think I’m the one that’s nuts. Not the people that are harassing him about the lack of healthy food on the menu. He wouldn’t understand, why, make all the changes, accommodate every complaint. Get rid of French fries. Get rid of beef tallow. Put apple slices in the Happy Meal, and don’t understand why they’re not setting sales records. And then furthermore don’t understand why sales are plummeting, and sales are because the CEO just got blamed for it by being fired or let go. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Here is Dennis in Richmond, Virginia, welcome to the EIB Network. Hello. CALLER: Wow, Rush, thanks for taking my call. Longtime listener, first-time caller and I’m just thrilled to be on with you. RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much. Same here. CALLER: I’ll be quick. I was just thinking about the McDonald’s situation, and one of the most important ways to gauge your product mix, and even your core value mix, is to look at your competition and see how they act and respond to different things. You’d think that McDonald’s people would look at how Chick-fil-A responded to the left when they came out in defense of marriage. They tried to take Chick-fil-A down. They tried to boycott ’em, and in that couple of weeks following that you couldn’t even get into a Chick-fil-A because people responded because Chick-fil-A stood up to the left and defended their core values. RUSH: Right, but there’s another factor, and that is the existing customer base of Chick-fil-A dwarfed whatever number of protesters there were out there trying to make themselves look like they were the majority of people, they were a barely visible minority. And the customer base that Chick-fil-A already had dwarfed ’em. CALLER: You would think McDonald’s and, by extension, the Republican Party, would take a cue from those folks and see what it is to stand up to the left and defend your core values. RUSH: I don’t know that McDonald’s even recognized they’re being attacked by the left, that’s my point. They might have fallen for the fact that, you know, we’re living in a healthier country now. Who knows, the CEO might think, “Yeah, I got a problem with my menu here. You know, I really do have to modify.” You never know what was going through his head. But, the point is, he ended up appeasing, and he created menu items that the existing customer base, that’s not why they go there. They don’t go there for a little slice of an apple in a Happy Meal for their screaming kid. It’s fast food by definition. It’s fast food. It has its purpose. CALLER: I never ate at a Chick-fil-A until that all happened, and I’ve become a regular customer at lunch. I’m on the road quite a bit. RUSH: You must like it then. CALLER: I support ’em. RUSH: You must like Chick-fil-A. CALLER: Part of it is I can get a chicken sandwich at McDonald’s, but, you know, I go to the Chick-fil-A because I support their values. RUSH: Yeah, but, I mean, you wouldn’t go to Chick-fil-A if you didn’t particularly like it, would you, or would you just to support them? CALLER: No, you know what, I’m not a big fan of fast food, but when I do decide to eat fast food I do go to Chick-fil-A. It’s not because of the product. Like I said, a chicken sandwich is a chicken sandwich, but I defend their core values. If I’m gonna spend my money, I’m gonna vote with my pocketbook in that direction. RUSH: Well, see, that’s the thing. Now, I may be a little bit different from you in this regard. A chicken sandwich is not a chicken sandwich. I cannot make a chicken sandwich at home that tastes anywhere near as good as what I get at Chick-fil-A or even Mickey D’s. Whatever they call theirs. I just can’t. Ditto burgers. I love the beef tallow in French fries, I swear I don’t know anybody that can get that stuff and use it at home. McDonald’s gave it up, the signifying factor in their French fries, their signature factor. But at any rate, you’re right, Chick-fil-A had a customer base that came out in total support, as did Scott Walker’s voters, and as did, you know, when Occupy Wall Street showed up some place, the Tea Party showed up and opposed them. In your case, your example, why didn’t McDonald’s take the example or see it at Chick-fil-A, I have no way of knowing. I could only hazard a guess and that probably wouldn’t make much sense. But it clearly was an example to be seen and learned from. They don’t understand that these health Nazis are not about improving McDonald’s because they don’t want to eat there. They want to shut the place down. BREAK TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Okay, so I got some e-mails. “What do you mean, McDonald’s got rid of the beef tallow in their French fries?” You may not remember this because it’s all the way back in 2002 that McDonald’s did this. That would be 13 years ago, almost 13 years ago. The New York Times had the celebratory article. The New York Times was happy as they could be. The New York Times was ecstatic. “The McDonald’s Corporation plans to issue an apology and pay $10 million to vegetarian and religious groups for using beef flavoring in its French fries. The action is part of a proposed settlement of lawsuits charging that the company misled consumers.” The lawsuit was based on an assumption, folks. From the New York Times article: “…McDonald’s said it had switched to vegetable oil to cook its fries in 1990, many people assumed that the food was suitable for vegetarian diets.” Vegetable oil, vegetarian. No, it doesn’t work that way. Because McDonald’s is a capitalist company, and that’s why they were targeted. They were big, they were pleasing to young people and children, and these literally insane lunatics were out trying to make people think that global warming and climate change was being caused drastically by McDonald’s! I’m sure McDonald’s thought, “Okay, let’s get rid of this. We’ve got a hassle. We don’t want people protesting. Let’s just give ’em what they want. Fine.” The problem never goes away. You cannot ever appease the left. You can’t appease ISIS. You can’t appease Al-Qaeda. There was nobody that was gonna appease the Nazis. All these people have to be defeated, folks! McDonald’s didn’t recognize that they’re up against enemies, not health freaks. They were up against enemies, and that’s what I think a lot of people don’t want to even go near. They don’t even want to go there, don’t want to admit that. That requires an entirely different kind of business model. You know, a corporation may say, “We don’t want to get anywhere near politics.” But if the people trying to put ’em out of business are doing so with a political agenda, I’m sorry: They’re being dragged into it by virtue of the fact the aggressor in conflicts always sets the rules.Jeff Lagerquist, CTVNews.ca They’re not the sort of instruments you typically find in a hospital, but Masmian Joseph believes in their healing powers all the same. The patient attendant pushes a medical cart decked out with an electric piano, speakers, and a microphone from room to room at Montreal’s McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), giving solo performances to bedridden patients on his breaks. His performances always start with a warm greeting as he plugs in at the foot of the bed. “Okay young man, I’m going to play some music,” he jokes to a greying man as he glides his equipment into position. Joseph’s typical set leans on well-known standards. Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra are in heavy rotation. But he also mixes in some uplifting original compositions. “Each Day a New Baby is Born,” a song he wrote for his niece 16 years ago, is among his catalogue of crowd-pleasers. “Everyone knows the standards, and the standards have no age limit,” he told CTV News. “If I do Sinatra, some of the most popular standards, everyone connects with it because if you're 16-years-old or you're 60, you know Frank.” Performing comes naturally to Joseph. He grew up in a family of musicians, taught himself to pay piano at a young age, and went on to tour the world with various bands. He started using his ivory-tickling skills and velvety smooth voice to comfort patients several years ago while working in the palliative care unit at Montreal General. Today, he counts his boss at MUHC among his many fans. “It’s contagious. The families love it. Our patients love it. The people that work here take a moment and feel lighter,” explains nurse manager Aparna Bhattacharjee. What Joseph’s audiences lack in size, they make up for in devotion. There are no autographs or groupies, but he is often thanked by patients’ families and friends when he wraps up a gig. Patient Joe Zottola requested Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” during a recent MUHC stay. Joseph happily obliged, and proceeded to hit every note. “It’s relaxing, it puts me at ease,” Zottola said. “You kind of get distracted from your problems.” After a few songs, Joseph sticks around for some small talk before wiping down his keyboard with disinfectant and moving on to the next room. He’s claims he has never had a patient turn him away. “No one has ever said no. They've always said yes,” Joseph said. “When a patient is sick, or been here for two or three weeks, they need uplifting. The thing that does that is music.” The 64-year-old is getting ready for his final performance. He plans to retire in April. The hospital is hoping to coax him into volunteering for some encore appearances. “We're going to miss his music and his enthusiasm,” Bhattacharjee said. “We're hoping he comes back as a volunteer. I'll start working on that soon.” With a report from CTV’s Vanessa Lee and files from CTV Montreal(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images) Donald Trump's ambitious goal to advance major tax reform through Congress during his first 100 days is already looking dubious. Some Republicans doubt they'll have a package complete by the 200-day marker. And even the president is couching expectations by nudging his original timeline, telling Fox News' Bill O'Reilly he thinks Americans will see a tax cut by the end of the year – not within his first three or even six months. The immense task of finding a suitable replacement for President Barack Obama's health care law, the Affordable Care Act, as well as emerging divisions between House and Senate GOP lawmakers about the exact components of a tax overhaul are the key factors forcing a potential delay. The Trump administration's initial floating of a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports is also complicating the legislative calculus, with some key members of the Senate raising questions about how such a tariff will impact the businesses and consumers they represent. While the House appears more inclined to include a so-called "border adjusted tax" in its version of reform, the Senate is taking a more cautious approach, with Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, notably making no commitments and signaling he favors a deliberative process. A border adjusted tax is one that is applied in the location of consumption rather than where the services or goods are originally produced. "In the absence of border adjustments, exports from the United States implicitly bear the cost of the U.S. income tax while imports into the United States do not bear any U.S. income tax cost. This amounts to a self-imposed unilateral penalty on U.S. exports and a self-imposed unilateral subsidy for U.S. imports," according to a tax blueprint from Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, which was released last summer. But Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 ranking Republican in the chamber, has expressed concern about the impact on the cost of crude oil, leaving him undecided on the provision. The House Ways and Means Committee has a goal of drafting comprehensive tax legislation – including lower rates, a simplified filing code and a redesign of the IRS – by late spring or early summer, according to a Capitol Hill aide. The key will be whether they can iron out differences with the closely divided Senate on the same timeline. "If the question is when House Republicans can introduce a bill, summer's possible. But that's way different than Congress passing a bill. They get whatever they want to out of the House because they run the show. The Senate is a very different story," says Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center. "The Senate Republicans are starting in a very different place." Late in the campaign, Trump named tax relief and simplification as his top priority for passage within the first 100 days of his administration. He pledged to reduce the current seven income tax brackets to just three and greatly simplify tax forms. He also proposed slashing the corporate tax to 15 percent. But cobbling together comprehensive reform – an endeavor conservatives have been pushing for 30 years – is a much more complex task than simply implementing rate cuts. That's why more than two dozen conservative advocacy groups sent a letter to Republican House leaders this week imploring them to "make significant progress in the first hundred days of the Trump administration toward passing comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform." Pete Sepp, the president of the National Taxpayers Union, says he doesn't expect all the legislative questions to be resolved by April 30 – Trump's 100th day in office – but argues that it is critical for Republicans to keep showing forward motion in order to maintain momentum. The proposed border adjustment tax gives him pause and he foresees it requiring considerable bandwidth in the overall debate. "How would it work? Would there be exemptions? Are there types of income or transactions not subject to it? Certain questions need to be answered. It's not necessarily a cake walk. And the Republican caucus needs to hold," Sepp says. Adam Brandon, the president of the conservative free-market group FreedomWorks and another signatory of the letter to GOP House leaders, says it remains possible for a comprehensive package to be passed before the August recess but agrees that the border adjustment tax could become the sticking point that gums up negotiations. "For a lot of people it looks and sounds like a value added tax or a tariff. On a stand-alone, I don't think conservatives could get behind it. The trade-off I think we're going to get to is: Will you take the border adjustment tax as bad medicine to get the rest of things you've been working for for a lifetime?" he says. "The longer it lingers, the more chances there are to poke a hole in it." Tax cuts are usually enormously popular because they are simple to understand and place money back in the pockets of American consumers. But there's a reason reform is always more precarious: because the details of any change in the tax code creates new winners and losers. Tinkering with longtime benefits like mortgage, charitable and state and local deductions are other potential minefields that could delay or prevent such sweeping legislation from getting over the finish line. Making the plan revenue neutral will be important to the deficit hawk portion of the GOP caucus; while simply producing a lower set of rates will be prized by others. Ryan and Rep. Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, both continue to say they'll produce tax reform in 2017. But it appears the 100-day goal has already been vanquished. Rep. Chris Collins of New York, a Trump ally on the Hill, told the Washington Examiner, even getting it done by August "is not a slam dunk."EMBED >More News Videos Jeremy Murn shot video at the scene in Long Island City. A five-alarm fire burned through a woodworking factory in Queens.The flames broke out inside the one-story building around 7:30 p.m. on 37th Street in the Sunnyside section. The building eventually experienced a partial roof collapse.It was enormous. A churning, devouring fire that danced and weaved its way across the rooftops and defied the ocean of water dumped on it by firefighters.The fire destroyed the facility used by a commercial and residential interior woodworking design and building company called New York Custom Interior Millwork Corp.More than 150 firefighters responded to the punishingly hot scene.The NYC Health Department is advising people in the area avoid smoke exposure from structural fires by closing windows while indoors and reducing outdoor activity where smoke is present.Two firefighters have suffered minor injuries.Firefighters are expected to battle the fire into the morning to try to contain fire.'This won't be his best day': FexEx vows to track down delivery man who tossed computer monitor over fence FedEx has vowed to track down the deliveryman who was caught on video carelessly tossing a computer monitor over a fence during a delivery. Company spokeswoman Shea Leordeanu would not say what would become of the employee once they find him, but added: 'This won't be his best day.' The hilariously sad clip of a FedEx delivery man chucking the computer monitor has attracted nearly 200,000 viewers on YouTube in a single day, many of whom expressed fears that their holiday packages would be treated with the same regard. Scroll down for video Botched! A real-life FedEx delivery man throws a computer monitor over a fence in a video uploaded to YouTube last week - inspiring the spoof Leordeanu said company executives were'shocked' when they saw the video and called the handling of the package 'unacceptable.' The 21-second clip, uploaded to YouTube by user goobie55 on Monday night, shows the delivery man taking the package from the back of a FedEx-branded van parked outside of the home's front lawn. Taking the package out, he walks alongside an iron gate enclosing the residence and past what appears to be a security keypad that might buzz him in. Without missing a beat, its fragile contents are tossed onto a driveway on the other side of the gate. Peering over his shoulder, the unidentified male continues his march back to the van - and, presumably, his next delivery. Worst delivery ever: The man walks past a security keypad, which could have put him in touch with the person expecting the package - who claims he was home That's that! The man returns to his van, peering over his shoulder before he get back behind the wheel, presumable to his next 'delivery' 'The sad part is that I was home at the time with the front door wide open. All he would have had to do was ring the bell on the gate,' the YouTube user who uploaded the clip wrote in the description. 'Now I have to return my monitor since it is broken.' Within hours of the footage being uploaded, several others shared similar horror stories. One commenter, claiming to be a former FedEx employee, attempted to explain - suggesting the package might have been in pieces long before the botched delivery. 'I can tell you that that incident pails in comparison to the way they [sic] packages are handled behind closed doors,' the user wrote. 'All of us here at FedEx have seen the video and quite frankly we were shocked,' said Shea Leordeanu, a company spokeswoman. The company does not know who the package carrier is yet, but is working to track him down an will find him 'by the end of the day.' The customer who posted the video has not contacted the company yet, Ms Leordeanu said. However, FedEx officials asked the person to come forward so they could properly apologize. Watch video hereManager Raymond Kilburn says there's a market for $1.50 movie tickets. photo by lisa provence The recent opening of the Stonefield Regal 14 has hit Charlottesville movie theaters like a tidal wave, with the 4-screen Regal Seminole already closed and the downtown Regal becoming an arthouse. In an effort to stay afloat, the Carmike 6 will soon drop its ticket price to $1.50. Carmike manager Raymond Kilburn admits he initially felt indignant after reading a recent Hook article in which Vinegar Hill owner Adam Greenbaum predicted Carmike's demise. But after visiting the Stonefield Regal, he felt differently. "I almost had a heart attack," says Kilburn. "It's gorgeous." Now he predicts that studios will insist their movies play in such stunning spaces. "We've been here 20 years," says Kilburn. "We can't compare with the new theater." That's why he's trying the second-run movie model, which he thinks will appeal to large families, college students, and the elderly– all of whom may wince at paying $10.50 for regular tickets or $17 to visit Regal's Imax cinema. "I've seen $100 movie nights," says Kilburn. "Why pay $17 when you can get in for $1.50?" Charlottesville hasn't had a discount cinema since the Jefferson stopped showing movies for $3 in the spring of 2006, and some question the viability of the business model in an age of Netflix and streaming video. Kilburn, however, says that seeing film on a 15-inch laptop is a poor substitute for the shared-experience of the big screen. "Comedy is never as funny watching it alone as it is with people," says Kilburn. "The magic of the movie theater is never going to go away." Still, challenges remain. Carmike stands in the Gardens Shopping Center near the vacancy-plagued Albemarle Square shopping center. And Kilburn says Carmike will still have to pay $3,000 to screen a film, which means he needs more moviegoers paying the discount price than ever before. But after two decades of drawing moviegoers to its just-off U.S. 29 location, Carmike already has name recognition, and he's betting that bargain-minded film lovers will feel like they're getting a good deal. "We're digital," he notes, "so our movies will look crisp and beautiful." Kilburn also touts his food combos and discount popcorn buckets, and says Carmike will have three things going for it when it starts selling $1.50 tickets on Black Friday, November 23: "We are better priced, we have better customer service, and our popcorn tastes better."“The game is changing a little bit,” Rafael Nadal said after losing to Fernando Verdasco, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, in four hours and 41 minutes, in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. “Everybody now tries to hit all the balls. There is no balls that you can prepare the point, no? Everybody hit the ball hard and try to go for winners in any position. Game become a little bit more crazy in this aspect.” Crazy, indeed—that was the only way to describe Verdasco’s performance. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a match where I was left in head-shaking amazement so often. I don’t think I’ve ever blurted “Whoa!”—or a possibly profane equivalent—after so many winners. Verdasco, as Rafa said, really did try to hit all the balls. While half of them landed out, that was OK, because when they went in, they didn’t come back. How many times has a player hit 90 winners? How many times has a player committed 91 errors and still won? Verdasco did both. “I just closed my eyes,” the underdog Spaniard joked afterward. But he also made it clear that his strategy wasn’t completely insane. “Today I was just like trying to be as aggressive as possible,” Verdasco said, “but also not like so crazy.” Then he philosophized about the paper-thin line that separates the brilliant and the idiotic in tennis, a line that Verdasco has resided on for most of his career. “Sometimes if you do what I did today," he said, "and you put all the balls outside, it’s like, ‘This guy’s crazy. He just hit everything and he miss.' But when they are coming in, it's unbelievable. The difference is just so little, and can be so big.” Verdasco was content to rally through the first three sets, but by the middle of the fourth he knew his best chance at victory was to eliminate rallies altogether. Instead, he clocked winning forehands on the run. He drilled backhands up the line that sounded like cannon shots. He went for broke on returns, and when he connected, Nadal could hardly take a step before the ball was past him. Verdasco didn’t care about margin, he didn’t worry about spin, he didn’t waste time trying to give his shots shape. He hit them as hard and flat as he could. Often cautious on his first serve because of his shaky second delivery, Verdasco threw that caution to the wind and pounded down 20 aces. He was two points from defeat at 5-6 in the fourth set, before firing off a string of winners to hold. He was down 0-2 in the fifth before reeling off six straight games. He ended it, appropriately, by annihilating a Nadal serve with a forehand winner. At that point, it seemed that Verdasco really could have closed his eyes and still found the corner. The most famous match of Verdasco’s career was a similar, five-set, five-hour loss to Nadal on the same court in the 2009 Aussie Open semifinals. It was the first and last time that Verdasco would reach a Grand Slam semi, but it ended bitterly, with a double fault on match point. On Tuesday, Verdasco admitted that the '09 defeat has haunted him over the years, but his obsessive re-watching of the match—he says he has seen the whole thing “maybe 10 times”—helped him against Rafa yesterday. “Why? I mean, to learn,” Verdasco said when asked why he had relived that painful moment so many times. “To see how I played, how I took the chances, how I didn’t.” This time, he said, he was determined to take all of his chances, to hit the ball deep, and if he missed, to miss long rather than into the net. The tactic worked. Still, the '09 loss haunted him into the fifth set. “The beginning of the fifth I was for a second thinking about the [2009] semifinals,” Verdasco joked. “I was like, ‘Please, I don’t want to lose, you know, with a double fault at 5-4, 30-40.'” Instead, it was Nadal who committed a crushing double-fault at a crucial moment (at 6-6 in the first-set tiebreaker). It was Nadal who played with caution in the clutch. It was Nadal who couldn’t win the points he needed. It was Nadal who saw what looked like an inevitable victory slip from his grasp. From Verdasco’s perspective, this match will rightly be compared to the ’09 semifinal. But from Nadal’s perspective, it reminded me more of his last Grand Slam loss, to Fabio Fognini in a fifth set at the U.S. Open. In both cases, the defeats were unprecedented: In New York, Nadal lost from two sets up for the first time in his career; on Tuesday he lost in the opening round in Melbourne for the first time. In both cases Nadal let a lead slip: He won the first two sets against Fognini, and he was up two sets to one against Verdasco. And in both cases Nadal’s game, rather than grinding his opponent down the way it once did, allowed that opponent to play the best tennis of his career. By the fifth set, Fognini and Verdasco were, as we used to say, "treeing"—they had taken their games to new heights. You could say the same thing about Novak Djokovic in his last match against Rafa, in Doha earlier this month. In all three
flip flopping” on the issue of extending tax cuts for the wealthy, which he vowed to let expire, President Obama responded that “this has to do with what can we get done right now.” “We can’t get my preferred option though the Senate right now,” he said. “As a consequence, as of January 1st, the average family is going to see their taxes go up about $3000. At the end of this month, about 2 million people are going to lose their jobless benefits.” Budget estimates predict the tax cut extension will add over $700 billion to the national debt. “Now if there was not collateral damage, if this was just a matter of my politics, or being able to persuade the American people to my side, then I would just stick to my guns,” President Obama said. “Because the fact of the matter is, the American people already agree with me. There are polls showing right now that the American people for the most part think it’s a bad idea to provide tax cuts to the wealthy.” But he said the extension of the middle class tax cuts were being held hostage by the Republican Party, whose “single most important thing they have to fight for” was tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, which he described as the Republicans’ “holy grail.” “I’ve said before that I felt that the middle-class tax cuts were being held hostage to the high-end tax cuts,” President Obama said. “I think it’s tempting not to negotiate with hostage takers — unless the hostage gets harmed. Then, people will question the wisdom of that strategy.” “In this case, the hostage was the American people, and I was not willing to see them get harmed,” he said. President Obama agreed to extend the tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans for two years, but said he continues to oppose the tax cuts and plans to fight their extension again in two years. As part of the tax cut compromise, Republicans agreed to extend unemployment benefits at their current level for 13 months. The deal also includes a two year extension of the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which were mostly opposed by Republicans. Last week, Republicans blocked a bill to extend unemployment benefits for nearly two million job-seeking Americans. If no benefit extension is passed, an additional several hundred thousand unemployed workers are expected to lose their benefits every month thereafter. Democrats have expressed anger at the president for compromising with the Republicans. “Senate Republicans have successfully used the fragile economic security of our middle class and the hardship of millions of jobless Americans as bargaining chips to secure tax breaks for the very wealthiest among us,” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said. This video is from CNN’s Newsroom, broadcast Dec. 7, 2010.HOUSTON – The Miami Heat remain in the playoff picture, just two games out of the eighth spot, despite dropping their last two games. The Heat still have some work to do. A recent 13-game winning streak put them in position to play meaningful games at least through the end of February. Now comes the difficult part of maintaining that momentum into the spring and beating out three or four teams for one of the final two spots. Getting to the postseason would be rewarding and advancing to the second round would take an upset of epic proportions. That is the basis of one of our questions this week, from sports radio talk show host Evan Cohen, who you can hear on Sirius XM and ESPN West Palm Beach. If you weren’t able to submit a question this week, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter to @Anthony_Chiang and @tomdangelo44. From @EvCoRadio: What’s better #1 overall pick or 1st rd w over CLE? To me it isn’t close. Securing the first pick in the draft likely means stumbling to one of the three worst records in the league. Qualifying for the playoffs means a competitive, satisfying final couple of months to a season that completely turned after one of the worst starts in franchise history. And then to follow that up with a historic upset of the defending champions. … Just making the playoffs means the Heat would have received contributions from some unlikely sources plus several players would have progressed in their development. If Miami is able to finish.500 or better, and while doing so push players like Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson and Rodney McGruder beyond the limits they had shown in their careers, this will only make the Heat more attractive when it comes to free agents. And for that team to do the unthinkable and knock off LeBron James, just think of the momentum this franchise would carry into the offseason, and still with about $40 million to spend on free agents. Teams that celebrate winning the lottery are only celebrating their failure. And having a high draft pick – or multiple high picks – guarantees you nothing. The Heat once had the second pick in the draft and took Michael Beasley. How did that work out? And how are the Lakers and 76ers doing with all of their recent high lottery picks? Sure, both have some nice young players but neither is close to being a contender. In fact, to make this question even more realistic: If I’m part of the Heat brain trust, I would rather qualify for the playoffs and lose in the first round than be bad enough for a chance at the No. 1 pick. And a guy with a pretty solid resume feels the same way. From @ChrisHypeTrain: Do you think what happened with Jim Dolan and the Knicks could ever happen with Micky Arison and the Heat? Let me think about that: NO. NEVER. NOT A CHANCE. Can I say it any louder? First of all, comparing the ownership skills of Jim Dolan to Micky Arison is like comparing quarterback skills of Evan Cohen to Tom Brady. (Evan once threw eight interceptions in a high school game while Brady. … he’s pretty good.) The only comparison in South Florida to the Knicks’ ineptitude when it comes to running a professional sports franchise is to the Marlins and Jeffrey Loria. For more than a decade South Florida has witnessed the best and worst on how to run a franchise with Arison’s tenure in Miami qualifying as one of the more successful in pro sports. Few owners have run their franchise better than Arison and it started by bringing in Pat Riley and allowing him, and the rest of the basketball operations staff, to worry about the product on the court without a meddling owner looking over their shoulders. The result has been three titles and five trips to the NBA Finals, which means since the 2005-06 season the Heat have as many championship banners hanging from the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena as the Knicks and Dolan have winning seasons. The sad situation in New York – capped by the Charles Oakley embarrassment last week – stems from Dolan turning the Knicks into one of the more dysfunctional franchises in all of sports and losing all respect from former players. That could not be further from what has gone on with the Heat under Arison. [Hassan Whiteside and Miami Heat move past frustration from Monday’s loss to Magic] [Want more Heat news sent directly to your Facebook feed? Make sure to like our Heat Facebook page]On a warm morning in early August, a 68-year-old Chechen man named Said-Emin Ibragimov packed up his fishing gear and walked to his favorite spot on the west bank of the river that runs through Strasbourg, the city of his exile in eastern France. Ibragimov, who was a minister in the breakaway Chechen government in the 1990s, needed to calm his nerves, and his favorite way to relax was to watch the Ill River, a tributary of the Rhine, flow by as he waited for a fish to bite. Ibragimov had reason to be nervous. The previous month he had accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes in a criminal complaint he had sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to the Kremlin. Ibragimov had taken five years to compile evidence of what he considered crimes committed during Russia’s two wars against separatists in the Russian republic of Chechnya. During the second Chechen war, which Putin oversaw in 1999–2000, Russia bombarded the Chechen capital of Grozny and killed thousands of civilians. The U.N. later called Grozny “the most destroyed city on earth.” Ibragimov, who fled to France in 2001, was living out the last years of his life in political asylum but had continued to agitate against the Putin government, staging hunger strikes and sometimes one-man protests at sites like the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He had made his home in what he thought was a safe place—Strasbourg is also the seat of the European Court of Human Rights, and a city far from the countries on Russia’s borders over which Putin seemed increasingly determined to exert the Kremlin’s influence. But in his decade as a politician in Chechnya, Ibragimov had dealt with numerous threats, beatings and attempts to kill him, so what happened about an hour after he sat down on his folding chair on the banks of the Ill did not, in retrospect, entirely surprise him. As he stared at the nylon line he had cast into the sluggish current of the river, he heard a rustling in the trees behind him and, before he could turn, he felt a heavy blow to the back of the skull. It knocked him unconscious. When he awoke, he tells TIME, he found himself blindfolded and in the custody of at least three men, all of them speaking Russian. Calmly at first, they urged him to stop “defaming their President,” but when Ibragimov told them in response that he “does not take orders from thugs,” the men began to beat and torture him, he says. The abuse continued over the course of nearly two days. Ibragimov says the men spoke Russian with no accents—“like Muscovites,” he recalls, “definitely not Chechens.” He does not know who the men were, but from their accents, their words and their actions, he believes them to have been agents of the Russian government. Ten days after the abduction, Ibragimov showed TIME the wounds he claims the men inflicted. Deep, yellowing lesions marked his chest—the result, he said, of lit cigarettes being pressed into his skin over and over again. Lifting the hem of his pants, he revealed several holes that had been gouged into his right calf by what had felt like metal spikes. The wounds were still oozing blood into the bandages doctors had applied when he later sought treatment. “They never let up,” he says of his attackers. “The torture was constant, constant, and it left me in no state to consider why this was happening.” In a statement to TIME, the Kremlin said it had no knowledge of the attack against Ibragimov in Strasbourg or of his complaint against Putin to the ICC. “To our mind,” wrote Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, in the statement, “the words of Mr. Ibragimov that he was kidnapped and tortured by ‘agents of the Russian state,’ as he stated, put his mental health in doubt.” While it is not possible to say who was behind the attack on Ibragimov, the assault on the Chechen dissident comes at a time when the West is facing covert Russian activity at a level not seen since the end of the Cold War. Russia’s incursions in Ukraine, starting with the invasion and annexation of Crimea in March, have relied heavily on Russia’s clandestine services, which have proved adept at operating well outside of Russia’s borders. That has increased the concern among dissidents like Ibragimov and Western officials who fear an emboldened Kremlin might expand the reach of Russia’s security services beyond Ukraine. “Having seen how Russia acts within the framework of what we call hybrid warfare, I really don’t exclude anything when it comes to Russian operations in other countries,” says Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who recently finished his term as Secretary-General of the NATO alliance, which includes the U.S., the U.K., France and 25 of their allies. “Obviously that is a major concern.” Photograph by Dmitry Kostyukov for TIME Even in major European cities like London, Vienna and Berlin, opponents of the Russian state have felt little safety in exile during Putin’s tenure as President. Dissidents and their European host governments have also found that acts of murder and intimidation can be hard to prosecute when their trails seem to lead back to Russia. In August, Russian authorities formally refused to cooperate with a British public inquiry into the 2006 murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who was poisoned to death in London after he publicly accused Putin of mass murder. On his deathbed, Litvinenko said only Putin could have ordered the mission to kill him with a lethal dose of radioactive polonium, which had been slipped into the whistle-blower’s tea. The Kremlin denies any involvement in Litvinenko’s murder. More recently, the Estonian government accused agents of the Russian FSB security service, the post-Soviet successor to the KGB, of kidnapping an Estonian security officer on Sept. 5 and taking him back to Moscow, where he is now facing charges for espionage. Though the FSB denied any cross-border incursion, the case has deepened fears in Europe that Putin, a retired colonel of the KGB who served as director of the FSB before becoming President, has ordered his security services to operate more assertively beyond Russia’s borders. That alarms some of Putin’s opponents who live in exile in Europe. “It is something I have to live with,” says Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who spent a decade in prison in Russia after being convicted of tax evasion and fraud. (Khodorkovsky had become increasingly politically active and critical of Putin in the run-up to his arrest in 2003, and human-rights groups consider his prosecution to have been politically motivated.) Upon his release in December, Khodorkovsky took refuge in Switzerland and has continued organizing against the Putin regime from abroad, launching an online forum in September to help coordinate the Russian dissident movement and its supporters. While promoting the project on a recent visit to Berlin, he tells TIME he believes that his life is still in danger. “If Putin makes a decision to physically eliminate me, it will not be easy for me to survive, not even in Europe,” he says. “I accept this.” All the more so, he says, since Russia’s aggression in Ukraine “untied the hands” of the military hawks who have Putin’s ear in the Kremlin. “In his inner circle, there are people who are more and more inclined to the use of force, and we see that they carry out such operations,” Khodorkovsky says. “In Ukraine this was very clear.” In Western Europe, officials say many operations conducted by agents of the Russian government go unnoticed or unreported. “The Russian security services themselves—not only the military, civilian and police, but also their proxies because they use a lot of proxies—are currently very, very active in the Western world,” says Arnaud Danjean, who previously served in the French military intelligence agency and now chairs the Subcommittee on Security and Defense at the Strasbourg-based European Parliament. Though Danjean had not been aware of the specific attack against Ibragimov, he says it would hardly be a novelty for Russia. “When you have a former KGB [agent] as the head of state, it is no surprise that you have these things occurring.” Photograph by Dmitry Kostyukov for TIME The abduction in Strasbourg may not have been the first time Ibragimov had been a target for Russian operatives or people loyal to the Kremlin. In the spring of 2009, Ibragimov says, a lawyer with ties to the state’s prosecutor’s office in Paris gave him an investigative report written by a French prosecutor that describes an apparent attempt to kill Ibragimov that year. The report, whose authenticity was confirmed to TIME by a Ministry of Justice official whose name appears on the document, indicates that the French police had discovered and prevented a Russian-linked plot to kill several political refugees from Chechnya on French soil. According to the report, which was written as a request to authorities in Turkey for information on a suspect, French investigators believed that the group of assassins could have traveled from Russia through Belarus and into the European Union to kill Ibragimov and several other “opponents” in France. The document also states that in early March of that year, the counterterrorism section of the Paris prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary inquiry into the assassination plot against Ibragimov, seeking to “identify the team of killers, as well as any logistical support they could receive in order to carry out their deadly activities on French territory.” (French officials declined to comment on the outcome of the probe.) The timing of the alleged 2009 plot coincides with the period when Ibragimov says he began researching the possibility of bringing charges against Putin at the ICC. It would soon become an obsession for him. The ICC, which is based in the Dutch city of the Hague, held some promise of closure, if not also justice, for the victims of Russia’s war in Chechnya in 1999–2000. That war re-established Moscow’s control over the separatist republic and helped launch Putin’s political career, but in the process thousands of Chechens were killed in Russian bombing raids, including many of Ibragimov’s relatives and friends. The war also forced Ibragimov to flee his homeland. From his tiny apartment in a Strasbourg suburb called Ostwald—“my bachelor pad,” he calls it—he worked for five years, living off the government welfare that his French asylum affords him, to prepare his complaint to the ICC, accusing Putin of crimes against humanity and genocide. Most of the effort was spent harvesting potential evidence from open sources and studying all the relevant treaties and legal precedents that could apply to the case. He quickly realized that it was a hopeless—or at least quixotic—venture. Like the U.S. and more than two dozen other countries, Russia does not recognize ICC rulings against its citizens, because it has not ratified the court’s founding treaty, which is known as the Rome Statute. But he was undeterred. “The Hague is the highest court of human rights,” he told TIME in Strasbourg during a series of interviews in August. “I just want them to make a final decision on the Chechen question, to put it to rest. Can Putin be charged with war crimes or not?” Photograph by Dmitry Kostyukov for TIME When he finally finished the complaint in early July, it came to 98 pages of evidence, and he says he sent one copy to the Kremlin and one to the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. Four weeks passed with no reply, except the threatening phone calls Ibragimov says he received on his cell phone. A Russian voice would come on the line from an anonymous number, he says, and advise him to “stop his foolishness.” Before the line went dead, the calm, almost plaintive caller would warn him that, otherwise, “something bad might happen.” The threats did not come as a complete shock to Ibragimov. While serving as Chechnya’s Minister of Communications, during the republic’s brief run at independence in the 1990s, he survived an attempt on his life and faced countless threats. While rallying support in Turkey for the cause of Chechen independence in 1996, three men attacked him outside his rented apartment in Istanbul and stabbed him seven times. It took him several months to recover from those injuries. In early August, after a month with no response from the ICC, Ibragimov decided to begin another hunger strike until the court gave him an answer, a push for publicity that began to make headlines in the online Chechen press. That’s when he says he was attacked on the bank of the river, just a few steps away from a leafy trail where French families walk their dogs and ride their bikes. According to the sworn deposition he later gave police in Strasbourg, he was blindfolded, beaten and tortured. He recalls one of his captors telling him to stop his activism or he would wind up in Lubyanka, the former headquarters of the KGB in Moscow that now houses the FSB. “They never referred to Putin by name,” he says. “They just said I had defamed their President.” When he tried to resist, Ibragimov says, his captors handcuffed him and began using torture to force him to sign a piece of paper he could not see. It also seems clear that his captors were not trying to kill him. He recalls one of the assailants telling another, “Don’t touch the left side [of Ibragimov’s chest]. He’s got a bad heart.” The torment ended on Aug. 10 when, he says, he woke up in a patch of forest on the outskirts of Strasbourg and managed to walk to a nearby road, his clothes covered in blood. After receiving treatment for his injuries at a local hospital, he filed a report with the Strasbourg police, who opened an investigation into the alleged kidnapping and torture, according to a copy of the report. (A spokesman for the Strasbourg police confirmed that they are investigating the case but declined to comment on the progress of the investigation, citing official policy.) What bothers Ibragimov the most about the French response is that authorities have offered him no protection, just as they failed to do after discovering the previous plot to assassinate him. Senior officials at the agency that worked on that case in 2009 did not reply to e-mailed requests for comment, and the only French officials who agreed to discuss it with TIME were current and former lawmakers and members of the European Parliament. One of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has known Ibragimov for years from his activism in Strasbourg, and he says he was horrified to learn of the attack. “He was always an earnest, serious gentleman, and he was very persistent,” says the lawmaker. “But he is harmless.” That assessment seems correct. In a statement to TIME, a spokesperson for the ICC, Nicola Fletcher, said it would analyze Ibragimov’s charges. “As soon as we reach a decision, we will inform the sender and provide reasons for our decision.” But the result is something of a foregone conclusion; under the ICC mandate, it can only adjudicate crimes committed after its founding treaty came into force in 2002. The war in Chechnya ended two years earlier. So using violence to force Ibragimov to withdraw his complaint would make little practical sense—apart from a desire to repress any such allegations. Ibragimov also sees another possible motive. “They want to show that they can get to anyone, anywhere,” he says. “No one can stop them.” Not even in the heart of Europe. —With reporting by Vivienne Walt/Paris, Naina Bajekal/London and Nikhil Kumar and Bryan Walsh/New York– IMPACT REPORT – At the beginning of the Cold-War era, America focused it’s nuclear programs on Breeder reactors that produced materials for weapons, as did the Soviets. When the Oil Crisis hit in ’72, all newly built reactors fell in line with this objective, and Uranium has dominated since. As a result of this Tipping Point, the best Energy Alternatives were sidelined up until just recently. During a Nuclear Renaissance, we’re free to correct past mistakes, and re-examine Thorium as the safer, cleaner fuel of the Future! Thorium: Fueling a Limitless Future As we all continue to waste enormous amounts of precious time and energy on re-hashing the nuclear debate, while continuing to poison and destroy our natural (and even socio-political) environment with all the toxic byproducts of the pre-dominant methods of fossil-fueled based energy production, perhaps we could also consider some of the cleaner alternatives which ironically have been waiting in the wings since they were first discovered way back at the dawn of the Cold War Era. To learn about the historical mistakes that caused Thorium Energy to be delayed until now… CLICK HERE (opens in a new page) Just below, is quite possibly the very best, most condensed and comprehensive explanation of not only how nuclear energy is derived, but also how Thorium-based reactions are a superb alternative to Uranium based energy. This video also covers the tragic reasons why Thorium energy was buried by Uranium-based fission, and includes a complete explanation of how liquid fluoride Thorium reactors (LFTR) could in fact be the magical silver bullet that will enable a sustainable version of our highly industrialized Society! If you’re curious, then just continue reading about how and why ( a long suppressed) Thorium-nuclear based energy grid could be our best and possibly last chance for surviving the Fossil-Fuel age. WARNING: This material is dense, fast, and superbly comprehensive! Are you ready to explore the Future? Then click below for MORE… We should pause to briefly clarify the paths available for proceeding into a future where we leave the fossil-fuel age far behind us. Solar and Wind can definitely help us do this on smaller scales, however without radically limiting our current Consumption (not necessarily a bad thing), nobody with a realistic sense of economics and social behavior expects these marginal sources scale up sufficiently to meet our baseload requirements at any point in the near future. That’s not to say that new forms of PV or mechanical generation can’t be realized in the future (using solar and wind as sources), but rather that we need to be ever-mindful of the inescapable fact that we just don’t have the luxury of time to develop these marginal sources, while constantly burning through hydrocarbons to sustain us in the meantime. Therefore the rhetorical debates around Pro/Anti-Nuclear energy can and should be put into their proper Future perspectives for at least two very good reasons: 1> Leading experts in the Green Movement have already started a Cultural shift away from the traditional fears of historical nuclear programs, by putting the ” dangerous waste and weapons” issues into a more realistic and long term view of their impacts, in relation to the immediate and ongoing damages from our current Energy sources and usage patterns. ie. – Former Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale says “atomic power is an important way forward in climate change battle” – Greenpeace Co-Founder Patrick Moore says “Nuclear energy may just be the energy source that can save our planet from another possible disaster: catastrophic climate change!” – Global warming scientists like James Hansen was among the first to sound the Global Warming alarm, and has since become a proponent of Thorium fueled energy. 2> Thorium is a form of fuel that could revolutionize the entire nuclear energy industry by completely changing the supply/enrichment, production methods, reactor fuel cycle and by-products, as well as the resulting waste and weaponization risks of nuclear energy. Although the use of Thorium was abandoned at the beginning of the nuclear age, due to the weaponization potential of Uranium (a pivotal tipping point in history), it is now poised to make a major re-surgence in it’s Future potential…and could in fact divert Humanity away from a course to ecological oblivion. Here’s a quick overview of the (posibly supressed) long-held and promised benefits of Thorium: These are benefits not only to the future of Energy production, but also in the resulting elimination of the factors that contribute to the weaponization potential within Uranium-based nuclear energy processes, and all their dangerous by-products. Thorium is named for the Norse god of thunder, and it’s an Actinide that can produce a form of fission that is almost self sustaining produce more neutrons per collision than conventional fuel. The more neutrons per collision, the more energy generated, the less total fuel consumed, and the less radioactive nastiness left behind. It is plentiful in nature, and virtually inexhaustible. It is very abundant in the US (at least 175,000 tons) of the stuff, and doesn’t require costly processing or enrichment. It is safe. You could carry a lump of it in your pocket without harm! It dissolves in hot liquid fluoride salts, which enables a self-regulating form of fission that can never cascade out of control, or result in core “melt-down” scenarios. This is the principal behind the “Liquid Flouride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) or “lifter” design. US reactor base could be converted to LFTRs and existing domestic thorium reserves would power the US for a thousand years. After it has been used as fuel for power plants, the element leaves behind minuscule amounts of waste. And that waste needs to be stored for only a few hundred years (short half-life), not a few hundred thousand like other nuclear byproducts. It’s also one of only a few fissionable substances that acts as a thermal breeder, in theory creating enough new fuel as it breaks down to sustain a high-temperature chain reaction indefinitely. It’s reaction process is very self-regulating, and can be stopped and started very quickly/efficiently, which makes it an ideal source of both highly adaptable ‘baseload’ as well as ‘balancing power’ in future electrical grids – Which are expected to fluctuate greatly with the increasing use of highly variable/fluctuating wind and solar energy availability. Based on the much higher reactor costs (compared to graphite moderated uranium piles), the inherent U232 contamination of Thorium reaction, the enormous costs and challenges of modifying the reaction cycles of Thorium to eliminate the U232 contamination, and finally the much greater challenges of handling such “hot” by-product, it would be virtually impossible for the byproducts of a thorium reactor to be used by terrorists or anyone else to make nuclear weapons. Essentially, LFTR is a complex reactor to design (and even more costly to modify) and would not be even remotely close to the reactor of choice for aspiring nuclear-weapons states. Thorium reactors can be used to consume spent Uranium fuel, and other by-products including the materials from de-commisioned weapons which are currently in storage. The use of Thorium as the primary fuel source in the future, would also eliminate the need to mine, process and enrich Uranium on such a large scale, and thus make it increasingly unavailable for any weapons projects. Thorium based nuclear energy would also relieve the strain and demand on current energy supplies, and thus greatly negate the possibility of Future wars being waged over conventional energy resources. In short, eliminating the need to wage wars for access to Oil and Gas! Country Th Reserves (tonnes) Th Reserve Base (tonnes) Australia 300,000 340,000 India 290,000 300,000 Norway 170,000 180,000 United States 160,000 300,000 Canada 100,000 100,000 South Africa 35,000 39,000 Brazil 16,000 18,000 Malaysia 4,500 4,500 Other Countries 95,000 100,000 World Total 1,200,000 1,400,000 There is so much more to explore on this subject obviously… In the meantime, you can enjoy this excellent presentation by Joe Bonometti, who gave a Google Tech talk on liquid fluoride thorium reactors:Pencils by Nat Jones, Inks by Richard Bonk, Flats by Hector Rubilar, Colours by Matt James Pencils by Komus, Inks and Colours by Matt James Pencils by Komus, Inks by Matt James So, I have a couple of pieces I worked on this week. First off, an awesome Death Dealer image from Nat Jones and Richard Bonk - with Flats by Hector Rubilar. This was my first attempt working with someone else's flats, and while I don't think it particularly saved me much time with my final image, I am definitely not opposed to trying it again (in fact I have already grabbed a few flatted images from DevinatArt for me to work with.)Next up, I inked and coloured a pic of Cyclops from the X-Men, which was pencilled by Komus. It was pointed out to me by Sean Ellery, an artist I respect greatly, that the pencils had a very David Finch feel about them - and I really do not see that as a bad thing.Anyways, check out this weeks work, and let me know what you think.Don't forget I also maintain a Facebook page and DevaintArt profile (both of which receive more frequent updates than the once a week I am currently doing on this blog!)It's almost the most wonderful time of the year in Toronto. That's right, TIFF kicks off next week and it's set to transform our city into a glittery, celebrity-filled hot spot, especially for the first four days of the festival when five blocks of King Street become a pedestrian-only promenade. But not everyone's too pleased about this Festival Street initiative, especially if you rely on the 504 to get to and from work. The streetcar will be diverted from September 8 to 11. According to the TTC website, the "504 King streetcar will be split into east and west sections. There will be no streetcar service between York Street and Charlotte Street." Here's what service will look like next week: East section: from Broadview Station, streetcars will travel west on King Street, south on Church Street, west on Wellington Street, north on York Street and east on King Street returning to Broadview Station. West section: from Dundas West Station, streetcars will travel east on King Street, north on Spadina Avenue, east on Adelaide, south on Charlotte, west on King to Dundas West Station. There will also be supplemental buses running, but be prepared for a significantly longer commute than usual. As the Toronto Star reports, this King Street closure has had an impact on the TTC's service in the past. And even though the transit agency's brought its concerns to the city, Festival Street is a go for 2016. Photo by Jesse Milns.Ask any experienced backpacker or outdoors-man and they will tell you that the single most important piece of equipment is their shoes. Take away his or her knife, tent or jacket and a resourceful person may still find a way to survive but…. By FerFal, a special guest post for SurvivalCache.com Author of “Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse“ ……without good shoes a person’s chances are significantly reduced. Caveman Shoes Poor footwear limits your ability to move and you lose heat fast through your feet. In some conditions, taking away a man’s boots is a death sentence. Given the new Bushcraft and back to basics revival the casual reader may believe that in the good old days people went by barefoot. This isn’t an accurate estimation. There´s been archeological discoveries showing the existence of sandals as far as 500,000 BC. While some societies did use to go barefoot, mostly thanks to permissive climate and topography, at the same period other civilizations saw the advantage of proper footwear. The Romans dominated and marched all over the known world using tough hobnailed sandals. They were made of strips of leather reinforced all over with iron nails and studs for added traction and feet protection. Survival Shoes Today, intelligent selection of shoes presents several advantages as well. While most people will go along with what fashion dictates at the time, the modern survivor should have other considerations in mind. I can relate a couple good examples of the advantages provided by proper shoe selection. During a trip to Spain with my wife and two kids we experienced car problems in the middle of the highway. There was no sidewalk and the only thing we could do was walk along the side of the road between the guardrail and the railway’s fence. This place was roughly two feet across and full of tall grass and junk, everything from cans to broken glass bottles. Having trekking shoes made the little ordeal easier. My wife and oldest son had to advance carefully, and given that had better shoes I could advance with better footing while carrying our youngest child. The strobe in my LED flashlight proved to be a lifesaver when crossing that highway as well, signaling the cars to stop as we crossed. In the crowded trains of Buenos Aires, having working boots with steel toe protected my feet from the unavoidable stomping by the human mass of commuters that packed into the wagons like sardines in a can. Those same shoes proved to be too much during a hand to hand fighting class and I had to change them so as to spar safely with a partner. Its nice to know that if the need arises, you can kick with a steel toe shoe. Footwear Requirements for the Modern Survivalist The shoes you chose should be above all comfortable yet tough so as to tolerate more abuse than common footwear chosen for esthetics purposes alone. Thanks to the broad selection available, its not hard to find something both functional and esthetically pleasing for common casual ware. Soles should be thick enough to provide adequate insulation as well as being slip resistant. The material surrounding the feet must tolerate a reasonable amount of wear and tear and breathable waterproof layers such as Gore-Tex are preferred. Cross trainers or hiking shoes would fill these requirements nicely. Columbia, New Balance, Nike, Hi-Tec and Timberland are just some of the better known brands out there that offer such footwear. I have found that working boots and shoes have some of these traits and more. Usually they will come with oil, slip and electric shock resistant soles, materials that can tolerate chemical spills better, rugged leather construction, steel or reinforced plastic toes and puncture resistant soles. Imagine how useful this could prove to be after all kinds of disasters, from earthquakes and tornadoes to terrorist attacks, where debris cover the ground and broken electric cables present a danger all around you. Imagine a 9/11 scenario. You may have to crawl and climb your way through collapsed structures and then walk miles getting away from the potential danger. While trekking boots and light trekking shoes are good and look nice, I’ve found that safety shoes such as the ones made by Caterpillar give you more resistance and better capabilities for the money. The cheapest models are more functional and better suited for work environment, but in most lines of safety shoes their top of the line offerings will not only be neat looking and well made, but comfortable as well without losing the desirable specifications. Now you know that there’s more to footwear than just walking comfortably and having rugged looking soles. Look around and find something that fits what you need! By Fernando Aguirre (FerFal) About FerFal’s book: My book is a Modern Survival Manual based on first hand experience of the 2001 Economic Collapse in Argentina. In it you will find a variety of subjects that I consider essential if a person wants to be prepared for tougher times: 1. How to prepare your family, yourself, your home and your vehicle 2. How to prepare your finances so that you don’t suffer what millions in my country went through 3. How to prepare your supplies for food shortages and power failures 4. How to
thing that's expanded as quickly as the number of people we throw behind bars, according to Oliver. He attributes this boom in incarceration to doing away with a mental health system, to excessively long sentences, and to a War on Drugs that has failed to impact drug use and forced millions under correctional control. He's right. For years we've been told that in order to have safe streets, we need to aggressively incarcerate large swaths of the population. But that simply isn't true. Many people end up behind bars for reasons that have very little to do with public safety. And that's why we're continuing to see the crime rate fall even as we begin to cut unnecessary incarceration. It's happening in state after state. This is good news: We can cut crime and protect communities while ending our overreliance on incarceration. Our new infographic shows just some of the states that have successfully lowered their crime rate and brought down their incarceration levels. It's possible to do both. And for the health of our communities, it's time for the rest of the states to catch up. The trend of higher incarceration leading to higher crime shouldn't surprise us. We know that the rapid expansion of our criminal justice system reached a fever pitch over the last 40 years. We know that far too many things can land you behind bars, things like homelessness or drug addiction or mental illness. And we know that courts have been meting out irrationally long sentences, like 50 years for stealing a $35 rack of ribs. When we remove people from their communities for reasons that have no business being crimes, too often for decades on end, subject them to dangerous and dirty prisons, and then send them back home where they will face barrier after barrier in their attempt to find a job or housing, it hardly sets people up for success. Not only that, but putting millions of people behind bars does real harm to families, to our communities, to our states' budgets, to our economy, and to the hope of eradicating institutionalized racism. The list goes on. So next time someone tries to tell you that stuffed prisons make our streets safer, send them this link. We all want to live in safe communities, and to do so we must insist that our criminal justice policies actually enhance safety and not just the illusion of it. The truth is that mass incarceration undermines safety and it's time to make it a thing of the past.In this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, photo Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel watches on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, in Cleveland. Police have released a dash-cam video and 9-1-1 emergency calls from a roadside incident involving Manziel. The former Heisman Trophy winner was questioned by Avon, Ohio, police last week after Manziel got into an argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. (AP Photo/Aaron Josefczyk) According to a Fort Worth police report, officers responded to a report of a possible assault at the Berkeley Luxury Apartment Homes near TCU around 2 a.m. and talked with a 23-year-old woman who stated she was involved in a disturbance with her ex-boyfriend earlier in the evening in Dallas. "The preliminary investigation determined that a possible assault had occurred in that jurisdiction or multiple jurisdictions," the report states. "The complainant was uncooperative with officers on scene, and they were unable to locate a crime scene within the Fort Worth jurisdiction, however, our officers prepared a report nonetheless, and that information was forwarded to detectives for further investigation." The report also states the woman was concerned about the well-being of her ex-boyfriend -- who Fort Worth police publicly stated on Twitter was Manziel -- which launched an effort to locate him that involved the police's "Air One Unit," a helicopter. They later determined that Manziel wasn't in danger. The Dallas Police Department acknowledged "it had been notified by the Fort Worth Police Department of a possible offense that may have occurred within the Dallas city limits" and are in the preliminary stages of investigating the case. Manziel had been dating Colleen Crowley, but the two appear to have split up, deleting photos of one another from their Instagram accounts. In October, Manziel was questioned by Ohio police after he and Crowley were involved in a heated argument on a highway. According to the police report from that time, Manziel was driving at a high rate of speed and passed cars on the shoulder before police were called. In a dashboard camera recording, Crowley told police Manziel hit her a few times and that she threw his wallet out of the window after Manziel took her phone and wouldn't give it back. No charges were filed.Insist Amazon Pay the UK Its Fair Share of Taxes by: Susan V recipient: Amazon Amazon is not paying its fair share of taxes, says UK’s chair of public accounts Margaret Hodge. And she’s urging consumers to boycott until it does. Hodge says it’s an “outrage” that the Seattle-based company has finagled its way out paying a lot of taxes by having payments for products ordered by European shoppers channeled through one of its subsidiaries in low-tax Luxembourg. For the average worker who pays taxes, it’s unfair, says at least one Member of Parliament, when an American multinational gets away with such large-scale tax avoidance. Furthermore Amazon is damaging British jobs, because small bookshops and even larger ones can’t compete with Amazon’s prices, because they do pay their fair share of taxes. Amazon’s Christopher North defends the company’s practice by insisting it’s legal. Which is why leaders are looking at international tax laws and reforms for multinationals. But in the meantime boycotting is also legal, and Hodge is urging British shoppers to practice this action that worked so well on Starbucks the year before. Insist Amazon pay the UK its fair share of taxes! read petition letter ▾ We, the undersigned, agree consumers have the power to make Amazon pay its fair share of taxes. According to reports, Amazon is not only getting an unfair advantage over other book retailers because it pays less taxes, but it is also using its increased monetary power to take unfair advantage of workers and businesses with whom it’s negotiating. While Amazon continues to invest in the UK by expanding its warehouses, critics of the company claim it is setting up in poor neighborhoods and recruiting most of its workers from outside agencies and paying them minimum wage. The company benefits from huge state subsidies for building in rundown areas, but doesn’t pass on that advantage to those living there. Whatever its justification for paying less taxes, a company that sold £4.3 billion worth of goods can do better for its workers and the country that provides huge subsidies to support its expansion. We insist that Amazon pay its fair share of taxes!Several senators on both sides of the aisle rushed to back Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday as he sought to blunt resignation calls from senior Democrats, following revelations he met last year with Russia's ambassador – a detail omitted from recent congressional testimony. His defenders say such meetings between senators and diplomats were routine. And Sessions even got an inadvertent boost from Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who in demanding the AG's resignation initially claimed she never called or met with Russia's ambassador -- only for tweets to surface indicating she had, at least twice. Other former colleagues intentionally came to Sessions' defense, backing the former Alabama senator's claim he only met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I’ve met with the Russian ambassador with a group, in my capacity, with a group of other senators,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told CNN. “That’s in my official capacity. That’s nothing. That’s my job.” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement that he’d talked to “at least twenty ambassadors in the last six weeks.” “It would have been very normal for Sessions, as a senator, to have talked to the Russian ambassador without discussing the election,” Blunt said. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on MSNBC that he’d met with “six ambassadors in the last five months.” Though he hadn’t met with Kislyak, Cruz said he would do so without reservations. The statements of support came as other lawmakers -- including the two top-ranking Democrats, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer -- demanded Sessions' resignation. The calls came in the wake of The Washington Post first reporting that Sessions met with Kislyak in July and September, despite testimony during his confirmation hearing that he had never spoken with Russian officials during the time he was a campaign surrogate for then-GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. Sessions is maintaining he never discussed campaign matters with the Russian ambassador, and the White House has backed him. Sessions, while an Alabama senator, in fact met often with ambassadors from a variety of countries, according to a schedule provided to Fox News by a Department of Justice spokesperson. From April 14 through Nov. 11, Sessions had 30 meetings with ambassadors, including four with the ambassador for Great Britain. The day before then-Sen. Sessions met with Kislyak on Sept. 8, he took a meeting with Ukraine Ambassador Valeriy Chaly. Though it’s unclear what was discussed, the back-to-back meetings occurred a week before Russia accepted a unilateral ceasefire plan in Ukraine on behalf of the separatist rebels it backs there. Seeking to drive a stake into Sessions’ defense, however, McCaskill tweeted Thursday she had “been on the Armed Services Com for 10 years. No call or meeting w/Russian ambassador. Ever. Ambassadors call members of Foreign Rel Com.” Except, that’s not quite true. In a pair of tweets first unearthed by National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke, McCaskill twice wrote messages about meetings with Kislyak, in 2013 and 2015. “Off to meeting w/Russian Ambassador. Upset about the arbitrary/cruel decision to end all U.S. adoptions, even those in process,” McCaskill tweeted on Jan. 30, 2013. On Aug. 6, 2015, McCaskill wrote: “Today calls with British, Russian, and German ambassadors re: Iran deal. #doingmyhomework.” Today calls with British, Russian, and German Ambassadors re: Iran deal. #doingmyhomework — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) August 6, 2015 McCaskill later blamed Twitter's character limit for the seeming disparity in her tweets, suggesting the limit prevented her from being more specific in Thursday's tweet. She downplayed the significance of her own conversations with Russia's ambassador.Is this place or activity closed during certain parts of the year? Yes No Unsure Is this one of the best places or activities to watch the sunset? Yes No Unsure Is there a recommended dress code for this place or activity? Yes No Unsure Would you tell a friend to take a guided tour of this place? Yes No Unsure Would you recommend athletic wear for this place or activity? Yes No Unsure Does this place or activity have a Coffee Shop? Yes No Unsure Is this a place or activity you would go to on a rainy day? Yes No Unsure Is this attraction a "must-see" location? Yes No Unsure Does this place or activity allow pets? Yes No Unsure Are the prices for this place or activity budget-friendly? Yes No UnsureAP Reports that 99.8 Percent of Social Security Disability Payments Were Proper If you doubt that AP would write a story to make this point, you guessed correctly. AP actually decided it was REALLY BIG NEWS that Social Security's inspector general found evidence that 0.2 percent of payments were improper. The news service devoted a major article to reporting that $2 billion in benefit payments over the last seven years appear to have been given to people who did not qualify for disability. The piece neglected to mention that the program paid out close to $900 billion in benefits over that period. This means that improper payments identified in the inspector general's report were less than 0.3 percent of the total payments in the program. Since the piece does not provide any context it is likely that many people will be led to believe that the disability program is rife with fraud when in fact the report is indicating the opposite. It would be great if improper payments were zero, but in a program that pays out $140 billion in benefits every year, this is not going to happen. It makes sense to try to reduce improper payments as much as possible, but it doesn't make sense to spend $10 billion to eliminate $2 billion in improper payments. It is also important to note that there are undoubtedly people who should be getting disability who have been wrongfully denied benefit. We could have workers dying of cancer or unable to work due a heart attack or stroke or other disability who an a judge somehow decided was not eligible. If we put more pressure on judges to turn down claims then there will be more people improperly denied benefits. There is another important point to keep in mind when the media decided to highlight relatively small amounts of waste or improper payments in government programs. AP has this information because the government investigated its own payment practices and issued a public report. Walmart, GE, and other private companies don't disclose instances of fraud and improper payments so we aren't likely to read AP stories about the waste and abuse in the private sector. (They could do their own investigations, but that's another story.) Anyhow, if we start hearing political hysteria over $2 BILLION in improper disability payments over the coming months, remember to have sympathy for the folks who have problems with big numbers.A view of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Rosetta, showing the spacecraft's huge solar panels. This "selfie" was actually taken by Philae while still attached on Sep. 7, 2014. Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA A view of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Rosetta, showing the spacecraft's huge solar panels. This "selfie" was actually taken by Philae while still attached on Sep. 7, 2014. Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA Sen—Space scientists’ joy at renewing contact with their comet lander Philae has turned to frustration over efforts to establish a stable connection between the probe and its mothership Rosetta. Since Philae phoned home on June 13 for the first time after losing power last November, communications have been intermittent. Confirmed contacts have occurred during seven spells on June 14, 19, 20, 21, 23, and 24 but have not been enough to allow a useful exchange of data. Reporting on ESA’s Rosetta blog, space science editor Dr Emily Baldwin says that contact on June 19, for example, was stable but split into two periods lasting just two minutes each. A link on June 23 lasted only 20 seconds and was unstable. The following day, a 20-minute link was established, but the quality was patchy, allowing just 80 packets of telemetry to be received. Part of the problem is the geometry of the two spacecraft as they study Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta is orbiting the comet, but the comet itself is also rotating with a period of 12.4 hours, which means that Philae’s landing site is not always in view of Rosetta. The comet’s rotation also means that there are periods when Philae is out of sunlight and so failing to generate enough power via its solar panels to communicate. Computer models of how the comet is rotating beneath Rosetta suggest to the mission team that there should be windows during which they achieve contact between the mothership and Philae lasting between a few tens of minutes and up to three hours. The dream situation at such times would be for Philae to be powered-up and listening for Rosetta, establishing a link and then transmitting data, with a minimum contact period lasting at least 50 minutes. Dr Baldwin explains that the lander holds two mass memories and it takes about 20 minutes to send the contents of each to the orbiter. The situation is not helped by the need to keep Rosetta at a greater “safe” distance from Comet 67P at the moment as it becomes more active, warmed by the Sun and spraying jets of gas and dust on its approach to perihelion, the innermost point in its elliptical orbit through the Solar System, on Aug. 13. This greater distance means that Philae’s signal is much weaker than it would otherwise be. How the orbiter is oriented in space, and thus the way its antenna is pointed, can also affect communications. Because the mission scientists are unable to make any changes to Philae at present, their efforts are being focused on changing the orbit and orientation of Rosetta itself, while keeping the spacecraft’s safety the top priority. Its trajectory currently carries it over the comet’s terminator—the boundary between the lit and unlit sides. The ground track of this orbit is being shifted from +55° on June 24 to -8° on June 26, because better quality signals have been received when Rosetta was flying at lower latitudes. Following the landing in November, Rosetta was flying between latitudes of +15° to +25°, and Rosetta will gradually move northwards again from its -8° point to allow mission controllers to assess when it is at its optimum position. ESA’s Rosetta team is working closely with the Lander Control Centre at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, and the Lander Science Operations and Navigation Centre at the French space agency (CNES) in Toulouse to try to establish a useful and reliable link with Philae again. Dr Stephan Ulamec, Philae Project Manager at DLR, told Sen: “We are still trying hard to get longer and stable RF link between Lander and Orbiter.”It was fairly safe to say that Neptune worried her. She worried Histoire a lot. The blonde haired being watched nervously as the lavender haired girl began tying her shoelaces and prepared to go out on yet another quest...more specifically her sixth S Rank one. Even for a goddess, taking on several of the most difficult missions in the span of two days was a lot to handle. "Neptune, maybe you should consider taking IF with you today," She suggested. Deep down though, she knew her words would fail to persuade her. Neptune knew her role as Planeptune's CPU well. Protect the land. Help the people. It was a mantra she had done for years. Neptune shook her head, "Nope, no can do. She's probably really busy; the Guild is already swamped with hunt requests. Besides, it's just a couple of Ancient Dragons. I'll be done with them in no time." She stated as she got up from the carpeted floor and prepared to head out for yet another time. "Even a CPU has her limits. Your shares are not nearly high enough for you to keep up this reckless behavior and..." Histoire paused. Despite being Planeptune's Oracle, second only to the CPUs in terms of governmental power, she had become much more than Neptune's advisor over her reign. Just like the CPU before her... The lavender haired CPU gave a playful shrug and smiled at her fairy like friend, "I'll be fine, Histoire. I know what I'm doing." The grin faded as she headed for the exit of the small living room area, "I'm taking my N-gear so let me know if anything major happens before I get back." The blonde haired being could only nod, sighing as the CPU left. 'She seemed so tired…' Even though only a few minutes had passed since Neptune left, Histoire shook her head. No. Not anymore. She couldn't let her go alone. The Planeptunian Oracle pulled out phone from her pocket and started dialing, "Hello IF, it's Histoire…" Gamindustri. This world is made of four countries: Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee. Each land is ruled by a goddess, otherwise known as a CPU. Respectively, these deities are known as Purple Heart, Black Heart, Green Heart, and White Heart. The four countries compete with each other over an energy source called Shares, which are produced by the faith of the people in their respective goddess. The stronger their belief, the stronger their goddess is. However, due to a finite number of people in the world and thus a definitive amount of shares in the world, the CPUs have been locked in a battle known to all as the Console War since their birth. In the beginning of the current age, each land was combative and feuded with the other over shares. Now, things are more...tense. While no country has declared war in a few years, the boundaries have been drawn and the damage done. Treaties have been signed. Blood has been shed. And the memories of the past are firmly in the minds of all. And despite the dust settling, the world still waits for the next signs of smoke. "Cross Combination!" Purple Heart yelled as she brought down her sword on the last of the dragons. The beast gave a pitiful roar before dying in a flurry of pixels. The CPU of the Land of Purple Progress gave a heavy sigh, "That appears to be the last one." She gasped as she wave a of exhaustion hit her. Before she knew it, a flash of light surrounded the area as the Goddess returned to her human form. Neptune landed on the ground softly. She pulled out a small pink and purple, flat oval shaped device that her sister affectionately called the N-Gear from her pocket. Only an hour had passed since she started the quest and she had already reached her limit. Her time had decreased again. She shook her head. Then again, having only five percent (and refusing three percent of that for her sister's sake) of the world's shares would do that to a CPU. "At least the quest is done…" She murmured before turning to leave the dungeon. As she started down the path to exit Virtua Forest, a low growl caused her to freeze. Neptune turned and barely had time to jump out of a massive claw. As it impacted the ground, the creature's other "hand" swung out and slammed into the girl, sending her flying hard into the trees. She crashed head first into the hard trunk. Luckily, being a goddess had its perks. She groaned as she rubbed her head. Even in her human form, she could easily take a hit decently well. However, that didn't mean that taking damage didn't hurt. She turned her attention to the remaining ancient dragon as it gave a mighty roar. Neptune summoned her katana; the blade appearing out of a flurry of pixels. The girl was still out of gas from the last onslaught, making her CPU form unavailable. She gripped her sword's handle. Almost as if something (or someone) had the worst timing in the world, a dark orb appeared in front of the Ancient Dragon. Data flowed out of it, surrounding the beast and blackening its orange scales. As the sphere faded, it opened its yellow eyes are gave another loud roar. "Really…" The lavender haired girl mumbled as the beast changed and turned into a Viral Ancient Dragon. If she squinted, she could swear that it was smirking at her. She stared down the beast. Trying to find a way to escape would be best, but she couldn't just leave this thing for someone else to deal with. For someone else to get hurt by. For her to get hurt. She'll get hurt. You'll fail her ag- Neptune shook her head, blocking out the thoughts before they could manifest. No...no, she wouldn't allow it. Not again. Never again. Her purple eyes flashed dangerously. This monster was going down even if she had to give it more than her all! The dragon growled in delight, probably thinking that it had an easy kill since she hadn't moved since being tossed aside. However, Neptune wasn't a CPU for nothing. Raising her hand up, she focused the little share energy she had left in her system to the sky. Above her, a giant dark blue sword of digital data formed. "Eat this! 32 Bit Mega Blade!" Neptune yelled, launching the attack. The dragon snorted before swiping at the oncoming sword with its claw. It howled in pain as the digital blade ripped past it and embedded itself into its body. Digital pixels started to fly from its wound as it thrashed wildly, trying desperately to rip it out of its body. While it did so, its eyes locked with the purple ones of the CPU's. Neptune barely blinked before the thing charged her. Spinning on its foot, it slammed the purple haired goddess with its mighty tail. As she crashed onto the ground, her head was spinning. She looked around dazed for a moment before she was forced back onto the ground. by the large creature's foot. She could see spots in her vision; the increasing pressure forcing the air out of her lungs wasn't helping her stay conscious. It was times like these where she wished she didn't need to turn back into this. Despite being stronger than the actual thing, these human forms were so much weaker than their CPU ones. However share consumption and all prevent them from staying in their goddess states for an indefinite amount of time. Her vision blurred. She couldn't make any room for herself. The pressure wasn't increasing; the dragon's form began to flicker. In fact, it was beginning to disappear entirely, fading in and out. Though it was enough to get a tiny bit of air, the returning weight pushed it right back out. Her attack probably landed in a sweet spot, making it a one hit kill. However, even as it was dying, disappearing into pixels, it continued its quest to kill the CPU. Again, she tried desperately to get at least an inch to breathe to no avail. She only needed a few more seconds! Before the blackout set in, Neptune heard the sound of another loud roar as the pressure lifted. She was only able to able to get a large gulp of air before the dragon's foot came down on her again. Despite the strike being significantly weaker, the lavender haired girl was done, completely exhausted from working overtime. As her eyes fluttered shut and the creature disappeared into a flurry of data, she could faintly her the sound of someone calling her name. When that didn't get her fading consciousness's attention, the person started to drag her away. She didn't even have enough energy to fight back. Then...there was darkness. "Hey…I think she's waking up!" a cheery voice said before she started to hear the sound of rushing footsteps. Neptune's eyelids opened gently, trying to filter as much light as possible, "Ugghhh…what happened to me?" She moaned as she tried to take in her surroundings through squinted eyes. She could feel her head ache as she dared to open her eyes wider. After a few moments, she was able to properly see her environment. It was an orange room with two other girls and… The lavender haired girl closed her purple eyes and opened them once again. Nope, not a dream. There was definitely a fairy floating on a book in front of her. Said being wore a simple purple dress with a rather large white hat with a 'N' on it. Her blonde hair went down to her shoulders. She had two blue wings on her back that seemed to be composed of blue-pinkish triangles. However, she didn't seem to use them to hover in the air which apparently her book was used for. Her blue eyes looked at her with concern. "Good grief, Nep. Could you try not to scare us like that?" One of the girls said. She sounded like she was being sarcastic, but seemed just more relieved that she was up. The girl had brown hair with a leafy green bow in it that went about to middle of her back and wore a short black one piece with an 'i' on it that ended at about mid thigh. The fairy like being breathed a sigh of relief, "You had us worried that you wouldn't wake up. I can only hope now that you will take some time to recover properly." She said in a proper, but yet adorable fashion. "Don't worry, Histoire. I'll make sure Nep-Nep stays put in bed until she's better." The other girl said. Neptune wasn't sure why – perhaps it was that overly large syringe in the corner of the room – but had the feeling that she shouldn't test this one's patience. This girl wore a whitish armless sweater with sleeves in the same color and a short red skirt. In her orangish hair was a hairband with a 'C' on it. Her orange eyes watched her carefully as if the purple haired girl in question would suddenly flee, although her smile said otherwise. Neptune bit her lip. The three seemed so happy to see her awake. But... "Um, hey..." She started. It wouldn't be fair to them to keep leading them on, "I appreciate the concern and all but…who the heck are you guys?" A moment passed. The brunette was the first to react. She chuckled nervously, looking at the purplette with her emerald eyes, "Haha. Very funny. Even by your standards that's a pretty sad joke, Nep." The lavender haired girl shook her head, "I'm...I'm not lying. I don't know who any of you are." She sighed looking down at the purple sheet on the bed, "I don't know where I am. I don't even know who I am! And to be completely honest," She brought her head up and pointed at an object, "The scariest thing I don't know is why that giant syringe is in the corner?!" Seriously could a person actually lift that thing? What the hell needed an injection that large?! Wait...they didn't poke that thing into her while she was out did they?! Histoire looked back at the brunette, "IF, you said she had been slammed to the ground?" Histoire asked as the sweater wearing girl seemed to look over her, specifically around her head. IF nodded, her face was beginning to pale, "Yeah...you don't think that..." The blonde haired being grimaced, "It would appear that I do. A head injury coupled with her lack of shares..." She trailed off in a mumble before become audible again, "I suppose I should be happy that the quest was cleared but..." She turned to the purplette, "I'm sorry. I suppose you don't know what's going on do you?" The girl shook her head, "Not really. Kind of a blank slate here." Histoire sighed, "Compa, IF could you excuse us? I should probably inform Neptune as to what is happening. And please don't tell Nepgear yet. We can't keep this secret forever, but I'd like to assess the situation before we tell her." The two nodded. As they left silently, Histoire took a breath, "Well…just where to begin?" About thirty minutes later, Histoire let out a long, patient sigh. This amnesiac Neptune certainly wasn't the same as her Neptune. This one could barely make it through her talk without falling asleep and she wasn't even trying to lecture her! Though it was quickly becoming one. At first, she had been worried that she had been suffering even more serious repercussions of her injuries. Even though CPUs recovered significantly faster than humans, she was still working with a small amount of shares. However, it was soon becoming obvious that it wasn't some kind of side effect, but rather a new personality difference. Even after this extra abbreviated version, the fairy like construct wasn't sure if Neptune even grabbed a quarter of what she had said. Histoire looked back at the purple haired girl, who was once again falling asleep to escape an, as she put it, 'obvious exposition speech', "Neptune!" She practically screeched, for the first time in a long while. "AHHH!" The purplette yelled, waking right up. The blonde haired Oracle took a breath. 'She has no memory. Just breathe. This isn't her fault.' "Do you understand the state of affairs now?" Neptune merely stared blankly at her. Histoire facepalmed. She knew having their goddess's memory gone was going to be a painful experience. She just never considered that it would be a much different kind of torture. The fairy like being looked to the bandages around the lavender haired girl's head. She supposed it would be irrational to think that she could've stop this. Living in the past was never a good idea. Still, she couldn't help but think as Neptune's Oracle that she should've be able to convince her to take IF with her. After all, she knew her mindset better than many people and she still let her go. Now...well...she had just lost Neptune and gotten her replaced now with another one, didn't she? The thought honestly saddened her. The sound of Neptune giggling tore her from her depressed mind, "Relax, Histy. I pretty much got it. Me and Nepgear are the goddesses of this country. Our ally is Lowee. Lastation and Leanbox hate our guts. And we're pretty much on our last legs. It's all pretty standard RPG storyline to be honest. You know, when the author called this a reboot series, I was at least expecting a revolution to be going on. But I guess this type of story has its perks too." Now it was Histoire's turn to be stunned. The girl had gathered more info the she thought she would have. "I'll take that as a victory." She decided before looking at the time, "Well...I suppose that'll be it for the night. I'll leave you to get some rest." "Okay, thanks Histy." Neptune said as she tucked herself in and quickly fell asleep. "Histy?" Histoire asked, turning around to look into her purple eyes. Neptune nodded, "It's a lot cuter than calling you Histoire all the time." "I see." Histoire turned her head. A nickname? She didn't know why, but she didn't feel opposed to it. She was certain it was the first time she had received a nickname and it yet the concept didn't feel that foreign to her. Additionally, whether she liked it or not, there was a chance her Neptune would never return. She smiled faintly, "Very well. Have a good night, Neptune." She wasn't one for the shortening of names herself, but perhaps this would be the start of a new relationship. At the end of the day, she was still the Oracle of Planeptune. Whether Neptune remembered the past or not, they all needed to work together well to run (and in current times, save) this land. Yes, even if she never remembered, Histoire wouldn't abandon her or Nepgear. She just hoped they found a way out of this hole before things got worse. She plunged the purple blade deep into the ground. If she listened close enough, she could her her bumbling around, trying to find her way in the goddess-forsaken place. However, she wouldn't let her. Histoire. IF. Compa. Nepgear. I...I... She shook her head as regrets began to creep into her mind. After all, they were the reason why she had to do this. Yes...yeah, this would be the best for her. For them all. They didn't need her anymore. She didn't need her anymore. As she disappeared into the darkness, she finalized her decision. No door would be opened. The blade would not be pulled out. She would forget...just like she always wanted. Update Date:? AN: Hey everyone, it's me. Welcome to the Neptunia Reboot (aka AltDimension), I hope you enjoy your stay for this story and the upcoming ones. I don't really have that much to say here. However, I have a request. I'm in two minds about this story's update schedule. The outline to this story is done and finalized. It's been that way for a bit. But...I don't have all the chapters written yet. So, please go to my profile and vote on the update schedule you would like this to have. I will finish this story no matter what but I want to know whether you all would like me to take time to write everything first or update as soon as I get Chapter 1 done. Thanks in advance for your participation. Don't forget to leave your thoughts/reaction in a review and have a nice day!I mentioned this at the end of this post about investor lawsuits, but it deserves to be highlighted. This is a level of fraud that I probably should’ve seen coming, but didn’t. Apparently, Bank of America has admitted in a court filing that they sold the same mortgage loan in multiple pools to investors. In layman’s terms, say I own the FDL News Cupcake Food Truck and you come up to buy a cupcake. I sell it to you, and then I sell the same cupcake to the guy behind you, and the guy behind you. As you all wait for your order, you talk to each other and realize that you were all sold the same cupcake. So who actually owns it? That’s directly from the court document, saying that many loans and other mortgage-related assets “have been double- and even triple-pledged to various constituencies.” It would be impossible to designate ownership in that scenario unless the trustees of the mortgage pools took back all the loans and assigned them again. You’re talking about the same mortgage loan sold two or three times to different people. In the hustle to get as much paper out the door as possible, all kinds of fraudulent occurrences like this happened. An anonymous whistleblower at Zero Hedge basically corroborates this today: This much I can tell you. We have no idea what is in those packages. [cont’d.]I personally packaged billions in MBS which have been placed on public shelves. Those assets were underwritten by Goldman, Morgan or name your investment bank […] I put together a large subprime deal where we said that the percentage of Stated income assets was 10%. Out of a pool of over 500 assets, we ran our due diligence and pulled a sample of 50 assets, we had over 25% of the assets come back as stated income. Well, we got another 50 assets and still came back with 22% stated. It was obvious to me and the underwriter that the stated income levels were higher than originally reported. How did we handle this issue? We threw all the stated income assets out of the deal. In this case we threw out 22 assets and packaged the deal as 10%. In fact that is how we would typically handle issues where we had discrepancies. I told my boss on several occasions that it was a real fishy way of doing things, but as everyone was also doing it, my coworkers, the guys from Goldman, the agencies, I just kind of went along with it […] We didn’t check every single loan
of Appeals spoke to a conservative legal group and made a series of controversial remarks about race. There is no official transcript or recording, but affidavits from attendees pointed to deeply problematic language, especially from a sitting federal judge. According to an ethics complaint, Jones, a Reagan appointee, told the audience that “racial groups like African-Americans and Hispanics are predisposed to crime.” A veteran attorney who was in the room said Jones “noted there was no arguing that ‘blacks’ and ‘Hispanics’ far outnumber ‘Anglos’ on death row and repeated that ‘sadly’ people from these racial groups do get involved in more violent crime.” She was also accused of having said defenses often used in capital cases, including mental retardation and systemic racism, are “red herrings.” An investigation ensued, but the Associated Press reported yesterday that a panel of judges dismissed the misconduct complaint. “It appears likely that Judge Jones did suggest that, statistically, African-Americans and/or Hispanics are ‘disproportionately’ involved in certain crimes and ‘disproportionately’ present in federal prisons,” said the panel. “But we must consider Judge Jones’ comments in the context of her express clarifications during the question-and-answer period that she did not mean that certain groups are ‘prone to commit’ such crimes,” the panel of judges said. “In that context, whether or not her statistical statements are accurate, or accurate only with caveats, they do not by themselves indicate racial bias or an inability to be impartial,” said the panel. “They resemble other albeit substantially more qualified, statements prominent in contemporary debate regarding the fairness of the justice system.” My colleague Kate Osborn noted yesterday that one of the lawyers who filed the original complaint wasn’t impressed with the investigation, and is pushing the process forward. From a press statement: The D.C. Circuit judges who dismissed the initial complaint this August repeatedly relied on Judge Jones’ own version of the facts about her Penn Law speech – in spite of conflicting sworn testimony from six people – five of whom were law students – who attended the lecture. The judges allowed Judge Jones to testify but did not allow those who filed the complaint or attended the lecture to do the same. The judges also received documents and other secret evidence that they and Judge Jones refused to disclose to complainants. “Just as concerning as these instances of bias, the one-sidedness and secrecy surrounding the ethics complaint process and the untoward deference to the judge’s denials makes it unlikely that any claims of judicial misbehavior can be handled in a way that gives the public confidence that justice is being served,” said Luis Roberto Vera, Jr., national general counsel of the League of United Latin American Citizens, another party to the appeal.Distraction, On Street And Sidewalk, Helps Cause Record Pedestrian Deaths Enlarge this image toggle caption Bebeto Matthews/AP Bebeto Matthews/AP It's the oldest and most basic form of transportation — walking — and more people are doing more of it to get fit or stay healthy. But there's new evidence today that even walking across the street is getting more dangerous. A report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association shows that the number of pedestrians killed in traffic jumped 11 percent last year, to nearly 6,000. That's the biggest single-year increase in pedestrian fatalities ever, and the highest number in more than two decades. "It is alarming," says GHSA executive director Jonathan Adkins, "and it's counterintuitive." "There's been an assumption that, because of increased safety of vehicles as we move toward semi-autonomous vehicles, that traffic deaths were going to go down," Adkins says. "We're seeing just the opposite, unfortunately, with a particular spike as it relates to pedestrians and cyclists." Last month the National Safety Council reported that traffic deaths overall went up 6 percent nationwide in 2016. Maureen Vogel, spokeswoman for the council, says it stands to reason that pedestrian fatalities would rise as part of that trend, but she and other safety experts did not expect the rise in pedestrian deaths to so significantly outpace other traffic-related fatalities. "A perfect storm" of factors spurred the increase, Vogel says: A stronger economy and low gas prices have put more cars on the road and have people driving more often, "but that is really only part of the story... so something else is at play here." One possibility can be seen during rush hour in downtown Chicago just by looking at both the drivers of the dozens of vehicles inching through traffic and the scores of pedestrians crossing the busy intersections. One thing many have in common is that their eyes are down, staring at their phones. "We are crazy distracted," says Melody Geraci, deputy executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, a Chicago group advocating for better walking, cycling and public transportation options. "After speeding and the failure to yield, distractions are the number three cause [of pedestrian fatalities], particularly by electronic devices." Drivers distracted by their devices are a well-documented, rising cause of traffic crashes, but there are a growing number of pedestrians, too, who can become oblivious to traffic around them. "We have noticed over the years increases in the number of injuries related to distracted walking — pedestrians being distracted by cellphones and then injuring themselves because of that distraction," says Vogel, referring to National Safety Council data. "So it's entirely possible that is at play, not just on our roadways but on our sidewalks." But a bigger problem remains vehicle speeds. "Speed is a killer for sure," says Geraci. "If a pedestrian is struck at 20 miles an hour, they have a 10 percent chance of dying. If they are struck at 40 miles an hour, they have an 80 percent chance of dying." New York City lowered its speed limit on most streets to 25 mph a couple of years ago to help protect pedestrians; other cities are considering slowing speeds, too. And researchers are looking through the data to see if they can come up with other ways to make streets safer for those crossing on foot. According to the GHSA report, 74 percent of pedestrian fatalities happen at night, and 72 percent of those killed were not crossing at intersections. Another significant factor is alcohol. The GHSA report indicated that 15 percent of pedestrians killed each year are hit by a drunk driver, while 34 percent of pedestrians killed are legally drunk themselves. That's right: one-third of pedestrians killed in traffic had blood-alcohol (BAC) levels above the.08 threshold for drunk driving. "We've done a good job in highway safety in telling people that when you go out to the bar and you're drunk, don't get behind the wheel," says Adkins. "But you should really be careful about walking, particularly if you're walking at night, and you're walking a distance. You're not gonna have good judgment, a car's not gonna see you... [so] don't walk home at night when you're hammered." He and other safety advocates say lower speed limits, better road designs and more sidewalks can help reduce the fatalities. So can new vehicle technologies that alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians — but many drivers don't understand it, don't know how to use it and thus disable the technology. "It's not as if there aren't solutions out there," says Adkins. "We know what needs to be done, it's just having the will to do it."ISPR says the quadcopter was being used for spying in Rakhchikri sector Pakistan Army on Friday said it had shot down an Indian quadcopter after it intruded Pakistani territory near Rakchikri sector along the Line of Control (LoC). “Indian quadcopter spying across LoC in Rakhchikri sector shot down by Pakistan Army shooters,” the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) tweeted. “Wreckage held.” Indian quadcopter spying across LOC in Rakhchikri sector shot down by Pak Army shooters. Wreckage held. pic.twitter.com/g9FG7EghPS — Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) October 27, 2017 In 2015, the army had claimed of shooting down an alleged Indian ‘spy drone’ used for aerial photography. During the past year, Indian occupation forces have increasingly targeted civilian areas on the Pakistani side, resulting in the martyrdom. In 2017 to date, 1,140 ceasefire violations have taken place along the LoC and Working Boundary, according to the ISPR. As a result, 45 civilians have been killed and 192 injured. Read full storyVic's Cafe, open in the same building as the landmark Vic's Ice Cream on Riverside Blvd. in Land Park, officially opened on Friday. Serving Old Soul coffee and baked goods, the cafe seats about 20. When I visited on Saturday afternoon, a smattering of locals filtered into the place as they discovered it was open. An older woman sat at one table, reading The Economist, while a mother and young child sought respite from the rain by getting a drink. The cafe features a doorway into Vic's Ice Cream. Though they share the same owner, customers aren't able to order food while at the cafe. The current workaround is to order food "to go" on one side and bring it to the other side. I hope they decide to work as a unified operation and more food options soon. As a neighborhood resident, I was very excited to hear about the addition of a local coffee house. There's no place to get coffee within a mile of Vic's, which means I get in a car to grab coffee on the weekends or on my days off. Vic's Cafe is located at 3193 Riverside Blvd, and is open every day at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Vic's Cafe can be found online at http://cafevics.com/. More News: Ruhstaller Brewing announces plans for tasting room on the grid; pushing ahead to build its own brewery - That will be changing, as the once-fledgling Sacramento-based company continues to flourish. Paino said Thursday he is applying for permits to open a tasting room on the periphery of Downtown Plaza (630 K St.), where he already has warehouse and office space. The building is next door to the new arena planned for the Sacramento Kings. The tasting room does not have a firm opening date, but Paino says he hopes to be operating by springtime. The only issue is the timing of approval by the city. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee. Sacramento gets another taproom: New Glory Craft Brewery Now Open - A one-year-old brewery finally has a taproom: New Glory Craft Brewery, formerly known as Old Glory Craft Brewery. New Glory opened its doors for a soft opening today at 4 p.m., and a line of enthusiasts formed immediately. Owner/brewer Julien Lux and the gang were overwhelmed by the turnout—construction was still making noise for the first few minutes until Lux shoved them out the door, taster glasses were still in their packaging and so forth. But the crowd was patient, and the brew ultimatley flowed. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.🇭🇷 \| Time to get involved in deadline day... pic.twitter.com/h2rBapB4pg — Everton (@Everton) 31 August 2017 👀 \| Access all areas on deadline day at USM Finch Farm... #WelcomeVlasic pic.twitter.com/g3RkLH2V1i — Everton (@Everton) 31 August 2017 Nikola Vlasic says he was “smiling all day” after completing his dream move to Everton.Teenage star Vlasic shone for former team Hajduk Split against the Blues in the sides’ recent two-legged Europa League clash.The Croat attacker has reportedly attracted covetous glances from some of Europe’s top clubs since breaking into Hajduk’s first-team as a 16-year-old in 2014.He resisted the temptation to leave Split prematurely, however, preferring to continue his football education with his hometown club until he was ready to embark on a new challenge.But when Everton came calling, Vlasic knew the time and the club was right for him – and he couldn’t conceal his delight after becoming manager Ronald Koeman’s ninth signing of a busy summer at Goodison Park.“I cannot describe how excited I am,” Vlasic told evertontv.“I have been smiling all day! I just cannot wait to meet all my new teammates and everyone at the Club. I am so excited.“The Premier League is the best league in the world and this is a top-five club in England."It is such a big honour for me to be here. When I heard that Everton were interested in me, I just knew.“I wanted to come here straight away. I only saw Everton, then. Whenever someone called my manager or my father, I told them I only wanted to come to Everton.”Vlasic won his first full international cap in May when he completed 90 minutes of Croatia’s 2-1 friendly win over Mexico in Los Angeles.He scored 11 goals in 87 appearances for Hajduk and last season was appointed vice-captain at the tender age of 18.“I started playing first-team football from a very young age,” added Vlasic. “There were ups and downs but I’m very happy to be in this place and I’m very thankful.“I have played a lot of games but the Premier League is something else. Playing football in England is a much bigger stage – football is number one here.“I believe in myself and in this team – I think we can do great things together.”The conservative network led by billionaires Charles and David Koch plans to dramatically expand its long-term targeting of veterans, young people and Hispanics. Koch organizations focused on these three groups will move into 35 states by the end of January, according to network spokesman James Davis. ADVERTISEMENT Currently, the three Koch groups — Concerned Veterans for America, Generation Opportunity, and the Libre Initiative — have offices in 16, four and 10 states respectively, according to Davis. To execute the expansion, which will begin after the elections, the Kochs will exploit the fact that their biggest grassroots group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), is already in 35 states. The other groups will keep their names and move into AFP offices initially. In so doing, the network could add to its 1,200 field staff, but Davis said it’s too early to estimate cost, staff or office changes. The upshot: Expect to see the influence of the Koch network grow heading into the 2018 midterm elections. Nothing will change for the Kochs, however, between now and Election Day. They won’t spend a penny on the presidential race, given their policy disagreements with GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE, though their Senate turnout efforts may help the top of the ticket. The largest chunk of their $250 million budget is going toward preserving Republican majorities in Congress. As The Hill reported earlier this week, the Kochs are shifting their focus away from television advertising and toward the biggest ground campaign the group has ever executed, to help Republicans in eight battleground states. They’re knocking on doors, making phone calls and spending millions of dollars on direct mail to target 5 million persuadable voters in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Beyond any one political cycle, the network has a long-term goal: To create long-term infrastructure across the nation and to fundamentally transform the country’s politics. Over time, the Koch network’s ambition is to cut government spending and regulations, slash taxes, and dramatically reduce the size of government at all levels. The Kochs oppose nearly every policy embraced by President Obama — with the notable exception of criminal justice reform, where they have formed an unexpected partnership with the administration. And while many Republicans have given up on repealing ObamaCare, the network is still obsessed with overturning the president’s signature law. To achieve these goals, the Koch network is engaging with voters that overwhelmingly support the Democratic Party. They’re spending millions of dollars on outreach to young people and Hispanics, and investing in poverty programs in the hopes of carrying their message to African-Americans. Following these operational changes, Concerned Veterans for America and Libre will be in 36 states because they are the only two Koch groups currently in New Mexico. AFP, and Generation Opportunity might end up joining them in New Mexico, Davis said. “We’re looking ahead to 2017,” he added. “And these changes will put us in a position to lead on policy when, no matter what the outcome of the election, the country will be looking for leadership.”Want to know how to find a ukulele teacher for this musical instrument? Here's one of the largest listings of ukulele tutors worldwide! If you are a tutor, and willing, I will be listing here a selection of friendly folks that offer tuition. Just get in touch with your contact details ( CONTACT ME PAGE AT THE TOP OF THIS BLOG) and I will put on the blog! UK Balham Barnsley (and surrounding areas) Bournemouth (and surrounding areas) Brampton (Cumbria) Bristol Carshalton (Surrey) Derbyshire Dudley Glasgow Gloucestershire Hastings and Hooe Claire Nicolson - Claire also runs the Sussex Ukulele Club - contact at Claire also runs the Sussex Ukulele Club - contact at http://hlsmfarm.uk/index.php/sussex-ukulele-club/ Hull Lancashire Leeds Leicestershire Liverpool London Manchester Nantwich / Crewe Pat Cullen - North Devon Norfolk Northampton Paul Mansell - Oxford Pembrokeshire (Wales) Rame (Cornwall) Allen Rushton - Allen is a musician covering the Rame / SE Cornwall area at his home or yours. For ages 6 and up, he welcomes individuals or group lessons and is happy to work with absolute beginners. Fully CRB Checked. See - Allen is a musician covering the Rame / SE Cornwall area at his home or yours. For ages 6 and up, he welcomes individuals or group lessons and is happy to work with absolute beginners. Fully CRB Checked. See - https://www.facebook.com/Rameukulele/ Reading Ross on Wye Sevenoaks Sheffield Jon Allen - Jon has been leading ukulele clubs and teaching individual guitar and uke lessons since 2011. Experienced in teaching all ages and abilities - Jon has been leading ukulele clubs and teaching individual guitar and uke lessons since 2011. Experienced in teaching all ages and abilities - https://www.ukesup.com Shrewsbury Tyne and Wear Warminster Thomas Hiscocks - Thomas runs ukulele clubs in Warminster and Trowbridge and is the brains behind the Go West Uke Fest. Also offers private ukulele and music theory tuition, with the option to be accompanied by his widely paised singing voice - Thomas runs ukulele clubs in Warminster and Trowbridge and is the brains behind the Go West Uke Fest. Also offers private ukulele and music theory tuition, with the option to be accompanied by his widely paised singing voice - http://www.thomashiscocks.com Weybridge, Surrey Wigan USA Austin, Texas Bridgeport CT Charlotte (North Carolina) Southwest Charlotte - (North Carolina) Chicago Eugene Georgetown, KY New York, NY Pensacola, FL Sacramento Wisconsin AUSTRALIA Vanessa Gould Nugent - CANADA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY WORLDWIDE UKE TUITION ------------------- IMPORTANT NOTE - These tutors are in no way affiliated or connected to Got A Ukulele and their details are provided as a reference source to Got A Ukulele readers only. Clearly Got A Ukulele cannot test every tutor listed and therefore they are provided as advertisement links only. Got A Ukulele or Barry Maz cannot be held responsible for any disputes or issues that may arise with any tutor. - Chris is a freelance musician and music teacher. He also organises workshops, festivals and runs the Rafters Ukulele Club - info@chrismcshanemusic.co.uk or call - 07854 459220- Paul plays in the extremely popular Mother Ukers and managed the Southern Ukulele Store for many years. He now offers ukulele tuition for beginners through to intermediate. Offering a friendly and relaxed approach to learning and covering various styles of music to suit the students interests. Be it Jazz, Blues or Pop, Paul can help you on your way to becoming a confident ukulele player. Contact Paul on 07973 911279 or email ukuleleinstructor@mail.com - One half of Feckless and Fuddle (Andy is Feckless) and Uke specialist at Omega Music, Andy also teaches one to one, groups and runs the Ukes Akimbo group in Brampton. Contact either 016977 46978 or through the Word Of Ukes website - http://worldofukes.co.uk - Guitar and Ukulele Teacher. http://jacobmorrison.com - Ukulele Ben, an experienced musician who offers home visit tuition.Ben helps potential musicians become confident players teaching children, teenagers, adults and groups of all abilities. Contact mrbenblogs@googlemail.com or http://www.ukulelewithben.com Telephone 07910 668258- Been playing guitar for over 40 years and also offer friendly uke lessons for people of all ages. Tel 01275 545958 or email andynewman@blueyonder.co.uk - Pete is extremely well known in ukulele circles. Based in Surrey, but can also offer online lessons via Skype and FaceTime. http://www.pfmusic.co.uk info@pfmusic.co- Phil, who performs all over the UK, previously as half of ukulele duo The Re-entrants, offers ukulele tuition from beginners to advanced, including right hand strum techniques, fingerstyle and chord melody playing in all styles of music. Music theory can also be covered if the students wishes. Lessons in your own home (Phil is based in Derbyshire and has an enhanced CRB check) or via Skype.For more info contact phil_doleman@hotmail.com, Read his blog at - http://philsukelessons.blogspot.co.uk or visit his facebook page www.facebook.com/Learntoplayuke - Brian has over 25 years experience in music teaching. All lessons are one to one, and covers Ukulele, uke bass, bass guitar and music theory.Email mcgheemusic@yahoo.co.uk or call 07411 765820. Brian McGhee Music- Author of bestelling ukulele beginners books, has appeared on TV and Radio and toured with Jools Holland - Steven specialises in Uke Workshops but can also offer private tuition in Gloucestershire and Hereforshire. Workshops can be worldwide - contact through his site at http://stevensproat.co.uk - Sessions for beginner to intermediate players in two locations in Hull - mickythomas43@gmail.com - Affordable ukulele lessons for schools, private, corporate team building and all occasions with an established, friendly (and extremely patient!) ukulele tutor - http://www.youcanukulele.co.uk - Jez has over 30 years experience of playing the ukulele and over 25 years experience of teaching ukulele and guitar. For beginners: no prior knowledge of music or the ukulele is assumed. For more advanced players: Jez can help you develop your strumming technique, finger picking, lead solo playing, knowledge of chords and song structures, and can pass on many handy tips. Jen is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Lessons can be given in your home or at Jez's. Contact via emails: jeremy.quayle@hotmail.co.uk Or via his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/JezSongbook Where you can also see him perform.- teaches individuals, small groups and classes in schools and a wide variety of settings. CRB and liability insurance is held through his company Little Red Truck. He is also a third of La Bella ensemble www.labellaband.co.uk as well as providing instruments through www.ukesuk.com Check out other projects and contacts through www.littleredtruck.co.uk - Mikey from Liverpool plays Banjolele style Uke with with a background in guitars. Recently graduated from studying music he has been teaching ukulele around the area for almost a year, organising and hosting various ukulele themed evenings. He is happy to teach groups or individuals. mikey_f_100@hotmail.com 07855 314649- Registered Guitar Tutor and teacher of ukulele (plus a host of other instruments! http://www.gamblestringsandthings.co.uk - runs a series of incredibly popular ukulele classes across London as well as online tuition - http://www.learntouke.co.uk/ - Tim is a London based uke tutor, teaching individuals and groups in workshops for beginners, intermediates and advanced. http://www.uketeacher.co.uk - Terry is based in Richmond and runs a monthly combined lesson / session called 'The Uke-Academy' at Ritz Music Tuiton Centre, Richmond, London. Contact Terry at terry@playtheuke.co.uk - multi instrumentalist who has played all around the north west, and even played ukulele in Austria! Covers a variety of genres and playing styles, particularly pop and fingerpicking - Call 07522 388867 or email marc.gallagher@live.co.uk - Rosa can teach soprano, concert and tenor uke and is working on baritone!Contact - rosa.cooper-davies@live.com a qualified teacher, DBS/CRB checked, who has played various instruments in amateur bands over the years. One to one lessons available in the Nantwich and Crewe area for beginners and intermediate players. Pat also teaches the ukulele at evening classes at a Nantwich school and students are more than welcome to sign up for those lessons. No musical knowledge is required or assumed but Pat can provide some musical theory for beginners and intermediate learners if required. The only requirement is enthusiasm and a sense of fun! patcullenukulele@gmail.com - Paul is a qualified guitar and ukulele teacher, offering one to one lessons in towns such as Ilfracombe, Bideford and Barnstaple, as well as offering Skype lessons around the world.- At weekends Clara can be found on stages throughout the UK and Europe with top ukulele punk band The pUKEs. During the week she runs uke clubs in six Norfolk primary schools. Clara is also available for workshops and one-to-one tuition with children and adults. See http://www.iloveuke.co.uk or email her at clara@iloveukue.co.uk - Liam is a much admired solo ukulele performer and also the guy behind the Uke-East festival each year in Norwich. He also offers lessons, workshops etc from beginners upwards. http://www.starrman.co.uk professional ukulele teacher, author and performer. Paul has an honours diploma on the ukulele from the VCM and am the author of 'Classical Uke' published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd. He has also released the album 'Me, My Ukulele and I'. He teaches from his studio in Northampton. https://www.paulmansell.co.uk - Seasoned performer, singer, musician and teacher. Percy has worked in theatre and TV and send 24 years performing at Disneyland in France. He also plays and teaches 5 string banjo and mandolin, but his first instrument was the ukulele. Percy teaches workshops for groups, clubs and one to one via Skype. Subjects include theory, strum styles, fingerpicking styles, performance workshops and help in choosing and learning songs. Contact him on 07852 927729 or email percycopley@gmail.com - Dave is a peripatetic ukulele teacher in the Reading area (including West Berkshire, North Hampshire and South Oxfordshire). He teaches primary school classes, adults beginner courses and leads a community band in Aldershot. He offers private tuition to adults and children, is DBS-checked and specializes in beginners. He also runs one-off 101 sessions for organisations. When not teaching, Dave can be seen playing with his band, Rocket Kings, and he is also a member of The Small Strings, a community ukulele band in Reading. Contact Dave at daveuke@outlook.com - Experienced teacher of several years from beginner to advanced. RGT Registered and DBT Checked - http://www.theukulelemanofross.com or email theukulelemanofross@outlook.com - Teacher of a range of instruments including the ukulele, James also used to run the local ukulele club - The SevenUkes. http://jdrakemusic.com - aka Chili Monster. Dave teaches ukulele beginners in Shrewsbury Shropshire - info@shroprock.co.uk or more details at http://www.shroprock.co.uk/ChiliMonsterMainPage.html - Ukeschool - Steve is a freelance ukulele teacher based in the North East. Lessons can be delivered in your home or via Skype - check out his website at http://ukeschool.co.uk - Pro musician and qualified teacher, Clive is a specialist ukulele teacher and performer. His band Roaring Jelly is said to have been a major inspiration for the founders of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in the 80's. He has performed on TV and radio and played on stage with Paul McCartney. Private lessons are at his home in Weybridge. He also leads occasional workshops, and does solo gigs mainly at private and corporate functions. - http://www.cliveharvey.net - what's this - ukulele (and cigar box guitar / harmonica) tuition from one half of Chonkinfeckle? Yes! Seriously people - Les is a fine fine player - you could do a lot worse than to head his way for lessons! http://youcanukeandmore.weebly.com l - Kevin is a certified level 3 Ukulele Instructor in the James Hill Ukulele Initiative and instructs at ukulele workshops internationally. He is also a performer and recording artist and teaches both private and group music lessons to all ages and levels.- Ukulele teacher with 5 years experience and a Masters in Music Education. Currently serving Fairfield County CT - abe.deshotel@gmail.com - Also offering lessons Matthews, Mint Hill, Ballantyne, Pineville, Weddington, Waxhaw, Indian Trail, Monroe, Indian Land, Fort Mill and Rock Hill- Instructing individuals and groups since 2008 and also offers team building courses- Chicago IL and Spokane WA - from ages 8 up, individual and group lessons available- Based in Eugene, OR, can teach accompaniment and singing. Can also offer lessons over Skype- Also known as Colonel Uke, teaching beginning and intermediate ukulele lessons http://www.ukebrigade.com - Teaches beginner ukulele to all ages. Want to learn your favourite song, impress someone or just jam and chill? I can help. cheriebtay@gmail.com Neil Passmore - Neil has been teaching privately for some years and is about 25 minutes from Pensacola. Contact ukeloverneil@gmail.com beginner lessons, adults preferredPopular, Old Time, and Hawaiian SongsModerator at SUPA (www.seattleukulele.org)- Kellen teaches out of Brookfield Wisconsin. Offers half hour and full hour single or group lessons. Will teach anybody how to play and love the ukulele!trained ukulele teacher with internationally recognised qualifications. She has studied for three years under the tutelage of ukulele maestro James Hill, completing a teachers Certification Program (JHUI). She is currently a committee member of AUTLA – (Australia Ukulele Teachers and Leaders Association) and has attended a number of AUTLA Professional Development Days. She has performed at the Hawaiian Ukulele Festival as part of the group Ukestralia for the past two years and is a member of The Outlaws Big Ukulele Band that performs at Ukulele Festivals throughout Australia. Vanessa is the founder and leader of The Hungry Head Ukulele Group which has been running for four years. Private tutoring is also available. She can be contacted through her website https://vjnugent.wixsite.com/hungryforukes - Greetings from Canada. I am a teacher of several instruments but I am starting to focus on the ukulele again. I would consider both private and class instruction. I am in Brampton, ON Canada and can be reached thru my web page at www.dtfbmusic.com - Level 3 Jams Hill and holder of honors degree in music. Cynthia teaches private lessons and workshops in Guelph Ontario. She also runs the Royal City Ukulele Ensemble and organises the Royal City Uke Fest - http://www.cynthiakmusic.com - Ukulele teacher in Montreal, Quebec who has been a teacher for over a decade and works at the McGill Conservatory Of Music - can teach in English or French - contact douglas.giroux@mail.mcgill.ca - Edmonton, Alberta. Teacher originally from Glasgow, Scotland. Reach him at gglewinski@hotmail.com or at his website - https://garygmusic.com Helsinki - Groups as well as private lessons and workshops - beginners to intermediate. Also works with professionals clowns, artists and music educators.French ukulele teacher in Toulouse. Details and contact via this blog - http://ukucourscool.blogspot.fr Berlin - http://www.musikschule-lichterfelde.de/ Landau - http://www.musik-fromm.de No, I am not talking about tutors who will get on an airplane for you... these who offer services via online tuition via the likes of Skype and FaceTime regardless of where you are.- offers worldwide ukulele lessons over Skype. You can find him on Facebook looking for - Uketopia\Toowong Music Teaching, or email him at peter.mcmeel45@gmail.com is a Ukulele/Music teacher operating world wide through skype and also has about 170 postings of arrangements on youtube. He also offers tuition over Skype, and can be contacted on colinrtribe@btinternet.com - Phil performs all over the UK, offers ukulele tuition from beginners to advanced, including right hand strum techniques, fingerstyle and chord melody playing in all styles of music. Music theory can also be covered if the students wishes. Lessons in your own home (Phil is based in Derbyshire and has an enhanced CRB check) or via Skype.For more info contact phil_doleman@hotmail.com, or visit his facebook page www.facebook.com/Learntoplayuke Howard has played guitar for 50 years and mandolin for nearly 40, and has now retired to Spain. He gives ukulele tuition where he lives on the Costa Blanca, but can also do one to one lessons on Skype (Skype address howardandkay), and also offers Youtube tuition on his channle 'ipswichtospain'. Contact him at howardandkay76@gmail.com - One half of Feckless and Fuddle (Andy is Feckless) and Uke specialist at Omega Music, Andy also teaches one to one, groups and runs the Ukes Akimbo group in Brampton. He can offer tuition anywhere via Skype. Contact either 016977 46978 or through the Word Of Ukes website - http://worldofukes.co.ukThere has been great interest in recent years in using tiny particles called quantum dots to produce low-cost, easily manufactured, stable photovoltaic cells. But, so far, the creation of such cells has been limited by the fact that in practice, quantum dots are not as good at conducting an electric charge as they are in theory. Something in the physical structure of these cells seems to trap their electric-charge carriers (known as electrons and holes), but researchers have been hard-pressed to figure out exactly what. Now, for the most widely used type of quantum dots, made of compounds called metal chalcogenides, researchers from MIT may have found the key: The limiting factor seems to be off-kilter ratios of the two basic components that make up the dots. The new findings — by Jeffrey Grossman, the Carl Richard Soderberg Associate Professor of Power Engineering, materials science and engineering graduate student Donghun Kim, and two other researchers — were reported this month in the journal Physical Review Letters. In bulk quantities of lead sulfide, the material used for the quantum dots in this study, the ratio (known by chemists as “stoichiometry”) of lead atoms to sulfur atoms is exactly 1-to-1. But in the minuscule quantities of the material used to make quantum dots — which, in this case, were about 5 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, across — this ratio can vary significantly, a factor that had not previously been studied in detail. And, the researchers found, it turns out that this ratio is the key to determining the electrical properties of the material. When the stoichiometry is a perfect 1-to-1, the quantum dots work best, providing the exact semiconductor behavior that theory predicts. But if the ratio is off in either direction — a bit more lead or a bit more sulfur — the behavior changes dramatically, impeding the solar cell’s ability to conduct charges. Taking care of dangling bonds Grossman explains that every atom inside the material has neighboring atoms on all sides, so all of that atom’s potential bonds are used, but some surface atoms don’t have neighbors, so their bonds can react with other atoms in the environment. These missing bonds, sometimes called “dangling bonds,” have been thought to play a critical role in a quantum dot’s electronic properties. As a result, the consensus in the field has been that the best devices will have what is known as full “passivation”: the addition of extra molecules that bind to any loose atomic bonds on the material’s surface. The idea was that adding more of the passivating material (called ligands) would always improve performance, but that didn’t work as scientists had expected: Sometimes it improved performance, but sometimes it made it worse. “That was the traditional view that people believed,” says Kim, who was the paper’s lead author. But now it turns out that “how many dangling bonds the quantum dot has is not always important, as it doesn’t really affect the density of trap states — at least in lead-and-sulfur-based dots.” So, if a given dot already has an exact 1-to-1 ratio, adding ligands makes it worse, Kim says. The new research solves the mystery
within his rights. Beyond the legal analysis underway, the real test is the legitimacy and decency of the president's decision. Transparency International's president said: Constitutional Court of Guatemala suspends absurd presidential decision to expel chief of the CICIG.Point against impunity! @anticorruption — José Ugaz (@JoseUgazSM) August 27, 2017 Back to the Public Square again, demanding president's resignation For many Guatemalans, the current crisis is a setback on the road toward greater accountability after a long and painful struggle with corruption. Instead, the crisis has called Guatemalans back onto the streets, demanding once again the resignation of the president whose campaign motto was “I am not corrupt, I am not a thief.” Ongoing protests have taken place in other Guatemalan cities as well as in Mexico and US. The newly elected leadership of the public university called on all students to get together and support the fight against impunity, peacefully demanding that the current president resigns, and stating strongly that “this generation of Guatemalans rejects corruption.” Guatemala: Thousands on the street and the square occupied with chants saying #OutJimmyMorales #JimmyGoesAway For journalist Javier Lainfiesta, recent events resemble the crisis of 2015. He says there is a deep feeling of uncertainty but thinks Guatemalans will be able to get through it, precisely because of the state's weakness: En estos momentos hay un pulso muy fuerte entre los diferentes poderes (del Estado, oscuros, buenos, malos, pobres, ricos, etcétera) que podría definir el comino del país por años. […] Vivimos en un país en donde el Estado está tan ausente que cuando realmente no aparece, ni nos damos cuenta. In these moments there's a strong rivalry among the different powers (of the State, dark powers, good ones, the poor and the rich, etc.) that could define the future of the country in the years to come […] We live in a country where the State is so absent that when it is really missing, no one notices. But some groups welcome the president's decision. They used #FueraIvan (“Down with Ivan”) or #YoSiTengoPresidente (“I Do Have a President”) to support the decision. On Twitter, many supporters have rejected the notion that a foreign official could have the power to investigate their government's affairs or that he could be considered a hero. Velasquez's detractors advocate for national sovereignty and use his Colombian nationality as an ad hominem argument to discredit his work: ¡Bravo Sr. Presidente! Siguiente paso: arreglar al MP. Por último: expulsar a CICIG. Jamás fue la CICIG una solución. #yositengopresidente — Christian Löwenthal (@Christian_Lowi) August 27, 2017 Well done, Mr. President! Next step: fixing the MP [Public Ministry]. Finally, expel CICIG. CICIG was never a solution. EN GUATEMALA NO MANDA EL COLOMBIANO!!! EN GUATEMALA NO MANDA EL COLOMBIANO!!! EN GUATEMALA NO MANDA EL COLOMBIANO!!! asi gritabamos hoy!!! — giovanni fratti (@frattigiovanni) 28 August 2017 Guatemala is not ruled by a Colombian!! Guatemala is not ruled by a Colombian!! Guatemala is not ruled by a Colombian!! That's what we were chanting today Guatemala no necesita de “héroes”, necesita de personas imparciales, sin ideología, que simplemente hagan su trabajo…#FueraIvan#IvanSeVa — Chinchilla Manzo🇬🇹 (@rachm154) August 23, 2017 First tweet: For the sake of Guatemala, Iván Velázquez should continue fighting against corruption and organised crime. Second tweet: Guatemala doesn't need “heroes”, but impartial persons, without ideology, who simply do their job. #DownWithIvan #IvanGoesAway Illegal funding of political parties and pending cases Illicit funding of campaigns and even youth movements is a major issue that stretches into the illegal financing of political parties and emerging political movements, as summarised in Nomada, an online platform. The Commission has prosecuted powerful people and the stakes are high in Guatemala's battle to end impunity, including a dozen former parliamentarians, ministers, a vice president, businessmen and bankers: El candidato ‘ni corrupto ni ladrón’ no pudo cumplir su slogan de campaña antes de ganar las elecciones. Entre la primera y la segunda vuelta de 2015 […] Jimmy Morales, recibió al menos Q 6.7 millones (casi US$ 1 millón) que ocultó al Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE). The candidate who used to call himself “neither corrupt nor a thief” couldn't comply with his own campaign slogan before winning the elections. Between the first and the second electoral round in 2015 […] Jimmy Morales received at least Q 6.7 million (almost 1 million USD) that he hid from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. What is next? With significant popular support, the CICIG will continue working on all cases, but an increasingly hostile government might make their mandate difficult. The president may declare a “state of siege,” authorizing his government to restrict freedom of movement and speech, which could increase international condemnation for and isolation of Guatemala. Guatemalans anticipate two very important processes in the upcoming weeks: lifting immunity for President Morales and all parliamentarians under investigation and ousting Mr. Velásquez. After that, different scenarios and possibilities range from a move to dissolve Congress to speedy elections.If you wanna know what GamerGate is fighting against, look no further than the career of Ian Miles Cheong. Corruption and hypocrisy have followed him relentlessly. As has been a recurring theme, no one SJW side cares to confront Ian about his enormous moral failures. Just like they don’t want to talk about Leigh’s racism and bullying, Tyler’s alleged revenge porn leak, GameJournoPros, or anything else that’s been brought to light. They’d rather continue to pretend like they’re the good guys, and peddle that fantasy to a complacent mainstream media all too willing to buy it. But, you don’t have to dig too deep to find skeletons in Mr. Cheong’s closet. There right there in your face. He used to be a powerful Reddit mod, who had a tendency to share his own shit and get thousands of hits off it. That, in and of itself, isn’t terrible. I’ve posted my own content to Reddit. But he took it a step further, and sold his influence to outside companies, according to published reports. Doing it for free wasn’t good enough for IMC. As a mod, not only did he skirt the rules with his own stuff, he also allegedly took payola in exchange for pimping other content. He got away with this sweet little setup for quite awhile. Eventually, fellow Redditors busted him. So, we have a morally compromised individual, who looks like he would sell out his own grandmother for a quick buck. That’s not that notable, to be honest. Devin Faraci and Tyler Malka have proven that. But not only is Cheong a money grubbing hypocrite, he’s also a former Nazi Party sympathizer. No, I’m not making that up. Take this quote, for instance: Hitler is my fucking idol There’s not much ambiguity there, is it? Ok, maybe that one wasn’t enough to do it for you. How about these (along with a helpful pic)? holocaust isn’t important enough to capitalize because jews=nothing On Twitter, Cheong saw that I was about to unload on him. He accused me of digging through someone’s past, in an effort to paint them negatively. First off, you can dig through my past all you’d like. You won’t find any odes to the magnificence of Adolf Hitler. But, instead of being a man, and owning up to his Nazi past, he instead tried to slam our tireless advocate, Milo Yiannopoulos. The SJW mindset makes it impossible to own up to any mistakes. The natural tendency for them is to just blame others for their failings, or to say they were doing it “for the greater good.” Like a user said on Twitter: Does this man have any dignity left? My very short answer, would be no. He’s behaved in a disgraceful manner during GamerGate. Cheong has told us to go fuck ourselves, repeatedly called us pissbabies, or worse, and has displayed absolutely no remorse. Tonight, when he knew the fire was about to come, rather that be a man, he’s again proven himself to be a coward. Passing around bullshit articles about Milo earlier tonight tells you all you need to know about this scumbag. Ian has the nerve to call us out, but refuses to check Leigh, Devin, Tyler, Zoe, or himself. He’s an unrepentant, Hitler-loving, crook. Ian Miles Cheong is yet another SJW who fails the test, when put to real scrutiny. Will they ever be called out by their own side? I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting. SHARE AREA: UPDATE: More from IMC today…Coordinates: The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine activists were killed on one ship during the raid and ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. One Turkish activist died later of his wounds. Three of the six flotilla ships, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), were carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel had warned the flotilla to abort their mission, describing it as a provocation.[1] On 31 May 2010, Israeli Shayetet 13 naval commandos boarded the ships from speedboats and helicopters in order to force the ships to the Israeli port of Ashdod for inspection. On the Turkish ship MV Mavi Marmara, according to the Israel's own Turkel Commission, the Israeli Navy faced resistance from about 40 of the 590 passengers, including IHH activists – described in the commission's report as a separate "hardcore group"[3][4] – who were said to be armed with iron bars and knives. According to flotilla organizer Greta Berlin, the Israeli soldiers didn't start firing until an activist seized a gun from one of them.[6] During the struggle, nine activists were killed including eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish American, and many were wounded. On 23 May 2014, a tenth member of the flotilla died in hospital after being in a coma for four years.[7] Five of the activists who were killed had previously declared their desire to become shaheeds.[8] Ten of the commandos were also wounded, one of them seriously.[1] According to a UN report, all activist deaths were caused by gunshots, and "the circumstances of the killing of at least six of the passengers were in a manner consistent with an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary execution."[9][10] The five other ships in the flotilla employed passive resistance, which was suppressed without major incident. According to the UN report, several of the passengers were injured and the leg of one was fractured.[9][11] The ships were towed to Israel. Some were deported immediately, while about 600 were detained after they refused to sign deportation orders; a few of them were slated for prosecution. After international criticism, all of the detained activists were also deported.[12][13] The raid drew widespread condemnation internationally and resulted in a deterioration of Israel–Turkey relations. Israel consequently eased its blockade on the Gaza Strip. All activists were freed, yet only the Turkish and Greek ships were returned. Israel confiscated and continues to hold the other ships, as well as most of the property (including all media recordings) of over 700 passengers.[14][needs update] There were several probes into the incident. A UNHRC report in September 2010 into the incident deemed the blockade illegal and stated that Israel's actions were "disproportionate" and "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality", with evidence for "willful killing". The UNHRC later also set up a panel of five human rights experts to examine the conclusions of the Palmer report. The panel stated that Israel's blockade of Gaza amounted to collective punishment and was unlawful.[15][undue weight? – discuss] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a parallel probe in August 2010 by a four-member panel headed by Geoffrey Palmer. The Palmer report was published on 2 September 2011 after being delayed, reportedly to allow Israel and Turkey to continue reconciliation talks. The report found that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal, and that there were "serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH". The report also found that the degree of force used against the Mavi Marmara was "excessive and unreasonable",[17] and that the way Israel treated detained crew members violated international human rights law.[17] Israel has offered Turkey $20 million in compensation for the raid.[18] On 22 March 2013, in a half-hour telephone exchange between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the former apologized on behalf of his nation; Erdoğan accepted the apology and both agreed to enter into further discussions.[19][20] On June 29, 2016 the agreement was finalized and approved by the Israeli government.[21] History The operation, code named Operation Sea Breeze or Operation Sky Winds[22] was an attempt to block the Free Gaza Movement's ninth attempt to break the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip.[23][24] Israel proposed inspecting the cargo at the Port of Ashdod and then delivering non-blockaded goods through land crossings, but this proposal was turned down.[25] Israeli forces then raided and seized the Gaza-bound ships in international waters of the Mediterranean.[26] Israeli Navy warships flanked the flotilla and an aircraft flew overhead after it ignored Israeli instructions. Speedboats were prevented from approaching the Mavi Marmara by throwing broken dishes and metal chains. The other ships were boarded from speedboats. Israeli forces were met by passive resistance on five of the ships, but clashes broke out aboard the Mavi Marmara. A team of 15 Israeli Shayetet 13 naval commandos abseiled onto the ships from helicopters with paintball guns, plastic bullet riot dispersal handguns, and hidden firearms. The first team commander was thrown over the deck head down, abducted and stabbed, along with a second commando, and a third was grabbed off the rope. They were taken to an inside room and medically treated by the activists, who left the knife in the commander's stomach. A stun grenade from the abducted soldiers was thrown at the commandos and a handgun was allegedly taken from one soldiers and fired by an activist, who was intercepted. The commandos were ordered to use live fire. In the melee, five activists were killed, and two, wounded by rubber bullets, died a short time later.[text 1] According to the Israeli timeline video, within 5 minutes the roof was secured, with the assistance of an extra 15 man commando unit. Only 15 minutes later the commandos began the ship takeover with live ammunition and a third team of fighters. The soldier's captors escaped, and the Israeli commander pulled the knife out of his body and jumped overboard along with a second soldier. The third, with severe head injury was left and found by his comrades later. The raid ended with nine activists killed,[28][29][30] and dozens injured. A UNHRC fact-finding mission described six of the nine passengers' deaths as "summary execution" by the Israeli commandos. A BBC documentary concluded that Israeli forces had faced a violent premeditated attack by a group of hardcore IHH activists, who intended to orchestrate a political act to put pressure on Israel. The programme was criticised as "biased" by critics of Israel and the PSC (Palestine Solidarity Campaign) questioned why the IDF boarded the ship at night if it had peaceful intention.[32] Seven Israeli commandos were injured in the skirmish. After seizing control of the ships, Israeli forces towed them to Ashdod and detained the passengers.[33][34][35] Both sides place responsibility for the bloodshed on the other, and accounts of the events vary. The raid prompted widespread international reactions and demonstrations around the world.[36] The United Nations Security Council condemned "those acts resulting in civilian deaths", demanded an impartial investigation of the raid,[37] and called for the immediate release of civilians held by Israel.[37] Israel released all passengers of the flotilla by 6 June 2010.[38] The incident threatened the already deteriorating relations between Turkey and Israel.[39] Turkish president Abdullah Gül described the raid as an attack on Turkey for the first time since World War I.[text 2] Israel initially rejected calls from the United Nations and world governments for an international investigation into its raid on the Gaza aid flotilla,[40][41][42][text 3] but later agreed to cooperate with an investigation conducted by the United Nations.[43] Israel formed the Turkel Committee to investigate the raid. The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court of Israel judge Jacob Turkel, included two international observers.[44][45] The conclusions of an internal inquiry by the Israel Defense Forces under retired general Giora Eiland were presented to the chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi on 12 July 2010.[46] Eiland's report found that the naval commandos had carried out their duties with professionalism, bravery and resourcefulness, and the commanders had exhibited correct decision making. The report further determined, "the use of live fire was justified and that the entire operation was estimable."[47] In August 2010, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the U.N. would conduct an investigation of the incident. A separate investigation was conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. The findings of this committee, published on 22 September 2010, called the Israeli operation "disproportionate" and condemned its "unacceptable level of brutality".[48] The UN Human Rights Council had also condemned the raid in June, before its investigation.[49] Another resolution backing the report was passed despite American opposition and EU abstention.[50] Israel accused the UNHRC of a biased, politicized and extremist approach.[49] Benjamin Netanyahu described the actions of the soldiers as a clear case of self-defense.[51] The Israeli Supreme Court, which rejected several local legal suits against the flotilla raid, wrote in its verdict, "the soldiers were forced to respond in order to defend their lives."[52] Five shipments had been allowed through prior to the 2008–09 Gaza War, but all shipments following the war were blocked by Israel.[53] This flotilla was the largest to date. An Islamic aid group from Turkey, the İHH (İnsani Yardım Vakfı) (Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) sponsored a large passenger ship and two cargo ships. On 22 March 2013 Netanyahu apologised for the incident in a 30-minute telephone call with Erdoğan, stating that the results were unintended; the Turkish prime minister accepted apology and agreed to enter into discussions to resolve the compensation issue.[19][20] Following the telephone apology, Israel's Channel 10 television channel reported that compensation talks had commenced; however, a disparity became immediately apparent, as Turkey sought $1 million for each of the flotilla deaths, while Israel response was $100,000. As of 27 March 2013, an agreement was made between the two nations in regard to three points: 1. Compensation will only be paid to the family members of the people killed aboard the Marmara; 2. Confirmation of a signed commitment from Turkey, whereby Turkey will be unable to sue Israel over the incident; 3. The Turkish government will return the monetary compensation to Israel in the event that civilian lawsuits are ever filed by Turkish citizens; a meeting was also planned for the discussion of future relations between Turkey and Israel.[54][55] One of participants of the Gaza flotilla, Sinan Albayrak, told the Turkish newspaper Akşam in response to the Israeli apology, "[w]hat is the importance of the apology? 'We killed nine people and are sorry' – of course it sounds ridiculous. I say this is what the state should have done. If [Turkey] only had prevented this at the start. But we asked for it. We went there ourselves."[56][57] According to Hürriyet Daily News' Semih Idiz, some Turkish citizens are even suggesting that those involved with the Mavi Marmara incident should also bring charges against the Turkish state for playing a prominent role in supporting the Mavi Marmara's mission and for failing to prevent the death of nine Turks on the ship.[57] The flotilla The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, with the intention of breaking the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip.[58][59][60] Israel questioned the humanitarian motives of flotilla organizers, saying it had invited the organizers to use the land crossings but they had refused.[61] Three of the flotilla ships carried only passengers and their personal belongings.[62] Whereas in previous voyages, Free Gaza vessels carried 140 passengers in total, in this flotilla, over 600 activists were on board the Mavi Marmara alone.[29] Three other ships carried cargo: 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, with an estimated value of $20 million. Reports disagree about the presence and quantity of paramilitary equipment.[63] For the initial leg of the voyage, six of the eight ships set out on 30 May 2010 from international waters off the coast of Cyprus;[64] the remaining two were delayed by mechanical problems.[65] There are suggestions that the IDF or Mossad may have sabotaged three of the ships before the raid.[66] Pre-raid sabotage rumors The IDF or the Mossad may have sabotaged three of the ships before the raid.[66] According to the National Post, Israeli deputy defense minister Matan Vilnai hinted that Israel had exhausted covert means of stalling the vessels. He said: "Everything was considered. I don't want to elaborate beyond that, because the fact is there were not up to 10, or however many ships were [originally] planned."[67] A senior IDF officer hinted to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that some of the vessels had been tampered with to halt them far from the Gaza or Israeli coast.[68][69] According to UPI press coverage, the officer alluded to "grey operations" against the flotilla and said that no such action had been taken against the Mavi Marmara out of fear that the vessel might be stranded in the middle of the sea, endangering the people on board.[66][69] Israel was accused of sabotaging activist ships in the past but no evidence has been found to back up these claims.[66] Three ships – the Rachel Corrie, the Challenger I and the Challenger II – suffered damage or malfunction. While the Challenger I was able to continue, the Challenger II had to turn back halfway through the journey and Rachel Corrie docked for repairs in Malta. Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement said that electric wires may have been tampered with.[70] Ships The ships of the Gaza flotilla raid comprised three passenger ships[62] and three cargo ships: Challenger 1 (small yacht), [62] United States, Free Gaza Movement (small yacht), United States, Free Gaza Movement MS Eleftheri Mesogios (Free Mediterranean) or Sofia (cargo boat), Greece Greek Ship to Gaza or (cargo boat), Greece Greek Ship to Gaza Sfendoni (small passenger boat), Greece [62] Greek Ship to Gaza and European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (small passenger boat), Greece Greek Ship to Gaza and European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza MV Mavi Marmara (passenger ship), [62] Comoros, İHH (passenger ship), Comoros, İHH Gazze, Turkey, İHH , Turkey, İHH Defne Y, Kiribati, İHH Two other Free Gaza Movement ships had mechanical problems:[65] Challenger 2 (USA flagged) had to turn back halfway through the voyage and MV Rachel Corrie (Cambodia flagged) docked in Malta for repairs and continued separately. Raid Nitzachon at Haifa naval base The INSat Haifa naval base A few minutes after 9:00 pm, Sa'ar 5-class corvettes INS Lahav and INS Hanit, and the Sa'ar 4-class missile boat INS Nitzachon left Haifa naval base to intercept the flotilla. The three warships had speedboats, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and 71 Shayetet 13 commandos on board. The Israeli Navy made initial contact with the flotilla at 11 p.m. (2000 UTC) on 30 May, about 120 miles (190 km) northwest of Gaza, 80 miles (130 km) off the coast of southern Lebanon, in international waters, ordering the ships to follow them to port or otherwise be boarded.[63][72][73] The Shayetet 13 commandos who participated in the operation underwent a month of training prior to the operation, including dummy takeovers of a ship at sea with fifty soldiers performing the role of activists. The Israeli Navy said that the soldiers were trained for "a Bil'in-type opposition".[74] Ron Ben-Yishai, a veteran Israeli correspondent aboard the Israeli missile boat INS Nitzachon, reported that the assessment was that the passengers would show "light resistance and possibly minor violence". The soldiers were armed with paintball guns,[34] stun grenades, tasers, and pistols as sidearms, which were attached to their backs.[75] The soldiers had orders to confront protesters and peacefully convince them to give up, and if not successful, to use non-lethal force to commandeer the ship. They were instructed to use their sidearms only in an emergency, when their lives were at risk.[76] Ahead of the operation, the soldiers were briefed by Vice-Admiral Eli Marom, the commander of the Israeli Navy. Marom stated that the IDF had no intention of harming any flotilla passengers and would act professionally. He also warned soldiers that the passengers could provoke them in ways such as throwing cigarettes, spitting, and cursing, but, "we do not respond to these types of actions. We act as professional soldiers do".[78] The Israeli Navy radioed Tural Mahmut, the captain of the Mavi Marmara, sending him this message: "Mavi Marmara, you are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbour are closed to all maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Gaza Strip and invites you to enter Ashdod port. Delivery of supplies will be in accordance with the authorities' regulations and through the formal land crossing to Gaza and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports aboard the vessels on which you arrived." The reply was: "Negative, negative. Our destination is Gaza." Shortly after, three Israeli warships began shadowing the flotilla. Two warships flanked the flotilla on either side, but at a distance. An Israeli aircraft also flew overhead.[79] Five days after the raid, IDF released an audio recording purporting to be of a radio exchange between the Israeli Navy and the flotilla. After Israeli warnings that the ships were approaching a blockade, voices responded "Go back to Auschwitz!" and "Don't forget 9/11".[80] Denis Healey, the captain of Challenger I, and activist Huwaida Arraf who was on the bridge of the ship, disputed the authenticity of the recording. Israel conceded that it was impossible to trace who made the comments, or from which ship, because they were made on an open channel.[81][82] An Israeli journalist who was on board an IDF ship confirmed the IDF accounts.[text 4] Hours before the raid, the head of the İHH, Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım, declared, "We're going to defeat the Israeli commandos–we're declaring it now. If you bring your soldiers here, we will throw you off the ship and you'll be humiliated in front of the whole world." Later, according to the crew, a group of about 40 İHH activists took over the ship.[83] The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an Israeli non-governmental organization that, according to Haaretz, is "widely seen as an unofficial branch of Israel's intelligence community",[84] said that, based on laptop files and passenger testimony, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had prior knowledge that the activists on the flotilla would use violence. In addition, the ITIC said a group of 40 "militant" activists boarded before the rest of the passengers, were not searched as they boarded, and that İHH President Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım had briefed this group with a mission of keeping Israelis from taking control of the ship.[84][85] The IDF identified a group of some 50 men who were responsible for attacking IDF soldiers. The members of this group were not carrying identity cards or passports, but each carried an envelope with some $10,000 in cash. The Israeli defense establishment suspected that the funding may have come from elements in the Turkish government. One member of the group, who was identified as its ringleader, travelled to Bursa to recruit members. The members were stationed in groups throughout the ship, mostly on the upper deck, and communicated with each other via walkie-talkies. The members were well-trained and equipped with gas masks and bulletproof vests.[86] The Mavi Maramara activists were divided into two groups, "peace activists" and a "hardcore group".[4] Video footage shows the "hardcore group" activists prepared before the raid, praying together while wearing uniforms, taking their gas masks and makeshift weapons, and getting into position. Activists dressed in protective clothing from construction materials. Mavi Marmara boarding Mavi Marmara passengers hit IDF soldiers with metal rods. The boarding of the Mavi Marmara started in the early morning at 4:30 IST. The operation began with an attempt to board the ship from speedboats. As the boats approached, activists fired water hoses at them, and pelted them with a variety of objects. The Israelis replied with paintballs and stun grenades. One stun grenade was picked up and tossed back into a boat. When the commandos tried boarding the ship, activists cut the ladders with electric disc saws. The boats then turned slightly away from the ship, but remained close.[83] The IDF then sent in a Black Hawk helicopter with a 15-man assault team on board.[83][92] According to the IDF, the commandos fired warning shots and dropped stun grenades prior to abseiling onto the ship.[93] The UNHRC report on the incident concluded that the Israeli soldiers were firing live rounds from the helicopter before they landed anyone on the ship. Passengers reported gunfire, blue flares and deafening noise from the first helicopter at this time.[95][96] Al Jazeera journalist Jamal Elshayyal stated that he saw one man shot in the head and others wounded.[97] Robert Mackey of The New York Times suggested that the passengers on the ship may have mistaken flash grenades and paintball guns for deadly weapons, which enraged them.[98] Activists and crew members used gas masks.[text 5] A rope was dropped from the helicopter onto the ship, but three activists seized it and tied it to the deck. A second rope was dropped and the soldiers abseiled onto the deck. Each soldier was met with a team of resisting activists, throwing them off balance and assaulting them with makeshift weapons.[100][101] The IDF also reported that a firebomb was thrown at soldiers. Meanwhile, the Israeli commandos responded with their less-lethal weaponry and attempted to physically fight off activists. Mavi Marmara, and a knife-wielding activist[102] An injured Israeli commando captured by activists aboard the, and a knife-wielding activist Footage taken from the Mavi Marmara security cameras shows the activists preparing to attack IDF soldiers. Three Israeli commandos were captured. The first captured soldier, the commanding officer of the assault team, was abseiling from the helicopter when he was attacked by ten men before his feet hit the deck. He was beaten across his body and head, then picked up and thrown to the lower deck, where he was attacked by a dozen activists. They beat and choked him, removed his bulletproof vest and sidearm and smashed his helmet, and shoved him into a passenger hall below deck. The second soldier was surrounded by a team of fifteen to twenty activists in two groups. One group attacked him when he landed on the ship's roof. He fired one shot at an activist holding a knife before being subdued.[103] The activists seized his gun and beat him as he attempted to fight them off with his back to the hull. He was picked up by his arms and legs, and thrown over the hull. He attempted to hang onto the hull with both hands, but was forced to let go when activists beat his hands and pulled him down by his legs. He was then surrounded by another group of activists, stabbed in the stomach and dragged into a lounge while being beaten. A third soldier who was lowered onto the deck saw an activist waiting to attack him with an iron crowbar. After shoving him away, he was attacked by four more activists, one of whom wrapped a chain around his neck and choked him until he lost consciousness. He was then thrown onto the bridge deck, where he was attacked by about twenty activists, who beat him, cut away his equipment, and dragged him into the lounge. The three soldiers were severely wounded and bleeding heavily. Two of the soldiers had their hands tied, and a third was unconscious and went into convulsions. During their captivity, they were subjected to physical and verbal abuse, and photographed and filmed. One of the soldiers said that he was beaten after he began moving and yelling that one of the soldiers needed a doctor, and another said that he was placed onto a couch, beaten, and threatened that he would be beaten every time he moved. Although radical activists attempted to harm them further, more moderate passengers intervened and protected the soldiers. Two were given water and one with a severe stomach wound was given a gauze pad. Hasan Huseyin Uysal, a Turkish doctor, cleaned the blood off their faces and tended to facial cuts.[107] Mavi Marmara Activists throw back a stun grenade into an IDF speedboat, which was earlier thrown on to the Israel and the flotilla activists disagreed over whether guns seized from the captive soldiers were used by the activists.[108] Commandos reported that at least two of the captive soldiers had their sidearms wrested away, and that there was live fire against them at a later stage.[109][110][111] According to the IDF, activists also used firearms that they brought along with them, as investigators found bullet casings not matching IDF-issued guns. The IDF reported that the second soldier to descend from the first helicopter was shot in the stomach, and another soldier was shot in the knee. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that activists also seized three stun grenades from soldiers.[113] After the third soldier was thrown from the roof, the commandos requested and received permission to use live fire.[103][114] The soldiers then opened fire with pistols, and activists dispersed to the front and back of the roof after taking casualties. An IDF medical officer on board located a secure spot, and oversaw treatment of injured soldiers. A second helicopter carrying 12 soldiers arrived over the ship. As the helicopter approached, activists attacked the IDF commandos, who repulsed them with gunshots aimed at their legs. At the same time, the speedboats trailing the ship approached again. They were met with a barrage of objects, including iron balls from slingshots, and allegedly with a burst of gunfire, forcing the boats to pull back again. Soldiers from the second helicopter successfully slid down and moved to gain control of the front of the roof and secure the lower decks. Passengers attacked them, and were dispersed with shots fired towards their legs. The first attempt to secure the lower decks was met with violent resistance, allegedly including live fire. Shortly afterward, a third helicopter arrived, carrying 14 soldiers. They successfully abseiled onto the ship, and the commander from the third helicopter met up with the commander from the second helicopter, after which the forces began moving towards the ship's bridge. They were attacked twice by activists, and responded with gunfire. The commandos reached the bridge after thirty minutes, and took command. Upon orders from the soldiers, the captain instructed all activists to enter their cabins. At this stage, most of the activists assembled on the sides of the ship retreated into the hull. The speedboats approached for a third time, and most of the remaining activists again hurled objects at the boats. Soldiers inside the boats then opened fire, taking careful aim to hit the resisting passengers and forcing the activists to disperse, enabling the soldiers to board from ladders. The soldiers were met with resistance, and responded with live fire. They managed to fight their way to the roof, where they met up with the rest of the force.[83] An assessment was made, and three soldiers were found to be missing. A force was prepared to rush the passenger halls and locate the soldiers. According to the IDF, soldiers spotted activists escorting the three captive soldiers onto the deck. One of the captive soldiers said that the activist guarding him waved to one of the IDF naval vessels to show that they were holding Israeli soldiers. At that point, he elbowed the activist in the ribs and jumped into the water, although the guard tried to hold him back. A second soldier also jumped into the water, while the third remained unconscious on the deck. IDF soldiers dispersed the activists with non-lethal weapons, and rescued the unconscious soldier, while the two soldiers in the water were picked up by the speedboats.[114] According to some accounts by activists and
be tweeting from inside the school: Some people gathered outside the school after the shooting: KIRO // // //&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Please enable Javascript to watch this video&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Some students were led out of the school, according to KIRO 7. Others were locked down in classrooms inside the building. Students who left the school were led to a church for refuge: Developing...Pastor, Son Arrested for Beating Boy in Church Because He Wanted to 'Test God,' Police Say Email Print Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin A Minnesota pastor and his son allegedly beat a 12-year-old boy over the course of several days for rejecting his faith in a bid to "test God," and are now facing felony charges after the boy escaped the church and called for help. A letter written by the pastor's wife in defense of her family said they were simply just trying to help a troubled child who they considered "family." A criminal complaint filed on Tuesday against Pastor Dong Wook Kim, 51, of Good News Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his 19-year-old son, Joo Seong Kim, charges the father and son duo each with two counts of assault in the second and third degree, and one count of malicious punishment of a child. All the charges are felonies. The Minneapolis Police Department received a call from a resident last Saturday who told police that she was shoveling snow at her home when she saw the boy running through the snow toward her. As he approached her yard he yelled "help me." He was dressed in only a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt in sub-zero temperature. She told police that she took the limping boy into her home where he showed her injuries he received during four days of beatings in the basement of the Good News Church. Police reported that the boy had what appeared to be a black eye and a healing busted lip, bruising on both arms, whip marks, healing scabs on his back, bruising on his buttocks and thighs, "one of which was the approximate size of a football." He was taken to a local hospital for treatment where he told police that his 4-year-old sister had also suffered abuse at the hands of the pastor in the past. The boy explained to police that on Dec. 14, Pastor Kim made him get into a push-up position and plank for a long period of time. When he got tired and could not hold the position, the pastor kicked him in the head and face. On Dec. 15, the pastor's son made him get into a push-up plank position and struck him in the back and on his foot with a 3 to 4 feet long stick that was about 2 inches thick. Then, last Friday, the pastor's son allegedly punched the boy in the head and stomach multiple times which "caused bussing (sic) in his ears." The pastor, according to the boy, also slammed his head multiple times in a doorframe which "caused him to see stars and caused injury to his head, face and ear." On Saturday, he said his parents called the pastor and his son to pick him up from their home, and that is when they took him back to the basement of Good News Church where the pastor's son pulled him by the hair, made him do to pushup position and whipped him with a stick. The pastor's son then told him to remove his sweatshirt and jacket and went to retrieve an extension cord. It was at this point that the boy took the opportunity to run away. The boy told police that he was running to a nearby CVS pharmacy to call police and get warm. But when he saw the woman who helped him outside he ran to her for help instead. He said the pastor and his son had started taking him to the basement of the church, which has no windows, about two to three weeks earlier but things only started getting physical last Wednesday. The boy reportedly told the pastor that "he wanted to test God," and the pastor became angry and made him assume the push-up position. The pastor then struck him on the buttocks 15 to 20 times with "a small stick." The pastor's son said because the boy moved, his father struck him on other parts of his body. Last Thursday, according to the pastor, the boy had also run away from the church in the wee hours or the morning, but they were able to find him and return him to the church. The pastor's son said he saw the boy's father escort him into the pastor's office and struck him once or twice with an open hand. When the pastor's son was shown images of the extensive injuries on the boy, he blamed them on his father and the boy's father. The pastor admitted to striking the boy on Dec. 14 because he "was really upset at the time" over the boy's rejection of God. He admitted that "I lost control." One of the pastor's other sons told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that his father was really just trying to help the boy's parents with discipline. "From the bottom of our hearts, we really wanted to help (the victim)," the son said. In the letter to the judge in her husband's case, the pastor's wife said he had served in the Korean Air Force for 16 years before he was honorably discharged in order to become a minister. "I respect and honor my husband because he left his place as the Lieutenant Commander and left his guaranteed life to serve God, serve the Gospel and walk his path as a minister," she wrote. The pastor's wife explained that he has been ministering for 14 years and "has guided countless youths to get on the right path." She also pleaded for her son, Joo, whom she called a gift from God. She explained that she had suffered five miscarriages over four years before she gave birth to Joo. "There were times when I hated God and resented Him. Then in the year of 1995, I received salvation and God gave me a son. Joo is not just a son. Joo is the first gift that God has given me. As much as the pain I had having miscarriages, I was that much more happy when I bore my son," she wrote. She credited the church with helping her to raise her sons and is expecting Joo's two younger brothers to become ministers. "I believe if I were the one to raise my son, I wouldn't have been able to raise him this well. It was God and the church who raised him. I believe that my sons, even the two after Joo, will become servants of God," she said. She again argued that her husband and son did not have "bad intentions" when they hit the boy. "It was out of greed of wanting to make him a better person. We were like family. Since both of his parents worked, my husband would go and pick him up every day after school and bring him to church. We would eat dinner together as a family. It was out of discipline not rage," she said. Both the pastor and his son are currently in custody and being held on $50,000 bail.ATTENTION! The content of this article is more than three months old and may not be relevant to the current version of the game After we showed you the Encounter Map in the series of Map Makeovers, it is now time to present you with the first Skirmish Map – Forest Skirmish. The Forest Skirmish Map is thoroughly revised. All Capture Points are redesigned, fortifications have been added such as sandbags, barbwire fences, walls, crates and logs for cover and tactical positioning as you can see here on capture point C. The green tint indicates the size of the capture areas on all pictures. The radio is now on the outside, in the middle of the action and the range has been widened, ensuring fast paced battles around the capture areas. See Capture Point B below as an example. The objectives are more clearly recognizable, leaving no doubt for newer players, what to fight for and support crates, vehicles and weapons can be found in central positions on the map. Below, you can see capture area A, which is clearly set apart as an objective. Additionally there are more details in the game, especially around the control points, which bring the game to life and make every location special, even access points such as below. The map’s terrain has been optimized, which will give the game a better appearance. You will notice that the gameplay will appear smoother and the environment will simply look better. We have gone through a massive makeover of all existing maps, adding spawn protection on all maps, new deploy rules for Assault maps, larger Control Point areas, better looking terrain and vegetation. All this will be released in the upcoming ‘Garman’ update.It’s almost April 15, and you may be worrying about how much taxes will hurt this year. But a new study published today suggests there’s a whole world of economic losses in the air around us that few of us know anything about. The study, published in the journal Climatic Change, is the first to pull together a proper accounting of the hidden costs of greenhouse gas emissions. It shows the true (and much higher) cost that we pay in dollars at the pump and light switch—or in human lives at the emergency room. Drew Shindell, a professor at Duke University, has attempted to play CPA to our industrialized emitting world. He has tabulated what he calls “climate damages” for a whole range of greenhouse gases like CO2, aerosols, and methane—and more persistent ones like nitrous oxides. If these damages are added in like the gas tax, a gallon of regular in the United States would really cost $6.25. The price of diesel would be a whopping $7.72 a gallon. Shindell also estimated the yearly damages from power plants in the U.S. Using coal costs us the most, with climate damages adding an almost 30 cents per kilowatt hour to the current price of 10 cents we now pay. The gas-fired power price rises to 17 cents from 7 cents per kilowatt hour. For the average homeowner who uses natural gas, your real bill after climate damages is double. And for those of us who get their electricity from coal-fired power plants, our energy bills are really four times what we see in our monthly statements. Shindell calculates the total yearly emissions price tag—between transportation, electricity, and industrial combustion—at between $330-970 billion. That wide spread depends on the choice of a discount rate, which reflects the relative value of money over the years and decades of climate change to come. (Renewables and nuclear, though they may appear more expensive than natural gas in the near-term at around 10 cents per kilowatt hour, carry little to no climate damage bill, now, or at any time in the future.) Central to those estimated economic damages are the costs we pay in human lives. “Air pollution in the United States sends about 150,000 people to the hospital every year and causes 180,000 non-fatal heart attacks,” Shindell told Quartz. That toll goes on our health bill directly and costs the economy indirectly in lost work days and lowered productivity. And that’s if people recover. Shindell said air pollution’s fatal effects—and costs—are even higher globally. “Around the world air pollution is the single leading environmental cause of death,” he said. “It’s not necessarily that people pay out of their pockets, but they’re dead.” We’ve long known that air pollution kills and the climate change is a threat. But normally, pollution is looked at as a present-day environmental health issue. Climate is a global weather problem—only starting to be felt now—that mostly concerns the future. The challenge, unmet until now, has been to pull two very separate scientific worlds together. But money is a universal language. “What I’m trying to do is provide a basic, widely-generalizable metric where you can say, this is how much it costs per pound of any individual pollutant that’s emitted,” said Shindell. His economic model allows him to put a price per ton emitted on 10 different pollutants to find out what they will cost us in terms of global and regional climate changes and human health. “I think Shindell’s study is sound and the nuances are new—and the more we learn about the nuances the better we are as a scientific community,” said Gary Yohe, an environmental economics professor at Wesleyan University and an editor of the Climatic Change journal, in an interview. And nuances, according to Yohe, are what’s needed when dealing with an issue the size of climate change. “Climate is the poster child for extraordinarily difficult, global public goods problem with ample opportunity for free-riding,” he told Quartz. That means that it’s an economic muddle. Emissions create many winners and losers around the world. And climate is full of risks and uncertainties. Planning action on climate change is so difficult it can easily cause economic and political paralysis. But Shindell’s metric, called the “Social Cost of Atmospheric Release,” could provide some common ground from which to work. “The question is, what do we do now and what do we monitor for the next 20 years so that we can make intelligent mid-course corrections, and convey that to the economic community in a way that doesn’t cause extra damage and harm?” Yohe told Quartz. “If I really add Shindell’s damages into my mental calculation, it could make a difference.” Shindell says that those mental calculations make sense, even if you’re not an economist. He told Quartz: “We’re thinking, it’s too expensive to switch to solar and wind because we’ll have to build new power lines, and we’ll have to pay money for this and that, but we forget that the current system is super, super expensive.” Shindell said the costs of greenhouse gases are always there, we just don’t see them because they come up as a healthcare bill or an insurance bill or as dead people. But he also said that we don’t remember that those costs are within our control once we know what they are. “A better sense of the real costs might help people realize what choices they’re actually making,” he said. This article is part of Quartz Ideas, our home for bold arguments and big thinkers.Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Saudi Iyad Ameen Madani (R) shakes hands with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during an emergency meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah, on January 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/) Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - A global Muslim body on Thursday condemned the attacks on Saudi missions in Iran earlier this month and denounced Tehran's regional "interference". Foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, in a statement, said it "condemns the aggressions against the missions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashhad". The statement followed an extraordinary meeting requested by Saudi Arabia after protesters in Iran burned Riyadh's embassy in Tehran and a consulate in the second city of Mashhad. Such "aggressions" contravene international law as well as the OIC charter, said the communique, which member state Iran rejected. The violence against Riyadh's missions occurred after the kingdom executed dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind anti-government protests. Sunni Saudi Arabia and some of its allies cut diplomatic ties with Shiite Iran as a result of the violence against its missions. Nimr was one of four Shiites put to death on January 2 alongside 43 Sunnis. All were convicted of "terrorism". The 57-member OIC said it "rejects and condemns Iran's inflammatory statements" over the executions, "considering those statements a blatant interference in the internal affairs" of Saudi Arabia. It also denounced "Iran's interference in the internal affairs of the states of the region and other member states (including Bahrain, Yemen and Syria and Somalia) and its continued support for terrorism". Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the meeting but his country "declared its rejection of the communique," the document said. It added that Lebanon also "distances itself" from the meeting's final statement. The OIC calls itself the collective voice of the Muslim world. Tensions between the leading Sunni and Shiite nations have caused concern around the globe. China, France and Pakistan have all sought a de-escalation. - 'Continuous attacks' - At the start of Thursday's meeting, OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani called for "building bridges of understanding and restoring mutual trust" through dialogue. This will prevent conflicts "that will waste energy and hinder the development of our people," he said. Tensions between members "distract us from addressing the real challenges", including "terrorism", which threaten members of the organisation, Madani told the group based in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah. The final communique underscored the "importance of reinforcing relations of good neighbourliness" among members. Iran sacked a senior security official over his failure to stop the attack on Riyadh's embassy, while Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said the attack was against Islam. But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir charged at Thursday's meeting that Iran respects neither Islam nor the charter of the OIC. "The importance of this meeting is in the fact that this aggression is not the first but only a part of a series of continuous attacks that diplomatic missions have been subjected to in Iran for 35 years," Jubeir said. "It is important to point out that the aggression against the kingdom's missions comes as part of Iran's aggressive policies and its continuous interference in the internal issues of the countries in the region". Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Iran has also consolidated its influence in Iraq and Lebanon. Riyadh had also called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League after the attack on its missions. The Cairo-based body on January 10 expressed full support for Saudi Arabia in dealing with the "hostile acts and provocations of Iran".UPDATE, 11:45 AM: DVR gains helped the broadcast networks somewhat close the gap with last fall’s premiere week’s averages but still left two networks, ABC and Fox, in negative territory year-to-year among adults 18-49. Meanwhile, NBC inched up from 0.1 down in Live+Same Day to flat, matching its top result in seven years, while CBS went from up 0.2 to even as its L+SD boost came from added NFL programming that does not get DVR lift. Three of the four nets were up year-to-year in total viewers, with NBC logging its largest premiere week audience in 11 years. (The CW launches its fall lineup later.) 18-49 rating 2014 2013 % change viewers (mil) 2014 2013 % change NBC 3.7 3.7 n.c CBS 13.2 13.0 +2 CBS 3.1 3.1 n.c NBC 12.1 11.4 +6 ABC 2.9 3.1 -6 ABC 10.3 9.9 +4 Fox 2.7 2.8 -4 Fox 6.8 7.4 -9 PREVIOUS, SUNDAY: Live+7 ratings for Premiere Week 2014 are in, and we’re finally getting a more clear picture of how se ries did — three weeks later. The l7s show how much the portion of DVR viewing in the programs’ overall ratings has increased in just one year. (Tables showing the Full Premiere Week Program Rankers in 18-49 and total viewers are at the bottom of this story). Not one but two shows broke the previous record for largest l7 lift in total viewers, set by The Blacklist last February (6.6 million). First, The Blacklist added 6.8 million viewers to its Monday Live+Same Day premiere audience. Three days later, the series debut of ABC’s How To Get Away with Murder topped that with 7.0 million, a new record. Similarly, new Fox drama Gotham set a record for l7 lift in adults 18-49 with a 2.7 rating boost. Three telecasts, Gotham and two episodes of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory (2.6, 2.4) had bigger absolute gains in 18-49 than the highest lift last premiere week, 2.4 for ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For a second straight year, it is a new superhero drama (Gotham vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.) that tops the list of biggest l7 gains in 18-49. More than a third of the shows that aired during 2014 premiere week grew 50% or more from their same-day deliveries. Last year, that portion was less than a fourth. In percentage gains, Gotham and Red Band Society posted the largest lifts (both +82%) of any series. For comparison, the biggest percentage gain last premiere week was 70% for Sleepy Hollow. Here are full listings of all Premiere Week programs ranked by absolute lift in 18-49 and total viewers:PAINT ROCK, Ala. — At a senior center here in the northeast corner of Alabama, one decree ordinarily rises above the rules of Rook and dominoes: No talking about politics or religion. But by late this week, after days of watching President Trump excoriate and belittle Attorney General Jeff Sessions, some seniors were ready to let the rule slide so they could defend an Alabamian. “I think everybody’s been a little aggravated,” Wilma Counts, a retired seamstress who has voted for both men, said before a lunch of smoked sausage, sliced peaches and yellow cake. “I want Trump to stay because I think he’s got some good ideas, but I don’t like him picking on Sessions.” Alabama may adore Mr. Trump, but this is a state that first loved Mr. Sessions. And to a striking degree in a state where Mr. Trump won 62 percent of the vote last fall, Republicans and Democrats alike have closed ranks around Mr. Sessions, who was the state attorney general before he won a Senate seat four times and joined the president’s cabinet. Interviews with voters from four counties, three of which supported Mr. Trump, revealed near-absolute confidence in Mr. Sessions’s virtue and conservatism, a swelling of state pride and, in this case at least, an encroaching skepticism of the president. In Montgomery, the capital, Perry O. Hooper Jr., a former state legislator and a co-chairman of Mr. Trump’s campaign in Alabama, said, “Jeff Sessions is a man of great character and integrity, he’s a good man, and he is the king of the hill in Alabama.’’So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is back to help you keep track of it all. You’ll find takes on moments you might’ve missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever. The Age of Westbrook Jason Gallagher: Until about 12 hours ago, it was just a thought — one that only the bravest among us could contemplate out loud. Sure, we had talked around the idea, maybe with neighbors, maybe with friends. But it’s not like it would ever really happen, right? What would happen if we answered the question? What would happen if Russell Westbrook were let loose? THIS IS THE AGE OF WESTBROOK AND IT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE ALL DREAMED IT WOULD BE. Westbrook, for the first time, is without strings. He devoured the Blazers, with 38 points on 11-26 shooting and six assists, even though Portland’s defense knew he was the only viable offensive option the injury-depleted Thunder had. On the other end, Damian Lillard didn’t get a shot to fall until the third quarter due to Russ’s harassing defense. Westbrook thrives on the freedom that would otherwise crush other point guards. Even though this great Portland team ultimately defeated Oklahoma City, it became very clear that the Thunder will survive the Age of Westbrook (he could really use some help, though). The question is, will we? Any Thoughts, Kevin? Do You Believe in Russ, Taylor? James Devaney/GC Images Heat Check Kirk Goldsberry: Let’s not shovel dirt on the Miami Heat just yet. Remember the last year Chris Bosh played without LeBron James? He averaged 24 and 11. Well, he had 26 and 15 last night, and led the Heat to a victory over the upstart Wizards. Oh, and James Ennis did this to Rasual Butler … [protected-iframe id=”b449966dbc0e0e0db41571f9da679ac3-60203239-57733860″ info=”http://gfycat.com/ifr/JoyousLegalBluebottle” width=”642″ height=”354″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”] Yikes. In addition, Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole each scored over 20 points. The Heat won’t be title contenders this year, but if they get this kind of production from Bosh and Wade, they could still be one of the better teams within the putrid Eastern Conference. What Could Have Been Jason Concepcion: Even though the famed Blue Man Group were on hand to lend their signature azure-slathered avant-hippie drumming to the proceedings; even though the reflected light from the Jumbotron screens showing the slickly produced hype video of Carmelo Anthony jogging in majestic slow motion through the mottled gray Manhattan streets lit up the iconic spoked ceiling of Madison Square Garden; even though the gathered throng of nattily clad bankers and replica-jersey-bedecked diehards and foam-pointy-finger-wearing children and stylish downtown hipsters and perplexed tourists from all corners of the globe filled the seats of the World’s Most Famous Arena; it didn’t really feel like a Knicks home game until the Garden Vision screen showed Taylor Swift and John McEnroe flashing thumbs-up and peace signs, respectively, from their courtside perches, framed by the glowing red numbers of the scoreboard showing a double-digit Knicks deficit to the Bulls. Then it felt like home. Remember the 1998 timestream multiverse/rom-com mashup Sliding Doors? It starred the exquisitely curated English accent of Gwyneth Paltrow, as a woman whose life arc forks into two distinct paths — one ending in sadness and death, the other glimmering with the hope of true love — after she just misses (or in the alternate timeline makes) her train. That was Carmelo Anthony’s opening night. In the one timeline, he takes less money and fewer years in Chicago. He partners with Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson (assuming a no-sign-and-trade scenario) under the auspices of crackerjack coach Tom Thibodeau. He contends for the Eastern Conference championship for the next several years. In the other, Melo takes New York’s five-year, cat’s-whisker-less-than-max-money deal. He puts his trust in rookie exec Phil Jackson and rookie coach Derek Fisher’s ability to change the culture and install a complicated offensive system with a hodgepodge of players — many of whom won’t be around to watch said culture and system take root. He scuffles out 2014-15 with only the barest glimmers of the seventh or eighth seed twinkling in the distance. Opening-night score: Bulls 104, Knicks 80. Rose isn’t quite up to speed and yet he can still make the breath catch in your chest. Thibodeau got a tech arguing a call, his team up 24. There’s never anything wrong with taking the money you’re worth. I just hope Melo doesn’t end up regretting it. What About Mirotic and McBuckets, Tay? James Devaney/GC Images KEMBA Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Andrew Sharp: Does anyone not love Kemba Walker? Even going back to UConn, it was impossible to root against him. Remember the Big East tournament? Remember when he just won the NCAA title by himself? He’s the best kind of athlete. Not the most talented, not dominating anyone physically, but with Bill Raftery ONIONS the size of Jupiter. Before that shot tied it, things hadn’t been going great for the opening-night Hornets. They had the new court, they had the new Lance, they even had Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s new jumper, and none of it mattered. Brandon Knight was ruining everything. He had 22 points (on 5-17 shooting, but still) to go with 13 assists and eight rebounds, O.J. Mayo and Giannis were holding down the second unit, Larry Sanders was showing signs of life, and they were all killing the Hornets. Then the tide started to turn, possibly when Lance Stephenson climbed Larry Sanders’s face at the end of the third quarter. That was part of a 24-point second-half comeback that ended with Kemba sending things to OT, and then in OT … of course. Kemba. Onions. There was a lot to be excited about for both teams last night. The Bucks are going to be scaring teams like this all year, and they may not win, but they’ll make basketball more fun in Milwaukee than it has been in a long time. And the Hornets? Kemba signed a four-year, $48 million deal this week, and I knew right then that this team was officially destined for big things. Because that awkward free-agency question won’t hang over the season, because that’s actually the perfect deal for someone who’s not quite an All-Star but still awesome enough to matter in the playoffs, and because now the path is clear for Lance Stephenson and Kemba Walker to carry the torch for New York City basketball every goddamn night. Google still can’t figure out if the Hornets are real again, but that’s all right. Soon everyone will know. Professor Al is back, Kidd-Gilchrist shot 75 percent from the field last night, Lance and Kemba will be a case study in “no no no YES!” all year long, and this is all going to get fun. The hype is as real as the honeycomb court. MJ knows. That’s how all Hornets fans are feeling right now. That’s how any NBA fan felt watching the end last night. That’s what Kemba does to people. Any Big East Tournament Memories You Want to Share, T-Swizz?? James Devaney/GC Images Oh Man, This Is Just the Beginning It's that time of year again. lol I DO NOT PLAY BASKETBALL. I DO NOT HAVE A UNIBROW. — Anthony Davis (@AnthonyDavis76) October 28, 2014 No Place in Philly Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images Danny Chau: Basketball is basketball, so it wasn’t a shock when the Sixers hung in for three quarters against a severely undermanned Pacers team. It wasn’t a shock when the Sixers forced eight turnovers in the first quarter. After all, Indiana had a bottom-seven turnover ratio last season, and that was back when it actually had offensively gifted players in the backcourt and didn’t have to run its offense through Luis Scola. The Sixers are a team with a bunch of athletic and rangy players, none of whom is under 6-foot-5. By simply covering more of the floor with their collective mass, they will force mistakes. But basketball is basketball, and so there is a tacit expectation that things regress to the mean. The Pacers protected the ball better in the final three quarters; the Sixers lost by 12. That’s not a good pitch. Here’s a better one: Want a reason to watch the Sixers? Treat them as a social experiment on the scale of Fox’s Utopia. No? OK, do you like point guards who toe the line separating brilliance and utter collapse? Do you like ’em tall? Prefer the creative types? The Sixers have three of those, two in commission. Tony Wroten (22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) is incapable of making a play that isn’t spectacularly good or bad. Timberwolf-in-exile Alexey Shved (18 points, five assists, zero turnovers) was a wonder on offense last night; he also had a game-low plus/minus of minus-16. Sometimes they play together. Sometimes they make magic like this: For more than two hours, I was glued to Sixers-Pacers by choice. Maybe that’s masochism to you. I watch terrible games for the same reason that some folks choose to enter sensory deprivation tanks: I seek understanding, a new perspective. But once you enter the void, you don’t just go back to how things were. You can’t. One important distinction? You are static in your own weightlessness in a sensory deprivation tank. The Sixers tank is in perpetual motion. I used to think a utopian basketball team was something close to what Mike D’Antoni pulled off in Phoenix, or what George Karl was able to conjure with the post-Melo Nuggets. But, as you learned in ninth-grade English class, utopia literally means “no place.” The platform the Sixers have created — giving fringe players the freedom to explore, freedom to fail, freedom from external expectation, one way or the other — there really is no place like it in the NBA. Sixers-Pacers, Taylor? James Devaney/GC ImagesAfter reading both WebProNews and TechCrunch on their articles about the new Twitter homepage, I am still left with questions. Jeremy Muncy does a great job breaking down the new Twitter homepage in his article Breaking Down Twitter’s New Homepage for those needing a little more explanation. I could care less that the front page looks a bit too trendy in design. The problem is that as Jeremy pointed out, Twitter users would not be able to use this feature. For me, being a Twitter addict, I would love to have access to this feature other than entering it in the search in the sidebar of my profile. Right now, the Twitter search page is very plain and boring. What, are current users? – chopped liver? There are no links to the main search page for Twitter users to directly visit. I do think that the real-time search function is an awesome attribute of Twitter and I think it could play big in helping them finally monetize their product. However, I revisit this one point again that I have in the past… when is Twitter going to tighten up on watching trending topics and specify what is spam. If people are going to protest, at least pass around a petition link instead of repeatedly throw up on the stream a pointless message. These type of trending topics could hurt Twitter when people visit the page. As anyone knows, your first 30 seconds on a site will leave a huge impression. If people are trending a topic that either seems immature, or pointless, they will turn away. That is the impression I have already gotten in responses from bloggers and my own visitors. What do you think of this? What would you suggest to Twitter?South Africa's super-rich are adding dual citizenship to their shopping lists. Immigration experts have seen an increase in South Africans looking for a way out of the country - some are emigrating, while others want a "plan B". The day after President Jacob Zuma's cabinet reshuffle, inquiries about emigration shot up by 250%, said Stuart James, a director at consultancy firm Intergate Immigration. Jacques Scherman of Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm specialising in investor programmes for residence and citizenship around the world, said he first saw an increase in requests last year, at the height of the #FeesMustFall protests. "The majority of the people who come and see me are entrepreneurs. They're successful, but they are very concerned about the political stability of the country. "They don't want to jump ship. Most of them want to stay here, but they want to have the option to leave if radical economic transformation takes the form of seizures of property and violent attacks on their families," he said. Scherman's clients are mostly white family men in their 40s who "want their plan B, in case they need it". James says he has seen skilled South Africans moving quickly to emigrate following Zuma's controversial cabinet reshuffle at the end of March. "There's a definite increase in people that are leaving. Profoundly, in the last two to three weeks. The day after the reshuffle our inquiries went up by 250%." James is helping South Africans emigrate to New Zealand and Australia. Some of his clients are travelling abroad to increase their chances of finding employment. Scherman's clients are in a different league, with at least $30-million in assets. The majority of them live in Johannesburg and Pretoria and are able to buy their way into countries like Portugal and Bulgaria. To secure citizenship or residency, South Africans would need to either buy property or make capital investments of between €200,000 and €500,000 in Portugal. South Africans can get citizenship in Bulgaria if they invest about €500,000 in a governmental bond portfolio for a period of five years. "Most of the time they're saying they don't see a future for their children [here]," said James. Department of Home Affairs spokesman Thabo Mokgola said anyone who took up citizenship in another country without informing the government could lose their South African citizenship.Persistence pays off as homeless runners finish marathon with help of support group Updated Crossing the finishing line of the Melbourne Marathon was a personal victory for homeless 56-year-old Ian Brown, who has used running as a way to turn his life around. "If people had said to me a year ago you're going to run a marathon, I would have just turned my back and walked away," he said. "It just shows that persistence and want will pay off." Mr Brown is a member of On My Feet, a program working to combat the nation's rising homeless population by getting people exercising and involved back in society. Groups meet three nights a week, and people who prove they can show up to each session are given employment and education opportunities. Thanks to his determination, Mr Brown now has a part-time job and also works with a food charity. "It's given me a big boost, knowing I can get back into the work force and contribute again," he said. After spending years in a downward spiral, and struggling with severe depression, Mr Brown found himself homeless in early 2015. Now the On My Feet ambassador and the Perth running chapter coordinator, he attributes his persistence and new outlook to the running group. "On My Feet has given me the power of positive thinking, knowing I can run, knowing I can achieve," he said. Running in the right direction Sorry, this video has expired Video: Pair tackles marathon with help of homeless running group (ABC News) Running alongside Mr Brown in Melbourne was fellow On My Feet member Kyle Holtzman, who joined the group in April. The victory of completing
is booted out the ring by Corbin. Corbin, the vulture that he is, picks up the scraps and gets the pinfall victory to become the NEW United States Champion. ssssss Charlotte def. Natalya via Disqualification (Natalya retains) This match really stunk up the joint and killed the crowd. These two ladies are very qualified, but this match didn’t click, not to mention the finish didn’t help their case. The story to the match is that Charlotte is getting her knee worked over. Towards the end of the match, Charlotte goes for a Moonsault from the top rope to the floor onto Natalya. Although she lands it, she tweaks her knee. Natalya takes advantage of the injured knee and uses a chair to injure it more. This results in Charlotte winning by disqualification and since the championship can’t change hands on Disqualification, Natalya retains. sssss The Fashion Files: Back 2 Basics The Fashion Files returned tonight with a new season and a new tease leading toward Smackdown Live on Tuesday. The Ascension come in “disguised” in horrible disguises. Breezango begin shit talking the Ascension who then reveal their true identity. Breezango are baffled that they didn’t notice and the Ascension exit. There is a knock on the door, but when Breezango open it, no one is there, just a briefcase. They open up the briefcase and all the audience sees is a glowing light coming from it. Breezango tell us that it is a new case that needs to solved. Tune into Smackdown Live this Tuesday to learn more. ssssss Jinder Mahal def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Championship via pinfall This is the part into the eating of the burger where you are over the fact that you paid for shit and want it to be over. The build to this match was horrendous and the match itself followed suit. If you have seen their other two matches, you have seen this one. Shinsuke gets distracted by Jinder, who hits The Khallas for the pinfall victory. The crowd is murdered at this point. ssssss Bobby Roode def. Dolph Ziggler via pinfall Bobby Roode’s entrance sparks some life into Detroit at this point in the show, but they go back to flat lining once the bell rings. Last Tuesday on Smackdown Live, Ziggler promised us a spectacular entrance and he delivered? Dolph comes out with no music, a blacked out titantron, and black ring gear that says “Hollywood Heel”. This match was decent, but once again Dolph was used to get a new guy over. Roode and Dolph start rolling around like a hamster wheel trying to get the pinfall. After the aide of momentum and some handfuls of tights, Roode scores the pinfall victory. Before Roode’s song can even finish the word GLORIOUSSSSSS, Dolph attacks Roode after the match. sssssss Kevin Owens def. Shane McMaho n inside Hell in a Cell via pinfall Now we are at the part of the burger, where you are so fed up, but you don’t want your whole meal to go to waste. You remember that the ciabatta bread is still the best part and although it is soggy, you begin eating it anyway and enjoying it. There is a sign in the crowd that says “I came to watch Shane McMahon jump off of tall things”, and I’m glad that fan came because they got just that. If you like a Hell in a Cell match that is a complete spot fest, this is your match. Shane hits a Coast to Coast on Owens with a trashcan, Owens falls off the middle of the cell through an announce table, and Shane jumps from the top trying to elbow drop Kevin Owens ala Wrestlemania 32. This is a must watch match and the finish is spectacular. Shane is perched high above the Hell in a Cell with Kevin Owens laid out on an announce table. Shane jumps off the cell and in the nick of time, Owens is pulled off the announce table. That’s right, pulled off, by Sami Zayn no less. After years of fighting in NXT and the main roster, friendship prevailed for these two. But why Sami why? That’s a question for Smackdown Live this Tuesday. Don’t have time to watch it? Stay tuned right here to BeerSpit for the Crash Course Wrestling Column for all the Hell in a Cell 2017 Fallout.Razor Gang areas of Sydney, 1927 Razor gangs were criminal gangs that dominated the Sydney crime scene in the 1920s. After the passage of the Pistol Licensing Act 1927, the Parliament of New South Wales imposed severe penalties for carrying concealed firearms and handguns. Sydney gangland figures then chose razors as preferred weapons, for their capacity to inflict disfiguring scars.[1] Background [ edit ] The upsurge in organised crime was caused by the prohibition of sale of cocaine by chemists (under the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 1927), the prohibition of street prostitution (under the Vagrancy Act 1905), the criminalisation of off-course race track betting (under the Betting and Gaming Act 1906) and the introduction of six o'clock closing for public bars (under the passage of the Licensing Act 1916.[2] Illegal drug distribution became a serious social problem due to the existing concentration of addicts in Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo, estimated at five thousand. Marijuana, opium, morphine, heroin, paraldehyde and cocaine were all heavily consumed. Cocaine was particularly remunerative for criminal entrepreneurs like Kate Leigh and others, due to its ephemeral 'highs' and the need for recurrent supplies to users. As in Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels and Rome, Sydney sex workers were a sizeable market for the cocaine trade, which was supplied from corrupt chemists, doctors, dentists and sailors (given that Peru, Bolivia and Colombia were all accessible through transpacific merchant shipping routes).[3][4] Razors as preferred criminal weapon: 1927–1930 [ edit ] After handguns were criminalised in New South Wales, razors became the weapon of choice amongst Sydney gangsters. Shortly after the Pistol Licensing Act 1927 was passed, a visiting sailor used a cutthroat razor to defend himself from attackers.[5] As a result, razors became a default weapon due to its ease of purchase from barbers shops for a few pence, its ease of concealment (hidden inside a piece of cork), and its use as an instrument of intimidation and threatened or actual mutilation, physical impairment or murder against one's adversaries, prey or hostile spouses.[5] It has been estimated that there were over five hundred slashings within Sydney during the heyday of intensive razor gang criminal activity.[6] Macquarie Street's Sydney Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney in Darlinghurst treated many of these casualties of gangland hostilities. Members of the New South Wales Police and several New South Wales politicians also had connections to the gangs. The two major razor gangs were associated with prominent madams, Kate Leigh (Queen of Surry Hills) and Tilly Devine; (Queen of Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo).[7] These two gangs began open warfare in 1929, culminating in two riots. One was known as the "Battle of Blood Alley" and was waged in Eaton Avenue, King's Cross. It occurred because drug distributors discovered that Phil Jeffs (1896–1945), another ganglord, was adulterating his cocaine supply with boracic acid. It occurred on May 7, 1929.[8] Later that year, on August 8, 1929, the "Battle of Kellett Street" was waged between rival gangs affiliated with Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine and occurred in Kellett Street, near King's Cross. Considerable amounts of bootleg alcohol and cocaine were consumed beforehand, leading to thrown bottles, physical assaults, firearm exchanges and razor attacks.[9] The gang violence was curtailed in the 1930s by the Vagrancy Amendment Act NSW 1929. It contained "criminal consorting" clauses which prevented known criminals from associating with one other and led to diminished gang violence. At the same time, the Crimes Amendment Act 1930 was also passed, leading to six-month imprisonment terms for anyone found possessing cutthroat razors without good reason.[10][11][12] In 1935, newly appointed Sydney Police Commissioner MacKay summoned the feuding Devine and Leigh to his office. While he would not vigorously enforce anti-bootleg and anti-prostitution laws, he announced that the new police powers granted to his constabulary would be used against both women and their criminal enterprises unless there was immediate mitigation of gang violence and cocaine distribution.[13] They did so, which left the New South Wales State Police able to concentrate their attention on the illicit cocaine trade in 1938/39. Following intensive policing of overseas supply routes, the cocaine trade finally began to ebb.[14] With the onset of the Second World War, gang figures enlisted and went to fight in the European and Pacific theatres of that conflict. Even the arrival of US service personnel did not reinvigorate the Leigh and Devine criminal empires, which now faced competition.[14] With these events, the "razor gang" era drew to a close. Political metaphor [ edit ] The term "razor gang" is used in Australian political discourse to refer to a group – often a committee – tasked with finding ways to cut government spending. It was first widely applied to the Fraser Government's Review of Commonwealth Functions Committee, which was established in 1980 as a subcommittee of federal cabinet.[15][16] It had three members – Industry and Commerce Minister Phillip Lynch (chairman), Treasurer John Howard, and Finance Minister Margaret Guilfoyle. The committee's report, handed down in May 1981, found 350 government functions that it believed could be eliminated, reduced, or transferred to other levels of government. This was to produce savings of $500 million.[17] Other notable "razor gangs" have been established by the Rudd Government (a group of about ten Department Finance officers) and the Abbott Government (the Commission of Audit, comprising five commissioners appointed from outside the government).[18][19] In popular culture [ edit ] A TV dramatization of the Razor gang era, Underbelly: Razor, appeared on Australia's Nine Network in 2011. See also [ edit ]Google-owned YouTube, which has been under fire for allowing unsafe kids content to flourish on its network, apologized Monday for yet another snafu in its search results. The website BuzzFeed reported Monday that YouTube's search algorithm was autocompleting phrases like "How to have..." with phrases like "s*x with children." In a statement late Monday, Google said: "Earlier today our teams were alerted to this profoundly disturbing autocomplete result and we worked to quickly remove it as soon as we were made aware. We are investigating this matter to determine what was behind the appearance of this autocompletion." What USA TODAY found Monday when it tested 'How to have' in a Youtube search What Google wouldn't address was how it started, how widespread it was, and whether the autocomplete results were still in operation. Kids programming on YouTube has turned into the most popular genre on the world's most-viewed video network. According to website Tubular Labs, four of the top 5 most- viewed YouTube channels in the United States are devoted to kids and toys. YouTube rewards people who make and submit videos to the network with a 55% share of the ad revenues generated, ratcheting up the incentive to bring in views with content that taps into niche tastes, isn't freely availably elsewhere — and skirts the YouTube algorithm's controls. Some savvy online producers have figured out ways to pair kids content with violence, sex and other topics parents would shudder over. Over the past weeks, several critics have pointed out that YouTube has turned into a potential parent's nightmare, both in videos shown and in the no-holds barred comments section. After U.K. newspaper The Times published a report on how pedophiles were commenting on videos of kids in baths or in bed, advertisers including Mars and Adidas yanked their ads from the network. Google said Monday that's it's removed 270 accounts that had made "predatory comments on videos featuring minors," and turned off comments on 625,000 videos that were "targeted by child predators." Additionally, it removed ads from nearly 2 million videos and over 50,000 channels "masquerading as family-friendly content." YouTube is a cash cow for YouTube, but the largely automated process that offers users a continuous stream of content they might like and pairs ads with videos has shown to have severe deficiencies when it comes to harmful content. In March, the video site encountered advertiser pullouts when their advertisements were found running on content from extremist and hate groups. YouTube responded by adding warnings to extremist videos and prevented comments on them as a way to make the videos harder to find. In August, YouTube said its combination of improved machine learning and bolstered staff of human experts has helped the site remove extremist and terrorist content more quickly. But the problems still exist, notably on content targeted at kids or showcasing kids in the videos. Josh Cohen, the co-founder of Tube Filter, a website devoted to chronicling online video, says YouTube responded quicker to its latest snafu than it has in the past. "By the end of the year, this stuff will be harder to find on YouTube," he says. "It won’t be all gone. But this is an ongoing, sustained effort for YouTube." Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham on Twitter, @jeffersongrahamImage caption The fire broke out in the roof of the Mayflower Halls construction site A large fire on a construction site in Southampton was caused by workers "inadvertently" igniting roofing material, the fire service has said. Around 70 people were evacuated from the partially constructed student halls of residence on Commercial Road in the city centre just before midday. Hampshire Fire & Rescue confirmed the accidental fire caused two explosions. The blaze also led to the evacuation of the nearby Mayflower Theatre and was extinguished about 12:50. Around 85 firefighters dealt with the fire at Block B of Mayflower Halls, which was due to house about 1,000 University of Southampton students from the autumn. Image copyright Hampshire Fire and Rescue Image caption Hampshire Fire & Rescue confirmed that the cause of the fire was accidental Developers Osborne said it could not confirm when the site would reopen but the workers were unharmed and were evacuated in less than five minutes. Following an investigation, Hampshire Fire & Rescue incident commander Jerry Leonard said workers "were doing some work on the roof of the building and, unfortunately, inadvertently set fire to some of the building material they were using". He added one explosion was caused by a small propane gas cylinder and the other by a fire extinguisher workers initially used to tackle the blaze.Captives were held hostage unless they paid ransom to continue illegal passage into US, court documents allege Five men, at least two of them from Mexico, are accused of using guns and threats to hold 115 people hostage in a small Houston house unless they paid ransom to continue their illegal entry into the United States. A criminal complaint from Department of Homeland Security special agent Andres Garcia said the people, discovered last week crammed into the home of less than 1,300 square feet, were stripped of their shoes and most of their clothing to keep them from escaping. They also were threatened with violence if they did not comply and there were instances of some being kicked and beaten and females being groped, the complaint said. One pregnant girl was among people struck with a wooden paddle. The five men — Jose Aviles-Villa, Jonathan Solorzano-Tavila, Antonio Barruquet-Hildiberta, Jose Cesmas-Borja and Eugenio Sesmas-Borja — were each charged with hostage-taking and violence with a firearm. They were to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate judge. Court documents did not immediately list an attorney for any of them. Aviles-Villa and Cesmas-Borja told Houston police they were from Mexico and in the US illegally, according to the criminal complaint. The immigration status of the three other men was not immediately clear. One of the people held hostage told authorities Solorzano-Tavila appeared to be the person in charge at the stash house, where smugglers bring the people they've brought into the US illegally and keep them until they or their family members pay a ransom. Captives told authorities they were held under armed guard. Doors were locked with dead bolts and windows were covered with plywood. A wood paddle, stun gun, ammunition, shotgun and rifle were found at the home, according to the criminal complaint. Aviles-Villa and Cesmas-Borja were in a car that had left the house that police pulled over because it had no rear-view mirror. Officers spotted a handgun "protruding from beneath the front passenger seat," according to the court document. A woman had contacted Houston police earlier about the possible abduction of her daughter and two small grandchildren. The criminal complaint said she paid smugglers $15,000 to deliver her three relatives to Chicago, then was told they would "disappear" if she didn't pay $13,000 more. Investigators determined that phone calls made to her came from the home and put it under surveillance. After the traffic stop, officers went to the house and found the captives. In all, 99 men and 16 women were being held. More than a dozen were juveniles. Among the people inside were the daughter and grandchildren of the woman whose call initiated the investigation. Solorzano-Tavila, Barruquet-Hildiberta and Sesmas-Borja were apprehended trying to flee after police arrived March19. Police have said the people being held primarily were from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. One of those, Mario Ernesto Guzman-Figueroa, said he left his home in Honduras a month ago and was headed for Atlanta, had agreed to pay $3,400 to be smuggled from El Salvador to Georgia and still owed $2,000. "Guzman-Figueroa was told that he had 12 days to pay or he would be beaten, placed in a black plastic bag, and then thrown on the side of the road," Garcia said in the complaint. One woman from El Salvador, Dilcia Jimenez-Alvarado, said she left a month ago for New York, had paid about $7,500 to be smuggled but was told in Houston she needed to pay $5,000 more. Authorities earlier said the house was filthy inside, had power but no hot water and only one toilet. Stash house discoveries involving more than 100 captives are not uncommon in South Texas but the raid in Houston, about a five-hour drive from Mexico, is the largest in the city in several years.Everything about RuPaul's Drag Race is a bit newer this season. There's a slightly updated workroom with just enough new touches to keep things fresh. Queens offer up their confessional hot takes in a new space. The first challenge takes place on a new runway — albeit one that, from the trailer, looks temporary. And of course, the biggest change of all is that Drag Race now airs on VH1. For the most part, the last change has minimal effect on the season nine premiere. The season was shot before the channel hop, and any nips or tucks to the show seem to be more about its breakout success last year, which included two incredibly successful seasons and an Emmy for host RuPaul. Drag Race may never be totally mainstream, but it's hardly an underdog anymore. That, frankly, may not be a good thing. While entertaining — hey, it's still Drag Race — Friday's season premiere is a pretty sizable step down from the all-time great openings of season eight and All Stars season two. The beloved reality competition is standing in a bigger spotlight than before, and despite all its bravado, Drag Race seems a little nervous about the larger stage. The premiere's biggest news was the guest judge: Lady Gaga, who pretends she's one of the contestants before revealing her true identity. It's a cute gag, but a forewarning of what's to come. Most of the episode is about Gaga; precious little time is spent meeting the queens, especially in comparison to the previous two season premieres. Gaga herself, however, holds up her end of the bargain. She is dynamite, knowledgeable about both Drag Race and the greater world of drag. She's the kind of guest judge viewers will crave as a regular member of the panel. This is not a pop star dropping by to check in — like her appearance on American Idol years ago, she seems really invested in the queens' success. Speaking of those queens: So far, this seems like a great bunch, with the likability of season eight's cast but a bit more willing to start drama. Larger-than-life personalities like Eureka O'Hara and Nina Bo'Nina Brown stand out, while it's easy to see who will fade into the background early on. It's just a shame how little time we get to spend with them during the premiere. There's a long season ahead, of course, and we'll have plenty of time to get to know the new queens. But as great as Gaga is, she's something of an attention magnet. Drag Race is at a turning point, and what becomes of season nine will mean much for the series' fate. Will the show's LGBTQ audience keep showing up to watch, even though the series now airs on Fridays? If the quality is consistent from All Stars season two, probably. If there's a dip, there are no guarantees. Here's what we can tell from the premiere: Given the right challenges and story editing, this cast could really turn a show. But from what we've already seen, season nine is hardly a safe bet. This premiere, with a decent-if-underwhelming challenge, doesn't showcase the cast very well. Hopefully, the first episode's nervous energy will dissipate by the second. At the end of the day, this is Drag Race. Watching incredibly talented drag queens perform at the peak of their abilities is never going to be anything short of thrilling. Whether the reality show around them is compelling, on the other hand, is the issue — one that could make or break the series' ability to be the massive hit it can be. RuPaul's Drag Race season nine premieres on VH1 at 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday. Encore presentations of the premiere will air on Logo. Mic has ongoing RuPaul's Drag Race coverage. Follow our RuPaul's Drag Race main hub here.The ZTE Blade S7 smartphone - which is the successor to the Blade S6 that was launched back in January this year - is now available for purchase via Geekbuying, which is selling the green color variant for $277.99 with free shipping. Specs-wise, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 615 chipset, and sports a 5-inch 1920 x 1080p display. It comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB expandable internal memory, and packs in a 2500mAh battery. In terms of camera, the Blade S7 features a 13MP rear as well as front unit. Measuring 142 x 67 x 7.2 mm and weighing in at 131g, it comes with a fingerprint sensor, and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. Connectivity options include GSM, 3G, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Source \| ViaOverview of copy protection reliability in modern microcontrollers. Shown that ordinary microcontrollers do not provide essential protection against unauthorized access and copying. Worked out classification for attack methods by threat. Discussed possible defense technologies This article is based on the research made between 1996 and 2000. The past ten years of my research into hardware security showed that any microcontroller, FPGA, secure memory, smartcard, ASIC or custom chip can be successfully attacked given enough time and resources. The question is whether the semiconductor chip used in a particular application can withstand multi-million-dollar attack or would fail to defeat a 10-dollar attack. It is relatively easy to choose a chip that can withstand very-low-cost attacks. However, would you risk your valuable intellectual property inside a chip to a hundred-dollar attack, or thousand-dollar attack, or ten-thousand-dollar attack. How to select the right chip? How to improve the security of existing chips? The only way to answer these questions is by performing security evaluation which I have been offering to developers, designers and chip manufacturers for many years. For the up to date information on my research see the following links: Introduction A lot of microcontrollers are used in modern equipment and electronic devices. Some of them are used by amateurs to build small devices for fun, others are used by small companies in control, measurement or other equipment, others are used for serious applications by the military, security services, banks, medical services etc. Each microcontroller executes the algorithm or program uploaded into its memory. Usually this algorithm is written in Assembler (even if you write the program in C it will be translated into Assembler during compilation); rarely the algorithm is written in Basic or Java. If you write a program for a microcontroller you are interested in your work being protected against unauthorized access or copying, so you want to control distribution of your devices. For this purpose microcontroller manufacturers developed special features which if selected allows software authors to prevent people downloading their program from their microcontroller if activated. This is Copy protection or Lock feature. Each microcontroller should be programmed before using. There are different techniques to do it depend on manufacturer and type of microcontroller. For evaluation purposes there are reprogrammable versions of microcontrollers, for production in small quantities there are one-time programmable (OTP) versions which is cheaper than reprogrammable one, and for large amount there are factory programmed versions which are very cheap but you have to purchase at least 1000 items. After the program for microcontroller is written and successfully compiled it should be uploaded into correspondent microcontroller integrated circuit. For this purpose you have to use special hardware device called programmer unit. For most microcontrollers this device could be very simple, cheap and consist of a power supply adapter, a few transistors, several resistors and a connector to RS232 or Parallel port. For other microcontrollers you have to use special programmer units distributed only by manufacturers, but these microcontrollers are not popular. Of course, if you want your device to be working properly for years (especially for OTP versions of microcontrollers) it would be better to use industrial programmer units which are approved by the most of manufacturers. You can find all necessary information about this devices on manufacturers' web-sites in the Internet. Attack Technologies 1. Introduction An increasing number of large and important systems, from pay-TV through GSM mobile phones and prepayment gas meters to smartcard electronic wallets, rely to a greater or lesser extent on the tamper resistance properties of microcontrollers, smartcards and other special security processors. This tamper resistance is not absolute: an opponent with access to semiconductor test equipment can retrieve key material from a chip by direct observation and manipulation of the chip's components. It is generally believed that, given sufficient investment, any chip-sized tamper resistant device can be penetrated in this way. So the level of tamper resistance offered by any particular product can be measured by the time and cost penalty that the protective mechanisms impose on the attacker. Estimating these penalties is clearly an important problem, but is one to which security researches, evaluators and engineers have paid less attention than perhaps it deserves. We can distinguish four major attack categories: Microprobing techniques can be used to access the chip surface directly, thus we can observe, manipulate, and interfere with integrated circuit techniques can be used to access the chip surface directly, thus we can observe, manipulate, and interfere with integrated circuit Software attack use normal communication interface of the processor and exploit security vulnerabilities found in the protocols, cryptographic algorithms, or their implementation use normal communication interface of the processor and exploit security vulnerabilities found in the protocols, cryptographic algorithms, or their implementation Eavesdropping techniques monitor, with high time resolution, the analog characteristics of all supply and interface connections and any other electromagnetic radiation by the processor during normal operation techniques monitor, with high time resolution, the analog characteristics of all supply and interface connections and any other electromagnetic radiation by the processor during normal operation Fault generation techniques use abnormal environmental conditions to generate malfunctions in the processor that provide additional access All microprobing techniques are invasive attacks. They require hours or weeks in specialized laboratory and in the process they destroy the packaging. The other three are non-invasive attacks. The attacked card is not physically harmed during these attacks and the equipment used in the attack can usually be disguised as a normal smartcard reader. Non-invasive attacks are particularly dangerous in some applications for two reasons. Firstly, the owner of the compromised card might not notice that the secret keys have been stolen, therefore it is unlikely that the validity of the compromised keys will be revoked before they are abused. Secondly, non-invasive attacks often scale well, as the necessary equipment can usually be reproduced and updated at low cost. The design of most non-invasive attacks requires detailed knowledge of both the processor and software. On the other hand, invasive microprobing attacks require very little initial knowledge and usually work with a similar set of techniques on a wide range of products. Attacks therefore often start with invasive reverse engineering, the result of which then help to develop cheaper and faster non-invasive attacks. 2. Non-Invasive attacks The most widely used non-invasive attacks include playing around supply voltage and clock signal. Under-voltage and over-voltage attacks could be used to disable protection circuit or force processor to do wrong operation. For these reasons, some security processors have voltage detection circuit, but as a rule this circuit does not react to transients. So fast signals of various kinds may reset the protection without destroying the protected information. Power and clock transients can also be used in some processors to affect the decoding and execution of individual instructions. Every transistor and its connection paths act like an RC element with a characteristic time delay; the maximum usable clock frequency of a processor is determined by the maximum delay among its elements. Similarly, every flip-flop has a characteristic time window (of a few picoseconds) during which it samples its input voltage and changes its output accordingly. This window can be anywhere inside the specified setup cycle of the flip-flop, but is quite fixed for an individual device at a given voltage and temperature. So if we apply a clock glitch (a clock pulse much shorter than normal) or a power glitch (a rapid transient in supply voltage), this will affect only some transistors in the chip. By varying the parameters, the CPU can be made to execute a number of completely different wrong instructions, sometimes including instructions that are not even supported by the microcode. Although we do not know in advance which glitch will cause which wrong instruction in which chip, it can be fairly simple to conduct a systematic search. Another possible way of attack is current analysis. Using 10 - 15 ohm resistor in the power supply, we can measure with an analog/digital converter the fluctuations in the current consumed by the card. Preferably, the recording should be made with at least 12-bit resolution and the sampling frequency should be an integer multiple of the card clock frequency. Drivers on the address and data bus often consist of up to a dozen parallel inverters per bit, each driving a large capacitive load. They cause a significant power-supply short circuit during any transition. Changing a single bus line from 0 to 1 or vice versa can contribute in the order of 0.5 - 1 mA to the total current at the right time after the clock edge, such that a 12-bit ADC is sufficient to estimate the number of bus bits that change at a time. SRAM write operations often generate the strongest signals. By averaging the current measurements of many repeated identical transactions, we can even identify smaller signals that are not transmitted over the bus. Signals such as carry bit states are of special interest, because many cryptographic key scheduling algorithms use shift operations that single out individual key bits in the carry flag. Even if the status-bit changes cannot be measured directly, they often cause changes in the instruction sequencer or microcode execution, which then cause a clear change in the power consumption. The various instructions cause different levels of activity in the instruction decoder and arithmetic units and can often be quite clearly distinguished, such that parts of algorithms can be reconstructed. Various units of the processor have their switching transients at different times relative to the clock edges and can be separated in high-frequency measurements. Other possible threat to secure devices is data remanence. This is the capability of volatile memory to retain information stored in it for some period of time after power was disconnected. Static RAM contained the same key for a long period of time could reveal it on next power on. Other possible way is to 'freeze' state of the memory cell by applying low temperature to the device. In this case static RAM could retain information for several minutes at -20ºC or even hours at lower temperature. 3. Invasive attacks Despite to more complexity of invasive attacks some of them could be done without using expensive laboratory equipment. Low-budget attackers are likely to get a cheaper solution on the second-hand market for semiconductor test equipment. With patience and skill it should not be too difficult to assemble all the required tools for even under ten thousand US dollars by buying a second-hand microscope and using self-designed micropositioners. The laser is not essential for first results, because vibrations in the probing needle can also be used to break holes into passivation. Invasive attacks start with the removal of the chip package. Plastic over the chip could be removed by knife. Epoxy resin around the chip could be removed using fuming nitric acid. Hot fuming nitric acid dissolves the package without affecting the chip. The procedure should preferably be carried out under very dry conditions, as the presence of water could corrode exposed aluminium interconnects. The chip is then washed with acetone in an ultrasonic bath, followed optionally by a short bath in deionized water and isopropanol. After that chip could be glued into a test package and bonded manually. Having enough experience it might be possible to remove epoxy without destroying bonding wires and smartcard contacts. Once the chip is opened it is possible to perform probing or modifying attacks. The most important tool for invasive attacks is a microprobing workstation. Its major component is a special optical microscope with a working distance of at least 8 mm between the chip surface and the objective lens. On a stable platform around a socket for the test package, we install several micropositioners, which allow us to move a probe arm with submicrometer precision over a chip surface. On this arm, we install a probe needle. These elastic probe hairs allow us to establish electrical contact with on-chip bus lines without damaging them. On the depackaged chip, the top-layer aluminium interconnect lines are still covered by a passivation layer (usually silicon oxide or nitride), which protects the chip from the environment and ion migration. On top of this, we might also find a polyimide layer that was not entirely removed by HNO3 but which can be dissolved with ethylendiamine. We have to remove the passivation layer before the probes can establish contact. The most convenient depassivation technique is the use of a laser cutter. The UV or green laser is mounted on the camera port of the microscope and fires laser pulses through the microscope onto rectangular areas of the chip with micrometer precision. Carefully dosed laser flashes remove patches of the passivation layer. The resulting hole in the passivation layer can be made so small that only a single bus line is exposed. This prevents accidental contacts with neighboring lines and the hole also stabilizes the position of the probe and makes it less sensitive to vibrations and temperature changes. It is usually not practical to read the information stored on a security processor directly out of each single memory cell, except for ROM. The stored data has to be accessed via the memory bus where all data is available at a single location. Microprobing is used to observe the entire bus and record the values in memory as they are accessed. It is difficult to observe all (usually over 20) data and address bus lines at the same time. Various techniques can be used to get around this problem. For instance we can repeat the same transaction many times and use only two to four probes to observe various subsets of the bus lines. As long as the processor performs the same sequence of memory accesses each time, we can combine the recorded bus subset signals into a complete bus trace. Overlapping bus lines in the various recordings help us to synchronize them before they are combined. In order to read all memory cells without the help of the card software, we have to abuse a CPU component as an address counter to access all memory cells for us. The program counter is already incremented automatically during every instruction cycle and used to read the next address, which makes it perfectly suited to serve us as an address sequence generator. We only have to prevent the processor from executing jump, call, or return instructions, which would disturb the program counter in its normal read sequence. Tiny modifications of the instruction decoder or program counter circuit, which can easily be performed by opening the right metal interconnect with a laser, often have the desired effect. Another approach to understand how particular microcontroller or smartcard work is to reverse engineer it. The first step is to create a map of a new processor. It could be done by using an optical microscope with a CCD camera to produce several meter large mosaics of high-resolution photographs of the chip surface. Basic architecture structures, such as data and address bus lines, can be identified quite quickly by studying connectivity patterns and by tracing metal lines that cross clearly visible module boundaries (ROM, RAM, EEPROM, ALU, instruction decoder, etc.). All processing modules are usually connected to the main bus via easily recognizable latches and bus drivers. The attacker obviously has to be well familiar with CMOS VLSI design techniques and microcontroller architectures, but the necessary knowledge is easily available from numerous textbooks. Photographs of the chip surface show the top metal layer, which is not transparent and therefore obscures the view on many structures below. Unless the oxide layers have been planarized, lower layers can still be recognized through the height variations that they cause in the covering layers. Deeper layers can only be recognized in a second series of photographs after the metal layers have been stripped off, which could be achieved by submerging the chip for a few seconds in hydrofluoric acid (HF) in an ultrasonic bath. HF quickly dissolves the silicon oxide around the metal tracks and detaches them from the chip surface. HF is an extremely dangerous substance and safety precautions have to be followed carefully when handling it. Where the implementation is familiar, there are a number of ways to extract information from the chip by targeting specific gates or fuses or by overwriting specific memory locations. Even where this is not possible, memory cells can be attacked; this can also be done on a relatively modest budget
virtual keyboard will pop up. Use that keyboard to enter the name of the keyboard command you want that button to transmit. I entered delete. Then, click the Done button on the virtual keyboard, then OK and Yes to apply the settings to the remote. Exit Kodi and reboot Windows for the changes to take effect. To help identify how buttons on your remote correspond to the entries in the MCERemote Add-on list, download and install the ShowKey Windows Utility. This utility shows the commands that are transmitted for each button pressed on the remote. Option 2 – The Flirc IR Receiver If you already own a remote control that you want to use with Kodi and you are willing to spend some time configuring the software to translate each key code, then purchase the Flirc IR Receiver, instead of Option 1. This compact IR receiver has a built-in microcontroller with flash memory that will learn whatever IR key codes your remote transmits and translate them into the keyboard codes that Kodi expects. In fact, Windows thinks the Flirc is an ordinary USB keyboard, which means it can also be used to launch other apps on the Windows desktop. Even though Flircs must be programmed using a Windows app, they can then be used with Kodi running on either Windows or Linux. The difficult part of programming the Flirc is that the remote you choose must have a sufficient number of buttons to properly control Kodi and they must all generate unique key codes. Most remotes do not have enough buttons and sometimes the buttons generate redundant key codes. Your remote does not have to be programmable, but if it is, then you must first program it to emulate some other remote which must also have sufficient unique buttons. If you don’t have a picture of the emulated remote, some trial and error will be required to find an emulation code that works well. Programmable remotes typically come with a chart of 3 or 4 digit codes for all the devices they can emulate ordered by manufacturer and equipment type. Also, buttons which have learned key codes from other remotes can cause problems too, so it’s best to program a universal remote with an emulation code that resets all of the needed buttons with unique key codes. Download and install the latest release of the Flirc Installer for Windows. Then, plug the Flirc device into any available USB port. There is no cable supplied with the Flirc, so you can use an ordinary USB extension cable, or if you have an IR repeater, just tape an IR flasher onto the Flirc. Run the Flirc configuration utility and start by selecting the Kodi keyboard guide option to program these essential keys: Controllers > Kodi Keys Up Down Left Right Select Back Play Pause Stop Fast Reverse Fast Forward Skip Reverse Skip Forward Information Up Folder The Flirc Kodi keyboard guide is somewhat out of date. It shows some additional keys that are not really useful and you don’t want to waste your limited buttons with useless or redundant functions. So, program just these important keys before adding others. The following keys are also important for DVR operation, but you must select the Full Keyboard Guide to program these: Controllers > Full Keyboard Keys Functions Ctrl + G Display the EPG Ctrl + O Display Recorded Shows Delete Delete a Recorded Show C Show the Context Menu (Right Mouse Click) For reference, there is a complete table of the Common Default Keyboard Controls for Kodi, but keep in mind that many of the keys shown are actually redundant or not useful. If you attempt to program any button more than once, the error “Button already exists” will be reported. You can then Erase that button and try again. If this error is reported for a button you have not already programmed, it is likely because the button is generating the same key code as another button that you have already programmed. Universal remotes will typically assign redundant key codes to buttons that are not mapped and that is usually because those buttons don’t exist on the device the remote is configured to emulate. So, try configuring your remote to emulate a different device which has more buttons. I have had the best luck programming my universal remote with emulation codes for Sony DVD recorders. The ShowKey Windows Utility is also helpful to test your Flirc programming to confirm it’s actually generating the key codes you want. Option 3 – Logitech Harmony Remotes The Logitech Harmony Remotes are a more expensive option which I have not tried yet, but they have received good reviews on the Kodi and MediaPortal forums. These remotes have premium features like back-lit buttons, an LCD display and the unusual ability to learn key codes from a WMC remote, so you can use them with the IR receiver from an HP OEM WMC Remote kit or with the Flirc receiver. For more information, read How to use a Logitech Harmony Remote with XBMC in the Kodi forum. There is a beta version of the Flirc software available which has a profile specifically to make configuration for Harmony remotes easier. For more information, refer to this thread in the Flirc forum. Option 4 – Android or Apple Phone or Tablet Apps An Android or Apple phone or tablet can also be used as your remote control for Kodi by installing the appropriate app from either Google Play or the Apple App Store, respectively. This requires your mobile device to have an 802.11 wireless connection to your local network because these devices do not have IR interfaces and therefore no IR receiver is required. Kodi Remote Control App for Android Option 5 – The LG Magic Remote with a Flirc If you’re thinking about a new TV to use with Kodi, consider the LG Smart TVs with the Magic Remote. It’s the best solution I’ve seen for driving a web browser (and all the other apps on smart TVs), and it has all the essential buttons for driving a Kodi DVR. Most TV manufacturers have gone the other way, reducing the number of buttons on their remotes, which would require you to use an aftermarket remote. But, that would be a mistake because they can’t match the LG’s on-screen pointer feature which is the best solution for navigating web apps on a large TV. It works like a Nintendo Wii remote and not even Harmony remotes can do this because the remote must be made by the same manufacturer as the TV. Note that not all LG TV models have the Magic Remote. LG TV’s have a feature for controlling attached devices called SimpLink, which is really HDMI-CEC. But, this can be quite complicated to get working with Kodi and it’s buggy. Using a Flirc with the Magic Remote bypasses HDMI-CEC entirely and it’s easier to setup and more reliable. A Flirc is required to use a Magic Remote with Kodi on Windows because it can not directly generate the MCE codes that Kodi requires. On Linux, it’s possible to configure the LIRC interface, if your board already has another IR receiver, instead of using a Flirc, but that requires editing the LIRC files manually. First, configure the HDMI input on the TV for your HTPC using its Device Connector menu. Configure it for a Blu-ray DVD Player. This defines the type of device the Magic Remote will emulate. We use this because Kodi (or MCE) is not in the list, and the Flirc will be programmed to convert the key codes for this device to the MCE codes that Kodi requires: LG > Blu-ray/DVD Player > Remote Type 2 This allows most of the buttons on the Magic Remote to be programmed for Kodi, including the arrows, select, play, pause, numeric buttons and the four colored buttons. There are some configuration options for SimpLink, which can safely be ignored. Be sure to click the Next buttons to continue all the way through the configuration until it is saved. Now, to program the Flirc, see Option 2 – The Flirc IR Receiver, above. There is a trick to programming the Flirc for an LG Magic Remote. This remote is actually both an IR and RF device and it must be able to communicate with the LG TV via both IR and RF to function properly. This means that when you program your Flirc, you must do it in front of the LG TV. So, install the Flirc programming app on a Windows laptop and plug the Flirc into it first, then sit in front of your LG TV as you program the Magic Remote key presses into the Flirc. If you try to do this too far away from the LG TV, it won’t work! Once you have the buttons programmed, move the Flirc to your HTPC/Kodi device. For more information, see this discussion: Kodi Forum This solution is fantastic because it allows for full Kodi DVR control from the same remote that is used to drive all of the apps built into the LG TV and this is much easier to setup than an HDMI-CEC or LIRC solution! The Flirc USB IR Receiver and LG’s Magic Remote Install the Channel Logos By default, Kodi labels TV channels with only the names assigned to them by the HDHomeRun tuners, which will be the call signs for HDTV stations in your area, like KDFW-DT, for example. It looks really cryptic, so fix this by installing proper logo images. This greatly enhances the user interface. I created this collection of logo images specifically for use with Kodi. It contains high quality images for all of the major broadcast TV networks in North America with transparent backgrounds. Once installed, Kodi will display them on the channel listing and EPG Timeline. Follow these steps to install: TV_Logos_USA.zip 1. Download and unzip this file into this new folder: C:\Users\<Name>\AppData\Roaming\Kodi\userdata\logos 2. You can skip this step if you are using a recent version of Kodi (15 or 16). Older releases of Kodi and XBMC required renaming each of the logo image files to match the TV station call sign names for the corresponding channel in your area. Use the channel listing in the MediaPortal TV Server configuration program as a guide to the exact spellings. For example, in the North Texas area they should be renamed like this: NBC.png to KXAS-HD.png FOX.png to KDFW-DT.png PBS.png to KERA.png 3. Now configure Kodi to use the new logo images. In the newer versions of Kodi (15 and 16), this can be done in the Channel Manager by loading each logo file individually, without renaming them: TV > Channels > Right Click on any Channel > Manage… > Channel Manager > Channel Icon > Browse to the new logos folder > Select a logo file Or, if you prefer to rename all of the logo image files, as described in the previous step, you can then load the entire logos folder in one step, in the LiveTV settings, instead: System > Settings > LiveTV > Menu/OSD > Folder with channel icons > Browse to the new logos folder Note that newer versions of Kodi will only show the ‘Folder with channel icons’ setting if the Settings Level is set to either the Advanced or Expert mode: System > Settings > System > Settings Level > Advanced Exit and restart Kodi and the new logos should appear on the channel listing and EPG Timeline. If not, it’s probably because the file names do not match the station names exactly. Logo Images for Major TV Broadcast Networks in North America Install Your Music Collection Once you have Kodi up and running with Internet and Live TV, be sure to explore Kodi’s music player capabilities as well. Kodi originated as a music player with advanced visualization features that are fun to use on a large HDTV with your own music collection. The first step is to copy your digital music files onto the HTPC’s hard disk in a new folder, then add that new folder as a music Source: Music > Files > Add Source > Browse to your new music folder. The Kodi Music Player can operate in three modes; File Mode, Library Mode or Party Mode. Using File mode only requires that you add the Source with the path to your music files, then you can access them directly by their file names. If your music files contain valid tags, you can also scan them into the Kodi music library and then access them in Library Mode which allows you to make selections based on an array of criteria such as artist, album, year, genre, etc. Library Mode is only useful if your music files have been tagged with this information. To scan a new Source into the library: Music > Files > Right Click on Source Name > Scan item to library. Kodi will then build your music library from the Source folder you added previously. You should repeat this step anytime you add music files to that folder, or update the entire library with: Music > Library > Right Click on Genres> Update Library For more information, refer to the Kodi Music Library page. The Kodi Music Player on the Main Menu Ripping Music CDs Kodi has the ability to create music files by directly ripping them from audio CDs. In fact, there are a lot of apps available to do that, including the Windows Media Player. But, the really tedious part is getting all the tag data just right, including song titles, genres, dates and album cover art and the Kodi Library Mode is much more useful if your music files have good tag data. Therefore, I recommend using a dedicated best-of-class tool on another PC to do this, then copy your music files with the new tags to the HTPC and update the Kodi library. For a good comparison of several shareware tools that automate the ripping and tagging process well, check out Six Best MP3 Tagging Tools. Install Pandora Internet Radio One of the best Add-ons for Kodi gives you seamless access to Pandora internet radio, which will continuously stream music selections to your HTPC based on a list of artists which you select. This Add-on works with any Pandora account, paid or free, and it’s easy to install. The paid service is called Pandora One which costs $36 annually and offers higher fidelity audio (192 kbps) and no ads. But this Add-on actually skips the ads from the free service also, which is just another reason why Kodi rocks! Start by creating yourself a free or paid account at the Pandora website, if you do not already have one. An email address is required. While you are there, enter one or more artists names, genres or composers to create virtual radio stations that will feature that music. Then, download this Add-on zip file into a temporary folder. It’s not necessary to unzip it: Pandoki Pandora Plugin Install this Add-on from the zip file within Kodi: System > Settings > Add-ons > Install from zip file > Browse to the zip file > OK Then, configure the Add-on: System > Settings > Add-ons > Enabled Add-ons > Music Add-ons > Pandoki > Configure Enter your Pandora username (email address) and password, which you registered at the Pandora website. Check the Pandora One button only if you have a paid Pandora One account, otherwise it will default to the free service. Click OK to save and exit. That completes the installation. To launch Pandora select: Music > Add-ons > Pandoki For more information, refer to the Pandoki thread in the Kodi forum. NetFlix Support Kodi does not have an well-integrated solution for NetFlix that works reliably anymore. This is because NetFlix requires DRM (through SilverLight) and the NetFlix website’s API has not had the stability that open source projects depend on. The most reliable solution is to exit Kodi to watch NetFlix in either the Chrome or Firefox browsers. However, there are some Add-ons that use Kodi’s Advanced Launcher Add-On to automate switching to either the Firefox or Chrome browser to use NetFlix from their website. These solutions can work, but are typically dependent on specific versions of Kodi/XBMC and the NetFlix website. One old solution used Windows Media Center, but that has been completely discontinued. If you have time, here are some options to automate the launching of Firefox and Chrome from Kodi that might work with further research and experimentation. Of course, you must first create yourself a NetFlix streaming account, if you do not already have one. These Add-ons require your NetFlix login name (email address) and password. If you find a better solution that works with a current version of Kodi, please leave a comment below to share! This approach is more reliable than Option 2 because it does not use any Add-Ons other than the Advanced Launcher itself. This option requires the Firefox browser. You can read more about NetFliXBMC on the Kodi forum. This option requires the Chrome browser. Another way to access NetFlix (and other internet sources) from Kodi, is to subscribe to the PlayOn service. I have not used this, but it’s a popular solution for people who use Kodi on Linux or Android because it eliminates the need for Microsoft Silverlight (which is not available on those platforms) and it works on Windows too. PlayOn works by transcoding Silverlight video streams to an open format, which degrades the quality of the video some, but a lot of streaming sources are available, including Hulu, Amazon and HBO Go. The PlayOn+PlayLater service requires either a monthly subscription or you can purchase a lifetime subscription for a one-time fee of $60. There is a good guide to installing this for Kodi on the My Media Experience blog. My current thinking is it’s better to use the apps built into smart TVs for NetFlix and other web streaming sources that have unstable APIs and DRM protections. Install Hulu The Kodi Hulu Add-on provides access to one of the largest sources of free TV on the internet and a more seamless user experience than NetFlix. This Add-on works with or without a Hulu account, paid or free, and much of the newer content is provided in HD. The advantage of creating an account is that Hulu will keep track of your queue of shows and make suggestions. The paid service is called Hulu Plus which costs $7.99 monthly and offers access to more recently released content and less ads. Although, this Kodi Add-on does allow the ads to be skipped, manually. Start by downloading the Kodi Plus Add-on zip file into a temporary folder from the XBMC Plus Repository. It’s not necessary to unzip it. Install the Add-on from this zip file within Kodi: System > Settings > Add-ons > Install from zip file > Browse to the downloaded zip file > OK Now, install the Hulu Add-on for Kodi from the Kodi Plus Repository: System > Settings > Add-ons > Get Add-ons > XBMCPlus Add-on Repository > Video Add-ons > Hulu > Install This repository also contains other Add-ons which are definitely worth installing as well, such as Free Cable, World News Live and VEVO. If you created yourself a free or paid account at the Hulu website, be sure to configure the Add-on: System > Settings > Add-ons > Enabled Add-ons > Video Add-ons > Hulu > Configure > Hulu Login Enter your Hulu username (email address) and password, which you registered at the Hulu website. Check the Hulu Plus button only if you have a paid Hulu Plus account, otherwise it will default to the free service. Click OK to save and exit. That completes the installation. To launch Hulu select: Videos > Add-ons > Hulu For more information, refer to this thread in the Kodi forum. My current thinking is it’s better to use the apps built into smart TVs for Hulu and other web streaming sources that have unstable APIs and DRM protections. Install The Wall Street Journal This Kodi add-on provides access to a great source of current news videos with titles organized by subject. No user account is needed and Kodi automatically skips the ads. To install this from the main menu, select: System > Settings > Add-ons > Get Add-ons > Kodi.org Add-ons > Video Add-ons > The Wall Street Journal Live > Install For more information, refer to Add-on:The Wall Street Journal Live in the Kodi wiki. Install Fox News This Kodi add-on provides access to another great source of current news videos with titles organized by subject. These are highlights from the live Fox News channel posted on their website. No user account is needed and Kodi automatically skips the ads. To install this from the main menu, select: System > Settings > Add-ons > Get Add-ons > Kodi.org Add-ons > Video Add-ons > Fox News > Install For more information, refer to Add-on:Fox News in the Kodi wiki. Install NPR Radio This Kodi add-on provides access to all available National Public Radio streams and most podcasts. No user account is needed. To install this from the main menu, select: System > Settings > Add-ons > Get Add-ons > Kodi.org Add-ons > Music Add-ons > NPR (National Public Radio) > Install For more information, refer to Add-on:NPR (National Public Radio) in the Kodi wiki. Install Apple AirPlay Kodi can also play music and video from 5th generation Apple iPhone, iPad and other iOS 7 devices with the AirPlay feature, provided an 802.11 wireless connection to your local network is established. Kodi will act as an AirPlay receiver, as if it where an Apple TV. This requires first installing a Windows service on your HTPC named Bonjour, which provides Apple’s zero-configuration networking protocol. Bonjour enables the automatic discovery and streaming to AirPlay receivers on your local wireless network. The best way to install Bonjour is to install Apple’s iTunes for Windows, because Bonjour comes bundled with it: First, go to Apple’s website to Download iTunes for Windows. Support for AirPlay is otherwise built into Kodi. To enable it, select: System > Settings > Services > AirPlay > Allow Kodi to receive AirPlay content On the Apple device, you can now send music, videos or photos from a variety of locations, including from within the Photos, Videos, Safari and Music apps. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to access the iOS Control Center. Then, select the AirPlay icon in the lower right corner. Kodi should appear in the list as an AirPlay receiver. For more information, refer to Apple’s Using AirPlay guide. Get Involved If this guide has been helpful to you, please leave a comment below to share your experience! I don’t ask for donations, but if you agree this is the best HTPC solution for Live TV in North America, please help spread the word. There are several active online forums where people go to learn about cord-cutting and building HTPCs. Simply answering a question and pasting the URL of this guide in appropriate threads on these forums can generate significant traffic and help new comers cut through the confusion. The most active forums (and were people need help) are: Reddit HTPC Forum Reddit Cord-Cutters Forum Kodi Community Forum MediaPortal Forum SiliconDust HDHomeRun ForumIt's a tricky time to be in the market for a new wireless router. The safe bet is buy a model based on the tried-and-true, rock-solid 802.11n standard—and I recommend that you adopt that course if you're looking for a new router for your small business. Consumers, on the other hand, may fall in love with the blistering speed and phenomenal range that routers based on the second draft of the 802.11ac standard deliver. The performance of each of the five 802.11ac routers that I tested for this story overwhelms the performance of the Asus RT-N66U, which may be the best 802.11n router on the market today. Looking to stream high-definition video over your wireless network? Using an 802.11ac router, I streamed a Blu-ray video ISO image—complete with high-definition Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio multichannel soundtrack—from a server in my home office to a bridge-connected PC in my home theater, an acoustically isolated room that some lesser-quality 802.11n routers can't even penetrate, much less stream media into. I experienced no glitches and no dropouts. But 802.11ac Draft 2.0 won't crystallize into a bona fide standard until sometime next year. We went through a similar routine as the 802.11n standard went through its final stages. Back then, however, the Wi-Fi Alliance (an industry trade group) assured consumers that all products based on the 802.11n Draft 2.0 standard and bearing the alliance's logo would be compatible with hardware based on the final standard—as well as with each other. The Wi-Fi Alliance offers no such assurances this time around. So there's a slim chance that these early first-generation 802.11ac routers will be incompatible with hardware released after the standard is finalized. Another caveat is cost: Either you'll have to buy two 802.11ac routers and configure one of them as an 802.11ac bridge, or you'll have to buy one router and a dedicated 802.11ac bridge, in order to realize an 802.11ac router's full potential. And though the bridge will establish a wireless connection to the router, you'll need to use ethernet cables to connect devices to the bridge—because no desktop or laptop PC currently has built-in 802.11ac network adapters, and no USB 802.11ac network adapters exist. (Broadcom announced in June that Asus's new G75VW gaming laptop would include a built-in 802.11ac adapter; but as of September 11, Asus's website indicates that the machine has only an 802.11n adapter. Netgear, meanwhile, has announced a USB 802.11ac network adapter, but as of the same date, it had not yet shipped its A6200.) So why should anyone consider buying an 802.11ac router? Well, if you're looking to connect up to four stationary clients in one location—a home theater PC, a smart TV, a Blu-ray player, and an A/V receiver, for instance—to a wireless network, an 802.11ac network will deliver better performance than anything else on the market. We're talking real-world throughput of 400 to 500 megabits per second (mbps) at close range; that's twice the speed of the best 802.11n routers. And at very long range, where most 5GHz 802.11n routers peter out, an 802.11ac router can deliver throughput of between 50 mbps and 100 mbps—more than enough bandwidth to stream high-definition video. For more details on how the 802.11ac standard is designed to function, check out "Three-Minute Tech: IEEE 802.11ac" on PCWorld's new sister site, TechHive. An 802.11ac router can also operate a concurrent 802.11n wireless network for your existing laptop, tablet, desktop PC, smartphone, and printer. In this sense, an 802.11ac router delivers the best of both worlds. As for the likelihood that the final 802.11ac standard will render products based on the 802.11ac Draft 2.0 standard obsolete, no one can guarantee that it won't, but in my opinion it's a fairly remote possibility. If you're ready to make a leap of faith to the unfinished standard, the next question is "Which 802.11ac router is best?" I'm glad you asked. Here are my assessments of all five 802.11ac router models available for sale as of September 10, 2012, based on my tests: • Asus RT-AC66U • Belkin AC 1200 DB • Buffalo WZR-1800H • D-Link DIR-865L • Netgear R6300Michigan Voters Expected To Give Trump Another Win In The Primary Column In Michigan, Donald Trump has been steadily leading in the Republican polls. Ted Cruz and John Kasich have been rallying their supporters in hopes of making a stronger than expected showing. RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: NPR's Don Gonyea is in Michigan, one of the states voting for presidential candidates today. DON GONYEA, BYLINE: Everywhere John Kasich goes in Michigan he promotes his record as governor next door in Ohio while always, always stressing that his is the campaign that won't get down in the mud. (SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH) JOHN KASICH: Personal attacks against Donald Trump is not the way you win voters. You want to win a voter that likes Trump, you give them an answer that's real because they want to know how their wages are going to go up. They want to know how their job is going to be secured. They want to know that if people cheat in a trade deal somebody's going to stick up for them. GONYEA: That was at an event in Monroe, Mich., before an audience of a few hundred. Kasich isn't drawing giant crowds, but they listen closely and seem happy that one candidate is taking the high road. Retiree Art Stawicki came to see Kasich in Grosse Pointe Woods. His assessment... ART STAWICKI: He's the only adult in this race. GONYEA: Stawicki and his wife, Nicole, like Kasich the best. But there's a catch. NICOLE STAWICKI: We're torn. We truly are torn in this election. We're very torn. GONYEA: She worries he can't win in November. N. STAWICKI: We feel he is very qualified for the job - more so than some of the others. But how well would he do in a national election? GONYEA: But no other candidate has been working Michigan as hard as Kasich, which brings us to Ted Cruz. He hasn't been in the state a lot this past week, but he came to Grand Rapids last night for a big primary-eve rally. Cruz does have a solid organization here and devoted followers. The super PAC that backs him has also held rallies. (SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH) GLENN BECK: When you're really angry, you don't make good decisions. Don't drive drunk. Don't vote angry. GONYEA: That was talk show host Glenn Beck campaigning for Cruz on Sunday and lampooning the motivation voiced by many Trump supporters. Thirty-year-old Nathan Huwer was there. He's a construction manager who says his first choice was Sen. Rand Paul. But now he's on board for Cruz. NATHAN HUWER: What I like about Ted Cruz is I think that he will follow through with what he says. GONYEA: He's brought his young kids with him. They're running around waving their glittery, homemade Cruz campaign signs. But Huwer is not happy with the tone of the GOP race. That was especially true when he sat down with his children to watch the most recent debate. HUWER: And I'm just so embarrassed. When we watched the debate, what I have to tell them - I have to tell them this was not always like this. And we go back and we're looking at old debates. And I'm saying, this is how it was. GONYEA: Cruz supporter Mike Mangan is a truck driver who also says the mudslinging can be over the top. But he says the fact that outsiders have dominated the primaries is a great thing. MIKE MANGAN: I love it. GONYEA: You love it? MANGAN: I love it because of the grassroots movement that made this all exist. And this is the result when people actually stand up. And that's what this country was founded on. And that's what makes this actually a really fun moment. GONYEA: Sen. Cruz, meanwhile, who did well in this past weekend's contest, wants to solidify the notion that he is Trump's only real challenger. While Michigan could help clarify that, there is still plenty of reason for Donald Trump to expect a big win in Michigan tonight. Don Gonyea, NPR News, Dearborn. Copyright © 2016 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.The government will ask the United States to review its latest anti-dumping measure against Indonesian biodiesel, according to Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita. “Such allegations [that Indonesian biodiesel production is subsidized] have been raised before and we can prove that there’s no subsidy involved. We’ll pass the request to the US for a review immediately after talking to producers,” he told reporters on Wednesday. The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced Tuesday its preliminary anti-dumping determination on biodiesel from Indonesia and Argentina. Its preliminary investigation claims that Wilmar International Ltd. has benefitted from a 41.06 percent subsidy from the government, while PT Musim Mas received a 44.92 percent subsidy and all other local producers 44.92 percent. Indonesian producers would, therefore, be required to pay a fee to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) based on those preliminary rates. Petitions against Indonesian and Argentinian biodiesel were filed last March and the US government has been investigating the case. Should the claims be proven correct, an order for anti-dumping measures will be issued on Dec. 29 this year. (bbn)It’s been a while since I’ve found a truly awesome minecraft build to spotlight. Today, that comes to an end, with coolguy2563‘s “Darkmoor Cathedral—The Church of the Dead”. It’s an epic build on an epic scale. To prove it, here are some pictures: You can download the map from PlanetMinecraft. Make sure you let coolguy2563 know how awesome this build is! Source: Darkmorr Cathedral – The Church of the Dead [Popreel] Minecraft Project. Hey Gearcrafters! Now It's your chance to share with us, just hashtag #YoGearcraft on your Twitter post with a link or image to your art, creations, videos, servers or whatever and it will appear right on our #YoGearcraft page for millions to see! It’s that easy! So what are you waiting for!? Give us a shout out #YoGearcraft!LAMONT, Wash. – The farmers surrounding this small Whitman County town all know each other. They went to school together, played on the same football team and rode the same school bus home. So when Steve Swannack landed in the hospital with a severe case of pancreatitis two months ago, his neighbors and friends immediately banded together to help out. They cut and baled his hay and moved his herd of nearly 100 cows. On Saturday, they hopped in their combines and drove down the highway to harvest all 1,000 acres of Swannack’s fields. “This community has really looked out for the family,” family friend Dan Harwood said. “They’re stopping their own harvest and coming over to do Steve’s.” It’s not unusual for neighbors to come together to help out friends who are sick or injured and can’t look after their farms, neighbor Gil White said. “That’s just what people do around here,” White said. “It happens all over Whitman County. It happens almost every year.” Neighbor Eric Glorfield was in the middle of harvesting his own fields, but he didn’t hesitate to drop everything to help his former high school football teammate. Everyone who helps someone in need knows that they could easily be the one needing help someday, White said. “It’s a very humbling experience,” he said. “It kind of puts things in perspective.” Farmers usually harvest their own fields by themselves, a process that can take weeks depending on the size of their fields. But gathering en masse for a harvest is a different experience. “It’s kind of fun for us to see seven big red combines chew up 180 acres in half a day,” White said. More than a dozen combines roamed the fields and hillsides near the Swannack family home on Davis Road, dropping their loads in an endless stream of grain trucks. Employees at the Lamont Grain Growers elevators were working hard to keep up with the constant flow of wheat, oats and mustard. Harvest is weeks early this year because of the hot, dry weather, and yields are down. “It’s scary dry,” White said. Swannack grows specialty wheat for Shepherd’s Grain, a cooperative of 60 farmers who use sustainable farming methods such as direct seeding. He also created a 20-foot buffer around his fields and planted shrubs and plants in those buffer zones to create wildlife habitat for birds and deer, said Harwood, who works with the Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District. Swannack also created wetlands and fenced off creeks in his pastures to keep his cattle out, Harwood said. Swannack’s daughter, Stephanie Swannack, came home for the weekend from Texas to help with the harvest. She said she is touched by the outpouring of support from families she has known her whole life. She planned to host a potluck barbecue Saturday night for the entire town as a way to say thank you. “This has always been my favorite part of living in a small town,” she said. “You know your neighbors are going to help out no matter what.” Nearly 60 people were working in the fields Saturday and another 20 or so came to the house to make boxed lunches for the workers. Others dropped by with ice chests filled with cold drinks. “Everyone has called and wanted to help,” she said. Norris Sturgeon drove from Boise to help out by managing the food. Sturgeon was roommates with Steve Swannack at Washington State University before Swannack married Sturgeon’s sister, Ann. “I don’t know how to drive a combine,” he said as he mixed up a batch of lemonade. “Everyone kind of pitches in.” Stephanie Swannack said it usually takes her family between 15 and 20 days to harvest their fields on their own. But on Saturday all that needed to be done was to assign combines to various fields and let the veteran farmers go to work. After four surgeries and some time in rehabilitation, Steve Swannack came home Saturday. His daughter said he’s still weak and has a long recovery ahead of him. Swannack’s fields will need to be planted with winter wheat in September, but he won’t have to worry about a thing, Harwood said. “We’re already making plans for that,” he said.Mumbai: Apparently peeved by a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting the use of pictures of politicians in government advertisements, the Shiv Sena trained guns on the judiciary, terming the latest move as 'unjust' here on Friday. Referring to the ruling which allows only the pictures of president, prime minister or the chief justice in government advertisements, the Sena asked whether this could amount to insulting the democratically elected state governments, the Parliament and the legislatures. In a sharp edit in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena pointed out that whenever the courts give any verdict, we say, "Yes, Maharaj! We accept it!" and nod our heads in agreement, taking care to ensure nobody commits a contempt of court. "But
Point City Lake, nature preserve, small animal exhibits, the North Carolina Mapscape, and access to an eight-mile (13 km) Greenway Trail. [48] ) of hiking trails adjacent to High Point City Lake, nature preserve, small animal exhibits, the North Carolina Mapscape, and access to an eight-mile (13 km) Greenway Trail. Rosetta C. Baldwin Museum: The museum was created in November 2000 to honor the legacy of Miss Rosetta C. Baldwin, her family and many African-Americans. The site depicts a typical home of a southern African American family during the mid-twentieth century. Sechrest Gallery: Located on the campus of High Point University in the Hayworth Fine Arts Center, the Sechrest Gallery houses permanent collections of 18th and 19th century British Art coupled with rotating exhibitions. Theatre Art Galleries: Housed in the High Point Theatre since 1975, the Theatre Art Galleries (TAG) hosts exhibitions of contemporary visual art. TAG has been the sole independent nonprofit provider of the visual arts in High Point and includes one of the finest stage and gallery spaces in the Southeast. [49] World's Largest Chest of Drawers: Iconic symbol of the city since 1926, the World's Largest Bureau is an example of automobile-oriented pop architecture and has been featured on numerous broadcasts such as MTV and The Travel Channel. Coming attractions [ edit ] Notable people [ edit ] See also [ edit ]0 Neighborhood on edge after two serious dog attacks in one week ATLANTA - Neighbors in a southwest Atlanta community are on edge after two serious dog attacks in one week. The most recent attack happened early Monday morning. A 48-year-old man was attacked by two dogs in the middle of the street. He was repeatedly bitten on his arms and face. When police arrived, he was not alert or conscious, but he was breathing. Just seven days before that, dogs attacked two young children walking to their bus stop less than a mile away. Logan Braatz, 6, died in the attack. Syrai Sanders, 5, was seriously injured and is now recovering at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. Billups is recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital. A friend who witnessed that attack says he quickly jumped in to try and help. “He was just screaming,” Jamal Shavers said. “I picked up the stick on the side and we ran up to him and the dogs just took off.” RELATED STORIES: Billups was attacked in front of a home with a “Beware of Dogs” sign. “Just to endure what he endured, I’m just happy to know he’s still alive,” Shavers said. A neighbor shot one of the dogs and Animal Control later euthanized it. They captured the other dog. Officers also captured two dogs after the first attack Channel 2’s Sophia Choi spoke with one pit bull owner in the neighborhood Tuesday, who said he knows his dog and others can be dangerous. "I’m conscious of that. I know these things about my dog so my thing is, if you're going to own a pit bull, know your dog. Know what you need to do to restrain him from hurting other people,” Lenell Patterson said. Syrai’s mom is now fighting to have all stray dogs picked up. “I’m just at the point where I think they should get all the stray dogs off the street because it’s becoming a hazard,” Jeresha Williams said. © 2019 Cox Media Group.BINASLAWA, Kurdistan Region – A Peshmerga fighter lies flat on his belly behind a Zastava M93 Serbian sniper rifle, scoping his target 100 meters away. Half a kilometer across desolate plains in the other direction, fellow Kurdish fighters engage the enemy with a barrage of cover fire and tactical advance. These fighters are not on the frontline against the Islamic State - at least not yet. They are 17 km east of Erbil at the Zeravani training complex, where coalition forces are preparing them to fight the jihadists who have maintained terror strongholds in Iraq and Syria since 2014. At this facility, one of five in Iraq, soldiers from Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, Finland, Hungary and Norway lead a variety of training camps and classes for Kurdish fighters ranging from 20 to 60 years old, all with varying levels of experience. Since January 2015, the coalition has trained about 5,000 Peshmerga through courses that last from three to five weeks. Since 2014, more than 60 countries have joined the global coalition to degrade and defeat ISIL (ISIS) by training local fighters, sending weapons and supplies, and providing humanitarian assistance. “Before, the Peshmerga had no training and would show their entire bodies to the enemy,” said an Italian officer who, like every coalition soldier, wished to remain anonymous as a matter of protocol. “Now, we teach them tactical training.” With 300 soldiers, 100 of whom are trainers, the Italian Army leads the coalition training camp. Each nation’s military works together in basic warfare training, while specific armies take the lead in programs according to expertise. The Peshmerga, in turn, take courses catered to their skills and experience. The British Army, for example, trains fighters to “detect and defeat” improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have proved the most deadly ISIS weapons. Peshmerga with engineering backgrounds learn to navigate terrain laced with explosives by conducting sweeps of mock booby traps on the training ground. They study methods used by ISIS to determine the most likely locations of IEDs. Finally, they learn to diffuse the mines that are made to be notoriously complex and deadly by the terror group. A German trainer works with a class of a dozen Peshmerga in strategic movement on the battlefield. In the scenario, an ISIS-held bridge ahead of the Peshmerga serves as the security threat and the fighters are tasked with pushing toward it. “They learn how to get close to the enemy without being detected,” the trainer said. “We teach them how to move forward while always maintaining a security element.” At the shooting range, Italian soldiers teach the Peshmerga how to use the Serbian snipers, and train them with best-practice methods, from positioning of the body to calibration of the rifle. After a few shots, the trainers and fighters walk out to study the target and gather feedback from the results. “It is very important the Peshmerga learn these tactics because it is in our best interest to defeat DAESH,” the Italian major said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. The short duration of the courses and the fact that some fighters have had no experience on the battlefield present challenges for the trainers. “Each class has about 50 fighters, some with few skills,” a British trainer said. “I’m forced to teach based on what they know.” Still, coalition trainers are quick to note one constant among all the fighters. “You can see that the Peshmerga have great energy and spirit to fight,” said an Italian trainer. “They are strong people and not scared to fight ISIS.” Rashad Hamad Amin, Peshmerga battalion commander, said the training has been very useful on the frontline and he hopes it continues. Without it, he said, his fighters face a crippling disadvantage. “It is much easier to work with those who have trained,” the commander said. “Those who haven’t, you can’t even work with them. They don’t know how to operate.”One of our readers sent us this Japanese brochure shot showing what is alleged to be the facelifted 2017 Mazda Axela, otherwise known as the Mazda3 to the rest of the world. Since there are no styling differences between the current JDM Axela and the overseas Mazda3 other than the name and engine specs, we’re going to assume that, if this brochure is real, then the same will apply to the upcoming mid-life facelift for Mazda’s compact model. As you can see in the image shown here, changes to the exterior are subtle, with the front end gaining a reshaped grille with a relocated Mazda logo and shorter chrome extensions that now stop at the new headlamp clusters instead of extending above them, and a reworked bumper with new turning lights and a lower vent that follows the shape of the grille for a sleeker look. The exterior mirrors now incorporate turning signals too. That’s all we can tell from this single picture, but if the recent update of the Mazda6 is any indication, we can expect some light tweaks to the rear and the interior as well. The current generation Mazda3 was presented in mid-2013, so the time is ripe for a mid-cycle update. Thanks to Ken for the photo! Photo GalleryNotice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 312] Code Context //ユーザー名 = this->request->data['Account']['instagram_user_code'] if(! is_null ( $user_profile -> data -> username )){ $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 312 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 312] Code Context //ユーザー名 = this->request->data['Account']['instagram_user_code'] if(! is_null ( $user_profile -> data -> username )){ $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 312 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 316] Code Context } //ユーザープロフィール $data [ 'profile_instagram' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> bio. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 316 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 316] Code Context } //ユーザープロフィール $data [ 'profile_instagram' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> bio. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 316 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 318] Code Context $data [ 'profile_instagram' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> bio. "'" ; //ウェブサイト $data [ 'website' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> website. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'profile_instagram' => '''' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 318 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 318] Code Context $data [ 'profile_instagram' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> bio. "'" ; //ウェブサイト $data [ 'website' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> website. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'profile_instagram' => '''' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 318 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 321] Code Context //プロフィール画像パス $data [ 'profile_picture' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> profile_picture. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'profile_instagram' => '''', 'website' => '''' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 321 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 321] Code Context //プロフィール画像パス $data [ 'profile_picture' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> profile_picture. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'profile_instagram' => '''', 'website' => '''' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 321 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 324] Code Context //instagram登録フルネーム $data [ 'full_name' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> full_name. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions' => array( 'Account.id' => '2581' ) ) $account = array( 'Account' => array( 'id' => '2581', 'category_id' => '16', 'kgcategory_id' => '63', 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'instagram_user_code' => 'jyheffect0622', 'account_name' => 'チョン・ヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'account_name_nospace' => 'チョンヨンファ(CNBLUE)', 'english_name' => 'Jung Yong-hwa', 'account_profile' => '1989年6月22日生まれの韓国の歌手、俳優。男性実力派4人組バンド「CNBLUE」のメインボーカルとリズムギター、ラップを担当。ソウル特別市生まれ、釜山広域市育ち。', 'profile_instagram' => '', 'website' => '', 'profile_picture' => '', 'full_name' => '', 'picture_counts' => null, 'follows_counts' => null, 'follows_by_counts' => null, 'all_cnt' => '49427', 'week_cnt' => '49427','month_cnt' => '49427', 'check_flg' => '0', 'created' => '2015-04-28 18:38:16','modified' => '2015-04-28 20:34:02' ), 'Category' => array( 'id' => '16', 'category_name' => '韓流', 'en_category_name' => 'Korean Celebrity', 'created' => '2015-01-02 15:32:05','modified' => '2015-03-28 07:27:13' ), 'Kgcategory' => array( 'id' => '63', 'kgcategory_name' => 'CNBLUE', 'created' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05','modified' => '2015-03-16 22:41:05' ) ) $pictures = null $prob = (int) 50 $rnd = (int) 10 $user_profile = null $data = array( 'instagram_userid' => '1938439854', 'profile_instagram' => '''', 'website' => '''', 'profile_picture' => '''' ) AccountsController::view() - APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 324 ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line?? Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 490 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 191 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 165 [main] - /home/japastagram/www/k-pop-instagram.com/index.php, line 110 Notice (8): Trying to get property of non-object [APP/Controller/AccountsController.php, line 324] Code Context //instagram登録フルネーム $data [ 'full_name' ] = "'". $user_profile -> data -> full_name. "'" ; $id = '2581' $UA = 'newspaper/0.2.8' $smart = (int) 0 $options = array( 'conditions'
been citing to alarm the public. This story was originally published at glennmurray.com.au and has been republished with permission. The graphs were prepared by Glenn and compiled using official Government figures. For more on the methodology used and the precise sources, refer to Glenn Murray's original story here. Also, follow Glenn on Twitter @divinewrite. In Feb 2014, Hockey said Medicare was costing $65b/yr. More lies. That year it cost only $19b! http://t.co/IdusBbS9ow — Glenn Murray (@divinewrite) January 17, 2015 Monthly Donation Frequency Monthly Annually Amount $ Single Donation Amount $Story has it that many hundreds of years ago, Tanovo, chief of the Fijian island Ono, was very partial to a late afternoon stroll. Each day he would walk along the beach, watch the sun go down and undoubtedly contemplate this paradise on Earth. The cultural memory was right, and our scientific surveys were wrong But one day Tanovo’s rival, chief of the volcano Nabukelevu, pushed his mountain up and blocked Tanovo’s view of the sunset. Enraged at this, and robbed of the pacifying effects of his daily meditation, Tanovo wove giant coconut-fibre baskets and began to remove earth from the mountain. His rival, however, caught Tanovo and chased him away. Tanovo, in his flight, dropped earth at the islands of Dravuni and Galoa. When geologist Patrick Nunn first heard this myth, it made sense that it described the volcanic eruption of Nabukelevu, with the associated ash falls on other islands in the Kadavu group. But his scientific investigation of the region concluded that the volcano had not erupted for 50,000 years, long before the island was first inhabited around 2000 B.C. The myth, it seemed, was simply a story—not a description of previous events. Then, two years later, when diggers carved out a road near the base of the volcano, they uncovered pieces of ancient pottery buried underneath a metre-deep layer of volcanic ash. “This clearly demonstrated that the volcano had erupted within the last 3,000 years while humans lived here,” says Nunn, a professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. “The cultural memory was right, and our scientific surveys were wrong.” You attribute it to supernatural forces and you say it is a battle between the giants and the gods From prehistoric times to, more recently, the pyrotechnics of Hawaii’s Kilauea, volcanic eruptions have aroused fear and inspired myths. Often cultures have seen active volcanoes as the abode of gods - typically gods quick to anger. “I think the creation of myths is essentially the human reaction to witnessing a natural process that you cannot explain, says Haraldur Sigurdsson, a volcanologist at the University of Rhode Island, US. “So you attribute it to supernatural forces and you say it is a battle between the giants and the gods.” But deities aside, these traditional oral tales can contain valuable information about the type, and nature of volcanic eruptions, Nunn says. In particular they can contribute “missing data” to geologists about events that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago. “After 30 years of research in the geosciences I believe that the analysis of myths is hugely important,” Nunn says. “It can help bridge the gap between geological theory and human history and lead to scientific insights.” Legend has it Shortly after research volcanologist Don Swanson moved to Hawaii in 1997, a friend, knowing Swanson’s love of poetry, gave him a book of translated Hawaiian chants. One evening, as Swanson sat in an easy chair, reading the translations for pleasure, insight struck. “This light bulb came on in my head. It didn't flash right away but it was kind of a low and then medium and then high,” Swanson says. “I realised that I was potentially reading about events that I had been studying in the field, geologically, during the preceding months.” The chants told the story of Pele, Deity of the volcano Kilauea, who’d initially moved to Kauai with her relatives and fell in love with a man called Lohi’au. Kauai wasn’t hot enough for Pele, however, so she settled in the crater at Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii. She then asked her sister Hi’iaka to fetch Lohi’au, giving her a time limit of 40 days. It was a very earthy love triangle Hi'iaka agreed on the condition that her sister kept her fires away from Hi'iaka’s beloved grove of flowering trees. But when Hi'iaka arrived at Kauai, she found Lohi’au dead and, by the time she revived him, the 40 days were up. Pele, thinking that Hi'iaka had stolen Lohi’au for herself, set the forest on fire. Hi’iaka then sought her revenge by returning to Kilauea and making love to Lohi’au in view of Pele. Pele’s response was fast and furious: She killed Lohi’au and threw his body into her crater. Hi'iaka then dug furiously to recover the body sending rocks flying into the air. “It was a very earthy love triangle,” Swanson says. When Swanson read the story, his insights told him it related the two largest volcanic events that had happened on the island since people had lived there. We were clearly wrong and we only realised this very recently The burning forest most likely was a lava flow in the 15th century, one that lasted for 60 years and covered almost 430 square kilometres of the island of Hawaii. Hi'iaka’s furious digging may have represented the dropping down of the Kilauea summit to form a caldera. Until recently geologists had believed the caldera formed in 1790 during a period of large explosions, and the volcano was quiet in the proceeding centuries. But oral history says the caldera had existed for “many kings’ reigns” before and that red-hot stones often flew into the air during this time. Only in the early 21st century did geologists find evidence to confirm the myth’s timeline. “We were clearly wrong and we only realised this very recently,” Swanson says. “It’s pretty embarrassing that geologists failed to take the Pele–Hi‘iaka chants into account because we hadn’t believed that the chants had any real meaning.” Swanson believes that many more scientific treasures lie in the Hawaiian chants, ready for scientists to decipher. Crowdsourcing through the millennia Perhaps one of the oldest myths of mankind is that of Atlantis - the story about a prosperous kingdom that disappeared without trace. As the story goes, the people in this utopian civilization enraged the gods so much with their moral corruption that the deities sent one terrible night of fire and earthquakes. These catastrophes sank Atlantis into the ocean, never to be found. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato told this moral tale in his dialogues, Critias and Timaeus, and for centuries scholars have debated whether those events were true, or invented, and what the location of Atlantis might have been. One incident that bears a striking similarity to the story was the massive volcanic eruption of the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea near Greece about 3,600 years ago. The highly advanced civilization of Minoans who lived on the island disappeared about the same time. The eruption itself inspired the Greek poet Hesiod to write the poem Theogony in around 700 B.C., which described the battle of giants and gods on Mount Olympus. Here was a myth that supported what archeologists found “I started to become interested in the myth of Atlantis and the poem Theogony because these are our only written or only documented descriptions or interpretations of this huge volcanic phenomenon,” Sigurdsson says. “We don't have any other accounts so, if you accept that they are related to this event, then they do give you some information that you otherwise wouldn't have.” Several studies support the theory that the volcanic disaster of Plato's story of Atlantis relates to the Santorini eruption. “And once archeologists began to dig on Santorini they looked to the legend as a form of validation of what they were finding,” says John Dvorak, a geoscientist at the University of Hawaii, US. “One of the things you always look for in science is supportive evidence and consistency,” Dvorak says. “And here was a myth that supported what archeologists found. The timing was right and it looks to be consistent.” Myths such as these have helped scientists understand some very large past events, Sigurdsson says. One such large event was the eruption of Kuwae in 1453, a volcano in the islands of Vanuatu in the Southwest Pacific. This proved to be one of the largest eruptions anywhere on Earth within the last 10,000 years and was so big it simply sank the island into the sea. We can't afford to dismiss any source of information about past events Piecing together the details of an eruption from the geological record can be tricky, Nunn says. Geologists analyse the lava, sediments and other debris that came from the volcano to determine what happened - material that’s become changed, reworked and redeposited over time. “You're trying to piece together the whole event from those isolated bits of information and it involves a huge amount of assumptions,” Nunn says. “But a lot of the old histories and myths that talk about volcanic eruptions do actually give us insight into the sequencing.” The Kuwae myths also talk about events leading up to the eruption. In this way, they provide valuable information on how to recognise the precursors of such eruptions, Nunn says. The oral traditions talk about sorcerers digging holes and hot water soaring out, unusual noises from the crater and the exodus of tigers, monkeys and rabbits into the villages before the final eruption. On the island of Savo in the Solomon Islands, which witnesses a major eruption every 110 years or so, oral traditions relate the filling of the crater with water, local earthquakes and tsunamis and the die-back of vegetation as the lead up to an explosion. From these tales the modern island inhabitants know the warning signs of an eruption and can respond optimally, Nunn says. “I think that we can't afford to dismiss any source of information about past events,” Nunn says. “But it's taken science a long time to wake up to the value of these kinds of traditions.” Creating meaning from mayhem Early attempts to explain volcanic activity sound much like myths to modern day scientists. The ancient Greeks believed volcanoes came from the release of compressed air inside mountains, much like a monstrous belch. The Romans took a more engineering approach in their explanations: they blamed eruptions on chemical reactions and underground compounds catching fire. “They were trying to attribute what they saw to natural processes rather than to extraterrestrial or godly activity,” Sigurdsson says. “They were moving away from myths and moving toward realism.” Over the centuries the ideas became more sophisticated, although the theories did take a backward turn with the rise of Christian conceptions of Hell. The physicist Sir Isaac Newton, most famous for his cosmological and gravitational studies, also practiced alchemy in a shed behind his laboratory. He showed that combining iron and sulphur lead to the release of a lot of heat. This reaction, Newton said, was the origin of volcanic activity. Myths and rituals help people cope with disaster “That was the same theory the Romans had put forth about a thousand years before,” Sigurdsson says. Finally, 19th and 20th-century research in thermodynamics, petrology, geochemistry and plate tectonics moved volcanology from "divine science" and "armchair geology" to the current understanding of volcanic activity. “I think we have a pretty comprehensive working hypothesis now and it's stood the test of time,” Sigurdsson says. But volcanologists still can’t tell when a volcano is going to erupt, and for how long, and what is going to happen when it does, Dvorak says. What volcanologists can give you are some probabilities. “It might erupt. This may or may not happen. This is more likely than that,” he says. Dvorak was present at eruptions in Indonesia and Mount St. Helens and heard some members of the public say, “What’s the use?” And myths, and the belief in divine retribution, still prevail. After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the US, two local Christian priests announced that the volcano had erupted because people had not been charitable enough and were not taking proper care of their families. “Even in the most highly technical society, people are still trying to grasp meaning in that way,” Dvorak says. So while science can’t provide all the answers, maybe people still need myths to make sense of the senseless and to claw some meaning from the mayhem. Maybe myths provide a valuable tool for coming to terms with destruction and disaster, or living under a constant umbrella of uncertainty. So even in this age of advanced science and technology, myths still have their place. Myths can provide meaning and the rituals they inspire can provide comfort and a sense of security, Dvorak says. “Myths and rituals help people cope with disaster, albeit in a very different way.”Jordan’s Queen Rania on Wednesday branded the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group a “bunch of crazy people” who were staining the name of Islam. The wife of King Abdullah II urged the international community not to focus on the religious claims of the militants and said ISIS should drop the ‘I’ from their name “because there is nothing Islamic about them.” “This fight is a fight between the civilized world and a bunch of crazy people that really want to take us back to mediaeval times,” she said in a conversation with media mogul Arianna Huffington at a session of the Future of Work conference in London late Wednesday, organized by the Berggruen Institute and the World Post. Also read: Azhar slams ISIS for bulldozing Nimrud ISIS bulldozes ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq Nimrud, the jewel of the Assyrian era She warned against letting ISIS “hijack” the identity of Islam, arguing that it would allow them to set up a “battle of civilizations.” “People call them ISIS, I would love to drop that first 'I' because there is nothing Islamic about them. They have nothing to do with faith and everything to do with fanaticism,” she said. “They want to be called Islamic because it gives them legitimacy and also it means that any action taken against them would automatically be called a war against Islam. “They want that clash of civilization that people talk about,” she added. The 44-year-old queen warned ISIS that their much-publicized displays of violence, such as the burning to death of Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, only stiffened the resolve of moderates. “The scare tactics that these terrorists were using backfired because it just angered Jordanians,” she told the Huffington Post founder. “Instead of making them scared, it made them want to fight.” Kassasbeh was captured by ISIS in December after his F-16 crashed in Syria while on a mission for the U.S.-led coalition against the Sunni extremist group. Last Update: Saturday, 7 March 2015 KSA 23:39 - GMT 20:39On what would have been her 133rd birthday, msnbc’s Lawrence O’Donnell honored the most important liberal woman forgotten from American political history: Frances Perkins, the architect of Social Security. During Wednesday’s Rewrite segment, O’Donnell payed homage to Perkins–coincidentally on the same day President Obama proposed cuts and changes in these benefits in line with many Republican sentiments. “The man gets all the credit in popular history, but the woman did all the work,” O’Donnell said. “Social Security was her idea. It would never have become law without her.” As the U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Perkins had immense influence on his policy decisions. A chance meeting at a tea party with then-Supreme Court Justice Harlan Stone provided Perkins with the legal framework for her initiative, setting into place certain present day laws of the same nature. “The Constitutionality of Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act are all based on Frances Perkins’ novel use of the power to tax 78 years ago,” O’Donnell explained. “Frances Perkins was a self-made woman,” O’Donnell said. “She did not advance her career by marriage. She didn’t flinch at challenges that everyone else considered impossible. Frances Perkins changed the world the old fashioned way–with hard work, persistence and passion. Tonight, this country owes a happy birthday nod to a uniquely American hero.”I wish John Boehner were a vainer man. (And I wish that Boehner and vainer didn't rhyme, undercutting the point.) The way he could earn a place in history, admiring chapters in Profiles in Courage-type books, and even a long swing on the university-lecture circuit would be to defy his extremist minority. And maybe eventually he will. I am reminded of these points by a very good story this evening on NPR. It's this report, by All Things Considered host Melissa Block, based on an interview with Republican Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania (right). Dent has voted for the various defund-Obamacare resolutions that have come down the pike. But in the segment he explains why he thinks it's (obviously) time to return the government to normal functioning and work out health-policy differences through established channels. One reason to listen to this story: it shows, in contrast even to some other NPR coverage, how you can be "fair" in presenting a story without sinking into the mire of false-equivalence, "everyone's to blame"-ism. The other reason is for a reminder of the two basic points above. Very soon, I will return to our travelogue.Isn’t it lovely when state laws and federal laws collide, and law enforcement then picks and chooses which conflicting laws to enforce? A Richland medical marijuana patient recently applied for a Concealed Pistol License, but was denied by police. Medical marijuana is legal under Washington state law, but the federal government won’t make an exception for that when it comes to getting a Concealed Pistol License. Richland police sent the medical marijuana patient a letter stating that federal law prohibits anyone who uses a controlled substance from “shipping, transporting, receiving or possessing firearms or ammunition.” And even if marijuana is legal here, it’s still illegal at the federal level. When anyone applies for a concealed weapons permit with Richland police, they have to follow these federal restrictions. This localized incident exposes a much bigger potential legal problem for all gun owners who also have a medical marijuana card, in any jurisdiction. The Richland police cited federal law that denies users of controlled substances the right to ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms or ammunition in denying this woman her carry permit. Law enforcement agencies could just as easily use the same federal statute to completely deny the Second Amendment rights of all medical marijuana card users in Washington and Colorado, or anywhere else where these cards as distributed. All it would take is for the federal government to obtain a copy of the medical marijuana card databases in those areas that have such databases, and then start sending out federal agents to collect the guns of those who are listed. A model for this effort is California’s use of agents to confiscation guns of people identified by the Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) system. I’d advise gun owners to avoid medical marijuana cards at all costs. While there is no indication that there is an immediate plan to use these conflicting laws against gun owners, that could easily change overnight, especially under a federal government that never lets a good crisis go to waste.This article is about the color. For other uses, see Magenta (disambiguation) Magenta as a tertiary color red Magenta purple Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as purplish-red,[1] reddish-purple, purplish, or mauvish-crimson.[2] In the RGB color model, it is made by mixing equal amounts of blue and red.[3] On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located midway between red and blue. It is the complementary color of green. It is one of the four colors of ink used in color printing by an inkjet printer, along with yellow, black, and cyan, to make all the other colors. The tone of magenta used in printing is called "printer's magenta". Magenta took its name from an aniline dye made and patented in 1859 by the French chemist François-Emmanuel Verguin, who originally called it fuchsine. It was renamed to celebrate the Italian-French victory at the Battle of Magenta fought between the French and Austrians on June 4, 1859, near the Italian town of Magenta in Lombardy.[4] A virtually identical color, called roseine, was created in 1860 by two British chemists: Chambers Nicolson and George Maule. The web color magenta is also called fuchsia. In optics and color science [ edit ] Magenta is an extra-spectral color, meaning that it is not found in the visible spectrum of light. Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as the mixture of red and violet/blue light, with the absence of green.[5] In the RGB color system, used to create all the colors on a television or computer display, magenta is a secondary color, made by combining equal amounts of red and blue light at a high intensity. In this system, magenta is the complementary color of green, and combining green and magenta light on a black screen will create white. In the CMYK color model, used in color printing, it is one of the three primary colors, along with cyan and yellow, used to print all the rest of the colors. If magenta, cyan, and yellow are printed on top of each other on a page, they make black. In this model, magenta is the complementary color of green, and these two colors have the highest contrast and the greatest harmony. If combined, green and magenta ink will look dark gray or black. The magenta used in color printing, sometimes called process magenta, is a darker shade than the color used on computer screens. A purple hue in terms of color theory, magenta is evoked by light having less power in green wavelengths than in blue/violet and red wavelengths (complements of magenta have wavelength 500–530 nm).[6] In the Munsell color system, magenta is called red–purple. If the spectrum is wrapped to form a color wheel, magenta (additive secondary) appears midway between red and violet. Violet and red, the two components of magenta, are at opposite ends of the visible spectrum and have very different wavelengths. The additive secondary color magenta, as noted above, is made by combining violet and red light at equal intensity; it is not present in the spectrum itself. In the RGB color model, used to make colors on computer and television displays, magenta is created by the combination of equal amounts of blue and red light. In the RGB color wheel of additive colors, magenta is midway between blue and red. In the CMYK color model, used in color printing, cyan, magenta, and yellow combined make black. In practice, since the inks are not perfect, some black ink is added. Magenta is not part of the visible spectrum of light. Visible spectrum wrapped to join violet and red in an additive mixture of magenta. In reality, violet and red are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and have very different wavelengths. Fuchsia and magenta [ edit ] In optics, fuchsia and magenta are essentially the same color. The web colors fuchsia and magenta are completely identical, and are made by mixing exactly the same proportions of blue and red light. In design and printing, there is a little more variation. The French version of fuchsia in the RGB color model and in printing contains a higher proportion of red than the American version of fuchsia. Fuchsia flowers themselves, which inspired both colors, have a variety of colors, from fuchsia to purple to red. Gallery [ edit ] The flower of Fuchsia plant was the original inspiration for the dye, which was later renamed magenta dye. Magenta took its name in 1860 from this aniline dye that was originally called "fuchsine", after the fuchsia flower. Magenta has been used in color printing since the late nineteenth century. Images are printed in three colors; magenta, cyan, and yellow, which when combined can make all colors. This image from 1902 is using the alternative RYB color model instead. Color printers today use magenta, cyan, and yellow ink to produce the full range of colors. Magenta is the complementary color of green. The two colors combined in the RGB model form white. Side-by-side, they provide the highest possible contrast and reinforce each other's brightness. The Indonesian Marine Corps beret colour is magenta purple. History [ edit ] Fuchsine and magenta dye (1859) [ edit ] An 1864 map showing the Duchy of Bouillon in magenta The color magenta was the result of the industrial chemistry revolution of the mid-nineteenth century, which began with the invention by William Perkin of mauveine in 1856, which was the first synthetic aniline dye. The enormous commercial success of the dye and the new color it produced, mauve, inspired other chemists in Europe to develop new colors made from aniline dyes.[4] In France, François-Emmanuel Verguin, the director of the chemical factory of Louis Rafard near Lyon, tried many different formulae before finally in late 1858 or early 1859, mixing aniline with carbon tetrachloride, producing a reddish-purple dye which he called "fuchsine", after the color of the flower of the fuchsia plant. He quit the Rafard factory and took his color to a firm of paint manufacturers, Francisque and Joseph Renard, who began to manufacture the dye in 1859. In the same year, two British chemists, Chambers Nicolson and George Maule, working at the laboratory of the paint manufacturer George Simpson, located in Walworth, south of London, made another aniline dye with a similar red-purple color, which they began to manufacture in 1860 under the name "roseine". In 1860 they changed the name of the color to "magenta", in honor of the Battle of Magenta fought between the French and Austrians at Magenta, Lombardy the year before, and the new color became a commercial success.[4][7] Starting in 1935 the family of quinacridone dyes was developed. These have colors ranging from red to violet, so nowadays a quinacridone dye is often used for magenta. Various tones of magenta—light, bright, brilliant, vivid, rich, or deep—may be formulated by adding varying amounts of white to quinacridone artist's paints. Another dye used for magenta is Lithol Rubine BK. One of its uses is as a food coloring. Process magenta (pigment magenta; printer's magenta) (1890s) [ edit ] In color printing, the color called process magenta, pigment magenta, or printer's magenta is one of the three primary pigment colors which, along with yellow and cyan, constitute the three subtractive primary colors of pigment. (The secondary colors of pigment are blue, green, and red.) As such, the hue magenta is the complement of green: magenta pigments absorb green light; thus magenta and green are opposite colors. The CMYK printing process was invented in the 1890s, when newspapers began to publish color comic strips. Process magenta is not an RGB color, and there is no fixed conversion from CMYK primaries to RGB. Different formulations are used for printer's ink, so there may be variations in the printed color that is pure magenta ink. A typical formulation of process magenta is shown in the color box at right. Web colors magenta and fuchsia [ edit ] At right is the web color magenta. It is one of the three secondary colors in the RGB color model. On the RGB color wheel, magenta is the color between rose and violet, and halfway between red and blue. Magenta (fuchsia) #ff00ff This color is called magenta in X11 and fuchsia in HTML. In the RGB color model, it is created by combining equal intensities of red and blue light. The two web colors magenta and fuchsia are exactly the same color. Sometimes the web color magenta is called electric magenta or electronic magenta. While the magenta used in printing and the web color have the same name, they have important differences. Process magenta (the color used for magenta printing ink—also called printer's or pigment magenta) is much less vivid than the color magenta achievable on a computer screen. CMYK printing technology cannot accurately reproduce on paper the color on the computer screen. When the web color magenta is reproduced on paper, it is called fuchsia and it is physically impossible for it to appear on paper as vivid as on a computer screen. Colored pencils and crayons called "magenta" are usually colored the color of process magenta (printer's magenta) shown above. In science and culture [ edit ] In art [ edit ] Shades of magenta began to appear in art soon after it was introduced. Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) used a shade of magenta in 1890 in his portrait of Marie Lagadu, and in some of his South Seas paintings. Henri Matisse and the members of the Fauvist movement used magenta and other non-traditional colors to surprise viewers, and to move their emotions through the use of bold colors. Since the mid-1960s, water based fluorescent magenta paint has been available to paint psychedelic black light paintings. (Fluorescent cerise, fluorescent chartreuse yellow, fluorescent blue, and fluorescent green.) Magenta, along with mauve, made with the newly discovered aniline dyes, became a popular fashion color in the second half of the nineteenth century. It appeared in art in this 1890 work, Psyche, by Bouguereau. Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Marie Lagadu (1890). Henri Matisse, Les toits de Collioure (1905). Henri Matisse and the other painters of the Fauvist movement were the first to make a major use of magenta to surprise and make an impact on the emotions of the viewer. In the 1960s, magenta was a popular color in psychedelic art, such as this concert poster for the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco (1967). In astronomy [ edit ] Astronomers have reported that spectral class T brown dwarfs (the ones with the coolest temperatures except for the recently discovered Y brown dwarfs) are colored magenta because of absorption by sodium and potassium atoms of light in the green portion of the spectrum.[8][9][10] Artist's vision of a spectral class T brown dwarf In biology: magenta insects, birds, fish, and animals [ edit ] In botany [ edit ] Magenta is a common color for flowers, particularly in the tropics and sub-tropics. Because magenta is the complementary color of green, magenta flowers have the highest contrast with the green foliage, and therefore are more visible to the animals needed for their pollination. In public transport [ edit ] Magenta was the English name of Tokyo's Oedo subway line color. It was later alternated to ruby. In transportation [ edit ] In aircraft autopilot systems, the path that pilot or plane should follow to its destination is usually indicated in cockpit displays using the color magenta.[11] In vexilology and heraldry [ edit ] Magenta is an extremely rare color to find on heraldic flags and coats of arms, since its adoption dates back to relatively recent times. However, there are some examples of its use: In politics [ edit ] The color magenta is used to symbolize anti-racism by the Amsterdam-based anti-racism Magenta Foundation. [12] In Danish politics the magenta is the color of Det Radikale Venstre, the Danish social-liberal party. See also [ edit ]People walk along a flooded road’s median during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Tuesday in Houston. (Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) Vernon Loeb is managing editor of the Houston Chronicle. I’ve covered the news in Houston for 3½ years and have already seen two devastating floods and now what is being described as a one-in-800-years flood brought on by Hurricane Harvey. That suggests to me that something is happening here that’s way bigger than the largely made-up tiff between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) about whether Houston should have been evacuated before Harvey dumped trillions of gallons of rain on the nation’s fourth-largest city. There’s no denying Texas is politically polarized, with all its major cities liberal and Democratic, and the rest of the state, and all its statewide elected officials, conservative and Republican. So there’s no end of discord and rancor if one wants to find reasons for blame and finger-pointing. This drone video taken Aug. 27 shows the historic flooding in the Texas Medical Center caused by Hurricane Harvey. (Tom C. Nguyen) Houston, meanwhile, can be its own worst enemy when it comes to flood control. A big part of its freewheeling, entrepreneurial identity is its lack of zoning, which has produced more than 600 square miles of subdivisions, strip malls and concrete prairie. It’s not hard to wonder whether this vast expanse of what was once coastal plain was really the best place to build a major city. But anyone who has lived through four straight days of torrential rain that may surpass 50 inches knows perfectly well that no zoning code, infrastructure improvements or flood control regulations could have done anything to deal with this much water inundating a major metropolitan area this quickly. And it is an unbelievable amount of water. Not wanting to risk my car on Sunday morning, I started toward our newsroom on foot and found myself waist-deep two blocks from my home. On Monday I ventured a mile north to Buffalo Bayou, a bucolic urban park remade thanks to $25 million from a leading local philanthropist who once worked for Enron. The park was gone, its meandering bayou now a roiling, fast-moving river that had engulfed parkways on both sides, flooded a television station and badly damaged much of the city’s theater district. On a stretch of Kirby Drive in River Oaks, Houston’s toniest neighborhood, the water was chest-deep, lapping up onto mansion lawns. Sometimes, even in our political and governmental bureaucracies, people say exactly what they mean. Not known for hyperbole, the National Weather Service tweeted after the first devastating day of rainfall, during which some parts of Houston got more than 25 inches: “All impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced.” “It’s catastrophic, unprecedented, epic,” said Patrick Blood, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “Whatever adjective you want to use.” Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, went even further: “This is a storm the United States has not seen yet.” What they’re talking about, whether they know it or not, or care to acknowledge it or not, is global warming. The planet is getting warmer, ocean temperatures are rising, the polar ice caps are melting, and all of the incontrovertible science of climate change is that more extreme-weather events are an inevitable consequence. Tom Friedman in his new book calls climate change a “black elephant” — a combination of the unforeseen “black swan” event with enormous consequences and the “elephant in the room” no one can see. There’s really no other way to make sense of what’s happening in Houston. The black elephant is here in America, just as it’s in Africa and the Middle East and Antarctica, whether we want to see it or not. Just acknowledging that will help Houston recover once the rain finally stops, making the political blame game even more futile than it has already become in American politics. For now, Abbott and Turner are working tirelessly and cooperatively to help the thousands and thousands of people trapped by the worst floods in Houston’s history. And whenever it’s over, Houston should use Harvey to jump-start its transition from the country’s epicenter for oil and gas to a world capital of alternative energies. If the city can turn this devastating tragedy into an existential moment of reinvention after the storm, then a decade from now we may argue that it was worth it. As for the nation, Americans need to understand what leading scientists have concluded even if many of our political leaders pretend it’s not true — we’ve just about blown through the Holocene epoch, when Earth emerged from the last ice age and became more comfortable for human life. Some climatologists have started to call our current age the Anthropocene, in which conditions on the planet have been dramatically altered by man. We have to take responsibility for what we’ve done, and take charge of our future. It’s clearly too late to stop the Category 4 hurricane that led to the millennial flooding in Houston. But it may not be too late to save the planet if we heed Harvey’s hard lesson here in Texas, a proud state that doesn’t like to be messed with. It could be the perfect place to start.DARPA Creates Brain Implants that Boost Human Memory "Everyone has had the experience of struggling to remember long lists of items or complicated directions to get somewhere," program manager Justin Sanchez said in a statement. "Today we are discovering how implantable neurotechnologies can facilitate the brain's performance of these functions." "As the technology of these fully implantable devices improves, and as we learn more about how to stimulate the brain ever more precisely to achieve the most therapeutic effects, I believe we are going to gain a critical capacity to help our wounded warriors and others who today suffer from intractable neurological problems," said Sanchez. "It is a very complex and challenging frontier, but one I am convinced we will learn to navigate and leverage to good effect in people who today have no effective therapeutic options." In what sounds like a mixture of The Matrix and Limitless, DARPA has created a device that can be implanted directly into the brain, recording the activity associated with memory and "shocking" the brain to improve specific functions like short-term recall.Previous studies have shown that applying electrical stimulus directly to areas of the brain concerned with memory can improve the patient's recall of information like lists or directions. In
a good employment and wealth for our whole economy."Come and join the premiere. Chat with me and others on the subject of UFO's Aliens and mainstream media. click the link and set the reminder. #aliens #ufo #UFOs #aliensightings #youtube #weareif #extraterrestrials #aliennews NASA Death Conspiracy. The warning of an alien invasion? UFOmania. A channel I follow and a great place for some different ideas and new content covering the field of UFO or UFP ‘if you prefer’ research. One story which caught my eye was that of a Female Astronaut who screamed a Warning to Earth Before she attempted to take her own life. This conspiracy theory makes the claim that French astronaut Claudie Haigneré warned the world of an imminent alien invasion minutes before falling into a coma from overdosing on sleeping pills. The strange thing is she is not the only person who has travelled into outer space returned and died under mysterious circumstances. Over the years of space programs, many astronauts and cosmonauts alike have come to an untimely demise. Why is this? What pattern is there to these deaths? Is there something being hidden?The Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. It was created to protect and defend the coastline of Texas and offer protection for the shipping and trade that was desperately needed for the growing republic.[1] Revolutionary Texas Navy [ edit ] Archer of the Texas Navy The brigof the Texas Navy [2] The first ensign of the Republic of Texas adopted via executive order issued by President David G. Burnet on April 9, 1836 Under the command of Commodore Charles Edward Hawkins[3] they helped win independence by preventing a Mexican blockade of the Texas coast, seizing dozens of Mexican fishing vessels and sending their cargoes on to the Texas volunteer army. During the Texas Revolution, the provisional government in San Felipe de Austin issued an ordinance in November 1835 to establish an official navy.[4] In January 1836, agents purchased four schooners: Invincible, Brutus, Independence, and Liberty.[5] According to Teddy Roosevelt, the Texas Navy succeeded in preventing reinforcements and provisions at their naval base at Matamoros from reaching General Santa Anna's forces then occupying Texas. This forced Santa Anna to disperse his large army, to forage for food and supplies. This dispersal of able men along with an unpreparedness during the time of the rebel attack at the Battle of San Jacinto ultimately led to the Mexican defeat at the hands of the still outnumbered Texians. By October 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, sunk by the Mexican Navy, run aground, captured, or sold, and replacements were being procured. Texas Navy of the Republic [ edit ] [2] The National Flag of Texas served as the official flag of the Texas Navy from January 25, 1839 until the Republic of Texas joined the United States on February 19, 1846 and the Texas Navy was formally abolished In 1839, in response to Mexico's continued refusal to acknowledge the independence of the Republic of Texas, the Texas Congress acquired six new vessels and placed them under the command of Commodore Edwin Moore, a lieutenant in the United States Navy, who left for the opportunity to lead the Texas Navy. The six vessels were known as the second Texas Navy.[3] For three years the Texas Navy raided the Mexican coast and kept the Mexican fleet focused on defending its own coastline. In the Naval Battle of Campeche on May 16 1843 the Texas Navy sloop-of-war Austin and brig Wharton, supported by ships from the rebellious Mexican State of Yucatan (then the Republic of Yucatán), engaged Mexican naval vessels, including the steamships Montezuma and Guadalupe. This battle is believed to be unique, marking the only occasion in which a sailing warship engaged and fought a war steamer to a draw.[6] The battle, which raged over several days, was a tactical draw, but a strategic victory for the Texan Navy, which forced the Mexicans to lift their blockade of Campeche and assured security in the meantime for the rebels in Yucatan. Other ships of the Texas Navy at the time included the brigs Potomac and Archer, the schooners San Jacinto, San Antonio and the San Bernard, and the Zavala, the first steamship-of-war in North America.[5] When Texas joined the United States in 1846, the Texas Navy was merged into the United States Navy. Texas Navy Marines [ edit ] Texas Coast Guards [ edit ] Denial of land grants for veterans of the Texas Navy [ edit ] Land promised in advance of military service is called a bounty,[7]:45 which is a military tradition dating back beyond the Roman Empire, and was a well-established tradition in American military history prior to hostilities in Texas during the revolution. The founders of the Republic of Texas attempted to bolster recruitment into the armed forces through the generous inducement of land for military service. The policy in Texas was inconsistent, as not all Texas veterans were treated equally. Veterans of the Texas Navy, due to political rivalries, were excluded from taking part in the land-granting policies, or “unnecessary extravagance”, as it was explained by President Sam Houston at the time of his veto.[8] Texas passed its first bounty act on November 24, 1835, when the general council created a regular army and promised those who served in it for two years 640 acres (2.6 km2) of land.[9] After the revolution, the Texas government distributed the public lands, especially to veterans. In all, 9,874,262 acres (39,959.72 km2) was granted to veterans of the Texas army, or to Confederate soldiers in Texas.[7]:54 Not one of those nearly 10 million acres (40,000 km2) was granted for naval service, despite the importance of naval actions in the Gulf during the revolution. “The fact remains that Texas could not have won her independence and maintained it as she did, without the navy,” said Texas Navy historian Alex Dienst.[10] It has been said that if the United States was Texas’s biological parent, then shipping lanes from New Orleans were the umbilical cord that kept the rebellion alive during its embryonic months.[11] Historians point out that the Texas Navy was of vital importance to the war effort with approximately three-fourths of all troops, supplies and cash originating from the ports of New Orleans.[10] It was seen as nearly impossible for commerce to go through any other channels into Texas other than by ship due to the impractical nature of crossing Louisiana swamplands, and the “Big Thicket” of East Texas. Navy vessels protected against marauding Mexican warships looking to cut the cord that flowed to Texas through Galveston, keeping the fledgling war effort, and eventually the Republic, alive. Additionally, military leaders knew the importance of the Texas coast to winning a revolution, or quashing a rebellion. In fact, Mexican General Vicente Filisola remarked, “...the posts of Texas are not sustainable, whilst a maritime force does not co-operate with the operations of the land service.”[11] On the other side, Commander James Fannin, in an August 1835 letter, wrote that provisions were scarce for the Mexican army on dry land. He requested naval assistance to the army, asking: “Where is your navy?” He pointed out that if Texas ships could block access to ports, “they [the Mexicans] are ruined.” Despite the importance of the Texas Navy to the Texas Revolution, politics got in the way of rewarding Navy veterans with bounty land grants when President Sam Houston, against legislative support, denied land grants to navy veterans in 1842. The battle for bounty lands was a political struggle that culminated six years after the revolution, but had roots that stretched back to 1835. Naval policy was another in a long line of differing views between Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar. Lamar preferred an aggressive naval policy that encouraged raids around the Gulf of Mexico to intimidate the enemy. Houston, on the other hand, preferred a more acquiescent naval policy that encouraged ships to stay close to shore, protecting ports for industry and commerce. These disagreements led to inconsistent policies during the Republic era, as Lamar and Houston traded the presidency back and forth. Robert Potter, a Senator, and the one-time Secretary of the Navy, and Senator James Webb proposed a resolution that would allow bounty land to be granted to navy veterans on November 4, 1841. It was noted in the November 18, 1841 edition of the San Augustine Red-Lander that this “Resolution will meet with much opposition in both Houses, and a warm discussion is expected.” After the resolution was passed, it was presented to President Sam Houston, who vetoed the bill on January 6, 1842.[12] In Houston's veto message, the President paid tribute to the “exalted Gallantry and distinguished bravery” of the men who went to sea on behalf of the Republic, but he would “not sanction injudicious and unnecessary extravagance” on their behalf. Houston went on to say, “Generally, the seaman has no interest (except a transitory one) on shore.” He explained that a people who made their living at sea would pay no attention to improving land granted to them. He believed that to give a land grant to a navy veteran would not benefit the country to any degree, explaining that, “The harpies that are generally found in sea-ports, and to whom seamen usually become indebted, are those only who would profit by the bounty and munificence of the Government.” Houston further explained that it was traditional that the sailor receives his pay, and also receives prize money for capturing enemy vessels. “The sailor has his bounty and prize money as incentives to enlistment and continuance in the service; none expect more,” he said. “If moreover, a fleet be in the vicinity of a land army, its co-operation is always supposed, and it accordingly participates in the spoils of victory. If, on the other hand, the victory be achieved by the fleet, the reverse is the case; the Naval corps alone enjoy the entire reward of success.” Houston also claimed that “the sailors who would have claims are either dead or scattered to the winds of heaven.” However, army veterans and their heirs were eligible to receive bounty land whether they lived or died. Houston continued, “If bounty land were granted, the few who survived would deem it valueless, because not one of them would be willing to penetrate the wilderness in quest of a place to locate it, some hundreds of miles beyond the frontiers; and rather than make the attempt, they would be willing to sell it for a trifle.” Infuriated by the complete disdain that the “Navy hating” President of the Republic had shown, Robert Potter re-introduced a joint resolution on January 25, 1842 that would hopefully pass over the President’s veto, authorizing the Secretary of War and Navy to issue certificates of bounty land to the officers, seamen, and marines of the Navy.[13] Despite Potter’s reputation as a good steward of public land and his continual support of the navy, his arguments fell upon deaf ears as he continued to push the issue, to no success.[14] The issue was tabled as President Houston ran out the clock on the bounty land for navy veterans’ bill, and the issue would never be broached again. Texas Navy 1958 [ edit ] The ceremonial flag of the Texas Navy Association In 1958 Governor Price Daniel reactivated the Texas Navy with headquarters in Houston. They held Annual Admiral Balls at the Houston Yacht Club and the Governor would review the fleet each year at the San Jacinto Monument. The fleet consisted of every conceivable type of vessel, and the USS Texas serves as flagship. Officers were selected on their merits and commissioned by the Governor as Admirals in the Texas Navy.[citation needed] The Texas Navy, Inc., dba the Texas Navy Association, was formed under the authority of the Texas Secretary of State in 1972. The Association was formed as a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the history of the Texas Navy. The headquarters moved from Houston to Galveston, Texas in 1973. Membership is open to anyone who holds a commission as an admiral in the Texas Navy from a Governor of the State of Texas.[15] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ]Currently, we fight massive and expensive wars over oil. Everybody needs oil, there is a finite supply of it, and a cartel owns most of it, hence the wars. Water might become the next oil because everyone needs it and the demand for it far exceeds supply. Although water covers 70% of the Earth's surface, 97.5% of it is salt water, leaving only 2.5% as fresh water. There are 6.9 billion people on the planet, and about half of them have no access to fresh water on a daily basis. We see the demand for water as an investment opportunity. Much of the following statistics were provided by the University of Michigan. Less than 1% of the world's fresh water is accessible for direct human uses. This is the water found in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and those underground sources that are shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. Only this amount is regularly renewed by rain and snowfall, and is therefore available on a sustainable basis. Agriculture is responsible for 87% of the total water used globally. In Asia it accounts for 86% of total annual water withdrawal, compared with 49% in North and Central America and 38% in Europe. Rice growing, in particular, is a heavy consumer of water: it takes some 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of rice. Compared with other crops, rice production is less efficient in the way it uses water. Wheat, for example, consumes 4000 m3/ha, while rice consumes 7650 m3/ha. A great deal of water use is non-consumptive, which means that the water is returned to surface runoff. Usually that water is contaminated however, whether used for agriculture, domestic consumption or industry. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 5 million people die each year from diseases caused by unsafe drinking water, and lack of sanitation and water for hygiene. Some sources estimate that by the year 2025, there will be critical water shortages. The population is growing rapidly, putting more pressure on water supply because demand is increasing but supply is not. The water cycle on Earth is essentially a closed system–we always have the same amount of water. Plus, the amount of water is effectively reduced by pollution and contamination. Special Offer: Since the launch of Forbes Growth Investor in October 2000, its Top 40 Model Portfolio is up 129.4% compared to a loss for the same period of 5.5% for the S&P 500. Click for the latest recommendations in Forbes Growth Investor. Runoff is the source for all human diversions or withdrawals for irrigation, industry, municipal uses, navigation, dilution, hydropower, and maintenance of aquatic life including fisheries. Distribution of global runoff is highly uneven and corresponds poorly to the distribution of the world population. Asia has 69% of world population but 36% of global runoff. South America has 5% of world population, 25% of runoff. Much of runoff is inaccessible. The Amazon River accounts for 15% of runoff and is currently accessible to 25 million people, or less than 1% of the world’s population. The seven billion people of Planet Earth use nearly 30% of the world’s total accessible renewal supply of water. By 2025, that value may reach 70%. Yet billions of people lack basic water services, and millions die each year from water-related diseases. Water is a basis of international conflict. Thanks to the University of Michigan, that is enough background to make our point--water makes a good investment. Buy water utilities, companies that serve water utilities, and companies that desalinate water. One easy way to do this is to buy the PowerShares Water Resources exchange traded fund (PHO), which is based on the Palisades Water Index. The PHO fund invests in companies that provide potable water, the treatment of water, and the technology and services that are directly related to water consumption. The modified equal weighted portfolio is rebalanced and reconstituted quarterly. Top holdings include: Valmont Industries (VMI), Nalco Holdings (NLC), Tetra Tech (TTEK), URS Corp. (URS), Danaher (DHR), Itron (ITRI), and Lindsay Corp (LNN). These are all solidly profitable companies with great management teams and sound technology that is hard to compete with. If you want a great investment for the next 50 years or so, PHO is a safe bet because we will always need potable water.The Speaker of the Republican House of Representatives, has proposed on BEHALF OF US, citizens represented by Republican Congressmen and women, a tax raise of $800 Billion dollars. That is all you need to know. But I’ll tell you more anyway. The main fight is over the fact that President Obama insists on raising tax rates on successful people from a little over 1/3 of their income to nearly 49% of their income. Republicans have rightly opposed such a tax increase on Americans best poised to invest their money in creating new jobs. Unfortunately, that line in the sand won’t cut it for the Speaker. He has instead suggested that to save these tax breaks, we should take tax breaks away from other Americans. He wants to cut out middle class tax cuts. Thus far, the cuts have remained ambiguous but we all know he is talking about deductions for the needy. And when I say the “needy,” I don’t mean people who aren’t working that need help. I’m talking about Americans who are producing wealth, with a portion of that wealth being taken through taxation, then receiving back a smaller portion of the wealth they created in the first place. We know that the Speaker of the House is more impotent than any Speaker in modern history. I say this based on his inability to deliver votes and negotiate in good faith. Boehner has put in his time in leadership but his style and ideas are out of step with the American people. Now, more than ever, it is becoming apparent that this speaker’s ideology and policy goals are out of line with – not only the party faithful, but the electorate and the base. He is a leader without followers. Let’s be clear about the severity of this issue. We have seen the GOP sell social conservatives down the river before. We have seen them wave goodbye to civil liberties. We’ve stood by helplessly as they’ve assaulted federalism and small government. We watched the GOP increased deficits and borrow more money than we could ever pay back. But in twenty years, no republican leader has offered a tax hike. Mr. Boehner has now broken that streak. He believes that his legacy is now on the line and that the President holds all the cards. He doesn’t believe in GOP victory, he only hopes the President will take his Democrat-lite plan. He has bought into the idea of losing. That’s dangerous because whichever side loses this debate will lose support in the polls. If the GOP raises taxes on Americans by eliminating breaks that we rely on or by raising rates, they are no longer fit to have the letter “R” behind their name. This is the party’s sacred cow and even if reasonable people were willing to trade $10 in cuts for $1 in revenue... … We. Aren’t. Even. Close. Meanwhile, Boehner has stripped conservatives of Committee assignments because they wouldn’t go along with Obama and him on terrible spending deals over the past two years. Specifically, as Eric Erickson has pointed out, “Congressmen Schweikert, Amash, and Congressman Tim Huelskamp [have] now [been] removed from the Budget Committee [] for daring to defy John Boehner during the debt ceiling fight.” What benefit does Speaker Boehner offer to Republicans in Congress? He can’t lead, he can’t negotiate in good faith, he isn’t an uncanny fundraiser. To be honest, Eric Cantor waiting in the wings isn’t any better, but the time has come for Boehner to go. His leadership offers no tangible benefit to the American people. Boehner’s vision doesn’t represent the views of the majority of the caucus and the President can’t seriously hang his hat on anything Boehner negotiates away anymore. We should be sincerely concerned about Boehner’s ability to lead his party – OUR PARTY and seriously consider a more appropriate alternative, not because Cantor or McCarthy are worth fighting for, but because what we have isn’t working.ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is siding with the Washington Redskins in a court battle over the team's name. The ACLU filed papers last week supporting the team's position that canceling the Redskins trademark violates the team's free-speech rights. A federal panel ruled last year the trademark should be canceled, but the team is challenging that decision in federal court in Alexandria. In its brief, the ACLU says it has joined others in calling on the Redskins to change their name because it is offensive. But they say the government cannot cancel the trademark simply because it finds the name disparaging. On Monday, lawyers for the Native Americans who challenged the trademark said the ACLU should not be allowed to intervene in the case.Football is a major pastime in the United States. Kids play in the Pop Warner football league, some progress to high school football, some of those play college football, and a very select few play professional football in either the NFL or CFL. This funnel toward greatness continues until the first Sunday in February, when the elite of football's elite play in a game that people all over the world gather to watch: the Super Bowl, the championship game of American professional football. One of the main objectives in American football -- and a helpful one if you want to score points -- is to gain a first down. In order to get a first down, the offense must gain 10 yards within a series of four plays, or downs. If the offense gains the necessary yards (or more) in four downs or less, the team reverts to first down and the process begins anew until the offense fails to gain ten yards, scores, or turns the ball over to their opponents. One problem that football players and officials have always had to deal with is exactly how to measure the 10 yards needed to gain a first down. First downs often decide games, but collegiate and professional football officials often measure them using a decidedly antiquated length of metal chain attached between two poles. Television viewers have had trouble figuring out where the first-down line is in relation to the offense. A small arrow located below the end pole isn't usually visible on your television screen. If you've watched any football games since 1998, however, you've probably noticed that fluorescent yellow or orange line that seems painted on the field from one sideline to the other. In fact, the line is computer generated, representing the exact spot that the offense must reach for a first down. Sportvision, a company based in New York City, debuted its "1st and Ten" system on during a game between the Bengals and the Ravens, broadcast on ESPN on September 27, 1998. Football fans everywhere rejoiced. Since that first game, Sportvision has continued to provide ESPN, ABC and FoxSports with the ability to enhance their football telecasts with this technology (you can view images from actual games that used the first-down line on their Web site). Other networks use similar technology. In this article, we'll look at how the 1st and Ten system works.Texas' Invent, Animate have signed to Tragic Hero Records (home of A Skylit Drive, Finch, Everyone Dies In Utah), with whom they have released their mini-EP Native Intellect. You can purchase the two-song EP exclusively through Tragic Hero's webstore. “It's still so surreal to me,” says vocalist Ben English. “Growing up, some of my favorite bands were a part of Tragic Hero, and I'm super excited to be a part of the family. The record that we've been pouring ourselves into for months is really going to be unlike anything we've done before. We're branching out and doing things that we've never done, and the outcome is really sounding incredible and we're super excited for everyone to hear it.” The band are set to release their debut full-length this year. Stream “Courier” from Native Intellect here and tell us what you think of Tragic Hero's latest addition.Obama's announcement comes at a time when his presidency is — yet again — being declared dead. Thanks to bad news and Washington gridlock, "Not yet six months into his second term, Barack Obama's presidency is in a dead zone," argues Politico's John F. Harris, Jake Sherman, and Elizabeth Titus. This is because of "his own failure to use the traditional tools of the presidency to exert his will. Obama does not instill fear — one of the customary instruments of presidential power." Obama might be failing at deploying an intangible instrument of presidential power, but on Tuesday, he will use a real one. New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, a Democrat, tells Politico, "I don’t think he has chosen to use all the levers of power that he has at his disposal." Obama relies too much on the power of his speeches, Andrews says, instead of instilling fear. But analysis might give him reason to think fear wouldn't work either: "Eighty percent of the members are in a district where a primary challenge is their principal political vulnerability... If the president goes out and barnstorms, it works politically for that member to vote against the president. It has the opposite effect." Neither perks nor a reign of terror would change that electoral reality. Obama's piecemeal approach to slowing our descent into environmental calamity is a big change from 2008, when had big plans to stop global warming, The Washington Post's Brad Plumer explains. But cap-and-trade failed in the Senate in 2010 — before the Tea Party wave later that year. Now he's going to use a piecemeal approach to slowing environmental calamity. Obama's turning to the Environmental Protection Agency, which the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 can regulate carbon dioxide. The EPA has proposed carbon standards for future plants, but it hasn't yet targeted existing plants, which release 40 percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. Obama's announcement changes that. How tough the EPA makes its new rules will determine whether the U.S. can meet its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 17 percent of the 2005 level by 2020. The pace at which the federal bureaucracy moves partially explains the timing. In May, New York's Jonathan Chait reported Obama's executive orders might go down like this, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council's Dan Lashof: The agency will finish drafting its regulation scheme by the end of the year. It will then take about a year of public comments and revisions, at which point it will finalize its rule. That will be the end of 2014, just after the midterm elections. Another nine months to a year will be required to carry out the rule, which will get us to the end of 2015—and the international climate summit. This isn't the first time the White House said it would turn to executive action to get things done. That happened only a year into Obama's first term. "The challenges we had to address in 2009 ensured that the center of action would be in Congress," White House aide Dan Pfeiffer told The New York Times' Peter Baker in February 2010. "In 2010, executive actions will also play a key role in advancing the agenda." Baker's analysis of what problems that might pose is interesting given what's happened since then: But Mr. Obama has to be careful how he proceeds because he has been critical of both Mr. Clinton’s penchant for expending presidential capital on small-bore initiatives, like school uniforms, and Mr. Bush’s expansive assertions of executive authority, like the secret program of wiretapping without warrants. MORE OBAMA ON CLIMATE: This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire. We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Planners have given permission for 189 student flats to be built on the site of a shop and derelict pub in Brighton. The proposed building – up to nine storeys high – would be on the site of the Lectern pub, a terrace of three houses and a Costcutter convenience store in Pelham Terrace, Lewes Road. But it would be opposite the Pavilion Retail Park where supermarket chain Aldi intends to open a branch. And it neighbours the Brighton University scheme just to the north on the Preston Barracks site where almost 1,200 student flats will be built in eight tall blocks along with a research lab. The latest scheme was approved by members of Brighton and Hove City Council this afternoon (Wednesday 13 December) despite the reservations of some councillors. The council’s Planning Committee heard and set out a number of concerns during a debate at Hove Town Hall. A report noted 23 letters of objection, some complaining about the high proportion of students in the Lewes Road area and calling for more family homes and a better mix. The report summed up one aspect of the objectors’ views as: “The Coombe Road area is losing its identity and turning into a campus.” Some felt the proposed building was too tall, too imposing and had a mediocre design, with neighbours worried about overshadowing, overlooking and the prospect of noise disturbance. They were also worried about more pressure on local parking spaces. The proposed building includes five penthouse flats in addition to the 189 student flats. And a report to councillors said that 12 of the student flats would be wheelchair accessible. The block is in a designated “tall building corridor” and an area that the council has been keen to develop. The scheme attracted two letters of support, according to the report to councillors, with 59 more letters of support – standard letters – coming in late through the developer, the Planning Committee was told. They emphasised the need for more purpose-built student flats to ease the pressure on the stock of family homes in the area. The report to councillors also highlighted concerns about the effect of the scheme on bats although a survey found little activity. The only species recorded was the common pipistrelle. Councillor Leo Littman objected to the loss of mature trees from the pub garden and questioned whether measures to “green” the scheme would genuinely make up for that. Planning officer Jonathan Puplett said that “greening” measures would not necessarily provide like-for-like mitigation but would provide some benefits. The developer, a London company called CKC Properties, would be expected to pay the council about £370,000 in “developer contributions”. The money would go towards the cost of maintaining local parks and open spaces, sports provision, improving transport infrastructure and supporting jobs. The report to councillors said: “The proposed development would provide 189 student studios which represent a substantial contribution towards the need for purpose-built student housing in the city. “The site is ideally located for such development, being in close proximity to university teaching accommodation, on a main road.” Lewes Road is also classed by the council as a “sustainable transport corridor”. The scheme includes cycle parking and a community hub, which is expected to house a café and meeting space. The report to councillors said: “The proposed building is considered to represent a high-quality design which would have a positive impact on the Lewes Road street scene.” It acknowledged the loss of the pub, garden and trees but said that on balance the benefits of the scheme outweighed what would be lost. The report added: “The proposed building is of a considerable scale and would have an adverse impact on the amenity of some neighbouring occupiers due to a loss of daylight to a number of windows although these impacts have been fully assessed and it is considered that the loss of daylight would only be at a harmful level in a small number of cases. “Overall, while the scheme would cause harm in some respects, these concerns have been fully assessed. “Overall, it is considered that the scheme would deliver substantial benefits and that the concerns identified do not warrant refusal in this case. Labour councillors Clare Moonan and Tracey Hill were concerned that the rents appeared to be targeting wealthier overseas students. But, Councillor Hill said, “as a city we are short of purpose-built student housing.” The scheme might not reduce the number of shared houses – known as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) – but future demand may be lessened which was important. Conservative councillor Joe Miller and Green councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty urged a “watertight” agreement to secure community use, not least so that local groups were not priced out. The Planning Committee voted 11 to 1 in favour of the scheme, with only Councillor Littman, a Green, opposed.You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters — State Supreme Court Justice Robin Hudson has survived a primary in which she faced a barrage of negative advertising that could have blocked her from competing to keep her seat this fall. Unofficial returns show that Hudson was the top vote-getter in the three-way nonpartisan field. She will face Superior Court Judge Eric Levinson, who placed second in primary voting, in the general election. Jeanette Doran, a lawyer who currently works for the state Division of Employment Security, placed third and was eliminated from the race. "Our courts need to be selected by our voters, not bought by out-of-state, big-money interests," a relieved Hudson said Tuesday night. Candidates and outside interest groups poured at least $1.5 million into the Supreme Court primary alone, which is highly unusual for a race that merely narrows down the number of contestants who will face off in the fall. Of that total, at least $1.1 million came from groups hoping to block Hudson from reaching the general election by pushing Doran and Levinson to victory. State Supreme Court races are nominally nonpartisan, although the party affiliations of the candidates are well known. Often, political parties will line up behind certain candidates. This year, North Carolina Republicans asked their voters to choose Doran and Levinson over Hudson, a Democrat. Much of the money spent fighting Hudson's re-election came through Republican channels. The ad which put the race on the national map was aired by Justice for All NC, a group whose board members include tea party activists. It suggested Hudson is sympathetic to child molesters. The ad has been roundly decried as inaccurate by both former Supreme Court Justices and even some political conservatives, but neither Hudson nor her allies had the resources to answer back in kind. Campaign finance reports show that $900,000 of the money Justice for All NC used to air that ad came from the Republican State Leadership Committee, a Washington, D.C.-based group that is funded largely by business interests, including Koch Industries, Time Warner Cable, SAS Institute and Reynolds American. Hudson has served on the court for eight years and is a former member of the state Court of Appeals. Levinson is a former Court of Appeals judge who has served overseas as a justice attache to Iraq for the U.S. Department of Justice. Doran is the former director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, a group linked to conservative causes that has brought lawsuits to derail legislation that oversteps lawmakers' constitutional authority. Doran threw her support behind Levinson Tuesday night. "Our combined vote total tonight shows the strong desire of North Carolina voters for a conservative judge that is tough but fair," she said. "I offer him my full and unqualified endorsement and will be working hard for him this fall to help him secure a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court." Neither Doran nor Levinson disavowed the Justice for All NC ads. Both said instead that they were running their own campaigns. On Tuesday night, Hudson said she was bracing for more attack ads this fall. "I think we've seen the floodgates open with the outside money, and I don't have any reason to think it's going to stop unless it doesn't work," Hudson said. She said her victory Tuesday was evidence that voters are growing suspicious of attack ads. "I'm really grateful to all of my team, and to the voters all over the state who paid attention and voted on the actual facts," she said.We use the SPDY network protocol extensively to improve the performance of our websites. SPDY — pronounced “speedy” — is a new-ish protocol from Google with the goal of reducing latency, improving throughput and improving pipelining. Many articles have been written about the advantages of SPDY. We have observed 20%-30% better loading time on www.phusionpassenger.com by switching from plain HTTP to SPDY, mostly because of the better pipelining that SPDY offers over plain HTTP. SPDY is built on top of TLS. Nginx has supported SPDY through external patches for a while. Since version 1.4.0, Nginx has SPDY support builtin, with two caveats: SPDY support must be enabled by compiling Nginx with --with-http_spdy_module. It requires OpenSSL 1.0.1+, because SPDY requires the Next Protocol Negotiation TLS extension. Many users prefer to use the Nginx binary provided by their distribution. But not all of the currently widely used distributions provide OpenSSL 1.0.1, and of those that do, very few of them have Nginx with SPDY enabled. We started providing prebuilt Nginx binaries since Phusion Passenger 4.0.13 (learn more at “No more compiling Phusion Passenger”). These Nginx binaries not only have Phusion Passenger support enabled, but also SPDY support! Furthermore, we’ve spent great effort on ensuring that these binaries are compatible with a wide range of Linux distributions, whether they’re running on x86 or x86_64. Best of all: you can use these Nginx binaries without Phusion Passenger, and as a drop-in replacement for your distribution’s Nginx binary! This means: You install Nginx using your distribution’s preferred method (e.g. apt-get install nginx ). ). You overwrite the Nginx binary with the one that we provide. You get to keep all the nice things that your distribution package offers, such as init scripts, conf.d directories, etc. No compilation is necessary. Getting started on Debian or Ubuntu This guide is taylored for Debian and Ubuntu. The instructions may also work on other distributions, but the paths may be different, and the init script format may also be different. You can use this guide as a starting point for figuring out how to achieve the same for your specific distribution. Install Nginx using apt: sudo apt-get install nginx Next, download our Nginx binary. There are multiple versions of N
of the charges against him and he did not declare his involvement in criminal proceedings in his application, submitted in spring last year, to again stand for council in May 2014. He failed to make the party's preliminary list of candidates for the upcoming election. Coun Tony Newman, leader of Croydon Labour, said he was "shocked and disappointed" at the revelations. He added: "It is very sad and I am acutely aware that there are also victims to his crime." Christison was caught in April 2013 after a member of the public reported him behaving suspiciously to a Centrale security guard. Staff called the police, who inspected Christison's mobile phone and found a video of a man urinating in a urinal. Officers who searched Christison's home found laptops with 29 similar videos dating back to 2011. He will return to Croydon Magistrates' Court on March 20 for sentencing and was granted bail on the condition he does not use Centrale's public toilets. Christison made headlines in 2010 by taking Croydon Council to court after losing the election. He complained poor organisation led to long queues at the Waddon polling station and left dozens of people unable to vote, but gave up on the High Court battle due to lack of funds. Since 2012, Christison has sat on the West Thornton's Community First funding panel, which assesses and recommends bids from not-for-profit groups for Government funding. It is not known if he remains in that role following his conviction. TODAY'S TOP STORIES JOIN US ON FACEBOOKPHOTOS: Are You Ready for the World's First Gay Mormon Superhero? Take a look at an exclusive preview of the comic book featuring the world’s first gay Mormon superhero, Stripling Warrior. Independent comic book creator Brian Andersen (So Super Duper) is on a mission to make history with Stripling Warrior, the world’s first comic book series featuring a gay Mormon superhero. The series tells the tale of Sam Shepard, a happily out and newly married gay man whose life is changed forever after he is visited by an angel from heaven on his wedding night and is summoned to be the Hand of God on Earth. Why was he chosen? How does his sexuality impact his role as a servant of the divine? And how does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints react when it hears a gay man has been sent on a mission from the heavens? You’ll have to read the story to find out, but until then take a look at the eight-page preview below and then head over to the Stripling Warrior KickStarter page to lend your support to making comic book history.FC Dallas was at the very edge of something quite special; manager laments choice of late PK taker: FC Dallas was at the very edge of something quite special. Despite still missing three of its top starters – striker Blas Perez and center backs Ugo Ihemelu and George John – the club had just rallied from two goals down, on the road and against the league’s top side, no less. An 89th-minute strike left Dallas trailing, 2-1. About two minutes later, Zach Loyd earned a dramatic stoppage-time penalty kick for the visitors. So Dallas was this close to pulling off something truly memorable. Having won on the road four nights earlier, and with the bottom team in the West coming to Texas this weekend, Dallas had the chance to string together a trio of results that can build real confidence (and make up some serious ground in the playoff chase). Then Jair Benitez happened. It was Dallas left back who stepped up to take the critical penalty kick. Brek Shea had been subbed out. So had David Ferreira. So up stepped Benitez, a man without a goal in 83 MLS matches. He sent the ball well into the San Jose night. The Earthquakes survived. But will FC Dallas’ spirits do the same after such a dreadful turn? Here’s what Hyndman said about the choice: Unfortunately, Brek [Shea] is the one who normally takes our PKs and we subbed him out. [David] Ferriera is another one that has taken PKs and [Daniel] Hernandez is another one that has taken PKs. So we were looking at potentially three different players and the question became who can do it. In hindsight, we probably should have went with one of the other two.” Here’s the thing with Benitez: He just keeps costing FC Dallas points. Again and again. Whether it’s due to bad defending, taking sill fouls or leaving his team a man down because he selfishly lashes out, he’s been costing the team points for two years. Why he’s still on the field, only Hyndman could say. The 33-year-old Colombian was once an offensive force from the left back spot. Determined attacking tenacity from the left back spot helped Dallas keep teams pinned in. But that was 2010, when FCD advanced to the MLS Cup final. He simply isn’t that player anymore. Benitez has no assists in 15 contests this year – and the defensive errors continue to compound.At E3, we leaped at the opportunity to meet with, the team behind Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade (W40KEC), to get a quick impression of the game’s current stage of development and try to find out a bit about this game.For those who don’t know W40KEC yet, it’s the IP from Games Workshop which brings fantasy into space: in a sinister and unfriendly universe, the Orks lead an eternal war among the stars against the deadly Eldar, Space Marines, and other factions. Initially, the team focuses on a buy-to-play payment model (similar to that of Guild Wars 2), however you never know, so let’s have a look at it.It’s a PvP centric game which promises such thrilling features as base attacks, vehicular combat, friendly-fire, and more. One of the key aspects that the developers emphasised was their continuous cooperation with fans and other developers to be able to deliver an awesome game.Throughout our meeting, we in fact didn’t receive that much information, weren’t able to put our hands on the game or even saw live gameplay. However, an interesting short trailer was shown, which is supposed to bring to life the atmosphere and emotion the team hopes to evoke with players. It was the first of 5 trailers scheduled for release throughout the course of the year (the next one coming soon!). The Behavior Interactive team talked in great detail about what the game would be like, and we suppose we can only take them at their word for the time being. They described massive continents which would require an entire hour to cross them in a straight line (if this was possible, which won’t be the case) and also mentioned that "thousands" of players would be involved at once in the game’s twitch-based combat.Another interesting element of W40KEC which sounded great to our ears is the way communication and commando structure will be encouraged with the election of Squad Commanders who will lead their 10 squad members and themselves will be subordinated to a Strike Force Commander who will give orders to 10 Squad Commanders.Communication is supported by an in-game voice chat and W40KEC will moreover be the first game to incorporate Razer communication software. This originally standalone program will work inside the game and will be also be accessible outside to allow players to see whether their guild members are online on Razer and persuade them to log in to the game.The developers furthermore presented their Founder Program and talked about their expectations and goals they are willing to achieve. Founder Packs will be available at a price of 40 USD, the game as such is a buy-to-play product in any case.In addition to early game access, Founders will be granted 40,000 points (equating to $40) to spend at the game store, allowing them to purchase the gear items they like instead of providing them with a set of specific items they might not be interested in. They will moreover get access to all available factions and receive 4 characters in order to be able to check out each of them, while the Orc faction will be the only free-to-play option later on. Founders will be enabled to switch between factions, delete their character and reclaim all their spent points prior to release. Afterwards, they will be required to lock down their primary faction choice.The new website is scheduled to go live throughout the following weeks and will provide in-depth information on the game’s factions, some additional media as well as details and access to purchasing founders pack, so it’s recommended to keep your eyes skinned.We'll come up with a comprehensive profile of W40KEC soon, so stay tuned.SATURDAY Morning Breakfast Cereal has been gracing the internet for eight years. Browse through its vast archives and it soon becomes clear why it is one of the world’s most popular webcomics. Dark, erudite, irreverent and intelligent, the daily gag-strip portrays a wild world of toddler-eating serial killers, pistol-packing parents, capricious deities, and inappropriate chat-up lines. Nothing is sacred in the SMBC universe, which, of course, is why we here at The Freethinker love it – and why we were so delighted when the strip’s creator, 28-year-old Zach Weiner, agreed to give us an interview. All images link back to the SMBC archive, except one which Zach drew exclusively for The Freethinker.SMBC is one of a small number of webcomics which deals frequently – and hilariously – with religion. Have you no respect for people’s deeply held religious convictions, for God’s sake?My general rule on sacred things is that I have no respect for people who can’t take a joke. Like, I believe in physics, but I have no problem with people poking fun at Newton, or at the fact that the math can be Byzantine and boring at times. I think most people feel this way about their religion as well. So, to me it’s less an issue of respect for religion than an issue of whether people are strong enough in their convictions to withstand a cartoon that mocks them.As a writer of comedy, I tend to view anyone’s views on any topic as assailable. If people want to believe something, they ought to be prepared to defend it.Do you get much hate mail when you post an irreligious comic?Sadly I don’t. I once, years ago, got a very rambling email from a creationist on the topic of evolution. Unfortunately, despite being a bit nonsensical, he was completely polite. In fact, I have probably gotten more complaints from my parents (who are also surprisingly polite about my comics) than anyone else.Have you ever been religious?I was raised Jewish, but in an only casually religious environment. I remember thinking about the afterlife as a little kid, but I don’t think there was ever a time in my life where I felt deeply spiritual. There’s a cliche about all Jews having an “Atheist gene,” and perhaps that’s true of me.If you’d asked ten-year-old me if I believed in god, I think I would’ve said “yes.” But, I don’t think there ever was a time where I’d thought much about the topic and then decided I was a religious person. So, I’m afraid there was never an “aha” moment for me.How would you describe your personal philosophy?Pragmatic.I think the big questions of philosophy in regard to spiritualism and epistemology probably are by definition unsolvable. But, they give you a good idea of how to behave in your day-to-day life. That is, if you can say “if we do assume there’s a deity, he’s probably like /this/,” then you can follow with “if he’s like /this/, we should behave like /that/, in relation to him.” As a student of science, I think we have to concede that you can’t definitely answer the God question with 100% certainty. But, you /can /say that if someone created this whole universe, he probably doesn’t care if I eat pork instead of beef.So, I guess I would have to say that, though I’m probably not willing to call myself an Atheist per se, I almost certainly behave like an Atheist, when it comes to specific activities related to spirituality.Would you call yourself an agnostic?Probably, yes. I only say probably because, if the blogs I’ve seen are any indication, a lot of Atheist/Freethink/Humanist groups don’t entirely agree on the meaning of terms. I don’t entirely like agnostic, because it etymologically means something like “no knowledge.” I happen to think I have at least SOME knowledge about whether there’s a god. Or, I at least have knowledge as to, if there were a god, what he might be like. Maybe someone should start calling people like me Mesognostics. I know SOME, but not enough to conclusively rule out certain notions of divinity.There has recently been a change of tone in the discourse surrounding religion, with the so-called New Atheists arriving on the scene and causing a stir. One of these is PZ Myers of Pharyngula, who has featured your cartoons on a number of occasions. What do you think about this?I enjoy watching debates featuring the so-called New Atheists, but I’m not convinced that they’re terribly productive. I prefer the work done by people like Carl Sagan, Neil Tyson, and E.O. Wilson. It’s probably just personal preference, but I feel like passive approaches are often more effective when trying to reach out to people and change their beliefs. Bill Cosby once said (when critiqued for not dealing with race explicitly in his comedy) that he thought he could help fight racism by getting people to enjoy his comedy albums before they realized he was black. That is, a person who might be anti-black might hear his comedy, like it, later find out they were of different races, and then be moved to reconsider his viewpoint. I think a similar thing might be said about Carl Sagan. You read his books, see his shows, become convinced that he is smart and thoughtful, then find out he’s an Atheist; maybe then you start thinking, “well, these non-believers may have a point.”Although the three scientists I mentioned above would probably be considered atheists, it wasn’t something that dominated their outlook. They were/are all people who place public outreach first. Although I probably agree with a lot of the views held by the New Atheists, I find their approach too scathing, and often more about being personally right than about getting people involved in the use of science and logic as ways of viewing the universe. If you are a strong atheist and wish to shape the world to your view, your time would be much better spent teaching an after-school program about logic than going to atheist club meetings and posting about how stupid fundamentalists are.That said, I always appreciate people using my comics in their blogs :). I have plenty of strips about religious/dogmatic absurdities, so it only makes sense that they’d be of interest to people like Prof. Myers. I think he’s an excellent blogger, though I don’t always agree with his tactics.That reminds me. There’s a joke I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I figured it was too niche for most audiences. But, I think you guys would appreciate it. It goes like this:[Note: this cartoon is a Freethinker exclusive!]You are studying physics now, but your first degree was in literature. Does the shift from humanities to science reflect a significant change in your way of thinking? Or is it just a way to better understand xkcd? 🙂My engineer brother thinks it’s just so I can write science jokes and build my audience.Personally, I’ve always had an interest in both the sciences and the arts. Getting a science degree is more a function of financial freedom than anything. I have to read a lot to be able to write a lot, and studying physics seemed like a good way to go about it.Why is God is portrayed in your comic as a big yellow disk?Mainly because it’s easy to draw. I think I was originally going for something like a halo, since I didn’t want to draw the typical beard-and-white-robes Abrahamic deity.Your religious comics focus on Christianity. What would you say to the accusation that you are “picking a soft target” and that “you wouldn’t dare joke about Islam”?I’ve occasionally been accused of this. In my defense, I’ve taken some shots at Buddhism and Judaism as well. The reason I stay away from Islam is that most of the people who would read my comic are not familiar with ANY particulars of it. People at least have a vague notion of Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. If I made a joke about a tenet of Islam, nobody would get it. I also don’t make jokes about Hindus or Chinese folk religion, both of which have followings on the order of billions.When doing comics, especially single panel comics, you have to pick visual tropes that are quickly understood by your audience. As it happens, my audience is very familiar with the verbal and visual language of Christianity. So, there’s just a lot more for me to work with there.I want to say explicitly that avoiding Islam has nothing to do with the idiocy of the Danish cartoon censorship a few years back. There are a number of webcomics (see: Jesus and Mo ) that mock Islam and Mohammed on a daily basis, none of whose authors are in any great deal of trouble for it.Can we expect religious themes to appear in your upcoming video sketch show?We are actually writing one now that I think your readers will like quite a bit.Thank you, Zach. We are looking forward to that.Readers can keep an eye on developments at the SMBC-theater project here, and get their daily dose of SMBC here (a word to the wise: if you see a red button, hover over it!).The NHL hit another business milestone on Friday, as ticket resale site StubHub said Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Monday will be the highest-grossing league game in company history. The median ticket price sold for the game in New York between the Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings stood at $1,320 a ticket as of 9 p.m. ET on Friday night. That price combined with the amount of tickets sold on the site pushed Monday's game past the previous high -- Game 4 of the 2012 Stanley Cup finals, when the New Jersey Devils played the Kings in Los Angeles. "The Rangers have always sold well, but this surge is astounding," StubHub spokesman Cameron Papp said. "It really shows the growth in popularity of the NHL over the last few years. It's been an historic NHL playoffs for us overall, and Game 3 in New York is the hottest ticket on the entire site." Papp said the game also has set a StubHub record for the highest-grossing event at Madison Square Garden. The previous highs were two Knicks games against the Miami Heat and a One Direction concert, according to Papp. On Thursday, Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of AEG, which owns the Kings and the Staples Center, told ESPN.com that Wednesday night's Game 1 in Los Angeles broke the team record for ticket sales.CONGO and the International Monetary Fund are arguing about a bail-out. What's new, you might ask. Dog bites man. But the sticking point is, unexpectedly, not the country's economic policy, but how exactly to repay a $9 billion credit that Congo secured last year from China. Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. China's deal with Congo, and the disputes arising from it, are examples of a growing trend. Authoritarian governments are using their money to buy influence abroad. Sometimes the money comes as a commercial loan; sometimes, as a grant; frequently, as both. These flows are changing the business of aid, undermining attempts by Western countries to improve their programmes and encouraging recipients to play donors off against each other. The use of aid to win friends and influence people is not new. America and the Soviet Union both used aid as a weapon in the cold war. Now a 21st-century equivalent is emerging. A study this week by a group of American institutions, Freedom House, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, looks at the use by China, Iran, Russia and Venezuela of what it calls “authoritarian aid”. The study, “Undermining Democracy”, is the first attempt to estimate the global scale of such operations. China's assistance programme is the most active. In 2007 its leaders said they would offer African countries $20 billion in new financing (they did not say on what terms or over what period). Hu Jintao, the president, repeated a promise to boost aid and cancel debts during a trip to Africa this February. The World Bank says China already gives Africa $2 billion a year (more than the bank itself does). China does not publish aid figures and a study in 2007 for the Centre for Global Development, a think tank in Washington, DC, put the figure lower, at $1.5 billion-$2 billion a year (with a third to a half for Africa). But all estimates agree that aid has been rising relentlessly (see chart) and that China, once a recipient, is now in the middle rank of donors, on a par with Australia or Spain, though with more commercial lending. Over the past ten years, Venezuela's aid has been comparable to China's, though it is now falling behind. Gustavo Coronel, a critic of President Hugo Chávez, says Mr Chávez has made $43 billion worth of foreign “commitments” since 1999. Roughly $17 billion could be described as aid, including cheap oil to Cuba and cash transfers to Bolivia. The report estimates that Venezuela's cheap-oil programme alone is worth $1.7 billion a year, though its most flamboyant feature—cheap heating oil for poor Americans—was recently scrapped. Russian and Iranian aid is more impenetrable than China's but flashes of information light up the murk. Iran offered $1 billion to Lebanon's Shias to help them rebuild their ruined houses after the 2006 Israeli war. This year, Russia offered Kyrgyzstan $2 billion, a gesture made, by amazing coincidence, just after Kyrgyzstan had thrown out American forces. Russia has long used energy prices and debt forgiveness to cajole or punish neighbours. If you include another generous undemocratic donor, Saudi Arabia—whose aid, $2 billion in 2007, fluctuates as much as the oil price (see chart)—then total “authoritarian aid” comes to $10 billion a year and possibly more. That is a substantial, though not a game-changing sum. It is almost 10% of total aid from rich countries, and about what Britain or Japan gives. But its significance lies not just in its total value. Autocracies offer an alternative to western aid in several ways. In the past decade rich countries have tried to improve a dismal record of development spending by linking aid closely to the priorities of recipients (rather than financing a big project which the country does not need) and by demanding good governance. China and the rest do not. Much of their aid is overtly political. Iran's offer of free electricity to Shia parts of Iraq is one example, Venezuela's bankrolling of Cuba another. Most is steered towards a few friendly regimes, or (in China's case) places with natural resources. China has pledged $600m to Cambodia, more than ten times as much as America. It has given Myanmar $400m in the past five years; American aid to the country is worth about $12m a year. Naturally, help from harsh regimes is rarely encumbered with pesky demands for good governance. This makes it welcome to corrupt officials and even to those merely sick of being lectured by Westerners. Alas, it can encourage bad governance. China, the report says, is training 1,000 Central Asian policemen and judicial officials “most of whom could be classified as working in anti-democratic enterprises”. The report concludes that authoritarian regimes are using aid to boost their soft power. If so, the spread of authoritarian aid is a challenge to more than just Western ideas of the right sort of giving.CALGARY - A man who has admitted he threatened to kill hundreds of people at last year's Calgary Stampede is to be sentenced Thursday. Patrick Deegan, 29, pleaded guilty in January to uttering death threats, possession of unauthorized firearms and two counts of breaching conditions. According to an agreed statement of facts, Deegan admitted he sent an email from his account to the Calgary Fire Department on May 26, 2013. The email warned there was going to be an attack at the Stampede and that there would be many casualties. "There is going to be a machine-gun attack at the Calgary Stampede this year," the email read. "Two MG-52s rated at 1800 rpm. There will be over 1,000+ casualties." Deegan said in the email that the guns could fire off more than 1,000 rounds before malfunctioning. At the time the email was sent, Deegan was on a 12-month peace bond related to domestic violence. One of the bond’s conditions was that he wasn’t allowed to purchase or possess any sort of firearm. The email prompted a police investigation that led to the homes and vehicles of Deegan, his girlfriend and his parents. Court heard police found an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle and a Norinco semi-automatic rifle at the home of Deegan's parent. One of the weapons had been purchased under the name of Deegan's employer, The Shooting Edge, a firearms and tactical equipment dealer and indoor shooting range. The prosecution has argued that Deegan should be sentenced to three to five years in prison. The defence is requesting probation. Deegan, who apologized to the court during his sentencing hearing, remains in police custody. Follow @BillGraveland on Twitter Also on HuffPostIf you’re a long-suffering reader of our missives, you might recall that last year we visited Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. While there, we learned that the mayor of Vilnius, Mr. Remigijus Šimašius, is libertarian and anarcho-capitalist. It was a story, we believed, too good to pass up. Unfortunately, though, we had to. Mayors are, we presume, busy people. And we were only in the city for a few days. But, all hope wasn’t lost. We were lucky enough to meet a man named Peter who, fortunately, had a connection to the Mayor. Peter, as a quick aside, owns one of the strangest hostels we’ve ever visited. (And we mean that, by the way, as a high compliment.) It’s called Jimmy Jumps. Many months ago, just for LFT readers, Peter interviewed Mr. Šimašius. Then, a series of unfortunate events — including a lost hard drive in Thailand — led me to procrastinate in getting this interview into your eyeballs. (Sorry Peter and Mr. Šimašius. You deserve better.) In repentance, yesterday I spent a good chunk of the day transcribing the interview. So, finally, without further ado, here’s the full interview with, quite possibly, the world’s first anarchist mayor. Take it away, Peter. Libertarian Mayor of Vilnius Speaks! Peter: Mr. Šimašius, would you please introduce yourself to our readers? Šimašius: Sure. My name is Remigijus Šimašius. I am the mayor of Vilnius. Before that I was a member of Parliament. And before that, I was Minister of Justice. And, finally, before that I was running Lithuanian Free Market Institute, which is a Libertarian think tank. That might be the most interesting thing for your means. I, myself, being a libertarian, who is also in politics. Peter: Is it true that you’re an anarcho-capitalist? Šimašius: Usually, I do not like those titles very much. Because titles do not necessarily reflect the essence in the best possible way. Take my party for example in Lithuania. I belong to a liberal movement, which, of course, would mean quite different things from the liberal movement in the U.S., for example. Classical liberalism and, yes, anarcho-capitalism, I do use these terms. But for some people it’s difficult to understand exactly what it means. But, to answer your question, yes. Peter: How would you say that reflects in your leadership? Šimašius: Political leaders in society are a specific type of leader. And my understanding of this kind of leadership is that you do not have to, on one hand, reflect what people think and simply be a mirror of people’s beliefs. On the other hand, I think that political leaders and leaders in general have to create an atmosphere and to send such signals to society that would allow all the members of society to work on their goals. Which means I think that the political leader doesn’t have to change people’s goals with his goals. That’s anarcho-capitalism in a way. Peter: Excellent. What do the Statists in government think of you? Do they feel threatened by your beliefs? Šimašius: As I’m quite a polite and gentle man, sometimes I say quite radical things but in a very polite way and that is taken as not quite as radical as it normally would be. While sometimes people are not so radical and put it in a radical and angry way, which also creates a very antagonistic attitude. That is, I think, a very important message. Peter: OK. Excellent. Moving on… Latvia, among other nations, recently banned GMOs. What’s your personal position on them? Šimašius: I do not support this kind of GMOs. Of course, as with all innovations, there’s a question. And it’s a question of simply understanding the reality and, I think, from the perspective of the consumer. Of course, it’s consumer choice first of all, and you do not have the right to lie to consumers. But, of course, GMOs provide the huge possibility for development in many different areas. I don’t think that it’s inescapable and I wouldn’t declare such a thing. But, I think it’s one of the options, how you deal with the nature and production, and it’s no better or worse an option than any other. And one more thing… When speaking from Lithuania, which is a country that is not so much into poisoning with chemicals, it’s very tempting to say our national goal to have this competitive advantage in being ecological, biodynamic and so on. Because, in a way, it is a competitive advantage. But, again, I think it’s more a decision of the market, than of for government. But for Lithuania, I think it’s a very sensitive situation, because, in general, we do use ecological organic product as a normal choice — not as something extraordinary and exceptional. When I talk to our producers, for example, it’s a very funny situation when they ask, ‘So you put some mushrooms in your meal, so what’s the ecological certification of your mushrooms?’ There can’t be an ecological certificate for them because you picked them in the forest. Peter: Right. Right. OK. Next question: So, given the recent scientific breakthroughs concerning cannabis and its healing effects, and knowing that Lithuania was a major hemp exporter for hundreds of years, what is your position on marijuana and hemp? Šimašius: For me, for my personal agenda, it’s quite low. I care much more about taxation, freedom of economic activities, self-defense, and similar issues. For me, it’s not a problem. It’s one of those marginal topics, and I treat it as such. If they are voting for such a case, of legalizing, of course I will take the Libertarian position. But I am not the one who is bringing up those questions, I’m not the first advocate of such things… The right to self-defense and to bear arms, that’s my topic. If I am attacked, I am usually attacked for this problem and this initiative. Peter: Right. Good. So, given that the world’s economy, as you know, is fundamentally manipulated through the central banking mafia’s control of the supply of money, what actions are you taking to insulate Vilnius from the next major engineered economic crisis. Šimašius: It’s very difficult for me to say. But I do understand what I can do, and I do understand what I cannot do. I’m not a central banker. I’m not taking on the decisions of central banks. So, if there would be some practical possibility to use bitcoins or some other alternatives to centralized money, I’d be more than glad to assist and to actually breaking the ice and using those possibilities. But, again, for me, I’m not the one, as mayor, who will forcefully introduce these alternatives. Because, in a way, people use alternatives in any case. They have small cash holding, they invest into alternatives other than cash and so on, they use alternatives anyway. It’s a very important question, but, unfortunately, that’s not what mayors usually do or are allowed to do. But, again, on the other hand, when there are debates about bitcoin and similar issues, I’m still the one who is always defending the concept and saying ‘Yes! That’s very important to have competition in money production.’ In essence, it’s not government business. It was nationalized not so long ago. Peter: Excellent. OK. So who are your favorite philosophers? We’ve been told that Hoppe is one of them, is that true? Šimašius: That’s true. Ludwig von Mises was a very great philosopher, even though he is not treated to be a philosopher. Usually, in philosophy faculties, you do not have Mises’ concepts in aspects of social philosophy. And speaking about social philosophy, Hans Hermann Hoppe is my favorite. Peter: Excellent. Next question: Are you worried that the Russians may use Lithuania as a doormat? Šimašius: On one hand, I’m worried. I do understand that might be, and, in fact, definitely is, in the heads of some Russian politicians and leaders. On the other hand, I am quite confident that we do have measures against them. And it’s quite a difficult question for a libertarian, because in order to resist that aggression, you have to be organized. And the question is, how organized? And it might sound surprising, but I’m in support of Lithuania being a member of NATO. Which may sound strange, maybe, from an American perspective, but, for us, it’s a shoulder which helps us be confident in this practical situation. But I feel quite confident not just because of that. I do believe in similar resistance, and participation of every citizen to defending his country, family and neighborhood. I do think it’s an important issue. I spent part of my political and societal activities on this particular issue — in protecting society and increasing the defense of society. Peter: Understood. You touched on the next question, which is, conversely, are you worried about NATO using Lithuania as a doormat. Šimašius: Theoretically, yes. But practically, no. At the moment. I follow some of libertarian discussion and sometimes I’m quite negatively surprised that some libertarians are a little America-centric. And they think that everything that happens in the world happens because of United States. And it’s projected onto Ukraine, onto Baltic states, but, in fact, living here… very close to Ukraine… I’m more than confident that what happened in Ukraine three years ago, and is still happening now, is simply people being tired of kleptocracy and corruption and the bureaucracy of the Soviet-style regime. And they wanted to get out of it. America has nothing to do with that. In this case, I do not worry so much about NATO and the United States. Peter: All right. How do you feel about the centralization of power in Brussels and the undemocratic form of power it exercises over the people of Lithuania? Šimašius: I’m worried about the ever-increasing centralization of power in the hands of Brussels bureaucracy. I think that’s the real worry. I mean, much, much bigger than the potential worry of NATO taking over our decisions. Peter: Sure. OK. So, we’re jumping around a bit here. But what are you doing to stop the flight of young professionals from Lithuania? Šimašius: You know, I was in London recently. And I was talking to those young professionals and they were a little bit surprised I was not the one telling them to come back. It’s not my style. I fully understand that it is their personal decision to live in the city or country they were born in or living in another city. And I know quite many of those young professionals are actually willing to come back. And the question is how to make their environment for coming back better and better. And I think that Vilnius is rapidly progressing in this area. Because, it offers career opportunities, it offers very good environment for living, and, of course, solving all of these practical issues is the way to invite those people back. What I am glad about is, in practice, those people are coming back. And we simply have to listen to what those people want. Peter: Great. Which, again, leads me to my next question: What are you doing to try to attract young entrepreneurs. Not just Lithuanians, but young entrepreneurs from all over the world. What are you doing to attract them to Vilnius? Šimašius: Yes, I do focus on this issue. And we have to accept that there are several groups of these people coming into the country. One is Lithuanian expats who lived in Lithuania and are thinking about coming back. Another group is typically people from Western Europe or U.S., from Western civilization, if you may say so. And there’s also another group which is very important, a young group of professionals and entrepreneurs from our Eastern neighbors. From Russia, Belarus and Ukraine and maybe some other countries. So for Lithuanian expats, I think it’s very important to send a message and provide good living conditions and that’s it. Because many of them simply want to raise their children in good environments and good societies where you know your friends and the air is fresh and the water is drinkable from the tap. Speak about Western countries, again, we already have some people coming here and we have certain advantages here in Vilnius and we do want to work more on it. First, is having a very good atmosphere for corporations to provide job opportunities, but also, I must add, an ecosystem which would allow employees from those corporations to prosper afterwards, when they get tired of working in corporations. I focus a lot on the open data issues of the city being very open and providing more material to work on in terms of business possibilities. Also, I focus a lot on creating an
, "I've told people I didn't follow my own advice." Donald's enthusiasm for the Forbes 400 also waned during his flirtation with bankruptcy. In his sequel to "The Art of the Deal," a book called "Trump: Surviving at the Top," he offered a new take on his view of a rich list to which he no longer belonged. Advertisement Continue reading the main story "It always amazed me that people pay so much attention to Forbes magazine," wrote Donald, who always paid a lot of attention to Forbes magazine. "Every year the Forbes 400 comes out, and people talk about it as if it were a rigorously researched compilation of America's wealthiest people, instead of what it really is: a sloppy, highly arbitrary estimate of certain people's net worth." DONALD managed to weather the slings and arrows of doubters during these lean years and hunkered down with his bankers and with his debts. As the negotiations progressed, Donald's bankers looked for every alternative they could find to bankruptcy, because none of the banks wanted to contend with the mess that would ensue if the talks collapsed. And the Trumpster kept singing a happy tune. "He was always upbeat," recalled Harvey Miller, a lawyer representing Citibank. "One thing I'll say about Donald, he was never depressed." Unbeknownst to his creditors, Donald was just as worried about a bankruptcy as they were. He later told me that he wanted to avoid bankruptcy at all costs because he felt that it would permanently taint him as a failure or a quitter. Sanford Morhouse, a lawyer representing Chase Manhattan bank in the Trump negotiations, said: "I did a lot of workouts in those days on behalf of Chase, with a lot of real estate developers who had similar problems, and big ones. Almost all of them, at one point or another in that era, filed for bankruptcy protection. And Donald, to his credit, did not." Donald whittled down his mammoth personal debts by forfeiting most of what he owned. Chase Manhattan, which lent Donald the money he needed to buythe West Side yards, his biggest Manhattan parcel, forced a sale of the prized tract to Asian developers. Though Donald would claim after the yards were sold that he remained a principal owner of the site, property records did not list him as such. According to former members of the Trump Organization, Donald did not retain any ownership of the site's real estate -- the owners merely promised to give him about 30 percent of the profits once the site was completely developed or sold. Until that time, the owners kept Donald on to do what he did best: build. They gave him a modest construction fee and a management fee to oversee the development. They also allowed him to slap his name on the buildings that eventually rose on the yards because his well-known moniker allowed them to charge a premium for their condos. Retained for his building expertise and his marquee value, Donald was a glorified landlord on the site; he no longer controlled it. (Earlier this year, the owners negotiated to sell the site without consulting Donald; terms of the prospective sale are in dispute.) EVEN as the national real estate bubble was bursting, fresh funds began rushing onto Wall Street, fueling a historic run-up in both the stock market and initial public offerings of often barely viable companies. If you had a good story and a prominent name, it suddenly became quite easy to sell stock. And it turned out, against all odds, that investors were willing to gamble on Donald's name -- even though they were getting a chief executive whose sense of his responsibilities as the steward of a publicly traded company and the guardian of other people's money was somewhat ill defined. Advertisement Continue reading the main story "Something gnawed at me, and I knew what it was -- the whole head-of-a-public-company routine," Donald wrote in "Surviving," relating his previous experience as a manager of Resorts International. "Although I certainly agreed with the theory of stockholder-owned corporations and was absolutely committed to fulfilling my fiduciary duties, I personally didn't like answering to a board of directors." In a tribute to the sucker-born-every-minute theorem, Donald managed to take two of the Trump casinos public in 1995 and 1996, at a time when he was unable to make his bank payments and was heading toward personal bankruptcy. The stock sales allowed Donald to buy the casinos back from the banks and to unload huge amounts of debt. The offering also yanked Donald out of the financial graveyard and left him with a 25 percent stake in a company he once owned entirely. Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts traded at $14 a share initially and, along with a fresh bond offering, the new company raised about $295 million. Exactly what investors thought they might get for their Trump Hotels investment wasn't entirely clear. Donald had already demonstrated that casinos weren't his forte, and investors were buying stock in a company that was immediately larded with debts that made it difficult, if not impossible, to upgrade the operations. Even so, Trump Hotels' shares rose to about $36 in 1996, giving Donald a stake worth about $290 million. With little real estate left to speak of in Manhattan, Donald's wealth was centered on his casinos. But in subsequent years Trump Hotels' stock price tanked. Had Donald tried to pare down some $1.8 billion in debt smothering the casino company and spruced up the operation, he might have ridden a reignited gambling boom and grown his newly seeded fortune. Instead, Trump Hotels, which never earned a profit in any year between 1995 and 2005, became Donald's private stockpile of ready cash. In 1996 alone, Trump Hotels' shares fell to $12 from $35.50. About a decade later, the New York Stock Exchange delisted the shares entirely and any kid with a quarter could buy the stock. (Trump Hotels recently reorganized as Trump Entertainment Resorts; it now carries $1.2 billion in debt, and Donald's stake in the company is worth about $135 million.) When I interviewed Donald in 1996, he was effusive about his casinos and somehow seemed to forget that he owned relatively little Manhattan property at the time. "Donald Trump is in two businesses," he told me. "I have this huge company that's real estate. I also have this huge company that's gambling. So I have two huge companies." Donald continued to carve out a niche for himself in New York real estate as the manager of other people's properties. In 1994, General Electric was looking for someone to refurbish the old Gulf & Western building on Columbus Circle in Manhattan, and retained Donald. Presto, the renovated skyscraper was christened Trump International Hotel and Tower. Even though Donald didn't own the building, it later flashed across the opening credits of "The Apprentice" as if he did. And Donald did scramble back to gain control of some other Manhattan buildings, including 40 Wall Street, which he spent about $35 million to buy and refurbish in 1996. The building has about $145 million in debt attached to it, and New York City tax assessors currently value the property at about $90 million. Donald values it at $400 million. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Donald's recent golf course ventures have produced some sterling new properties, but the values he assigns those deals appear to be hyper-inflated. Donald's Palm Beach course, for example, has about 285 members who paid $250,000 for memberships, for a total of $71.25 million. Donald borrowed about $47 million to build the course and a new clubhouse. So he banked about $24 million on the deal, before other costs. He leases the land beneath the course from Palm Beach County; he doesn't own it. But Donald carries the course on his books as an asset worth $200 million. Forbes, in bestowing a $2.6 billion fortune on Donald in its 2004 rich list, credited him with owning 18 million square feet of Manhattan property, which certainly is an impossibility. On one occasion, Donald told me that the West Side yards, which he doesn't own, would have 10 million square feet of salable space when the site, now known as Riverside South, was completed. (Mr. Weisselberg told me, alternatively, that the site would have about five million square feet of salable space.) However measured, the yards were by far the biggest property in Donald's former Manhattan real estate portfolio -- but he no longer owned the tract. Between 2000 and 2004, Forbes allowed Donald's verbal billions to grow by $1 billion. The jump came during a period when the stock market bubble burst, Donald's stake in his casinos -- one of his most valuable assets until "The Apprentice" came along -- had fallen in value to $7 million and, despite Manhattan's red-hot real estate market, he owned much less real estate there than he let on. Donald said his casinos' myriad problems -- no profits, suffocating debt, disappearing cash -- did not mean that he had failed in Atlantic City. Instead, he described his management of the casinos as an "entrepreneurial" success, defining "entrepreneurial" as his ability to take cash out of the casino company and use it for other things. "Entrepreneurially, not as a person who drives up stock, but as a private person, it's been a very good deal," he told me. "If I would have worked Atlantic City the way I worked real estate, I would probably be the biggest casino company in the world rather than just a nice company, et cetera, et cetera." Two weeks ago, Forbes published its 2005 list of America's wealthiest people. Donald held 83rd place with what Forbes described as a $2.7 billion fortune. "My net worth has tripled," Donald told the magazine.Canada enacts law threatening masked protesters with ten-year jail terms By Keith Jones 24 June 2013 Legislation that gives the Canadian state draconian and arbitrary powers to suppress protests became law last week after approval from the Conservative Party-dominated federal parliament. Bill C-309—the Preventing Persons from Concealing Their Identities during Riots and Unlawful Assemblies Act—makes it a crime punishable by a ten-year prison term to incite a riot while wearing a mask or any face covering, including face paint. Someone who merely participates in a riot or in an “unlawful” assembly with their face covered can, under the new law, be deemed to have committed an indictable criminal offense and jailed for up to five years. These new offenses are in addition to the existing Criminal Code offenses of participating in a riot and participating in an unlawful assembly. Persons convicted of the former can be jailed for a maximum of two years, while the latter is considered to be among the lowest tier of criminal offenses known as “summary offenses,” which carry a maximum six-month jail term. Under Canadian law, police and other authorities have very broad powers to illegalize protests by declaring them “unlawful assemblies.” The Criminal Code describes an “unlawful assembly” as a gathering that causes people “to fear on reasonable grounds” that it “will disturb the peace tumultuously” or provoke others to do so. During last year’s six month-long Quebec student strike, police declared numerous protests “unlawful assemblies,” then violently set about dispersing the crowd with tear gas, baton-charges and mass arrests. In response to the tear gas, many demonstrators covered their faces with handkerchiefs. Had the new law been in force, they could potentially have been charged with concealing their identities and targeted for punitive jail terms of up to five years. Critics of the new law have rightly condemned it as a flagrant attack on the right to free speech. Masks and face paint have been used for centuries to make political points, and there are many reasons, including fear of victimization by employers, that can cause protesters to choose to conceal their faces. Police, it need be added, have subjected political protests to blanket surveillance for years, systematically photographing and videotaping demonstrators. Moreover, there is a long history of police instigating violence at demonstrations—through provocative crowd-control tactics and the use of agent provocateurs—so as to justify their suppression. In 2007, undercover Quebec Provincial Police officers were caught trying to incite people protesting at a trilateral US-Canada-Mexico heads of government meeting in Montebello, Quebec to attack the police. (See: “Canada: Police agent-provocateurs unmasked at Montebello summit protests”) Bill C-309 began as a private member’s bill. Only rarely do such bills become law, but the Conservative government chose to make it a legislative priority. As the result of an amendment proposed by Robert Goguen, the parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, and passed by the Conservative-dominated Justice Committee, the maximum penalty for the crime of inciting a riot while wearing some form of face-covering was increased from five to ten years. In arguing for the legislation, the Conservatives said they wanted to give police an “additional tool” to deal with rioters. In fact the most serious violence at political protests, to say nothing of the gravest attacks on democratic rights, have been committed by Canadian authorities. During the 2010 G-20 summit in Toronto—in a wholesale suppression of democratic rights that was abetted and supported by all three levels of government—police kicked, bludgeoned, tear-gassed, and shot rubber bullets at protesters, as well as numerous passersby. Journalists covering these unprecedented events were themselves arrested and assaulted. In what the Ontario Ombudsman called the “most massive compromise of civil liberties in Canadian history,” 1,100 people were arrested. Those apprehended in this dragnet were hauled into primitive detention cages, strip-searched and denied legal counsel. Subsequently, charges were dropped against the vast majority, with only a small fraction ever convicted of anything. In Canada, as around the world, a ruling elite whose wealth and incomes have soared as a result of the a class war offensive on job, wages, and public services, has responded to growing opposition by moving to criminalize dissent. In the past two years, the Conservative government has repeatedly illegalized strikes and impending strikes by Canada Post, Air Canada and CP Rail workers. Now Quebec’s Parti Quebecois government is threatening to criminalize a week-old strike of 175,000 construction workers. In May 2012, the then Quebec Liberal government adopted an emergency law that effectively outlawed the Quebec student strike and placed sweeping restrictions on the right to strike over any issue in the province. On taking office the following September, the PQ made a show of repealing Bill 78, but it has endorsed repressive bylaws adopted during the student strike by Montreal, Quebec City, and many other Quebec municipalities. These bylaws make it illegal to demonstrate without the police’s express authorization of the protest route. In many cases, they also make it illegal to wear a mask, face covering or face paint at a protest even if the protest is legal. Police have already used the presence of masked demonstrators at protests to declare them “unlawful assemblies,” making all those participating liable to arrest and fines. As a result of the new federal law, Montreal Police could potentially invoke the municipal bylaw against face-covered protestors so as to declare a protest illegal, then charge those who are face-covered with participating in an unlawful assembly while concealing their identities, making them liable to punitive jail terms The criminalization of dissent goes hand in hand with the build-up of a secret state-within-the state. Under a series of ministerial directives, whose existence let alone content has been kept unknown to Canadians, Liberal and Conservative governments have authorized the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC)—a close partner of the U.S. National Security Agency—to mine the metadata of Canadians’ telephone, computer, and other electronic communications since at least 2005. This author also recommends: NSA’s Canadian counterpart runs massive domestic spying program [15 June 2013]A man who told police he was driving a tractor around Londonderry city centre "looking for women", has been fined. Anthony Breslin, 18, a farm worker from, Gortnaskea, Burnfoot, was caught driving his tractor around the city on 16 August. The County Donegal man admitted one charge of driving a tractor without displaying L-plates. Breslin's solicitor said: "We all know tractors are all about pulling power, but this is taking it to the extreme." He said his client's father had "sent him out looking for cattle and he'd done that but then took the head staggers and came to Derry on the tractor looking for women". The district judge, Barney McElholm, described Breslin as a "Don Juan". "I was going to say Derry Juan but that is not quite correct," he added. Breslin was fined £50.Pipeline to prison How schools shape a future of incarceration for Indigenous youth One kilometre west of the city of Prince Albert, the federal Saskatchewan Penitentiary sits on the site of a former residential school run by the Anglican Church of Canada. As in other prisons across the Prairie provinces, the 20-acre facility houses inmates predominantly of Aboriginal descent. This situation is not unique: Indigenous people represent only three per cent of Canada’s population yet account for 17 per cent of its prison population. As the last of the residential schools have shut down, penitentiaries have become the new form of containment for Indigenous people in Canada. In a 1988 study prepared for the Canadian Bar Association, Aboriginal rights advocate Michael Jackson stated: “The prison has become for many young native people the contemporary equivalent of what the Indian residential school represented for their parents.” Almost 25 years later, young Aboriginal men in Saskatchewan are now more likely to go to prison than to finish high school. Despite the considerable attention these statistics have received, rarely do we consider them in the context of an ongoing colonial project. We must question how it is that Aboriginal people become tangled up in the justice system at all and why it is that prisons have come to be viewed, in the words of Angela Davis, as an “inevitable and permanent feature of our social lives.” How do institutions like schools, which are presented as disconnected from – or even antagonistic to – incarceration, shape a future of imprisonment for Aboriginal youth in Canada? Dangerous and unruly Dominant narratives suggest that disparities in incarceration are the result of individual shortcomings and moral deficiencies. One reader’s comments on a CBC news article on Aboriginal incarceration nicely summarize common attitudes surrounding the issue: “Excuse me. Who is stopping aboriginal people from getting an education? Who is forcing aboriginal people to break the law and commit crime? If one does not break the law, and if one does not commit crime, one does not go to jail.” Mainstream media plays a central role in driving these discourses. Joyce Green, a researcher on Indigenous-settler relations, says, “For the most part, Aboriginal peoples do not exist for the media, except as practitioners of violence or political opposition, as marketing stereotypes, or as bearers of social pathologies.” The construction of European settlers as benevolent saviours and of Native people as ungrateful degenerates was necessary to justify the theft of Indigenous land and resources. This is all too often forgotten, as are the continued privileges settlers secure from casting Aboriginal people as dangerous and unruly. It is time to shift the focus from the colonized to the colonizers, and to interrogate the interlocking systems that allow the over-incarceration of Indigenous people to continue. The school-to-prison pipeline Canada’s education system, imposed upon Indigenous people for hundreds of years, plays a powerful role in constructing the notion of public enemies in need of discipline and containment. The assumption that the education system today is devoid of its oppressive and violent past unfairly lets schools off the hook. Links between education and incarceration for Indigenous people in Canada are rarely made beyond pointing out that many Aboriginal people in custody are under-educated, often without high school diplomas. Education is touted as an immediate, attractive, and available alternative to youth wishing to avoid so-called criminal activities. While improving levels of education for Indigenous youth is important, we must also scrutinize the education youth are receiving. By assuming that classrooms are neutral, apolitical spaces, schools risk pushing the same colonial agenda that Aboriginal education was founded on. For education to truly support a future for Indigenous youth outside prison walls, the carceral elements need to be removed from schools. When ideologies of discipline and punishment are used to govern schools, the education system is complicit in the movement of students from classrooms to prisons. Schools must not be places where Aboriginal youth are constructed as unruly and in need of discipline from white saviours. Research conducted by criminologists Raymond Corrado and Irwin Cohen demonstrated that out of 100 Aboriginal youth in custody in British Columbia, 96 per cent of the males and 85 per cent of the females had previously been in trouble at school. Getting into trouble at school is often the first slip into the “school-to-prison pipeline.” This is a term coined by researchers in the United States, who have been making the links between schooling and prison for several decades. The term describes systemic practices in public schooling such as special education, discipline, and streaming programs that move poor, racialized youth out of school and place them on a pathway to prison. Prison abolitionist Erica Meiners argues that schools and prisons become interconnected when schools legitimize and enhance select fears that in turn require the intervention of the justice system. This occurs in covert ways, for example, through institutionalized racism, law-and-order approaches to discipline, and the exclusion or negative portrayal of non-dominant groups. Indirectly, these are all processes that can perpetuate fear and encourage discipline and punishment of those students who deviate from the socially constructed and imagined parameters of normalcy. U.S. education researcher Pedro Noguera points out that racial disparities in school discipline and achievement mirror the disproportionate confinement of racialized people, and that students most frequently targeted for punishment in school often look like smaller versions of the adults most likely to be targeted for incarceration. Noguera further argues: “Schools also punish the neediest children because in many schools there is a fixation with behavior management and social control that outweighs and overrides all other priorities and goals.” Across Canada, Indigenous students are overrepresented in special education and alternative schooling programs. In 2005, a group of educators concerned about the current system of special education for Aboriginal children organized a national symposium at the First Nations University in Regina. The symposium concluded that the current system of providing special education, “based on the Western views of diagnosis and treatment,” is – simply put – “a mess.” In British Columbia, one government report notes that Aboriginal students are identified as having severe behavioural disorders 3.5 times as often as the general K-to-12 student population. Teachers, who are predominantly white, frequently have lower expectations for Aboriginal youth than for non-Aboriginal students. Often teachers’ only contact with Aboriginal people is inside their classrooms. The same report notes, unsurprisingly, that Indigenous students report frequent incidents of overt racism in school and often feel lonely and isolated while attending school. Instead of examining factors like those above, we often turn to paradigms of cultural difference as the explanation and the remedy for Aboriginal under-education. This has been happening since the early 1970s, when government officials began to question why high numbers of Aboriginal students were leaving school. The cultural difference theory has since been repeatedly recycled and usually goes something like this: Aboriginal students are culturally different, and the disconnect between their home lives and school lives is so great that they are unable to succeed in school. More cultural awareness is needed on the part of educators, and more Aboriginal culture must be included in the curriculum. At first, this theory seems to make sense. After all, schools are Eurocentric, and the infusion of Indigenous worldviews is indeed an important part of decolonizing our schools. Yet the recognition and validation of Indigenous culture is but one part of decolonization. When it is viewed as the solution to everything, taking the form of superficial lessons on song and dance taught by a white teacher, significant change is forestalled. An emphasis on cultural differences also allows for the erasure of topics such as racism, discrimination, and violence. And perhaps most importantly, it allows the blame to remain with the Aboriginal Other, whose “cultural differences” have come to signify inferiority. Refusing to participate Many predict that the racial disparity in Canada’s prison population is set to worsen because of the Conservative government’s new crime legislation passed in March. Included in the long list of stiffer penalties composing the omnibus crime bill, otherwise known as the Safe Streets and Communities Act, is the creation of more criminal offences, more mandatory minimums, and the abolition of statutory release with supervision. The legislation has been fiercely opposed by correctional officials, police chiefs, medical associations, victims’ advocates, lawyers, judges, and criminologists, who point out that harsher penalties are ineffective in decreasing crime and that such measures systemically target poor and racialized people. During the 1990s, when the prison population in the U.S. grew exponentially, school suspensions and expulsions increased drastically as well. Punitive measures in the law-and-order system seeped into schools with devastating consequences for racialized youth. With Canada’s own regressive reforms to criminal laws that shamefully mirror those that have proven to be a failure in the U.S., we must work to resist similar outcomes. The suggestion that schools place Aboriginal students on a trajectory to prison is in many ways antithetical to democratic ideals of education. But an important part of redirecting the gaze from the colonized to the colonizer is examining what often goes unquestioned or is accepted as common sense. Although schools can be positive forces in the lives of many youth, the opposite holds true for many others. The over-incarceration of Indigenous people is not an unassailable reality. It is a violent, colonial project that requires the co-operation and complicity of countless people. Unmaking the situation will require the same sustained and concerted effort. Learning how we are all invited to participate in the colonial project of Aboriginal over-incarceration – and then refusing to do so – is the first step in demolishing the pipeline to prison for Aboriginal youth in Canada.Hey, as you may or may not know, I’m in Japan right now and I only have an old laptop with me so I can’t test the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst beta even if I’ve been selected to try it out. But the good news is, I have plenty of codes for you to try if you’ve not been selected! Here’s the list, be considerate, just pick one and don’t share the list, but rather share the link to the article, thanks! PC/Origin 29Z9-8TDM-Q43D-AQKK-Y7S7 29Z9-AQFZ-9UP2-4MRV-TAG9 29Z9-BXYM-SM4F-7C2C-SSYV 29Z9-DD79-H8QK-7HLC-TJ5F 29Z9-J6ZH-XMQS-WEJK-Y49W 29Z9-JUF8-VZYF-QCBV-EHZQ 29Z9-M4JW-B72F-7JZ2-ECST 29Z9-REHX-T2U4-LG7C-688E 29Z9-Y6KW-A2QU-APVM-8V28 29ZH-57S7-9N7J-WYND-SK45 29ZH-66B4-UMT9-YZX4-XWP9 29ZH-6XYW-A38J-8G26-WVF7 29ZH-7FS5-K5VB-8JFN-EVMN 29ZH-DZRW-UNS2-KX3C-C5VA 29ZH-NPFN-BMKD-AEC2-QTWN 29ZH-R7KN-MRJZ-T8WE-97VH 29ZH-VYXU-UGJE-2TGL-HZJW 29ZR-F3SP-LZJ3-577Z-XSQU 29ZR-QA2Z-28J4-BMJC-KMWB 29ZZ-2447-SJGR-H2CR-N2Z5 XBOX ONE 2CGRF-RGXDD-P42CK-QVXT2-XCMJZ 2CGRY-PK3G7-RJRR6-R4CRF-M6JDZ 2CGT3-G6M64-TQRDP-TVV46-4J6KZ 2CGTG-J7W7D-7KR4C-XV9JX-HTYQZ 2CGVC-RG32X-XH2WF-DTGYR-C3M7Z 2CGWT-JGT9Q-WGGFW-CYTKT-WDPQZ 2CGXX-MQCJW-2JP49-QD66H-F2HYZ 2CGY7-GDMTY-PPRQ6-92XQG-9WK3Z 2CGYR-CQY7D-WGTW4-P4KPT-WVTFZ 2CGYY-H2CJD-P992F-7Q7WC-3J3MZ 2CH22-KGHP7-PV99Y-Y7DR7-6PMDZ 2CH2H-DP2PH-FGHKC-2DDK3-YMMTZ 2CH2P-K4QK9-FVXMV-4D79Q-294RZ 2CH2X-PVVMY-M7PWX-JVPVQ-FFGMZ 2CH46-6KHDF-YMKCH-3K6F4-D992Z 2CH4W-HRRMX-M3F9W-KCQFP-J6WHZ 2CH93-CWF2P-39DJW-DY3P3-443GZ 2CH97-V93Y6-7M49M-FG7F6-RY99Z 2CH9C-YF92F-CMC9D-DKH9W-Q27HZ 2CH9H-G7RR2-2WHPY-YTMHJ-6XH6Z PS4 SCEE (Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia,Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom) 2G4Q-CCN8-MQ2J 2G52-6JN9-6CCA 2G52-DFNQ-LMCG 2G53-EMN9-N2HH 2G54-P7NM-27FK 2G55-DDNJ-39EB 2G57-P4NJ-7PCB 2G58-RMNN-7TT5 2G5A-3EN3-6QP8 2G5D-NKNF-QHTG 2G5F-L9N7-P5QF 2G5H-EDNE-KL44 2G5L-G4NC-TL9J 2G5R-6GNG-NR6C 2G5T-3BNJ-LPCN 2G5T-LLND-8F4K 2G5T-M5N9-MJ5E 2G64-CLNT-C8DM 2G66-EBNT-5JFT 2G66-R9NA-52LH PS4 SCEA (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, United States) 2TAH-24NR-22QE 2TAH-GBNT-NTDJ 2TAH-P5N8-2MN4 2TAJ-CAN6-ECQQ 2TAJ-N2NE-F5M6 2TAK-58NR-4PET 2TAK-8MNR-C69N 2TAL-DPNB-PGQM 2TAL-K6NQ-DNNC 2TAM-MLNF-CL5A 2TAN-LCNK-AMQ2 2TAP-J7NB-KC5T 2TAT-Q3N9-7QMA 2TB2-N3NM-33GM 2TB2-TPN6-MKM6 2TB3-CKNK-MM8M 2TB4-PLNB-H52N 2TB7-38N4-E4R7 2TB9-2RN8-G546 2TB9-7PNT-TLC3 PS4 SCEAsia (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand) 2QEJ-G6NA-P8JT 2QET-4PNE-PETD 2QF3-K3N8-TD3A 2QFD-G7N3-7H9C 2QFK-M8NR-F85K 2QFL-8GNB-53T3 2QFN-PCND-34PG 2QFP-LGN5-QA9D 2QG2-FENN-78EG 2QG2-HLNT-C5ND 2QG3-HENG-AHPN 2QG3-JPNB-EPDP 2QG4-6LN3-RC2T 2QG7-34NE-BT88 2QG8-R3NG-B422 2QG9-9ENM-E6QM 2QGA-TMN8-3QKC 2QGD-A7NM-JAAQ 2QGD-NRNT-HH52 2QGD-RDNH-TK3F PS4 SCEJ (Japan) 3F33-7DNG-6FKF 3F3J-ADNL-2RCK 3F3L-H9ND-NHBB 3F4E-68NL-MHTF 3F52-GRNA-K7JD 3F58-M8NM-MF6A 3F5J-M7NR-BKR6 3F5L-J4NK-7AD4 3F5P-93NE-HQN6 3F68-6CNF-MA6L 3F6F-MQN3-HEA9 3F6F-PCNT-HMEH 3F6G-AJNP-PNNM 3F6T-T7N6-RF47 3F72-MKN3-JAK7 3F74-TNNH-822T 3F76-RNNM-TBBK 3F7F-LBNB-PPNP 3F7G-8EN3-L52T 3F7L-M8NL-JNMN PS4 SCEK (South Korea) 3PNE-K8NC-R6QP 3PNF-APN9-HD87 3PNT-AFN5-RMEK 3PP2-QPNF-CBPL 3PP7-GRNN-33AJ 3PPL-26N9-HGLM 3PPN-L4N3-F8L5 3PQ5-CPNB-95AA 3PQ5-GRN5-GRA6 3PQ7-58NK-C87L 3PQ9-DRNF-5CM4 3PQG-DNNM-F9TF 3PQQ-R3N7-M5B3 3PQR-RENK-72BN 3PR3-QJNF-86KN 3PRF-K8NT-CMR4 3PRG-J8N4-8HA9 3PT4-FNNE-G86F 3PT7-9JNA-AP5M 3Q24-P6NF-TMQ2 Thursday April 21st, 2016 by Categories: News, Tags: beta, codes, Mirror's Edge Catalyst : count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable inon lineA 12-year-old girl who likes to hunt big game with her father sparked an online firestorm after posting photos of herself online posing with a giraffe and a zebra that she killed with the help of her dad. Aryanna Gourdin and her father, Eli Gourdin, traveled from Utah to South Africa for a hunting trip last week. Aryanna told ABC News she posted a photo on Facebook of her posing next to the dead zebra with a bow and arrow, along with a caption that read, "One of my dream hunts for sure." "It's something I cherish and enjoy, and I want other people to see what I experienced," she said in an interview with "Good Morning America." Beyond Cecil the Lion: Trophy-Hunting Industry in Africa Explained Dentist Walter Palmer Returns to Work With Police Escort Amid Cecil the Lion Protests The trip was one of many the pair have taken with no notice over the past five years, but this time her Facebook postings quickly made her a topic of heated discussion. One photo received over 73,000 comments, with some users are calling her "sick" and an "animal hater." Supporters posted encouraging messages, including one reading, "Let the haters hate! Hunt away Aryanna." In a post on Tuesday, Aryanna acknowledged the uproar. "My last profile picture was very offensive to others and I have learned my lesson with that pose, I apologize." Some of the more extreme comments went so far as to threaten her and her father's lives. "We're proud to be hunters, and we'll never apologize for being a hunter," Gourdin said. Gourdin maintained that the hunting farm they visited offered the giraffe to for them to hunt because it was a problem animal. "They actually had an older giraffe that was eating up valuable resources other giraffes need to survive," he said. He also said that the meat from the animals they killed was donated to a local village and will help feed 800 orphans over the next month. This is one of several recent instances in which hunters have faced vehement criticism online. In July of last year, a Minnesota dentist, Walter Palmer, sparked international headlines after posting photos online of a lion known as Cecil that he had killed in Zimbabwe. Despite the controversy, Aryanna said, she doesn't plan to give up one of her favorite activities. "I would never back down from hunting," she said. "I am a hunter, and no matter what people say to me, I'm never going to stop."Sen.
The treatment is now just a step away from being the first ever allogeneic stem cell therapy approved in Europe, and will put the Belgium-based biotech company into the vanguard of cell and gene therapy companies which have emerged in 2017. Allogeneic stem cell therapy allows “off the shelf” cells to be used in therapy, rather than having to take cells from each individual patient, allowing a relatively fast and inexpensive therapy. Alofisel represents a more modest improvement over existing treatment compared to some of the dazzling results seen in leukaemia and haemophilia, but nevertheless represents progress in a hard-to-treat condition. The EMA’s CHMP committee recommendation is for Alofisel (darvadstrocel) to treat the serious complication, which the Tigenix and Takeda say affects around 28% of patients with Crohn’s disease in the first 20 years of living with the disease. Once given final approval by the European Commission, Takeda will market the drug in the EU following an agreement with Tigenix signed last year. In the likely event of an EU licence for the therapy, Takeda will pay a 15 million euro fee to Tigenix. Apart from affecting the lining of the bowel, Crohn’s disease can cause inflammation deeper into the bowel wall, causing an abnormal passageway to open between the bowel and the outside of the body. This can lead to incontinence and sepsis, and complex fistulas are more difficult than simple fistulas. Alofisel (darvadstrocel) is based on expanded adipose stem cells which, once activated, impair proliferation of lymphocytes and reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines at inflammation sites. This immunoregulatory activity reduces inflammation and may allow the tissues around the fistula tract to heal. Dr. María Pascual, vp regulatory affairs and corporate quality at TiGenix, said, “We believe that this first approval recommendation for an allogeneic stem cell therapy in Europe reflects the maturity of our technology and its potential to offer new approaches for difficult to treat conditions.” Presuming that EU approval can be secured, the next major milestone will be FDA approval. In March this year the company received feedback from the FDA about its trial design, which should allow filing of the drug in 2018. “We have worked closely with the EMA and provided a robust data package from a well-designed clinical trial with challenging endpoints,” she adds. “In parallel, we will continue working hard to obtain regulatory approval in the US and to develop Cx601 for additional indications, to fulfil our aim of allowing patients to benefit from the full potential of Cx601 across multiple geographies and diseases.” The CHMP’s recommendation is based phase 3 clinical trial involving 212 patients, which showed significant but not overwhelming superiority of the treatment compared to placebo. After 24 weeks of treatment, half of the patients treated with Alofisel (49.5%) were in remission, compared to a third of the patients under placebo. An extended ongoing follow-up study, which will cover a period of up to 104 weeks of treatment, has supported this result to date. Although there is a moderate difference between the treatment groups, the effect is considered to be clinically meaningful when other treatment options for fistulas have failed. The most common side effects observed include anal abscess and fistula, as well as procedural pain and proctalgia. The CHMP backed an initial decision by the EMA’s Committee for Advanced Therapies, a special committee for advanced gene or cell therapies. TiGenix has a second adipose-derived product, Cx611, is undergoing a phase 1/2 trial in severe sepsis, a deadly condition which affects millions of patients across the world ever year. It also has AlloCSC-01, which targets acute ischemic heart disease, which has so far produced positive results in a Phase 1/2 trial in acute myocardial infarction.For those of you who don’t keep up with these things (yes, it’s possible there are other events going on in the world), yesterday was the deadline for organizations to file their lobbying reports for the fourth quarter of 2013. The reports include lobbying expenditures and information about what bills were being lobbied and who was working on the accounts. Sounds pretty antiseptic, right? But the first step to success for a lobbyist is getting in the door of a decisionmaker’s office, whether physically or virtually. And nothing oils the hinges better than campaign contributions. The donations come not just from clients — Boeing, Google, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to name a few — but from the lobbyists themselves. Not only do individual lobbyists make donations, but many lobbying firms have their own corporate PACs, to which employees (including the lobbyists who work there) contribute. In fact, lobbying is its own industry on our website. One of these firms has remained among the top three in contributions since OpenSecrets.org started tracking these gifts in the 1990 election cycle. Which brings us to this week’s Politiquizz question: Which lobbying firm has remained as one of the top three contributors since 1990, and how much more did the firm’s employees and PAC contribute in the 2012 cycle than in the 1990 one? The first person to submit the entire correct answer to [email protected] will win a free OpenSecrets.org bumper sticker. The answers can be found somewhere on our website. Happy searching! In our last Politiquizz, we asked: In 2013, what three industries within the agribusiness sector were the top spenders on lobbying? Congratulations to Jason from Gerber, Calif., who was the first to respond with the correct answer: 1.) Agricultural Services 2.) Food Processing 3.) Tobacco For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected](photos by Danielle) (photos by Danielle) For this picture, I made the recipe the same way but instead of either walnut meat of beefless ground, I have used chili. You can either use a homemade chili or a canned one from the store. If you are getting a store bought canned chili, I recommend Amys Chili. I love adding jalapenos for an extra kick as well! (photos by Danielle) (photos by Danielle) (photos by Danielle) I have always been such a huge fan of incredibly spicy food and my love for it has grown since I have started cooking. I love making nachos and other meals that are foods similar to that. Since I have been off between college semesters, I have had some extra time in my day to cook before or after work. Another thing that a lot of people have commented on in the past is that that cannot handle spicy food, so if you want something milder, you can use a less spicy version of the ingredients. For example, if you get a can of chili, you can get mild instead of medium or spicy.This first picture I have tortilla chips topped with the beefless ground from Gardein. I have had ground walnut with spices as well at a restaurant and that is wonderful as well if you want a healthier spin on the meal. I have some veggies I have on there as well. Usually, I top my nachos with tomato salsa, bell peppers of any color, and onions. If you want beans for extra nutrients, you can also add those. For the image below, I have also topped the nachos with ranch and chipotle sauce.If you want to make walnut meat, you can ground up walnut, water, and spices as needed to make a healthier recipe for tacos or nachos. I want to make a full post about healthier versions of these recipes, so keep posted if you are interested in finding a clean ingredient recipe that is spicy and delicious.To have a healthier alternative to cheese, you can make a sauce with other ingredients. If you make this right, it wastes exactly the same. One recipe for making a cheesy sauce is to boil water and cook onion, garlic, carrot, and potato. Then you can add nutritional yeast and blend those ingredients. Another way you can make a cheesy sauce is to blend and then heat cannellini beans, garlic, nutritional yeast, paprika, and onion with some water to make another queso sauce. If you want either of those sauces to be on the spicier side, you can also add some jalapenos.Making nachos can be a good food to prepare, especially when friends come over. It is one of those foods that I use for showing people delicious varieties of vegan food. I have enjoyed making these recipes and also tried different varieties of these foods as well. Any sort of other ingredients can be added or taken away as needed when making these recipes.I hope you try some of these meals out and enjoy your weekend. Happy Friday!Recent weeks have been full of talk about the failure of Europe's common currency. "If the euro collapses, then Europe and the idea of the European Union will fail," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently. "Should the euro fail, we Germans will have the greatest disadvantages," said Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Even former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has gotten into the act, warning of the "political, economic and financial" consequences a failure of the euro would trigger. But how exactly are we going to know when the common currency has reached its end? What exactly does it mean when we say a "failure of the euro?" And is it possible that the currency may have already failed a long time ago? Conflicts of Interest German economists say that, when it comes to a collapse of the currency union, there are two possible scenarios: In the first scenario, the euro would remain a hard currency and there would be no extensive transfer payments among euro-zone countries. In the coming years, some uncompetitive and highly indebted countries would leave the currency union to return to weaker national currencies. The edges of the euro zone would crumble, but a hard core would remain -- consisting of Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg and perhaps a few others. In the second scenario, Germany and others would abandon the common currency because the euro would become a soft currency and the euro zone would develop into a transfer union, involving payments among members. That, though, would be so unpopular in countries like Germany, which had its own hard currency prior to the euro, that they would ultimately bow out. The two scenarios are similar in that they presuppose rational decisions being made despite conflicts of interest among euro-zone nation-states. But is that realistic? Not really. It is likely both technically and politically impossible for the currency union to be brought to an end on the strength of a carefully considered strategy worked out by the governments involved. There is no way such a plan could be kept secret long enough -- once word got out, the extreme reaction of the markets would torpedo any blueprint. Perhaps, as one Brussels insider joked, the currency union will simply expire from exhaustion one morning. European bureaucrats, so goes the gag, will run out of energy to find yet another emergency solution for a heavily indebted member state one day and investors will take over once the markets open. A panicked withdrawal of capital would result and the euro would be history. Chaotic End? No matter what happens, the end of the euro -- should it come to that -- would be chaotic. It would be, as Fischer warned, "no longer controllable." And politicians will do all they can to avoid such a situation. But the failure of the euro can also be defined differently. Originally, the euro was supposed to increase prosperity in Europe, boost unity and enhance Europe's influence in the world. Those, at least, were the goals touted when the euro was first introduced. By that measure, however, the euro of today finds itself in a deep crisis. The growth achieved in the first years following the introduction of the common currency was achieved at the cost of skyrocketing sovereign debt and drastic imbalances among European economies. That is now coming back to haunt the euro zone. The openness and cultural rapprochement that characterized the early years of the currency union is now, with crisis at hand, evaporating. Stereotypes that long since should have disappeared, such as "lazy southern Europeans" or "fiscal Nazis," have made a comeback. And, as for playing a larger role in the global economy, that is mainly manifesting itself in the fear that the euro crisis has engendered in capitals as far afield as Washington and Beijing. Like the WTO There is, of course, still a very real possibility that the euro will be saved. The economic and political problems are certainly solvable -- with a huge step toward greater European integration. But, at the moment, it is difficult to imagine European politicians embracing a kind of "United States of Europe," just as it is hard to imagine them letting the euro crash and burn. Much more realistic is a slow and agonizing degradation of the euro zone. It would be a silent failure: a slow erosion of the rules (which is already well under way), countries growing apart and a corrosion of the institutions holding it together. It has happened before, for example to the World Trade Organization. Just a few years ago, the Doha round of trade talks, aimed at further liberalizing global trade, threatened to collapse. Developing countries were demanding that rich nations cut agricultural subsidies, whereas the industrialized countries, for their part, wanted the developing world to cut import tariffs on their products. In answer to the question as to how one would know when the talks had failed, WTO head Pascal Lamy laughed before saying: Diplomats are good at making things sound good. But they can't make fools out of people. That was four years ago. Since then, the negotiations have made no significant progress. But nobody has declared them to have failed.Alolan Lileep The Sea Lily Pokémon Water/Posion type Ability: Storm Drain: The Pokémon draws in all Water-type moves to boost its Sp. Atk stat. Toxic Drench: The Pokémon weakened the poisoned opponents. ---------------- As an isolated region, Alola itself has a really unique ecosystem, in which the creatures believed being extinct still exist and evolve. Alolan Lileep is one of the historical creatures that still can be found in Alola. Alolan Lileep usually stays as a small group, and it sticks itself to the surface of giant rock thanks to the suctions cups under its foots. Alolan Lileep rarely moves, it sways the petal shaped like tentacles and acts as the sea lilies in order to lure the approaching preys; many people (and Pokémon) usually mistake them with some kind of sea plants because of that. Alolan Lileep only eat the preys it envenoms, which's why those Pokémon that can resist its poison choose to live with the Lileep group in order to protect themselves from bigger predators. Alolan Lileep's body color depends on the food it eat. That's why the Lileeps living in different areas, who have different diet, have unique body color. The Alolan Lileep populations and other Pokémon living in them not only make the undersea life much more vivid and colorful but also contribute to the biodiversity of Alola. Some Alolan Lileep can have the Toxic Drench Ability, an Ability that no other Pokémon has ever had. With Toxic Drench, Alolan Lileep can weaken the poisoned opponents; reducing their DEF, Sp.DEF and Speed by one stage. ======================================================================================================== Alolan Cradily The Barnacle Pokémon Water/Posion type Ability: Storm Drain: The Pokémon draws in all Water-type moves to boost its Sp. Atk stat. Toxic Drench: The Pokémon weakened the poisoned opponents. ---------------- In natural habitat, Alolan Lileep doesn't evolve frequently. However, when an Alolan Lileep is about to evolve into an Alolan Cradily, it usually be parasitized by the weaker siblings, the parasites later become parts of the Alolan Cradily's body. The parasite's activities are in dependent from the main body; and it can detach from the main body if necessary. Alolan Cradily lives with the Alolan Lileep group in order to protect them. Alolan Cradily can catch the preys which is out of the reach of ALolan Lileep. Alolan Cradily rarely moves too far away from the place it live. However, if too many Alolan Lileeps evolve, the strongest Alolan Cradily will migrate. Alolan Cradily can roam around the ocean floor in search for a new home. When the Alolan Cradily finds a place it wants, the parasite detaches from its body and becomes a new Alolan Lileep, which will multiply again and again in order to form a new Alolan Lileep group. The poison from Aolan Cradily's tentacles is strong enough to knock down even the strongest and most rampant Gyarados. However, the poison takes a little bit long to fully effect the victims, which is why the Alolan Cradily rarely provokes the huger and stronger opponents. =================================Are you ready to relive your epic journey in EverQuest II? Heed the call of adventure and return to the Isle of Refuge once again on the new Time-Locked Expansion Server! The Fallen Gate server is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. What’s New About Fallen Gate? This will be a time-locked expansion server where expansions unlock automatically. In addition, Fallen Gate will have a new twist on Heritage Quests. Completing a Heritage Quest on this server will not only provide the quest reward – but an additional reward on EVERY server you play on. All Races. All Classes. Ever wanted to play a Beastlord or Channeler in classic EverQuest II? You can on Fallen Gate! All classes and races will be available when it launches! Special Note: Players will still need the class/race features to play premium race and classes. Channeler and Beastlord Epics and certain class specific quests will only be available when the corresponding expansion content has unlocked on Fallen Gate. Heritage Quest Focus Completing Heritage Quests will award Achievements and unlock new claimable items. For example, after you completed the Journeyman’s Boots Heritage Quest on Fallen Gate you’ll have a reward waiting for you for every character on your account on EVERY server. You’ll be able to obtain a level 100 version of J-Boots on your regular play server, a level 90 version on Stormhold, and even a level 50 version for your Fallen Gate characters. Once you complete the Heritage Quest on Fallen Gate, these items can be purchased for free from a Heritage vendor located in Freeport and Qeynos. Content Unlocks Every 12 Weeks Players won’t vote to unlock content on Fallen Gate. Instead, every 12 weeks, expansion content will automatically unlock. Content that was released in between expansions will release 6 weeks after its corresponding expansion has released. That means 12 weeks of classic EverQuest II, 12 weeks of Desert of Flames, 12 weeks of Kingdom of Sky, and so on. This also means GU and Adventure Pack content will release in between expansions. For example, 6 weeks after Echoes of Faydwer is released, you’ll have access to Fallen Dynasty. All Access Membership Required Like other progression and special ruleset servers, you’ll need an All Access Membership to access Fallen Gate. All Access also includes additional includes additional great benefits, like 10% off most Marketplace purchases, and a claimable 500DBC grant each month! For more details and to sign up for membership, visit www.daybreakgames.com/allaccess. We’re excited to have you join us for the new Fallen Gate Time-Locked Expansion Server, starting on Tuesday, June 27, 2017!Fifteen hundred Amazon shareholders are asking Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, to reject Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s bigoted bullying and end the sale of Trump’s line of menswear and other Trump-related products on Amazon. This comes ahead of the Amazon’s annual general meeting later this month. The shareholders, organized by UltraViolet Action, an online community of over 700,000 men and women who take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public, private sectors and on social media, have said that Donald Trump has incited violence at his campaign events, spewed racism and vitriol that has attached the support of notable white supremecists, defamed a female reporter after she was assaulted by his campaign manager, and mocked a disabled reporter for asking a question. “Donald Trump has consistently lobbed racist, sexist and xenophobic attacks against entire groups of people, encouraged violence and vitriol against his political enemies and perpetrated a culture of violence against women,” said Karin Roland, Chief Campaigns Officer at UltraViolet Action, in a press release. “This isn’t about politics: Donald Trump’s misogyny, racism and outright bigotry are dominating the political news cycle,” Amazon shareholders wrote in a letter to Bezos. “[Trump] has encouraged violence at his rallies, mocked his opponent’s wife, ridiculed people disabilities, and even refused to denounce his campaign manager who was recently arrested for violently assaulting a female reporter.” Shareholders said they felt strongly about ending its business with Trump and that his hatred should have no place in the Amazon marketplace, and that the continued presence of his products poses a risk to Amazon’s reputation. Despite the massive public outcry, and other major brands dumping Trump, Amazon continues to sell Trump ties and shirts. UltraViolet Action argues that Amazon is profiting off the sale of Trump merchandise associated with Trump’s hateful brand and should take immediate steps to end the relationship. In addition, to the letter from Amazon customers and Amazon Prime subscribers, more than 58,000 UltraViolet Action members have petitioned for Amazon to stop profiting off Donald Trump’s hateful brand and dump Trump merchandise from the marketplace. This isn’t the first time Amazon has faced controversy over merchandise sold on its marketplace. Last June, Amazon saw “skyrocketing” sales of Confederate flags after other retailers decided to stop selling them, spiking 3,000% in 24 hours. However, Amazon joined other retailers in banning sales of the controversial symbol. The removal of the flags came in the wake of the horrific incident at the Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC., in which nine people were shot dead by a lone gunman. Trump merchandise has been pulled from shelves before. Last July, Macy’s announced it was pulling Trump branded merchandise after he made inflammatory and racially charged statements directed towards immigrants from Mexico, calling them “killers and rapists.” Daniela Forte is Multichannel Merchant’s Associate Editor.A few hours ago, the name Georges Massad meant nothing to the Lebanese populace. In the coming days, because we have nothing else to do, watch as he becomes the most discussed figure – save for an unlikely president – in the country. Why so? Because his Facebook account was news-material for local services who have nothing better to do than stalk profiles. Georges Massad married his partner in a same-sex marriage ceremony in the United States. He posted wedding pictures on Facebook. His wedding is now Lebanese news. This isn’t the first time our personal and private Facebook accounts become the source for Lebanon’s news cycle. A few months ago, an unknowing teenager found himself in deep trouble because of pictures he had posted to his Facebook account four years ago. You probably don’t remember him by name but Ali Itawi’s picture became a matter of national Christian dignity when the president decided to put pressure into throwing the young adult in jail after he posted pictures of him kissing the Virgin Mary. Regardless of whether what Itawi did is acceptable or not, what’s unacceptable either way is the fact that we have news services who have nothing better to do in this country than to stalk all of us and turn our private lives into their own income source. This is unacceptable. Make sure you look at what you posted on Facebook back in 2007 because it can and it will be used against you in the court of public opinion. I highly doubt Georges Massad wanted his private affair to become a source of Lebanese discussion. He probably shared his pictures so whichever family members and friends he has who accept him for who he is could see how happy he was that day and how glad he was to share his life with someone he loved. Guess again. That private matter will now become the “it” news of Lebanon. Can you believe it? Lebanon has had its first gay person get married! Should we be outraged? Should we worry for our children’s future? Should we panic about what this means to our national values? Should we pretend to be civil and open a discussion about the matter? George Massad’s marriage is being advertised as the first “announced” same-sex marriage of a Lebanese. This is far from the case. Posting a picture on Facebook does not mean you are announcing your marriage on a national level. It’s anything but. If our news services actually dig deeper, they’ll find a lot of Lebanese who are living abroad who have tied the knot with their partners. Many of us even know people who have done so. Why don’t we make a big deal out of it? Because it’s none of our business. I’d understand the news fervor if Lebanon had its first same-sex marriage in Lebanon, if ever. But a Lebanese man marrying an American man in the United States reflects on us how? How is it even important enough to be the “it” news of the day? I guess that’s what happens when we latch to the word “Lebanese” wherever it falls and believe it gives a higher sense of importance to whatever comes after it. Congrats to Georges and his partner. Sorry in advance for the upcoming circus.4.8k SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Reddit Tumblr Digg Linkedin Stumbleupon Mail Print On the Cop Block Facebook page, comments on this blog, and on my YouTube channel, and really anywhere you say anything negative about police in general, there is one common theme you can expect to hear from the voting cattle and government propagandabots. “You shouldn’t paint with such a broad brush, sure there are some bad cops out there, but most cops are good guys. Maybe not most, but some of them exist. Someday you might need a cop” or some variation thereof. This is absolute nonsense. The fact of the matter is, the best cop on the planet, would be a do nothing tax leech. Literally, the best case scenario for a police officer, would be somebody who showed up for work, got in his squad car, parked it, and went to sleep. Now of course, we see this from time to time, and perhaps we could thank those sleepy evildoers for not harming anyone that day, except for the fact that they are getting paid to do the exact opposite, and they are paid by taxation. Taxation is theft. No matter what your opinion on taxes is, this is proven by the fact that myself and others do no consent to taxation. Our money is taken from us without our consent, and under threat of violence. If we do not pay, men (cops, actually) will break into our homes, shoot our pets, and kidnap us. If we resist, they will gun us down without a second thought. If you think that’s a morally justifiable thing because some slave owners wrote a document 230 some odd years ago, that’s a topic for another article, but it’s still theft. So really, when the highest possible aspiration for a man with a uniform is literally that of being a lazy thief, one can easily imagine that the jump to heroic savior of mankind is rather unlikely. Because the other thing that we know is, cops have quotas, or at least, some expectation that they will go out and generate revenue, like any other job. If said good guy cop went fishing instead of victimizing innocent motorists and kidnapping hippies for possessing plants, he’d not be a cop for long, would he? Of course not. In fact, we can safely make the assumption that the longer he’s been a cop, the more innocent people he has harmed. If he has moved up in the ranks at all, then we can safely assume he did it with a particular enthusiasm that warranted promotion. So by the time one reaches the esteemed title of “homicide detective” or “armed robbery investigator” we know that he has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who committed the heinous crime of “driving to work” and that each one of those thefts involved a death threat. When a police officer turns on his flashers, he’s not making a polite request to have a chat with you. He’s informing you that your car is about to stop, whether it’s because you pull the car over, or because he runs it off the road and shoots you in the face. This is not a negotiation, and if you think it is, then by all means, the next time one of these “good guy cops” catches you speeding, just wave to him and keep on driving. Make sure your camera is running at the time, and if you survive the encounter, be sure to submit the video to CopBlock.org after. 4.8k SHARES SHARES FacebookTwitterGoogleRedditTumblr DiggLinkedinStumbleuponMailPrint EPN Ichthyosaur Fossil 75x31 Marine Reptile Pirate Gold Coins Jurassic Sticker $264k $245000.0 V1710 Allison Engine V12 Wwii P40 P38 P63 P39 P51- Aircraft- Marine $25000.0 Sub-mariner Comics #17 Cgc 9.4 Off White Single Highest Graded Cgc #0079299012 $20000.0 Sub-mariner Comics #1 Cgc 5.5 Timely Marvel 1941 Key Golden Age D5 H10 Cm $19995.0 Original Running Wwii Us Army 1944 Willys Mb Military Jeep Ford Gpw Marine Truck $18995.0DAYTON, Ohio (Oct. 17, 2014) – Jetta Fosberg used to have long hair, but the Ohio girl cut it in order to help kids with cancer. But that decision has led to bullying at school, according to WHIO. Jetta donated 14 inches of her hair to the “Wigs for Kids” program. After getting the haircut, she decided she wanted it even shorter. Her mother said a student called her “ugly” and said she must want to be a boy. Jetta’s mother reported the bullying, and said the response was not to her satisfaction. She was told, in effect, to “toughen up and deal with it,” she told the TV station. The family set up a Facebook page to tell Jetta’s story and has been overwhelmed with support. Source: WHIOJesé’s career has stalled following last summer’s £22 million switch from Real Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain EPA/YOAN VALAT Stoke City hope to complete the season-long loan signing of Jesé Rodriguez from Paris Saint-Germian as Joselu, his Spanish compatriot, targets a move from the Potteries to join Newcastle United. Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager, is aiming to recruit the 24-year-old former Real Madrid forward and take on his latest challenge to revive a stalled career. Jesé’s arrival would pave the way for Joselu to leave the club and join Newcastle in a permanent deal. Stoke are favourites to land Jesé, whose career has stalled despite a £22 million switch from Madrid to Paris last summer, although they are still wary of last-minute bids from rivals. Joselu is set to sign for Newcastle REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen The signing would again demonstrate Hughes’ confidence in kick-starting troubled careers, having already taken chances on Marko Arnautovic and…In happier days, Nyxo takes a treat from loving hands. (Photo provided by Mourad Gabriel.) Mourad Gabriel, owner of Nyxo, the dog poisoned on February 3 in Blue Lake, is asking for help in catching the person or persons responsible for his pet’s death. Gabriel said that it appeared that Nyxo was deliberately poisoned. He explained that it seems that a lethal substance was given to the dog in meat products by someone meaning to harm the animal. The meat appeared to have been handled by a human. He believes the dog did not eat a creature poisoned somewhere else that wandered into the yard as has been suggested by some. Gabriel explained, “Nyxo’s vomit and stool did not contain any fur, bones or wild animal parts. The meat appeared to be cut via a knife.” The poison used was determined to be Brodifacoum, a substance Gabriel described as being “commonly used as rat bait and is a highly lethal 2nd generation anticoagulant rodenticide.” The meat products “are currently being held as evidence and [for] further testing to determine if other chemicals were involved besides the rat poison.” Gabriel sent the following statement to the Lost Coast Outpost: Nyxo was a wonderful, handsome family dog. We met him as an abused local foster dog with Friends For Life and we took him under our wing to build his trust once again in humans. We fell in love with him, decided to adopt him and he was an excellent foster brother to many other foster dogs. The neighborhood kids loved him dearly and often asked to take him for walks. Nyxo will be missed by many and we are working with folks to start a reward fund to catch the individual(s) responsible. If you are interested in donating towards the Reward Fund, please email NYXOreward@gmail.com If you have any information about this crime, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539. Previously: Drawing by Nyxo’s friends, the neighborhood kids, made after he died. (Provided by Nyxo’s owners.)There's a reason the Oscars are often jokingly referred to as "the gay man's Super Bowl," as much of the community responds to the Academy Awards with the same fervor that the rest of the world usually reserves for the big game. However, it must be said that the Super Bowl isn't without its subtle gay appeal, particularly this year. For one thing, we've got Madonna's sure-to-be-spectacular halftime performance to look forward to. Second, earlier this week Swedish clothing retailer H&M offered us a sneak peek at international soccer star David Beckham's steamy underwear commercial set to air in full during the big game-- no complaints here, except that we're insanely jealous of Victoria. And then, of course, there's the game itself. Both the New England Patriots (based in Massachusetts) and the New York Giants hail from states that have legalized same-sex marriage, so we really couldn't ask for two more LGBT-friendly teams. (And yes, we realize that the Giants practice in New Jersey -- a state where many are fighting the good fight when it comes to marriage equality, too). Take a look at some gay reasons to check out Super Bowl XLVI this year:Not to be confused with Defenders of the Earth The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors, and from civil society. Typically, five to seven laureates are selected annually. Each laureate is invited to an award ceremony to receive a trophy, give an acceptance speech and take part in a press conference. No financial awards are conferred.[1][2] This awards programme is a successor to UNEP's Global 500 Roll of Honour.[2] In 2017, the program was expanded to include Young Champions of the Earth - a forward looking prize for talented innovators, 18 to 30, who demonstrate outstanding potential to create positive environmental impact. The initiative is run in partnership with Covestro.[3] Awardees: Champions of the Earth [ edit ] 2017 [ edit ] 2016 [ edit ] 2015 [ edit ] 2014 [ edit ] 2013 [ edit ] 2012 [ edit ] 2011 [ edit ] 2010 [ edit ] Special Award President Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana - For Biodiversity Conservation & Ecosystem Management 2009 [ edit ] 2008 [ edit ] Special Prize Helen Clark, New Zealand - For her environmental strategies and her three initiatives - the emissions trading scheme, the energy strategy and the energy efficiency and conservation strategy. 2007 [ edit ] Special Prize Jacques Rogge and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) - For advancing the sport and environment agenda by providing greater resources to sustainable development and for introducing stringent environmental requirements for cities bidding to host Olympic Games 2006 [ edit ] 2005 [ edit ] Awardees: Young Champions of the Earth [ edit ] 2017 [ edit ] See also [ edit ]TORONTO • “Permission to Relax” is one of four inspirational sayings etched on the stemless Riedel wine glasses Starbucks is using for the debut of its Starbucks Evenings program in Canada. [np_storybar title=”Starbucks taking its mobile app to new heights with overseas expansion” link=”https://business.financialpost.com/fp-tech-desk/starbucks-corp-taking-its-mobile-app-to-new-heights-with-overseas-expansion”%5D Starbucks Corp., a pioneer in getting consumers to pay for products with a mobile phone, is boosting spending on digital ventures this year as it enhances the capability of its app in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Continue reading. [/np_storybar] It’s a Zen-like sentiment aimed squarely at the same busy customers who stop by the country’s biggest coffee chain for a daily fix of caffeine, and it’s one Rossann Williams hopes they will embrace as the business sets to turn down the lights and debut its beer and wine sipping alter ego here next week. (The other indulgence-urging wine glass reflections include “Take a Moment or Three,” “Breathe In, Drink Out” and “Escape Your Plans.”) “Many of the people who appreciate the quality in a nice cup of coffee are the same people that like a nice glass of wine, and appreciate all of the notes and the flavours and the heritage of wines,” Williams, president of the country’s biggest specialty coffee chain, said over a cup of Starbucks ‘reserve’ coffee at a Bloor West Village restaurant in Toronto’s west end where an expanded menu including wine, craft beer and cider will be available from 2 p.m. onward each day, starting Tuesday. “We already have the customers in our stores,” she said. “We are just extending the type of experience that they can have with this Evenings menu.” The Canadian openings come more than five years after the U.S.-based pilot project debut of Starbucks Evenings. And while selling wine at a chain that competes with Tim Hortons and Subway was initially regarded with some skepticism, Starbucks’ European-style café offerings have proven to be a hit with those who enjoy so-called affordable luxuries, a set willing to routinely shell out $5 to $10 for a fancy coffee
300L138–62"/><path fill=”#76c2d9" d=”M410–62L154 530–62 38"/><path fill=”#62b4cf” d=”M1086–2L498–30l484 508"/><path fill=”#010412" d=”M430–2l196 52–76 356"/><path fill=”#eb7d3f” d=”M598 594l488–32–308 520"/><path fill=”#080a18" d=”M198 418l32 304 116–448"/><path fill=”#3f201d” d=”M1086 1062l-344–52 248–148"/><path fill=”#ebd29f” d=”M630 658l-60–372 516 320"/></g></svg> The images generated with 100 shapes are larger, as expected, weighting ~5kB after SVGO (8kB before). They have a great level of detail with a still small payload. The decision of how many triangles to use will depend largely on the type of image (eg contrast, amount of colours, complexity) and level of detail. It would be possible to create a script similar to cpeg-dssim that tweaks the amount of shapes used until a structural similarity threshold is met (or a maximum number of shapes in the worst case). These resulting SVGs are great also to use as background images. Being size-constrained and vector-based they are a good candidate for hero images and large backgrounds that otherwise would show artifacts. SQIP In Tobias’ own words: SQIP is an attempt to find a balance between these two extremes: it makes use of Primitive to generate a SVG consisting of several simple shapes that approximate the main features visible inside the image, optimizes the SVG using SVGO and adds a Gaussian Blur filter to it. This produces a SVG placeholder which weighs in at only ~800–1000 bytes, looks smooth on all screens and provides an visual cue of image contents to come. The result is similar to using a tiny placeholder image for the blur-up technique (what Medium and other sites do). The difference is that instead of using a bitmap image, eg JPG or WebP, the placeholder is SVG. If we run SQIP against the original images we’ll get this:Mimi Alford in January 1963, midway through her affair with the president. (Courtesy of Mimi Alford) Another shocking story from former White House intern Mimi Alford’s memoir about her affair with President Kennedy: He once asked her to do, well, something naughty with his brother Ted. “Mimi, why don’t you take care of my baby brother,” she recalls him asking when she met the men in a Boston hotel suite in October 1963. “He could stand a little relaxation.” Alford writes that she flashed back to an earlier episode when JFK urged her to perform a sex act on one of his top aides — but this time, she refused. We found more sad, sordid stuff in Alford’s memoir, “Once Upon a Secret,” released Wednesday — one of the rare accounts of Kennedy philandering with strong historical corroboration — getting a publicity push on NBC’s “Rock Center” Wednesday night (see below). (Read earlier: JFK intern shares story of her affair with Kennedy, 2/7/12) Now 69, she divulges that she was mysteriously offered the internship out of the blue — she never applied — a year after she briefly met the president while visiting the White House for a story for her prep-school newspaper. He seduced her over daiquiris her fourth day on the job. She didn’t realize she had a choice, she writes: “I believed if I said no, my dream of a full-time job at the White House would slip away forever.” (Admittedly, “there was a spike in my self-esteem... whenever I was with him.”) President Kennedy addressing the nation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. (AP file photo) Alford never met Jackie Kennedy, whom she says she greatly admired, and writes that she’s ashamed that “I don’t recall feeling any guilt about my role in her life. In my nineteen-year-old mind, I wasn’t invading the Kennedys’ marriage. I was merely occupying the President’s time when his wife was away.” They continued seeing each other in the months just after her engagement and just before his death, though their sexual relationship had ceased. It was “proof that I wasn’t just a plaything to him, that he enjoyed my company... as a friend,” she writes, but adds: “Perhaps I’m flattering myself.” Vote now:Do you care about Mimi Alford’s revelations? Read earlier: JFK intern Mimi Alford shares story of her affair with Kennedy in new book. Relevant? Historian Robert Dallek says yes, 2/7/12 Read more: Political sex scandals: Who survives, who burns, 6/5/11 Are affairs still a political dealbreaker?, 11/29/11 JFK Jr. aide recalls secrecy, drama of his final years, 1/21/12 How rich are the Kennedys?, 7/6/11 Joe Kennedy III considers run for Congress, 1/5/12 Rita Jenrette’s new take on an old sex scandal, 11/28/110 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard Two gay hoteliers, Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, who invited Ted Cruz to their Manhattan duplex, are facing a political backlash from LGBT activists for hosting the controversial Texas Senator at their home. Although Cruz was invited primarily to speak about his support for the Israeli government, he also briefly touched on LGBT issues, taking a softer tone than he usually puts out during his stump speeches in Middle America. While he maintained his opposition to gay marriage, Cruz also stated that he wouldn’t love his daughters any less if it turned out they were gay. Activists are promoting a boycott of Out NYC, a hotel that Reisner and Weiderpass set up that caters to gay patrons. Activists are also calling for a boycott of a property that Reisner owns in the Fire Island Pines resort community off of Long Island. A rally and protest are scheduled for Monday April 27th at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. Marchers plan to demonstrate in support of same-sex marriage, with the rally concluding at the Out NYC hotel. Resiner and Weiderpass have been working feverishly to stem the political fallout from hosting the event with Ted Cruz on April 20th. The two men attempted to defend their decision to host Cruz, in the Friday edition of The New York Times. Both men drew attention to their efforts to support the gay community on key issues, and they tried to rationalize their meeting with Cruz as a way of opening dialogue to people they disagree with. Reisner stated: I was given the opportunity to have a candid conversation with Senator Ted Cruz on where he stood on all issues, foreign and domestic. It was just three months ago that I hosted a ‘Ready for Hillary’ event for a record turnout of 900 people at the Out Hotel. Senator Ted Cruz and I disagree strongly on the issue of gay marriage, but having an open dialogue with those who have differing political opinions is a part of what this country was founded on. My tireless support of the gay community and its causes worldwide hasn’t changed and will not change. Weiderpass struck a similar tone, stating: People on both sides of the aisle need to be able to communicate with one another even when they ideologically disagree. I worked tirelessly for the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ as a member of the board of directors for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and needed to reach across the aisle to make that happen. The fact that Senator Cruz accepted the invitation to my home was a step in the right direction toward him having a better understanding of who I am and what I believe in. While the two men have every legal right to invite Ted Cruz into their home and to tacitly promote his presidential candidacy, consumers also have the right to boycott businesses run by the two men. Americans who support LGBT equality have every reason to spend their dollars in places run by people who do not condone Ted Cruz’s anti-gay bigotry. While there is no doubt that Reisner and Weiderpass have done things to support LGBT equality, inviting Ted Cruz into their homes to publicly give credence to his presidential campaign sends the wrong message. Supporters of equality cannot merely shrug their shoulders at politicians who stand for bigotry, they must actively oppose them. Ted Cruz’s anti-gay positions are indefensible, and his candidacy should be thoroughly rejected by any American who believes in equality. Allowing Senator Cruz the opportunity to publicly use gay Americans as a convenient photo opportunity to soften his appearance of bigotry, isn’t the same thing as having a private conversation with someone who you disagree with in order to build a foundation of dialogue and empathy. Reisner and Weiderpass gave Ted Cruz a nice photo-op. Now let them deal with the political fallout created by that foolish decision. If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:Alexander Hamilton Aaron Burr, Sir My Shot The Story of Tonight The Schuyler Sisters Farmer Refuted You'll Be Back Right Hand Man A Winter's Ball Helpless Satisfied The Story of Tonight (Reprise) Wait For It Stay Alive Ten Duel Commandments Meet Me Inside That Would Be Enough Guns and Ships History Has Its Eyes On You Yorktown (The World Was Turned Upside Down) What Comes Next? Dear Theodosia? Non-Stop What'd I Miss? Cabinet Battle #1 Take a Break Say No To This The Room Where It Happens Schuyler Defeated Cabinet Battle #2 Washington On Your Side One Last Time I Know Him The Adams Administration We Know Hurricane The Reynolds Pamphlet Burn Blow Us All Away Stay Alive (Reprise) It's Quiet Uptown The Election of 1800 Your Obedient Servant Best of Wives and Best of Women The World Was Wide EnoughSo my novel’s free through the end of April. For those of you who have supported me and read After The Fires Went Out: Coyote (I really appreciate it) and want a little more of Baptiste and his band of misfits, I’m looking for some beta readers to take a look at Book Two: Shards. Please email me if you’re interested, or if you are an influencer/blackmailer who can get me critiques from John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, or Snooki. What’s special about today’s free fiction? Written Written – Flash @365 tomorrows: “Behavior Modification” by Patricia Stewart [Science Fiction Flash] “Behavior Modification” by Patricia Stewart @Every Day Fiction: “Dark Meat” by Chris Antenen [Horror Flash] Written – Serialized @HiLobrow: Goslings by J.D. Beresford – Chapter 21 [Post-apocalyptic Novel – from 1913] Audio Free eBooks Excerpts @Tor: Excerpt from From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón [Icelandic Saga]Beirut: The Syrian army said on Tuesday it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone in Syria after an Israeli attack on a Syrian army position in southern Syria, state media reported. The state-run SANA news agency said the warplane had attacked an army position at 1am on Tuesday in the countryside of Syria's southern Quneitra province. It and a drone were then shot down. A Druze man watches fighting between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels in the Syrian village of Jubata al-Khashab from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday. Credit:AP The Israeli military categorically denied a claim by the Syrians that they had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone. Israeli aircraft attacked targets in Syria on Tuesday, hours after a stray mortar bomb from fighting among factions in Syria struck the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.I keep hearing Joe Scarborough go off on how the great unwritten story of this election season is how far left the Democratic Party has moved—a drum he’s been beating for months now. The idea, I suppose, is that this will be the Democratic Achilles’ heel this fall; that the whole topic is one huge Drudge siren that no one has bothered to look or listen for because everyone is so fixated on the Republican chaos. Nonsense. To the extent that the Democratic Party has moved left, it’s mostly as a consequence of following, not leading, public opinion. So if the Democratic Party is left wing, then the American people are too. Let’s start with some of Bernie Sanders’s positions. Sanders is in all likelihood not going to be the nominee, but a reasonably high percentage of rank-and-file Democrats support him (although not that high—remember that much of his support is from independents). So what are the main things he’s saying? 1. That the system is rigged in favor of the 1 percent. That’s not left wing, that’s just a statement of the obvious. Everyone agrees with that; not least the 1 percent themselves, who are investing billions of dollars in this election in the hope that things stay that way. Anyway, for those who need such things, here’s a poll result from this month. Is the system rigged? Saying yes, 85 percent. Saying no, 4 percent. Supporting the GOP position that the 1 percent needs more tax breaks so they can trickle it down to the rest of us? Well, they didn’t even ask that one. 2. That Citizens United is corrupt and should be overturned. Here, the Sanders position (really the Democratic Party position, since virtually the whole party holds it) doesn’t fare as well. I mean, only 78 percent of America thinks Citizens United was a bad decision; 17 percent take the Republican view that it was well decided. 3. That the minimum wage should be $15 an hour. Here’s one poll of many showing high support for that—63 percent. Also, 82 percent support indexing it to inflation. The Republican position that any increase is a job killer isn’t even asked, but based on those who “strongly” oppose an increase, it would seem to be a view held by around 10 percent of Americans. 4. Free college tuition. This one’s tighter, but even here, a poll last year showed people supporting it by 46-41 percent. That same poll showed more generally that people agreed with the idea, much more broadly reflective of the position of the Democratic Party, that no one should have to go into debt to attend a public university, by 62 to 29 percent. Radicals! 5. Free health care. This does less well, but still wins a plurality of 39-33, with the rest undecided. Again, Bernie Sanders isn’t a Democrat, the Democratic Party isn’t going to be nominating him. But I use his positions because generally speaking they’re to the left of Hillary Clinton’s, and large majorities and pluralities support even them. Levels of support for Clinton’s versions of the above policies run higher. For example, she gets attacked from the left for saying the minimum wage could be $12 in rural and less expensive areas. Well, fully 75 percent support that, 12 points higher than the 63 percent who back a $15 minimum. What about some of Clinton’s signature proposals? Paid family leave, is that radical? If so, 185 countries are left wing. Chad—Chad—gives mothers 14 weeks, paid at 100 percent! As for the polls, 79 percent of America is irresponsibly left wing on this question. I could go on and on. I don’t want to turn the whole column into the March of the Poll Numbers. But OK, here’s one more. Marijuana legalization—maybe that’s radical? I mean, after all, it’s drugs. Nope, sorry; 58 percent support legalizing pot. The story is the same on same-sex marriage, contraceptive rights, and a whole bushelful of things. Here’s what I’m getting at: The Democrats’ new positions look radical if you can only look at the world through a Beltway-specific, and indeed Capitol Hill-specific, lens. Because if Congress is what you see when you see America, then you see a place where roughly half—no, more than half—of the people think that raising the minimum wage is radical, or that health care is a privilege you have to earn, or that climate change is a fantasy (or a Chinese conspiracy, as Donald Trump has been telling it), or that everyone up to and including schoolteachers ought to carry loaded guns. Out in the real country, only crackpots think these things. As I’ve shown above, 70 percent of Americans agree with these non-left-wing, common sense positions. But the crackpot community is dramatically overrepresented in Washington and skews the way all these things are discussed and described on shows like Morning Joe. So no, these positions aren’t radical. Or come to think of it, if they are, then it is because the American middle class has been somewhat radicalized. After the meltdown and the good-but-not-good-enough recovery, the people in the middle, making from $35,000 to $70,000 or thereabouts, said “We’ve had it.” They’ve spent 35 years treading water, watching the rich have a party while listening to politicians tell them that the money for their needs just wasn’t there. They’re sick of it. There’s a lot about Sanders I’m not crazy about, but it’s obvious why he’s struck such a nerve. And this fall, Clinton can’t succumb to this “radical Democratic Party” frame for a second. It’s not radical to tell the 1 percent the party’s over. It’s radical—in the other, malevolent direction—not to.Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site. 'Friends' star Matthew Perry to speak at Penn Students can purchase $5 tickets on Locust Walk or online Matthew Perry will discuss his career and struggles with drug addiction. Matthew Perry, the former “Friends” star, is coming to Penn as the Social Planning and Events Committee’s fall Connaissance speaker. His talk — to be held November 6 at 8 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium — will center around his experience with addiction. Perry, who played Chandler Bing on “Friends,” struggled on and off with drug and alcohol abuse during his 10 years on the show and entered rehab twice during filming. SPEC coordinators hope that Perry’s story will influence the way Penn students view their own substance usage. “He definitely will talk about his personal experience with drug use and addiction and sobriety and the things he’s been doing to help and what to do about a problem like this,” SPEC Connaissance co-director and College junior Jason Fernandes said. This marks the first time that a Connaissance speaker’s talk will have a theme. Fernandes said, in choosing Perry, the committee discussed issues facing the Penn community, noting that college culture tends to encourage excessive drinking. “One of the issues we think is really important and not talked about a lot on a college campus is binge drinking and alcoholism,” Fernandes said. “They’re often ignored because it’s part of college life.” Aside from his personal experiences with addiction, Perry will also talk about his career, and a significant portion of the event will be devoted to audience question and answer. Students are excited not only to listen to Perry’s experiences but to see a beloved television actor. “I can’t wait to see Chandler Bing in person,” Engineering and Wharton sophomore Monica Wojciechowski said. “‘Friends’ is always my go-to show when I want to laugh.” “’Friends’ is such a classic show, and [Matthew Perry] was a main reason that I watched the show,” Wharton sophomore Tom Pitt said. “His combination of sarcasm and wit made me laugh more than any other character.” In the past, SPEC has brought celebrities such as Jason Sudeikis, Arianna Huffington and James Franco to speak at Penn. Tickets cost $5 and will be available online Friday. Students can also buy tickets on Locust Walk starting on Oct. 28. PennConnects Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.Java inside docker: What you must know to not FAIL Many developers are (or should be) aware that Java processes running inside Linux containers (docker, rkt, runC, lxcfs, etc) don’t behave as expected when we let the JVM ergonomics set the default values for the garbage collector, heap size, and runtime compiler. When we execute a Java application without any tuning parameter like “java -jar mypplication-fat.jar”, the JVM will adjust by itself several parameters to have the best performance in the execution environment. This blog post takes a straightforward approach to show developers what they should know when packaging their Java applications inside Linux containers. We tend to think that containers are just like Virtual Machines where we can completely define a number of virtual CPUs and virtual memory. Containers are more similar to isolation mechanisms where the resources (CPU, memory, filesystem, network, etc.) for one process are isolated from another. This isolation is possible due to a Linux kernel feature called cgroups. However, some applications that collect information from the execution environment have been implemented before the existence of cgroups. Tools like ‘top‘, ‘free‘, ‘ps‘, and even the JVM is not optimized for executing inside a container, a highly-constrained Linux process. Let’s check it out. The problem For demonstration purposes, I’ve created a docker daemon in a virtual machine with 1GB of RAM using “docker-machine create -d virtualbox –virtualbox-memory ‘1024’ docker1024”. Next, I executed the command “free -h” in three different Linux distributions running in a container with 100MB of RAM and Swap as a limit. The result is that all of them show 995MB of total memory. Even in a Kubernetes/OpenShift cluster, the result is similar. I’ve executed a Kubernetes Pod with a memory limit of 512MB (using the command “kubectl run mycentos –image=centos -it –limits=’memory=512Mi'”) in a cluster with 15GB of RAM and the total memory shown was 14GB. To understand why this happen, I suggest that you read the blog post “Memory inside Linux containers – Or why don’t free and top work in a Linux container?” from my fellow Brazilian compatriot, Fabio Kung. We need to understand that the docker switches (-m, –memory and –memory-swap) and the kubernetes switch (–limits) instruct the Linux kernel to kill the process if it tries to exceed the specified limit, but the JVM is completely unaware of the limits and when it exceeds the limits, bad things happen! To simulate the process being killed after exceeding the specified memory limit, we can execute the WildFly Application Server in a container with 50MB of memory limit through the command “docker run -it –name mywildfly -m=50m jboss/wildfly”. During the execution of this container, we could execute “docker stats” to check the container limit. But after some seconds, the Wildfly container execution will be interrupted and print a message: * JBossAS process (55) received KILL signal *** The command “docker inspect mywildfly -f ‘{{json.State}}'” shows that this container has been killed because of an OOM (Out of Memory) situation. Note the OOMKilled=true in the container “state”. How this affects Java applications? On the docker daemon running on a machine with 1GB of RAM (previously created with “docker-machine create -d virtualbox –virtualbox-memory ‘1024’ docker1024”) but having the container memory restricted to 150 megabytes, which seems to be enough for this Spring Boot application, a java application has been started with the parameter -XX:+PrintFlagsFinal defined in the Dockerfile. This parameter allow us to read the initial JVM ergonomics parameters. Let’s try it: $ docker run -it --rm --name mycontainer150 -p 8080:8080 -m 150M rafabene/java-container:openjdk I have prepared an endpoint at “/api/memory/” that loads the JVM memory with String objects to simulate operations that consume a lot of memory. Let’s invoke it once: $ curl http://`docker-machine ip docker1024`:8080/api/memory This endpoint will reply with something like “Allocated more than 80% (219.8 MiB) of the max allowed JVM memory size (241.7 MiB)” Here we can extract at least two questions: Why is the JVM maximum allowed memory 241.7 MiB? If this container restricts the memory to 150MB, why does it allow Java to allocate almost 220MB? First, we need to recall what the JVM 9 ergonomic page says about “maximum heap size”. It says that it will be 1/4 of the physical memory. Since the JVM doesn’t know that it’s executing inside a container, it will allow the maximum heap size to be close to 260MB. Given that we added the flag -XX:+PrintFlagsFinal during the initialization of the container, we can check this value: $ docker logs mycontainer150\|grep -i MaxHeapSize uintx MaxHeapSize := 262144000 {product} Second, we need to understand that when we use the parameter “-m 150M” in the docker command line, the docker daemon will limit 150M in the RAM and 150M in the Swap. As a result, the process can allocate the 300M and it explains why our process didn’t receive any kill from the Kernel. More combinations between the memory limit (–memory) and swap (–memory-swap) in docker command line can be found here. Free Microservices book for Java developers A hands-on introduction to Frameworks and Containers, this entire O'Reilly book by Christian Posta explores immutable delivery and how to deploy and manage Microservices. DOWNLOAD NOW Is more memory the solution? Developers that don’t understand the problem, tend to think that the environment doesn’t provide enough memory for the execution of the JVM. A frequent solution is to provision an environment with more memory, but it will, in fact, make things worse. Let’s suppose that we change our daemon from 1GB to 8GB (created with “docker-machine create -d virtualbox –virtualbox-memory ‘8192’ docker8192”), and our container from 150M to 600M: $ docker run -it --name mycontainer -p 8080:8080 -m 600M rafabene/java-container:openjdk Note that the command “curl http://`docker-machine ip docker8192`:8080/api/memory” doesn’t even complete this time because the calculated MaxHeapSize for the JVM in an 8GB environment is 2092957696 bytes (~ 2GB). Check with “docker logs mycontainer\|grep -i MaxHeapSize” by yourself. The application will try to allocate more than 1.2GB of memory, which is more than the limit of this container (600MB in RAM + 600MB in Swap) and the process will be killed. It’s clear that increasing the memory and letting the JVM set its own parameters is not always a good idea when running inside containers. When running a Java application inside containers, we should set the maximum heap size (-Xmx parameter) ourselves based on the application needs and the container limits. What is the solution? A slight change in the Dockerfile allows the user to specify an environment variable that defines extra parameters for the JVM. Check the following line: CMD java -XX:+PrintFlagsFinal $JAVA_OPTIONS -jar java-container.jar Now we can use the JAVA_OPTIONS environment variable to inform the size of the JVM Heap. 300MB seems to be enough for this application. Later you can check the logs and get the value of 314572800 bytes ( 300MBi) For docker, you can specify the environment variable using the “-e” switch. $ docker run -d --name mycontainer8g -p 8080:8080 -m 600M -e JAVA_OPTIONS='-Xmx300m' rafabene/java-container:openjdk-env $ docker logs mycontainer8g\|grep -i MaxHeapSize uintx MaxHeapSize := 314572800 {product} In Kubernetes you can set the environment variable using the switch “–env=[key=value]”: $ kubectl run mycontainer --image=rafabene/java-container:openjdk-env --limits='memory=600Mi' --env="JAVA_OPTIONS=-Xmx300m" $ kubectl logs $(kubectl get pods\|grep mycontainer\|awk '{ print $1 }'\|head -1)\|grep MaxHeapSize uintx MaxHeapSize := 314572800 {product} Can it get better? What if the value of the Heap could be calculated based on the container restriction automatically? This is actually possible if you use a base Docker image provided by the Fabric8 community. The image fabric8/java-jboss-openjdk8-jdk uses a script that calculates the container restriction and uses 50% of the available memory as an upper boundary. Note that this memory ratio of 50% can be overwritten. You can also use this image to enable/disable debugging, diagnostics, and much more. Let’s see how a Dockerfile for this Spring Boot application looks like: FROM fabric8/java-jboss-openjdk8-jdk:1.4.0 ENV JAVA_APP_JAR java-container.jar ENV AB_OFF true EXPOSE 8080 ADD target/$JAVA_APP_JAR /deployments/ Done! Now, no matter what the container memory limit is, our Java application will always adjust the heap size according to the container and not according to the daemon. Updated on March 15th 2018 From JDK 8u131+ and JDK 9, there’s an experimental VM option that allows the JVM ergonomics to read the memory values from CGgroups. To enable it on, you must explicit set the parameters -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions and -XX:+UseCGroupMemoryLimitForHeap on the JVM. You can see it in action on the following Dockerfile. Let’s see how this option behaves. Execute: $ docker run -d --name mycontainer8g-jdk9 -p 8080:8080 -m 600M rafabene/java-container:openjdk-cgroup $ docker logs mycontainer8g-jdk9\|grep MaxHeapSize size_t MaxHeapSize = 157286400 {product} {ergonomic} The JVM read that the container is limited to 600M and created a JVM with maximum heap size of ~150MB. Exactly 1/4 of the container memory as defined in the JDK ergonomic page. You can also read more about OpenJDK and containers on the excellent blog post from Christine Flood: https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2017/04/04/openjdk-and-containers/#more-433899 Updated on April 21st 2018 Java 10 was released and it now has all the improvements needed to run inside a container. Because of these improvements, the flags -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions and -XX:+UseCGroupMemoryLimitForHeap aren’t needed anymore. In fact, you try to execute the JDK 10 with those parameters enabled, you will see the following warning: “Option UseCGroupMemoryLimitForHeap was deprecated in version 10.0 and will likely be removed in a future release.” Because of that, the Dockerfile for JDK10 doesn’t need any extra flags, and/or even any manual and special ergonomics configuration. Execute the application using the JDK 10 image: $ docker run -it --name mycontainer -p 8080:8080 -m 600M rafabene/java-container:openjdk10 Note that the command “curl http://`docker-machine ip docker8192`:8080/api/memory” doesn’t fail anymore and you see the following message “Allocated more than 80% (145.0 MiB) of the max allowed JVM memory size (145.0 MiB)%”. 145MB is 1/4 of the 600M limits that we defined for this container. Conclusion The Java JVM until now doesn’t didn’t provide support to understand that it ‘s was running inside a container and that it has some resources like those that are memory and CPU restricted. Because of that, you can’t couldn’t let the JVM ergonomics take the decision by itself regarding the maximum heap size. One way to solve this problem is using the Fabric8 Base image that is capable of understanding that it is running inside a restricted container and it will automatically adjust the maximum heap size if you haven’t done it yourself. Another solution is to use an experimental option that can be enabled through the parameter -XX:+UseCGroupMemoryLimitForHeap that has been included in JDK8u131 and JDK9 to support cgroup memory limits in container (i.e. Docker) environments. This blog post covers how the JVM blows up from the memory perspective. To continue following me in the research about the JVM behavior regarding the CPU in a future blog post, register now in the Red Hat Developers Program. Download the CDK and give these options a try yourself. About the author: Rafael Benevides is a Director of Developer Experience at Red Hat. In his current role, he helps developers worldwide to be more effective in software development, and he also promotes tools and practices that help them to be more productive. He worked in several fields including application architecture and design. Besides that, he is a member of Apache DeltaSpike PMC – a Duke’s Choice Award winner project. And a speaker in conferences like JUDCon, TDC, JavaOne, and Devoxx. Twitter \| LinkedIn \| rafabene.com Whether you are new to Containers or have experience, this cheat sheet can assist you when encountering tasks you haven’t done lately. Join the Red Hat Developer Program (it’s free) and get access to related cheat sheets, books, and product downloads.If you were thinking that a high-end handset or a Nexus would be the first device to get the Android 5.0 update, guess again: as far as we can tell, the $179 second-generation Moto G is the first phone to receive a final version of the update. Other phones, including the second-generation Moto X and the LG G3, have made steps toward a Lollipop update, but the Moto G appears to be the first device to move beyond the testing phase. Our unlocked US version of the phone is downloading its 386.7MB Lollipop update now. Motorola's "Moto" phones are known for their relatively clean, "stock" versions of Android, and as such the official release notes for the Moto G's Lollipop update focus mostly on things that will be coming to all Moto and Nexus phones that will get Lollipop. High on the list are the new "Material Design" UI, lock screen notifications, multi-user support (brand-new to phones, though it was introduced to Android tablets in version 4.2), and the "Project Volta" battery life enhancements. As of this writing, this update only appears to be rolling out to the larger, second-generation Moto G. Even though the internal hardware is substantially identical, there are no updates available for our first-generation model from late 2013. Expect other Moto phones and the supported members of the Nexus family to begin getting their Lollipop update in the coming days. Our coverage, including our full Lollipop review and several pieces revisiting older devices running Lollipop, will continue as those updates roll out. Update: A Motorola blog post says the update is going out for the unlocked "Pure Edition" of the 2014 Moto X too. Carrier-locked versions will follow afterward.I’m not entirely sure, but this could be the figure I’ve been waiting for my whole life. Yeah…I know I say that a lot, but this time I totally mean it. I’m talking about Diamond Select’s Marvel Select Avenging Hawkeye. Don’t let the name fool ya. It’s totally based on the Clint Barton you know and love from 2012’s Marvel Now! initiative. Yes…I’m talking the Hawkeye based on writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja’s stellar (and award-winning) run on Hawkeye. The attention to detail on this figure is pretty impressive. But, that shouldn’t be too surprising if you’re familiar with DST’s 7-inch scale Select line at all. From the beat up folds in his fatigues (and t-shirt), to the multiple arrows in both quivers, DST’s level of detail really gives the figure a realistic feel. Clint’s wicked articulate, too. He’s got that nice ball joint shoulder/pivot joint bicep combination, so he can reach over his shoulder to grab an arrow. DST also set him up with double hinged knees and a pivot in his feet to make his poses that much more dynamic, and arrow-shooting friendly. What I like about DST’s Select figures, though, are the amount of accessories they’re packed with. Avenging Hawkeye comes with a nice selection of stuff; an alternate hand, gun, bow and 6 arrows. He also comes with an alternate head with a bandaged, beat up face. I much prefer the bandaged face head, to the head with the purple sunglasses. There’s something about it that’s a bit off. I think the lens are just too far apart. He looks a bit too Neo-ish for my liking. But no fuss no muss for me. Just pop off the head and put on the bandaged one. What really makes the figure, though? Clint’s “adopted” dog, Lucky (aka Arrow, aka the Pizza dog). Right from the pages of the book, Lucky saved Clint’s life, took one heckuva beating from his former owner (a member of the Tracksuit Mafia, bro) and Hawkeye returned that favor by saving Pizza dog’s life, rushing him to the vet. After multiple surgeries, Lucky eventually pulled through and has been forever immortalized in plastic. Lucky isn’t articulate or anything, but it’s a really nice touch by Diamond Select. There really isn’t much not to like about this figure. If I’m being nitpicky, I might’ve preferred Clint in his more casual attire, wearing his purple chucks. But, this is as good of an homage to Fraction’s Hawkeye as we’re
of hard hats to the White House. The riot was extreme. But the combustible mix of resentments and prerogatives that it channeled has resurfaced time and again for half a century. In the spring of 1995, months after a midterm election in which “angry white males” were credited with powering Republicans to a historic victory in Congress, President Bill Clinton said that it was a psychologically difficult moment “for a lot of white males — the so-called angry white male.” The angry white males who vexed Clinton in the 1990s were muted during the presidency of George W. Bush. But for some, the psychological adjustment to empowered women and a more diverse citizenry never did arrive. Under Bush’s Democratic successor, the angry white guys promptly reappeared, recast as the Tea Party, to wage a culture war under the guise of a tax protest. [np_storybar title=”Read & Debate” link=””] Find Full Comment on Facebook [/np_storybar] The flowering of Donald Trump’s campaign this summer arguably represents the political peak of the angry white male. In Trump, the aggravated and aggrieved have a presidential candidate who speaks their language and openly validates their resentments. They also have a candidate at risk of a decisive defeat — one with the potential to dislodge the angry white male from the center of American politics. Change is coming. A study by the union-backed Economic Policy Institute predicts that the American working class will be majority nonwhite by 2032 — a decade earlier than the population as a whole. But with a disastrous, divisive showing in November, Trump could begin to usher the angry white male off center stage. Democracy Corps, a project of Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg and consultant James Carville, both of whom are longtime students of white working-class voters, released a memo this week that is remarkably incautious about the 2016 election, stating that “America is about to experience a once-in-a-lifetime earthquake of an election.” Hillary Clinton is beginning to emerge with the kind of lead you would expect in a country where over 60 percent of the electorate will be racial minorities, single women, millennials, and seculars and where the positive sentiment about the Democratic Party is 9 points higher than for the Republicans. If Greenberg and Carville prove to be correct, perhaps those white male voters can continue to dominate a few more midterm elections, when the electorate is older and whiter than during presidential years. But in the event of a Trump fiasco in November, Republicans will be looking for answers to a demographic problem for which none of the answers is “white male.” Even if the party freezes in place, incapable of making necessary changes, or fractures altogether, the result will be a diminished GOP, not a restoration of white male power. And if the party finally begins diversifying its coalition, white males will have to learn to share the big tent. Trump’s racially polarizing campaign, and celebration of crude machismo, will make that more difficult. But no matter the course Republican politics takes, it’s hard to see how angry white males can remain the party’s abiding focus. Growing constituencies will need care and feeding. The half-century masculine scream that began with a hard-hat riot may finally begin to fade under the administration of the first woman president. Bloomberg ViewAdvertisement Right now, somewhere in the world, a sunrise or sunset is painting the sky a majestic red And the chances are a smartphone is capturing that moment and uploading it to Instagram. Now, you can see all of these sunrises and sunsets in real-time using an interactive ‘All Our Yesterdays’ map. Hover over the map below to see a sunset in your area The global map, created by designer Michelle Chandra, places a marker for Instagram users’ #sunrise and #sunset tags from the past 24 hours. ‘We live in a world that follows a fixed idea of time, a standard synchronised time held in place by time zones, clocks, and calendars,’ Chandra writes on her website. ‘Instagram users reveal a different idea of time, a richly textured irregular time in which the setting sun and end of the day for one individual is the beginning of the day for another, a never-ending loop.’ The larger the bright dot on the zoomable map, the closer to the moment of the actual event. Hover over the map below to see a sunrise in your area 'Instagram users who chase the sun with their cameras testify to the sun’s ceaseless grip on our lives,' says Chandra. On a separate map, she plots dark circles of all sunsets and sunrises uploaded from the past day Some of the best images from the map posted on the May 3. The map automatically updates to include the latest Instagram shots WHY MARS' SUNSETS ARE BLUE AND EARTH'S ARE RED While much of the surface of Mars is a deep red colour, sunsets on the planet are blue. This is because the red dust in the atmosphere filters out much of the red light from the sun. As the sun dips lower in the sky, its light has to travel through the lower layers of the atmosphere where the dust is thicker. On Earth our own atmosphere scatters blue light creating the red and orange shades that light up the sky at sun down. A search bar in the upper right corner can look up a certain location and users can also zoom in on photographs taken of a city or landmark. Users can then hover over the dots to see the photograph captured. Chandra found that Instagram users tend to upload photos of the sunset within four hours of the sun setting. But when it comes to a sunrise, many Instagram users wait until the end of the day to reminisce on how it started. On a separate map, Chandra plots dark circles of all sunsets and sunrises uploaded from the past day. A third map reveals when two people are posting at the same time, with one updating the beginning and the other seeing the end of a day. Chandra says the project reveals how our social networks can show the reality of time as a never-ending loop. ‘Our absolute ideas of a fixed quantified time cannot escape the irregular rhythms of the cosmic world we call home,’ Chandra says. ‘Instagram users who chase the sun with their cameras testify to the sun’s ceaseless grip on our lives.’ Chandra says the project reveals how our social networks can show the reality of time as a never-ending loop A search bar in the upper right corner can look up a certain location and users can also zoom in on photographs taken of a city or landmark. Users can then hover over the dots to see the photograph captured. Pictured is a spread of the world's sunrises on Instagram Instagram uploads hashtaged #sunrise (yellow) and #sunset (red). This map shows the sunsets across the US posted on Instagram today Chandra found that Instagram users tend to upload photos of the sunset within four hours of the sun setting. But when it comes to a sunrise, many Instagram users wait until the end of the day to reminisce on how it startedLudwigsburg / Andreas Lukesch Mit seinem Solostück „Ich, Judas“ füllt der Schauspieler Ben Becker derzeit die Veranstaltungshäuser der Republik. Am Mittwochabend war das Ludwigsburger Forum eine Station seiner Tour. Dort allerdings tat sich der Künstler nicht nur durch seine herausragende Interpretation des Judas hervor, sondern mit einem aggressiven Zwischenfall, der die BZ-Redaktion veranlasst hat, an dieser Stelle keine Rezension zu bringen, sondern über einen Ausraster des Schauspielers vor voll besetztem Saal gegenüber BZ-Fotograf Martin Kalb zu berichten. Von der Bühne durch den Saal Das war nach der Schilderung Kalbs geschehen: Noch bevor die Lesung Fahrt aufgenommen hatte, entdeckte Ben Becker die Pressefotografen, die sich in einiger Entfernung zur Bühne positioniert hatten. Unvermittelt verließ er die Bühne und lief angeblich mit den Worten „Dich kriege ich“ auf die Fotografen zu, entriss Martin Kalb die Kamera, schlug ihm mit dem Ellenbogen ins Gesicht und verletzte ihn leicht. Danach setzte er seinen Monolog auf der Bühne fort. Zuschauer und Fotografen-Kollegen anderer Tageszeitungen wurden Zeugen des Zwischenfalls. Zum Abschluss der Veranstaltung ging Becker selbst noch einmal auf den Vorfall ein, prophezeite, dass sein Übergriff Folgen haben werde und bedankte sich beim Publikum. Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass Ben Becker mit Ausrastern in die Schlagzeilen gerät. 2012 zeigte er Fotografen bei den Salzburger Festspielen den Mittelfinger und musste bei einer Festveranstaltung von der Security nach draußen befördert werden. 2011 griff Becker im Wiener Museumsquartier den Regisseur Stephan Pfister tätlich an. Entschuldigung Hintergrund diesmal war wohl das „störende Klickklick“ der Fotoapparate und dass Becker der Auffassung war, dass während der Veranstaltung keine Pressefotos von ihm hätten gemacht werden dürfen. Diese Annahme ist falsch. Der BZ liegt eine schriftliche Genehmigung des Veranstalters „SBEntertainment“ aus Metzingen vor, nach der, wie bei solchen Veranstaltungen üblich, in den ersten zehn Minuten ohne Blitz Fotos für Medien angefertigt werden dürfen. So wird bei den meisten Kulturveranstaltungen nicht nur im Forum verfahren. Der Geschäftsführer von „SBEntertainment“, Stefan Buck, war ebenfalls Augenzeuge des Vorfalls. Er bestätigte, dass sich die Fotografen korrekt verhalten hätten, bedauerte den Vorfall und entschuldigte sich am Donnerstags ausdrücklich für das Verhalten Beckers, wollte aber weiter nichts zu dem Vorfall sagen. Ben Beckers Agentur „meistersinger“ in Berlin hat auf eine Anfrage der BZ nicht reagiert. Vor allem die Boulevardpresse zeigte am Freitag reges Interesse am Geschehen in Ludwigsburg. Die BZ Berlin berichtet unter Berufung auf die Bietigheimer Zeitung unter der Überschrift „Ausgerastet! Ben Becker greift Fotografen an“. In der Bild hieß es nach einem Gespräch mit BZ-Chefredakteur Andreas Lukesch: „ Ben Becker soll Fotografen geschlagen haben“. Aufgegriffen wurde das Thema darüber hinaus von der FAZ, dem SWR und dem privaten Fernsehsender RTL. Und Ben Becker? Von ihm gab es bis Freitag keine Reaktion. Verschiedene Medien hatten um eine Stellungnahme gebeten. Die Bietigheimer Zeitung hatte bereits am Donnerstag die Agentur Beckers vergeblich kontaktiert. Gegen Ben Becker ist vom BZ-Fotografen inzwischen Anzeige erstattet worden. Die Polizei Ludwigsburg bitten Zeugen, sich bei der Dienststelle in Ludwigsburg, Telefon (07141) 18 53 53, zu melden.Once in a lifetime you meet an indomitable spirit who just by its touch changes your perspective about everything. One such person I met during our Livin’ Life The Yoga Way – Interview series was a 90 year old Yogini, Phyllis Sues. Initially, it was this huge number that intrigued me to know her further. But, as I did, I realized, age is seriously just another number. It might seem like an exaggeration, but I could really feel her power, and the fire she had within. Her inspiration is probably her sister, who is 96 and practices chair yoga, swims every day, has had 2 hip replacements and walks free of cane or walker. And after learning about them, our team too was as inspired as it was in awe of these two strong women. Quite obviously, we bombarded her with questions, but a yogini that she is, she replied to each with both patience and excitement. The following are the excerpts from her interview. Read on and you’ll know why we love her so much. 1. Describe me your first tryst with yoga. Was it repelling, rejuvenating, taxing or motivating? Phyllis: In my first yoga class at the YMCA, I was OK until I heard the word handstands. I don’t think so!! But then the yogi next to me said, “Shall I spot you?” I soon found out it meant ‘kick up’ and with that, I was in a handstand with a little help. I asked the yogi how long before you balanced in that handstand “6 years!” Well it’s 6 years and I will not give up. Maybe next year! In my world anything and everything is possible. 2. With only 5 years into yoga and decades of life’s experience, how has yoga changed your perspective? Phyllis: Yoga has given me the assurance that I can do anything that requires strength, power, elasticity and balance within reason and for all the years ahead. April 4th is my 91st Birthday. It’s just a number. Yoga has become the building block of my life. 3. I am curious as to why you didn’t take up yoga any earlier? Phyllis: I was practicing Argentine Tango and needed additional balance and strength. I’m basically a ballet dancer since age 14 and always poo-pooed yoga as ‘unnecessary’. How wrong I was and how lucky I am, that I found this amazing physical and spiritual practice. My energy is endless. I was born with this enormous energy and it only grows and continues to amaze me. Let me tell you, after beginning her first ballet lesson at a tender age of 14, she has been performing for USO tour (Air Corps). During the 1940s, she performed in five long-run Broadway shows and also danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. After moving to LA, with former late husband, Alan Sues, Phyllis started designing her own line of women’s high fashion sportswear. Her company ran for 22 years, under her own label. Isn’t that incredible?! 4. I see a very optimistic and happy, fiery streak in this brave attempt. And would love to know about your future adventures. Phyllis: I guess you’d say these are the twilight years of my life, but I say they are the best and unexpected years of my life. My plans are to find out how much further I can take this body. Within this plan is definitely constant yoga practice, constant tango, 3 minutes of jump rope and anything else I can come up with. 5. I’m sure you advise everyone to go for yoga. But at what age should one take up this practice? Phyllis: If I can give yoga a try at 85, why not everyone at any age? I will never have a hip replacement. I have Arthritis in my knees, but because of yoga I can do squats and jump rope. I have a ruptured bicep, but I can do 10 push ups every day because of yoga. Jump rope challenges my stamina, yoga challenges my balance and power. Personally yoga is like a magnet with so many gifts—elasticity, balance, power, and silence. 6. Tell us something about your yoga practice. Phyllis: My yoga practice, when I wake up, takes place in my bedroom. My yoga class is in a wonderful sunlit studio. I worship my yoga teacher, Anthony Benenati. After a light breakfast an hour and a half yoga class, now I’m ready for a tango lesson, after which a light lunch and a little nap. Then a rapid hike with my best friend Nicko (a standard poodle). Skydiving and trapeze challenges my fear of heights, and my hike with Nicko challenges my speed. Not only did Phyllis learn to Tango at 83, she also composed and produced her own music. Phyllis brought together an extraordinary group of musicians including, Pablo Motta, Coco Trivisonno, Ronnie Manaog, Marcello Caceras and Chris Trujillo, and at 87, produced six beautiful Tangos and debuted her CD “Tango Insomnia.” Phyllis also produced a Jazz CD entitled, “Scenes of Passion” which she also performs on piano and sings vocals with Scarlet Rouge. 7. What is your advice to our readers? Phyllis: If you want to have a rich, productive, glorious life, physically and mentally, practice yoga. I practice yoga at home and in class 6 times a week and Sunday, I practice by myself. It is the most rewarding exercise and I dislike using that word, because it is not an exercise, it’s a way of life. Once you take a yoga class, if you didn’t continue, it would be your loss. If you haven’t taken a class yet. Go for it! You will thank both me and yoga. Living is not an easy exercise, but if you want a good journey, the best way to enjoy it is to listen, move and learn. It’s a full time job. If you practice yoga, you will never have a hip replacement. I’m not a doctor, just a healthy yogi at 91 years. I do splits, headstands, peacock and someday a handstand solo. Try 3 minutes of jump rope before you do yoga. The combination is dynamite Don’t believe me? Try it and live! Amazing! You are one of my favorite people, Phyllis. Now, at 90, Phyllis dances with her teacher and dance partner; performing in shows and competing. She is inspiring audiences and dancers nationwide. She is currently working on her new CD. Her music is available on iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon. In her spare time, she blogs for Huffington Post 50. “I do inspire my friends, but beyond that inspiration, it’s rare that they are brave enough to take up yoga. I say “Their loss!” They don’t realize that their aches and pains would disappear with yoga practice and joy would be their gain. This is my sixth year with yoga. For me it’s a way of life. I’ll be 91 in 2 weeks. It’s a meaningless number. I simply know how I feel. And in one word, it’s GREAT. If there is a future, my next challenge might be running and enter a marathon, why not? It’s just numbers.” ~ Phyllis Sues Also Read: 1. Hatha Yoga – The Yoga of Breathing 2. Initiate The A-ha Chain Of Moments – Interview With Alanna Zabel 3. Yoga Lingo for Dummies (A Beginner’s Guide to Jargon Free Yoga) Photo Credit: Cat DoranHere in Sweden there has been som cases with changing the Kingdom hall signs. In some congregation the elders went nuts, in others they were calm and more or less laughed obout it. But, someone probably discovered that it is possible to rearrange the letters in the word "Rikets sal" (Kingdom Hall) into "Skitarsle" ( direct translated "Sht-ahole", or freely translated: "ahole full of sht, an invective) Probably it were young boys doing this as a prank. But it has happened in a lot of towns, and got some media attention. Mostly humouristic coverage. A lot of peole had a good laugh about it. In the XJW-community the word "Skitarsle" is nowdays the common expression for those Kingdumb Hells. Some pics of "assho.....hmmm Kingdumb Halls with rearranged letters.OTTAWA—Newly elected Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was greeted with a standing ovation by his leadership rivals and party caucus Monday in a display of unity after a deeply split vote on the weekend. Scheer, the 38-year-old MP and former Commons Speaker, was elected with 50.95 per cent of ballots cast in a leadership race that saw 13 candidates vie for the top job, and a ballot contest that ran right up to the 13th count. Andrew Scheer addressed his first caucus meeting as Conservative party leader and delivered a message of unity. Scheer also outlined the party?s policy plans leading up to the 2019 federal election. On Monday, Scheer appealed for unity saying it’s the only way “we’ll defeat Justin Trudeau in 2019.” Scheer hailed the other leadership contenders, many of whom were in the room: Maxime Bernier, Erin O’Toole, Lisa Raitt, Mike Chong, Kellie Leitch, Steven Blaney, and Brad Trost among them. Canadians saw what the Conservative team could do “when we were competing against one another,” he said. “Now, imagine what we can do when we work together.” Article Continued Below “To Canadians across the country, there is renewed hope for Canada,” Scheer said in a speech that echoed his weekend victory address. “Because we know that the pain the Trudeau Liberals are causing Canadians is only temporary. Our team is united, positive and focused on delivering for everyday Canadians and their families in 2019.” Scheer, a dimple-cheeked father of five, got another standing ovation when he said how proud he was to have shared the national stage with his competitors. He singled out “my friend and colleague” Maxime Bernier, the presumed frontrunner whose libertarian platform had given him a lead through much of the vote count. Bernier had won the backing of television celebrity Kevin O’Leary after he dropped out before last week’s count. But it wasn’t enough to put Bernier over the top. He lost to Scheer at the last ballot. The Saskatchewan MP is now leader of the Opposition. Scheer clinched a victory in the 13th ballot against Quebec MP Maxime Bernier on Saturday night. ( Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) “Your bold campaign reignited the passions of Conservatives everywhere I’ve travelled,” said Scheer. “I thank you. We all thank you for what you’ve contributed, and I’m excited to work with you together on building that excitement.” At the morning caucus that was opened to television cameras and reporters, Scheer said he was “honoured” by his victory. He promised to be the standard-bearer for many longstanding Conservative planks, of low-taxes; support for families, “not connected Ottawa insiders,” and “conservative policies that will create prosperity.” Article Continued Below “The Liberals can take their cues from the cocktail circuit. We will take ours from the minivans, from the soccer fields, from the legion halls and the grocery stores.” He pledged to recommit Canada’s air force to the fight against Daesh, also known as ISIS; repeal the Liberals’ carbon tax, and protect free speech on campuses using the threat of de-funding universities. Read more: Former House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer has narrowly edged out Maxime Bernier to become federal Conservative leader. In his victory speech Saturday, Scheer accused Justin Trudeau of being more focused on?selfies? than policies. Read more: Social conservative candidates got strong support from Toronto suburbs, leadership data says Scheer’s election as Conservative leader cheered by anti-abortion groups Andrew Scheer has his work cut out to prevent Trudeau rebuilding Quebec fortress: Hébert Scheer said the party’s funds are in good shape, and the caucus is united. This he credited to interim leader Rona Ambrose. He used a lot of the same lines from his weekend speeches, about having to fill Ambrose’s “very stylish” shoes. Before caucus, several of his rivals promised to work with him. “There’s victory when there’s unity,” said Erin O’Toole, who was widely considered the person along with Scheer who had a good shot at defeating Bernier in what he called a “nail-biter” vote. O’Toole said he is not concerned Scheer, whose personal views are pro-life, will allow MPs to bring forward debate on bills to reopen the abortion issue. Scheer has also said he would not allow government legislation to reopen the debate. “Parliament is for debate, it’s not for stifling it,” said O’Toole. “We shouldn’t be afraid of these issues coming up and I think Andrew has said he wants to lead by building consensus first and not by focusing on areas of division. I think that’s a smart approach.” MP Brad Trost, a social conservative and fellow Saskatchewan MP, said most of his supporters went to Scheer as their second choice. He said he now stands behind Scheer “110 per cent.... I trust Andrew and he has my full support.” Trost said he believes social-conservatives have a stronger voice after Scheer’s election, saying for now he is giving Scheer “some space and room” to work on party unity and policies. Trost said he personally will not put forward a pro-life private member’s bill in this parliament to reopen the abortion debate. He said he’d be supportive of any such bill, and he is confident that groups such as Campaign Life Coalition will look towards electing more pro-life MPs. MP Michelle Rempel later said the media was overly focused on what Scheer would do on the abortion issue. Andrew Scheer questioned the Trudeau government?s commitment to fighting terrorism during his first question period as Opposition leader. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan defended the government?s contributions to fighting extremists. “To be perfectly frank, that’s a narrative that you guys are trying to develop.... It was so interesting to see Stephen Harper tried to be painted one way or another for 10 years. When he said ‘we’re not reopening these debates,’ he meant it, and we ended up with a balanced budget and one of the strongest economies in the G7.” “I feel like this is grasping here,” said Rempel. MP Kellie Leitch, whose pitch to require face-to-face screening of all visitors, immigrants and refugees to Canada, failed to win much support, denied the vote showed a split in the party. She said Scheer won support from a wide range of backgrounds, including female MPs in the caucus. “He’s a young dynamic leader and I’m sure he’s going to do a great job.” “I think he’s going to make sure the party is united and strong for the 2019 election,” she said, adding she will run in the next election. Scheer supporter Mark Strahl was thrilled with the result and predicted the party would rally behind Scheer. “He ran on a unity platform and I think we’re going to see that today and going forward that caucus and the party will rally around him.” Read more about:TPM Reader JM not happy with McCain’s sleazy campaign … The sex ed ad is literally worse than the Willie Horton ad, because at least the Horton story was true. But the bill Obama supported actually did the reverse of what McCain claims – it didn’t mandate more sex ed for anybody, it tried to toughen up existing classes by teaching the risks of STDs. The bill didn’t glorify sex, it highlighted the dangers of sex. It’s the most old fashioned sex ed there is: scaring kids straight. So now even THAT is anti-family? Calling this “perverse” is a good first step, but the lie here deserves much, much more. It’s the disgusting act of a candidate who cares more about scaring people with lies than warning kids about the dangers of early sexual activity. Anyone who would oppose such warnings is an objective supporter of unprotected, unsafe underage sex. So throw back the slime with a truthful attack: It’s McCain who wants more unsafe teenage sex, McCain who wants more kids to get STDs, McCain who wants more young people to get HIV. McCain would rather win a political campaign than protect children from sexual diseases. That’s worse than shameful, worse than unpatriotic. That’s evil. TPM Reader WS has some more to add … Is everyone looking close enough at the McCain ad? I just watched the ad again. There is one picture of children, all of them white (I think – can you tell?) And the next image is of Obama, looking down and over his shoulder, with a smile on his face. But since when do campaign ads show your opponent smiling? It’s always a frown or a grimace, right? Not this time. What’s he smiling about? It’s not subtle. And it’s not an ad about sex education. A black man, sex, and children. I think this ad is more odious than is being acknowledged. Take another look at it! Couldn’t agree more. But let’s not be surprised. McCain is pure sleaze. Sound harsh? Sure. But any other interpretation of the man at this point amounts to willful obliviousness or an embrace of the fantasy that he somehow doesn’t know what his campaign is doing in his name. This is the race he’s decided to run. Now what do you do about it?TOKYO – Eight Japanese high school students were presumed dead after being caught in an avalanche Monday while being trained in mountain climbing at a ski resort, authorities and media said. The avalanche occurred in the town of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture, about 190 kilometres (120 miles) north of Tokyo. Forty other people were injured, including two who were in serious condition, the prefecture said. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said eight people were found with no vital signs, though they had not been formally confirmed dead by medical personnel. Japanese media said they were students who were participating in a three-day training program for members of mountaineering clubs from seven schools in the area. Heavy snow had fallen overnight, so a planned climb was cancelled and instead students were practicing moving through heavy snow as mountain survival training, public broadcaster NHK said. One unidentified student told NHK by telephone that there was a strong wind and he could see a white mass heading toward him. An instructor said to get down, and then everyone was engulfed, he said. Tochigi prefecture said 40 students and eight instructors were on the slope. Fourteen others in the group did not go out. The ski season had ended at the resort.Don’t panic! This was expected at this stage and it is only the beginning. If you are a European and feel passionate about this, please keep on reading and help! So what has happened so far … the Commission has drafted up a long overdue copyright reform. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2016_280 It contains a lot of good, and some bad: mainly Article 11 and 13. This was put forward as a whole to the European Parlament, where it was voted down on the 5th of July 2018 This meant, this will not go through the fast way, and will be subject to scrutiny and change. The Commission made some alterations https://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/2016_280 and put it forward again. If Parlament would have voted it down again, it probably would have meant back to the drawing board, but most people (including me) agree that Europe does need copyright reform, so on the second vote it passed the first step: So what happens now? This will now go into what is called the Trilogue, where Commission, Parlament and representatives of all national governments will sit together to make alterations until everybody is happy implementing the regulation. This means we can now influence this via our MEPs and our National Government! In countries that are red your government is likely to support Article 13. What to do now? There are a lot of organisations that organise actions against article 13. Check out their websites and get in touch with your MEP or local government and let them know you are unhappy about this. … and many many more, just google to find one in your country. Also, as @asthesea-breezehitsmylungs pointed out, a lot of people are not aware of this going on. So make them aware! Share the memes and point them to the petitions. And don’t just complain how shit this is, get in touch with your politicians!Apple’s new iOS 9 didn’t really change much from iOS 8, with the exception of a few tiny features like low-power mode, app thinning, a smarter caller ID, and a news app. While the small upgrades mean most iPhone users won’t have to learn anything new, they shouldn’t simply keep using their phones as if nothing’s changed. As Quartz noted, anyone who has upgraded should go through the new operating system and pay special attention to the “Settings.” Failure to do so could cost you big time when your cell phone bill comes. Hidden at the very bottom of the “Cellular” tab in settings, there’s a toggle called “Wi-Fi Assist.” The default setting in iOS 9 is for “Wi-Fi Assist” to be on. When it’s activated, the iPhone will use cellular data—from your cell phone plan—to supplement the Wi-Fi if the router signal is weak. Though the option will boost your phone speed, it will also most certainly tax your data plan. And if you don’t have unlimited data, it wouldn’t be hard to hit your usage maximum quickly and potentially go over. So if this is likely to be a problem for you, simply turn “Wi-Fi Assist” off. Read next: Use this tool to find the best cellphone plan for you.Story highlights Woman sexually assaulted, stabbed in park outside Gatlinburg $5,000 reward offered; suspect described as white male in his 40s Agents, rangers pore over leads in Friday's incident Authorities searched Tuesday for a man they say sexually assaulted and stabbed a lone hiker at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. The National Park Service released a sketch and offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator in Friday afternoon's assault on Gatlinburg Trail near the city of the same name. The 44-year-old victim, who officials said did not know her attacker, managed to make her way afterward to Gatlinburg Bypass, where she flagged down a motorist, officials said. Rangers and National Park Service special agents were working more than 50 leads received on a tip line, said Molly Schroer, spokeswoman for the park, the most visited in the nation. The suspect was described as a white male in his 40s, of thin build, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a dirty blond crew cut and a thin mustache. He was wearing glasses, black dress pants and a gray T-shirt. Multiple tattoos include an unknown word across his abdomen. The hiker suffered multiple stab wounds on her neck, shoulder and hand. She was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where she was released Sunday. Schroer said the woman's permanent residency is in Kentucky, but she had been "temporarily" residing in the Gatlinburg area. "We stand committed to bringing this assailant to justice," Chief Ranger Clay Jordan said in a statement released Monday. "Working together with the assistance of the public, I am optimistic that we can solve this case." Officials said anyone with information can call the tip line at 865-436-1580. Schroer said nothing like this has happened recently in the park, and officials "believe that this is an isolated incident." Ranger patrols in the area have been increased. According to the park service, Gatlinburg Trail is frequently used by joggers, walkers and bicyclists. It travels 1.9 miles one-way from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to the outskirts of Gatlinburg. It is relatively flat and runs through a forest. The park has 800 miles of trails, and hikers should take precautions, Schroer said. "Don't hike alone, make sure someone knows what trail you are on and always be aware of your surroundings."In this Tuesday, April 25, 2017 photo, assistant research technician Henri Berger, talks about live yeast cultures at a New York University lab in the Alexandria Center for Life Sciences in New York, where researchers are attempting to create completely man-made, custom-built DNA. The yeast genome is like a chain with 12 million chemical links, known by the letters, A, C, T and G. That’s less than one-hundredth the size of the human genome, which has 3.2 billion links. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) NEW YORK (AP) — At Jef Boeke’s lab, you can whiff an odor that seems out of place, as if they were baking bread here. But he and his colleagues are cooking up something else altogether: yeast that works with chunks of man-made DNA. Scientists have long been able to make specific changes in the DNA code. Now, they’re taking the more radical step of starting over, and building redesigned life forms from scratch. Boeke, a researcher at New York University, directs an international team of 11 labs on four continents working to “rewrite” the yeast genome, following a detailed plan they published in March. Their work is part of a bold and controversial pursuit aimed at creating custom-made DNA codes to be inserted into living cells to change how they function, or even provide a treatment for diseases. It could also someday help give scientists the profound and unsettling ability to create entirely new organisms. The genome is the entire genetic code of a living thing. Learning how to make one from scratch, Boeke said, means “you really can construct something that’s completely new.” (AP Video/Kathy Young) The research may reveal basic, hidden rules that govern the structure and functioning of genomes. But it also opens the door to life with new and useful characteristics, like microbes or mammal cells that are better than current ones at pumping out medications in pharmaceutical factories, or new vaccines. The right modifications might make yeast efficiently produce new biofuels, Boeke says. Some scientists look further into the future and see things like trees that purify water supplies and plants that detect explosives at airports and shopping malls. Also on the horizon is redesigning human DNA. That’s not to make genetically altered people, scientists stress. Instead, the synthetic DNA would be put into cells, to make them better at pumping out pharmaceutical proteins, for example, or perhaps to engineer stem cells as a safer source of lab-grown tissue and organs for transplanting into patients. Some have found the idea of remaking human DNA disconcerting, and scientists plan to get guidance from ethicists and the public before they try it. Still, redesigning DNA is alarming to some. Laurie Zoloth of Northwestern University, a bioethicist who’s been following the effort, is concerned about making organisms with “properties we cannot fully
health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.” Thus far this winter, there have already been 22 red air days. More info here.) As one reporter from EnviroNews asks, [quote style=”1″]So if we are all asked to slow down and change our habits when pollutants are being dangerously trapped in our air shed by uncontrollable temperature inversions, why shouldn’t these corporate “citizens” be asked to do the same?[/quote] (Full article here) Wednesday’s rally was meant to culminate in a previously scheduled meeting with the Governor’s Environmental Adviser, Alan Matheson, in an effort to hand-deliver the petition signatures and dozens of letters collected demanding legislative action to deal with our catastrophic air quality. When we showed up, Matheson not only refused to see us, but also publicly denied ever having set up said meeting. Which, according to McCloy – who set up the appointment – is clearly untrue. Furthermore, Matheson recently stated: “If they can come forward with ideas, we’ll welcome them. Everything is on the table.” So we stayed. Hoping for an opportunity to share our ideas. Since no public official agreed to come out and greet us, our rally soon turned into an impromptu occupation of the Governor’s office. Dozens of us sat in the lobby for several hours, singing songs and turning the floor over to a class of 4th graders. As these children very eloquently and passionately expressed, the grown-ups in charge should take some action to allow the 4th graders to “go outside and enjoy their lives” rather than be confined to staying indoors during recess on red air days. (Thanks for the video, Steve Liptay.) [media url=”http://vimeo.com/59111892″ width=”600″ height=”400″] There are some glimmers of hope in the legislature. Like when Republican legislator, Kraig Powell, after introducing the first bill to recognize the science of climate change in the Utah State Government says, [quote style=”1″]“This issue will not go away – The only question is what are we going to do about it? I have now come to realize that (climate change) is not a Democratic issue; it’s a Republican one. Refusing to acknowledge openly that this is a problem provides an impediment that I don’t think should be there.”[/quote] Activists from iMatter Utah and Interfaith Power & Light inspired Powell to introduce HB77 — and though it did not pass in the committee (11-4 vote), it’s clear that even some of our conservative legislators are beginning to connect the dots. The Utah House Democratic Caucus also announced last week that there would be six air quality bills proposed during this 2013 legislative session. Since bills are no guarantee for swift political change, we’ll be back! Time and time again, until the State Legislature takes this issue seriously. Sure, as individuals, we can minimize our own carbon footprint (by burning less gas to heat our homes, by taking public transit and driving less) — but when over 1/3 of the pollution in the valley can be attributed to industry and when our Governor refuses to holds corporate polluters accountable or offer a viable plan to move forward, we won’t stop there. We will also do our part by STAYING ENGAGED and TAKING a STAND. So join your community at the State Capitol: along with our friends from Utah Tar Sands Resistance on Feb 13th for a Coff-In, and our friends from Before It Starts on Feb 21st for a Round Dance Flash Mob, as we continue to connect the dots between tar sands mining, refinery expansions and hazardous air quality in our valley.A lot of people were asking for Grimgrin, so here he is! Sorry I didn't get this out in time for Halloween last week, but you know, real life and stuff. When I decided to put Grimgrin together, there was really only one question I asked myself: Zombie tribal or not? It's the rare deck that isn't zombie tribal using Grimgrin. However, those decks tend to be solely combo decks. I knew that I didn't want to go the combo route, but I wasn't creative enough to come up with another way of using Grimgrin. So zombie tribal it is! Here's the deck: Zombies! I'm not gonna lie and try to say that this is the most innovative deck, because it's not. Still, it has zombies, and that's what matters. Deck Tech: So yeah, zombies! There isn't a whole lot to say about the deck honestly. My biggest issue was really trying to keep the creature count high. There were plenty of cards I wanted to include, but I didn't want to make my creature count go below 30. As a matter of fact, I think it should really be closer to 34, but I couldn't make that work. If left alone the deck can make a ton of zombies. In addition, a bunch of zombies will die, either from being Tombstone Stairwell tokens, or just getting fed to Grimgrin. I wanted to really take advantage of those death triggers, which is why Blood Artist is in the deck. Falkenrath Noble is another card that can be included but I couldn't find the room for it, but it serves as redundancy. With Intuition, you almost always grab Gravecrawler and Reassembling Skeleton. The third card is very situational, but if you have Phyrexian Reclamation in play it obviously should be another creature. Flashback cards like Sever the Bloodline and Army of the Damned aren't bad decisions late game either. I debated putting Academy Ruins and/or Crucible of Worlds so that the Intuition piles could be more diverse, but I really didn't think it was necessary. Your mileage may vary. If you have Tombstone Stairwell in play, or you're holding Patriarch's Bidding, don't be afraid to use Geth on yourself, or even Lich Lord of Unx depending on your life total. Take advantage of your graveyard while you can. Yes, there is an infinite combo in here with Rooftop Storm, Gravecrawler and Grimgrin. It never came up for me, but it's worth knowing about. Also,Dark Prophecy can be dangerous to play with, just be careful. Zombie Apocalypse was considered, but the high casting cost, along with the fact that I was already running Living Death and Patriarch's Bidding, meant that I skipped it. The deck can have some pretty strong starts, but I noticed that there were games where I had nothing going and was still targeted. Maybe people don't like Grimgring that much? Or my reputation may precede me. Who knows. So there's the deck! Let's see it in action: Game 1: This one has just a little bit of chaos going. Thraximundar does a good job of setting up some draw and defense, with Propaganda, Bitterblossom and Mystic Remora while Thassa gets card advantage with some little dudes. Ashling plays Pyrohemia and I get some draw out with Dark Prophecy and Phyrexian Arena. That's when Thrax plays Vicious Shadows. And then, Ashling drops the bomb that is Thieves' Auction. Ashling immediately goes for Vicious Shadows, while I go after mana and defense and the others go for card draw. Going for draw seems like it might not be the best idea with Vicious Shadows out there and no one playing Green or White. Ashling plays Wild Evocation, which helps me reduce my hand. When Thrax plays Recurring Insight, Ashling makes her move, and uses her Pyrohemia plus the plethora of Faerie tokens to take out both Thassa and Thrax. Luckily I have no cards in hand, but Ashling is pretty low on life. She tries a last ditch effort Scrambleverse but doesn't get my Grimgrin, and I win. Game 2: This one is a 2 headed giant game where I'm teamed up with a defensive Zur the Enchanter deck. Interestingly, the Karona deck we are going up against is only Simic. Zur tutors up and early Telepathy so we always know what's going on. However Rafiq draws into Quietus Spike and uses it to knock us down to 18 life. I put out Grimgrin knowing that Karona will try to Spin into Myth him so that I can Mana Drain it, even knowing that Karona has Spelltwine in hand to do it again. However, the Mana Drain mana helps me cast a kicked Rite of Replication targeting my own Undead Warchief, making a bunch of huge dudes. Meanwhile Zur is trying to help us with some life gain in the form of extort from Blind Obedience, while Rafiq slows us down with Stoic Angel. However eventually Zur gets Ethereal Armor along with Steel of the Godhead on it to take out Rafiq despite our low life total. With Rafiq gone I can attack with all my Warchiefs, and Karona concedes. Game 3: So this game lacks anyone playing White, but it doesn't really matter. Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker is a straight up mill deck, but also includes a couple of unusual card choices. Specifically, he plays Illness in the Ranks, which is important because the Nath player gets nothing when he uses Vraska's ultimate. I'm able to play Army of the Damned when Nath plays Sylvan Primordial, followed up by Erebos using Sepulchral Primordial to pull a Clone variant from someone's graveyard and copy the Sylvan, and me playing Evil Twin to copy the Sylvan. This was enough to have Mirko concede. I set my zombie horde to go after the Nath player, as they're pumped by Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, and he concedes when I knock him down to 18 after screwing up and not attacking him with my whole team. Erebos uses Diabolic Revelation to search up Crucible of Worlds to get his Cabal Coffers from his graveyard but I have a Counterspell for that. He then plays Elixir of Immortality, shuffling his graveyard back into his library, and searches up the Coffers with Expedition Map, then is able to cast and activate Mindslaver. Before my turn I sacrifice the Evil Twin to my Grimgrin, and it comes back due to the undying from Mikeaus. I think have the twin copy the Primordial again, blowing up his Coffers. Luckily Erebos can't really do anything with my hand besides Living Death when he has no graveyard, and I win the next turn. So there you go! Zombies for the win! Hope you guys like the deck. Like I said, you can sometimes get some hate every once in a while, but if you aren't you have a pretty good shot of bringing forth the zombie horde. Just like the Walking Dead! Good times. Leviathan, aka Tarasco on MTGO mrmorale32 at yahoo dot comLaunching the Kin Ecosystem Amos Shinkle Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 12, 2017 This post lays out how the Kin partnerships team is operating as we prepare to launch the Kin Ecosystem: where we are focusing our efforts, why we are focusing our efforts there, the value propositions we are considering, the uses cases we are considering, and the tools and content we want to implement on the platform to enable participation in the ecosystem. Background Over the past month, the Kin Partnerships team has been considering how we should organize our team, define the market opportunity for Kin, build the right partner tools and successfully launch the Kin Ecosystem. If you’ve been following Kin closely, you likely know what the vision and the mission are, but for those who haven’t, here’s a quick refresher: Vision: Create a world where everyone can be fairly compensated for their contributions Mission: Create a decentralized ecosystem of digital services Kin Partnerships Focus Areas: Scaling earning and spending within Kik. If you would like to read more about the first implementation of this project (IPLv2), you can do so here. Integrating 3–5 founding digital services into the Kin Ecosystem in order to test and optimize. Scaling the adoption of Kin by digital services post-KRE launch. With these guiding principles in mind, we set out to develop work-streams and deliverables to get there. This is what the partnerships team has been working on over the past month and what culminated in a Kin partnerships offsite in Tel Aviv in late November. What I’ll share below is both a summary of the work done to-date and an open invitation for feedback, which can be directed to partners@kik.com. Defining the Market Opportunity The market of digital apps and services is massive — a focused and data-driven approach to the market is necessary to successfully launch the Kin Ecosystem. As such, “Defining the Market Opportunity” was the first exercise for the team. It is crucial to define and contextualize the market opportunity in order to (1) ensure that the team has a working knowledge of the market (2) begin focusing efforts on specific areas of the market (3) start formulating value propositions and use cases based on common attributes of certain market segments. A way to approach the landscape (core segments): Digital services that are oriented towards users earning (earn) Digital services that are oriented towards users spending (spend) Digital services which are oriented spending and earning in networks or marketplaces (two-way) We selected these core segments because each can be broadly used to characterize user behavior and because each is correlated to effects of supply (earn) and demand (spend). These are key factors in the success of the Kin Ecosystem, particularly at its outset. You can read more about the economics of Kin here. This does not constitute a comprehensive analysis but rather a first step in framing how we approach the partner landscape. For each of the core segments, we did the same analysis: Who comprises the core segment? This comes down to digital service categories — for example, survey networks (earn), premium content distributors (spend) and C2C virtual goods marketplaces (two-way). comprises the core segment? This comes down to — for example, survey networks (earn), premium content distributors (spend) and C2C virtual goods marketplaces (two-way). What are commonalities of the digital services within each core segment? In other words, for each digital service category, we asked questions like: What is their product offering? What is their monetization model? What are their core goals as a business? What is their addressable market? Why do they partner with other businesses? are commonalities of the digital services within each core segment? In other words, for each digital service category, we asked questions like: What is their product offering? What is their monetization model? What are their core goals as a business? What is their addressable market? Why do they partner with other businesses? Why does this core segment make sense as a potential focus area for Kin integration efforts? does this core segment make sense as a potential focus area for Kin integration efforts? Partner insights: what firsthand knowledge do we have from speaking to partners in these digital service categories? what firsthand knowledge do we have from speaking to partners in these digital service categories? Knowledge gaps: what don’t we know that we need to know in order to effectively and efficiently proceed? By doing the analysis above, we built segment profiles, where we analyzed and described common traits of the digital service categories. This work was done first by a primary owner, and then with the wider team, and we were able to: (1) Gain a working knowledge of the market (2) Understand where we should focus our efforts (3) Begin understanding the value propositions and use cases for each category. Segment profile summary for the two-way segment Categories for Exploration Below is a rough snapshot of which categories we landed on for further exploration coming out of the “Defining the Opportunity” sessions. The companies listed are there for the sake of example and not necessarily partners we are pursuing. Categories for further exploration Value Proposition Work To better understand and effectively communicate value propositions, we looked at each category and posed the questions: What are the potential uses cases for this category? What are the goals of the digital services within this category? What are the pain points of the digital services within this category? Pros: how can Kin help solve for these pain points? Cons: what can’t Kin do? As you can see, this exercise is a direct extension of the “Defining the Market Opportunity.” Here is an example for the games category: Preliminary value proposition exercise for the games category The core value proposition is relatively consistent across core segments and digital service categories. The general question we’re answering here is: why would I, a digital service, want to integrate Kin into my application? Primary Value Propositions: Kin is a fundamentally new way to monetize that is in alignment with your users rather than at the expense of your users Kin can increase your ability to build a more engaged community: (1) More opportunities for relevant interaction (2) Monetization model less disruptive to UX (3) Leverage viral strategies (4) Guide users through the lifecycle and to key feature areas of your app Greater distribution due to access to the Kin network Secondary Value Propositions: First mover advantage (build expertise) Driver of industry innovation (build cool stuff) Need to adapt to align with evolving tech trends and evolving consumer expectations Partner Lifecycle Mapping The next work-stream was focused on customer centricity and discussing what we need to provide to ecosystem partners so that they can effectively participate in the ecosystem. The core partner lifecycle phases that need to be serviced in order to allow partners to successfully integrate Kin are: acquire → onboard → build → launch → grow. Partner lifecycle mapping — what is needed at each stage? Recap What work has been done to-date? Narrowed the market opportunity and defined our focus areas for ecosystem launch partners Defined category-specific use cases for the focus categories Defined category-specific value propositions for the focus categories Mapped the partner lifecycle and began to lay out the requisite content and tools necessary to serve the partner throughout that lifecycle This post is a quick summary of our thought process as we build the strategy for Kin Ecosystem partners through Q4 2018. As we move forward, we are eager to continue sharing our work and getting your feedback. You can direct any feedback to partners@kik.com.Good news, everyone! Starting this Friday, February 24 at 12 p.m. EST, Tribes: Ascend will leave closed beta and open its free-to-play doors to the greater public. The game won't launch officially until later this year, but with F2P games, the difference between an open beta and a "launch" is debatable. Perhaps the beta comes with an asterisk acknowledging that bugs happen, things get nerfed, and there's still polishing to do, but Ascend is already pretty shiny. It started strong, and developer Hi-Rez has made substantial improvements during the closed beta, which CEO Todd Harris says "exceeded expectations" with over 300,000 players. Ascend currently features five maps, nine customizable classes, and three modes: Rabbit, a free-for-all mode which awards points to the flag carrier; Team Deathmatch, which awards double points to kills scored by the flag-holding team; and traditional Capture the Flag. Before the game opens to all on Friday, a major update will add a new mode called Arena Deathmatch, which will include two maps specifically designed for it; a new CTF map, Temple Ruins; a new Team Deathmatch map, Inferno; two new Soldier class unlocks; as well as several interface changes, balance tweaks, and bug fixes. Existing players will retain all progress and unlocks, and Hi-Rez doesn't plan for any character wipes. If you're not in the closed beta, the upcoming public release will cost you nothing but time to check out. Purchasing gold gives you immediate access to additional classes and weapons, but those can also be acquired with experience earned in-game, and upgrades like larger clips and reduced reload times can only be earned with XP, so lacking funds won't put you at a serious disadvantage. (Those with the cash can speed things up by purchasing XP boosters, but even so, the game's balanced well enough that upgrades or no upgrades, you'll never be a helpless weakling.) Being the camping jerk I am, my current go-to class is the pesky, sniping Sentinel. For me, nothing beats picking a skiing flag carrier out of the air, but the game accommodates a ton of play styles. Gavin, for example, takes a bulkier approach, as seen in the Juggernaut class video we put together a while back: For more on Hi-Rez's approach to the series, check out our interview with Executive Producer Todd Harris, which was recorded prior to November's closed beta launch, and scroll down for more screenshots of the new additions. Oh, and check back later this week for a very relevant giveaway!The star of numerous Merchant-Ivory films, Indian actor Shashi Kapoor has died after a prolonged illness. He was 79. He was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Sunday with a chest infection and died on Monday. Kapoor was one of the few Indian actors who straddled the cinemas of India and the West. He was the youngest son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. After appearing as a child actor in Raj Kapoor’s “Aag” (1948) and “Awaara,” Shashi Kapoor debuted as a leading man in 1961 in Yash Chopra’s “Dharmputra.” Kapoor’s association with the James Ivory-Ismail Merchant team began in 1963 with “The Householder” and continued with “Shakespeare-Wallah” (1965), “Bombay Talkie” (1970) and “In Custody” (1994), which was also his last major film role. His numerous successes in Hindi-language films in the early part of his career include “Waqt,” “Jab Jab Phool Khile,” “Haseena Maan Jayegi,” “Pyar Ka Mausam,” and “Aa Gale Lag Jaa” (1973). Kapoor also formed an enormously successful on-screen partnership with superstar Amitabh Bachchan, with whom he acted in blockbusters including “Deewar” (1975), “Kabhi Kabhie” (1976), “Trishul” (1978) and “Namak Halaal” (1982). In 1979, Kapoor, via his Film-Valas production outfit, began producing acclaimed arthouse films, beginning with “Junoon” and followed by “Kalyug,” “36 Chowringhee Lane,” “Vijeta,” and “Utsav.” In 1991, he directed “Ajooba,” starring Bachchan. Kapoor married British actress Jennifer Kendal. In 1978 they set up Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre, which remains India’s leading theatre venue. Kendal died in 1984. They are survived by their daughter, Sanjana, and sons Kunal and Karan, all of whom have had acting stints.The Communist Party of China, the center of political power within the Asian Republic, today announced plans for a new anti-corruption system within the capital city of Beijing and provinces of Shanxi and Zhejiang. The announcement empowers a more independent office that can supervise both those within the executive and judicial branches of the local state. The ambition is to create an independent watchdog role, similar to the highly successful Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau in Singapore or a Scandinavian ombudsman. Crucially, the new scheme will be independent of the Communist Party, which has a stranglehold of key state positions. This all-powerful status is, many argue, itself a source of discretionary action and corruption within China. “In China, almost more than 98 percent of comrade leaders or public officeholders are [Communist] party members. So, it’s common in China that the party always overrides the government to have a full grip on power,” said Liao Ran, senior program coordinator at Transparency International. Although the pilot schemes will commence in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang the ambition is to roll these out nationally. The new reforms will establish supervisory commissions and both central and provisional levels. Although they are nominally independent, they will ultimately report to the National People Congress, a Communist Party body. Their chairpersons will also be appointed by local party chairs. Their role will be to investigate allegations of state corruption, including bribery, criminality and dereliction of duty. They will also be charged of prosecuting those found guilty of such violations. Anti-corruption drives within China, although seemingly beneficial at a superficial level, are often indicative of a deeper ideological struggle within the party. Earlier today, the party declared that it has achieved ‘crushing momentum’ in its campaign against corruption within the state. To underline this commitment, it was announced today that Wang Jianping a senior general is being investigated for corruption. Reports emerged yesterday about the Politburo requiring to make personal pledges of loyalty towards president Xi Jinping. The move echoes the searching personal demands of Chairman Mao in the 1960s. Those that were then found ideologically inadequate were reposted in a more humbling position, often within an agricultural or industrial setting. The most famous victim of these purges was Deng Xiaoping, who was sent to toil in a tractor factory as a line-worker after his rivals in the politburo targeted him for purging. Deng later became leader of China. In yesterday’s ‘self-criticism’ session in the politburo, Xi demanded ‘pure’ and ‘unconditional’ personal loyalty, acknowledging himself as undisputed leader of China. Anti-corruption efforts have a long and dubious history within China. They often precede periods of difficulty transitions as a new wave of leaders seize power. In 2017, we are scheduled to see another such move, as the country faces another major power transition.This article is about optical communication over long distances. For short- to medium-range communication, see Optical wireless communications An 8-beam free space optics laser link, rated for 1 Gbit/s. The receptor is the large disc in the middle, the transmitters the smaller ones. At the top right corner is a monocular for assisting the alignment of the two heads. Free-space optical communication (FSO) is an optical communication technology that uses light propagating in free space to wirelessly transmit data for telecommunications or computer networking. "Free space" means air, outer space, vacuum, or something similar. This contrasts with using solids such as optical fiber cable. The technology is useful where the physical connections are impractical due to high costs or other considerations. History [ edit ] A photophone receiver and headset, one half of Bell and Tainter's optical telecommunication system of 1880 Optical communications, in various forms, have been used for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks used a coded alphabetic system of signalling with torches developed by Cleoxenus, Democleitus and Polybius.[1] In the modern era, semaphores and wireless solar telegraphs called heliographs were developed, using coded signals to communicate with their recipients. In 1880, Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Charles Sumner Tainter created the photophone, at Bell's newly established Volta Laboratory in Washington, DC. Bell considered it his most important invention. The device allowed for the transmission of sound on a beam of light. On June 3, 1880, Bell conducted the world's first wireless telephone transmission between two buildings, some 213 meters (700 feet) apart.[2][3] Its first practical use came in military communication systems many decades later, first for optical telegraphy. German colonial troops used heliograph telegraphy transmitters during the Herero and Namaqua genocide starting in 1904, in German South-West Africa (today's Namibia) as did British, French, US or Ottoman signals. WW I German Blinkgerät During the trench warfare of World War I when wire communications were often cut, German signals used three types of optical Morse transmitters called Blinkgerät, the intermediate type for distances of up to 4 km (2.5 miles) at daylight and of up to 8 km (5 miles) at night, using red filters for undetected communications. Optical telephone communications were tested at the end of the war, but not introduced at troop level. In addition, special blinkgeräts were used for communication with airplanes, balloons, and tanks, with varying success.[citation needed] A major technological step was to replace the Morse code by modulating optical waves in speech transmission. Carl Zeiss, Jena developed the Lichtsprechgerät 80/80 (literal translation: optical speaking device) that the German army used in their World War II anti-aircraft defense units, or in bunkers at the Atlantic Wall.[4] The invention of lasers in the 1960s, revolutionized free space optics. Military organizations were particularly interested and boosted their development. However the technology lost market momentum when the installation of optical fiber networks for civilian uses was at its peak. Many simple and inexpensive consumer remote controls use low-speed communication using infrared (IR) light. This is known as consumer IR technologies. Usage and technologies [ edit ] Free-space point-to-point optical links can be implemented using infrared laser light, although low-data-rate communication over short distances is possible using LEDs. Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology is a very simple form of free-space optical communications. On the communications side the FSO technology is considered as a part of the optical wireless communications applications. Free-space optics can be used for communications between spacecraft.[5] Commercial products [ edit ] In 2008, MRV Communications introduced a free-space optics (FSO)-based system with a data rate of 10 Gbit/s initially claiming a distance of 2 km at high availability. [6] This equipment is no longer available; before end-of-life, the product's useful distance was changed down to 350 m. [7] This equipment is no longer available; before end-of-life, the product's useful distance was changed down to 350 m. In 2013, the company MOSTCOM started to serially produce a new wireless communication system [8] that also had a data rate of 10 Gbit/s as well as an improved range of up to 2.5 km, but to get to 99.99% uptime the designers used an RF hybrid solution, meaning the data rate drops to extremely low levels during atmospheric disturbances (typically down to 10 Mbit/s). In April 2014, the company with Scientific and Technological Centre "Fiord" demonstrated the transmission speed 30 Gbit/s under "laboratory conditions". that also had a data rate of 10 Gbit/s as well as an improved range of up to 2.5 km, but to get to 99.99% uptime the designers used an RF hybrid solution, meaning the data rate drops to extremely low levels during atmospheric disturbances (typically down to 10 Mbit/s). In April 2014, the company with Scientific and Technological Centre "Fiord" demonstrated the transmission speed 30 Gbit/s under "laboratory conditions". LightPointe offers many similar hybrid solutions to MOSTCOM's offering.[9] Useful distances [ edit ] The reliability of FSO units has always been a problem for commercial telecommunications. Consistently, studies find too many dropped packets and signal errors over small ranges (400 to 500 meters). This is from both independent studies, such as in the Czech republic,[10] as well as formal internal nationwide studies, such as one conducted by MRV FSO staff.[11] Military based studies consistently produce longer estimates for reliability, projecting the maximum range for terrestrial links is of the order of 2 to 3 km (1.2 to 1.9 mi).[12] All studies agree the stability and quality of the link is highly dependent on atmospheric factors such as rain, fog, dust and heat. Extending the useful distance [ edit ] c. 2008 DARPA ORCA official concept art created The main reason terrestrial communications have been limited to non-commercial telecommunications functions is fog. Fog consistently keeps FSO laser links over 500 meters from achieving a year-round bit error rate of 1 per 100,000. Several entities are continually attempting to overcome these key disadvantages to FSO communications and field a system with a better quality of service. DARPA has sponsored over US$130 million in research towards this effort, with the ORCA and ORCLE programs.[13][14][15] Other non-government groups are fielding tests to evaluate different technologies that some claim have the ability to address key FSO adoption challenges. As of October 2014, none have fielded a working system that addresses the most common atmospheric events. FSO research from 1998–2006 in the private sector totaled $407.1 million, divided primarily among four start-up companies. All four failed to deliver products that would meet telecommunications quality and distance standards:[16] Terabeam received approximately $575 million in funding from investors such as Softbank, Mobius Venture Capital and Oakhill Venture Partners. AT&T and Lucent backed this attempt. [17] [18] The work ultimately failed, and the company was purchased in 2004 for $52 million (excluding warrants and options) by Falls Church, Va.-based YDI, effective June 22, 2004, and used the name Terabeam for the new entity. On September 4, 2007, Terabeam (then headquartered in San Jose, California) announced it would change its name to Proxim Wireless Corporation, and change its NASDAQ stock symbol from TRBM to PRXM. [19] The work ultimately failed, and the company was purchased in 2004 for $52 million (excluding warrants and options) by Falls Church, Va.-based YDI, effective June 22, 2004, and used the name Terabeam for the new entity. On September 4, 2007, Terabeam (then headquartered in San Jose, California) announced it would change its name to Proxim Wireless Corporation, and change its NASDAQ stock symbol from TRBM to PRXM. AirFiber received $96.1 million in funding, and never solved the weather issue. They sold out to MRV communications in 2003, and MRV sold their FSO units until 2012 when the end-of-life was abruptly announced for the Terescope series. [7] LightPointe Communications received $76 million in start-up funds, and eventually reorganized to sell hybrid FSO-RF units to overcome the weather-based challenges. [20] The Maxima Corporation published its operating theory in Science (magazine), [21] and received $9 million in funding before permanently shutting down. No known spin-off or purchase followed this effort. and received $9 million in funding before permanently shutting down. No known spin-off or purchase followed this effort. Wireless Excellence developed and launched CableFree UNITY solutions that combine FSO with millimeter wave and radio technologies to extend distance, capacity and availability, with a goal of making FSO a more useful and practical technology.[22] One private company published a paper on November 20, 2014, claiming they had achieved commercial reliability (99.999% availability) in extreme fog. There is no indication this product is currently commercially available.[23] Extraterrestrial [ edit ] The massive advantages of laser communication in space have multiple space agencies racing to develop a stable space communication platform, with many significant demonstrations and achievements. Operational systems [ edit ] The first gigabit laser-based communication was achieved by the European Space Agency and called the European Data Relay System (EDRS) on November 28, 2014. The system is operational and is being used on a daily basis. Demonstrations [ edit ] NASA's OPALS announced a breakthrough in space-to-ground communication December 9, 2014, uploading 175 megabytes in 3.5 seconds. Their system is also able to re-acquire tracking after the signal was lost due to cloud cover. In the early morning hours of Oct. 18, NASA’s Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) made history, transmitting data from lunar orbit to Earth at a rate of 622 Megabits-per-second (Mbps). LLCD was flown aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer satellite known as LADEE, who's primary science mission was to investigate the tenuous and exotic atmosphere that exists around the moon. In January 2013, NASA used lasers to beam an image of the Mona Lisa to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter roughly 390,000 km (240,000 mi) away. To compensate for atmospheric interference, an error correction code algorithm similar to that used in CDs was implemented.[24] A two-way distance record for communication was set by the Mercury laser altimeter instrument aboard the MESSENGER spacecraft, and was able to communicate across a distance of 24 million km (15 million miles), as the craft neared Earth on a fly-by in May, 2005. The previous record had been set with a one-way detection of laser light from Earth, by the Galileo probe, of 6 million km in 1992. Quote from Laser Communication in Space Demonstrations (EDRS) Commercial use [ edit ] Various planned satellite constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink intended to provide global broadband coverage employ laser communication for inter-satellite links between the several hundred to thousand satellites effectively creating a space-based optical mesh network. LEDs [ edit ] In 2001, Twibright Labs released Ronja Metropolis, an open source DIY 10 Mbit/s full duplex LED FSO over 1.4 km[25][26] In 2004, a Visible Light Communication Consortium was formed in Japan.[27] This was based on work from researchers that used a white LED-based space lighting system for indoor local area network (LAN) communications. These systems present advantages over traditional UHF RF-based systems from improved isolation between systems, the size and cost of receivers/transmitters, RF licensing laws and by combining space lighting and communication into the same system.[28] In January 2009, a task force for visible light communication was formed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers working group for wireless personal area network standards known as IEEE 802.15.7.[29] A trial was announced in 2010, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.[30] Amateur radio operators have achieved significantly farther distances using incoherent sources of light from high-intensity LEDs. One reported 173 miles (278 km) in 2007.[31] However, physical limitations of the equipment used limited bandwidths to about 4 kHz. The high sensitivities required of the detector to cover such distances made the internal capacitance of the photodiode used a dominant factor in the high-impedance amplifier which followed it, thus naturally forming a low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency in the 4 kHz range. Use of lasers
에게 메세지를 담음 좋은 음악을 통해서 많은 깨달음을 주고있습니다. 우리는 그들이 꿈꾸는 꿈을 지켜나가라 수 있도록 도와주고 싶습니다. 지난 5년간, 수 없이 많은 기부 프로젝트를 진행해왔습니다. 누군가의 삶과 꿈에 변화를 가져다주는 이런 기부 프로그램들은 팬, 가족, 주변지인들 등이 직접적으로 기부에 동참하거나 좋은 취지의 프로그램이 있다는 사실을 더 많은 곳으로 알리는데 도움이 되었습니다. 이러한 좋은 활동에 B.A.P 는 팬들을 이끄는 기둥같은 존재과 되어왔습니다. 이제 역으로 B.A.P의 꿈을 위해서, 팬들의 큰 사람을 보여주는 동시에 B.A.P의 음악에 보답하고자 합니다. 11월 7일 정규2집 NOIR 의 컴백을 앞두고 있습니다. 이번 컴백을 응원하기 위해서 우리는 아래와 같이 프로젝트를 준비하였습니다. 프로젝트에서 모금되는 기금은 B.A.P의 디지털 음원 판매량을 높이는데 쓰입니다 (음악방송에서 큰 비중을 차지함). 멜론 및 Laifeng/Tudou 투표에 이용될 계획이며 진행상황에 대해서는 지속적으로 공개할 예정입니다. 진행하는 관리자들이 기부금을 유용하는 일은 없을 것이며, 모두 투명하게 진행될 것이며, 본 취지대로 B.A.P 서포트로만 쓰여질 예정입니다.아래 첨부된 이미지를 참고해주세요. (Credits Korean translation: @ricejuseyo) WHAT WILL THE MONEY BE USED FOR? This project's money will be used to buy Melon streaming passes and Laifeng/Tudou votes. Our intent is to use the money to raise BAP's digital sales, which are very important in every Korean Music Show! The main Korean online music store is Melon, so the money will be completely used to buy MELON PASSES for all the BABYz (BAP's fans) that are not economically able to purchase it and also for Laifeng/Tudou votes (used in "The Show"). Please, if you have the possibility to buy a Melon pass with your own money do so; if you can still help us, we'd be very grateful. We hope to get enough money to buy Melon passes for fans that don't have the chance to support BAP. The more passes we buy, the higher BAP's digital sales and position in charts will be, the higher our chance to make them win will be. We really want to put a smile on the boys' faces, they went through so many hardships already and they deserve to keep focusing on their work with happiness and fairness. Help BAP to achieve their dreams! We will keep updating this page and our twitter page (@bap_intl) with screenshots/proofs of each pass that we'll buy, so we can assure you that we won't get any personal benefit from this but we do it only for our precious singers! In conclusion, we will buy passes and give them out to all the BABYz that couldn't buy it, in order to stream and download BAP's new songs on Melon. This can help BAP getting their long awaited results ^^ Check the following pics to understand how Melon works: How to stream songs on Melon /computer version/ (just zoom on the pics to see details): These are the passes available and their prices: Groups get known internationally and gain a stable fandom thanks to their exposure/high ranking in music charts. So we must really focus on this! EVERY DONATION COUNTS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL IT IS. You can donate what you want, even just 1 dollar. If everyone of us donates even a small amount of money, we'll have enough to buy a few passes and to pay for Laifeng votes (The Show). They are kind-hearted, talented and amazing, they have fans of all ages because they have been able to be a source of strength, inspiration and joy for a lot of people. We all know that often this world is unfair, so even if we are not the biggest fandom out there please let us become fans that will be able to help our precious boys achieve their dreams. WHO WILL USE THE PASSES? As mentioned before, passes will be given to Babyz (BAP fans) who volunteer to stream their songs. If you want to volunteer for streaming, please fill out the linked form with your twitter username and with your time zone. We will match two Babyz according to time zones, to share one pass between them. This way while one Baby sleeps, the other streams and we ensure the passes are used all 24 hours of the day. Please, be aware that to make sure passes are used only to stream for BAP we will check your twitter profiles and monitor your activities. Form link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DZvTDgDXAtHQGr... HOW CAN WE BE SURE THE MONEY WILL BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE? BAP International will periodically post here and on twitter (@bap_intl) screenshots/proofs of the donations received and of the passes bought. The money raised will be exclusively used to buy passes and Laifeng votes. HOW CAN WE DONATE? 1. Click on the button "donate". 2. Fill in the blank space with the amount you want to donate. 3. Write a comment, if you want. 4. Click on "continue". 5. Click on the "checkout with Paypal" button. 6. Log in into your Paypal account, confirm the donation and done! HOW CAN I DONATE IF I DON'T HAVE/CAN'T CREATE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT? In this case, please, contact us on our Twitter page (@bap_intl) through direct message and we will find a way. I VOLUNTEERED TO STREAM, WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? First of all, wait for us to match you with another fan; we will contact you via Twitter. We will then ask for your Melon account details so that we can buy the pass for you on your account. This way you and the other BABY can share the account details among the two of you, without posting it online for everyone to see. If neither of you have a Melon account, please check our tutorial above. It's very easy and it takes only a few minutes! WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO HELP BAP? To ensure BAP wins in music shows and gains more exposure & popularity we need to: 1. Stream the MV on Youtube, when it will be released (both TS official channel and 1theK's channel! Inkigayo [a music show] doesn't count views from 1theK's channel so we must focus especially on TS' channel) 2. Vote for them on Asia Artist Awards (download the app, it's free; 20 votes per day, you can play games and download apps to earn more free points. Check links below for more infos) 3. Vote for them on MTV EMA (Europe Music Awards, Korean Act! You can vote unlimitedly, every day) 4. Stream their songs on Melon when the album will be released on 7th November 5. Stream their MV also on Tudou and help us buy Laifeng votes (to assure points for "The Show") 6. Join our Melon streaming attacks 7. Join our mass search attacks on Naver & Melon 8. Use on Twitter the hashtags provided by SBS The Show 9. Vote for Seoul Gayo Daesang (check link below for details) 10. Vote for Idol Champ (check link below for details). ADDITIONAL INFO!!!!! -Asia Artist Awards tutorials on how to download the app and how to vote https://twitter.com/RICEjuseyo/status/790809843556... https://twitter.com/RICEjuseyo/status/791196452416... -Idol Champ App tutorial https://twitter.com/RICEjuseyo/status/792433004794... -Seoul Gayo Daesang tutorial https://twitter.com/RICEjuseyo/status/792440098109... -MTV EMA Mass Voting Exercise schedule Cr pic RICEjuseyo -BAP MV TAGS PROJECT Cr. @bap_intl ; @ricejuseyo LINKS: -BAP International twitter: https://twitter.com/bap_intl?lang=es -Asia Artist Awards: http://www.asiaartistawards.com/vote/result_2/ (vote results of 1st round; now use the app for the actual 2nd round of voting) -Melon: http://www.melon.com/ -MTV EMA: http://kr.mtvema.com/vote IF YOU USE ANY OF THE PICTURES OR TUTORIALS PLEASE TAKE OUT WITH CREDITS! Thank you for the attention.He's a deals guy. Reuters/Mike Segar President-elect Donald Trump said during his campaign that he would, if elected, persuade the air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier not to shutter a plant in Indiana and move more than 2,000 jobs to Mexico. Trump was elected, and he has evidently made good on that pledge. Or at least some of the pledge. Carrier said late Tuesday that it would keep more than 1,000 jobs across two locations in Indiana. (Besides the Carrier plant, a facility operated by its parent United Technologies was also facing cuts.) This Trump deal follows a negotiation he reportedly had with Ford about what the president-elect erroneously thought was a plant relocation to Mexico. It was really just an altered plan by Ford to keep manufacturing a Lincoln vehicle at a Louisville, Kentucky, plant where the automaker wanted to increase production of a similar SUV badged as a Ford. Ford wasn't considering the production move until 2019, when the existing United Auto Workers contract is up. And no jobs would have been lost as a result of the move, Ford said. These are wins of a sort for Trump, but a pattern is emerging. The art of the deal Some of the Carrier and United Technologies jobs are being saved. Some of the Lincoln production — about 2,000 vehicles a month — is staying put in Kentucky. It should be fairly clear what's going on here. United Technologies said it could save $65 million a year by moving, but it has $56 billion in annual revenue, according to The New York Times. Indiana will provide $700,000 in tax incentives, but adding the whole thing up is a rounding error in terms of United Technologies' overall business. Trump wants to make a deal because that's what he does — he's a deals guy. His incoming vice president is Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana. United Technologies keeps some workers in Indiana. Everybody gets to look good. But, of course, a whole bunch of jobs are still going to Mexico: 1,300, Fortune reported. The outsourcing trend remains intact. The Ford plant in Louisville. Bryan Woolston/Reuters Ford didn't even have to worry about juggling jobs. All it had to do was not move production of a vehicle it wasn't planning to move for three years anyway. The Lincoln production could also be discontinued at the Louisville plant, replaced with production of the vehicle that Ford had wanted to build, the Ford Escape. It's basically the same car. There isn't much that changes in terms of Ford's long-term thinking about sending unprofitable vehicle production to Mexico. Ford has, after all, been operating plants in Mexico since the 1960s. We're talking about only two announcements here, so it may be a stretch to call it a pattern. But if this is the way things are going to go, Trump will be spending a decent amount of time and energy negotiating deals that tweet well but that aren't really what you'd call needle-moving in the grand scheme of things. Maybe as president he'll up the stakes. Then again, companies that have planned to use NAFTA to their financial advantages will learn what works with Trump — give away something, but keep the master plan intact.This post is part of our Special Coverage Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests. Kyrgyzstani blogger Bektour Iskender visited Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where after months of protests the country's President Viktor Yanukovych was recently ousted. Iskender presents a detailed photo report about “the first days after Yanukovich” in Kyiv. In a three-part series of blog posts so far dubbed “Travels in Kyiv”, Iskender poses some questions that many are asking, and provides answers to some. In the first part of his reports from Kyiv, he writes: Я буду в Киеве до пятницы и попытаюсь, в первую очередь, запечатлеть эти моменты установления новых правил игры. А ещё я хочу попытаться понять, почему ситуация в этой стране так резко изменилась за какие-то два-три дня? Почему Янукович так долго сопротивлялся «Евромайдану», а потом так быстро сдулся и сдался? I will be in Kyiv on Friday to try to, above all, capture these moments of establishing new rules of the game. I also want to try to understand why the situation in this country changed so dramatically in just two or three days? Why did Yanukovich resist “Euromaidan” so long and then so quickly gave up and fled? The posts also include dozens of pictures of everyday life and activities of the protesters and citizens of Kyiv during this transitional period. In the second blog post written during his visit, Iskender describes in detail everyday life in Kyiv today: На второй день пребывания в Киеве как-то уже привыкаешь к Майдану, баррикадам, людям из самообороны. Наверное, потому, что все они никак не мешают повседневной жизни города. В Киеве почти не работает государственная милиция. То есть, на улицах я не вижу ни участковых, ни дорожно-патрульной службы, никого из официальных правоохранительных органов. Казалось бы, тут весь криминал и мародёры должны выползти и начать свои тёмные дела. Но нет. В Киеве я себя сейчас чувствую безопаснее, чем в большинстве городов, в которых я бывал за последний, скажем, год.[…] И водители зачем-то ездят, не нарушая правил. На красный свет останавливаются. Пешеходов пропускают на зебрах. Мало какой город в мире сейчас более сюрреалистичен, чем Киев. On the second day in Kyiv, you get used to Maidan, the barricades, the self-defense people. Probably because they don't interrupt everyday life in the city. In Kyiv, the state police almost doesn't work. Or rather, I don't see any [working] police stations or police patrols in the streets, no one from official law and order services. One would think that thieves and criminals must be lurking in wait to commit their dark deeds. But no. In Kyiv, I can feel safer now than in most cities I have been in say the last year. […] And drivers, for some reason, don't break the rules. They stop at a red light. Pedestrians use crossings. Few cities today are as surreal as Kiev. In part 3 of his “Travels in Kyiv”, Iskender exclusively covers the topic of what he and many have called the “true heroes of Maidan” – the doctors and other medical staff that have joined forces and often risked their own physical safety to keep Euromaidan protesters healthy and alive. A set of photos in this post shows the improvised clinics set up around the city and the cheerful faces of medical workers who have dedicated their life-saving skills to the movement in the past weeks and months, some of whom have come from Moldova, Iran and other countries to Ukraine to help. Iskender financed the trip himself and could only stay for a few days, but has promised to return to Kyiv soon and continue reporting on everyday life in the aftermath of Euromaidan protests in Ukraine. This post is part of our Special Coverage Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests.The Cleveland Cavaliers were thrown a huge curve ball on Friday afternoon with reports revealing that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is eyeing a trade. It has put the Cavaliers in the tough predicament of having to look into possible offers for Irving at this point in the offseason. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, this would have altered the entire offseason if he had made his intentions clearer sooner this summer. Windy: If Kyrie had told the Cavs this in mid-June, they probably could have traded for Chris Paul and traded Kevin Love for Paul George. — ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 21, 2017 Although the Cavaliers were not involved in acquiring Chris Paul due to Irving being committed to the team at the time, a possible swap for the nine-time All-Star would have been feasible for both sides. It would have given him the chance to take a lead role with the L.A. Clippers while providing Paul with the opportunity to compete for a title alongside his close friend, LeBron James. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had put forth a strong effort in trying to pry away Paul George from the Indiana Pacers, but they eventually fell short. It’s believed that they had offered Kevin Love, but there was a perceived lack of interest in him from Indiana. On top of that, there was a growing sense that Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard did not want to move him to Cleveland, or anywhere else in the Eastern Conference. Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Irving’s decision to push for a trade now has had a major impact on what the team could have done. It may only be a matter of time before the Cavaliers pull the trigger on a deal to move him.Behold the slow-motion amnesty, in violation of the Constitution that requires Congress make the laws, not the President or the Supreme Court. No wonder the illegals keep coming, despite the jobless recovery. The welfare office is still open. The new word is “integration” — the Obama administration means to integrate the millions of illegal aliens rather than deport them. Which naturally sends the message to the world for millions more to come. So this story comes out right before the big Fourth of July weekend, admitting what’s been going on all along and laying out the audacious Constitutional shredding of the imperious president with its full implications. Specifically, illegal immigration will be reclassified from a variety of lawbreaking to a gradual try-out, like high school sports, to become an eventual American citizen who will of course be a grateful big-government Democrat helping to create a permanent liberal majority. That is the plan, at least. The idea is that if a job-stealing foreigner can reside in the US for a decade or so without killing anyone, then they deserve the whole enchilada. Which is off base on a couple of reasons because first the illegal aliens don’t come to vote, they come for the Yankee dollar. Any arrangement that dispenses an official government work permit is the true amnesty and is the holy grail of the foreign moochers. In fact, only 40 percent of the 1986 amnesty cohort had naturalized by 2009, showing that the majority cared little about becoming American citizens. Why bother with the responsibility when the freebies don’t require it? Furthermore, anyone who has survived in America for a decade — and there are at least six million of them according to Pew Hispanic (62 percent of illegals) — has the system figured out and doesn’t need any help from Uncle Barack. Aliens are comfortable here, not fretting about deportation which is quite a rare occurrence these days. The Obama administration would rather release thousands of dangerous criminals than deport them. Springing this news right before Independence Day smells like another purposeful insult from Obama to the American people, similar to lighting the White House up in rainbow colors last week to celebrate gay marriage. The Obama administration has begun a profound shift in its enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws, aiming to hasten the integration of long-term illegal immigrants into society rather than targeting them for deportation, according to documents and federal officials. In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has taken steps to ensure that the majority of America’s 11.3 million undocumented immigrants can stay in this country, with agents narrowing enforcement efforts to three groups of illegal migrants: convicted criminals, terrorism threats or those who recently crossed the border. While public attention has been focused on the court fight over President Obama’s highly publicized executive action on immigration, DHS has with little fanfare been training thousands of immigration agents nationwide to carry out new policies on everyday enforcement. The legal battle centers on the constitutionality of a program that would officially shield up to 5 million eligible illegal immigrants from deportation, mainly parents of children who are U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. A federal judge put the program, known by the acronym DAPA, on hold in February after 26 states sued. But the shift in DHS’s enforcement priorities, which are separate from the DAPA program and have not been challenged in court, could prove even more far-reaching. The new policies direct agents to focus on the three priority groups and leave virtually everyone else alone. Demographic data shows that the typical undocumented immigrant has lived in the United States for a decade or more and has established strong community ties. While the new measures do not grant illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, their day-to-day lives could be changed in countless ways. Now, for instance, undocumented migrants say they are so afraid to interact with police, for fear of being deported, that they won’t report crimes and often limit their driving to avoid possible traffic stops. The new policies, if carried out on the ground, could dispel such fears, advocates for immigrants say. In describing the initiatives, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has echoed the language often used by advocates of comprehensive immigration reform, which remains stalled on Capitol Hill. “We are making it clear that we should not expend our limited resources on deporting those who have been here for years, have committed no serious crimes, and have, in effect, become integrated members of our society,’’ Johnson said in a recent speech in Houston. He added, “These people are here, they live among us, and they are not going away.” Since the new policies took effect in January, Johnson’s instructions have been conveyed to agents throughout the department. “We decided we’re going to draw a clear line between individuals who now have significant equities in the country versus those who are recent entrants,’’ said one department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations. “If people are not an enforcement priority,’’ the official said, “.?.?. bottom line, the secretary has said don’t go after them.’’ Series of broken promises America’s massive dragnet is shrinking rapidly, both because of the new enforcement policies and declining flows of new immigrants crossing the southwest border, DHS officials say. Deportations, for example, are dropping. The Obama administration is on pace to remove 229,000 people from the country this year, a 27 percent fall from last year and nearly 50 percent less than the all-time high in 2012. Fewer people are also in the pipeline for deportation. The number of occupied beds at immigration detention facilities, which house people arrested for immigration violations, have dropped nearly 20 percent this year. And on Johnson’s orders, officials are reviewing the entire immigrant detainee population — and each of the 400,000 cases in the nation’s clogged immigration courts — to weed out those who don’t meet the new priorities. About 3,000 people have been released from custody or had their immigration cases dropped, DHS officials said. “It does have the potential to be extremely significant. It would allow people to live without that noose over their heads of the threat of deportation at all times,’’ said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, referring to the policy shift. But Hincapie and other advocates — who have long clashed with the administration over its aggressive enforcement — said there is widespread skepticism in the immigrant community about whether agents on the ground will adjust their activities to match the new priorities. “It all sounds great, but it means nothing if it’s not applied,’’ said Kica Matos, director of human rights and racial justice at the Washington-based Center for Community Change. She faulted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of DHS, for what she said has been a series of broken promises to more humanely enforce immigration laws. “DHS is an agency that has terrorized our community for a really long time,’’ Matos said, “so the level of distrust and fear is really big.’’ ‘Out of the shadows’ During Obama’s first presidential campaign, he spoke of undocumented immigrants, telling CNN in March 2007: “It’s absolutely vital that we bring those families out of the shadows.’’ When his administration took power, the government was adding thousands of new agents hired at the end of President George W. Bush’s term and as a result ramping up enforcement efforts. Under pressure from Obama’s supporters to end Bush’s post-9/11 crackdown on illegal migrants, DHS tried to target these efforts. “There were no comprehensive, written enforcement priorities,’’ said John Sandweg, a top immigration adviser to then-DHS secretary Janet Napolitano. “Everyone in the country unlawfully was fair game.’’ At ICE, then-director John Morton put out two 2011 memos laying out the agency’s priorities: protecting public safety and national security and securing the border. In a move cheered by activists, Morton also said agents could exercise “prosecutorial discretion” and decide not to deport certain illegal immigrants taken into custody based on factors such as their length of stay in the United States. At the same time, DHS expanded a Bush administration program called Secure Communities. It allowed ICE to lodge official requests with local police departments that had arrested someone ICE wanted to deport. The requests called on police to hold the immigrants for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release so ICE could pick them up. As Secure Communities took hold, deportations kept climbing, reaching an all-time-high of 409,000 in 2012. Even as Republicans blasted the administration for what they called lax enforcement, prominent Latino and other groups derided Obama as the “deporter in chief.’’ “There was a lot of big talk coming out of DHS, big promises that they were going to be more sensitive to immigrant families, said Nick Katz, a staff attorney for Make the Road New York, an immigrant rights group. “And then it didn’t make a fundamental impact on the ground.’’ A new plan Soon after Johnson took office in December 2013, he took on a presidential request. Obama — frustrated by the failure months earlier of legislation that would have given undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship — tasked the new DHS secretary with determining what the administration could do on its own. A former corporate lawyer and Pentagon general counsel, Johnson immersed himself in the legal details, reading the 2011 ICE memos and earlier internal documents. He spotted what he considered some of the same flaws activists had pointed out, DHS officials said. The 2011 ICE memos, for example, had put a priority on deporting people who reentered the country illegally after being removed from the country before, even if the initial deportation was years earlier and they had since lived law-abiding lives in the United States. Long-term illegal immigrants with families and other community ties were being arrested — many under the Secure Communities program — for minor offenses and sent to ICE for deportation. “These individuals were being picked up based on that priority, nothing else was looked at, and they were removed from the country before they had their day in court,’’ a second DHS official said. A rebellion was also brewing against Secure Communities, which had been billed as a way to crack down on immigrants who had committed serious crimes. About 300 communities, including major cities such as Baltimore and Los Angles, ended or scaled back their participation. “In some ways, [Secure Communities] got away from itself,’’ the second DHS official said. Johnson’s answer was a pair of memos, released in November on the same day as Obama’s much-publicized speech about the new DAPA program. Johnson spelled out that immigrants could be deported only if they had been convicted of crimes, not just arrested. And he specified that only people who had crossed the border since January 2014 could be deported purely for an immigration violation, not someone who had been deported years earlier, reentered the country and lived a law-abiding life. He also did away with Secure Communities, replacing it with a new Priority Enforcement Program to begin later this summer. Under this plan, ICE will still coordinate with local police about immigrants who are in custody but will ask to be notified 48 hours before the scheduled release of an immigrant who is targeted for deportation, rather than seeking to have immigrants held beyond their schedule release. Immigrant advocates expressed widespread skepticism about Johnson’s changes, saying they fear that long-term immigrants who are low-level offenders will still be targeted. But Sandweg said they should keep an open mind. “I think these new priorities are incredibly significant,’’ he said. “They will obviously have an impact on the lives of millions of people.’’Arielle Jovellanos, a New York–based freelance comics artist and illustrator, did not throw away her shot when a Hamilton cast member, after seeing some of her work, granted her a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the cast and crew of the award-winning musical. To show her appreciation, Jovellanos decided to create a special compilation of Hamilton fan art to present to the company. But to do it right, she needed a little help. So she summoned a cadre of artists to join her project — 45 contributors total, one for nearly all of the 46 tracks on the best-selling Hamilton original cast recording. Jovellanos dubbed the project Ham4Pamphlet, a stylization she borrowed from the musical's supplementary weekly street performances, which are hashtagged #Ham4Ham on social media. Jovellanos printed only enough copies of her art-filled zine (the fandom term for a low-fi printing of fan art, fanfiction, or other fan writing) to give one to each member of Hamilton's cast and crew. Modeled after the Revolutionary-era hand-distributed pamphlets that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton himself once wrote, it also featured a frontispiece that paid homage to the distinctive design of the "Hamiltome," a.k.a. composer Lin-Manuel Miranda's annotated, extra-detailed publication of the musical's libretto. Inside were 47 stunning pieces of artwork. The illustrations, which are arranged chronologically as they are performed in the musical, represent a gorgeous array of art styles and offer a surprisingly detailed look at the widely varied moods and dynamic emotional range of the show itself: In an email to Vox, Jovellanos said she'd been a big fan of Hamilton since it started previews in February of 2015. "I come from a family of immigrants so I really connected deeply with [Miranda's] lyrics. Seeing a diverse cast completely killing it on Broadway meant so much to me." A few months after Jovellanos's artwork featuring one of the cast members drew attention on Twitter this past January, Hamilton ensemble performer Seth Stewart contacted her and offered to bring her backstage to meet the company the next time she came to see the show; at the time, she already happened to have tickets for June. With only six weeks to devise something truly special for the occasion, Jovellanos realized it was the perfect moment to reach out to her community of Hamilton friends and artists. "It was clear I wasn't the only artist who had the cast recording on repeat, that Hamilton meant so much to so many people, and that the range of artists who love Hamilton is just as diverse as the cast itself," she told me. The full list of artists includes well-known pros like Kate Leth as well as fan artists like @maeng. The zine is not for sale to the public — it was a gift for the cast only — but Jovellanos has posted the entire thing on her website. "I'm forever grateful to the artists and the cast for making magic happen," she said.Saudi Arabia is prepared to raise output if new customers emerge for its oil, its energy minister has said, in the latest indication that the world’s largest producer is not prepared to cut production. Ali al-Naimi told the al Hayat newspaper that the Gulf nation — which is Opec’s de facto leader — would maintain its 9.7m barrels a day of output “unless a new client comes along and then we may increase it”. The remarks are the latest signal by the world’s largest oil exporter that it is not going to cut production to bolster prices, which rallied on Monday but remain close to five-year lows. Amid growing supply from the US, sustained output from Opec and a slowdown in global demand, Mr Naimi said it was unlikely the market would witness $100-a-barrel oil again. Mr Naimi, who has been criticised domestically for his failure to communicate properly the thinking behind the decision to maintain Opec production levels at 30m b/d at the group’s recent meeting in Vienna, reiterated that Saudi Arabia’s oil policy is based solely on economics and not politics. Any conspiracy theories were “unfounded”, he said. The drop in oil prices has eaten into the country’s savings and roiled its stock markets. But Mr Naimi said low-cost Gulf producers were able to withstand the falls and stressed prices would improve as some high-cost production declined. He expressed optimism that prices would improve. “There are producers who will exit the market. International companies said they would reduce investment plans which means there will not be new exploration and digging, but existing facilities will continue to produce because there are investments based on them.” Even so, he admitted that while some US shale formations had break-even prices of $80-$90 a barrel, others were as low as $20-$30 a barrel. “Opec, or more precisely the Opec four of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar, have had a good week,” said David Hufton, of PVM, a brokerage. “They have reminded everyone they still have enormous power over the oil markets. They have demonstrated there is power in creating a surplus as well as in creating a shortage.” As the market digested Mr Naimi’s comments, oil prices added to Friday’s advance. ICE February Brent rose a further 74 cents to $62.11, while Nymex February West Texas Intermediate added 50 cents to $57.63. Speculators have increased their bets on rising oil prices to the highest level in four months. Data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, released on Friday, showed “managed money” increased its combined holdings of futures and options contracts by 25,233 to 209,327 in the week to December 16. Analysts warned the oil price rally could prove temporary. “Any oil relief rally is likely to be limited and shortlived, barring a major outage,” said Adam Longson, analyst at Morgan Stanley. “We see too many headwinds that must be addressed. “More supply is coming in early 2015 (Brazil, US shale, Gulf of Mexico, Canada, Iraq, Russia and west Africa), and supply may take longer to slow than most expect, even with fewer rigs.”Les Républicains pourraient bien revenir au Front républicain. En marge d'un meeting en Loire-Atlantique lundi, François Baroin, chef de file LR pour les législatives, a prôné « le désistement » en cas de victoire possible du FN. « Cette question, elle est tranchée depuis très longtemps. Et, naturellement, tout sera mis en oeuvre au niveau national pour éviter ce genre de choses », a affirmé François Baroin à la presse. « Je souhaite d'ailleurs que la réciproque soit vraie du côté d'En marche! comme du Parti socialiste. Les désistements devront faire partie de l'entre-deux-tours des législatives », a-t-il affirmé dans des déclarations diffusées par Le Figaro. Lundi matin, le juppéiste Gilles Boyer, candidat dans les Hauts-de-Seine, avait indiqué qu'il allait demander à son parti de prendre position « sur une stratégie de désistement réciproque dans les circonscriptions où le Front national menace de l'emporter ». « La position du mouvement, elle est connue depuis toujours », a affirmé François Baroin, interrogé sur le sujet. « Les gaullistes sont les adversaires historiques du FN et de l'extrême droite », a-t-il fait valoir. « Droite scrogneugneu » Au lendemain du premier tour de la présidentielle qui a vu l'élimination de François Fillon, LR avait eu de longues discussions pour finir par trouver un compromis excluant l'abstention face à Marine Le Pen sans toutefois soutenir Emmanuel Macron. La discussion avait été houleuse entre les partisans de l'appel explicite à voter pour le candidat d'En marche! - Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Valérie Pécresse, François Baroin, Jean-François Copé, Luc Chatel, Thierry Solère, Xavier Bertrand, Christian Estrosi, Gérard Larcher - et ceux qui appelaient à « faire barrage au FN » (Laurent Wauquiez, Éric Ciotti, Jean-Frédéric Poisson), sans évoquer Emmanuel Macron. Dimanche, François Baroin a affirmé que Les Républicains n'entendaient pas incarner une « droite scrogneugneu » face à Emmanuel Macron, n'excluant pas « un partage des responsabilités » en cas de victoire aux législatives, dans un entretien au Parisien.Charlottesville's vice-mayor slammed U.S. President Donald Trump's response to the deadly violence that transpired in his Virginia city over the weekend, saying Trump placing blame on both white nationalists and counter-protesters "shows who he really is." Trump is "playing the blame game like a 10-year-old," Wes Bellamy told CBC News. "That comes to show what kind of leader and individual he is." Bellamy has taken to referring to Trump as "45" instead of "president," an allusion to Trump being the 45th U.S. president. "When he acts like [a president], I'll call him that," he said. "I'd rather not spend a lot of time discussing 45. I think it is more important to focus on the
Morning Car Stop Leads to Gun Arrest LEOMINSTER - February 14, 2019 – Early this morning just before 1:00 a.m. Massachusetts State Police Trooper Corey Sheehan, assigned to the Leominster Barracks, stopped a gray Honda Civic after he observed it run a red light on Benson Street in Leominster. Trooper Sheehan also noticed the vehicle’s registration was revoked after performing an RMV inquiry. The operator, identified as ROBERTO MOJICA, 22 from Fitchburg, was informed that the vehicle was going to have to be towed due to the revoked registration. At first MOJICA refused to exit the vehicle but eventually did under his own will. During the inventory of the vehicle prior to it being towed, Trooper Sheehan located a.38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. MOJICA was then placed under arrest, during a search of his person.38 caliber bullets, along with one spent casing, were found in his pocket. In addition to several motor vehicle violations MOJICA was charged with: – Illegal Possession of a Firearm; – Improper Storage of a Firearm; – Carrying a Dangerous Weapon; – Possession of Ammunition without FID Card; and – Possession of a Firearm without FID Card. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Juvenile Passenger Injured by Ice from TT Unit ANDOVER - February 14, 2019 – This afternoon, at approximately 1:45 p.m. Troopers from the State Police-Andover Barracks received several cell calls reporting a large piece of ice coming off a tractor-trailer on Route 495 northbound in Andover, and smashing the windshield of a 2018 Toyota. A female juvenile passenger of the Toyota was transported to Lawrence General Hospital with minor injuries. A witness to the incident called the State Police-Andover Barracks with the license plate of the tractor trailer. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. No further information is currently available. Mary E. Hayward, 76, HOPKINTON - Mary E. Hayward, 76, of Hopkinton, passed away February 13, 2019. Preceded in death by her husband David, Mary is survived by her mother M. Elizabeth Palmer of Milford, sisters Georgia Ladeau of Cape Cod, Linda Thomas of Maine and Claudia (Bruce) Garner of Maine, children Karen (Bruce) Lawrence of Minnesota, Kim (Bob) Hill of Uxbridge, David of Indiana and Joe (Gretchen) of Hopkinton, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. She will also be terribly missed by extended family members and innumerable friends. Mary’s life was well served beginning with a career as an LPN and then taking care of everyone around her. The folks who benefited from “Mary’s Mission” on 37 Cedar will long remember her fierce advocacy, generosity, kindness, and listening spirit. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday February 16, 2019 from 2 – 6 pm at the Woodville Rod and Gun Club. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Callanan Cronin Funeral Home. Plenty of Time February 14, 2019 -- There was plenty of time for the photographer to lean out the window and take this photo of a young individual shoveling at Ice House Pond, while another was nearby on skates off-camera, during the stop-and-go crawling traffic on West Main Street during Tuesday's storm. Another Candidate for Selectmen List of Candidates Who Have Taken Out Nomination Papers February 13, 2019 Shahidul Mannan, a Democrat, (Left in composite below) is the fourth individual who has taken out nomination papers for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. On the right in the composite graphic is another Democrat for one of the two open seats, Mary Jo LaFreniere. In the composite graphic below that are Selectman Brendan Tedstone, an un-enrolled candidate for reelection, and Republican candidate for reelection Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Claire Wright. All photos are contributed. Citizens, Planning Board Members as Citizens, Submit Petitions There are six citizens' petitions that have been accepted and certified by Town Clerk Connor Degan by people who would like to see them as Articles on the May Town Meeting Warrant. The text of the petitions as well as the signatures of the people involved are in each linked document. One has been submitted to allow storage facilities as a use by right in the IA zoning district. Developer Paul Mastroianni is the sponsor. He would like to construct one on South Street across from where the temporary Town Hall was located. Another petition seeks to connect Colella Farm Road to the existing sewer system. The cost will be reimbursed by betterments on those properties. Two of the Articles (One Two) seek to change the name of the Board of Selectmen to the "Select Board" and Selectmen to "Select Board Members" in town bylaws. Finally, two of the petitions seek to limit growth of the town for a specific time period. One caps the amount of building permits issued for homes to 12 per year, and 2 per applicant until July, 2020. It cites school and fire resources at or near capacity already. The other petition limits to 10, the number of permits issued in a subdivision in a 12-month period. Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Opioid-related overdose deaths decline for second straight year Fentanyl still a key factor in fueling Massachusetts opioid crisis BOSTON (February 13, 2019) - Opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts declined by 4 percent in 2018 compared to 2017, marking the second consecutive year-over-year decrease in deaths, according to the latest quarterly opioid-related overdose deaths report released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. That 4 percent decline follows a 2 percent decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths between 2016 and 2017. In total, opioid-related overdose deaths declined 6 percent between 2016 and 2018. Fentanyl, however, remained a key factor in opioid-related overdose deaths; it was present in the toxicology of 89 percent of those who died of an opioid-related overdose and had a toxicology screen in the third quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, the rate of heroin or likely heroin present has been declining since 2016, falling to about 34 percent of opioid-related overdose deaths that had a toxicology screen in the third quarter of 2018. For more information on the Commonwealth’s response to the opioid epidemic as well as links to the latest data, visit www.mass.gov/opioidresponse. To get help for a substance use disorder, visit www.helplinema.org or call the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline at (800) 327-5050. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Rural Feel February 12, 2019 -- Highland Street, which once sat atop the former Lake Whitehall Dam, shows off its rural charm today as virgin snow blankets it. Dam, Snow February 12, 2019 --Monday's flash snow storm cut visibility down, as evidenced by the fade to grey about 200' from the Lake Whitehall Dam. ACTION COUNCIL FOR HOME HEATING PROGRAM WHITINSVILLE, MA – UniBank recently donated $25,000 to Worcester Community Action Council’s (WCAC) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), commonly known as the Emergency Fuel Fund. UniBank’s donation helps WCAC provide relief to vulnerable households that are struggling to meet the cost of keeping their homes warm. WCAC’s Fuel Assistance Program helps eligible residents in greater Worcester, including many of the towns where UniBank has a presence. In addition, WCAC provides energy efficiency reviews for eligible households to help reduce costs and improve efficiencies to stretch energy dollars. “Worcester Community Action Council provides integral services impacting residents in need in our local communities,” stated UniBank President and CEO Sam S. Pepper, Jr. “We are proud that UniBank’s donation will help keep residents in our Central Massachusetts neighborhoods warm during these cold winter months.” “These resources are critically important in helping us serve the most vulnerable households in our region,” said WCAC Executive Director Jill Dagilis. “We are most grateful for the ongoing support of UniBank in helping us help our neighbors meet their most basic need in staying warm this winter.” Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. was established in 1965 as the locally designated “community action” agency for the Economic Opportunity Act. Today, WCAC serves as an umbrella agency offering a variety of education, employment and social service programs. For more information about the LIHEAP or other services administered through WCAC, visit www.wcac.net. UniBank is rooted in the Blackstone Valley with assets of $1.8 billion as of December 31, 2018. A full-service, mutually owned community bank, UniBank has branches in Central Massachusetts and the MetroWest region of Massachusetts. UniBank newest full-service branch is located at 193 Boston Turnpike (Route 9) in Shrewsbury (at the former site of Spag’s). UniBank is dedicated to contributing to the overall quality of life and economic health of the communities it serves, while maintaining a high level of financial soundness and integrity. UniBank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC and Member DIF. UniBank NMLS #583135. The company website is www.unibank.com. UNIBANK DONATES $25,000 TO WORCESTER COMMUNITYACTION COUNCIL FOR HOME HEATING PROGRAM Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Thelma C. (Brown) Vorce Kerivan, 94 Thelma C. (Brown) Vorce Kerivan, 94, of Hopkinton, died peacefully on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at the Kathleen Daniel Nursing Home in Framingham. Born in Natick, she was the daughter of the late Hazel (O’Leary) and Charles E. Brown. She was the wife of the late Frank L. Vorce who died in 2003, and the late James A. Kerivan, who died in 1995. Thelma was the oldest daughter of 13 children. She is survived by 3 sisters, Betty Garvin of Florida, Ruth Doherty of Andover, Marilyn Fabri of Framingham, and 1 brother, Jerry Brown of Natick. She was predeceased by her sisters, Phyllis Allen McClure, Barbara Gassett, Virginia Libby and Joanne Corey, and brothers, Edward, Bobby, Ray and Charles Brown Jr. Thelma attended Faulkner School of Nursing and worked many years helping others. She worked at the Framingham Newsclip for years. Thelma “Brownie” loved talking with people, whether it was riding the Framingham bus, walking downtown, or standing in a line. She had a quick sense of humor and could easily laugh with others. She loved her pet cats, bowling, square dancing and was an avid reader. In 2006, she was baptized into the Woodville Baptist Church. She leaves behind 6 children, Ron Vorce and his wife, Audrey of Hopkinton, Kathy Tooley and her husband, Jim of Holliston, Tom Vorce and his wife, Stephanie of Hopkinton, Robert Vorce of Marlborough, Debbie Hogan of Hopedale, and Joe Vorce of Vermont. She was predeceased by her son, Donald Vorce who died in 1996. She had many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild, as well as many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 15th from 10:00-11:00 a.m. at the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton, 57 Hayden Rowe St. A service will follow visitation in the funeral home at 11:00 a.m. Private family burial will take place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of the Hopkinton Seniors, in honor of George Robinson, 28 Mayhew St. Hopkinton, MA 01748. One and Done! Special Town Meeting Over in One Evening Above, Appropriations Committee member Shahidul Mannan at the mic as an individual February 11, 2019 -- Special Town Meeting was scheduled without first checking the availability of Town Moderator Tom Garabedian, who was on vacation this evening. And so, it being no surprise, Town Clerk Connor Degan brought the meeting to order and nominated Ellen Rutter for Deputy Town Moderator, which passed. Article I, seeking $101,022.80 for unpaid bills from the previous year was first voted by voice vote, with most in the affirmative, and one "no." Because the Article required a 9/10 majority, said Ms. Rudder, the one negative voice triggered the requirement for a standing vote to be counted individually, which then followed. The 158 yes, 3 no votes doubled as a solid win, as well as proof that the quorum of 117 voters had indeed been met with room to spare. Articles II and III benefitted from the generosity of the Special Town Meeting, which voted to fund Lake Maspenock Dam repairs and Fire Dept. Communications equipment, respectively. Article IV, the raison d'être of the meeting, a ten-year TIF (Tax Increment Financing) agreement between the Town of Hopkinton and Lykan Bioscience LLC, was passed unanimously by voice vote. The town's positive position was pitched by Selectmen Chair Claire Wright (Photo, right) for "... a strong potential for increased tax revenue, revitalization of an underutilized and unproductive site, and it promises economic benefits that are both broad as well as specific; it will add positively to Hopkinton's quality of life and vitality." Mrs. Wright then introduced Lykan CEO Anthony Rotunno, who spoke to the gathering. Mr. Rotunno promised an investment of $12 million, $10 million for construction, and $2 million for personal property at 97 South Street. The tax exemptions will provide over $400,000 in relief over a ten-year period and net the town $228,512 in new tax revenue to total $1,435,788 in taxes for the property. He also plans to employ 125 new people and begin a internship program for high school students. Mr. Rotunno said he intends the company to be up and running by early next year. The School Committee recommended no action on their two articles, saving them instead for regular Town Meeting in May. Crash in Cheshire Kills Adams Man February 10, 2019 -- This morning, at approximately 7:51 a.m., troopers from the State Police Barracks in Cheshire responded to reports of a crash on Lanesborough Road in Cheshire, in front of house #80. Upon arrival, Trooper Kyle Jolin discovered that a 2014 Nissan Altima, driven by William M. Morrissette, 26, of Adams, was traveling east on Lanesborough Road, when for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle crossed the westbound lane, exited the roadway and struck a tree. An off-duty North Adams firefighter arrived on scene first, extricated Morrissette and began CPR on him. Morrissette was subsequently transported by Adams EMS to Berkshire Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased by medical personnel. The remaining facts and circumstances of the crash are currently under investigation by troopers from the Cheshire Barracks. Troop B Headquarters, State Police Crime Scene Services Section (CSSS), State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section (CARS), troopers assigned to the State Police Detective Unit of Berkshire County, Cheshire Fire Department, and Adams EMS, all assisted on scene. In Memoriam: Ann Di Leo Family and friends are remembering Ann Di Leo Browne on the fifth anniversary of her passing in Lauderdale Lakes, FL, on February 8, 2014. Ann was a resident of Hopkinton from 2000 to 2006 and wrote a column for the Hopkinton News (HopNews.com) titled, "Senior Moments." Born in the small Catskill community of Kauneonga Lake, NY, on January 26, 1928, Ann was the daughter of Domenico (Leon) Di Leo and Josephine St. Angelo. She distinguished herself as a journalist at a number of newspapers in the Mid-Atlantic states, including the Middletown (NY) Times-Herald Record, the Baltimore News-Post, and the Mid-Hudson section of New York's Daily News. While at the Record, Ann won a prestigious first-place Penney-Missouri award (as Ann De Leo), a national prize established in 1960 to recognize excellence in women's journalism. Ann and her three first-place co-winners were the first women in the country to receive the honor. She championed the cause of women in journalism throughout her career. For several years in the 1960s, Ann was married to the late Malcolm W. Browne, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist for Associated Press and the New York Times. In later life she devoted herself to essay and fiction writing until she sustained a brain injury in the late 1990s. Despite the setback, she continued to write poetry, and she began writing her Hopkinton column in 2004. Ann was also an active member of the Hopkinton Housing community on Davis Road when she lived in the town. Ann is much loved and missed by her daughter and son-in-law, Jo-Anne and Brad Wheeler, of Tamarac, FL; her son, Timothy Di Leo Browne, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; her grandchildren, Adam and Erika Wheeler; her niece and nephew, Catherine Crane and Christopher Van Loan; her grandniece and grandnephew, Briana Gager and John Van Loan; and her numerous friends in the many cities and towns where she lived during her 86 years. A five-year memorial will be held at her gravesite near Kauneonga Lake in the Town of Bethel, NY, during the summer of 2019. Editor's Note: I am truly grieved to learn just now of Annie's passing. What a wonderful person. Here is a reprinted "Senior Moments" column and a poem from the archives. ~Robert Falcione Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. You Lookin' at Me? February 10, 2019 -- One cow was curious as to why a vehicle stopped on the busy road 100' away in Sutton on Sunday, but her herd-mates saw the camera and fled. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < February 10, 2019 -- Mount Wachusett as seen Sunday from Purgatory Road area in Sutton, 30-35 miles away, with a 500 mm-equivalent lens. The ski trails are not visible, because they are on the opposite, north-facing side of the mountain. The Fire Tower can be seen above, at the summit. Crash in Cheshire Kills Adams Man This morning, at approximately 7:51 a.m., troopers from the State Police Barracks in Cheshire responded to reports of a crash on Lanesborough Road in Cheshire, in front of house #80. Upon arrival, Trooper Kyle Jolin discovered that a 2014 Nissan Altima, driven by William M. Morrissette, 26, of Adams, was traveling east on Lanesborough Road, when for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle crossed the westbound lane, exited the roadway and struck a tree. An off-duty North Adams firefighter arrived on scene first, extricated Morrissette and began CPR on him. Morrissette was subsequently transported by Adams EMS to Berkshire Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased by medical personnel. The remaining facts and circumstances of the crash are currently under investigation by troopers from the Cheshire Barracks. Troop B Headquarters, State Police Crime Scene Services Section (CSSS), State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section (CARS), troopers assigned to the State Police Detective Unit of Berkshire County, Cheshire Fire Department, and Adams EMS, all assisted on scene. Positively Hopkinton Click photo to view a short trailer for Being Robin, a movie being filmed in Hopkinton Comedian Roger Kabler, a Hopkinton resident and HopNews readers' favorite, former television star, current standup comedian and renown local artist has entered the world of production in a film about the love of Robin Williams. The impressive trailer for the film, produced by Hop Top Films (No relation) and filmed in Hopkinton, is linked from the photo below. Find out how to become personally involved from the GoFundMe page: "The spirit of Robin Williams comes roaring back in this film about a kind artist who thinks he may be channeling the comic genius. The artist struggles with his sanity, but is inspired to create a hysterical and uplifting comedy show, which tours America." Positively Hopkinton February 10, 2019 -- HHS Class of 2018 grad Ben Fargiano performed his first gig at Bill's Pizzeria last evening to a standing room only lounge of family, friends, fans and regular customers. Ben will return April 27th and May 25th. Click on photo to play clips from the performance. Steve Spector of Hot Acoustics fame will be the musical guest at Bill's next Saturday, February 16. Elaine Peterson 77 Elaine Peterson 77 of Ashland, formerly of Hopkinton passed away peacefully on January 8, 2019. She was the daughter of the late Myron and Alice Stone and wife of the late Raymond Peterson Jr. She leaves behind her children Raymond Peterson 3rd and his wife Kristin, Deborah Barney and her husband Todd and David Peterson and his wife Alesia. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren Nathan, Riley and Logan Peterson, Jason and Ryan Barney and Audreyana, Isaac and Isaiah Waldron. She also leaves behind her siblings Ronald Stone, Florence Higgins and Linda Stone, several nieces and nephews, her aunt Shirley Grant and several cousins. Elaine was a true Patriots fan often staying up well past the end of night games to watch the post game show. Private services will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Olivia Fund for Cancer Care c/o Milford Regional Healthcare 14 Prospect St Milford, Ma 01757. Arrangements are under the direction of Matarese Funeral Home, Ashland Mass. 01721. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Troopers Assist in Arrest of Car Jacking Suspect after Pursuit NORWOOD February 8, 2019 – Massachusetts State Police Troopers assigned to the Milton Barracks responded to assist Norwood Police in the pursuit of a vehicle which had just been carjacked from their town. At 5:28pm Norwood Police advised one of their cruisers was in pursuit of a black Subaru that had just been forcefully stolen from their town. The pursuit entered Route 95 Northbound and continued on to Route 93 Northbound, then on to Route 24 Southbound where Trooper Christopher Johnson joined as back up for the Norwood cruiser. The vehicle then exited Route 24, at Exit 20B, and continued on to Route 139, where it voluntarily stopped at Turnpike Street in Stoughton. The operator surrendered and was taken into custody without incident by Norwood Police with the assistance of Trooper Johnson. He was identified as Timothy KENNEDY, 44, of Norwood and was transported to Norwood Police Department for booking. He was charged with Carjacking, OUI-Liquor, Failure to Stop for Police, and Operating to Endanger. Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Your Parenting Toolbox: Fostering Language and Literacy in the Early Years Tuesday, February 12, 2019; 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Fay School’s Primary School Library 23 Middle Road, Southborough Learn from the experts about how to help your child get ready for reading and develop essential literacy skills. In this workshop presented by Speech and Language Specialist Jill Cordon, M.S.L.P. and Reading Specialist Leslie Overbye, M.Ed., you will learn about typical speech and language development and how these skills form the foundation for reading and writing, the building blocks of academic success. You’ll also learn specific strategies for fostering language and literacy skills at home, and you’ll walk away with a “toolbox” of progress checklists, teaching tools, activity ideas, and literacy games to use with your child. This workshop is recommended for parents of children ages 3-6. This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Please register at www.fayschool.org/literacy. Parking will be available at Fay’s Primary School at 23 Middle Road. Questions? Contact Erin Sullivan at esullivan@fayschool.org or 508-490-8219. Hopkinton Police Incident Logs February 7, 2019 Photo, right, by Sarah Minsk-Eduardo; just over Hopkinton line in Westboro. Special Town Meeting Instructions B. Arrive at the Middle School Auditorium before the 7:00 pm on February 11, 2019 and start to acquire handouts regarding the (Only 6) Articles. Read them and become prepared. The motions document should be available, too. C. Be in the Auditorium at 7:00 pm to help make the 117-voter quorum and become a member of the government of Hopkinton, the Special Town Meeting. D. Participate. A. Read STM Warrant to become familiar with ArticlesB. Arrive Voters of Hopkinton, We will be gathering at the Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium at 7:00 PM on Monday, February 11, for a Special Town Meeting. All voters (and non-voting observers) can sign in at the cafeteria before entering the auditorium. We require 117 voters to have a quorum and conduct any business. We only have six articles up for discussion, so please take a look at the warrant and try to join so we can quickly complete all business before us. I look forward to seeing many of you there! Connor Degan, Town Clerk Hopkinton Police Incident Log February 6, 2019 > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Knights of Columbus: Basketball Free Throw Contest Sponsored by the Bishop Rice Council #4822. Ashland-Hopkinton On January 29, 2019 a free-throw championship contest was held at the Hopkinton High School gymnasium. The List of winners is as follows: Alex Riesenberger from Hopkinton. Girls age 10, Ashley McCann from Hopkinton girls age 11, Isabella Resteghini from Hopkinton girls age 12, Lucas Hodne from Hopkinton boys age 9, kellen Keane boys age 10, Abhishek Karthik from Ashland. Boys age 11, Carlos Linton from Hopkinton boys age 12, Sean McCann From Hopkinton boys age 13 All of these very talented winners are eligible to compete in the Knights of Columbus district 19 free-throw basketball challenge to be held on Saturday, February 9. Registration starts at 8 AM and the competition begins at 8:30 AM. The location is the Robert ADAMS middle school, 323 Woodland St., Holliston, MA Since 1972 The Knights of Columbus have sponsored a basketball free-throw competition for boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14. The Knights of Columbus, founded in 1882, is an Organization of Roman Catholic men whose charter is to support both their parishes and communities. Based upon the founding principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism, the Knights of Columbus provides numerous services to their local communities. The Bishop Rice Council #4822 conducts numerous charity events in support of the parishes of St. John the Evangelist in Hopkinton and Saint Cecilia’s is in Ashland. Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Friday, February 8, 2019 Dinner Kathleen Rose "Bonnie" Gilligan, 80 HOPKINTON - Kathleen Rose "Bonnie" Gilligan, 80, died from Parkinson's Disease on February 4, 2019, spending her final days in the compassionate care of Parlin Hospice Residence in Wayland, MA after so many years of wonderful support at the Framingham Union Hospital E.R. and many trips there in Hopkinton Fire Department Ambulances and emergency support from the Hopkinton Police. A kind, caring and gentle friend to all, Bonnie, as the eighth of twelve children, leaves behind and is predeceased by many relatives and friends who got to know and love her as deeply as she treasured others. As her first grandchild said the night he died from cancer at three years of age, "I love everyone" was how Bonnie lived her life; so she will be terribly missed though hers has been a life that merits deep celebration. Born to Emmet and Anastasia Smith, Bonnie grew up in Watertown, MA where she attended St. Patrick School, graduating in the Class of 1956. She married Thomas J. Gilligan of Watertown and, putting off her childhood desire to become a nurse, she travelled to Washington D.C. in support of her husband and a career that took them to Latin America and a 28-year career in foreign affairs. Upon retiring from the Federal Government, the Gilligans returned to Massachusetts and made a 33-year residence in Hopkinton, MA. Bonnie graduated from the Framingham Union Hospital School of Nursing at age 54, becoming a Registered Nurse working in Pediatrics and Eldercare. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children and their spouses: Thomas Gilligan III and wife Kate of NJ, Julie Ann Wagner and husband David of NC, Stephen Gilligan and wife Trese of NH, Elizabeth Hobson and husband David of Lincoln, and Timothy and wife Sena of Sudbury. She also leaves 11 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and her siblings Dr. Francis Smith and wife Patricia of Belmont, Thomas Smith and wife Shirley of Westborough, Dorothy Steeves and husband Peter of Franklin, and Margaret Pomeroy and husband Larry of Hopkinton. She is predeceased by her siblings Marjorie Martin, Marie Mullaly, Virginia Smith O.P., Charlotte Smith, James W. Smith, Kenneth Smith and Robert Smith and also by her grandson Cameron Gilligan. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday February 9, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 20 Church Street. Burial will follow in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Hopkinton. There are no calling hours. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Callanan Cronin Funeral Home, 34 Church Street. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Shriners Hospital for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607. Patriots Pod Party! February 6, 2019 -- On a Duck Boat yesterday, New England Patriots wide receiver Rob Gronkowski rides in the team's rolling rally, fulfilling the end of a contract season. He holds a container of Tide Pods, of which he is a paid spokesman, perhaps fulfilling the terms of a different contract, and killing two birds with one stone. Below, the iconic façade of the Boston Public Library betrays the exact location of the truant holding the signed confession, while awaiting the rolling rally. Thanks to Denise Antaki for capturing these great photos. Reflections February 6, 2019 Deyana Kamilaris performs with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra in Milford on Sunday in this complex photo by Milford photographer Jim Calarese. New Staff Member Introduced to Selectmen February 5, 2019 -- K-9 Officer Brian Sanchioni brought his canine partner Titan before the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen this evening. The 16 moth-old "100% German shepherd" from the Czech Republic, who will be on every patrol with Officer Sanchioni and live at his home, was well behaved during the presentation. Donations from the Stanton Foundation, and others, updated a cruiser for K-9 patrol, purchased a bulletproof vest, a supply of Narcan® in case the dog gets exposed to narcotics. He is trained for searching areas, and searching for evidence. His specialty is in explosives detection, a gift at will come in handy at Marathon time, Officer Sanchioni noted. Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Victim Identified from Fatal Crash In Wareham February 5, 2019 – The passenger of the Nissan Titan killed in yesterday’s crash has been identified as Joseph Faria, 48 of Fall River. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. ~Mass State Police > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Patrick Potochniak, 48 Patrick Potochniak, 48, a longtime resident of Hopkinton MA, currently of North Conway NH, passed away February 1, 2019, after a brief battle with a very aggressive form of cancer. A loving son, father, brother, and uncle, Pat was a three-sport athlete at Hopkinton High and the first Hiller to win the Middlesex Daily News 3-point shoot-out against an outstanding group of shooters. He leaves behind his son Jacob Potochniak of North Conway NH, his parents Richard and Theresa Potochniak of Bartlett NH, his brother Bill and his wife Chrissy and nephew Tyler Potochniak of Natick MA, brother Steve Potochniak of Uxbridge MA, and his sister Chris and her husband Mike Londergan of Uxbridge MA. Pat loved his Patriots and Bruins, but above all he loved the outdoors and the mountains of NH, working at both the North Conway Country Club and Black Mountain. Pat will be missed by many but not forgotten. Not enough can be said about the great nurses and doctors at Memorial Hospital who were by Pat's side until the end. Visiting hours will be held Saturday February 9, 2019 from 11 to 1 p.m. at the Furber and White Funeral Home in North Conway. To send a message of condolence, or for more information visit www.furberand white.com. Good Omen? February 5, 2019 -- John Sheriffius shares his view of the sky from this morning on Blueberry Lane. Perhaps there's a duckboat at the end of the rainbow. Family Fun February 5, 2019 -- Generations of Hopkinton families filled the Woodville Rod and Gun Club on Saturday for a fundraiser for Hopkinton Family Day to support the upcoming activities in September. The karaoke was provided by Carl Adams, the food by TJ's, and the entertainment by the children. Hopkinton Police Log February 4, 2019 No Arrests this period <----- NOTE: New School Resource Officer Patch > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < (Coming up at Bill's on February 16, 2019: Steve Spector of Hot Acoustics) Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. Bittersweet February 4, 2019 -- This beautiful sky heralded in the deep freeze last week. Photo taken in Sutton. The Hopkinton Police Department has launched a new initiative: the Hopkinton Business Camera Registry (HBCA To register a camera: http://bit.ly/HopkintonBCR Longtime Friends February 4, 2019 -- Longtime Hopkintonians Dave Minkle, left, and Michael Boelsen chat about favorite old cars on a bench in front of the Korean Church on Main Street this afternoon. State Police seeking public’s help in Wareham fatal February 4, 2019 – An early morning crash on Route 195 in Wareham left one person dead and another being treated for minor injuries. Preliminary investigation by Trooper Gregory Furtado indicates that at about 4:45 a.m. this morning, a 2012 Nissan Titan pickup was traveling on Route 195 Eastbound when it is believed to have struck a light grey dump truck. The Nissan then traveled off the right side of the roadway and crashed into the woodline. The truck believed to have been involved in this crash left the scene prior to the trooper’s arrival. The passenger in the Nissan, a 48-year-old Fall River man, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The operator, a 33-year-old man, also from Fall River man, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Toby Hospital in Wareham for treatment. The cause of this crash, including identifying the truck and operator believed to have been involved and who left the scene of the crash, remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, and troopers assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. State Police were assisted on scene by Wareham Fire and EMS. It is believed that the other truck which may have been involved may have damage to the left rear of the truck bed, including possible black paint transfer. If anyone has any information on this other truck believed to be involved, please contact the State Police Barracks in Bourne at 508-759-4488 or dial 911. > FOOD AND BEVERAGE < Candidates who have taken out nomination papers for this May's election as of 2/4/19 at 7:30 am Working hard for Hopkinton Homeowners and the surrounding Communities. February 23, 2019 -- Back Pages Duo, Doug Betschart and Inky Fair rocked Bill's Pizzeria, like they do once a month, and like they have done in the area since the days of the Cricket Lounge. From there, their 5-piece band, Moonfast, moved up the rock and roll ladder and warmed up for Aerosmith at the Boston Garden. But, in the last few decades since, they have kept it local, keeping a core following. Next Saturday, February 9, 2019, Hopkinton resident and 2018 HHS grad Ben Fargiano will have his premier performance at Bill's Pizzeria. February 3, 2019 -- Last night, the Friends of Hopkinton offered a ham and bean supper, karaoke, and the company of longstanding Hopkinton residents, cheerleaders and families at the Woodville Rod and Gun Club. Some of the karaoke is memorialized above. Click photo to play. Friends Indeed! See Movie February 2, 2019 -- Above, Hopkinton football players gather today to collect donations to "fill the Helmet" for eighteen year-old Jake Silver, an Ashland teen who has received a grim prognosis. Contributed content. Jan
specs and to see the Suzuki SV650 image gallery. Suzuki's SV650 isn't the sort of bike you get really excited about - it's not raunchy and sexy enough to do that. But it still has stacks of virtues to make it well worth considering - especially if you're a bit new to the biking game, having another go at it after a break, need a basic all-rounder, or if you're on a budget. It's one of those quietly efficient machines that can do an awful lot of things well. And though you'll never rave about it, the SV will constantly command healthy dollops of respect every time you ride it. It always ends up generating plenty of smiles of satisfaction and lots of praise, even if those compliments are murmured more than screamed. The V-twin is a very versatile tool, and suits runs to work, runs in the country (to destinations both near and far), and even runs round racetracks. But not only is it a great little all-rounder, because it's so light, small and easy to master, it's also perfect for those who are a bit vertically challenged or a bit daunted by anything too big and bulky. It's a bit of a toy - and a great one to play with. One of its best features is the way it can devour corners. The SV's handling isn't 100% perfect and improvements can be made but few will feel that it's anything less than impressive to chuck about. And that praise applies at whatever speed you're pushing the little V-twin. In town the poise and balance of the SV means trickling through heavy traffic is a job devoid of any drama. And its low weight is a nice bonus when you're pushing it to and from parking places. Up the pace and the ease and certainty continues. Flat-out knee down action can be sampled all day - with no worries about scary stuff like wheelies or tankslappers. In keeping with the bike's overall personality, the SV just gets on with its job effectively. In fact, if it's ridden well, the Suzuki can raise the eyebrows of bikers mounted on much sportier tackle as they struggle to master the excess performance of their own mounts. Continue the Suzuki SV650 used reviewBush, Cheney meet with 9/11 panel President cites 'good discussion' WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday he "answered every question" posed to him by the 9/11 commission during what was described as an extraordinary session at the White House with the panel investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "It was wide-ranging, it was important, it was just a good discussion," Bush told reporters in the White House Rose Garden, shortly after the closed-door session ended. The entire 10-member bipartisan commission -- known formally as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States -- attended the meeting in the Oval Office. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney answered questions from the commissioners for more than three hours. The president dismissed suggestions that he appeared before the panel with Cheney to coordinate stories. "If we had something to hide, we wouldn't have met with them in the first place," Bush said. "We answered all their questions." Bush said it was important for him and Cheney to appear together so that commission members could "see our body language... how we work together." Bush described the session as "cordial," but declined to provide any details about topics discussed. He said he was never advised by White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales -- who attended the session, along with two members of his staff -- not to answer a question. 'We are vulnerable' Bush stressed that the United States remains vulnerable to terrorist attacks. "So long as there's an al Qaeda enemy that's willing to kill, we are vulnerable," Bush said. A statement from the 9/11 commission described the meeting as "extraordinary" and thanked the two men for their cooperation. "The commission found the president and the vice president forthcoming and candid," the statement said. "The information they provided will be of great assistance to the commission as it completes its final report." Commission member Tim Roemer, a Democrat and former congressman from Indiana, said Bush was "very direct" in his answers. "He was cooperative, he was frank, he was gracious with his time," Roemer told CNN. The commission is investigating what has become the defining moment of the Bush presidency -- the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, carried out by 19 hijackers who commandeered four U.S. commercial jets. Two of those jets slammed into New York's World Trade Center, causing the towers to collapse, a third jet crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth slammed into a field in western Pennsylvania. About 3,000 people were killed. The commission is charged with coming up with an authoritative account of the attacks, including any intelligence and security lapses. The commission will also draft recommendations on how to safeguard against possible future attacks. It is rare for a sitting president to talk to such a panel. There have been only a handful of appearances since 1862, when President Lincoln discussed relieving a Civil War general. Bush had only positive words for the session. "They had a lot of questions and... I'm glad I did it," Bush said. "I'm glad I took the time." But the administration initially opposed the creation of the commission. The White House relented amid pressure from some 9/11 family members and it later backed down from its opposition to an extension of time for the commission. The commission now has until July 26 to finalize its report, but that report may not be released publicly at that time, pending a security review by the White House. No transcript Bush and Cheney did not testify before the panel -- they were not under oath and there was to be no recording made of the session nor a stenographer in the room. The two members of the White House counsel's staff were expected to take notes during the session, and the commission members were also allowed to take handwritten notes. Bush brushed off a question from a reporter Thursday on whether 9/11 families were entitled to a transcript of the session. "You asked me that question yesterday," Bush replied. "I got the same answer." He did not repeat the answer, but the White House has said there will not be a transcript of the session. Bush said he expects details of his "conversation" with the commission to go into its final report. The Oval Office session began at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 12:40 p.m., although two commission members -- Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman, and Bob Kerrey -- left about an hour earlier. In a written statement, Kerrey said he left early to attend "a previously scheduled meeting with Senator Pete Domenici on Capitol Hill." Former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have also met with the commission. Their sessions were also private and, like Bush and Cheney, they were not under oath. However, Clinton and Gore appeared separately before the panel, and their sessions were recorded. Bush and Cheney had spent several hours over the past few days preparing, aides said. Bush, for example, reviewed intelligence briefings from 2001 and spent time talking to Gonzales, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and chief of staff Andrew Card, who was traveling with Bush in Florida on the morning of the September 11, 2001, attacks. (Rice delivers tough defense of administration) A senior administration official said Bush's preparations also included conversations with Cheney. Officials said that among the documents prepared for both men to review were intelligence reports from the months and weeks before the attacks and what one senior official called "chronologies and other records of events in that time period." They also reviewed transcripts and summaries of previous testimony to the commission -- including that of former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke, officials said. Clarke was critical of the Bush administration in his testimony before the commission, saying it considered terrorism "important" but not "urgent" before the 9/11 attacks. (Clarke vs. Rice: Excerpts from testimony) The commission recently held a series of public hearings, during which some witnesses faulted Bush's anti-terrorism policies before the 9/11 attacks. And statements prepared by the commission staff have faulted the FBI and CIA for their policies and lack of cooperation before that time. (9/11 commission faults U.S. intelligence) White House rebuke The commission has been the subject of increasing criticism from some Republican lawmakers who say Democratic members appear to be more interesting in casting blame than finding solutions. (Republicans amplify criticism of 9/11 commission) The Justice Department has also released documents on its Web site about Jamie Gorelick -- a Democratic member of the commission who served in the Justice Department under President Clinton -- and her role in developing a legal "wall" on the sharing of intelligence information. Some witnesses who appeared before the 9/11 commission said bureaucratic hurdles impeded the effort to thwart terrorism. That wall was initially affirmed by Justice Department under Bush, but the restriction on sharing intelligence information was lifted as part of the post-9/11 Patriot Act. At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush was "disappointed" by the release of the documents. "That's what the Justice Department did; we were not involved in it," McClellan said. He added that Bush expressed his disappointment to the commission. "The president does not believe we ought to be pointing finger during this time period," McClellan said.Our latest podcast episode is an interview with Travis Wilson of the new website http://www.policezero.com. Police misconduct and general ineptitude is something we see and hear a lot about but is something I really don’t know much about I’m embarrassed to say. I’m very glad to have had Travis on the show to educate me about this important issue. Travis Wilson is a 2010 graduate of the Northeast Florida Criminal Justice Training Center in Jacksonville Florida. His experience in the educational setting and experiences both before and after this professional training aid in the thoughts and context to his writing. Another place to catch his work not related to the Law Enforcement profession is his personal blog at TheBeardedLibertyGuy.com, launching mid April. He has been guest on several radio programs including The Austrian Circle and Becoming Conscious and has had his writing featured by online blog aggregates The Essence of Liberty, The Libertarian Liquidationist and We Are Libertarians. https://politicalbadger.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/travis-wilson-final.mp3 http://www.policezero.com http://www.thebeardedlibertyguy.com AdvertisementsThis article was corrected on Jan. 28, 2003. Warner Bros. has enlisted “Memento” director Chris Nolan to revive its “Batman” franchise. Nolan, who last helmed the WB drama “Insomnia,” has made a deal to direct a Batfilm, though it is unclear and he would not say whether he would write the script. “All I can say is that I grew up with Batman, I’ve been fascinated by him and I’m excited to contribute to the lore surrounding the character,” Nolan said. “He is the most credible and realistic of the superheroes, and has the most complex human psychology. His superhero qualities come from within. He’s not a magical character. I had a fantastic experience with the studio on ‘Insomnia,’ and I’m keen to repeat that experience.” Nolan’s emergence is an unexpected plot twist for the Caped Crusader, since it appeared that the superhero had flagged after four movies that grossed more than $1 billion. The studio, led by production prexy Jeff Robinov, has been trying to exploit the franchise through reinventions and spinoffs. They include “Batman Vs. Superman,” “Batman: Year One” and “Catwoman.” “Batman Vs. Superman,” nearly went into production with director Wolfgang Petersen and a script by Andrew Kevin Walker (“Seven”) until Petersen instead moved to the Greek epic “Troy,” set to star Brad Pitt and Eric Bana. “Batman: Year One” is a Gen-X version of the crimefighter that is being developed by Darren Aronofsky and creator Frank Miller. “Catwoman” is a spinoff of the character introduced in the Tim Burton-directed “Batman Returns.” It is unclear how the new Nolan project would impact any of the other films. “Catwoman” seems closest to being ready, with Ashley Judd expected to play the title role, and visual effects vet Pitof making his directing debut from a script by John Rogers. WB’s superhero project closest to the starting line is the J.J. Abrams-scripted “Superman,” with Brett Ratner directing and Jon Peters producing. The film will reintroduce a franchise that sputtered after four Christopher Reeve films, and WB is currently testing actors for its Man of Steel, with Josh Hartnett, Jude Law, Ashton Kutcher and Brendan Fraser among those rumored as aspirants to be fitted in cape and spandex. Nolan would not divulge the contents of his Batproject, but he’ll undoubtedly bring the wildly inventive style that so quickly brought him to the directing A-list after “Insomnia” and “Memento,” whose star Guy Pearce is among the actors who might make an interesting Bruce Wayne. Nolan recently turned in his script for a film about Howard Hughes that he hopes to direct for Castle Rock, with Jim Carrey in the starring role. Timing of that film is unclear, since the Martin Scorsese-Leonardo DiCaprio Hughes rival pic “The Aviator” could be in production first, after IEG partnered with Miramax and WB. Nolan, who is repped by UTA, wouldn’t say what his next feature would be.Freshwater is flowing into Earth's oceans in greater amounts every year, a team of researchers has found, thanks to more frequent and extreme storms linked to global warming. All told, 18 percent more water fed into the world's oceans from rivers and melting polar ice sheets in 2006 than in 1994, with an average annual rise of 1.5 percent. "That might not sound like much -- 1.5 percent a year -- but after a few decades, it's huge," said Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine Earth system science professor and principal investigator on the study, which will be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He noted that while freshwater is essential to humans and ecosystems, the rain is falling in all the wrong places, for all the wrong reasons. "In general, more water is good," Famiglietti said. "But here's the problem: Not everybody is getting more rainfall, and those who are may not need it. What we're seeing is exactly what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted -- that precipitation is increasing in the tropics and the Arctic Circle with heavier, more punishing storms. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of people live in semiarid regions, and those are drying up." In essence, he said, the evaporation and precipitation cycle taught in grade school is accelerating dangerously because of greenhouse gas-fueled higher temperatures, triggering monsoons and hurricanes. Hotter weather above the oceans causes freshwater to evaporate faster, which leads to thicker clouds unleashing more powerful storms over land. The rainfall then travels via rivers to the sea in ever-larger amounts, and the cycle begins again. The pioneering study, which is ongoing, employs NASA and other world-scale satellite observations rather than computer models to track total water volume each month flowing from the continents into the oceans. "Many scientists and models have suggested that if the water cycle is intensifying because of climate change, then we should be seeing increasing river flow. Unfortunately, there is no global discharge measurement network, so we have not been able to tell," wrote Famiglietti and lead author Tajdarul Syed of the Indian School of Mines, formerly of UCI. "This paper uses satellite records of sea level rise, precipitation and evaporation to put together a unique 13-year record -- the longest and first of its kind. The trends were all the same: increased evaporation from the ocean that led to increased precipitation on land and more flow back into the ocean." The researchers cautioned that although they had analyzed more than a decade of data, it was still a relatively short time frame. Natural ups and downs that appear in climate data make detecting long-term trends challenging. Further study is needed, they said, and is under way. Other authors are Don Chambers of the University of South Florida, Joshua Willis of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and Kyle Hilburn of Remote Sensing Systems in Santa Rosa, Calif. Funding is provided by NASA.A Dutch man who received the prestigious Righteous Gentile award from Yad V'Shem has given back his medal, Haaretz reported Friday, in protest of the civilian casualties in Gaza. Henk Zanoli, 91, hid a Jewish child in his home between 1943 and 1945, saving the child's life. Zanoli and his mother, Johana Zanoli-Smit, received the medal for their actions in 2011. But Zanoli returned the accolade earlier this week to the Israeli embassy in the Hague, citing the death of several family members of his great-niece's husband, who is a Gaza native and whose family members died in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge last month. “It is particularly shocking and tragic that today, four generations on, our family is faced with the murder of our kin in Gaza. Murder carried out by the State of Israel,” Zanoli wrote in a letter to the embassy explaining his decision to return the medal. “For me to hold on to the honor granted by the State of Israel, under these circumstances, will be an insult to the memory of my courageous mother who risked her life." Zanoli apparently buys into the misnomer that Israel's actions in Gaza violated international law, claiming that the operation has “already resulted in serious accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity." “As a retired lawyer it would be no surprise to me that these accusations could lead to possible convictions if true and unpoliticized [sic] justice is able to have its course," he continued. "What happened to our kin in Gaza will no doubt be brought to the table at such a time as well.” Zanoli's actions have become viral on Twitter and other social media platforms within a short time, as anti-Israel activists tout the move as the prime example of Israeli "war crimes" in Gaza. It has not been confirmed, however, whether the deaths Zanoli's relatives spoke of actually happened - as Hamas in Gaza has been shown again and again to falsify deaths for the media in order to win the "PR war" against Israel. Earlier this week, it was revealed that a New Statesman report claiming an entire family died in Gaza was false; not only was the entire family found alive, but the Hamas "policeman" - or terrorist - was said to somehow have been bombed twice. Further, Hamas's wanton use of human shields has led to an inflated death toll, and terrorist deaths have been widely reported as civilian casualties.Far-left Antifa extremists prepare for a confrontation in Berkeley, Calif., on Aug. 27. The communist theory of dialectical materialism aims to incite conflict and struggle. (AMY OSBORNE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES) Communism’s Secret Tool And why it still turns people against each other today Despite all our talk of progress, the 20th century was the most violent in all of human history, and the overwhelming majority of that violence—resulting in at least 100 million unnatural deaths—was caused by communism, a belief system that still clings to the minds of many in our society. Communism tries to seduce people with feigned kindness. It convinces people that it represents tolerance and caring for humanity, and that it intends to bring people happiness—but that this happiness can be achieved only after a segment of society is either suppressed or eradicated. While its use of censorship and eradication have become hallmarks of communist systems, its promise to bring joy through its destruction of all social hierarchy has been shown to be a blatant lie. Communism has again and again led to famine, oppression, and genocide. Yet still it holds popularity. To understand why communism still lingers, we need to understand its most fundamental tool for creating violent revolution—convincing people to turn against one another—and how it uses this tool to manufacture political issues. This then gives its followers the ability to gradually seize control. This tool is the communist dialectic, known as dialectical materialism. Dialectics are a method of discourse between two parties. Dialectical materialism is used to formulate the communist view of the world, by reinterpreting all things through a lens that is absolutely atheistic and based in struggle. Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin described this dialectical communist view of truth, in an article published in June 1920 in the Communist International journal Kommunismus, as “that which constitutes the very gist, the living soul of Marxism—a concrete analysis of a concrete situation.” Communist leaders, using the dialectic as their core system for viewing issues, rewrote history through a new lens. They stressed the study of Lenin’s dialectic and applied it to the history of human thought, science, and technology. Lenin’s successor, Joseph Stalin, wrote in 1938 that “dialectical materialism is the world outlook of the Marxist-Leninist party.” Pope Pius XII, who would later excommunicate Catholics who professed the doctrine of communism, described the nature of the communist dialectic in the encyclical “On atheistic communism” in March 1937. Pope Pius XII said dialectical materialism is the tool used by the communists to “sharpen the antagonisms” between different parts of society, under their belief that “the conflict which carries the world towards its final synthesis can be accelerated by man. Hence they endeavor to sharpen the antagonisms which arise between the various classes of society. Thus the class struggle with its consequent violent hate and destruction takes on the aspects of a crusade for the progress of humanity.” The communist dialectic, he added, is also the key tool of the violent nature within the ideology, which advocates that anything that resists “systematic violence” should be marked for annihilation. Warped Discourse Traditional forms of dialectics, such as the Socratic dialectic, look to find truth through rational argument between two parties. On the other hand, the roots of dialectical materialism are in a theory by German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, but it was altered throughout history by communist leaders, beginning with Karl Marx, to better fit their objectives. In 1908, Lenin wrote in “Materialism and Empirio-criticism” that the term “dialectical materialism” was coined by Czech-Austrian communist philosopher Karl Kautsky and was popularized only after the deaths of Marx and Friedrich Engels. The core piece of Hegel’s theory, as it is used under communism, is his argument that “contradiction leads forward.” Marx and Engels used this argument, but altered Hegel’s theory overall, first by removing all elements that did not relate to materialism, including anything to do with religion or morality. Stalin wrote in 1938, in “Dialectical and Historical Materialism,” that the only part Marx and Engels retained from Hegelian dialectics was its “rational kernel,” and that they had cast aside all of its moral ideals. Stalin described this new dialectic as something based purely on a rejection of the divine. He wrote that Marx’s dialectic discarded Hegel’s ideas of a “universal spirit” and “consciousness,” and instead viewed all life as nothing more than “matter in motion.” Strategic Inversion While traditional dialectics aim to help people understand truths through the exchange of varying ideas, or by looking at both sides of an issue, dialectical materialism does the opposite. It looks at various issues in society and identifies their polar opposites. It then takes those opposites as the communist viewpoints and pushes these viewpoints as being absolute and unquestionable. Mao Zedong, founder of the Chinese Communist Party, based his dialectic on inverting many of the religious and social beliefs found in Eastern systems. He described it once by using an inverted view of the Daoist taiji (yin-yang) theory. In the ancient theory, two opposing sides of an element are seen as supplementing and harmonizing each other, so that two become one. In “Selected Works of Mao Zedong,” Mao wrote about it as two opposing forces, constantly in conflict with each other, and that through the communist dialectic, “one becomes two, two becomes four.” In other words, step by step, the element is divided. Mao’s description of “one [becoming] two” is the heart of the communist revolutionary vision, based on the idea that, in place of harmony, communism can incite struggle between all tangible elements—whether they be races, social classes, or even married couples. Under the communist dialectic, the objective is for people to replace belief with atheism and harmony with struggle. According to “The Sword of the Revolution and the Communist Apocalypse” by Cliff Kincaid, communist leaders were in agreement with Lenin that the “nucleus” of dialectics was its use of contradictions. Kincaid wrote, “The Soviets have summarized the core of dialectics as a ‘division into opposites,’ while Mao Zedong and the Chinese ‘workers of philosophy’ have finally summarized all the complexities of dialectical logic into the expression ‘one divides into two.'” Kincaid cites Alexander Markovsky, a Russian emigre who studied Marxism-Leninism in the former Soviet Union, stating, “In the world of Marxist dialectical materialism, change is the product of a constant conflict between opposites, arising from the internal contradictions inherent in all events, ideas, and movements. Therefore, any significant change in a society, according to Marxism, must be accompanied by a period of upheaval.” Marxist theoretician Georgi Valentinovich Plekhanov wrote in “Dialectic and Logic” in 1928 that the communist dialectic follows three laws: to identify, to contradict, and to “exclude the middle.” Plekhanov’s approach allows communists to manufacture issues by first identifying any issue with material development, to “contradict” or invert it, then to “exclude the middle” by driving it into only two extremes that discount the often vast variety of moderate viewpoints. The trait to “exclude the middle” runs opposite to ancient wisdom that is shared across traditional belief systems—from Aristotle to Rumi, and from Sakyamuni to Solomon. These traditional theories closely reflect what was stated by Lao Tzu: “The best to keep is the middle way.” Communism is based in the idea that its views are Utopian and the ends of all development. Marx held that struggle led to social evolution and argued that communism was the end stage. His communist system thus tried to incite struggle to hasten this process—a process that required fomenting economic, social, and moral collapse. To advance its causes, it uses dialectical materialism to create its inverted truth, and to push these inversions to create discord and destroy traditions and social norms. The idea to “exclude the middle” follows Lenin’s idea of “partisanship,” both of which are based in its “Utopian” outlook. Lenin categorized all people into only two groups: those who supported the communist revolution, and those who did not—and those who did not were marked for destruction. With dialectical materialism as their driving force, the communists give no ground. If the other side compromises, the communists only succeed in gaining ground, then continue their push relentlessly as the opposing side is gradually worn down. When violent revolution fails, communism’s goal is to first push for “tolerance,” then “acceptance,” and finally forced “adoption.” During this process, any who object are slapped with political labels, which allows them to be attacked by communist allies. This is the heart of the “political correctness” formulated by Mao in 1957, and its continual push to establish an alternate moral outlook based on the political objectives of the communist regime—with the dialectic inversion of issues, from their roots. A Negative Worldview The communist view of the world, and all issues within it, are formed through inversion—with dialectical materialism as its tool for identifying the inversions. Under its dialectic, the communist perception is one of pervasive negativity. It is meant to alter a person’s perception of all issues so that any who follow its doctrine interprets issues by their inversions, and takes the path of those inversions. To understand this takes a bit of background. We all have different perceptions of the world around us. Two people looking at the same event may interpret it in many, diverse ways, based on their perceptions shaped by their culture, background, education, and beliefs. Communism works to change a person’s perceptions and instill a “communist worldview” in a person, one that uses dialectical materialism to invert social norms and take the negative as its stance. According to Kincaid, the communist dialectic manufactures struggle against social norms by using contradictions, under the communist principle of the “struggle of opposites.” In terms of the goals of communism—revolution to forcefully overthrow all hierarchy, both social and spiritual—Kincaid holds that in order for communism to seize power, its inverted concepts must destroy the perceptions that previously existed within a society. Because of how dialectical materialism works, and the way in which it identifies which issues the communists oppose and which they advocate, the issues and policies of communist movements can differ greatly from country to country. Kincaid cites “The Penkovsky Papers” by Oleg Penkovsky in 1965, to describe how radically different the thinking was between Soviet dialectical thinkers and non-dialectical thinkers. Penkovsky said if someone were to hand the same set of information to generals in America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, “the American and the Englishman might possibly reach the same conclusion … but the Soviet general would arrive at conclusions which would be radically different from the other two.” This is because, Penkovsky said, for the communist, “the logical process of his mind is totally unlike that of his Western counterparts, because he uses Marxist dialectics, whereas they will use some form of deductive reasoning.” A Dark Ideology One of the key changes Marx and Engels made to Hegel’s dialectic in order to form their communist dialectic was to remove all spiritual elements. Yet if we were to analyze dialectical materialism from the standpoint of anthropology, it would reveal a dark and destructive belief. The methods of inversion within the communist dialectic are not new. The approach of inversion to create alternate understandings is a core tenant of dark occult practices that form their beliefs by inverting interpretations and perceptions of traditional practices. The concept of inversion was detailed by the Terrorism Research Center in its 2016 book “Blood Sacrifices: Violent Non-State Actors and Dark Magico-Religious Activities,” edited by Robert J. Bunker, 2015 Futurist in Residence with the FBI Academy in Virginia and an adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. The term “magico” in this case refers to the perception and intent behind ceremonial activities. It states that “we, as a species, do not perceive objective reality but, rather, a series of limited, mediated, and interlinked symbolic schemas that we, as individuals, assume to be ‘reality.'” It states that our perceptions of reality can be changed through external systems, tied to how we interpret the meaning of issues, events, or objects as being “symbols” within the “cycle of meaning” of our own ideologies. Within this system, the idea of “criminal magic” relating to intentions and perception, is described as where the promoted perception of issues “acts as a worldview that opposes the socially dominant one.” For example, something that opposes the religious worldview would include things that violate the views of the religion on what is right and what is wrong, and accusations could include “child-stealing, ritual murder and cannibalism, and the worship of ‘evil.'” If the concept were applied to political worldviews, it states, the “criminal magic” element would typically center around “disruption/overthrow of the social order, a desecration of ‘tradition’ or ‘history,’ and the overthrow of social morality.” The more important, and “dangerous” form of this, it states, is “that which inverts core components of its own worldview with the specific aim of gaining dominance and power via fear and terror. … This type-2 criminal magic is referred to by many occultists as the Left Hand Path.” The “Left Hand Path” closely relates to the communist dialectical methods for achieving revolution. It states that the Left Hand Path degrades its own members to become “pawns to be manipulated, used, and thrown away.” We see this, for example, in the so-called “useful idiots” who help communist regimes seize power, only to themselves be marked for death under communism. The Left Hand Path also encourages its followers to become “de facto sociopaths,” which we see under communism’s rejection of morality and its belief in fomenting human suffering to advance its goals. It notes that if left unchecked, the Left Hand Path “endangers the survival of the entire society and its entire worldview” through its intentional degrading of trust in the existing worldviews, and by working to contain and destroy those who oppose its worldviews. Nature of the Tool The communist dialectic’s nature of ideological inversions and Left-Hand-Path revolutions have led many writers to point out its similarities to Satanism—which in its original forms worked by inverting the morals and ceremonies of Christianity and Catholicism. According to “Marx & Satan ” by Richard Wurmbrand, one of the traits of black magic is the inversion of names, and “inversions in general so permeated Marx’s whole manner of thinking that he used them throughout. He answered Proudhon’s book ‘The Philosophy of Misery’ with another book entitled ‘The Misery of Philosophy.’ He also wrote, ‘We have to use instead of the weapon of criticism, the criticism of weapons.'” What the author was observing was the communist dialectic in action, with its traits of inversion. But the author was also right about the nature of the technique—something that does in fact tie deeply into Left Hand Path practices, which would be defined as “demonic” from a religious perspective. Marc Tyrell, symbolic anthropologist and co-author of “Blood Sacrifices,” said in an email that he used to describe Marxist theory to his students as “the last, great Christian heresy, since it inverts many of the mythic structures of Christianity.” He added, however, that “their style of operations really precedes Christianity,” and that communist ideology can be traced to more ancient dark occult ideologies. According to Tyrell, the ideas of “good” and “evil” are not necessarily binary, since the perceptions of both will change according to a person’s social and religious and worldviews. When it comes to the differences between Right Hand Path and Left Hand Path, however, he said this refers more clearly to polar positions such as “Order and Chaos,” “Law and Anarchy,” and “Predictability and Uncertainty.” His descriptions of Left Hand Path, he said, refer to a “poisoning of chaos, anarchy and uncertainty; the purposeful evocation and manipulation of those reactions for personal gain.” From a spiritual perspective, “it can completely destroy the souls of the people doing it,” he said. “Cambodia is probably the best example” of a Left Hand Path system, he said, referring to the rule of the communist Khmer Rouge, which killed close to a third of the country’s population. But he added, “we can find similar examples in pretty much every communist country.” Communism is estimated to have killed at least 100 million people, yet its crimes have not been fully compiled and its ideology still persists. The Epoch Times seeks to expose the history and beliefs of this movement, which has been a source of tyranny and destruction since it emerged. Read the whole series at ept.ms/TheDeadEndCom Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.On Tuesday two hall of fame running backs suddenly became available. Are either of them a fit for the running back needy Buccaneers? As long as Doug Martin remains under contract the Buccaneers don’t technically have a problem at running back. They can easily re-sign Jacquizz Rogers and survive the four games that Martin is suspended for. However, as the off-season continues to progress it seems more and more likely that the team will choose to move on from Martin and capitalize on his voided guaranteed money. In a different year the Bucs might look at free agency and the draft and deem Martin a safer, more talented option, but 2017 is the year of the running back. Long thought to be extinct, the running back is back in fashion and ironically it comes when two hall of fame veterans are released. Both Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles are now on the market, and come March 8th when the free agent gates open, Tampa Bay will have to determine if either of them is a better option than waiting on Martin. If Martin is indeed released, my answer would be Jamaal Charles, though admittedly I’m crossing my fingers. If we go by the “what have you done for me lately?” gauge, Peterson wins. Just two seasons ago he led the league in rushing yards with 1485, while Jamaal Charles was on the shelf the majority of the year with an ACL tear. Charles’ injury lingered into 2016 and though he did manage to see the field it wasn’t long before he had a set-back and missed the rest of the season. Peterson missed much of 2016 as well after suffering a torn meniscus in week two. Both players are healthy as of right now, but combined have missed a lot of time recently. Needless to say, these are two risky choices and there’s no sure way to tell how long they’ll be able to hold up. Still, if it were my money, I’d go with the younger, cheaper, more dynamic option, and that’s Jamaal Charles. Peterson at age 33 is going to be paid like a workhorse running back, but almost definitely can’t play like a workhorse any more; in his three games last season he toted the ball 37 times for 72 yards, a 1.9 yard-per-carry average. Peterson struggled for the final seven games of 2015 as well, and the days of him being an efficient runner appear to be over. Peterson could counteract his regressing abilities as a runner with a pass catching role, but he’s never excelled there so it’s a stretch. The expected money just doesn’t add up with the expected role, in my opinion. Charles on the other hand is a flexible chess piece, able to be used in an early or late down role. Charles could be a capable alternative to Charles Sims on third and the occasional early down, or he could be paired up with a rookie draft pick, in a Fred
driving along 23rd Street when the explosion occurred, shattering the car’s windows and leaving gaping holes in the rear passenger-side door. “It was so loud,” the 32-year-old Alam said. “I was so scared. There was a loud boom and then smoke and I just drove away.” Alam said he hit the gas and tried to take his passengers to their destination in Queens, but pulled over along Madison Avenue and 39th Street. He went to a local police precinct to file a report for his insurance company and police contacted the FBI. The explosion left many rattled in a city that had marked the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks only a week earlier and where a United Nations meeting to address the refugee crisis in Syria was scheduled on Monday. “People didn’t know what was going on, and that’s what was scary,” said Anthony Zayas, an actor who was in the Chelsea neighborhood Saturday night when the bomb went off. “You didn’t know if was coming from the subway beneath you, you didn’t know if there were other bombs, you didn’t know where to go.” Tannerite, which is often used in target practice to mark a shot with a cloud of smoke and small explosion, is legal to purchase and can be found in many sporting goods stores. Experts said a large amount would be required to create a blast like the one Saturday night, as well as an accelerant or other ignitor. Police and federal spokespeople wouldn’t comment on the presence of explosive material recovered at the scene. The bomb in Manhattan appeared to have been placed near a large dumpster in front of a building undergoing construction, another law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, told the AP. The second device, described by the same official as a pressure cooker with wires and a cellphone attached to it, was removed early Sunday by a bomb squad robot and New York City police blew it up in a controlled explosion Sunday evening, authorities said. Homemade pressure cooker bombs were used in the Boston Marathon attacks in 2013 that killed three people and injured more than 260. Officials solicited tips from the public, telling reporters at a news conference in the New York Police Department’s headquarters that they didn’t know who set off the bomb or why. An additional 1,000 state troopers and members of the National Guard were placed at transit hubs and other points throughout New York City and extra police officials were patrolling Manhattan, officials said. Members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force were investigating the blast along with New York Police Department detectives, fire marshals and other federal investigators. Meanwhile, a law enforcement official said federal investigators had discounted a claim of responsibility on the social blogging service Tumblr. Investigators looked into it and didn’t consider it relevant to the case, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. (TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. This story first appeared on AlterNet. Editor’s note: MoveOn has sent a response to Tom Hayden, which is published below his article. The most powerful grassroots organization of the peace movement, MoveOn, remains silent as the American wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan simmer or escalate. The executive director of MoveOn, Justin Ruben, met with President Obama in February, told the president it was “the moment to go big,” then indicated that MoveOn would not be opposing the $94 billion war supplemental request, nor the 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, nor the increased civilian casualties from the mounting number of Predator attacks. [See Ari Melber, The Nation, Feb. 27, 2009] What was MoveOn’s explanation for abandoning the peace movement in a meeting with a president the peace movement was key to electing? According to Ruben and MoveOn, it was the preference of its millions of members, as ascertained by house meetings and polls. The evidence, however, is otherwise. Last December 17, 48.3 percent of MoveOn members listed “end the war in Iraq” as a 2009 goal, after health care [64.9%], economic recovery and job creation [62.1%], and building a green economy/stop climate change [49.6%, only 1.5% ahove Iraq.] This was at a moment when most Americans believed the Iraq War was ending. Afghanistan and Pakistan were not listed among top goals which members could vote on. Then on May 22 MoveOn surveyed its members once again, listing ten possible campaigns for the organization. “Keep up the pressure to the end the war in Iraq” was listed ninth among the options. Again, Afghanistan and Pakistan were not on the MoveOn list of options. Nor was Guantanamo nor the administration’s torture policies. “Investigate the Bush Administration” was the first option. MoveOn is supposed to be an Internet version of participatory democracy, but the organization’s decision-making structure apparently assures that the membership is voiceless on the question of these long wars. What if they included an option like “demanding a diplomatic settlement and opposing a quagmire in Afghanistan and Pakistan?” Or “shifting from a priority on military spending to civilian spending on food, medicine and schools?” This is no small matter. MoveOn has collected a privately-held list of five million names, most of them strong peace advocates. The organization’s membership contributed an unprecedented $180 million for the federal election cycle in 2004-2006. Those resources, now squelched or sequestered, mean that the most vital organization in the American peace movement is missing in action. What to do? There is no point raving and ranting against MoveOn. The only path is in organizing a dialogue with the membership, over the Internet, and having faith that their voices will turn the organization to oppose these escalating occupations. The same approach is necessary towards other vital organs of the peace movement including rank-and-file Democrat activists and the post-election Obama organization [Organizing for America], through a persistent bottom-up campaign to renew the peace movement as a powerful force in civil society. This is not a simple matter of an organizational oligarchy manipulating its membership, although the avoidance by MoveOn’s leadership is a troubling sign. There is genuine confusion over Afghanistan and Pakistan among the rank-and-file. The economic crisis has averted attention away from the battlefront. Many who voted for Obama understandably will give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. Silence sends a message. The de facto MoveOn support for the $94 billion war supplemental reverberates up the ladder of power. Feeling no pressure, the Congressional leadership has abdicated its critical oversight function over the expanding wars, not even allowing members to vote for a Decmber report on possible exit strategies. In the end, a gutsy sixty voted against HR 2346 on May 14, but many defected to vote for the war spending, including Neil Abercrombie, Jerry Nadler, Obey, Xavier Becerra, Lois Capps, Maurice Hinchey, Jesse Jackson, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Patrick Kennedy, Charles Rangel, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Loretta Sanchez, Rosa De Lauro, Bennie Thompson, Jerry McNerney, Robert Wexler, and Henry Waxman. [Bill Delahunt, Linda Sanchez and Pete Stark were not recorded]. If there were significant pressures from networks like MoveOn in their Congressional districts, the opposition vote might have approached 85. Appropriations chair David Obey in essence granted Obama a one-year pass to show results in Afghanistan. If the war appears to be a quagmire by then, he claimed, the Democrats will become more critical. Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the same message; according to the Washington Examiner on May 6: “There won’t be any more war supplementals, so my message to my members is, this is it.” Pelosi’s words were carefully parsed, saying that the White House would not be allowed another supplemental form of appropriation, which is different from an actual pledge to oppose war funding. This one-year pass means that the grass-roots peace movement has a few months to light a fire and re-awaken pressure from below on the Congress and president. In the meantime, here are some predictions for the coming year: IRAQ: Will Obama keep his pledge to withdraw combat forces from Iraq on a 16-month timetable, and all forces by 2011? At this point, the pace is slowing, and the deadline being somewhat extended, under pressure from US commanders on the ground. Sunnis are threatening to resume their insurgency if the al-Maliki regime fails to incorporate them into the political and security structures. The President insists however, that he is only making adjustments to a timetable that is on track. Prognosis: precarious. AFGHANISTAN: Will the Obama troop escalation deepen the quagmire or be a successful surge against the Taliban by next year? Another 21,000 troops and advisers are on their way to the battlefield. Civilian casualties are mounting, causing the besieged Karzai government to complain. Preventive detention of Afghans will only expand. US deaths, now over 600, are sure to increase this summer. Taliban may hold out and redeploy in order to stretch US forces thin. Prognosis: escalation into quagmire. PAKISTAN: US policies have driven al Qaeda from Afganistan into Pakistan’s tribal areas, where US is attacking with Predators and turning Pakistan’s US-funded armed forces towards counterinsurgency. Public opinion is being inflamed against the US intervention. Prognosis: an expanding American war in Pakistan with greater threats to American security. IRAN: With or without US complicity, Israel may attack Iran early next year, with unforeseeable consequences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prognosis: crisis will intensify. GLOBAL: US will fail to attract more combat troops to fight in Afghanistan and Pakistan from Europe or elsewhere, causing pressure to increase for a non-military negotiated solution. Prognosis: Obama still popular, US still isolated. BUDGET PRIORITIES: Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will deeply threaten the administration’s ability to succeed on the domestic front with stimulus spending, health care, education and alternative energy. Prognosis: false hope for “guns and butter” all over again. Tom Hayden served 18 years in the California legislature, and is the author of ten books. Editor’s Note: Here’s a response from MoveOn.org: We appreciate Tom Hayden’s attempt to start a discussion here about the progressive posture on security issues, and we even understand his attempt to use MoveOn as a foil. We agree that it’s time to confront the organizing challenges of building an effective peace movement in the Obama era, and we expect MoveOn and MoveOn members to play an important role in this. In order to have a productive conversation, however, we have to make sure the facts are correct. Tom’s characterization of our democratic process is inaccurate; the Top 10 issues we focus on were both nominated by and chosen by MoveOn members. Even more erroneous is Tom’s description in the lead of his piece of Justin’s conversation with the President. Our Executive Director, Justin Ruben, never “indicated that MoveOn would not be opposing the $94 billion war supplemental request, nor the 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, nor the increased civilian casualties from the mounting number of Predator attacks.” The article by Ari Melber which Tom referenced as a source does not say that Justin said this. That particular conversation was about MoveOn members’ current organizing focus on energy, health care, and the economy. And our belief that the administration should “go big” on progressive policies in these arenas.Hello again, all! As we move ever closer to showing some in engine video, we have lots of other great things in the works. In addition to making more cool stuff for backers, we’re also working to encourage people who missed it to get in on the fun. We re-launched our store today, which includes a lot more detail, and a new package, called the Cosmic Limited Edition, which features some brand new content and a brand new system that improves what you, as backers, get. INTRODUCING THE DELTA COMMANDER First up, is the Delta Commander. This commander is the first unit to go from being a sketch and simple grey box to being a fully fleshed out and animated game model. We’re very excited about the direction of this commander - it is one design of many more to come. The community, through the backers forum, got direct and early access to providing feedback on this design. If you’re not hanging out on the forums yet, you should! See the image at the bottom of this post, and the rest on our Tumblr. BADGE SYSTEM Next, we’re adding a new badge system to the game. These don’t impact gameplay, but provide a persistent way to identify yourself to other players, both for your involvement in the project and eventually, for your accomplishments in game. Some of the things we’re thinking about for badges, in addition to "Thanks for your early involvement!" are: * Tournaments * Clan Identification * Exceptional Achievement in Games (Winner of a 40 person free for all as an example) As we hash out more details of this system, it is something we’ll likely request input on. Since it doesn’t impact gameplay, but can be a great way to show off your achievements, we want it to really represent what players want out of a system like this. BACKER REWARDS As part of this, while we continue to grow our pre-order options, as an early backer, you will continue to reap the rewards as part of that effort! This time around, with the release of our new pre-order, we’ve added to the reward tiers: * Access to the Delta Commander for all pledges $90 and up (this is in addition to the Theta commander that every early backer will get). * All backers will receive badges identifying them as founding supporters. We’re still working on the specific details of this. * As part of the Cosmic edition, we unveiled that their listing in the credits will be as Commanders. All early backers who were entitled to being listed in the credits will be put under the heading of Founding Commanders. * New store functionality just made it easier for us to upgrade pre-orders. We will be working to do something similar again for early backers - beyond the upgrade options you already had. We'll announce that when it's ready to go. We've had a lot of people who changed their minds about alpha and beta access, and we want to make that accessible! If you have friends who missed the early backing who are eager to get some of the special goodies, or access to alpha or beta, please direct them to our store. Every pre-sale goes toward building the game and making it that much more Awesome. RECENT LIVESTREAMS We also have had two LiveStreams in a row recently. You can see the full content of each one here: February 1st February 8th DEV UPDATE Our systems have come a long way. Just in the past few weeks, we’ve seen varying systems working together, such as pathing on a 3d object - full 3d, as in all six sides of a cube, virtual texturing, units spawning, pathing to targets and attacking, client-server architecture up and running, and quite a bit more. An incredible amount of work has already been done to get these disparate systems working together, and there’s more to be done. We’re eager to show off gameplay to you all, and will be ready to soon. Jon Mavor also just did his next update into his ongoing blog regarding the engine development of Planetary Annihilation. Read his blog here » STAY UP TO DATE And some reminders on links of importance. The forums in particular are one of the best ways to get early information and insights into what’s going on. Our Websites: Visit our forums - You need to finalize to access the backers only forum) Find and finalize your pledge - You can only finalize once, so if you already did this, it won't take you to the finalization page. You can see account info here. Visit the store to make additional purchases Visit the PA homepage Follow us: Facebook \| Google+ \| Tumblr We will be starting to send out emails to all early backers and pre-orders with these updates starting with this one, rather than just relying on only our Kickstarter page to get the word out. Between Paypal backers and pre-orders, we’re still not getting updates out to everyone we want to, so hopefully this will fix it! Thanks again all, and 2013 is gonna be awesome. The Uber TeamMcLaren’s Fernando Alonso has been reprimanded by Suzuka stewards and given two penalty points on his Super License for not adhering to blue-flag rules correctly whilst being lapped during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. Alonso was locked in a late-race battle for 10th place with Williams’ Felipe Massa when leader Lewis Hamilton closed in on him - and officials deemed that he did not allow him to pass at the earliest opportunity as required by the rules. According to the stewards, Alonso was shown a solid blue indicator light on his dash and waved blue flags between Turn 14 and Turn 15 on Lap 51. He also had received a flashing blue light informing him that race leader Lewis Hamilton was closing on him for over a lap before. Alonso let Hamilton pass during lap 52 at Turn 11. Alonso noted in his hearing with the stewards that there was an opportunity to allow Hamilton to pass on the front straight, but not thereafter until Turn 11. The Stewards accepted that there are limited safe places to let a car past between Turns 2 and 9, which contributed to the length of time it took to allow Hamilton through. In applying the penalty, the stewards compared the incident to other similar ones and considered that while a breach of the rules, it was less severe than others and that when the Spaniard did move over he gave plenty of room to Hamilton, and subsequently to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. It was Alonso's first reprimand of the season.The trade is conditioned on the Kings signing Imama to an NHL contract before Thursday's (June 1) 2 p.m. PT signing deadline. The LA Kings have acquired the rights to unsigned draft choice Bokondji "Boko" Imama (boh-khan-JEE, ih-MA-ma) from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the Kings seventh-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake announced today. Imama, a 6-foot-1, 221-pound forward and an assistant captain, played in 66 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season, recording 41 goals and 55 points to go along with 105 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating. He led all Sea Dogs skaters in goals, was fifth for points and was third for penalty minutes. Imama and Saint John recently won the QMJHL Championship before advancing to the semi-final round of the 2017 Memorial Cup, where they lost to the OHL Champion Erie Otters. He registered eight goals and 15 points in 18 QMJHL playoff games in 2017. The Montreal, Quebec native (whose parents immigrated from Democratic Republic of Congo) has played in 276 career QMJHL regular season games with Saint John and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, recording 71 goals and 123 points along with 463 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating. He is coming off career highs for goals, power play goals with 14, game-winning goals with eight and points in 2016-17. Imama has appeared in 52 career QMJHL playoff games with the Sea Dogs and Drakkar, recording nine goals and 24 points. Imama was drafted by the Lightning in the sixth round, 180th overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft.We all know the feeling of ripping open your fast food drive thru, order only to find it's missing sweet and sour sauce, or ketchup or cheese on your burger. But it's rare that that missing small fry leads to a violent altercation. That's what happened in Wichita, Kansas, where a McDonald's order error led to a customer to fire a shotgun, which ultimately resulted in a police standoff, KAKE-TV reports. According to police reports, a man and woman tried to cut the drive thru line after discovering a mistake with their order. The couple apparently didn’t like that the car behind them complained. “A woman driving the car that tried to cut in front threw a crowbar at the other vehicle,” Sergeant Bill Stevens told the Wichita Eagle. “Her male passenger exited the vehicle with a shotgun and fired one shot into the driver’s side door of the second vehicle as it was exiting the drive-through.” Police were quick to the scene, tailing the alleged shooter back to a local residence where a standoff ensued. No one was injured in the incident, according to reports. Here's the scene at the McDonald's shortly after the incident:Democrats in West Virginia have pretty much taken their two Senate seats for granted for a long time now. (And with good reason, since the last time the GOP held those spots, Ike was still president.) They’ve also had a fair bit of success in hanging on to at least some of their three congressional seats in the modern era. This stands in contrast to a seemingly constant ideological shift to the right among voters, demonstrated by the fact that no Democrat presidential candidate has carried the state since Bill Clinton. This shift may be setting the stage for some very interesting events in the 2014 cycle, with the retirement of Senator Jay Rockefeller and two spirited House races shifting into high gear. Specifically in WV-02, Roll Call recently rated that contest on their list of the most fascinating races to watch. For some reason, they seem to think this is good news for Democrats, but the district still leans Red and the Dems have hooked their wagon to Nick Casey. Casey looks like a terrible choice, given the current frame of mind of West Virginia’s voters. He’s a former lobbyist for progressive groups such as FarinessWV.org and is well known to voters from his time as the incendiary chairman of the state Democratic Party. His long standing support for the President, Obamacare, gun control and a raft of other liberal touchstones doesn’t seem as if it will play well with the more socially conservative base in his district. Further, he’s sharing a media market with the 3rd district and may have a negative impact on their Democratic candidate, Nick Rahall. In terms of filling the Senate seat, even the Paper of Record is seeing some hard times coming for the Democrats this time around An accelerating rightward tilt here was reflected recently in an awkward two-step by the Democratic nominee for an open seat, Natalie Tennant, as she distanced herself from the White House after a fund-raising trip to New York. In a Sheraton ballroom, Ms. Tennant, West Virginia’s secretary of state, listened to Michelle Obama urge donors to write “a big old fat check” to her and other women running for the Senate. But back home, where President Obama is deeply unpopular, Ms. Tennant’s campaign quickly sought to wriggle out of the embrace of the White House, insisting to the local news media that “what the first lady said is not an endorsement.” Running away from an endorsement by the First Lady is one thing, but this little slip of the lip about her husband was a doozy. In an interview, Ms. Tennant even seemed to downgrade the president’s title. “I don’t answer to Senator Obama,” she said. “I answer to the people of West Virginia.” (A spokeswoman later said that was an unintentional slip of the tongue.) Charleston Democrat leaders are already tossing out statements saying that the GOP can’t “run against Obama” in these races, and if voters want to vote against the President they should, “wait until he runs for school board in Illinois.” It’s obvious at this point that the entire Democrat Party in West Virginia is in full speed retreat away from Barack Obama and all things related to him, but it’s going to be hard for their candidates to erase their combined records of previous support. West Virginia would be an excellent pick-up opportunity in the GOP’s efforts to take the Senate majority next fall, and solidifying their hold on their House seats would just be icing on the cake. Only a year or so ago I’d have not even listed this race on the radar, but it’s looking extremely competitive now.As Powerball mania sweeps the nation, I thought it would be interesting to explore the longer history of lotteries in America with a look back to the eighteenth century. For a run-down of the particulars about how they operated, Ainsworth Rand Spofford, who served as the official Librarian of the United States, wrote a useful introduction to the subject you can read here. By way of a short summary, the practice of holding lotteries to raise money for local governments and private entities was brought by English colonists to North America in the seventeenth century. The Third Virginia Charter of 1612 granted the Virginia Company of London a license to conduct yearly lotteries to raise funds for supplies for early colonists. Spofford goes on to note that the award for what seems to have been the first proper lottery to take place in colonial America in 1720 was rather unusually for a brick house in Philadelphia rather than a cash prize. As an essentially speculative venture, lotteries bred a certain amount of attendant trouble as they were easy to manipulate and in some cases the holders simply neglected to have a drawing and made off with the money altogether. Abuses such as this led to a swath of legislation, but both private and public lotteries proliferated. The more reputable ventures were authorized by local governments and fronted by prominent citizens, frequently with the aim of funding some worthwhile public project. As Spofford notes, it was looked upon as a kind of “voluntary tax” for public works, with the added benefit for subscribers of potentially getting a windfall. The Scheme of the Second Philadelphia Lottery (1748) published by Benjamin Franklin gives a good overview of how a contemporary public lottery operated. Numismatists will be interested to note that all of the values were enumerated in terms of “pieces of eight” as Spanish dollars were the dominant form of coin in circulation. The drawing was done by putting all of the numbers in a wheeled bin that could be spun during the drawing. The plan was to sell seventy-five thousand dollars worth of tickets while ultimately reserving twelve-and-a-half percent or $9,375 dollars for public use with the balance being awarded as prizes. Schemes such as these were so popular and innocuous that even churches held lotteries to raise funds for their endeavors. The American Numismatic Society holds about a dozen eighteenth-century lottery tickets. They are interesting in part for the numismatic and economic information they reveal, but also in terms of their design. Counterfeiters could easily manufacture a ‘winning’ lottery ticket because they were pen-numbered (and thus easily altered) and it took time for reports of the numbers to circulate and for winning tickets to be redeemed. Precautions needed be taken to prevent chicanery, which led to some innovative features. The 1753 Connecticut lottery ticket above has a seemingly haphazard left edge because it was cut from a larger sheet. Anyone redeeming a winning ticket thus needed to have both the correct number and an edge matching the original sheet to validate its authenticity. Because the lottery was so much smaller, tickets were simply issued with consecutive numbers over the much more complex systems of today. Incidentally, this 1753 lottery was one of several held for the benefit of the “College of New Jersey,” i.e. Princeton University, and this particular one seems to have funded the construction of Nassau Hall. Connecticut was a very active place for lotteries. In 1754 one was held to construct a wharf in New Haven. The ticket for that lottery at the ANS is particularly noteworthy because it seems to have been a winning ticket for the sum of £25. All in all, eighteenth-century lotteries were much more even in terms of dispersing winnings, with larger tiers of moderate payouts over what is more or less the winner-take-all format of today. Arguably the most important lottery in American history was created by the Continental Congress in 1776 for “carrying on the present and most just and necessary war.” The “scheme” of the inaugural United States Lottery rather entertainingly refers to ticket holders as “adventurers.” Tickets were issued in different classes as the amount of awards and the cost of tickets escalated. This “Class the Third” ticket in the ANS collection was rather curiously signed but not seemingly issued as it lacks a number. Note the lines in the ‘No.’ field, which was meant to prevent alteration after a given ticket had a number written on it. Just as the issuing and counterfeiting of Continental currency was part and parcel of the larger conflict, financing via lottery was another arena of contention. The ticket below was used as part of a Loyalist lottery held in British-occupied New York City in 1777 to raise money for the provisioning of British troops. Although the rebellious colonists prevailed, the victory seemed to have done little to whet the public’s appetite for the lottery, and they proliferated in the United States during the late eighteenth century. A series of scandals in the nineteenth century, and the burgeoning of more or less fraudulent commercial lotteries hurt their reputation, but as today’s Powerball drawing suggests, the lottery still occupies a prominent place in American life and continues to play a significant role in funding public projects. —Matthew WittmannIs There Life after Death in Quaker North Carolina? [A long read] I Several years of intense struggle in North Carolina Yearly Meeting culminated in August 2017 by the YM going out of business, after more than 320 years. [Its “Concluding Minute” is online, and when we wrote this, copies printed on parchment were available. ] So, in standard American fashion, the question arises. Who won, who lost? No doubt there could be long debates about answers, especially over who lost, and what. But as to the other side, the answer is quite clear. Who was the winner in the demise of North Carolina Yearly Meeting? Why, it was North Carolina Yearly Meeting. That’s right, NCYM is still alive and, as far as can be determined, well. Someone will quickly point out that I’m referring now to the other North Carolina Yearly Meeting, the one that adds “C” for “Conservative” to its name. And maybe shrug: “Ah, but that’s different.” Is it? This NCYM lays an equal claim to the “apostolic succession” of Friends in the Tarheel state going back to the same origins, not long after George Fox visited the area in 1672. Further, it has been much more careful about retaining several features of that earlier heritage. These features were once thought to be inviolable Quaker traditions, but were long since discarded by the counterpart; and these, after all, were what NCYMC was created to “conserve.” In fact, its 2017 annual session, held in Wilmington NC on July (err, Seventh Month) 13-16, was listed in its minutes as the 320th — the same number as that of the other, now deceased NCYM-FUM. Which means, it’s the only North Carolina Yearly Meeting left standing. Thus, this summer also brought to a successful close the exodus they began, quietly but firmly, in 1904. The “Conservatives” were the Friends from meetings which resisted what they called “such departures [from previous Quaker practice] as hired ministry, congregational singing, instrumental music, pre-arranged ‘prayer meetings’, testimony meetings & etc. …” And there’s more. They also formally objected to the adoption of the creedal Richmond Declaration of Faith and the so-called “Uniform Discipline” of the new Five Years Meeting (now FUM) which was built around the Declaration, only to see their objections ignored and silenced. No wonder the Conservatives minuted that that they were “persuaded that such... can only tend to lead us farther and farther from the desired unity of faith and practice...” Which is to say, the Conservatives didn’t think they were leaving NCYM, but rather that the body, under misguided officers, was leaving them and the tested old ways, in favor of foreign, imported notions and practices. So they not only “conserved” these ways, but claimed the NCYM name and history as well. And now they’ve got the name back, all to themselves. To be sure, the current NCYMC officers are not going to gloat about this, and will likely be peeved at me for even mentioning it. NCYMC long ago let go of spending energy on that old controversy; “to each their own” fits well with their contemporary Quietist ethos. This NCYM has always traveled light: no pastors, no pastoral committees, no paid staff; no health plans or pensions; no office; no real estate. Its investment funds total in the low five figures. In many ways it is more a cycle of regular events than an institution. And from their perspective, even to ask whether this denouement amounts to a fulfillment of Matthew 5:5 (“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”) will be thought in very poor taste. Besides which, the “Conservative” part of their culture has also evolved considerably over time (and that’s another story). All this is very irenic. But again for the record, next summer in 2018, session #321 of North Carolina Yearly Meeting will be convened on schedule (as way opens), but there will be only one Recording Clerk writing this number in a minute book, not two. II The end of NCYM-FUM left two successor groups to define themselves and chart a future for their segments of programmed Quakerism in North Carolina. During the closing phases, the larger, more evangelical bloc was provisionally dubbed the “Authority Group,” because it wanted to exercise top-down disciplinary authority to purge a handful of “liberal” meetings, particularly for their reported friendliness to LGBTs. These targeted meetings were provisionally named “The Autonomy Group,” because they denied that NCYM had any such top-down disciplinary power. The “Authority Group” wanted to use the NCYM Faith & Practice as the basis for the purge; but the Autonomites pointed out correctly that the current edition contained no such provision, and moreover it did not mention LGBTs anywhere. In late 2015, someone in the Authority group reported that the1967 edition of NCYM’s Faith & Practice did have a top-down rule provision (as, indeed, most YMs’ books once had); but this had “somehow” disappeared then, and was absent from half a dozen subsequent approved revisions of the volume over the next 48 years. Charging that this change had not been authorized, the Clerk declared that a shouted “voice vote” at a 2015 Representative Body directed that this “disappeared” section be reinserted forthwith. Protests of this maneuver by the Autonomists were ignored. This was for many the turning point toward dissolution. Yet the Autonomites did not simply walk out. They resisted the continuing charges of inauthenticity and heresy, and declined to abandon NCYM to the other group. At this point, enter the lawyers. Thus, in the end, the “Authority Group” leaders came to agree that to rid themselves of the liberals, NCYM itself had to go, and it did. Also in the end, there were two concrete items left to haggle over: Quaker Lake Camp, and NCYM’s endowment of around $12 million dollars. The camp was given a shove toward independence, but left with an evangelical-tilted board for the meantime. The endowment is in the care of a new corporation, NCYM, Inc, called “The Inc” for short. This is essentially a foundation, whose sole function is to manage the endowment and pass out the earnings. Friends were told that under state law, The Inc is definitely not a church. Its board is drawn 50-50 from the two groups, but the fund’s earnings will be distributed based on membership, which means the Authority Group will get about 75 per cent, the liberals 25 %. Both groups agreed to help support Quaker Lake Camp for several years: $60,000 per year from the larger, $30,000 from the smaller. Once the “Closing Minute” was adopted on August 5, the two groups went their separate ways. So far, this is all necessary background, which (except for the parchment suicide note) has been reported before. What has happened since then is of more interest, and can be put in the form of another query: Is there life after death in NCYM-FUM territory? The answer is not so simple. We’ll look at one side, then the other. III “Authority” & “Autonomy” were only temporary designations. So one of the groups’ first tasks was to pick an official name. The Authoritarians had gathered on June 24, 2017 at Cedar Square Friends, for a general organizational meeting. By far the longest discussion in their minutes was on nomenclature. A Naming Committee reported that ten names had been suggested, and their recommendation was to call themselves the F. O. C. U. S. Church of Carolina, with the initials standing for “Friends Obedient to Christ and United to Serve.” Some liked it, others didn’t. Advocates stressed that it was pointed ahead, toward the new, and said it was time to “let go of holding to things of the past.” (This was not a new refrain: in an earlier meeting, on April 4, pastor Mike Wall told the group, according to the minutes, that “he does not feel [the] Traditional [term] Friends has any modern appeal, that anything with Quaker or Friends in it has not had a positive image for the last 25 years, that if we are facing a new day we should have a new name, that our name should denote a new direction, that our name should be new and vibrant.”) But others were not pleased that F. O. C. U. S. seemed to be leaving the Quaker heritage behind. And one Friend noted dryly that, “we already have a Ford Focus.” When the Clerk asked for approval, it wasn’t there. So the issue was discussed further: the periods in “FOCUS” were dropped, but views were still mixed, “with many Friends commenting and several offering that if we weren’t able to unite on this it didn’t bode well for our future.”
45,000 contributors giving an average of close to $18 each. Sanders has decried big-money interests and instead raised an unprecedented sum almost entirely from small donors, vowing not to align with the super PACs bankrolling his opponents. null Tim Canova noted his historic fundraising haul in an email sent out this week. “No House race challenger has ever accomplished a similar feat,” the campaign said in a statement. The fundraising “continues to be fueled by small donors who have given an average of roughly $18 over the past five months.” “Meanwhile, Debbie Wasserman Schultz continues to solicit huge contributions from wealthy elites and corporations in exchange for votes and favors in Washington,” said the campaign. Much of the support for Canova comes from those opposed to Schultz. A major backer for Hillary Clinton in 2008, she has been accused of favoring Clinton in her position as DNC chair. Schultz has come under some of the strongest attacks from Bernie Sanders, but other members of the Democratic Party are now calling for her ouster. The support from Bernie Sanders has been a huge boost to Tim Canova’s campaign, the candidate noted. He said they are approaching $2 million in total donations, with the bulk of it coming after the May endorsement by Sanders. “Well, I’ll say we raised about $1 million in the first four months. By the time Bernie endorsed us, we were probably up at about $1.2, $1.3 million,” he told Politico. “Since then we got a big kick of several hundred thousand, and that puts us closing in on $2 million now.” Canova’s fundraising haul could also hint at the power Sanders may hold after his primary battle is over. Sanders has shown an ability to harness the power of his grassroots movement, and could become one of the most important Democrats going forward, pushing the party further to the left. null Tim Canova received another major boost on Friday, with the progressive super PAC Democracy for America officially endorsing him. The organization noted Canova’s fight for income equality and hit on Wasserman Schultz’s perceived entanglement with special interests, namely the payday lending industry. “DFA members are backing Tim Canova in this race for Congress, not for who he supports or who supports him, but because he has spent his life challenging the power of Wall Street banks, multinational corporations, and the systemic political corruption that keeps them profitable at the expense of everyone else,” DFA Chairman Jim Dean said in a statement (via The Hill). “Simply put,” he continued, “if Democrats are going to be the party that confronts the wealthy and powerful who dominate our political process and enable growing income inequality, we need political revolutionaries like Tim Canova in the U.S. Congress.” Tim Canova thanked Democracy for America for the endorsement, noting that the organization’s members in his district have offered overwhelming support. He also criticized Debbie Wasserman Schultz for “standing by Republicans and their corporate interests.” [Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]64-year-old Tariq Syed, of Pemberton Drive, Little Horton, Bradford, is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, attacking her mother with a knife, and attempting to bribe them to leave the country. The jury at Bradford Crown Court was told that Syed befriended the girl’s family and then began to groom her with gifts including clothes and mobile phones, reports The Telegraph and Argus. Syed is alleged to have posed as a Good Samaritan to the family of poor Romanian migrants, allaying the mother’s suspicions by claiming he was motivated by a desire to help them. However, when the girl’s mother discovered she had missed school on two occasions in September 2014 and confronted her, she broke down, confessing “the old man” had collected her in his car, locked the doors, driven her to a wooded area, and raped her. “She was screaming but he said if she did not let him do it, he would kill her and bury her there,” claimed prosecutor Sharon Beattie. He is also alleged to have threatened to burn down the girl’s home. Syed’s semen was found on the inside of the girl’s school trousers following the alleged assault. Syed claims he gave the trousers to the girl as a gift, and that they were stained with his semen because they had previously belonged to his wife. Three days after Syed’s arrest, he is said to have confronted the girl’s mother at her place of work, swearing at her, and offering her £15,000 to return to Romania. The mother said she told him: “Are you not afraid of God because you dishonoured my child?” Syed is said to have shouted, “I will kill you” and attacked her with a knife, injuring her neck. Syed claimed that, in fact, the mother attacked him. Beattie described the 64-year-old as expressing “nothing but contempt for the girl’s family”, telling the police the mother “would do anything for money” and could not be trusted. Syed pleaded not guilty to rape, an alternative charge of sexual activity with a child, perverting the course of justice, and causing the mother actual bodily harm during the alleged knife attack. The alleged victim has left the UK and is providing evidence via video link. The trial continues.Police in Vigo, Galicia received a call from a woman in the Canary Islands, concerned about her friend living in Alcabre, who had not used Facebook nor WhatsApp in six days, according to local newspaper Faro de Vigo. The 51-year-old man lived alone and reportedly suffered from Diogenes syndrome which is characterized by extreme self-neglect, apathy, compulsive hoarding of garbage, among other symptoms. When officers arrived at the man's home, they found enormous piles of garbage surrounding the home. "It was something out of the ordinary," officers told the local newspaper. Un vigués muere en su casa de Alcabre atrapado entre basura https://t.co/6MnBuGDJue pic.twitter.com/4IwMFhmVqH — Faro de Vigo (@Farodevigo) April 7, 2016 The man's body was discovered wedged between a one-metre-deep heap of trash and a door to the house. The stacks of waste made it nearly impossible to enter the home and police had to call in firefighters to retrieve the body, which appeared to show no signs of violence. Officers believe that the somehow the pile of trash may have fallen on the man and he was unable to get out, but are still awaiting an autopsy.President Trump has offered the job of national security adviser to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward following Michael Flynn's resignation earlier this week, according to reports. It wasn't immediately clear if Harward, who previously served as a Navy SEAL and as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, had accepted the position, according to Reuters. Trump was "a bit surprised when Harward responded by saying he needed a couple of days to think it over," Foreign Policy's Thomas Ricks reported. ADVERTISEMENT Flynn resigned from his post Monday after reports that he misled White House officials about discussing sanctions on Russia with the country's U.S. ambassador before Trump took office. Trump had named retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who previously served as Flynn's chief of staff on the National Security Council, as his acting national security adviser.Hello! The holidays are almost upon us! Family, friends, food, fantastic video games. We know you guys like dressing up at this time of year, so we created a festive skin pack for Pocket Edition as well as the Windows 10 Edition beta. It’s available to download today and costs $1.99 or equivalent. The pack includes festive classics like Santa, his wife, and an elf, but we’ve also made a bundle of wintery looks that are… like… totes wearable throughout the rest of winter. Dedicated skin enthusiasts will also notice that this is the first pack for Windows 10 Edition Beta and Pocket to include extra geometry. That basically means we’ve tweaked the character models slightly to make them look extra cool. In other news, we’ve quashed lots of bugs, but they’re so boring I can’t quite bring myself to type them out here. Just play in the knowledge that the game is slightly better than last time you loaded it up. Oh! One more thing - though the illustration at the top of this post includes a much-requested feature for Pocket Edition and the Windows 10 Edition Beta - maps - they aren’t ready to be patched in quite yet. Think of it as a teaser for the next update. Have a nice day, everyone! Owen - @bopogamelAn emaciated man, who claimed to have spent 16 months adrift at sea, has been rescued after being washed up on a remote Pacific atoll. The man, with a dishevelled appearance, was spotted by two locals on Thursday when his 24-foot fibreglass boat with propellerless engines washed up on to the reef at Ebon Atoll, after floating more than 12,500 kilometres (8,000 miles) from Mexico. "His condition isn't good, but he's getting better," Ola Fjeldstad, a Norwegian anthropology student doing research on Ebon, told AFP by telephone. "He has a long beard and hair." 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. Fjeldstad said that the castaway, who was clad only in a pair of ragged underpants, claims to have left Mexico for Salvador in September 2012 with a companion, who died at sea several months ago. The man, who speaks only Spanish, was able to provide merely sketchy details of his survival, but said his name was Jose Ivan. "The boat is really scratched up and looks like it has been in the water for a long time," said the researcher. Ivan appears to have survived by eating turtles, birds and fish and by drinking turtle blood when there was no rain. He caught the animals with his bare hands as there was no fishing gear on board the boat. There was a turtle on the boat when it landed at Ebon. Perhaps surprisingly, Ivan's story is not an anomaly and there have been various tales of survival in the vast Pacific. In 2006, three Mexicans made international headlines when they were discovered drifting in their boat in the middle of the ocean, nine months after setting out on a shark-fishing expedition. And in 1992, two fishermen from Kiribati were at sea for 177 days before coming ashore in Samoa. Fictional tales of survival have also captured the public imagination in recent years. Yann Martel's best-selling 2001 novel, Life of Pi, tells the story of an Indian boy cast adrift in the Pacific after a shipwreck that claims the lives of his family and, in 2000, Tom Hanks played a man stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island in the film Castaway. According to Fjeldstad, the Marshall islanders who discovered Ivan took him to the main island on the atoll to meet Mayor Ione de Brum, who put in a call to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Majuro. Officials at the Foreign Ministry said on Friday they were waiting to get more details and for the man to be brought to Majuro, AFP reported. The government has only one plane that can land at Ebon, but it is currently down for maintenance and is not expected to return to service until Tuesday at the earliest. Officials are considering sending a boat to pick up Ivan. He's staying at the local council house and a family is feeding him," said Fjeldstad, who added that the man had a basic health check and was found to have low blood pressure. However, he did not appear to have any life-threatening illness and was able to walk with the aid of men on the island. "We've been giving him a lot of water, and he's gaining strength," said the Norwegian. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events, ebooks – all with no ads. Subscribe nowOn Saturday, the New York Times posted an interactive map of Netflix rental patterns in 12 U.S. cities, broken down by ZIP code. The map is smartly designed and great fun to explore, yet what strikes you almost immediately is the lack of regional variation. The most-popular movies across each urban area are films that contended in last year's Oscars— The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Milk, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married —plus a handful of less heady titles: Paul Blart, Eagle Eye, Twilight. But not all of the ZIPs are so boring. Perusing the New York map over the weekend, Slate contributor Mike Shollar came across 11371, in Flushing, Queens, N.Y. Its Top 10: 1. Wall-E 2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 3. Oz: Season 3: Disc 1 4. Watchmen 5. The Midnight Meat Train 6. Man, Woman, and the Wall 7. Traffic 8. Romancing the Stone 9. Crocodile Dundee 2 10. Godzilla's Revenge Why such an idiosyncratic list? According to Zipcode.com, 11371 has a population of zero—it's LaGuardia Airport. Presumably, this list represents the taste of a small number of people (a single person?) who registered a Netflix account to a mailstop at LGA. Mike noticed a similar phenomenon in Chicago, where O'Hare has its own zip. The top titles in 60666 : 1. Year of the Dragon 2. Transporter 3 3. Somewhere in Time 4. Videodrome 5. A Prayer for the Dying 6. Sixteen Candles 7. Orlando 8. Pale Rider 9. The Breakfast Club 10. Raising Arizona It's not just airports that have more eclectic lists. College campuses often have their own ZIPs as well. The University of Denver, which resides in 80208, would seem to have particularly collegiate taste: 1. Flight of the Conchords: Season 1: Disc 2 2. W. 3. Volver 4. Weeds: Season 2: Disc 2 5. Appaloosa 6. Weeds: Season 2: Disc 1 7. Defiance 8. Eastern Promises 9. The Visitor 10. The Duchess Other pockets of resistance to Oscar dominance include, interestingly, the ZIP codes in which some of the major studios reside. Universal City, home to Universal Studios, is in ZIP code 91608. Its Top 10: 1. Twilight 2. Vicky Christina Barcelona 3. Taken 4. I Love You, Man 5. RocknRolla 6. Cloverfield 7. Changeling 8. Body of Lies 9. Sicko 10. True Blood: Season 1, Disc 1 One final zip-code category that produces entertaining Top 10s: areas largely taken up by federal or state government. For example, 80225, home to the Denver Federal Center. Get the sense this list reflects the taste of a single Netflix subscriber? 1. Entourage: Season 1: Disc 1 2. Patton Oswalt: No Reason to Complain: Uncensored 3. Richard Jeni: A Big Steaming Pile of Me 4. Psych: Season 1: Disc 1 5. Heckler 6. Robot Chicken: Season 1: Disc 1 7. Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong 8. Psych: Season 1: Disc 2 9. Patton Oswalt: Werewolves and Lollipops 10. Psych: Season 1: Disc 3 This is hardly a comprehensive list of ZIP codes with unique taste in cinema. Brow Beat readers: Have you noticed a strange ZIP on the Times's Netflix map? E-mail me at dvdextras@gmail.com, and be sure to send along your best guess at what's afoot in that ZIP. And if you're a skycap with a fondness for the adventure movies of the 1980s or a federal employee with a deep appreciation for Patton Oswalt, we'd love to hear from you as well.Two reports that Mayor Ed Murray plans to release this week could change Seattle’s strategy and spending to combat homelessness. Two reports that Mayor Ed Murray plans to release this week could change the way Seattle handles homelessness. Murray intends to use the long-anticipated reports by homelessness consultants as a springboard to announce a new, long-term strategy. The mayor and King County Executive Dow Constantine proclaimed states of emergency last November to address what they called a growing homelessness crisis. They allocated several million dollars in emergency funding beyond the more than $70 million that the city and county had already budgeted to help the homeless this year, with mixed results. Now that the year is drawing to a close and Murray is preparing to propose a new budget, the mayor will seek to overhaul the city’s spending on homeless services and the system that delivers those services, which for years has been characterized by a slew of nonprofit organizations doing many different things. Murray will likely argue for less spending on interventions such as shelter, street outreach and meal programs, and for more spending on housing. He’ll likely call for a budget rewarding nonprofits that show measurable results and penalizing organizations that don’t, however noble their work might be. The mayor tipped his hand in an Op-Ed last month and in an interview when The Seattle Times reported in June on Houston’s recent success reducing its unsheltered population by an estimated 75 percent. “I believe we can reform our system and get significantly better results,” Murray said. “I believe there are significant things we can do, like Houston.” During a City Council briefing Tuesday, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw said the two reports, which she’s read, recommend the city provide more housing to people living without shelter. One report will come from Barbara Poppe, a nationally known expert who ran the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for President Obama until 2014. Poppe initially had an $80,000 contract to develop new spending priorities for the city. That contract has since been extended, increasing to $102,000. She caused a stir while visiting in February when she spoke out against Seattle authorizing some tent encampments. Murray and the City Council had passed legislation giving support to authorized encampments for the first time, describing them as a safer alternative to the many illegal camps springing up. “I find it horrifying you have children living in encampments and that is somehow acceptable to this community,” Poppe said at the time. The Ohio-based consultant offered her opinion without having toured one of the authorized encampments, which upset some proponents. During a later visit, she did check them out. Now that Poppe’s report is near release, encampments are once again in the news, thanks to heated debate over the ongoing evictions of homeless people from illegal sites. The other report has been completed by Focus Strategies, a California-based firm with a principal, Katharine Gale, who spent time with Poppe at the Interagency Council. Seattle, along with King County, United Way and the All Home private-public partnership managing homelessness countywide, asked Focus Strategies for a data analysis of homelessness spending here. The report, said All Home Director Mark Putnam, should answer questions such as, “What does it cost for each person in the system to move from homelessness to housing?” and “What interventions are more expensive than others?” It should also make recommendations for how the region can get better results. The county and All Home recently launched a new, more streamlined setup for assessing the needs of homeless people and determining what help they should receive and where. Whether local officials carry out further reforms may depend on whether the various politically connected nonprofits that serve the homeless are willing to play along. “Many of the (Focus Strategies) recommendations will be in line with things that are already under way,” Putnam said. “But this could be the most thorough analysis we’ve had, and I believe there’s a commitment to using the recommendations for change.”Tim Sweeney, programmer and co-founder of Epic Games, says that “we must fight” Microsoft and their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) initiative, which makes certain Windows 10 features only available to developers who agree to sell their game via the official Windows Store. This is from an op-ed in The Guardian where Sweeney outlines his objections, arguing that “this is the most aggressive move Microsoft has ever made” and that “Microsoft is moving against the entire PC industry – including consumers (and gamers in particular), software developers such as Epic Games, publishers like EA and Activision, and distributors like Valve and Good Old Games.” The UWP is a software platform designed to allow developers to create programs that run on both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, without needing to be re-written for each type of device. Sweeney’s issue is that to use the platform and certain other Windows features, you must sell your product through the Windows store – and thus give Microsoft 30% of your revenue. Sweeney writes: It’s true that if you dig far enough into Microsoft’s settings-burying UI, you can find a way to install these apps by enabling “side-loading”. But in turning this off by default, Microsoft is unfairly disadvantaging the competition. Bigger-picture, this is a feature Microsoft can revoke at any time using Windows 10’s forced-update process. He goes on to explain the things Microsoft must do if UWP is to succeed: allow UWP applications to be downloaded from anywhere, not just the Windows store; allow anyone to sell UWP applications, including Steam and GOG; allow creators and consumers to continue to have a direct relationship with one another, without Microsoft sitting as an unwelcome middleman. He goes on to argue in favour of open ecosystems, and to say that in the case of the Windows Store, “Microsoft’s situation, however, is an embarrassment.” In another Guardian story, Microsoft disagreed with Sweeney’s interpretation of what they were doing, saying in part that: “The Universal Windows Platform is a fully open ecosystem, available to every developer, that can be supported by any store. We continue to make improvements for developers; for example, in the Windows 10 November Update, we enabled people to easily side-load apps by default, with no UX required.” This isn’t the first time that a developer has criticised Microsoft’s practices, but I can’t think of another instance of a developer writing a full op-ed in a major news outlet about it. As one of the founders of Epic and the original architect of the Unreal Engine, Sweeney has a lot of credibility, too. More credibility, arguably, than Microsoft, who have neglected the PC games space for years and whose promises to enter the arena have been either hollow or met with the suspicion that they’d force things upon people that people didn’t want. I wonder why.Pueblo health department: teen birth rates continue to dip Teen birth rates in Pueblo are down more than 60 percent over the last six years. The department released this video explaining the drop: We’ll have more on the story later today from Ashleigh Hollowell, but here is the tl;dr: The Pueblo City-County Health Department partnered with local organizations like United Way mentoring, school districts and both Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University-Pueblo to implement programs and distribute a standardized message on the issue throughout the community. After the implementation of positive youth development programs and sexual health and safety informational programs in local middle and high schools the use of clinic resources increased “…slightly, as youth also visited their own provider, Pueblo Community Health Center, and School Wellness Centers to inquire about LARCS and their sexual health,” according to the department. PULP has been following this story since 2015, when some worried Pueblo’s teen birth rate would rise again after the state cut funding for programs that made the decrease possible. When to expect Pueblo’s new marijuana stores The pile of 20 applicants has been limited to eight stores — the number Pueblo City Council said it was comfortable letting operate in city limits. Four stores will open north of the Arkansas River and four stores will open south of the river. While the stores have been announced — that happened Monday — the chosen ones will have to still go through the licensing process. Council gave priority on an established points system to stores that already had some kind of base in Pueblo, such as operating a wholesale business or medical store. Pueblo’s economy off to slow start in 2017 Strong spending habits were down in Pueblo, according to city manager Sam Azad. General sales tax fell by 4.3 percent compared to January 2016. “In fact, consumer spending sank considerably in January compared to last year,” Azad said in an email. “Overall sales and use tax revenue declined 5.1 percent relative to January of 2016.” But overall revenue was up 12 percent in the first month of the year. The lodger’s tax, an indicator of tourism, was up 11 percent. Auto sales were down — a typically strong driver of consumer spending — while department stores were led the pack. The full story here. But things are looking good in Trinidad Trinidad is experiencing an economic uptick in several different sectors, according to the economic development director Jonathan Taylor. The Trinidad Chronicle News reported: “Within the past year and with the council’s goals in mind, we had a 15 percent increase in non-cannabis related sales tax,” Taylor said. “We had a 20 percent increase in our lodging tax revenue, and a 54 percent increase in residential sales and a 14 percent increase in commercial real estate sales. Now I’m going to assume that some of those real estate sales were related to cannabis, but that’s the overall economy of Trinidad.” — Jonathan Taylor, economic development director Other factors, such as the average age dropping 1.5 years is added good news to the economy, as is the $.13 average wage increase. You can read more of that Chronicle News report here. Medicare opioid prescriptions in Colorado are above the national average 7.4 percent of Medicare prescriptions in Colorado in 2014 were for opioids — pain killers such as codeine and oxycodone. Most Medicare recipients are seniors. But people with disabilities or kidney failure can also qualify. Colorado finds itself 1.7 percent higher than the national average of 5.4 percent of Medicare prescriptions being opioids. Rural counties, especially in the southern part of the state, tend to be higher. But it’s difficult to correlate the Medicare prescription data to other troubling drug addiction statistics, such as overdose death rates — those include other drugs beyond prescription opioids. Ready more on why here. It probably won’t pass — the bills that are doomed to die in the statehouse This week statehouse reporter Bente Birkland asked a pretty intriguing question: why do some lawmakers introduce bills that have zero chance of ever becoming a law? Basically, to get attention. Birkland reports: “Whatever the message bill is, we get frustrated because there’s really important work that we have to do here at the capitol,” said Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. She said some issues can be damaging just by discussing them. She points to a religious freedom bill (House Bill 1013) that mirrored measures in other states. It would have allowed business owners opposed to same-sex marriages to deny services to LGBT individuals. It failed in its first Democratic controlled committee hearing. More of the story here.Adventures in Blender’s Video Sequence Editor Blender’s Video Sequence Editor (or VSE for short) is a small non-linear video editor cozily tucked in to Blender, with the purpose of quickly editing Blender renders. It is ideal for working with rendered output (makes sense) and I’ve used it on many an animation project with confidence. Tube is being edited with VSE, as a 12 minute ‘live’ edit that gets updated with new versions of each shot and render. I’ve been trying out the Python API to streamline the process even further. So… what are the advantages of the Video Sequence Editor. Other than being Free Software, and right there, it turns out there are quite a few: familiar interface for blender users: follows the same interface conventions for selecting, scrubbing, moving, etc. Makes it very easy to use for even beginning to intermediate users. tracks are super nice: there are a lot of them, and they are not restricted: you can put audio, effects, transitions, videos or images on any track. Way to go Blender for not copying the skeuomorphic conventions that makes so many video editors a nightmare in usability. Since Blender splits selection and action, scrubbing vs. selection is never a problem, you scrub with one mouse button, select with the other, and there is never a problem of having to scrub in a tiny target, or selecting when you want to scrub. I’ve never had this ease of use in any other editor. simple ui, not super cluttered with options covers most of the basics of what you would need from a video editor: cutting, transitions, simple grading, transformations, sound, some effects, alpha over, blending modes, etc. has surprisingly advanced features buried in there too: Speed control, Multicam editing, Proxies for offline editing, histograms and waveform views, ‘meta sequences’ which are basically groups of anything (movies, images, transitions, etc) bundled together in one editable strip on the timeline. as in the rest of Blender, everything is keyframable. you can add 3D Scenes as clips (blender calls them strips) making Blender into a ‘live’ title / effects generator for the editor. They can be previewed in openGL, and render out according to the scene settings. it treats image sequences as first class citizens, a must!!! Python scriptable!!!! big feature IMO. (uses the same api as the rest of Blender) Disadvantages are also present, I should mention a few: UI is blender centric! so if you are not a blender user, it does not resemble $FAVORITEVIDEOEDITOR at all. Also, you have to expose it in the UI (only a drop down away, but most people don’t even realize it is there) no ‘bin’ of clips, no thumbnail previews on the video files, though waveform previewing is supported. lacks some UI niceties for really fast editing, though that can be fixed with python operators, and also is getting improvements over time. could be faster: we lost frame prefetching in the 2.5 transition, however, it is not much slower than some other editors I’ve used. not a huge amount of codec support: Since Blender is primarily not a video editor, supporting a bajillion codecs is not really a goal. I believe this differs slightly cross platform. bad codec support unfortunately means not only that some codecs don’t work, but that some of the codecs work imperfectly. needs more import/export features (EDL is supported, but afk only one way) some features could use a bit of polish. This is hampered by the fact that this is old code, a bit messy, and not many developers like to work with it. Needless to say this is all ‘at the time of writing’. Things may improve, or the whole thing gets thrown into the canal 😉 So what have I been up to with Blender’s video editor? Quite a bit! Some of it may end up not-so-useful in the end, but experimentation could yield some refinements. The really good thing about using Python, is that I can ‘rip up’ complex things and rearrange / redo them. So the experiments don’t result in a huge waste. Lets have a peak. Automatic Updates – take 1- ogler.py: In the beginning of the project I thought to use Blender’s scene support to create a ‘live’ edit, that did not use video or image clips at all, but instead, referenced actual animation shots directly. This would be done by linking the shots into the edit as scenes, then using Blender’s scene strip support to edit them live as opengl previews. In my more optimistic moments, I imagined pressing ‘render’ directly from the sequence editor, and rendering the entire movie at once. Early tests were promising, and in fact, for very small (say under 10 shots) this approach could work quite well. However, things were getting slow for Tube, as our shots were a bit too slow for editing live, and I wanted the speed of movie clips without the loss of the dynamic connection. Chris Webber, lead developer of GNU Mediagoblin, swooped to my assistance, and created ogler.py: A sequence strip addon that renders out the linked scenes into opengl previews, and then swaps them in the edit, but can swap them back to scene strips. so you can edit in the scenes, oglify them and edit fast, and then de-oglify to keep the connection live anytime you want. Sadly, once tube got to around 30-40 shots, this became unworkable. Even loading the file with all the linked scenes would take for ever, and I started to run out of ram. It became clear that the memory requirements for the full movie (around 70 shots) would be too big to just link into one file. Sadly, I oglifyied for the last time, deleting the scene links as I went, leaving burning disconnection and lament, where once was a harmonious connected live edit. Automatic Updates – take 2- smash_all.py: After that, updates were not automatic. As shots were animated, I’d open the scene file, open gl preview it (henceforth, the verb is boomsmash) and refresh the edit. Sometimes I’d download a preview directly from an animator, or from helga, and skip the whole boomsmashing thing. With multiple animators working this got a bit tiresome and error prone, and slowly the videos files would drift from ogler’s handy folder, getting scattered on my harddisk, whereever they were dropped initially. Also, we started getting in rendered shots, so these found their way on the edit. These are managed quite well by Helga, as image sequences on the server. I would drop them into the sequencer via the mounted network folder, and they worked surprisingly well – fast, but not realtime. However, I’d every now and then drop a local render in too, complicating things again. At this points I started to have two problems: One the setup was far too chaotic, and only worked on one workstation. Two, it was slow, and I need realtime performance to do more careful and artistic editing down the line. I decided to solve the organization problem first, as having a working edit is of paramount importance when reviewing and modifying animation shots, for the obvious reason that they have to work together in the edit. I wrote a simple script called smash_all.py. First time you run it, it boomsmashes the entire list of shots into one folder- and saves the timestamps of the blend files it just rendered. Subsequent runs, it will only do this for changed files (by checking the timestamps), allowing me to run it to automatically updated progressed animation shots. Nice side-effect, all the movie files are consistently named, and live in one folder. The actual process runs for a bit, but, it can be run in the background with no user intervention. The script is an addon, but currently has hardcoded shot list, and folder locations, it wouldn’t be hard to make a config file it could import instead – in any case, all the paths are at the beginning of the file, easy to edit. We could improve it by getting the user’s home folder from the OS module, making more paths relative to the blend file, and getting a few folders as options. I’d love to hear suggestions, as I’m not sure what the nicest thing would be. Speed: Sequencer Proxies and proxy_workflow.py: Blender as I mentioned has a built in ability to do proxies for editing slow footage (examples are hi resolution footage, exrs, footage that lives on a network folder, etc). They are a great way to speed up your edit, and might be a cool way to do an offline edit (I’m trying to see how possible this is with some help from python). Proxies are either movies or image sequences, and can be at 25 to 100% of the resolution of the original- but in jpg or avi jpeg formats, very fast. Each strip has a toggle to enable proxies, and then a bunch of options for desired sizes, timecode, and folder/file locations. Since the strips I was using were at least partially on the server, I wanted the proxies to be local to my disk for speed, not on the same server with the rendered footage. So I needed the custom folder option, but… setting a custom folder for each and every clip one by one is just not an option for a lazy programmer (more seriously, it isn’t a good option for anybody). Since I plan to explore several workflow enhancements for proxies, I opted to make an single addon (proxy_workflow.py) that contains right now just a single operator, that gets a menu item, and a hotkey (ctrl-shift-a for now). The operator creates a folder ‘Tproxy’ next to the edit.blend file, and populates it with (hopefully unique) subfolders based on the path of each strip. You simply select all the strips you want to proxy, and it will create proxies (but only for movie and image files) in the selection. It also gives you a popup so you can select the sizes required, without having to go strip by strip. Maybe in the future we can make the path an optional entry, for custom workflows. A known problem: if the same source image or video is used for multiple strips, it will not proxy it, but it will create the custom folder correctly. Simply select one of the strips and do rebuild proxies and timecodes, and all will be well. Speed: Future work: It seems that even with local on disk proxies, the edit hits the network for the source files every time you scrub over to a new clip. This means scrubbing within one strip is fast, but the moment you ‘step’ over an edit, you get a little lag, dependent on the network speed. At the Drome, this is almost imperceptible, but at home… the edit literally just hangs. I can think of a few solutions. bug report/whine to blender coders (or check the code myself) and see if this can be fixed in Blender. No need to check the source if you are using a proxy. temporarily change the source folder to some dummy location, and save the original location in a custom property, and use an operator to toggle back and forth
completion of the nearly $4 billion pipeline. They claimed that it was going to threaten the water supply for millions of people. The supporters of the pipeline have said that it is a safer way to move oil rather than trucks and trains. Considering that oil is very flammable and accidents can happen, I would rather see something be moved safely. But no matter what side you are on, vandalizing a memorial designed for military veterans is something that SHOULDN’T happen! As of right now, the United States Park Police are investigating the vandalism. But there is good news about this whole thing. The vandal had used paint to make his mark. And a paint stripper has been used to remove much of the damage that had been done. The pipeline protests have been going on for a long time. But President Obama has said that the federal government was looking for ways to “reroute” parts of the pipeline. It sounds like another attempt to appease people on the president’s behalf. But the bottom line is that these people thought it was a good idea to make their message heard by spray painting a VETERANS MEMORIAL! That is the ultimate sign of disrespect! And it makes it worse when you factor in that Veteran’s Day is literally two days away. It’s like they don’t care about the fact that these veterans made the ultimate sacrifice so they could pull those actions. Every American should honor the fact that these veterans have given everything that they possibly could to make sure that the freedoms of the United States stay that way. And every memorial that is destroyed and vandalized is just another reminder that not everyone believes that military veterans should be thanked. Those people are some of the worst Americans on the planet. If you want to protest something, then fine, but there is NO EXCUSE for anyone to vandalize a memorial designed to honor those that served. And the simple fact that someone thought it was a good idea is sickening. There are several ways to make your point but this is among one of the absolute worst out there. And what is even worse is that there are people that are going to think that it was a good idea. Sadly this isn’t the first time that this has happened. There were people that thought it was a good idea to vandalize a September 11, 2001 memorial. And the worst part of that was they actually did it. In a college town in California people thought it was a good idea to destroy something that means a lot to some people here in the country. That wasn’t the only time that this has happened. Just a couple weeks ago there was another report that someone thought it would be a good idea to destroy a veterans memorial. Yes there are people here in the United States that want to make sure that military people don’t get the respect that they deserve. It’s like these people have just lost all respect for those that have given everything and more for the safety of the country. Share this article to make sure that we can find the person, or people, that is responsible for destroying a monument that is dedicated to our military veterans. What makes it worse is that it is so close to Veteran’s Day. The pure timing of this entire action is something that should make every red-blooded patriot in the country angry. We need your help to make sure that the people that are responsible for this action are caught and brought to justice. This type of activity is simply unacceptable. But with your help we can find the protestors that are responsible and make sure they pay for their crimes.MB Comment: Here is the totalitarian downside to Bill Gates’ global vaccination campaign. The Gates’ Foundation website features a gushing video narrated by Melinda Gates praising Malawi for its ‘health surveillance assistants’ and their vaccine enforcement programs. This article from Malawi suggests political and health officials would apparently not hesitate at killing children who refuse vaccines. Bill Gates said in a CNN interview ‘the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts — you know, they, they kill children.’ Guess what, Bill? The developing world governments who are your partners don’t mind using lethal force to implement vaccine mandates. What do you call that – killing children to protect them? ************************************************************************************************** 131 children vaccinated at gunpoint in Nsanje ‘About 131 children from Nsanje who fled into neighboring Mozambique during the anti-measles vaccine a few months ago were vaccinated this week at gunpoint. The children, belonging to Zion and Atumwi Churches were taken into Mozambique by their parents to hide them from officials fearing they might get vaccinated. According to Dr Medison Matchaya District Health Officer for Nsanje, medics went to vaccine the children in Nsanje under police escort.’ Read the Malawi Voice Article ******************************************************************************** Melinda Gates on Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Malawi ‘How is it that they do that? What I found was that the vision and dedication of the country’s top leadership has been absolutely instrumental in terms of making success in this area. So the country, one of the commitments that they’ve made is to build out this cadre of front line workers they call them in their country health surveillance assistants. So every month these 11,000 health surveillance assistants spend 3 weeks out in the villages, talking with the villagers providing basic vaccinations … They make sure the vaccinations happen, not only at the village level but all the way back through the system.’ View Gates Foundation Slideshow: Melinda Gates on Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Malawi0 Shares 0 0 0 0 The debt crisis and move to harsher austerity imposed by the European Union is affecting some of the most vulnerable people in Greek society--especially sex workers, according to a new study. Greek sex workers are now selling their services for the lowest rate in the entire European Union. The three-year study compiled data from more than 17,000 sex workers in Greece and concluded that by and large the Eastern European women who used to make up the majority of sex workers in the country have been pushed out due to falling prices. What’s left is an industry, legal in Greece, that leaves overwhelmingly young and vulnerable Greek women fighting supply and demand with no representation. Vox produced a graphic that shows among other illegal trades, the main sources and routes of female trafficking in 2010. Before the current financial crisis that has left a record 27.89 percent of Greek workers unemployed, with youth unemployment at rates as high as 60 percent, the average price for sex with a prostitute was approximately $53. Today, the study shows, a thirty minute rate has lowered to just $2.12. The industry drives nearly $638 million in sales annually with more women joining everyday as other employment opportunities dry up. Despite its legality many brothels are unlicensed and women in compromised positions find themselves with few options. Speaking to the London Times, Gregory Lazos, a professor of sociology at Panteion University in Athens and lead author of the research said “Some women just do it for a cheese pie, or a sandwich they need to eat because they are hungry,” adding “Others [do it] to pay taxes, bills, for urgent expenses or a quick [drug] fix.” Lazos has been researching prostitution in Greece for many years and has previously published two extensive volumes on the topic. The trend toward cheaper prostitution is worldwide, with the accessibility of internet sex services and ubiquitous financial insecurity, but Greece is experiencing it the worst. “Most worrying,” Lazos told the London Times, “is it doesn’t look like these numbers will fade; rather they are growing at a steady and consistent pace.” The choice a woman makes to go into prostitution is by and large not one of ideology but the promise of gainful employment. But in countries where the trade is strongly regulated, workers are in less danger of violence or sexually transmitted diseases. Because only 10 brothels in Greece are sanctioned, the majority of prostitutes go directly to the streets, exacerbating the problem and putting them at risk of harm. It is apparent in the study that if women had a better employment option, they would refrain from the sex trade. There is a growing number of peripheral workers--women according to Mr. Lazos “who drift in and out of the trade, depending on their needs...” Lazos added “the total number of female prostitutes is startling...Greek women now dominate 80 percent of the trade.” Lazos called for reform or action from the government, urging “State authorities, police and health officials [to]...finally act rather than continuing to remain indifferent.”NATO was primarily founded by the US with then-12 members in 1949 as a bulwark against Soviet aggression. NATO’s mission terminated following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of Warsaw pact in 1991. At that time, there was no giant beyond Soviet Union to take up position, though the US scrambled to keep NATO running, otherwise the disbandment of NATO could mean a recipe for the US’s shrinking of supremacy over the world. The other advantage by maintaining NATO is that it is a combined force that allows US to hold an overall grip on the European region. NATO involves 25 European member states among others while the European Union and the NATO have 22 members in common. In this row, France, Britain and the US are nuclear powers. According to NATO treaty’s article 5, if a member of the organization faces direct incursion from outside powers, the rest of members shall spring into its defense. The most spectacular example and the only tragedy ever seen that represents this article was 9/11 attacks. The NATO powers were, indeed, on their own to go for helping the US, yet the enormity of world trade center’s havoc earned their sympathy to join US forces in the invasion of Afghanistan. NATO’s latest mission began in 2003 in Afghanistan where it deployed thousands of troops through International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). By the term NATO, the finger is pointed at those few member states that really run things and hold a massive stake on the ground. The US and UK are the only two spearheads when it comes to the Afghan war. The rests below these two in the list are just operating under NATO with far fewer troops or some may even contribute to appease the US. The US deployed NATO forces in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Indian Ocean, of which Uzbekistan demanded several million dollars as payment for exploitation of its soil against Afghanistan. The second to US at the helm of NATO is the UK. This leading NATO member played more like an influential conduit for the passage of NATO’s proposals and plans into the European Union. But this trend seems to start faltering after the revolutionary Brexit referendum in the UK last year. Although the NATO and UK officials have ruled out a likely split of UK from the NATO following Brexit, it is presumed that the deadlock would start to loom in the longer term – if not in near one. NATO binds its members to dedicate at least 2 percent of their GDP for defense spending, while only five members including the US, the UK, Greece, Poland and Estonia are less or well above the target. Amazingly, the powerful economies such as Germany and France are falling short in this area. As aftereffect of the Brexit referendum, the UK could lose the most senior military position of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander which it held for more than 60 years. The deputy leadership among other key roles could possibly slip to France. The other turning point triggered by Brexit is the EU’s intention to speed up the creation of independent military headquarters outside NATO. This idea, however, was frequently downplayed and turned down by the UK which it saw as a threat to the role of NATO. The UK had said last year it would veto such a proposal, because it may possibly undercut UK’s vigorous engagement in NATO. Given the pre-emptive use of force, NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg last year in a meeting in Brussels urged allies to keep anti-Russian sanctions alive. He said: “The international community must keep pressuring Russia to respect its obligations”. If it sees all this allegations to be hurled at Russia over Ukraine’s standoff, then NATO too has to end a protracted and costly war in Afghanistan, which Russia terms as “offensive”. It was until Russia’s annexation of Crimea when NATO and Russia led easy marriage and would strike several cooperation deals. In the wake of Crimea’s annexation – whose reason was inferred as Russia’s fear over NATO’s plan to build military headquarters there – the organization froze relationship with Russia. As a major determinant of NATO, Germany press for exercising of sanctions against Russia at a time this country is Russia’s largest trade partner, followed by France and Italy. By all this, we discover that the NATO and the EU go on the same trajectory after the latter approved anti-Russian bans and embargoes over Ukraine’s crisis which was sparked by NATO in the first place. While others believe the EU is NATO in the guise of a Union. Given the EU’s drastic need for Russia’s energy resources as well as the broad Russian markets for European products, the EU, more or less, is eager to cut the intensity of sanctions and edge it towards the end. Moreover, the German businessmen and economists have vocalized opposition to further and tougher sanctions on Russia. On the heyday of NATO deployments and engagements in Afghanistan, some wrecked sectors of this victimized country were shared out among a number of members for the purpose of revival. The US assumed the training and strengthening of the Afghan Army, Japan was handed over the “Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration” (DDR) project, Germany undertook training of the Afghan police, the UK picked war on narcotics and stationed only in southern Helmand province despite having second highest number of troops following the US, and Italy took on the responsibility of the justice sector reform. Fewer would fit into their tasks, as Japan had no servicemen or armed forces at the time to forcefully disarm the militias. And the UK’s failure to tackle narcotics is largely on display in the eyes of world as Afghanistan still ranks the first for feeding world habits of addiction, let alone the booming drug business worldwide. Lastly, Italy was a poor choice for the justice sector’s reform thanks to being a big law-breaker and Mafia country in the Europe. On the Syrian side, the latest chemical attack bears out the fact on the collusion and conspiracies of critical NATO members behind peppering of blames on Assad’s regime. First the US used every effort at disposal to direct the blame on Syrian government. Later the UK’s – also first in toeing the US’s line – foreign minister Boris Johnson meaninglessly called off an official trip to Russia allegedly over this country’s involvement in Syria and the gas attack. In third place, France inconsiderately released a report blaming Syrian government for chemical gas attack without a shred of evidence. All these concurred attacks come as the international neutral investigators as well as Russian team sought to inspect the chemical attack for findings, but they said the US blocked them from participating in a formal investigation. If it was not for NATO or concerted conspiracies, the UK’s Boris Johnson or French report had nothing to do with a far-regional chemical weapon attack, even if it was perpetrated by very Assad’s government. The NATO’s pro-war European members are the cornerstone of the US’s decision-making process on waging a war or invading a country. North Korea, for example, might be on the brink of bursting into a war with US. Apart from South Korea’s opposition to the US-DPRK’s likely armed strife, the US might still strongly hesitate to instigate another endless conflict without consent of leading NATO members, importantly because it is unwilling to bear the brunt of costs and arms alone, and that’s why compelling of the NATO members to raise defense spending matters. Back in 2003, France and Germany stood critical to the US war plans against Iraq. The Wall Street Journal at that time accused Germany of actively promoting American defeat. It concluded by declaring “What President Bush calls ‘a coalition of the willing’ will become America’s new security alliance”, even though the two states continued to take several diplomatic initiatives to avert a military strike against Iraq which were not well covered in media. The same year, French president Jacques Chirac and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin presented a joint declaration by France, Germany and Russia calling for extended weapons inspections in Iraq. It said: “There is still an alternative to war. The use of violence can only be the last resort”. It was a riposte to President Bush’s remarks just a week earlier that said, “The game is over”. After NATO representatives from Germany, France and Belgium vetoed military preparations for the protection of Turkey in case of war in Iraq, President Bush publicly accused Berlin, Paris and Brussels of “damaging NATO”. Most NATO allies were distaste to the US’s invasion of Iraq, because the ploy to draw them into this [Iraq] war was not as elaborate as that of Afghanistan [9/11 attacks] and unconvincing for the European members. More than a decade later now, we notice a U-turn or a fair degree of rotation in some European and NATO members’ posture towards globalization of war and warmongering. It can be concluded that if major aides of the US – the UK, France and Germany – withhold military and non-military support to this superpower, the peace may descend into the earth over the long haul.Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of two 18cm sandwich tins. Sieve 175g self-raising flour, 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add 150g caster sugar and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add 2 tbsp golden syrup, 2 lightly beaten large eggs, 150ml sunflower oil and 150ml semi-skimmed milk. Beat well with an electric whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into the two tins and bake for 25-30 mins until risen and firm to the touch. Remove from oven, leave to cool for 10 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack. To make your butter icing, place 100g unsalted butter in a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sieve and beat in 225g icing sugar and 40g cocoa powder then add enough milk to make the icing fluffy and spreadable – around 2 ½ tbsp.Introduction The Internet of Things (IoT) enables smart objects to link with various information services that are based on the internet. The IoT cloud platform provides a framework to host applications that link smart objects to internet based services. The IoT cloud platform also provides a way to control smart objects with other smart objects. AWS IoT is a cloud platform that not only provides an easy way to connect to IoT-enabled devices to the cloud but also can store, analyze and visualize data by making sense out of it. AWS IoT AWS IoT provides a platform where the sensor grids, aircraft engines, connected cars, factory floors, and the similar things can be connected easily and securely to the cloud and other devices. The cloud connection to IoT devices is fast and lightweight (MQTT or REST), which makes AWS IoT a great fit for devices that have limited processing power, battery life or memory. AWS IoT Architecture Let’s take a look at the AWS IoT components: Things: Things are devices of all types, shapes, and sizes including applications, connected devices, and physical objects. Things measure and control something of interest in their local environment. Ex: Consider you have a LinkIt One Board to which you have to connect a temperature sensor. The LinkIt One device keeps uploading sensor data to AWS IoT. In AWS IoT, “LinkIt One board + Temperature sensor” represents a virtual device called a “Thing.” Things have names, attributes, and shadows. Thing Name: Unique name given by the user to identify a thing. Unique name given by the user to identify a thing. Thing attributes: The attributes represents the unique features of the thing as the thing serial number etc. The attributes represents the unique features of the thing as the thing serial number etc. Thing Shadows. The shadow represents the current state of the IoT device. The AWS Thing shadow can also be updated by other end devices; this will help us control the IoT-enabled Example: Consider that there is an IoT-enabled Air conditioner which is constantly sending its current state to the AWS IoT Thing shadow, and assume that the currently reported state of the device is “OFF.”. Now, a user can update the AWS IoT Thing shadow from his mobile phone or laptop and change the desired state (request to change the state) to “ON.” The shadow will compare the “reported state” (reading from the sensor) of the device with the desired state of the device, and if there is a difference between the reported and the desired state, it will send an appropriate response to the device. Rules Engine The Rules Engine collects the data sent to the IoT cloud and performs actions based on factors that are present in the collected data and routes them to AWS endpoints like Amazon DynamoDB, AWS Lambda, Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3), Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), and Amazon Kinesis. The actions are expressed using an SQL-like syntax. Routing is driven by context and contents of individual messages. For example, routine readings from a temperature sensor could be tracked in a DynamoDB table where as an aberrant reading that exceeds a value stored in the thing shadow can trigger a Lambda function. Message Broker The Message Broker implements the MQTT protocol. The Message Broker can scale to contain billions of responsive long-lived connections between things and your cloud applications. Things use a topic-based publish/subscribe model to communicate with the broker. They can publish their state and can subscribe to incoming messages. The publish/subscribe model allows a single device to share its status efficiently with any number of other devices. Authentication and Authorization AWS IoT supports mutual authentication and encryption at all levels of connection to end data exchange between AWS IoT and devices without proven identity. It supports AWS method of authentication (called as ‘SigV4’) and X.509 certified based authentication. HTTP connection can use either of these methods while MQTT connection uses certification based authentication, and the WebSocket connection uses Sig v4 connectivity. With AWS IoT, you can use AWS IoT generated certificates or the certificates that are signed by your preferred Certificate Authority (CA). You can create and deploy certificates and policies for your devices from AWS IoT console or use an API. These device certificates can be activated and associated with the relevant policies that are configured using AWS IAM. Doing this will allows you to revoke access to an individual device instantly if you choose to do so. Thing Registry The Thing Registry does the assigning task and allocates a unique identity for each thing. It also helps in the tracking of descriptive metadata like attributes and capabilities for each thing. Conclusion With AWS IoT, we can build an IoT end-to-end application, which will collect data from sensors, store collected data, analyze and visualized. The insights we get from the analytics and visualization will help businesses gain efficiencies, improve operations, harness intelligence from an extensive range of equipment, and increase customer satisfaction. More information please visit : http://www.bootcamplab.com/More than a few UFC middleweight contenders campaigned for a title shot after Chris Weidman's second-round left hook plunged the division into uncharted waters on Saturday night. But the loudest among them, by far, was the man ranked No. 2 behind Weidman on the UFC's official rankings: Vitor Belfort. "Who deserves that title shot more than me?" Belfort asked on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "Come on. Look at what I did to the top two contenders. I defeated the world champion of Strikeforce. I defeated the No. 1 contender of the UFC, Michael Bisping. I not just defeated them, but I defeated them in (exciting) fashion." This isn't the first time UFC officials heard from Belfort. In the lead-up to UFC 162, the 36-year-old repeatedly requested to fight the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva on Twitter. UFC President Dana White dismissed Belfort's pleas under the belief that it'd be hard to sell Silva on a fight against the man he violently knocked out just two years prior. However Weidman's stunning coup d'état, coupled with Silva's surprising reluctance to agree to a rematch, leads Belfort to believe his time has come. "I guess sometimes you have to ask," Belfort said. "So I'm asking. I did everything and now I'm asking. I'm asking for what I deserve. It's not what I want, it's what I deserve. And I deserve that. Everybody knows my history in the sport. I'm the T-Rex in this jungle, and I'm so mature; I'm so strong mentally, physically, spiritually, and also my skills, I've developed so much. I know that goal is about to be accomplished." Belfort's résumé is unquestionably the sturdiest of anyone in the division not named Silva. Since landing on the former champ's highlight reel, "The Phenom" has rattled off a 4-0 record at middleweight, plus come the closest to dethroning UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. In the case of his two most recent victories, ‘Knockout of the Year' candidates over Bisping and Luke Rockhold, both opponents looked to be in line for title shots with a win, yet neither could last two rounds with Belfort, which only increases the Brazilian's frustration. "I think we need to start having rules," Belfort said of the UFC's matchmaking. "I'm in a position where I don't earn [a title shot] for all I did and for all I'm doing. So I think, my perspective, I earned that shot. I think that fans, media, they all agree with that. "The UFC, when they need me, I step into the cage," Belfort continued. "Every time they need me, I step into the cage. Two weeks notice, I stepped up to fight Jon Jones. No excuses. I didn't ever give an excuse about what I had, what kind of injuries I had. But I was there, and that's something that some people [can't say]. "When they give that fight to me, when they look in my eyes, when they shake hands, they know who I am. They know what I bring to the table." Belfort is nothing if not determined, as White and the "172 text messages" on his cell phone can attest. Silva's reputation as the greatest fighter to ever live may have taken a significant hit on Saturday night, mainly due to the manner in which he lost. But if you ask Belfort, he isn't surprised that Silva's in-cage antics finally caught up to him. "The first thing you learn (in martial arts) is respect," Belfort said. "Your opponent across the other side of the mat, the Octagon, he is the most important person in that moment for you, because that's the person who makes you compete, who gives you the pleasure to entertain people. But I see martial arts not just from an entertainment side. I see it as a sport. And as a sport, like in NBA, NFL, we have a code of conduct. And that's something that the UFC, we need to start having that. I think [Silva] really didn't have any conduct on this fight. He acted inappropriately and it wasn't the first time, so I hope this will be the last time that he does." Regardless of Belfort's pleas, it's clear Silva holds all the cards at the present moment. Both White and Weidman remain insistent on booking an immediate rematch, with a February 1 date in Newark, N.J. on Super Bowl weekend as the most likely option. Given the circumstances, the bout could potentially blossom into the biggest fight in UFC history. However Belfort isn't ready to concede just yet. "I really believe Anderson deserves another chance at the title, but I think there'd be more interest in me and Chris, and then the winner will take Anderson. I think that'd be more sellable," Belfort concluded. "Anderson has to rest. He doesn't want to make any decision before that, and I respect what he did for the sport. But we cannot stop. We cannot stop a division because someone is waiting for a fighter to make a decision. What makes sense is me and Chris to fight. We could make that fight right now. We could sign the papers, sign the contract next week."Back when he was a scrappy fourth-line player in the rugged NHL of the early 1990s, Jeff Daniels had to fight for every minute of playing time. Now, as a coach, Daniels finds himself fighting for another shot behind the bench. For seventeen seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes organization, Jeff Daniels served as a player, scout, assistant coach, and, most recently, minor league affiliate head coach. On April 30th, General Manager Ron Francis announced Daniels’ contract expiring in June would not be renewed. Still adjusting to the current situation, Daniels has no hard feelings on the matter simply stating the organization is "looking for a fresh start." "At the end of the day it’s a part of the business," Daniels said. "Not too many coaches leave on their own terms." Like many other "good Canadian boys," as Don Cherry might say, Daniels had a pair of skates on his feet as soon as he could walk. In the city of Oshawa, Ontario -- 45 minutes outside of Toronto -- is where Daniels honed his craft and is home to the junior hockey club, Oshawa Generals, of the Ontario Hockey League. "You hoped one day you’d get the chance to play for the Generals," Daniels said eloquently. "You didn’t think so much about playing in the NHL." In 1984 Daniels played his first season as a General. It wasn’t until Daniels played junior hockey that he processed the next step-- getting drafted. In June of 1986 at the Montreal Forum, Daniels was selected in the 6th round, 109th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After two years of playing with the Generals, getting scouted, and talking with teams, his NHL career was on the verge of beginning. Daniels made his NHL debut in 1990-91 playing in 11 games. In 1991-92, Daniels was awarded a Stanley Cup ring while only playing two games for the Penguins that season. One season later, on November 3, 1993 he tallied his first goal against the New York Islanders. Once Daniels stepped out of the penalty box he was fed the puck, saw the opportunity to drive wide of the net, and put the puck past Islanders Goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick on a backhand shot. Ten years later, Daniels hung up his skates retiring as a Hurricane and became part of player development for the franchise soon after. Working with player development was short lived as General Manager at the time, Jim Rutherford, asked Daniels to join the coaching staff as an assistant alongside head coach Peter Laviolette and assistant coach Kevin McCarthy. His time as an assistant coach for the Hurricanes came with a role to help relate the message to the players and the player’s message back to Laviolette along with pre-game video and working with penalty kill unit. "Peter and Kevin McCarthy were very good about giving me responsibility and letting me grow," he said. One season after being named assistant coach- the season after the lockout - he had another Stanley Cup to add to his resume. As a player, Daniels played fourth-line minutes – the grinding and checking line. "I was a fourth line role player who came to camp every year trying to make the team," he said. "I know that nothing was ever given to me." Daniels, who played 500-plus AHL and IHL games, used his experience as a way to relate to and motivate his players. "You don’t have to be a big goal scorer to get to the next level," he would say. "Know your role, play your role, and be great at it so when you get to the next level, you can do the same thing." A coach must be able to motivate, teach, and get players to buy in to what they’re selling. It also comes with a different view of the game along with discovering new aspects as well, something Daniels didn’t realize until stepping behind the bench. "As a player you think you have the game figured out pretty good until you get on the other side of it," he stated. "You realize there’s a lot of hard work that goes into coaching and you’re still learning a lot." Being a coach comes with an identity of its own as well. "I had some coaches that were hard-core yellers and screamers and some guys were laid back," Daniels said. Throughout the course of his career, his experiences with different teams and coaches helped him figure out what he found appealing while also making sure he established a coaching style of his own. "At the end of the day you have to be your own person and true to your personality," he said. "I had to do what was right for me and what fit me." What appeared to work for Daniels, who took the Checkers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010-2011, was giving his players the confidence level they needed to excel. Part of being a minor leaguer includes making mistakes, learning from them, and not dwelling on them. Daniels found himself telling players in a sense of self doubt, "Hey, you’re a good player, don’t stop believing in yourself." Daniels also put emphasis on how much consistency plays a vital part in securing a spot in the NHL. "They don’t look at one shift," he said. "You’ve got to be on top of your game every single night to give yourself a chance to get up to the next level." In his first five seasons as a head coach at the AHL level, Daniels posted an above.500 record. With that came the conclusion that his players were buying in. "Your players are the ones going out and doing the work," he said. "They’re going out, paying the price and, as a coach, you want to make sure you’re putting them in a position to succeed and are willing to work for it as a result." However, for a team to fully buy in, it takes more than Daniels alone to make it happen. "Getting guys to buy in takes good leadership," he said. "Sometimes the older guys are like third coaches. They’re in the locker room all the time with the team and they can translate that message to the players." One of the biggest challenges Daniels faced as an AHL head coach and general manager was the uncertainty of what his lineup would be as the NHL club would pull up the shining AHL projects when needed. "As much as you plan going into the weekend, all it takes is one phone call to change everything," Daniels stated. "They’re most likely taking your best player." What also made the scenario difficult is not having the depth to replace those players. However, Daniels thought his crew did well finding players to fill those voids over the years. His success as a head coach has given him the opportunity to interview for the head coach position for the Hurricanes as well as working with young talent of the organization coaching in the Traverse City Tournament. Traverse City, Michigan hosts an annual tournament showcasing young stars from select NHL teams. Daniels and the Hurricanes have had five appearances in the tournament and won it in 2009. Players since have included Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, Jeff Skinner, Haydn Fleury, and Sergey Tolchinski. "Traverse City is great because you have [players] against players their same age," Daniels said. "You kind of see what makes them special and you just hope they grow to that at the next level." Daniels has kept a notebook of drills in his possession from his early playing days as a Pittsburgh Penguin and Muskegon Lumberjack. It wasn’t until later in his career that he wondered what the next step was, but he knew coaching was always a possibility. "In all sports you retire fairly early in life, so later in my career I started realizing I wanted to stay in the game," he said. "Hockey was definitely where I wanted to be." As the tenure of being head coach for the Charlotte Checkers comes to a close, Daniels isn’t shutting the door on the opportunity of being an AHL or NHL coach elsewhere. Although the immediate future isn’t exactly clear for Daniels, leaving the game of hockey isn’t an option. "I know I want to stay in hockey, it’s what I’ve done all my life," he said. "I’ve enjoyed coaching, I don’t want to close that door. We’ll see what the future holds."AMMAN: Syrian rebels are close to capturing the southern half of Daraa city on Tuesday, two months after the combined force of hardline Islamist and moderate opposition fighters launched a preemptive battle to prevent the Assad regime from regaining a nearby border crossing with Jordan. If the alliance succeeds in its campaign, it will create a buffer zone that blocks the Syrian government from bifurcating rebel-held Daraa province, a swathe of territory that sweeps down and forms a “U” shape all the way to the border with Jordan. Daraa province, the birthplace of the Syrian uprising, has been a base of opposition strength. Over time, the Assad regime carved a sphere of influence both throughout the northern countryside and within the eponymous provincial capital. Most notably, the regime maintains control over the M5 highway, the main artery that connects Daraa city and the outlying towns to the capital and the rest of the country. A rebel victory in the al-Manshiya district, the regime’s primary base in south Daraa city for bombing nearby opposition territory, would also provide the rebels with a high-ground position capable of seriously threatening the provincial capital’s government-controlled northern half. Syrian regime forces currently hold the northern and western neighborhoods of Daraa city while on the other side of the Yarmouk River, which runs through the provincial capital, Islamist and Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions control the south and east. Daraa city lies just four kilometers from Syria’s southern border with Jordan, and one of the province’s two inactive border crossings. In February, rebel forces launched their campaign—dubbed “Death Rather Than Humiliation”—two and a half months after Jordan indicated its willingness to reopen its border points with Daraa province only if regime forces held them, Syria Direct reported. In what is the largest battle in Daraa city since 2015, opposition forces say their preemptive strike focuses on capturing two regime-held districts—al-Manshiyah and Sajnah—the government’s heavily fortified and last remaining holdings in the southern half of the city. On Tuesday, opposition sources told Syria Direct that they now control more than “85 percent” of al-Manshiyah, an elevated district from which the regime bombardment has menaced rebel-held positions across the provincial capital and the wider province for years. Rebel forces made rapid advances in the initial days of the surprise campaign in February, capturing as much as 50 percent of the contested district. But fighting quickly reached a stalemate in subsequent weeks, as the opposition faced dug-in regime fortifications, supported by “hundreds of Russian airstrikes.” Despite near-daily airstrikes,
she falls, she spills her belongings, including a pill bottle with her prescription for Aripiprazole, an anti-psychotic medication. In the video, a second officer, identified by the Department of Public Safety as Sgt. Ernest Cano, approaches Tsingine from behind, standing close to the woman as she gets up and walks toward Shipley with the scissors in her hand, facing down. Shipley draws his gun and fires. The surprised second officer sprints out of the way as Tsingine is struck. Audio in the footage kicks in just as she falls to the ground. Shipley is heard breathing heavily with his gun still aimed at Tsingine as she struggles on the ground and pushes herself on her back. "She came at me with those scissors," he tells the officer, right before he gags. 'NO EVIDENCE OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT' The DPS investigated the shooting at the request of the Winslow Police Department. The investigative report was then turned over to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for an independent prosecutorial review at the request of the Navajo County Attorney's Office. "Shipley attempted to take Tsingine into custody when a struggle ensued. Tsingine refused to obey commands, actively physically resisted, and displayed a pair of scissors to Shipley, in what he perceived was a threatening manner," according to a DPS summary of its investigation also released by Winslow on Wednesday. "Shipley attempted to create distance and gave multiple verbal commands to stop resisting, get on the ground, stop, and drop the scissors. Tsingine ignored all of the commands she was given. Tsingine, who was still holding the scissors, began to advance on Shipley. He drew his weapon and pointed it at Tsingine's waist and legs while still giving her commands to stop. After retreating approximately 15 to 20 feet, Shipley raised his weapon, aligned his front sights on Tsingine's center of mass, and discharged his weapon five times. "Shipley felt an immediate threat to his life as well as (Sgt. Ernest) Cano's life of either serious physical injury or death, due to the fact that Tsingine had a pair of scissors in her hand." Montgomery said in a statement Friday, "After a careful review of the facts surrounding the case, including available video evidence and witness statements from all involved, my office found no evidence of criminal conduct on the part of Officer Shipley." Keith Manning, Maricopa County Attorney's Office law enforcement liaison, wrote a letter to Winslow Police Chief Stephen Garnett. "Based on the information submitted in the DRs, it is in the opinion of this Board that Officer Shipley did not commit any acts that warrants criminal prosecution," the letter said. Shipley will remain on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal-affairs investigation that will be conducted by the Mesa Police Department, the city of Winslow announced Friday. ONLOOKERS GATHER AT THE SCENE Footage shows Tsingine continuing to move on the ground as the two officers watch. Paramedics arrive within two minutes and begin to administer aid. "I tried to pull her to the ground and she fell to the ground," Shipley said to Cano. "That's when she came up with the scissors right here... I was trying to get back." Commotion from onlookers can be heard in the footage. "You didn't have to kill her, man," a man shouts. Police Chief Garnett comes to the Shipley and asks, "You OK? You all right, man?" "I did what I had to do. I did what I had to do," Shipley responded. He is asked by another officer about Tsingine's age, to which he answers, "I honestly don't know anything about her. I don't recognize her." "You don't need to be sitting here watching this," Garnett says, ordering Shipley to go sit in a fire truck. The footage ends with Shipley breathing heavily in the truck as Tsingine's body is covered with yellow plastic on the ground. Representatives of the city of Winslow and the Winslow Police Department declined comment on the video footage Wednesday. The full DPS report and additional video footage will be released next week, according to the city. An attorney for the family declined comment until he could view the video. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2aogVd7By Lindsey Bever, (c) 2017, The Washington Post A teacher in eastern Michigan has been placed on administrative leave after she was accused of “violently snatching” a sixth-grade student from his chair as he stayed seated for the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian Chaney of Farmington Hills, Michigan, said a teacher consultant forced his 11-year-old son, Stone, to stand for the pledge late last week at East Middle School. Chaney called the action a violation of his son’s civil rights, explaining that Stone had been making a personal decision not to salute the American flag — but to honor God and his family — for the past several years. It had not been a problem, his father said, until now. “When you put your hands on kids and force your own way of thinking, that’s not right,” Chaney told The Washington Post on Friday. Stay up to date on East Bay news by downloading our mobile app for free. Get it from the Apple app store or the Google Play store. On his third day at a new school, Stone was sitting in class stressing about how to use the combination lock on his middle-school locker — which, his father said, should have been the extent of an 11-year-old boy’s worries. “The teacher consultant comes up behind me and snatches me out of my chair violently,” Stone told NBC affiliate WDIV. “I was so confused. I didn’t know what was going on.” The next day, on Sept. 8, Stone’s father said, a substitute teacher also “berated” the boy for staying seated during the pledge. Chaney spoke Tuesday at a Farmington Public Schools board of education meeting, demanding answers. “I’m going to say we’re quite disappointed,” he told board members, standing with his four sons. “My wife and I, my father-in-law, my parents, my entire family – we’ve shed many, many emotions in the last four or five days,” he said. “We are very disappointed that when we dropped our son off into the hands of East Middle School, we thought it would be nurturing hands.” Chaney continued: “What we see on the TVs, what’s going on in America, it just came to my living room. Tears are done. I’m mad now. We’re looking for accountability.” Farmington Public Schools Superintendent George Heitsch said in a statement to The Post that school leaders have opened an investigation into the incident. Chaney said that the educator who allegedly forced his son to stand during the pledge is a consultant who trains other teachers, but the district has not confirmed that. Heitsch said the district supports each student’s right to decide whether to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. “At Farmington Public Schools, we expect every child and adult in our district to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said. “At this time, the District cannot speculate about the outcome of the pending investigation.” Chaney, who is black, said the choice to quietly sit during the Pledge of Allegiance is one shared by the whole family but that Stone made the decision on his own. Chaney said that sitting during the pledge is making a statement that he does not approve of what the American flag stands for or how his ancestors were treated. He said his son is a “hero” for standing up for what he believes. Others have made similar decisions about the pledge. A Native American teenager from northern California who had been sitting it out for years reportedly was docked a grade last year when she refused to stand for the pledge. In a 1943 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said students have the right to decide whether to participate in the pledge. According to West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette: – – – If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us. We think the action of the local authorities in compelling the flag salute and pledge transcends constitutional limitations on their power, and invades the sphere of intellect and spirit which it is the purpose of the First Amendment to our Constitution to reserve from all official control. – – – Chaney said he is not comfortable sending his son back to a school where the teachers have set a negative tone. School officials have offered to switch the sixth-grader to another homeroom or another school within the district, Chaney said, but he has not yet made a decision. He said he hopes the incident will “shake up the school district” so that “everyone will be treated equally.” Like our Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from the East Bay and beyond. “Kids have rights, too,” he added.For decades, moviegoers have turned to critics like Roger Ebert for a thumbs up or thumbs down review of a new release. We trusted the experts to tell us which movie was worth spending $12 and 2 hours of our lives, and while average janes and joes could debate, say, Bruce Willis’s performance in Die Hard over beers, Roger Ebert and his peers had the final word on actors’ performances. Now, however, movie criticism has expanded from a print-centric field governed by a handful of specialists to the digital realm, open to anyone with an opinion. Websites like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic aggregate both critic and audience reviews, and the opinions of audiences don’t always agree with the critics’ critiques. We analyzed the scores of thousands of movies to identify which actors and actresses are beloved by the audience—even though critics say their movies suck. If you love, hate, or love to hate Adam Sandler, Gerard Butler, Clint Eastwood, or a certain Chris Farley sidekick, you might want to read on. Fan Favorite or Critical Darling? Data via Open Movie Database (OMDb); chart by Kaylin Walker, Priceonomics How often do critics and audiences disagree? That’s what is shown in the above chart. In general, they agree on good movies: there's a lot less variability at the top right of the plot. (If audiences and critics agree about a movie, the point will fall close to the dashed line.) Though variability is a lot higher near the bottom left hand corner of the plot, it tends to fall above the dashed line—indicating that audiences often appreciate bad movies more than critics do. A quick linear model shows that while critic scores were significant in predicting audience scores, they only accounted for 54% of the variation, which means audiences and critics disagree a lot. (You can check out Ben Moore's blog post for a deeper dive into which movies are overrated and underrated from an audience perspective.) Besides the obvious merits of certain genres (action movies with terrific explosions or dramas with well-written, nuanced dialogue), what might make a moviegoer enjoy a movie more or less than a critic? It could be an immeasurable “fun” factor that stems from a certain premise or actor. Maybe fan affinity for an actor or actress can draw focus away from a flawed plot or poor storytelling? Let’s look at the movie Law Abiding Citizen (2009) as an example. Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler star in this thriller about the revenge of a widower (Butler) on the district attorney (Foxx) who saw his wife and daughter’s murderer set free by a legal loophole. Critics called it “a preposterous exercise in high-minded brutality” and a “ridiculous execution of a misguided concept.” But users rated it “fun and exciting” and a “smart, innovative thriller that’s wholly implausible but nevertheless a whole lot of fun” with “Gerard Butler amazing as usual.” The difference in scores here is 50 percent: 25% from the critics, but 75% from users. It seems that audiences really like Gerard Butler and the over-the-top fun movies he appears in, but movie critics do not. This is why, when we analyzed audience and critic scores of the movies that 117 popular actors star in, we found that Gerard Butler is a quintessential fan favorite who can’t seem to please the critics. The David Spade Index Data via Open Movie Database (OMDb); chart by Kaylin Walker, Priceonomics That said, he's not the quintessential fan favorite who can’t please critics. For this analysis, we relied on the Open Movie Database (OMDb) to access audience and critic scores from Rotten Tomatoes for thousands of movies. Both are scores out of 100, but they are calculated a little differently. The critic score (“Tomatometer”) is the percentage of “fresh” critic reviews, while the audience score is the percentage of user reviews that are at or above 3.5 out of 5. In our analysis, we considered movies that had at least 1000 user reviews and credited the actor in question as one of the top four actors. To evaluate an actor’s career, in terms of how differently critics and audiences view his or her prowess, we looked at the median difference between their movies’ audience and critic scores. You can see the results in the above chart, and you can see the full list of actors we analyzed here. We'll look at some of the most extreme cases below. Fan Favorites Audiences like David Spade, Adam Sandler, Gerard Butler, Ryan Reynolds and Kate Hudson a lot more than critics do. David Spade (+42%) Data via Open Movie Database (OMDb); chart by Kaylin Walker, Priceonomics David Spade is by far the most polarizing actor in our analysis. Aside from a Disney flick loved by both audiences and critics (The Emperor's New Groove), most of his films were panned by critics. But audiences often liked them. Moviegoers gave Joe Dirt a 63% rating, but in his review of the film, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "In one scene, raw sewage is dumped on Joe. See Joe Dirt and you'll know how that feels." Adam Sandler (+30.5%) Although there are exceptions like Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler tended to entertain audiences and bore critics. The biggest gap is among the amateur and professional reviews of I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, which inspired Manohla Dargis of the New York Times to write, "Sporadically funny, casually sexist, blithely racist and about as visually sophisticated as a parking-garage surveillance video." Gerard Butler (+29%) Gerard Butler of 300 fame is the most polarizing action star in our analysis. If his decision to act in Phantom of the Opera was a bid for more critical acclaim, it fell flat. Richard Roeper wrote, "This guy's not the Phantom of the Opera, he's the Fashionably Scarred Stud of the Opera and that just doesn't work." Ryan Reynolds (+22%) Roger Ebert said that he found laughing during National Lampoon's Van Wilder "a physical impossibility." But following the near-universal acclaim of Deadpool, Reynolds may fall off these rankings in the future. Kate Hudson (+21.5%) Everyone liked Almost Famous, but critically despised films like Rock the Kasbah and A Little Bit of Heaven make Hudson the most polarizing actress in our analysis. Critic Favorites Critics like Hugo Weaving, Seth Rogen, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson and Anna Kendrick a lot more than audiences do. Still, the difference between critic and audience scores is smaller here. Just as there is less agreement about good movies, there is less disagreement about good actors. Hugo Weaving (-14%) Hugo Weaving pleased audiences most with his collaborations with the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Cloud Atlas). While critics have been impressed with his performances in Australian comedy-dramas, they’ve failed to connect with audiences. Seth Rogen (-10%) Seth Rogen is probably the most surprising inclusion on our “critic-favorite” list. While critics and audiences agreed that The Green Hornet and The Guilt Trip were terrible, critics tended to review his other pieces more favorably than audiences. He may have been onto something when he suggested that “what separates a funny movie from a good movie is something personal.” Clint Eastwood (-6%) With high reviews from both critics and audiences, including two Best Picture and Best Director awards (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby) and nominations for three more (Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, American Sniper), Clint Eastwood has proven himself a skilled actor and director. In a career spanning 50 years, though, there are bound to be some missteps, such as 1984’s Tightrope, which didn’t sit well with audiences—but critics loved. Jack Nicholson (-6%) By and large, critics have appreciated Jack Nicholson’s movies more than audiences (though plenty have been highly rated by both parties). Audiences have a hard time with Nicholson’s mid-career thrillers, but have been pretty pleased with his recent foray into comedies like The Bucket List and Something’s Gotta Give. Anna Kendrick (-5%) Critics have enjoyed Anna Kendrick’s performances in independent movies and musicals, but audiences haven’t been so sure about the indies. Audiences rated Drinking Buddies and The Voices far lower than critics did; Rotten Tomatoes user 5pointed wrote that Happy Christmas “was as interesting as the 'How are you?' 'Good, thanks, and you?' conversation with a stranger on an elevator. You don't really care." *** Audiences and critics don’t always agree about the quality of a movie or the talent of an actor. Audiences love David Spade, Adam Sandler, Gerard Butler, Ryan Reynolds and Kate Hudson a whole lot more than critics do. Critics, however, prefer Hugo Weaving, Seth Rogen, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson and Anna Kendrick. It’s no shock that actors who have won over audiences tend to specialize in goofy comedy and popcorn action movies, while actors that critics fawn over tend to pursue meatier dramas and challenging indie scripts. The exception to the rule is Seth Rogen, who has somehow made a career out of goofy comedies—and charmed critics while doing it. Our next article explores the 100-year history of celebrity pets—and how cuddly pugs become cash machines. To get notified when we post it → join our email list. Lead image of David Spade and Chris Farley in "Tommyboy" courtesy of Paramount Pictures / Photofest Note: If you’re a company that wants to work with Priceonomics to turn your data into great stories, learn more about the Priceonomics Data Studio.GOD BLESS WIKILEAKS – Julian Assange is a hero -> America owes this man one thing -> FREEDOM!!! Thank you, sir – THANK YOU!#WIKILEAKS pic.twitter.com/zFcvGUmPRA — David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) November 9, 2016 David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana, tweeted “God Bless WikiLeaks” early Wednesday, shortly after Donald Trump won the presidential election. WikiLeaks published a trove of emails that revealed embarrassing and sometimes damaging information from within the Clinton campaign. The emails showed that Clinton’s aides struggled to get past the controversy over her use of a private email server and expressed frustration at their candidate. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday that he was under “enormous pressure” to stop publishing the emails, The Washington Post’s Kristine Guerra reported. But in a statement, Assange said that “publishing is what we do. To withhold the publication of such information until after the election would have been to favour one of the candidates above the public’s right to know.” Trump’s campaign tried to distance itself from Duke and other white nationalist leaders and groups who have enthusiastically pledged their support for the now president-elect. In a weird twist, Trump was listed next to Duke on the Louisiana ballot. Duke lost in the Senate race.Two people belonging to the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- the main opposition party in Bangladesh -- were shot dead Monday during clashes with members of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, according to media reports. The clashes reportedly broke out during protests by members of the BNP on the first anniversary of general elections held in the country last year. The two men, identified as Rakib Hossain and Raihan Ali Rana, were reportedly killed when members of the BNP traded fire with Awami League supporters in the northern town of Natore, about 136 miles from the capital city of Dhaka, according to media reports. The Khaleda Zia-led BNP had, along with 20 other opposition parties, boycotted last year’s elections, reportedly calling them a “scandalous farce.” According to Agence France-Presse, 15 people were also injured in the clashes Monday. Zia's party, in the run-up to the elections, had demanded that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, quit and allow a neutral and impartial observer to oversee the elections -- a demand that was rejected by Hasina’s party, which won a landslide victory. The opposition parties in the country had decided to mark Jan. 5 as “democracy killing day,” resulting in fierce clashes in several towns across the country early on Monday, according to a report by The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper. The deaths of the two opposition members comes even as their leader Zia remains confined to her office, where she has reportedly been held by Bangladesh police since Saturday night. While the police denied detaining her and stated that her security had been “enhanced” in anticipation of violence ahead of the first anniversary of the controversial elections, BNP officials claimed that she had been locked inside her office by police. “She has been confined in her office. Police have cordoned off the area and barricaded the road. She wanted to see a sick party colleague around midnight, but they did not let her out,” SR Shimul Biswas, Zia’s aide, told Agence France-Presse on Sunday. “She has urged people to join a mass rally today. She would also try to join the protest,” Maruf Kamal Khan, Zia's spokesperson, reportedly said Monday.Google on Thursday appealed to France’s highest court after the country’s data protection authority directed the company to remove some of its search results. The Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) last year ordered the search engine giant to comply with “right to be forgotten” rulings globally, but Google argued that such measures could potentially be misused by countries with weaker democratic institutions. According to Reuters, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in May 2014 ruled that people could request that search engines scrub “inadequate or irrelevant” information from search results that appear when a person’s name is entered. The ruling is referred to as the “right to be forgotten.” The company obeyed, but only removed results from its European sites such as Google.de (Germany) and Google.fr (France). Google then took down results on all its domains in February when accessed from the country where a scrub request was issued. However, as the BBC reports, CNIL noted that it’s easy for Europeans to access international versions of Google and look up deleted search results. As a result, CNIL in March fined Google 100,000 euros ($112,150) for not “delisting” on a wider scale. Google is now appealing the penalty. A spokeswoman for the Council of State told Reuters that the court hadn’t received a formal appeal, adding that the rest of the process would take “several months.” “As a matter of both law and principle, we disagree with this demand,” Google senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker wrote in op-ed posted on its company blog and France’s Le Monde newspaper on Thursday. “We comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate. But if French law applies globally, how long will it be until other countries—perhaps less open and democratic—start demanding that their laws regulating information likewise have global reach?” Dave Price, senior product counsel at Google, reiterated that such laws are only relevant in the countries that passed them. “One nation does not make laws for another,” he told Reuters. “Data protection law, in France and around Europe, is explicitly territorial, that is limited to the territory of the country whose law is being applied.” According to Google’s Transparency Report, the site has removed 43 percent of links requested for removal.A serial robber has been arrested, Anne Arundel County police said.Michael Allen Edwards, 34, was arrested by Baltimore City police.Police said they believe Edwards was armed with a handgun in each robbery in the Brooklyn Park and Glen Burnie areas on the following dates:- Oct. 28: 7-Eleven at 5617 Ritchie Highway- Oct. 29: Pizza Boli's at 300 Crain Highway North- Nov. 10: Pizza Boli's at 300 Crain Highway North- Nov. 17: Navy Federal Credit Union, 6651 Ritchie Highway- Nov. 21: 7-Eleven at 4000 Ritchie Highway- Nov. 22: 7-Eleven at 4000 Ritchie HighwayEdwards was taken to the Anne Arundel County Northern District by Sheriff’s Office deputies and is in the detention center on a no-bond status.Detectives continue to work on the robbery cases and citizens are encouraged to call with any additional information.Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call CID Robbery detectives at 410-222-3465. A serial robber has been arrested, Anne Arundel County police said. Michael Allen Edwards, 34, was arrested by Baltimore City police. Advertisement Related Content Brooklyn Park 7-Eleven robbed twice Police said they believe Edwards was armed with a handgun in each robbery in the Brooklyn Park and Glen Burnie areas on the following dates: - Oct. 28: 7-Eleven at 5617 Ritchie Highway - Oct. 29: Pizza Boli's at 300 Crain Highway North - Nov. 10: Pizza Boli's at 300 Crain Highway North - Nov. 17: Navy Federal Credit Union, 6651 Ritchie Highway - Nov. 21: 7-Eleven at 4000 Ritchie Highway - Nov. 22: 7-Eleven at 4000 Ritchie Highway Edwards was taken to the Anne Arundel County Northern District by Sheriff’s Office deputies and is in the detention center on a no-bond status. Detectives continue to work on the robbery cases and citizens are encouraged to call with any additional information. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call CID Robbery detectives at 410-222-3465. AlertMeIf you use online travels sites like Orbitz or Priceline to shop around for the best hotel deals, you might be wasting your time. A number of these sites, including Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Orbitz and Hotels.com, have been accused of colluding with some of the country's largest hotel companies, including Hilton, Sheraton, Starwood, Marriott and Intercontinental, in a price-fixing scheme, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Monday. Two plaintiffs, representing online hotel bookers nationwide, allege these hotel chains have become too reliant on travel websites, as a growing number of hotel bookings take place on these sites. (According to data from TravelClick, an industry researcher, hotel bookings through travel sites accounted for 11.4 percent of all bookings among individual business and leisure travelers last year.) The plaintiffs also allege that as a condition of doing business with them, the large travel sites made hotel chains promise not to sell rooms below a minimum rate, according to the complaint. The plaintiffs argue consumers are only granted the illusion that they can shop around for better deals, since the price-fixing makes room prices essentially the same across the travel sites. “The cold fact is that there are no 'best prices' but instead there is only a fixed price that all the defendant online retailers tout in unison,” said Steve Berman, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, in a release.SINGAPORE'S dengue fever epidemic has entered its 12th week and is looking serious. There are three strains of the virus that are almost equally active, and this is a rare occurrence. As a result, weekly infection cases are at a six-year high, and more than double the figures seen in the first three months of the last three years. Experts fear that if these trends continue, this year's outbreak could be worse than in 2005, when 14,000 people fell ill and 25 died. So far this year, more than 3,100 people have been infected by the mosquito-borne disease, with a quarter landing in hospital. There have been no deaths so far. Last week, 308 people were diagnosed. Usually, there are fewer than 100 infections a week this early in the year. Latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that the long dormant Den-3 strain of the virus has resurfaced, and was responsible for 33 per cent of infections last month. The Den-2 strain - the most common strain since 2007 - made up 39 per cent, and the Den-1 strain accounted for 26 per cent. Dengue sufferers develop an immunity to the particular strain they contract that usually arrests further spread of the disease. As the Den-3 strain has stayed low key for more than a decade, people in Singapore do not have immunity to it, said internal medicine specialist Doshi Mukund of Parkway East Hospital. To make matters worse, the presence of three strong strains means a dengue sufferer who recovers can more easily be re-infected with a different strain. "Those who have been exposed to previous two viruses and contract the new virus will be at risk of having a more severe disease," said Dr Mukund. Clinical director of the Communicable Disease Centre Leo Yee Sin noted that the two newly-active strains - Den-1 and Den-3 - are infecting more than half the patients. "This requires close monitoring," she said. Historically, dengue epidemics come in five-year to seven-year cycles, with each peak significantly higher than the previous one. Experts expect this year's numbers to rise further, as dengue cases usually peak during the hotter months of May to July. "There is typically a lag period from the wet months to the peak of the dengue cases," noted Dr Indumathi Venkatachalam, an infectious diseases expert at the National University Hospital. If this is the lead-up to the usual mid-year highs, then the number of infections this year could exceed Singapore's worst outbreak in 2005. That was the only time weekly infections topped 300 a week this early. A Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday that although the number of infections is up, the number of people with haemorrhagic fever is low and nobody has died. The biggest hot spot is Tampines, where 167 people are down with it. Responding to queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it is stepping up ground-level checks nationwide to spot and eradicate potential mosquito breeding grounds. At the two biggest clusters - both in Tampines - NEA's search and destroy operations "are being extended to another 20 blocks outside each cluster zone to create a wider buffer to prevent further spread of the virus". As a preventive measure, it will also send more than 60 officers to check homes and outdoor areas of about 100 blocks of flats between these clusters. salma@sph.com.sg www.facebook.com/ST.Salma This story was first published in The Straits Times on March 27, 2013 To subscribe to The Straits Times, please go to http://www.sphsubscription.com.sg/eshop/There’s an old joke I first heard when Tiger Woods was still a golfing sensation that sometimes makes me think of home, especially in the lead-up to the Pan-Am Games: Jesus and Moses are golfing, and Jesus decides to try to hit a drive over a long water hazard instead of around it. “I saw Tiger Woods do it — if he can, I can,” he says. Sometimes Torontonians are so busy paying attention to what others do better that we forget what we do well. Including the summer diversion of this year's Pan Am Games, seen here during the opening spectacular. ( Rebecca Blackwell / AP ) He hits it in the water. Moses parts the lake to fetch the ball and Jesus takes a Mulligan, lining up his shot over the water, again. “If Tiger Woods can do it, I can do it,” he says. Moses says fine, but if it goes in the drink again he’s getting his own ball. Jesus hits right into the lake again and, grumbling, wanders out on top of the bunker looking for it. The next foursome approaches the tee and sees the guy walking around on the surface of the water. “Who does this dude think he is,” they ask Moses, “Jesus Christ?” Article Continued Below “Nah,” Moses replies. “He thinks he’s Tiger Woods.” In Toronto we spend a lot of time grumbling about the things they do in other cities that we can’t or won’t do here, ever concerned with what we’re not: Look at the bicycling culture in Copenhagen! The subway network in New York! The architecture in Paris! The waterfront in Chicago! The elevated expressway they removed in San Francisco! That, maybe sadly, isn’t us, and we’re all too aware of it. (When I say we, I certainly include myself — I’ve written my share of “If they can do it …” columns, and I’ll probably write more, and probably soon.) Often we’re more aware of what we’re not doing than we are of the things we do well: excellent public schools; widespread well-used bus network; great access to medical care; thriving arts and culture scene; relatively good economy; the safest streets of any major North American city… all those mundane, tiny urban miracles that, added up, put Toronto on top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s index of indexes measuring the best places to live in the world earlier this year. When you’re frustrated that you can’t reach the green off the tee, you can get obsessed with that. And you can forget that walking on water is a pretty great skill in its own right. And when what you want to do is host the Olympics, you can overlook how downright pleasant it might be to host some other, smaller event. Like, say, the Pan Am Games. In the lead-up to the event, the city’s favourite pastime seemed to be whinging: about the expected traffic, the endless construction, the expected traffic, the budget, the expected traffic, the crowds, the expected traffic. And beneath all these complaints there was the unmistakable sense that many thought these games were just sort of beneath us: all this work and hassle, and it isn’t even the Olympics. Hell, it’s not even the Commonwealth Games. A New York Times observer understandably previewed the games “landing with a thud” in “indifferent Toronto.” But a funny thing happened once the Games finally got underway. The long-promised gridlockapocalypse didn’t materialize. The endless construction all came to an end and we got to see the place all spruced up for a party: fancy new pedestrian strolls on Queens Quay and Front St. and a whole fancy new neighbourhood (complete with 253 units of affordable housing and a fancy new park) in the athletes’ village on the West Don Lands. There’s a sign made of giant letters spelling “TORONTO” in Nathan Phillips Square that has become instantly (and unpredictably) beloved, and we’ve been getting to see fireworks fired from the CN Tower and City Hall. On Tuesday, organizers announced that Kanye West, arguably the biggest music star in the world, would headline the closing ceremonies. Article Continued Below All that and sports, too: not just the ones we’re usually fanatical about around here, but novelty events like roller speed-skating and wakeboarding. Look, it still ain’t the Olympics — you only need to see Canada leading the medal standings with eleventy-odd golds so far to understand that — and even with some infrastructure legacy projects, it isn’t an event that is going to stand as a defining moment in Toronto’s history. Will the games turn us into New York or London, or allow us to hit the green with our tee-shot? Nope. Are they worth all the money and time and planning it took? I don’t know, time will tell, though those costs are sunk whether they prove to be justified or not. What the Games are turning out to be is a kind of a fun, relatively hassle-free theme project for a summer in the city, one that gives us something to do and talk about, and has brought plenty of enthusiastic visitors to town whose joy is infectious. As summer projects go, it beats moose sculptures. (Not that, you know, there’s anything wrong with moose sculptures.) Despite our best efforts to convince ourselves otherwise, the Games are turning out to be a pretty good party, in a city that needs periodic reminders that it’s allowed to party, and that when it does it can be a pretty great place. I realize that ain’t walking on water, but in Toronto, it still feels a bit like a miracle. Edward Keenan writes on city issues ekeenan@thestar.ca. Follow: @thekeenanwireAdapted from EUROfusion Fusion energy holds the tantalising promise of limitless, clean electricity for humanity — but colossal engineering problems must be solved first. Among them: how to deal with the scorchingly hot exhaust from a fusion power plant’s plasma fuel. But scientists don’t agree on the best way to study the issue. Italian researchers want to test novel exhaust systems in a new €500-million (US$570-million) nuclear fusion reactor that they hope to start operating around 2025. Yet last monthEUROfusion, a European consortium of fusion-research organizations, opted to postpone for half a decade a decision on whether to contribute funds for the experiment. That leaves Italy, for now, having to go it alone. “All the risks are on the Italian side,” says Tony Donné, EUROfusion’s programme manager. Fusion's waste-heat problem Inside a doughnut-shaped tokamak — the leading model for a practical fusion reactor — a plasma of hydrogen isotopes is compressed and heated to hundreds of millions of degrees so that the nuclei fuse, generating energy. Magnetic fields hold the plasma in place, but some hot particles inevitably leak and drift towards the tokamak’s wall, dumping huge amounts of energy and eroding its
threat of climate change seriously. Tomorrow, leaders from around the world will meet at the G20 summit, with climate change being one of the main issues. It's pretty exciting to think that, by 2040, our world might look a lot different. The days of filling a car with polluting petrol may soon be long gone – and we'll look back and wonder why it took so long to switch to electric in the first place.The Netherlands, one of the most progressive countries when it comes to broadband, has now become the nation with the highest broadband connectivity, according to Akamai’s “State of the Internet” report for the second quarter of 2011. Akamai (s AKAM) data shows that the unrelenting march of broadband continues unabated all across our planet. Not only are the number of broadband subscribers on the up but so are the average speeds. Akamai reports are based on connections to Akamai’s global network from both wired and wireless networks. The data collected by Akamai shows that nearly 27 percent of all connections to Akamai’s network are at speeds in excess of 5 megabits per second. Nearly 68 percent of broadband connections in the Netherlands exceed 5 Mbps. Hong Kong and South Korea are next, with 59 percent and 58 percent, respectively. Advertisement Europe dominates the list of top ten countries with the highest broadband connectivity. However, Asian cities dominate the list of the 100 fastest cities in the world, with 10 South Korean cities and Japan alone having 59 cities. Brno, in the Czech Republic, is the fastest-ranked city in Europe and is only ranked No. 55. Eighteen U.S. cities are on the top 100 list, with San Jose being the fastest —ranked 9 out of 100. The average speed in San Jose was 13.7 Mbps. San Jose also had the highest peak speed in the U.S., 38.7 Mbps. The South Korean city of Taegu is the fastest city in the world, with an average Mbps of 15.8 Mbps. South Korea’s Taejon had the highest peak speed, 55.3 Mbps. Global broadband speeds are getting faster and faster, the data reveals. After growing nearly 10 percent in the first quarter of 2011, the global average connection speed once again saw another significant quarterly increase, growing 21 percent, to 2.6 Mbps. The global average connection speed grew significantly year over year as well, increasing 43 percent. Globally, year-over-year increases in average connection speed were seen in 128 countries/regions, with yearly growth of over 100 percent seen in 17 countries, while an additional 102 grew 10 percent or more over the prior year. The global peak speed was 11.4 Mbps, up 7.4 percent from the first quarter of 2011 and 67 percent from Q2 2010. The U.S., which is ranked 12th by average measured connection speed, had an average speed of 5.8 Mbps, up 9 percent from the first quarter of 2011 and a whopping 26 percent from Q2 2010. The availability of higher speed tiers (30 Mbps or higher) from cable companies is behind this boost. The biggest growth has been on the mobile networks, according to Akamai’s data.Attackers wearing women’s burqas further ratcheted up the Taliban bid to disrupt Afghanistan’s presidential election, blasting the country’s election headquarters today with grenades and heavy machine-gun fire in the fourth high-profile attack in 10 days. Five insurgents were killed after a six-hour standoff with Afghan security forces at the Independent Election Commission headquarters in Kabul, which oversees the critical April 5 vote. The militants slipped into a neighboring building to launch their attack, though they were unable to breach the fortified commission offices and no one inside the compound was injured. With this string of attacks, the Taliban are achieving one central aim: instilling fear. Today's strike comes less than 24 hours after insurgents sent a suicide car bomber and four militants to attack a guesthouse used by a US-based aid group. An Afghan girl was killed, though more than 20 foreigners escaped and several were held hostage during a four-hour siege. And last Tuesday, two suicide bombers and three gunmen attacked another Kabul election office, killing five. The spike in violence has increased fear among Afghans and foreigners. But for some, it has also prompted new defiance in the face of an insurgency that has only grown bolder as US and NATO forces prepare to withdraw later this year and President Hamid Karzai steps down after 12 years in power. Officials are striving to conduct an election that rises above the dismal standard of the last presidential poll in 2009, in which widespread fraud and months of delay in reaching the final result left an unsavory taste. Security has been stepped up in Kabul and across the country, though insurgent attacks take place daily. For Afghans and the Western donors who see better governance as a key to continued support, the stakes are high as Afghanistan negotiates its first democratic transition of power since the US military pushed the Taliban from power in late 2001. The Taliban “are weak because they do such actions, but they are also strong because they can do it – and we are stuck in the middle,” said an election worker outside his ruined office, its ornate façade pockmarked with shrapnel and riddled with bullets from the Tuesday attack. “We should work hard, it’s our country,” he said, after asking not to be named. “Our homeland is like our mother, and we would die for our mother. So let them come: 5, 10, 12, 1,200 attacks, I don’t care. They will die like dogs.” As he spoke, staff wearing surgical masks kicked at the remains of the bombers and swept up broken glass and spent bullet casings. The attack was effective at disrupting the vote by destroying many registration documents for thousands of party poll observers. Yesterday, a similar reckoning took place in the same area of town, where the Taliban attacked the office of the California-based Roots for Peace. The nongovernmental organization runs de-mining and other programs, and in its walled compound was a church, Reuters reported. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. “For the Taliban, the main hope is violence,” says Fabrizio Foschini, an Afghanistan politics expert with the Afghanistan Analysts Network in Kabul. “The only game-changer for them [is] unrest, protest, a prolonged state of institutional crisis which originates from a completely messed up election. Right now the blackest cloud is insecurity, and the possibility that big attacks really mar whatever achievements these elections could bring.” That is a change from much of the previous year, when popular fears focused on fraud worries and concerns that some government scheme would postpone the vote, says Foschini. Instead, as the recent violence shows, the threat has come from the insurgency, in contrast to failed past efforts by the Taliban to disrupt elections. “We can probably take the Taliban claim as realistic: There is the will to put a lot of effort that the insurgency can put up in targeting these high-profile areas,” says Foschini. Already some foreign election monitors have pulled out for security reasons, including members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the National Democratic Institute – whose mission lost an observer in an attack on the fortified luxury Serena Hotel last week. And after today’s attack, the American University of Afghanistan instructed more than 60 foreign staff to leave the country. The two most recent attacks took place in upscale neighborhoods very close to the school’s campus. Will election observers step up? Election officers conceded that the Tuesday attack had been effective in disrupting their work. Already 20,000 people had registered as observers, for example, for hundreds of candidates in local races across Kabul Province. Those numbers were ideally to top 30,000 next week. But the destruction of documents and rising level of fear mean only 10,000 are likely to show up on election day. “How can we do the election?” asked a second election worker, after giving those figures. “If there are no observers it will not be a clear election. It will be full of fraud and [the results] not acceptable.” He said “all normal people are afraid” because of the Taliban attacks. The same day the election office was hit, this worker said 100 family and friends came to his house, and 100 more the next day. He received hundreds more phone calls, asking if he was alright. “We were waiting to die, and not for help,” said the election worker, about being trapped in the basement during the firefight. “I’m safe now, but all this [visits and calls by friends] has an impact on people.” One candidate for local office, Jumagal Aryobi, was dismissive of the Taliban as he surveyed the wrecked election office. “This is the work of the enemy of Afghanistan, that does not want it to develop," he said. "It shows weakness." Desperation? Analysts say the Taliban may not be able to disrupt the voting process, and the refrain from many Afghans after the attacks is that they illustrate desperation. Still, the violence is being taken seriously. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy The brazen attack last week on the Serena Hotel, in which nine were killed – including the NDI observer and well-known Afghan journalist Sardar Ahmad, his wife, and two young children – was a wake-up call. “Life is not important for them,” said local police director Ruhollah Amin. “They hit the Serena near the presidential office, so if they can attack there, they can attack anywhere.”This day, December 7th, began with Japanese bombs and flames at Pearl Harbor in 1941, it was a pivotal event that prompted America’s entry into WWII. Today, seventy six years later, people commemorate the fateful day in various ways. As part of er series on local craft brewing, HPR’s Noe Tanigawa takes us to a small pub, the Brewseum, in Kaka‘ako where people sip home brews and marvel at unique WWII memorabilia. A visit to the Brewseum and the Home of the Brave WWII museum. It’s Battleship Bingo night (12/7/17) at the Brewseum, and Pearl Harbor veterans are gathering, so expect special events at Home of the Brave Museum too. Find more HPR coverage of the bombing of Pearl Harbor here. There’s not a whole lot of traffic here on Waimanu Street, Ewa of Ward, but a gaggle of trivia players has collected outside a funky wooden clubhouse. It’s the Brewseum. “It’s a wonderful place. We come here for trivia every Wednesday night. We play but we’re not serious. We’re in friendly competition. ” Keith Callway and his family are amongst the throng. "The museum is over there. It’s a WWII museum. They have all kinds of things there. You can get beer or wine. So it’s just a fun place to be.” The Brewseum is a craft brew pub/clubhouse and Diamond Head of that, in an old 1920’s horse barn, is the Home of the Brave Museum. Janet Tomlinson and her husband, Glen, are the founders of the Home of the Brave Museum. Their son, Duke, came up with the Brewseum to help raise funds to support the museum. Both remain a project of the Tomlinson family. Janet Tomlinson: There’s a Harley behind, there’s a beautiful print that we just recently had signed by the Pearl Harbor survivors who were here for the 75th anniversary of the attack on the island. They signed the print where they thought they were during the time of the attack so it’s really special to us.” Films capture a facet of it, maybe your parents or grandparents have shared memories, but feeling the reality of WWII is tough to do. Here, at Home of the Brave, family photos, personal firearms, flags and medals, clothing, bulletins, all have been donated by Pearl Harbor survivors. The memorabilia is lovingly displayed, living room style, and that brings it home all the more. How do you go to the speakeasy? Janet Tomlinson: Go to the back to where the stairs are that say Remember Pearl Harbor and go up to the top of the stairs. Knock three times on the door, then once, then “V” for victory will get you in. I think you can do it. Have fun up there! There’s a cozy bar upstairs and a lanai where they’re showing a film! I caught the founder of this complex, Glen Tomlinson, by phone. He and his family have kept the Brewseum and museum going since 1991 Glen Tomlinson: Our museum is more stories. It’s the stories of the regular GI’s, the soldier, sailor, airman, marine who came back after the war. Someone called our collection Grampa’s attic on steroids. We have so much stuff. It’s the clear eyed look in the photo of a recent recruit, it's the letters from home, the German propaganda gathered by a father and son in the ruins after the war, all are vivid bits of history. Glen Tomlinson: It’s the stories now mostly from families because most of these fellows have passed away. Our goal, our mission is to keep these stories alive because when they’re gone, their stories go with them. The Tomlinsons used to run a tour of Pearl Harbor that ended with sharing personal stories at the museum. Many were moved to donate their treasures after that tour. The tour, however, became impossible last year, and the pub and museum have been on the ropes since. Glen Tomlinson: It’s a cool place. Our biggest problem is no one knows about it. And lack of parking. A fundraiser last month netted enough to keep the Brewseum and museum open six months. A non-profit, the Remember Honor, Salute Foundation, started a GoFundMe effort that has been drawing small donations from friends and family across the country. Glen Tomlinson: I joke that we don’t like to use the “f” word in the museum, the “f” word is fun. Because we want to be very respectful to the guys who gave so much for the freedoms, the liberties we have. But you have to make it fun, engaging, hands on history, so we allow the kids to hop in the jeep, put the helmets on, sit on the ’42 Harley Davidson motorcycle, and really kind of get a full feel for the 1940’s. At Home of the Brave, words and images recall the sentiment of a less divided time, like this quote, from Ronald Reagan “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds.” People in Hawai‘i have had their own memories of the bombing of Pearl Harbor--- first hand accounts are becoming rare. At the Home of the Brave Museum and Brewseum, their words, faces, and experiences will not be forgotten. The non-profit Remember, Honor, Salute Foundation is raising funds to keep the museum going.Since Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in Yemen in March 2015 and began to conduct airstrikes, the British government has sold the kingdom more than £3.6 billion worth of arms. Throughout the duration of its involvement in the conflict, the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen (formed by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, as well as Egypt) has used these arms to launch thousands of airstrikes, including attacks that have killed a documented 13,800 Yemeni civilians. As a result, Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have been accused of attacks which may amount to war crimes and that are exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Because of its role materially supporting Saudi Arabia’s actions, the UK has been accused of complicity in the kingdom’s alleged war crimes. The United Kingdom has been a major arms dealer to Saudi Arabia since the 1960s. The first UK-Saudi arms deal dates back to 1965, when the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) supplied Saudi Arabia with Lightning and Strikemaster planes for £207million. Since 2015, the UK has licensed over £2.2 billion in planes, helicopters and drones to the kingdom in addition to £1.1 billion in bombs, grenades, and missiles and £430,000 worth of tanks and armored vehicles. The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) asserts that the British government is intimately involved in these deals because they are operated through Government-to-Government contracts. Saudi Arabia has used these arms, including bombs and cluster munitions, in allegedly unlawful attacks on the Yemeni population. The perception that the UK government is supporting Saudi Arabia’s rights violations in Yemen is bolstered by its hosting of the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI). DSEI is the world’s largest arms trade fair, which takes place in London every September amid protests from activist groups who believe some of the invitees, including Saudi Arabia, would use the products to commit war crimes and other human rights violations. DSEI has traditionally been condemned by the local government and different anti-arms trade groups and is surrounded by controversy due to the sale of cluster bombs despite an international ban on the munitions, as well as the presence of dictatorships and human rights abusers. Addressing the use of British munitions in the Yemen war and the UK’s possible complicity in Saudi war crimes, two UK Parliamentary Committees, the Business, Innovation and Skills and International Development Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, raised their concerns and called for the suspension of all arms sales until an independent inquiry had looked into the alleged violations of international law. In addition to the Committees’ concerns, CAAT petitioned the UK High Court to halt the sale of weapons on the grounds that the sales violated UK arms exports criteria. Despite this, the High Court ruled against CAAT’s petition and sided with the government, concluding that the Saudi-led coalition was not deliberately targeting civilians in its attacks. In its conclusions, the High Court also decided that the coalition had adequate processes and procedures in place to ensure respect for the principles of International Humanitarian Law and, furthermore, that Saudi Arabia was committed to complying with International Humanitarian Law. Thus, according to the ruling, there is “no ‘clear risk’ that there might be ‘serious violations’ of International Humanitarian Law (…) such that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be suspended or cancelled.” Even while it is deepening its material connections with Saudi Arabia through increased arms sales, the UK has approved licenses for arms deals to another 20 countries which are considered human rights abusers by the British government itself. Among these countries is Bahrain, which received £45 million worth of arms between February 2011 and September 2015, and established a British naval base as part of a defense agreement between both countries. The arms trade between the UK and Bahrain has continued despite the systematic and violent suppression of political dissent since the peaceful pro-democracy movement of 2011. In April 2011, the UK government approved licenses to export body armor, direct view imaging equipment, training hand grenades, and small weapons. This trade has raised concerns about the potential use of the materiel to violently repress demonstrations in Bahrain. The deals between Manama and London have also included training for the Bahraini security forces and improving the performance of the kingdom’s supposed accountability mechanisms, such as the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, the Special Investigations Unit, and the National Institute for Human Rights. Despite this training, Bahrain’s these institutions have repeatedly failed, or refused, to fulfil their mandates to address the systematic human rights abuses in Bahrain. Despite the claims of the British government and High Court, the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and other human rights abusers makes the UK actively complicit in their violations, including the Saudi-led coalition’s unlawful attacks on the Yemeni population and Bahrain’s violent crackdown on protestors. The UK government should immediately halt all arms sales to countries suspected of falling short of their international human rights commitments. Juan Carmelo Rodríguez Melián is an Advocacy Intern at ADHRB.UPDATE: When we posted this video we wrote that the subject "appeared to be homeless," and today it has been revealed that he is not! We can't say it's a huge surprise (his homeless appearance had everything to do with his signage and nothing to do with this actual "appearance"). However, he stated today on his YouTube page that although he is a performer with a roof over his head, he made the video to bring attention to the plight of the homeless. So, it was all for a good cause. Plus - it's still a very entertaining lip dub! PREVIOUSLY: We've seen some good lip dubs in our day, but this has to be the most touching one we've ever encountered. The song is "under pressure" and the lip dub-ers in question are a man appearing to be homeless and his two Kermit puppets. He had our attention right off the bat with the promise of Queen/Bowie and Muppets, but his dedication to the lip dub is what really stands out. The description on YouTube says the video was made to "entertain and inspire" and we can say it did both jobs pretty well. It also features a link to donate money to charities that help the homeless. (Via The Daily What) WATCH:This article was published on the excellent French website, fdesouche.com. One day in 2014, Romain, a 25-year-old man from Lille, decided to leave France. Something no longer suited him in this country where he had grown up. He also felt a desire to have a look elsewhere. So the former mechanic took his motorcycle and musical instruments and headed east with no destination in mind. On an impulse, he stopped in Budapest. Today he says he does not regret this random choice. In retrospect, he realized what increasingly bothered him about France: its ethnic and cultural diversity. Romain (who did not wish to give his last name) did not start out with a communitarian nature, but now he says without apology: “There is a certain homogeneity here, and I feel at home.” He is happy to live with “men of European stock, Catholics.” How many young people are there who, like Romain, have decided to break with a country they no longer feel is their own? Within the French community living in the East—which has continued to grow in recent years—such talk is heard more frequently and more openly, to the point it can no longer be considered a mere secondary symptom. Several thousand Frenchmen have gone to live in these countries during the last few years. Among them it is not difficult, through simple word of mouth, to find expatriates who have no hesitation about explaining (without any apparent hatred) how this cultural question sprouted in their minds until it became obvious: so much so that some of them describe themselves as “identitarian emigrants.” Gregory Leroy, 31, decided in this way to live in Poland. He found a more uniform world in better conformity with his aspirations: “I travelled a lot and learned that I am not a fan of multicultural countries. I think it is important to meet people who resemble us in the streets, and that’s the way it is here.” Leroy grew up in a suburb of Paris, but emigrated in 2012 following a tip from a friend of his brother, who advised him to settle in Warsaw. There he created Hussard, an antiterrorist educational organization that offers “a three-day initiation into the art of war,” and whose webpage adopts a martial tone resolutely in line with that of the Polish Right now in power: “Coercive French legislation regarding legitimate self-defense and possession of weapons favors the emergence of a class of ultra-violent repeat offenders whose logical development is jihadism.” Multiculturalism is obviously not these atypical expatriates’ cup of tea. So it is with “Gabriel” (who prefers not to give his real name). Originally from the French Alps and with a promising career in finance, this young man of 35 left France as early as 2005, and has been living for 10 years in Budapest. He does not hesitate to attribute the quality of life he has found to the cultural and ethnic homogeneity of his adoptive country. “If you mix people up too much, it does not work,” he declares. Exactly what does he think is not working in France? It only became obvious to him, he says, by way of contrast when he went back to his native country for a visit: “I realized that day-to-day insecurity has come to seem normal to us.” He says he has the same impression each time: “It only takes an hour or two in France for that feeling of insecurity to reappear. The people here [in Budapest] are more civilized. They don’t scream in the metro. They know how to behave.” Gregory Leroy feels the same way each time he goes back home. In 2014, he was staying at an Ibis Hotel in his native Paris suburb when a woman was attacked in the street below. “No one intervened,” he says with regret. He was surprised at what he saw, which he says would be impossible in Poland. He says he has other anecdotes of the same kind, and that they have driven him to a definite conclusion: “Insecurity is a problem closely tied to multiculturalism. I think people steal less when they resemble one another.” Romain, the 25-year-old from Lille, explains his Hungarian exile in no other way: “Here there is mutual respect. There is less incivility. There may be some, but nothing comparable to France.” Romain, who has traveled in Africa, England and Germany, reproaches his own country for repudiating its attachment to the land and for its increased atomization: The people have been detached from their own land. In Hungary, for example, property tax does not exist. In France, the cost of apartments, the abandonment of the countryside, city life and the need for mobility in the work market have created and reinforced individualism. Here I have the impression of being in the France of long ago, the France my grandparents told me about. But the young man, whose dream is to acquire a small piece of cultivable soil in the Hungarian countryside, refuses to be dismissed as living in the past. He defends himself by referring to ecological ideas. Bruno Guillot, who lives in Poland, also regrets a “lack of roots in the French”—an observation he extends to the cultural domain. According to him, great migratory movements are the problem. Even in Poland: “Here there are many Ukrainian and Belarusian immigrants. You might think it would work because they are all Slavs, but they don’t connect!” Although his Christian faith commands him to take in refugees, he fears the danger of too great a number. He is disturbed by the influx of all these migrants who, “unlike the French, have a tribal consciousness.” He fears that from now on, French identity, which in his view lacks all affirmation, will be nibbled away by other, stronger identities. Gregory Leroy still admires the cityscapes of Paris: “Paris is more beautiful than Warsaw, but there is a heaviness in France; you feel that nothing is possible. The energy of Poland more than makes up for its architectural shortcomings,” he assures us. In order to stay in Poland, Bruno Guillot has temporarily abandoned his work as a surveyor. He has accepted a less interesting job. To make up for it, he is thinking of returning to France for short contract work. The young Catholic now defines himself as a “precursor of militant emigration.” In the near future he hopes to create Franco-Polish neighborhoods on the outskirts of Warsaw where other ethnically ill-at-ease compatriots can move… He gladly admits the contradiction between his status as a migrant and his identitarian demands. He says he is taking language courses, and will be able to feel perfectly Polish in the long run. They all say the same thing: They love their native country, but have no intention of returning to it. Translated from the French for American Renaissance by F. Roger Devlin. Original Article Share ThisBuy Photo Tom Battista (left), Sam Sutphin, Ed Battista, and Dusty Frey, who are part of a new art cinema/restaurant project, sit inside the Christian Unity Missionary Baptist Church, which they'll be converting over the coming year into a place with three screens and a full restaurant, Indianapolis, Friday, June 30, 2017. (Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar)Buy Photo When a local ownership group announced it would open an art cinema and restaurant on the east side, it wanted to fill a void for showing small-budget indie and art films. That, however, is only part of the mission of the tentatively named Windsor Theater. Owners Edward Battista, Tom Battista, Sam Sutphin and Ben Sutphin are setting up a hyperlocal hiring plan. The art cinema-restaurant will partner with businesses opening in the area and the John H. Boner Community Center to develop a training program that will boost the neighborhood. The owners want the three-screen cinema-restaurant, which will be in the former Christian Unity Missionary Baptist Church in Windsor Park, to improve the east side's quality of life. Early plans have it set to open in the spring of 2018, said Edward Battista, who owns the popular Bluebeard restaurant with his father, Tom Battista. The new venture is part cultural hub, part passion project, part neighborhood builder. "So many movie theaters that you go to now, you have no sense of place, no sense of identity," Edward Battista said. "They're big and sterilized. They feel like, you know, Wal-Mart. We want to change that. We want to really interact well with the neighborhood identity — really focus on that park, really focus on that we think that this is a walkable neighborhood." TAXES: Indiana makes moves to force you to pay online sales tax ART: A Facebook kerfuffle erupts over who gets credit on Peyton Manning's statue BASKETBALL: Insider: Want the Pacers to maximize the return on Paul George? Root for Boston The hiring plan is for east-side residents to fill positions at the new businesses, though others from outside the area are welcome as well. Battista wants to avoid the negative effects of development that can displace and price out those who have put down roots in an area. Andy Beck, chairman of the Cottage Home neighborhood's Conservation Committee and a friend of Edward Battista, suggested the new business owners partner with the Boner Center for a workforce training program. "The people that have lived there for 20 years — how is this development or this new business really going to help them?" Beck said. NEWSLETTERS Get the The IndianapoLIST newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Your Indy-area things to do source. Sorting out the best concerts, dining spots, art shows and more. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-888-357-7827. Delivery: Wed Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for The IndianapoLIST Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Right now, the hyperlocal hiring plan is in nascent stages. So far, Battista lists a few businesses that are involved: Milktooth chef and owner Jonathan Brooks plans to open Beholder near East 10th and Tecumseh streets. Along with Broad Ripple Brewpub owners John and Nancy Hill, their son Alec Hill and his partner Hilary Powers will open the Mayfair Taproom near East 10th Street and North Hamilton Avenue. And King Dough pizza — which Adam and Alicia Sweet and Tom and Edward Battista are in on — is headed to a spot on North Highland Avenue and East Michigan Street. From the Boner Center's point of view, the future of the east side depends on overcoming challenges from its past. Historically, the area included a large middle-class base that fueled thriving industries and businesses that are now closed, including the RCA and Ford plants, said the Boner Center's Jon Berg, who brings stakeholders together to support the near east side. A relatively high home vacancy rate and concentrated amount of poverty are challenges the Boner Center wants to provide solutions for, he said. "The idea with a lot of these old... sites that we've identified as a promise zone is to try and remediate and find new owners and uses for these legacy industrial sites with the key component being job creation," Berg said. Berg also wants to make the most of the east side's assets that include green spaces and long-standing collaboration between neighborhoods. The hyperlocal hiring program is "really to help demonstrate the connection to what the near east side assets are, and that's to have folks that can fill these jobs that are local residents and really realizing that the near east side is a great place to live, work and play," Berg said. The project is larger than just the Windsor Theater. Edward and Tom Battista said they want to rent out nearby houses they own to artists whose creative work will contribute to the neighborhood. They would like to present movies in Spades Park. And Amelia's Coffee Shop — akin to Amelia's bakery that is part of the Bluebeard operation — will take up residence in a home near the new spot. "We try and invest in our communities," Edward Battista said. "We don't buy properties, max out rents and then flip them. We hold them. We're in it for the long term, and we really like... helping to bring communities together." Call IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at (317) 444-7339. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/2u9fbhRIn the concluding moments of A Separation, Hodjat (Shahab Hosseini) and Razieh (Sareh Bayat), the religious lower-class couple that have lost their unborn child as a consequence of a quarrel with the film’s titular characters, are in the midst of a last minute dispute. “I have doubts,” says Razieh in regards to how exactly she lost her child, but this is no time for indecision. Nader and Simin, as well as Hodjat’s creditors, are waiting in the other room, and a check is to be written that would mend all parties’ troubles. When the already-frustrated Hodjat closes the door and speaks to his wife with unwavering vexation, there is no doubt in the audience’s mind that he is about to strike her. Instead, he strikes himself, slapping his own face and head relentlessly with utter despair. It is a human scene, and in essence, what A Separation truly represents is humanity. These aren’t the stereotypical characters we have come to expect from our experiences with cinema; the God-fearing lower-class don’t necessarily abuse their families, and the well-off don’t abandon theirs either. In stark contrast to Hodjat and Razieh are Nader (Peyman Moaadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami). Simin has asked for a divorce because she wants to leave the country, but Nader refuses to leave – he has a father with Alzheimer’s who needs constant care. The couple’s chief dispute, however, concerns Termeh, their 11-year old daughter. They can either leave the country together or Termeh has to stay with her father as per Iran’s child custody laws. Nader’s intention to stay is just as vindicated as Simin’s longing to leave; he must take care of his father, and it is just not right to abandon him at such a crucial time. “He has Alzheimer’s! Does your father know you are his son anymore?” she bellows at her husband. “What difference does it make? I still know him as my Father!” Nader retaliates. In a recent interview, Asghar Farhadi was asked why he hadn’t left Iran when he had an opportunity to do so, and he cautiously replied: “If your child has a very high fever, what would you do? Would you abandon your child, or would you stay there?” Nader’s unnamed father, who is only referred to as “dad” or “granddad” throughout the film, can certainly be an emblem of the director’s home country. He is plagued with an irreversible ailment, forgetfully fluctuating between past and present (“Ali got married,” he says blankly in one scene. “Who’s Ali?” Nader inquires before submissively playing along, “Yes, Ali got married.”). He has forgotten who he is, and it is his son’s obligation to preserve what is left of him. Nader operates similarly in regards to the Persian language, schooling his daughter to use Farsi words as opposed to the Arabic ones she is taught in school. He consistently holds on, determined to retain everything that is receding from him. Some of these events are simply out of his control, while others are a direct result of his inflexible struggle to maintain. Over the years, countless Iranian films have been submitted to foreign festivals with an aim to “sell” Iran to the outside world. Most of these films tend to dramatize life in Iran in terms of depravity and poignancy (2011’s saccharine Circumstance and 2009’s meandering My Tehran For Sale are prime examples). These films, in essence, are political products. They are not Iranian movies, but movies about Iran, merely aiming to implant sentiments of helplessness and indignation – that although constant in the everyday life of the country, do not truthfully represent what Iran is to Iranians. To us, Iran is simply our home country. We choose to carry on in it, adapting to the rigidity and lingering paranoia in order to subsist. We have no other choice. Politics undeniably underlies even the simplest of lifestyles in Iran, but it does not hinder individuals from actually living. Life goes on even in the direst of conditions. What Asghar Fahadi has achieved with A Separation is exactly the antithesis of this deeply flawed form of representation. His film does not preach or plead to an audience. Farhadi’s Iran (like our Iran) isn’t overtly political; it is human – seething with assorted “truths” and distinct customs and belief systems. The film guides its audience through this conception with a masterfully crafted narrative where neither character is right or wrong. They are each carrying on in their own ways, and their clash is essentially a consequence of the incompatibility of their values and lifestyles. Several years ago, I took the chance I was given and left Iran. Not unlike Simin, I too saw no other course of action at the time. I would either stay and develop my country’s ailment, or find a home somewhere else. Not a day passes where I don’t crave a certain piece of my homeland, most especially its people, who tackle each obstruction, and like the characters in A Separation, carry on with
just talking about tough issues of war and peace, so often fraught with political controversy. It is easier to do nothing. If the war turns out well, Congress gives a standing ovation when the president arrives for his State of the Union speech. If the war goes badly, members hold 535 press conferences denouncing him. As University of Chicago Law School Professor Eric Posner put it: “It’s like you want someone to hold you back when you want to fight someone else. You want to look like you’re tough and you’re willing to fight, but you don’t really want to have to do it.” The country cannot afford more legislative playacting. First, the war threatens to draw the United States ever more deeply into an irrelevant conflict. While the administration made a show of turning responsibility over to NATO, it really is just Britain’s and France’s war. Only a third of the alliance members have provided any combat support, however minimal. Without substantial American participation NATO has been unable to do more than prevent the rebels from being defeated—prolonging the conflict and thus actually generating more civilian casualties. Although the administration stepped back from active air operations, allied pressure caused it to maintain air and missile strikes and launch drone operations. In mid-July London requested more American support in surveillance, intelligence and aerial refueling. Moreover, there will be enormous pressure on Washington to join other NATO states in occupying and reconstructing a post-Qaddafi Libya (assuming there is a post-Qaddafi Libya). Second, the war threatens to divert even more resources from meeting other needs. So far the war has been comparatively cheap, less than a billion dollars. However, that is another nearly billion dollars Uncle Sam does not have, money borrowed with the IOU tossed on top of the huge stack now towering over America’s future. Congress must cut programs big and small to restore federal finances to something vaguely responsible. Third, the war threatens constitutional government. In the past, presidents have brazenly adopted dubious constitutional interpretations to justify executive war making. But past presidents have rarely made a claim so risible and transparently false as has President Obama. If he can get away with claiming that something is not what we all know it to be, then other presidents will be tempted to ignore other constitutional provisions by similarly denying the obvious. Unfortunately, only Congress can constrain the president. A lawsuit, initiated by several legislators, is pending. But judges almost always avoid making decisions about what they call a “political question.” If the rule of law is to be vindicated, it will be on Capitol Hill. Doing so will take courage—more than most legislators normally possess. As Sen. Barack Obama observed in 2007: “No law can force a Congress to stand up to the president.... No law can give Congress a backbone if it refuses to stand up as the co-equal branch the Constitution made it.” However, members take an oath to uphold the Constitution. They need to find their backbones. It won’t be easy to stop the war, but legislators should continue pressing to end funding for ongoing military operations. Since no Americans are involved in combat, as the administration has told us, no Americans would be endangered by an immediate and complete fiscal cutoff. Other NATO governments might find themselves inconvenienced, but they should look elsewhere in the alliance for support. The United States remains involved in two wars, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as two quasi-wars (involving regular drone strikes), Pakistan and Yemen. Other states should carry the full burden if they want this war. Congress also should target near year’s appropriations, barring the use of Pentagon funds for operations against Libya. Equally important, legislators should directly target the Obama staff, zeroing out money to pay legal officials, such as the State Department’s Harold Koh, who helped develop the administration’s ludicrous argument. This step would punish the president for ignoring the Constitution and the law. It also might help deter future chief executives from law breaking. Finally, the House should threaten impeachment. This might seem like an extreme step, but columnist Glenn Greenwald noted that “we’ve set a very low standard for our tolerance of rampant presidential law breaking.” That needs to change. Just filing an impeachment bill and holding hearings would embarrass the administration. Doing so might encourage President Obama and his successors to treat the Constitution with greater respect. No president is above the law. Barack Obama is following in some not-so-illustrious footsteps as he conducts a war that is both foolish and illegal. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to force the president to comply with the law.HESPERIA — Authorities identified a 44-year-old motorcyclist killed Monday night in a three-vehicle collision on Phelan Road. San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner officials said Jason Alexander Shirley, of Oak Hills, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at approximately 6:45 p.m. The crash was reported a little before 6:30 p.m. near the Phelan and Fremontia roads intersection. According to the preliminary investigation, California Highway Patrol officials say the driver of a 2011 Honda SUV, 51, of Victorville, was westbound on Phelan Road and slowing as she approached the intersection to make a left turn. Shirley was eastbound at approximately 55 mph. “The driver of the Honda SUV failed to observe the motorcycle and turned directly in the path of the motorcycle, subsequently causing the front of the motorcycle to collide with the right rear of the Honda SUV,” CHP officials said in a statement. “(Shirley), who was wearing a Department of Transportation approved full face helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle, landing in the westbound lane of Phelan Road.” Authorities said Shirley was then struck by a westbound 2015 Ford pickup truck driven by a 56-year-old Phelan woman. Authorities did not report any injuries for the two women drivers or the three children passengers of the Honda. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factor and the collision remained under investigation.Donald Trump is just one state short of the presidency, according to the 6 pm Thursday evening projection by Nate Silver, the left’s favorite polling prognosticator. So Breitbart News is providing a guide to the 10 states most likely to give Trump his 270th Electoral Vote, and the keys to the Oval Office. N ew Hampshire – While Silver says Clinton is the slight favorite in this state, Trump leads or is tied in all three polls released in the first three days of November, including the Boston Globe, ARG and WBUR. Colorado – The Denver Post is the only poll showing Trump tied with Clinton — but he is within six points or less in every other recent poll. RealClearPolitics showed Trump improving from eight points down to just three, which is one of his biggest gains. Pennsylvania – Gravis is the only Pennsylvania poll in which Trump is within a point, but Trump’s improvement in the RealClearPolitics average from a double-digit deficit in late August, to 8.3 point deficit October 15, and then to the current 3 point deficit gives supporters hope. Michigan – The only poll in the past week was a Nov. 2 Fox 2 Detroit tracking poll which showed Trump pulling within three points, a big improvement over the previous polls released October 25 and 26 both showed a 7-point Clinton lead. On Nov. 3, the Fox 2 Detroit updated tracking poll showed him staying just three points behind. A Oct. 29 to Oct. 30 poll of 500 likely voters by a GOP polling firm put Trump just one point behind Clinton. Wisconsin – All recent polls, including the “gold standard” Marquette Law School poll, show Trump pulling to within four to six points. The fact that Sen. Ron Johnson has pulled back to within a single point in the Marquette poll, and that Wisconsin is the home state of Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, do ensure a huge local turnout effort. In addition, the voter identification law in Wisconsin is probably the best voter integrity system in the country. Virginia – While no longer down by double digits, all four polls released October 30 showed Trump still four to six points behind – with Emerson showing a 4-point Clinton lead in the increasingly diverse state. Minnesota – The two last October polls posted by the Star-Tribune showed Clinton with an 8-point lead and a 10-point lead, so Trump’s partisans are hoping there’s a huge bloc of silent supporters. They are pointing to Trump’s stunning win among the first true statewide poll of high school students as evidence of this hidden support. New Mexico – While Silver considers this quite a long shot, the only poll run in the last month g ave Clinton just a 5-point lead, and that was before her numbers dropped as the FBI reopened its investigation of her email network. Oregon – The most recent poll was released Nov. 1, by Fox 12 showing a 7-point lead for Clinton, and the other polls also show similar leads for Clinton. N ew Jersey – The four polls run since Labor Day range from a 4-point to 24-point margin for Clinton – with the only October poll ( Fairleigh Dickinson ) being in between those at 11 points. Only the wild inconsistency of those polls gives any hope of a shocker here, which is most likely to be a double-digit Clinton win. Winning any of those 10 states is enough to give Trump the White House, according to Silver’s graph as of 6 p.m. Thursday, if Trump doesn’t lose any of the various states which Silver believes will support Trump. That list of pro-Trump states includes three states where Trump has a tiny or narrow edge, according to Silver. Those three states are Nevada, North Carolina and Florida. The current polling shows that Trump has the momentum, his TV commercials are new, and they are reaching voters who normally watch only some combination of CNN, MSNBC, sports or the big networks. Clinton was clearly caught off guard by the Trump surge and did not have attack commercials produced – so she has had to resort to rerunning dated attack commercials which traditionally have diminishing returns. Trump also benefits by early voting indicators that black turnout is dropping off from the historic highs. If North Carolina’s low-turnout numbers translate into lower black turnout, Trump could perform almost three points better than Gov. Mitt Romney’s overall percentage in 2012. Finally, Trump hopes for the silent vote summed up by a Virginia sign stating, “Vote Trump – Nobody Ever Has to Know.” Clinton’s advantages include the incredible targeted lists and huge ground game advantage, as well as the fact that so far she seems to only temporarily drop into a tie vote after a round of terrible news cycles and then she rebounds to a lead within a few days. Democrats misunderstand how big that advantage is however. Democrat turnout operations can only be successful with a mass infrastructure because urban-based voters often need transportation to the polls. Most Republicans drive themselves to the polls, and do not accept rides to the polls, so GOP consultants have long joked that party’s get-out-the-vote program was called “television.” This time, the massive digital effort by Trump’s data guru, Brad Parscale, could become an effective turnout tool.Is slow food about politics, privilege, or oppression? We have to value work in the home. But we also have to be realistic about how you can feed your family if you’re not a highly-skilled cook and you’re already working 40 to 50 hours a week at seven dollars an hour. “Is Michael Pollan a sexist pig?” asks Emily Matchar in her new book, Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity, published in May by Simon & Schuster. Matchar wants to know why many young, middle-class women are returning to the home after their feminist forebears rushed to leave it—and whether the revival of domestic arts like home cooking and canning is also reviving some of the sexism that kept women moored to these tasks. “It’s easy to forget in the face of today’s foodie culture,” Matchar writes, “that cooking is not fun when it’s mandatory.” Some feminists have accused the food movement Pollan helped popularize of romanticizing a return to the kitchen, but that’s not the only thing driving women “homeward,” Matchar finds. The do-it-yourself ethos embraced by practitioners of the “new domesticity” offers an appealing alternative to taxing careers that leave no time for home or family life. By advocating a slower-paced lifestyle, the food movement has helped disseminate a compelling critique of modern capitalism sometimes overlooked by feminists focused on breaking the glass ceiling. Yet often, the solutions offered by foodies are impracticable for those who lack the luxury of spare time. What would a more inclusive food justice movement look like? In These Times discussed foodies, class and feminism with author Emily Matchar; Tracie McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating; public health activist Laura Orlando; and Yvonne Yen Liu, national research director at Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. Emily, your book introduces us to the growing ranks of jam-makers, wool-spinners and backyard gardeners. What’s driving this “new domesticity”? EMILY: In 2010, Peggy Orenstein wrote an essay looking at women she calls femivores [a play on “locavores”], who have left the traditional workforce to work inside the home and are repopularizing cooking from scratch, growing your own food, paying attention to where your food is coming from and so on. My book takes a look at the growing number of women (and some men) who are directing their creativity and energy toward these kinds of pursuits, but living something different from the traditional stay-at-home ’50s lifestyle. What are the gender politics of this trend? In 2009, Michael Pollan described Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique as “the book that taught millions of American women to regard housework, cooking included, as drudgery, indeed as a form of oppression.” LAURA: Friedan put her finger on the pulse of a lot of unhappiness. Pollan had blinders on in his critique of her, but he’s right to take on the narrow idea that getting back into the kitchen is somehow going backwards. When we expand this act into the politics of food and of health and of agriculture, the whole business of going back into the kitchen does become a political action. The “femivores” who are returning to the kitchen stand accused of betraying the post-Friedan feminists who left it to pursue careers. What does the food movement have to offer to women who have never fallen into either camp? Pollan and Friedan are both speaking primarily to white, middle-class audiences. TRACIE: When the food movement poses home cooking as a moral choice, it is making a pretty alienating, class-based argument. When the discussion is framed as, “If you really cared about your family, you would eat this way,” I think that pretty quickly excludes anybody who doesn’t look like the person who’s making that argument. We have to value work in the home. But we also have to be realistic about how you can feed your family if you’re not a highly-skilled cook and you’re already working 40 to 50 hours a week at seven dollars an hour. YVONNE: There have been different generational approaches to how movements deal with these questions of food, how our time is valued and how we arrange our lives. Friedan’s main target was normative gender roles, whereas Michael Pollan and the foodies of the past 30 years have been struggling with corporate control of the food system. Neither of these perspectives addresses the problem adequately. We need a food justice movement that attacks patriarchy, class inequality and corporate control of the food system. Emily’s book shows us a large group of people who are combating the industrial food system, as well as disillusionment with the workplace, by “opting out” and focusing on the sphere of the home. Where does this leave us in terms of the ability to pursue change outside the home? EMILY: People are unhappy with the food system, they’re unhappy with the workplace, but those who have the education and the means to do so are pursuing very individual-level solutions. Shopping at the farmers’ market or canning your own jam is great, but I think we need to be clear that what we need is larger institutional change. LAURA: When a small action connects you to the politics—like turning off a light connects you to climate change—I think it’s a real, political action. There are also many people who are working very hard to make healthy food accessible and address the structural issues at the neighborhood level: How can we double people’s buying power when they come into our farmers’ market? Or can we have a sliding-scale price system? The food movement has most often been conceived of as a consumers’ movement, even though the rise of mechanized food production was also a way to cut labor costs. Foodies tend to emphasize local autonomy, but should the food movement also be pursuing a broader political agenda? TRACIE: I see in the food movement echoes of the “back to the land” movement of the ’60s and ’70s. There’s a sense of, “I’m going to create a really awesome little bubble for me and my friends, and I’m just going to sort of opt out of everything else.” That’s really powerful in terms of American culture, because it’s putting the focus on self-reliance. But there are problems with it as well. YVONNE: The problem with the “back to the land” movement—or the “new domesticity” today—is that those movements have a strong individualist bent. They emphasize small-scale local autonomy, but also the free market and non-state solutions. The politics are very libertarian. LAURA: Scale matters a lot for how the land is treated and whether or not people can make a living wage by working on it. This all favors small-scale farms, but that doesn’t mean people have to act in a conservative way without a connection to community. YVONNE: We need to look at who’s farming the land: What do they look like? There are a lot of barriers to land ownership for low-income people and people of color, so small farms alone are not the solution. We need to acknowledge that there’s an inherent conservatism in promoting small land-ownership, and seek solutions that benefit all of the 40 million hungry people in the country, as well as the 20 million workers in the food system. LAURA: There are huge barriers to access to land. It doesn’t mean that we can’t work to address those barriers while advocating for having more farmers. We can bring these bigger structural issues into community-level efforts. The more we move toward incorporating both food and labor in the same discussion, and acknowledging race, class and gender in the food system, the more we’ll have a chance of having a real food justice movement. Are there signs that we are beginning to see a more broadly inclusive food justice movement? EMILY: I see the people in my book as potential allies in such a movement. We’re in the thick of a very individualistic, “all change begins at home” mentality. That is insufficient, but perhaps it’s a start. There are lots of people who cannot at present afford to waste their time canning jam, but who might be brought into a real effort for broader reform of the food system. YVONNE: At Restaurant Opportunities Centers, we understand that to lift wages and working conditions for 20 million food chain workers, we need to mobilize eaters alongside those workers. There’s a lot of potential to capture the interest that people have in these issues and link their desire to eat slow, locally procured and produced food with broader efforts for change. We have to remain focused on actions that will help ensure that workers in the food chain are being treated well in addition to the animals—by working to raise the minimum wage, for example. We can’t just bunker down in our backyards to can peaches and raise chickens.The capture of another northern Iraqi city by Sunni militants with the al-Qaeda splinter group ISIS on Monday is sending thousands of refugees fleeing southeast to Erbil, CBC News reports from Iraq, as the U.S. president announced plans to send military personnel to help stop the violent tide. CBC News reporters Margaret Evans (@mevansCBC), Sasa Petricic (@sasapetricic), Nahlah Ayed (@NahlahAyed) and Tracey Seeley (@tracyseeley) are on the ground in the northeast city of Erbil, only 90 kilometres east of Mosul, where militants with the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) have taken control. Erbil is considered safe by some Iraqis because it is controlled by the Kurds, who have managed to keep the militants away from this area of the country. "Those militants have become famous for attacking and taking over the cities of Mosul and Tikrit," Petricic said. "They've been posting horrific pictures of people who have been killed and assassinated." As the Iraqi military has run away during most of these situations, Petricic said, many of the people in Iraq are very afraid of these developments. The Iraqi government has asked for help from the American government. It appears it may be getting it in the form of up to 275 U.S. military personnel. U.S. President Barack Obama told Congress in a letter on Monday the deployment would be "for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property, if necessary," and that the Americans would be "equipped for combat." "This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed," the letter states. Meanwhile, Petricic said, there are other signs military assistance may be coming, as four U.S. warships have sailed into the Persian Gulf. "The United States has moved a couple of major ships into the Persian Gulf — into this region. Perhaps positioning them for some kind of airstrike," Petricic said. The refugees in Erbil have made it clear they want help. They just don't know where it will come from. Previous Next Hundreds of thousands of refugees have been fleeing into Erbil, trying to escape the path of militants who have been systematically taking over cities in the volatile nation. UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said Monday ISIS militants have "almost certainly committed war crimes" with "cold-blooded executions" of hundreds of civilians, Petricic reported. The radical Sunni group itself has boasted about killing hundreds of people, with the group releasing videos of militants tormenting Shia Muslim prisoners, including one man in an Iraqi army uniform, and asking them about religion. There are fears that such scenes will cause an explosion of sectarian bloodshed all over the region. Speaking from Erbil, Petricic told CBC's Power & Politics host Evan Solomon that "the panic is palpable" in Iraq as more images of Sunni militants killing civilians get distributed. "People are really, really afraid of what's going on in the rest of Iraq," he said. As for where ISIS may be headed next in its bid to conquer more Iraqi territory, Petricic said that's the question weighing on most everyone's minds. For the time being, he said, it doesn't look likely that ISIS forces will be able to seize the capital as Shia volunteers take up arms and prepare to fend off rebels. "They're moving closer and closer to Baghdad. Most people here don't think ISIS is going to be actually able to take over Baghdad; it's probably not strong enough, and the resistance from the Shia inside that city now … will probably not allow this militant group to go into the capital city." A possible role for Iran While critics have argued the Obama administration is being too slow to react to the crisis in Iraq, Larry Diamond, a Middle East analyst with Stanford University in California, says the U.S. president is being careful not to play into the hands of ISIS. "He's handled this carefully and wisely. I think it would be a huge mistake to commit American ground troops. This is what these ruthless Islamist terrorist thugs want, is to enmesh the United States in another ground war in Iraq," Diamond said. This image posted on a militant website appears to show militants from the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Syria leading away captured Iraqi soldiers in Tikrit, Iraq. (Associated Press) He added that unifying Iraqis across sectarian lines to repel the militants starts with government. "I think the only way it can truly be stopped is by constructing a broadly inclusive government in Baghdad that Iraqis of all types want to fight for," he said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that American drone strikes are an option in a bid to halt the dramatic sweep by insurgents over a swath of Iraq. He also said the Obama administration was willing to talk with Iran on ways to co-operate on helping to solve the crisis. According to The Associated Press, that rare strategic meeting was held on Monday between Iran and the U.S. on the sidelines of a nuclear meeting in Vienna. U.S. state department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that military co-operation with Iran is not in the cards, but that the two nations could seek "a responsible diplomatic approach." "Not military co-ordination or co-operation, but there's a shared concern about the threat of [ISIS] and that's why we would be open to that discussion," Psaki said. CBC's Meagan Fitzpatrick, reporting from Washington, said the idea would be for the U.S. to encourage Iran to try to persuade Iraq to build a more inclusive government, one that isn't built so much along sectarian lines. Already, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Gen. Ghasem Soleimani, is in Iraq, consulting with officials on how to roll back the al-Qaeda breakaway group. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told CBC News on Monday he was "horrified" by the violence perpetrated by ISIS, but that "Canada has not been asked to participate militarily" in Iraq, "nor is it something we're looking at." Ottawa's chargés d'affairs left Baghdad yesterday. Canadians had already been warned to avoid all travel to Iraq because of the volatile situation there.A study at the university of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress levels by 68%. Technology has significantly accelerated the pace of life over the last century. Cities, factories, cars and television may have made our lives more comfortable but they have also taken a toll on our mental well-being. And we don’t even have to stand on a New York sidewalk, frantically waving over a taxi or trying to squeeze into a jam-packed car on the London Tube. Just sitting in front of a computer screen might be more of a stress factor than we’d like to admit. SOCIAL MEDIA STRESS AND “PHANTOM VIBRATIONS” In 2012, researchers at the Salford Business School asked Social Media users about their daily experience and what they found was that not only did people show heightened stress levels but some even experience anxiety when trying to log off. Two in three respondents report finding difficulty in relaxing completely or going to sleep after spending time on social media sites, with over half saying they were “worried or uncomfortable” when they did not have access to their social network or email accounts. Of respondents, three out of five say they had to physically turn off their electronic devices in order to get a break, with a third of all respondents saying they do just that several times every day. The remaining two thirds do not turn off their devices, rather remain connected at all hours – agbeat.com In the age of the smartphone it’s becoming increasingly hard to avoid this particular kind of technology induced stress. We experience “a relentless need to immediately review and respond to each and every incoming message, alert or bing”, as HealthDay put it. Some people even experience “phantom vibrations”, thinking they got incoming calls or messages when in fact, there aren’t any. THE ESCAPE HATCH OF IMAGINATION In the end the question is not how we can completely avoid technology induced stress – because we often can’t – but how to find more effective ways to wind down. A study at the university of Sussex found that reading may be the most potent way to relax, far more effective than listening to music, sipping tea or going for a walk. The researchers increased the subjects’ stress levels and heart rate through a number of exercises and then noted which methods were most effective for calming down. It took only six minutes of silent reading to slow down their heart rate and relax their muscles. Reading decreased the subjects’ stress levels by 68%, follwed by listening to music (61%), tea or coffee (54%), taking a walk (42%) and playing video games (21%). Dr Lewis, who conducted the test, said: “Losing yourself in a book is the ultimate relaxation. […] “This is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness.” – The Telegraph This all begs the question whether reading a book on paper or an ebook are equally relaxing. Furthermore, is there a difference between reading on e-ink device or on tablets? What about reading on a smartphone amidst a storm of incoming notifications? – Books: The Secret Weapon Against Stress Has this been helpful?DALLAS – How quickly will the veer-and-shoot offense Sterlin Gilbert and Matt Mattox brought with them from Tulsa pay off for the Texas Longhorns in 2016? What's next for the Longhorns? Make sure you're in the loop by signing up for our FREE Texas newsletter! That was one of the many questions posed to Charlie Strong at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas this week. The head coach said he’s confident in what his offensive coordinator (and the offensive line coach who has been with Gilbert at each of his three collegiate stops) will do between now and the season opener against Notre Dame to get the Longhorns ready for action. “Sterlin knows just how quickly,” Strong said. “What you’d like to see happen is you just want to see progress.” All signs point to Strong and Gilbert going with true freshman Shane Buechele as the team’s starting quarterback, a move that figures to give the Longhorns their best chance of finding an effective signal-caller. Strong’s qualifications for what he’s looking for in starter suggest the 6-foot-1, 191-pound Arlington Lamar product is capable of handling the gig right out of the blocks based what Buechele showed during spring practice and with what he’s done to this point in summer workouts. “You want to make sure that you get someone who can command the offense,” Strong said. “Someone that can move the ball.” Buechele’s skill set projects as a nice fit within the scheme Gilbert and Mattox installed in the spring, a system in which Buechele delivered a compelling 299-yard, two-touchdown performance in two quarters of action. His ability combined with the spacing and tempo advantages the offense provides and what true freshmen Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson figure to bring to the table to help the receiving corps should all help improve the passing game. It would be hard for Texas to have a more futile aerial attack than what the Longhorns put on display last season, a production of 145.9 yards per game that ranked 117th nationally and last in the Big 12. With all of that said, Strong remains focused on how his two big, play-making running backs -- junior D’Onta Foreman (6-1, 249) and sophomore Chris Warren (6-2, 252) -- can help Buechele and the other quarterbacks by giving Texas offensive balance. What the two backs and an offensive line that returns three starters (tackles Kent Perkins and Connor Williams, guard Patrick Vahe) who were key cogs in a run game that finished 17th in the country and third in the Big 12 (224.8 yards per game) provide is a proven commodity Gilbert can build around while Buechele gets his feet wet. “If we're able to establish a running game, then I think it's going to make it a lot easier for our quarterback, because now he's going to be able to make the throws,” Strong said. “It's all about being balanced with the run and pass and it's what we're working for.” Expectations are high for Gilbert and the new offense, but it wouldn’t take much to improve the offensive output against the Fighting Irish in 2015. Last year’s 38-3 loss in South Bend saw Texas set single-game lows for the season in rushing yards (60), total offense (163 yards), third-down conversions (2-for-13, 15.4 percent) and red zone trips (none). Gilbert’s unit figures to put a much better product on the field when Notre Dame comes to town Sept. 4. Want free VIP access to Horns247? Click here and take advantage of this offer!(CNN) What started with four patients with a puzzling form of amnesia turned into 14, and doctors are searching for others. Dr. Jed Barash, a neurologist in the Boston area, noticed a patternbetween 2012 and 2015. Four patients, mysteriously stricken with a sudden amnesia, had the same rare finding on MRI: A pair of tiny structures deep in their brains, called the hippocampus, was completely knocked out on both sides. The hippocampus is a seahorse-shaped structure that plays a role in memory and emotion. The patients could remember earlier things, but they couldn't make new memories, a phenomenon called anterograde amnesia. Also peculiar, three of the four patients tested positive for opioids. The fourth, who was not tested, was known to have a history of opioid abuse. The patients, ages 22 to 52, came to the hospital between October 2012 and November 2015. "We couldn't really address what was causing this," said Dr. Alfred DeMaria Jr., the state epidemiologist for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. DeMaria was contacted by Barash, who could not be reached for comment, to help investigate the cluster. Doctors are trying to uncover whether these patients reveal an emerging syndrome related to substance use or whether it's something else altogether. Picking the brain for clues case reports, including a couple of patients with The pattern seen on these patients' MRIs was so rare that it had been described in only a handful of earliercase reports, including a couple of patients with cocaine abuse, one with carbon monoxide poisoning and one patient in France who had inhaled heroin, an opioid. But now faced with the first known cluster of its kind, the Massachusetts Department of Health sent out a statewide alert in February, hoping to keep doctors on the lookout for additional cases. They found 10 other patients who had been seen in eastern Massachusetts hospitals between 2012 and 2016, bringing the total to 14. All but one patient tested positive for opioids or had a history of opioid use. But none of these cases was fresh, making the search for a culprit all the more difficult. "All we had was the medical records," DeMaria said. "We couldn't go back (in time)." Though the MRI findings were described as "ischemic," meaning there was a lack of blood flow to that part of the brain, it is unlikely that a stroke or lack of oxygen alone would cause such a specific and symmetrical injury to the hippocampus, said DeMaria. "We're really looking for a toxic effect," he said. DeMaria wondered whether the spate of new synthetic drugs and unknown contaminants on the illicit market might have something to do with it, but "we don't even know if it's related to drugs," he said. The story of Patient HM The patients' anterograde amnesia, along with their hippocampal injuries, reminded DeMaria of a famous lobotomy case from the 1950s: a patient known to most by his initials, HM, who lived most of his life without a hippocampus and suffered a similar, though more severe, anterograde amnesia. Because the lack of a hippocampus may be similar to having an injured and nonfunctional one, some think that the Massachusetts cluster can reveal a lot about memory and the brain, as HM did. "He's one of the rare anonymous celebrities that you find in the history of science," said Luke Dittrich, author of "Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets." When HM was 27 years old, in 1953, he had an experimental lobotomy to cure his severe epilepsy. The neurosurgeon who performed the lobotomy, which removed HM's hippocampus and other surrounding structures, was Dittrich's grandfather. The surgery cured HM of his epilepsy, but it had a major unintended consequence: He couldn't form new memories. "He lived in 30-second increments," Dittrich said. "The experiences in his life just washed off of him." But his personal tragedy was a boon to science, said Dittrich. Prior to HM, there was no consensus on which parts of the brain might be responsible for creating memories; it was widely thought that the brain worked as a whole to do so. For over 50 years, memory scientists conducted tests on HM. When he died in 2008, his brain was sent to the University of California, San Diego. It was frozen, sliced into 2,401 sections and placed online for the general public to see. "A lot of what we understand (about) how memory works has been built on top of the seminal studies that were done with HM," Dittrich said. Questions about the brain remain Another curious aspect of HM's amnesia, which may not be present in the Massachusetts patients, was that it "bleached away" the narrative of his memories before the surgery, said Dittrich. HM could remember facts about his childhood but not the stories to go along with them. "We can all relate to memory loss," Dittrich said. "But HM's amnesia was even more alien to us than we typically imagine it to be." Barash's descriptions of the Massachusetts patients did not include similar problems with prior memories, and some even showed improvement months later. The youngest patient, a 19-year-old and the only one without a history of opioid use, no longer had short-term memory loss five months later, though he also developed seizures. Join the conversation See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. Still, Dittrich wonders what their similarities and differences might unearth about the human brain: why some recovered and some didn't, whether some have issues with episodic memories in the past and what other cognitive effects their injuries might reveal. "It's a terrible tragedy," Dittrich said, adding that the Massachusetts patients could nevertheless be "extremely valuable... to memory researchers." DeMaria said more research is needed to understand what happened and whether the link to opioids is more than coincidence. He also hopes doctors in other states keep an eye out for other cases that might be missed. For patients who test positive for opioids, doctors may easily mistake the signs of anterograde amnesia for general intoxication. "Maybe nobody was looking for this," DeMaria said. "Maybe this isn't new. Maybe it was happening all along."How to Effectively Measure UX with Google HEART Framework inapptics
study on my personal blog. Girls these days may give you a standing lapdance on the dancefloor, but -- although the male receiver may wish otherwise -- this doesn't mean she is going to fuck you. One plausible reason for the disconnect between appearance and reality is that appearances are largely driven by fashion, which changes for its own sake, rather than reflect underlying changes in preferences or behavior.While oral sex is not worth looking at as a measure of sluttiness compared to intercourse-related indicators, it's worth mentioning that there is no "oral sex epidemic," as Oprah phrased it in a typically anti-male way. (The guys would refer to it as the "efflorescence of oral sex.") Nor is oral sex being substituted for intercourse, another worry in the mind of the declinists. Read the free pdf of the study here, or if you're lazy, a Newsweek editorial summarizing it. As is usual in these cases, the only thing that is epidemic here is a fear of an epidemic. I am sick of hearing Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers complain about a perceived cultural decline among the younger generations. For a variety of measures, things started to go bad already by the 1950s, became obscene during the 1960s and '70s, and plateaued some time during the 1980s. Since roughly 1990, however, things have gotten steadily better. This series will catalog such a trend for measures typically given in support of the declinist hypothesis: we begin with sexual behavior, and will eventually cover violent crime, divorce, narcissism, the arts, and whatever other examples I come across or that readers suggest in the comments. The hope is that the series will prevent the real-world picture from disappearing down the Memory Hole, as every generation thinks that patterns among its usurpers spell doom, regardless of what the data show.Importantly, I am more interested in the slope or derivative of an indicator at some point in time, and less so in the value of the indicator at that point. The reason is simple: those who claim that our culture is declining, decaying, rotting, dying, and devolving are making an argument about whether some indicator is increasing or decreasing. What the declinists are really saying is that there are forces that cause promiscuity, say, to increase or to decrease. Therefore, even if some Bad Thing was lower in 1958 than in 2008, it may have been in a state of worsening then (increasing), and in a state of improving now (decreasing), so the underlying corrosive forces must have been stronger then and weaker now. It is the strength of these unseen "causes of decline" that I'm interested in. Labels: babes and hunks, previous generations were more depraved Haloscan CommentsItalian flagship sports car Enzo Ferrari The Enzo Ferrari[6] (also unofficially referred to as the Ferrari Enzo) is a 12 cylinder mid-engine sports car named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari.[4] It was developed in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre body, F1-style electrohydraulic shift transmission, and carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite disc brakes. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics and traction control. The Enzo Ferrari generates substantial amounts of downforce which is achieved by the front underbody flaps, the small adjustable rear spoiler and the rear diffuser working in conjunction, 3,363 N (756 lb f ) is generated at 200 km/h (124 mph) 7,602 N (1,709 lb f ) is attained at 299 km/h (186 mph) before decreasing to 5,738 N (1,290 lb f ) at top speed.[7] The Enzo's F140 B V12 engine was the first of a new generation for Ferrari. It is based on the design of the V8 engine found in the Maserati Quattroporte, using the same basic design and 104 mm (4.1 in) bore spacing. This design replaced the former architectures seen in V12 and V8 engines used in most other contemporary Ferrari models. The 2005 F430 is the second Ferrari automobile to get a version of this new powerplant. Production and development [ edit ] The Enzo was designed by Ken Okuyama, the then Pininfarina head of design, and initially announced at the 2002 Paris Motor Show with a claimed limited production run of 399 units and a price of US$659,330. The company sent invitations to existing customers, specifically, those who had previously bought the F40 and F50. All 399 cars were sold in this way before production began. Production began in 2003. In 2004, the 400th production car was built and donated to the Vatican for charity, which was later sold at a Sotheby's auction for US$1.1 million.[8][9] Three development mules were built: M1, M2, and M3. Each mule utilised the body work of a 348, a model which had been succeeded by two generations of mid-engined V8 sports cars—the F355 and the 360 Modena—by the time the mules were built. The third mule was offered for auction alongside the 400th Enzo in June 2005, selling for €195,500 (US$236,300).[10] Specifications [ edit ] Engine [ edit ] The F140B V12 engine The engine the Enzo is longitudinally-mounted and the car has a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with a 43.9/56.1 front/rear weight distribution. The powerplant is Ferrari's F140B naturally aspirated 65° V12 engine with DOHC 4 valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and Bosch Motronic ME7 fuel injection with a displacement of 5,998.80 cc (6.0 L; 366.1 cu in) generating a power output of 660 PS (485 kW; 651 hp) at 7,800 rpm and 657 N⋅m (485 lb⋅ft) of torque at 5,500 rpm. [11] The redline limit is 8,200 rpm. [12] Suspension, gearbox and brakes [ edit ] The Ferrari Enzo used the F1 transmission and had a gear shift indicator on the steering wheel telling the driver when to change gears The Enzo has a semi-automatic transmission (also known as the F1 gearbox) using paddles to control an automated shifting and clutch mechanism, with LED lights on the steering wheel telling the driver when to change gears. The gearbox has a shift time of just 150 milliseconds. The transmission was a first generation "clutchless" design from the late 1990s, and there have been complaints about its abrupt shifting.[13][14] The Enzo has four-wheel independent suspension with push-rod actuated shock absorbers which can be adjusted from the cabin, complemented with anti-roll bars at the front and rear.[15] The Ferrari Enzo used carbon ceramic brake discs, a first for a Ferrari road car The Enzo uses 19-inch (482.6 mm) wheels and has 15-inch (381.0 mm) Brembo disc brakes. The wheels are held by a single lug nut and fitted with Bridgestone Potenza Scuderia RE050A tires.[16] Gear 1 2 3 4 5 6 Final Drive Ratio 3.15:1 2.18:1 1.57:1 1.19:1 0.94:1 0.76:1 4.1:1 Performance [ edit ] The Enzo can accelerate to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 3.14 seconds[17] and can reach 161 km/h (100 mph) in 6.6 seconds.[13] The ¼ mile (~400 m) time is about 11 seconds,[18] on skidpad it has reached 1.05 g[19] and the top speed has been recorded to be as high as 355 km/h (221 mph).[20] It is rated at 7 miles per US gallon (34 L/100 km; 8.4 mpg ‑imp ) in the city, 12 miles per US gallon (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg ‑imp ) on the highway and 8 miles per US gallon (29 L/100 km; 9.6 mpg ‑imp ) combined.[21] Despite the Enzo's performance and price, the 430 Scuderia (an improved version of Ferrari's standard F430 production car) is capable of lapping the Ferrari test track just 0.1 seconds slower than the Enzo.[22] The Porsche Carrera GT was 1.12 seconds faster in direct comparison on the only 0.98 miles (1,577 m) long Autodromo del Levante near Bari.[23] Evo magazine tested the Enzo on the famed Nordschleife Circuit and ran a 7:25.21 lap time. The Enzo in the test had a broken electronic damper. They also tested it at Bedford Autodrome West circuit where it recorded a 1:21.3 laptime which is 1.1 seconds slower than the Porsche Carrera GT, but faster than the Litchfield Type-25.[24] Accolades [ edit ] In 2004, American magazine Sports Car International named the Enzo Ferrari number three on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 2000s. American magazine Motor Trend Classic named the Enzo as number four in their list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time". However, the Enzo Ferrari was described as one of the "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years", as Bloomberg Businessweek cited its superfluous curves and angles as too flashy, particularly the V-shaped hood, scooped-out doors, and bulbous windshield.[25] Filmography [ edit ] Before being unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, the show car was flown from Italy to the U.S. to be filmed in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. It was driven on a beach by actress Demi Moore. After filming was complete, the Enzo was flown to France to be at the Motor Show.[26] The Enzo Ferrari is also briefly featured in the 2007 American film Redline. Related cars [ edit ] Ferrari FXX [ edit ] Ferrari FXX Ferrari decided to use some of the technology developed for the Enzo in a small-scale program to get more feedback from certain customers for use in future car design as well as their racing program. The core of this program is the Ferrari FXX. It was loosely based on the Enzo's design with a highly tuned 6.3-litre version of the Enzo's engine generating a power output of approximately 800 PS (590 kW; 790 hp). The gearbox is specially developed for the car as well as the tyres (custom-designed for this car by Bridgestone) along with the brakes (developed by Brembo). In addition, the car is fitted with extensive data-recording and telemetry systems to allow Ferrari to record the car's behaviour. This information is used by Ferrari to develop their future sports cars. Like the Enzo, the car was sold to specially selected existing clients of Ferrari only. The initial price was €1.3 million. Unlike the Enzo, the clients did not take delivery of the car themselves. Rather, it is maintained and kept by Ferrari and available for the client's use on various circuits as arranged by Ferrari and also during private track sessions. The car is not expected to be suitable for road use. The Ferrari FXX program was continued until 2009 with the Ferrari FXX Evoluzione. Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina [ edit ] Ferrari P4/5 Italian design studio Pininfarina had wanted to make a special one-off sports car based on the Enzo Ferrari flagship and was looking for a backer. After sending out feelers to its clients, American Ferrari collector James Glickenhaus eventually agreed to back the project by commissioning his car as a modern homage to great Ferrari sports racing cars such as the 330 P3/4, 512 S, 312 P, and 333 SP on the last unregistered U.S.-spec Enzo chassis.[27] The car was named the Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina,[28] and retains the Enzo's drivetrain and vehicle identification number.[29] The car was unveiled at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and appeared in the September issue of Car and Driver. After its unveiling at Pebble Beach, the P4/5 returned to Europe for high speed testing, press days, and an appearance at the Paris Auto Show in September of 2006. Upon seeing the P4/5, the president of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo felt that the car deserved to be officially badged as a Ferrari and along with Andrea Pininfarina and James Glickenhaus agreed that its official name would be "Ferrari P 4/5 by Pininfarina". Ted West wrote an article in Car and Driver about how this came to be: "The Beast of Turin".[27] Maserati MC12 [ edit ] Maserati MC12 The Maserati MC12 is a two-seat mid-engine sports car that is a derivative of the Enzo Ferrari developed by Maserati while under control of Ferrari. It was developed specifically to be homologated for racing in the FIA GT Championship, with a minimum requirement of 25 road versions to be produced before the car could be allowed to compete. Maserati built 50 units, all of which were presold to selected customers. A track-only variation, the MC12 Corsa was later developed, similar to the Ferrari FXX. The Maserati MC12 has the same engine, chassis and gearbox as the Enzo but the only externally visible component from the Enzo is the windshield.[30][31] Due to this, the Maserati MC12 is sometimes nicknamed the "Second Generation Ferrari Enzo".[citation needed] The MC12 is slower in acceleration (0–100 km/h or 0–62 mph being achieved in 3.8 seconds), has a lower top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) due to engine tuning and less drag coefficient (due to a sharper nose and smoother curves) than the Enzo Ferrari.[32] However, the MC12 has lapped race tracks faster than the Enzo before, specifically on the UK motoring show Top Gear, and the Nurbürgring Nordschleife (at colder outside temperatures). However this could be attributed to the MC12's Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres which have more grip than the Enzo's Bridgestone Scuderia tyres.[33] Maserati Birdcage 75th [ edit ] The Maserati Birdcage 75th is a concept car created by automobile manufacturer Maserati and designed by Pininfarina, as a celebration of Pininfarina's 75th anniversary, and was introduced at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show. It is an evolution of the MC12 and draws inspiration from the Maserati Tipo Birdcages of the 1960s.[34] There were rumors that Maserati was going to produce the car as the MC13, for which Maserati confirmed to have plans, but they were cancelled due to problems with Pininfarina giving Maserati total control over the design of the car. Maserati MC12 Corsa [ edit ] Maserati MC 12 Corsa at the IAA 2007 The Maserati MC12 Corsa is a variant of the MC12 intended for racetrack use. In contrast to the race version of the MC12, of which street-legal versions were produced for homologation purposes, the MC12 Corsa is intended for private use, albeit restricted to the track, as the Corsa's modifications make it illegal to drive on the road. The Corsa was developed directly from the MC12 GT1, which won the 2005 FIA GT Manufacturers Cup.[35] The car was released in mid-2006, "in response to the customer demand to own the MC12 racing car and fueled by the growth in track days, where owners can drive their cars at high speeds in the safety of a race track", as stated by Edward Butler, General Manager for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand.[35][36] In similar fashion to the Ferrari FXX, although the owners are private individuals, Maserati is responsible for the storage, upkeep, and maintenance of the cars, and they are only driven on specially organized track days. Unlike the FXX, the MC12 Corsa is not intended for research and development, and is used only for entertainment.[37] A single MC12 Corsa has been modified by its owner to make it street-legal the conversion was carried out by German tuning firm Edo Competition.[35] Only twelve MC12 Corsas were sold to selected customers, each of whom paid €1 million (US$1.47 million) for the privilege. Another three vehicles were produced for testing and publicity purposes.[36][38] The Corsa shares its engine with the MC12 GT1; the power plant produces 755 PS (555 kW; 745 hp) at 8,000 rpm, 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp) more than the road-legal MC12.[39] The MC12 Corsa shares the GT1's shortened nose, which was a requirement for entry into the American Le Mans Series. The car was available in a single standard colour, named "Blue Victory", though the car's paint could be customized upon request.[36] The MC12 Corsa possesses steel/carbon racing brakes, but is not fitted with an anti-lock braking system.[35] Ferrari Millechili [ edit ] Millechili, Italian for one thousand (mille) kilograms (chili), is the code name for a prototype sports car to be manufactured by Ferrari. It was a lightweight version of the Enzo Ferrari that would borrow features from Formula One race cars, using the F430's aluminium space frame on a 104.3-inch (2,650 mm) wheelbase. The hybrid power train utilising a V10 engine used in the car would exceed 610 PS (449 kW; 602 hp). The car was mainly a technological concept with no intention of production.[40] The Millechili was developed in collaboration with University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Millechili Lab is a cross-project in which students are working on light-weight car design. Ferrari FXX Evoluzione [ edit ] Ferrari FXX Evoluzione The Ferrari FXX program continued until 2009. The car continued to be improved under the Evoluzione kit, which continually adjusts specifics to generate more power and quicker gear changes, along with reducing the car's aerodynamic drag. The V12 engine under the Evoluzione kit generates 872 PS (641 kW; 860 hp) at 9,500 rpm[41] and enables the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 2.5 seconds.[42] Certain changes were made to the gearbox in order to reduce the shift time to 60 milliseconds per shift, a reduction of 20 milliseconds over the original FXX. The car also underwent aerodynamic changes and improvements to the traction control system were made in order to make the car more responsive around the track.[43]. The modifications also allow the Evoluzione to reach a top speed of 365 km/h (227 mph).[44] References [ edit ]Flat tire? Broken chain? AAA, the auto membership club that has rescued many a stranded driver, will now provide roadside assistance to cyclists. AAA Southern New England announced Monday that members can make bicycle- related service calls; if a bike breaks on the road, tow truck drivers will attempt repairs or transport cyclists to their homes or to a nearby bike repair shop, within a 10-mile radius. “It’s our effort to keep everyone on the go wherever they are,” said Mary M. Maguire, spokeswoman for AAA Southern New England. “They’ll make their best attempt to make a repair, and if they’re not successful, then they would put the bike on the rack and take it to a convenient location.” Advertisement Service for bike riders has been available in Oregon and Idaho since 2012 and in New Jersey since last year. In Massachusetts, about 30 AAA trucks will be outfitted with bike racks. Get Metro Headlines in your inbox: The 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here The bicycle-specific service will be incorporated into existing auto membership programs. Members will receive two free bicycle pickups per year, which will not count toward their annual allotment of vehicle tows; members will be charged for additional bike pickups. There will be no membership plan just for bike- riding, though teenagers whose families are AAA members will have access to bike assistance, even if they have not yet reached driving age. “For parents, it’s a nice peace-of-mind addition to our service, because kids are out there and they may be cycling alone,” Maguire said. Martine Powers can be reached at martine.powers@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @martinepowersChinese handset manufacturer ZTE has confirmed that a security vulnerability is present in the Android-based ZTE Score M smartphone. The phone includes an application, /system/bin/sync_agent, with a hard-coded password that can, now, be easily found on the internet. The application, when run with the password, gives the user root access to the device and therefore could be used to completely take over a phone. According to ZTE, the backdoor only effects the Score M model sold in the US and the company is "actively working" on a patch that should be delivered over-the-air "in the near future". ZTE says that, despite earlier reports, the ZTE Skate handset is not affected. Security researcher Dmitri Alperovitch, who discovered the security hole, said that the application was definitely placed on the devices deliberately as ZTE was using it to deliver software updates to the phones. He could not say though if the backdoor application was malicious or simply a careless programming mistake on the part of ZTE. Knowledge of the vulnerability began to spread last week after an anonymous user disclosed it on Pastebin. ZTE, the world's fourth largest handset manufacturer, is already under close scrutiny in the US over fears of backdoors in devices supplied by Chinese manufacturers. (fab)Brazilian defender had two friends in the Colombian plane crash, one of whom died, but now has arrival of twin Rafael to look forward to at Christmas Fábio da Silva will be in reflective mood as he boards the planes transporting Middlesbrough to and from Southampton for Sunday’s Premier League fixture. Aitor Karanka’s Brazilian left-back had two friends on the doomed flight carrying the players of Chapecoense which ran out of fuel and crashed just outside Medellín on its way to the Copa Sudamericana final in Colombia last week. “I played with them both in Brazil when we were young,” says Da Silva. “One of my friends was the centre-back Marcelo and the other was the full-back Alan Ruschel, who was one of those who survived. He was on TV this week talking about it. To see and hear him was so emotional. It’s very hard to talk about it. I played with those two guys when we were 13 or 14 at Fluminense.” Middlesbrough on the ascent after Gastón Ramírez helps them sink Hull Read more It made the realisation of the tragedy’s full extent all the more painful. “I discovered the news that terrible day when I woke up,” said the former Manchester United and Cardiff City player, who will again deputise for the injured George Friend at Southampton. “At first, I just heard there were problems with the Chapecoense flight. At first you did not think it was that big a deal because there was no mention of anything serious. But then later I picked up my phone and there were so many messages. That’s when I realised the terrible news. I just started crying. “A lot of those guys who died were just like me. You see yourself in them. It could happen to any one of us really. Brazil’s such a big country, you have to fly everywhere. You could imagine yourself in that position.” Before Middlesbrough’s 1-0 home victory against Hull City on Monday night a minute’s silence was immaculately observed at the Riverside. “That silence was very hard for me, it brought it all home,” Da Silva says. “Chapecoense was not a big club but an emerging club, a growing club. All the boys there had never really had big contracts before. But because of their recent success they were starting to be rewarded. Those big contracts were life-changing for them. Not just them but for their families too. That almost makes it even worse.” 'Our club represented Brazil': Chapecoense tragedy a crushing blow to nation in crisis Read more The awful news prompted extra phone calls between Da Silva and his identical twin and former Old Trafford team-mate, Rafael, now at Lyon. “Rafael’s coming here for Christmas because of the winter break in France and our parents are flying over from Brazil,” he said. “Maybe I’ll bring Rafael along to training and have some fun – he can train instead of me. If I fancy a rest on Boxing Day, I’ll get him to play as me. “At Manchester United the only way Sir Alex Ferguson could tell us apart was because I wore a wedding ring. But Rafael’s married now too and we both wear them. We also both have a scar in exactly the same place on our foreheads.” Until fairly recently the twins were virtually inseparable. “At 11 we left home to follow our football careers, moving a long way from our family, but I played with Rafael all the way through,” says Fabio. “For all my life we shared a home, living together wherever we were until we left Manchester United. “That was the first time we’d been apart. It was quite hard for us because we are so close. We were both scouted by United at the same time at Fluminense. He played on the right and I was left-back. Luckily, Sir Alex liked both of us.”Somehow, I managed to block the fact that I'm absolutely phobic of water that I can't see through or easily swim out of. Plus, fish might touch me. So when we arrived at Maheras Gentry Park, on Detroit's eastside, early on Saturday morning, I was already in a panic. I'd never been in a kayak, and I had no idea how to paddle. Once we launched our boats into the park's quiet cove, my problems began. My kayak started floating away and my first response was to close my eyes and hyperventilate. Thankfully, RKC had brought 15 volunteer safety boaters for 24 kayakers. They assured us nobody had ever died on their watch – and only a few had capsized. If we had an emergency, they'd be right there to get us back in the boat. My fears were momentarily allayed. Then we started heading out to rougher waters, a flotilla of brightly colored boats bobbing into the Detroit River. First problem: I couldn't navigate my kayak through the shallows and out of the cove. After several attempts I made it, but I was not emotionally or technically prepared for what was ahead. As soon as we hit the rough water, the sound of the Detroit Grand Prix revving on the wind, my kayak took on a life of its own. My brain couldn't connect the turn-right-by-paddling-left part of the program. And there, in the view of Belle Isle, I cried. And I don't mean a little sniffle. No, it was full-on sobbing as I floated dangerously close to the shipping lane, freighters and speed boats lurking nearby. One of the RKC volunteers, Jerry Glotfelty, was there within seconds, calming and soothing me. He tethered my kayak to his and paddled us toward the calm canal that everyone was heading toward. I stopped crying, slightly. Once we hit the canal, though, I realized why I was here. It's like Venice, but in a thoroughly Detroit way. Residents watched and greeted us as we floated by; a few took pictures. We saw well-kept boats and even a sunken sailboat. The trees swayed overhead. The birds sang and the dogs barked at us. It was magical. When we headed back out on to the river, making our way to another set of canals near Riverfront-Lakewood Park, my baby skills were tested again. Despite having mastered(ish) the paddle, the wind and waves quickly took me. I couldn't turn my kayak and I started heading back to the shipping lanes and off to Canadian waters. I cried, again. This time, at least, it was as much from terror as anger. I was mad at myself for not being able to turn the boat. Again, Jerry rescued me. Thank you, Jerry. Back in the canals, the willows weeping in the water, we again entered another world. Some of the kayakers couldn't believe we were in Detroit; I could. That's what I love about this city already: the surprises that are around every corner and the absolute beauty everywhere you look.There are two ways to expand a company's EV charging network. The most obvious way is to, you know, build more chargers. The second way -- the path that ChargePoint just took -- is to buy someone else's network. ChargePoint announced that it purchased GE's EV charging network this week. This will add approximately 1,800 commercial and 8,000 residential charging spots to its already extensive network. Not counting the new acquisition, ChargePoint claims more than 35,000 chargers. Enlarge Image Antuan Goodwin/CNET "We are excited to expand our network with the acquisition of GE's network and have worked closely with the GE team to ensure a seamless transition for customers and drivers," said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint, in a statement. "We are growing globally and are the best equipped to bring former GE customers and drivers into the ChargePoint family." Owners of these stations might be concerned that ChargePoint is going to do something drastic, but its FAQ page puts that to rest. The stations will continue to operate as normal, and ChargePoint will honor all existing GE warranties. Sounds like a pretty easy transition. As for EV owners out and about, nothing should change whatsoever. GE chargers will operate as normal, with drivers purchasing electrons as usual. The branding will change, sure, but not much else should.Each NFL team's offseason is filled with small moves and marginal personnel decisions. Sometimes, that series of small moves will build a winner. But a big, bold move always helps, by dramatically improving talent at an important position or changing the overall direction of the franchise. In this series, Football Outsiders goes division by division to suggest a bold move that each team could make to get better this offseason, either in the short or long term. Stories may refer to Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) metric, which takes every play during the season and compares it to a baseline adjusted for situation and opponent. It is explained further here. San Diego Chargers: Sign Ndamukong Suh in free agency As long as Philip Rivers is healthy, the San Diego offense will be efficient. The struggles have been on defense. After ranking 32nd in defensive DVOA in 2013, the Chargers climbed to 24th last season -- but there's obviously still plenty of room for growth. Free agent Ndamukong Suh is a three-time All-Pro defensive tackle, and will be only 28 years old this season. Maybe he never leaves Detroit, but any team in the range of contending for the Super Bowl has to consider a player of this caliber. Yes, he is known as a dirty player, but he has been pretty clean off the field -- and impactful on the field. Detroit's run defense was ranked first in DVOA this season, and was one of the stingiest this century.The 5 steps to buying a house Like any area of personal finance, there’s no big secret to buying a house — but it does involve thinking differently than most people. I’m talking about the folks who make the biggest purchase of their lives without fully understanding the true costs. That’s why I decided to update my article on buying a house to help you understand those costs … and show you exactly how to go about doing it. Note: I’ve distilled these lessons from my friend Owen Johnson’s 7-part primer on real estate investment. If you want even more detailed lessons on purchasing real estate, be sure to check out his posts. The steps are: Step 1: Obtain your credit score and report If you plan to buy a house in full with cash, you can just skip this part (and also, you must be a student of mine!). However, if you’re within the majority of people who don’t have the funds to do that, you’re going to need to get a mortgage. And to get a mortgage, you’re going to need to get your credit score and report. Credit score vs credit report Though your credit score and credit report have a lot in common, you need to know that they are NOT the same thing. Many people conflate the two, and though they are very similar in a lot of respects, they’ll tell you different information. Here’s a description of both as well as how exactly you can obtain them: Credit report This is an all-inclusive report detailing your credit history. It’ll include information such as your: Loan history Accounts opened and closed Payment history Credit balance You’re entitled to a free credit report each year, per the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Credit score Your credit score is an actual number — the same number that renters and lenders will utilize in order to assess how safe it is to have you as a customer. A strong credit score will save you a lot of money and give you a position of strength to negotiate from. A weak credit score may be a reason to rent for a few more years. When you’re attempting to get a good rate from a lender, you’re going to want a good credit score. In fact, a good credit score can be worth tens of thousands of dollars to you. (This is the kind of Big Win we should focus on, rather than cutting back lattes.) For example, imagine there are two home buyers: Kyra, who has great credit (760) Dakota, who has poor credit (620) In their 30s, they decide to buy houses of similar prices. How much do you think they each pay? Spoiler alert: Not the same amount. Check out the graph below: Source: MyFico.com. Data calculated in June 2017. Because Dakota has poor credit, he’ll end up paying over $68,000 more in interest than Kyra — whose credit is awesome. If your credit isn’t the best though, you might still be able to get an okay down payment request on the loan. However, if you want a standard FHA loan (the best loan for first-time buyers), you shouldn’t go below 580. If you do, you’re probably going to end up with a loan that requires a 10% down payment and a terrible interest rate. If your credit score is bad (below 620), you’ll want to improve it. Here are a few resources from IWT that’ll help you do just that. Action Item: Get your credit score and report To get a free credit report, there are three major companies that will provide them for you: It doesn’t matter which one you use, they’ll all be able to provide you the same information. The report is the data used to calculate your credit score. Checking your credit score is also incredibly simple. There is a seemingly endless amount of sites and services out there that’ll provide you your credit score, but here are a few notable ones that will provide you your score for free: Step 2: Find out how much house you can afford Unfortunately, finding out how much you can afford is a bit complicated — involving intense algorithms, big mathematical equations drawn on chalkboards, and an abacus. Just kidding! You can easily find out how much you can afford using the 28/36 rule. This is a rule of thumb used by creditors to determine roughly how much they’re willing to lend to you. Here’s how it works. Household expenses should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income. Household debt should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income. This is also known as your debt-to-income ratio. Let’s take a look at those areas more deeply to understand why it matters to you and the creditors. Household expenses These expenses are also known as the PITI — and they are: Principal. This is the part of the payment that goes towards paying down the amount you borrowed to purchase the house. This is the part of the payment that goes towards paying down the amount you borrowed to purchase the house. Interest. This is the rate creditors charge for lending you the principal. This is the rate creditors charge for lending you the principal. Taxes. This is your property tax. This is your property tax. Insurance. This is your homeowner’s insurance. When you calculate your PITI compared to your income, you arrive at your “front-end ratio” aka the number creditors use to determine how much house you can afford. Here’s how to calculate it: Dollar amount of your PITI ÷ Dollar amount of your gross monthly income = Front-end ratio And then: Front-end ratio x 100 = Front-end ratio percentage You’ll want your PITI number to be less than 28% of your gross monthly income. For example, if your gross monthly income amounts to $4,000 / month, the best mortgage you’re likely to attain would amount to no more than $1,120 / month, since that’s 28% of your income. Household debt This number compares your income to your debt — and it determines how risky it is to lend to you. The riskier you are, the smaller chance you have of attaining a home loan, or at least a home loan with a good interest rate. Here’s the calculation for it: Dollar amount of monthly debt you owe ÷ Dollar amount of your gross monthly income = Debt-to-income ratio And then: Debt-to
American people must trudge through this day, the image of a college-aged Ted Cruz banging on a condom machine echoing in our brains, screaming “Jiminy cricket” in frustration as he waits for his rubber to fall. Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com.Man with shotgun, cowboy hat detained at Northgate Mall A man with a shotgun was arrested Friday afternoon after a Northgate Mall shopper found his behavior alarming. The man, who wore a cowboy hat, a white shirt and khaki pants, walked to his Ford Explorer with the shotgun and put it in the vehicle, police spokeswoman Renee Witt said. He then lingered outside the vehicle smoking a cigarette and at times handled the gun in the Explorer, police said. It wasn't immediately clear why the man was carrying the gun. Police did not report any threats made by the man, believed to be in his 50s. After they were contacted by the shopper, mall security watched the man until police arrived and took him into custody. "We're now looking into whether he had a legitimate reason for having the shotgun – maybe he was transporting it," Witt said. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney.Dick Sundevall 2017-02-14 Innan diverse rasistiska nättroll nu kastar sig över tangentbordet, vill jag klargöra att jag inte kommer att försvara minsta lilla brott som invandrare gjort sig skyldiga till. Begår man brott ska man lagföras oavsett om man är invandrare eller svensk sedan många generationer bakåt. Är brottet grovt kan man som invandrare med utländskt medborgarskap utvisas under ett antal år eller på livstid. Vilket också sker. Sverige ska inte vara någon fristad för personer som kommer hit och begår grova brott. Med det sagt, av landets första- och andra generationens invandrare är det en promille som idag sitter i fängelse, häkten eller på ungdomshem. Det är alltså 99,9 procent av landets invandrare som just nu inte avtjänar något straff för brottslighet. Samtidigt är invandrare överrepresenterade bland de som döms för brott i Sverige. Precis som det är i de flesta västländer. Den vanligaste förekommande utlänningen i norska fängelser har till och från varit en svensk. Genom åren har finländare varit en av de största invandrargrupperna i svenska fängelser. Så ser det ut runt om i Europa. Det är från de närmaste grannländerna som de flesta invandrare kommer som döms för olika brott. Idag sitter det så många engelsmän i fängelser i andra länder att de till och med har en egen tidning som distribueras bland dem. Vi har problem i Sverige med vissa förorter där det begås alldeles för många brott. Inte minst våldsbrott. Men det har vi alltid haft även om det skjuts mer idag. När jag var tonåringen växte jag upp i en av dessa förorter som polisen då höll ett extra öga på, Rågsved i södra Stockholm. Jag är övertygad om att det fanns poliser som på den tiden pratade om problemen i några av de värsta förorterna i södra Stockholm. Närmare bestämt Högdalen, Rågsved, Hökarängen och Midsommarkransen. Eller i de västra förorterna, där problem av samma slag fanns i Vällingby och Hässelby. Det handlade om områden där barnfamiljer flyttade in i en massa hyreshus och det efter några år befolkades av alldeles för många tonårskillar. Då som nu begår 80-90 procent av tonåriga grabbar kriminella handlingar. Allt från snatteri till mord. Skillnaden var att då var vi nästan bara infödda svenskar. Möjligen var någon finsk kille med i gänget. Om det idag är 70-80 procent unga invandrarkillar i vissa förorter, så är det inte konstigt att det i huvudsak är invandrare som begår brott där. Det är lika självklart som att det när jag var tonåring var i huvudsak infödda unga svenska killar som tog ut svängarna alldeles för mycket. Då som nu fanns det poliser som pekade ut vissa av oss förortskillar som speciella problem. Några år senare gick en del poliser ut i medierna och pratade om problemet med greker som man påstod langande knark. Ytterligare några år senare var det jugoslaver som pekades ut för allehanda brottslighet. Och chilenare. Sedan var det dags för kurder. Och med tiden somalier och syrianer, för att idag ha landat i muslimer i största allmänhet. Säkerligen har dessa enskilda poliser haft problem med några från det land de pekat ut. Men när man efter en tid granskat det här, har det visat sig att de utpekade grupperna inte alls stått för en stor del av brottsligheten i Sverige under den perioden. Poliserna ifråga har fått sin uppfattning utifrån vad de sett och träffat på lokalt – men de har bevisligen inte haft koll på helheten. Nu har polisen Peter Springare pekat ut muslimer genom att radda upp typiska muslimska påhittade namn och det har blivit en diskussion om han har rätt att göra det. Vilket han har rätt till, så länge han inte pekar ut enskilda personer som inte är dömda för något. Och det har han inte gjort. Poliser jag pratat med har sagt att Springare är duglig och en bra polis. Jag tvivlar inte på det. Man blir inte förundersökningsledare i en större stad som Springare har blivit, om man inte är en polis som visar framfötterna. Så långt är alltså det hela i sin ordning. Även om lämpligheten i det hela kan diskuteras, så har Springare sin rätt till yttrandefrihet inom de ramar som lagen föreskriver, precis som oss andra medborgare. Men – så sket det sig. För Peter Springares syn på sin egen yttrandefrihet och hur han ser på andra medborgares yttrandefrihet, skiljer sig nämligen väsentligt åt. Under de senaste tio åren eller mer har det vid snart sagt varje demonstration eller möte som arrangerats av öppna rasister eller smygrasister, funnits motdemonstranter som i flygblad eller på plakat framfört parollen: Inga fascister på våra gator. Inget konstigt med det. De som delat ut flygbladen eller hållit upp plakaten har haft all rätt att framföra det budskapet. Att vara mot fascism är att vara för demokrati. Och därmed yttrandefrihet för olika åsikter. (Fascism innebär ett förakt för demokrati och hyllande av en stark ledare. Alltså snarlik nazism men med den skillnaden att nazism inkluderar antisemitism/judehat). Därmed har inte polisen någonstans i Sverige, under alla dessa år, stoppat någon från att föra fram den parollen. Det vill säga, fram till 2014 när Sverigedemokraterna skulle hålla möte i Örebro. För då bestämde sig polisbefälet Peter Springare för att i Örebro skulle det minsann inte föras fram några paroller mot fascism – när Sverigedemokraterna skulle hålla möte. Peter Springare bedömde det som ”hets mot folkgrupp” och beordrade att en banderoll med parollen Inga fascister på våra gator, skulle slitas ner från den vägg där den satt. Några poliskonstaplar lydde ordern och gjorde så. När den framträdande kommunalpolitiker som satt upp banderollen ifrågasatte det hela – blev han gripen av polis. Dock insåg någon i polishuset i Örebro att det här var så fel som det kunde vara. Man kom fram till att det även i Örebro, som på alla andra platser i landet, är tillåtet att markera mot fascism – och därmed för demokrati. Och det inte minst när fascistiska och smygfascistiska organisationer har möten och demonstrationer. Peter Springare har i lokala medier försvarat det här med att man som polis ibland måste ta snabba beslut och att det då kan bli fel. Så sant. Men i det här fallet var det ingen akut överhängande fara, varken för personer eller egendom. Och som sagt – inte på någon annan plats i Sverige har någon enda polis fattat ett sånt här beslut under alla de år som det här budskapet har förts fram. Så var landar vi? Vi landar i en frågeställning. Är polisen Peter Springare en bra polis som stigit i graderna men som nu blivit frustrerad av att han kommit i kontakt med så många invandrare som blivit misstänkta för brott? Och vill förmedla det till allmänheten. Eller är han en person som politiskt hör hemma några snäpp till höger om Sverigedemokraterna? Alltså ute i den bruna politiska avgrunden. Och nu har använt sig av sin ställning inom polisväsendet till att föra fram deras politik. Jag vill inte tro att det är så. Men det vore nog bra om Springare klargjorde hur det är med den saken. Inte minst inför sig själv och för de som följer hans blogg och hans inlägg på Facebook. Låt mig komma med ett förslag i all vänlighet till Peter Springare. Gör ett överslag eller räkna ut exakt, om du har tid med det, hur många misstänkta invandrade gärningsmän du kommit kontakt med det senaste året via de ärenden du granskat. Låt mig anta att det är så många som 700 stycken, vilket i så fall troligen gör dig till en av landets effektivaste förundersökningsledare. Folkmängden i Örebro utgörs av 146 000 personer. Om vi utgår ifrån att andelen första- och andra generationen invandrare utgör lika stor del i Örebro som de gör i genomsnitt i Sverige som helhet, så är de därmed lite drygt 36 000 personer. Om mina antagna siffror ovan stämmer, vilket de nog gör, så har Springare alltså kommit kontakt med cirka två (2) procent av invandrarna i Örebro det senaste året. Sedan är ju frågan hur många av de här misstänkta som blev dömda i domstol? Alltså om misstanken höll för närmare granskning. När jag pratat med olika förundersökningsledare inom polisen, säger de att det brukar bli mindre än hälften. I så fall är vi nere i mindre än en procent. Invandrare är i Sverige som i andra länder överrepresenterade vad gäller brottslighet. Jag kan ha all förståelse för att man som polis kan bli frustrerad över det. Men en överväldigande majoritet av landets invandrare är hederliga skötsamma personer. De utgör därmed en del av den majoritet av befolkningen som poliser inte behöver ingripa mot. Slutligen, återigen, inget jag skrivit ovan försvarar något som helst brott som begås av invandrare – eller infödda svenskar. Brottsbalkens paragraf 16 kapitel 5 reglerar vad som är hets mot folkgrupp. För att det ska vara hets mot folkgrupp krävs att tre punkter är uppfyllda: 1) Hot eller uttryck för missaktning. 2) Det ska ske i ett uttalande eller i ett annat meddelande som sprids. 3) Det ska rikta sig mot en folkgrupp eller annan sådan grupp av personer med anspelning på ras, hudfärg, nationellt eller etniskt ursprung, trosbekännelse eller sexuell läggning. Dela det här: Tweet E-postInterview with OGN APEX caster DoA: "We've been prepping off and on since beta [to cast Overwatch]" Photo courtesy of Matt Demers Given Korea's biggest Overwatch tournament is right around the corner, I decided to ask OGN's caster DoA for an interview. We sat down and discussed a host of topics, such as Korea's place in the Overwatch scene, the game's future, DoA's casting style, and changes that the devs could possibly make to improve the game. If you're looking for information regarding the tournament, or are a fan of DoA's casting in general, you're in the right place! Hey DoA! So a lot of people will know you given your OGN casting career, especially in League of Legends and Hearthstone, but for those that don't, could you give a brief introduction? Sure. My name's Erik "DoA" Lonnquist and I've been a professional esports caster since early 2011. I started with Starcraft 2 and eventually ended up in League of Legends and Hearthstone, but I've casted about a dozen different games at one point or another. I've lived in Seoul, South Korea for five years and currently work for the largest esports broadcaster in Korea, OGN. You and MonteCristo have a sort of dynamic in League, where you're the hype man who sets the tone for whatever happens, while Monte serves as the analytical guy who breaks down why things occur. Is that the same sort of style that we should expect when you both move into Overwatch, or do you think that the roles will change in any way? I think people can expect the same sort of dynamic. Monte and I like how we've been doing things in LoL and although there always needs to be adaptation when you take on a new game we'd like to keep doing things in the way that's worked for us. Overwatch certainly has its unique challenges for casters to tackle, but overall Monte will continue to say smart things and I'll continue to scream and talk about Star Wars! I was just about to ask about Star Wars! Do you think the faster nature of this game will make it difficult to cast? I know you and Monte are fairly well known for being able to fill in downtime with banter or just conversation; do you think the transition will be difficult with less time between fights than a game like LoL? I think it's pretty obvious that Overwatch will have a lot less downtime during the game than LoL did, but that's definitely not a bad thing. Are those conversations fun? Yeah, but wouldn't it be nice to have less of those and more excitement to talk about in the actual game? The tangents definitely aren't going away, but it has to be less for sure. That's a fair point, and I'm glad to hear the 80s sci-fi talk isn't going away! You mentioned recently in a statement with ESPN that you have spent a lot of time preparing for OGN Apex, ever since the release of Overwatch if I remember correctly. Could you mention what this prep involved? Was it simply watching VODs and studying the game, or was there more to it? We've been prepping off and on since beta since we knew we'd eventually be casting it, but the real high-gear prep started about a month ago when the LoL/OGN stuff finished at OGN and we both had some more time. I'd say the cast majority of it has been VOD watching and a lot of note-taking. It's my favorite game to play right now by far, but ultimately what I get out of my ~2400 rank solo queue games isn't going to bring much value to my casting when you compare it to really studying what a pro team is doing in a tournament match. I've been able to talk a bit with the devs and spec some scrims as well, which is really helpful. So with all that VOD review and note-taking in mind, you've definitely extensively used the spectator mode. You recently made a vlog about some of Overwatch's faults from a viewing perspective, but the game has come under criticism from many in that it's too hard to understand what's going on unless you play. Do you expect this to actually be a problem for the title, or will that pass with time? Will it impact viewership? I really do believe it'll get a lot better quickly, but it is a major issue right now. From the casting perspective is extremely hard to talk about the plays teams are making because it's difficult to see where people are. We really need a minimap. There was a Korean tournament recently that used a small picture in picture view in the corner that was a constant wide view shot of the area the action was happening in and that helped a lot. It's sort of a poor-man's minimap, but I hope we see that used in other events going forward. Like I said in my video, Lifebars and a graphical Ultimate charge meter are things we need badly as well for viewers and casters, but there's a ton of other things you could do too. Cooldown icons for important abilities (Mei's Iceblock, McCree's Flashbang, etc), death timers instead of just a red X on the hero portaits, Hero changes showing up in the kill feed... I'd imagine (hope) this is all stuff we'll see added before too long. I really hope so too. However, I do have to note that when people asked Jeff Kaplan about a minimap for spectator mode on the Bnet forums, he seemed very reluctant to add one, and mostly addressed in-game issues with it rather than spectator-specific issues (only real one I can think of is clutter). Given how receptive the devs have been to feedback outside of this, do you think they might change their mind? Yeah I read that too. I did talk about this in my video as well that I can see why the minimap could be a difficult thing to implement. That said, whether it's hard or not, it needs to be in the game. The fact is that there're going to be so many brilliant plays that teams will be doing that are going to be missed by people because they can't see it happening! The Overwatch team does seem very receptive to feedback, but more than that I've been happy with how aggressively they've worked to balance the game. I do think they were changing too many things at once in the previous patches, but this last one was a bit better. Small targeted changes are better for testing than big sweeping ones to multiple abilities on the same hero. Big changes don't balance the hero, they just change its identity in the meta. OGN APEX Season 1 is starting October 7th, featuring 12 Korean and 4 Western teams. We've definitely seen that with their new focus on tweaking numbers rather than the kit itself! So moving away from the technical side of things, you've been living in Korea for some time now and are very used to their whole culture, and more than that, their dominance in games. In traditional FPS games, western regions tend to reign supreme, while in MOBAs and similar strategical games, the eastern regions tend to win. Given that Overwatch is a mix between the two styles, do you have any predictions regarding which region will set the standard for play? From what I've seen the North American and European teams are certainly ahead of teams in Korea and China right now, but I do think that might not last as long as people think. You can write it off as Korean bias, but after being here as long as I have and seeing firsthand how the players practice I think it's hard to imagine a world in which the Korean teams aren't at some point at least powerful rivals to the best non-Korean teams. They simply practice harder. People bring it up a lot, but I honestly don't think Korea's past history in the FPS genre is too relevant in the "will Korea be good" conversation. Overwatch is really the first FPS that has equal interest from players in -and- outside of Korea and that changes things a lot this time around. Obviously there's a bit of history in Counterstrike to acknowledge, but for the most part Koreans have played Sudden Attack as a CS alternative, which isn't too popular elsewhere. Console gaming isn't big here so games like Halo and CoD never caught on either. In the end it's hard to predict at this point, but I think when Korean players want to be good at a game it's pretty hard to stop them! In the end it's hard to predict at this point, but I think when Korean players want to be good at a game it's pretty hard to stop them! That's a fair point, so I guess we'll definitely see whether the Korean work ethic brings them up to the level we expect from the region. As far as the immediate future is concerned though, do you think there's a favorite in APEX? As far as APEX League goes, I think it's safe to bet on one of the four invited global teams just based on overall skill level. That said, I do think that in particular Afreeca Blue is a team that could do really well. They're the former MiG Frost team that more or less dominated Korea for the last few months and won the first Nexus Cup in China. I'll be watching them pretty closely in the APAC Premier league! Other teams like Lunatic-Hai are going to be fun to watch although it's hard to gauge their potential. You've got complete unknowns as well like Runaway, who beat LW Red in the qualifiers in a pretty large upset. One of the best things about this tournament is going to be seeing what teams end up being good. The birth of a new esports scene is always exciting! Maybe we'll see the birth of a new Korean dynasty! So this has more to do with western Overwatch/esports than the OGN squads competing in APEX, but given that Rogue and NRG are also attending APEX, do you have an opinion regarding the influx of big name sponsors? I'm chiefly speaking of the Warriors/Wizards/Magic Johnson, Steve Aoki, and 76ers deals, but the Kings, Schalke, Rick Fox, Shaq, and other such names have been seen entering the scene as well recently. Good, bad, not important? I think it's great! The end goal in growing this industry is to create jobs where people can play games competitively and broadcast them while paying the bills at the same time! Larger entities coming in ideally should help with that in terms of providing the financial backing to make the existing jobs more stable and lucrative. Everything is still fairly insane and risky at the moment, but I think if you look at where we were even five years ago you can see that things have progressed positively in a big way for the most part. Hopefully Overwatch will be another building block that we can lay down to keep improving things for people at every level in the industry. Thank you for doing this interview! Do you have any closing thoughts for people who might be reading? Thanks for the great questions and I hope people tune in for APEX League on OGN! I'm excited to finally get started! Intel's OGN APEX begins on October 7, and ends sometime in December, with a prizepool of ~178,000 USD. The tournament will be broadcast in English, with MonteCristo joining DoA on the cast. You can find DoA on Twitter (@ggDoA), where he will provide both updates on the tournament and nerdy Star Wars jokes (see: pinned Tweet). For more competitive Overwatch news, follow @GosuOverwatch. QUICKPOLL Are you excited for OGN's APEX later this week? Heck yeah! Thank you for voting! Not really Thank you for voting!The former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under Bill Clinton said he would give President Trump’s administration an A-plus grade for their handling of hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Trump has taken a beating from the media and Democrats for his administration’s response to Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria. But former FEMA director James Lee Witt told the Washington Post that he would give the Trump administration an A-plus rating, adding that the administration has sent as many people as possible to the island. “They’ve maxed out probably how many people they could put there,” Witt said. “I know they’re all working frantically, but sometimes that’s not enough.” President Trump highlighted Witt’s comments in a joint press briefing with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday afternoon. Trump has consistently expressed his displeasure with the press coverage of his administration’s Puerto Rico response, which he has said has been unfairly negative.Society can be judged as much by what it abandons as by what it builds. If one hears ghostlike murmurs while looking through Christopher Payne‘s photographs in “Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals,” it may be because the people who once occupied these imposing and forbidding places are still among us. But they no longer dwell within the fortresses — or were they sanctuaries? — into which Mr. Payne now guides the reader. “One must not be too romantic about madness, or the madhouses in which the insane were confined,” the neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote in his introduction to Mr. Payne’s book, published in September by the M.I.T. Press. He added, however, that Mr. Payne’s pictures “evoke for me not only the tumultuous life of such places, but the protected and special atmosphere they offered.” Mr. Payne, 41, lives in Brooklyn. He is both an architect and a photographer. His romance with America’s jettisoned architectural patrimony was evident in “New York’s Forgotten Substations: The Power Behind the Subway,” published by the Princeton Architectural Press in 2002. That year, he began what would become a six-year, 30-state tour of more than 70 hospitals, many of them still functioning, though at a fraction of their capacity. He was surprised to find little resistance to his project from the administrators and workers at the hospitals, who were instead proud of their institutions’ history and eager to see it documented. His affection — for surely it is affection that permits Mr. Payne to photograph architecture so intimately — must have impressed them. They literally opened doors for him. Mr. Payne shared a few examples with Lens. For instance, he described the abandoned autopsy theater at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington (Slide 1): St. Elizabeth’s is still in operation, therefore requiring an escort at all times. As we toured these spaces and grounds, the guard realized I wasn’t finding anything that interested me. He stopped, scratched his chin and said with a slight smile, “I think I know what you’ll like.” He unlocked a door and I stood frozen, gazing on the autopsy theater. Everything remained intact, with log books and autopsy jars neatly arranged in rows on shelves. The lights and morgue freezer still worked. Another abandoned space within a functioning institution was to be found at the Kankakee State Hospital in Illinois (Slide 3), one of many structures laid out along the lines prescribed in the 19th century by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride. These were typically a long series of linked pavilions, arranged symmetrically in a shallow V, at the juncture of which was the administrative building. As hospitals downsized, it was not uncommon to abandon the outer wards on the top floors, while still occupying the lower floors. Such is the case with Kankakee, one of the few “Kirkbrides” still in use as a psychiatric facility. I made a special trip just to see this place, a long drive from New York to Illinois, and didn’t know what to expect. On the phone, the director said no one had been up to the top floors for years, but added that the wards were “unrenovated” and typical of what the older ones once looked like. The gamble paid off. This ward is unique for its vaulted ceiling and unusually wide, solid wooden doors to the patient bedrooms. What distinguishes Mr. Payne’s work is not only his knowing documentation of architectural features but his eye for the telling human detail. He found one such moment at the Hudson River State Hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Slide 2).A new report on state trends in funding for higher education places Kentucky at or near the bottom in several categories for its continued cuts to public college and university funding. That disinvestment threatens to limit access to higher education and opportunities for economic growth. Even as most states have begun to restore funding for higher education after cuts during the recession, Kentucky has continued to reduce funding as outlined in the report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Continued cuts will make it harder for the state to grow and attract businesses that rely on a well-educated workforce. “Smart investments in public colleges and universities will help strengthen our economy,” said Kenny Colston, communications director for the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. “Sadly, our elected leaders are still failing to make those smart investments, threatening the state’s well-being, overburdening students and holding everyone back. It’s time Kentucky paid for education again, like a state slogan used to say.” A look at how Kentucky fares in the report in terms of recent funding decisions paints a bleak picture for higher education in the Commonwealth: Kentucky joins Oklahoma and West Virginia as the only three states still cutting funding to higher education over the last two years. The state has the highest funding cut per-student in the nation this year – $179 per student. It’s also worst from a percentage standpoint, tying West Virginia for a 2.3 percent cut. The state is among the five states with the highest increase in the average cost of tuition since last year – a 3.9 percent increase or an average of $344 more per student than last year. Kentucky also ranks poorly when it comes to state funding for higher education since the recession began in 2008. Lawmakers are funding Kentucky’s public universities and colleges nearly 28 percent less now than pre-recession, 11th-worst among the states. That equates to roughly $3,000 less per-student in state funding or 9th-worst in the country in the dollar amount cut. At the same time, tuition has increased 28.1 percent. Meanwhile, finances play a big role in whether or not students — particularly those from low-income families — enroll in and graduate from college. And even the state’s most affordable option, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, is not affordable for many; it had the highest median annual tuition and fees for community colleges in Southern Regional Board states in 2011-2012 and the 11th most expensive community college tuition and fees in the nation in the 2012-2013 school year. To reverse these disturbing trends, Kentucky needs to make higher education a greater priority. In order to make sure the Commonwealth has enough money to fund higher education adequately, lawmakers need to commit to revenue-raising tax policies rather than tax breaks like the state’s recent expansion of its film tax credits, which will cost the state millions of dollars each year. “A thriving economy of the future requires college-educated workers,” said Michael Mitchell, policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and author of the report. “For the sake of its future prosperity, Kentucky should start reinvesting in its colleges and universities now.” ###Maria Aloysia Antonia Weber Lange (c. 1760 – 8 June 1839) was a German soprano, remembered primarily for her association with the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Biography [ edit ] Born in Zell im Wiesental, Aloysia Weber was one of the four daughters of the musical Weber family. Her three sisters were soprano Josepha Weber (1758–1819), who premiered the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute; Constanze Weber, the wife of Mozart; and Sophie Weber. Her half-first cousin was the composer Carl Maria von Weber. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Mannheim and Aloysia grew up there; she moved to Munich in 1778, where she made her operatic debut. Her salary at the Court Theater was 1000 florins per year; her father made 600.[1] The following year, she was engaged to sing in the National Singspiel in Vienna, a project of the Emperor Joseph II; the family moved together to Vienna in September, where the father worked briefly as a ticket-taker, but he died suddenly only a month after their arrival. Aloysia continued in a fairly successful singing career in Vienna over the next two decades. On 31 October 1780, she married Joseph Lange, an actor at the Court Theatre who was also an amateur painter (he later produced a well-known portrait of Mozart).[2] It was Lange's second marriage after his first wife had died in 1779. Since Aloysia was the main support of her family at the time, Lange agreed to pay her mother an advance of 900 florins and the sum of 700 florins per year on a continuing basis.[3] She moved to the Burgtheater in 1782, singing Italian opera. This position lasted only eight months, as she soon became "persona non grata owing to disagreements over salary and role distribution as well as missed performances."[2] She continued to sing, however, at the Kärntnertortheater as well as in occasional roles at the Burgtheater. In 1795, she went on concert tour with her widowed sister Constanze. As of that year, she ceased to live with her husband Lange.[4] She spent her old age in Salzburg in order to be near her surviving sisters Constanze and Sophie, who had moved there. Her relationship with Mozart [ edit ] Around 1777, the 21-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent some time in Mannheim, where he had hoped (in vain, it turned out) to find employment. Mozart undertook to teach Aloysia in singing. This is less implausible than it might seem, since according to Mahling Mozart was himself a trained (former) soprano, instructed in childhood (1764–1765) by a celebrated castrato, Giovanni Manzuoli. Mozart had performed in public as a singer repeatedly up until he was 13, after which perhaps puberty proved a barrier to further performances. Mozart was also an experienced composer of operas, familiar with all aspects of opera production from his journeys to Italy.[5] At the time of this instruction, Aloysia was already a very advanced pupil. Mozart felt that she already commanded an excellent cantabile style but felt she could use some work on highly virtuosic passages of rapid notes. He wrote to his father: [Mlle[6] Weber] sings from her heart and most likes singing cantabile. I have brought her through the grand aria to the passages, because it is necessary when she comes to Italy for her to sing bravura arias. She will certainly not forget cantabile, because that is her natural inclination.[7] To achieve this end, Mozart taught Aloysia to sing number of arias that included bravura passages, taken from his earlier work in Italy. By Mozart's own account, Aloysia was a very fine pupil, and at the end of the instruction period he wrote a kind of examination piece, the recitative and aria K. 294 "Alcandro, lo confesso/Non sò, d'onde viene". As Mozart wrote to his father: When I had it ready, I said to Mlle Weber: learn the aria yourself, sing it as you wish; then let me hear it and I will tell you honestly what I like and what I don't like. After two days, I came and she sang it to me, accompanying herself. Then I was obliged to admit that she had sung it exactly as I had wanted it and as I would have taught it to her myself. That is now the best aria she has; with it she certainly brings credit on herself wherever she goes.[8] In the course of all this instruction Mozart fell in love with Mlle Weber. He expressed a desire to marry her, though it is not clear exactly how serious his intentions were, or whether they were reciprocated. Mozart left Mannheim for several
, one side would become hot while the other would cool. The problem has been that if the material used is good at insulating the heat exchanging between the two sides, it ends up not being very good for conducting electricity. The solutions to this ‘Catch 22’ conundrum have been different chemical approaches, synthesizing new materials that could conduct electricity and still insulate the two sides from each other. Nanotechnology has been in the game for several years now. What the Colorado researchers have done is to take a more structural than chemical approach by building an array of nanoscale pillars on top of a sheet of a thermoelectric material to form what the authors call a “nanophononic metamaterial.” That’s a fair amount of jargon crammed into that name, so to explain it somewhat: Phonons are the vibrational motion of atoms in the crystal lattices of certain materials. A metamaterial can be broadly defined as an artificially structured material fabricated by assembling different, often nanoscale objects to take the place of the atoms and molecules that one would see in a conventional material. The resulting material has very different electromagnetic properties than those found in naturally occurring or chemically synthesized substances. The property of invisibility is just one of the amazing characteristics of certain metamaterials. In the research, which was published in the journal Physical Review Letters (“Nanophononic Metamaterial: Thermal Conductivity Reduction by Local Resonance”), Mahmoud Hussein, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and doctoral student Bruce Davis showed through simulations that these nanopillars could slow down the heat transfer without affecting the flow of electrons. In operation, the heat travels through the material as phonons (vibrations of atoms), but in this structure the phonons run into the vibrations of the nanopillars themselves. This slows them down and hinders the transfer of heat, but it does not interrupt the flow of electrons. The researchers have calculated that they can slow down the heat flow by as much as 50 percent. But they also leave room for the possibility that the heat reduction could be even more dramatic, because of their conservative approach to their calculations. The next step is to actually try and build these structures based on the models developed thus far. If they can be built, it would offer a way to take wasted heat generated from a range of devices, from laptops to power plants, and turn that into electricity.The family of a 6-year-old girl whose intestines were partially sucked out by a Minnesota swimming pool drain last year says the child has died. Family attorney Bob Bennett says Abigail Taylor's parents were with her when she died Thursday evening at a Nebraska hospital. Abigail was injured on June 29 when she sat on a pool drain and its powerful suction ripped out part of her intestinal tract. She had small bowel, liver and pancreas transplants at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in December but suffered complications. The child's injury led to federal legislation to make pools safer. "The world's less better off without Abigail Taylor," Bennett said. Kara Haworth, spokeswoman for the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, confirmed that Abigail had died. She said she could not comment further. She said Abigail's doctors were not available on Friday. Abigail, of Edina, was injured June 29 when she sat on a wading pool drain at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park and its powerful suction ripped out part of her intestinal tract. She underwent transplant surgery at the Nebraska hospital to receive a new small bowel, liver and pancreas. She later suffered setbacks, including a cancerous condition sometimes triggered by organ transplants. After she was injured, her parents, Scott and Katey Taylor, campaigned for legislation that could help prevent similar accidents. In December, Congress approved legislation to ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards. The legislation, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, is named for another victim, the 7-year-old granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker. She drowned at a graduation party in 2002, when the suction from a drain pinned her. Minnesota lawmakers are also considering new pool safety regulations. Sen. Geoff Michel, who is pushing new pool safety regulations at the state level, called the Taylors "a very amazing family" after he learned of Abigail's death. "They have held up and been held up for such a tough, tough road. I just feel terrible for them," he said. Michel, a Republican from Edina, said he was optimistic that the bill would pass. "It was a pretty compelling case already," he said. He said Scott Taylor had promised his daughter that he would get the law changed. "He's made the promise and we want to help him fulfill that," Michel said. Bennett said the Taylors wouldn't be available to comment Friday. In November, the family brought a lawsuit against the golf club and Sta-Rite Industries, the pool equipment manufacturer owned by Pentair of Golden Valley. Click here to comment on this story.We’ve been waiting for the 2014 BMW M4 coupe for some time now, and while that range-topping car has yet to be released, the next best thing, the 2014 BMW 4-Series Convertible M Sport has been spotted testing yet again. This time, the prototype featured a bright red paintjob. While it’s yet to be confirmed just what new features will appear on the 2014 BMW 4-Series Convertible M-Sport compared to the regular BMW 4-Series, it’s likely to incorporate slightly more aggressive front and rear bumpers as well as a more aggressive rear diffuser and a new set of 18-inch alloy wheels. Additionally, a selection of other dynamic improvements are expected in the M-Sport. The BMW 4-Series coupe gets an increased wheelbase with lower suspension. The suspension rides 10mm lower than the outgoing 3-Series Coupe. The platform is 26mm longer, 43mm wider and 16mm lower. The car is said to have the lowest center of gravity than any BMW currently on sale. The 2014 BMW 4-Series Convertible will be offered with the same engines as the coupe. This means three different options will initially be available. They include the 420d with a 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine producing 181bhp, the 428i with a 2 liter 4-cylinder engine producing 242bhp and lastly the 435i with a 3 liter 6-cylinder engine producing 302bhp. Later on, BMW will introduce a 420i with 181bhp, 430d with 254bhp and 435d with 309bhp. [Via TopSpeed]Graphic video showing day-old male chicks being shredded in Melbourne egg hatcheries has renewed animal rights activists' calls for an end to the legal practice. But breeders and scientists say they are already working on ways to identify the sex of chicks before they hatch. Animal Liberation and Aussie Farms released footage on Tuesday showing male chicks being pushed through a maceration machine at one of the country's biggest chick suppliers. Male chickens cannot produce eggs, and many chicks are destroyed when they are born. "We've known about this process for a long time, but it's been very highly guarded by the industry; nobody's been able to capture it here in Australia until now," Aussie Farms director Chris Felforce said. "I think most people would be absolutely horrified to learn that this is what they're paying for when they buy eggs, even those with ostensibly higher-welfare labels like 'free range'." Specialised Breeders Australia said the video appeared to be shot in their company's hatchery operations. As the largest supplier of day-old chicks to the Australian layer industry, the company said it was keen to adopt new chick gender detection technology when it becomes available, to avoid killing newborn chicks. "Specialised Breeders Australia acknowledges this is an issue and is looking forward to adopting new technology as soon as it becomes commercially available where male embryos can be identified during incubation," the company told AAP on Tuesday. "This will eliminate the current practice." CSIRO researcher Tim Doran is currently working on such a method. "As soon as the hen lays an egg, what our technology does is we can screen the egg with essentially a laser light that detects the male," he told AAP. "And then you can remove them before incubation so only female chicks go through and hatch." He expects the research to be completed in the next two years. Similar technology is being implemented in Germany and in the US. The model code for domestic poultry says surplus animals must be disposed of humanely. "They must be destroyed humanely by a recommended method such as carbon dioxide gassing or quick maceration and thoroughly inspected to ensure that all are dead," it says."This #Wave capability is a #hoax. Don't be fooled into microwaving your #iPhone6. #Apple #Smartphone." People are falling victim to a new hoax that claims microwaving your iPhone will make it charge up nearly instantly.In reality, microwaving your phone will destroy the expensive device. It can also cause a fire or explosion.The Los Angeles Police Department issued a warning about the hoax on its Twitter account The hoax claims Apple's most recent software, iOS8, has a new feature called "Wave." The hoax claims the fake feature can full charge your phone by nuking it for 60 seconds at 700W or 70 seconds at 800W.The fake ad does warn that you shouldn't charge your phone in the microwave for more than 300 seconds, but even that is well past the point where your phone would be destroyed.People have fallen victim to the hoax, posting pictures of their now damaged phones on Twitter.Firefighters and police are now warning everyone to keep their phones out of the microwave."No metal object should ever be placed in the microwave," Brian Humphrey with the Los Angeles Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times. "Even a little tin foil can cause a fire, so that much metal from a phone could lead to some manner of explosion."Mozilla plans to launch a new testing program next month that will let Firefox users try out potential changes to the browser, according to documents published by the open-source developer. Dubbed "Idea Town" for now, the opt-in program is to kick off Aug. 11 with a teaser in the browser's new tab page inviting users to register, with additional elements added over the following three months until the testing infrastructure is complete and operational. Idea Town's goal is to solicit feedback from users of its most-stable build channel -- labeled "Release" by Mozilla -- to help it decide whether to pull the trigger on new features and UI modifications before adding them to the usual 18-week development cycle. "Idea Town is an opt-in platform for Firefox that facilitates controlled tests of new high-visibility products in the general release channel," Mozilla said in a GitHub page for the project. "Idea Town will allow us to make informed & user tested product decisions quickly and without compromising user privacy or experience." That's a different approach than Mozilla now uses, and which Microsoft runs with its Windows Insider program, when developers and designers decide on a new feature, then add it to early builds, where the changes track through several iterations to shake out bugs in the code. Instead, Idea Town will target the "average" Firefox user; preliminary builds are mostly run by early adopters, whose opinions may not reflect the general user base. "Idea Town is not intended to replace [release] trains for most features, nor is it a testbed for concepts we do not believe have a strong chance of shipping in general release," said Mozilla in one planning document available publicly. "Rather, it is reserved for features that require user-feedback, testing and tuning before they ship with the browser." The primary goal of Idea Town, said Mozilla, is to "let us take larger risks with product concepts, giving us a cheap avenue to test and validate product concepts." It would also allow Mozilla to measure interest in potential Firefox features. Mozilla will use the tag line, "The future of the Fox" to entice users to sign up with Idea Town. By Nov. 3, when Idea Town is to be fully fleshed out, Mozilla will have created and distributed a Firefox add-on that manages the potential new features and changes -- they will be bundled into discrete "experiments" -- shipped an experiment package, and set up ways for users to easily add themselves to the testing program or drop out without having to roll back to a different build of the browser. Among some candidates for an Idea Town experiment, Mozilla said in the planning document, are vertical tabs, tab badging -- where a browser tab offers additional information, like the number of new tweets when the tab represents twitter.com -- and tab snoozing. The latter was explained in a document that accompanied a test add-on for Firefox created by the Firefox UX (user experience) team (download PDF). Although the Idea Town planning document did not make it explicit, the concept is clearly one part of the changes that a Mozilla official outlined earlier this month. Then, Dave Camp, director of Firefox engineering, said that Mozilla had to shorten "the time that new features reach users" and accelerate the browser's release tempo. The current plan is to ship Firefox 40, slated to release Aug. 11, with the Idea Town teaser on its new tab page, then add components to Firefox 41 (Sept. 21 release) and complete the process by Firefox 42 (Nov. 3). The current edition, Firefox 39, can be downloaded for Windows, OS X and Linux from Mozilla's website.Untitled a guest Jul 13th, 2012 220 Never a guest220Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint Java 1.55 KB /***Google Popularity Ranking**/ by Googling [ phrase ] + [ day ]... # is amount of results in millions //ChrisDub aKa KiTeSeVeN GЯEETZ g0 to SABRE /***MADE FOAR THE LULZ******/ /*42235774344XX025@GMAIL.COM/ /************DERP***********/ Inspired by XKCD. COM / 930 //I hate: Sunday 323m Saturday 319m Wednesday 302m Thursday 293m Friday 208m Tuesday 155m Monday 115m //I can't wait for: Thursday 1800m Tuesday 1790m Friday 532m Saturday 441m Wednesday 425m Sunday 414m Monday 360m //I have a date on: Friday 1390m Monday 1010m Saturday 940m Sunday 933m Tuesday 816m Thursday 872m Wednesday 802m //I have a test on: Friday : 829m Monday : 634m Sunday : 615m Thursday : 561m Saturday : 538m Tuesday : 528m Wednesday : 520m //Getting married: Saturday : 158m Thursday : 152m Wednesday : 145m Monday : 67m Sunday : 60m Tuesday : 52m Friday : 66m //Murdered on: Sunday : 55m Friday : 54m Thursday : 42m Monday : 38.7m Wednesday : 38.6m Tuesday : 38.5m Saturday : 31m //Robbed on: Friday : 29m Monday : 18m Sunday : 17m Saturday : 16.3m Thursday : 16.1m Tuesday : 14.5m Wednesday : 14.4m //Party on: Sunday : 1490m Monday : 1090m Tuesday : 832m Wednesday : 812m Thursday : 831m Friday : 1910m Saturday : 1340m //I got arrested: Saturday : 562m Friday : 394m Tuesday : 342m Monday : 339m Sunday : 338m Wednesday : 335m Thursday : 303m RAW Paste Data /*Google Popularity Ranking**/ by Googling [phrase]+[day]... # is amount of results in millions //ChrisDub aKa KiTeSeVeN GЯEETZ g0 to SABRE /***MADE FOAR THE LULZ******/ /*42235774344XX025@GMAIL.COM/ /************DERP*************/ Inspired by XKCD.COM/930 //I hate: Sunday 323m Saturday 319m Wednesday 302m Thursday 293m Friday 208m Tuesday 155m Monday 115m //I can't wait for: Thursday 1800m Tuesday 1790m Friday 532m Saturday 441m Wednesday 425m Sunday 414m Monday 360m //I have a date on: Friday 1390m Monday 1010m Saturday 940m Sunday 933m Tuesday 816m Thursday 872m Wednesday 802m //I have a test on: Friday: 829m Monday: 634m Sunday: 615m Thursday: 561m Saturday: 538m Tuesday: 528m Wednesday: 520m //Getting married: Saturday: 158m Thursday: 152m Wednesday: 145m Monday: 67m Sunday: 60m Tuesday: 52m Friday: 66m //Murdered on: Sunday: 55m Friday: 54m Thursday: 42m Monday: 38.7m Wednesday: 38.6m Tuesday: 38.5m Saturday: 31m //Robbed on: Friday: 29m Monday: 18m Sunday: 17m Saturday: 16.3m Thursday: 16.1m Tuesday: 14.5m Wednesday: 14.4m //Party on: Sunday: 1490m Monday: 1090m Tuesday: 832m Wednesday: 812m Thursday: 831m Friday: 1910m Saturday: 1340m //I got arrested: Saturday: 562m Friday: 394m Tuesday: 342m Monday: 339m Sunday: 338m Wednesday: 335m Thursday: 303mOn Aug. 1, 1966, 25-year-old student and former Marine Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin with rifles, shotguns, and handguns. He held the world hostage as he took the lives of 14 people and wounded more than 30. On the 50th anniversary of the mass shooting, the U.S. continues to grapple with the aftermath. In 2016 alone, 1,396 people have fallen victim to gun violence resulting in 378 gun-related deaths, according to Mass Shooting Tracker. The country remains divided as the controversial Senate Bill 11 goes into effect today. Backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and his Republican legislature, the campus-carry law allows UT students 21 and over with concealed handgun permits to carry them into classrooms, school buildings, and dorms. The tower shooting was the first of its kind to be broadcast on television, making it especially easy for the entire world to empathize. It opened up a dialogue that transformed mental health services on campuses and inspired the creation of university-commissioned police forces. But despite an increase in eyewitness testimonials and oral histories in the past decade, actual researched history of the tower shooting is somewhat sparse. For the past seven months, 11 UT students led by Professor Joan Neuberger have worked to change this. The product of the semester-long undertaking is behindthetower.org—a digital project that consists of 15 historical essays raising questions that have either been forgotten or that have yet to be asked. “Bullet holes remained in the concrete and balustrades around the tower when I arrived at UT as an Assistant Professor in 1990, but no visible commemorative marker of the events of that day existed on the UT campus,” Neuberger writes in the archive. “These are events that cry out to be studied. They are also events that raise important questions about commemoration, about public remembering and forgetting, and about the uses of public history.” With limited knowledge of the shooting beforehand, the students conducted their research with archives found at the Briscoe Center for American History and the Austin History Center. From there, each student gravitated toward their own questions and picked unique essay topics. The essays cover issues including police response, student life, Texas gun culture in the 1960s, Whitman’s drug use and physical and emotional condition, campus counseling services, the university’s response, and the nature of remembering and forgetting traumatic public events. There are also biographies for each of the victims. The project will eventually include an augmented reality application, and a comprehensive map and timeline that will allow people visiting Austin and the university campus to pinpoint crucial locations connected with the shooting using their smartphones, according to the College of Liberal Arts. In the meantime, the research project has uncovered tons of intel about the world-changing shooting. The tower shooting was not the first U.S. mass shooting The shooting is often referred to as the first U.S mass shooting. This statement stuck with UT history graduate student Maria Hammack, who researched the history of U.S. gun violence prior to 1966. The first mass shooting on a college campus actually happened in 1891 when a man with a double-barreled shotgun fired upon a crowd of students and faculty attending a school exhibition in Parson Hall School House in Liberty, Mississippi, injuring 14. Hammack’s essay outlines a series of shootings throughout the 20th century. Hammack says it’s important to learn the history of gun violence in the U.S. because it allows the public to learn from past mistakes. “We tried to commemorate the 50th anniversary and we tried to help people remember what happened because we believe that learning the histories of these people involved can give us a better sense of that history and how to heal, how the community can move on,” Hammack tells the Daily Dot. “I think that by reading the histories we wrote people can understand more of what happened and can maybe try to work toward ensuring things like this don’t happen again.” There was no university police force until after the shooting Prior to 1966, most universities in the U.S. did not have a commissioned police force trained to respond to on-campus emergencies, such as shootings. The closest thing UT had to a police force in the ‘60s was the Traffic and Security Service, and its officials mostly wrote parking tickets, supervised traffic, and provided security around campus. They were not allowed to carry weapons. “The UT tower shooting along with the Watts riots of the previous year produced a national consciousness about the need for new specialized training and resources for responding to violent events,” Justin Krueger writes in his essay on policing. “Across the nation, police departments reviewed their preparedness, training, and capabilities to effectively respond to such situations. Most found major gaps and massive issues that had to be addressed. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams were developed as a direct response to the UT tower shooting.” In response to the shooting, Senate Bill 162 was passed in Texas on April 27, 1967. The bill allowed institutions of higher learning to create police forces to protect students and faculty and led to the establishment of the University of Texas System Police Department and Police Academy. Whitman’s drug use was rampant Professor Neuberger found Whitman’s state of being before the shooting particularly important. “One of the things that was not mentioned in some of the work that has been done was Charles Whitman’s drug use,” Neuberger says. “In the years and months leading up to the shooting, though perhaps not in the days right before, he was using a lot of dexedrine and a lot of tranquilizers. He was clearly suffering and that was one of his ways of coping with it, which just made things worse.” The website notes that Whitman suffered from child abuse, anxiety, and serious physical and mental illness in the months before the shooting and he sought help for from an on-campus psychiatrist, who sent him home. Whitman’s mental state and his attempts to seek help through counseling is one of the most tragic aspects in the untold part of Whitman’s story, Neuberger says. “There’s a real bias against talking about the shooter,” Neuberger says. “We all came away feeling that everybody’s story needs to be told and be heard, including the shooters.” UT pioneered a more comprehensive mental health counseling system in response After the shooting, a 32-person committee convened by Texas Gov. John Connally recommended “that The University of Texas have the best possible health program in the broadest meaning of the term for both students and faculty,” according to Rebecca Johnston’s report. “The committee’s recommendations on how to deal with the aftermath of the shootings, and try to prevent similar events in the future, went far beyond symbolic ‘thoughts and prayers,’” Johnston writes. “The report helped to galvanize fundamental reform of mental health care practices at the University of Texas—a side of the tragedy’s legacy that has largely been forgotten.” Prior to 1966, psychiatric and mental health services on campus were provided by the “Mental Hygiene Clinic” of what was then called the Student Health Center and Johnston writes that many students said that the services were not enough. Following the shooting and the committee’s recommendations, the services were completely expanded and reformed by 1969. It remains unclear whether armed civilians helped or hindered police As the U.S. debates the costs and benefits of campus carry, the shooting is often used as an example by both gun rights activists and those who want guns banned on college campuses. When Whitman began shooting civilians from the tower, the Austin Police Department was unprepared, only carrying handguns which couldn’t do any damage to Whitman—too far up. Bystanders ran home, returned with rifles, and began shooting at Whitman. With Isaac McQuistion’s essay on armed civilians, he notes that eyewitnesses recalled shooting from the tower decreasing after civilians began firing and therefore lessened the total fatalities in the end. However, the armed civilians also caused confusion and more danger. “In a press conference after the shooting, Texas Governor John Connally said that the ground fire impeded the progress of officers to the top of the tower,” McQuistion writes. “After [officers] McCoy and Martinez killed Whitman, they then had no effective way of telling those on the ground to stop firing. Crum waved a white flag, but even after that, sporadic ground fire continued.” Behindthetower.org shows there is much that can be learned from tragedies that happened in the past. Graduate student Itza Carbajal tells the Daily Dot she believes creating digital archives and remembering history is important because it adds perspective when similar events happen today. “It’s about creating access to these stories so that not just younger people but everyone can know what is happening or what happened to give them perspective of what they’re going through or to at least understand what’s going on around them,” Carbajal says. “The UT tower shooting is really vital to us understanding today, especially in a higher education space.”Study Concludes Straight Women Should Also Worry about Bromances They give each other everything they need—except blowjobs. Cecilie Arcurs / Getty Images I'm loath to give this more coverage (because it's already received a lot of fucking coverage), but a new study has concluded straight ladies don't have enough to worry about. Following up an extremely bad week for women, academics at the Universities of Winchester and Bedfordshire decided the new big threat to straight relationships is the—OhGodDoWeHaveToKeepUsingThisWord—Bromance. On the study: Researchers interviewed 30 undergraduate straight men and found that they felt less judged by their bromances than by their girlfriends, and that it was easier for them to overcome conflicts and express their emotions in their bromances than in their romances. Adam White, a doctoral researcher at the University of Winchester and a lecturer in Sport and Physical Education at the University of Bedforshire School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, said: "Unfortunately, while positive for men, this may disadvantage girlfriends and traditional relationships which are seen as having more pressures and regulation. These men told us how they would often prioritise their bromantic relations over their romances. So, if guys can now get all of the benefits from their bromances, it reduces male to female relations to sex." To summarize, 30 undergrad straight dudes feel less judged by their [VOMIT] bromances than their girlfriends, and now we live in a less homophobic future where men can love up on each other and women are only needed for sex. Men's emotional needs are so minimal they can be entirely fulfilled by a friendly bro with great listening skills. The study, "Privileging the Bromance: A Critical Appraisal of Romantic and Bromantic Relationships," published in the doesn't this sound like a men's rights journal Men and Masculinities, is some overgeneralized bullshit, but overgeneralized bullshit that raises a crucial follow-up question: What's the working definition of a bromance? Is a bromance limited to straight bros? Can homos be bromantic? Is a bromance the same as a passionate friendship between women? Does a bromance involve cuddling? DO YOU KNOW THE DEFINITION FOR A BROMANCE? PLEASE SHARE AND PUT AN END TO THIS NONSENSE.“Each piece of this bill enjoys bipartisan support,” Mr. Reid said of his $15 billion package, which would give payroll tax exemptions for employers who put unemployed people to work and seeks to spur investment in public works projects. “I look forward to swift action on this measure that will create and save dependable jobs.” But Mr. Reid’s rollout was messy, sent conflicting signals and was highly instructive about the state of relations between the two parties as well as among Democrats. The events began with Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana and chairman of the Finance Committee, and Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Mr. Baucus’s occasional Republican partner in bipartisanship, when they released an $85 billion plan that included the payroll tax holiday and a slew of other provisions. Among them were the extension of billions of dollars in corporate tax breaks, but some were even more off the point of job creation, like agriculture assistance for Arkansas, where Senator Blanche Lincoln, the Democratic chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee, is in a difficult fight to hold her seat. Still, the measure drew accolades from the left and the right, a virtually unheard of occurrence in the Senate these days and one viewed as a potential sign of a thaw in the partisan freeze. Even the White House weighed in, with Mr. Gibbs distributing a supportive statement on Thursday. So it was a bit shocking when — just hours after the White House statement — Mr. Reid left a Democratic luncheon and told reporters he was jettisoning the bipartisan proposal for a smaller package that would be the first installment in a comprehensive Democratic jobs agenda. At the White House on Friday, Mr. Gibbs suggested that even the administration had been caught off guard by Mr. Reid’s shift, saying, “I don’t know the degree to which he talked to us about that.” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. As lawmakers, top aides and news organizations tried to sort out what had happened to change the approach, a few things became clear. Advertisement Continue reading the main story First, liberal Democrats in particular were unhappy with the Finance Committee plan, believing that Mr. Baucus had conceded too much to the Republicans and was putting Democrats in danger of attacks for turning a jobs bill into a legislative “Christmas tree” loaded with ornaments for constituents back home. Indeed, House Republicans were already preparing to ridicule it despite the inclusion of elements favored by their party. “You know,” said Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, “it looks more like a tax bill than a jobs bill to me, and I want a jobs bill.” Second, a year of poisonous partisanship has taken its toll on trust in the Senate. Democrats said they remained skeptical that Republicans would follow through on their signals of support for the bipartisan measure. And even if they did, Democrats feared that Republicans would drag out the process, forcing them to use up valuable floor time for a measure that should be approved quickly. Democrats pointed to a private meeting Tuesday between Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, and Mr. Reid at which, Democrats said, Mr. McConnell would not commit to putting Republican muscle behind the measure. Republicans pointed out that lack of backing from Mr. McConnell had hardly prevented Democrats from forging ahead with other bills, and they were fuming about Mr. Reid’s maneuver. An aide to Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the Republican co-author of the payroll tax plan, said Saturday that he would oppose the measure on the initial procedural vote in protest, depriving Democrats of one of their most likely allies. Another party official said Republican senators might ultimately vote for the bill, but only after making their unhappiness known. And the Republicans might be only the beginning of Mr. Reid’s problems as he tries to chalk up a victory on the economic issues that are a top election-year concern of many voters. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who helped shepherd a much more expansive jobs and economic package through the House late last year, has her own ideas about what the legislation should look like. Ms. Pelosi said Friday that she intends to ensure that critical elements of the House measure are in any final package. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Evidently, achieving bicameral harmony can be as hard as finding the right bipartisan balance.Last update: January 20, 2000 It seems to be fashionable to keep a diary of your experiences if you have a cornea transplant, so I guess I'd better get with it. But first, a bit of history. Fourteen years ago, I could see perfectly, except for a bit of myopia. And so it was up until a couple of weeks after the birth of my second child, Aron. My first child, Heidi, got very sick with what we think was herpes stomatitis. I spent most of a week sitting on the sofa and holding her. (It's difficult to explain to a two-year-old why she can't play with her new baby brother.) Anyway, it was a stressful time, and I developed a strange neuralgia on my scalp. (Was there ever a neuralgia that wasn't strange?) A few days later a large, three-headed carbuncle erupted on my forehead. I went to my GP and he said, ``It's either a spider bite, or shingles. In either event, I should inject some cortisone.'' So he did. It started to get better. Several days after that, I felt like someone was poking an ice pick into my right eye, and the white part (the sclera) turned bright red. I went to my eye doctor, and he said, ``Yup, you got shingles, and it's gotten into your cornea.'' I learned that shingles is caused by herpes zoster, the same virus that causes chicken pox. At first we thought I might have caught it from my daughter, but that's not how shingles works, and it was probably just the stress of a new child plus a sick child that caused the latent virus to flare up. In those days they hadn't invented acyclovir yet (well, they had, but it was still in clinical trials), so the treatment of choice was to dump steroids of various sorts into the eye. By that means we kept my vision in pretty decent shape (20/40 or so) for a couple of years. But eventually my cornea started getting thinner (by about 20%), and I had to stop the steroids, and immediately the cornea scarred up, and I became legally blind in my right eye. Everything looked like waxed paper. Fortunately my left eye has stayed in excellent shape, so I've never been incapacitated by my incapacity. I can still read the 20/15 line, with glasses. NOTE: if you ever get these symptoms, get yourself to an eye doctor Right Now. And not just any eye doctor--find a cornea specialist. This happened to a friend of mine, in fact, and I sent him to my cornea specialist, and he got acyclovir, and isn't in need of a cornea transplant as a result. In his case it followed the nerve down the side of his nose into his eye, but the cornea was still the final destination. Anyway, shortly after going off steroids I went to a doctor at UCLA who recommended against a cornea transplant because herpes zoster patients don't have as good a success rate as ordinary people. At that point they quoted the chances of success at about 40%. Then they took flash photography of my eye at point blank range. It is hard to think of a more excruciating means of torture. After that, anything is a breeze. And I went home, and waited. Seven years ago, I moved up to the Silicon Valley, and got a new cornea specialist, Dr. Mark Volpicelli. He was delighted to be able to take me up to a symposium at UCSF where about 25 doctors examined my eye, one after the other. I guess I was a bit of a rarity--most herpes infections in the cornea are herpes simplex. So every time a new doctor came into my room, I got to explain, ``It's herpes zoster, with a discoform keratopathy.'' The doctors were all impressed that I knew so much. That was kind of fun. Then they took more flash photography at point blank range. That was not so fun. Anyway, the general consensus was that it was still premature for a cornea transplant, but that we could try the new excimer lasers that were being developed to try to burn away the scar tissue. Unfortunately, all the clinical trials were closed at that point, so we did nothing. And I went home, and waited some more. Then last spring, Dr. Volpicelli told me we'd waited long enough. The excimer lasers were now being used regularly for PRK (photo-refractive keratectomy), and had recently been approved for PTK (photo-therapeutic keratectomy). And in addition, cornea transplantation had advanced to the point where my chances were much better if it came to that. So I went on June 12 and let Dr. V. perform a PTK, which essentially entailed burning away another 20% of my cornea (in the middle--he left the edges thicker in case we needed to do a transplant later). That got rid of most of the haze, but I still had some deep scarring, so it turned out not to be so successful. But it was worth it in the sense that my cornea was at least temporarily clear enough for Dr. V. to determine that the rest of my
) -.32 NAA video in.wmv format (1.41 MB) The Conversion Process, How hard is it? Changing the barrel on the Makarov is a fairly simple and straight forward process. See the online website for more info on this process. There are a few changes that are made when installing the.32 NAA Conversion barrels, due to the smaller bore diameter. The removal process is the same, but the normal practice upon installing the new barrel is to use a threaded rod through the center of the barrel to pull the new barrel in place. There has been some discussion in the past if this practice would damage or mark the rifling. George Fisher of Makarov.com devised a way to use the standard barrel press to push the new barrel in place, without use of any tooling intruding into the chamber or rifling of the new barrel. The Barrel press is reversed and a spacer block is used between the rear of the barrel and the muzzle block, and the nuts tighten down evenly to push the new barrel in place. See Picture. This process can also be used with any caliber Makarov barrel. A standard socket can be used as the spacer, or one will be included with purchase of the.32 NAA barrels upon request. Once the new barrel is installed, the barrel pin hole must be drilled with a #31 drill bit, and can be done with a standard hand drill. All other parts of the Makarov remain the same, including the extractor and Magazines. Handloading the.32 NAA: Reloading Dies Currently reloading dies for the.32 NAA are being custom made by Lee Precision, and can be ordered directly from them. Brass Once fired brass can be used for reloads of course, and is the best choice for the proper headstamp. The good news is that since the.32 NAA is just a necked down.380 ACP case, brass can be made by just lubing.380 ACP brass and running it through the.32 NAA sizing die. Use of new brass is recommended for this, unless you know the history of the used brass you have on hand. Bullet Selection Just about any bullet suitable for reloading the.32 ACP will work for the.32 NAA. These include the popular 60 grain Jacketed Hollow Points, the 71 grain FMJ, 76 grain FMJ, and various cast bullets in the same bullet weight range. Reloading Data - We have two PDF Files available for download, right click and "Save As" to your computer AccuLoad.32 NAA Load Data for Speer 60gr JHP Bullseye Powder Load Data for Various BulletsJi Chang Wook appeared on MBC’s “Section TV” on July 23 and chose his eyes and shoulders as his best physical features. When the interviewer showed him a question from a netizen asking, “What can I do to get double eyelids like Ji Chang Wook?” he responded, “For double eyelids, you would have to go to a plastic surgeon, but they probably won’t turn out like mine.” He also shared that his shoulders are broad and thanked his parents for giving him such nice shoulders. That day, he was chosen as one of today’s best kissers along with Gong Yoo from “Goblin,” Jo Jung Suk from “Don’t Dare to Dream (Jealousy Incarnate)” and Park Seo Joon from “Fight My Way.” Asked where he thinks his kissing skills rank among these actors, he said, “I’ll put myself in first place,” and added, “This interview is solely for me.” See Also: Ji Chang Wook Reveals What Quality He Values In His Ideal Type Meanwhile, Ji Chang Wook will be enlisting in the army soon. He explained that his “Suspicious Partner” co-star Nam Ji Hyun wanted to visit him at the army base, but he told her not to because he wanted to prove that he would be fine alone. However, he then said, “But I’ll be really thankful if she comes.” Take a look at Ji Chang Wook doing TWICE’s “TT” dance during his interview with “Section TV” below! Watch “Suspicious Partner” starring Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun on Viki! Source (1) (2)Cold Steel has taken some hits over the years from hard-core knife enthusiasts. First, some people were turned off by president Lynn Thompson’s proclamations of the best knives around. Then, others complained about issues with quality control. Many are not on board with the fact that the knives come from places like Taiwan and China. Finally, Cold Steel’s recent lawsuit against CRKT for making unfounded marketing claims riled up people even more. Say what you will about Cold Steel, but the company does put out some durable knives. Cold Steel just has to put their heads down and let their knives speak for themselves (something I said in the article about the lawsuit). Well, it looks like Cold Steel is taking my advice and letting their knives speak for themselves instead of going after other company’s marketing tactics. In a slate of entertaining videos, the brand has been matching up two comparable knives (one from Cold Steel and a similar one from a competitor) in a head-to-head battle of strength and dependability. I’m not necessarily taking this as 100% fact. I understand that this is from the marketing team of Cold Steel and we don’t necessarily know whether the other knives were defective in any way. However, the videos do give some insight into how they test the knives and just how much they can withstand. Here are all the knives pitted against Cold Steel. It doesn’t end well for most of the competitors. Let us know what you think of the videos in the comments. CRKT M16-14ZSF vs. Cold Steel Voyager Spyderco Tatanka vs. Cold Steel Voyager Benchmade Bedlam vs. Cold Steel Talwar Kershaw Leek vs. Cold Steel Hold Out III Benchmade Contego vs. Cold Steel Medium Espada Spyderco Manix 2 vs. Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter Zero Tolerance ZT0301 vs. Cold Steel AK-47 SOG Pentagon Elite II vs. Cold Steel XL Vaquero Extrema Ratio Fulcrum II vs. Cold Steel Pocket Bushman CRKT Otanashi Noh Ken vs. Cold Steel Recon I Hogue EX-01 vs. Cold Steel Recon I Spyderco Paramilitary 2 vs. Cold Steel Hold Out II Wildsteer WX vs. Cold Steel Espada Zero Tolerance ZT0350 vs. Cold Steel Medium Espada Chris Reeve Sebenza 21 vs. Cold Steel Code 4 Extreme Ratio RAO vs Cold Steel 4-MAX Parts 1-3Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Sunday said she would “be fine with issuing a subpoena” for recordings President Donald Trump suggested he made of his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey if Trump does not answer whether the tapes exist. “He should give a straight yes or no to the question of whether or not the tapes exist, and he should voluntarily turn them over not only to the Senate Intelligence Committee but to the special counsel,” Collins said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” She said Trump “should have cleared up” whether or not the tapes exist during a press conference on Friday. “I would be fine with issuing a subpoena, but that most likely would come from the special counsel’s office,” Collins said, though she added: “I don’t think a subpoena should be necessary, and I don’t understand why the President just doesn’t clear this matter up once and for all.”History doesn't recount who gave Cesare Borgia syphilis, but we do know when and where he got it. In the summer of 1497, he was a 22-year-old cardinal, sent as papal legate by his father, Pope Alexander VI, to crown the king of Naples and broker a royal marriage for his sister, Lucrezia. Naples was a city rich in convents and brothels (a fertile juxtaposition in the male Renaissance imagination), but it was also ripe with disease. Two years earlier, a French invasion force including mercenary troops back from the new world, had dallied a while to enjoy their victory, and when they left, carried something unexpected and deadly back home with them. His work accomplished, Cesare took to the streets. Machiavelli, his contemporary and a man with a wit as unflinching as his politics, has left a chilling account of his coupling with a prostitute who, when he lights a lamp afterwards, is revealed as a bald, toothless hag so hideous that he promptly throws up over her. Given Cesare's elevated status, his chosen women no doubt were more enticing, but the sickness they gave him (and suffered themselves) was to prove vicious. First a chancre appeared on his penis, then crippling pains throughout his body and a rash of itching, weeping pustules covering his face and torso. Fortunately for him and for history, his personal doctor, Gaspar Torella, was a medical scholar with a keen interest in this startling new disease and used his patient (under the pseudonym of "Niccolo the young") to record symptoms and attempted cures. Over the next few years, Torella and others charted the unstoppable rise of a disease that had grown men screaming in agony as their flesh was eaten away, in some cases down to the bone. I still remember the moment, sitting in the British Library, when I came across details of Torella's treatise in a book of essays on syphilis. There is nothing more thrilling in writing historical fiction than when research opens a window on to a whole new landscape, and the story of how this sexual plague swept through Europe during the 1490s was one of the turning points in Blood and Beauty, the novel I was writing on the rise and fall of the Borgia dynasty. By the time that Cesare felt that first itch, the French disease, as it was then known, had already spread deep into Europe. That same year, Edinburgh town council issued an edict closing brothels, while at the Italian university of Ferrara scholars convened an emergency debate to try to work out what had hit them. By then the method of the contagion was pretty obvious. "Men get it from doing it with women in their vulvas," wrote the Ferrarese court doctor baldly (there is no mention of homosexual transmission, but then "sodomy", as it was known then, was not the stuff of open debate). The theories surrounding the disease were are as dramatic as the symptoms: an astrological conjunction of the planets, the boils of Job, a punishment of a wrathful God disgusted by fornication or, as some suggested even then, an entirely new plague brought from the new world by the soldiers of Columbus and fermented in the loins of Neapolitan prostitutes. Whatever the cause, the horror and the agony were indisputable. "So cruel, so distressing, so appalling that until now nothing more terrible or disgusting has ever been known on this earth," says the German humanist Joseph Grunpeck, who, when he fell victim, bemoaned how "the wound on my priapic gland became so swollen, that both hands could scarcely encircle it." Meanwhile, the artist Albrecht Dürer, later to use images of sufferers in propaganda woodcuts against the Catholic church, wrote "God save me from the French disease. I know of nothing of which I am so afraid … Nearly every man has it and it eats up so many that they die." It got its name in the mid 16th century from a poem by a Renaissance scholar: its eponymous hero Syphilus, a shepherd, enrages the Sun God and is infected as punishment. Outside poetry, prostitution bears the brunt of the blame, though the real culprit was testosterone. Men infected prostitutes who then passed it on to the next client who gave it back to a new woman in a deadly spiral. Erring husbands gave it to wives who sometimes passed it on to children, though they might also get it from suckling infected wet-nurses. Amid all this horror there were elements of poetic justice. In a manifestly corrupt church, the give-away "purple flowers" (as the repeated attacks were euphemistically known) that decorated the faces of priests, cardinals, even a pope, were indisputable evidence that celibacy was unenforceable. When Luther, a monk, married a nun, forcing the hand of the Catholic church to resist similar reform in itself, syphilis became one of the reasons the Catholic church is still in such trouble today. Though there has been dispute in recent years over pre-15th-century European bones found with what resemble syphilitic symptoms, medical science is largely agreed that it was indeed a new disease brought back with the men who accompanied Columbus on his 1492 voyage to the Americas. In terms of germ warfare, it was a fitting weapon to match the devastation that measles and smallpox inflicted travelling the other way. It was not until 1905 that the cause of all this suffering was finally identified under the microscope – Treponema pallidum, a spirochete bacterium that enters the bloodstream and, if left untreated, attacks the nervous system, the heart, internal organs and the brain; and it was not until the 1940s and the arrival of penicillin that there was an effective cure. Much of the extraordinary detail we now have about syphilis is a result of the Aids crisis. Just when we thought antibiotics, the pill and more liberal attitudes had taken the danger and shame out of sexual behaviour, the arrival out of nowhere of an incurable, fatal, highly contagious sexual disease challenged medical science, triggered a public-health crisis and re-awoke a moral panic. Not surprisingly, it also made the history of syphilis extremely relevant again. The timing was powerful in another way too, as by the 1980s history itself was refocusing; from the long march of the political and the powerful, to the more intimate cultural stories of everyman/woman. The growth of areas such as history of medicine and madness through the work of historians such as Roy Porter and Michel Foucault was making the body a rich topic for academics. Suddenly, the study of syphilis became, well, there is no other word for it, sexy. Historians mining the archives of prisons, hospitals and asylums now estimate that a fifth of the population might have been infected at any one time. London hospitals during the 18th century treated barely a fraction of the poor, and on discharge sufferers were publicly whipped to ram home the moral lesson. Those who could buy care also bought silence – the confidentiality of the modern doctor/patient relationship has it roots in the treatment of syphilis. Not that it always helped. The old adage "a night with Venus; a lifetime with Mercury" reveals all manner of horrors, from men suffocating in overheated steam baths to quacks who peddled chocolate drinks laced with mercury so that infected husbands could treat their wives and families without them knowing. Even court fashion is part of the story, with pancake makeup and beauty spots as much a response to recurrent attacks of syphilis as survivors of smallpox. And then there are the artists; poets, painters, philosophers, composers. Some wore their infection almost as a badge of pride: The Earl of Rochester, Casanova, Flaubert in his letters. In Voltaire's Candide, Pangloss can trace his chain of infection right back to a Jesuit novice who caught it from a woman who caught it from a sailor in the new world. Others were more secretive. Shame is a powerful censor in history, and in its later stages syphilis, known as the "great imitator", mimics so many other diseases that it's easy to hide the truth. Detective work by writers such as Deborah Hayden (The Pox: Genius, Madness, and the Mysteries of Syphilis) count Schubert, Schumann, Baudelaire, Maupassant, Flaubert, Van Gogh, Nietzsche, Wilde and Joyce with contentious evidence around Beethoven and Hitler. Her larger question – how might the disease itself have affected their creative process – is a tricky one. Van Gogh paints skulls and Schubert's sublime last works are clearly suffused with the awareness of death. But in 1888, when Nietzsche, tumbling into insanity, wrote work such as Ecce Homo is his intellectual grandiosity genius or possibly the disease talking? There is a further layer of complexity to this. By the time Nietzsche lost his wits, tertiary syphilis had undergone a transmutation, infecting the brain and causing paralysis alongside mental disintegration. But many of its sufferers didn't know that then. Guy de Maupassant, who started triumphant ("I can screw street whores now and say to them 'I've got the pox.' They are afraid and I just laugh"), died 15 years later in an asylum howling like a dog and planting twigs as baby Maupassants in the garden. Late 19th-century French culture was a particularly rich stew of sexual desire and fear. Upmarket Paris restaurants had private rooms where the clientele could enjoy more than food, and in opera foyers patrons could view and "reserve" young girls for later. At the same time, the authorities were rounding up, testing and treating prostitutes, often too late for themselves or the wives. As the fear grew, so did the interest in disturbed women. Charcot's clinic exhibited examples of hysteria, prompting the question now as to how far that diagnosis might have been covering up the workings of syphilis. Freud noted the impact of the disease inside the family when analysing his early female patients. "It's just as I thought. I've got it for life," says the novelist Alphonse Daudet after a meeting with Charcot in 1880s. In his book In the Land of Pain, translated and edited by Julian Barnes in 2002, the writer's eye is unflinching as he faces "the torment of the Cross: violent wrenching of the hands, feet, knees, nerves stretched and pulled to breaking point," dimmed only by the blunt relief of increasing amounts of morphine: "Each injection [helps] for three or four hours. Then come 'the wasps' stinging, stabbing here, there, everywhere followed by Pain, that cruel guest … My anguish is great and I weep as I write." Of course, we have not seen the end of syphilis – worldwide millions of people still contract it, and there are reports, especially within the sex industry, that it is on the increase in recent years. But the vast majority will be cured by antibiotics before it takes hold. They will never reach the point, as Cesare Borgia did in the early 16th century, of having to wear a mask to cover the ruin of what everyone agreed was once a most handsome face. What he lost in vanity he gained in sinister mystery. How far his behaviour, oscillating between lethargy and manic energy, was also the impact of the disease we will never know. He survived it long enough to be cut to pieces escaping from a Spanish prison. Meanwhile, in the city of Ferrara,his beloved sister Lucrezia, then married to a duke famed for extramarital philandering, suffered repeated miscarriages – a powerful sign of infection in female sufferers. For those of us wedded to turning history into fiction, the story of syphilis proves the cliche: truth is stranger than anyone could make up. • A Cultural History of Syphilis will be broadcast on Radio 3 on 26 May.Formula 1 has revealed first details of a new qualifying format for the 2016 season which is claimed to make Saturdays fun for children of all ages. Under the proposed new format, all the drivers drive round and round the track until the music stops. The last one to cross the line is then ‘out’ and this continues until someone has won a kazoo. The remaining drivers then move on to Q2 where they must drive as quickly as they can whilst approaching a drawing of a donkey upon which they must pin a tail. Furthest from the correct spot in each turn is then sent to sit on the side of the room and watch, preferably without crying. For the final part of qualifying, all remaining drivers must drive very quickly to find a good hiding place somewhere around the circuit. The last one to be found is the winner. All drivers can then return to the pits for lashings of Tizer and cake. ‘Smashing!’ said Claire Williams, jauntily.This article is over 5 years old Operator of UploaderTalk boasts of ‘biggest swerve ever’ as he sells user data to anti-piracy company A high-profile file-sharing site has been revealed to be a year-long pirate "honeypot", collecting data on users, file hosters and websites. The revelation, which had users of the forum up in arms, accompanied the purchase of the UploaderTalk (UT) site by US-based anti-piracy company Nuke Piracy. A honeypot is a facility, in this case a site, run under false pretences that encourages criminal behaviour in an effort to collect incriminating data. “That's right – the biggest swerve ever,” the operator of UT, known only as WDF, said in a statement about the purchase of the site. “I, WDF, work for the anti-piracy people!” Set up to collect data WDF, having previously been a senior member of another high-profile filesharing site called WJunction, started UT a year ago – a site designed to attract people who upload copyrighted files to file-hosting sites for profit, as well as representatives of file-hosters touting affiliate and incentive schemes. “UT was set up for a number of reasons. But mostly to be a sounding board, proof of concept... and to collect data,” said WDF. “I collected info on file hosts, web hosts, websites. I suckered shitloads of you,” WDF bragged. Proprietary and unconventional methods It is unclear what WDF or Nuke Piracy, a private anti-piracy firm, intends to do with the data collected. Nuke Piracy, based in Arkansas, USA, clearly states on its website that it uses “proprietary and unconventional methods we do not discuss or disclose our methodologies, processes, and procedures publicly.” It is likely that Nuke Piracy will use the data as part of its anti-piracy actions, collected from UT and possibly WJunction as well, given that WDF had access to sensitive data on the site as a senior management including user accounts. “I work for Nuke Piracy now, this is very bad for anyone profiting from piracy,” proclaimed WDF. Nuke Piracy, which launched its own site and “IP theft and copyright infringement detection, mitigation, and prevention” services in February 2013, has reportedly made several moves to acquire active piracy sites, set up honeypots, as well as an anti-piracy news site called CashWhore.net. • In October, the notorious BitTorrent site isoHunt shut down prematurely after losing its battle with copyright holders“Do one thing every day that scares you” is one of those pieces of general life advice which floats around our culture, appearing on motivational calendars, self-help memes, well-meaning columns and being variously attributed to Great Figures of the Past. It’s also a saying I have a few problems with, and a quick grumble on Twitter the other day suggested that I’m not alone. It’s not that the saying is glib – though it is certainly that – but that it contributes to an inaccurate account of how our society works, which in turn shores up the entitlement of certain powerful groups to influence and resources Sadly, my initial problem with being told to do things that scare me, or “get out of [my] comfort zone”, was not based on this structural analysis. It was simple irritation. On the most basic level, this advice seems crass because it assumes that adversity is something people should seek out in order to develop their sense of self and achieve great things. As opposed to something which many people are already struggling with, and which they would like to generally avoid in the interests of that sense of self and those things they might wish to achieve. In that sense, it is the product of a remarkably privileged outlook. It has the air of a graduation speech at a very comfortable liberal arts college. It complacently assumes that danger and insecurity are not the natural states of people’s lives, that they must be sought out, even cultivated, for personal growth. In assuming that, of course, it reflects a very small proportion of the lives lived in our society. Many, many people have no need to seek out physically or psychologically threatening experiences, since they are faced with them every day. If a young woman is intimidated by obscene cat-calling on her way to work, has that ticked the fear box for the day, or should she seek out some more dangerous situation? If the combination of both shopping and a visit to the doctor seems an insurmountable obstacle to a disabled person, have they sufficiently left their “comfort zone” to be living authentically riskily? Should a nurse born abroad choose to buy their milk and bread in a shop which displays posters for a political party which regularly makes rhetorical attacks on people like them? The very implication that people should “do” a “scary” thing – rather than withstand the scary situations other people put them into – is founded upon a level of control and privilege which is given to a relatively small number of us. To be able to talk of scaring ourselves out of choice is to shut our eyes to the choices which other people do not have. And to the ways their lives are chosen for them by others, who have little interest in their personal growth or existential flourishing. There is something troubling too about an outlook which sees the risk and insecurity the world can subject people to, and decide that it’s a good tool for honing a CV. Just because the exhortation doesn’t apply to everyone – as the discussion above suggests – doesn’t mean it is meaningless. (Though the string of caveats which apparently have to be added about who should ignore this advice certainly wear away its authority as a piece of general life advice.) But we might find it morally queasy that discomfort, anxiety and fear are imagined as ways to polish the individual’s personhood. They’re not things one might experience whilst living in solidarity with those who face them every day, but an opportunity to build up one’s individual achievements and capacities. Vulnerability feels too serious to be co-opted for building a personal narrative. So the phrase may be glib, crass and sound morally uncomfortable. But I think there is a further problem with it, and the attitude it expresses. This crystallized for me when I saw a self-styled business “guru” define an entrepreneur as someone who “lives like others won’t for a few years, so they can live like others can’t for the rest of their lives”. This is subject to all the criticisms I’ve already suggested: it is smug, arrogant, assumes that everyone is basically trouble-free and living lives of quiet satisfaction, and that personal pain and adversity is a bracing tonic applied to themselves by those brave enough to face it. It makes me wonder where this “comfort zone” we’re supposed to all be inhabiting is situated, and makes me speculate on what the qualifying factors are for citizenship. But more than that, it reveals the pernicious culture of victimhood which is apparently sapping the will of rich people in our society. In “doing one thing every day that scares” them, and advising everyone else to do likewise, are they not justifying their success by the extent to which they have been hurt, or afraid, or vulnerable? Bizarrely, this libertarian entrepreneur seemed to be suggesting that he deserved great wealth not because of his talents, or his skills, or his contribution to the economic system, but because of his suffering. This self-imposed exposure to the dangers and vulnerabilities of other people’s existence was not simply a strategy to achieve material success, but a justification for the possessions he had accrued. He must be most entitled to them, because he had undergone discomfort and danger in acquiring them, and (presumably unlike those feckless ordinary people who simply face risk and insecurity because our society is unfair and uncaring) had done so deliberately. But this is the same logic that conservative politicians and libertarian pundits claim is destroying the moral fibre and the social fabric of our country. This is an assumed victimhood, an argument for one’s personal value based on oppression rather than merit. Here it becomes clearer why the “comfort zone” and “one scary thing every day” cod-philosophy felt so morally queasy: because it leverages other people’s vulnerability in order to argue that powerful people deserve their possessions, their political influence and our pity. Never mind the departments of academic sociology, or the websites of the bien-pensant broadsheets, here is where the real culture of victimhood thrives: in the pseudo-Nietzschean platitudes of business gurus. It should surely make us worry about the wealthy and influential individuals who can only imagine themselves as vulnerable and victimised. AdvertisementsNOTE: This post exists only because Fred Hicks (Twitter), in a response to a response to a response about my Why Are Custom Dice So Common In Games Today? post, encouraged me to discuss why I personally prefer to start with game component cost estimates before stressing about mechanics and actual game design. This one’s for you, Fred! A Lesson Learned Years Ago I’ve worked with Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games for over fifteen years now, first as a freelancer handling book production and artwork and, shortly after that, as full-time staff involved in everything from project management to manufacturing to marketing. When I was promoted to Chief Operating Officer back in 2008 it felt as if every meeting, dinner, and conversation I had with Steve up to that point had been training for a new level of responsibility. And over the years I’ve learned a lot more than just business management from Steve. A talented and accomplished game designer with decades of experience, I can still remember working on the Ogre game in 2000 when Steve explained to me how the game’s physical components were selected before he created the game. In original designer’s notes article he writes: “Of course, Ogre was designed, from the ground up, to fit the small-game format. The original idea was to “think small.” Something that could be played on a legal-sized map, with a total supply of 50-100 counters, that could be learned in an hour or so and would take about the same time to play.” By setting the components in advance Steve knew what tools he had to work with, the limitations of the available components actually helping define the game itself — and the world behind it — and leading to what is arguably one of the greatest introductory wargames ever. “The limitations of the small format provided that wrinkle. Thinking about writing a scenario using maybe 30 counters and just a few hexes, it hit me: give one side one counter. One big counter.” When Steve and I were first discussing the situation behind the creation of the Ogre game — this was way back in 2000 while I was working on the production on several Ogre reprints — the idea of determining components and target MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) before diving into actual game design was new to me. Didn’t all designers, I had thought up to that point, design the game and then worry about the costs of manufacturing? Some may, yes, but many of those designers working to produce commercial games that are intended to fit specific price points and sales requirements worry as much about the costs of manufacturing — and ease of manufacturing — as they do the mechanics of game design. Why Do Component Costs Matter? As a game designer, you need to worry a lot about the costs of various components because those costs can spell the difference between success and failure of a commercial game release. You can create the most elaborate and amazing game prototype for testing and care little for the costs because you’re producing one — or maybe a handful — of copies to show to friends, potential publishers, and other designers. But if the game’s play value — that is, the amount of fun the game brings to players — is perceived as lower than the final cost then the game will score negative reviews and could fail. Play value is important and something to keep in mind during every stage of design and playtesting. There are games out there that just feel like they’re a good value for the money, while others feel slightly overpriced. This is basically play value at work, and if you create a game that plays in fifteen minutes but requires all of the components of a $25 game then you’ve got too many components. Back in the nineties and early 2000s, designer James Ernest clearly understood the concept of play value vs component costs when he created Cheapass Games. By providing only the basics — and even then at low physical quality and cost — Cheapass Games gave hardcore gamers a lot of play value for the money, sidestepping the problems of component costs by allowing gamers to fend for themselves when it came to pawns, and dice, and tokens, and... well, you get the idea. It was a work of genius and worked perfectly for its time. That method of skipping component costs entirely worked then, but it doesn’t exactly work in today’s market. Gamers of today expect a game to come loaded with everything needed to play and everything in the box to be of the highest physical quality. And with the number of new games being released every month the gamers are calling the shots; a publisher who ignores what the market wants won’t last long these days. How Do I Estimate Component Costs? The absolute first step in estimating component costs actually starts at the opposite end of the sales channel: What is your target MSRP? Do you want to make a $20 game? If so, then you had better be 100% certain that your component costs come in low enough that after all of your costs — including distributor discounts, shipping costs, art, etc. — there is still something left for profit. Every single manufacturer out there has different cost structures they operate under, but a general and consistent rule of thumb is that final MSRP should be six to twelve times manufacturing costs. Once you’ve got your target MSRP only then can you start to determine which components — and combination of components! — are open for your latest game design. As a real world example of the process at work I’m going to outline the rough process I used to estimate component cost on the upcoming Mars Attacks dice game that I worked on earlier this year. NOTE: All costs are represented as a percentage of MSRP and do not reflect real world dollar costs. Box, 30% – You want your game packaged nicely, right? Unfortunately, that packaging is going to cost you. I suspect that many gamers out there don’t realize that those telescoping setup boxes cost bucks and that a good box is a significant portion of a game’s final manufacturing costs. You want your game packaged nicely, right? Unfortunately, that packaging is going to cost you. I suspect that many gamers out there don’t realize that those telescoping setup boxes cost bucks that a good box is a significant portion of a game’s final manufacturing costs. Rules, 10% – We could have gone with B&W rules for the game, but as that would have only changed the costs slightly — say dropping the cost to 8% — there’s no real savings there. The color rulesheet is far more attractive than a B&W rulesheet would have been. We could have gone with B&W rules for the game, but as that would have only changed the costs slightly — say dropping the cost to 8% — there’s no real savings there. The color rulesheet is far more attractive than a B&W rulesheet would have been. Cards, 25% – The Mars Attacks dice game only comes with 30 cards, but those are double-sized cards and the equivalent of sixty normal-sized cards. More cards could rapidly increase the MSRP to an unreasonable level. The Mars Attacks dice game only comes with 30 cards, but those are double-sized cards and the equivalent of sixty normal-sized cards. More cards could rapidly increase the MSRP to an unreasonable level. Tokens, 10% – A single-sheet of diecut tokens on nice stock isn’t terribly expensive. But think of things this way: Adding just two more token sheets would have pushed the MSRP on the game to $24, which would have rounded up to $25. A single-sheet of diecut tokens on nice stock isn’t terribly expensive. But think of things this way: Adding just two more token sheets would have pushed the MSRP on the game to $24, which would have rounded up to $25. Dice, 25% (including tooling costs) – Ten custom urea dice in the box increased the total MSRP. We could have gone with acrylic dice to open up the design options, but that would have pushed this component’s percentage of MSRP up to about 40% or so. Acrylic dice look awesome, but they sure do get pricey. Wait! How Did You Estimate Those Costs? Experience. I’ve done this long enough now that I can ballpark a game’s cost just by looking at it and assuming a run of roughly 5,000 units. I use this trick frequently at the office when we’re discussing new game ideas, and I’ve now estimated enough costs that I do not bother our printing partners — Grand Prix International, talk to them if you’re printing a game — unless something really bizarre is needed. But not everyone out there has experience at game manufacturing and component costing, so the best way to estimate costs when you’re starting out is to contact a printer directly and talk with them. That’s not really the easiest way, though, since you’ll have a lot of questions for the printer and many of them are too busy for week-long phone calls, so there is another trick you can use to estimate a game’s cost: Look at existing game’s on the market! Now this isn’t 100% reliable because you’ll need to limit yourself to companies in your class. Don’t ever, for example, think that you can use the latest Fantasy Flight Games title to estimate your new game’s component cost unless you’re in a company with over 100 employees. Find a game produced by someone of a size relative to your own and only then start trying to deconstruct the costs. And one game and company is never enough. You’ll want to look at dozens of titles and start to build a worksheet outlining components in each game, MSRP of each game, and what you think is reasonable. Some quick rules: Custom dice cost way more than cards. Every completely new component type added to a game costs a lot more than just adding more of a component type already in the game. Do not underestimate your packaging costs. Gameboards are very expensive. Assume 50% of the costs are in the board if the game includes a gameboard. This Process Doesn’t
on board a vehicle or at subway stations on POP-designated routes). Passengers with proof of payment, such as a paper transfer or Presto card, can board at any door of the vehicle. Presto users tap their card on a card reader upon boarding the vehicle to pay their fare, or to validate a pass or two-hour transfer loaded on the card, and the Presto card itself serves as proof of payment. On older streetcars, including streetcar replacement shuttle buses, use of all-door boarding is at the driver's discretion, depending on the number of passengers boarding and weather conditions. (On the newer streetcars, the door opens either by the driver or when a passenger taps the red button). For passengers without POP, the procedure for paying fares is as follows: Legacy high-floor CLRV/ALRV streetcars or shuttle buses Cash, tickets or tokens: Passengers boarding the older CLRV/ALRV streetcars (or streetcar replacement shuttle buses) must board using the front doors, pay at the farebox, and obtain a POP transfer receipt from the driver or operator. New low-floor Flexity streetcars Cash or tokens: Passengers boarding the newer Flexity streetcars with coins (no change provided) or tokens can board using the middle double doors, pay their fare at one of the two larger grey or red fare and transfer vending machines (FTVMs) on-board the vehicle across from the double doors, and receive a POP transfer receipt. Tickets: Passengers can board at the middle doors and insert their senior/student/youth ticket into the red ticket validator machine on-board the vehicle across from the double doors which are beside the larger grey or red fare vending machines. The validator will stamp the date and time on the ticket, which then serves as a POP receipt. Upon request, passengers must present POP. TTC staff such as fare inspectors or special constables who conduct random fare inspections also carry handheld Presto card machines to verify Presto card payments and check transaction history. A summons such as a fine can be issued if passengers fail to produce POP upon request, and even stiffer penalties such as criminal charges can be applied to repeat offenders.[31] History of POP POP was introduced on the Queen streetcar lines in 1990 to make better use of the Articulated Light Rail Vehicles on the line.[32] Prior to August 2014, the POP system was limited to the Queen routes because these routes do not enter a fare-paid terminal of subway stations, due to concerns of further fare evasion. POP is incompatible with the paperless transfer system used by the rail system. The POP system was extended to the 510 Spadina route on 31 August 2014 coinciding with the introduction on that day of new Flexity low-floor streetcars, this is because drivers/operators on these vehicles are in a closed cab and is not responsible for fare collection and does not normally issue paper POP transfers. The 504 King followed on 1 January 2015, and the 509 Harbourfront route also became POP on 29 March 2015 when the new Flexity streetcars were added on that line.[31] Since the summer of 2015, route 511 Bathurst has operated occasionally on a POP system during special events, such as the 2015 Pan American Games and the Canadian National Exhibition, when the Flexity streetcars are used on that line.[31] The TTC announced during its 2015 TTC customer charter initiative on 23 January 2015 that it planned to extend POP to all remaining streetcar lines on 14 December 2015 with the introduction of the Presto card machines on all streetcar vehicles, and will eventually be expanded to the entire TTC network as well.[33] Connections with Metrolinx services Double fare discount Since 7 January 2018, Presto card holders have had the option to receive a discount of $1.50 (or $0.55 for senior/student/youth customers) when they transfer between TTC and Metrolinx (GO Transit or Union Pearson Express) The discount is available exclusively for Presto users who pay as they go with their card balance.[34] TTC Times Two Riders can use Metrolinx's GO Transit and Union Pearson Express (UPX) for an intermediate stage of their journey without having to pay a second TTC fare when they change back to the TTC, although there are few routes where this is useful; this policy is called "TTC Times Two".[35] Passes These prices took effect on 1 January 2019:[4][5] Passenger type Day Weekly Monthly (Presto only) 12-month (Presto only) Monthly Fair Pass (Presto only) Adult $12.50 $43.75 $146.25 $134.00 $115.50 Post-Secondary Student $12.50 $43.75 $116.75 — — Senior/Student/Youth $12.50 $34.75 $116.75 $107.00 — A TTC senior/student monthly Metropass Types of passes A day pass, on a weekday, is valid for one person. On weekends or holidays, however, the same pass becomes a family/group pass: this means that a single pass can be used, at no additional charge, by two adults traveling together or by one or two adults accompanied by people aged 19 or younger, with up to six people in the group. The pass can be bought in advance, to be marked with the date only when the owner is ready to use it. A weekly pass is valid for seven days, starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday. The pass is marked for a specific week and is sold only from the preceding Thursday to the Tuesday of that week. This pass is valid for one person at a time but can be used by different people at different times. Seniors and high-school students use the same pass, so it can be transferred from one type of user to the other. As of 1 January 2019, the monthly pass is only available on the Presto card. It is valid for a specific calendar month and is sold from the 24th of the previous month until the fourth working day of its validity.[36] Until mid-2018, passengers were able to sign up for the Metropass Discount Plan (MDP), which was a 12-month commitment. Users received the Metropass in the mail before the start of every month.[37] This program was initially expected to end as of 31 December 2018 as part of the transition to the Presto card, but due to rotating strikes by employees of Canada Post (the service provider that delivers the MDP passes) the program was discontinued earlier than anticipated on 31 October 2018 instead and MDP passes were not sent out for November or December 2018; it has since been replaced by a 12-month pass which is only available on Presto and can only be purchased online via the Presto's website.[38] The Volume Incentive Pass (VIP) program allowed organizations to purchase Adult Metropasses in bulk, which are then sold at a lower price than the MDP to commuters. The pass is transferable under the same rules as the weekly pass. The VIP program was cancelled and phased out on 31 December 2018.[39] Full-time post-secondary students have a distinct monthly pass, also available exclusively on Presto as of 1 January 2019, which can be transferred only to other full-time post-secondary students. Before September 2010, post-secondary institutions issued VIP Metropasses. A Presto card equivalent of the adult and senior monthly Metropass was made available in June 2017; by the fourth quarter of 2018, youth, student, post-secondary, and 12-month discount versions were also available. All physical monthly Metropasses were discontinued on 31 December 2018.[citation needed] Day passes are printed on card paper; TTC and GTA weekly passes have a magnetic strip to operate the automatic turnstiles or fare gates equipped with a magnetic strip reader, which can be found at all main entrances and some unstaffed automated entrances to subway stations. On surface vehicles, the pass is simply shown to the driver or roaming fare inspectors or special constables. A special pass available only to those attending conventions, trade shows, and similar meetings, is not sold to the general public. The TTC issues these passes for the applicable number of days and sells them to the convention operators. Downtown Express fares The TTC operates five rush-hour express bus routes serving downtown. In addition to the basic fare, the passenger must pay a supplement of one ticket or token, or its equivalent value. For example, an adult can pay with two tokens, or one token plus $3.25, or $6.50 in cash. TTC pass users, including Presto card users, and those transferring from ordinary routes pay only the supplement; Presto card holders also have the option of buying a sticker, sold at most TTC subway stations, for $43.00 that covers the use of the downtown express buses for the full month. Express buses in other parts of the city charge regular fares. Senior/Student/Youth monthly pass The Seniors' pass was created in the 1980s (valid with government-issued photo ID or TTC Senior's Photo ID).[40] It has since been expanded to cover use by high school students. The pass can be used by students aged 13–19. Students aged 16–19 must present a valid high school or government-issued photo ID when requested; as of 1 January 2019, it is only available on the Presto card.[41] Post-secondary monthly pass While the Senior/Student Metropass and other student fares were available only to high school students, a separate Post-Secondary Metropass became available to university and college students (likewise requiring TTC-issued photo ID), starting with the September 2010 pass. As of 1 January 2019, it is only available on the Presto card. Weekly pass In September 2005, the weekly pass was introduced. This is a type of Metropass valid for only one week and available with a discount rate similar to that of the Metropass for high school students and seniors. There is no post-secondary student version available. History of passes The TTC has always been cautious about the loss of revenue from selling passes to riders who would otherwise make the same trips and pay more. Passes have been introduced gradually and always been relatively expensive compared to some other transit systems: for example, in the fares adopted in 2014, an adult Metropass must be used for 50 trips in a month or else tickets or tokens would be cheaper. (However, since July 2006, a federal income tax credit has been available on monthly transit passes. For those able to buy a pass and wait for their federal transit tax credit, which is 15%, the threshold is reduced to 43 trips per month.)[42][43] The first pass regularly offered on the TTC was the "Sunday or Holiday Pass", introduced in 1973. It allowed group travel on Sundays and holidays, similar to the later day pass. However, because the TTC was always heavily used on the last day of the Canadian National Exhibition, the pass was not offered on Labour Day. The TTC introduced the Metropass in 1980. At that time, there was only one price, based on the adult fare. The pass was not transferable and had to be used with TTC-issued photo ID cards (in about 2000 the TTC also began accepting Ontario driver's licences as ID). A lower-price Metropass for seniors was added in 1984, and for students in 1991 (originally at a slightly higher rate than seniors). The magnetic strip was added to the pass in 1990, allowing it to operate automatic turnstiles, even though this meant that the user's ID would then not normally be checked. To combat fraud and sharing the pass amongst riders, a printable box was placed on the right-hand side of the card. To make the pass valid for the month, the commuter hand-printed the digits of either the commuter's Metropass Photo ID card, if the commuter had one, or the commuter's initials and abbreviated gender if the commuter used other ID. The holder of the pass was also required to show the commuter's Metropass Photo ID card or another piece of Government of Ontario-issued identification at the same time that the holder presented their pass. In 1990, the Sunday or holiday pass was replaced by the day pass. It remained valid on Sundays and holidays for groups, but was extended to weekdays and Saturdays as a single-person pass. On weekdays, however, it was not valid until the end of the morning rush hour at 9:30 a.m. From 1992 to 2009, free parking for Metropass users was provided at certain subway-station parking lots. Some lots were restricted to Metropass users. In February 1993, the Metropass became the same size as a credit card and could be swiped at subway stations. The new design was a simple mono-coloured and two-shaded design, with the abbreviation of the month in a large font, and the year placed beneath it in the same font and colour. The background of the card's front had a shaded design so as to enable the holder to distinguish the text on the card. At about the same time, the TTC introduced an Annual Metropass, good for a whole year. As a higher-cost option, the pass was available in transferable form: the first transferable pass on the TTC. Both versions were soon withdrawn and replaced by the 12-month discount plan for the regular monthly pass. Around 1994, the TTC began announcing specific periods around Christmas, and sometimes other holidays, when the day pass would be accepted as a group pass on any day. Starting around 2002, they also offered transferable weekly passes during certain weeks. From July 1996 to March 2004, the pass carried a faux gold-stamped version of the Toronto Transit Commission's seal. Since 2000 In 2000, the design was altered to include the "Toronto Millennium" logo, celebrating the changeover to a new millennium. In April 2004, the Metropass changed its design to a multi-colour vertical gradient, along with a different type of faux gold-imprinted "Metropass" logo (it uses the unique TTC font used in several subway stations). The colours and pattern of the gradient vary from month to month. In addition, the year was now printed in a bold font at the upper right, with the month imprinted in the same faux gold as the Metropass logo. In 2005, with a political climate including the prospect of subsidies tied to ridership, the TTC became more willing to promote pass usage even at the loss of other fares. First, in March, they extended the day pass to be usable by groups on Saturdays. Then in September, the Metropass became transferable (with ID required only to prove eligibility for the senior or student fare), and at the same time, the transferable weekly pass was introduced. On the Metropass, the printable anti-fraud box was removed and replaced by wording suggesting the transfer of the pass to others when one was not using it. Though the reverse side of the pass has always had the conditions of use printed on the reverse, it did not see much updating until the passes were made transferable in 2005, at which point a "No 'Pass Back'" rule was added: in essence, a rider who enters the system using a pass must not hand it to someone outside the fare-paid area, which would allow both to use it at once. In February 2006, to reduce lineups at subway station fare collector booths, the TTC introduced automated Metropass vending machines (accepting payment only by credit or debit cards) at some subway stations which dispensed weekly and monthly Metropasses. These have since been removed as of 2018 as part of the Presto card rollout. In April 2006, the day pass became valid all day on weekdays. On certain special occasions the TTC has offered passes with other periods of validity as appropriate. These have included the Papal Visits of 1984 and 2002. The TTC redesigned its Metropasses to include custom holograms and a yellow "activation" sticker, beginning with the July 2009 Metropasses, due to widespread counterfeiting of the Metropasses between January and May 2009.[44] In addition, removing the "activation" sticker reveals a thin film, which is used to prevent the reapplication of the sticker, and removing the film would leave a sticky residue, in which dirt and other particles can obscure the hologram.[45] The thin film reads, "Do not remove," to prevent curious Metropass users from removing it. The TTC offered the Metropass Hot Dealz [sic], in which a current Metropass user and three guests received an admission discount at various venues and events, such as Casa Loma, the CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ontario Place, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Toronto Zoo.[46] These compete directly with CityPASS as the Toronto version of CityPASS applies to some of the same attractions, except that CityPASS is marketed to tourists outside of Toronto, while the Metropass Hot Dealz is marketed to Torontonians. However, the TTC no longer offers the Metropass Hot Dealz since the start of 2015. Inter-agency media GTA weekly pass GTA weekly passes for June 2011 The GTA weekly pass is valid on the TTC, MiWay, York Region Transit, and Brampton Transit. It is good for unlimited travel for seven days starting on a Monday. It is sold at selected locations on starting the Thursday before the week of use, until Tuesday on the week of use.[47] GTA weekly pass holders are not required to pay the additional fares when crossing the municipal boundary between areas served by the four participating agencies. However extra fares are required for certain "premium" and "express" routes.[47] Like the TTC's weekly passes, it has a magnetic strip to operate TTC's automated subway turnstiles equipped with a magnetic strip reader, which are located in all main entrances and some unstaffed automated subway station entrances.[48] The pass was introduced in 1994 based on a recommendation of the provincial government. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) provided a subsidy at the onset, but this was withdrawn in 1998. Revenues from pass sales are split between the participating agencies.[48] Presto card Card readers for Presto cards at Finch station. Entry into the station with a Presto card requires a rider to "tap" their card, which is embedded with a RFID chip, near the card reader. The Presto card is a unified smartcard-based payment system for transit providers across the Greater Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa areas (similar to the OPUS card used in Montreal, and the Octopus card used in Hong Kong). As of June 2018, Presto card readers on the TTC are widely available at the entrances of all subway stations and surface vehicles (buses and streetcars). However, the Presto card cannot be used on contracted TTC bus routes operating outside of the City of Toronto, such as the 52B and 52D Lawrence West buses that operate in the City of Mississauga and those operating in York Region (where Miway and/or YRT fares apply), as the Presto tap-on fare payment machines on these vehicles are only configured to collect TTC fares, not YRT or Miway ones.[49] Twin Pass (1988–2002) Fares on the provincially operated GO Transit are separate from TTC fares, for travel within and outside of Toronto. A "Twin Pass", which combined a Metropass with a monthly GO Transit ticket for a specific journey at a discount compared to their individual prices, was available from 1988 until 2002. Procedures Purchasing media Tickets, tokens, and weekly and day TTC passes can be purchased at staffed collector booths, which are available at most TTC subway stations. Effective 6 January 2019, there are no collector booth agents selling legacy TTC fare media at Line 1 stations between Lawrence West and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stations, which instead utilize roaming customer service agents (CSAs). Eventually, collector booths at all remaining stations will close for good and the remaining collectors will be replaced by more CSAs.[50] Fare media can also be purchased around Toronto at over 1200 TTC-authorized TTC vendors.[51] Presto cards can be purchased, loaded with funds or an unlimited monthly TTC pass, from automated vending machines located in all TTC subway stations.[51] Two ticket machines in Pearson Airport's Terminal 1 sell tokens and single-fare tickets using cash or credit cards.[51] On the TTC's new wheelchair accessible and air-conditioned low-floor Flexity Outlook streetcars, the Fare and Transfer Machines are located at the second and fourth modules of each car near the double doors. These machines dispense paper POP transfers when payment is made using tokens and coins. Payment At subway stations An unstaffed "automatic entrance" equipped with floor-to-ceiling revolving turnstiles; these have since been replaced by glass-paddle gates. All subway stations have at least one entrance equipped with either a fare collector's booth with a farebox or a floor-mounted farebox staffed by a customer service agent where fare payments with traditional fare media (cash, ticket, token and TTC passes) and Presto are accepted. At stations with CSAs, exact change for cash payment is required (as it is on buses and streetcars) and traditional fare media, while usable to enter the station, cannot be purchased. At stations with collector booths, tickets, tokens and TTC passes are sold and can be used for entry, and change can be provided for cash payments as well. These entrances are also used to grant children under the age of 12 free access to the system (for those not traveling with a Presto card). Stations with higher traffic volume often have an additional farebox placed beside a movable barrier, which can be opened and staffed during busier periods, allowing more people to pass through at once and improving accessibility for the disabled. Tokens and tickets are sold at the collector's booths at most TTC subway stations.[52] All stations also have automatic turnstiles or fare gates that operate without an attendant. These are usually located adjacent to the fare collector's booth, although some are located at secondary, unstaffed automated entrances. These are operated only by Presto cards, or—at select subway station entrances, including all main entrances and some unstaffed automated entrances—a physical TTC or GTA weekly pass; as of February 2019, the swipe card readers that read the magnetic strip on physical weekly passes are being gradually phased out and replaced by Presto readers.[53] Tokens, tickets, and day passes do not operate the automatic fare gates and cannot be used by children or other passengers who are entitled to free travel (unless they are traveling with a Presto card). From 2016 to 2018, the TTC introduced new plexiglass paddle fare gates at all subway station entrances. Unlike the previous gates, such as the legacy tripod turnstiles used at main entrances and the floor-to-ceiling revolving turnstiles used at automated entrances, the new plexiglass paddle gates do not accept tokens: they are operated only by Presto card or, in some cases, a physical TTC or GTA weekly pass. The new gates provide an unobstructed path into and out of the paid area of stations. The first of these new gates were installed at Main Street station in March 2016 and were added to all subway station entrances by June 2018, with Finch being the last station to have Presto fare gates and readers installed at all entrances.[54][citation needed] On TTC buses and streetcars On buses and older CLRV and ALRV streetcars, fares are deposited into a farebox near the operator. Tickets, tokens and Presto cards are accepted but are not sold; passengers must buy them in advance at a station or an authorized TTC retailer. Single-ride fares must be paid with exact cash; change is not given.[55] Passengers boarding streetcars with valid proof-of-payment (POP) may board at any door, including Presto card users, who tap their card on a reader located at each set of doors on the vehicles. On the newer Flexity vehicles, the operator is situated inside a separated booth and the driver does not monitor fare payments. Fare payment procedures on the Flexity vehicles are as follows:[56] Two Fare and Transfer Vending Machines (FTVMs) dispense a proof-of-payment receipt when a fare is paid with tokens or coins. The machines are also able to produce pre-validated adult, student/youth, and senior POP tickets. (FTVMs do not accept banknotes and they do not provide change.) Tickets for concession senior/student/youth fares must be validated by inserting them into one of the two red TTC Ticket Validator machines beside the FTVMs. Presto card users tap their card on one of six readers located at each of the four doorways to pay for their fares, or to validate their pass or two-hour transfer already loaded on the card.[57] Overnight service The TTC's Blue Night Network charges the normal TTC fares. The overnight period is considered, for purposes of TTC passes, as part of the preceding traffic day: in effect, the date changes at 5:30 a.m. or the start of daytime service, not at midnight. History of zone fares From 1921 until 1953, one TTC fare was good for any distance within the City of Toronto. Where routes extended outside the city, extra fares were charged. In 1954, Metropolitan Toronto ("Metro") was created, covering most of the City of Toronto's post-1998 city limits. The TTC took on responsibility for transit within the entire area. A flat fare was not considered to be feasible for so large an area; so the TTC created the Central Zone, which roughly incorporated the City of Toronto, and set up a series of concentric semicircular rings around it as Suburban Zones 2–5, with an additional fare required for each one. Routes extending beyond the Metro limits continued to be separate radial routes, so the zones still had the effect of fare stages, but within Metro, it became possible to change buses within a suburban zone. This external link shows a route map of this period. The (roughly rectangular) Metro limit is not marked on the map, but Suburban Zone 2 extends to just reach this limit in the north and the southwest only; the Port Credit bus and part of the North Yonge bus were the only TTC routes then extending outside Metro into Zones 4 and 5. In 1956, Suburban Zones 2 and 3 were combined as Zone 2 and the Central Zone became the new Zone 1. During this early period, the outer zones within Metro were relatively undeveloped and bus routes in them were sparse; but as development increased, there was pressure for lower suburban fares, and in 1962 the outer boundary of Zone 2 was extended to all the way to the Metro limit. Higher fares, still on a zonal basis along each radial route, now applied only on the few routes running beyond Metro; in effect, the zone boundaries outside Zone 2 had changed from semicircles to rough rectangles. Eventually, the beyond–Metro Zones 4 and 5 were combined into a new de facto Zone 2 and the fares coordinated with those of adjacent transit agencies. In 1968, the Bloor–Danforth Subway was extended east and west through the boundary between Zones 1 and 2, but the subway remained part of Zone 1, due to the impracticality of a payment-on-exit system. On 21 January 1973, with construction already well advanced on a similar extension of the Yonge–University Subway, the TTC acceded to pressure to abolish the zone boundary, and all of Metro (now the unified City of Toronto) gained service at a single flat fare. (The new subway stations on both lines in what had been Zone 2 had not been designed for the change: their bus terminals were outside of the subway's fare-paid area. The layout of some stations allowed this to be easily corrected by relocating the fare barrier, but at other stations, this was unfeasible and they were not reconfigured until a later renovation, if at all.) A situation similar to the former Zone 2 policy exists today on the Line 1 University–Spadina subway, which was extended to neighbouring Vaughan in York Region on 17 December 2017. The stations in Vaughan are treated as part of the TTC fare zone, with a second fare only being charged when transferring to York Region Transit/Viva, and Züm routes at these stations. The double fare also applies to TTC-contracted bus routes continuing north of Steeles Avenue or west of Toronto Pearson International Airport, which are the equivalents of the former suburban zonal routes, where a YRT, Miway or Brampton Transit fare is required. References Official Fan websites Fares Maps Fare mediaIn this course, we'll introduce you to many different play worlds and play lives that people experience across a lifespan. We will travel to the Museum of Childhood in London to see how play has evolved over time. In Sheffield's Weston Park Museum, we'll see how children and families engage playfully with past, present and future worlds and understand how every day knowledge informs playfulness and imagination. Without leaving our seats, we'll immerse ourselves in virtual worlds, where the boundaries between fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Our visits to outdoor spaces in cities, parks and a forest school will show people of all ages engaging playfully with their local surroundings. We'll consider the ways in which spaces can be designed to facilitate or inhibit play and what happens when players try to bend the rules. Play is also the subject of serious study. We'll have academics from a wide range of different disciplines at The University of Sheffield take you through some of the definitions of play, and discuss current debates about the changing nature of play. For example, does play help us to learn, to prepare for adulthood and the world of work? Do we learn to abide by rules in play, or do we learn to bend or subvert the rules? Are all forms of play beneficial? And what about the media panic that children are being exposed to the apparent dangers of digital play? The new knowledge and understanding you will gain from this course might be the inspiration for a career related to play. For example, as a play therapist or play worker. Perhaps you might want to go into the creative industries, as a games designer or developer, as an artist or a designer in the theatre. And of course, being a playful parent or carer is the foundation for bonding, from the very first games of peek-a-boo, to whole families that play in parks and festivals, and in virtual worlds. We also want to persuade you that playing with ideas and possibilities is fundamental to invention and innovation in the sciences, engineering, architecture, mathematics, medicine, business and technology. So you can see that there are some important questions to ask about play, which will help you to think differently about something that we so often take for granted. So the next time you think that something is child's play, you will know that actually it is deeply serious and significant. And you will begin to understand why the future is playful.Debt ‘flexibility’ has been flitting in and out of the EU’s lexicon for some time now. But Italy’s PM Matteo Renzi, a social democrat, whose party in the May European election won the most decisive victory of any Italian party since the 1950s, has put it firmly back on the table. He wants the EU’s budgetary rules to be interpreted more loosely– so that money spent for ‘growth-enhancing’ purposes does not count as part of the budget deficit. At a summit at the end of June, EU leaders agreed both in their conclusions and in the ‘strategic agenda’ for the coming five years that they should make “best use” of the flexibility in the Stability and Growth Pact. Crucially, however, the rules were to remain the same. Nevertheless Italian officials have been holding this up as a significant blow-to-austerity victory. The Renzi government has a strong sense that the general political tide is turning in its favour. In the Italian capital, they like to point out that while the centre-right CSU and CDU (German Chancellor Merkel’s party) combined received 10 million votes in the May EU election, Renzi’s party received one million more votes. But we have been here before. French leader Francois Hollande once made great promises on forging a growth pact – to little avail. Spain’s Mariano Rajoy was also bullish about bending the rules when he came to power, only to then fall in line. Mario Monti, Italy’s short-term caretaker leader in 2011/2012, also failed to ease the fiscal rules. They all faced an implacable Berlin. Meanwhile Renzi’s government has been coy about what exactly it understands by ‘flexibility’. One Italian source said that Europe needs to learn “how to assess the impact of structural reforms to measure the time needed, the spillover effects and the impact on the budget”. “If you implement a labour market reform, the benefits will materialise not next year but three years from now,” the contact continued, noting, pointedly that Germany “is profiting from the reform put in place ten years ago”. However, until now, Renzi, in power since February, is essentially asking for concessions in return for reform promises. Aside from simplification of the tax system, little has been done. For Merkel, attuned to an electorate that does not want to give anything to southern countries ‘for free’, this is too much talk and too little implementation. This will also influence the European Commission, which has discretionary powers when it comes to implementing fiscal rules. Its president as well as current economics commissioner have so far given short thrift to the statements coming from Rome. Renzi gives the impression of one who has enjoyed the quick short fight to the top of Italian politics. Now he has to prove he can deliver on the longterm fight too.BOSTON—According to a report released Friday by Harvard Business School, more U.S. companies are offering up to 12 weeks of paid maternity leave to mothers who complete three months of work ahead of time. “We strive to be accommodating to our employees as they start families, which is why we’re granting paid time off to any expectant mothers who go on maternity leave having already completed the following 90 days’ worth of their normal tasks and responsibilities,” said Adam Ewert, CEO of Ewert Daniels Consulting, one of the companies mentioned in the report, adding that any women interested in taking advantage of the policy simply had to notify their manager and arrange for their absence by finishing their regular workload as well as all projects and assignments that would be expected in the ensuing financial quarter. “We want to make sure our female employees don’t have to choose between motherhood and their careers, and provided they finish three extra months of reports, send three extra months of emails, and make three extra months of presentations before they have their babies, this policy lets women take the time they need without setting themselves back at the workplace.” The report also found that a rising number of businesses are now offering flexible scheduling to new mothers interested in working for an effectively meaningless fraction of their previous pay. AdvertisementYou need a license to dog-sit in New York City! New York City users of the pet-sitting app Rover have discovered that dog-sitting without a kennel license is illegal in the city. New York Daily News reported: The health code bans boarding, feeding and grooming animals for a fee without a kennel license — and says those licenses can’t be issued for private homes. — Health Department general counsel Thomas Merrill sent a letter last October to DogVacay.com, which has since been bought by Rover, warning that its users were breaking the law and asking the company to require sitters to confirm they have a license before joining up. The app has not done so. No full-scale crackdown followed, but at least two apartment residents were slapped with violations in November and December for caring for pets without a permit. Fines start at $1,000. The health department has tried to justify the law: “To ensure the health and safety of pets and reduce risks to public health, the NYC Health Code requires certain businesses to obtain a Health Department permit and comply with necessary regulations – this includes animal boarding facilities and kennels,” he [spokesman Julien Martinez] said. “We also conduct inspections of these facilities to make sure animals would be secure and safe.” The Gothamist also spoke to the health department: According to the Health Department, the rarely enforced law is intended to protect animals from neglect, and “does not apply to the average New Yorker who may pet sit for friends, family, and neighbors.” However, online portals for pet-sitting like Rover and DogVacay (which Rover recently acquired), do “facilitate illegal boarding,” the spokesperson told Gothamist. Rover has registered 95,000 pet owners in New York City and 9,000 sitters. It’s managed to earn $4.1 million in the past year. The New York Daily News continued: “If you’ve got a 14-year-old getting paid to feed your cats, that’s against the law right now,” said Rover’s general counsel John Lapham. “Most places right now continue to make it easier to watch children than animals, and that doesn’t make any sense.” Pooch owners often find it cheaper and easier than sending their dog to a kennel, while others prefer to have their pet in someone’s home rather than kept in a cage for much of the day, Lapham said. “You [are telling] the middle class you can’t own dogs unless you can pop in your Range Rover and drive to Connecticut for a boarding facility,” he said. City Council health committee chair Corey Johnson will draft legislation to get rid of the law: “It’s so crazy,” said Johnson (D-Manhattan). “There are millions of cats and dogs in New York City, and people I think believe they can pet sit or have someone pet sit for them. To have a law on the books that says that’s illegal is antiquated and not practical.” Chad Bacon, 29, became a dog-sitter through Rover and has earned enough to make it his full-time job: “The laws are antiquated,” said Chad Bacon, 29, a dog sitter in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with the app Rover. “If you’re qualified and able to provide a service, I don’t think you should be penalized.” — “I was looking at it as a way to pay bills in the meantime,” he said. “It’s become a full-time job.” Cheryl Smart, 30, told the publication that she felt “nervous” about using Rover at first, but she “checked out the sitter’s home in advance.” She liked it and so did her dog:Presented at the “Image Operations” conference held at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry in
ouin cavalry, which took the nation by storm, after running at Madison Square Gardens in New York. On being asked to come to England, he made the condition he would do so if asked by the King and given Drury Lane or Covent Garden... He opened at Covent Garden on 14 August 1919... And so followed a series of some hundreds of lecture–film shows, attended by the highest in the land..."[3] Thomas shot dramatic footage of Lawrence and, after the war, toured the world, narrating his film With Allenby in Palestine and Lawrence in Arabia and making Lawrence—and himself—household names. The performances were highly dramatic. At the opening of Thomas's six-month London run, there were incense braziers, exotically dressed women dancing before images of the Pyramids, and the band of the Welsh Guards playing to provide the accompaniment. Lawrence saw the show several times; he later claimed to dislike it, but it generated valuable publicity for his own book. To strengthen the emphasis on Lawrence in the show, Thomas needed more photographs of him than Chase had taken in 1918. Lawrence claimed to be shy of publicity, but he agreed to a series of posed portraits in Arab dress in London. Thomas later said of Lawrence, "He had a genius for backing into the limelight." Thomas and Lawrence's initially friendly relations became more prickly as Thomas's film grew in popularity and as Thomas ignored several alleged requests from Lawrence to end it. In fact, the film gave Lawrence a degree of publicity that he had never previously experienced. Newspapers were keen to print his attacks on government policy, and politicians began to pay attention to his views. At the end of 1920, he was invited to join the British Colonial Office under Winston Churchill as an adviser on Arab affairs. Lawrence said that he never forgave Thomas for exploiting his image, and called him a "vulgar man." For his part, Thomas genuinely admired Lawrence and continued to defend him against attacks on his reputation.[4] Lawrence's brother Arnold extended Thomas an olive branch and allowed him to contribute to T.E. Lawrence by his Friends (1937), a collection of essays and reminiscences published after Lawrence's death.[5] About four million people saw the Thomas film around the world, and it made Thomas $1.5 million. He later wrote the book With Lawrence in Arabia (1924) about his time in the desert and Lawrence's exploits during the war. It was the first of fifty-six volumes. Thomas' first photo of T.E. Lawrence, taken in Jerusalem as they were introduced in the office of the Military Governor, February 28, 1918. Cinerama [ edit ] During the 1920s, Thomas was a magazine editor, but he never lost his fascination with the movies. He narrated Twentieth Century Fox's Movietone newsreels until 1952. That year, he went into business with Mike Todd and Merian C. Cooper to exploit Cinerama, a movie format that used three projectors and an enormous curved screen with 7-channel surround sound. (He produced the first movie/documentary in Cinerama: This is Cinerama, the third: Seven Wonders of the World, and the fourth: Search for Paradise) in this format in 1956, with a 1957 release date.[6] Cinerama features were well-received, but the company discontinued the three-projector system by 1963, with the enormous costs and technical difficulties in film production and presentation, in favor of a single-camera 70mm system which lacked the visual impact of true Cinerama. A quarter-century later, Thomas was still raving about Cinerama in his memoirs and wondering why someone wasn't trying to revive it. Newscaster [ edit ] In 1930, he became a broadcaster with the CBS Radio network, delivering a nightly news and commentary program. After two years, he switched to the NBC Radio network but returned to CBS in 1947. In contrast to today's practices, Thomas was not an employee of either NBC News or CBS News. Prior to 1947, he was employed by the broadcast's sponsor Sunoco. He returned to CBS to take advantage of lower capital-gains tax rates, establishing an independent company to produce the broadcast which he sold to CBS. He hosted the first-ever television news broadcast in 1939 and the first regularly scheduled television news broadcast (even though it was just a camera simulcast of his radio broadcast) beginning on February 21, 1940 over local station W2XBS (now WNBC) New York.[7] It is not known whether all or some of the radio/TV simulcasts were carried by the two other television stations capable of being fed programs by W2XBS at the time, which were W2XB (now WRGB) Schenectady and W3XE (now KYW-TV) Philadelphia.[8][9] Thomas with FDR in 1936 In the summer of 1940, Thomas anchored the first live telecast of a political convention, the 1940 Republican National Convention which was fed from Philadelphia to W2XBS and on to W2XB. Reportedly, Thomas wasn't even in Philadelphia, instead anchoring the broadcast from a New York studio and merely identifying speakers who addressed the convention. Thomas in 1939 The television news simulcast was a short-lived venture for him, and he favored radio. Indeed, it was over radio that he presented and commented upon the news for four decades until his retirement in 1976, the longest radio career of anyone in his day (a record later surpassed by Paul Harvey). "No other journalist or world figure, with the possible exception of Winston Churchill, has remained in the public spotlight for so long," wrote Norman R. Bowen in Lowell Thomas: The Stranger Everyone Knows (1968). His signature sign-on was "Good evening, everybody" and his sign-off "So long, until tomorrow," phrases that he would use in titling his two volumes of memoirs. Television [ edit ] Thomas is also known for two television programs: High Adventure, a series of travelogue specials filmed in the late 1950s for CBS; and Lowell Thomas Remembers, a 1970s PBS series that reviewed major news events from 1919 through 1975 on a year-by-year basis using newsreel footage, including some that Thomas originally narrated for Movietone. "The world's foremost globetrotter" took his radio show on his travels, broadcasting from the four corners of the globe. Once on the Spanish Steps in Rome he was asked by a fellow American, "Lowell Thomas, don't you ever go home?" He was a fanatical skier, helping develop the Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec and skiing near Tucson, Arizona. Gaffes [ edit ] Thomas's most amusing on-air gaffe occurred during one of his daily broadcasts in the early 1960s. He was reading a story "cold" (going on the air without pre-reading his copy, contrary to his usual practice) which contained the phrase "She suffered a near fatal heart attack". The line came out of Thomas's mouth as "She suffered a near fart... err fatal heart attack". Realizing instantly what he had said, he tried to continue but eventually collapsed into gales of laughter, which continued into – and beyond – his announcer's chuckling sign-off for the day. Thomas' long-time friend and ghostwriter Prosper Buranelli wrote the nightly newscasts. The day's script was sent by teletype to Thomas' home in Pawling, NY from which he usually did his broadcast. One evening, Buranelli's final story was about an actress going into a Los Angeles hotel with a Great Dane. The dog's tail got caught in the revolving door and she sued the hotel for $10,000. Buranelli added a comment to the story to give Thomas a laugh before going on air, but Thomas read the story as written with Buranelli's comment, "Who ever thought a piece of tail was worth 10 grand?" Another on-air mishap had Thomas reading a story about President Eisenhower's visit to Hershey, Pennsylvania "where he was greeted by the folks who make chocolate bars, with and without nuts." ("Nuts" is a euphemism for "testicles.") As Thomas read the next story, he could hear the announcer breaking up with laughter in the New York City studio, which caused Thomas to break up, as well. Air checks of some of Thomas' gaffes (as well as recreations of his "bloopers") are available to collectors. Other activities [ edit ] Thomas was a successful businessman. In 1954, he and his long-time business manager and partner Frank Smith bought a struggling UHF TV and radio station based in Albany New York and turned it into Capital Cities Communications, which took over the American Broadcasting Company in 1986. They also developed the Quaker Hill community in Dutchess County, New York, near Pawling where Thomas resided when not on the road. Thomas E. Dewey was among his neighbors, one of a huge circle of friends that included everyone from the Dalai Lama to Franklin D. Roosevelt. In May 1955, the board of directors of the Lancaster and Chester Railway of South Carolina appointed him Press Agent in N.Y.C.[10] Personal life [ edit ] Thomas with his second wife, Marianna Munn His wife of 58 years Frances "Fran" Ryan (1893–1975) often traveled with him. They were wed on August 4, 1917 and less than a month later they were off to Europe. Before her death in 1975,[11] they were the parents[12] of Lowell Thomas, Jr. (1923–2016), who was a film and television producer who collaborated with his father on several projects before becoming a State Senator, and later the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska in the 1970s. Thomas Jr. was an active bush pilot and environmental activist in Alaska; he died at his home in Anchorage on October 1, 2016 at the age of 92. In 1977, Thomas was married a second time to Marianna Munn (1927–2010). They embarked on a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) honeymoon trip that took him to many of his favorite old destinations. Marianna died in Dayton, Ohio on January 28, 2010 after suffering renal failure.[13] Thomas died at his home in Pawling, New York in 1981.[1] He is buried in Christ Church Cemetery.[14][15] Legacy and honors [ edit ] The communications building at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York is named in honor of Lowell Thomas, after he received an honorary degree from the college in 1981. The Lowell Thomas Archives are housed as part of the college library.[16] In 1945, Thomas received the Alfred I. duPont Award.[17] The award honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service. The awards, established in 1942 and administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another program administered by Columbia University.[18] In 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded Thomas the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[19] He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.[20] Lowell Thomas Awards [ edit ] Since 1980, the Explorers Club, where Thomas was a member, has annually presented the Lowell Thomas Award to "honor men and women who have distinguished themselves in the field of exploration". The awards are presented at a yearly dinner to a select group of people having made particular contributions in the specific area chosen to be that year's focus. Past recipients include Edmund Hillary, Isaac Asimov, David Doubilet,Emory Kristof, Ralph B White,Anatoly Sagalevitch[21] Mary Cleave, Buzz Aldrin, Bertrand Piccard, and Rosaly Lopes.[22] Since 1985, the Society of (North) American Travel Writers (SATW) has held an annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition for outstanding print, online, and multimedia works, for travel photography, and for audio and video broadcast. Past recipients included Elisabeth Eaves, Jeff Biggers, Peter Mandel, and National Geographic Traveler('08[23] and '09[24]).[25] The 2008-9 awards were judged by faculty members of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, coordinated by Monica Hill. There were 1,191 entries and awards in 25 categories.[24] In the 2007-8 awards, faculty members of the Missouri School of Journalism judged the competition in 24 categories.[23] In popular culture [ edit ] Published works [ edit ] Among Thomas's books are: Further reading [ edit ] References [ edit ] Notes SourcesFX shocked viewers in 2011 by announcing that the poor, unfortunate Harmon family was but the first in a revolving door of American Horror Story victims. It was an occasion for rejoicing, and not just because this meant the permanent shuttering of the first season’s absurdly crowded haunted house. American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy is TV’s current king of diminishing returns, a writer whose flashy premises burn bright for one season, then fade away as characters die, get paralyzed (and then un-paralyzed), turn out to be serial killers, and/or engage in increasingly convoluted sexual exploits. The recurring reboot plan was perfect for a guy like Murphy, giving him endless chances at self-contained first seasons. Advertisement It seemed especially refreshing in the fall of 2011, when Glee (co-created by Murphy with Ian Brennan and AHS collaborator Brad Falchuk) was already showing signs of a third-season devolution. (Remember how Sam moved to Kentucky? But then he didn’t? And then the Christmas episode was a too-faithful homage to two terrible holiday specials?) It was a far cry from the first season of the show, which told New Directions’ comeback story with the verve of an underdog-sports movie; similar problems plagued Nip/Tuck, the Murphy jam that began as an examination of American superficiality and ended as The “How Deeply Can We Torture Matt McNamara?” Show. Both could’ve been fascinating single-season stand-alones—and, unfortunately, American Horror Story could’ve been, too. Midway through its fourth season, however, it seems like annual reinvention isn’t enough to keep each new reiteration from repeating the same themes, stock characters, and shock tactics. Maybe AHS should’ve stayed in that haunted house after all. [Erik Adams] It’s hard to believe after several years of soap opera romance and increasingly batty twists, but Homeland was once considered prestige drama of the highest order—a Showtime series that could finally be talked about in the same reverent tones as The Sopranos or Mad Men, instead of the eye-rolling tenor of Dexter. But then viewers fell in love with Damian Lewis and, as is so often the case at Showtime, the network balked at any tampering with success by refusing to let Nicholas Brody die. Instead, the traitor whose time-ticking mission made the first season so compellingly tense just kept hanging around, necessitating increasingly convoluted ways to have him in the story, and turning the taut cat-and-mouse thriller into an exhausting doomed romance (and, in its worst offense, subjecting viewers to countless Dana episodes). Homeland—once hailed as Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa answering their own 24 with a more sobering, intelligent look at counterterrorism and post-9/11 paranoia—is now just another twist-laden thriller about batshit people in power. That never would have happened had the series ended in its first season, preferably with Brody’s death. Even Brody agrees. [Sean O’Neal] Advertisement Long before the superhero movie craze started, veteran TV writer Tim Kring had a stroke of genius: a superhero TV show without any cape-and-tights silliness, in which ordinary people came to terms with having fantastic abilities. Plus, Greg Grunberg was in it, so people just assumed it was a J.J. Abrams show and gave it a chance. It worked like gangbusters. The first season balanced the thrill of characters discovering they have super powers with the drama of a superpowered serial killer on the loose. It made breakout stars of Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, and Zachary Quinto, and the show’s grand ambition, scope, and ratings seemed to make a case not just for superheroes on TV, but that network television still had a place in the golden age of cable drama. Then it all fell apart like Green Lantern in the crowd at a Pittsburgh Steelers game, starting with the first-season finale. Heroes had been building up to a super-battle that fizzled when it hit the screen, and the show backed down from killing off Quinto’s popular supervillain, Sylar. When it returned for a second season, the well-hidden cracks in the formula had burst wide open—some characters were far too powerful, the non-powered characters didn’t have much to do, the ensemble was too disconnected. Kring’s efforts to solve these problems just made things worse—characters lost their powers for long stretches, ill-considered storylines stuck some characters in the past with no contact with the rest of the cast, and the show kept adding new characters, making it abundantly clear the writers had no idea where the show was going. Had the show aired for one season—or even killed off Sylar and then stayed focused on a new villain—it’d be remembered as one of the ’00s’ great TV successes, instead of one of its great debacles. [Mike Vago] Advertisement 6. My Name Is Earl When this vehicle for Jason Lee’s laid-back charms debuted in 2005, it started strong, powered by a great premise. Not so much the show’s ostensible setup—that Lee’s amiable, befuddled redneck wins the lottery, and decides to earn this bit of good karma by using the money to right old wrongs—the true genius of the show was what lay behind that premise. Earl genuinely wants to do the right thing, but because he’s spent his life as an irresponsible ne’er-do-well, he’s hilariously bad at it. He tries to get an old lady to quit smoking by kidnapping and torturing her; he makes up for spoiling his father’s run for mayor by tricking him into running again against his will; and when he meets a genuinely terrible person who seems to have everything going for him, Earl decides to set his karmic balance right by punching the guy in the face. But by the end of the first season, the show had lost that note of cynicism, and the central theme of righting wrongs and helping others got treacly (and less funny) fast. Things got even further off track with a season-long arc that put Earl in jail for a year. The show also began as an affectionate sendup of redneck culture, but by the time Giovanni Ribisi joined the cast, the jokes came across as Hollywood Scientologists making fun of the rubes from flyover country. [Mike Vago] When news broke that David Lynch and Mark Frost were reviving Twin Peaks for Showtime, the online consensus was largely excitement with a dash of caution—a reaction that comes from the qualitative gap between the show’s two previous seasons. The first season of Twin Peaks redefined the medium, injecting David Lynch’s worldview into the broadcast drama to create memorably quirky characters and situations. However, the show’s second season saw Lynch and Frost moving away from their hands-on involvement, reluctantly going along with network pressure to identify Laura Palmer’s killer, thus eradicating the show’s prime talking point. Without the Lynch/Frost vision, Twin Peaks began to embrace the soap opera twists and turns it had once expertly subverted, marginalized its entire teenage ensemble into even worse narrative dead-ends, and spiraled into some of the most memorably awful side plots ever to grace television. (Benjamin Horne becomes a Civil War enthusiast! Deputy Andy takes a surly orphan under his wing! Nadine Hurley regresses to high-school age and becomes the town’s strongest cheerleader!) Twin Peaks always asked the question “What on earth are we watching?” Unfortunately, between seasons, the tone of that question turned from mystified fascination to confused disgust. [Les Chappell] Advertisement 8. Bewitched Despite running for eight seasons, Bewitched never again reached the heights hit in its first year on the air, during which it was a legitimately great sitcom. Flirty and fresh, the show used witchcraft as a metaphor for a rising societal issue: women tapping into their own power and refusing to continue existing in the shadows of men. Though Darrin may have looked like he wore the pants in the family, the audience knew the true power player was witch Samantha, a concept expressed perfectly in the scripts from season-one scribe Danny Arnold. Following Arnold’s departure, Bewitched devolved into a generic gimmick sitcom, sadly never again rekindling the magic of that premiere season. [Libby Hill] 9. Miami Vice Although many of its finest episodes appeared in season two, the first season of Miami Vice made the greater impression on pop culture. The show’s lush and vivid visuals (sculpted by series producer—though never episode director—Michael Mann) made it one of the first television series that could truly be called “eye-popping,” while the terse scripts had the air of modern film noir. Unfortunately, such cinematic intensity couldn’t last, and the show grew less tethered to recognizable reality with each passing season. But the season-one version of Miami Vice remains a landmark television series, proving cop shows could be both brutal and stylish. [Libby Hill] Advertisement 10. Desperate Housewives Debuting in the fall of 2004, Desperate Housewives was an immediate smash, averaging 23.7 million viewers an episode, a tally bested only by American Idol and CSI. It appeared as though Americans were all in for the return of soapy, sexy, dark comedy, and the adventures of Wisteria Lane did not disappoint. The show burned through plot and twists and turns, and it all made for great, campy TV, underlined by the idea that life in the suburbs is a lot more grim than colorful exteriors might suggest. But camp will only get you so far. (See also: Ryan Murphy.) After that frothy first season, not even that ridiculously talented crop of lead actresses could keep Marc Cherry’s series from flying off the rails and landing in a much more unpleasant neighborhood. [Libby Hill] 11. Rescue Me When Rescue Me debuted in the summer of 2004, it was groundbreaking: By delving into the lives of New York City firefighters, it was one of the first TV shows to throw itself into the United States’ post-9/11 psychology. It dug around in the messy aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, what it means to be left behind, and what it is to wake up each day haunted, sometimes literally, by what was lost. Created by Peter Tolan and Denis Leary, Rescue Me’s first season provided an often amusing window into a work environment infused with testosterone and posturing, while simultaneously examining how those elements made it that much more difficult to process any kind of emotional healing. Sadly, the insight and humor eventually gave way to misogyny and misery porn as the show churned through six more seasons. [Libby Hill] Advertisement The first season of Modern Family was something of a marvel—a fun and funny new sitcom embraced by critics and audiences alike, at a time when such consensus hits were increasingly rare. Within the confines of that original season, the humor in the series was kinetic and slightly manic, but not shrill. There was a dramatic tension at work within the show, based in the difficulty of maintaining positive family relationships in the face of multiple challenges, like incorporating new family members and the natural frustration of trying to love people you don’t necessarily like. Much of this tension is lost in later seasons of Modern Family, as the show settled into tired family-sitcom tropes, with each character degrading into the worst, most base caricature of themselves. Most interesting about the change in Modern Family’s makeup is the fact that there may actually be an explanation for it. The devolution of the show may be an unintended consequence of a strained working relationship between creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, wherein the two now run the show on alternating episodes, leaving a mangled, shapeless product in their wake. If only the show had been able to continue existing in that place where creative conflict resulted in creative genius (and Shelley Long was still hanging around.) [Libby Hill] Advertisement By the end of its first season, Human Target had found its niche. Inspired by the comic-book series of same name, the show followed an assassin-turned-private contractor named Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) in his efforts to protect the unprotectable. At its best, the show played as a throwback to action-adventure series of the 1980s, albeit with better action, better writing, better acting, and better production values. The ratings were just good enough to avoid cancellation, but not quite good enough to prevent some behind-the-scenes meddling. Human Target’s second season—while keeping Valley and his two excellent associates, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley—brought in two new regulars, Indira Varma and Janet Montgomery. The influx of women to a previously dude-centric world seemed like a good idea on the surface, but the forced attempts at romance between Chance and his new boss, Varma’s Ilsa Pucci, were painfully contrived. By putting the rogue operative into a clunky, unconvincing workplace drama, the focus shifted from globetrotting and intrigue to typical squabbles about who’s following whose orders, tamping down the escapism and possibility, and doubling down on clichéd battle-of-the-sexes tripe. Worst of all, though, was the decision to chuck Bear McCreary’s fantastic opening-title theme music and replace its swooping, old-school lushness with a generic rock riff. Maybe that last was a blessing; it warned fans of season one that the fun times were gone for good. [Zack Handlen] Advertisement Dollhouse’s first season was a contemplative examination of personhood and identity, explored through the “dolls” of the Dollhouse as their minds were repeatedly wiped blank and programmed with false memories and personalities to fulfill the desires of others. There was plenty of sex and roundhouse kicking, sure, but showrunner Joss Whedon seemed much more interested in introspective questions. In that first season, ethics were considered, power dynamics tested, and lost memories slowly restored as Echo (Eliza Dushku) became self-aware despite constant memory resets. The second half of the season, especially, matches the quality of Whedon’s best output. Hopes were high for the second season, even though Fox reduced the show’s budget; that might have contributed to the switch from shooting on 35 mm film, which was used in the first season, to high-definition video in the second. That, along with a new cinematographer, gave season two a decidedly different feel. Then, less than half way through the slated 13-episode run, Fox canceled the show, resulting in a disappointing downward spiral. Without time to tease out the Big Bad, it seems one was picked at random to fulfill the role of the evil corporate entity and push the show to its conclusion. Worse than the hasty, shoddy ending was the final “Epitaph” episodes (the first one came at the end of season one but was not aired in the U.S.), wherein the cast ends up in a post-apocalyptic near-future where mind-wipe technology is used to remotely wipe the entire population. This finale put war-zone action and drama over the original premise of the show, which was less interested in flashy fight scenes than in the subtleties of human identity and the nuances of trust and control. [Caitlin PenzeyMoog]This post is part of a series on Silicon Valley's political endgame. Of late, the news has been thick with clashes between Democratic politicians and Silicon Valley titans. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio waged a high-profile battle with Uber, only to be soundly defeated by the company. Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have spent millions of dollars funding the controversial public charter school movement and have become villains in the eyes of many liberals. Meanwhile, Republicans are falling over themselves to embrace the technology industry. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush took an Uber as a campaign gimmick during a trip to San Francisco to tout his tech credentials. His competitor and libertarian icon Rand Paul opened up an operations office in the Valley to court young, anti-authoritarian techies. Yet Silicon Valley loves the Democratic Party: In the 2012 presidential election, 83 percent of top tech firms’ contributions went to Obama’s election campaign. But old-guard Democrats may come to regret this love affair. Tech elites love the Democratic Party in the same way they love the health care, transportation, and education industries — as a hodgepodge of aging leaders ripe for disruption. For two years, a leading tech blog in the Valley, TechCrunch, charged me with covering the political interests of startup founders and the tech elite. I found that Silicon Valley’s denizens loved government, at least in theory — they saw it as a kind of alpha venture capitalist, funding citizens to be as healthy, civic, and entrepreneurial as possible. What they didn’t like was the liberal idea that government uses regulations to protect workers from the whims of capitalism. To them, the mechanisms of protection often act as an impediment to innovation. And when Silicon Valley leaders don't like something, they use their money to change it. So I began collecting data on what startup founders believed and how they might use their influence and cash to change American politics. Among other new data sets, I conducted the first representative political psychology study of the tech industry, with the help of an exhaustive database of Silicon Valley founders called CrunchBase (which was created by TechCrunch). I then compared the answers from those data sets with a SurveyMonkey panel of US population to see how and where Silicon Valley founders differed in their ideology from most Americans. Here’s what I found: Only 3 percent of startup founders identify as Republican "Most of Silicon Valley, most of the executives, tend to be Democrats" —PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel "Libertarians are good, but they don't stop Nazis or build roads" —Startup founder survey respondent Tech founders are like libertarians on some issues, like liberals on others Founders believe that everyone can benefit from, and contribute to, change The core philosophy of Silicon Valley is that nearly all change, over the long run, is progressive, and that there's no inherent conflict between citizens, corporations, and the government. This helps explain why the tech community eschews traditional political tribalism, such as labor unions, sovereignty, militarism, or small government advocates. All these traditions assume some conflict of interest between major groups. "I tend to believe that most Silicon Valley people are very much long-term optimists.... Could we have a bad 20 years? Absolutely. But if you’re working toward progress, your future will be better than your present." —LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman "Wanting to connect people is a pretty deep thing to me. It’s something that I’ve cared about since I was a kid. My mom told me these stories that a lot of boys when they’re younger have, like, Ninja Turtles or some toys, and they’re fighting. I just wanted them to make them connect and form villages and be peaceful and communicate." —Mark Zuckerberg, recalling stories his mother told him on the unique way he played with action figures as a child As a result, Silicon Valley believes the government services themselves can be run like competitive, innovative organizations. The state also has a role in encouraging personal decisions that help maximize contributions to society. That is, a belief in the free market and competition isn't wedded to libertarian individualism. Silicon Valley has found a way to be both radically free market and aggressively collectivist. "Competition is healthy in all industries, profitable or not." —Internet Founder Survey respondent Silicon Valley's support for government involvement in everyday decisions often shocks politicians who expect a more libertarian approach to the world. Last May, when Sen. Rand Paul held a public talk in Silicon Valley, he opened up his speech with a familiar question: "Who's a part of the leave-me-alone coalition?" No one clapped. On the other hand, Silicon Valley types share libertarians’ love of competition and the market. Indeed, Silicon Valley types have an unusual faith in citizens' ability to solve their own problems. They are the only group I've found that believes having an active and informed citizenry is as important for society as reducing government regulation, reducing income inequality, or beefing up national security. At their absolute core, Silicon Valley types are extreme idealists: They believe there is always a better solution that is great for nearly everyone. Life is just a matter of discovering great ideas through conversation, innovation, and education. "It’s the hacker ethic that a lot of problems in the world are information inefficiencies" —Facebook founding president Sean Parker (personal communication) The conclusion I've come away with is that Silicon Valley represents an entirely new political category. It is a libertarian-like ideology within the Democratic Party. It loves competition and capitalism but believes the government has an essential role in empowering every person to give their best to society. People and organizations that can contribute more deserve more resources. Traditional Democrats tend to see the government as a protector from the whims of capitalism, while Silicon Valley liberals see the government as an investor. The government competitively funds citizens to solve problems in a way that an agency never could have imagined. This helps explain the Silicon Valley elites' obsession with charters: publicly funded, unionless, and highly experimental schools. This belief is closest to what political scientists call communitarianism, the theory that active communities can solve problems better than either the market or the government alone. For instance, a communitarian might choose a neighborhood watch over more police or a carpool system over public transit. And, indeed, this is not unlike what the ride-hailing industry has done by adding a carpool component to its smartphone apps, part of a long-held dream of Lyft's executives to reduce cars on the road through mass carpooling. In essence, it is a civil society completely oriented toward innovation. They don't see conflicts between citizens, the government, big corporations, and other countries — just one big mass of people coming up with mutually beneficial solutions as fast as possible. These utopian ideas are not entirely new. They've been around for a long time. But the economy is empowering these idealists like never before, and the Democratic Party is evidently the political vessel they've chosen to make it a reality. And given the amount of money they have to spend, and the kind of Democratic talent they are now buying — David Plouffe now works for Uber, and Jay Carney works for Amazon — traditional Democrats may soon find themselves on the wrong side of the disruption. Read more details about the survey here (including methodological details). Some quotes have been edited for clarity.From tamarind water puchkas selling on the dingy lanes of North Kolkata and Jaipur’s famous daal-baati churma, to Old Delhi’s spicy aloo chaat and Lucknow’s wide range of kebabs, the best of India’s street food features in a new book that takes the readers on a virtual food hunt through every nook and cranny of the country. Food blogger Kalyan Karmakar’s book The Travelling Belly is a delectable journey across 11 Indian cities, as the writer highlights the typical snacks of different regions, often giving an insight into the preferred taste palette of the locals, the popular cuisines in the area and sometimes also the spices used to get that characteristic flavour. Having grown up in Kolkata and lived in Mumbai for several years now, it was only natural that the author would offer an extensive list of munchies from these two cities. In Mumbai, Karmakar looks at the more famous Leopold Cafe (in picture), Cafe Churchill and Cafe Mondegar, but his love for Iranian restaurants strewn across the city comes across as heartfelt ( Shutterstock ) Karmakar’s book is another addition to the glorious legacies of Mishti Doi (sweet curd) from Bhim Chandra Nag, K C Das’ roshogollas and sondesh, who have been already extensively written about for being the pioneers in making the beloved sweet treats from eastern India. The city of joy also has enough tablespoons of spice to balance the sweetness out with Maharani’s “crisp freshly fried kochuri with an aloo curry”. In Mumbai, the author looks at the more famous Leopold Cafe, Cafe Churchill and Cafe Mondegar, but his love for Iranian restaurants strewn across the city comes across as heartfelt. He calls the Yazdani Bakery and Restaurant “not a restaurant, but a bakery” because “they make their own bread”. The ‘bun maska’ or ‘brun pav’ is one of the hot selling items at the eatery. “Maska means butter specifically, Amul (salted) butter. This is the answer to all of life’s problems, according to most Iranis. And the bun pav is soft, and brun is crusty,” Karmakar writes in the book. However, despite having written about a variety of quick foods from across the country, what holds back the book is a lack of a sense exploration. Having undertaken the journey based on the suggestions of his Twitter followers, friends and colleagues, Karmakar has ended up writing about already famous eateries, without featuring any stall or food item that he might have come across on his own. The choice is also not defined by the quality of food that is offered but largely because of the restaurants’ decades-old existence. From the north, the blogger has written about the ‘sweet and sour’ tidbits from Delhi and Lucknow, best known as ‘chaats’. “Chaat was invented when the Mughal rulers of Delhi wanted a dish that people could have during the monsoon months,” Karmakar quotes Chef Manjit Gill of ITC Hotel Group from one of their conversations. In Lucknow, his stop was the Dixit Chaat House in Chowk area, where the 40-year-old establishment run by the third generation of owners, sells their widely famous ‘dahi aloo tikki’ and ‘matar chaat’, the latter being a city special. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. First Published: Feb 09, 2017 17:42 ISTIntel RealSense was in some ways an idea ahead of its time: its depth sensing technology didn't start feeling really necessary until virtual reality came on the scene. But 2016 is the biggest year for VR since the '
only for a time. By the mid-1950s, whites were moving out to the suburbs en masse. A resegregation had begun, fueled by racist real estate practices, governmental policies and insurance guidelines known as redlining. “What is currently Avondale was intentionally created as a ghetto,” says Ervin Matthew, the UC professor who studies social stratification by race, class and gender, as well as urban sociology and social psychology. “These things didn’t just emerge organically.” The 1934 Federal Housing Act, which put federal backing behind private bank lending, mandated surveys categorizing neighborhoods based on their riskiness. Black or integrated neighborhoods, seen as volatile, were marked out in red on insurance maps, and financing for homes and businesses in these areas was more difficult and expensive to obtain, if it could be obtained at all. Meanwhile, suburban communities accessible almost exclusively to whites were looked upon much more favorably. Here, loans flowed freely. The availability of ready finance for suburban homes given almost exclusively to whites sparked an exodus from inner-city neighborhoods like Avondale. Real estate practices accelerated the process. “As blacks started gaining access to these communities,” Matthew says, “property values shifted, real estate agents started telling people that this was a situation that was going to go downhill quickly. They then bought those properties and split them up into apartments.” That practice, called blockbusting, further stoked white flight from Avondale and other neighborhoods. By 1960, only the northernmost section of the neighborhood remained majority white. Between 1955 and 1960, Cincinnati’s white population as a whole decreased by more than 44,000, according to Census data. In the big picture, the exodus devastated the city’s tax base, making funding for quality schools and public services scarce, especially in low-income black neighborhoods. As whites were beginning to leave the inner city, Cincinnati was looking for places to relocate blacks in the West End who were going to be displaced by the construction of I-75. Neighborhoods like Avondale, Walnut Hills and Mount Auburn, where some blacks already lived, fit the bill. The city drew up plans for new subsidized housing projects in those neighborhoods. But this too caused more segregation. Another tenet of the Federal Housing Act, a concession to southern congressmen, stipulated that all public housing projects should be racially divided. It would take until the 1970s for many housing authorities to do otherwise. In Cincinnati, the legacy of that policy has played out in places like English Woods and Winton Terrace. In 1940, Winton Terrace was built as a whites-only housing project, but CMHA changed that policy around the time construction began on I-75. By 1965, the area was 95 percent black. The city displaced residents of the West End on the promise that they could return there after renovations and that better housing would be provided. But for the most part, that didn’t happen. A 1958 letter from then-NAACP Cincinnati Executive Secretary Kenneth Banks to the organization’s national housing office calls Cincinnati’s approach to resettlement “casual” and explains that the city had yet to identify enough places for blacks to move into. He wrote that developers showed little interest in building homes for blacks and that the city’s lack of statistics about the West End showed an apparent disinterest in even knowing exactly how many families the highway would displace. Banks also highlighted two other highly concerning obstacles blacks faced in getting housing. “While containing the largest number of Building and Loan [banks] of any county in the nation,” Banks wrote of Hamilton County, there was a “shortage of local money available to negroes for mortgage purposes.” In addition, Banks wrote, developers were refusing to allow blacks to buy properties in so-called planned developments in tony Cincinnati neighborhoods and nearby suburbs. The confluence of these policy decisions and market dynamics put up huge obstacles for blacks, experts like Matthew say. Fighting for a Place in the Middle Class By the time Whitfield got to Avondale, it was quickly becoming another segregated black neighborhood on an economic downslope, and there was tension in the air as America wrestled with intense racial issues. In 1967, as Whitfield moved in, profound civil unrest tore through the neighborhood following the controversial conviction of a black man for the murder of six white women. Thousands took to the streets, sometimes burning buildings and smashing windows. Then-Ohio Governor James Rhodes called in 700 National Guard troops. A participant in the protests told Cincinnati Magazine in 1990 that the unrest was precipitated by “constant police harassment” and “a lack of jobs.” The next year, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., unrest erupted in Avondale again. “I was there when the riots started,” Whitfield says of the 1968 unrest. “By 9 p.m., you had to be off the street. The National Guard had jeeps with guns on the back that went all around.” In 1968, riots erupted in Avondale for the second year in a row. Whites had already been fleeing the area after the creation of new subsidized housing projects for displaced black residents. - Photo: Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection After the smoke cleared, Avondale had fewer businesses and even less investment coming in. Meanwhile, Whitfield continued to claw his way past his low-income roots. After he was laid off from his third-shift job at Fischer Body, along with hundreds of other black workers relegated to the late shift, he got a better industrial job with Monsanto and moved on from Avondale in the early 1970s. Those were good times, Whitfield says. Because of his naval service, he was able to buy a house with no down payment in quiet, comfortable Pleasant Ridge. He had gained a toehold in the middle class. But it wasn’t to last. Whitfield was laid off from Monsanto after working there for a decade. He cycled through a number of shorter-lived blue-collar jobs that didn’t pay the bills and led only to lay-offs. The bank foreclosed on his house, and he found himself unemployed long term after his last manufacturing employer, Rainbow Bread, shut down its Norwood plant. Eventually, Whitfield became homeless, spending years in and out of housing. “The rough times for me were sleeping on the street, no job, no home,” he says. The larger dynamics in Cincinnati and around the country as a whole in the 1980s and 1990s were not particularly kind to black, blue-collar workers like Whitfield and the neighborhoods they lived in. As America’s manufacturing economy shrank, blacks often found themselves the first to be laid off. And since black businesses in the communities had evaporated and educational opportunities there were often sparse because of underfunded schools, there were few other options for work. Disinvestment and white flight continued. And then, the crack epidemic and the subsequent war on drugs hit urban neighborhoods hard. “Within these communities, it became difficult to get opportunities because people didn’t want to open businesses there — banks redlined for the longest time,” says UC professor Matthew. “So over time we see a lot of disappearance of businesses and viable options for work in these places. And what can replace viable options for work sometimes are illicit economies.” Those illicit economies — drug dealing, prostitution and other criminal activities — brought higher crime rates, increased policing and the further perception that black neighborhoods were dangerous, lost lands. “One of the narratives that follow these neighborhoods around is the criminalization narrative,” Matthew says. “When people walk through inner-city areas, it’s not just the disrepair that causes people alarm, but the fear that something bad will befall them, that they’re under physical threat. And in some cases it plays out that way. But there are studies that suggest that people tend to overestimate the degree of criminality in these communities.” The reliance on illicit economies and perceptions of criminality have been devastating for black communities, leading to disproportionate incarcerations and wrongful convictions for blacks in inner-city neighborhoods. These disparities linger, with many ex-offenders in these communities having difficulties finding employment after leaving the justice system. (See "Boxed In," CityBeat issue of June 2). According to 2010 U.S. Census data, Ohio has 2,336 black and 422 white prisoners per 100,000 people. This despite the fact the state is 83-percent white. (See "Free at Last, Free for Now," Citybeat issue of April 15). Some of this disparity has to do with law enforcement’s long-running war on drugs, a battle even some high-level law enforcement professionals admit is racially biased and ineffective. “The war on drugs has been a massive failure, and law enforcement will never fix the narcotics problem in this country, because it’s a criminalized social problem,” Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy told Gov. John Kasich’s Ohio Community-Police Relations Task Force earlier this year. McCarthy went on to say that police reform alone won’t solve those social problems. “Disadvantaged communities see the police as the most visible arm of the system. We have a systematic problem that runs a lot deeper than repairing police-community relations.” (See "Deeper Issues," CityBeat issue of March 18). For Whitfield, unrest and tension in black neighborhoods isn’t a unique occurrence, but a cyclical event, something that goes far beyond a single shooting or arrest. “It seems like they jump up every 15 to 30 years or so,” Whitfield says. “I think it happens because people are depressed. They’re angry. They don’t have anything to do. They’re stuck in that neighborhood.” After losing his house in Pleasant Ridge, Whitfield eventually returned to the West End. That’s where he was living in 2001, when, for three sustained days, the sound of shattering glass and the scent of smoke from burning buildings once again filled the air, this time in neighboring OTR. By the early 1960s, the city had eliminated about 1,000 structures in this section of the West End, displacing more than 20,000 mostly black residents. Today, Avondale, OTR and other neighborhoods like it are struggling to overcome the past, with varying degrees of success. As the nation’s gaze once again turns to the surface levels of its persistent race issues, some neighborhood activists and community leaders are hoping to saw away at the deeper roots of the problem. In Avondale, that struggle can be a life-or-death proposition. The neighborhood, Cincinnati’s fourth-largest with a population of 12,500, is 91-percent black and has a median household income of just $18,000 a year. Life expectancy is a startling 68 years old, nine years less than the city average and 20 years less than affluent, 90-plus percent-white neighborhoods like Columbia Tusculum. Avondale has been wracked by gun violence recently, though it’s a more intermittent problem than news reports might suggest. The neighborhood saw only one murder in 2012 and four in 2013. But last year there were 11, and 2015 seems to be heading in just as violent a direction. Earlier this month, a 4-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet from a drive-by in the neighborhood, causing community activists to organize marches and vigils against the violence there and in other low-income communities around the city. One of the activists working the streets of Avondale is 50-year-old Ozie Davis III. On a recent Saturday, Davis stood next to a looming statue of Abraham Lincoln at the corner of Reading and Rockdale roads, preparing for his nearly daily walk around the neighborhood to engage residents and hand out newsletters. Davis is a life-long resident of the neighborhood and the president of the Avondale Comprehensive Development Corporation, a nonprofit that seeks to bring new investment into the community while supporting and advocating for its residents. He remembers a time when Avondale’s major thoroughfares, Reading Road and Burnet Avenue, still had many black-owned businesses. Davis says Avondale has a lot of promise, and he believes those streets can be vibrant once again. As he walks past blocks that alternate between well-kept houses with green yards full of playing children and abandoned homes, Davis says the neighborhood’s decline has been long-running and complex. “The change in the economy was a big deal,” he says. “At some point, you had a lot of factory jobs, and there was a large opportunity to be middle class. You didn’t have to go to college to get a job at Ford or GM.” It’s a sentiment Whitfield would understand perfectly. “Then GM Norwood closed, GM Sharonville closed,” Davis continues, referencing the plant from which Whitfield was laid off decades ago. The Norwood facility produced its last vehicle in 1987. “That impacted people who couldn’t afford to keep these houses up. That transformation, to the information economy from the manufacturing economy, was a big deal.” Davis spends much of his time on these walks talking to teens and young adults looking for jobs or help finishing school — the next generation that will attempt to navigate the divide between Avondale and places with more opportunities. Three young men shout at Davis from across Reading Road. He waves them over, and they cross and greet him enthusiastically. They tell him they graduated high school. One is going to Cincinnati State for welding. Another is going to Central State University. “Excellent,” Davis says. “We have people up there. Whatever you need, let me know.” For Davis, these interactions are the point of his work, an attempt to help knit together the community and provide extra support for young people who have faced serious challenges in their neighborhood. Ninety percent of students from Avondale qualify for free and reduced lunch, and many have seen violence first hand. But Davis sees a bigger picture as well. He’s quick to talk up Avondale Comprehensive Development Corporation’s ongoing work with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Choice Neighborhoods program, which is in the process of investing $30 million in new development into Avondale. That includes money for new affordable housing and also funds for job training, educational support and other services. “The good thing about the Choice Neighborhoods grant is that there’s money for people,” he says. “You have to invest in people, too. That’s one of our main capacities.” As Davis walks down a side street, 15-year-old Dwayne Hamilton approaches him. Hamilton is looking to get a job, maybe doing work in OTR’s Washington Park. Davis might be able to help. “It’s a little hard, because it’s a hard community,” Hamilton says of finding work and staying out of trouble in Avondale. “You gotta survive here. Not everyone can get a job, so they have to do what they have to do to feed their families, you know? But I’m trying to stay occupied. Everybody here is already caught up in bad stuff, regardless. But I don’t want to lose my life over something stupid.” Davis hopes the Choice Neighborhoods grant will be a catalyst that will bring new jobs and new hope to young people like Hamilton and other residents of Avondale. On a wider scale, some black leaders — including activist Rev. Lynch, Cincinnati City Councilman Wendell Young and State Rep. Alicia Reese — have proposed a citywide neighborhood development corporation that would focus on bringing more opportunities to predominantly black neighborhoods. The group has called for $50 million in investment to get that process started. Other advocates say it will take a multi-layered approach to address the systemic issues behind the city’s economic segregation. Jeniece Jones, executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, a Cincinnati-based fair housing advocate, praises anti-segregation efforts like the federal government’s 1968 Fair Housing Act and HUD’s move to a voucher-based system for subsidized housing, which attempts to spread out low-income renters. But there is still much work to be done, she says. Some of that work comes in the form of continuing to push for fairer, less-segregated housing. Even though HUD’s voucher program, usually known as Section 8, has decreased homelessness and segregation, low-income people are still concentrated away from middle- and high-income people — both in Cincinnati and other cities. That, in turn, leads to racial segregation. Across the country, the average voucher holder still lives in a mostly-minority neighborhood with higher-than average poverty rates, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. In the Greater Cincinnati area, voucher holders live in neighborhoods with poverty rates that are 12.5-to-18 percent higher than the region’s average. There are reasons for the continuation of this segregation. A 2012 study by HUD found that housing providers showed black renters 11-percent fewer units than white renters and that realtors showed black homebuyers 17-percent fewer houses for sale than white buyers. As late as 1999, HOME and the NAACP settled a suit against Nationwide Insurance Company over the company’s insurance practices, which the advocacy groups say amounted to redlining low-income minority neighborhoods. As part of the settlement, Nationwide agreed to contribute $1.25 million to various low-income home loan and financing programs. Some advocates say practices like loan discrimination and redlining continue today. Even so, housing experts like Jones say they’re part of a much bigger picture. “There’s a clear and present history of discrimination in this country,” she says. “You see it in fair housing, you see it in economic development, you see it in equal pay. You have to address systemic bias, institutional racism, economic development, mass incarceration — it’s a multi-faceted issue.” Systemic Poverty and Cincinnati Long-standing economic divides are wellsprings of racial tension and neighborhood violence in Cincinnati and other cities like it across the country. And while some neighborhoods like Avondale and Over-the-Rhine see millions in development and efforts to improve job prospects, other places like South Cumminsville, English Woods and the West End languish. What’s more, jobs and development alone won’t be enough to erase the yawning gap created by decades of racially biased housing obstacles, over-incarceration and other dynamics. The effects of policies like redlining and loan discrimination, for example, still linger. Economic development doesn’t always benefit low-income people: Recent investment in Over-the-Rhine has pushed rent and land values up, forcing some longtime black residents to move out. - Photo: Nick Swartsell Property ownership is one way to pass along wealth from generation to generation. The difficulties blacks have found in buying houses — and in the tumbling property values in their neighborhoods when they do — have kept many black families from accumulating wealth in the same way white families have and continued a pervasive wealth gap. A study released this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that the overall median net worth of a white family in America without a college-degree holder was $80,000. For black families without a college-degree holder, it was $9,000. That statistic captures not just yearly income, but the financial resources a family has accumulated over time. Not even college degrees span this gap most of the time. For white households with a degree holder, median wealth was $360,000. For black households with a degree, it was just $33,000. Systemic issues like the wealth gap, over-incarceration, geographic isolation and others continue to haunt the deep pockets of poverty where many black Cincinnatians live. The West End, for example, has never really emerged from the segregation and economic isolation that characterized it when Whitfield first arrived there in 1953. Today, the neighborhood has the fifth-lowest median household income in the city at $12,808 per year. The average life expectancy of 69 is eight years under the city average. Segregation has not just continued, but increased. In the 1950s, three-quarters of the West End’s residents were black. Today, that figure is more than 90 percent. Jobs are scarce and economic development is rare. What’s more, even if neighborhoods see their prospects go up, black residents may not always see the benefits as those areas gentrify. Some experts like Matthew believe investment like the $1 billion that has been poured into OTR, for example, could revitalize neighborhoods while displacing low-income and predominantly black residents. Others, including housing activists in the neighborhood, echo that concern and point to rising rents and land values there. (See "Moving Up, Moving Out," CityBeat issue of Aug. 12). After years of striving, Whitfield says he’s content these days, though he’s very aware of the racial tensions in Cincinnati. He moved back to the West End years ago and spends his time playing cards with friends at nearby social service agency Our Daily Bread. Despite his laid-back retirement, he says he still feels the systemic racism that’s hobbled the neighborhoods he’s lived in. “Hell yeah, it still exists,” Whitfield says. “It isn’t like it was in the 1950s, but it still exists. You just don’t see it outright now.” ©Thursday: 5-9pm: Check out the release of Natural Juicy DIPA from Benchtop Brewing. Friday: 7-8:45pm: Enjoy the Cabaret Dinner Theater at 37th and Zen. 7pm-1:30am: Attend Easel Listening at Charlie’s. 8-9:30pm and 10pm: Laugh it up at The Improv Riot at the Push. Stay for Harold Night. Saturday: 8pm: Hear Tarpit, Lethal Means, Paper Trail, Deviant, Firing Squad, and Flatline at 37th and Zen. 8-9:30pm: Find hope and hilarity during Couples Therapy at the Push. Sunday: 2pm: Grab your ticket to the Last Night on the Town at Town Center in Virginia Beach. 2-6pm: Strap on your skates for Scope on Ice – Public Skating. 4pm: Grab your kilt and walking shoes for the Annual Olde Towne Portsmouth Scottish Walk. 6-9pm: Attend The Pushie Awards Show at the Push Comedy Theater. 6-10pm: Say cheers to your new year at the New Year’s Eve Party at The Pagoda. 6:30-9pm: Put on your activist shoes for NYE Masquerade Against Mass Incarceration. 9pm-12:30am: Enjoy a New Year’s Eve experience at Big Ugly Brewing. 9pm-2am: Party like it’s 2018 during Bling Out the Brewery at O’Connor’s. All Weekend Long: Saturday and Sunday: Dickens’ Christmas Towne is going strong. Facebook CommentsMore than 65 regime forces and 22 ISIS militants have been killed in the ongoing clashes in Deir Ezzor since yesterday The death toll of regime forces that have been killed in the ongoing clashes against ISIS in Al-Bughayliya in rural Deir Ezzor has jumped up to 65 dead regime fighters and 40 others wounded, medical sources in the military hospital of Deir Ezzor told DeirEzzor 24. On the other hand, more than 22 ISIS militants have been killed, among them fighters of four different nationalities and commanders of Syrian origins, and 30 others injured in the ongoing clashes against regime in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, local sources told DeirEzzor 24. It is worth mentioning that heavy clashes broke out between both parties near al Sai’qa military camp and Brigade 137 a few hours ago, coincided with several warplanes flying over those areas. In addition, regime is heavily bombarding villages situated in the western countryside as we speak, and ISIS is targeting the regime positions near Hotel of al Furat in western rural Deir Ezzor with heavy artillery.Staff Reporter National Accountability Bureau (NAB) intended to curb corruption with iron hands by adopting zero tolerance policy across the board for corruption free Pakistan. This was said by Chairman NAB Qamar Zaman Chaudhry while chairing a monthly coordination meeting to review latest progress on the decisions taken in the previous monthly coordination meeting held at NAB Headquarters here, a press release Tuesday said. He said considering corruption as the biggest hurdle in the way of prosperous Pakistan, NAB was established as an apex anti corruption organization with a mandate to eradicate corruption and to recover hard earned looted money of innocent people from corrupt. He said due to NAB’s proactive National Anti-Corruption Strategy to eradicate corruption, it has received about 3,43,356 complaints from individuals and private and public organizations. During this period, NAB authorized 11,581 complaint verifications, 7587 inquiries, 3846 investigations, filed 2808 corruption references in respective accountability courts and overall conviction ratio is about 76 percent. NAB’s prime focus is on cases of cheating public at large by fraudulent financial companies, bank frauds, wilful bank loan defaults, misuse of authority and embezzlement of state funds by government servants etc. Since NAB’s inception, one of its major achievements has been the recovery of around Rs 287 billion of ill gotten money which was deposited in the national exchequer which is a remarkable achievement. He said the figures of complaints, inquiries and investigations are almost double as compared to the same period of 2015 to 2017. Share on: WhatsAppNewberg and several colleagues have been searching for insights into this process hidden in the Milky Way’s spheroid. “When I started working on the spheroid,” she says, “everyone said it was just a featureless cloud.” But in the mid-1990s, astronomers spotted an intriguing cloud of stars in the spheroid. They realized it must be leftovers from a pulverized dwarf galaxy, which they called the Sagittarius dwarf. This galaxy was only partially digested, and a faint stream of stars was still hemorrhaging from it. With the Sloan’s exquisite sensitivity, Newberg and her colleagues have been able to map the stars of the Sagittarius stream trailing all the way around the Milky Way. They have also found more than a half dozen other streams of stars crisscrossing one another, a formation that they call the Field of Streams. One of them, the Monoceros stream, is as big as the Sagittarius, although there is no definitive remnant of the original galaxy that was destroyed to make it. “That one is still controversial because it’s in the plane of the Milky Way’s disk,” Newberg says. “Some people argue that it’s part of the disk itself.” But other streams that make up the field are unmistakable remains of cannibalized dwarf galaxies. Taking advantage of the Sloan telescope’s ability to record the precise color and brightness of stars, Newberg can now determine the distances to individual stars in the streams. That information then allows her to create a 3-D map of our galaxy and its surroundings. “You can’t really see these structures when you’re looking in only two dimensions,” she says. The results confirm that dark energy is no illusion; there really is an unseen force pushing the universe apart. Surveying the star streams helps us piece together the life history of our galaxy. It also brings the dark universe closer to home. Since most of the gravitational force ripping dwarf galaxies apart comes from dark matter, astronomers hope to deduce the distribution of dark-matter particles lurking around the Milky Way by tracing the structure of the streams. The Infant Universe Grew Up Fast The Sloan survey functions as a time machine, looking not just far out into space but also far back into the early history of the universe. This type of research focuses particularly on quasars, the core of certain hyperactive galaxies. Quasars easily outshine the rest of their galaxies, and yet they are so compact that they look like mere points of light. The engine behind a quasar’s efficient brilliance is a monster black hole, as massive as a billion or more suns, which consumes gas so voraciously that the stuff heats to millions of degrees as it falls in. The Sloan telescope can study the resulting blaze of radiation even if it originates clear across the cosmos. The distance to quasars, as well as to most galaxies, is established by measuring a change in their light known as a redshift. Because of the expansion of the universe, light from faraway objects is stretched and shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. The farther away the object, the longer its light has taken to reach us and the bigger its redshift. Until the Sloan survey came along, the most distant known quasars had a redshift of between 4 and 5 (the number is a measure of how substantially the light has been stretched). That means we are seeing these quasars as they were when the universe was just about 1.1 billion years old, some 12.7 billion years ago. “We had found a few dozen of those quasars at most,” says Donald Schneider, a Pennsylvania State University quasar expert who helped plan the Sloan survey project. But he and his colleagues were puzzled that we could see these extremely distant quasars at all. Standard cosmological models implied that matter in the universe was not concentrated tightly enough to have formed black holes so early on. Clearly the models were wrong. Unfortunately, there were too few of these superdistant quasars known for astrophysicists to say much more than that—until the SDSS added 100,000 new quasars to the rolls. Among this set are no fewer than 1,000 quasars with redshifts higher than 4. A handful of them have redshifts greater than 6, dating them to a time no more than 900 million years after the Big Bang. Just as astrophysicists have used the clustering of nearby galaxies to measure the modern structure of the universe, they can now—finally—start to do the same for the distant, young universe. The preliminary conclusion: Luminous matter—stars and their galaxies—was already gathering on a grand scale at a very early point in cosmic history, probably seeded by dense clouds of dark matter. The most ancient of the quasars found by the Sloan survey also show signs of being shrouded by clouds of hydrogen gas, another clue about conditions in the early universe. Such clouds formed about 400,000 years after the Big Bang, when the cosmos cooled sufficiently to allow charged protons and electrons to bind together to form electrically neutral hydrogen atoms. These atoms absorb certain frequencies of light very efficiently, making the young universe much more opaque than it is today. For obvious reasons, astronomers know little about what was happening during that obscured era, known as the Dark Ages. When the first stars began to form, perhaps 100 million years later, their radiation drove the electrons and protons back apart, making interstellar space highly transparent—as it remains today. Being able to examine extremely distant quasars, still surrounded by long-vanished neutral hydrogen clouds, “means we’re finally probing into the Dark Ages,” Schneider says.Kevin Pritchard seems to have created something special in Indiana. Perhaps not in terms of an abundance of talent on this Pacers team, but in a creation of chemistry that most teams can only dream about having after a few years growing together with little roster turnover. But this team brought in nine new players in a single off-season. “This is the best locker room that I’ve ever been in,” said Myles Turner. With a mix of seemingly unwanted veterans on short-term contracts and young players traded away before they hit their primes, Pritchard, Pacers president of basketball operations, targeted certain types of players and to this point it looks like he pushed all the right buttons in the off-season. “My teammates are phenomenal people,” said Victor Oladipo. “When you surround yourself with people that care about you, chemistry comes natural. It’s a special locker room.” In the team’s off-season press conference that introduced Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, Pritchard said “Both are highly competitive, highly skilled, and both are winners. That is why both were lottery picks. That is why we sought them out to be part of this deal.” The Indy Star reported that the Pacers put these words on a whiteboard as an exercise for what they were looking for in the players they got in return for Paul George: motivated, toughness, hardworking, togetherness, unselfishness, intelligence, athleticism and chemistry. Oladipo perhaps more than any other fit the bill exactly. Who’s more motivated than a former no. 2 pick that’s been traded twice this early in his career? Hardworking? Even his opponents recognize it. Before the game against Cleveland where the Pacers ended the Cavs 13-game winning streak, Dwyane Wade praised Oladipo’s hard work over the summer in Miami this past off-season. Togetherness? Oladipo visited Turner’s house at one in the morning after he had a rough game to give him a confidence boost that led to Turner’s best game of the season the next night. “Vic came over to my house after that Detroit game at one o’clock in the morning,” Turner told Jeremiah Johnson after the Miami Heat game. “We just sat and talked for awhile. When you got guys on your team that care about you that much, that’s big. My teammates have been behind me this whole time. It’s up to me to push myself to play this way every night.” Why Victor Oladipo’s emergence from the reigning MVP’s shadow shouldn’t undercut how he’s propelled himself forward. https://t.co/sdjWpIo75V — Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) December 8, 2017 Athleticism? Oladipo does stuff like this. King James: Bend the knee Victor Oladipo: pic.twitter.com/oFcO25vOPr — iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) December 9, 2017 He uses his speed to go coast to coast so often an apt nickname would be Space Ghost. But it’s not just Oladipo. You can apply those whiteboard words to every player the Pacers added in the off-season and those that remain from last year’s roster. The togetherness and chemistry has payed off immensely. “We’re not just depending on one person or two people to get us over the top,” Thaddeus Young said after a comeback against the Detroit Pistons. “We do it by committee. We all play a vital part on the court in what we do as a team.” The committee approach has the Pacers with five guys averaging between 12 and 14.9 points (Oladipo leads the team with 23.6 points per contest). Any night could be their turn for a big one. Off the bench the Pacers add two more players capable of big nights in Cory Joseph and Lance Stephenson, who both average 8 points per game. This leads to ball movement that at times is a sight to see. pacers ball movement omg 😍 pic.twitter.com/hF8sWEEK10 — Whitney Medworth (@its_whitney) December 9, 2017 Effort is never a question with this group. The play hard; they play fast. They never give in even when they’re down big in the second half. They’re more fun than any Pacers team ever. LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE LANCE MAKE EM DANCE pic.twitter.com/mQn7DmX6jR — iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) December 5, 2017 Hard-working stretches from the top to the bottom of the roster. Joe Young slept on the practice facility floor and got up shots every time he woke up in the middle of the night after coming back from a road win. Even Old Man Damien Wilkins, who at 37 and previously out of the league for four years, is a prime example of hard work. Al Jefferson is out of the rotation but lost 40 pounds in the off-season and doesn’t complain about his lack of playing time. Domas Sabonis plays in a way that allows him to have chemistry with everyone. Thaddeus Young is the quiet veteran leader that when he has something to say the team listens. Myles Turner gets more excited for his teammates than he does for himself after big games. Myles Turner is always the most excited dude for his teammates after a big game.mo pic.twitter.com/oLk6GvZUrs — iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) December 7, 2017 Nate McMillan, heavily criticized here and elsewhere last season, deserves a ton of credit for putting everyone in a chance to succeed with a well-designed offensive scheme for the group he has. Ok Pacers! Ending the Cavs’ 13-game winning streak streak. Nate McMillan deserves a lot of credit for the coaching job he’s done this season. — Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) December 9, 2017 For whatever reason, the Pacers have struggled in the recent past with locker room veterans voices that “don’t resonate” according to Turner and they didn’t seem able to adapt to the fast tempo pace that the Pacers have been trying to go to since David West declined his player option and went ring hunting. But now with Pritchard’s additions and other subtractions to the team, the Pacers chemistry and speed is propelling this 15-11 start to the season. “This team clicks,” said Oladipo. “It’s special to be a part of.”A flight attendant had to fill in for a sick co-pilot on a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight Monday. If she had been alone in the cockpit, could someone on the ground have coached her through the landing, as in the movies? It’s possible, but it would be extremely challenging. Without expert guidance, a panicky, untrained person could easily doom an aircraft with one wrong move. The cockpit of a commercial jet is littered with buttons, switches, screens, and control levers, some of which can lead to a crash in fairly short order when engaged at the wrong moment—or not engaged at the right moment. (The American Airlines flight attendant had flown a single-engine recreational aircraft 20 years ago, but that experience would have been of no use in this situation.) Nevertheless, if a calm passenger stepped into the captain’s seat and quickly managed to establish radio contact, it’s possible that someone on the ground with experience flying that particular model of jet could coach her to a clumsy landing. The chance of success would depend on the circumstances. If both the pilot and co-pilot collapsed during takeoff or landing, a crash would be inevitable. It’s unlikely that the autopilot would be engaged during these maneuvers, and a flight attendant wouldn’t have any time to figure out how to hand-fly the plane. If the pilots went down in mid-flight with the autopilot engaged, the flight attendant would have a chance to ponder her next move: operating the radio. Sounds easy, right? It isn’t. Pilots usually activate the boom mic on their headset by pressing a button on the back of the yoke (i.e., the plane’s steering wheel). But that button happens to be right next to the one that disengages the autopilot. Unless she had some experience with
review all of the world’s science organizations’ statements on the GMO scientific consensus. Spoiler alert – there is no consensus that will state GMOs are evil, dangerous, or cause us to fall over dead because corn is growing out of our brain. Just to be perfectly clear, the term GMO also encompasses other terms like genetically engineered or genetically modified foods. There are no differences between these various terms for these foods. Furthermore, the scientific consensus includes two separate, but related claims: All GMO crops, that were developed using modern genetic engineering processes and that are approved for commercial use by national regulatory bodies, are as safe to consume and as safe for the environment as the corresponding non-GMO counterparts. Modern genetic engineering would be no more likely to cause unpredicted dangers than would other methods of changing an organism’s genome (for example, selective breeding, radiation mutagenesis, polyploidy or wide cross hybridization) which have been employed in agriculture for over 10,000 years. And we simply reject the naturalistic fallacy, which some use to claim that “natural” changes to the genome are inherently “better” than genetic engineering. Meta reviews that form the basis of the GMO scientific consensus In the hierarchy of scientific evidence, the meta review or systematic review, which collects and critically analyzes multiple research studies or papers often combining data from these studies, sits at the pinnacle of scientific research. Meta reviews are the platinum, with embedded diamonds, standard for scientific data. They remove bad studies, and focus on unbiased, well designed, ones, rolling up the data into a form that says, “this seems to be the valid conclusion of the best studies on a subject.” These published results form the basis of a consensus. Without one (usually several) systematic review, it’s nearly impossible to come to a credible scientific consensus. So, let’s look at some of the best studies that have been published recently. In this review of the health impact of GMO crops in long-term animal feeding trials (my review of the study), the authors concluded that: Results from all the 24 studies do not suggest any health hazards and, in general, there were no statistically significant differences within parameters observed. However, some small differences were observed, though these fell within the normal variation range of the considered parameter and thus had no biological or toxicological significance. If required, a 90-day feeding study performed in rodents, according to the OECD Test Guideline, is generally considered sufficient in order to evaluate the health effects of GM feed. The studies reviewed present evidence to show that GM plants are nutritionally equivalent to their non-GM counterparts and can be safely used in food and feed. In a systematic review of the last 10 years of GMO crop safety research (my review of this article is here), which included nearly 1800 studies, the authors concluded that: We have reviewed the scientific literature on GE crop safety for the last 10 years that catches the scientific consensus matured since GE plants became widely cultivated worldwide, and we can conclude that the scientific research conducted so far has not detected any significant hazard directly connected with the use of GM crops. Interestingly, the authors also acknowledged that better scientific communication will help balance the public perception of GMOs with the real science. Maybe my posting here will help. In a review of 20 years of research on genetically modified crops, the authors deduced that: It is concluded that suspect unintended compositional effects that could be caused by genetic modification have not materialized on the basis of this substantial literature. Hence, compositional equivalence studies uniquely required for GM crops may no longer be justified on the basis of scientific uncertainty. In a recent study of over 100 billion animals, which included trillions (yes, trillions) of data points and incorporated nearly 29 years of data (before and after the introduction of GMO crops), the authors concluded that: These field data sets, representing over 100 billion animals following the introduction of GE crops, did not reveal unfavorable or perturbed trends in livestock health and productivity. No study has revealed any differences in the nutritional profile of animal products derived from GE-fed animals. In a review of over 200 primary studies, the authors found that, …extensive testing of Bt proteins, single-Bt trait crops, and stacked trait crops containing Bt proteins has not revealed any harm to non-target insects and other non-target species, including humans. Just in case the reader is going to make the false claim that GM crops use more pesticides, we’ve got evidence there too. In a meta analysis of 147 original studies, the authors found that “GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%.” In other words, not only are genetically modified crops safe, they help the farmer. The authors concluded that: This meta-analysis confirms that – in spite of impact heterogeneity – the average agronomic and economic benefits of GM crops are large and significant. Impacts vary especially by modified crop trait and geographic region. These studies are five powerful, large, and unbiased reviews of robust data from around the world. They embrace thousands of studies, published in highly respected journals – they are not one-off, badly designed junk science like the retracted and highly ridiculed “study” from Séralini. And one more thing – if you’re going to claim that all of this research has been purchased by Monsanto, in reality, about half of the genetically modified food research is independently funded. In fact, all of these meta reviews gave more weight to unbiased studies, whether it was pro or anti GMO. And claims of massive conspiracies to hide real harm from GMO crops are simply not credible. The GMO scientific consensus Let’s take a close look at the various organizations who have come to a scientific consensus on the safety of GMO crops and foods. There are a lot, so grab your GMO free nonfat soy latte, and read away. The AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Sciences) has also released a statement regarding a GMO scientific consensus (pdf): The science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe … The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion: consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques. The American Association for the Advancement of Sciences is an international non-profit organization that has as its stated goals to promote cooperation among scientists, to defend scientific freedom, to encourage scientific responsibility, and to support scientific education and science outreach for the betterment of all humanity. It is the world’s largest and most prestigious general scientific society, and is the publisher of the well-known scientific journal Science. The American Medical Association published this statement about GMOs (pdf): (The) AMA recognizes that there is no evidence that unique hazards exist either in the use of rDNA (GE) techniques or in the movement of genes between unrelated organisms. Bioengineered foods have been consumed for close to 20 years, and during that time, no overt consequences on human health have been reported and/or substantiated in the peer-reviewed literature.” The American Council on Science and Health stated the following: [W]ith the continuing accumulation of evidence of safety and efficiency, and the complete absence of any evidence of harm to the public or the environment, more and more consumers are becoming as comfortable with agricultural biotechnology as they are with medical biotechnology. The American Phytopathological Society issued this statement: The American Phytopathological Society (APS), which represents approximately 5,000 scientists who work with plant pathogens, the diseases they cause, and ways of controlling them, supports biotechnology as a means for improving plant health, food safety, and sustainable growth in plant productivity. The American Society for Microbiology declared the following: The ASM is not aware of any acceptable evidence that food produced with biotechnology and subject to FDA oversight constitutes high risk or is unsafe. We are sufficiently convinced to assure the public that plant varieties and products created with biotechnology have the potential of improved nutrition, better taste and longer shelf-life.” The American Society of Plant Biologists stated the following (pdf): The risks of unintended consequences of this type of gene transfer are comparable to the random mixing of genes that occurs during classical breeding. The ASPB believes strongly that, with continued responsible regulation and oversight, GE will bring many significant health and environmental benefits to the world and its people. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology claimed the following: Over the last decade, 8.5 million farmers have grown transgenic varieties of crops on more than 1 billion acres of farmland in 17 countries. These crops have been consumed by humans and animals in most countries. Transgenic crops on the market today are as safe to eat as their conventional counterparts, and likely more so given the greater regulatory scrutiny to which they are exposed. The National Academy of Sciences, one of the most prestigious scientific bodies in the world, made the following statement about genetically modified crops: The introduction of GE crops has reduced pesticide use or the toxicity of pesticides used on fields where soybean, corn, and cotton are grown. Available evidence indicates that no-till practices and HR crops are complementary, and each has encouraged the other’s adoption. Conservation tillage, especially no-till, reduces soil erosion and can improve soil quality. The pesticide shifts and increase in conservation till-age with GE crops have generally benefited farmers who adopted them so far. Conservation tillage practices can also improve water quality by reducing the volume of runoff from farms into surface water, thereby reducing sedimentation and contamination from farm chemicals. Despite the fact that these are all independent scientific organizations, someone will claim “but they’re all American organizations, who obviously sold out to Monsanto.” Yeah, that happens, even though those claims lack credibility, because inventing a conspiracy theory is so much easier than listening to scientific experts. Just to pander to these conspiracy theories, let’s look at what independent international scientific organizations say about genetically modified crops and foods. Just for some balance. The World Health Organization has taken the following position: No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of GM foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. Although they take no official position, The Royal Society of Medicine (UK) published the following conclusion in a peer reviewed paper: Foods derived from GM crops have been consumed by hundreds of millions of people across the world for more than 15 years, with no reported ill effects (or legal cases related to human health), despite many of the consumers coming from that most litigious of countries, the USA. The International Seed Federation issued the following statement: Today, data shows that GM crops and foods are as safe as their conventional counterparts: millions of hectares worldwide have been cultivated with GM crops and billions of people have eaten GM foods without any documented harmful effect on human health or the environment. The International Society of African Scientists has concluded that: Africa and the Caribbean cannot afford to be left further behind in acquiring the uses and benefits of this new agricultural revolution. The Society for In Vitro Biology concluded the following: The SIVB supports the current science-based approach for the evaluation and regulation of genetically engineered crops. The SIVB supports the need for easy public access to available information on the safety of genetically modified crop products. In addition, the SIVB feels that foods from genetically modified crops, which are determined to be substantially equivalent to those made from crops, do not require mandatory labeling. The Society of Toxicology stated the following in their official journal: Scientific analysis indicates that the process of BD (Biotechnology-Derived) food production is unlikely to lead to hazards of a different nature from those already familiar to toxicologists. The safety of current BD foods, compared with their conventional counterparts, can be assessed with reasonable certainty using established and accepted methods of analytical, nutritional, and toxicological research. In a statement prepared by the Royal Society of London, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and the Third World Academy of Sciences: Foods can be produced through the use of GM technology that are more nutritious, stable in storage, and in principle health promoting – bringing benefits to consumers in both industrialized and developing nations. There is a zombie trope that keeps appearing that European scientists are more ethical, and thus, more skeptical of genetically modified foods than unethical American scientists. Moreover, it is believed that Europeans have access to super secret data that shows that GMO crops are dangerous to human health, and that’s why some European countries ban GM crops. Well, other than that being utter nonsense (archived), several European centered scientific organizations are, in fact, very supportive of genetically modified crops. The European Union (EU) has funded almost two decades of GMO research. Although they don’t have an official position, they did conclude the following (pdf, archive): The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research, and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies. (page 16). The EU Commission further elaborated on their position, policies, and procedures regarding GMO crops here. The Foundation on Biotechnology Awareness and Education published the following statement from the Union of the German Academies of Science and Humanities, the Commission Green Biotechnology, and the Inter-Academy Panel Initiative on Generically Modified Organisms Group of the International Workshop Berlin: In summary, the evidence suggests it to be most unlikely that the consumption of the well-characterised transgenic DNA from approved GMO food harbours any recognisable health risk. Food derived from GM plants approved in the EU and the US poses no risks greater than those from the corresponding conventional food. On the contrary, in some cases food from GM plants appears to be superior with respect to health. The prestigious French Academy of Science published the following consensus statement regarding GMO crops (pdf, French): This analysis shows that all the criticisms against GMOs can be largely dismissed on strictly scientific criteria. Fourteen Italian scientific organizations published the following consensus document (pdf, Italian) on the safety of GMOs (translated from Italian): GMOs are regulated by a regulatory framework that is unmatched in the food industry and therefore they prove to be more controlled than any other food product. All the analysis for food safety assessment must also be carried out before placing them on the market. It is appropriate to focus the analysis not so much on the technology with which these plants are produced, but rather on genetic traits inserted, following a case-by case evaluation. GMOs on the market today, having successfully passed all the tests and procedures necessary for authorization must, on the basis of current knowledge, be safe to use as human and animal food. The TL;DR version The international GMO scientific consensus is overwhelming – GMO crops are safe for humans, animals and for the environment. You may have an opinion that GMO crops aren’t safe for you, but it would be an unfounded, uninformed, and unrealistic opinion. The scientific evidence, backed up by thousands of publications, is enormous. I know that there will be comments that say “but Monsanto!!!” Or, “Round Up kills” (well, it doesn’t, but it also has absolutely nothing to do with genetically modified crops). Or you will cherry pick some obscure study in a bad journal or some pseudoscience website to “prove” GMOs destroy human health. If you want to dispute the safety of GMOs, avoid all logical fallacies. And then get your PhD in biotechnology. And then do some primary research, have it published, and then start a discussion that in some mysterious and heretofore unknown manner, GMO crops somehow harm something. Of course, you’d be in line for a Nobel Prize if you did. Because there’s no convincingly plausible biological mechanism that would lead anyone to presume that genetically modified foods would cause any harm to humans or anything else. None. But of course, there will be those who will push their unscientific opinion because somehow their knowledge is better than that of thousands of real scientists across the world. But just remember, you are no different than your standard climate change denier. Key citations: Related The Original Skeptical Raptor Lifetime lover of science, especially biomedical research. Spent years in academics, business development, research, and traveling the world shilling for Big Pharma. I love sports, mostly college basketball and football, hockey, and baseball. I enjoy great food and intelligent conversation. And a delicious morning coffee! Please help me out by Tweeting out this article or posting it to your favorite Facebook group.There are two ways you can help support this blog. First, you can use Patreon by clicking on the link below. It allows you to set up a monthly donation, which will go a long way to supporting the Skeptical RaptorFinally, you can also purchase anything on Amazon, and a small portion of each purchase goes to this website. Just click below, and shop for everything.Ben McCalman will miss the third Test and up to six weeks of rugby with a fractured scapula. McCalman, who came off the bench in the second Test, hurt his shoulder blade in his first involvement of the game, coach Michael Cheika said. The backrower played out the rest of the game, with no replacement on the bench. Cheika said it was disappointing that McCalman didn't have a chance to push his starting credentials. "He didn't really get a chance to do what he does... he's proven for us over the time I've been involved that he's a serious campaigner," he said. "He would've been a chance (to start this week) but I wasn't unhappy with the back row last week. "There was a few basic errors but I thought they worked hard." Leroy Houston will join up with the squad in Sydney to replace McCalman. McCalman will likely be the only forced change to the Wallabies side for the final Test, though Cheika flagged some other potential reshuffles. "We'll probably make a couple of changes," he said. "I thought I might make a couple each game just to have a look at guys who have shown either through Super Rugby or through the series [that] they're vying for spots. "We'll sort those [changes] out over the next day or so."She was pleased to get the phone call about joining the animated series. She recalled to Nerdist in an exclusive interview, "I had finished filming Rogue One, and they rang and asked if I would I like to be involved in Rebels. I was thrilled. It was such an extraordinary thing to be a part of and to work with the team at Lucasfilm and at [Skywalker Ranch, home of Skywalker Sound]. I would meet them via satellite link-up from wherever I was. I was doing different jobs around--I was in Canada, I was in London, I was in Australia. As an actor you can hop on board the train from wherever you are. It was such a treat to step in at a different point in their storytelling." In Rebels, O'Reilly's portraying Mon a couple of years before the events of Rogue One. A preview for the episode shows Mon Mothma has spoken out against Emperor Palpatine very publicly (an event mentioned in Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide) and is on the run. She's ready to formally assemble the Rebel Alliance. She's been building toward this. "Early on when we met her, when she was much younger, we didn't really see her taking action," O'Reilly said. "We see her listening a lot, we see her gathering a lot of information. Certainly, for me, in how I can play her as an actor, these were foundation moments for that character and it informed her behavior with the rebels group." Though she's been branded a traitor to the Empire and her life's on the line, Mon throws down with the rebels and steps into a leadership role. She enters a state of action that doesn't really take a breather until maybe after the Battle of Yavin. "I think it's a highly charged time," O'Reilly said. "The stakes are high for everybody now. Even though it's earlier, I think what's great about this is she really shows the traits of a true leader in very difficult, very heightened, dangerous times. I think by her very nature she's a genuine humanitarian. She has a strong moral compass." Those traits are on display again and again, particularly in the Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig. Taking charge in such unstable times requires more than a warm heart, however--it requires a steady hand. "What also makes her a great leader is she's also a critical thinker and she is a considered decision maker," O'Reilly said. "We meet her at a time in Rebels, we meet her at those moments--moments where there is a crux, a fork in the road, a genuine point that requires her leadership. That's what's really interesting, to see that early leadership and where it grew from." Since Mon Mothma has been placed at points on the timeline from the prequel era to the period after Return of the Jedi, O'Reilly could revisit the character again. But will she? She wouldn't give anything away; she said, "This is Star Wars. Anything can happen. This is a whole universe of stories. I can't wait to see what happens." Hear O'Reilly as Mon Mothma in tomorrow's (March 4) episode of Star Wars Rebels, "Secret Cargo." It airs at 8:30p.m. ET/PT on Disney XD. Images: Lucasfilm/DisneySo Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman held a pre-draft talk with reporters on Thursday, and the takeaway seems to have been that the Eagles are going to try and draft good players this year instead of reaching to plug roster holes. From Geoff Mosher: "I think when we go back in our draft, sometimes we have probably drafted based on need, based on some circumstances," Roseman said. "And we're trying to make sure we’re taking the best player available now going forward." And also... "If we just stick to our board and take the best player, we'll have good drafts," he said. The sense here is that Roseman and his staff have spent countless hours this season sizing up past misfires, especially on defense, and examining strategies used by other teams that have historically drafted well. I think, in general, drafting good players is the way to go. The teams that have the best players are very often the teams that perform the best during actual games. So, if the Eagles have had some sort of epiphany that will lead them to select the best possible player when their pick comes around, well, good for them. This approach works for the Giants, who use the draft not as a means of repairing immediate roster holes, but of building a deep roster that can regenerate itself over time. Thing is, I think this is all a bunch of noise. I'm sure the Eagles, like pretty much every team, have sometimes drafted for need, and have sometimes drafted for value, taking the best player available. Geoff thinks today's comments indicate that some soul-searching has gone on this offseason in the Eagles' front office, and it's entirely possible. Watching Jason Pierre-Paul eat the league alive while Brandon Graham struggles to get on the field, that's the kind of thing that makes you re-assess. But I think this is just Roseman saying something that sounds good. The Eagles don't know exactly what they're going to do next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, because almost no team does. They're picking 15th. If there's a guy available at 13 that they had ranked fifth, and they're worried the Cowboys are going to take him at 14, they'll probably try and trade up to get him. The draft is impossible to predict, and the best thing you can do is prepare your board and stay as alert as possible to make sure you maximize the value of your picks. If I had to guess, that's what the Eagles plan to do in this year's draft, and the rest is pretty much just chatter for chatter's sake.This article originally appeared at Billmoyers.com America lashed out at our economic system, but our new president-elect won't be able to help. Instead, argues Professor Richard Wolff, we must change the way we approach work. To cut to the core, the issue is capitalism. This system has generated stagnant wages for 40 years, coupled with rising inequality and debts and declining job benefits, security and public services. Established leaders in both major parties oversaw these outcomes and did nothing to reverse them. Republicans eagerly facilitated the mechanisms that delivered rising pain to workers; Democrats did little to slow them. Each party blamed the other, since that neatly avoided blaming the system. Voters were then constrained to choose between two mutually blaming managers of their deteriorating conditions. Rising mass upset was stoked by repeated presidential elections in which candidates promised to change these conditions. The last, Obama, exemplified and underscored change by virtue of his skin. Yet his presidency, like that of his predecessors, betrayed hopes for significant change. Both party establishments were fully embedded in capitalism’s systemic trajectory of rising inequality punctuated by instability (successive downturns culminating in the 2008 crash). Trump, like Obama, once again offered hope for change to those hurt over the last 40 years. Having never served in government before, he underscored his differences from both party establishments by highlighting his status as an outsider. He ridiculed the globalization both major parties endorsed to promise that he would return and protect good jobs. He attacked immigration to show he meant good jobs for “native” Americans. Clinton could not credibly do likewise, since she epitomized the establishment, took money from Wall Street, etc. By attacking his statements as racist, sexist, xenophobic and more, and characterizing his followers as deplorable, Clinton reinforced the we/them dichotomy around his candidacy. That helped him. Why expect Trump to make any basic systemic changes? He will more likely make deals. Nor would he succeed if he tried to change how capitalism works. Even “strongmen” types such as Hitler and Mussolini with loyal mass movements behind them made deals with their dominant capitalist establishments. Lacking such movement backing, Trump more urgently needs deals with leading capitalists who have done very well in capitalism’s last 40 years; they will, again, block change. The fate that befell Obama will haunt Trump. The Democrats will work for that. For the new left emerging from Occupy, the Sanders campaign, Black Lives and other groups, opportunity lies in pinpointing capitalism as the problem and in defining a direction for system change as the solution. Obama, Trump and Clinton cannot solve our social problems because they refuse to confront, criticize or see beyond the capitalism they thereby serve. A new left politics will likely focus on how capitalist enterprises (factories, offices and stores) are organized. It will argue that in them a tiny number of people — major shareholders and boards of directors they select — wield undemocratic command, excluding the vast majority of workers. The few at the top make the basic decisions about what, how and where to produce and what to do with the profits. For a long time, their self-serving decisions yielded what’s best for them but also what’s been socially destructive for the rest of us, including this election. The emerging new left politics will work for democratizing enterprises and thereby the economy. In place of hierarchical, top-down autocratic enterprise organization, it will advance worker cooperatives, owned and operated by workers who make basic decisions democratically: one worker, one vote. The success of this movement would mean that political will and organization can finally address and transform the systemic roots of so many of this country’s problems. And those are the goals for a genuinely new politics.HOLD ON TO YOUR WAND! We've unveiled a totally unseen creature from Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Warner Bros. The Runespoor is a large, three-headed snake that lives in Newt Scamander's suitcase - and can only be seen for the very first time in this world exclusive deleted scene from the movie. In the clip, we get an extended look inside Newt's magical suitcase - and all the creatures that live inside. HIT PLAY on the video below to see this WORLD EXCLUSIVE deleted scene which was never shown in cinemas, until now. So what is the Runespoor? Check out the description from the Wizarding World: RUNESPOOR The Runespoor is a large three-headed snake, with each head serving a different purpose: the left head is the planner; the middle head is the dreamer; and the right head is the critic with extremely venomous fangs. Originating in the small African country of Burkina Faso, the Runespoor commonly reaches a length of six or seven feet and is vivid orange with black stripes, making it all-too-easy to spot. This is unfortunate, as a black market in Runespoors and their eggs has flourished for several centuries. We'll be looking out for the exotic Ruespoor in the Fantastic Beasts sequel, that's for sure! Things just keep getting more magical... - Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them arrives on 4K Ultra HD, 3D, Blu-Ray, DVD and VOD on 27 March, own it first on Digital Download on 13 March from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Want more Fantastic Beasts? Hit play on the video below to watch the cast play a TOTALLY MAGICAL game of 'Would You Rather?'Nature This week, scientists at the University of Tokyo announced a discovery that threatened to break China's control over the world's supply of rare-earth metals, used to build electronics: They found the metals in vast expanses of mud on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in 78 sites. Predictably, the news made a worldwide media splash. A close look at the deep-sea mining industry, however, suggests that miners in China will not be out of work soon. And the world has known about metals on the ocean floor for decades. Rare-earth magnets and other components are used in electronic devices from computers to electric cars, and demand has surged in the last decade. Mines in China supply nearly all of the world's rare-earths metal, and the Chinese government uses its near monopoly as political leverage: It was accused of halting rare-earth exports to Japan during a territorial dispute last year, and also announced a restriction of worldwide rare-earth exports, which sent chills through markets and tech companies. The United States, Canada, Brazil and other countries possess reserves, and the U.S. used to produce a sizeable percentage of the world supply before shutting many mines because of environmental concerns. Those deposits may be exploited in the next few years, though China's huge deposits and existing infrastructure guarantee that it will lead production for the near future. So it's no surprise that the Japanese study, which appears in the journal Nature Geoscience, sparked excitement. The researchers took core samples at 78 sites around Hawaii, Tahiti and other locations in the eastern South Pacific and central North Pacific, finding rare-earth concentrations of about 0.2 percent. At that concentration, they reported, just 1 square kilometer of sea-floor mud could provide one-fifth of the world's annual rare-earth consumption, making it a "highly promising huge resource for these elements." Without context, though, that kind of statement is misleading, says Frank Sansone, an oceanography professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. "It's not just something that you can glibly say, 'Oh, this is a huge amount of rare earth,'" he says. "It would be difficult to exploit. There's a big difference between saying that the elements exist in large amounts and being able to appropriately, economically and environmentally extract that material." John Wiltshire, director of the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, also at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, puts it even more bluntly. "The truth of the matter is, nobody's going to mine in the deep sea—even if somebody massively funds this—for a minimum of a decade," he says. The startup cost could run from $1 to $2 billion. It's not that we don't know how to work in the deep sea, Wiltshire points out. Telegraph cables were first laid across the ocean floor 150 years ago, and at least three industries—telecommunications, oil drilling and diamond mining—have become adept at deep-sea engineering. Today, telecom cables are buried in deep trenches to guard against accidents such as damage by fishing trawlers. Oil rigs drill thousands of feet into the sea floor from floating platforms. And a handful of companies mine diamonds in several hundred feet of water off the coast of Namibia in southwest Africa; they drop remote-controlled seafloor crawlers to the ocean floor that, like pool cleaners, inhale sediment that is pumped to an overhead ship through a hose. Deep-sea rare-earth deposits aren't new, either. Wiltshire, Sansone and many other researchers have been studying mineral deposits—including rare-earth mineral deposits—on the ocean floor since their careers began. "I published a paper on this 25 years ago. The first papers that indicated rare-earth minerals go back 30 or 35 years," Wiltshire says. "People have been talking about mining manganese nodules since the 1960s," Manganese nodules are conglomerates of metallic particles—rare-earth metals and others—stripped from the water over eons, and they were the hot undersea mining topic of decades past. Manganese nodule mining even provided cover for a bit of Cold War intrigue in 1974, when a $350 million deep-sea drilling ship built by one of Howard Hughes' companies supposedly went looking for a deposit to develop. In fact, the ship was being used by the CIA to look for a Soviet nuclear sub that had sunk off Oahu in the 1960s. Today, though, as in the 1970s, cost and time remain enormous hurdles to mining these deposits. Wiltshire says a proposed deep-sea mine off the coast of Papua New Guinea illustrates the challenges that would face anyone looking to start a rare-earth operation in the Pacific Ocean. Nautilus Minerals plans to build a $157 million ship to support what could be the world's only deep-sea gold and copper mine. The ship, floating about three miles above the seafloor, will need to be gigantic: 680 feet long, with a deadweight capacity of more than 20,000 tons and bunks for up to 160 people. Nautilus plans to unleash three remote-controlled devices on the sea floor: two cutters and a collector, adapted from technologies used in the oil and cable-trenching industries. An as-yet-undesigned pump system will lift the ore from the seafloor to the ship. "They've already spent about $400 million, the boat will be a couple hundred million," Wiltshire says. "A complete operation for Nautilus will easily be a billion." The question, then, for any company that would seek to lease these areas (from the Pacific nations which possess the rights) and mine rare earths from the ocean bottom is: Is it worth all this trouble and expense? At 0.2 percent concentration of rare earths, the deep-sea deposits pale in comparison to ore deposits on land, which can have 5 to 10 percent concentrations. All things being equal, it's easier to collect minerals from mud than from ore. But things are not equal, because this mud is beneath three miles of water. Experts do not discount the notion that we may someday mine rare-earth metals in the deep sea; perhaps the buzzwords of the year 2040 will be "Autonomous Underwater Mining Vehicle." But if you're wondering where rare-earth components in computer chips and solar cells will come from for the next decade, the answer is clear—China.Advocacy groups are warning that the cuts set to be instituted under President Donald Trump’s Obamacare repeal plan, the American Healthcare Act (AHCA), will “disproportionately” impact education services and millions of students with disabilities across the country. Under rules in place since 1988, schools have been able to reimburse medical expenses through Medicaid. This has allowed schools to provide essential benefits and vaccination programs, health checks, and mental health services. The AHCA, however, is set to defund the Medicaid health program by 25 percent, or $880 billion over the next decade. The cuts will affect both traditional and expanded coverage. Under one of the less talked about provisions of the new healthcare bill, states will not have to consider whether schools are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. Since school systems are required under the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide certain health services to their students, the new cuts will place incredible strain on school districts. In late March, the 50 member organizations of the Save Medicaid in the Schools Coalition forwarded a letter to House leaders in a bid to draw attention to this “unintended consequence” of the AHCA that would “compel states to ration healthcare for children.” The coalition, which includes American Civil Liberties Union and the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, cites a 2017 study of how districts spend their Medicaid dollars to illustrate how the AHCA will fall short in helping schools meet the IDEA requirements. The study found that two-thirds of reimbursed funds are used to employ health and mental health professionals like speech therapists, school psychologists, and social workers. These personnel serve to enhance development and learning, especially for students from low-income families. The rest of the money is often allocated to technology and equipment necessary to allow physically disabled students to engage and learn, such as walkers, wheelchairs, and sight or hearing aids. Without the necessary Medicaid support, the American children who require these school-based services to succeed in education could be deprived of opportunity. The rushed push for the bill, however, has become so politicized that these concerns about the needs of society’s most vulnerable citizens appear to have been entirely ignored in contrast, interestingly, with provisions to exempt members of Congress and their staff from the losing out.Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Meet Mighty Ginge - one of the biggest cats prowling the UK. Danny Bennett, 47, was given the awesome Siberian forest cat as a gift by a former girlfriend. And he didn't have a clue just how huge Ginge was going to become as he grew and grew. Now Ginge measures an impressive 40ins long, 18ins tall and weighs 22lbs. Mr Bennett said Ginge, who weighs about the same as the average two-year-old kid, enjoys eating the occasional bit of beef burger meat as a special treat. (Image: Archant) Danny, of Hornchurch, Essex, said: "He was just a normal-sized cat back then. I had no idea he would get this big. "Every time people came here or we took him to the vet's people were amazed by how big he was." Read more : Danny takes Ginge out of the house on a harness and lead like a dog for a walk. "Trying to
so far suggests that at least some people are not yet satisfied with the extent of the concessions made by the government. 'Freedom' Witnesses said demonstrators in Deraa gathered in a main square after noon prayers and were heard calling for "the downfall of the regime", according to AP news agency. Meanwhile in Lattakia, one of the country's main ports, thousands took to the streets in the evening in protest after the funeral of a protester killed on Friday. The rallies were held on Syria's Independence Day, which marks the anniversary of the departure of French soldiers 65 years ago. Image caption Mr Assad has said the state of emergency should be lifted within the next week In Talbiseh, north of the central city of Homs, security forces opened fire on a funeral procession, killing at least four people and injuring dozens of others, eyewitnesses said. The funeral was for a man killed by security forces the day before, witnesses told Reuters. Meanwhile, a woman at the demonstration in Suweida said they had chanted "God, Syria, freedom, that's all", but then were confronted by supporters of President Assad. "They came at us with sticks and also hit us with the pictures they were carrying of Bashar - the same president who was talking about freedom yesterday," she told AP. In Hirak, 33 km (20 miles) north-east of Deraa, angry Syrian mourners chanted slogans against Mr Assad at the funeral of 20-year-old soldier Mohammad Ali Radwan al-Qoman. A relative of Qoman said the authorities had told them he had been accidentally electrocuted at his military unit, but that they had seen signs of beatings and believed he had been killed by security forces. Demonstrations were also reported in the port city of Baniyas and Syria's second city, Aleppo. Emergency law On Saturday, Mr Assad told the cabinet a legal commission asked to examine the lifting of the emergency law had come to its conclusions. "I think the commission has finished its work, on Thursday, and the recommendations will be given to the government so that they become law immediately. I don't know how many days it will take you and I think that the maximum deadline for the lifting of the state of emergency will be next week," he said. New security legislation would be introduced in place of the law, he said, adding that the new government should also study ideas for a multi-party system and greater press freedom. The lifting of the emergency law - which bans public gatherings of more than five people - was a key demand of the protesters. Mr Assad's speech followed a massive demonstration on Friday after prayers, when tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in the capital, Damascus. Mr Assad blames the violence in recent weeks on armed gangs rather than reform-seekers and has vowed to put down further unrest.Constable: Runner shirtless every winter day hello My friend's story sounds apocryphal. On a day when the temperature tops out at a frigid 5 and the windchill dips below zero, he claims to see a bare-chested man in shorts running through snowy Arlington Heights. Others swear they spotted the man running shirtless in the middle of our last blizzard. Some insist they've seen him running barefoot, too. He's been called the Gingerbread Man, because it seems you can "run, run, run as fast as you can" and still not catch him. But local runners know this mythical runner is no fairy tale character. He's Mason Saadat. "He's probably the most eccentric runner in the area," says Mark Rouse, who, with his wife, Pom, owns Runners High 'n Tri, an Arlington Heights store that caters to all runners' needs. Pom Rouse says they've sold Saadat shirts he doesn't wear, although Saadat does sometimes wrap a shirt around his hands to keep his fingers from getting cold. "I use oven mitts, my wife's socks -- my daughter's baby hat sometimes," says the 61-year-old Saadat, who admits that about the only thing he doesn't warm up to is the idea of making this column about him instead of the "real runners" of the Dick Pond Fast Track Racing Team. "Those guys give me a lot of motivation. I cannot even compare to those guys," says Saadat, who says he's inspired by coach and club founder Dave Schaefers and runners Ann Schaefers-Coles, Grace Wasielewski, Barb McGovern, Mark Przybyla, Mark Jakubowski and Dave Alberts. "By no means is he a pedestrian runner," Schaefers says of Saadat, who's been in the Dick Pond Fast Track Racing Team since 2010. "He's exceptionally fast for his age." A good soccer player as a young man, Saadat says he took up running later as part of a commitment to be healthier after his weight shot up to 198 pounds. Now, the 5-foot-6 runner checks in at 132 pounds. "Two pounds an inch," he says. Married with a young daughter, and now in his 31st year working for a Sherwin-Williams research lab on the far South Side of Chicago, Saadat generally squeezes in runs between his 3-hour round-trip daily commute, picking up his daughter from school and doing his part of the household chores. "I run every day outside," Saadat says. He hasn't worn a shirt all winter, and he generally runs between 2 and 12 miles depending on the wind chill and his available time. "My dog, she runs three miles a day," says Saadat, who says the Cavachon named Chloe slows him down because she isn't as focused as he is. While he did finish a marathon years ago, Saadat doesn't run to train for competitions. "He runs about 60 miles a week and maintains a really good diet," Mark Rouse says. "He's fit as anything." The cold doesn't bother him, and neither do the occasional barbs tossed his way. "Sometimes people will say, 'Hey, put your shirt on,'" says Saadat, who generally is moving too fast for a dialogue. "There's not another one I've seen like him," Schaefers says. "He's always out there. He does not get cold. To be honest, I've never seen him with a shirt on." Because of the snow or brutal cold, the Rouses say they've canceled "fun runs" sponsored by Runners High 'n Tri, only to see Saadat happily cruising past their store while shirtless. During the winter, most suburban runners rely on treadmills and are lucky to get outside one day a week, Schaefers says. When they do venture into the winter landscape, most generally wear three layers of high-tech clothing, including a jacket. "I don't know if Mason even has a jacket," Schaefers says. "It's just 40 degrees warmer for him." In the summer, Saadat sometimes skips the hottest days, Schaefers says. And he'll spend a lot of time dousing himself with water on warm days when they run at the athletic track at Harper College in Palatine. Whenever possible, Saadat runs barefoot. "He'll carry his shoes lots of times while he runs," says Mark Rouse, who says his store has one other customer known for running without shoes -- Zola Budd. She ran shoeless in the Olympics in 1984 for Great Britain and in 1992 for South Africa and now lives in South Carolina, but she stops by the store when she's in the area. It's not easy to run barefoot, but Saadat can do it. "He's got great form, and that allows him to run barefoot," Schaefers says. Enough about him, Saadat says. He says the focus should be on the positive things that running can do for people. "I've been running for 20, 25 years. For me, running is part of my life," Saadat says. "My wife says I'm a better person when I run."Product Description Innokin iTaste MVP 2.0 The iTaste MVP Variable Voltage APV from Innokin. The most popular BOX MOD on the market today just got even better! All new version 2 with variable wattage and coil ohm checker! The iTaste MVP is a solid all aluminum device. 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Features:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has been the subject of criticism since it was founded by American religious leader Joseph Smith in 1830. The most controversial, and in fact a key reason for Joseph Smith's murder, is the claim that plural marriage (as defenders call it) or polygamy (as attackers call it) is Biblically authorized. Under heavy pressure — Utah would not be accepted as a state if polygamy was practiced — the church formally and publicly renounced the practice in 1890. Utah's statehood soon followed. However, plural marriage remains a controversial and divisive issue, as despite the official renunciation of 1890, it still has sympathizers, defenders, and semi-secret practitioners. More recent criticism has focused on questions of historical revisionism, homophobia, racism,[1] sexist policies, inadequate financial disclosure, and the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Critics [ edit ] The LDS Church and Mormonism have attracted criticism from their inception to the present day. Notable early critics of Mormonism included Abner Cole, Eber D. Howe, and Thomas C. Sharp. Notable 20th-century critics of the LDS Church include Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Richard Abanes, Richard and Joan Ostling, and historian Fawn M. Brodie. In recent years, the Internet has provided a new forum for critics.[2] The church's 2008 support of California's Proposition 8 sparked heated debate and protests by gay-rights organizations.[3][4] Affirmation is a group of current and former members of the LDS Church who have criticized the church's policies on homosexuality. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry is a Christian organization that has criticized the church's theology. The Institute for Religious Research is an organization that has criticized the church, in particular the Book of Abraham. Numerous other organizations maintain web sites that criticize the church. Criticisms of doctrinal changes [ edit ] Priesthood policy [ edit ] The Tanners state that the church's 1978 policy change of allowing all worthy male members, including people of black African descent, to hold the priesthood was not divinely inspired as the church said, but simply a matter of convenience.[5] Richard and Joan Ostling point out that this reversal of policy occurred as the LDS Church began to expand outside the United States into countries such as Brazil that have large, ethnically mixed populations, and as the church prepared to open a new temple in São Paulo, Brazil.[6] The restriction on the priesthood was never formally established as church doctrine. The reasons for it have never been made clear, although some opinions were expressed over the years by various church leaders. A few black elders were ordained to the priesthood under Joseph Smith, who never expressed any opposition to having the priesthood available to all worthy men. The priesthood restriction originated under Brigham Young[7]. Like the practice of polygamy, this position was changed when it no longer served any purpose.[8][unreliable source?] Polygamy officially discontinued in 1890 [ edit ] The Tanners argue that the church's 1890 reversal of its policy on polygamy was done for political reasons, citing the fact that the change was made during the church's lengthy conflict with the federal government over property seizures and statehood.[9] The Ostlings say that, soon after the church received the revelation that polygamy was prohibited, Utah again applied for statehood. This time the federal government did not object to starting the statehood process. Six years later, the process was completed and Utah was admitted as a state in 1896.[10] The Ostlings note that soon after the church suspended the practice of polygamy, the federal government reduced its legal efforts to seize church property.[10] Despite this, Mormon leaders after 1890 continued to sanction and participate in plural marriages in secret, in smaller numbers, both in the U.S. and in Mexico, for a period better measured in decades than years. [11] Mormons Ron Wood and Linda Thatcher do not dispute that the change was a result of federal intervention and say that the church had no choice in the matter. The 1887 Edmunds–Tucker Act was crippling the church and "something dramatic had to be done to reverse [the] trend."[12] After the church appealed its case to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto. Woodruff noted in his journal that he was "acting for the temporal salvation of the Church".[13] God was once a man [ edit ] Critics such as Richard Abanes[14] and the Institute for Religious Research[15] criticize the church[14][15] for changing the principle asserting that God was once a man. They cite changes to the LDS Church publication Gospel Principles between the 1978[16] and 1997[17] editions, where "We can become Gods like our Heavenly Father" was changed to "We can become like our Heavenly Father", and "our Heavenly Father became a God" was changed to "our Heavenly Father became God".[14][15] But, official LDS Church publications still affirm the doctrine of eternal progression, and the official church manual, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow (2012),[18] affirms that "As man is, God once was; as God now is, man may be."[19][20] The 2009 edition of Gospel Principles quotes Joseph Smith as stating, "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God. … He was once a man like us; … God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did".[21] Criticisms of past teachings [ edit ] Polygamy [ edit ] Sarah Pratt, first wife of Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt, in an outspoken critique of Mormon polygamy, said that polygamy completely demoralizes good men and makes bad men correspondingly worse. As for the women—well, God help them! First wives it renders desperate, or else heart-broken, mean-spirited creatures.[22] Pratt ended her marriage to husband Orson Pratt in 1868 because of his "obsession with marrying younger women" (at age 57, Orson Pratt married a sixteen-year-old girl, his tenth wife, younger than his daughter Celestia).[23] Sarah Pratt lashed out at Orson in an 1877 interview, stating: Here was my husband, gray headed, taking to his bed young girls in mockery of marriage. Of course there could be no joy for him in such an intercourse except for the indulgence of his fanaticism and of something else, perhaps, which I hesitate to mention.[24] The Tanners argue that early church leaders established the practice of polygamy in order to justify behavior that would otherwise be regarded as immoral.[25] The Ostlings criticize Joseph Smith for marrying at least 32 women during his lifetime, including several under the age of 16, a fact acknowledged by Mormon historian Todd Compton.[26][27] Compton also acknowledges that Smith entered into polyandrous marriages (that is, he married women who were already married to other men)[27] and that he warned some potential spouses of eternal damnation if they did not consent to be his wife;[28] in at least two cases, Smith married orphan girls who had come to live at his home.[29] However, Bushman notes that evidence of sexual relations between Smith and any wives of his followers is sparse or unreliable.[30] Compton argues that some marriages were likely dynastic in nature, to link families.[citation needed] Also, while the age of some of Smith's wives may seem unusual by 21st-century standards, marriage for girls at a very young age was not uncommon in mid-19th-century America.[31][unreliable source?] [32][33][34][35] The average age of first marriage for white US women from 1850-1880 was 23.[36] Bar chart showing age differences at the time of polygamous marriage between teenage brides and early Mormon church leaders.The average age of first marriage for white US women from 1850-1880 was 23. Polygamy after 1890 [ edit ] Richard Abanes, Richard and Joan Ostling, and D. Michael Quinn note that after the 1890 Manifesto, church leaders authorized more than 200 polygamous marriages and lied about the continuing practice.[37][38][39] Joseph F. Smith acknowledged reports that church leaders did not fully adhere to the 1890 prohibition. After the Second Manifesto in 1904, anyone entering into a new plural marriage was excommunicated.[40] Adam–God doctrine [ edit ] The Ostlings criticize Brigham Young's teachings that God and Adam are the same being.[41][42] One apostle, Franklin D. Richards, also accepted the doctrine as taught by Young, stating in a conference held in June 1854 that "the Prophet and Apostle Brigham has declared it, and that it is the word of the Lord".[43] But, when the concept was first introduced, several LDS leaders disagreed with the doctrine, including apostle Orson Pratt, who expressed that disagreement publicly.[44] The church never formally adopted the doctrine, and has since officially repudiated it.[45][46] Blood atonement [ edit ] Brigham Young introduced a doctrine known as "blood atonement", regarding the unpardonable sin, or sin for which Jesus Christ's atonement does not apply.[47][48] He taught that a person could atone for such sins only by giving up his or her life.[49] Various church leaders in the 19th century taught likewise,[50][51][52] but more recently church leaders have taught that the atonement of Jesus Christ is all-encompassing and that there is no sin so severe that it cannot be forgiven (with the exception of the "unpardonable sin" of denying the Holy Ghost).[53] Criticism regarding temples [ edit ] Critics find fault with the church's temple policies and ceremonies, which include an endowment ceremony, weddings, and proxy baptism for the dead. Temple admission restricted [ edit ] Richard and Joan Ostling, and Hugh F. Pyle state that the LDS's policy on temple admission is unreasonable, noting that even relatives cannot attend a temple marriage unless they are members of the church in good standing.[54][55] The Ostlings, the Institute for Religious Research, and Jerald and Sandra Tanner say that the admission rules are unreasonable because admission to the temple requires that a church member must first declare that they pay their full tithe before they can enter a temple.[56][57][58] The Mormonism Research Ministry calls this "coerced tithing" because church members that do not pay the full tithe cannot enter the temple, and thus cannot receive the ordinances required to receive the highest order of exaltation in the next life.[59] Baptism for the dead [ edit ] The church teaches that a living person, acting as proxy, can be baptized by immersion on behalf of a deceased person, citing 1 Corinthians 15:29;[60] Malachi 4:5–6; John 5:25; and 1 Peter 4:6 for doctrinal support.[61] These baptisms for the dead are performed in temples. Floyd C. McElveen and the Institute for Religious Research state that verses to support baptism for the dead are not justified by contextual exegesis of the Bible.[62][63] In 2008, the Vatican issued a statement calling the practice "erroneous" and directing its dioceses to keep parish records from Mormons performing genealogical research.[64] Holocaust survivors and other Jewish groups criticized the LDS Church in 1995, after discovering that the church had baptized more than 300,000 Jewish holocaust victims.[65][66] After that criticism, church leaders put a policy in place to stop the practice, with an exception for baptisms specifically requested or approved by victims' relatives.[67] Jewish organizations again criticized the church in 2002, 2004, and 2008[68] stating that the church failed to honor the 1995 agreement.[67] However, Jewish and Mormon leaders subsequently acknowledged in a joint statement in 2010 that "concerns between members of both groups...have been eliminated."[69][70] Endowment ceremony [ edit ] Jerald and Sandra Tanner allege that Joseph Smith copied parts of the Mormon temple endowment ceremony from Masonic rituals (such as secret handshakes, clothing, and passwords), and that this undermines the church's statement that the rituals were divinely inspired.[71] The Tanners also point to the fact that Joseph Smith was himself a Freemason[72] prior to introducing the endowment rituals into Mormonism. The Tanners criticize the church's revision of the temple endowment ceremony over the years, saying that revisions were made to obscure provocative practices of the early church.[73][74] FairMormon acknowledges changes to the endowment ceremony and points out that (according to Joseph Fielding Smith) Joseph Smith told Brigham Young the ceremony was "not arranged perfectly", and challenged him to organize and systemize it, which Young continued to do throughout his presidency.[75] Responses to abuse allegations [ edit ] Reacting to accusations of abuse by teachers,[76] Boy Scouts leaders,[77] clergy, etc., social welfare activists have campaigned for more robust of measures toward greater prevention of abuse of individuals served by counselors and other professionals, advocating greater transparency and quicker referral of allegations to criminal investigators. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and others have criticized one-on-one ("worthiness") interviews between LDS pastoral leaders and (especially) adolescent congregants, believing them "an invitation" for abuse. An editorial in the sectarian (LDS Church) Deseret News responded[78][79]: The LDS Church has a zero tolerance policy concerning sexual misconduct. It also gives specific instruction on conducting one-on-one interviews with youths, including encouraging them to have parents or other trustworthy adults sit directly outside the room. Church leaders are to avoid any situation that could be misinterpreted. 2018 protest over leaders' sexual interviews with children and teens. In 2018 over 800 protesters gathered and marched to the LDS Church headquarters to deliver a petition with over 55,000 signatures asking for an end to semiannual, closed-door, one-on-one interviews between adult male local church leaders and children and teens during which many members have been asked about their sexual behaviors and thoughts in ways they felt were harmful.[80] Finances [ edit ] The church has often been secretive about its finances, especially in the United States. The church has not disclosed its assets in the U.S. since 1959.[81] This has drawn criticism from the Ostlings and the Tanners, who consider its financial practices to be overly secretive.[82][83][84] The church does disclose financials in the United Kingdom[85] and Canada,[86] where it is required to by law. In addition, the church employs an independent audit department that provides its certification at each annual general conference that church contributions are collected and spent in accordance with church policy.[87] Moreover, the church engages a public accounting firm (currently Deloitte & Touche in the United States; PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United Kingdom) to perform annual audits of its not-for-profit,[88] for-profit,[89] and educational[90][91] entities. Lay leaders at the local level are not paid.[92] The Tanners and the Ostlings accuse the church of being overly greedy and materialistic, citing the large amount of wealth accumulated by the church, and citing the strong emphasis on tithing,[93] and suggest that the church is more like a business than a spiritual endeavor.[84][94] Criticism of response to internal dissent [ edit ] The Ostlings say that the LDS Church retaliates against members that publish information that undermines church policies,[95] citing excommunications of scientist Simon Southerton[96] and biographer Fawn M. Brodie.[97] They further state that the church suppresses intellectual freedom, citing the 1993 excommunication of the "September Six", including gay LDS historian D. Michael Quinn, and author Lavina Fielding Anderson.[95] The Ostlings write that Anderson was the first to reveal the LDS Church keeps files on Mormon scholars, documenting questionable activities, and the Ostlings state that "No other sizable religion in America monitors its followers in this way".[95] The American Association of University Professors, since 1998, has put LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University on its list of universities that do not allow tenured professors sufficient freedom in teaching and research.[98] Richard Abanes lists the following as church members excommunicated or censured for views unacceptable to the church hierarchy:[99] Church monitors members' critical publications [ edit ] Richard Abanes and the Ostlings criticize the LDS Church for maintaining a group called the Strengthening Church Members Committee, led by two church apostles.[99] According to the Ostlings, the purpose of this committee is to collect and file "letters to the editor, other writings, quotes in the media, and public activities" of church members that may be publishing views contrary to those of the church leadership.[100] The Committee has also recruited students to spy on professors at Brigham Young University who are suspected of violating the church's dictates.[101][102] The Tanners state that throughout the 20th century the church denied scholars access to many key church documents, and in 1979 said that it had refused to publish Joseph Smith's diary.[103] Apologists point out that The Joseph Smith Papers project will provide access to Smith's journals.[104] Alleged distortion of its own history [ edit ] An analysis of B. H. Roberts's work History of the Church, when compared to the original manuscripts from which it is drawn, "more than 62,000 words" can be identified that were either added or deleted.[105] Based on this analysis, Jerald and Sandra Tanner contend that the church distorts its history in order to portray itself in a more favorable light.[73] Specifically, they allege that there was a systematic removal of events that portray Joseph Smith in a negative light.[106] D. Michael Quinn responded to these charges by pointing out that methods by Roberts used in creating History of the Church—while flawed by today's standards—were not uncommon practices in the nineteenth century, even by reputable historians.[107] The Tanners cite the selective use of Brigham Young's statements, presented in a manner to give the illusion that he was in favor of blacks receiving the priesthood.[108] The Tanners also state that the church attempted to discredit evidence that Joseph Smith was arrested, tried, and found guilty by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826.[109] The Tanners have also highlighted changes such as the title page of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon that described Smith as "Author and Proprietor" of the book, which was revised in subsequent editions to be "Translator",[110] and the description of Oliver Cowdery's skill at using the divining rod found in the 1829 edition of the Book of Commandments, which does not appear in the corresponding section of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.[111] FARMS responds to the "author and proprietor" charge by arguing this title conformed to the governing copyright laws in 1830.[112] The Ostlings consider other omissions to be distortion, noting that the widely distributed church manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young omits any mention of Young's polygamy, and that the book's chronological summary of Young's life includes the date of his first marriage, the date of the first wife's death, and the date of the second legal marriage, but omits mention of Young's dozens of other marriages.[113] In 1842, Willard Richards compiled a number of records in order to produce a history of the church. Among the records examined were the various accounts related to Zelph. In the process of combining the accounts, Richards crossed out Woodruff's references to "hill Cumorah," and Heber C. Kimball's reference to the "last great struggle with the Lamanites"[114] Mormon historian D. Michael Quinn has accused LDS Church leaders of urging historians to hide "controversies and difficulties of the Mormon past".[115] Mormon scholar Allen Robers says church leaders "attempt to control depictions of the Mormon past".[116] Non-Mormon professor John Hallwas of Western Illinois University says of LDS historians: "[they] do not mention Mormon intimidation, deception, repression, theft, and violence, or any other matters that might call into question the sacred nature of the Mormon experience."[117] Columbia University professor Richard Bushman, a member of The Joseph Smith Papers advisory board, responds to critics that those on the project "work on the assumption that the closer you get to Joseph Smith in the sources, the stronger he will appear, rather than the reverse, as is so often assumed by critics."[118] In 1969, the Western History Association published Jewish historian Moses Rischin's observation of a new trend among Mormon historians to report objectively.[119] Quinn cites this as the origin of the term "New Mormon history", while citing previous efforts towards objectivity such as Juanita Brooks's 1950 publication of The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Stanford University Press.[120] FARMS scholarship questioned [ edit ] Critics say the LDS Church is academically dishonest, because it supports biased research conducted by the church-owned Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS). FARMS is a research institute within church-owned Brigham Young University that publishes Mormon scholarship. Critic Matthew Paulsen, of the Christian countercult group Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, faults FARMS for limiting peer review to members of the LDS Church. He states that FARMS's primary goal is to defend the Mormon faith rather than to promote truthful scholarship.[121] Molecular biologist Simon Southerton, a former LDS Church bishop and author of Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church said, "I was amazed at the lengths that FARMS went to in order to prop up faith in the Book of Mormon. I felt that the only way I could be satisfied with FARMS explanations was to stop thinking.... The explanations of the FARMS researchers stretched the bounds of credibility to breaking point on almost every critical issue".[122] FARMS supports and sponsors what it considers to be "faithful scholarship", which includes academic study and research in support of Christianity and Mormonism, and in particular, where possible, the official position of the LDS Church.[123] Views on sexuality [ edit ] Deborah Laake and Colleen McDannell say that the church takes a repressive stance towards sexuality and that this may be psychologically unhealthy.[124][125] Affirmation, a Mormon LGBT organization, and Ed Decker, a critic of the LDS Church, both state that the repressive attitude of the church may—in extreme cases—lead to suicide, as in the case of 16-year-old Kip Eliason, who committed suicide because of the stresses that resulted when his church bishop told him that masturbation was sinful.[126][127] In January 1982, the church's First Presidency issued a letter to local leaders stating that they had "interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice." The letter was not distributed to the general membership.[128] This letter also instructed local leaders not to inquire into the specifics of married members' sex lives. However, this portion of the letter was often ignored, and in response to letters of protest from members, another letter was issued to local leaders in October reiterating the prohibition on inquiring into specific sexual practices.[129] Views on homosexuality [ edit ] Scott Thumma and Affirmation.org contend that the LDS Church is homophobic.[130][131] Affirmation.org cites a faithful, celibate, gay Latter-day Saint who shortly before his suicide wrote: "Straight members have absolutely no idea what it is like to grow up gay in this church. It is a life of constant torment, self-hatred and internalized homophobia."[132] "God Loveth His Children", a pamphlet produced by the LDS Church, acknowledges that many gays "have felt rejected because members of the Church did not always show love." It criticizes those members, and challenges gays to show love and kindness so the members can "change their attitudes and follow Christ more fully".[133] Gay historian D. Michael Quinn has hypothesized that early church leaders had a more tolerant view of homosexuality. He writes that several early church leaders and prominent members, including Louie B. Felt, May Anderson, Evan Stephens, and presiding patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith, may have either had homosexual tendencies or were involved in homosexual relationships.[134] George Mitton and Rhett S. James do not dispute that some early members may have had homosexual tendencies, but they call Quinn's assertion of tolerance a distortion of church history that has little support from other historians. They state the current leadership of the church "is entirely consistent with the teachings of past leaders and with the scriptures."[135] In the early 1970s, Ford McBride did research in electroshock therapy while a student at Brigham Young University (BYU); he performed it on volunteer homosexual students to help cure them of ego-dystonic sexual orientation.[136][137] This was a standard type of aversion therapy used to treat homosexuality,[138] which was considered a mental illness at the time.[139] As church president, Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged church members to reach out to homosexuals with love and understanding.[140] Affirmation.org has particularly criticized sexual repression of gays, both inside and outside of the church. A letter dated June 20, 2008, sent to Mormon bishops and signed by the First Presidency, called on Mormons to donate "means and time" to a California ballot measure designed to defeat the state's May ruling allowing same-sex marriage. Richard and Joan Ostling point out that the LDS Church actively campaigns against same-sex marriage statutes, including donating $500,000 in 1998 towards a campaign to defeat such a referendum in Alaska.[141] The church's support (80 to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts and as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised[142]) of California's Proposition 8 in 2008 sparked heated debate and protesting by gay-rights organizations.[3] The church's political involvement and stance on homosexuality is denounced by the 2010 documentary film 8: The Mormon Proposition. Racism [ edit ] Richard and Joan Ostling point to the church's practice, continued until 1978, of refusing the priesthood to blacks as evidence that past LDS Church policies were racist in nature. Before the change in policy, most other adult males in the LDS Church were given the priesthood; church policy precluded blacks from officiating in ordinances and from participating in church temple ceremonies.[143] Jerald and Sandra Tanner cite quotes from church leaders such as Brigham Young, who said, "You must not think, from what I say, that I am opposed to slavery. No! The negro is damned, and is to serve his master till God chooses to remove the curse of Ham".[144] The Tanners also illustrate church racism by quoting sections of the Book of Mormon which describe dark skin as a sign of a curse and a mark from God to distinguish a more righteous group of people from a less righteous group, and by citing passages describing white skin as "delightsome" while dark skin is portrayed as unenticing ( ). These references in the Book of Mormon refer to those presumed to be the ancestors of Native Americans, not people of African descent.[145] Joseph F. Smith, president of the church, wrote that people with dark skin were less faithful in the pre-mortal life, and as such, did not warrant the blessings of the priesthood.[146][147] The Tanners also cite other church leaders, historical and modern, who have spoken in favor of segregation and restrictions on admission to the priesthood for men of African descent.[146][148] Although the current LDS Church policy now admits blacks to the priesthood, the church has not issued a written repudiation of racist doctrines.[149] Apostle Bruce R. McConkie told members to "[f]orget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said [about Blacks and the priesthood].... We spoke with a limited understanding."[150] Some black members have made formal requests to the church to issue a statement, while other black members have argued against that effort.[151] Darron Smith, a critical black church member, contends in his book, Black and Mormon, that the church "refuses to acknowledge and undo its racist past, and until it does that, members continue to suffer psychological damage from it" and that "the church has not done enough to rectify its racist past".[152] The large majority of black Mormons, however, say they are willing to look beyond the racist teachings and cleave to the church.[153] Church president Gordon B. Hinckley gave sermons against racism. He taught that no one who utters denigrating remarks can consider himself a true disciple of Christ, and noted the irony of racial claims to the Melchizedek priesthood.[154] Richard Abanes contends that the church tries to hide past racial practices, citing the 1981 change in the Book of Mormon, which stated that the Lamanites
because he is about to go into the hospital for a major operation, and the two apparently seem to patch things up between them. However, in Fred's return trip to visit Archie and Edith, he arrives with a beautiful 18-year-old wife named Katherine. This leads to a heated discussion, which erupts into an argument between Archie and Fred over May–September romances and places another strain on the relationship between Archie and Fred, who storms angrily out of the Bunker home with his teen bride. Archie and Fred apparently are estranged for the next three-plus years. Putting a further strain on the relationship was the 1981 arrival of Fred's 18-year-old daughter, Barbara ("Billie") Denise Miller, who is also upset over her father's marriage to someone not even three years older than she is (although in Archie Bunker's Place, Billie begins dating someone 15 years her senior). Fred visits again for Christmas in 1982, finally revealing to everyone why he left his first wife and found love with Katherine. Archie is a World War II veteran who had been based in Foggia, Italy for 22 months. During a doctor's appointment it is stated that Archie had an undistinguished military record for his non-combat ground role in the Air Corps, later called the Army Air Forces, which at the time was a branch of the United States Army. Archie often insisted that he was a member of the Air Corps. He received the Good Conduct Medal,[13] and in the All in the Family episode "Archie's Civil Rights", it is disclosed he also received the Purple Heart for being hit in his buttocks by shrapnel. He married Edith Bunker 22 years before the first season. Later recollections of their mid-1940s courtship do not result in a consistent timeline. On the flashback episode showing Mike and Gloria's wedding, Archie indicates to Mike that his courtship of Edith lasted two years and hints that their relationship was not consummated until a month after their wedding night. Edith elsewhere recollects that Archie fell asleep on their wedding night and blurts out that their sex life has not been very active in recent years. On another occasion, Edith reveals Archie's history of gambling addiction, which caused problems in the early years of their marriage. Archie also reveals that when Edith was in labor with Gloria, he took her to Bayside Hospital on the Q5 bus because "the subway don't run to Bayside". According to Edith, Archie's resentment of Mike stemmed primarily from the fact that Mike was attending college, while Archie had been forced to drop out of high school during the Great Depression to help support his family. Archie does not take advantage of the GI Bill to further his education, although he does attend night school to earn a high school diploma in 1973.[citation needed] Archie is also revealed to have been an outstanding baseball player in his youth: his dream was to pitch for the New York Yankees. He had to give up this dream when he left high school to enter the workforce. His uncle got him a job on a loading dock after World War II, and by the 1970s he was a foreman.[citation needed] Although he is a Protestant, Archie seldom attends church, despite professing strong Christian views. The original pilot mentions that in the 22 years Archie and Edith were married, Archie had only attended church seven times (including their wedding day) and that Archie had walked out of the sermon the most recent time, disgusted with the preacher's message (which he perceived as leftist).[citation needed] Archie's religiosity often translates into knee-jerk opposition to atheism or agnosticism (which Mike and Gloria variously espoused), Catholicism (despite Carroll O'Connor being a devout Catholic), and, until late in the series, Judaism. Archie is a Republican[14] and an outspoken supporter of Richard Nixon, as well as an early (1976) supporter of Ronald Reagan, who correctly predicted Reagan's election in 1980. During the Vietnam War, Archie dismisses peace protesters as unpatriotic and has little good to say about the Civil Rights Movement. Despite having an adversarial relationship with his black neighbors, the Jeffersons, he forms an unlikely friendship with their son Lionel, who performs various odd jobs for the Bunkers and responds to Archie's patronizing racial views with sarcastic quips that usually go over Archie's head. The later spinoff series 704 Hauser features a new, black family moving into Bunker's old home. The series is set in 1994 but does not indicate whether Bunker, who would have been 70 by this time, is still alive. His now-adult grandson, Joey Stivic, appears briefly in the first episode of the series and references his grandfather, but doesn't state whether he's still alive at this point. Viewer reactions [ edit ] Such was the name recognition and societal influence of the Bunker character that by 1972, commentators were discussing the "Archie Bunker vote" (i.e., the voting bloc comprising urban, white, working-class men) in that year's presidential election. In the same year, there was a parody election campaign, complete with T-shirts, campaign buttons, and bumper stickers, advocating "Archie Bunker for President".[15][16] In May 1973, RCA Records' trade advertisement for Archie and Edith's debut single, a recording of "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?", carried the tagline "John and Yoko, move over", referring to the artist-activists John Lennon and Yoko Ono.[17] The character's imprint on American culture is such that Archie Bunker's name was still being used in the media in 2008, to describe a certain group of voters who voted in that year's U.S. presidential election.[15][16] Commentating on BBC Newsnight, political commentator Conrad Black referred to Donald Trump as having secured the "Archie Bunker vote" during the 2016 presidential election. Norman Lear originally intended that Bunker be strongly disliked by audiences. Lear was shocked when Bunker quietly became a beloved figure to much of middle America. Lear thought that Bunker's opinions on race, sex, marriage, and religion were so wrong as to represent a parody of right-wing bigotry. Sammy Davis, Jr., who was both black and Jewish, genuinely liked the character. He felt that Bunker's bigotry was based on his rough, working-class life experiences and that Bunker was honest and forthright in his opinions, showing an openness to changing his views if an individual treated him right. In 1972, Davis appeared in episode 21 of season 2 of All in the Family, and later appeared in episode 19 of season 1 of spin-off Archie Bunker's Place. Bunker's racist and misogynistic views were the template for the creation of Eric Cartman, one of the characters in the adult animated sitcom South Park.[18] See also [ edit ]The fourth installment of the iconic Platinum Breakz album series on Metalheadz is out now. I’m happy and proud to be a part of it and wanted to celebrate the release by doing something a little bit special. I wanted to bring you guys some knowledge straight from the trenches. So I took to it and spoke to many of the artists featured on the album. I asked them to share advice on things they find useful in their music creation process. It goes without saying these guys are all at the top of their game so I was as interested as anyone else about picking some brains! In this article I will also expand and share some further thoughts of my own on each topic. Let’s see what they’re saying… Om Unit: STOP! You’ve spent all day on your tune, and you’re so happy with it that you feel it’s time to mixdown, you start getting really into eq’ing and building the vibe.. cranking the speaker levels up and feeling the finshing line is just ahead? STOP. Mixdown for sure and take away the mix, but take a break from the track for a few days, more often than not there will be some sort of issue in there that you weren’t hearing, and it’s a simple bit of remedial work and perhaps going in again on the arrangement to get the best out of the tune.. But again moderation is the key when it comes to your final mix.. sometimes the frequencies that poke out of a mix can sound a little “wrong” on high class monitoring but actually give a track some character.. as important as it is to get your mix clear, is the vibe itself, which if you go too far overboard you will more often kill that vibe for the sake of a “technically” perfect mix. Take breaks, keep the balance! My thoughts: I’ve fallen victim to this trap countless times, especially when it comes to overworking the final mix. The vibe is crucial and it’s easy to kill it if you go by the book and follow all the classic mixing advice. Ulterior Motive: Get to know the ‘enveloper’ plugin in Logic. Very simple and really useful for controlling drum hit / percussion dynamics. It’s essentially a transient shaper but very easy to use and very low CPU. My thoughts:< Coming from guys who I consider one of the best when it comes to getting dynamics right, you should really pay attention to this. This advice is also a great display of making the most of what you have. You don’t need the latest flashy stuff to get brilliant results. Regardless of what DAW you are using, I bet it has some little plugins that you’re not using properly yet. Put those guys to work. Survival: One of the most useful tips I think is good signal flow, so you can keep your level at the master low and to use a good VU/RMS meter to judge the “loudness” of your mix or elements. I like to have my whole mix averaging about 0vu (peaking around -6 db at the master out) and then use my mastering limiter to bring the level up to 0db and ideally hitting around -6db RMS. If you can get a balanced mix to about -6db RMS then you are well on the way to getting your mix to a comparable level with whats out there today. My thoughts: It is very important to learn to hold down your levels and think about the signal flow in order to be able to control the mix. For me it’s very easy to get into a limbo where you just keep pushing the channels louder and louder, little by little, and finally end up with losing control of the mix and having to start from scratch. Watch the master and use a good level meter (such as the great and free Voxengo Span) to make assessments and establish an understanding of loudness. Skeptical: For me being in the right mind set is a definite, you have to stay focused to keep things interesting. You can’t be in the studio all the time but keeping the ball rolling regularly is a way I like to stay focused. I try to keep my body healthy and fit which I find helps. I like to start my tracks with the drums, spend a bit of time getting them tight and how you want them. Its like building a house, you cant build a house on bad foundations and your drums are your foundations. Monitor quietly (each to their own). Move your phone out of reach. In this day and age smart phones are a massive distraction to your daily routine so remove anything that’s going to distract you. Limit your projects to working on 3 or 4 projects at a time. My thoughts: Top advice from a top guy, I couldn’t agree more about learning to focus, and the value of having a routine and maintaining a healthy body. It’s not about being a superhuman though, but leaning towards a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our health has a huge effect on your ability to focus and maintain routines, as well as the quality of your decisions. Blocks: Best piece of advice I was ever given and something I tell people myself.. If you want to make music as a career then you have to put the hours in like one. Whether you’re working in a pub, an office or at uni whatever, you gotta be putting those hours in again after work to hone your craft. My thoughts: Well said – you need to find a way to put in the time, and it takes a sacrifice. There is no lasting success without putting in the work. You might have heard of the 10 000 hour rule (=to truly master anything you need to put in 10 000 hours). While I think it holds a little bit of truth to it… The quality of the work you are putting in matters a lot too. You should aim for deliberate practice and learning to focus your attention while you work. If you want to learn more about it, I recommend you read this great article: Debunking the Myth of the 10,000-Hours Rule: What It Actually Takes to Reach Genius-Level Excellence. In any case there is no going around the fact that you need to be putting in tons and tons of hours. Digital: Check out the Universal Audio Roland RE-201. If you like super dubbed out delays it’s the one for you because the presets are great plus it’s very simple to create your own crazy delays. For a more hands on live approach I use it with the nocturn 25 keyboard with Auto mapping. My thoughts: Well not much to add there, if this man gives you advice about dubbed out delays you better listen. Here is the link the the plugin. FD: A good monitoring position is key. To have a fully sound treated room etc is quite a luxury – as this can cost a lot to achieve, or require a space where you can use it just for making music. But a good starting point is to have a good monitoring position. So, try and have your speakers away from the wall and not in a corner, and very importantly, the tweeters at ear level. Angle them so the mixing sweet spot (the axis where the sound from the speakers cross) is where your sitting position is – and then, try and get the speakers on some stands or something heavy, so as to try and lose as little bass through a table or floor. To get a perfect listening position is hard, but every bit helps. My thoughts: Great advice – again, make sure you are making the most out of what you have before investing in new stuff (like in this case – acoustic treatment). If you have the chance, it pays off to try a few different monitoring positions within your room before deciding on where to set up. This can make a big difference especially for the bass response, as standing waves cause bass to disappear/amplify at certain positions. HYDRO: I like to start a new track with a batch of freshly chopped samples. I can easily liken this to djing… it’s often more fun to have a mix, when you have brand new records in the bag. Obviously you will also have your classics to draw on, but the freshness will help to make it exciting. My thoughts: Yes, I love that – you should do all you can to make the process more enjoyable and exciting! Making music should be fun right? LOXY & RESOUND: Think forward. Do your own thing and stop trying to conform to what others are doing. If you are still new to making music it can be an useful exercise to try and replicate other styles, but keep it as just that – an exercise. Copycats are spotted from a mile away so the best way to get noticed is to have fun and give yourself the permission to venture into the unknown and different. That’s it folks! Put this stuff to action and go grab the album (it’s out now on vinyl, CD & digital).As a first step to fast-tracking development high on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has submitted a classified document identifying several foreign-funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are “negatively impacting economic development”. Advertising “A significant number of Indian NGOs (funded by some donors based in the US, the UK, Germany, The Netherlands and Scandinavian countries) have been noticed to be using people centric issues to create an environment which lends itself to stalling development projects,” says the IB report marked to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “The negative impact on GDP growth is assessed to be 2-3 per cent per annum,” says the June 3 report, identifying seven sectors/ projects that got stalled because of NGO-created agitations against nuclear power plants, uranium mines, coal-fired power plants, farm biotechnology, mega industrial projects, hydroelectric plants and extractive industries. While detailing what it calls “anti-development” activities by the NGOs during 2011-13, the 21-page report highlights their plans for 2014 and the areas that would come under pressure. These include a campaign against palm oil imports from Indonesia and disposal of e-waste of Indian IT firms, organising construction workers in urban areas, protests against identified projects such as Gujarat’s Special Investment Regions, Par Tapi Narmada River Interlinking Project and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The report says that while caste discrimination, human rights and big dams were earlier chosen by international organisations to discredit India at global forums, the recent shift in the choice of issues was to encourage “growth-retarding campaigns” focused on extractive industries, genetically-modified organisms and foods, climate change and anti-nuclear issues. According to the report, the funding for such campaigns came from foreign donors under charitable garb for issues ranging from protection of human rights, violence against women, caste discrimination, religious freedom etc or to provide a “just deal” to the project-affected displaced persons or for protection of livelihood of indigenous people. The NGOs become the central players in setting the agenda, drafting documents, writing in the media, highlighting scholars-turned-activists and lobbying diplomats and government, it says. “These foreign donors lead local NGOs to provide field reports which are used to build a record against India and serve as tools for the strategic foreign policy interests of the Western government,” adds the report. “The strategy serves its purpose when the funded Indian NGOs provide reports, which are used to internationalise and publicise the alleged violations in international fora. All the above is used to build a record against a country or an individual in order to keep the entity under pressure and under a state of under-development,” says the IB report. Advertising Four NGOs were put under the scanner in 2012 for allegedly fuelling protests against the Kudankulam nuclear project in Tamil Nadu. The accounts of several Indian NGOs were put in the watch list with regard to allegations of funds diversion, after a discreet probe by security agencies with the help of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Central Economic Intelligence Bureau.“I don’t think anything will stop him.” That was the sentiment from co-captain Christian Dvorak, as the London Knights’ Matthew Tkachuk was praised to no end by his teammates on Saturday evening. The Knights won Game Two of their OHL Championship Series, with a 6-1 drubbing of the Niagara IceDogs. Tkachuk stole the show, recording a hat trick (his third of the playoffs) plus an extra assist in one of the most impressive individual performances in recent playoff memory. London now leads the series 2-0, and the IceDogs look as dejected as ever. Tkachuk appeared to injure his ankle on the first goal (which tied the game at one), and was helped off the ice by his teammates. When he did come back in the second period, he continued to favour his left leg, taking shorter strides than usual. Nonetheless, he was as eager as ever to crash the net, and was rewarded again; a beautiful tip off Olli Juolevi’s shot put the Knights ahead (for good), 2-1. “It’s a one-one game, I’m not going to go out that easy,” said Tkachuk with a grin after the game, explaining his quick return. “You can’t give up on your teammates like that, they’re all working hard for you so you have to try and do the same for them.” His was the type of heroic performance that will be remembered when the Knights look back on this dominant season. It seemed unlikely Tkachuk would even see the ice again in Game Two, let alone take control and completely dominate one of the hottest teams in hockey. “I knew what kind of a warrior he is,” shrugged Mitch Marner, Tkachuk’s opposite winger. “[That’s] what he tries to be every game, so I knew he was going to be back.” “That’s the kind of player and person he is,” Dvorak pointed out. Neither Tkachuk nor Knights coach Dale Hunter would comment on the nature of his injury, nor how he was able to return so quickly. Regardless, there’s no question he was playing through a lot of pain throughout. His entire line was kept off the ice for most of the third period, once they’d secured a 6-1 lead and chased Niagara’s highly-touted goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. This isn’t the first time Tkachuk has battled adversity recently, either. Before Game Three of London’s first round series with the Owen Sound Attack, he learned of the passing of his billet mom Susan Martellotti. The tragic news pushed him to a two-goal performance in that game, followed by four goals in the next just a couple days later. Tkachuk has demonstrated time and again his ability to play through hard times. A physical ankle injury is a different kind of pain of course, but nevertheless his tenacity is something to be marvelled at. Sometimes slightly overshadowed by his linemate Marner, Tkachuk has been an unstoppable force in this playoff run for London. He’s scored 39 points in 16 games, which is astonishing – just not as astonishing as Marner’s 41. As a draft-eligible player, all season dozens of NHL scouts have had their eyes trained on Tkachuk – who has been watched from an early age as the son of an NHL legend in his father Keith. His ranking fluctuates, typically near the top five. Central Scouting ranked him second among North American skaters – just behind Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton (QMJHL) – which projects him to go fifth overall. He’s earned the ranking, too. He does play on the best line in junior hockey, with Marner and Dvorak, but 107 points in 57 games as an OHL rookie is nothing to sniff at. Tkachuk learned to adapt to his new role in London almost immediately upon arriving, and has been clicking with his linemates ever since. Tkachuk spent the previous two years in the U.S. National Team Development Program, a route growing in popularity among American players in recent years. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona (a trait he shares with Auston Matthews), and growing up in St. Louis, the Ontario Hockey League wasn’t as attractive an option at first as it might have been for a player from Canada. However, he made the jump to Canadian major junior this season, and he’s been reaping the benefits ever since. Often compared to his father, Matthew Tkachuk is a player most NHL coaches will love. He’s tough, and loves to get into battles both in front of the net and in the corners. He plays the agitator role admirably as well, as he showed in London’s conference final series against the Erie Otters when he neutralized their captain Dylan Strome by getting under his skin. In addition to the gritty, physical game, Tkachuk clearly has heaps of offensive talent to boot – just look at his numbers from this year. He can skate well, and send clean passes to his linemates to generate offence. Ultimately, Tkachuk is one of the most important pieces of a team that’s torching every team they come across. The Knights are up 2-0 on the Niagara IceDogs now, and show no signs of stopping. There’s a good chance at this point that they’ll find themselves in the Memorial Cup tournament, where Tkachuk’s physical-yet-offensive edge will be key to taking down potential opponents like the Brandon Wheat Kings. They do have to get through the IceDogs first though, to win the OHL Championship. Niagara is already frustrated, with Tkachuk as well as the rest of the Knights. Vince Dunn, the team’s most important defenceman, has been provoked into boneheaded outbursts like this: Vince Dunn unhappy with the refs after a goal… and, uh, does this: pic.twitter.com/HmM5Q8lTyI — Mitch Brown (@MitchLBrown) May 8, 2016 Tempers are boiling over, even among off-ice staff who have come into conflict several times over the first two games of this series. The next two back in St. Catharines will be fascinating to see how they play out, and whether Tkachuk is affected by the lingering foot injury that bothered him even as the final buzzer went on Saturday. Whatever happens, this playoff run has done nothing but good things for Matthew Tkachuk’s future. Main Photo:When a lawsuit involving a Brooklyn coffee shop’s fight with Starbucks over unicorn-themed drinks is more ridiculous than the unicorn-themed drinks themselves, it becomes painfully clear that the horned beast has had its moment. Earlier this month, Brooklyn’s the End filed a legal complaint against Starbucks for the coffee juggernaut’s “Unicorn Frappuccino,” a drink hued like an ’80s prom dress, because it encroached on the End’s own “Unicorn Latte.” Sadly, neither beverage is made from real unicorns — they are both part of a bigger industry capitalizing on the popularity of the rainbow-clad unicorn aesthetic. There are all kinds of unicorn food, like unicorn noodles and unicorn toast. Vox’s sister site Racked recently reported on a wave of unicorn-themed beauty products, including “unicorn snot” body glitter, “unicorn essence” skin serum, “unicorn tears” lipstick, and unicorn makeup brushes. There’s even unicorn athleisure wear and unicorn workout supplements that are supposed to enhance your “focus, energy, and power.” The popularity of everything unicorn, and corporate entities like Starbucks jumping on the trend, is a sign that we’ve hit peak uni. The creature’s popularity is a testament to its fantastic appearance and mythical nature. Hi Saturday we missed you RP: @monbreezy. lattes - so hot rn A post shared by The End Brooklyn (@thendbrooklyn) on Apr 29, 2017 at 6:56am PDT But that popularity isn’t exactly magical. The unicorn’s popularity is also about us. The recent explosion of the unicorn trend is what happens when nostalgia collides with social media. It’s inevitable that the social media platforms we’re obsessed with today have become avenues to flaunt our childhood nostalgia. But there might also something deeper at play — a specific reason we’re clinging to glittery, pastel-hued horned horses. Of all the things people remember from childhood, perhaps many are finding a new fondness for unicorns because they are imaginary, ridiculous, fantastic, and a perfect escape from the confusing times of today. The unicorn trend is linked to millennial nostalgia When we and Starbucks talk about unicorns, we’re not just discussing the famed beast of yore that appeared to breast-baring virgins. It’s also not just the metaphorical meaning of being so special and unique, though that factors in too. The unicorn trend is about a certain aesthetic: It’s characterized by pastel colors, rainbows, iridescent hues, pearly purples, an opalescent sheen, and everything shimmery. “I think the unicorn trend is a combination of a lot of factors. Not only do the millennials remember the unicorn as a fun, carefree symbol of their youth, but in confusing times, we want things that provide hope and positivity,” Jane Buckingham, founder of the trend forecasting company Trendera, told me. “And nothing symbolizes that more than the unicorn.” While the unicorn trend didn’t originate from any one specific thing, the popular television My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic may have played a role. In 2014, the show drew 4.3 million viewers for its “My Little Pony Mega Mare-athon.” Though its ratings have slipped since its peak years, from 2012 to 2014, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is still a popular cultural force, and premiered its seventh season on Discovery Family in April. (Discovery Family was originally called the Hub before it was rebranded in 2014.) The seven-year-old series features not only unicorns but also pegasi, regular horses, and winged unicorns known as alicorns or, colloquially, “pegacorns.” The show’s main protagonist is an alicorn named Twilight Sparkle, but it’s actually a character named Rarity — a glamorous fashion designer unicorn — that embodies the ideal unicorn aesthetic. She’s stark white, with lavender hair and big blue eyes; she speaks with an Audrey Hepburn-ish accent; and she’s telekinetic: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has a strong fan base, complete with fanfic and fan videos and extensive wiki entries. Viewership grew quickly in its first two seasons, a lot of which is attributed to adults watching the show. Though much has been written about a certain subset of that fan base — male fans of the show known as Bronies, who’ve courted controversy in the past — My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic’s key takeaways are that friendships are transformative, My Little Pony is for everyone, and unicorns are awesome. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic also builds on the My Little Pony franchise of the 1980s, which was a part of many millennials’ childhoods, and thrives on the well-documented millennial affinity for nostalgia. In that same vein, the unicorn trend is likely also connected to another millennial-childhood staple: the Technicolor goddess and unicorn matriarch that is Lisa Frank, founder of the eponymous school supply company. The Lisa Frank company was founded in 1979, but it really hit its peak in the late ’90s. According to figures obtained by the Tucson Citizen, from 1996 through 2000 the company made more than $60 million per year, topping out in 1999 at $66.5 million. Frank sold a wide range of merchandise — including T-shirts, binders, pencils, pens, stickers, lunchboxes, and more — that featured every shade of neon known to humanity. Frank dreamed up a world where penguins hugged and emitted a radioactive pink shimmer beneath a many-colored aurora borealis. Her dolphins were the color of bubblegum and Slurpees. And her unicorns were flashy, candy-colored beasts that borrowed their colors from radioactive rainbows: The status of Frank’s company today isn’t even close to what it once was. Lisa Frank merchandise can only be purchased via third-party vendors that have licensed the rights to various Lisa Frank designs. The Lisa Frank verified Instagram account directs you to Torrid, a clothing company. And LisaFrank.com sends you to the brand’s official Facebook page. But Lisa Frank’s cultural impact on children, especially young girls of the ’90s, who are now grown-up millennials, can’t be denied. Nostalgia, whether it’s for My Little Pony or Lisa Frank, is a powerful thing. Essentially everything that was popular with kids in the 1990s is popular again today — ironically and unironically — because ’90s kids are now tastemakers and trendsetters, and essential to the fabric of the internet and social media. We’ve seen this play out with movies like the recent Power Rangers reboot or Kellogg’s cereal bar (where you can order types of cereal you grew up with), or ’90s fashion becoming trendy again. Unicorns are no exception. The unicorn trend is a visual one, and social media platforms reward everything visual Everything unicorn is based in combinations of color, and it really lends itself to how we communicate today. While nostalgic millennials might be the primary consumers and promoters of the unicorn trend, its growth has been further spurred by how visual it is. “We typically see that on our platform the most popular ideas often lean more toward the ‘doable,’ or everyday manifestations of these trends,” Larkin Brown, the in-house stylist for Pinterest, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “On Pinterest, we’ve seen the evolution of these types of trends over the years, as rainbow food had its moment and made way for this new rush of unicorn food and beauty.” It’s hardly a surprise that most current nostalgia trends with roots in the ’80s and ’90s — along with the internet articles that fuel them — focus on some of the most colorful and fantastical products and pop culture from those decades, from Disney princesses to Lip Smackers (with one exception being the recent and thankfully short-lived Seinfeldian fashion trend known as normcore). The brighter and louder the trend was, the more likely we are to remember it and feel that nostalgic pang. Not only that, but the more eye-catching something is, the more likely it is to spread on online. From that perspective, once the unicorn aesthetic started to hit social media, it was somewhat guaranteed to take off. “This very visual trend plays well on Instagram, where #unicornmakeup has almost 9,000 hits and #unicornbrushes has over 12,000,” Racked pointed out, explaining that the major players behind the unicorn trend are Instagram and YouTube beauty tutorials. It’s on Instagram and YouTube where you can really see the unicorn beauty trend at work. The YouTube makeup tutorial embedded above has more than 500,000 hits, while this video reviewing unicorn makeup has more than 800,000: After watching these videos, I came away with a deeper understanding of how to contour my cheeks in a unicorn style. But it’s important to note that these tutorials aren’t necessarily for people who want to leave the house looking like a unicorn — they’re perfect for people who want to appreciate the iridescent wonder of the trend without fully participating. Part of me is convinced that the people in these videos are trend chasers, that their interest in the unicorn aesthetic is as much about following the wave of popularity as it is about earnestly wanting to look unicorny. But the fact that there are people willing to cake on layers of pastel blush and glittery eye shadow to cater to the unicorn desire in all of us speaks even more to the potency of this trend. Unicorns represent escapism, and that’s an important factor in their popularity Back in December 2009, Vanity Fair writer Jim Windolf analyzed the inescapable inevitability of America’s obsession with cuteness. He could just as easily have been writing about 2017 in the way he described an adult swooning over birthday cake ice cream and cupcakes (which he found kind of repugnant). “For generations, kids couldn’t wait until they reached adulthood so they could smoke, drink, eat four-course meals, make money, drive cars, have sex, and, if they were the type to join the military, legally kill other human beings,” Windolf wrote. “Now we would rather log on and tune out, preferably in the womb-like comfort of a Snuggie, which is the perfect thing to wear as we gaze at photos of kittens while gnawing on delicious cupcakes.” What’s fascinating about Windolf’s analysis is the idea that cuteness and escapism are very often reactions to traumatic or confusing events. He cites scholars who attribute the Japanese concept of “kawaii” to the devastation of post–World War II Japan, and also notes that after 9/11 and the global financial crisis of 2007-’08, Americans began gravitating toward and producing cute pop culture, including this video of a baby laughing, which has amassed more than 25 million views since it was posted online 10 years ago: With the political turmoil and stress we’ve witnessed in the past two years, it fits the pattern that there’s a desire for escapism. This one happens to coincide with millennial nostalgia, the pervading nostalgia at the moment. “Unicorns represent the magic of our childhood and that everything is going to be okay,” Jerrod Blandino, the co-founder and chief creative officer of the makeup line Too Faced (which has jumped on the unicorn trend), told Racked. “It's about dreaming and believing in the magic of life, plus the rainbow of colors associated with unicorns offers a fantasy world of options. We all need a little more of that today.” Perhaps the unicorn trend it isn’t so much about the lore or look of the unicorns, but rather about the feelings they conjure up. Maybe unicorns represent more of a need (for something comforting) than a desire to look a certain way. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be that surprising to see other creatures from millennial childhoods, like trolls or any animal from Lisa Frank's radioactive zoo, enjoy the same kind of popularity as unicorns. Unfortunately for unicorns and their moment in the sun, having a giant company like Starbucks cash in on a trend is often a precursor to the death of said trend. But that doesn’t make unicorns any less beautiful or fantastic. Nor does it take away their power to make us happy — the way many of us may need them to.Several readers have asked me how easy it’s been to adjust to Panama’s climate after living for over two decades in Florida. Climate is an important consideration in finding an overseas location you’re comfortable in as an expat. So did living in Florida prepare me for living in Panama? The reality is — not so much. Both are hot and humid, but there are some important differences. Here are my thoughts — keeping in mind I’m living in the lowlands on the Azueros Peninsula. Once you get up in the hills above about 1200 feet things cool off noticeably. Living in the Heat Dealing with the heat here in Panama is just plain different from coping with heat in Florida. In Florida, you don’t really live in the heat. You live in air conditioning and make brief forays through the heat. You go from your air conditioned house to your air conditioned car to your air conditioned work, shopping, whatever. The only times most Floridians really spend a day in the heat is when they visit the beach or the theme parks. Here, you’re in the heat all day. Central air conditioning is almost nonexistent. If you’re reasonably well off, you have an AC unit in your bedroom, but the rest of the house is not air conditioned. Evenings Here are Cooler, Though In Florida’s summer heat, the nights stay pretty warm. Here, because we’re closer to the Equator, the sun goes down before 7 PM. This gives evenings a chance to cool down. It’s pretty normal for nighttime temperatures here to drop into the mid-70s while in Florida they can easily stay in the 80s. Once the sun goes down, it can get downright pleasant! If we decide to grab dinner out, it’s no problem to walk to the restaurant here. Back in Orlando it would have meant arriving in a dripping sweat — not too pleasant for us or the other diners! Constant Bree
came to Victoria after two seasons in U Sports with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. The pull of the rink was greater than the pull of the court. “I enjoyed law, but really missed the competitive nature of athletics,” the former litigator said. “Sport is similar to litigation in that both are competitive.” In another Island connection, Price is a surfer whose mother, Ronni, lives in Qualicum Beach. She was at Monday’s press conference announcing her son’s ascension to the Royals head coaching job. The studious Price was actually elevated to the de facto head job late last season on an interim basis and was winless at 0-2-1 when Lowry missed three games due to being quarantined with the mumps. “We obviously asked [Lowry] his opinion, and he said Dan was the perfect choice for this organization,” said Hope. The new Victoria head coach said fans will see a lot of Lowry’s style retained. “Tempo is very important and we will have a skilled team that is quick with good balance and depth,” said Price. Price is a 42-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., who has scouted for the Regina Pats and also has international experience as assistant coach with silver-medallist Team Pacific at the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Price was also head coach and GM of the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League from 2009-12. He was a goaltender in his playing days with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the B.C. Hockey League and Fort St. John Huskies of the Rocky Mountain Junior League before playing in U Sports for the Regina Cougars from 1995 to 1998. Price graduated from the University of Regina law school in 2001. Price will become the third head coach of the Royals since the franchise has been on the Island. Marc Habscheid was the first bench boss in Victoria, a holdover from Chilliwack days, and went 24-41-7 in 2011-12 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Kamloops. Habscheid was replaced the next season by Lowry, who left Victoria as the all-time winningest coach in franchise history with a regular-season record of 199-112-22 over five seasons and was twice named WHL coach of the year. The Royals never missed the playoffs under Lowry, although they never progressed past the second round. He was also assistant coach and head coach of Canada’s national junior team during his Royals tenure. Meanwhile, it was also announced former NHLer Doug Bodger from Chemainus will go from being a Royals part-time assistant coach to full-time head coach under Price. “I am looking forward to working with Dan. With a core of players returning, I am hoping to teach the kids and help any way I can,” said the Island product, who played more than 1,000 games in the NHL. The Royals also announced that Ryan Guenter has been named the club’s new head scout. He has been scouting with the franchise since 2009 when it was in Chilliwack. Guenter replaces Grant Armstrong, who left last season to become GM of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. cdheensaw@timescolonist.comSorry folks who hate hearing news or rumors about Instagram, we feel ya, but we have to get through this story for today so bear with us. (We should also remind readers you are free to not read this story if it bothers you so much, ahem). Rumors that an official Instagram app is actually on the way have been circulating for months now, with a May timeframe often mentioned. While we don’t know if that is accurate or not, our sources (and others e.g. the Verge) have confirmed that an official client is waiting in the wings. Whether it’s just an iOS port or something more, we don’t know. Nor do we know what the holdup is. On Nokia’s official Facebook page in Sweden, a customer (Marcus Petterson) asked whether or not an Instagram app was headed for Windows Phone, specifically the Lumia 920. Nokia responded rather forthrightly with (translation) “Instagram is on the way but can't give an exact date right now". Is that a slam dunk, 100% confirmation? Absolutely not. We’ve seen customer-service reps and “official” Facebook pages say things that weren’t completely accurate before, so do take this with a grain of salt. But combined with things we’ve heard and the seeming confidence for which Nokia (Sweden) let loose the information, we’re leaning on this one a bit. You can now return to your normally scheduled non-Instagram related Windows Phone news. Update: Nokia (Sweden) has now deleted their comment. Take that as an accidental revelation or just an error.St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter Reed's campaign paid almost $30,000 in the past three years to a catering company owned by his son, Steven P. Reed, a review by NOLA.com \| The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News found. The catering payments came on top of more than $56,000 that Reed's campaign has paid since 2006 to an event production firm run by Steven Reed, and that until a few months ago also listed Walter Reed as an officer, according to campaign and corporate records. In total, the news organizations found Walter Reed has funneled nearly $86,000 in campaign dollars to the two firms his son runs, helping put Steven Reed among the top 10 caterers paid by Louisiana political campaigns between 2009 and 2012. The payments to Steven Reed's firms are allowed under Louisiana's campaign laws. In a statement about his campaign expenses, Reed said: "All contributions from my supporters and expenses described on the financial reports to the state are related to continuing my public service as district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District. I appreciate the confidence my supporters have placed in me." Story by Manuel Torres NOLA.com \| The Times-Picayune Lee Zurik Fox 8 News/ Fox8live.com But watchdog groups and political observers have questioned the lack of oversight and restrictions on how candidates and elected officials use campaign donations, in this case directing a substantial sum of money to a family member. "It's legal, but it doesn't pass the smell test," said UNO professor and political analyst Ed Chervenak of Reed's payments to his son's companies. "You get the perception that they look at this as free money and they can use it as they wish." NOLA.com \| The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News analyzed expenditures by Reed and other officials as part of a comprehensive review of Louisiana's campaign finance system. In the process, the news organizations also compiled lists of the top companies and events where officials spent money, including caterers, jewelers, golf courses and Carnival krewes. Some of those expenses are what many Louisianians would consider common campaign uses, such as organizing a political fundraiser or spending money to advertise during a Carnival parade. But using campaign funds to pay for gifts to unidentified constituents or what appear to be personal rounds of golf has sparked calls for tighter restrictions. Groups like the Public Affairs Research Council are also asking lawmakers to require more complete disclosure for campaign expenses. Reed's payments to son's firms Reed has not faced a political opponent since 1996 and doesn't face re-election until 2015. But he spent more than $627,000 in campaign money between 2009 and 2012. NOLA.com \| The Times-Picayune reported in November that the payments included more than $56,000 since 2006 to Globop Inc., an event production firm that until last November listed Walter and Steven Reed as officers in the secretary of state's corporate records database. SEARCH THE DATABASES Who gave money to Louisiana campaigns and how politicians spent it. - - Walter Reed is no longer listed in the company's most recent report with the secretary of state, which was filed Nov. 25, a day before NOLA.com reported on the Reed campaign's payments to the firm. In a statement in November, Reed said he had "no ownership" in his son's business. "In the highly specialized entertainment production business, (Steven Reed) has provided the expertise and management for my political fundraisers," Reed's statement said. NOLA.com \| The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News reporters identified Reed's payments to his son's other firm, the catering business Liquid Bread LLC. Steven Reed is the sole officer listed for Liquid Bread in the secretary of state's database. Walter Reed's campaign paid the firm $576 in September 2011 for a "campaign function." The campaign paid the company $29,400 in October 2012 for a "catering - fundraising event." Reed hosted an event in September of that year at the Castine Center in Mandeville that cost his campaign more than $123,000, including the payment to his son's company. Reed, through a spokesman, declined to comment specifically on the Liquid Bread payments. Under Louisiana's campaign law, a candidate can pay an immediate family member for campaign services, but the recipient business must have been registered with the secretary of state for at least a year, the services must be related to the payment, and the value of the services must be "commensurate with the consideration provided." Globop was registered in 2002. Liquid Bread was registered in July 2010, 14 months before Reed's campaign made the first payment to the catering firm. Large expenses on golf Reed's expenses were noted as reporters compiled lists of top caterers, golf courses, krewes and other types of businesses or organizations that received money from political campaigns in the four years analyzed. SPENDING LISTS Where politicians spent campaign money - - - Officials shelled out almost $1.4 million at golf clubs and tournaments - one of the largest types of expenses in many campaigns. Most of the money seems to have paid for tournaments organized to raise money. But some expenses did not seem to fit that category. Former Jefferson Parish Councilman Byron Lee spent $225 for tickets to the 2010 Zurich Classic tournament, without indicating who used them. Lee also spent $200 for a "golf fee" at The Preserve Golf in Vanclave, Miss., in August 2009. Lee also spent $208 at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., on April 2, 2011. He listed it as a "fundraiser," although Lee reported no contributions in the days leading up to or after the golf outing. The day following the golf expense, his campaign shelled out $374 for a "dinner meeting" at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Fairfax, Va. He did not list who attended. Lee did not return a message seeking comment. Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, spent $320 for tickets to the 2012 Zurich Classic. Alario also dropped more than $7,000 for 34 different expenses at The University Club in Baton Rouge that he labeled as "entertainment," without further indication of how that served the campaign or his public office - the criteria for an allowed expense. Alario did not return a message seeking comment. State Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Metairie, spent $560 in December 2012 at the world-famous Torrey Pines golf course in La Jolla, Calif., for what his campaign labeled a "gift for constituents." They were not named. "I did not play golf or expend any monies on myself or my family," Martiny said in a statement. He said that during a business trip to San Diego he went to purchase Torrey Pines merchandise for supporters of his campaign. "I have reported that expenditure to Campaign Finance as required by law. I see no reason to provide you with names of individuals who received those gifts, as I do not want to subject them to any possible public scrutiny. Any problem you have with the expenditure should be directed to me. Trust me that I have complied as required by Campaign Finance in reporting the expenditure." His statement said no campaign funds were used to pay for his trip to San Diego or the cab fare to Torrey Pines. (The full text of Martiny's statement is in the comments at the bottom of this story.) Former Public Service Commissioner Jimmy Field's campaign spent $877 on July 17, 2009, at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, for a "campaign fundraiser." Field's campaign records, however, reported no contributions for the entire month of July 2009. The golf was part of more than $1,300 in expenses Field's campaign paid on that trip, including meals in three different Charleston restaurants and for transportation. Field's campaign also spent $1,184 for five separate charges at the Pelican Hill Golf Club in southern California on July 17, 2011, for a "campaign golf tournament." On the date of the expenses, Field reported receiving only a $250 contribution, from a Bossier City donor. He recorded 22 contributions for all 2011. The Pelican Hill round was part of a three-day California trip for which the Field's campaign paid a total $1,420. Field said that both golf trips were fundraisers attended by about a dozen people each, mostly executives or representatives from Entergy, Atmos and other utilities - which the PSC oversees. Field said all participants paid to enter the tournaments, except for himself, his wife and a campaign official. Field said his contributors paid for his green fees. Asked why no donations appeared in his campaign reports around the time of these golf outings, Field said his contributors usually paid for it months in advance. "Nobody played for free, they all paid a contribution," Field said. Thousands spent at Sandestin resort State Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, shelled out $1,287 at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa in Destin, Fla., on July 18, 2012, for "room parking while speaking" at a Louisiana Finance Association meeting. Thompson's campaign also paid for a $213 meal at Seagar's Prime Steaks in Destin on July 13, also reported as an expense while speaking at the meeting. That was not the only year for which Thompson's campaign paid for him to attend the convention. He spent almost $1,450 in 2009, more than $1,200 in 2010 and more than $1,400 in 2011 - all to attend the association's meeting. The convention schedules for those years show the four- or five-day event is mostly occupied by entertainment. In 2012, for example, there were only nine-and-a-half hours scheduled for meetings and exhibit booths over a five-day period. The rest of the time, participants could choose between a golf tournament, daily cocktail parties, a party-barge excursion and a Kentucky Derby-themed dance party, among other activities. Thompson did not respond to a message seeking comment on his convention expenses and what campaign or public office purpose they served. Politicians also spent more than $40,000 at jewelry stores. Gov. Bobby Jindal's campaign spent nearly $4,700 at Lee Michaels jewelers in 2010, labeling it a fundraising expense. The governor's campaign spent another $4,300 in 2012 at the same jeweler buying buckles for campaign staff. Officials are not required to disclose who receives such gifts, and Jindal didn't - though a few politicians named gift recipients in their reports. Jindal spokesman Kyle Plotkin said in a statement: "According to the campaign, the buckles were for top donors and campaign staff, and the other dollars were for lapel pins for top donors and spouses of legislators."Junior enlisted soldiers in several military occupational specialties will be put under a Big Army microscope during re-enlistment processing, even if they are avidly endorsed for retention by their commanders. The re-up squeeze, called "precision retention," is related to the drawdown, and is designed to ensure that dwindling retention opportunities in some MOS go to top-quality soldiers with high potential for future contributions to the Army. The precision retention strategy introduced five years ago allows personnel officials to make reassignment and career management decisions based on the near real-time specialty and rank composition of the enlisted force. Under a key component of this strategy, the Army has moved from an annual, 12-month retention mission format to quarterly missions in which commanders will be issued re-enlistment goals every three months based on changing personnel requirements. Enlisted soldiers become eligible for re-enlistment under the revised system 12 months in advance of their contractual expiration term of service, or ETS. However, the Army has retained the long-standing policy that requires soldiers to re-enlist no later than 90 days before their ETS. This means when soldiers enter the 12-month window of eligibility, they have no more than nine months to execute a service extension or re-enlistment. A review of the most recent re-up statistics shows that as the Army gets smaller, the annual retention missions assigned to commanders are getting smaller, which in turn increases competition among soldiers who vie for the available re-enlistment vacancies. The retention plan now in effect opened Oct. 1, and is designed to re-enlist 47,000 Regular Army soldiers — 7,000 with ETS in fiscal 2015, and 40,000 with ETS in fiscal 2016. × Fear of missing out? Fear no longer. Be the first to hear about breaking news, as it happens. You'll get alerts delivered directly to your inbox each time something noteworthy happens in the Military community. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to our Newsletter: Sign up for the Army Times Daily News Roundup It appears that commanders are well on the way to achieving those goals, as seven months into the fiscal year they are just 605 soldiers shy of meeting the cohort 2015 mission, and 11,099 soldiers short of the cohort 2016 mission. Under the precision retention strategy, re-up opportunities are subject to change every quarter. Depending on requirements, the Army may restrict re-enlistments based on a soldier's ETS, military occupational specialty, skill level and special qualifications. An update to the program announced May 6 places precision retention restrictions on the following MOS and skill levels: 09L1 (interpreter and translator) 12R1 (interior electrician) 12W1 (carpentry and masonry specialist) 13T1 (field artillery surveyor and meteorological crewmember) 15J1&2 (OH-58D armament, electrical and avionics systems repairer) 15S1&2 (OH-58D helicopter repairer) 94Y1&2 (integrated family of test equipment operator and maintainer) The restriction list also includes all skill levels of MOS 35P (cryptologic linguist) with these language codes: CM (Chinese Mandarin) FR (French) HE (Hebrew) JN (Indonesian) KP (Korean) PG (Dari) PU (Pushtu) PV (Pushtu-Afghan) QB (Spanish-Caribbean) RU (Russian) SC (Serbo-Croatian) TA (Tagalog) UR (Urdu) Soldiers in the MOSs and skill levels listed above who are approved for re-enlistment by their commander must have their re-up request and commander certification (DA Form 3340), and their Enlisted Record Brief, forwarded to the Human Resources Command by their supporting career counselor. While no further documentation is required, HRC officials recommend that soldiers and leaders provide memos that articulate accomplishments not described in the record brief or in other official personnel documents. For example, if the applicant was named soldier of the year for his or her brigade, that information should be relayed to HRC decision-makers. Command officials will then evaluate the soldier's record and compare the accomplishments to other soldiers of that MOS and skill level throughout the Army. HRC retention officials will then render one of the following decisions: Approve re-enlistment in the soldier's current MOS. Direct reclassification to a new MOS. Approve an extension of enlistment Deny re-enlistment. The decision will be relayed to the soldier's commander via a memorandum that will include any restrictions to the length of the soldier's re-enlistment or extension. Soldiers will have seven days from the HRC approval date to extend or re-enlist. Soldiers who fail to take action within seven days will have the HRC approval revoked, and will be considered to have been afforded the opportunity to extend their service. Soldiers who are denied re-enlistment will have their records annotated with code "9F" to indicate they "have been denied retention by the secretary of the Army."You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters Message: * A friend wanted you to see this item from WRAL.com: http://wr.al/18tyt — A student was arrested along with other protesters when about 800 people gathered at McCorkle Place on Tuesday night to demand the removal of the Silent Sam Confederate statue from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. The statue was surrounded by two sets of barricades earlier Tuesday morning in an effort to prevent protesters getting close to it. The barriers, combined with the fact that the statue is continually monitored by surveillance cameras, prompted many to state that Silent Sam is better protected than any student on the campus. At times Tuesday night, police had difficulty controlling the crowds as protesters chanted and marched for several hours, at times taking to Franklin Street and forcing the closure of the road, as officers dressed in riot gear guarded the monument. "It doesn't need to be in the middle of campus. In a museum is fine, it's ok, but here in the middle of campus, it promotes violence," said protester Zaria Williams. University officials said two people were arrested by campus police in connection with the protest. One man was arrested by Chapel Hill police and charged with wearing a mask on public property and resisting arrest- both misdemeanor charges. Those were not affiliated with the university, UNC officials said. Another person arrested was 19-year-old Claude Wilson, a UNC student who was taken into custody after officers said he retreated from the crowd and pushed away officers when he was told to move. "As a university, the free exchange of ideas under the First Amendment is core to our mission. Carolina has long been a hospitable forum and meeting place for the peaceful dissemination of differing views. It's important to note that the vast majority of those who attended tonight's rally honored that tradition," the school said in a statement. "Unfortunately, some individuals did not behave in this spirit. University police arrested two individuals who were not affiliated with the university." Protesters were blocking and hitting a patrol vehicle as deputies attempted to drive away with one man who was taken into custody. Police had to physically remove people from the front of the van. Protesters sat in the street, pledging to stay sitting until those in custody were released. Protestors are sitting on Franklin sidewalk, vow to not leave until the detained persons are released pic.twitter.com/BMGorXbnBC — Molly Horak (@molly_horak) August 23, 2017 Demonstrators held signs that read "No Trump, No KKK, No Racist USA" and "Stop pretending racism is patriotism." "Silent Sam is more protected than any student at this university," one demonstrator yelled. "Folt and the administration continue to prioritize wealthy alumni over students of color." "This is Silent Sam's last semester! We will not be silenced by wealthy alumni and the police!" "We're supposed to be the people's university," another yelled. "Carol Folt, Where are you?" The crowd respected the barrier around the Confederate monument. The crowd responded by chanting, "Where are you? Where are you? Tear it down!" The crowd dwindled by about 10 p.m., although many protesters remained seated by the barricades around the statue late Tuesday night. Some who attended the rally were calling for the statue to remain on the campus, including alumni Cheyenne Wiley, who said that the statue commemorated those who fought and died in the Civil War. "I went to school here. Those 56 students joined the Confederacy for whatever reason. That's what the statue is here for," he said. Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement Monday, saying that UNC system officials have the authority to take immediate action if they believe the statue is posing a risk to public safety. "If the University and its leadership believe such a dangerous condition is on campus, then the law gives it the authority to address those concerns," Cooper wrote. A spokesperson for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released a response on Tuesday, saying the university does not legally have authority to remove the statue from campus unless a building inspector concludes physical disrepair of the statue poses a threat to public safety. "We continue to believe that removing the Confederate Monument is in the best interest of the safety of our campus, but the university can act only in accordance with the laws of the state of North Carolina," the statement read. The university posted "Rules for Events at the Silent Sam Statue and on McCorkle Place" around the monument and campus prior to the rally. Rules included no alcohol or drugs, No weapons, no damaging or defacing public property and no wearing hoods or masks to conceal identity. Chapel Hill Transit planned detours to avoid the northern part of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus during the duration of the protest. UNC officials on Monday sent a letter to Cooper's office, expressing fear that the statue, which has been the subject of debate for several years and has previously been vandalized, could spark protests that could lead to injury or property damage. “Chancellor [Carol] Folt has notified us that the law enforcement staff at UNC-Chapel Hill believe that it is only a matter of time before an attempt is made to pull down Silent Sam in much the same manner we saw in Durham,” the letter said. “Based on our interactions with state and local law enforcement, including the State Bureau of Investigation, an attempt may occur at any time.” A crowd of protesters last week toppled a Confederate statue outside the former Durham County courthouse. Eight people face criminal charges in the case. UNC system officials said that, because Silent Sam is in a prominent location on the Chapel Hill campus – near residence halls, classrooms and the financial aid building – they worry that protests that would likely draw outside groups could injure a student or significantly disrupt university operations. UNC-Chapel Hill is the only campus in the UNC system that has a Confederate monument on its property. Last week, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger requested that the university petition the North Carolina Historical Commission to immediately remove Silent Sam from campus “in the interest of public safety.”“Idioms are like a sugar rush,” explains Jon Kleinberg, a professor of computer science at Cornell and a co-author of the study. “You see it once, you either use it or you don’t, but the rush wears off.” More contentious themes like politics take longer to catch on, the researchers found. People tend to wait until they have seen a more polarizing phrase — like “sarahpalin” or “hcr,” short for health care reform — four, five or six times on Twitter before posting it themselves. We already know that people often influence one another’s behavior. That is the monkey-see-monkey-do premise behind advertising. And it may seem intuitive that different kinds of information spread differently on the Web. Now, however, researchers at Cornell and a few other universities like Stanford are finding patterns in the way information catches on in cyberspace. Their models could be useful for politicians, social activists, news organizations, marketers, public relations teams and anyone else trying to reach their target audience — or market. It turns out that the way information spreads online is often more complicated than viral transmission, in which one person passes a link to, say, a YouTube video directly to another person. As with political topics, people often wait until a number of friends or trusted sources have promoted an idea before promulgating it themselves. The structure of a social network — for example, whether it is made up of close friends and colleagues or of like-minded strangers who follow Lady Gaga — can have more influence than the size of a group, researchers say. In real-world terms, that means designers of iPhone apps may be better off trying to get a plug from a leading technology blogger than from Ashton Kutcher, even though Mr. Kutcher has more than six million followers on Twitter. A smaller, more connected network might be more likely to respond to a recommendation from one of its own valued members, says Jure Leskovec, an assistant professor of computer science at Stanford. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. In one recent study, for example, Professor Leskovec and a colleague analyzed a set of more than 170 million blog posts and news articles over a one-year period. They identified the thousand most popular phrases in the material and examined how those phrases spread over time via news agencies, newspapers, television and blogs. Content from news agencies tended to spike and gain the most attention immediately, while news that started on blogs or was picked up by bloggers often experienced several peaks or rebounds in popularity as time wore on. Advertisement Continue reading the main story An earlier Stanford study found that bloggers, over time, had more influence than mainstream publications in areas like technology or entertainment. Professor Leskovec says the studies provide a quantitative way to predict which stories will hold attention and which will fade rapidly, based on who covers the material first. In a few years, he says, “we will be at the stage where marketers will be more mathematical and less intuition-driven.” The research seems to validate the techniques that many industry experts are already using, says Sunil Gupta, a professor at the Harvard Business School who teaches digital marketing. Marketers are moving from an intrusion strategy of running ads in the middle of TV programs to a more cooperative model in which they try to stimulate discussion across social networks. Automakers that loan next year’s car models to influential car bloggers to test drive are just one example, he says. “In the traditional world, marketing used to focus on the middle part of the bell curve and reaching out to them,” Professor Gupta says. “Now, the way to reach out to the middle part is through the extreme ends of the curve.” Those extremes, he says, include vocal detractors as well as ardent fans. But the leaders of online packs aren’t necessarily happy about being emulated, he found in a 2009 study of Cyworld, a social networking site in South Korea where millions of members can buy virtual décor for their home pages. He found that its members of middling status — having a modest number of social connections — bought more products based on friends’ purchases. But the most active, most connected users made fewer purchases. In other words, influencers value their uniqueness and often resist peer influence. SO what does all this mean for you and me? If we keep seeing the same links and catchphrases ricocheting around our social networks, it might mean we are being exposed only to what we want to hear, says Damon Centola, an assistant professor of economic sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “You might say to yourself: ‘I am in a group where I am not getting any views other than the ones I agree with. I’m curious to know what else is out there,’” Professor Centola says. Consider a new hashtag: diversity.Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have been billed the three worst countries in terms of gay rights in the whole of the European Union, according to the Rainbow Europe think tank. Latvia (17.35 percent), Lithuania (18.10 percent) and Poland (18.30 percent) fared worst among the 28 countries of the European Union. Poland is one of a handful of countries which ban same-sex civil unions. The best ranking countries in the Rainbow Europe list were Malta (87.75 percent) and Belgium (81.85 percent). Rainbow Europe is a European think tank which “brings together both the legal index of LGBTI equality based on our Rainbow Europe Map and an overview of the social climate for LGBTI people in each country based on [its] Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People in Europe”. (rg)Dynasty Warriors 9 Headed Westward On PS4, Xbox One, And PC By Sato. August 4, 2017. 12:00am Koei Tecmo recently announced the platforms the West is getting for Dynasty Warriors 9 as well as a look at some playable generals in Xu Zhu, Dian Wei, Ling Tong, Gang Ning, Guang Ping, and Dong Zhuo. Here’s the latest on the game from Koei Tecmo: Whether players choose to follow the main storyline quests or spend time exploring the vast natural wonders of China – from the lush cedar woods and bamboo forests of Chengdu to the legendary Great Wall – the ongoing war will continue to rage along their journey. Skirmishes, clashes, special side missions, and larger scale conflicts can be engaged at the player’s will as they venture through far –reaching lands, allowing for a sense of freedom of choice for the player previously unfelt in previous Dynasty Warriors titles. These battles range from scouting missions to discover powerful enemy officers, to guerilla actions to subdue messengers and scouts, to outright sabotage on enemy supply troops; success in these combat engagements offer great rewards and have an effect on future battles’ difficulty. To further expand the choices available to the player, Koei Tecmo is also introducing two new playable characters to the game, each formidable in their own right! Man Chong, from the kingdom of Wei, is a brilliant general, skilled debater, and an excellent tactician. Meanwhile, Zhou Cang from the kingdom of Shu is best known for his incredible stamina and speed. Both characters join an already strong roster of fan favorites and will provide an even more diverse selection for players keen on exploring different storylines in different kingdoms. Speaking of those old fan-favorites, Koei Tecmo is also releasing new costume designs for popular characters Sun Shangxiang, Lu Xun, and the powerful demon-god, Lu Bu! As well as a look at some familiar generals who’ll return to the action from the official website: Xu Zhu With a large frame and superior strength, he was often by Cao Cao’s side to protect him from harm. Though normally even-tempered with a carefree personality, once on the battlefield, he fought with the fierceness of a tiger earning him the nickname Crazy Tiger. Dian Wei Built like a giant with immense strength and an impressive physique, he often served as a bodyguard to Cao Cao. His fierce look and uncultured ways incited fear among many yet those he served know the man for his utmost loyalty. Ling Tong A servant of Wu, he continued to serve even after his father Ling Cao was killed in a battle with Gan Ning, and despised him ever since. He continued to serve even after his father was killed in a battle with Gan Ning, and despises him as a foe since. Often viewed as sarcastic, his deep loyalty to his friends and family drove him in battle putting his name among the greatest warriors of Wu. Gan Ning Nicknamed “Gan Ning of the Bells” for the bells he wore on his clothing, he was short-tempered and quick to brawl but was well-trusted by his men. Discontent from the lack of trust he received from Liu Biao and Huang Zu, he defected to Wu where he fought in numerous battles, namely the Battle of Chibi. Guan Ping Originally the second son of Guan Ding of Hebei, he became the adopted son of Guan Yu after his father became impressed with Guan Yu in a fateful encounter. Earnest and true, he joined Liu Bei as a sign of respect to his adopted father wherein he became proficient in martial arts. Dong Zhuo Previously serving as Prefect of Xiliang, he rose to power after being called to battle by He Jin against the Imperial Eunuchs. With the chaos of battle and the death of He Jin, he quickly took control of the court through the young Emperor. Using his adopted son, Lu Bu, he ruled with complete brutality through military might inducing fear among the people. Dynasty Warriors 9 is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in the West and a PS4-only release in Japan.Move to halt ash tree imports from Europe as experts claim 30% of UK's wooded landscape is at risk from fatal fungus Ash tree ban may be too late to avert 'UK tragedy', says expert A ban on imports of ash trees from Europe may not be enough to stop an epidemic of a deadly disease wiping out most of the species' 80m trees in the UK, the government has been warned. The president of the Country Land and Business Association, Harry Cotterell, said one of the best-loved features of the British landscape faces devastation due to the spread of the fungus chalara fraxinea into the wild, eight months after it was first discovered in the UK. Cotterell said the UK faced a "national tragedy" as ash trees make up 15%-30% of the wooded landscape, across woodlands, hedgerows and parks. The environment secretary, Owen Paterson, told the Commons on Thursday that a ban would start on Monday in a bid to halt the disease, which has already killed 90% of ash trees in Denmark. On Wednesday, it was confirmed the disease had spread beyond plantations and nurseries into Norfolk and Suffolk. The find has raised fears of a repeat of the Dutch elm disease epidemic in the 1970s, which wiped out virtually the entire 25m-strong mature elm population by the 1990s. The impact of the ban would depend on how widely the disease had already spread in the wild, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I think the real concern is that geographically, it looks like the disease may have arrived into the wild on the wind. "It has already have been discovered in at least 11 woods in Norfolk and Suffolk." The ash is "one of our iconic native species", second only to the oak as the best-known tree in the British countryside, said Cotterell. "If the ash stock in the countryside is devastated, it will be a national tragedy. "I think this is a call to arms for the country, because they demonstrated when the forest sell-off was proposed that they really love their woodland, and this is a really huge threat." While he welcomed the import ban, Cotterell criticised the government for not warning of the disease in the UK earlier. "It's a great pity that
, the site’s founder Pierre Omidyar wrote code for “AuctionWeb” and launched it as a personal project out of a spare bedroom in his Silicon Valley town house. He had bought a $30 laser pointer with the intention of using it to make flashy presentations, but ended up using it to make his cat chase the red dot, according to The Perfect Store: Inside eBay, a book written by former TIME senior writer Adam Cohen. Omidyar decided to list the $30 laser pointer, which broke two weeks after it was purchased, because “it would be a good way to test out AuctionWeb, he figured, and it would cost him nothing,” Cohen wrote. In the listing, he admitted the item didn’t work, even with new batteries. While no one bid on it for a week, a bidding war started the next week, and the product first listed for $1 ended up selling for $14.83. Four years later, Cohen wrote, AuctionWeb — known as eBay — had grown to be an “online retailer valued at more than Sears, or Kmart and JCPenny.” Today, Forbes reports Omidyar’s personal net worth is $8.4 billion and lists the site as one of the “50 most valuable brands in the world. It boasts 157 million buyers, about 25 million sellers, and 800 million listings.” Read Next: The 20 Weirdest Things Ever Sold on eBay Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go See the Factories Where Amazon Can Move 426 Items a Second David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images Andrew Yates—AFP/Getty Images David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images Andrew Yates—AFP/Getty Images Andrew Yates—AFP/Getty Images David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images Peter Ending—AFP/Getty Images Simon Dawson—Bloomberg/Getty Images 1 of 9 Advertisement Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com.Ban protesters from wearing masks and spray them with “non-washable coloured water” Legislative Council member Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan suggested on Thursday, according to Apple Daily. Quat attended a DAB anti-rioting petition event on Thursday at which pro-establishment figures vowed to “crack down on rioters and safeguard Hong Kong.” She said she was looking into tactics used abroad for riots, which included spraying protesters with coloured dye and banning masks. There were a lot of complaints from front-line police officers about insufficient defence gear, she said. She also questioned why it was taking so long to equip the police with water cannons. The police were too tolerant in “not using tear bombs or rubber bullets,” Quat said. She added that there were plain-clothed police that night because the police force lacked enough defensive gear. The lawmaker also wrote a letter to the President of the Legislative Council Jasper Tsang Yok-Sing on Thursday asking him to commence emergency oral questioning over the Mong Kok unrest. In the letter, she said that “localists” urged people to attack the police and that “the next conflict will happen at any time.” It is expected that Tsang will decide whether to approve the request next Tuesday. Other pro-establishment lawmakers also spoke about the events on Monday. Priscilla Leung Mei-fun told RTHK that she was worried that “the youth think the police are their enemy” and that “there is a more mature political force behind the students” who take part in student-led political movements.Behind their ace, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, the Cubs cruised to an easy victory today over the lowly St. Louis Cardinals by the final score of 7-2, their fourth win in a row. Naturally the win was good news for Cubs fans, but it was also a positive outing for Brown, who admitted his arm "felt dinky" over the course of the past week. Now I'm no doctor (and instead have an illustrious "Television & Radio" degree that's worth about as much as a cocktail napkin), but I'm going to go ahead and guess that Brown's arm hurt because he pitched about a billion innings this season and never gets a rest. OK, maybe not a "billion" innings, but he did throw a whopping 312 innings in 1908. Compare that to the 2016 leader Max Scherzer, who currently has 197 with only a few starts to go in the season, so he blows him away for sure. Now to be fair, we need to give a shout out to White Sox pitcher Big Ed Walsh, who leads the league in 1908 with a staggering 464 innings pitched. 464!!!!! He also went 40-15 on the year and had FORTY-TWO complete games. Amazing! Mommy... my elbow... hurts... SOOOO... BAD! Back to the Cubs... they drew first blood in the top of the first when Johnny Evers laced a double and then scored on a Frank Chance single. This was Chance's first appearance in the lineup in about a week, having been sidelined a few games with what was being called "a charley horse." Chance went 3-4 in his return and added two RBIs. He definitely had a much better day than Cards pitcher "Slim Jim" Baldwin, who was being hailed as a new "phenom" addition to the pitching staff. Unfortunately for Baldwin (who's real name was Orson BTW), he got pounded by the Cubs and was out of the game before even getting an out in the second inning. And so much for being a "phenom," since he finished the season with a 1-3 record and never sniffed the major leagues again. Sorry Orson! Seriously, this was the best picture I could find. I think he might be a ghost. Jimmy Slagle and Solly Hofman added two hits each for the Cubs, and it was a big day in particular for Hofman, who was born in St. Louis and played well in today's return home. The Cardinals managed to get a run in the 6th, but were already down 6-0 by then, so the result of this one was never really in doubt. Big Ed Konetchy added his second home run in as many days in the 9th, but didn't matter for much of anything in the 7-2 final. Big Ed smash things In other news... Do you want sexy lips? Of course you do! So here's your bad beauty advice of 1908... just rub some laxative all over your lips and they will be pouty and sexy in no time. Get to it ladies!!! Yup... today's Tribune advice suggests that every morning you paint you lips with a 50/50 blend of glycerine and rose water for "firm, red, and healthy looking" lips. Unfortunately for you, I'm not sure if you're going to be able to show off those lips to anyone unless they visit you in the bathroom, since glycerine also happens to be a very effective when you use it as a laxative. Yikes! Now admittedly, glycerine is found in a lot of different things like toothpaste, mouthwash, and cough syrup, but it's also the main ingredient of... drumroll please... the at home enema! But hey... your lips will look awesome... so it's... um... worth it or something? In summary, the Cubs win sends them to 80-51 on the year. The Giants (again) won as well, so the lead (again) remains at two games over the Cubs. Game two of four with the Cardinals is tomorrow.Unreal… After Islamists Storm US Embassy Egyptian President Promises to Sue US Filmmakers It’s an Obama world… Yesterday Islamists in Cairo stormed the US embassy, torched the American flag and raised the Islamic flag while chanting, “We are all Osama!” and “Allahu Akbar!” In response Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, promised to sue the filmmakers in America who produced a movie that insulted the prophet Mohammad. YNet News reported: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi asked the Egyptian embassy in Washington to take legal action in the United States against makers of a film attacking the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, the official state news agency said on Wednesday. Morsi had requested the mission take “all legal measures”, the MENA agency said, without giving further details on what that might involve. (Reuters) He’s obviously not too worried about that $1.3 billion in US aid the country receives each year.Like many other former MetroStars, Tony Meola had to go elsewhere to win a Major League Soccer championship, but when it comes to memories, it’s not the hardware that comes to mind. “My best memory has to be night one, the first (home game) against New England,” Meola recalled prior to Sunday night’s Red Bulls game against New York City FC, when he was honored as one of the 20 best players in franchise history. “Maybe not the result or the way it all went (a 1-0 loss on a late own goal), but the memory of walking out. I’d like to say there were 45,000 people that night (actually, 46,826). The dream of playing in my home state for my home team, that was kind of always the goal. “I’m sure there are certain games and certain moments maybe that trumped it, but that memory, I can’t believe it’s 20 years ago that we walked out of Giants Stadium because I can remember the feeling and I can remember the sound in the tunnel and all of that stuff. That has to be it because we were the first ones to do it. We had already had an away game but that was the first home game and there was just something special about at Giants Stadium, and now it involved into Red Bull Arena. I’m guessing that every time these guys walk out of this tunnel, win, lose or draw, they get that same feeling.” Meola, the local kid from Kearny, played goalkeeper for the MetroStars from 1996-98 before being traded to the Kansas City Wizards, where he played six years before returning to the MetroStars in 2005 to finish out the final two years of a stellar 11-year career. His MetroStars career included 125 games and 25 shutouts, the latter a record Luis Robles tied Sunday night with the 2-0 victory over NYCFC. But it was at Kansas City where Meola won his championship. In 2000, the Wizards finished 16-7-9 to win the Supporters’ Shield, then went on to capture MLS Cup with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire. Meola earned league MVP and Goalkeeper of the Year honors and finished with a league-record 16 shutouts. “I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy I get to see everyone,” Meola said. “I’m honored that the fans recognized my effort. My biggest regret is not ever having won a championship here but the memories are incredible. It’s such a great honor. I had this dream to pick my father up and go to a game, but today is the first time I got to do that, so It’s really, really cool. “I like to think I was there in the beginning of a new era, qualifying for a World Cup in ’90 and watching this league grow. I thought it would get here, I just didn’t know when, but we saw that after 20 years we are now in a new era in Major League Soccer. This year, for whatever reason, is just a little more special than the rest of them. They’ve done some great things and things like this stadium are part of the development. We’ve seen it now all around the country. I’m just excited to have been a small part of it.” Meola said Walter Bahr, one of the stars of the U.S. national team in 1950 that beat England in the group stage of the World Cup, told him something early in his career that he carries with him to this day. “Walter Bahr, when I made the Under-19 World Cup, he had this saying, ‘Keep the ball rolling,’ and I’ve taken that with me my entire life. Hopefully the guys now, they go under the same premise, they just keep the ball rolling. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a historian when it comes to soccer. I go back and love seeing all the old guys and love seeing the guys that tried to qualify for World Cups before me and played on the Cosmos, the team I grew up watching, and played locally here, guys that represented the national team. We’re all kind of a just a small piece to the puzzle.” Meola also helped guide the career of Tim Howard in the early days of the MetroStars. Meola was the veteran starter and Howard the teenage backup. “Tim is a guy we knew from day one, but if you asked me then what he was like I would have told you the guy’s got a future,” Meola said. “He’s another guy, especially in the goalkeeping position, who kept the ball rolling, who kept it moving along. And they’ll be another guy after him somewhere along the line. I’m just happy I was a small part of his development. “Every time I see him play I think, I was there in the beginning with him. I got to see this greatness start from the beginning.” Now 46, Meola is still involved in soccer. He and childhood friend John Harkes do a radio show on siriusXM. While Meola says he stays neutral, he loves what the current Red Bulls are doing. “I love the plan. I talk about it on the radio all the time,” Meola said. “They’re building something. In the past, I don’t know if it was building or putting band aids on it sometimes. Now they’re building for the future. Look, they want to win, every guy in the locker room wants to win, but these guys have a plan and it’s pretty laid out. You look at some of their signings, they’re pretty shrewd signings. The way they’ve done business has been really, really good. My guess is if they wanted to go buy and spend some of the multimillions, they could still do that. But maybe it doesn’t fit into the plan. “I’ve looked at MLS coaching jobs before and spoken to people. For me, it was all about a plan. If you don’t have a plan for four or five years you might not last four or five years. That’s the nature of the game, but they’ve got a plan here and it’s working right now. We’re seeing it in the short term, but I have a feeling, looking at the age of the roster, looking at some of the guys that they brought in, it’ll be around for a while. “Does it translate into a championship? You never know because you’ve got to play, but you want to be competitive all the time. You want to go out every single night and know we have a chance to win.” Actually, that was the feeling players got every time they looked back and saw Meola in goal.Paul “Luke” Kuhn a member of D.C. Antifa and one of the Disrupt J20 organizers who planned on shutting down the Deploraball with Butyric acid was spotted Saturday at the March For Truth, a rally organized in part by Linda Sarsour who has connections with Hamas and has attended events with Palestinian terrorists. Kuhn was busted in January by Project Veritas for his part in planning on shutting down the Deploraball with harmful Butyric acid. He was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault. He received no jail time and instead was given 48 hours of community service and told to remain on good behavior. James O’Keefe the man behind Project Veritas believes this was a light sentence and that “Justice has not been served” since Kuhn appeared to have violated D.C. anti-terrorism laws Kuhn was spotted at the March For Truth listening in on the rally. When asked why he was in attendance he has this to say “Donald Trump is a Russian puppet, he is an enemy of the people, he is a wannabe Hitler, wannabe Mussolini, had it not been for the fact he had been unable to consolidate power a lot of us wouldn’t even be here today” He was then asked what people like him could do in regards to Trumps agenda his response was. “Stand in the gears slow him down, keep him from accomplishing his policies, shelter immigrants, block his investigations, investigate him, go on offense, let’s turn this into another Watergate” When pressed if this involves doing whatever is necessary his response was “Whatever it takes” He was then pressed further if this would include actions similar to his failed attempts at shutting down the Deploraball he would not comment on the issue and instead said “You just have identified yourself as a member of the far right” Even when asked to give his side of the story Kuhn would not respond. Instead he got on his bike and rode around the rally. Off camera he later approached the reporter on his bike and threatened to get security. He was not seen after that Kuhn was also in the news January after it was found out that he was an advocate for pedophilia. Kuhn appeared in the news again in April after he was seen in a video among a crowd of Antifa members one of which assaulted Rebel Media reporter Jack Prosobiec. Whether or not Kuhn’s participation in that event or his attendance in the March For Truth qualify as “good behavior” as per terms of his sentence remain to be seen. However Kuhn did say that he was willing to do “whatever it takes” to “put sand in the gears” of Trump agenda. So it appears despite his arrest in February that we have not seen the last of Kuhn or the D.C. Antifa. In fact D.C. Antifa is planning an event called “Speakout Against Fascism in Washington DC” on June 25th at D.C. Police headquarters. Part of the event reads; “In January, over 200 activists were arrested and are facing unjust and outrageous charges as a result of the #DisruptJ20 protests at Trump’s Inauguration. Freedom of expression for marginalized communities has never been guaranteed in the United States, and state repression is only getting worse—nationally under Trump, and locally under the newly confirmed police chief, Peter Newsham.” Clearly D.C. Antifa is not pleased with Kuhn’s and others arrest as a result of DisruptJ20. Could this be what Kuhn meant when he said he would do “whatever it takes” to “stand in the gears” of Trump agenda? Antifa has been responsible for several violent protests across America and Europe. Such as at the “March 4 Trump”, the “Patriot Day Rally”, Milo Yiannopoulos’s Berkley speech, alt-right protests, and countless others. While Kuhn’s involvement with planning and organizing Antifa’s next event on June 25th is unknown he appears to be filming for the group as he been spotted twice now with a GoPro around his neck filming. Once in April with the incident involving Jack Posobiec and again at the March for Truth. Kuhn and Antifa don’t seem to be going away anytime soon and we can only expect the violence from this group to continue as long as President Trump continues his agenda. According to Antifa the name stands for Anti Fascism, in reality however it stands for Anti First Amendment.The Mind-Blowing World of Human Chimeras Maggie Koerth-Baker is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. A freelance science and health journalist, Maggie lives in Minneapolis, brain dumps on Twitter, and writes quite often for mental_floss magazine. One person outside: But two people "inside": That's the gist of the chimera, a human being who carries the DNA (and sometimes the body parts) for two. It sounds crazy, but it happens. In fact, doctors think it probably happens more often than we realize. Unless there were some reason to test the DNA from cells in different parts of your body, you could easily be a chimera and never know it. Happy Freaky Friday, everybody. So how's it happen? In this excerpt from my book, Be Amazing, I explained how chimeras happen, and how confusing it can be to be one. First: Get That Meddling Sibling Out of Your Way Imagine you're a fertilized egg, just a few days old. There you are, floating around the womb and minding your own business, when, BAM! You run smack into another just like you. Well, not just like you. But certainly close enough to be a threat. Now, you have a choice. You can roll over and let yourself be born as just another fraternal twin, or you can stand up for your individuality and absorb the interloper. Naturally, you do the smart thing, and nine months later your parents take home one healthy baby. Then: Discover That They Aren't As Dead As You Thought Like a horror-movie villain locked into a three-picture contract, your twin never really died. Instead, she'll end up hiding in plain sight--within your very cells--rendering you a chimera, a single human who carries the genetic makeup of two different people. Most of the time, there aren't any outward signs that your body is harboring a stowaway. But when you do notice, things get a little crazy. Take Karen Keegan, who discovered her chimera-ness at age 52. When Keegan needed a kidney transplant, she and her two adult children underwent DNA testing to figure out which kid's kidney would be the best match for mom. Surprisingly, the tests showed neither. In fact, according to DNA, Keegan's children weren't her children at all. The case confounded doctors for more than two years until, in 2000, the docs finally realized that Keegan's blood cells carried different genes from the cells in her ovaries---the long-absorbed twin was found. Perhaps you're wondering whether chimeras can incorporate twins of two different sexes. The answer is yes, and the results are often much stranger. In 1998, Scottish doctors reported treating a teenage boy for an undescended testicle. But when they put the kid under the knife, no second testicle could be found to pull down. Instead, where the ball should have been, doctors discovered an ovary and fallopian tube. Chimera strikes again. For some fun further reading, check out the story of Lydia Fairchild. Like Karen Keegan, Fairchild's chimeric nature was discovered after DNA tests said she wasn't the mother of the children she was pretty sure she remembered giving birth to. Unlike Keegan, however, Fairchild's kids were still young and the initial DNA test almost cost her custody. Much like Professor Xavier of the X-Men, illustrator Michael Rogalski is locked in deadly, psychic battle with his evil, chimeric twin.Christian Democratic Union candidate Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer celebrates her party's win in Saarbrucken, south-western Germany, March 26. (Photo11: AFP/Getty Images) BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party showed surprising strength Sunday against its main opponent in a state election that also produced gains for an anti-immigration party. Preliminary results showed Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union won 40.7% of the vote in tiny Saarland state, in southwestern Germany. That was up from 35.2% in 2012 and topped the 29.6% won by the Social Democrats led by Martin Schulz. Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-European Union and anti-immigration party, won 6.2% of the vote, enough to gain representation in its 11th state parliament. There are 16 state parliaments in Germany. AfD is not represented in the country's national parliament. Last year, polls showed support for AfD hit a record-high 16% nationally but it has lost momentum since then. The unexpectedly strong win for Merkel's party over Shulz's center-left group comes ahead of a September general election that could test Merkel's hopes for a fourth term. AfD is likely to gain a federal parliament seat for the first time in that election. Earlier this month, anti-Islam, anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders failed to win the most votes in a Dutch election that became a bellwether of populist sentiment in Europe. French voters will test the strength of anti-establishment feeling in a national election in April and May. Ahead of Sunday's German vote, polls showed a much tighter race as a result of a recent increase in Schulz's popularity. "Everything said about the Schulz train rolling over everything and changing everything didn’t come true," Armin Laschet, a Christian Democrat deputy leader, told broadcaster ZDF on Monday. Schulz has campaigned on a platform that is viewed as an alternative to the right-wing populism that has swept Europe in recent times. He is a vocal critic of President Trump and strongly backs the European Union. He stepped down as president of the EU's Parliament to run for chancellor. National polls show Merkel and Schulz in a neck-and-neck race to be Germany's next leader. Their parties are in Germany's current ruling coalition government. Two more state elections are scheduled for May. "We have picked up support in the last few weeks, in Saarland too, and we are looking ahead,” Schulz said Monday in comments that struck an optimistic tone. "We’re in it for the long haul, that message goes to those celebrating today, understandably from their point of view, but (they) should not celebrate too early." More on Germany's elections: Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2nmpUzrBy Ben Swann Guest Writer for Wake Up World Investigative reporter Ben Swann travels to Colorado to learn the truth about cannabis as medicine – and what government isn’t telling you. For those who believe in marijuana and cannabis freedom, the future has never been brighter. Right now there is an awakening to the benefits of cannabis for medicinal purposes, specifically something called CBD oil. But is the new CBD craze being manipulated by media and politicians? If it weren’t we wouldn’t need to do an article about it. The first step toward truth is to be informed CBD Oil… you’ve probably heard of it by now. Thanks to CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and his special report “Weed” (see below) millions are now aware of the cannabinoid rich oil being used to help children in colorado with epilepsy. Especially this one little girl Charlotte Figgy after whom the Charlotte’s Web strain of cannabis has been named. I wanted to learn what CBD oil and the push behind it is all about so I traveled to Denver, Colorado, home to legalized marijuana – and the Stanley brothers, the family behind the charlottes web strain of cannabis oil. The Stanley’s were the ones to prove in Charlotte Figgy’s case that CBD rich cannabis oil can prevent seizures in children. “We have this strain that we were going to use for cancer patients because studies have shown that CBD helps stop the metastasizing of cancer. We went ahead and tried it and after she (Charlotte Figgy) had it a week she went a week seizure free” says Jesse Stanley. Charlotte Figgy’s life was transformed by CBD oil. Now to understand what is unique about CBD oil, you have to understand what a cannabinoid is. In marijuana there are multiple cannabinoids including THC, CBD, CBN, CBA, THCA, THCB, and over 160 other compounds in the plant including terpenes – which create the most effective medicine. To be clear, in order to get a high from cannabis you need a high level of one cannabinoid, THC. But again, it’s just one particular cannabinoid. In the Stanley’s case they began growing cannabis with lower THC and higher CBD. “CBD is known to be a neuro-protectant, it is also one of the few things that causes neuro-genesis. So it’s not just seizures that this helps in epileptics, it is auto-immune disorders whether that’s cancer, crohn’s, lupus, there are so many different types of things” says Stanley. Today, in the stunningly short time since Charlotte Figgy’s story became famous, the Stanley’s have put thousands of patients on a waiting list for their CBD oil. In fact there are thousands of families who have already traveled to Colorado for this CBD oil and thousands more on the way. In Colorado, they are called ‘cannabis refugees’. All of this has led to other states to want to legalize CBD oil. The governor of Utah signed a CBD bill into law legalizing possession of the oil. A bill in Alabama has already passed the legislature and is awaiting the governors signature. And lawmakers in Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin and other states have or will consider CBD bills this year. “We’re at 20 states right now, so you already have twenty laws on the books that the people wanted or the people’s representatives wanted” says Mark Slaugh of iComply, a Denver based company which is fighting to keep small growers compliant with state regulation on marijuana cultivation. There are eight strict guidelines that must be followed. Mark says states are jumping on board with CBD but not with marijuana. “I think what most politicians don’t realize, when they start trying to play where the puck was and not where the puck is going to be, is that regulating just one compound greatly under-serves most of the patients who really need this medicine. So along the lines of medical efficacy, it isn’t reasonable” says Slaugh. The reality that Mark addresses is that media and politicians are jumping on the CBD train because it doesn’t get you ‘high’, like THC, but they are ignoring some very important medical facts about cannabinoids. I talked with medical cannabis patient Shona Bonda about this very issue. “I was diagnosed with crohn’s disease. In my first year I had my first bowl resection and I went downhill after that. My immune system recognized that there was something wrong and it essentially attacked itself… [As a sufferer of crohn’s disease] you’re in pain constantly and you can’t think straight. It’s hard to go through your day to day life when all you can do is think about pain. It is a terrible disease” says Bonda. Shona’s condition was so bad that her teeth literally became soft and the roof of her mouth had turned black. She couldn’t stand and says she parented her children from the couch. Described as like having a stomach flu every day for years, despite all the pharmaceutical medications and doctors, Shona was rotting from the inside out. Her break came when she saw the YouTube documentary “Run From The Cure” by Rick Simpson which explained how to extract CBD and THC oil from marijuana. Shona had started smoking marijuana just to be able to function but she wasn’t getting better. Shona’s husband at the time wanted to get her a vaporizer… but that vaporizer became the road to so much more. “He went and got me a very old fashioned vaporizer from the 1970’s. I was reading a book and I pinched off the tube for way too long and oil started forming on the dome. So he went and got a rubber spatula and I started scraping off the oil three times a day and I started putting whatever I could get into a gel cap. Within three days I didn’t need my cane anymore to walk and I started healing quite rapidly. So rapidly that I started to write in a journal” says Bonda. That journal would become the book “Live Free or Die”, Shona’s mantra for her own life and the lives of the people she continues to educate across the country on the benefits of cannabis oil. Politicizing the Nation’s Health But politicians and media are making CBD oil into the “good kind” of cannabis while arguing that THC is the “bad kind” of cannabis. While that is not how any of this works, scientifically speaking, that is the case that is subtly being made. As it happens, two forces will likely come into play. One: in order to push the market away from small sellers and harvesters of CBD oil, states and the feds will likely create a regulatory climate that is so difficult to manage, they will, through cronyism, force CBD oil into the hands of a few, which in turn limits supply and forces the price to rise considerably. Two: big pharmaceutical companies will being putting out a “safe”, “legitimate” form of CBD oil. That is already starting to happen. “GWB pharmaceuticals out of Great Britain has been producing Evaz which is a 50/50 blend of CBD and THC. They have no real research behind whether or not 50/50 is even the right ratio and they certainly don’t include the other terpenes and other chemical compounds from the cannabis plant. So we could see the bone tossed to the pharmaceutical dog? It’s certainly a possibility, but I think that if more people would take a stand for de-scheduling marijuana, regulating it in a manner similar to alcohol is really the best model to move forward with” says Mark Slaugh. What you need to know, is where the U.S. government actually stands on this issue. Cannabis – marijuana – is today still a Schedule 1 Drug. That means, according to the United States government, it has no medicinal use and has a high potential for abuse. Does our government really believe that? No. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed for a patent for the use of cannabinoids for medicinal purposes. Also in 1999, HHS filed for a second patent, specifically for cannabis oil for the treatment of disease. That’s right, the United States government – through the taxpayer funded Department of Health and Human Services – holds two patents on cannabinoids and cannabis oil to treat certain diseases like alzheimer’s and auto-immune diseases like crohn’s. US Patent 6630507 titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants” claims that: “Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmunediseases.The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.” Meanwhile, our government – through taxpayer funded agencies like the Department of Justice – pursue, arrest and imprison Americans who would attempt to access or use cannabis oil to heal their own bodies. In public they claim cannabis oil is not medicine and in private they seek to own the rights to patent, and profit from, that natural medicine. Truth means that humanity is greater than politics. Activate: Click here for 10 Steps You Can Take To Change and Confront the Culture on This Issue Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s CNN Special “WEED” Truth In Media with Ben Swann: the Truth About Cannabis as Medicine NSW Government Announces Trial of Medicinal Cannabis Post script, by Andy Whiteley Co-Founder of Wake Up World While the US Feds continue to deny the medicinal value of cannabis, this week, the government of the Australian state of New South Wales announced it is taking steps toward approving the medicinal use of cannabis for terminally ill patients. According to an ABC News report, Medical marijuana – Legal use of drug one step closer as NSW Government announces trial: A working group has been formed to set up the trial, which will look at ways to address issues of supply and distribution, and report back by the end of the year. The Government is also moving to formalise police guidelines so that people who possess small amounts of cannabis will not be charged if their name is on a register of terminally ill patients. NSW Premier Mike Baird has told Parliament he was touched by the plight of terminally ill Tamworth man Daniel Haslam. “Why not take a stance to say to the rest of the country, this matters. It’s time we did something about it,” he said. While NSW Premier Baird’s current stance is admirable, it is also long overdue. The Australian state governments’ long standing resistance to approving the legal use of marijuana shows they are failing to fulfil their role as leaders of public opinion and policy on this crucial health matter, and lagging sadly behind the will of the general populace – to the detriment of countless terminally ill Australians. One can only assume therefore that government agencies in Australia have finally seen the green writing on the wall, and would rather regulate – and profit from – a limited legal marijuana industry than continue to lose tax and other revenues to a thriving ‘black market’. However Australia is not the only country to allow the use of medical cannabis. Other nations that have already adopted the use of cannabis for medical purposes include Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Clearly it is not science, but the politics of prohibition and pharmaceutical industry cronyism, that is driving the continued prohibition of medical cannabis in the United States… a factor which, I believe, will ultimately reveal their corrupted intent. It’s time for change. To learn more, check out Wake Up World’s catalogue of articles on the health benefits of cannabis and agricultural applications of hemp. Previous article by Ben Swann: About the author: Ben Swann spent 14 years working as a journalist in broadcast news, most recently as a news anchor in Cincinnati, USA. He has won two Emmy Awards and two Edward R. Murrow awards. Through experience, Ben has come to believe that the mainstream American media is not interested in telling the truth. Guided by the principle of truth in media, he has chosen to take a stand, and has gone independent and online. For more information, visit Ben Swann \| Truth In Media. If you would like to help Ben Swann create more Truth in Media episodes like this one, please click here to contribute.Lawrence Franks was deployed to the Central African Republic and Djibouti with the French Foreign Legion (AFP Photo/Lionel Healing) Washington (AFP) - An American soldier who abandoned his unit to join the French Foreign Legion has been convicted of desertion and sentenced by the US military to four years in prison, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Second Lieutenant Lawrence Franks told a military court that he had been struggling with suicidal urges and that the arduous regimen of the legion was the only way to escape his crippling depression, the Times wrote. "I needed to be wet and cold and hungry," he told the paper, before he was sentenced Monday. "I needed the grueling life I could only find in a place like the legion." Franks went missing from his unit at Fort Drum in New York state in 2009 and flew to Paris, signing up
in the cabling must be kept below about 2,700 pF. Ordinary lamp cord has a capacitance of 10–20 pF per foot, plus a few picofarads of stray capacitance, so a 50-foot run (100 total feet of conductor) will have less than 1 percent capacitive loss in the audible range. Some premium speaker cables have higher capacitance in order to have lower inductance; 100–300 pF is typical, in which case the capacitive loss will exceed 1 percent for runs longer than about 5 feet (10 feet of conductor). Inductance [ edit ] All conductors have inductance, which is their inherent resistance to changes in current. That resistance is called inductive reactance, measured in ohms. Inductive reactance depends on how quickly the current is changing: quick changes in current (i.e., high frequencies) encounter a higher inductive reactance than do slow changes (low frequencies). Inductive reactance is calculated using this formula: X i = 2 π f L {\displaystyle X_{i}=2\pi fL} where: f {\displaystyle f} L {\displaystyle L} henrys. Audio signals are alternating current and so are attenuated by inductance. The following table shows the inductive reactance in ohms (lower means lower loss) for typical cable inductances at various audio frequencies; highlighted rows represent loss greater than 1% at 30 volts RMS: Inductance (μH) 100 Hz 200 Hz 500 Hz 1,000 Hz 2,000 Hz 5,000 Hz 10,000 Hz 20,000 Hz 50,000 Hz 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.6 1.6 10 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 1.3 3.1 20 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 1.3 2.5 6.3 50 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.6 1.6 3.1 6.3 15.7 100 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 1.3 3.1 6.3 12.6 31.4 200 0.1 0.3 0.6 1.3 2.5 6.3 12.6 25.1 62.8 500 0.3 0.6 1.6 3.1 6.3 15.7 31.4 62.8 157.1 The voltage on a speaker wire depends on amplifier power; for a 100-watt-per-channel amplifier, the voltage will be about 30 volts RMS. At such voltage, a 1% loss will occur at 0.3 ohms or more of inductive reactance. Therefore, to keep audible (up to 20,000 Hz) losses below 1%, the total inductance in the cabling must be kept below about 2 μH. Ordinary lamp cord has an inductance of 0.1–0.2 μH/foot, likewise for shielded cord,[6] so a run of up to about 5 feet (10 total feet of conductor) will have less than 1% inductive loss in the audible range. Some premium speaker cables have lower inductance at the cost of higher capacitance; 0.02-0.05μH/foot is typical, in which case a run of up to about 25 feet (50 feet of conductor) will have less than 1% inductive loss. Skin effect [ edit ] Skin effect in audio cables is the tendency for high frequency signals to travel more on the surface than in the center of the conductor, as if the conductor were a hollow metal pipe.[3] This tendency, caused by self-inductance, makes the cable more resistant at higher frequencies, diminishing its ability to transmit high frequencies with as much power as low frequencies. As cable conductors increase in diameter they have less overall resistance but increased skin effect. The choice of metals in the conductor makes a difference, too: silver has a greater skin effect than copper; aluminum has less effect. Skin effect is a significant problem at radio frequencies or over long distances such as miles and kilometers worth of high-tension electrical transmission lines, but not at audio frequencies carried over short distances measured in feet and meters. Speaker cables are normally made with stranded conductors but bare metal strands in contact with each other do not mitigate skin effect; the bundle of strands acts as one conductor at audio frequencies.[7] Litz wire – individually insulated strands held in a particular pattern – is a type of high-end speaker wire intended to reduce skin effect. Another solution that has been tried is to plate the copper strands with silver which has less resistance.[8] Regardless of marketing claims, skin effect has an inaudible and therefore negligible effect in typical inexpensive cables for loudspeaker or other audio signals.[9] The increase in resistance for signals at 20,000 Hz is under 3%, in the range of a few milliohms for the common home stereo system; an insignificant and inaudible degree of attenuation.[7][10][11] Terminations [ edit ] Speaker wire terminations facilitate the connection of speaker wire to both amplifiers and loudspeakers. Examples of termination include soldered or crimped pin or spade lugs, banana plugs, and 2-pin DIN connectors. The type of termination is determined by the connectors on the equipment at each end of the wire. Some terminations are gold plated. Many speakers and electronics have flexible five-way binding posts that can be screwed down or held down by a spring to accept bare or soldered wire and pins or springy banana plugs (through a hole in the outward-facing side of the post). Quality debate [ edit ] There is debate among audiophiles surrounding the impact that high-end cables have on audio systems with audibility of the changes central to the discussion. While some speaker wire marketers claim audible improvement with design or exotic materials, skeptics say that a few meters of speaker wire from the power amplifier to the binding posts of the loudspeakers cannot possibly have much influence because of the greater influence from complex crossover circuits found in most speakers and particularly from the speaker driver voice coils that have several meters of very thin wire. To justify claims of enhanced audio quality, many marketers of high-end speaker cables cite electrical properties such as skin effect, characteristic impedance or resonance; properties which are generally little understood by consumers. None of these have any measurable effect at audio frequencies, though each matters at radio frequencies.[12] Industry experts have disproven the higher quality claims through measurement of the sound systems and through double-blind ABX tests of listeners.[4][13] There is however agreement that the overall resistance of the speaker wire should not be too high.[4] As well, the observed problems with speaker cable quality are largest for loudspeakers with passive cross-overs such as those typical of home stereos.[14] An accepted guideline is that the wire impedance should not exceed 5% of the entire circuit. For a given material, resistance is a function of length and thickness (specifically of the ratio of length to cross-sectional area). For this reason, lower impedance speakers require lower resistance speaker wire.[4] Longer cable runs need to be even thicker.[15] Once the 5% guideline is met, thicker wire will not provide any improvement.[4] Roger Russell – a former engineer and speaker designer for McIntosh Labs – details how expensive speaker wire brand marketing misinforms consumers in his online essay called Speaker Wire – A History. He writes, "The industry has now reached the point where [wire] resistance and listening quality are not the issues any more, although listening claims may still be made...The strategy in selling these products is, in part, to appeal to those who are looking to impress others with something unique and expensive."[4] See also [ edit ]eNVIRO is a weather station and clock with 7" touchscreen display and external solar powered unit unit for external temperature and humidity measurement. Base unit (eNVIRO) The base unit employs precision sensors that ensures accurate measurements of the environmental conditions. Through its huge 7" touchscreen display, it is possible to display the main environmental parameters as well as advanced parameter such as: dew point, heat index, absolute humidity, air density, and carbon dioxide concentration. In addition, the unit fits a RTC for precision time and date keeping. The 3D-printed housing has a simple and elegant design; the 3D files will be available soon on Thingiverse. Preliminary hardware list: SHT31 - Temperature and humidity sensor MS5611 - Absolute pressure DS3231 - Real time clock (not necessary if using eDOTcore board) MH-Z19 - NDIR Carbon dioxide sensor PMS5003 - Particulate matter 1, 2.5 and 10 sensor ITEAD Nextion NX8048t070-11 - 7" Touchscreen display eDOTcore or any Arduino board 1 / 2 External sensor (eNVIRO sense) The external units employs the same temperature and humidity sensor of the base unit that ensure to have the same accuracy. The sensor is housed inside a Stevenson screen that provides the necessary shielding of the sensor, hence allowing accurate measurement of the environmental conditions. The unit is powered by a 3.7V 1500mAh Li-Po battery; a 6V 2W solar panel ensures the battery to be charged during the daytime assuring continuous operation. The 3D-printed parts are available for download on Thingiverse. More information on the project on Hackster.Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition Announced The Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition hasn’t even released across the country but we already have more great bourbon to look forward to this fall. According to the TTB the 2014 Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition will be a blend of 4 Four Roses mash bills, OBSK 9 year, OBSV 13 year, OESV12 year and OBSF 11 year. This barrel proof release comes in at 120.3. The 2014 comes with a pretty significant drop in age and increase in proof compared to the 2013 which was a blend of OBSV 18 year, OBSK 13 year and OESK 13 year and 100 proof. Front Label: Back Label: Can’t wait to try this bourbon this fall. Based on the historical release of the Small Batch LE I’d start looking for this bourbon between September and October. Four Roses Small Batch LE over the years: 2011 OBSK – 13 years OESQ – 13 years OESV – 12 years OESK – 11 years 2012 OBSV – 17 years OBSV – 11 years OBSK – 12 years OESK – 12 years 2013 OBSV – 18 years OBSK – 13 years OESK – 13 years 2014The report, notably, was commissioned by Silva International Investments, which is owned by Riccardo Silva, who owns NASL club Miami FC, who are in the second division of US soccer. And, in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Abbott said he believes the fact that the report was paid for by an NASL team owner seriously undermines its findings and added that significant investment off the field, as well as success on the field, is the driving force of professional soccer in the US. "I've read a summary of the report and I've only been able to give that a cursory review. I don't know if there is more than the summary or not," Abbott told The Telegraph via telephone. "It's been written about a lot, the report was paid for by an NASL owner with a vested interest in promotion. I think we have to look at it through that lens and recognise that there's some serious credibility questions with respect to the report itself. "With respect to the substance, the report ignores the really fundamental aspect of what is required to continue to grow professional soccer in the United States and that is the investment of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, in a wide range of programmes, infrastructure and initiatives, including player development, soccer-specific stadiums, marketing, the creation of high-quality broadcast and digital content to name just a few. "And by narrowly focusing on the sole criteria of winning the championship in the second division, the NASL's proposal does not propose or require any of this investment - and I think in fact would discourage it. "It is simple common sense that a team that is promoted and faces the prospect of relegation the next year would not be prepared to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars required to build a stadium or the other areas needed to grow a strong fanbase. "New stadiums now cost $150 million and require strong public-private partnerships and based on decades of working with elected officials across the country we know that no local community would be willing to contribute to that partnership if that team was subject to relegation."Not to be confused with his son, the actor Desi Arnaz Jr Arnaz and the second or maternal family name is de Acha. This name uses Spanish naming customs : the first or paternal family name isand the second or maternal family name is Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), better known as Desi Arnaz or Desi Arnaz, Sr., was a Cuban-born American actor, musician, and television producer. He is best remembered for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American television series sitcom I Love Lucy. He co-starred on that show with dramatic and comedic actress Lucille Ball (1911-1989), to whom he was married at the time. He and Ball are generally credited as the inventors of the syndicated rerun, which they pioneered with the I Love Lucy series.[2] Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-founded and ran the television production company Desilu Productions, originally to market I Love Lucy to television networks. After I Love Lucy ended, Arnaz went on to produce several other television series, at first with Desilu Productions, and later independently; examples of which included The Ann Sothern Show and The Untouchables. He was also renowned for leading his Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra. Early life [ edit ] Arnaz was born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha, III, in Santiago de Cuba to Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II (March 8, 1894 – May 31, 1973) and his wife Dolores de Acha (April 2, 1896 – October 24, 1988). His father was Santiago's youngest mayor and also served in the Cuban House of Representatives. His maternal grandfather was Alberto de Acha, an executive at Bacardi Rum.[3] According to Arnaz, in his autobiography A Book (1976), the family owned three ranches, a palatial home, and a vacation mansion on a private island in Santiago Bay, Cuba. Following the 1933 Cuban Revolution, led by Fulgencio Batista, which overthrew President Gerardo Machado, Alberto Arnaz was jailed and all of his property was confiscated. He was released after six months when his brother-in-law Alberto de Acha intervened on his behalf.[3] The family then fled to Miami, where Desi attended St. Patrick Catholic High School. In the summer of 1934, he attended Saint Leo Prep[4] (near Tampa) to help improve his English. Film career [ edit ] When he moved to the United States, Desi Arnaz turned to show business to support himself. In 1939, he starred on Broadway in the musical Too Many Girls. He went to Hollywood the next year to appear in the show's movie version at RKO, which starred Lucille Ball. Arnaz and Ball eloped on November 30, 1940. Arnaz also played guitar for Xavier Cugat.[1] Arnaz appeared in several movies in the 1940s such as Bataan (1943). He received his draft notice, but before reporting, he injured his knee. He completed his recruit training, but was classified for limited service in the United States Army during World War II. He was assigned to direct United Service Organization (U.S.O.) programs at a military hospital in the San Fernando Valley. Discovering the first thing the wounded soldiers requested was a glass of cold milk, he arranged for movie starlets to meet them and pour the milk for them. Following his discharge from the Army, he formed another orchestra, which was successful in live appearances and recordings.[citation needed] He sang for troops in Birmingham Hospital with John Macchia and hired his childhood friend Marco Rizo to play piano and arrange for the orchestra. When he became successful in television, he kept the orchestra on his payroll, and Rizo arranged and orchestrated the music for I Love Lucy.[5] I Love Lucy [ edit ] Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, 1957 On October 15, 1951, Arnaz co-starred in the premiere of I Love Lucy, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself, Cuban orchestra leader Enrique "Ricky" Ricardo. His co-star was his real-life wife, Lucille Ball, who played Ricky's wife, Lucy. Television executives had been pursuing Ball to adapt her very popular radio series My Favorite Husband for television. Ball insisted on Arnaz playing her on-air spouse so the two would be able to spend more time together. CBS wanted Ball's "Husband" co-star Richard Denning.[citation needed] The original premise was for the couple to portray Lucy and Larry Lopez, a successful show business couple whose glamorous careers interfered with their efforts to maintain a normal marriage. Market research indicated, however, that this scenario would not be popular, so Jess Oppenheimer changed it to make Ricky Ricardo a struggling young orchestra leader and Lucy an ordinary housewife who had show business fantasies but no talent.[citation needed] The character name "Larry Lopez" was dropped because of a real-life bandleader named Vincent Lopez, and was replaced with "Ricky Ricardo". Ricky often appeared at, and later owned, the Tropicana Club, which under his ownership he renamed Club Babalu.[citation needed] Initially, the idea of having Ball and the distinctly Latin American Arnaz portray a married couple encountered resistance as they were told that Desi's Cuban accent and Latin style would not be agreeable to American viewers.[6] The couple overcame these objections, however, by touring together, during the summer of 1950, in a live vaudeville act they developed with the help of Spanish clown Pepito Pérez, together with Ball's radio show writers. Much of the material from their vaudeville act, including Lucy's memorable seal routine, was used in the pilot episode of I Love Lucy. Segments of the pilot were recreated in the sixth episode of the show's first season. During his time on the show, he became TV's most successful entrepreneur. Desilu Productions [ edit ] With Ball, Arnaz founded Desilu Productions. At that time, most television programs were broadcast live, and as the largest markets were in New York, the rest of the country received only kinescope images. Karl Freund, Arnaz's cameraman, and even Arnaz himself have been credited with the development of the multiple-camera setup production style using adjacent sets in front of a live audience that became the standard for subsequent situation comedies. The use of film enabled every station around the country to broadcast high-quality images of the show. Arnaz was told that it would be impossible to allow an audience onto a sound stage, but he worked with Freund to design a set that would accommodate an audience, allow filming, and adhere to fire and safety codes.[citation needed] In addition to I Love Lucy, he executive produced The Ann Sothern Show and Those Whiting Girls (starring Margaret Whiting and Barbara Whiting Smith), and was involved in several other series such as The Untouchables, Whirlybirds, and Sheriff of Cochise / United States Marshal. He also produced the feature film Forever, Darling (1956), in which he and Ball starred. In the late 1950s, Arnaz proposed a Western television series to his then neighbor, Victor Orsatti, who formed a production company, Ror-Vic, in partnership with actor Rory Calhoun. Ror-Vic produced The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings on CBS from 1958 to 1960. Episodes were budgeted at $40,000 each, with two black-and-white segments filmed weekly through Desilu Studios. Despite the name, the series was mostly in Pearl Flats in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. The program could have been renewed for a third season had Calhoun not desired to return to films.[7] The original Desilu company continued long after Arnaz's divorce from Ball and her subsequent marriage to Gary Morton. Desilu produced its own programs and provided facilities to other producers. Desilu produced The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek. When Ball sold her share of Desilu to what became Paramount Television, Arnaz went on to form his own production company from his share of Desilu. With the newly formed Desi Arnaz Productions, he made The Mothers-In-Law (at Desilu) for United Artists Television and NBC. This sitcom ran for two seasons from 1967 to 1968. Arnaz's company was succeeded-in-interest by the company now known as Desilu, Too. Desilu, Too and Lucille Ball Productions work hand-in-hand with MPI Home Video in the home video reissues of the Ball/Arnaz material not currently owned by CBS (successor-in-interest to Paramount Television, which in turn succeeded the original Desilu company). This material includes Here's Lucy and The Mothers-In-Law, as well as many programs and specials Ball and Arnaz made independently of each other.[8] Beliefs [ edit ] Arnaz and Ball decided that the show would maintain what Arnaz termed "basic good taste" and were therefore determined to avoid ethnic jokes, as well as humor based on physical handicaps or mental disabilities. Arnaz recalled that the only exception consisted of making fun of Ricky Ricardo's accent; even these jokes worked only when Lucy, as his wife, did the mimicking. Arnaz was deeply patriotic about the United States. In his memoirs, he wrote that he knew of no other country in the world where "a sixteen-year-old kid, broke and unable to speak the language" could achieve the successes that he had. Marriages [ edit ] Arnaz and Lucille Ball in Los Angeles, 1953 Arnaz and Lucille Ball were married on November 30, 1940. Their marriage was turbulent. Convinced that Arnaz was being unfaithful to her, and also because he came home drunk several times, Ball filed for divorce in September 1944, but returned to him before the interlocutory decree became final.[citation needed] Arnaz and Ball subsequently had two children, actress Lucie Arnaz (born 1951) and actor Desi Arnaz, Jr. (born 1953). Arnaz's marriage with Ball began to collapse under the strain of his growing problems with alcohol and womanizing. According to his memoir, the combined pressures of managing the production company, as well as supervising its day-to-day operations had greatly worsened as it grew much larger, and he felt compelled to seek outlets to alleviate the stress.[citation needed] Arnaz was also suffering from diverticulitis. Ball divorced him in 1960. When Ball returned to weekly television, she and Arnaz worked out an agreement regarding Desilu, wherein she bought him out.[9] Arnaz married his second wife, Edith Eyre Hirsch (née McSkimming), on March 2, 1963, and greatly reduced his show business activities. He served as executive producer of The Mothers-in-Law, and during its two-year run, made four guest appearances as a Spanish matador, Señor Delgado. Edith died in 1985, aged 67, from cancer. Although both Arnaz and Ball married other spouses after their divorce in 1960, they remained friends, and grew closer in his final decade. "I Love Lucy was never just a title", wrote Arnaz in the last years of his life.[10] Family home video later aired on television showed Ball and Arnaz playing together with their grandson Simon shortly before Arnaz's death. Later life [ edit ] California, My Way. Arnaz appeared with his son in the 1974 television special, In the 1970s, Arnaz co-hosted a week of shows with daytime host and producer Mike Douglas. Vivian Vance appeared as a guest. Arnaz also headlined a Kraft Music Hall special on NBC that featured his two children, with a brief appearance by Vance. To promote his autobiography, A Book, on February 21, 1976, Arnaz served as a guest host on Saturday Night Live, with his son, Desi, Jr., also appearing. The program contained spoofs of I Love Lucy and The Untouchables. The spoofs of I Love Lucy were supposed to be earlier concepts of the show that never made it on the air, such as "I Love Louie", where Desi lived with Louis Armstrong. He read Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" in a heavy Cuban accent (he pronounced it "Habberwocky"). Desi Jr., played the drums and, supported by the SNL band, Desi sang both "Babalu" and another favorite from his dance band days, "Cuban Pete"; the arrangements were similar to the ones used on I Love Lucy. He ended the broadcast by leading the entire cast in a raucous conga line through the SNL studio. Arnaz and his wife eventually moved to Del Mar, California, where he lived the rest of his life in semi-retirement. He owned a horse-breeding farm in Corona, California, and raced thoroughbreds. He contributed to charitable and nonprofit organizations, including San Diego State University. He also taught classes at San Diego State in studio production and acting for television. Arnaz made a guest appearance on the TV series Alice, starring Linda Lavin and produced by I Love Lucy co-creators Madelyn Pugh (Madelyn Davis) and Bob Carroll, Jr. Death [ edit ] Arnaz was a regular smoker for much of his life and often smoked cigarettes on the set of I Love Lucy.[11] He smoked Cuban cigars into his sixties.[12] Arnaz was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1986. He died several months later on December 2, 1986, at the age of 69. Arnaz was cremated and his ashes scattered. His death came just five days before Ball received the Kennedy Center Honors. His second wife, Edith, had died a year earlier on March 23, 1985. Legacy [ edit ] Desi Arnaz has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6301 Hollywood Boulevard for contributions to motion pictures and one at 6250 Hollywood Boulevard for television.[13] Unlike his co-stars, Arnaz was never nominated for an Emmy for his performance in ’’I Love Lucy’’, something that remains surprising to this day. However, in 1956, he won a Golden Globe for Best Television Achievement, in honor of helping shape the American Comedy, due to his contributions of being in front and behind the camera of ’’I Love Lucy’’. The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center museum is in Jamestown, New York, and the Desi Arnaz Bandshell in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park is in Celoron, New York. Arnaz was portrayed by Oscar Nuñez in I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom, a comedy about how Arnaz and Lucille Ball battled to get their sitcom on the air. It had its world premiere in Los Angeles on July 12, 2018, co-starring Sarah Drew as Lucille Ball, and Seamus Dever as I Love Lucy creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer. The play, written by Jess Oppenheimer's son, Gregg Oppenheimer, was recorded in front of a live audience for nationwide public radio broadcast and online distribution.[14] Filmography [ edit ] Soundtracks [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ] Arnaz, Desi. A Book. New York: William Morrow, 1976; ISBN 0688003427 (autobiography to 1960) . New York: William Morrow, 1976; ISBN 0688003427 (autobiography to 1960) Sanders, Coyne Steven, and Thomas W. Gilbert. Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. New York: Morrow, 1993; ISBN 9780688112172 (revised edition 2011 ISBN 9780062020017) (full dual biography focusing prominently on business affairs of Desilu Productions) . New York: Morrow, 1993; ISBN 9780688112172 (revised edition 2011 ISBN 9780062020017) (full dual biography focusing prominently on business affairs of Desilu Productions) Brady, Kathleen. Lucille The Life of Lucille Ball (1994), New York: Hyperion; ISBN 0-7868-6007-3 (1994), New York: Hyperion; ISBN 0-7868-6007-3 Pérez Firmat, Gustavo. "The Man Who Loved Lucy," in Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1994. Rpt. 1996, 1999. Revised and expanded edition, 2012. See also [ edit ]Introduction What are Binaural Beats? A binaural beat is an auditory illusion perceived when two different pure-tone sine waves are heard dichotically, that is one through each ear. For example, if you wear a pair of headphones and one side is playing a 440Hz tone and the other side is playing a 450Hz tone you will actually hear a third tone that is the difference of the two frequencies. Your brain will interpret the difference between 440Hz and 450Hz and you will hear a third tone of 10Hz. Read more about binaural beats on the Wikipedia entry on binaural beats. Brainwave Entrainment It is possible for external stimuli to persuade your brain to operate on certain frequencies. It is similar to sypmathetic resonance if you play any musical instruments. When you listen to binaural audio and your brain interprets and hears the third tone it also starts to entrain to that frequency. The theory is that you can listen to the binaural beats during a meditation to help bring your brain down to a lower frequency meditative state. Read more about brainwave entrainment on Wikipedia's entries for brainwave entrainment and binaural beats in brainwave entrainment. EEG Headset If you are interested in monitoring your brainwaves with an electroencephalograph (EEG), NeuroSky has an EEG headset available for only $99. I have an older model but it is good for monitoring your brainwaves in real time or keeping a log and comparing them over time. Wear it during the day when you work to see what your brain is up to, or wear it during meditation sessions and see how your waves change over time. You can do your own experiments with this headset to see if the binaural audio actually has any effect on your brainwaves. You can buy a new one on Amazon. The Source Code First, let's look at the entire program as a whole. The whole program is less than 100 lines but some of the audio terminology and details can be confusing. Don't try to understand all of it now. Just skim through the program as a whole and if you want try to run it on your machine. Further down the page I will break it down piece by piece and explain how it all works. You should wear headphones when listening to the audio to get the full effect. You will be able to hear the effect without headphones but it will not be the same. To compile and run this program, you will need a Java JDK and the source code for Binaural.java. # Save the code in a file named Binaural.java wget https://www.devdungeon.com/sites/default/static/binaural_java/Binaural.java # Compile it with javac Binaural.java # Run it with java Binaural import java.util.logging.Level; import java.util.logging.Logger; import javax.sound.sampled.AudioFormat; import javax.sound.sampled.AudioSystem; import javax.sound.sampled.LineUnavailableException; import javax.sound.sampled.SourceDataLine; public class Binaural { private static final int SAMPLE_RATE = 16 * 1024; // 16KHz private static final int SAMPLE_SIZE = 8; // 8 bits per sample private static final int NUM_CHANNELS = 2; // Stereo private final byte leftChannel[] = new byte[SAMPLE_RATE]; // 1 sec of samples private final byte rightChannel[] = new byte[SAMPLE_RATE]; private SourceDataLine line = null; private final AudioFormat audioFormat = new AudioFormat( SAMPLE_RATE, SAMPLE_SIZE, NUM_CHANNELS, true, true ); public static void main(String[] args) { int leftFreq = 440; // A = 440Hz int rightFreq = 448; Binaural binauralGenerator = new Binaural(leftFreq, rightFreq); binauralGenerator.play(3); // Play for 3 seconds binauralGenerator.shutdown(); } private Binaural(int leftFreq, int rightFreq) { // Fill the left and right channel buffers with sine waves fillBufferWithSineWave(leftChannel, leftFreq); fillBufferWithSineWave(rightChannel, rightFreq); // Initialize audio output try { line = AudioSystem.getSourceDataLine(audioFormat); line.open(audioFormat, (int) audioFormat.getSampleRate()); line.start(); } catch (LineUnavailableException ex) { Logger.getLogger(Binaural.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); System.exit(1); } } private void fillBufferWithSineWave(byte[] buffer, int frequency) { double period = (double) SAMPLE_RATE / frequency; for (int i = 0; i < SAMPLE_RATE; i++) { // Fill each byte of the buffer double angle = 2.0 * Math.PI * i / period; buffer[i] = (byte) (Math.sin(angle) * 127f); } } private void play(int seconds) { int samplePosition = 0; int endPosition = (int)audioFormat.getSampleRate(); for (int i = 0; i < SAMPLE_RATE * seconds / 2; i++) { line.write(leftChannel, samplePosition, 2); // 2 bytes from each line.write(rightChannel, samplePosition, 2); samplePosition += 2; if (samplePosition >= endPosition) { samplePosition = 0; } } } private void shutdown() { line.flush(); line.close(); } } Breakdown Let's take a look at one piece at a time to understand how it all works. The Variables If you are not familiar with the terms sample rate and sample size or want to review the basics of digital audio, I recommend reading this reference on digital audio from the Audacity wiki. We are defining some constants first with the SAMPLE_RATE, SAMPLE_SIZE, and NUM_CHANNELS. These are used to determine what size buffers we will need, and will be important for calculating the sine waves. We also create two buffers (an array of bytes), one for each channel. The SourceDataLine is the actual hardware device that will be playing our audio. We need the AudioFormat object in order to properly open the hardware device with the right settings. private static final int SAMPLE_RATE = 16 * 1024; // ~16KHz private static final int SAMPLE_SIZE = 8; // 8 bits per sample private static final int NUM_CHANNELS = 2; // Stereo private final byte leftChannel[] = new byte[SAMPLE_RATE]; // 1 sec of samples private final byte rightChannel[] = new byte[SAMPLE_RATE]; private SourceDataLine line = null; private final AudioFormat audioFormat = new AudioFormat( SAMPLE_RATE, SAMPLE_SIZE, NUM_CHANNELS, true, true ); The Main Function The main function should be easy enough to read. We define the frequencies we want for the left and right channels. We then create a Binaural object and pass it the frequencies we want. We call the play() function and tell it how many seconds we want it to play. Then shutdown() is called to clean up and release the hardware device. public static void main(String[] args) { int leftFreq = 440; // A = 440Hz int rightFreq = 448; Binaural binauralGenerator = new Binaural(leftFreq, rightFreq); binauralGenerator.play(3); // Play for 3 seconds binauralGenerator.shutdown(); } The Constructor The constructor fills the audio buffers with sine waves and initializes the audio output device. private Binaural(int leftFreq, int rightFreq) { // Fill the left and right channel buffers with sine waves fillBufferWithSineWave(leftChannel, leftFreq); fillBufferWithSineWave(rightChannel,
Baltimore landing party and a special guest from Minnesota. Rachel “Sugaaku” Vasquez made a trip to the East Coast to enjoy the stifling heat of Summer and fierce Smash 64 competition. Winners bracket went as planned until Grand Finals but we’ll get to that later. In the meantime Mr. Sir was making a glorious run through Losers bracket. The 7 seed was sent to losers by Clubbadubba in a 2-0 rout. After beating Kristoff handily in the second round of losers Mr. Sir met Studstill in losers round 3. Mr. Sir’s impressive edgeguards and stalwart patience allowed him and his Samus to sweep Studstill in a three stock and two stock. This win would guarantee Mr. Sir would out place his seed. Next up Mr. Sir was face to face with Yobolight. Yobo had sent Shears to losers and looked to use the momentum, despite having lost to BarkSanchez, to push onward. Yobo’s Yoshi had the edge in the first game and beat Mr. Sir’s Samus with a decisive two stock. Game two saw Mr. Sir comeback from down 3 stocks to 2. Mr. Sir made the adjustments for game three and dominated with a three stock putting him through to Losers Semifinals against Robert. Mr. Sir took game one to a last stock situation but Robert’s Pikachu was able to finish him off in the end. A shaken Mr. Sir was easily comboed in game two and Robert took it easily with a four stock. The run had ended for Mr. Sir and he went home with an impressive fourth place nicely overcoming his No. 7 seeding. Now back to Grand Finals, where BarkSanchez and Clubbadubba would face off. Bark had 3-0’ed Clubba in Winners Finals and was poised to take the whole tournament. Clubba was able to reset the bracket with his Pika and Falcon versus Bark’s DK and Falcon. The reset saw serious mode engaged and Bark went Pika versus Clubba’s Pika. Game one Bark took with a cool two stock, game two saw a comeback from Bark down two stocks to one, and in game three Bark took the tournament with another comback. The full bracket can be found on Advancedbrackets and replays are available on the Enkko YouTube channel. Smash 64 @ The Cave Monthly This edition of the Smash 64 Monthly at The Cave drew 18 competitors. A special guest had been flown in and after spending 12 hours at the airport due to a misread itinerary, he arrived in the Old Dominion state. None other than KeroKeroppi had graced Virgina with his Smash prowess this weekend. Kero and BarkSanchez glided into Winners Finals. Game one saw Kero down by two stocks but the ruthless killing power of Captain Falcon allowed him to take four of Bark’s Pikachu’s stocks and the game while only taking 70% damage. Game two saw a similar comeback from Kero but Bark was able to hold on and win with a two stock. The titans of the East Coast traded the next two games and game five would decide the set. Kero pulled ahead two stocks fast after a losing three stocks to mistakes in game four. Kero out to prove game four a myth, summarily five stocked Bark and moved on to Grand Finals. Bark would find Starking waiting for him in Losers Finals. The first two games came down to tense last stock situations and were split by the two. Game three Bark cracked the code on Starking and won easily with a three stock. Starking held on in game four with some excellent edgeguards and forced a game five. Game five went the distance lasting just over seven minutes. It came down to a last hit situation with both players over 100% damage. Starking was able to sneak in a back air launching Bark to defeat, punching his ticket to face Kero in Grand Finals. Starking and his Kirby were able to take a lead early versus Kero’s Captain Falcon, going up four stocks to one. Despite Kero taking back two stocks without taking damage Starking was able to catch Falcon in a combo and finish him off. Kero was able to download Starking in games two and three and took them both with two stocks. Starking put in a valiant effort in game four taking it down to last stock but he wasn’t able to force a game five and Kero took the tournament. The full bracket can be found on Advancedbrackets and replays are available on the Enkko YouTube channel. SSBL Baltimore Season 2 Week 1 The moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived. On Wednesday July 20th Season 2 of the Super Smash Brothers League for the Baltimore club kicked off. This season will be used to fine tune the formats of future seasons that will be played by the many new clubs who joined this spring. The commencement of the new season drew players from both Maryland and Virginia along with one from Minnesota as well. The renowned Minnesota TO Sugaaku dropped by Baltimore to have a crack at one of the strongest East Coast scenes. The most notable absence was that of LD, who’s lack of appearances cost him first place in Season 1. The new season also brings a new rule set to the Baltimore club. They have switched to four stocks and a stage counter pick system. The top two seeds easily advanced to Grand Finals, but this does not mean there were no upsets along the way. The night was hardest on Darkhorse. In his first match against Daniel he was able to take game one with his Pikachu versus Daniel’s Captain Falcon on Yoshi’s Story. Daniel then took the match up to Final Destination. Daniel was able to take advantage of the lack of recovery options by Pikachu on this stage and took the game with a two stock. Dark counter picked Metal Caver for the final match. unfortunately, the struggle didn’t end there for Darhorse. After beating V 2-1 in the first round of losers he was set to face off against Yobolight. Darkhorse would ultimately fall in the match that was played off stream and would be settled with a disappointing seventh place in week 1 of the new season. The full bracket can be found on Advancedbrackets and replays are available on Darkhorse’s Twitch channel. AdvertisementsLow back pain resulting from degenerative disc disease is one of the most prevalent pathologies in the developed world. In the US, low back pain is the most common health problem for those younger than the age of 50. While there can be many causes of low back pain, the condition often is associated with the degeneration of the intervertebral disc -- degenerative disc disease. Current first-line therapies, including spinal fusion and physical therapy, address only the symptoms, and do not treat the underlying degeneration. But now, applying gene therapy, tissue engineering, and stem cell research to treat the degeneration provides an opportunity to correct the pathological process involved. Gene Therapy A growing understanding of the molecular changes associated with the degeneration of the disc has led to an investigation into various treatments designed to directly address these changes. Investigators have looked into therapies targeting several molecular and cellular aspects of degeneration. One has involved the direct injection or stimulation through gene therapy of a number of growth factors involved in regulating matrix anabolism. This technique has yielded promising results in vitro and in vivo in small animal models. Stem Cell Transplant Viable Stem cell therapy has demonstrated potential to be a disease-modifying or disease-reversing therapy for degenerative disc disease. A 2003 meta-analysis of animal studies by Mayo Clinic researchers established potential effectiveness of stem cell therapy. In the analysis disc height was found to be increased. In addition, stem cell transplantation increased water content in the discs and altered the gene expression profile. This study opened up the field for further animal and human studies. Mesenchymal Stem Cells One promising stem cell approach involves injections of mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise in small animal models, but results in larger vertebrates have been mixed. MSCs are a type of stem cell derived from adult tissues. They are immature, undifferentiated cells that have been adapted for ex vivo therapy. MSCs can be found in bone marrow, adipose tissue, and other tissues of the body. Studies have shown that MSCs have the potential to slow disc degeneration and stimulate regeneration of the matrix. A 2003 study by Sakai, et al. investigated the use of MSCs in a rabbit model of disc degeneration. They partially aspirated the soft, inner core of the spinal disc to induce degeneration. They then injected the rabbit’s own MSCs into the disc. After 8 weeks, the researchers found that the disc maintained its integrity and that the implanted MSCs had differentiated into cells that resembled the original cells of the disc matrix. A new human clinical trial at the University of California at Davis will explore the use of stem cells in humans with degenerative disc disease. Investigators will inject a stem cell treatment, either mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) alone, MPCs in combination with hyaluronic acid, or placebo. The cells are taken from the bone marrow of healthy donors and processed to a therapeutic product that can be used without a need for tissue matching. MPCs have been shown in previous studies to promote healing by organizing cells to form new tissue. The objective of the trial is to establish safety and efficacy of the therapies, and also to evaluate them for effectiveness in reducing pain and improving mobility. Mesenchymal stem cells labeled with fluorescent molecules. Image Credit - Shutterstock / Vshivkova Total Disc Replacement Better than Lumbar Fusion On another front, scientists at Sichuan University, Sichuan, China, compared the efficacy and safety of total disc replacement to that of the fusion for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease. They identified six relevant randomized controlled trials involving 1,603 patients and reported two year follow-up results. Patients in the total disc replacement group demonstrated significant improvements in measures of low back pain and complication rates at the two year follow-up, compared with the lumbar fusion group. In addition, range of motion was within normal ranges after disc replacement. Total disc replacement was safer and more efficacious than lumbar fusion at the two year follow-up. After comparing the clinical symptoms relieved, the range of motion preserved, and the low re-operation rate during long-term follow-up, total disc replacement was considered safe and effective. Further ReadingOn November 11, Epic Games had the great pleasure of announcing the release and immediate availability for download of its brand new Unreal Engine 4.10 game engine software. Prominent features of Unreal Engine 4.10 include support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, PlayStation 4 3.00 SDK, iOS 9, Mac OS X 10.11, and Xcode 7. Then, there's also support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2015, Xcode project overhaul, as well as for multiple new gamepads for the Android platform, including Samsung Game Pad EI-GP20, Amazon Fire Game Controller, Amazon Fire TV remote, and Nvidia Shield Controller. The Blueprint Node Alignment Routines feature has been injected into the editor, an optional launch screen for Android projects has been implemented, the Refraction on Mobile feature has been enabled for iPhone 5s or later devices, and there are Visible and Hidden Mesh optimizations for optimized rendering of head-mounted VR displays. Moreover, the Material Quality Level Scalability System for Mobile has been added to allow scaling of mobile games to low-end devices while keeping the same quality level, the Motion Controller Component and Landscape Mirror Tool have received updates, and there are new rendering optimizations for VR games. "This release is packed with a number of great new features, but our main focus has been to increase engine stability and fix outstanding issues," says Alexander Paschall of Epic Games. "Hundreds of reported bugs have been bashed, many new quality of life improvements were added, and virtually every supported platform has received updates." SteamOS and Linux fixes, updated SDKs Unreal Engine 4.10 is filled with numerous other new features and improvements. For example, the Oculus Rift and Oculus Mobile SDKs have been updated to support versions 0.8 Beta and 0.6.2, respectively, and the Xbox One SDK has been updated to the August 2015 release. As expected, the software fixes many of the annoying issues reported by users since the previous maintenance release of the game engine, Unreal Engine 4.9. There are also several improvements to Valve's new SteamOS gaming platform, as well as to GNU/Linux operating systems, which promise to be the future of the gaming industry. Experienced and aspiring game developers alike can get Unreal Engine 4.10 right now and start creating some of the most awesome titles for Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS operating systems, as well as for Xbox and PlayStation consoles.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) A new biopic’s portrayal of author David Foster Wallace is winning praise from two of his former colleagues at Illinois State—even if the University itself is a little lost in translation. The End of the Tour opened Friday in limited release to strong reviews, particularly for Jason Segel’s compelling turn as the late Wallace. The film chronicles Wallace’s revealing interview with a Rolling Stone reporter over several days at the end of his book tour for Infinite Jest. Wallace finished that acclaimed book while a professor in Illinois State’s Department of English, from 1993–2002. Professor of English Robert McLaughlin taught alongside Wallace. He wasn’t expecting to like the film but appreciated its portrayal of Wallace’s conflicted feelings about his post-Infinite Jest fame. “It’s respectful. It’s really smart,” said McLaughlin. “The people who made the movie know Wallace’s work well.” Several scenes in The End of the Tour take place in Bloomington-Normal and at Illinois State, although the film was shot in Michigan. Grand Valley State University apparently played the part of ISU. Notable Illinois State and Bloomington-Normal references in the film: When Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg) asks his boss for approval to do the interview, he’s asked about Wallace’s whereabouts. “He teaches at a small state university somewhere in Illinois,” he replies. A Redbirds magnet appears on Wallace’s refrigerator in his south Bloomington home. A little Redbird football helmet also sits in his kitchen. Wallace is shown teaching students in a creative writing class—apparently intended to be Stevenson Hall—although it’s obviously a stand-in set. The characters drive past a “Bloomington-Normal: Next 2 interchanges” sign on the interstate. The Grand Rapids skyline, however, is a dead giveaway that this film was shot elsewhere. Normal’s Mitsubishi manufacturing plant and “cheesy Bloomington radio” get shoutouts. McLaughlin was impressed by the film’s portrayal of Wallace, particularly his feelings about teaching. Segel’s Wallace talks about being uneasy shirking his classroom responsibilities for the book tour. When asked by Lipsky whether he likes teaching, he says, “I do, very much.” “That was very like him,” McLaughlin said. “He was really interested in his students and was a very dedicated teacher.” The film was screened in May at the Normal Theater during Illinois State’s 2nd annual David Foster Wallace Conference. Conference founder Jane Carman heard a lot of positive feedback from the 100+ attendees from around the world. She calls it a “must-see” for Wallace fans. “I thought it was fantastic,” Carman said. “It still makes me think about the way we all portray and are perceived and portrayed. It makes me think about the struggle we all might have with writing and rewriting ourselves and our stories and the personas and stories of others.” McLaughlin first saw the film at the conference. “Jason Segel has done his homework,” McLaughlin said. “There were times he’d do certain vocal inflections or a shake of his head that caught my breath because it was just the way Wallace would say something. There were some moments that were just stunning.” Illinois State University and the City of Bloomington are thanked in the end credits. Also receiving thanks are Professor Emeritus Charles Harris, who hired Wallace in 1993; his wife and Professor Emerita Victoria Frenkel Harris; and their daughter Kymberly Harris. Wallace killed himself in 2008. His estate publicly came out against the film during production. McLaughlin wasn’t surprised. “Oh God, he would’ve hated this,” he said. Harris and Frenkel Harris had reservations too. The two felt a bit reassured during pre-production when director James Ponsoldt asked them for help getting a feel of what Wallace saw in his day-to-day life. “I went to the screening of the film the first time with a bit of trepidation, even though I know the director to be an intellect who was bent on not exploiting Wallace,” Frenkel Harris said. “The second time I saw End of the Tour, I sat back and enjoyed the fabulous, moving portrayal. “This is the best film, I believe, that could’ve been done,” Frenkel Harris added. “My hope is that the film will ignite more passion to go to Wallace’s incomparable writing. In this way, he—perhaps the best of his generation—will remain with us.” The End of the Tour is now in limited release, showing at several theaters in Chicago. It will be shown at the Normal Theater over Homecoming weekend, playing October 23–25 at 7 p.m. You can also make a gift to the Department of English’s David Foster Wallace Memorial Restricted Fund, or read more about Wallace’s connection to Illinois State: Ryan Denham can be reached at rmdenha@IllinoisState.edu.OpenWorks Engineering/YouTube Drones are everywhere these days. Chances are you've a seen one buzzing overhead at a park or above neighborhood streets, and companies like Intel and GoPro are rushing to cash in on the trend. But not everyone is a fan of the remotely-piloted devices, especially when drones go places they shouldn't to surreptitiously shoot video footage of private events or to cause other potential security concerns. A group of engineers in England has come up with a way to thwart the drone menace: A shoulder-fired air-powered bazooka known as the Skywall 100 that can down a drone from 100 meters away. Rather than obliterate the drone in the sky, the SkyWall's missile traps the drone in a net, bringing it down to the ground intact. A spokesperson for OpenWorks Engineering, which makes the Skywall 100, wouldn't provide a price for the device, noting that price will depend on quantity purchased and other factors. In development for seven months, the SkyWall 100 is expected to be in some customer hands by the end of the year, he said. The company has created a video to show off how it works. Check it out:SEATTLE,WA— (club release) – Seattle Reign FC opened preseason training camp on Monday, March 9, as they gear up for the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season. Season tickets, half-season packages and single-match tickets to the opening match on April 12 against Abby Wambach and the Western New York Flash are on sale now. All 2015 single match tickets go on sale Monday, March 16. General Manager and Head Coach Laura Harvey will return for her third season at the helm. The team will once again train and play home matches at the Moda Pitch at Memorial Stadium. Preseason camp includes a 30-player roster of 11 returning members from the 2014 team, two off-season acquisitions, and 17 trailists. Stephanie Cox, who was a 2014 U.S. Women’s National Team allocated player, signed a new contract with the club in January after it was announced that she would not be allocated in 2015. The club also reached agreement with Beverly Yanez (née Goebel), who was on loan to Reign FC in 2014 from the Japanese side INAC Kobe Leonessa. Bev was a key attacker in 2014, playing in 24 matches (21 starts) and picking up five goals and four assists. With the return of Cox, Seattle’s core defensive unit that allowed a league low of 20 goals in 2014 will remain intact with Lauren Barnes, Kendall Fletcher, and Elli Reed also returning this season. Reign FC’s preseason roster once again features captain and midfielder Keelin Winters, midfielder Mariah Nogueira, defender Amanda Frisbie, goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer, forward Kiersten Dallstream, and forward Dani Foxhoven. In November, Reign FC acquired forward Merritt Mathias from FC Kansas City in exchange for defender Kate Deines and two draft picks to the 2015 NWSL College Draft. Shortly after, the club also signed defender Michelle Cruz. Cruz who graduated from the University of Portland in 2014, most recently played with Apollon Limassol F.C. in the Cypriot First Division. The 30-player roster also includes Reign FC’s 2015 NWSL College draft picks, midfielder Havana Solaun from Florida and defender Kendall Romine from Stanford. USWNT members Hope Solo, Sydney Leroux, and Megan Rapinoe will join Reign FC in April following their participation in the Algarve Cup this month in Portugal. The NWSL’s 2014 League MVP and Golden Boot winner Kim Little will join the team on March 15 following the conclusion of the Cyprus Cup. Fellow Scottish National Team member defender Rachel Corsie will arrive in camp on March 21. Jess Fishlock will also remain a key part of Reign FC’s lineup and will join the team on April 2 with the conclusion of her loan to German side FFC Frankfurt. Fishlock started in all 22 of her appearances in 2014, scored four goals, and led the league with eight assists. Danish National Team midfielder Katrine Veje will join Reign FC on July 1 immediately after the conclusion of her current contract with Brøndby IF of Denmark’s Elitedivisionen. Reign FC will play its first friendly of the preseason against the University of Portland at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex at Merlo Field in Portland on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m PT. The team will return to play an exhibition match against the University of Washington at Memorial Stadium on Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. PT. The previously announced March 13 exhibition match against Seattle University has been cancelled at the request of Seattle University. Reign FC Preseason Roster by Position: GOALKEEPERS (4): Gurveen Clair, Haley Kopmeyer, Hope Solo – NYR, Caroline Stanley DEFENDERS (10): Lauren Barnes, Rachel Corsie – NYR, Stephanie Cox, Michelle Cruz, Kendall Fletcher, Holly Hein, Kimberley Marshall, Elli Reed, Kendall Romine, Bree Rowe MIDFIELDERS (10): Dyanne Anderson, Daniela Andrade, Jess Fishlock – NYR, Hannah Kimsey, Kim Little – NYR, Mariah Nogueira, Havana Solaun, Alex Quincey, Megan Rapinoe – NYR, Keelin Winters FORWARDS (13): Kiersten Dallstream, Mele French, Amanda Frisbie, Danielle Foxhoven, Jo Houplin, Sydney Leroux – NYR, Merritt Mathias, Lyndsey Patterson, Jaclyn Softli, Ashlie Stokes, Katrine Veje – NYR, Allie Wisner, Beverly Yanez Denotes non-rostered trialist \| NYR = Not Yet Reported www.ReignFC.com. goalWA.net Local Soccer News is sponsored by Pro Roofing Northwest, Kirkland, Bellevue, Seattle, Redmond, Woodinville, Federal Way, Everett, Snohomish, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Bothell, Edmonds Washington roofing company. AdvertisementsHave your say Irn-Bru bosses have won a legal battle with a firm who tried to launch a rival drink called Scots-Bru. AG Barr, the makers of Scotland’s other national drink, called in the lawyers after the cheeky bid by English company Sun Mark. Sun Mark, a distribution firm run by Tory donor businessman Raminder Ranger, said they planned to launch a range of “fruit flavoured energy drinks” under the Scots-Bru name. But AG Barr, which is based in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, accused Sun Mark of trying to “ride upon the coat tails” of its success. It claimed the imitation product would be a threat to its business, which has sales of £120 million a year. • READ MORE: Outlander’s Sam Heughan: Irn-Bru helps actors on-set Sun Mark disputed the claims and said Scots-Bru would be a different type of product from the soft drink. They also bizarrely claimed that the average customer would not associate the word “Bru” with the drink but with the French word for daughter-in-law. The matter came to a head at a hearing of the UK Intellectual Property Office, which rules on trademark disputes, after Sun Mark applied to register Scots-Bru as a brand name. Trademark hearing officer George Salthouse ruled in favour of AG Barr after hearing evidence from both sides. He said: “AG Barr has provided evidence of use of the trademark BRU. To my mind, this is sufficient for AG Barr to show that it has goodwill in the mark BRU and overcome the first hurdle. “Conceptually, Sun Mark Limited contends that AG Barr’s mark will be seen as having the meaning of a daughter-in-law. I do not accept that. “It is well documented that the average UK consumer lacks linguistic ability in foreign languages. “The term ‘bru’ will not, I believe, be one which is recognised as being the French for ‘daughter in law’. “It will be seen for what it is, a misspelling of the word ‘brew’ as in concoction/drink or bevvy.” Sun Mark have also been ordered to pay AG Barr £2,900 after losing the case to cover their legal costs. • READ MORE: Irn-Bru makers warn of crime spree over recycling scheme DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAYWhile Stratia's lineup of skincare products is small, its Liquid Gold is considered the brand's affordable superstar, and for good reason. This multitasking moisturizer has a lot of good things to offer skin. The first thing you'll notice about this fragrance-free product is how it looks: gold isn't just part of the name, it's also the color of this lightweight cream. That isn't the result of any dyes; rather it's the color of the sea buckthorn oil this product contains. Many people won't see this color appear on their skin, but Stratia does advise, to use this only at night if you have very fair skin since it might make you appear a bit gold-toned. Liquid Gold has a moisturizing texture that's ideal for normal to dry skin, and it sinks into skin quickly without feeling tacky. The formula contains several antioxidants, alongside skin-replenishing, skin-restoring, hydrating, and skin-soothing ingredients. The result of using this daily will be softer, more radiant skin. Note: This does come in a not-entirely-opaque plastic bottle, so it's best if you store it out of direct light to preserve its antioxidant benefit. Pros: Lightweight cream is moisturizing without being sticky. Contains several antioxidants. Includes skin-replenishing, skin-restoring, and skin-soothing ingredients. Fragrance free.Blackfish until, perhaps, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rules on SeaWorld's OSHA appeal sometime in the coming months. In the time since the first two pieces of this series hit the blogosphere, Blackfish has moved from near-nightly airings on CNN to on-demand availability on Netflix. Additionally, the film has stayed in the headlines due, in no small part, to the recent media attention surrounding the decision of several musical acts to cancel their appearances at SeaWorld in an apparent act of protest. It is clear that the “Blackfish effect” is powerful both in its message and its longevity. But what is its message exactly? And do the facts presented in Blackfish support that message in a fashion that lives up to the claim of its director, Gabriala Cowperthwaite, that the film is nothing more than a Blackfish itself plainly belies any contention that the film is anything other than a piece of animal-rights advocacy – one sided in both fact and presentation. So here we are (a little later than originally planned), the final piece of this series, and my last foray intountil, perhaps, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rules on SeaWorld's OSHA appeal sometime in the coming months. In the time since the first two pieces of this series hit the blogosphere,has moved from near-nightly airings on CNN to on-demand availability on Netflix.Additionally, the film has stayed in the headlines due, in no small part, to the recent media attention surrounding the decision of several musical acts to cancel their appearances at SeaWorld in an apparent act of protest.It is clear that the “Blackfish effect” is powerful both in its message and its longevity.But what is its message exactly?And do the facts presented insupport that message in a fashion that lives up to the claim of its director, Gabriala Cowperthwaite, that the film is nothing more than a “truthful, fact driven narrative” that errs “on the side of the journalistic approach”and is, in fact, “not at all advocating for anything.” My belief is thatitself plainly belies any contention that the film is anything other than a piece of animal-rights advocacy – one sided in both fact and presentation. In the first two pieces in this series I looked at the people involved in Blackfish, many of whom have undisclosed (and sometimes radical) animal-rights agendas, and the filmmaking techniques used to steer the viewer toward one, and only one, position. To finish, I thought we should take a closer look at Blackfish’s substance - the claims it makes and its overall message. Remember, Blackfish is being passed off by its director as erring “on the side of the journalistic approach.” That means that its statements should comply with journalistic standards: they should be fact checked, unambiguous, and not misleading. Why is that important? Because if the film conveys a false factual impression or is inaccurate or untruthful as to even a single point, it can (and does) degrade the credibility of the film as a whole. To continue the analogy from Part 1 of this series, this film is, in essence, the star witness in the Court of Public Opinion's trial of SeaWorld. The audience must, therefore, assess its credibility as to the facts presented, just as it would any other witness. A falsehood, even a little white lie, calls into question the rest of what the film says. If the film lies about little things, the audience - the jury in the Court of Public Opinion - has a right to wonder whether the film is lying about bigger things too. Did SeaWorld REALLY Not Tell Its Own Trainers About John Sillick? As you may recall, Mr. Sillick is the trainer that was seriously injured in 1987 when a killer whale jumped out of the water and landed on him while he was riding another whale during a show. The video footage of this event is shown in the film and it is tough to watch. The film makes the argument that, in the immediate aftermath of this incident, SeaWorld effectively concealed its occurrence from its trainers. Here’s what Samantha Berg says in the film about this issue: The first claim I want to look at has to do with the story of John Sillick.As you may recall, Mr. Sillick is the trainer that was seriously injured in 1987 when a killer whale jumped out of the water and landed on him while he was riding another whale during a show.The video footage of this event is shown in the film and it is tough to watch.The film makes the argument that, in the immediate aftermath of this incident, SeaWorld effectively concealed its occurrence from its trainers.Here’s what Samantha Berg says in the film about this issue: “John Sillick was the guy who in 1987 was crushed between two whales at SeaWorld of San Diego. Now, even though I’d been working at SeaWorld for 6 months, I had no idea that that had even happened. I never even heard that story. And the SeaWorld party line was that … it was “trainer error.” That sounds pretty bad doesn’t it? At the time of the incident, SeaWorld did not even bother telling its own trainers who were working with killer whales and who might have known Mr. Sillick about a significant incident resulting in his life threatening injuries? Wow. But does Samantha Berg really know what SeaWorld told its trainers in 1987 about the injury to John Sillick? No. There is no way she could. Why you ask? Because Samantha Berg did not work at SeaWorld in 1987. This fact is never mentioned in Blackfish, but it takes only a few minutes online to discover that If Samantha Berg did not start working until 1990, she could not have known what SeaWorld told its employees in 1987. She wasn’t there. This fact is never mentioned inbut it takes only a few minutes online to discover that she didn’t start working at SeaWorld until 1990 If Samantha Berg did not start working until 1990, she could not have known what SeaWorld told its employees in 1987.She wasn’t there. So is Samantha Berg just outright lying in Blackfish? While possible, I think it is pretty unlikely given how easy it is to check the real facts. So what is going on here? Assuming Ms. Berg is not actually lying, why does it look like she is? I see two possibilities: · Possibility No. 1 : Gabriela Cowperthwaite took her words grossly out of context to make it appear that Samantha Berg had personal knowledge about what SeaWorld said / did in 1987 and thus to make it appear that SeaWorld had never told its own trainers, such as Ms. Berg, about John Sillick. If this is what happened in the editing booth, Gabriela Cowperthwaite is just lying to the audience – an act that would clearly be the antithesis of erring “on the side of the journalistic approach.” But there is another possibility. P ossibility No. 2: Samantha Berg is trying, inartfully and ambiguously, to say that she had been working at SeaWorld for six months – starting in 1990 – before she found out about John Sillick’s injury three and a half years earlier. That would be consistent with statements she has made to other media outlets, but that’s not actually what she says in Blackfish. My guess is that Samantha Berg and Gabriela Cowperthwaite would point to Possibility No. 2 as being correct. But, assuming that’s the case, does that mean that the film is not lying to or misleading its audience about this rather inflammatory issue? No it doesn’t. As a matter of journalistic honesty, Ms. Berg’s statement is, at best, far too ambiguous to be presented without clarification by a responsible film-maker concerned only with presenting a “fact-driven narrative.” Gabriela Cowperthwaite had to have known the kind of damning indictment that Ms. Berg’s statement was levying at SeaWorld, and, in the interest of journalistic integrity, should have done something to clear up the reasonable inference the audience would draw from it – i.e. that Ms. Berg was recounting her experience as a whale trainer in the days, weeks, and months following Mr. Sillick’s injury and was never told that it had even occurred. Remember, the film never tells its audience when Samantha Berg worked for SeaWorld, so the audience has no reason to believe she was not there in 1987. If that was not the factually correct and / or intended message, responsible journalism requires clarification so that the audience is not misled. But if you are making an advocacy piece that pursues an agenda, then this ambiguity serves the argument well. But telling the story through the use of a false inference …. well, that’s not really “fact-driven narrative,” is it? Now, I suppose some may argue that this is really making too much out of a minor point in the film. - an assertion that gets only a few seconds of screen time. But, the import of this ambiguity cannot be measured by screen time. This is an important component in Blackfish's narrative that SeaWorld conceals the truth from its trainers and deflects negative attention from its whales. As presented, the audience feels outraged at SeaWorld’s apparent corporate callousness about the injury to one of its trainers and its apathy about the safety of its other trainers displayed by Seaworld’s decision not to share "the truth" of this incident with them. But if presented honestly and clearly, if the audience knows that the timeframe Samantha Berg is talking about is more than three years after Mr. Sillick was injured, then the outrage falls away and the audience says to itself, “So what? Why does it matter that SeaWorld did not tell one of its new employees about an incident that occurred at another park three years earlier?” Think about it in a more typical employment context: When someone is hired to work on an assembly line around dangerous equipment, is it routine to sit down and go through all the workplace injuries that have occurred over the last three-plus years within the plant, much less at other plants? I doubt it. Why should SeaWorld be any different? Now, I can already hear some of you saying, “But she was a killer whale trainer. She should have been told about this injury regardless of the fact that it was three years earlier and regardless of the fact that it was at another park.” And, if that were true, I would be inclined to agree. But what if Samantha Berg was not a killer whale trainer? Wouldn’t that change things pretty significantly? At the time Ms. Berg seems to be referring to, i.e. six months after she started working at SeaWorld, it appears that She does not appear to have started working with orcas until a year and a half into her SeaWorld tenure – and the film never says whether SeaWorld made her aware of Mr. Sillick’s incident at that time – once it was actually pertinent to her job. In fact, that is precisely the case.At the time Ms. Berg seems to be referring to, i.e. six months after she started working at SeaWorld, it appears that she was not even working with orcas. Instead, she was working with dolphins and beluga whales in another part of the park She does not appear to have started working with orcas until a year and a half into her SeaWorld tenure – and the film never says whether SeaWorld made her aware of Mr. Sillick’s incident at that time – Blackfish leaves its audience believing that SeaWorld concealed vital safety
icians as we have the ability to make our dreams come true by dreaming, believing, and acting. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you! Which step(s) of the process do you need to shift your focus onto by applying the tactic? Please leave a comment and join the below conversation! Until next time [ois skin=”Blog Post (Bottom)”] This article first appeared in The Small Business Owner Magazine as part of my regular mindset column. To your Mountain Moving Mindset, FrederiquewikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 13 references. This article has also been viewed 118,243 times. Learn more... In this Article:Getting Comfortable FantasizingLearning to FantasizeIdentifying When Fantasizing Is a ProblemCommunity Q&A13 References Fantasizing is a healthy and normal way to explore your sexuality and imagine things that might be impossible in real life. Some people experience feelings of guilt when they indulge in fantasy. Others worry that they are not creative enough to have a rich fantasy life, and may feel boring or dull. But everyone is capable of fantasizing, and it turns out there's no harm in imagining what you and that cute barista might do if you had some time alone together.(written from a Production point of view Real World article Commander Riker fights for his life in sickbay after he is infected by an alien parasite while on an away-mission. Dr. Pulaski soon discovers that the only way to save Riker's life is to force his mind to relive painful memories. (Season finale) Contents show] Summary Edit Teaser Edit The USS Enterprise-D orbits an unexplored planet named Surata IV. An away team of Lieutenant Geordi La Forge and Commander Will Riker are on the surface in an alien swamp, teeming with strange lifeforms. La Forge finds Riker sitting on a log, injured. Something has bitten his leg. La Forge, not taking any chances with alien biology on a world unknown to the United Federation of Planets, calls for the transporter. Transporter Chief O'Brien delays, getting an alert signal from the biofilter in the transporter, as Riker's body has been infected with some type of unidentified microbes. Doctor Pulaski is summoned, as the chief medical officer must authorize any transportation of unfiltered biomaterial. Pulaski reluctantly uses the transporter – a rare occasion for her – to beam down and verify if it is safe to bring Riker aboard. She materializes and inspects Riker's wound with her tricorder. He complains of no pain, but of a numbness near the bite. La Forge hasn't had any luck finding what might have infected the wound. Pulaski beams them directly to sickbay. Two medical orderlies help Riker to the bed. He tries to shrug off their help, but when he takes a step his leg suddenly gives out. Act One Edit Captain Picard records a log entry detailing Riker's predicament. He chides Riker for putting his foot where it didn't belong, but Riker maintains he is just trying to keep the doctors busy. Pulaski informs them that Riker's nervous system is being invaded by a microbe which combines elements of both a virus and a bacteria. She uses a medical scanner to illustrate the microbes bonding themselves to Riker's sciatic nerve and multiplying. They are not damaging his nerves, just preventing them from functioning – and they are progressing towards his brain. Meanwhile, Picard decides to send La Forge and Lt. Commander Data to the surface to locate the source of the infection. Data protests at risking La Forge for the mission. However, La Forge tells him that he knows exactly where Riker was standing when he was injured. Data, using his android reflexes, prevents his Human friend from being hurt. They find a thorned vine in the swamp using parasites to paralyze animal life. Data records significant fossil remains around the area of the vines, which, judging by their fast motion attacking La Forge, are predatory in nature. When La Forge cuts off the thorn, the vine writhes in (futile) resistance. The officers call O'Brien for a beam-out and the thorn sample is delivered to sickbay while Data reports on the predatory nature of the vines to the captain. Act Two Edit Pulaski is hard at work analyzing the samples and Riker's condition, but is unable to find what characteristic in Human nerves causes the microbes to thrive. Riker is continuing to grow more numb, but acts stoic when Picard expresses regret at Riker's condition. As Counselor Deanna Troi watches unseen, Riker even tries to cheer up the medical technicians with stories. Troi attempts to reach out to her imzadi, but Riker soon falls unconscious. Pulaski attempts to stabilize him, but estimates he will die within an hour. In order to prolong Riker's life, Pulaski puts him into a neural stimulator, hopefully keeping them active and resisting the virus. This causes Riker to dream of his past adventures aboard the Enterprise. Act Three Edit At first, Riker's dreams are of reasonably neutral occasions, such as his first meeting with Data in the holodeck and his attempt to help Wesley with meeting Salia. He also remembers saying goodbye to Deanna when he considered the USS Aries promotion. Soon, his dreams become more pleasurable, perhaps even erotic, including meeting the cheerful young Edo women on Rubicun III, or the matriarch Beata on Angel I, the attractive Bringloidi woman Brenna Odell, and the computer-generated holodeck woman Minuet. However, while pleasing to Riker's mind, the passionate dreams actually worsen Riker's condition, with the organism's growth rate doubled. Act Four Edit It is apparent that the organisms are sensitive to the nature of the dreams Riker is having. Pulaski hypothesizes that they are sensitive to brain endorphins, with positive endorphins attracting them. Pulaski and Troi therefore agree to try to make the machine evoke negative dreams instead. Riker then experiences dreams of the death of Lieutenant Natasha Yar and the apparent death of Troi's child Ian. Sure enough, this has the desired effect, as the negative endorphins drive the bacterio-virus growth down, but these endorphins are not strong enough. Pulaski tries again, using the machine to evoke dreams of raw, primitive feelings of fear and survival. Riker then dreams of his experience aboard the Pagh, then fighting the parasite-infested Admiral Quinn. The growth rate now decreases significantly, but still not enough. Pulaski can focus her beam even tighter, but Riker is now very weak. Troi says they have no choice but to proceed. Act Five Edit With Riker's vital signs very weak, Pulaski tries yet again. Riker is now dreaming more quickly through memories of pain, of T'Jon's attack on him, then being attacked by the Ferengi on Delphi Ardu IV and being enveloped by the tar creature Armus. The organism's growth rate is now very low, but still too high. His blood pressure dropping, Pulaski calls for the tricordrazine. Riker now remembers tense situations, like setting the Enterprise auto-destruct sequence, saving the Klingons from the Talarian freighter that was about to explode. The organism's growth rate continues to decrease, but it needs to decrease even more. He relives his memories again at a much quicker pace, but also his encountering the neural parasite's mother creature, Data repairing the ship which was about to explode, the killing of one of the inhabitants of Solais V, the destruction of the SS Tsiolkovsky and the USS Lantree. Finally, the treatment eradicates the infection once and for all. Riker's vital signs head back to normal. Riker recovers to his well-adjusted, humorous self. Pulaski asks him who he is, and, seeing Picard walk in, he wittingly says he is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. Picard in turn refers to Data as "Admiral", saying they were worried about him. Data obviously doesn't get it. Log entries Edit Memorable quotes Edit "I hope these are the right coordinates. Just kidding, doctor. I know how much you love the transporter." "About as much as I love comical transporter chiefs." - Chief O'Brien and Dr. Pulaski "Let's try something. Maybe it likes Humans more than androids." "If you are correct, you are placing yourself in grave danger." "Well, I'm counting on those great android…" (A vine suddenly lashes out, but Data catches it.) "…reflexes of yours." - La Forge and Data "For Commander Riker's sake, I hope my hypothesis is in error." "Unfortunately Commander Data, your hypotheses rarely are." - Data and Picard "They're waiting on me hand and foot. I just… I hope they don't find out that I'm faking it." "I wish you were faking it." - Riker, talking to Picard while he lies on a biobed in sickbay "If you drop a hammer on your foot, it's hardly useful to get mad at the hammer." - Riker, explaining to Picard his lack of anger on his current situation "Deanna, facing death is the ultimate test of character. I don't want to die but if I have to do, I'd like to do it with a little pride." - Riker "My great-grandfather was once bitten by a rattlesnake. After three days of intense pain, the snake died." - Riker "There may be some residual memory loss. I just want to be certain that you still know who you are." "Of course I know who I am. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise." "I'm delighted that you're feeling better… captain. The admiral and I were worried about you." "Captain, I do not believe you have the authority to promote me to the rank of admiral." - Dr. Pulaski, Riker, Picard, and Data Background information Edit Production history Edit Production Edit Cast and characters Edit Sets, props, and costumes Edit Only three sets were used for the episode – the surface of Surata IV, sickbay, and the transporter room. Continuity Edit Reception Edit Video and DVD releases Edit Starring Edit Also starring Edit Special appearance by Edit Guest star Edit Uncredited co-stars Edit Flashback appearances Edit The following people appeared in footage used from previous episodes. References Edit admiral; autonomic nervous system; bacteria; biofilter; blood pressure; brain; calf; composite neural profile; coordinates; EEG; endorphin; exobiology; faking it; fossil; fossilization; geological sweep/geological survey; graveyard; heart; imzadi; irregular heartbeat; K-complex; kilometer; leg; line; medical tricorder; Milky Way Galaxy; millennia; milligram; nervous system; neuron; number one; numbness; patient; Pinocchio; probability mechanics; promotion; pulse; rattlesnake; REM state; respiration; Riker's great-grandfather; rhizomatous; sciatic nerve; soul; Surata IV; Surata IV predatory vine; Surata microbe; thorn; transporter; transporter chief; tricorder; tricordrazine; vertex wave; virus Other references EditA former Dallas Cowboys player sliced his wife's neck and then crawled on the ground outside their rented Utah condominium before flagging down a police officer, prosecutors said in murder charges filed on Monday. The bloody scene in the ski town of Park City indicated that Keri 'KC' McClanahan, 28, put up a desperate struggle before she was allegedly killed by her husband Anthony D. McClanahan. According to police, the murder weapon was a small, sharp knife she'd worn sheathed in a nylon paracord bracelet. Scroll down for video Ex- Dallas Cowboys player, Anthony D. McClanahan (right), 46, allegedly murdered his wife, Keri McClanahan (left), 28, by slitting her throat while she desperately fought to stay alive The bloody scene in the ski town of Park City indicated that Keri (right) put up a desperate struggle before she was allegedly killed by her husband (left). According to police, the murder weapon was a small, sharp knife she'd worn sheathed in a nylon paracord bracelet Her husband was found by police covered in blood and crawling on his stomach outside around 1.30am on November 2. He lifted himself up just enough to flag down a police officer, then dropped back down and began convulsing, his arms making a'snow angel motion,' the officer on scene told prosecutors. Anthony McClanahan was treated for minor injuries and originally told officers he and his wife and baby had been attacked. McClanahan was charged with first-degree murder in Keri's death. She had two children, aged 7 and 9, with another man. It's not known what his motive may have been But investigators found no evidence of anyone else going into the building or of a baby at the Park Regency. His wife's body was found in the condominium he had rented after someone else at the building called 911, saying they'd seen him crawling low to the ground through the hallways and calling for help. Keri McClanahan had suffered several cuts to the front, back and sides of her neck, as well as other defensive wounds and carpet burns. Her husband was previously charged with child kidnapping last month after authorities said he took his eight-year-old son from a previous relationship from his school in Arizona on October 3 and traveled with him through Nevada and Utah. According to court documents, the boy's mom, Donna May, found McClanahan the following day and, with the support of police, demanded him back - but the ex-player refused. She emailed him a court order demanding the boy back the following day, the documents said, but lost contact. In the days that followed McClanahan posted photos and videos of himself with his son on Facebook. In one of the videos they were seen giving supplies to a group of homeless people. Keri McClanahan (pictured on October 25) had suffered several cuts to the front, back and sides of her neck, as well as other defensive wounds and carpet burns Keri (right, with her husband), who was the mother of a nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy with another man, was a 'beautiful spirit' who was 'instantly loved' by people, according to her sister, Heather Gauf He was found on October 12 and arrested on a fugitive warrant and locked up in Salt Lake City Jail; he paid $150,000 bail on October 19 and was released. The boy was then returned to his mother May. McClanahan and his wife rented the condo in Park City a few days after he bonded out of jail, charging documents said. Keri, who was the mother of a nine-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy with another man, was a 'beautiful spirit' who was 'instantly loved' by people, according to her sister, Heather Gauf. 'She was such an amazing mother and such a beautiful humanitarian,' she said. Gauf added that she was worried that it will 'deeply affect my little niece and nephew, to know that their mother was murdered.' McClanahan, who started his football career at Washington State University, was signed to the the Dallas Cowboys 1993, but was dropped before the season began, according to a 1994 report by NewsOK. He went on to play for the Calgary Stampeders, and calls himself a'sports performance consultant'. McClanahan had his son (seen right in a video posted during the alleged kidnapping) with his previous partner, Donna May. She now has the child back The alleged kidnapping is not believed to be directly related to the Keri's death, but Gauf said that McClanahan had blamed his reportedly unusual behavior on injuries sustained while playing football. It's not clear quite what was meant by that, but it's possible that McClanahan had intended to blame CTE - the degenerative brain disorder that has been blamed for Aaron Hernandez's violent impulses. Hernandez killed himself in prison in April while serving time for murder; an autopsy revealed that his brain had been severely damaged by CTE, which has been linked to repeated blows to the head. McClanahan was charged with first-degree felony child kidnapping and first-degree murder. This was the scene of the murder. McClanahan has reportedly blamed his behavior on injuries caused during his football careerStory highlights Mobile phones are driving commerce in Africa, says Michelle Atagana African startups are beginning to exploit the situation with innovative new applications Industries across the continent are being disrupted by new mobile tech Mobile is a big deal in Africa. People probably get tired of hearing that, but there are around 820 million mobile subscriptions on the continent. Mobile payments are becoming the norm and tech startups are building to it. Established industries are being disrupted by mobile and services that have been otherwise lagging in the African market are finding new vigor due to mobile solutions and better and more efficient ways of doing business. So here are just a few of Africa's most interesting, exciting and emerging mobile startups. Clever cabs Michelle Atagana In the consumer transportation sector, two startups have really shown some potential to really disrupt this industry. Both use the basics of Uber, a U.S.-based mobile personal driver, which has coincidentally entered the African market in the last couple of months. ZapaCab works with cab companies in South Africa. Its app allows to you to order a cab via your mobile device -- a driver is then dispatched to pick you up. You're given the driver's name, car details and the estimated time of arrival. Easy Taxi Taxi is a Brazilian startup backed by African Internet Holdings, and its app now has a Lagos version. Simply download the app, request a cab and wait for it. Mellowcabs, on the other hand, is an amazing idea. Firstly its vehicles are very cool electrically assisted pedal-powered cabs -- and secondly, they are free to use, funded by advertising. The service wants to bring web advertising offline, sort of, through in-cab tablets. Each of the tablets runs geolocation software, so when the vehicles approach a certain store or restaurant, the software triggers specific adverts. JUST WATCHED Connecting Liberia after civil war Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Connecting Liberia after civil war 08:04 JUST WATCHED Nairobi's new hub of creativity Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Nairobi's new hub of creativity 07:01 In Ghana, the public sector is a good place to see what mobile can do. People who still use a post office box, this startup is for you. Based in Ghana, Boxbuzz is an SMS alert system that contacts PO box owners via text message whenever they receive mail in their boxes. How cool is that? No more unnecessary trips to the post office. Games and health Gaming is becoming quite the thing in Africa and Nigerian startup ChopUp is looking to disrupt that with its social platform that connects mobile-device gamers across the continent. The platform allows players to interact based on gaming interests and achievements, and lets gamers share and transfer gaming points. As a wannabe health nut, I am always looking for apps that can help me be healthy and monitor my eating and exercise habits. Diet Assistant is a Uganda-based mobile startup that has created an app that recommends healthy and affordable meal choices made of locally available and accessible foods. The app also aims to help with weight control and it can be customized to fit your needs. The healthcare industry is getting a fair amount of disruption right now. Faselty is an online blood donation system that organizes and helps to facilitate blood donation processes. The mobile integrated platform works through location and blood type. Then there is the mobile messaging scene, which everyone wants to be in, with the hopes of competing with WhatsApp. In Africa, 2go seems to be the instant messaging startup most likely to succeed. The service claims to have more than 30 million registered users in total and just over 10 million of those are in Nigeria. E-commerce is really making the rounds in Africa. Every day a new shop pops up and with a rising middle class willing to spend all that disposable income, why not? That's the premise behind M-DUKA, a Ugandan mobile shopping platform that allows you to buy virtual services like airtime, and to pay utility bills. All transactions are done via mobile and receipts are issued via text message. Staying secure Finally, mobile startups are also targeting the world of security. Cape Town, South Africa, is the birthplace of one of the world's most popular security startup success stories -- certificate authority Thawte, which today is owned by Symantec. A startup that some have theorized could be become the Symantec of the mobile age, IMPI (International Mobile Protection Initiative), also hails from Cape Town. IMPI provides anti-malware protection for Android devices, along with an integrated data management suite that simplifies the secure backup and storage of device data. Then there's Journey from Embark Mobile. Journey allows companies to build mobile applications to securely capture data for their internally facing processes. As the data collected from the apps are stored in Journey's cloud, communication is encrypted using industry-standard certificate-based SSL/TLS. The startup's focus on deploying secure applications has attracted businesses in the financial sector, which often have stringent requirements and policies regarding their own data.What are training cycles? /two steps back, three steps forward/ The mechanism behind training cycles works as follows: 1.Start with a light weight and build up to heavier loads. 2.Reduce the weight to a level slightly higher than your initial starting point. 3.Build back up again to a new personal record. 4.Repeat. Example: Let’s say that your best deadlift is 295lbs for 4 solid reps, and your goal is to add 20-30lbs to the lift in 8-10 weeks. Here’s how it can be done with a simple linear cycle. Week 1: 220 x 6-8 Week 2: 235 x 6-8 Week 3: 250 x 5 Week 4: 265 x 5 Week 5: 280 x 5 – switch to 10lbs jumps Week 6: 290 x 5 Week 7: 300 x 5 Week 8: 310 x 3-5 Week 9: 320 x 3 Note: The deadlift does not require a lot of volume to progress. That’s why once a week training is fine. The weight added each week should be between 3-5% of your best lift. In this case, the number is between 9 and 15 pounds. You can use 10lbs for the whole cycle or 15lbs for the first few weeks before switching to 10lbs. After this cycle, you can begin a new one with a starting weight around 240lbs. This linear method works for a long time, and you can get very strong without changing anything for many months if not years. Back when I was obsessed with lifting, I got to a 197.5 kg/434lbs deadlift for 2 reps at 74kg/165lbs personal bodyweight by following similar 8-10 weeks cycles. I was supposed to hit 205kg/451lbs after another 10-week cycle, but I had problems in my life and lost my passion for a while. Types of training cycles There are three main types of training cycles: linear, step and wave. I used the linear one in the example above. The weight increases from week to week until a peak. There is no deload within the cycle. THE STEP CYCLE The step cycle requires you to keep the weight the same for a few workouts. Here’s an example: Week 1: 245 x 5 Week 2: 245 x 5 ———- Week 3: 260 x 5 Week 4: 260 x 5 ———– Week 5: 275 x 5 Week 6: 275 x 5 ———— Week 7: 290 x 5 Week 8: 290 x 5 ———— Week 9: 300 x 5 Week 10: 300 x 5 ————- Week 11: 310 x 3-4 Week 12: 320 x 3-4 Step cycles are long because you are repeating workouts. In general, they are reserved for more advanced lifters who need more time to recover. WAVE CYCLES Wave cycles come with a built-in deload session. Week 1: 265 x 5 – initial light workout Week 2: 275 x 5 – 10lbs increase Week 3: 265 x 5 – return to the previous load from the most recent light workout Week 4: 275 x 5 – repeat the increase once more Week 5: 285 x 5 – add 10lbs again Week 6: 275 x 5 Week 7: 285 x 5 Week 8: 295 x 5 Week 9: 285 x 5 Week 10: 295 x 5 – no more waves – time for PRs Week 11: 305 – 310 x 5 Week 12: 315 – 325 x 3-5 Wave cycles are designed for advanced lifters who need frequent deloads. However, you can use this approach even as a beginner, although it’s not optimal. Nothing bad will happen, it will just take you more time to reach heavier loads. Why do training cycles work? I had a friend from high school who didn’t cut his hair four years in a row. Yet his hair was not that long due to an enormous amount of split ends. When you have a lot of split ends, your hair length cannot increase. The hair grows at the root, but the split ends keep breaking off and offset the growth. Technically, the hair of my friend was growing without getting longer. If you want to grow longer hair, the solution is to cycle. You let it grow to a certain point, then you remove the split ends to allow the hair to grow even more (three steps forward, two steps backward). Training cycles operate in a similar fashion. Another phenomenon which explains the logic behind training cycles is the duality in this world. A plus cannot exist without a minus. The examples are endless – a day and a night, birth and death, sleep and awake hours…etc. Since the science of lifting weights is affected by the very same laws, we can’t close our eyes and pretend that this principle does not exist. Work requires rest. Loading requires deloading. How big should the jumps be? Keep them between 3% to 5% of your best weight. When you are really strong, you can make even bigger jumps at the beginning of a cycle. The jumps depend on the exercise too. The deadlift usually requires 10-20lbs jumps whereas the bench press does not tolerate weight increases above 7lbs. The jumps can drop to – 0.5kg – 1kg/1-2lbs for exercises like weighted dips, pull-ups, and overhead presses. Here’s a linear cycle applied to weighted pull-ups: 8 Weeks Pull up Training Cycle Goal: 30kgx2 / 65lbsx2 Current: 27kgx2 / 60lbs x 2 The jumps should be 3-5% of the max weight (27kg). In this case, this amounts to a number between 0.81kg and 1.35kg, but I will use 1kg (2lbs) and 1.5 kg (3.5lbs) to make the math easier. Week 1-3 /1kg jumps/ Week 1: 20×5 Week 2: 21×5 Week 3: 22×5 Week 4-8 /1.5kg jumps/ Week 4: 23.5×3 Week 5: 25×3 Week 6: 26.5×3 Week 7: 28×3 Week 8: 29.5×3 or 30×1-2 Can I cycle forever? Yes, but the gains will slow down tremendously eventually. Your first 4-8 week cycle may add 20lbs to a lift, but when you are advanced, you may have to spend 12 weeks to add 5-10lbs. How many work sets should I perform? I prefer to perform only one top set, but you can do more. Going over 2 work sets could be very painful once you are stronger, though. One option would be to start with a really high volume such as 10×3 or 5×5 and later cut it to 1×5. During the first few weeks, 10×3 or 5×5 will feel easy, but as the weight keeps on climbing, you can simply reduce the work sets. This reduction actually acts as a deload. The weight may be increasing, but the volume is decreasing. Here’s an example: Week 1: 230 – 5×5 Week 2: 240 – 5×5 Week 3: 250 – 5×5 Week 4: 260 – 5×5 #I hate this world Week 5: 270 – 5×5 #Am I dead? Week 6: 280×5,4,2,1 #I must be dead. Switch to 1-2 work sets for 3 reps. It will feel like a deload. Week 7: 290 – 2×3 Week 8: 300 – 2×3 Week 9: 310 – 2×3 Week 10: 320×2 – I am tired. I had to work on a very important project and missed 2 weeks of training. What should I do? When you miss a workout, you can simply repeat your last one and build back up again. I realize that in some cases it’s hard to have your training interrupted for 12 consecutive weeks. That’s why I prefer shorter 8-10 weeks cycles. One time under the influence of lifting addiction, I rescheduled a trip to finish a training cycle. Stupid. Can I apply training cycles to bodyweight exercises? Sure. Let’s say that you can do 20 push-ups in a set and want to increase that number. A good starting point is to cut your reps in two. In our case, we have 10. Here’s a hypothetical cycle. Workout 1: 5 sets of 10 Workout 2: 5 sets of 11 Workout 3: 5 sets of 12 Workout 4: 5 sets of 13 Workout 5: 5 sets of 14 Workout 6: 5 sets of 15 Workout 7: 5 sets of 16 – starting to hate life Workout 8: 5 sets of 17 – form is not the best but is still decent Workout 9: 5 sets of 18 – twilight zone Workout 10: 5 sets of 19 – I can’t anymore Rest 5 days, test your max and start again by dividing the new number in half.Phasing Out Pennies In A Bid For Change Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of the U.S. Mint/AP Courtesy of the U.S. Mint/AP Pennies By The Numbers 2.5: Weight of one penny, in grams. 0.75: Diameter in inches of one penny. 1.55: A penny's thickness, in millimeters. 7,401,200,000: One cent coins produced for circulation by the U.S. Mint in 2007. 5,419,200,000: Pennies produced for circulation by the U.S. Mint in 2008. 2,292,400,000: One cent coins produced for circulation by the U.S. Mint, January-October 2009. 2.5: Percentage of a penny that is copper. 97.5: Percentage of a penny that is zinc. 1793: Year the U.S. Mint began producing one cent coins. 2: Number of U.S. Mint facilities that manufacture coins for circulation. They are located in Denver and Philadelphia. 25: Life span of the average coin, in years. Source: U.S. Mint — Rose Raymond/NPR This month the U.S. Mint releases the last of four special Abraham Lincoln pennies, which coincide with the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Not everyone is celebrating. The future of America's one-cent coin has been the subject of much debate, and one store owner in Berkeley, Calif., has decided to take a personal stand. Not Even One Red Cent Alko Office Supply in downtown Berkeley is an average-looking store, with one exception. Hanging above the cash register, a sign reads: "We are a penny free store." Cashier Andrew Allen says that with so many people using credit and debit cards, he only has to explain the no-penny rule about once a day. Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Stelzer for NPR Andrew Stelzer for NPR I purchased a 2010 planner. Total: $15.53. Allen asked for $15.50. I proffered $15.53, pennies and all, and Allen didn't accept the superfluous cents. "I won't take them," Allen said. "I refuse to take them." But Is It Legal? While all U.S. currency is legal tender for paying debts, public charges, taxes and dues, the Treasury Department says private business can decide, as a matter of policy, whether to accept currency as payment, and if so, in which denominations. About a year ago, Gary Shows, the owner of Alko Office Supply, felt pennies were no longer worth the hassle for customers and cashiers. "One evening, I had this idea," Shows says, "That if we went penny free and rounded everything down to the customer's favor to the nearest nickel -- if everybody was four cents, I decided that we would lose about $500 a year." Shows says that the lost $500 is likely overcome by customers who remember the store and come back. For Shows, it was an issue of convenience. But there are other figures starting to stack up against the penny. For instance, since 2006, producing a penny has cost more than one cent due to the rising price of zinc, the main ingredient in the coin. Inflation is also an issue. "It's important to separate the idea of something being used, and something being useful," says Jeff Gore, the founder of a group called Citizens for Retiring the Penny. Gore points out that every year, our currency is worth less. "There's just a very natural process where we have to retire currency," Gore says. "The penny used to be a useful coin. But it hasn't been useful for many decades." Penny Proponents But the penny has some serious fans -- and lobbyists -- behind it. Mark Weller is the executive director of Americans for Common Cents. He represents zinc producers, coin manufacturers, coin collectors and various other penny-loving constituencies. Weller's economic theory is that if the penny is eradicated, prices of everyday goods will rise. "The alternative to the penny," Weller says, "is rounding to the nickel, and that's something that will negatively impact working families every time they buy a gallon of gas or a gallon of milk." Weller also argues that charities would suffer greatly without pennies. Only a couple miles away from the penny-free office supplies store, Dagmar Serota is weighing the pennies collected by a class of pre-kindergarten boys at Linda Beach Cooperative preschool in Piedmont, Calif. She calls the pennies "good cents." In 2005, Serota founded Good Cents for Oakland, a nonprofit organization that helps children raise money for charity. Since then, she's helped school children raise more than $35,000 for homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other charities by collecting pennies and other coins. This haul -- $159.54 -- will be donated to the local food bank. "Pennies are easy to ask for and they are easy to give," Serota says. "And it's very easy for a child to say, 'Will you help me support this nonprofit, will you give me your pennies?'" When Rep. Jim Kolbe, a Republican from Arizona, introduced bills in the House to quash the penny, charities such as Serota's came out in full force to object. The bills went nowhere, and Kolbe is no longer in office. So it doesn't seem that the Lincoln coin will be disappearing any time soon. Penny lovers and haters have plenty of time to debate what makes sense -- one cent at a time.Each night after the sun goes down over the Occupy NOLA encampment at Duncan Plaza, New Orleans police closely patrols the park’s perimeter. The cops either cast searchlights on a loud ruckus that springs up from the grassy area outside City Hall, or wait for a call for help from within. While stories pour in from around the country of police and protestors clashing in streets, in New Orleans, NOPD officers keeps their distance from the Occupation. Police only get involved when called in by Occupiers. There is widespread confusion among the local outgrowth of the Occupy Wall Street movement about the intent of NOPD’s stance. Many believe the night watch around the edges is either meant to protect the camp from dangerous outsiders, or keep the Occupation contained within the petri dish of Duncan Plaza, where it will either grow or die. Whatever the intent, the relatively hands-off approach gives the Occupants an opportunity. Without riot shields to charge up against, Occupy NOLA should be left with addressing the widespread local, national and specifically economic issues that brought them into solidarity with New York City's Occupy Wall Street movement. But, instead, some of the local issues have come to the protesters. The culture of crime and problem of homelessness have manifested in this microcosm, as weaponized scuffles and raids on the communal pantry. The camp still comes together at 2 p.m. on Saturdays for a weekly second-line protest. Also, the General Assembly continues to meet every night at 7pm. The city continues
vigil in Notting Hill for Grenfell Tower tragedy 1/10 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 2/10 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside Notting hill Methodist Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in west London AFP/Getty Images 3/10 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 4/10 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 5/10 Friends hug each other at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 6/10 A woman lays flowers at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 7/10 People arrive for a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Towe Getty Images 8/10 A small child tapes flowers to railings at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 9/10 A woman leaves flowers as people arrive for a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 10/10 Reverend Mike Long leads a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 1/10 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 2/10 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside Notting hill Methodist Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in west London AFP/Getty Images 3/10 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 4/10 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 5/10 Friends hug each other at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 6/10 A woman lays flowers at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 7/10 People arrive for a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Towe Getty Images 8/10 A small child tapes flowers to railings at a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard 9/10 A woman leaves flowers as people arrive for a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 10/10 Reverend Mike Long leads a vigil to those killed, dead and missing and also to the emergency services and volunteers after the Grenfell Tower block fire Nigel Howard Prosecutors were issued the update by the Director of Public Prosecution in consultation with the Attorney General, "given the public interest must be in being able to identify the victims of the fire". Kensington and Chelsea Council will also follow the guidance, the Government confirmed. The development was said to have come from "anecdotal evidence" suggesting there were a host of tenants who had been illegally subletting the property on the night of the fire. Mr Javid said: "Supporting those affected by the tragic events at Grenfell Tower has been the absolute priority of the government. That includes making sure that loved ones still missing are identified. "Therefore, I would urge those with information to come forward without fear of prosecution." The guidance also applies for nearby Grenfell Walk, the Government said. Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: "It is a priority for investigators to establish who was in Grenfell Tower on that tragic day and it is crucial that we do everything possible to support them." Cladding on 181 tower blocks have now failed fire safety tests, with it believed the cladding installed on Grenfell Tower helped the fire spread. Material from hundreds of buildings nationwide are being subjected to Government-backed fire safety tests in the aftermath of the blaze, which left at least 80 dead. Towers in 51 local authority areas have failed the test - including 29 in Salford alone, the Government said. Labour MP David Lammy called for the former Court of Appeal judge to forge closer links with victims so the process could maintain legitimacy in their eyes. "He is a white, upper-middle class man who I suspect has never, ever visited a tower block housing estate and certainly hasn't slept the night on the 20th floor of one," he told Sky News's Sophy Ridge On Sunday. "I hope he would do that in the days ahead. "The job is not just to be independent and judicious - I am sure he is eminently legally qualified, of course he is - it is also to be empathetic and walk with these people on this journey. "He needs to get close to those victims and survivors very, very quickly and establish he is after the truth and he is fearless and independent and won't be swayed because he is part of the establishment." Meanwhile, the future of troubled Kensington and Chelsea Council was also called into question as one of its councillors suggested the crisis could spell "the end" of the authority. Leader of the opposition Labour group Robert Atkinson, who was locked in a heated confrontation with leader Nicholas Paget-Brown last week, claimed ties with the community could be irreparable. Both Mr Paget-Brown and deputy Rock Feilding-Mellen quit their roles amid ongoing criticism of the council's handling of the disaster. Additional reporting by Press AssociationGerald Balzack was not terminally ill. He was not heading to prison and not filing for a divorce; there wasn’t anything wrong with him whatsoever. What he was, was a man in mid-life crises who felt like he was in a rut and a change was needed. Balzack spent hours looking for answers wherever he could; he read magazines, searched the Internet and watched countless hours of Oprah looking for some kind of a spark only to find nothing. He thought because the world was in its technological stage and information about anything was just a click or two away that his problem would be solved easily and quickly…..he was mistaken. Then one day while reading the USA Today he opened up to a full page add that was titled, “Live Everyday like it was your last!” It was like being struck by a bolt of lightning. People who survive life threatening accidents, surgery or anything serious are always saying to live life to the fullest; treat each day like it was your last. This was it! This was the spark he was searching for! But how do you do that? Balzack began to realize that it takes a total transformation of your mind-set. In order to live each day like it was your last you would have to convince your mind that this day really is your last. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow what would you do today? Balzack went to bed with a smile on his face as he realized that tomorrow was the first, last day of his life. Balzack woke up and threw on his bathrobe. As he opened the front door to breath in the fresh morning air the paper boy approached him. Balzack smiled and reached out to receive the paper from the boy. Balzack rolled it up ever so carefully and then smacked the paperboy across the head while laughing hysterically! The paperboy stood in shock only to receive a back-handed smack across the face with the same newspaper. The paperboy turned and ran only to be chased down the front walk while Balzack was swinging the rolled up newspaper, still laughing. He sat down on his front steps exhausted but was now confident that his new life decision was just what he needed. He carefully began to plan the next part of his day. Unfortunately for him the paperboy’s father was a police officer and before he could do anything else he was arrested and taken down to the police station. Unable to make bail he sat in a cell until his hearing where he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for aggravated assault on a minor.Live Viewing Party To Air Friday Nights Leading Into New Episodes Of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” To kick off the season nine premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” VH1 is throwing a LIVE viewing party on Friday nights hosted by Wendy Williams. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judgeRoss Mathews will also join in on the fun beginning Friday, March 24th at 5:30 PM ET/PT during the broadcast of “Pitch Perfect.” The fabulous duo will go LIVE from New York City with the fiercest party of the week, leading into new episodes of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Join Wendy and Ross throughout the night as they dish on the season nine queens, welcome surprise guests, and react in real time to the gag-worthy new season. For a sneak peek at “Fierce Fridays,” click: logotv.com/video-clips/mnm9f2 To celebrate the new season, Logo will exclusively air a ‘Race to the Nines’ marathon of non-stop episodes beginning on Sunday, March 19th at 8:00 PM ET/PT leading up to VH1’s season nine premiere on Friday, March 24th at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Throughout the five day marathon, viewers will be treated to all-new bonus content including never before seen footage from the cutting room floor and interviews with previous contestants, judges and super fans including Michelle Visage, Bob the Drag Queen, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Todrick Hall, and Lance Bass who will spill all of the “T” on the new queens. The ‘Race to the Nines’ series marathon leads into the season nine premiere extravaganza that will feature Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga, and a shocking opening that will go down as one of the most jaw-dropping moments in “Drag Race” herstory. Additionally, it will unveil a court of cut-throat Queens each competing to snatch the crown and strut away with a $100,000 cash prize and the coveted title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Along the way, they’ll face an unpredictable competition and deliver watercooler moments as these talented ladies of drag join the fabulous 100 Queens who fought for the crown before them This season’s previously announced celebrity guest judges include Lady Gaga, Lisa Kudrow, Cheyenne Jackson, Meghan Trainor, Kesha, The B-52s, Naya Rivera, Andie MacDowell, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Denis O’Hare, Noah Galvin, Todrick Hall, Tamar Braxton, Lisa Robertson, Joan Smalls, Candis Cayne, Fortune Feimster and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman. The 13 previously announced Queens include: Aja (Brooklyn, NY), Alexis Michelle (New York, NY),Charlie Hides (London, UK), Eureka (Johnson City, TN) Farrah Moan (Las Vegas, NV), Jaymes Mansfield(Madison, WI), Kimora Blac (Las Vegas, NV), Nina Bo’nina Brown (Atlanta, GA), Peppermint (New York, NY), Sasha Velour (Brooklyn, NY), Shea Couleé (Chicago, IL), Trinity Taylor (Orlando, FL), and Valentina(Los Angeles, CA). “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season nine is produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang and RuPaul Charles serving as Executive Producers. Tim Palazzola serves as Executive Producer for Logo. For up-to-date “RuPaul’s Drag Race” news and exclusives, join the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Facebook page or follow #DragRace on Twitter at @RuPaulsDragRace. Follow along with live gifs from the show on Tumblr and additional content on the show’s Instagram page. V Via Press ReleaseWooooh! Yeah! Hoots, hollers and dance music played on a full-volume boombox, assail the conference room where I am quizzing a data scientist at Facebook. It takes 20 seconds for the noise to die down enough for us to continue talking. This is what Facebook’s offices are like, embracing at least the idea of “creative destruction”, violence to the establishment. Facebook will soon float its shares on the stock market, making several billionaires and many millionaires out of its staff and backers. But the sprawling new Menlo Park office complex is designed—perhaps a bit too designed—to look as if the kids just took over in a revolution. Walls are extensively, if rather meticulously, graffiti’d; the graffiti artist, who was paid in shares, will be among the new millionaires. Chalkboards line many of the remaining surfaces, so Facebook’s wandering young employees can doodle almost anywhere. There are blocks of conference rooms with whimsical names: one here based on Star Wars characters mixed with drinks (Darth Jager, The Empire Strikes Bacardi), one over there echoing Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream (Americone Dream, Half Baked). Signs abound reading “Move Fast and Break Things”. But these kids are not really breaking things. They are relentlessly building things, one after the other after the other, and adding them to the vastly ambitious mega-thing called Facebook. With its initial public offering (IPO) approaching, the company is in a “quiet period” during which it must avoid making new public predictions, but it is expected that Facebook’s 850m users will grow to a clean billion by July. So for all the capricious decor and talk of breaking things, Facebook is very well aware that the eyes of the world are on it as an incumbent giant, not an insurgent. Besides “Move Fast and Break Things” there are signs telling employees to “Stay Focused and Keep Shipping”. Visitors are greeted warmly, but also presented with the standard Silicon Valley non-disclosure agreement before they can proceed past security. A billion people connected as never before in history. But Facebook also engenders anxiety on levels from the personal to the political, worries about a world in which private lives are always on display. What is 24-hour social networking doing to our self-expression, our self-image, our sense of decorum? Have we finally landed in the “global village” coined by Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s? What if you don’t like it there? Is there anywhere else to live? And what is Facebook, anyway? The most obvious point of historical comparison is the social networks that preceded it. First there was Friendster, the flirt-and-forget site of the first half of the 2000s. Then everyone dumped Friendster for MySpace, and MySpace was bought by News Corp for $580m. Its value soared to $12 billion, and the received wisdom was that MySpace would take over the world. Then it didn’t, and News Corp sold it for $35m, because someone else had finally got social networking right. Started by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Facebook went from a Harvard dorm room to the rest of teenage America’s bedrooms to hundreds of millions of people all around the world—even parents and grandparents. Along the way, Facebook has fuelled revolutions in the Middle East, and inspired an Oscar-winning movie. Other social networks can only try to build out from the few niches it hasn’t already filled. Facebook is the undisputed champion of the world. But the real comparison is not with other social networks. To give real credit to its achievement today and its ambitions for the future, it can only be said that Facebook’s true competitor is the rest of the entire internet. The internet allows three things, broadly speaking: access to content (video, music, things to read), self-expression (blogs, Twitter) and communication (e-mail, chat, Skype). Facebook competes with it on all these fronts. By one estimate, one minute in every seven spent online, anywhere in the world, is spent on Facebook. To express themselves, users have Status Updates. For content, they can find photos, videos, music, news stories, recipes, book reviews and much more. And for communication, of course, there are your friends and Friends. More and more, the point of Facebook is to do almost anything you would do anyway, but with your friends, online. Facebook is an internet within the internet, so dominant that both it and other technology companies are realising that it is far easier to join forces than to fight. Take Spotify. This Sweden-based company is on the way to being the first music-sharing service getting right what Napster and others once tried and failed: to get people to pay small amounts to listen to music online, or to put up with ads. What do you do about Spotify, if you’re Facebook? Time spent on Spotify could drag users away. So Facebook’s approach is make Spotify users Facebook users. If your cousin Bob is on Spotify, you and his 234 other Friends can see that he is listening to “Somebody That I Used to Know”, and listen along if they want to. Far from competing with Facebook, Spotify enhances it—and the other way round. Twitter, with its micro-blogging, would seem to be a direct Facebook competitor. It is smaller, with 383m users in January 2012, but growing faster, and its use by celebrities and journalists, plus its role in the Arab uprisings, has made it the social network to watch. So how does Facebook feel about Twitter? “We shouldn’t be competing with almost any of these people.” So says Andrew (“Boz”) Bosworth, Facebook’s 30-year-old director of engineering. Barrel-chested and talking a mile a minute, Bosworth is visibly enthusiastic one second, cheerfully irritated with what he sees as misconceptions the next: his catchphrase seems to be “I don’t want to tell you what to write, but if I were writing your article…” Bosworth is not only happy about working with the likes of Twitter, he is exuberant. He cites Facebook’s partnership with Skype: “You wanna specialise in video calling? Awesome!” But you and your company would be well advised to work with a certain platform that begins with “Face” and ends with “book”. “If you’re a start-up today, you can leverage the world’s largest social network. For free. Why would you want to do the really hard thing, which is recreate a social network, when what you can do is focus on the technology you want to build, and use the one that already exists?” The prospect of access to Facebook’s billion has brought in ever more partners. Pinterest, an online pinboard growing faster than Facebook or Twitter did in their infancy, is a partner. So is GoodReads, where people can talk about the books they’ve read and want to read. Online gaming, facilitated by Facebook, helped power a four-year-old games company, Zynga, to a $1 billion ipo in July 2011. Facebook’s offer to potential competitors is “grow with us, not at our expense”. This highlights a key feature of Facebook: it is the anti-Apple. Apple’s products are designed down to their molecules so that you never forget who made them. The colours, fonts and distinctive shapes give Apple an ever-present personality. This reflects the top-down, “we know best” culture cultivated for decades by the brilliant authoritarian Steve Jobs. Facebook could not be more different. “‘Authority’ is just not a word here,” Bosworth says with a laugh. “It’s not a thing we use.” Of course if Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire 27-year-old founder, has an idea, others will listen. But so will they listen to the junior-most developer who wants to make something new. One forum for this is the Hackathon. The boombox that interrupted my interview was, I later heard, carried by Roddy Lindsay, a Facebook developer, marching around the halls in a cape for the traditional Hackathon commencement. At the Hackathon, developers join together under one rule: you cannot work on what you normally work on. If that sounds like Google, with its 20% rule, this is a lot more raucous. They fire up new ideas, toss out old ones, collaborate, blow off steam and make things. Most won’t work. Some will: the Spotify app that allows users to listen along with their friends came from a Hackathon. The culture of “why not this too?” keeps the giant growing and constantly changing. In contrast with its spectacular power, Facebook shows an unintimidating face to the world. The bland blue design is more like a default blog template than the biggest website ever. The plain lower-case logo looks almost sorry to bother you. Tiffani Jones Brown, who oversees the writing of much of the text on the site, says that its personality must be nothing more than “simple, human, clear and consistent”. The music app is called…Music. The photos app is called Photos. The message service is called Messages. Everything on the site is to be written so that an 11-year-old can read it—even though Facebook likes its users to be at least 13. All this is by design. Bosworth says “You didn’t come to Facebook because we’re so awesome. You came to Facebook because your friends are awesome. They’re doing interesting things and you want to know about it. Time that you’re spending conscious of Facebook as a thing probably means we made a mistake.” The obvious contrast, again, is with the even bigger company up the road. “Your Apple product might actually still be fun without your friends. Facebook is just the most boring product on the internet without your friends.” Whether this is naivety or modesty, the world is certainly not bored by Facebook. It is not merely an empty place where friends come to hang out, or an open platform other companies can plug their technologies into. Facebook’s reach can be seen in raw numbers: the 850m users, the 8 billion chat messages a day, the billion photos uploaded every four days. But it is not just a technological marvel, a youth movement or a business story. After just eight years of existence, Facebook is the biggest social phenomenon since the telephone. The Facebook community looks more and more like the world itself. Technology has traditionally been seen as a male preserve. Programming, gaming, message boards, the early days of blogging, all call to mind a male nerd in a black T-shirt. But Facebook was at near gender parity from the start. Now, female users write 60% of comments and share 70% of the pictures. Among American Facebookers, 18% of females update their status at least once a day, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, while just 11% of males do so. Women and girls are simply keener social networkers than men and boys. This makes Facebook’s decision to keep its whizz-bang technology out of users’ faces not just a clever bit of design, but a canny strategic decision. Which they increasingly do, not just across the gender divide but around the world. Around 80% of Facebook users are outside the United States and Canada, and this while being banned in China. (For a point of comparison, about 63% of iPhones were sold outside America in the last quarter of 2011.) Russia and Vietnam are among the rare countries where another social network is bigger. Despite its American DNA, Facebook was so prominent in the Arab spring that when Wael Ghonim, the Egyptian activist whose imprisonment became a cause célèbre, was asked where the next revolution would be, he replied: “Ask Facebook.” Tiffani Jones Brown says that one of her most complicated jobs is keeping Facebook’s “clear, human, simple” tone across the many different languages and cultures Facebook is reaching. Finally, Facebook is growing older—and not just one year older each year, either. As the habit spreads upwards from kids to their parents, the median age has steadily climbed, although Facebook prefers not to say by how much. This is a challenge for its designers, who want to present a simple experience to new users, while also appealing to those who expect their favourite sites to be buzzy and innovative. As growth continues to “the second billion” Bosworth breezily mentions, Facebook will be used on slower devices with slower connections, making it harder than ever for it to work equally well for everyone. As Facebook reaches further into every corner of our lives, it also engenders confusion, annoyance and concern. The litany of complaints is familiar. “People are going to be so busy writing about their lives that they forget to live them,” as a friend complains to me, is perhaps the most typical. This “Facebook isn’t real life” trope spans many sub-complaints. The word “friend” is being devalued by having hundreds upon hundreds of “Friends”. Users’ pages are not a genuine portrait, but a careful selection of photos and updates that amount to an illusion. People should be enjoying their vacation, not taking hundreds of pictures of it and putting them on Facebook. People should spend more time curling up with real books, not waste time bragging about what they read via GoodReads. The birthday messages that pour in because Facebook told your “Friends” it was your birthday are no substitute for real friends who actually remember. And so on. Facebook is now competing with older and older technologies. The voice call over the telephone is a competitor, says Gabe Trionfi, a user-experience researcher for Facebook. But he sees no problem with this. He leans over his laptop to perform a search of public posts for “Feeding 2am”. This produces a list of posts of women nursing their children in the middle of the night, Facebooking on their phones with their free hand. This is something no one would have done on the phone before. Mothers, with babies to their breasts, are reaching out to their sisters. Could anything be more human? Another piece of evidence that Facebook is no longer just an internet company is another old technology it is challenging: the car. Ford, which participated in a Hackathon with Facebook, is trying to integrate it into its cars via Ford Sync, its hands-free entertainment and communication system. And well might the car try to catch up with the social network. American teenagers are no longer getting drivers’ licences as early as they once did. Getting a licence immediately after your 16th birthday used to be nearly automatic for those in car-owning households; in 1988, 45% of 16-year-olds got a licence. By 2008, that number had fallen to just 30%. The rising cost of petrol and insurance will have played some role in this, but surely Facebook has too: it makes young people feel less cut off, just as it brings together friends or relatives on different continents. Cue, again, the complaints that people are too busy social networking to live “real life”. Bosworth is merrily impatient with these complaints. “The things people complain about in real life, it’s like they rediscovered them on Facebook. It’s like gossip never existed before, as if your history never followed you around before. I’m not saying there’s not some differences—but these aren’t Facebook problems, they’re just fundamentally human problems.” The philosophy is simple, he says: “Humans talk. Maybe we should let them talk online.” So “talking” is neither good nor bad. But Facebook means that what people are saying will never again be far away. Long ago, everyone was in regular physical contact with most of the people they would ever know. Everyone knew everyone’s business, but “everyone” was not many people. Then urbanisation, cramming together people from far-flung places, allowed us to vanish into the crowd. Now Facebook is mashing today’s vast crowds into the small town of old, making a world that is both exhilarating and unsatisfying, with more people than ever to keep up with, and more people than ever keeping tabs on you. One study of many on the phenomenon of “Facebook anxiety” produced a simple but striking finding: people’s moods were depressed after reading their Facebook news feed, compared with a control group. One of the researchers attributed this to the fact that most status updates are positive. Reading an endless stream of mostly upbeat news from friends can cast your life in a bad light. But that is far from fair to the full spectrum of life on Facebook. Life’s hardships are lived socially too. There are groups for people with MS and HIV. A group brings together those with Asperger’s Syndrome and their families. Characteristically, they share both problems and the neurological differences of which many “Aspies” are dead proud. Obsessions are compared—baseball, cooking, dinosaurs, telephone boxes—and commonalities unearthed: many Aspies, it turns out, love Lego, and creations are gleefully shared. When a call for help goes out, Facebook becomes the world’s biggest megaphone. I discovered this after hearing news of a rangy blond jock I’d played American football with in high school. Will was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, the year his first child was born; he was 34. Since then, the “Support Will Jones” public group on Facebook has racked up 1,500 members. Will has posted triumph, setback, triumph, setback and triumph. Around 900 people have offered him their prayers. When there has been good news, people have plied him with congratulations, which look heart-rendingly premature now. Two years later, Will is still alive, but tumours continue to reappear and require treatment. In “real” life, friends might have moved on or lost heart – it is crushingly hard to support someone with cancer over three years offline. But on Facebook 44 people cheered Will’s latest piece of good news. If Facebook makes it too easy to express the vapid or insipid, it also allows us to go on benefiting from the far-flung relationships they might otherwise have let go cold. Facebook’s staff eagerly point to a June 2011 study of 2,200 American users of social-networking sites. Far from confirming that Facebook atomised and isolated its users, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that they had about 9% more strong offline social ties than non-users. (The effect was similar for other non-Facebook networks like Twitter and LinkedIn, and it held up when demographic variables were controlled for.) Facebook users were more likely to agree that “most people can be trusted”. And they have more diverse social networks—counter to the claim that social networking facilitates social bubbles. They are more politically engaged: Pew found that frequent Facebook users were two and a half times as likely as others to attend a political rally, and 57% more likely to try to influence someone to vote. These numbers were not controlled for demographics, so they do not show that Facebook causes political engagement. But a study by Facebook’s own data team did find that Facebook gets people to vote. In America’s 2010 congressional elections, a box showed most Facebook users the names of some friends who had voted. (Some users were shown no box, or a different box that simply exhorted them to vote, to provide control groups.) Cameron Marlow, one of Facebook’s data scientists, says that the study found that as many as a million people, out of a total turnout of 91m, may have voted who otherwise would not have. As David Kirkpatrick, author of “The Facebook Effect” (2010), puts it, “Ordinary people, if they are pissed off, will use Facebook to communicate it to the world. It is the easiest tool they have ever had.” To overwhelm an opponent’s Facebook page, posting angry comments faster than they can be deleted, is a new kind of activist victory. Kirkpatrick ticks off a list of stories in his inbox, delivered that day by a Google Alert for the words “Facebook protest”, running through a dozen—from the life-and-death to the mundane. He notes that Twitter played a special role in catalysing protests that had already begun in the Arab spring. But “the alert to follow the Twitter feeds starts on Facebook.” Could people even revolt against Facebook on Facebook? As Kirkpatrick notes (and Bosworth also told me), the news feed, Bosworth’s own baby, was wildly unpopular when it was introduced in 2006. How did Facebook know people were angry? Angry comments spread like brushfire, through the news feed. “If it’s increasing usage,” Kirkpatrick says, “they disregard the protest.” So is there no sense in which Facebook has changed our lives for the worse? Kids drink and misbehave and then put the inevitable photos on Facebook, embarrassing themselves and even hurting career prospects. Fights between family members are seen by hundreds of outsiders. Lovers canoodle for the entire online public. Changing views of privacy are probably the domain in which critics have the most defensible point. A generation is growing up saturated with the idea that nothing is too personal to put online. Relationships can now begin and end on Facebook. As I was writing this article, an old friend found his girlfriend sex-chatting with an ex (via Gchat, not Facebook). Whether he would stay with her or not was quickly resolved, when his status was publicly changed to Single, as every one of his “Friends” instantly found out in their news feeds. (The kids, and Facebook’s staff, call this “making it ‘Facebook official’.”) My friend asked me to Unfriend the ex. With mixed feelings, I did this thing, this verb that did not exist ten years ago. A week later, a second close friend also broke up with his on-and-off girlfriend of five years. In their last stint together he had never become Friends with her, for fear of the endless drama. (“Why is she writing on your wall?...”, and so on.) But I was Friends with her. Should I Unfriend her, I asked, trying to get familiar with the rules of “Facebook official”. No, he said. He didn’t want to hurt her needlessly. Will a backlash against “too much information” ever hit Facebook? Around 75 years ago, the world’s biggest threat was totalitarian governments, which would throw citizens into prison not just for public opposition but for private “thought crimes”. The right to a private life was a core part of freedom. Today, Facebook is a weapon against oppression—ask the former presidents of Egypt and Tunisia. But it also allows a world in which people have joined to become a modern, hip, social kind of voluntary Big Brother themselves, putting more data about themselves in each other’s (and Facebook’s) hands than Hitler or Stalin could ever have dreamed of. The comparison is absurd, of course; Facebook is a happy money-making company in California, reliant on our consent, not an evil government in Moscow or Berlin. But privacy nudniks cannot be wholly laughed off when they say people are losing valuable, time-worn habits of discretion. Facebook has already added the ability to sort Friends into Close Friends and Acquaintances, so that not everyone has to share everything with colleagues or clients. But a potential rival has built its entire service around this concern. Google+, launched officially last September, had reached 90m total registrations by February (although Google will not say how many use the site monthly, the direct comparison to Facebook’s 850m or so monthly users). Vic Gundotra, a senior vice-president at Google, says that when he was researching the prospects for Google+, people repeatedly raised mocking air-quotes when describing their Facebook “Friends”. Google+ is built around “Circles”, customisable by users, so that they can easily share only among close friends, family, co-workers, people who watch “True Blood” on television, or some other common characteristic. Facebook allows segmentation like this in various ways too, but Circles are core to Google+, built around the insight that not everything should be shared with everybody. Two-thirds of content shared on Google+ is shared with limited circles rather than being made public. Google has good reason for taking on the social-networking giant, as Facebook seeks to integrate nearly every activity users might fancy. Google too has built an entire ecosystem of products: search, phones, e-mail, chat, photo-sharing, music, books, and now Google+. Apple, too, has Facebook in its sights; the new version of its operating system, Mountain Lion, closely integrates Twitter, but has no such easy Facebook functionality. Twitter is cute and unthreatening; Facebook’s ever-expanding universe menaces Apple’s, with its iPhone, iPad, iCloud, iTunes, iMovie, iBooks and more. As Google’s Gundotra says, there are only so many hours in the day. Time spent with eyeballs on your company’s products is money. Apple, Google and Facebook are increasingly competing to offer a complete world to their users. Even if Facebook should fall—as Friendster and MySpace rose and fell—its reverberations will be lasting. Google made the internet navigable. Apple made it portable, through intuitive, brilliant devices. Now Facebook has made it social, raising a generation that will never again expect things to be otherwise. Facebook has not replaced social life. It has tightened the social fabric, in a way that fits many people, and which many just as clearly chafe against. The social ills ascribed to it are, by and large, not new. Once people suffered from hysteria and melancholy; in the modern age, they have anxiety and depression. Once they suffered gossiping and bullying; now it’s “Facebook official” drama and cyber-bullying. Once they could envy the greener grass on their neighbour’s side; now it’s “Facebook anxiety” about his (or, more likely, her) online photos. Once they wondered if their social lives were fulfilling enough; now they suffer FOMO—fear of missing out—and get to see all the pictures from the party they weren’t invited to. New labels for old problems. But these problems are larger-looming and becoming ever-present for the millions who can’t get enough of their social networks. And unplugging from Facebook to get a month’s or a year’s peace is an increasingly cranky-looking decision. For the majority of Facebookers who can’t leave the site alone, its ubiquity means that the good and the bad, the joys and the miseries of the social world will never again leave them alone either. “Like” it or not. Postscript After this piece was written and edited, my high-school classmate Will Jones, whose "Support Will Jones" Facebook page had gathered over 1,500 well-wishing members, died of cancer, aged 36. Hundreds of fresh posts appeared on the group page and on Will's personal Wall, many addressed directly to him. My condolences to his family and friends. ~ RLGTHE DRIVER of the bus that crashed into West End Indian restaurant Punjabi Palace on Saturday afternoon is not likely to face charges. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash however a spokesperson has said criminal charges are generally not filed in incidents such as these. Nine people were injured when the Brisbane City Council bus plunged into the restaurant on Melbourne Street. IN PICTURES: Bus crashes into Punjabi Palace at West End An ambulance spokesperson said three people were transferred to hospitals. One of these was the male driver of
was a delay in Baltimore, even with the extensive delays, that I would still get to Dallas somehow. And when the e-mail came to the pilot about getting the passengers whose flights were canceled off the plane, well if they didn’t get me off the plane or tell me that my flight was canceled before I got to Baltimore, then that’s Southwest’s fault. Not Mother Nature’s fault. I had no choice. My PBL championship game plans were completely crippled. I asked Sonika if there were any seats available to return to Hartford that morning. She said yes, and in a few moments a reboarding pass popped out of her printer. And then I had to go down to the baggage level and make sure that my checked luggage didn’t go to Dallas anyway – that it would either return with me on the flight back to Hartford, or it would be delivered to Albany International Airport – close to my home – as soon as possible. And that’s when things went from bad to worse. See, there were nine canceled flights that night. Each plane had 137 passengers, with an average of 2 or 3 bags apiece. You do the math. All those suitcases and knapsacks and duffel bags and trunks were now in a secure holding place. Including my two bags – of which one was my camera equipment. The D700 and the F100 were in my camera bag; the Rollei was packed with my clothes. I returned to the baggage counter and asked the counter person – Diane – if my bags could be pulled out so that they could return to Hartford with me. “I’m sorry, that’s not possible,” she said. “Your bags are scheduled to go to Dallas.” “Yes, but I’m not going to Dallas any more.” “Doesn’t matter,” she said with the voice of a thousand rejections already spoken that morning. “We have over 2,000 bags in that secured location, we don’t have enough manpower to go back there and get your bags. You’ll just have to wait until your bags return from their trip.” Diane filled me in on the itinerary. My bags would go to Dallas, where they would wait for five days until they were – obviously – unclaimed. Then they would return to Baltimore, and then once back in Baltimore, the bags would go to Hartford at some point. Then I could pick them up in Hartford. At the same time, a couple of other passengers were trying to get their bags – those passengers needed to get on a shuttle from BWI to Reagan National Airport, and it was the only flight they could get to Jacksonville that day. Two other passengers were having a major freakout – one of the bags contained medicine for her daughter, who would need that medicine very soon. This is where a baggage handler named Glenn enters the picture. Glenn stopped what he was doing – whatever that might be – and asked each person about their bags and any identifying tags or marks that would make it easier for him to find them. Some people tied ribbons on their suitcase handles. Others had attached goofy luggage tags. He took their baggage claim tickets and said he would try his best to find their luggage. Glenn walked over to me. “You said your bags are going to Dallas?” “Yes. And I need to get them back because I’m going to Hartford in about two hours.” “Okay,” he said, taking my baggage checks. “Describe them for me.” “One is a Quantaray-branded knapsack, black with blue and grey trim. The other is a duffel bag with the Albany Patroons logo on the side.” “Okay,” he said, “I got it. Just one thing, though.” “Yes?” “What’s a ‘Patroon’?” Anyways… Twenty minutes later, Glenn came out of the secure holding area with everybody’s luggage – including my two bags. Fantastic job by Glenn. He even refused the tip I offered him. It’s now 7:00 a.m. I have 90 minutes before my plane flies out of BWI for a return trip to Hartford. I gotta get up to the ticket counter and re-check these bags for Hartford. The line to the ticket counter is extraordinarily long, full of passengers who were re-routed and had their own re-routings. I get my bags up to the counter. Looking at my reboarding ticket, I punch in the six-character alphanumeric ticket code into the computerized kiosk. NOT RECOGNIZED Oh great, I’m operating on 20 minutes of sleep, I probably mis-typed it. I re-entered the code. NOT RECOGNIZED I asked one of the ticket people, Gwen, if she could help me. Gwen looked at my boarding pass that I previously received from Sonika. “We have a problem here.” Oh God please. No more problems. “Did you know your ticket is a stand-by ticket?” Stand-by? Waitaminnit – you mean to tell me Sonika gave me a ticket that may not even get me out of this God-forsaken airport? I could be stuck here like Charlie on the MTA in that old Kingston Trio song? “Hold on,” she said, “Let me do something here.” Ten minutes and a few keystrokes later, she printed me a new ticket. A confirmed ticket. God bless Gwen. Now I gotta get through security – AGAIN – and I make my return flight to Hartford with 5 minutes to spare. And the flight back to Bradley International Airport? Quick and sunny and not a stitch of trouble or hint of delay. In other words, it was the flight I should have received GOING to Baltimore, not the one I received LEAVING Baltimore. 24 hours after I lfirst arrived at Bradley International Airport, I was in my car heading back up I-91 for the Massachusetts Turnpike. So let’s figure this all out. I was on a flight that took 11 hours to get from the Hartford terminal to the Baltimore terminal. And I was told that the continuing legs of my flight were canceled – after I arrived in Baltimore, when I should have been given the opportunity to decide what to do IN Hartford, or at the very least in the air from Hartford to Baltimore. I can’t control what Mother Nature does; but there should have been a contingency plan available with Southwest to get as many of their passengers rerouted – or at least given them the opportunity to do so. I ended up missing the PBL championship finals because of this. This was a situation that could have been avoided. Instead, I was trapped on a plane that went nowhere, I was told different things by different Southwest agents in a nasty case of left-hand right-hand communication, leaving me stuck in the baggage claim area of Baltimore-Washington Airport on Sunday morning, with about maybe half an hour of sleep and no food since the tiny bag of peanuts I had on the flight. And I had to go back through the security checkpoints. And I had to get back on a flight from Baltimore to Hartford. And then I had to drive two hours from Hartford back to Albany. Hey. I’ve had good moments on a plane and I’ve had bad moments on a plane. But nowhere – NOWHERE – should I have undergone the complete cluster-fluster that took place this weekend. At the very least, Southwest Airlines owes me plenty of free flight tickets. Hell, not just me – they owe every passenger who flew on Flight 1699 on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from Hartford to Baltimore free tickets as well. Come on, Southwest. You lost a lot of customers on this flight. Here’s your chance to make things right and win us back.Google Daydream is a few weeks old and we have had lots of time to play with Google’s Daydream View headset. Google has done a great job with the headset, trying to go new ways by using fabric instead of plastic and in general making it as approachable for the general public as possible. However the headset does have its drawbacks. It’s not as comfortable as it looks, the field of view (FOV) is only around 90°, there is no focus wheel for users who suffer from near- or farsightedness and the interpupillary distance (IPD) cannot be adjusted. Heck, let’s get rid of our rose-colored glasses, that’s quite a lot drawbacks! That would be a big problem if Daydream users would be forced to only use the Daydream View headset. Few people know that this actually is not th case! The Daydream VR platform is fully compatible to any 3rd party headset! And that 3rd party support is directly baked into the platform. In this article we will show you how to pair any 3rd party headset, like for example the brilliant Bobo Z4 with Daydream VR! And it is sooo simple! Follow these steps to pair any 3rd party Cardboard VR headset with Daydream VR: Open the Daydream app on your phone. If the app asks you to insert your phone into your viewer, don’t do so but click on the back button until you are in the Android Daydream app. Once you are in the app, click on the hamburger menu item on the top left. 2. In the slide out menu that appears, click on “Settings”. 3. Since you had only used your Daydream View headset so far, under “Headset” it should say “Daydream View”. Click on “Headset”. 4. Your camera starts and the app will ask you to find the headset’s QR Code. 5. Now find your headset’s QR code. In this example, we found it in the headset’s manual, but it could also be printed directly onto the headset or on the manufacturer’s website. 6. Scan the QR code! 7. Success! A pop up will tell you that you have successfully paired your headset with Google VR. 8. And indeed! The name of your paired headset should now show. 9. Now how to use your headset? It’s simple. In the Daydream app, click on the headset symbol on the bottom right. 10. You might get a warning message that this headset is not compatible. Ignore it by clicking on “Got it”. This dialog will appear next which asks you to put your phone into the headset. Do not do so! Instead, tap on the screen at least 5 times in a row! 11. After you have tapped on the screen in quick succession, the two VR pictures for the right and left eye will appear. Success! You can now put your phone into your own 3rd party headset and use Daydream VR just as if you were using the Daydream View headset! Of course you will still need the original motion controller to do so, but you totally do not need the beautiful but flawed Daydream View headset anymore. Hopefully you enjoyed this tutorial! Let us know what third party headsets you like to use for Daydream!As the Olympics approach, stressed out Tube commuters battling the crowds in London may like to take a leaf out of Shanghai’s book on how to unwind – with punching bags, that is. One commuter who missed his train lashes out on the bag in Shanghai with a powerful kick (Pic: Barcroft) Kung fu kicks and karate chops are being encouraged in Shanghai after sports brand Adidas installed the padded bags at the Xujiahui subway station. The giant bags allow tired, angry or drunk commuters to take out their frustrations on someone other than staff, who usually bear the brunt of bad tempers. Posted above the installations are messages that say: ‘Every year you have to wait on the platform for about 1,824 minutes. ‘Donât waste your time, come and have a punch to relieve some tension!’ Most Chinese commuters welcome the introduction of the punching bags, a local TV station found, with some even taking the time to have a pop at the bags for the camera. Advertisement Advertisement With so many people already cramming London’s Tube platforms, there’s not much room for anything else – especially punching bags. But here’s an idea – how about a mini Boris Johnson popping up as you swipe your Oyster card. Obviously, for balance, it’s at your discretion whether you give the mayor a pat or a slap. Watch: Chinese subway commuters versus the punching bagSuPAR as a potential disease severity marker The association between increased suPAR and mortality has been extensively documented [7]. However, most of the studies were confined to healthy subjects [12] or subjects with well-defined illnesses, such as tuberculosis [3] or HIV [15]. In this study, we aimed to confirm suPAR's association with mortality in a more heterogeneous cohort, but also to investigate if suPAR is a disease severity marker in a broader sense through association with comorbidity burden (Charlson Score), admission length and readmission rates. We found that suPAR showed a dose-response relationship with the Charlson Score, was strongly associated with 30- and 90-day mortality, even when adjusting for age, sex, Charlson Score and CRP, but not associated with readmission rates. Given that the Charlson Score is moderately associated with readmission (HR 1.37) and strongly associated with suPAR, the lack of association between suPAR and readmissions is somewhat surprising. Taken together, the association with higher mortality, longer admissions, and higher comorbidity burden suggest that suPAR actually reflects general disease severity. SuPAR's correlation with other biomarkers and the modified Charlson groups We found a significant positive correlation between suPAR and CRP, creatinine, ALAT, and leukocytes while there was a significant negative correlation between suPAR, hemoglobin, and albumin. These associations seem to support earlier studies. Elucidating on the kinetic relation of the pathophysiology within these associations is beyond the design of this study. Both CRP and suPAR rise as part of an acute phase response, but CRP is produced by hepatocytes [16] whereas suPAR is produced peripherally mainly by leukocytes and activated endothelium [1], which may explain the positive association with leukocyte counts. Regarding the inverse relationship with albumin and hemoglobin, we interpret this as responses to chronic disease, for example, advanced cancer: it causes cachexia and malnutrition (low hemoglobin and albumin) as well as a systemic inflammation (high suPAR). There may be more direct signaling pathways involved, but our design makes it impossible to elucidate this further. Regarding the nature of the association with creatinine, this is in agreement with Koch et al. who reported a similar correlation [6]. Also, there are reports that suPAR may even cause the kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Wei and coworkes recently showed that suPAR can enter the kidney glomerulus and bind and activate the β3 integrin, one of the major proteins anchoring podocytes to the glomerular basement membrane, and that increased plasma levels of suPAR lead to increased β3 integrin activation resulting in podocyte dysfunction and proteinuria [17]. However, none of the patients in this study were suffering from glomerular disease and it is currently unknown if suPAR has an active role in disease outside FSGS. Two earlier studies found a strong connection between high suPAR and decreased liver biosynthesis and cirrhosis [6, 18], and the association between ALAT and suPAR may support these findings: also, patients in the Charlson group 'Liver disease' had a mean suPAR of 11.8 ng/ml, the highest mean value among the groups. If suPAR does not play an active role in disease outside FSGS, it is likely that the suPAR level reflects a conglomerate of negative biological processes such as increased inflammation and fibrosis, organ dysfunction and decreased organ biosynthesis. SuPAR--a true prognostic marker? The Charlson Score is known to perform well when predicting mortality [10], but requires diagnostic information not always available upon admission, although this may be the case for more chronic patients. Based on adjusted analysis, suPAR levels appear to add information about disease severity that cannot be explained by the patient's sex, age, and diagnoses alone. However, as it also clear that interpretation of lone suPAR values is very difficult (see Figure 1), we propose that suPAR may be valuable as an addition to a prognostic model. Because of this population's heterogeneity and small size, we cannot make sound suggestions for actual cut-off values. Based on our results, such a prognostic model should include age, sex, suPAR, and, ideally, Charlson Score. A large prospective intervention trial is needed to evaluate the performance of such a model in actual clinical decision making, for example, whether to admit a patient or not.Scott Lynch, author of The Gentlemen Bastards sequence, recently sat down with Hypable at New York Comic Con to discuss his creative process, evil Gandalfs, and the intricate depths of his most recent book, The Republic of Thieves. Can you tell us about the process of writing The Republic of Thieves? Well, writing The Republic of Thieves was a short and easy process, and I think… okay, that’s a lie. It was the most arduous literary trek of my life, across five and a half difficult years, some of which were just horribly miserable. This book was bisected by the discover that I enjoy a robust case of clinical depression – go me! Oh yeah, then my wife left, and I got divorced. It was awesome. So there was lots and lots of big fun that happened in the middle of writing this book, so this book took it’s sweet damn time, let me tell you. I finished writing a version of it several years ago, and frankly that version STANK. Because that version was written by someone who was sick and didn’t know it, and had lost his ability to pay attention to details and didn’t know it, and I had to sort of re-teach myself how to do everything – read, write, and edit – on the other side. The only consolation for the fact that it took five and half years to finish is that I think it’s a much stronger book for it. ANd of course I’m gonna say that sort of thing, it’s my job to say that sort of thing – “Oh yes, I think that blah-blah-blah flaws are actually features!” But I really think it’s true in this case. I don’t think the book I would have written before is something I would have been proud of, and I don’t think it’s something that would have pleased as many readers as the book already has. How was writing The Republic of Thieves different from writing the first two books in the sequence? Article Continues Below It’s a different sort of tension, it’s a different sort of anxiety, but there’s none of that elemental fear that, “Oh my God, I can’t do this, I don’t know how people can possibly do this.” I knew that I could structure and complete a novel, and that it would simply happen, it would eventually be a thing – and that removes a lot of worry. In spite of everything that remained, at least I had that to cling to. The other thing is that on the other side of the divorce and everything else, when I sort of came out of it and reapplied myself to The Republic of Thieves, it was a more careful writing process. I’m proud of The Lies of Locke Lamora and I’m proud of Red Seas Under Red Skies, but I can spot artifacts of sloppy thinking and construction and wording that I wouldn’t use, and choices that I wouldn’t make these days. And some of this is just the fact that you naturally age away from your own work – it’s an artifact of who you were and what you were when you wrote it, you can’t escape that. But on a sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph level, I think it’s a tighter book, and I think that comes of paying a great deal more attention to it. I didn’t really have a choice because paying that painful attention to it was essential to the process of learning how to do this again. So it benefited from the circumstances, again, of me having apply myself, shall we say, extra hard. We meet Sabetha for the first time in this book. What was it like to finally write her into the story? It was so much fun! I’ve had so much fun keeping her off the stage, I really have. I’ve enjoyed the tortured response of everybody who has been screaming and begging and saying “Oh my God, what’s the matter with you??” I’m surprised we got to see her this early! Well, two books is about what I can push it for a character who really is so important! I’d originally tried to fit her into the first book, to fit her into the prologue, and it was simply imbalancing to have her show up once and then not show up again for two books. I decided I would rather not show her at all than show her for a split second and then take her away. So we had time to evolve. I hope readers – astute readers that is, of course, you’re all astute readers, I love you all equally! – I hope readers have had the chance to sort of wonder whether or not they’re getting an objective picture of Sabetha. Because the only people we’ve heard about her from are Locke, Jean, Calo, Galdo, individuals who are not removed from the situation and who may have relatively biased points of view. So the Sabetha we’re hearing about before we meet her may not actually be her – or it may, it’s up to you to decide! But it was good to finally unleash her, it was great to finally have her on the page doing her thing. There were several things I was aching, aching, aching to do in The Republic of Thieves and have her strut her stuff is definitely at the top of that heap. The magi of Karthain make their first grand-scale appearance as well; what was it like to build up that mysterious part of the world? They’re fun! They’re ominous. They show up in their usual asshole fashion and they have a lot to say, relative to what they’ve said before. And once again, when all is said and done, it’s going to be left to the reader to decide how much of it was truth and how much of it was bullshit. Some of it in undeniably truth. I tell you this as the voice of the author – some of what Locke’s told is true, maybe all of it is true, maybe some of it is liiiies. It’s your own ride, you make your own decision. It’s fun to have these sorts of ominous buttheads popping into scenes to be jerks to people, to really have the evil Gandalf figure who knows all, tells nothing, and shows up to basically just tweak a character’s nose and say “Mwahahaha! Now your life is more difficult!” It’s also a little easy to get carried away with these characters, so I try to keep them off the stage as often as possible… [The magi] explain themselves and they get a chance to say, “Hey, look at this from our perspective, and ponder some things you’ve never pondered before.” But once again, there are so many things they’re not talking about, there are so many mysteries still on the table. I got to have it both ways – I got to keep them mysterious, and I got to explain a little bit, and I think it’s a good combination. I think it’s a heady combination. Worldbuilding obviously is a huge part of your job as a writer. Has it changed now that you’re on book four from writing The Lies of Locke Lamora? Oh, most definitely. [For] The Lies of Locke Lamora, I built so much scaffolding, I did so much research. The professional term for what you’re supposed to build is the “story bible” or the “concordance,” which is a really fancy way of saying a big fucking pile of paper stuffed into a corner of your desk, covered with post-it notes and mouse droppings and cat scratches. And I did that. I’ve got thousands of pages of research and photocopies – hey, remember photocopies? I’m old! – from books at the library – back in my day, libraries were for books! The thing is is that I’ve reached a point now where I’ve been in this world for so long that I trust myself not to be, not sloppy, but not need to sit down and research for a day in order to write for a day. You reach a point in worldbuilding that you should be familiar enough with the world and its characters that further research and further worldbuilding essentially becomes a way for you to postpone writing. And at some point you just have to stop faffing around with the background and get on with the story. And I think it’s safe to say that after the five-year gap before The Republic of Thieves, most readers are probably going to be really, really eager for me to get on with the story. I think that’s true! So how much of the main story in the present, and the history do you have planned out already? Ninty-five percent of it. I know where they’re going, I know what happens to them, I know what happens in the end, I know how they feel about it, and I know how it all wraps up. The thing is, I typically discover that maybe thirty or fourty percent of the way into any big project – I think this is just natural to any writing project, and construction like this… opportunities that you did not previously realize existed will become apparent to you. New paths will open up. New character interactions will be possible. You can’t see all the details at the beginning. So there’s always room in the middle for different paths to be taken and different options to be sorted out, but as for where we end up, I always keep a very firm hand on that and I don’t stray very far from where I intended to. “What follows will be spoilery. You have been warned.” ->The penultimate episode of Louis CK’s independent television series Horace and Pete, self-released via the comedian’s website over the past ten weeks, ends with a quote from the late Garry Shandling: “The world is too noisy and distracted to probably ultimately survive. Everyone needs to shut the fuck up. The answers are in the silence. Monks set themselves on fire to protest and to make this point. Just consider it.” Watching the episode upon its release, this quote gave me chills. And not just because it was a haunting encapsulation of CK’s narrative ambitions with Horace and Pete — a show that, while it might not spend too much time on literal silence, is wholly concerned with things left unsaid, that builds a world of endless, idle chatter and leaves the viewer to uncover morsels of beauty within it. No, the quote also resonated because of Shandling’s recent passing, which had occurred just two days prior to the episode’s release. To me, watching at home, this didn’t read like a tribute tacked on at the end of the post-production process, or a snapshot of an outdated news cycle. I knew that because of CK’s unique production process for the series, in which episodes were filmed and edited (and at least partially written) in the days leading up to the show’s weekly release, Shandling’s passing was fresh for the viewer and creator alike. It felt internalized into the episode’s DNA, hanging in the air of the show’s Brooklyn dive bar just as it was in the air of my apartment. In this moment and many others, Horace and Pete is alive unlike any television series that I’ve seen before. Yes, the show is a labored-over and carefully crafted work. but it leaves room and gains strength from the immediacy of the moment. And this is a phenomenon that pushes far beyond the show’s frequent references to current events. It’s something that seeps into the filmmaking process itself. The show’s wonderful cast — headlined by Steve Buscemi, Edie Falco, Alan Alda, and CK himself — often seem to be improvising, as if CK has asked them to develop their characters on the spot. It’s unclear just how much of the series utilizes this technique, but as CK reveals in a recent email correspondence with critic Alan Sepinwall, at least one key scene in the show’s final episode — arguably the emotional climax of the entire series — was wholly improvised on the spot by guest star Amy Sedaris. So when the cast and crew take their final bow after the credits of the final episode and CK declares the show wrapped, it’s not just a cute nod to the show’s live theater influence. It’s a final reminder of the show’s unique collaborative process, this time represented in a moment of shared catharsis between CK, his team, and the audience watching at home. It feels personal, homemade, special. Horace and Pete is a show that feeds off of freedom. One that liberally shape-shifts between artistic mediums, borrowing tropes from classic television sitcoms, dramatic theater, microbudget filmmaking, and prestige dramas alike, and then fusing these elements together into a strange new form. CK seems wholly unconcerned with fitting his art into any box, or presenting a work that is easily classifiable. For instance, if you think you’ve figured out the show’s rhythms by the end of the second episode, get ready to be surprised when the third begins with a 9-minute one-shot of guest star Laurie Metcalf delivering an uninterrupted monologue that then largely carries us through the rest of the episode. This spontaneity in subject matter, tone, and even runtime remains intact throughout the series, lending Horace and Pete a spark not found in even the most adventurous of small-screen endeavors. When CK recently announced that he would be submitting Horace and Pete as a drama for the Emmys because the comedy category carried a 30-minute time limit, it felt like a guarded dig at the industry’s outmoded and arbitrary conventions and an implicit critique of the conservatism that these conventions inspire in even the most critically acclaimed shows. Generally though, CK has been silent about his intentions with Horace and Pete, as if adhering to Shandling’s quote. The show arrived with no warning, fanfare, or promotion beyond an email from CK to his mailing list announcing that “Horace and Pete episode one is available for download. $5. Go here to watch it. We hope you like it.” From there, episodes continued to arrive every Saturday for the next nine weeks, each with a personal message from CK, but without any context as to what this show was or why he was making it. During his sole promotional appearance in support of the show (on Jimmy Kimmel Live), CK clarified that this was part of the creative process for him, explaining that, “to me, the exciting idea was for people to see this without having any idea what it’s going to be like, without having any expectation.” But in the age of the internet, can an auteur really hope to achieve total freedom from expectation? CK’s desire is one that flies in the face of our country’s current relationship with culture, a relationship that increasingly finds us racing to contextualize and thereby dispose of the art on our screens. We binge watch, we read recaps, and we tweet our opinions as quickly as possible, like it’s a contest. The idea of CK proactively resisting this kind of interaction with Horace and Pete leaves the door open for something deeper, even if it takes time for audiences to discover the show. A quick Google search Monday morning revealed that Sunday night’s almost universally derided season finale of The Walking Dead already had 837 reviews and recaps online. The Horace and Pete finale (released the day before) had just two. But is this an indication of value and success? Let’s wait and see which episode is still being written about, discussed, and debated ten years from now. I’ve often wondered why television auteurs of the so-called Golden Age have had such problems replicating their achievements. To date, the followups to many of TV’s most critically acclaimed dramas have been either paler retreads of what came before (Vince Gilligan following Breaking Bad with Better Call Saul, David Simon following The Wire with Treme, Terence Winter’s Boardwalk Empire and Vinyl following his notable work on The Sopranos) or experiments that were quickly disposed of by the networks (David Milch’s completely bonkers John From Cincinnati, or Joss Whedon’s left-field Firefly). These artists have had trouble growing because the industry is not set up to allow them to do so. Broadcasters, streaming platforms — heck, even fans — are quick to label a TV creator’s value as if it’s something you can calculate with an algorithm. We put our artists in boxes and demand that they replicate their success. Then we bemoan the inevitably diminishing returns. But if great art is the goal, artists need to be allowed to grow. CK’s previous show, FX’s Louie, was a wonderfully sharp autobiographical sitcom, but you could feel it becoming stale season to season. It was as if CK felt increasingly suffocated by the limitations that the show’s format had imposed on him. With Horace and Pete, CK has uncovered a whole new air supply. To breathe again, he had to reject and reinvent his genre, his medium and his process. In doing so, he’s signaled a path forward.Continuing what feels somewhat like a binge on Hokkaido mountain huts, I invited Hiro to come with me on a ski touring trip to Mt. Piyashiri, 3 hours drive north of Sapporo. There was no higher reason to do this trip, other than the fact that I’d seen pictures of Mt. Piyashiri’s ice-encrusted summit hut, and thought that staying overnight in it would be fun. It was also a decent way north in Hokkaido, closer to Wakkanai than Sapporo, and I was keen to see that part of Hokkaido in winter. Hiro picked me up in Sapporo at the ungodly hour of 5am. I shudder to think what time he had to leave his place to make the drive to mine, at the other end of Sapporo. We were keen to get going early, and try to beat the forecast. The weather forecast was already predicting 40km/hr winds and light snow at Mt. Piyashiri in the early afternoon. To our surprise, as we parked up in the Nayoro Piyashiri Ski Area car park, we were greeted with sunshine. Either way, however, we figured that even in relatively marginal weather, finding the hut wouldn’t be too difficult. We would follow the Piyashiri River to around 450m in altitude, and then once on the ridge, so long as we were gaining altitude we were sure to connect with the meandering Mt. Piyashiri Sightseeing Road. This road, closed and snowed over in winter, runs directly to the hut. The route starts and finishes at the ski area, so we felt a little self-conscious walking past the ticket shop and ski patrol offices on our way up to the Piyashiri River valley. It appeared as though today was some kind of snowball fight championship day. Hiro commented it was strange that the kids were not using real snowballs…perhaps the snow around here is too dry and powdery to be used as snowballs… After walking past the ski field buildings (including the snowmobile tour outfit), the valley soon closes in. There is no real sign of a road until a bridge veers off to the right. It is entirely possible to get to the summit of Mt. Piyashiri by crossing the bridge and following the 12km road up to the summit. The valley route is much more interesting, however, and it is the route recommended in the Yukiyama Guidebook so we carried on up the river (creek) valley on the left side of the Piyashiri River. We passed a sign saying something about entering a forestry road, but there did not appear to be any indication of this being a forestry road. The further up the valley we went, the less likely there would be any way to get a vehicle up here. The Yuki-yama Guide has the route follow the left-hand side of the river all the way to the 400m point. At the 400m point, there is supposed to be a waterfall blocking the way forward. From there the route crosses the river on a snow-bridge. We saw no such waterfall, and had to cross the river a couple of times to avoid some very steep traverses right next to the river. At around 415m on the valley floor, there is a steep scramble up onto the wide ridge that runs up to the sightseeing road at around 750m. From here it is plain sailing to the road. So long as you’re gaining altitude, you’re likely to connect with the road above. Once at the road, you’ll likely be following snowmobile tracks up to the hut. We preferred to stay off the road and cut our own tracks through the gentle summit ridge. Some of the snow-encrusted trees here are really beautiful. The hut, which is less than a few minutes walk from the summit, could be a challenge to find in true white-out conditions. For most of the winter it is encrusted in white snow. You’ll likely have to dig snow from in front of the door to gain access. Inside, the hut is welcoming. Directly beyond the main entrance door is a semi-outside area which leads to the toilet. Through another door is the hut interior with sleeping platforms, a stove, and a large stack of wood. The small window on the left in the outside photo above does not shut properly. A similar-sized window at the back end of the hut shuts, but is not sealed very well. Therefore, in windy conditions such as we had, below-freezing air happily makes its way into the hut from one end, and any warm air you’ve created with the stove happily exits the hut from the other. For better or worse, there is cell reception at the hut (as tested on AU and Docomo phones). After getting the stove roaring and a couple of pots of snow sat on top to melt, we donned our warm clothes and headed out for a quick skin to the summit. The wind was roaring, and it seems like we had just made it to the hut in time – the visibility was now less than 30m or so. Hiro quickly abandoned the idea of doing a couple of runs down from the hut and back again. On the menu that night, as usual, was a Japanese hot-pot and shabu-shabu fusion. The fire had been going for around 3 hours by this stage, and had finally heated the hut enough to notice the temperature difference between the entrance-way and inside the hut. The next morning at around 2am I woke up to use the toilet, and figured I would put another couple of logs on the fire. There was hardly a breath of heat remaining, so I gave up on that idea. At 7am when we finally roused ourselves from warm sleeping
state when it went through. In addition to Mueller's recusal, Gaetz wants further investigation of the Uranium One deal, including the appointment of a new special counsel. But Gaetz told Business Insider in an interview Tuesday that it is unclear who could even mount an investigation. "I'm a member of the Judiciary Committee and I cannot tell you who has jurisdiction or authority right now to do a Uranium One investigation," Gaetz said. "When I asked the Attorney General, he said that any issues regarding Uranium One fell under his recusal and he departed the room when I was insisting that a special counsel be appointed." Gaetz said he spoke to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in September, and has since given notice to the White House, but has yet to hear back. The Uranium One deal, which some Republicans and pundits have been pushing as a major scandal, has gained very little traction outside of the far-right echo chamber. Picking apart the Uranium One deal has been a regular staple on Fox News' primetime lineup and has received attention from President Donald Trump as of late. "Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn't want to follow!" Trump wrote on Twitter in October. As for Mueller, many prominent Republicans have expressed confidence in his impartiality. A bipartisan group of senators have even pushed to put protections in place in the event Trump attempts to oust him. And House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Fox News Sunday, "We need to let these career professionals do their jobs, see it through." "So, no, I don't think he should be stepping down, and I don't think he should be fired," Ryan said. "And the President has made it clear, he's not going to do that." Nevertheless, Gaetz and the team of Republicans are pressing forward. "I think I've got a challenge ahead to educate my colleagues on the depth of Mr. Mueller's conflicts of interest," Gaetz said.Lucius Annaeus Seneca 60 AD De Beneficiis Book I. Among the numerous faults of those who pass their lives recklessly and without due reflexion, my good friend Liberalis, I should say that there is hardly any one so hurtful to society as this, that we neither know how to bestow or how to receive a benefit. It follows from this that benefits are badly invested, and become bad debts: in these cases it is too late to complain of their not being returned, for they were thrown away when we bestowed them. Nor need we wonder that while the greatest vices are common, none is more common than ingratitude: for this I see is brought about by various causes. The first of these is, that we do not choose worthy persons upon whom to bestow our bounty, but although when we are about to lend money we first make a careful enquiry into the means and habits of life of our debtor, and avoid sowing seed in a worn-out or unfruitful soil, yet without any discrimination we scatter our benefits at random rather than bestow them. It is hard to say whether it is more dishonourable for the receiver to disown a benefit, or for the giver to demand a return of it: for a benefit is a loan, the repayment of which depends merely upon the good feeling of the debtor. To misuse a benefit like a spendthrift is most shameful, because we do not need our wealth but only our intention to set us free from the obligation of it; for a benefit is repaid by being acknowledged. Yet while they are to blame who do not even show so much gratitude as to acknowledge their debt, we ourselves are to blame no less. We find many men ungrateful, yet we make more men so, because at one time we harshly and reproachfully demand some return for our bounty, at another we are fickle and regret what we have given, at another we are peevish and apt to find fault with trifles. By acting thus we destroy all sense of gratitude, not only after we have given anything, but while we are in the act of giving it. Who has ever thought it enough to be asked for anything in an off-hand manner, or to be asked only once? Who, when he suspected that he was going to be asked for any thing, has not frowned, turned away his face, pretended to be busy, or purposely talked without ceasing, in order not to give his suitor a chance of preferring his request, and avoided by various tricks having to help his friend in his pressing need? and when driven into a corner, has not either put the matter off, that is, given a cowardly refusal, or promised his help ungraciously, with a wry face, and with unkind words, of which he seemed to grudge the utterance.Image copyright Getty Images British banks may have to hold more funds to guard against the risk of a future economic downturn. The Bank of England wants to reduce the chances of banks needing taxpayer bailouts. The Bank said that the level of reserves compared to loans could rise from 3% to 4.95% from 2019. That means banks would need to hold £1 of capital for every £20 they lend, compared with £1 for every £33 today. Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, told the chancellor: "The committee believes that its proposals for the design and calibration of the framework will lead to prudent and efficient leverage ratio requirements." George Osborne must approve the proposals, and said in response that there would need to be further consultation with lenders on the impact of a higher leverage ratio. The ratio is the minimum amount of capital that banks must hold relative to their exposure to loans that could fall in value. The Bank has devised a complex calculation for the leverage ratio, whereby the minimum level will be based on several factors, including the size of the bank, where Britain is in the credit cycle, and other issues yet to be finalised. As a result, the minimum leverage ratio for most banks is likely to be far lower than 4.95%. If the economy is regarded as weak and lending prudent, the leverage ratio would only go as high as 4.05%. Analysts had expected the ratio to be increased to between 4% and 5%, which they said banks could adapt to as long as they had several years to reach it. Bank shares rise Investors welcomed the better than expected news, sending shares in Barclays up 8.2% by the London close to 241p, while Royal Bank of Scotland jumped 6.2% to 388p. A spokesman for Barclays said the bank had a leverage ratio of 3.5% and was on track to exceed 4% in 2016: "Therefore we are very confident that we will exceed the requirements set out today with our existing plans." Lloyds gained 2.6% and HSBC added 1.65%. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury select committee, said it was vital that the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) set the leverage ratios at an appropriate level. "The FPC may have found an ingenious, albeit somewhat complex means of calibrating the leverage ratio to the risk-weighted capital framework. The Treasury committee will be taking evidence on the extent to which they have succeeded, on the level itself, and on other aspects of these important proposals," he said. The Bank of England's proposal is the latest in a series of steps since the financial crisis aimed at making banks protect themselves better against future risks and avoiding a repeat of the £66bn taxpayer bailout of RBS and Lloyds Banking Group. Banks have argued that Britain is going too far beyond global rules. They claim that forcing them to hold excess capital reduces their profits, increases the cost of lending and could cut the amount of credit available to home-buyers and companies. The Bank of England said that safer banks would find it cheaper to raise funds, and that large banks that operated with dangerously low levels of capital effectively received a public subsidy because investors think taxpayers will step in to stop them failing.About Animated 4-minute preview: As seen on: "Sam Sweetmilk" uses science fiction adventure to tell the story of two exceptional characters with incredibly fluid animation, and layered with smart, subtle humor throughout." - Channel Frederator, creators of Bravest Warriors What is this? The full 25-minute animatic/animated episode: Following the exploits of Sam Sweetmilk - cocky amnesiac and captain of the starship Goldfish - his long-suffering robot first mate Ghostworth, voiced by Kevin R Mcnally (Pirates of the Caribbean, Supernatural, Downton Abbey) - and a young alien heiress named Vela, voiced by Tricia Pierce (Bleach) - Sam Sweetmilk is a sci-fi comedy cartoon series chronicling the rising significance of the only human in a huge and uncaring galaxy. Our influences include the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Archer, Adventure Time, Cowboy Bebop, the Venture Bros and Red Dwarf. With the release of our 25-minute animatic episode 'Classic Ghostworth', containing 4 minutes of full-quality animation, we're looking to Kickstarter to fund a fully animated sequel episode, 'New Ghostworth'. This will both complete the story arc and demonstrate to networks that we can not only pitch Sam Sweetmilk, but that we can produce it as a studio on-deadline and with minimal resources. News! - Our Youtube channel has been adopted up by Channel Frederator - makers of Bravest Warriors and Bee and Puppycat - and we will now be publicised by them! - The pilot was on the front page of Laughing Squid, and they tweeted about us to 443,000 followers! - We hit the front page of Reddit and got 73,000 views in one night! We also did an AMA! - We got a great write-up in Gorilla Mag! "Believe it or not the comedy elements are actually funny......containing 4 minutes of full-quality animation (and it looks very sexy indeed" - Someone bought our top $4000 tier, and their name will now be a swear word in the Sam Sweetmilk universe forever! Who are we? Jason Lee Weight. Writer/Director/voice of Sam Stephanie Turner. US Producer. Toby Nicholas Clayton Concept Artist/Character Designer Haakon Ziegler. Lead Animator. Michał Golec. Backgrounds/Compositing. Patrick Gleeson. Composer. Nathan Fustec. Sound Designer See our pilot's credits for a long, long list of further talented people.A jam in London's Trafalgar Square Connie Ma/Flickr The U.K. capital was a global leader in taming congestion 13 years ago. But the traffic has come back, with a vengeance. In 2003, the city of London made a bold move in an effort to tame traffic: It instituted a congestion charge, making motorists pay a fee in order to drive into the city core. The law was the first of its kind in a major city, and similar schemes were later adopted in Stockholm, Milan, and other cities. Today, 13 years later, the U.K. capital is drowning in vehicles: London has the worst road delays in Europe. What happened? Several things, say transportation experts—and not all of them are bad. In a sense, London’s snarled streets are in part a reflection of its roaring success. It may also be a harbinger of what’s coming for many other cities. The positive spin on this is that London is now in a great position to provide a blueprint for better managing the future of urban congestion everywhere. But first, let’s take a closer look at what’s going wrong. The Limits of Congestion Charging London cars may now be moving “slower than a horse and cart” but that doesn’t necessarily mean the congestion charge was a failure. When introduced, it was designed largely to slash the number of private cars driving in to central London. In this, it has proved very successful. As the Financial Times reports, private car use has indeed dropped off sharply. The problem is that the space vacated by those private cars has since been filled up (and then some) by other vehicles—specifically, private-hire cabs and online shopping delivery vans from the likes of Uber and Amazon. The on-demand economy is choking the city. They weren’t a major factor in London traffic 13 years ago, and they’re are not deterred by the current £11.50 ($14) daily charge to drive into the zone. Because they count as public transit, Ubers don’t even pay the fee. These new congestion-charge-immune vehicles motor into a city whose road space has shrunk, thanks to lane closures caused by major construction work and new cycle highways. Add London’s galloping population growth, which surpassed its previous peak of 8.6 million in 2015 and could reach 10 million by 2030, and you have a complex knot of problems that will take some unpicking. But how? Install Better Traffic Systems Transport for London, the city’s overseeing transit body, is developing better traffic signaling and predictive modeling to help control inner-London congestion, says Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s COO of Surface Transport. Two-thirds of London’s 6,000 traffic lights now use the SCOOT adaptive control system. This changes each set of lights’ signaling patterns to respond to demand—not working independently of each other but connected up to a system managing flow through junctions and key corridors. This already-common system will soon be linked up to bus services, a major factor in a city that hosts 6.5 million journeys by bus passengers daily (compared to 10 million by private car). Data relayed by the SCOOT system could, for example, signal to bus drivers to give up their normal priority at traffic lights, if doing so would increase traffic flow. The sheer frequency of London’s buses still makes this challenging. “Joining up the traffic light and bus systems is harder in London, because our buses run so frequently that they don't run to timetables,” Emmerson says. “They run to headways [i.e. ensuring a fixed distance between each bus], so that there is an even flow of buses down the route. That makes it much more complicated for the traffic signal systems to understand what's happening with the buses, but we're now getting there.” TfL is also trying to smooth flows by giving more information to private drivers. Over 1.5 million people (equivalent to a quarter of London’s drivers) now follow the TfL Twitter account, for example, which dispenses traffic alerts and other useful information. A possible next step Emerson and his colleagues are exploring is relaying traffic information to motorists via screens on the back of buses, which can display traffic advice specifically relevant to the bus’ GPS location. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... These measures that are already underway could help grease the wheels of London’s road system. But to actually resolve rather than just ease the problem will probably take something more drastic. Restrict Car Access Even Further One more radical approach would be to further cut the amount of road space cars can use. TfL has already done this to an extent by creating new segregated “cycle superhighways” carved from the road network, much to the consternation of certain Londoners. On this issue Emerson makes another important point: Bike lanes being used at full capacity actually can actually channel more people than motor-vehicles-only roads. “The cycle superhighways have taken out some road capacity [for motor vehicles], but there's more capacity for actual people,” he says. “The number of cyclists on these routes has grown over 50 percent in just 6 months, which means we're now getting more people down those corridors every hour than we ever did before.” While building more bike infrastructure should lure more drivers out of their private cars, it would be less effective on easing van and private-hire cab congestion on the road space that remains. To do that, you might need to entirely restrict car access to certain areas, a strategy suggested by Ashok Sinha of the London Cycling Campaign. “One of the biggest barriers to cycling is fear of collisions—that's addressed not just by cycling infrastructure but by reducing traffic volumes and speed in places where most traffic really isn't necessary, such as residential areas,” Sinha says. “You can ask yourself: ‘What is the purpose of most traffic going through a particular area?’ In a lot of cases it isn't necessary for traffic to go through narrow streets. Instead, motor vehicles could be re-routed through a coarser grid of higher-volume roads, which would leave the smaller roads within them much calmer. This would mean more people could walk and cycle through them, already common practice in the Netherlands, where most cycling is done on roads or paths that aren't specifically separate.” Such a system could be introduced in a more sophisticated way than by simply blocking off roads, Sinha notes. Street plans could be reshaped so that it was possible to drive in and out of an area, but not to drive through it. Bollards can also be retractable, sinking into the ground when emergency access was required or during quieter periods of the day. Dig, Baby, Dig Another way to get cars off surface streets—build sub-surface ones. Burying the highway can be a wildly expensive traffic solution, as Boston demonstrated with its infamous Big Dig, but several similar projects are being tried in European cities. Stockholm is currently constructing a huge subterranean bypass that, when completed in roughly ten years’ time, will channel through-traffic across the city away from the existing surface road system. London’s former Mayor Johnson proposed a similar solution for the UK capital in February. The plan has some attractions. If existing arterial roads were buried, the areas around them would be far less polluted, while burying car lanes could also free up road space at surface level for building more homes. The idea nonetheless has some obvious drawbacks, encapsulated by a speech made by Darren Johnson, a Green Party representative addressing the London Assembly last year. “Sticking traffic in underground tunnels is counterproductive,” he said. “It will do nothing to get cars off the roads. If these plans go ahead, we will waste the money that we need to be spending on encouraging public transport, cycling, and walking.” Given the huge expense of burying roads (and the departure from London politics of the plan’s main advocate, ex-Mayor Johnson) it seems unlikely that this direction will be adopted in the near future. Create “Bus Gateways” In London, it’s not solely cars, truck and vans that cause congestion. Buses are so numerous along key corridors such as Oxford Street that they form bus-jams that belch out Beijing-level pollution. Rethinking routes could ease these jams by reducing the number of larger buses driving empty. “At the moment you have a situation where double-decker buses are coming into Central London, rapidly depositing passengers before traveling along the rest of their route, often with few people left on them,” says Ashok Sinha. “TfL are currently looking at the possibility of creating several ‘bus gateways’ around the edge of Central London, where larger buses could arrive, drop their passengers, and turn back out of the city. Passengers could then transfer onto smaller hopper-style electric buses to continue their journey, with the larger buses essentially acting as shuttles.” Clearly this is a system that would need careful management if the gateways themselves weren’t to become bottlenecks. But while passengers would need time to change buses, they could potentially earn this time back if the smaller electric vehicles can make better progress. Introduce Surge Pricing Just because London’s congestion charge doesn’t deter Amazon and Uber doesn’t mean that the entire concept of congestion pricing should be jettisoned. David Begg, professor of Sustainable Transport at Plymouth University and publisher of Transport Times, argues that the system needs updating, extending and streamlining. In fact, the city could borrow a page from the Uber playbook and introduce congestion surge pricing. Such a system would raise or lower congestion charge fees depending on the hour of the day. This would provide a genuine disincentive to driving at busy times rather than just a skim-off tax that deters only the less wealthy. “We need to move towards a dynamic charge that reflects the level of congestion,” Begg says. “It's no different from the way we pay for other utilities—you get a reduction for using electricity during the night rather than at peak hours. You can get off-peak prices on trains. The market and price mechanism is working for other utilities, just not for roads.” Reroute Delivery Vans London’s problem with online delivery vans isn’t just that they are too many of them. It’s where they are: delivering to people’s workplaces in the city during the day rather than to their homes in the evening. This needs to change, says Begg. “We have to encourage delivery vehicles to make more evening drops-off to homes, when people want the parcels to be delivered, rather than during the day or the middle of the rush hour. It costs more for delivery companies to deliver in the rush hour because they're traveling slower, they're using more fuel, more drivers time. You would have thought that congestion itself would have given an economic incentive for the Amazons of this world to deliver in the evening, but currently it's not working.” Another way of diverting delivery vans from the city core could be to provide more local depots for click-and-collect shopping—places where shoppers can pick up goods by providing a customer code. Hold Out for Autonomous Vehicles In the current discussion of urban transit and congestion, autonomous vehicles inevitably show up as the future fix-all. There’s a vigorous debate raging in transit-geek circles about whether AVs will relieve or exacerbate current traffic trends. But there should be at least one clear benefit: High-speed highways filled exclusively with driverless cars should at least be less prone to human-error-caused jams. That should help ease delays for suburban commuters heading into the city. “Humans tend to drive at different speeds relative to the other,” says Carnegie Mellon University’s Raj Rajkumar, an expert in vehicular information technology. “We also tend to at first underreact to things around us because we are distracted, then overreact to compensate for the delay. That cycle ultimately causes a cascading effect. First, one person cuts up another vehicle on the road, causing them to slow down. The driver behind then slows down too much until eventually a vehicle comes to a stop and a jam starts to form.” This popular explainer video from CGP Grey illustrates the process. As Rajkumar says, a platooned formation of autonomous vehicles could break this jamming cycle of under- and overreaction to create a smoother flow. “If all the cars that end up in these jams were self-driving, they would be constantly reacting appropriately. The net result of that is that they could all be moving forward at a collectively uniform speed and therefore the throughput of existing roads would go up.” Self-driving also holds promise for fixed-route vehicles such as buses and vans—major sources of London congestion—since they’ll probably be among the first vehicles to go fully autonomous. But when that happens remains an open question. Despite headline-grabbing stunts like Uber’s recent autonomous beer delivery and Tesla’s claim that all its new vehicles are fully rigged for self-driving, by Rajkumar’s estimations AV technology won’t be fully mature for another ten years, and it could be 40 years until they truly own the roads. In the long interim, autonomous vehicles will need navigate among and around us imperfect humans, so their ability to dramatically reduce congestion will be limited. Let Congestion Itself Produce a Modal Shift Could London’s traffic get so bad that drivers simply give up and try to get around some other way? David Begg does not advocate this as an option (nor does TfL). But he does point out that, if action is not taken, this problem may essentially solve itself: Simply staying home will become London’s unofficial default means of reducing pressure from drivers. This white-flag strategy could have some benefits: According to the London Cycling Campaign’s research, 25 percent of Londoners would like to cycle more than they do. Making the driving experience more miserable is one way to encourage more of them to switch over. “The way we run our road system is the last remnant of the Stalinist state,” Begg says. “We ration demand by queueing. We can do that, and accept that there's not going to be any proper road pricing system, but what will happen is congestion will be the regulator.” Letting congestion essentially flourish unchecked this way would be likely to create political backlash from driver/voters, a disincentive to commercial deliveries, dangerous problems for emergency access, and no drop in air pollution. As such, it’s hardly tempting. But it could be the future London is lumbering towards anyway unless real changes are made, warns Begg. “If we go down that road, we just have to say, ‘We've not got a solution for congestion. It's going to get progressively worse and traffic will be at walking speeds.’ If we do that, we have to collectively accept it. Alternatively, we can take radical action.”Wild Scroll to continue with content Ad (Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The bloggers and fans who hated them the most. Here is Steve Dangle of The Steve Dangle Podcast, who wanted to eulogize someone and the wheel stopped on the 2015-16 Minnesota Wild.) (Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.) BY STEVE DANGLE Dear Southern Winnipeggers, we are gathered here today to remember the Minnesota Wild. Nothing actually happened to them, I just often need to be reminded that they exist. Nonetheless, their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup this season are dead. Unfortunately, we'll have to forego a burial. Getting torched for 21 goals in six games was enough of a cremation on its own. But there is something to celebrate: Congratulations to the Minnesota Wild on becoming the first thing Jamie Benn has ever eaten … Furthermore, congratulations to the Minnesota Wild on being the second-best green team in the NHL out of two. Whether it’s their Canadian goose poop-colored jerseys or their bloody morning booger-colored jerseys, they still wear their colors with pride. Their fierce, and dare I say wild, logo reminds me of their famous state slogan: “Minnesota: We have… trees?” Wild Minnesota has been through a lot over the past quarter century or so. The North Stars left in 1993, and they’ve been searching for an NHL team ever since. You might be thinking, “Hey at least the Wild actually make the playoffs.” True, but as is often the case, Minnesota’s playoff success relied on Patrick Roy failing to get the job done. Story continues The Wild had coaching struggles of their own. After a rancid skid in which Minnesota lost 13 out of 14 games, and after Chuck Fletcher was informed that Connor McDavid had actually already been drafted last year, the Wild decided to fire Mike Yeo and replace him with Patrick Warburton. Tick The star of The Tick and those National Car Rental commercials managed to coach the Wild all the way to round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. During Game 6 of their series with the Dallas Stars, they found themselves down 4-0 after 40 minutes. For two periods they made Kari Lehtonen look like J.S. Giguere. But then… something amazing happened. The Minnesota Wild went WILD. They fought and they clawed their way through the third period and almost won the game. Oh, they still totally lost 5-4, but it truly was one of the greatest almost comebacks of all-time, just behind Team USA’s inspirational almost comeback against Canada in the 2010 Gold Medal Game. It was the kind of almost comeback Hollywood almost makes movies about it. What an honor it must be for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to be a part of both almost comeback teams. This was just one of the Wild’s almost good moments of these playoffs. Remember when Devan Dubnyk almost stopped Antoine Roussel’s almost kick from behind the net? Dubnyk sure was mad about the goal, which weirdly didn’t stop it from being a legal hockey play and counting. This is a little late but you have to admire Dubnyk for being the first Masterton-winner to win the award just for not being bad anymore. Minnesota’s epic Game 6 almost win sure was a thrill but we’re forgetting another Wild season highlight. Did you know that the Wild played an outdoor game this season? You didn’t? Oh. Well they did. They beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 in it, too! Granted, they probably only won because of the Blackhawks' complete lack of experience playing in outdoor games but it was an important two points anyway. “Why is a Leafs fan talking about the Minnesota Wild like this?” I’m glad you asked. You see, Wild fans, we are the same in many ways. I too am used to cheering for a team that spends unfathomable amounts of money on free agents and spends draft picks like the world is going to end in two weeks. Am I saying your team is screwed? No, no. Quite the opposite. You see, you and I both know that any team who treats the draft like a free weekend off with a man named “C. Fletcher” at the helm is in good hands. We both know that crushing playoff defeats in a series where Tyler Seguin didn’t really do anything is definitely a one-off. We both know that almost wins are just as good as wins themselves. None of my feelings for the Wild have anything to do with Craig Leipold crying poor then signing Parise and Suter to $196 million in contracts right before an NHL lockout that forced me to do highlights for the KHL for a year. None at all! I can’t hold it against the guy for trying to get a competitive edge. I know there’s two things in this world Craig Leipold wants: The Stanley Cup and his stapler back. CL CL And with just $38,426,922 committed to players already over the age of 31 next season (and Matt Cooke lol), I’m sure he has a chance at getting at least one of those things. Think this eulogy crossed the line? Wild Well at least one thing did. PREVIOUS EULOGIES Eulogy: Remembering the 2015-16 Detroit Red Wings Eulogy: Remembering the 2015-16 Los Angeles Kings Eulogy: Remembering the 2015-16 New York Rangers Eulogy: Remembering the 2015-16 Philadelphia Flyers Eulogy: Remembering the 2015-16 Florida PanthersRuTracker, Russia's largest torrent site, is celebrating its 13th year online. The huge site, which creates torrents at a rate of more than 170,000 per year, has more than 15 million registered members. Every single one over the age of 18 is invited to St. Petersburg tonight to enjoy a Chinese meal together. For most torrent fans around the world, The Pirate Bay is the big symbol of international defiance. Over the years the site has fought, avoided, and snubbed its nose at dozens of battles, yet still remains online today. But there is another site, located somewhere in the east, that has been online for nearly as long, has millions more registered members, and has proven just as defiant. RuTracker, for those who haven’t yet found it, is a Russian-focused treasure trove of both local and international content. For many years the site was frequented only by native speakers but with the wonders of tools like Google Translate, anyone can use the site at the flick of the switch. When people are struggling to find content, it’s likely that RuTracker has it. This position has attracted the negative attention of a wide range of copyright holders and thanks to legislation introduced during 2013, the site is now subject to complete blocking in Russia. In fact, RuTracker has proven so stubborn to copyright holder demands, it is now permanently blocked in the region by all ISPs. Surprisingly, especially given the enthusiasm for blockades among copyright holders, this doesn’t seem to have dampened demand for the site’s services. According to SimiliarWeb, against all the odds the site is still pulling in around 90 million visitors per month. But the impressive stats don’t stop there. Impressive stats for a permanently blocked site This week, RuTracker celebrates its 13th birthday, a relative lifetime for a site that has been front and center of Russia’s most significant copyright battles, trouble which doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. Back in 2010, for example, RU-Center, Russia’s largest domain name registrar and web-hosting provider, pulled the plug on the site’s former Torrents.ru domain. The Director of Public Relations at RU-Center said that the domain had been blocked on the orders of the Investigative Division of the regional prosecutor’s office in Moscow. The site never got its domain back but carried on regardless, despite the setbacks. Back then the site had around 4,000,000 members but now, seven years on, its ranks have swelled to a reported 15,382,907. According to figures published by the site this week, 778,317 of those members signed up this year during a period the site was supposed to be completely inaccessible. Needless to say, its operators remain defiant. “Today we celebrate the 13th anniversary of our tracker, which is the largest Russian (and not only) -language media library on this planet. A tracker strangely banished in the country where most of its audience is located – in Russia,” a site announcement reads. “But, despite the prohibitions, with all these legislative obstacles, with all these technical difficulties, we see that our tracker still exists and is successfully developing. And we still believe that the library should be open and free for all, and not be subject to censorship or a victim of legislative and executive power lobbied by the monopolists of the media industry.” It’s interesting to note the tone of the RuTracker announcement. On any other day it could’ve been written by the crew of The Pirate Bay who, in their prime, loved to stick a finger or two up to the copyright lobby and then rub their noses in it. For the team at RuTracker, that still appears to be one of the main goals. Like The Pirate Bay but unlike many of the basic torrent indexers that have sprung up in recent years, RuTracker relies on users to upload its content. They certainly haven’t been sitting back. RuTracker reveals that during the past year and despite all the problems, users uploaded a total of 171,819 torrents – on average, 470 torrents per day. Interestingly, the content most uploaded to the site also points to the growing internationalization of RuTracker. During the past year, the NBA / NCAA section proved most popular, closely followed by non-Russian rock music and NHL games. Non-Russian movies accounted for almost 2,000 fresh torrents in just 12 months. “It is thanks to you this tracker lives!” the site’s operators informed the users. “It is thanks to you that it was, is, and, for sure, will continue to offer the most comprehensive, diverse and, most importantly, quality content in the Russian Internet. You stayed with us when the tracker lost its original name: torrents.ru. You stayed with us when access to a new name was blocked in Russia: rutracker.org. You stayed with us when [the site’s trackers] were blocked. We will stay with you as long as you need us!” So as RuTracker plans for another year online, all that remains is to celebrate its 13th birthday in style. That will be achieved tonight when every adult member of RuTracker is invited to enjoy Chinese meal at the Tian Jin Chinese Restaurant in St. Petersburg. Turn up early, seating is limited.Women's World Cup on the BBC Dates: 6 June - 5 July. Coverage: Every match live on the BBC. All games online with selected matches on BBC Two, BBC Three and Red Button. Catch-up via BBC iPlayer. Every England game on BBC Radio 5 live. Live text commentary of every England game via BBC Sport website. Opening match of 2015 Women's World Cup Record crowd for Canadian football Christine Sinclair scores injury-time penalty Match played on artificial pitch Striker Christine Sinclair scored an injury-time penalty for hosts Canada as they edged out China in the opening match of the Women's World Cup. The game looked to be heading for a goalless conclusion until China's Zhao Rong was adjudged to have brought down Adriana Leon in the box. Media playback is not supported on this device Women's World Cup 2015: Controversial penalty gives Canada win Watched by a record crowd for Canadian football, China's Gu Yasha curled a free-kick against both posts. Josee Belanger then hit a drive for Canada which rattled back off the bar. The Netherlands beat New Zealand in the opening day's other match with a curling strike by Lieke Martens from outside the area in the 33rd minute. The tournament opener between the hosts and China was watched by more than 53,000 inside the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, making it the best attended match in Canadian women's football history, but it was a drab encounter until its dramatic conclusion. Sinclair, who has now netted 154 goals in 224 international games, sent the fans into ecstasy with a coolly taken late spot-kick as Canada went top of their group. The 2015 tournament will be the biggest so far after the seventh edition was expanded to include 24 teams. Japan are the defending champions, while the final will take place on 5 July in Vancouver. There was controversy in the lead up when 84 players from 13 countries were involved in a lawsuit against the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and world governing body Fifa over the use of artificial pitches in the tournament - and the ball rolled unevenly on Saturday. Englishman John Herdman's Canada side went into the event having beaten England 1-0 in their final warm-up game last month. Kadeisha Buchanan had a shot blocked by China goalkeeper Wang Fei, while star striker Sinclair nicked an effort wide. Both sides came within inches of grabbing the opening goal, but Gu Yasha and Belanger both hit the woodwork, before Sinclair's late intervention. Josee Belanger rattled the crossbar from long range for CanadaAncient Rome was a village that grew into a world empire. At the peak of its territorial reach, AD 117, it stretched from the British Isles to Mesopotamia and from the Rhine to the Sahara. Its history spans more than a millennium. Before the
ipathy to wackjob foreign blowhards is outweighed by their appreciation of the First Amendment - and an understanding of the damage a Mann victory would inflict on it. After noting the upsurge of opposition to Mann, Reuters enquired of Catherine Reilly (one of his vast legal team) whether there would be any amici filing pro-Mann briefs: I asked Reilly if the professor would have any supporting briefs next month when he responds to the defendants in the D.C. appeals court. "At this point, we don't know," she said. Ms Reilly was a pleasant sort when I met her in court over a year ago, but she struck me as a formidable opponent. So I naturally assumed that the above was what what the political types call "lowering expectations". As I wrote: I would be surprised if Mann didn't have any supporting briefs. I was in court when Ms Reilly's genial co-counsel made his argument for Mann, which was a straightforward appeal to authority: Why, all these eminent acronymic bodies, from the EPA and NSF and NOAA even unto HMG in London, have proved that all criticisms of Mann are false and without merit. So I would certainly expect them to file briefs - and, given that Mann sees this as part of a broader "war on science" by well-funded "deniers", I would also expect briefs from the various professional bodies: the National Academy of Sciences, the American Physical Society, etc. As pleasant as it is to find my side of the court suddenly so crowded, I'm confident Mann will be able to even up the numbers. Well, yesterday was the deadline, and not a single amicus brief was filed on behalf of Mann. Not one. So Michael Mann is taking a stand for science. But evidently science is disinclined to take a stand for Michael Mann. The self-appointed captain of the hockey team is playing solo. As Judith Curry wrote last month: The link between 'defending Michael Mann is defending climate science' seems to have been broken. As yesterday's deafening silence confirms. If you're defending Michael Mann, you're not defending science, or defending climate science, or theories on global warming or anything else. Defending Michael Mann means defending Michael Mann - and it turns out not many people are willing to go there. This wasn't the way the case looked back at the beginning of the year when the climate alarmism industry was gleefully predicting that this case would put National Review out of business. But I was struck some time ago by the weirdness of Dr Mann's dwindling band of defenders - the Irish inventor of the Percentigrade measure of global warming, the Guardian conspiracy theorist who thinks al-Qaeda is a western intelligence operation, the alleged "Republican scientist" in Utah with his kinky fantasies about me giving him a lap-dance... Then there's Toronto's leading ovine fornication specialist M J Murphy, who blogs as Big City Lib, and is now busy compiling my witness list: @RogerPielkeJr OT but curious: have you been interviewed to appear for Steyn at @MarkSteynOnline vs. @MichaelEMann? Have you said y/n? If the downturn in the ovine fornication analysis industry has left him with that much time on his hands, M J Murphy might be more usefully occupied trying to drum up a few witnesses for Mann. Michael Mann is not taking a stand for science, or even merely climate science. Science will do just fine without him, and climate science would be significantly better off. As the Prussian puts it, "What is Mann that thou art mindful of him?" Do click through to look at the various "replications" and "confirmations" of Mann's hockey stick, and note the differences between Mann's own sticks and what he produces "when he has to work with competent scientists who can check his work" (see the "consensus" hockey stick above). The Prussian respects science, but he can't respect Mann's science: I still get into raging argument where I say it is outrageous to casually attack the scientific integrity of climatologists…. other than Mann. Because Mann's conduct has been an utter and complete disgrace. He's lied about being a Nobel laureate, he's lied about being multiply exonerated, he's lied about other scientists, and tried to bully and smear and intimidate anyone who refuses to defer to him. And the only reason he gets away with this is because of the respect that good people, like Mr Huertas, rightly and properly have for science and the scientific method. Science is hard, tough, poorly paid, and often thankless work. It's also the thing that actually advances our species from the savannah to the skyscraper. It's quite right and proper to have a healthy respect for this. And Mann's abusing it. He is trying to cash in on that respect for his own ends. A lot of other scientists agree with the Prussian. Mann and his hockey stick have been called "scanty", "sloppy", "sh*tty", "rubbish", "a disgrace to the profession", "dubious", "invalidated" and "just bad science" - and that's just the fellows who believe in global warming, the guys who are on his side...but don't regard it as "his" side, no matter how obnoxiously proprietorial he gets about it. Mann has spent the last decade painting himself into an ever more exclusive corner. Consider this, for example, from his Twitter feed, where he purports to call out Judith Curry: # JudithCurry: R U being compensated for doing these events for fossil fuel front groups? https://www.masterresource.org/debate-issues/tppf-climate-conference-2014/ … & http://marshall.org/events/state-of-the-climate-debate/ … As Jean S points out immediately below his Tweet, if Mann was really interested in getting an answer from Dr Curry, he'd address her directly via her Twitter handle rather than a hashtag. But he never does, does he? He blocks anyone who disagrees with him, and then refuses even to acknowledge their Twitter address lest anything even mildly critical of the poor insecure fellow turn up in his feed. By contrast, every week Dr Curry cheerfully links to drivel by Mann acolytes trashing her: Curry's Credibility Crumbles [link] Judith Curry Scores Own Goal in Climate Hockey [link] When you can bear as little dissent as Michael Mann it's no wonder a self-proclaimed Nobel Laureate winds up in an echo chamber populated by sheep shaggers and 9/11 troofers. Meanwhile, tomorrow, Wednesday, at 2pm Eastern, Penn Futures, the state's environmental advocacy group, will be hosting a live Twitter chat called "Ask Dr Mann". You might like to ask him why he's scared of Judith Curry's Twitter handle. Or if he'd like you to submit an amicus brief. ~We incline more to the Judith Curry way of doing things here, so I'm happy to post Mann's latest feeble legal pleading at SteynOnline. There's not much of interest in it, except in the section on page 21 headed "Jurisdiction", where Dr Mann has withdrawn his objection that "an appeal of the denial of a motion to dismiss under the Act does not meet the stringent requirements of the collateral order doctrine". If that makes your eyeballs bleed, it's to do with the fact that, at the time the District of Columbia passed its anti-SLAPP law, it was not clear whether a ruling under the law was immediately appealable. If that still makes your eyeballs bleed, well, join the club: we're essentially a test case for a new law whose full scope the DC Appeals Court has yet to pronounce on. But I read Mann's reversal of his earlier position this way - that he's desperately hoping the DC judges will rule that the anti-SLAPP is immediately appealable and then they'll toss the whole case out, and get him off the hook of his own vanity before he has to spend any more time holed up with M J Murphy and David Appell. I doubt it'll work like that. I'm not part of this appeal and I've countersued Mann. We're planning for discovery, deposition and trial. I'm busy with a family emergency at the moment, and I regret being unable to post more. But I thank you during this content lull for keeping up your support for my pushback against Climatollah Mann via our Steyn Vs The Stick trial merchandise, our new SteynOnline gift certificates and all the other stuff - books, CDs, and more - over at the Steyn store. As the absence of amici suggests, the tide is turning against Mann. That's in part due to the way we've been able to shine a light on his mountain of misrepresentations. And we've only been able to do that because your support kept us in the game during a very rocky patch at the beginning of this year. I'm profoundly grateful, and determined to fight on.One of the most remarkable things about the suicide of Aaron Swartz is just how quickly it exploded out of the tech world and into the mainstream press and latched onto latent anger at the tactics of federal prosecutors. It was no surprise to see someone like law professor Lawrence Lessig, a friend and mentor to Swartz, write a post called "Prosecutor as Bully" soon after the news broke: The question this government needs to answer is why it was so necessary that Aaron Swartz be labeled a “felon.” For in the 18 months of negotiations, that was what he was not willing to accept, and so that was the reason he was facing a million dollar trial in April — his wealth bled dry, yet unable to appeal openly to us for the financial help he needed to fund his defense, at least without risking the ire of a district court judge. And so as wrong and misguided and fucking sad as this is, I get how the prospect of this fight, defenseless, made it make sense to this brilliant but troubled boy to end it. Fifty years in jail, charges our government. Somehow, we need to get beyond the “I’m right so I’m right to nuke you” ethics that dominates our time. That begins with one word: Shame. Techies like Jennifer Granick of Stanford's Center for Internet and Society quickly chimed in with doubts about cybercrime prosecutions more broadly, using the Swartz case as their example: Cybercrime is a serious problem. National security and economic interests, not to mention privacy and fraud prevention, are at stake. But those very real problems, the rhetoric associated with them, and the financial resources that follow, have been used to justify a legal regime which as often than not is used against whistleblowers, disloyal employees, and activists... If money, prestige and jobs are going to go to the offices that get the most cybercrime convictions, we aren't going to get what we are paying for. We need more data and scholorship here. We need to figure out why US Attorney's Offices, and Massachusetts, New Jersey and the Central District of California in particular, are pursuing so many troubling cases. Activists like Marcia Hofmann of the EFF pointed out how the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) lends itself to such problems: The CFAA's vague language, broad reach, and harsh punishments combine to create a powerful weapon for overeager prosecutors to unleash on people they don't like. Aaron was facing the possibility of decades in prison for accessing the MIT network and downloading academic papers as part of his activism work for open access to knowledge. No prosecutor should have tools to threaten to end someone's freedom for such actions, but the CFAA helped to make that fate a realistic fear for Aaron. Lawmakers soon got in on the act. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) took to reddit to solicit comments on her proposed tweaks to the CFAA, saying: The government was able to bring such disproportionate charges against Aaron because of the broad scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and the wire fraud statute. It looks like the government used the vague wording of those laws to claim that violating an online service’s user agreement or terms of service is a violation of the CFAA and the wire fraud statute. Using the law in this way could criminalize many everyday activities and allow for outlandishly severe penalties. Such sentiments spread quickly into less tech-focused venues. Columbia law professor Tim Wu, for instance, the man who coined the term "network neutrality," wrote a piece for The New Yorker in which the prosecutors again came in for a shellacking: In our age, armed with laws passed in the nineteen-eighties and meant for serious criminals, the federal prosecutor Carmen Ortiz approved a felony indictment that originally demanded up to thirty-five years in prison. Worse still, her legal authority to take down Swartz was shaky. Just last year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a similar prosecution. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, a prominent conservative, refused to read the law in a way that would make a criminal of “everyone who uses a computer in violation of computer use restrictions—which may well include everyone who uses a computer.” Ortiz and her lawyers relied on that reading to target one of our best and brightest... The prosecutors forgot that, as public officials, their job isn’t to try and win at all costs but to use the awesome power of criminal law to protect the public from actual harm... Today, prosecutors feel they have license to treat leakers of information like crime lords or terrorists. In an age when our frontiers are digital, the criminal system threatens something intangible but incredibly valuable. It threatens youthful vigor, difference in outlook, the freedom to break some rules and not be condemned or ruined for the rest of your life. Even those who didn't write extensively about technology began taking up the cry. Soon the "prosecutorial overreach" argument made its way into Slate, where Emily Bazelon expanded it even further to critique the US federal prosecution system more generally. Prosecutors persuaded of their own righteousness, and woodenly equating downloading a deliberately unprotected database with stealing, lose all sense of proportion and bring in the heavy artillery when what’s in order is a far more mild penalty. I’d like to tell you that the prosecutorial overreach that took place in Swartz’s case rarely happens. But that’s not true. There are many principled prosecutors who only bring charges they believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. But there are also some who bring any charge they can think of to induce a defendant who may be guilty of a minor crime to plead guilty to a major one. These cases usually are hard to call attention to: They’re not about innocence, easy and pure. They’re about the muddier concept of proportionality. If any good at all can come from Swartz’s unspeakably sorrowful death, maybe it will be how this case makes prosecutors—and the rest of us—think about the space between guilt and innocence. Dale Cooper, who bills himself as a "porn performer and writer," wrote a piece for the Huffington Post in which he went beyond federal prosecutors to the Obama administration that oversees them. I believe that the prosecution for the United States threatened Swartz's emotional and physical well-being, and, faced with a court battle that he could not possibly finance with his own personal wealth, he took his own life. Ortiz bullied Swartz. Her office should be held responsible in some way for his death. By extension, the Obama administration, in refusing to intercede, should be held accountable, as well. This administration has made the policing of information and "protection" of intellectual property a priority, appointing many trademark hawks and keeping an unnerving record of prosecution of whistleblowers in an attempt to stymy government leaks. The disproportionate charges for Swartz's alleged actions are symptomatic of an administration that has chosen to make an example of specific individuals (such as Bradley Manning), to be heads on pikes on the White House lawn. The Atlantic's Clive Crook, a well-known writer on politics and economics, also got interested in the case and drew the same broad lessons from it. He ended with a powerful plea for reform of the entire method of plea bargaining: Assume what Swartz did was simple, selfish, unmitigated theft, as the prosecutors appear to think. Even on that ethically brainless view, the charges and threatened penalties were so disproportionate as to be quite unhinged. But here's the point: Under the present dispensation, they're actually rational. That's why Swartz's family is right to impugn the wider criminal-justice system. By and large, American prosecutors no longer fight their cases at trial. The new dispensation is justice by plea bargain. The more savage the penalties prosecutors can threaten, the more likely the defendant (guilty or innocent) is to speed things along by pleading guilty and accepting a light penalty. According to the Wall Street Journal, Swartz was offered the choice of pleading guilty and going to jail for six to eight months, or else going to trial and taking his chances. The multiple counts and their absurdly savage sentences are best seen, just as the family said, as instruments of intimidation. The prosecutor's bottom line, apparently, was that Swartz had to go to jail. In my conception of criminal justice, the prosecutor's role is to establish guilt, not pass sentence. Juries have already been substantially dispensed with in this country. (By substantially, I mean in 97 percent of cases.) If prosecutors are not only going to rule on guilt unilaterally but also, in effect, pass sentence as well, one wonders why we can't also dispense with judges. Even Andrew Sullivan, one of the best-known political bloggers in the country, has picked up the case and is now hammering away at it with the voice of moral outrage. For Sullivan, what's at stake is nothing less than the broadest of issues: how the "justice" doled out to the powerful can differ from that dispensed to everyone else: They demurred on prosecuting war criminals (hey, they're all government buddies and what's a few prisoners tortured to death among friends?), but they sure as hell hounded Aaron Swartz to his death. It really speaks to how justice is so often these days a weapon of the powerful, not a defense for the powerless. Not every commenter has agreed that prosecutors overreached; take for instance a fascinating piece by law professor and former Department of Justice lawyer Orin Kerr in which he largely defends the basic approach to the case while still bashing the CFAA. (The anger has been palpable enough, however, that US Attorney Carmen Ortiz issued an unusual statement defending her office and its approach.) But it's remarkable just how quickly one young geek's death has mobilized even national political columnists—who by this point must have seen just about everything—into an outrage that grew beyond Swartz and has quickly opened up a national conversation about justice and about how we seek it.Way back on September 27th, 1986, the city of Cleveland was taken over by 1.5 million helium-filled balloons. The photos are amazing. The aftermath was not. Tom Holowach, the project manager of Balloonfest '86, popped by Kinja to say hello, and has kindly offered to answer all your questions about the event. The sky's the limit, people! For a refresher, take a look at these unbelievable pics we posted this morning from photographer Thom Sheridan. Advertisement Here's Holowach: I was the Project Manager for this event. I worked on it for 6 months and lived in Cleveland for a month preparing for it. We had to design a structure this filled a city square and could stand up to 90 MPH winds, which was building code. The one-piece net was fabricated by the exact company I found in So Cal who built the cargo nets for the Space Shuttle. Kids in schools "sold" balloon sponsorships at 2 for a dollar that went to United Way. The goal was 2 million but we stopped at 1.4 + million. I could do an AMA on this subject. So we're taking him up on his web chat offer. Here's a bit more about him: I have been doing special events logistics since about 1978. I lived in Southern California then and people were throwing a lot of money at PR stunts. I met Treb Heining in 1984, just as he got the contract for the 1984 Olympics Opening and Closing ceremonies. We had to design the logistics of filling hundreds of balloons that made Olympic rings and then cheerleaders moved them to spell "Welcome"… and then let them go. After that, I worked on all Treb's large events, including the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland in 1985. We had to design a way to blow up a million balloons, put them in bags of 1000, and then carry them out to the street. In Cleveland, they wanted to release them from one spot in front of Terminal Tower. I designed the city-square block "bin", got it redesigned to meet Cleveland building code for any structure, and designed and ordered the fabrication of a net that was a city block square. In 1990, I caught the attention of Disney, and worked at Disneyland Hotel and Park till 1995. I have lived in Hawaii since 1998 and have been manager of a theatre at a community college since 2001. Advertisement Take it away, Kinja! Ask HawaiiTom anything.× If I can just make it to the tree before fainting, then maybe I can get to the plaza and sit for a spell. It's summertime on Durham's Downtown Loop, where the sun bakes the giant griddles known as parking lots and pedestrians like me marinate like ants under a magnifying glass. Once considered the pinnacle of urban planning, the one-mile Loop is now pointless, both literally and figuratively. Cleveland & Church Partners, a private development company in Durham, unveiled a proposal last week that would convert the Loop to two-way, including Roxboro and Mangum streets, and encompass parking on both sides of the streets. Actually the Loop would not be a loop at all: It would be squared off to restore the historic Durham street grid. "A walkable downtown is key to economic success," said Rob Dickson of Cleveland & Church Partners at a recent soiree where the plan was unveiled. "The Loop is in the way. It would be great if it were gone." See the plan entitled Downtown Durham: From Potential to Greatness (Although not an official city document, the plan contains input from several departments and downtown business owners and residents.) In and of itself, eliminating the Loop is not controversial. Note that there is no civic group called "Friends of the Loop." Most of the property is government-owned. A more walkable, vibrant city could make downtown ripe for further private developmenthousing, retail, office and restaurantsand thus generate more property tax revenue for the city and county. However, at $12 million to $35 million, depending on the scope of the improvements, the plan will require political and public buy-in. The financial motivation behind these improvements, while understandable, is causing unease among those anxious about affordability downtown. "Durham is known for all diversity in ages, races and gender," says Alice Sharpe, who lives and works downtown. We don't want to lose that." “The City cannot give away this tremendous opportunity; we all must do our part to be sure we get this next chapter right.” —Marcia McNally, downtown resident and property owner David Godschalk was in Durham for the birth of the Loop in the 1950s and '60s. And he plans to be here for the death of it. Fifty years ago, downtowns tried to mimic the convenience of suburban shopping centers, Godschalk, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina's Department of City and Regional Planning, says, "because downtowns were losing people to the malls." In fact, driving the Loop feels a lot like circling the parking lot at The Streets at Southpointwhich is to say, aggravating. Ironically, malls like Southpoint are now trying to emulate downtowns of yore, building grids of small streets and stores close to the sidewalks. The plan to turn the Loop two-way and square it off to form a grid has been in the works for more than a decade. The idea was floated in the 2000 and 2008 Downtown Master Plans and the 2010 Retail Study. And at a recent Downtown Durham Inc workshop to update the 2015 master plan, more than 200 citizens attended, many of them to say that walkability and connectivity between neighborhoods is key to a vibrant cityas well as "grit" and "authenticity." Matt Gladdek, DDI's director of government affairs, lives in Cleveland-Holloway, immediately northeast of downtown. "I have to cross the Loop and it's a terrible experience," he says. The plan calls for buildings of varying heights to be constructed primarily on city- and county-owned parking lots, which could be sold to developers. The developers and perhaps local government would build new parking garages. But instead of fortresses (Exhibit A, the Durham City Centre), these structures would be wrapped with "liner shops" to give the area more of a Main Street feel. The plan outlines five "catalytic projects" to ostensibly jumpstart the lengthy project: 1 2 3 4 . Roxboro and Liberty streets: Once the grid is restored, three new buildings occupy the new block. Mixed-use spaces with a courtyard and small parking lot are built beside Trinity United Methodist Church. Across Liberty Street, a county building and surface lot become a downtown grocery and three levels of office space. Parking would do double duty for the church.These plans would need to enhance the new Durham County Library, which after its renovation would be closer to the street. A two-way Roxboro could help people get to the library more safely by calming the traffic."The Loop is dangerous," says Sharpe, whose car was totaled when a driver ran a red light on Roxboro. "Compound that with new people who come to downtown and they get lost.". Mangum and Morgan streets: East Chapel Hill Street extends across Mangum and Roxboro to First Baptist Church. Rotary Park, a pocket park that no one visits, is framed by new buildings.. Rigsbee Avenue and Morgan Street: New two- and three-story buildings line the street, with a new parking deck and liner shops.. Foster and Morgan streets: The proposal shows a new building on the part of the Carolina Theatre property. "I started that," says Bob Nocek, president and CEO of the theater. He envisions the demolition of the portion of the building extending to the back of the Durham Arts Council. It was constructed in the '90s, and thus avoids a kerfuffle with historic preservation. Nocek says the city, which owns the property, could expand the space to include a plaza and street-level restaurant, to help offset the cost and "add another revenue stream. We could get life on this street." More than half of the theater's audience comes from Wake County, Nocek says, "and there is no character leading up to the theater. If that's how they get here, they probably don't know how much Durham has changed. We've got a world-class market around us but the Loop is off-putting." 5 . West Chapel Hill Street conversion: The block that runs from the Marriott Hotel to Ninth Street Bakery, aka the Canyon of Gloom, is flanked by the Convention Center's 300-foot-long beige wall and the Bull City Business Center, where little happens on the ground floor. The wall, which hides the Convention Center's storage and loading docks, would be converted to storefronts. Storage would move beneath the new Convention Center Plaza. An additional six projects are noted in the plan. Ramseur Street lots would have mixed-use development; City Hall Plaza would be redesigned. The SouthBank building would be demolished. It is owned by Austin Lawrence Partners, the same firm building the skyscraper at Main and Corcoran streets. "From an urbanist perspective, the SouthBank building was a mistake from the day it was made," Gladdek says. "No one likes the SouthBank building." This sounds grandall that's missing is the jetpacks to shuttle us from place to place. But there is the matter of money. It would cost the city and county an estimated $12 million to do the basic improvements, and then the developers would make their own site improvements. Cleveland & Church, not unexpectedly, is pushing for a $35 million version, in which local government would issue bonds to cover the whole enchilada. "Financing on-site improvements in developments is difficult enough," the proposal reads. "Asking developers to finance off-site improvements makes their job tougher." That plea is unlikely to garner much sympathy from the city, county and public. (Cue violins.) "Knowing the budget constraints of the city, only the $12 million plan has traction," Gladdek says. There is talk of forming a tax-increment financing district, known as a TIF, or more likely, a variant called a synthetic TIF. The latter was used to help finance some improvements for the American Tobacco Campus. “No one loves the SouthBank building.” —Matt Gladdek, Downtown Durham, Inc. The idea behind both versions is that the property value is assessed before the improvements, and then it is estimated after them. A portion of the increase goes to pay off bonds, in the case of a TIF, or other financing, such as low-interest bank loans, in the synthetic version. "It would be somewhat complex because of the city- and county-owned property," says Durham County Commissioner Ellen Reckhow. "The city would not only change the Loop, but the use of the land they own. There are a lot of interconnected parts. I can see it happeningit would enhance downtownbut we would need to identify one or more major developers. But it's doable." With this level of investment, it's difficult to envision a downtown with room for the small business owner. It appears that without some government intervention the market forces will dominate, with the hope (or delusion) that supply and demand will keep prices in line. "There are a number of property owners who care about keeping artists downtown," Gladdek says. "But put yourself in the shoes of property owners, who after 30 years, want to make money off your land. How is that not your right?" Marcia McNally, a downtown resident and property owner is among those who while supporting the Loop conversion, is nonetheless concerned about the unintended consequences of it. Plans for the Loop, she says, must include publicly owned parking lots and codes that ensure affordable housing and business rentsto make the city center less vulnerable to the whims of market forces.. A local developer should do the project "Durham-style," McNally says. "No cookie-cutter live-work-play cluster compounds. "The City cannot give away this tremendous opportunity. We all must do our part to be sure we get this next chapter right."Share On more Share On more The most entertaining highlight of baseball's action-packed Memorial Day weekend had nothing to do with a spectacular catch, moonshot home run or even a dominant pitching performance. It was Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre trying to kick and throw his glove at Elvis Andrus during a meeting on the mound. It was a bizarre scene, especially if you didn't know about the reason Beltre reacted like that. You see, Adrian Beltre does not like people touching his head. He is a grown man who freaks the hell out when his teammates rub the top of his head. It is one part terrifying and three parts hilarious. The strange phenomenon started when the slugger was playing in Seattle from 2005-09. Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez discovered that Beltre vehemently didn't like his noggin being touched, and then Hernandez tormented him. Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images But the trolling was elevated to the national stage when Beltre was traded to the Boston Red Sox, and King Felix told Victor Martinez about Beltre's fatal flaw. Who obviously told all his Red Sox teammates. Since joining the Texas Rangers, rubbing Beltre's head has become a team superstition. Even manager Ron Washington has been known to mess with Beltre. One might even say Beltre has gotten used to the abuse. So shortstop Elvis Andrus has figured out new ways to get under Beltre's skin. Elaine Thompson / AP Such as trying to call him off on easy fly-ball outs. Ronald Martinez / Getty ImagesWarning: The following post -- including the video below -- contains mature content. It is intended for adult audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. There are two constants in my life: art and exercise. Art started first, then after a serious childhood illness I discovered my body through lifting weights. I am now a visual artist and a personal trainer. My brush with mortality is something I see in the clients that come to me on a daily basis. Whether it's recovering from heart surgery or bringing news of a brand new osteoporosis diagnosis, many of these people have come face to face with the limits of the mortal body. Cuts: A Traditional Sculpture consists of a two-channel video installation, a pin-up, a photographic series and a zine. Last year I was asked to become an artist researcher by Los Angeles Goes Live (LACE). They were mounting an exhibition called Los Angeles Goes Live: Performance in Southern California 1970- 1983. I was commissioned by LACE to create a new artwork that spoke to the rich history of performance in Southern California. I hungrily delved into their archives and chose two works to guide me: Eleanor Antin's Carving: A Traditional Sculpture, 1972 and Lynda Benglis's 1974 Artforum magazine intervention advertisement. I wanted my new work to interpret these feminist pieces, which take on gender, power and the body. I project these works into a context exploring what it is to be transgendered in today's society. Antin photographed herself while dieting as a take on how Greek sculptors found their ideal form by discarding unnecessary material from their marble blocks. Rather than crash diet, over 23 weeks I built my body to its maximum capacity. I did this by adhering to a strict bodybuilding regime constructed by master bodybuilding coach Charles Glass. David Kalick, a nutritionist specializing in diets for sports competition, designed a diet where I consumed the caloric intake of a 190-pound male athlete. I also took mild steroids for eight weeks of the training. I documented my body as it changed, taking four photos a day, from four vantage points. I collapsed 23 weeks of training into 23 seconds, creating a time-lapse video (part of the two-channel installation Fast Twitch Slow Twitch). Juxtaposed against the speed-up of the time lapse are painfully slow motion scenes that depict moments from my training -- a raw egg dropping into a mouth or a face as it "maxes out." The audio in the installation is by San Francisco-based band Barn Owl. The music's sonic layering echoes my body's growth. PHOTOS of my training (story continues below): PHOTO GALLERY Heather Cassils: A Traditional Sculpture When my body reached a peak condition in its transformation, I collaborated with photographer Robin Black to stage a homage to Benglis's advertisement. In 1974 Benglis was an artist hard at a work who could not get proper recognition while all her male counterparts seemed to be flourishing. As a criticism of her ostracism, she purchased a spread in the art industry's most recognizable art magazine at the time, Artforum. The spread featured a photo of herself nude with tan lines and sporting a giant, double-ended dildo that was inserted in her vagina. This image shocked and dismayed. It was certainly not considered feminist at the time, and she came under harsh criticism. The image is powerful still, as is its message. Robin Black writes: Heather is one of those people, a true punk with the kind of fearlessness that most biological men wish they were born with. I found him/her fascinating from the moment we met and couldn't wait to get him/her in front of my lens. I have often shot nudes or sexualized images of men, in particular heterosexual men. And it was through this work, that quite by accident, I developed a reputation as gay male photographer. It seems to have come about from a lack of personal information online where it could be connected to my images and my gender neutral name. Since no information to the contrary was provided, people assumed that given the straightforward nature and sexual context of the images (i.e. the occasional erect cock), I must be a homosexual man. Soon, gay men's magazines were contacting me to shoot images for them. This all went along swimmingly when it was over email. I never said I was a man, I just didn't make a point of saying I was a woman and frankly, no one ever asked. One day, the editor from a gay publication that I had long admired called me to discuss details for our upcoming shoot: "Hello, may I please speak with Robin Black?" "This is she." "I'm sorry, did you say this is Robin Black?" "Yes, I'm Robin Black." "Oh my god! You are a woman?" "Last time I checked, yes." "Can I call you back? We need to discuss this at the office!" Luckily it ended well, the editor called me back and let me know that they had decided to run my photos regardless. For our tribute to Benglis, rather than buying advertisement space in Artforum, we will use Black's connections in the gay fashion/art publications (both online and off) to disseminate Advertisement (Homage to Bengalis). Substituting my ripped, masculine physique for a double-ended phallus, we created the blog and a periodical called LADY FACE//MAN BODY. Placing Advertisement (Homage to Bengalis) within these contexts signals the shifts in our cultural landscape, and the role of artists like Benglis in bringing about those changes. LADY FACE//MAN BODY is a collection of iconic pin-ups of a body that challenges the viewer. We wanted to create a publication that bodied forth a self-determined trans identity. This project took over my life. I need to thank my future wife for putting up with the neurosis that ensued as a result of pouring so much of myself into this over the last six months. I had to force-feed myself to get the nutrients in. I could not leave the city as I had vowed to take those daily photographs. I needed to eat every three hours and train five days a week for two hours (at least), and I wanted to uphold the parameters of the project with as much rigor as possible. Within the training I pushed past what I thought was humanly possible for my body and I reached new terrains of strength and power. In addition to being inspired by Antin's initial project, I did this work to explore the social expectations of what a "woman's" body could be pushed to. This project is about gender and its signifiers. As an artist and as a personal trainer, I have been interested in exploring the body as material conditions for self-expression. As a trans person who does not yet want to have surgery or take full-on hormones,
iki, but extend throughout Macedonia and Thrace, where significant gold deposits have been detected.The method of cyanide processing, used by the company in mining projects all over the world, leaves no doubt about what is already happening in the region or what will happen in the future. This pharaonic project, expected to cause a wide-scale ecological disaster in Greece, could not proceed without harsh repression, thus bringing into existence another heavy industry, the industry of judicial prosecution. Currently, more than 300 local residents and solidarity supporters are being prosecuted, many of whom are charged with criminal law offenses. And while all this developed during the years of the PASOK and New Democracy governments, which have exhibited an implacable attitude in the region, a year ago there were indications that something could change at the institutional level. First with the municipal elections, in May 2014, where the new mayor was supported by the anti-mining movement, and later in the parliamentary elections, in January 2015, where a party that promised to stop the mining project, Syriza, was the most voted. However, developments are disappointing for those who pinned all their hopes on the institutions. Two months ago, the mayor of the region resigned, unable to offer a significant response to the problem. The new left-wing government is limited to trying to gain “political time”, since it has no intention of openly confronting the two companies, Eldorado and Aktor. As a result, the development works at the mining area are going on with increasing intensity, transforming the old-growth forest of Skouries into a lunar landscape. On the other hand, the anti-mining movement, the largest movement in crisis-stricken Greece, is now at a crossroads, overburdened by the weight of the trials and prosecutions that are already underway, as well as the upcoming ones. It is thus proven beyond doubt that the promises of a definitive solution of the problem through political delegation will not be fulfilled. The time lost waiting for an institutional solution testifies to the fact that only the unmediated grassroots struggle can lead to a victory for the anti-mining movement. The autonomy of the movements in front of any government should be an inviolable principle. This is the new cycle of struggle that is now opening among the residents and the struggle committees. At this specific moment, the international anticapitalist/antiauthoritarian network “Beyond Europe” takes the initiative to organise a solidarity and struggle camp on August 18 – 25, at the beach of Ierissos, in an area that suffered the greatest state repression. This is an invitation to everyone who wants to be active in the struggle for Land and Freedom, against the destructive plans of the capital. We invite individuals and collectives to participate in the political and cultural events planned, as well as in a demonstration in the restricted area, which is being prepared in collaboration with the local residents. We invite you to contribute a breath of freedom to a significant struggle, the development of which, at the present stage, will be the beacon of many other struggles in Greece. For us, the meaning of life lies in the international common ground of struggle for the liberation of the people from the tyranny of capitalism and from the hegemony of the state and the ruling class. 3. June 2015Study: when it comes to detecting racial inequality, white Christians have a blind spot They also perceive discrimination against LGBTQ people and immigrants far less than other Americans do. How do Americans perceive the discrimination faced by its own minority groups? It depends on whom you ask. The idea that certain groups misjudge the amount of discrimination that other groups struggle with is probably not such a shock. But more surprising may well be what’s one of the clearest indicators of perspective on bias in America: faith. One of the most notable markers of difference in how people perceive prejudice in America turns out to be faith identity. The American Values Atlas by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute reveals marked discrepancies in how members of different faith traditions perceive prejudice against African Americans, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community. The biggest divide? As Dr. Robert Jones, PRRI’s CEO and author of The End of White Christian America, told Vox, it’s between “white Christian groups — and everybody else." The AVA is based on 40,000 telephone interviews conducted across all 50 states. On average, the study found that 63 percent of Americans acknowledged “a lot” of discrimination against immigrants, 57 percent against black people, and 58 percent against gay and lesbian people. Overall, about two-thirds of Americans see discrimination against at least one minority group as an issue, with 42 percent identifying discrimination as an issue among all three groups. But among white Christians, those figures dropped significantly: Only 36 percent of white evangelicals, 50 percent of white mainline Protestants, and 47 percent of white Catholics reported perceiving discrimination against black people (the survey did not ask about other races). For contrast, 86 percent of black Protestants reported perceiving “a lot” of discrimination against black people in America, as did 67 percent of the religiously unaffiliated. Even higher proportions of Buddhists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Unitarians reported discrimination. Similar trends characterized attitudes toward discrimination against immigrants and LGBTQ individuals. It’s striking, said Jones, “how race and religion influence what people see — and what they don’t see — in the country.” In other words, people from certain majority ethnic and religious groups aren’t just insulated from bias themselves. They’re less likely to even acknowledge it when it happens to other people. “Oh, no, we’re the ones being persecuted” Jones noted that among white Christians, there’s "a difference in degree, though not a difference in kind” between the responses of mainline Protestants, who have traditionally been more progressive, and white evangelicals. To explain these differences, Jones pointed to historic divisions between these camps in both geography (mainline Protestants tend to be clustered in the Northeast; evangelicals in the South) and positions over race issues (many mainline Protestant churches were deeply involved in both the abolitionist and civil rights movements, while many Southern evangelical churches had roots in pro-slavery and segregationist causes). Yet he argued that mainline Protestant denominations have in many ways gotten more conservative in recent decades, largely as a result of an aging demographic and mainline churches’ failure to retain younger, traditionally more left-leaning members. They’re “not quite as liberal as you would expect them to be,” he said The Catholic Church is becoming less white (one in 10 Americans, most of them white, identify as a lapsed Catholic) and more Latino in the US. But major demographic shifts, Jones emphasized, are happening in white evangelical churches too. “There’s a second wave of white Christian decline that’s really hit the evangelical world more heavily than it has the mainline Protestant world,” he said, pointing to the 10-straight-year decline in baptisms among the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in America. “[They] assumed that they were going to be immune from this kind of decline. I think it’s caused a great deal of anxiety … this real sense of losing a hold on power and influence and being a demographic majority in the country, and I think that’s very unsettling.” Such anxiety, Jones suggests, could help explain why white evangelicals perceive discrimination in America to be far less prevalent than do other religious groups. Cultural tidal shifts like the Supreme Court’s rulings in favor of marriage equality have sent “shock waves” through white evangelical communities, according to Jones, making many white evangelicals feel that they’re losing their prominence in American culture. That anxiety, he says, has been “largely underestimated,” especially by the left. Many white evangelicals who do not perceive discrimination against minority groups in fact perceive discrimination against themselves, Jones said, referring to a question in a previous PRRI study about whether discrimination against white people was as serious a cultural problem as that against black people. White evangelicals overwhelmingly said it was. “[White evangelicals are] more likely to see discrimination against themselves than against minority groups, and that is, I think, a reflection of that sense that they really have lost their power, their influence, they’ve lost the cultural center and the demographic dominance they once had — that, oh, no, we’re the ones being persecuted,” he said. But some of that loss of influence, Jones said, comes from within: Typically, the younger members of the white evangelical community are moving their churches to the left on some issues. The survey found that 59 percent of white evangelicals ages 18 to 30 perceived discrimination against LGBTQ individuals (versus 43 percent of seniors in that category), while a small majority — 51 percent — of young white Protestant evangelicals also favor marriage equality. Jones suggested — when it comes to LGBTQ issues, at least — that young church members are a driving force in changing perception. For example, this year, not a single religious group profiled had a majority reporting support of religiously based discrimination by businesses against LGBTQ individuals, something Jones attributes primarily to religious groups’ younger members. When it comes to LGBTQ issues, he said, “I don’t think we’ll see anything going forward except plateaus and upticks.” LGBTQ advocacy groups are already hailing the study as a welcome indicator of changing attitudes toward gay rights in America. “The PRRI study proves what Americans already know: using religion as a weapon to harm the LGBTQ community is wrong and completely out-of-touch with American values,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, in a prepared statement. But when it comes to the interplay of age, race, and anxieties about roles in a constantly changing cultural conversation, the story of religion — and changing attitudes toward discrimination — in America is a far less straightforward one. For race, Jones said he’s less confident that attitudes will continue to get more progressive, since PRRI’s reports over the past few years have shown a less straightforward progression. Although faith communities of a variety of traditions are working to take a stand against racism — just last week, the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly to condemn the alt-right, and racism more generally — Jones sees increasing partisan polarization along questions of racial injustice. "Most views around race are hardening, particularly as Trump has taken over the face of the party and highlighted these fears and anxieties."Today’s cartoon is about the seriousness of the 2017 All-Star Event. The finale of the 2017 LoL All-Stars is now over. This is a competition conducted to end the year, but this year, the atmosphere was somewhat different from the previous All-Star competitions. Before, everybody was just enjoying themselves, but this year, everyone was more serious - it looks like an international competition. Many fans think that Riot was happy with the prosperity of Rift Rivals, which was held for the first time in 2017, and that they are trying to continue that atmosphere and influence. However, compared to the Rift Rivals, the All-Star event became a competition having popular players battling seriously against each other, without any stakes. Of course, seriousness can be positive; fans have another chance to witness the skills of players who weren’t able to show everything they have at Worlds or Rift Rivals. Many fans did enjoy the event, but the shift in the competition’s atmosphere begs the question: is this what the fans really want to see at LoL All-Stars? Is it because we were already used to the fun and unusual plays seen in previous All-Star events? Some of the main reasons fans anticipate the All-Star competitions were the unusual picks and the riddling strategies of the players. Seeing players get along with their “enemies” and enjoying themselves with a light-hearted contest was an important part of the All-Star appeal. We were able to briefly see one of those moments at the Garen matchup between Rekkles and PraY in this year. Of course, serious matches found international competitions are interesting as well. There were some who have said there’s no meaning in LoL All-Stars just being a fun event. However, for the fans who enjoy the more carefree atmosphere of the All-Star events, the seriousness found this year is not very welcome. Will the LoL All-Stars change next year? Though there’s still a whole year left till the next one, one can’t help but wonder how it will turn out.Next Chapter > Miura Works His Magic Once Again And there you all were complaining that the only thing Miura-san was able to do is slap over-fenders onto a bunch of different cars… Aside from the fact that his simple, yet presence-changing style has altered that way we modify cars today, for his latest project, Miura probably thought he should go out and prove that Rocket Bunny can also be a lot more than a screwed on set of over-fenders and a ducktail spoiler. Thanks to the interwebs, the element of surprise from our lives has almost been totally extinguished. Months before we see new cars presented at motor shows we are usually bombarded with spy shots and CG images of said future models, and it isn’t too different when it comes to the aftermarket world. Not that Miura actually cares. In fact, he’s totally open about sharing his next project with the rest of the world through the countless renderings he teases via his Facebook page. So, long before it materialized in the real world, we all knew this Version 2 Rocket Bunny S14 kit was on the way. Little did I know how much better the completed conversion was going to look in person though… A CG rendering can give you a good idea of what to expect, but when you are standing right there in front of the car – that’s the time you really understand it. So, after seeing the car unveiled the day before at the Bunny Cafe’s opening party in Yokohama (I’ve got a separate post on this coming up very soon), I made plans with Miura to swing by the following morning to quickly shoot the S14 before it returned to Kyoto. Since we are right smack bang in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan, the weather was far from cooperative. But as soon as I saw the gray S14 sitting under the menacing dark sky, well, let’s just say it all fit in rather well. When I’m driving around looking for spots to shoot in Yokohama I can never resist venturing into the narrow streets of China Town. So with Kenji Yamanaka – famed Japanese drifter, Formula D driver and now the man behind Bunny Cafe – at the wheel, we took the S14 out for a little drive. On a normal day this particular intersection would be absolutely overflowing with tourists and people on the hunt for some fresh shoronpo, gyoza or nikuman (all Japanese names for Chinese food – yes, confusing!), but given the weather there was hardly anyone around. Which meant we could get away with doing a couple of loops in the barely-silenced Silvia. And who wouldn’t want to be woken up to that sound? The Boss Conversion In Detail But what I really wanted to do was get away from the center of the city and drive out towards the port area of Yokohama to shoot the ‘Boss’ in a quiet location. In case you’re wondering, that’s the name Miura-san has coined for this V2 S14 Rocket Bunny kit. Like most things that look well executed and presented, getting the S14 to accept this new aero treatment wasn’t at all straightforward. Like all the kits that Rocket Bunny produces, the Boss will ship with fitting instructions, but this time around it’s not just a little bit of fender cutting that you have to do – the whole front end of the car pretty much has to come off. And the new front end look is the first thing that catches your eye when you come face to face with the car. My first thought was how short the nose looks, and I think this side profile view will emphasis that point. It’s akin to one of those dogs with a squashed nose – like a Bull Dog or Pekingese. The car’s profile flows nicely, but then it suddenly cuts off in the same way you accidentally slice off a bit of your skin when trying to impress people with your vegetable-chopping skills, or lack of thereof. It almost goes without saying that Miura has been inspired by an old ‘Cuda or a modern Dodge Challenger with this front end. The American feel of the look is then mated to an impossibly Japanese externally-mounted oil cooler like the old Works Hakosukas used to run back in the ’70s. As I took it all in under the ever-persistent rain, Kenji and Miura patiently waited for me under their umbrellas, surprised at the fact that I was actually bothering to shoot the car in this sort of weather. I reassured them that the S14 – and its colour especially – looked badass against the overcast conditions, to which they grinned in confusion and continued to chat to one another. So much rain falls during the warm months of June, July and August that vegetation grows like it’s running forced induction and a big shot of nitrous. But at times the overgrowth comes in handy for boxing your subject in a unique frame. The more I looked at the S14, the more I was surprised at how damn well it all flowed – even though I couldn’t shake the feeling of looking at two different cars stitched together in Photoshop. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but the only thing I was thinking about at this point was how much I wanted an S14 with this kit! That of course has to be a result for Miura, and I once again tip my proverbial hat in a sign of respect because this stuff isn’t easy. Stunning people and making a statement in this game takes true talent. Take a look at the car from the rear and it’s all Silvia. The familiar kouki light cluster and rounded-off rear end – it’s all still there. But to freshen things up from the original Rocket Bunny 6666 Customs aero treatment for this chassis – which has been around for years – the signature fender flares had to make a showing. The are more bulbous than what we may have seen on other cars, but in my opinion are a far better match to the previously-mentioned rounded feel of the S14 design. There’s no cut-out rear bumper here either – the stock item remains and is joined by Rocket Bunny’s familiar multi-piece FRP diffuser. A Familiar Rear But it just couldn’t be 100 per cent complete without the addition of a ducktail spoiler. To me, it’s far more fitting than a bigger wing which would probably act more as an air brake than actually do anything positive for downforce. Under those cut and over-fendered wheel arches sit a lovely set of Enkei-made, 17-inch 6666 Customs 2-piece Mesh wheels with a satin finish for the centres and a polished-look anodised lip section. Given this Silvia’s Japanese and American influences, Miura-san’s own wheels couldn’t be a better fit for the Boss! Of course, with the front end having been shortened quite dramatically, the bonnet isn’t nearly as long as the standard one either. If you do happen to go for this conversion an FRP hood is supplied as part of the package. When I lifted it up I was actually a little disappointed at not finding eight cylinders sitting under there! While Miura does plan to build another car with a thumping great V8, due to time constraints this particular car runs a mildly-tuned SR20DET – which is in no way bad of course. There’s a Tomei Expreme exhaust manifold to aid in better flow and faster spool up of the S15-spec Garrett turbo, while all piping has been replaced with aluminium sections running into a larger cored intercooler. Interestingly enough, the original CG images of the car showed the car with an externally front-mounted intercooler plumbed into place via the two round openings on each corner of the bumper, but that would have called for far more fabrication work than the deadline allowed. So the oil cooler had to do this time around. There’s no questioning that the intercooler gets the job done – the only real drawback might be somewhat restricted airflow to its position behind the grille and bumper. Inside, Miura has kept things pretty simple in the first Boss-converted S14 with just a few basic upgrades to make it a little more driver oriented. So joining the white-faced dials is an Autogauge boost meter neatly housed in a steering column pod. That sits behind a deep-cupped Rallye steering wheel with a few other must-have JDM gadgets – including a boost controller and turbo timer – positioned on each side of the instrument binnacle. Since the car rides on Tein adjustable coilovers, Miura also added an EDFC controller for on-the-fly damper adjustments. And if the serious Bride race seat is anything to go by, this car is meant to be driven! While we were at Bunny Cafe I thought I’d take a quick video walk around the car while Kenji and Miura discussed the Rocket Bunny kitted NSX parked in the entrance way. Bunny herself even makes a little cameo appearance, so hit play and check it out! The final judgment however, is really up to you guys. Has Miura created something that people will like? Judging from the comments that flowed into our Instagram feed when I first uploaded a picture of the completed car, I’m pretty sure he has. The Boss will no doubt reignite interest in one of the most popular platforms Nissan has ever created, and I have a feeling we will be seeing this kit at the center of some of the toughest S14 builds of 2015 and 2016. Roll on SEMA Show and Tokyo Auto Salon is all I have to say! Now, I wonder who will be the first one out there to drop a V8 into a Boss’d-up Silvia. Will someone beat Miura himself to the punch? Dino Dalle Carbonare Instagram: speedhunters_dino dino@speedhunters.comAs promoted via an elaborate joke advertising campaign for a fake prescription drug, “Revival” is actually the name of the new Eminem album, which will be released on Dec. 15, according to another joke video posted on Dr. Dre’s Instagram. The album, which the rapper has teased for several months, is his first since 2013’s “Marshall Mathers LP 2.” He dropped a single called “Walk on Water” — featuring Beyonce — on Nov. 10 and performed the song, along with a medley of older hits, with co-writer Skylar Grey on “Saturday Night Live” Nov. 18, and on the MTV Europe Music Awards on Nov. 12. While “Water” is a downbeat, self-lacerating musing on what he apparently feels is his inability to live up to his audience’s expectations, some fans were more encouraged by “The Storm,” an a capella freestyle that premiered during the BET Hip-Hop Awards that eviscerated President Trump in classic Eminem fashion. “This is his form of distraction/ Plus, he gets an enormous reaction,” he raps. “When he attacks the NFL, so we focus on that/ Instead of talking about Puerto Rico or gun reform for Nevada/ All of these horrible tragedies and he’s bored and would rather cause a Twitter storm with the Packers.” Eminem also took aim at his Trump-supporting fans in the video. “And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his/ I’m drawing in the sand a line/ You’re either for or against,” he continued. “And if you can’t decide who you like more in your split/ On who you should stand beside/ I’ll do it for you with this/ F— you.” The rapper concluded by raising a fist in the air — which he said was for Colin Kaepernick, who set off the NFL controversy back in 2016 — and said,”The rest of America stand up. We love our military and we love our country, but we f—ing hate Trump.”Image caption The Kelihos botnet controlled about 41,000 machines at its peak, Microsoft said Microsoft said it suspects a former employee of an antivirus software firm was behind the Kelihos botnet attacks. Russian citizen Andrey Sabelnikov "wrote and/or participated in creating" the harmful software which infected thousands of machines, Microsoft said. Kelihos was used for sending out spam and spreading malware until it was "neutralised" in September 2011. In a blog posting, the Microsoft's lead attorney warned that thousands of PCs remain infected with Kelihos' software. The firm said that it had filed an amended complaint with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia regarding the matter. Richard Domingues Boscovich wrote: "Microsoft presented evidence to the court that Mr Sabelnikov wrote the code for and either created, or participated in creating, the Kelihos malware. "Further, the complaint alleges that he used the malware to control, operate, maintain and grow the Kelihos botnet. "These allegations are based on evidence Microsoft investigators uncovered while analysing the Kelihos malware." 'Wrong route' Mr Boscovich urged users who were worried that they might have been affected by the botnet tovisit Microsoft's websitefor advice. Microsoft said Mr Sabelnikov is currently working on a freelance basis with a software development and consulting firm. Prior to this, Mr Sabelnikov is said to have worked as a software engineer and project manager at "a company that provided firewall, antivirus and security software". Microsoft did not name the company - however Mr Sabelnikov's LinkedIn profile lists St Petersburg-based antivirus firm Agnitum among Mr Sabelnikov's former employers. Agnitum's sales and marketing director Vitaliy Yanko told the BBC: "I have checked the info and may confirm that Andrey Sabelnikov worked at Agnitum from 2005 till 2008. "Afterwards our ways parted. Seems that he chose the wrong route afterwards." The BBC has sent a message to Mr Sabelnikov's LinkedIn account asking him to respond to the accusations. Vulnerabilities Botnets like Kelihos are created by the spread of malicious software, often via infected emails or web browser vulnerabilities. Each "bot", as they are known, is a hijacked computer which can be used by hackers for any number of illegal activities. Many botnet owners make money by utilising their botnets to send large amounts of spam email. At Kelihos' peak, it was said to have been in control of 41,000 infected machines and able to send over 3.8 billion spam emails in a day. In October last year, a Czech hosting company, Dotfree Group SRO, settled with Microsoft after it was found to be hosting domains responsible for Kelihos' distribution. As part of the settlement, Dominique Alexander Piatti, the group's owner, agreed to delete or transfer all of the affected domains to Microsoft. He vowed to work closely with the company to prevent future abuse.Goals Of The Season Monday 19 May 2014 13:00 Fulham players won both the Under-21 and Under-18 Goal of the Season awards at the Premier League conference last week. Alex Brister’s brilliantly executed volley in the 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough secured the U21 trophy, while Solomon Sambou’s effort to finish off a slick team move against Tottenham Hotspur earned the accolade at U18 level. In the lead up to the conference, each team submitted their nominations for their best goals scored at both age groups. A Premier League panel then whittled the selection down to the best six, with managers of each team voting for their favourite. Brister’s winner against Boro back in August was a strike worthy of winning a football match at any level. Muamer Tanković drilled a diagonal ball out wide which Brister attacked first time, despite the acuteness of the angle, and his volleyed effort with the outside of his right boot flew beyond the goalkeeper and into the net via the far post. Sambou’s strike was top class for different reasons. Following a Spurs corner, Fulham countered to devastating effect, with Sambou himself starting the move by bringing the ball calmly out of defence and releasing Jordan Evans down the left. He found Moussa Dembélé who, first time, sent the ball down the left flank to Patrick Roberts who had made space for himself. Dembélé then embarked on an intelligent forward run and, after Roberts’ pass found him with precision, he backheeled to set up Sambou who coolly passed the ball into the far corner from just inside the area. That goal opened the scoring, with the Whites eventually leaving Spurs Lodge with a point – Dembélé the other man on target in a 2-2 draw. Awards were also given at the conference for Save of the Season, for which Jesse Joronen was one of six nominated for a stop he made against Southampton U21s in a 3-0 defeat in March. Have a watch of Brister and Sambou’s efforts below. Brister v. MiddlesbroughWhat caused the Viking Age? By James H. Barrett Antiquity, Vol.82 No.317 (2008) Abstract: This paper addresses the cause of the Viking episode in the approved Viking manner – head-on, reviewing and dismissing technical, environmental, demographic, economic, political and ideological prime movers. The author develops the theory that a bulge of young males in Scandinavia set out to get treasure to underpin their chances of marriage and a separate domicile. Introduction: The Scandinavian diaspora of the late eighth to mid-eleventh centuries AD known as the Viking Age was both widespread in scale and profound in impact. Long-range maritime expeditions facilitated a ﬂorescence of piracy, trade, migration, conquest and exploration across much of Europe – ultimately extending to western Asia and the eastern seaboard of northern North America. This diaspora contributed to state formation and/or urbanism in what are now Ireland, Scotland, England, Russia and the Ukraine – not to mention within Scandinavia itself. It was one of the catalysts leading to fragmentation of the Carolingian empire and it created the semi-independent principality of Normandy. As one of the last ‘barbarian migrations’ of post-Roman Europe, it is also among the best documented. Its study is thus uniquely important for an understanding of European history. It also provides good examples of three processes of relevance to the archaeology of the wider world: the potential impact of small-scale but highly militarised non-state communities on neighbouring ‘complex societies’, the development of transnational identities in a precapitalist world and the seaborne colonisation of islands. Studying the causes of the Viking Age is potentially as illuminating and complex as interpreting the decline of the Roman Empire. Many discussions of the causes of the Viking Age have been conducted in contexts that are regional. Others address the problem within broad narratives. Yet others challenge the relevance of the Viking Age as a socio-economic watershed or a useful unit of analysis. The hesitancy in some quarters to view the ‘Viking’ diaspora as meaningful may ultimately owe its roots to a reaction against the gross misuse of Viking Age archaeology as racist propaganda by the National Socialists and others between 1920 and 1945. Nevertheless, there is a problem to resolve, and to understand the early Middle Ages in Europe one must consider developments both within and between regions demonstrate that Scandinavian material culture was highly regionalised in the period under consideration. Click here to read this article from Lund University Smartphone and Tablet users click here to sign up for our weekly emailSubmitted by MiddleEastEye via TheAntiMedia.org, The incoming Donald Trump administration faces a world of greater risk of conflict, slower growth and more anti-democratic pressures than ever since the Cold War, a new US intelligence report released on Monday said. US leadership is ebbing amid shifts in economic, political and technological power, deep changes in the global landscape “that portend a dark and difficult near future,” according to the National Intelligence Council’s “Global Trends: Paradox of Progress” report. “The next five years will see rising tensions within and between countries,” said the report. “For better or worse, the emerging global landscape is drawing to a close an era of American dominance following the Cold War.” The National Intelligence Council, a research group under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, issues its global assessment every four years, and the new one came 11 days before Trump is inaugurated as president. It painted a gloomy picture of the challenges pulling at the post-World War II global order, including extreme income disparities, technological dislocation, demographic shifts, the impacts of global warming, and intensifying communal conflicts. Moreover, Western democracies will find it harder and harder to stick to their principles and avoid being pulled apart from each other, according to the study. “It will be much harder to cooperate internationally and govern in ways publics expect,” it said. More countries will be able to “veto” cooperative efforts and the myriad channels of global communication will leave large numbers and groups of people misinformed and divided, the report said. “Information ‘echo chambers’ will reinforce countless competing realities.” The report, whose authors comprise analysts from the intelligence and academic communities, also says that the liberalism that defined the West and allies after World War II is under threat from populism on both the right and left, as governing countries and societies gets harder. “Publics will demand governments deliver security and prosperity, but flat revenues, distrust, polarisation and a growing list of emerging issues will hamper government performance.” Those trends underscore the need for Washington to shore up traditional Western alliances and friendships as Russia and China test their resolve to preserve their influence, it said. Yet the report warned US leaders not to be tempted to try to resuscitate the kind of Pax Americana, the policy of US-imposed global peace, which steered the global order from the 1950s. “It will be tempting to impose order on this apparent chaos, but that ultimately would be too costly in the short run and would fail in the long run,” eroding US political strength. Ongoing wars in the Middle East, including the war in Syria, have caused the biggest humanitarian and refugee crises since World War II. Meanwhile, the rise of populism is empowering right wing political parties across Europe and has led to Britain’s exit from the EU and Trump’s election in the United States.These experts spend their lives fighting cancer. They have heard every tip, sensible or not, for how to avoid it. They tell Oliver Laughland how their lifestyles have changed as a result The breast specialist Tena Walters, 51, consultant, London Breast Clinic Just this week the papers splashed on another piece of research criticising breast cancer screening, saying that for every woman saved by the procedure, up to 10 have been treated unnecessarily. This sort of coverage is a constant annoyance. The evidence just doesn't stack up. I've worked as a breast surgeon for 16 years, and have been having mammograms myself since I was 44, six years younger than the NHS breast cancer screening programme stipulates. To my mind, it is still the strongest preventative measure one can take, and dealing with the disease on a daily basis means I'm lucid with the statistical risks: one in 250 for 40-year-olds, one in 50 for 47-year-olds and, roughly, a one-in-10 lifetime risk. I nip down to the radiographer once every year, in a spare five minutes, to get it done. It's always on my birthday, so I don't forget. I don't particularly enjoy it, as it can be awkward exposing yourself, especially to people you work with, but you get over it. Despite coming into contact with the disease on a daily basis, much of my job is about reassuring women they can be successfully treated – I'm often with them through most of their treatment, from diagnosis to chemotherapy and carrying out surgery. Many clinicians working in the field will tell you to do all things in moderation; I abide by this, but also think moderation itself should be done moderately, too. While I lead a generally healthy lifestyle, I drink a glass of wine three nights a week, even though I know it enhances the risk of contracting the disease. I don't live my life in a constant state of paranoia. One of the most vivid memories I have of my training is caring for an 18-year-old boy dying of leukaemia. There was nothing he should or could have done to stop it. It was then that I was struck by how much of life is a lottery. The tumour specialist Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke, 45, professor of angiogenesis, Queen Mary University, London It's factor 50 and no less for anyone in my family, and I am obsessive about it. When I see other people's children charging about in the sun without sunblock on, I think they're mad. Even if my two are out for less than an hour, I make sure they're caked in the stuff. My husband is a bluey-skinned, caucasian type – poor him – and absolutely hates wearing it, but when we're visiting family abroad, I can't deal with him unless he's got it slapped on. At Queen Mary I study how blood vessels grow into cancers. I see the different ways cancer forms and is fed on a daily basis. Of course, I'm viewing it at work, inside a petri dish and through a microscope, but watching it every day makes me acutely aware of any lumps or bumps I see on anyone. I have known since the age of 14 that I wanted to work in cancer research. My neighbour died of a brain tumour, and seeing the three small children she left behind inspired me to make a change. We're at the stage now, with certain experiments in my lab, where, at a very basic level, we can control cancer growth. There's not really a way to describe how exciting the work can be. A family friend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and is convinced asparagus juice is going to save her. I am unpersuaded. Working as I do in controlled, rigorous research, the constant flow of reports I see presenting new prevention methods, is something I take with a pinch of salt. The advice I constantly give to friends and family is that if you notice anything untoward, seek expert opinions as quickly as possible. The neurologist Peter Rothwell, 47, professor of clinical neurology, University of Oxford and John Radcliffe hospital I wake early, about 6am, come downstairs, tend to our three young children, then pop my daily low-dose aspirin, doing it on an empty stomach (which isn't recommended, of course), as I don't take breakfast. It has been a routine since my research into the effects of aspirin on cancer prevention really started getting interesting, around three years ago. We had already shown, in 2007, that taking a high-dose aspirin on a daily basis for about five years reduced the long-term risk of contracting colon cancer by about 50%, but around 2009 we began to show that a low-dose pill had the same effect, as well as significantly reducing the chance of other cancers
1 Querétaro]------------Min. 79 Cambio sale Gignac entra Lugo #4 vs 1 Querétaro]----------Min. 87 Gol dea cargo de Guerrón5 vs 1 Querétaro]Several trends are present in the anti-ag-biotech literature. First, many papers are poorly done, present opinion without data, or overstep the data accumulated. These papers appear in low-impact journals, oftentimes without peer review, and typically are experimental dead ends. These works, and their authors, have limited credibility in the scientific community, yet are darlings of the activist movement. Today a more disturbing trend is apparent. Good science, performed correctly and rigorously, is misrepresented in the popular media. A case is Dr. Fiona Young’s work published in Integrative Pharmacology, Toxicology and Genotoxicity. The work showed that glyphosate has little effect on tissue culture cells, but the formulation with surfactants (‘detergents’ that help penetrate cells) does kill cells at higher concentrations, likely due to the surfactant effects on membranes. There was no evidence of endocrine disruption. But an overzealous activist movement, including author Jeffery Smith, reads a title and spreads the message that Dr. Young’s group shows evidence of endocrine disruption. In other words, they get it 100% backwards from what the report really says, and then they use this misrepresentation to generate fear around agricultural chemicals that people rarely encounter anyway. In Questions and Answers: A video spread like wildfire about a family and pesticides in their urine. What does it really mean? In Amazing Crop History, Drs. Shelby Ellison and Philipp Simon talk about carrot’s evolutionary roots, where it came from, its interesting history, and the future of carrot in modern breeding efforts. Download / Subscribe on iTunes Download / Subscribe from Stitcher Download / Subscribe from Player FMToday’s edition of The Gazette’s podcast series is one you may have to strain to hear over the sound of the clock ticking away the minutes before the NHL locks out its players this Saturday. But because this is Quebec, nothing here quite works the way it does anyplace else, and it’s possible that Quebec labour law might be invoked to prevent the league’s lock-out from applying to the players employed by the Montreal Canadiens. All of which could lead to the rather bizarre situation where the Habs will be all dressed up but with no one to play. What does it mean to the future of the season? What does it mean to the league and, most importantly, what does it mean to the fans? To help us untangle this mess, we turned to veteran Gazette sports columnist Dave Stubbs. Dave’s an easygoing, optimistic fellow by nature – but when we turned to topic of whether this year’s season can be saved, he was anything but. This is what he said:The base outside the capital Bishkek has become a vital cog in Nato's supply chain to its forces in Afghanistan. The news will heighten concern in the West that Almazbek Atambayev's election victory means Kyrgyzstan will drift further under the Kremlin's patronage. Although the fee that the US pays Kyrgyzstan for the lease of the airbase is one of the former Soviet state's main incomes, Mr Atambayev said that the chance of a revenge attack by one of the US's enemies was a risk he did not want to take. "We know that the United States is often engaged in conflict. First in Iraq, then in Afghanistan, and now relations are tense with Iran," he said. "I would not want for one of these countries to launch a retaliatory strike on the military base." Nato has said it wants to pull out most of its forces from Afghanistan by 2014. The US airbase in Kyrgyzstan has always been controversial. Locals have complained about alleged environmental damage and politicians have said in the past that it should close but Atambayev's statement is the most explicit. To the irritation of Russia, the US has leased the airbase for a decade to support Nato operations in Afghanistan. The Kremlin considers Central Asia part of its special sphere of influence. Most Kyrgyz consider Russia a key ally and Mr Atambayev was careful to stress his pro-Russia credentials during the recent election campaign. This tactic appears to have paid off as he won 63 per cent in the election on Sunday, a far bigger proportion of the vote than analysts had expected.Mr. Shkreli was not the first to do this. In 2008, Congress held hearings about this practice, focusing for instance on Ovation Pharmaceuticals, which acquired a drug to treat a breathing problem in newborns and raised the price to $1,500 per unit from about $100. There was also Questcor Pharmaceuticals, which spent $100,000 to acquire a decades-old drug for infantile spasms and raise its price from about $40 a vial to over $23,000, with the biggest jump occurring overnight in 2007. Valeant has done this type of thing for several drugs. Still, Mr. Shkreli captured attention in a way few others have. Part of this was timing. His action was seized on by Hillary Clinton, who was about to make drug pricing a campaign issue in the presidential race. But it was also Mr. Shkreli’s hedge fund background, and his willingness to keep himself in the news with various outrageous statements and actions, some having to do with music and women, not drugs. “Instead of a nameless company, there is a sardonically smiling face to attach to all of these issues,” said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital who has studied drug pricing issues. Mr. Shkreli has said in his defense that while Turing did not develop Daraprim, it will use the money from the price increase to develop new drugs for serious diseases. He has said that even with the increase, Daraprim will account for a negligible portion of health care spending. He has also said that for many patients, such as those on Medicaid, the price is far less than $750 a pill. And he has said that Turing offers financial assistance and even free drugs to make sure no one goes without Daraprim. “If you can afford our drugs with insurance, great,” he said in a Twitter post on Wednesday, one of his last before being arrested. “If you can’t, you can have it for free. Our system works.” That is not too different from the arguments made by the pharmaceutical industry that disowns him. The industry cites the high cost of developing drugs as a reason that high prices are justified. It says that drugs account for only about 10 percent of overall health care spending and the list prices that make headlines are not what people actually pay, given discounting. And it talks about various patient assistance programs. Mr. Shkreli has spurred or added momentum to various congressional investigations into drug prices. But some, like one by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, are focused on Turing and Valeant, not on prices of new drugs or the steady price increases of nearly new drugs.In a separate opinion, one of the three judges, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, raised an argument that may open new legal avenues for rights activists. The judge said that South Africa and Sudan were both obliged to arrest Mr. Bashir because they had both signed the United Nations genocide convention, which took effect in 1951. Some 147 countries have ratified that treaty, nearly two dozen more than have joined the International Criminal Court. Mr. Bashir has been accused of genocide involving three tribes in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The charges cover violence that erupted there in 2003 when Mr. Bashir ordered a counterinsurgency in the conflict between his Arab-dominated government and non-Arab rebel groups. According to prosecutors, government militia gangs backed by military and police helicopters looted and burned hundreds of villages, bombed schools, poisoned wells and engaged in systematic rape of women and girls. The United Nations estimates that about 300,000 people died and more than two million were driven from their homes. The court ordered Mr. Bashir in 2009 to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and judges added the genocide charges later. Mr. Bashir has tried to enlist other countries in a campaign against the court, but he has never found enough backing on the Security Council to get the case against him dropped. Three other Sudanese officials are also the subject of warrants from the court: a former minister of humanitarian affairs, Ahmad Muhammad Harun; a militia commander, Ali Kushayb; and a former defense minister, Abdel Rahim Muhammad Hussein. Mr. Bashir has made a point of traveling in Africa and Asia to demonstrate that he commands some sympathy in the world. But he has had to avoid the United States, Western Europe and other places where he might be arrested. Some countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have quietly disinvited him; in others, leaders have maneuvered to avoid appearing in official photographs with him. He disappeared suddenly from an official luncheon in Nigeria, where he was scheduled to speak, after getting word that local lawyers were seeking his arrest.Anton Tumanov gave up his life for his country, but his country won’t say where and it won’t say how. His mother knows. She knows that Mr. Tumanov, 20, a junior sergeant in the Russian army, was killed in eastern Ukraine, torn apart in a rocket attack on Aug 13. Yelena Tumanova, 41, learned these bare facts about her son’s death from one of his comrades, who saw him get hit and scooped up his body. “What I don’t understand is what he died for,” she says. “Why couldn’t we let people in Ukraine sort things out for themselves?” As the year draws to a close, the Kremlin continues to insist that not a single Russian soldier has entered Ukraine to join the pro-Moscow separatist militia who have been fighting government forces since April. Earlier this month, Vladimir Putin, the president, said that all Russian combatants in Ukraine’s Donbas region were volunteer militiamen answering “a call of the heart.” The story of Mr. Tumanov and the shadowy deaths of scores of other Russian servicemen since this summer belie that claim. Rights activists have recorded cases of at least 40 serving soldiers suspected of dying in the conflict, and many believe the figure is in the hundreds, but prosecutors refuse to investigate their deaths. Denied any legal status by the lies and obfuscation that muffle their stories, these men and their families have been left in limbo. They are casualties of an undeclared war. Officially, Mr. Tumanov died while “carrying out responsibilities of military service” at an unnamed “point of temporary deployment of military unit 27777”, part of the army’s 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, whose permanent base is in Kalinovskaya, Chechnya. His death certificate records that he died from an “explosion injury”, receiving “multiple shrapnel wounds to the lower limbs” that resulted in “acute, massive blood loss.” The certificate leaves unticked a box saying the cause of his injuries was “military hostilities”, preferring instead “origin not established.” Mrs. Tumanova, 41, waited “five agonizing days” for her son’s body to be brought home after she received notice of his death. A sanitary inspector, she lives with her husband and Tumanov’s two younger brothers on the second floor of a wooden house in Kozmodemyansk, a small, crumpled town by a bend in the Volga, 400 miles east of Moscow. The sealed zinc coffin containing her son arrived on a Wednesday. “There was a little window in the top so you could look at his face,” she recalled. Mrs. Tumanova spoke to a major in Chechnya by telephone who confirmed the young man had perished in Ukraine, but refused to explain why he was sent there or give any details. The order to go there, “came from above in verbal form only”, he said. Mr. Tumanov had served as a conscript soldier after school and he decided to return to the forces as a career soldier when he couldn’t find a job. In June he was sent to Chechnya. “I tried to persuade him not to go because of what was happening in Ukraine,” said Mrs. Tumanova. “But our president said that none of our soldiers would be sent there – ’it’s just Ukrainians fighting each other’ – and I believed that. So in the end I did not argue.” Mr. Tumanov had not been in Chechnya 10 days before he and other soldiers at the base were approached and asked if they would go to Donbas to fight as volunteers. He and his friends refused, he told his mother by telephone. “Who wants to die?” she said. “That was their thinking. Nobody was attacking Russia; if they had been, Anton would have been first in the queue.” By the middle of July, things had changed. Now 27777, his regular army unit, was dispatched to a temporary camp in the Rostov region, near the border with Ukraine, officially “for exercises.” Soon he was telling Nastya Chernova, his fiancee, that he was going on short trips into Ukraine to accompany deliveries of arms and military vehicles to the rebels. This was the moment when pro-Moscow militia in eastern Ukraine were on the brink of caving in to government forces, who had almost surrounded the separatist capital, Donetsk. Over the next month, Russia would stage a major intervention, sending tanks and troops across the border to help reclaim rebel territory. On Aug 10, Mr. Tumanov telephoned his mother and said: “Tomorrow they are sending us to Donetsk [the rebel capital]. We’re going to help the militia.” The next day he told her: “We’re handing in our documents and our phones. They’ve given us two grenades and 150 rounds of ammunition each.” Miss Chernova, a slender 17-year-old high school student, says her fiancee went against his will. “The last time we spoke he told me he and some friends discussed running away but they were a long way from home, they didn’t have food,” she said. Mrs. Tumanova knows what happened next from one of her son’s comrades. The soldier gave her a handwritten description. “On Aug 11 we were given an order to remove the identification plates from our military vehicles, change into camouflage suits and tie white rags on our arms and legs,” the soldier wrote. “At the border we received supplies of ammunition. On the 11th and 12th we crossed on to Ukrainian territory. On Aug 13 at lunchtime our column was hit by a rocket strike, during which Anton Tumanov died. At that moment we were in Ukraine, in Snezhnoye [a town not far from Donetsk].” Other soldiers suggested that as many as 120 men had died when the volley of Ukrainian Grad missiles hit. Sergei Krivenko, the head of Citizen and Army, a civil group in Moscow which helps soldiers and their families protect their rights, says activists are sure of at least 40 deaths of Russian servicemen this summer and autumn, but suspect the total may be significantly higher. “Russia is officially not at war so there should be a criminal investigation into every death, but the authorities refuse our requests to open them,” he added. Many relatives are too frightened to speak about their loved ones’ deaths. Probing the deaths can be a risky business. Lyudmila Bogatenkova, a 73-year-old representative of the Soldiers’ Mothers Committee in Stavropol, was charged with fraud after she investigated other deaths in Snezhnoye. The St Petersburg chapter of the same group was added to Russia’s list of Foreign Agents – a blacklist of NGOs with foreign funding – after it publicized reports of scores of injured being brought to a hospital in the city. For me, what’s important is that our government doesn’t hide what happened In Kozmodemyansk, Miss Chernova cannot forget her boyfriend. She posts poems about Mr. Tumanov on social media and remembers the moment she woke up abruptly with a bad feeling inside on the day he died. “Anton was not a volunteer,” she says forcefully. “He didn’t want to go to Ukraine to fight and kill people. He didn’t have that aggression inside him. He joined up to defend his country.” Mrs. Tumanova is still waiting for an explanation. She asked state prosecutors via a civil-rights group to investigate her son’s last days but there has been no reply. At the town’s military commissariat, employees said they had no information about Mr. Tumanov. A senior official at the medical centre in Rostov where his death was recorded also refused to comment. “For me, what’s important is that our government doesn’t hide what happened,” said Mrs. Tumanova. “Our children are nameless, like homeless tramps. If they sent our soldiers there, let them admit it. It’s too late to bring Anton back but this is just inhuman.”Coming Soon AJ and the Queen RuPaul stars in this outrageous series as a down-on-her-luck drag queen traveling across America in a van with a tough-talking 11-year-old stowaway. Juanita Burdened by troubles in life and love, a mother of three grown children searches for hope and healing on an impromptu trip to Paper Moon, Montana. ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads Robert Johnson was one of the most influential blues guitarists ever. Even before his early death, fans wondered if he'd made a pact with the Devil. 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. Cursed In this fresh take on the Arthurian legend, teenager Nimue joins forces with mercenary Arthur on a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Untitled Goop Project Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle site, goop, guides the deeply curious in an exploration of boundary-pushing wellness topics. Bloodride A Norwegian anthology series that blends horror with dark Scandinavian humor, setting each distinct story in its own realistic yet weird universe. Wine Country When a group of longtime girlfriends goes to Napa for the weekend to celebrate their friend's 50th birthday, tensions from the past boil over.Original text by Olga Dushenkova Step 1 – put the “sandwich” you're going to embroider under the main fabric. After an outline is stitched, you’ll need to trim the extra fabric (that is, everything beyond the outlined area). Step 2 – put the second piece of fabric, of a contrasting color, and stitch the second outline (snowflake-shaped). Now, trim the extras (the fabric beyond the outlined area). Step 3 – embroider the design, take the hoop out and put the next piece of fabric under the wrong side of the embroidery. Again, after an outline is stitched, you trim the extra fabric (from the wrong side) – that is, everything beyond the outlined area. Step 4 – embroider what’s left. Step 5 – attach an already prepared eyelet to the center, then fold the design in two and add the finishing stitch.Va. Senate votes to allow guns in restaurants The Democratically-controlled Virginia Senate has voted to allow concealed weapons permit holders to carry guns in restaurants that serve alcohol, as long as the person carrying the weapon does not drink. The gun bill passed on a 22 to 18 vote, after senators had a vigorous debate about whether or not people might have a reasonable reason to carry guns in restaurants. The House has passed a similar bill; Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has expressed support for the measure, and is expected to sign it into law. Both chambers also passed it last year, but Gov. Tim Kaine (D) vetoed it. Sen. Emmett Hanger (R), who sponsored the measure, said he was doing so on behalf of those who now violate the law that prohibits guns in such establishments rather than leave their weapons in their cars when they go out to eat. He said this was a particular issue for women who carry guns in their purses to defend themselves when they go to, say, Red Lobster. (That was Hanger's example.) Others argued guns have no place in eating establishments where alcohol is being served. Though the bill would prohibit a weapons carrier from drinking, the opponents said it would be impossible to tell if the law was being violated if the gun was concealed. The debate was concluded by Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D). "As a final comment, let me just say this. I've really never been afraid for my life at the Red Lobster," she said.Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss. World of Warcraft and Diablo studio Blizzard Entertainment has promised it will "aggressively defend" its games and services as its legal tussle with a reported cheating company moves forward. As explained by Kotaku, Blizzard filed a lawsuit recently against the German company Bossland, creators of "buddy" bots. These basically allow players to cheat in Blizzard's games, including Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and Heroes of the Storm. TorrentFreak reports that Blizzard's legal team approached a freelancer working with Bossland and offered him a deal involving handing over source code for a Heroes of the Storm bot called Stormbuddy. But Bossland CEO Zwetan Letschew said in a statement that Stormbuddy was not his to give away. "Today Blizzard acted in a manner as shady as possible for a multi-billion-dollar corporation," he said. "We were informed that the deal compelled [the freelancer James Enright AKA "Apoc"] to submit the entire source code of Stormbuddy, which is actually the intellectual property of Bossland GmbH, to Blizzard." “Blizzard now possesses the whole Stormbuddy source code," he added. "There was no permission given by Bossland GmbH, nor were we contacted by Activision Blizzard, nor had Apoc the rights to give out our intellectual property." Bossland has stopped sales of Stormbuddy and curbed ongoing development work, though bots for other games will remain available. The company added that it plans to sue Blizzard in Germany next week in an attempt to receive a copy of the deal Blizzard reportedly made with the freelancer. A Blizzard representative provided a statement to Kotaku on the proceedings, saying the company does not tolerating cheating and will take all actions within the bound of the law to defend its games and services. "Bossland's entire business is based in cheating, and the use of their bots negatively impacts our global player community," the Blizzard representative said. "That's why we do not tolerate cheating in our games, and it's why our players overwhelmingly support that policy. We've already won numerous cases against Bossland in Germany (where they're based), and despite their tactics to delay the ongoing proceedings and the related repercussions, we're confident that the court system will continue to validate our claims and ultimately stop the distribution of these cheating bots. "We'll continue to aggressively defend our games and services, within the bounds of the law, in an effort to provide the best possible experience for our players. We want to use this as an opportunity to remind players who might not be aware--using bots, such as those distributed by Bossland, to automate gameplay in our games will result in a loss of access to those games." For more, be sure to read the full reports from Kotaku and TorrentFreak.Mayor Rahm Emanuel looked irked when Politico White House correspondent Mike Allen revealed he's taking his family to Cuba for the holidays. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Ted Cox DOWNTOWN — Mayor Rahm Emanuel admitted making mistakes, but said he's never considered quitting in a wide-ranging, sometimes testy interview with the Internet news site Politico Wednesday morning. "Sure, I made mistakes," Emanuel said, when asked about the handling of the Laquan McDonald police shooting. He said the delay in releasing police dashcam video of the shooting had "built up suspicions," but pointed out changes made since, such as the firing of Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and the appointment of a task force on police accountability announced Tuesday. Asked what he thought about his "heartless" image, Emanuel said he had made some tough decisions and stood by them, encouraging that perception. Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised the achievements of deposed Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, but said, "He has become the issue rather than dealing with the issue." View Full Caption DNAinfo/Ted Cox "We're all more complicated, complex persons than when people just present us in one dimension," he said. "I'm a work in progress, like any other human being," he added. "Sorry, I'm a human being, and I do what I can, and I do what I have to do." He quickly added, "I'm comfortable with who I am and what I've done. I'm not perfect. But like everything I try to do what's right." Politico's White House correspondent Mike Allen said he sensed the emotion in what Emanuel was saying, but the mayor lashed back sarcastically, "No, you're hearing something else." He was noticeably irked toward the end of the 50-minute interview when Allen revealed that Emanuel was taking his family to Cuba this year for their annual holiday trip — a detail Emanuel said he had shared in private backstage. He asked for Allen's cellphone number so Emanuel's wife, Amy Rule, could call him and give him a tongue-lashing. Emanuel said he was canceling his trip to a Paris conference on climate change this week in order to deal with the fallout from the McDonald video and the McCarthy firing. The mayor said he had never considered quitting, and when asked why quipped, "Because I really so much looked forward to this interview." Otherwise, Emanuel mostly stuck to the comments he made Tuesday in announcing the removal of McCarthy, saying, "He has become the issue rather than dealing with the issue." Emanuel dodged questions on the continuing investigation into the video showing the police shooting of Laquan McDonald, saying that it would be settled by a ongoing federal probe and that he had not seen a surveillance video taken at a Burger King near the shooting site at 41st Street and Pulaski Road — a video some have suggested has been tampered with. "If you're worried about a cover-up, the last person you want looking at that is me," Emanuel said. Emanuel insisted he was not concerned about a possible Chicago teachers strike, saying, "We have a lot more in common than disagreements," and that he has confidence Chicago Public Schools may yet get needed additional funding from Springfield, especially if teachers join in lobbying. Yet he was heckled on that note by Jackson Potter of the Chicago Teachers Union, who was ushered out. Asked if his re-election campaign would have turned out differently if the McDonald video had been released before the April runoff, Emanuel said, "That's a hypothetical I can't answer." The breakfast interview took place at the Willis Tower, with Politico's Illinois Playbook columnist Natasha Korecki also asking questions. For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:Interviewing My Top Patron (and a small status update) Last Friday, I had the joy to talk to Mark, my top Patron and long time supporter, who has been incredibly generous and supportive throughout Citybound's development. Since he couldn't make it to the first Patron's Calling, I decided to use the same kind of set-up to record a conversation with him (Patrons who happened to catch the surprise post it could even watch live). We talk for about 30 minutes, about a lot of interesting topics: Mark's hope and vision for Citybound in general The importance of a cities' history and context Development of a city Night-shift workers and agent decision-taking How it's going with Economy Just a short summary of what has kept me busy lately: I was implementing building spawning using the UI, which should then house families or businesses to start experimenting with the economy model. As a first approximation of more elaborate full zoning, lot parcelization and building placement, I just wanted to make sure that I don't spawn buildings on roads I noticed that implementing this kind of "find a spot that doesn't conflict with any existing X" problem was not nice to solve given the current design of the engine. (It sounds simple, but becomes complex, once all X are potentially distributed over CPU cores/the network) Since similar problems will crop up very often in the things I have to implement next, I decided to tackle it and rewrite the engine a little to make solving this nice. This is what I'm currently doing. ‍ Let me know how you are doing! If you're a Patron, don't forget to vote on a date for the second Patrons Calling! Also, expect another really cool interview later this week!dunks through his legs with ease. (Issac Baldizon/Getty Images) LeBron James dunks through his legs with ease. (Issac Baldizon/Getty Images) By Ben Golliver NBA legend and ESPN commentator Magic Johnson challenged Heat forward LeBron James to enter the Slam Dunk Contest, dangling a large cash prize as an incentive. Speaking on ESPN, Johnson said he would offer James $1 million if he participates in the NBA's annual All-Star Weekend showcase. "I'm going to put up a million dollars," Johnson said during a telecast Friday night. "One million dollars to LeBron, please get in the dunk contest. I go every year, I want to see you out there. A million to the winner." Johnson, 53, has an estimated net worth of at least $500 million. Entering this season, James, 28, had earned more than $92 million in salary during his NBA career. Including this season, James has more than $79 million remaining on his contract with the Heat. His net worth has been estimated in the $100 million range. The Associated Press notes that the dunk-contest winner is paid $100,000 while the runner-up earns $50,000. James is regarded as one of the NBA's best dunkers -- if not the best -- but has not participated in the dunk contest, unlike Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler. James "preliminarily" pledged to participate in the 2010 contest, only to back out. In February, James said he was "very close" to participating in this year's competition, which Raptors rookie guard Terrence Ross won. “I was very close,” he said. “I was very close to getting into the dunk contest, man. For me, I’ve always been an in-game dunker, man. When you’ve got to be in the dunk contest, you’ve got to be creative, figure out ways to do something that no one has done in the dunk contest. I couldn’t figure that out. I couldn’t figure that out. I was entertained by being in the three-point contest, too.” RELATED: The 10 greatest Slam Dunk Contests \| The 5 worst Slam Dunk Contests James' dunking has taken center stage over the last few weeks because he's thrown down multiple pregame slams that are contest-worthy. Earlier this week, he went through-the-legs off of a self alley-oop. Before that, he jump-tossed the ball through his legs off the glass for a monster finish.At the very same time they’re playing up a return of the Clinton legacy to the White House by coalescing around 2016 frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Democrats have rejected a key point of then-President Bill Clinton’s approach to politics and a more sound economy. Writing at Roll Call, Nathan Gonzales notes that a bipartisan achievement — like balancing the budget, for example — is not something about which Obama-era Democrats are particularly concerned: “Like every generation of Americans before us, we have been called upon to renew our Nation and to restore its promise. For too long, huge, persistent, and growing budget deficits threatened to choke the opportunity that should be every American’s birthright. For too long, it seemed as if America would not be ready for the new century, that we would be too divided, too wedded to old arrangements and ideas. It’s hard to believe now, but it wasn’t so very long ago that some people looked at our Nation and saw a setting Sun,” Clinton said in his signing speech. Today’s Democrats are singing a slightly different tune. Democrats, including the president, don’t believe the deficit is an immediate problem. And while Republicans are touting and advocating for a “balanced budget,” Democrats want a “balanced approach.” The new Democratic approach includes a mix of spending cuts and tax increases but has no intention of balancing the budget, at this point. Of course, Democrats will point to a difference in the state of the economy from the mid-1990s to today, but that doesn’t completely explain the marked change in philosophy when it comes to a balanced budget. The shift is not just limited to past support of a balanced budget either. President Obama, with support from Democrats, just last year gutted welfare reform, another bipartisan policy that came out of the Clinton-era. Both of these policies were the result of a Democratic President (Clinton) and a Republican Congress. Though he was markedly more idealistic in his first two years in office, Clinton was able to adapt to the changing political landscape. He realized that it was politically beneficial to work with Republicans on major legislation. While Obama is good at giving a speech and representing his idealism, misguided though it may be, he lacks the political savvy that made Clinton so successful. It is not surprising that members of a political party would adapt the views of their standard-bearer, as Democrats have done with Obama. It is suprising that they have been completely unwilling to adapt in a divided Congress or recognize that Obama cost them dearly at the ballot box in 2010 — and may do so again next year.Photo NEW ORLEANS — An almost constant stream of protesters interrupted Donald J. Trump’s nighttime rally here Friday, often resisting removal and dropping to the ground as security personnel tried to hustle them from the event. Almost every Trump rally has attracted protesters, but on Friday night they practically overtook the event, and “Get ’em out of here” sometimes felt like Mr. Trump’s most repeated line. “This is a wild evening,” Mr. Trump said halfway through his rally on the eve of the Louisiana primary. “This is one hell of a way to spend a Friday evening.” The protests started early, as the sun dropped low in the sky and cast a purplish gloaming haze on the rally in an airport hangar, and continued as the night turned slate black. They included solitary individuals and coordinated groups. African-American protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement spoke up, as Trump supporters chanted them down with shouts of “All lives matter! All lives matter!” A lone man halted the proceedings when he lifted a homemade sign that said, on one side, “KKK 4 Trump,” and, on the other, “Trump Duke 2016” — a reference to the Ku Klux Klan’s onetime leader David Duke, who has praised Mr. Trump and whom Mr. Trump recently failed to disavow immediately in an interview. At times, the scene was confusing even to Mr. Trump, who tried to keep control from the stage. “Friend or foe?” he asked at one point, noticing yet another commotion. “Friends we don’t mind.” But, it seemed, the voter was yet another foe. “Stupid people,” Mr. Trump muttered, before returning to his speech.NIH study finds that coffee drinkers have lower risk of death Older adults who drank coffee — caffeinated or decaffeinated — had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee, according a study by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and AARP. Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer. These results from a large study of older adults were observed after adjustment for the effects of other risk factors on mortality, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Researchers caution, however, that they can't be sure whether these associations mean that drinking coffee actually makes people live longer. The results of the study were published in the May 17, 2012 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Neal Freedman, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI, and his colleagues examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death in 400,000 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Information about coffee intake was collected once by questionnaire at study entry in 1995-1996. The participants were followed until the date they died or Dec. 31, 2008, whichever came first. The researchers found that the association between coffee and reduction in risk of death increased with the amount of coffee consumed. Relative to men and women who did not drink coffee, those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had approximately a 10 percent lower risk of death. Coffee drinking was not associated with cancer mortality among women, but there was a slight and only marginally statistically significant association of heavier coffee intake with increased risk of cancer death among men. "Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in America, but the association between coffee consumption and risk of death has been unclear. We found coffee consumption to be associated with lower risk of death overall, and of death from a number of different causes," said Freedman. "Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health." The investigators caution that coffee intake was assessed by self-report at a single time point and therefore might not reflect long-term patterns of intake. Also, information was not available on how the coffee was prepared (espresso, boiled, filtered, etc.); the researchers consider it possible that preparation methods may affect the levels of any protective components in coffee. "The mechanism by which coffee protects against risk of death — if indeed the finding reflects a causal relationship — is not clear, because coffee contains more than 1,000 compounds that might potentially affect health," said Freedman. "The most studied compound is caffeine, although our findings were similar in those who reported the majority of their coffee intake to be caffeinated or decaffeinated." The National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-623
population dynamics, rescue and rehabilitation, captive breeding and genetics. The members of the new expert panel will likely be identified in June, with the government expecting the panel’s advice within three months after being convened. Photo: Tanner Ford \| Flickr TAG extinction, Koalas, Queensland, Australia ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.MOSCOW - Most primary school classes get a goldfish to keep, a hamster or a turtle if they're lucky — but children from one village in southern Russia got to play with a lion cub. Children in the Rostov region found the 5-month old cub on the steppe Wednesday and brought it to their teacher, who kept it in the school gym, police said Thursday. While waiting for police, children petted and played with the cub, named Barsik. One boy even tried to ride it like a horse while it mewled and swiped at the air. The cub had escaped from a car on the way to a zoo in Dagestan in the North Caucasus. It has now been removed from the school and placed in a local zoo."They both just reply'meh' and keep watching TV," said Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries. The origins of "meh" are murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons in which Homer suggests a day trip to his children Bart and Lisa. The dictionary defines "meh" as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include "the Canadian election was so meh". The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in North America, spread through the internet and was now entering British spoken English. "This is a new interjection from the US that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here," McKeown said. "Internet forums and email are playing a big part in formalising the spellings of vocal interjections like these. A couple of other examples would be 'hmm' and 'heh'."A 15-year-old has died of pneumonia after working for one month in Pegatron, a Taiwanese manufacturing company that produces the iPhone 5 in the mainland. The boy, named Shi Zhaokun, worked “often 12 hours a day, six days a week” during his month at Pegatron. Pegatron denies that the boy’s death was related to his work schedule, but Li Qiang head of China Labor Watch told the New York Times that Shi was not alone and, “Considering the sudden deaths of five people and the similar reason of the deaths, we believe there should be some relations between the tragedy and the working conditions in the factory.” Apple’s former go-to manufacturer, Foxconn, produced as many scandals as it did iPhones, and led to Apple diversifying its Chinese manufacturing base (although Foxconn is still intimately involved). It looks as though Pegatron isn’t off to a fine start. The full New York Times article (here) is worth a read, but the key points are: Oct. 9, Mr. Shi was unable to make it to work and checked into a hospital, his family says. Soon after, he was pronounced dead of pneumonia. Although his identification papers said he was 20, Mr. Shi was in fact just 15. In China, he was too young to legally work on a factory floor. […] Labor rights activists say Pegatron has failed to explain at least five deaths of young workers in recent months. They say workers interviewed by China Labor Watch, a nonprofit group that monitors working conditions in China, have complained about long working hours and harsh working conditions at Pegatron, including some of the same pressures that in previous years led to health and safety problems at Foxconn Technology, Apple’s biggest contract supplier in China. […] Apple’s supplier responsibility statement bars employees of supplier companies in China from working more than 60 hours a week; so does Chinese law. But Mr. Shi worked 79 hours in his first week, 77 in his second and 75 in his third, all apparently in violation of the law, according to documents provided by his family. […] “This is not related to the workplace environment,” Ming Tsai, a Pegatron spokeswoman, said Tuesday, referring to the young man’s death. If the past is any guide (see: the 14-year-old who died in an Asus factory over the summer) we can expect Pegatron to hustle together a bargain-basket settlement case, maybe suspend a supervisor, but do its damnedest to continue business as usual. Follow @shanghaiistA Texas A&M professor specializing in "critical race theory" suggested "white people might have to die" in order to bring about equality. Professor Tommy Curry discussed "killing whites" in a podcast on YouTube titled simply: "Dr. Tommy Curry on killing whites." Curry says many black people like Nat Turner and Robert F. Williams "thought about killing white people as self-defense" and this "tradition" is still very "relevant." "When we have this conversation about violence, or killing white people, it has to be looked at in the context of historical turn," he says. "And the fact that we've had no one address, like how relevant and how solidified this kind of tradition is, for black people saying look, in order to be equal, in order to be liberated, some white people may have to die." Rod Dreher in The American Conservative highlighted some of Professor Curry's other disturbing talks: In this interview with a blogcast called Context Of White Supremacy (slogan: “White People Are The Problem”), Curry argues that whites cannot be ignorant of racism (their own or anyone else’s) and that black people who assume that whites are educable on racism are fools. He puts down different black theorists, including Martin Luther King, for actually thinking that white people can be regarded as reasonable. It’s a remarkable thing: a philosophy professor who denies that a people are capable of rational thought because of their race. In this talk, Curry denounces the “integrationist” model of race relations, and describes the black-white relationship as one of power. “White people don’t want to question their physical life and certainly not their own racial existence,” he says. “Because that means they would have to accept that death could come for them at any moment, the same way non-white people have to accept that. And they don’t want to question their existence, they’re not willing to give up their existence. They’ll hold on to their white life just as much as a [unclear] will hold on to a crack pipe. They are fundamentally addicted to the purity of what they see whiteness to be.” Dreher said white nationalist Richard Spencer's recent speech at Texas A&M "was far, far milder than anything Tommy Curry has said on his internet recordings." "TAMU changed the rules for campus speakers in response to Spencer’s appearance there. But Tommy Curry can say anything he likes about the manifold wickedness of white people? Is that it?" Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter and Facebook.A former chief strategist for Howard Dean, whose 2004 presidential hopes plummeted from rock star status to also-ran,? predicts a similar fate for the Democratic darling of the?moment, Vermont U.S. Sen.?Bernie Sanders. “There’s a big difference?between 10,000 at a rally and turning out 3,500 caucus?attenders on a cold winter night in Iowa. I suspect Bernie Sanders will learn the difference in February,” said Steve McMahon, Dean’s one-time top strategist. “His crowds are enthusiastic and large and fun to watch, but the question is whether they will be effective in the long run.” Large crowds don’t necessarily translate into delegate support, McMahon said. “Bernie Sanders needs to move the crowds into action and organize grass-roots support in the early states and so far, I haven’t seen any evidence that that’s occurring,” he said. “He doesn’t seem to be running a grass-roots campaign. It’s a campaign based on big crowds.” The Summer of Sanders has seen the self-described socialist surge from nearly 50 points?behind the Democratic front-runner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to within 15 points,?according to Real Clear Politics’ average of polls. Sanders’ aides had to scramble to find a new venue to accommodate more than 7,500 screaming supporters Monday as a planned town hall morphed into a roaring rally in Portland, Maine. Sanders also recently played to 10,000 fans in Madison, Wis. “He is drawing massive crowds in all sorts of places,” said Sean Trende, senior elections analyst at Real Clear Politics. “In an Internet age, there’s a segment that increasingly values authenticity. You saw that with Ron Paul. I think Sanders taps into that.” Sanders has earned the backing of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s anti-Wall Street wing of the Democratic party — mostly young, white progressives — but faces a challenge courting black voters, who have supported Clinton in the past, Trende said. The 73-year-old Sanders does well in neighboring New Hampshire as a folk hero firebrand, but he likely will run out of steam, said Peter Hoe Burling, a former New Hampshire delegate for?the Democratic National Committee. “People talk about Howard Dean’s yowl, but the fact of the matter is, that campaign had peaked at a certain point,” Burling said. “It went as far as it was going to go and there’s the chance Bernie’s campaign is?going to peak as well. In my mind, his campaign will peak at some point prior to the New Hampshire primary.” Sanders can’t win in big states with deep reserves of delegates such as New York and California, said Matt Bennett, a veteran Democratic campaign strategist and Clinton supporter. “He may do well in Iowa and New Hampshire, but he runs into a brick wall after that,” Bennett said. “He’s not going to have the money or organization to challenge Secretary Clinton in multiple states at the same time on Super Tuesday,” Bennett said. Sanders also could face high hurdles in the south, said Chip Felkel, a South Carolina-based Republican strategist not aligned with a presidential campaign. “He’s been very impressive with what he’s been able to do crowd-wise and enthusiasm-wise,” he said. “I think that would carry over some in South Carolina, but he might be just plain too liberal for some of the Democrats around here. “We’re just generally, even by national standards, more conservative in this state,” Felkel said. “If he comes to South Carolina and has an impressive crowd, we’ll have to rethink that equation, but right now, I just don’t see it,” he said.Avengers: Infinity War looks set to be the biggest superhero movie of 2018 and possibly of all-time, so it's hardly a surprise that Marvel Studios is now making some major casting additions. The first of those may very well be Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage as we learned just a couple of days ago that he will take on a "key role" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in both Infinity War and The Avengers 4. However, that leads us to wonder who on Earth (or in the cosmos) the award winning actor could be playing. A lot of you have already weighed in with your theories, but I have some ideas of my own! Below, you'll find what I believe to be the six most likely characters Dinklage could end up playing in Avengers: Infinity War and beyond. Some may be familar to you, while others likely won't be, but don't expect to find a lot of obvious choices here as the actor really could be playing anyone in the MCU... 6. The WatcherCHARLESTON, South Carolina -- A South Carolina police chief has come under fire after he suggested that a man who took to Facebook to criticize the department's law enforcement tactics might be a criminal. "Thank you for sharing your views and giving us reasonable suspicion to believe you might be a criminal," interim Police Chief Ruben Santiago in Columbia, S.C., posted in response to a man who had complained that police should concentrate on violent offenders instead of arresting marijuana users. "We will work on finding you," Santiago added. The chief's comment was quickly deleted, but citizens responded over the weekend and into Monday with a flood of angry comments directed at him. "I'm smoking weed as we speak!" one person posted. "Come find me...Disregard the murderers and rapists, us pot smokers are the real threat." Santiago told The State newspaper he had posted his reply late at night while watching television. He later sent an apology to the first man and said he has since learned a lesson in what not to say on Facebook. Columbia police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said the chief's comments were misconstrued. "Chief was trying to say that he puts would-be criminals on notice," Timmons said in an email on Monday. "The man who was so-called threatened openly admitted that he was not offended."The name had barely registered when Flintoff used it again last season. "Andrew Symonds overheard and couldn't stop laughing," Hussey says. "I do love the game that much." The title Mr Cricket is appropriate. Hussey was a good Australian football player, a state squash player, has a teaching degree and, now, a young family. But cricket has been the heartbeat of his life since he was 12, about the time he found it more comfortable to bat left-handed than right. He adores the game, analyses it, researches it and respects it. He eats, sleeps and drinks it. Almost literally. "It doesn't surprise me he's called Mr Cricket," says close friend and former WA teammate Ryan Campbell. "There were times when we were rooming together that he'd wake up yelling out 'Come on, Campbo, run harder!' He knew exactly who we were to face, what he had to do. Even when he was sleeping he wouldn't stop." Hussey laughs when asked about his sleep-talking habit. He's not used to discussing his faults because, frankly, there aren't many. But when pressed he reveals a few. "I'm hopeless at those bloody computer games," he says. "I've tried the Ricky Ponting game and I can't even hit a ball. Hopeless." Then there's fishing. He tells a story about the day, nearing his Test debut, he hopped in his tinnie and pushed off, but the boat wouldn't start. He'd left the fuel attachment in the car. With the oarless boat drifting out into Perth's Swan River, he realised he had to jump into the water and drag it back to shore. "You can imagine the jeers I got from people in boats and on the shore saying: 'Stick to cricket!'," he says. "Very embarrassing. It seems like every time I take out the boat something goes wrong." Hussey is a big AFL fan and is friends with Fremantle Dockers star Matthew Pavlich and Andrew Embley, the West Coast Eagles' Norm Smith medallist. But he is convinced he put a curse on the Eagles last year, while listening to the 2005 grand final in a hotel in Pakistan. "I only listened to half the game," he says. "I came in late and the Eagles had kicked away by 20 points. I listened for a while and Sydney got back level. I thought, 'Bugger this, I'll go away,' and the Eagles kicked away again. I came back for the final quarter and Sydney got up to win. I'm sure I was to blame." Campbell adds that Hussey's no good at changing the nappies of his children, Jasmin and William. And he's not the best 500 card game partner. "There's a couple of weaknesses," he says. "But not a lot." HUSSEY was not destined to play for Australia. Few at his Perth club, Wanneroo, rated the reedy and shy teenager. But there was someone who saw potential - future international Damien Martyn. Martyn was a blessed batsman. Hussey wasn't. But Martyn and club coach Ian Kevan selected him in the A's. "He had the technique," says Kevan, a lifelong mentor to Hussey. "The concern was whether he had the toughness. He was quiet, very modest and a bit shy. When I told him he was playing in A's, he was terrified, probably thinking, 'I'd like to play thirds, maybe seconds'." He scored only a few runs on debut but battled some handy fast bowlers and kept his spot. In his third game, Hussey hit 88. His confidence rose but Martyn remained streets ahead. "I don't think I'd hit puberty yet," Hussey says, laughing. "I was too scared to have a shower. I was a very small kid and didn't think I deserved to be there. Damien made the call to pick me but about all I could do back then was glide the ball behind square. "I'd be grafting away and there was Damien smashing it around. "I remember one time when Marto and I put on 160, he told me he didn't want to hit a boundary, so he made 80 or 90 chipping it around calling twos and threes. It was amazing." Hussey knew he had to gain weight, get stronger and practise. So he did. A lot. "We'd have hits four times a week," Kevan says. "We counted it one night - 900 to 1000 balls a session. He'd work on skills, bat swings, fitness. "By the time he got to the [cricket] academy, he could do anything they wanted from him three times over." Which literally happened. When Hussey was playing for Australia A, coach Allan Border suggested jokingly that he have a six-hour training session to mimic a day's play. Bat for two hours, 40-minute break, bat for two hours, 20-minute break, bat for another two hours. "And Michael did it," Kevan says. "There wouldn't be two idiots in Australia who'd do that. Marto certainly wouldn't." It wasn't a one-off. Campbell remembers a day when Wanneroo had a bye. "He made Ian Kevan take him to the nets for six hours," he says. "I went to the beach. That's why I played two games for Australia and Huss will play 1000." Hussey also once told Rod Marsh, the then academy coach, that he thought the players were not being trained hard enough. "I told him that I worked harder back at home," Hussey says. "After that he killed us and made an example of me. "I wasn't trying to be a smart-arse, I was just saying we should work harder. From then on he really worked us over. It was probably the best winter of my life." THE KEY to Hussey's exceptional work ethic is his father Ted, a former sprinter who missed a Commonwealth Games because of injury but became an athletics coach and often had Michael and brother David (himself a potential Test batsman) scaling sand dunes. "He never made us do it, but he suggested it was good idea," Hussey says. "We actually liked it. Every winter, guys from the club would come over on Sunday mornings, we'd kill ourselves on the dunes, come back, have lunch and watch the footy in the afternoon. It was good. "Our parents impressed on us that you don't get anywhere without hard work. Dad didn't know about cricket, but he knew what it took to be successful, that single-mindedness. A lot of it, though, we were born with - the desire to be the best." That was evident in the competition between the brothers. "Dave and I fought a lot, massive punch-ups," he says. "If there was a Spirit of Cricket thing back then we would have been in big trouble." In his late teens, with his body filling out, Hussey had to choose which sport to pursue. He steered away from footy because "I was still quite small at 17 and used to get the shit beaten out of me". He lost interest in squash because it was an individual sport. He made his debut for the Warriors in 1994 and looked set to progress after prolific seasons in English county cricket. The baggy green, however, would remain elusive until after the 2005 Ashes series, which many believe Hussey should have played in, given his impressive one-day form. When he did get picked - after a record 15,313 first-class runs - it took only 166 days for him to reach 1000 Test runs, also a record. He is now an automatic pick in the side, captained the team in a recent one-day tournament and on a popular cricket website was voted the overwhelming favourite to be next Australian captain. Publicly, Hussey's reputation has rocketed in the past 12 months. But those who have watched his progress are not surprised. "He always had plans," Campbell says. "He once showed me a list of things he believed we needed to do to be a successful opening partnership and I said, 'Mate, you lost me after the first one'. "Every off season, he'd work on particular shots. It was amazing. He's got to the point where he can pull apart his game and piece it back together. He can change his game depending on the team's needs - click into one-day mode in Test cricket, and vice versa." Journalists have baited Hussey, expecting him to criticise the selectors for not picking him sooner. He wouldn't bite. But, reflecting on a great year, he reveals his conclusion. "I would have loved to have played a lot earlier," he says. "I probably wouldn't have been 100 per cent ready, but I would have loved the opportunity to make my mistakes and learn that way. "That's why Michael Clarke will be such a great player. He's experienced success at the top level. But also he's been through not having the success he would have liked. "There were definitely times I thought I'd never play for Australia. It took me a long time, but I don't think age should come into it too much. "There is a shelf life, but I think while a guy is giving to the team and performing well, you should be picked on merit. I had to earn it and I want to make sure the next bloke has to earn his chance as I had to. That will make for a better Australian team in the future."Another former Facebook executive has spoken out about the harm the social network is doing to civil society around the world. Chamath Palihapitiya, who joined Facebook in 2007 and became its vice president for user growth, said he feels “tremendous guilt” about the company he helped make. “I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works,” he told an audience at Stanford Graduate School of Business, before recommending people take a “hard break” from social media. Palihapitiya’s criticisms were aimed not only at Facebook, but the wider online ecosystem. “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops we’ve created are destroying how society works,” he said, referring to online interactions driven by “hearts, likes, thumbs-up.” “No civil discourse, no cooperation; misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem — this is not about Russians ads. This is a global problem.” He went on to describe an incident in India where hoax messages about kidnappings shared on WhatsApp led to the lynching of seven innocent people. “That’s what we’re dealing with,” said Palihapitiya. “And imagine taking that to the extreme, where bad actors can now manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want. It’s just a really, really bad state of affairs.” He says he tries to use Facebook as little as possible, and that his children “aren’t allowed to use that shit.” He later adds, though, that he believes the company “overwhelmingly does good in the world.” Palihapitiya’s remarks follow similar statements of contrition from others who helped build Facebook into the powerful corporation it is today. In November, early investor Sean Parker said he has become a “conscientious objector” to social media, and that Facebook and others had succeeded by “exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” A former product manager at the company, Antonio Garcia-Martinez, has said Facebook lies about its ability to influence individuals based on the data it collects on them, and wrote a book, Chaos Monkeys, about his work at the firm. These former employees have all spoken out at a time when worry about Facebook’s power is reaching fever pitch. In the past year, concerns about the company’s role in the US election and its capacity to amplify fake news have grown, while other reports have focused on how the social media site has been implicated in atrocities like the “ethnic cleansing” of Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic group. In his talk, Palihapitiya criticized not only Facebook, but Silicon Valley’s entire system of venture capital funding. He said that investors pump money into “shitty, useless, idiotic companies,” rather than addressing real problems like climate change and disease. Palihapitiya currently runs his own VC firm, Social Capital, which focuses on funding companies in sectors like healthcare and education. Palihapitiya also notes that although tech investors seem almighty, they’ve achieved their power more through luck than skill. “Everybody’s bullshitting,” he said. “If you’re in a seat, and you have good deal flow, and you have precious capital, and there’s a massive tailwind of technological change... Over time you get one of the 20 [companies that become successful] and you look like a genius. And nobody wants to admit that but that’s the fucking truth.”Member states are warming to the idea of having a eurozone budget on top of the joint EU budget, with the latest draft conclusions ahead of next week's summit clearly separating the two. Dubbed "fiscal capacity," the new budget "would be specific to the euro area and therefore not to be covered by the Multiannual Financial Framework," the EU's common, seven-year budget, the draft prepared by EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy says. The latest wording on the idea of a eurozone budget, which was already floated in June, is an indication that consensus is building around the move in member states, provided it does not affect the current negotiations on the EU budget for 2014-2020. Even for non-euro countries - which are usually wary of creating a "two-speed" Europe - the idea is becoming acceptable as long as it does not mean less money in the common pot. Polish EU minister Piotr Serafin told Gazeta Wyborcza on Wednesday (10 October) that his country "does not fear a eurozone budget" as it would be separate from the joint EU fund. "Moreover, we are not talking about something that will happen on 1 January. The idea is not very mature and it is difficult to imagine that such a mechanism would begin to work... by 2014," he added. Serafin also noted that there is no clarity for now on how the extra budget would be used. "Definitely it would have to be somehow related to economic policy and competitiveness in the euro area. Discussions on this topic will not end quickly," he predicted. Meanwhile, the UK, which is pushing for a reduction in the common EU budget, has also spoken in favour of a separate eurozone fund. "There will come a time when you need to have two European budgets, one for the single currency, because they are going to have to support each other more, and perhaps a wider budget for everybody else," British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC on Sunday. More parliamentary debates The latest draft conclusions also reflect discussions with the European Parliament on the future architecture of the eurozone, with more details included in the part on democratic scrutiny. "In this spirit, ways to ensure a debate in the European parliament and in national parliaments on the Country Specific Recommendations [economic policy guidelines issued for each member state by the EU commission] adopted in the context of the European semester [increased co-ordination of economic policies] should be explored. The role of the social partners should also be enhanced," the text says. EUobserver understands that one of the ideas on how to achieve extra parliamentary scrutiny is to have EU commissioners go to national parliaments for hearings. Another idea is to have more ministers from member states appear in the European Parliament to explain tax or labour market reforms under way in their countries.10 Two Saudi saleswomen in Harvey Nichols, the British luxury department store, in Riyadh. In 2011, the Ministry of Labor ordered shops specializing in cosmetics, abayas, and wedding dresses, along with the women’s sections of department stores, to begin shifting to all-female Saudi sales staffs. The process is called “feminization.” In this week’s issue of the magazine, Katherine Zoepf writes about women in Saudi Arabia and their inroads into the country’s traditionally male-dominated workforce. Historically prohibited from driving as well as from working, women in Saudi Arabia have built a movement to loosen female-labor laws. As Zoepf writes, “For the first time, they are interacting daily with men who are not family members, as cashiers in supermarkets and as salesclerks selling abayas and cosmetics and underwear.” “Feminization” is the term for a gradual women’s liberation movement that the photographer Kate Brooks calls “the Arab Spring’s silent revolution.” Brooks has worked for many years in Saudi Arabia and has made several trips there to photograph the changing roles of women. “For me, the fascination with Saudi women isn’t in how they are dressed but, rather, in the stories they keep bundled up—close to their hearts—under their abayas, which give us understanding of what it is to be a woman in Saudi society,” she told me. “Their desire for more independence, economic freedom from their husbands, their developing sense of rights, and the fact that they want to be able to independently provide for themselves and their children are all inherent to the Saudi’s women’s-rights movement.” Photographs by Kate Brooks/Redux/Pulitzer Center.Memory of a Masterpiece Expedition log ███ Item Class: Not Applicable (anomalous object) Current Location: deciduous forest in ██████, ███████ (relocation discouraged) Temporary Designation: AO-9131 Day 1 Notes: AO-9131 appears to be a variant of Platanus racemosa (Western sycamore). Leaves noted to change color every few days to reflect the pattern of the sky and foliage of surrounding trees. No further morphological anomalies are noted. Isn’t it beautiful? So quiet. Everything is quiet. Just listen. Pour yourself into the experience, give yourself freely into the landscape, you wish to capture just a fraction of an eyeblink’s view, an infinitesimal slice of time carved out by your mind… I painted this. Me. I remained for longer than intended, and I painted. I painted, and I remained. I became the sentinel on the coast; I now stand equal with the mighty trees that guard the forest. Day 2 Notes: AO-9131 has been noted to produce faint noises, similar to human vocalizations. Analysis of preliminary recordings revealed no memetic properties. More sensitive recording equipment requested, currently en route to temporary expedition base. Sometimes you want to do more than capture, more than preserve. You want to disappear entirely, want to become a part of what you behold. You want to do more than see the grains of sand fall through your fingers. You want to be the sand, be the river that laps patiently at the muddy stone-bank, smoothing the harsh rocks to unblemished pebbles. Day 3 Notes: Closer examination of AO-9131. Textures of the bark, leaves, and seed pods are irregular. Bark has patterns consistent with linen cotton canvas cotton canvas Seed pods, when split, shed bunches of short, dark-colored hair. Samples collected, DNA analysis of hair will be done upon return to Site labs. Leaves possess oily sheen. After colors change (approx. once every 2 days), leaves are wet to touch. Paintlike substance rubs off. Samples collected. Chemical analysis using field kit underway. I wanted to be forever in the place I was inspired—to never have to close my eyes to bring back the memories, to eternally be able to reach out and touch the landscape that so enraptured me. Just as it was always a part of me, I am a part of what I love. Now it is everything that I am, now, at long last, I know the colors of the sky I could never mix just right with my humble paints. Day 4 Notes: Recording equipment has arrived. Higher-quality recordings of tree “whispers” taken, content is indecipherable. Attempts at communication ruled out; vocalizations deemed low-priority area-based anomaly emanating from tree. I never finished the painting I’d once believed to be my life’s masterpiece. It doesn’t matter anymore. It is one thing to mix colors of light, another thing entirely to feel these colors on your upturned face, drink them in with every fiber of your being… I want everyone to see me, see what I’ve strived to emulate, see the fragment of infinity I’ve managed to hold onto and preserve for snatches of time. See me. See me, and the beauty that surrounds me. I think, I dream, I weep, I bleed, and the canopy fills with the silk swathes of sky. Day 5 Notes: Color-changing leaves may be some form of camouflage or other defense mechanism. Based on close observation, tree seems susceptible to fungi and insects that prey upon non-anomalous variants. No anomalous predators encountered during duration of stay. Further investigation of color change pending; mechanism is believed to be secretion of dye-like substances from leaves at regular time intervals. “Is it time to go already?” There is a crash from somewhere amidst metal supports, a muttered curse, and the sound of a tent collapsing. “Mercer, we only requested five days for the observation period. We’ve got enough info to lay down prelim containment. There’s already an abandoned ranger house nearby that will be remodeled for a live-in agent, and as of three a.m. today, the entire forest is owned by, well, a company we know.” Dr. Kiryu rolls up the top of a near-empty bag of dried fruits. “Besides, we’re almost out of food.” “There was an up-and-coming en plein air artist who disappeared up here, you know. According to newspaper clippings the lab techs pulled. All the locals ever found were a few canvases and tubes of paint. Guy was eventually called a lunatic and a litterbug. Do you think…” Researcher Mercer briefly looks over his shoulder as he wrestles with packing up the tent. Kiryu sighs, and picks up a sample bag containing a few waxy, pastel-sheen colored leaves. He regards them almost fondly, almost regretfully, in the dim light of early morning. “It’s possible that this is something he left behind. But we never really know anything for sure except how to keep an eye on these things.” Temporary Containment Procedures (Doctor M. Kiryu, Researcher R. Mercer) Anomalous Item #████ Cache: N/A Recovery Date: ██/██/████ Description of Effects: Nonthreatening morphological and auditory anomalies Item is to remain in original location of discovery. A repurposed ranger cabin is to house two Foundation personnel, who will maintain security of the location. Land has been reallocated to Foundation assets; passersby are to be turned away under the premise of a forest-wide restoration process. Additional Notes: Item is believed to be the work of an anomalous individual. Investigation of the identity of the anomaly’s creator currently deemed unnecessary.On New Years Day in 1953, Hank Williams, the man who invented modern country music, died of an overdose in the backseat of his Cadillac at age 29. A few days later, his mama searched his house and made a secret discovery that—60 years later, with a little help from Bob Dylan, Jack White, Merle Haggard, Norah Jones, and Lucinda Williams—would allow old Hank's ghost to rise from the grave Six years ago, a pair of country-music archivists named Stephen Shutts and Robert Reynolds received a cryptic phone call from a woman in suburban Nashville. She had seen their ad in a local newspaper, soliciting memorabilia, and now she had something she wanted them to see: a creased brown notebook full of handwritten song lyrics with dates from the late 1940s. The woman said the journal once belonged to Roy Orbison, but Shutts and Reynolds, who could claim some expertise in these matters, having already managed to acquire a pair of Elvis Presley's underpants, among other relics, for their travelling Honky Tonk Hall of Fame, knew that Orbison didn't start writing songs until a few years later, when Dwight Eisenhower was president. They suspected that someone else had owned the notebook. After three visits to the woman's house, Shutts paid $1,500 to add it, and several other items, to their collection. At first, Shutts and Reynolds weren't sure whose hand had written "Original Songs" in block letters across the cover of the brown journal, or who had marked its marginal ruled pages with lines like "the days that were happy turned into lonely years." But then they happened upon a coffee-table book called Snapshots from the Lost Highway, which had been published in 2001. It was filled with photos and documents from the life of Hank Williams, one of the finest American songwriters of the 20th century. And there, in full color, was a photograph of the notebook they had just bought. Reynolds says he gasped when he saw it. The collectors wouldn't get to enjoy their new acquisition for long. In September 2006, someone at Sony/ATV, the publishing company in charge of Hank's catalog, read an interview with Reynolds in the Chicago Sun-Times. "We'd love to see [Bob] Dylan... Alan Jackson... Holly [Williams] all get an opportunity to wrap their mind in the tradition," Reynolds had told the paper. "What could possibly feel better than to sit there with your guitar, this notebook, and let the muse find you?" Soon, Shutts was under arrest for felony theft. The woman who sold him the relic, a former Sony/ATV janitor, was being booked as well; she said she had rescued it from a pile of trash. (The charges were later dropped.) And the notebook itself, after a brief frolic in the wider world, was locked up, yet again, in Sony's secret vault. ··· Eighteen months later, Norah Jones gave a midnight performance at The Living Room, the hushed songwriter's
the environment. Dibutoxymethane (SolvonK4) is a bipolar solvent that removes water-based stains and oil-based stains. [16] Brominated solvents (n-propyl bromide, Fabrisolv, DrySolv) are solvents with a higher KB-values than PCE. This allows faster cleaning, but can damage some synthetic beads and sequins if not used correctly. Healthwise, there are reported risks associated with nPB such as numbness of nerves.[17] The exposure to the solvents in a typical dry cleaner is considered far below the levels required to cause any risk.[18] Environmentally, it is approved by the U.S. EPA. It is among the more expensive solvents, but it is faster cleaning, lower temperatures, and quick dry times. See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]Manufacturers Please Select A.G. Warren Adam Unlimited AGM Heretic Kni.. Allen Elishewit.. Anders Hogstrom Andre E Thorbur.. Bailey Bradshaw Bertie Rietveld Biegler Bladewo.. Bill Ruple Bill's Custom C.. 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Pease Wally Hayes Warren Osborne Zoe CristWell this is the weirdest rumour I have ever come across in the six years I have been reporting news for TheSixthAxis: The forthcoming Nintendo NX console “may work with smartphones, PCs and even rival consoles such as PlayStation4.” Very interesting report by @gibbogame: Nintendo's NX may work with smartphones, PCs and even rival consoles such as PlayStation4. — Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) January 20, 2016 The rumour comes via a tweet from Takashi Mochizuki from the Wall Street Journal, and appears to reference a report from David Gibson, a highly reputable chap who reports on Japanese gaming and tech for Macquarie. Macquarie, where Gibson is Senior Analyst and Regional Head of Software at Services, is a is a research firm. It covers equities, economics, commodities, debt markets, foreign exchange, futures, and environmental, social and governance sector. Quite how the NX will “work” with the devices is unclear, and it does cast doubt as to what the NX might be. We’ve been assuming it will be something similar to a standard console, but what if it’s small bit of hardware that connects to an app on any device. It could be a box no bigger than mobile phone that you can carry with you and and you just launch the app that connects with the NX on whatever device you want to play on – SmartTV, PC, iPhone… or PS4. We do know that app developer DeNA is involved with the project, suggesting the NX will be more mobile that Wii U and have rather better networking features than previous consoles. All Nintendo has said is that it will be “a new experience,” and they are “not building the next version of Wii or Wii U. It’s something unique and different.” UPDATE: Here is the full text of the report. Source: Techradar / TwitterAs the US continues to escalate its airstrikes against targets across Iraq, they seem to be getting a bit more reckless, with the Pentagon confirming today that one of their airstrikes wound up a “friendly fire” incident which killed at least 10 Iraqi troops, and by some accounts many more. The initial report from Iraq’s Joint Operations was 10 killed, including a commander, though later in the day Hakim Zamili, Iraq’s Security and Defense Committee chairman, issued a statement claiming at least 30 soldiers were killed, and 20 others wounded in the US strike. The Pentagon did not offer specific numbers of its own, but did deny Zamili’s figures, saying that there was no truth to reports that over 20 soldiers were killed in the attack. Even then, they didn’t appear to be limiting their claim to just the initial 10. The strike was near Fallujah, and hit troops from Iraq’s 3rd Division, 55th Brigade, which were trying to retake an area held by ISIS. They called in coalition airstrikes, with the first two strikes giving them a significant boost, allowing them to advance quite a bit. Then a third strike hit later in the exact same spot as the first two, which by then was full of advancing Iraqi troops. The US said the fault was “on both sides.” Last 5 posts by Jason DitzObi Wan was in the movie version! Image: Wikimedia Commons Every now and then, even the CIA acts like the pen is mightier than the sword. Newly declassified documents detail the CIA’s role in publishing Russian poet Boris Pasternak’s novel Doctor Zhivago in Russian and distributing it to Soviet citizens in the late 1950s. The revelation confirms the CIA’s long-suspected role in bringing Doctor Zhivago back to its homeland, and is yet another example of how the CIA used literature for propaganda. Pasternak’s 700-page romantic epic, set in the decades surrounding the Russian Revolution, was initially going to be published by the Soviet Union’s main publisher, Goslitizdat. The period of social liberalization that followed Stalin’s death, however, came to an end as the Soviet Union tightened the screws in response to the 1956 uprising in Hungary, and Pasternak’s novel had to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union. It was first published in Italian in 1957 by the Milanese publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, against the wishes of both the Soviet government and the Italian Communist party. According to the Washington Post’s feature on the documents, it didn’t take long for the contentious work to catch the attention of the British and American intelligence communities. A memo dated April 24, 1958 was sent to all branch chiefs of the agency’s Soviet division saying that the book had “great propaganda value” for its “passive but piercing exposition of the effect of the Soviet system on the life of a sensitive intelligent citizen.” By July the Soviet Russia division chief John Maury called Doctor Zhivago “the most heretical literary work by a Soviet author since Stalin’s death,” in another memo. “Pasternak’s humanistic message — that every person is entitled to a private life and deserves respect as a human being, irrespective of the extent of his political loyalty or contribution to the state — poses a fundamental challenge to the Soviet ethic of sacrifice of the individual to the Communist system,” Maury wrote. The CIA then set to getting the novel printed in as many international editions as possible, and took a personal interest in getting a Russian-language of Doctor Zhivago ready no later than September 1958. It was a rush job, but with the help of the Dutch intelligence service, the BVD, the novel was printed and bound in the blue linen cover of the Mouton Publishers of the Hague, Netherlands. Copies were then sent to the world’s fair in Brussels, which the Post describes as “one of those rare occasions when large numbers of Soviet citizens traveled to an event in the West. Belgium had issued 16,000 visas to Soviet visitors.” To further cloak the US government’s involvement, the books were distributed via the Vatican City’s tent at the fair. These early, Mouton Publishers editions didn’t bear any marks of the CIA’s involvement, but they did bear the marks of being rushed to print. Writing for Radio Free Europe, Ivan Tolsoi explained just how weird the final product was: It was a mutant of a book, riddled with typographic and grammatical errors, incomplete passages, and underdeveloped story lines. The jacket appeared to come from The Hague-based academic publisher Mouton, but the title page was Feltrinelli's. This "Zhivago" had clearly not gone through ordinary publishing channels. But the Zhivago publication was neither the first nor the last time the CIA took a look to some books to defend the American way of life. By July 1959 another, pocket-sized version of Zhivago had been printed, and was part of a CIA book subterfuge campaign at the 1959 World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace and Friendship in Vienna. About 30,000 books in 14 languages were distributed in Vienna, including George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, the essay collection The God That Failed and Doctor Zhivago were passed out. Pasternak would be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, much the on-going consternation of the Soviet government, who refused to let him receive the award. But the CIA was more than just an ersatz publishing house. It was, at other times, involved in the editorial side, and even had a hand in shaping the MFA programs of today. As the CIA was smuggling Zhivago around Eastern Europe, back in the American Midwest, the CIA was also funding the famous and influential Iowa Writer’s Workshop through an organization called “The Fairfield Foundation." According to writing professor Eric Bennett, Fairfield “was not really a foundation; it was a CIA front that supported cultural operations, mostly in Europe, through an organization called the Congress for Cultural Freedom." The director of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop after the war, Paul Engle, curated the program’s culture to reflect the values of its conservative benefactors, such the Rockefeller Foundation, the CIA, and the State Department, and the stylistic conventions laid out by Engle continue to cast a shadow on literature to this day. But the practice also predates the agency. During World War II, John Steinbeck worked with the CIA’s predecessors, the Office of Coordinator of Information and the Office of Strategic Services, to write the anti-Nazi novella The Moon Is Down. Even with the help of the COI and OSS, who advised Steinbeck to change the site of the invasion from small-town America to an unspecified fairy-tale land to keep from demoralizing Americans, the end result was criticized as bad propaganda, because it humanized the invading forces too much. I actually find it very comforting that even an author as prone to flights of ideology as Steinbeck couldn’t compromise himself as an author and make one-dimensional characters that could easily function as propaganda. And even as there is something disquieting about political forces co-opting the arts for their own ends, historians have argued that American music and blue jeans played a bigger role in bringing about the end of the Soviet Union than military build-ups did. While forcibly exporting American culture is its own ethical dilemma, the fact that in the late 50s the CIA was involved in distributing Doctor Zhivago as a critique of the USSR from Russia’s own poet, is all in all a surprisingly humane-sounding way to wage a Cold War.The first question people ask when they find out I’m vegetarian is “Where do you get your protein?” This is an unfortunate side-effect of the meat industry’s effective campaign that has basically brainwashed people into thinking that the only source of protein is meat. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I get plenty of protein from my diet and iron too. The one nutrient I do find difficult to maintain a healthy dose of is Omega 3’s. As I’ve previously mentioned, I am not a doctor, a dietitian nor a scientist. I don’t fully understand Omega 3’s beyond some very basic facts I’m going to share with you (If you’d like to read more about Omega 3’s go here or just google them.) Basically Omega 3’s (and Omega 6’s) are essential fats the body can’t produce itself and therefore must be obtained from foods. The 3 main types of Omega 3’s are: ALA found mostly in vegetarian sources: flaxseeds and their oil, walnuts, soy, canola oil, hempseed oil, camelina oil, and chia seed oil. found mostly in vegetarian sources: flaxseeds and their oil, walnuts, soy, canola oil, hempseed oil, camelina oil, and chia seed oil. EPA found mostly in fatty fish, in small amounts in eggs, and in very small amounts in seaweed. The human body can produce EPA out of ALA and out of DHA. found mostly in fatty fish, in small amounts in eggs, and in very small amounts in seaweed. The human body can produce EPA out of ALA and out of DHA. DHA also found mostly in fatty fish, in small amounts in eggs, and in very small amounts in seaweed. The body can convert EPA into DHA. According to what I’ve read, ALA’s have been studied the least of the 3 types, and because of the metabolic conversions, only about 7-15% of ALA consumed gets converted to EPA, much less than that gets converted to DHA. EPA’s have been proven to reduce blood clotting, inflammation, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and DHA’s are a major component of the gray matter of the brain. Symptoms of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation. For these reasons, it’s important that vegetarians be mindful of their Omega 3 consumption. My doctor recommended I increase my Omega 3 intake after my good cholesterol levels were too low. I created this recipe to try to help myself and my SO, who does not like to eat fish, get more Omega 3 in our diets (even omnivores can be deficient.) These bars are great for breakfast or for snacking. They taste nutty and flavorful with a spongy cake-like texture. They’re very filling. Each bar (per serving of 18 servings) contains more protein than your average store-bought “protein” bar without all the chemicals with names you can’t pronounce and 20.2 g of Omega 3. Please consult with your doctor if you have any questions about the right dose of Omega 3 for you. 18 – 24 servings Ingredients: 2 1/2 C Rolled Oats 1/2 C Ground flax meal 1/2 C Whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour) 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 C (or 4 TB) Brown sugar 1/3 C Honey (or agave) 2/3 C Natural peanut butter (or almond butter) 2 Ripe bananas 5 Egg whites 2 Whole eggs 2 tsp Vanilla extract 2 Tb Coconut Oil 1 C Unsalted walnuts chopped 1 C Roasted, unsalted almonds chopped 1 C Dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, apricot, pears, etc.) For this recipe, I used cranberries and raisins. 1/2 C Roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) chopped 1/4 C Flax seeds (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk flour, flax meal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat bananas, sugar, honey and peanut butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer until blended. Add eggs, vanilla and coconut oil to peanut butter mixture. Add flour mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Mix in nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Mix in rolled oats. Line 9″x 13″ glass baking dish with parchment paper. Scoop out mixture into dish and spread into an even layer. Bake ~ 25 minutes, turn in oven once and bake an additional 10 minutes. Should be lightly browned (use a toothpick to determine done-ness. Toothpick should be clean when removed, if not put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes) Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes, before pulling out and letting cool completely on a rack. Then cut into squares. Enjoy all the yummy wholesome goodness! Nutrition facts per serving (18 servings) Calories: 321 Fat: 17.1 g Cholesterol: 20.6 mg Potassium: 186 mg Carbs: 34.6 g Fiber: 5.8 g Sugars: 16.4 g Protein: 10.4 g Vitamin A: 1% Vitamin C: 2% Calcium: 6.4% Iron: 10.6%MaxFloPlay member Bartosz "Hyper" Wolny has been handed a two-year ban from all ESL competitions after it was discovered that he cheated in a 2on2 ladder game. The match in question was played on January 10th, with Wolny's team, called BUKLAKI, defeating Multiple Scoregasms 16-7 on de_dust2_se. After the contest, Multiple Scoregasms filed a protest, and two months later the ESL has banned Wolny after reviewing the demos provided by the players. According to cybersport.pl, the decision to ban the MaxFloPlay talent was unanimous by the ESL's anti-cheat team. The decision will come as a heavy blow to MaxFloPlay, who finished runners-up to ESC Gaming in the last EPS season, whose LAN finals took place in February. While the ESL has remained silent on whether there will be a new EPS season in Poland, Wolny's ban means that he will not be able to play for his team in the three EMS One seasons that will take place until the end of the year. The news comes on the say day as the ESL announced that iPLAY and CPLAY were disqualified from EPS Germany after it was discovered that both teams had cheated in the league.Essay #2 – The Great Harlot of Revelation 17, she builds monuments as well Essay #3 Romanus Reloaded – The prediction of Minaj’s Occult Album Issue date Essay #4 The Occult use of 322 within the music industry Essay #1 The Great harlot of Revelation 17, She’s a Super Tramp! YOU ARE HERE – Please scroll down Supertramp’s Breakfast in America Cover Art and 9-11 Coincidence? At first glance one would think a perfectly centered 9-11 on the mirror image of the twin towers must be. Let me first tell you that this album cover was very special to me, It was one of the two first record albums I ever purchased back in 1980 out of a bargain bin from the top floor of a local department store. I did not choose these albums for their music, instead it was their covers which had captured my attention at the age of 15. Cover Art became so important that I developed CoverArt.com 10 years ago with the quest of documenting this influential art form which has been used for good, yet it is also capable of influencing the masses with sinister plots. (Just ask Joseph Goebbels) So as the internet begins to be a buzz about this 9-11 mirror image on supertramp’s breakfast in America cover, whether this is a coincidence, Jungian archetypes or the supernatural – there is truly a deeper and more serious symbolism playing out right in front of our eyes. We discuss possible Jungian Archetypes at Godtype.com Supertramps Breakfast in America Cover Art: Presents New York City & The Statue of Liberty (in the guise of an all american 1950’s waitress wearing a chilling nervous smile) along with the words Super Tramp above the great city. The waitress is holding up a “golden” cup on a serving plate right up to the twin towers whose mirror image show a clear 9-11 just above the buildings (The “Harlot” symbolizes the City, not the Statue/Waitress) America and the Bible Is not the group’s name “Super Tramp” actually a synonym for “Great Harlot”? As an American who was born in the great city of Manhattan, It has taken me many years to finally confront hunches about whether or not America is mentioned in the bible. Revelation 17-18 and Jeremiah 50-51 when studied together clearly show this to be certain. America is quite possibly mentioned in the Bible….. a difficult proposition to ponder for any American who takes the bible seriously. Even if this 9-11 mirror image symbolism is just a coincidence, or most likely a pseudo gospel from our secretive Gnostic friends – Revelation 17-18 and Jeremiah 50-51 clearly teach that the Great Harlot (a Super Tramp) is partially represented by the great city which our statue of liberty overlooks as she sits on many waters, holding a “golden cup” over this city (home of the U.N.) which can be argued to be responsible for the finances and commerce of the world! Revelation 17: v15 And he saith unto me, The Waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. v18 And the Woman which thou sawest is that great City, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Deeper into the rabit hole. SRI discovers this artwork and others signifying apocalyptic events tie in to the sinister Georgia Guidestones. Both Revelations and Daniel continue to speak of this Great Harlot (Super Tramp) telling us that she holds up a “Golden Cup” over this great city? A city which controls finances?(Wall street) and government? (United Nations?) That controls the commerce of the entire world as symbolically portrayed in 1979’s Grammy winning cover art of Breakfast in America. See part two of this research here which documents Gnostic commemorations of March, 2013 – commemorated exactly 33 years earlier by a strange and impossible work of art. Certainly Carl Jung would have called this evidence of the collective unconscious, Bible believing Christians could see this as the subtle works of the adversary………. Milton Thomas X The other album purchased on that day in 1980? While concluding this article, my subconscious mind kept repeating “there’s a 2nd important cover”. So I viewed every album published in 1979 to no avail and yet I could not get rid of this “Gut” feeling. As I was calling it a night, I pulled up the image of the other record I purchased alongside Breakfast in America 30 years ago – I could not help but nod my head and sigh. It was published just one day later on new years day – January 1, 1980, It was: Rush’s Permanent Waves. My favorite rock group which I followed through the years due to their Libertarian themes written by drummer and lyricist Neal Peart. The cover strangely shows a beautiful woman. An all american girl with 1950’s era bobby socks (reminiscent of the 50’s era waitress from supertramps album) and a wholesome dress & hairstyle, yet she is flashing us with a devilish smile in the midst of so much devastation – A harlot if you will, walking away from her devastated city…. * A little research into Rush’s pemanent waves album cover concept finds out that our favorite rational band did indeed have a “meaning” and a reason for the title of their 1980 album. (Unlike the hidden gnostic imagery of supertramp’s cover with its possible masonic links – article here) It seems Rush was discussing “Waves of Culture” a concept that most rational’s who see time in “sequence” as oppose to (past,present or future) are aware of, ie cycles of time, rise and falls of empires and even civilizations. Who better to represent the passing and end of a culture or civilization then the Great Harlot of revelation 17-18, A Super Tramp….. And just to add one more coincidence that may simply be that, considering album release dates are generally chosen by the music executives: Permanent Waves Release date of January 1, 1980 ends up being exactly 33 years and 90 days from the Georgia Guidestones 33rd Aniversary. 33 years and 3 months. 33.3 – how interesting. ** I estimate we have purchased / archived nearly 5,000 record albums & 10,000 historical magazines over the years for our virtual museum at CoverArt.com, and yet it was these first two records I purchased which I somehow remember every detail about – from the grey painted chipped particle board bargain box, the messy poorly lit upstairs floor of our local WWII era J.C. Penny building & the embarrassment of asking my mom for money to buy two records (I tried to hide the Permanent waves cover from my mom due to the provocative image of the model). I was an outgoing nerd who did not understand why all my friends wasted so much time listening to music? It was the art, imagery & symbolism that grabbed me, and never let me go. *the newspaper in the foreground of Rush’s Permanent Waves Cover originally had the Headline “Dewey defeats Truman”. (The Tribune sued Rush and forced them to “white it out” on future issues) a point in history which I had unknowingly written of in the past as a demarcation point in which the American mainstream media began its journey towards complete progressive control. this famous cover is also “symbolic” of just how wrong American “mainstream media” can be……. With Thanks to the insightful and intuitive wisdom of Patrick Heron. I have recently moved Patrick’s must see video on “Is America written of in the bible” Here. I though, disagree with Patrick on the primary causes of devastation to be more akin to Solar & Astronomical phenomena and more natural in their origins (acts of God) as oppose to nuclear armaments (acts of men)From: Steel Gym Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: Steel Klubtagság To: Hegedűs Dezső Tisztelt Hegedűs Dezső! 2010. feb. 15.-én írt Panaszkönyv-i bejegyzést a kollegina nem tudja elolvasni,és én sem,sajnos. E-mail-ben kért válazst,én is kérem,hogy E-mail-ben is irja le a panaszt! Köszönöm, Vass "Jimmy Steel" Imre Árpád Tulajdonos - Steel Gym From: Hegedűs Dezső Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Steel Gym Tisztelt Vass "Jimmy Steel" Imre Árpád! Panaszkönyvi bejegyzésem: Havi bérletet váltottam edzőtermükbe (csupán azért, hogy kipróbáljam és tapasztalataim alapján éves bérletet váltsak. 1., az öltözőben olyan szekrényt kaptam, amiben egy összeragadt férfialsó volt. 2., rám esett a fekpad rúdja és hiába kértem fennhangon segítséget, 5 percbe telt, mire kaptam is. 3., non-stop edzőteremként nem tudom elfogadni, hogy hajnali 2-kor nincsenek teremfelügyelők. 4., a tejturmix romlott volt, másnap délig fostam tőle, szabadságot kellett kivennem. (Intézkedés mező) a., a havibérlet árát kérem vissza, b., a napi béremet kárpótolják! (E-mail cím) Panaszomhoz hozzátenném, hogy a kishölgy a recepciós pultból (nem kis hölgy, elég kidolgozott, és szúrós izzadtságszagú, de ez nem tartozik a panaszhoz, csak jelzem, hiszen ügyfélkapcsolati munkát végez, amiben fontos az ápoltság), úgy vette le rólam a rudat, hogy talán "nem is csodálom, ezzel a girnyó testtel" megjegyzést mormolt el! Az ilyesmi is megengedhetetlen, fizető vendég vagyok, nem mindegy, mennyire kidolgozott? PONT azért járTAM volna termükbe, hogy kidolgozzam magam. EZEK után természetesen máshol teszem ezt! Kérem panaszom megnyugtató megoldását! Üdv, Hegedűs Dezső From: Steel Gym Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Hegedűs Dezső Kedves Dezső! Engeddmeg,hogy sport társként tegezzelek,amúgy is szerintem Én vagyok az időssebb! Elolvastam,amit írtál! Az nap Vanda lányom volt műszakba,emlékszikis az esettre.Beszéltem Vele. Bármennyire is kisportoltt,Ő,mint nő,nem megy be a ffi öltözöbe,ezt megértheted. Mi férfiak,pedig márcsak ilyenek vagyunk.Csajozunk,eddzünk. Melegitő-nacóhoz énse hordok alsó gatyát,sokkal kényelmessebb,ha érted mire gondolok. Teis ott hagyhattad volna az alsódat,tudod mi férfiak,milyenek vagyunk. De bocs ezért! Fontosnak tartom,hogy az olyan kezdők,mint Te,Személyi Edző-vel kezzdje a gyurást.Te ezt nemtetted meg.Pedig javasolt,és én személyesen is szivessen foglalkoztam volna,Veled! Akkor nem fordultvolna elő,hogy olyan súly-jal szeriazol,ami meg haladja a képességeid. Vanda a tévedésed után a segitségedre volt,levette Rólad a hatvanat ( 20 + 20 + rúd ) és felis ajállotta,hogy melletted marad. Fiziologiai tény,hogy az edzés során megnő az izmok oxigén-ellátása,és a test energiáit az izom-munkára koncentrálja. Lassabban működik pl. az emésztés is.Az edzés után elfogyasztott energia ( és folyadék ) egy része pótolja az elveszitettekett és a folyadék veszteségett. A banán turmix a felgyorsult anyagcserédnek köszönhetően szaladt át Rajtad. Azt javaslom,gyere eddzeni,Én itt leszek,és gondoskodom róla,hogy minden rendben menjen.Az első hónapban,a rossz tapasztalatod miatt ingyen kapod a Személyi Edzést és Edzés Tervet! Hívj fel,lezsirozzuk!És még valami! Aki eddz,izzad.Aki izzad,keményen eddz. Aki keményen eddz,eredményes! Vanda lányom országos 4.-ik! Ezért érdemes izzadni! Szevasz, Vass "Jimmy Steel" Imre Árpád Tulajdonos - Steel Gym From: Hegedűs Dezső Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: RE: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Steel Gym Kedves "Steel" Imre Árpád! Elhiszem mindazt, amit írtál, de sajnos lentiek nem válaszok a panaszomra, csupán magyarázkodás. Még egyszer leírom; öltözői higiénia nulla, ügyfélkezelés nulla, diarrhea 1! Az első - és sajnos az utolsó - nap tapasztalata. Ha nem haragszol, élnék a 72 órás garancia jogával, és kérném vissza a havibérlet árát! Nem is nagyon szeretnék vitába bocsátkozni veled a kérdésben. Megértésedet és intézkedésedet köszönöm, üdv, Hegedűs Dezső From: Steel Gym Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Hegedűs Dezső Na idefigyelj,Te kis buzigyerek!Én próbáltam segitteni!Kivizsgáltam a Panaszodat és NEM TALÁLLTAM JOGOSNAK!Pont!Ha akarsz,jössz eddzeni,örülj neki,hogy nem zárlak ki a Club-ból! Vass "Jimmy Steel" Imre Árpád Tulajdonos - Steel Gym From: Hegedűs Dezső Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: RE: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Steel Gym Kedves Vasember! Egy nagy lófaszt! Pénzt borítékba recepción, HOLNAPRA! Buzizd a kis kokszos kopter haverjaidat, akik valószínűleg a szájukat törölték abba az alsóba, amit találtam! Izomagyú paraszt! D. From: Steel Gym Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Hegedűs Dezső TEKIS GECI! Mekkereslek,bazdmeg!Velem Te ne szarozz,én 2-szeres Magyar Bajnok vagyok,elismert Testépítő!A címed ittvan a Panaszkönyv-ön,majd elbeszélgettünk Személyessen! Jimmy From: Hegedűs Dezső Date: 2010/02/16 Subject: RE: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: VÁ: RE: Steel Klubtagság To: Steel Gym Keress, zsíragy! Szerinted a valós címemet írtam rá? Majd fotózok a teraszról, ahogy bejárjátok a lakóparkot a buta bulldog arcotokkal, aztán megy ki a netre! Istenem, mekkora faszagy vagy! Tudod mit, hagyjuk a bérlet árát! Megérte, hogy belemondjam a pofádba: baromállat vagy, a vessző ELÉ teszed a szóközt,
natural killer and cytotoxic T cells, improving the body's natural anti-cancer responses. For cancer researchers interested in mushroom use in complementary therapies, the possibility that oyster mushroom consumption can improve cancer treatment using distinctly different but synergistically powerful pathways should be cause for serious consideration. Many more mushrooms are likely to activate and up-regulate these genes for coding cancer-limiting proteins. Although oyster mushrooms have been studied extensively and support health in a number of ways, it is also extremely important to always cook oyster mushrooms! Oyster mushrooms contain a novel, heat-labile, hemolytic protein called "ostreolysin," which can be toxic unless the mushrooms are cooked at temperatures exceeding 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This compound is found in developing and mature oyster mushrooms yet is absent in the mycelium. Nevertheless, this is another good reason -- among many -- that all mushrooms, with the exception of truffles, should be cooked to best take advantage of their beneficial nutritional properties while deactivating heat-sensitive toxins. Now that the line between "gourmet" and "medicinal" mushrooms is sufficiently blurred, what does this mean to you? Clearly, consuming the right mushrooms can enhance health. Oyster mushrooms reign supreme in their multifaceted talents for benefiting humanity. Financial Disclosure: Paul Stamets, author of Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms and educator of mushroom cultivators world-wide, is also the Founder of Fungi Perfecti, LLC -- a company that supplies mushroom related products including whole, encapsulated powders, and extracts of mushrooms. References Used for This Blog Abrams, D.I., P. Couey, S.B. Shade, F. Aweeka, & P. Stamets., 2011. "Antihyperlipidemic effects of Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms) in HIV-infected individuals with antiretroviral-induced hypercholesterolemia." University of California, San Francisco, Aids Research Institute, The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, San Francisco. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11:60 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-60. Alarcon, J., S. Aguila, P. Arancibia-Avila, O. Fuentes, E. Zamorano-Ponce, and M. Hernandez., 2003. "Production and purification of statins from Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycetes) strains" Naturforsch. 58c, 62-64. Barron, G.L., and R.G. Thorn, 1986. "Destruction of nematodes by species of Pleurotus." Can. J. Bot. 55: 3054-3062. Barron, G.L., 1988. "Microcolonies of bacteria as a nutrient source for lignicolous and other fungi" Can. J. Bot. 66: 2505-2510. Gunde-Cimerman N, Friedrich J, Cimerman A, Beni ki N. "Screening fungi for the production of an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase--production of mevinolin by the fungi of the genus Pleurotus." FEMS Microbiol Lett 1993; 111: 203-6. Gunde-Cimerman NG., Cimerman A., 1995. "Pleurotus fruiting bodies contain the inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A Reductase- Lovastatin®." Experimental Mycology 19: 1-6. Gunde-Cimerman, NG., 1999. "Medicinal value of the genus Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Karst. (Agricales S.R., Basidiomycetes)" International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms. 1(1): 69-80. Hiromoto, B., 2000. "Composition Having Nematicidal Activity." U.S. Patent #6,048,714. Kwok, O.C.H., Plattner, R., Weisleder, D., Wicklow, D.T., 1992. A nematicidal toxin from Pleurotus ostreatus NRRL 3526." J. Chem. Ecol. 18: 127-136. Jedinak, A. and D. Sliva, 2008. "Pleurotus ostreatus inhibits proliferation of human breast and colon cancer cells through p53-dependent as well as p53-independent pathway." International Journal of Oncology 33(6): 1307-1313. Novak, R., and D.M. Shlaes, 2011. "The pleuromutilin antibiotics: a new class for human use" Curr. Opin. Investig. Drugs. 11(2): 182-91. Sepcic, K. and R. Frange, 2010. "Cytolytic and toxic effects of ostreolysin, a protein from the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)" Comp. Bio. Nat. Pro. Vol. 2 - Efficacy, Safety & Clinical Evaluation (Pt-1). Stamets, P., 2005. "Notes on nutritional properties of culinary-medicinal mushrooms." International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, 7(1&2): 109-116. Stamets, P., 2005. Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Vidic, I., Berne, S., Drobne, D., Macek, P., Frangez, R., Turk, T., Strus, J., Sepcic, K., 2005. "Temporal and spatial expression of ostreolysin during development of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)." Mycological Research. 109 (Pt 3):377-82. For more by Paul Stamets, click here.For the third summer in a row, Oakland's Lake Temescal will be closed to swimmers indefinitely because of toxic green blue algae, exacerbated by California's drought, though the rest of the park remains open. (Published Tuesday, June 28, 2016) For the third summer in a row, Oakland's Lake Temescal will be closed to swimmers indefinitely because of toxic green blue algae, exacerbated by California's drought, though the rest of the park remains open. The East Bay Regional Park closed the lake on Monday, despite being cleared of the toxicity in February after the winter rains. The district runs a popular lifeguard program at the lake, and in years past, campers have been forced to spend their summers on the sand or grassy areas instead of swimming, or choose another lake to attend camp. Unlike last summer though, Quarry Lakes in Fremont, which was closed for the same reason, reopened June 25. Swimming is allowed for people, but not for dogs, the district said in a statement. Shinn Pond in Fremont is off-limits for swimming both for dogs and people, the district said. Lake Anza at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, Lake Del Valle and the Arroyo behind Shadow Cliffs contain blue-green algae, but harmful toxins haven't been detected for people, the district said. Swimming is never allowed at Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. So far this summer, here is what is safe and open for swimming with in the park district: Cull Canyon in Castro Valley, Contra Loma Lagoon in Antioch, Don Castro in Hayward, and Roberts Pool at Roberts Regional Recreation Area in Oakland. It's common for toxic algae blooms to break out in warm weather, but the park district said the drought is likely making the situation worse. Warmer temperatures prevent water from mixing, allowing algae to grow thicker and faster, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, warmer water is easier for small organisms to move through and allows algae to float to the surface faster. And algal blooms absorb sunlight, making water even warmer and promote more blooms. Please check www.ebparks.org for updates.On a sultry evening in Manhattan last month, Joseph O'Neill was to be found in the cool downtown atmosphere of the independent SoHo bookstore McNally Jackson. The occasion was a party thrown for the store's renaming (it had previously been called McNally Robinson), a champagne affair with a guest list and a doorman. A slew of hip young writers was present, but O'Neill, a trim, saturnine figure with the welcoming smile of someone familiar with anonymity, was the main attraction. In T-shirt, shorts and untied pumps, he looked like that most uncommon of urban creatures: a relaxed author. In front of him was a queue of readers - mostly young women - eager to gain his signature on their copies of his book, and all around him was the pleasing and unmistakable buzz of success. This is the celebrity version of the literary life: the fashionable event, the limelight, the approbation. But O'Neill, an Irishman of Turkish descent who grew up in Holland and went to university in England, is far more intimate with the other version: the long days and dark nights that form the basis of the creative process, and the quiet, frustrating obscurity of the unread author. His two previous novels, and a memoir, had slipped almost unnoticed into the bottomless void in which nearly all books sooner or later - and mostly sooner - come to reside. 'I'd never met a disinterested third party who'd read my work,' he told me. But here, as at various readings he had attended in recent weeks, there was one big party of unknown readers lining up to tell him how much they loved his book. New York magazine had already declared O'Neill 'King of New York', and he was to be seen on video screens in the back of yellow cabs being interviewed about the cause of all the fanfare, his third novel, Netherland, the current favourite to win the Man Booker prize. Courtesy of his education at an international school in the Hague and Cambridge University (where he read law), O'Neill sounds like an impeccable Englishman. As if to complete the effect, he also worked until 1998 as a barrister in that most English of establishments, the Temple. Now 44, he has been living in New York for the past decade. Seven of those years he spent working on Netherland, ostensibly a slim novel concerning the small world of New York cricket. When eventually the book was finished, he was turned down by a number of agents and then, having secured an agent, he was rejected by every major New York publisher, except for one, Pantheon books. The imprint is part of the Random House empire overseen by Sonny Mehta, the great panjandrum of New York publishing, and it was O'Neill's good fortune that Mehta, a keen cricket fan, read the book and wrote a personal recommendation to booksellers. In any case, Netherland was greeted with extravagant praise by some of America's most influential critics. Writing in the New Yorker, James Wood called it 'one of the most remarkable post-colonial books I have ever read'. The New York Times hailed it as 'the wittiest, angriest, most exacting and most desolate work of fiction we've yet had about life in New York and London after the World Trade Center fell.' These were the kind of notices authors spend their bathtimes fantasising about. In Britain, critical acclaim tends to have a limited impact on sales, unless it comes from Richard and Judy. But in America, when Michiko Kakutani, of the New York Times, and James Wood rave about a book, it often provides a helpful nudge towards the bestseller list. 'I knew that I was at the tipping point,' O'Neill says. 'I knew that strangers would buy my book. That for me was a huge breakthrough. Members of your extended family are not the only ones who will read it.' In many respects, Netherland is an unlikely hit. First of all, any novel that describes the beauty of the square cut and cover drive does not scream out'read me' to an American audience. As one of the characters says in the novel, 'There's a limit to what Americans understand. The limit is cricket.' Then there is the plot, which centres around a Dutch banker named Hans, his abandonment by his English wife Rachel, and his friendship with a shady Trinidadian entrepreneur called Chuck Ramkissoon. Nothing much happens in the story. The big event - Chuck's death, or rather, murder - takes place at the beginning, and thereafter the narrative meanders through Hans's troubled thoughts and his outsider's descriptions of New York. Yet it is a thoroughly absorbing book, not least because it grapples with the dislocated reality of 21st-century urban life, steeped in comfort and beset by fear, in which the internationally wealthy remain largely ignorant of, or indifferent to, the immigrant poor. As Hans ventures into Chuck's netherworld in the outer boroughs of New York, and learns of his scheme to introduce professional cricket to America, the Dutchman begins to see people and situations about which he previously knew nothing. Inevitably, Hans's attempt to grasp common bonds amid his emotional desolation is resonant of the wider search for community and identity that marked the anxious aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Hence, on top of its literary merits, the novel has been lauded for capturing the temper of the post-9/11 times. O'Neill acknowledges that his book arrived at just the right moment. 'It may be in tune with the zeitgeist,' he says. 'But you don't know that seven years before. One year earlier or later? If this book comes out after Obama, probably nobody cares.' O'Neill always wanted to be a writer. Such was his love of books that he decided not to read English at university, because literature was 'too precious to study - you want it to remain a hobby'. By the same token, he became a barrister, though not before taking a year off to write his first novel, This is the Life, about the travails of a young lawyer. 'Novel-writing is a bit like deception,' O'Neill has said. 'You lie as little as you possibly can. That's the way I do it, anyway.' In Netherland, Hans and his wife move into the Chelsea Hotel, the legendary bohemian refuge on West 23rd street, when they have to evacuate their Tribeca apartment after 9/11. With its cramped space and community of exiles and eccentrics, the hotel acts as a kind of idealised microcosm of Manhattan, an island unto itself. In reality, O'Neill also lives in the hotel with his wife, Sally Singer, a talented writer who is a senior editor at American Vogue, and their three young boys. The lobby, hall and staircase of the Chelsea is decorated with work by artists who live, or have lived, in the hotel. On the door of O'Neill's three-bedroom suite is an Obama sticker. Inside on the wall is a silkscreen multiple image of Sid Vicious, a former resident of the hotel who killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen in a room downstairs. O'Neill met Singer back in 1991 when she was his American editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. She turned down his second novel, though that did not prevent them from setting up home in Soho in London. Singer worked for the London Review of Books and then British Vogue, but she was tempted back to the States in 1998 by an offer from American Elle. In Manhattan's heated medialand she is a name to be reckoned with. It can't have been easy, being her seemingly non-productive other half. 'Joe was never really interested in any of that stuff,' says Singer, a sharp-looking woman whose fascination with fashion in no way disguises her formidable intellect. 'He never wanted to go to book parties. In fact, he much preferred to hang out with his cricket friends.' Even so, O'Neill discovered that people in New York were more interested in his work than they had been in London. 'I thought it was normal if you're a writer to get absolutely zero encouragement from anyone you met. I thought it was normal for even your friends to express no real interest in what you were doing and to take the piss as and when the opportunity arose. Here, much to my amazement, people would say, "Oh you're a writer, you must meet so and so. Come round for dinner." Whereas if you meet someone in London, and you say come round for dinner, they think you're weird. "Don't you have friends of your own?" "Who's this loser who wants us to come round for dinner? Why can't he have dinner with his own pals, like everyone else?"' Notwithstanding the dinner invitations, he was initially homesick for London, his friends and family. He had enjoyed being a barrister and drew a great deal of professional satisfaction from the job. Although he continued to work for a year or so on 'run-off' cases, a crunch point was waiting for him. Originally, O'Neill and Singer had planned to stay for two years and then return to London. But as that deadline loomed, he was faced with the choice of going back to the law or becoming a full-time writer. If he returned to the bar, he felt that he would have to give up writing because, as a parent, he wouldn't have time for the law, his kids and literature, too. 'It was really hard. Everyone I spoke to said, "That's a tough decision." Then my wife said: "Why don't you go and see the shrink," who's an expert on the question of the crossroads. So I went to see this guy, who knows all about life's forks, and I said, "I have this really difficult problem. On the one hand, there's the bar, years of experience, my income and my family, maybe I should support my family. Then there's the writing..." 'He said, "Yes I see that is a difficult problem. Tell me, what do you want to do?" 'I said, "Well, of course I want to be a writer." And he said: "Well, there you are." 'Nobody had authorised me, because I was, and I am, a sort of conventional soul. I felt it was self-indulgent, but as he well understood - it was a one-session problem - the price you pay for not doing what you want to do is incalculable.' The resolution of one problem, however, opened up another: the business of writing a novel. O'Neill's first two novels, This is the Life and The Breezes, were suffused with intelligence and good writing, but essentially comic in tone and limited in scope. He knew it was time to stretch himself. 'My ambition right at the beginning was to write the kind of book that I like to read, which is a "voice". You don't really care what the preoccupations are, you just want to be with this voice. I remember talking to my friend Albert Weinstein [a fellow Chelsea Hotel inhabitant], who's now dead, and he said that's a really hard thing to write.' James Wood suggested O'Neill should have cried 'Eureka!' when he had the idea of writing about cricket. 'It didn't seem like that,' the Irishman recalls. 'I had no other ideas. It's not like I had War and Peace up my sleeve. I just had another tacky novel about blokes as my fallback novel, and no one would actually want to read or buy that. And there was no point in delivering a novel preparatory to something else. So I went for broke, and that's in fact the only way to write.' After five years, though, it was the author who was broke, not financially so much as creatively. In a log cabin in the wilds of Canada, where he had gone to focus on writing, he realised he couldn't write the book he wanted to write. He phoned Singer and told her that he was giving up. 'I was stuck in Canada and my plane ticket didn't take me back for another couple of days, so I read for a day and I read a book that really helped me called Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. She is the sort of person who spends 20 years writing a novel. It was so slow. Nothing really happened and it was so attentive just to sentences. And I suddenly thought, why don't I write exactly what I want to write and to hell with the plot points.' He junked the second half of the book and started again from scratch. The result is a gorgeous, ruminative prose in which every sentence feels written, not typed. Comparisons have been made to F Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby, and the poignant echo of that book can be clearly heard in a number of passages. The elegy is not commonplace in the modern English novel. There are examples, like Alan Hollinghurst's exquisite The Line of Beauty, which is also reminiscent of Gatsby, but on the whole it's an American form, inextricably tied to what Mehta, in relation to Netherland, called 'the compromised beauty of the American dream'. 'I think Gatsby's mourning something much broader than the American dream,' says O'Neill. 'That last sentence ["So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"], he's thinking more about the tragedy of time.' By contrast, it could be said that in Netherland the tragedy is more concerned with space, or dislocation. Time washes back and forth like the tide, but the real struggle is for a sense of place. Chuck's dream is to build a cricket ground where no one wants it. Hans's cricket team have to fight for their small slice of park land against competing and more popular sports. Hidden in the suburbs are the forgotten foundations of New York's history. Hans spends his sleepless nights looking at Google Earth images of the house in London to which his wife and son have moved. He lives in the suspended reality of the Chelsea Hotel, a kind of urban Neverland. And Ground Zero is the empty hole that fills the city's nightmares. Netherland: rarely has a one-word title worked on so many levels. Indeed it's so perfect that I wondered if he had it right from the start or whether he had a 'Trimalchio moment' - Fitzgerald at one time had planned to call The Great Gatsby Trimalchio in West Egg. 'I certainly did have a Trimalchio moment,' O'Neill confesses. 'For years the book was called The Brooklyn Dream Game, till my friend, the poet Paul Muldoon, raised a friendly eyebrow... and I thought I had a terrific title. Netherland was suggested by Sally.' As a teenager, O'Neill played cricket for the Netherlands' under-19 side. He kept up the sport in England and, when he came to New York, he set about looking for a game. Eventually he called up the Staten Island cricket club. 'Joe,' asked the club official, 'are you a white man?' 'Yes,' O'Neill replied. 'Well,' said the official, 'you better pack a helmet.' As with Hans, O'Neill's teammates were largely Asian and West Indian. Though it was a'recreational decision' to take up cricket, he soon realised that he'd stumbled across a promising milieu for a novel. 'But I knew that I would have to spend another year or two penetrating the closed world of New York cricket.' Did he think he'd also located a suitable fictional arena in which to investigate the 'post-colonial' tensions to which Wood had referred? 'I think you sense the metaphorical resonance of what you're writing without analysing it too carefully,' says O'Neill. 'That leads you down dead ends. You stop imagining things and start writing towards these themes. I think if you're writing about cricket you're obviously writing about power, because cricket is such a loaded sport, much more so than soccer. And in this country it's a sport of powerlessness.' One of O'Neill's fellow cricketers at the Staten Island cricket club is Habib Rehman, a 43-year-old taxi driver originally from Pakistan. 'He's my brother,' Habib told me outside the Chelsea Hotel. 'I call myself half-Irish and he calls himself half-Pakistani.' Habib hadn't read Netherland. He said he was waiting for an Urdu translation. Habib took us out to Brooklyn in his cab to see some of the places O'Neill describes in his book. It was a Friday and he had come straight from the mosque. 'I love Brooklyn,' he told me. He reeled off the street names and districts as if they were magical legends - Flatbush, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Heights - and sung the praises of the rich mix of people on the streets. 'Here,' he said, pointing out one parade of shops, 'they're West Indian. Those women,' he said of an approaching group of hijabis, 'they're Punjabi, like me. And those there,' gesturing towards some women in brightly coloured saris, 'they're from Bangladesh.' He took obvious pride in the multicultural make-up of his adopted home in a way, it struck me, that is unusual in Britain. In one sense, he occupied the margins of American life, working the nightshift in a taxi, playing cricket beyond the boundaries of fashionable Manhattan, and yet he seemed enthusiastic about his life prospects. Chuck Ramkissoon, too, is a man who knows that he is estranged from conventional American success and yet he retains an engaging, if perhaps misplaced, optimism about the way forward. O'Neill showed me a large wooden house in the classic American suburban mould in one of the more leafy districts of Brooklyn. It was an attractive home, full of space and light and horse chestnut trees. O'Neill and his family had lived here for a while during a hiatus away from the Chelsea Hotel. But they sold up and moved back to the hotel because Singer felt cut off from the action of Manhattan. Perhaps it's too melodramatic to call a change of neighbourhood a crisis of identity, but if Netherland has a point it's that our surroundings shape who we are and how we feel. And the more detached we are from our environment, the more disengaged we become from ourselves. For Hans, this realisation hits home during a bizarre date with a bewitching young woman who wants to be thrashed. He glimpses a reflection of himself wielding his belt and suddenly he feels a sadness 'produced when the mirroring world no longer offers a surface in which one may recognise one's true likeness'. Later, he's taken to the graveyard of the 18th-century Dutch reform church in Brooklyn. Chuck expects Hans to experience some kind of tribal connection among his dead countrymen. But he feels nothing. Looking at the headstones, with names like Jansen, van Dam and de Jong, Hans asks: 'What was one supposed to do with this information?' It's an interesting question because O'Neill knows how ghosts from the past can weigh on the living. In Blood-Dark Track, the memoir he published shortly before 9/11, he tells the story of his Turkish grandfather who was imprisoned by the British during the Second World War, and that of his Irish grandfather who was jailed at the same time for being a member of the IRA. Among other things, it's a fascinating exploration of familial and national identity. Towards the end of the book, during an argument with his Republican uncle, O'Neill becomes 'furious' that his patriotism and Irish nationality is brought into question. Nowadays, he seems to have come to terms with his rootless status. Indeed, he recognises its advantages. 'You don't have a functioning substantial identity as a writer,' he says, as we follow in Hans's footsteps in the graveyard of the Dutch church. 'You have a notional identity... I used to be quite exercised by nationality, but really I was an early member of the global flotsam. And if you stop thinking in terms of countries, you're left with cities.' If he thinks of another city, it is London, which he describes as a 'fantastic place'. But he also harbours reservations about the narrowness of vision it can impose. Netherland makes a number of references to the temporal currents that Fitzgerald writes of in Gatsby, so it is surely worth noting when Hans observes: 'Londoners remain in the business of rowing their boats gently down the stream.' 'It's a nihilistic thing,' says O'Neill, when I ask about this sentence. 'It's about shrinking the significance of their achievements. People find satisfaction in shrinking their lives. It's an English recipe for living. Whereas here [in New York] there is in the air an almost inexhaustible sense of possibility.' Perhaps it says something about the endlessly expanding nature of American horizons that just recently O'Neill has begun to think Chuck's doomed scheme to popularise cricket in the States, which represents futility in the novel, may yet come to fruition in the real world. 'I mean,' says O'Neill, 'it would surprise me still, but it's now within the bounds of imagination.' Americans falling for cricket? That sounds a little far-fetched to my ears. Almost as incredible, in fact, as a novel about cricket becoming an American bestseller.Tweet By Edward Zelinsky It is noteworthy when eight ideologically diverse justices of the U.S. Supreme Court all decide a First Amendment case the same way. Thus, Snyder v. Phelps is a noteworthy decision. The Westboro Baptist Church is well-known for its demonstrations at military funerals. Indeed, the Westboro Church, led by (and, some say, principally consisting of) the Phelps family, has the rare distinction of having been denounced by both Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee. Members of the Westboro Church demonstrated near the Maryland funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, killed in action in Iraq. Mr. Albert Snyder, the corporal’s father, sued the Westboro Church and its members for various torts including intentional infliction of emotional distress. Mr. Snyder prevailed in a jury trial. In invalidating the jury’s verdict, the U.S. Supreme Court, except for Justice Alito, said that the Church and its members were exercising their free speech rights in a constitutionally-protected fashion. As the Court described the facts of the case, it is hard to disagree with this conclusion. According to those facts, the Westboro Church and its members told the local authorities of their intention to demonstrate at the time of the Snyder funeral and “complied with police instructions in staging their demonstration.” The Westboro demonstrators stayed “behind a temporary fence…approximately 1,000 feet from the church where the funeral was held.” The demonstrators went neither to the church where the funeral was held nor to the cemetery, and were nonviolent throughout their demonstration. On these facts, the message conveyed by the Westboro Church is obnoxious (“God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11,” “Thank God for IEDs,” “Thank God for Dead Soldiers”) but constitutionally protected. The problem is: Those were not all the facts of the case. Only Justice Alito confronted this reality. After the funeral, a member of the Westboro Church posted on the Church’s website a hate-filled message aimed specifically at the Snyder family. Among its other assertions, this website message accused Mr. and Mrs. Snyder of having “raised [Matthew] for the devil.” The Snyders, the web message continued, “taught Matthew to defy his Creator, to divorce, and to commit adultery.” Then the Snyders sent their son “to fight for the United States of Sodom, a filthy country that is in lock step with his evil, wicked, and sinful manner of life.” Media accounts of the Court’s decision have largely ignored this web-based attack on the Snyders. Media accounts have also largely ignored the eight Justices’ acknowledgment that, if this web-based attack is considered, Westboro and its members may indeed have stepped over the line, forfeiting First Amendment protection by this vicious internet attack on the Snyder family. As Chief Justice Roberts put it in a footnote to his majority opinion, this “Internet posting may raise distinct issues in this context,” issues which the Court declined to consider because of the failure of the Snyders to press this point in their petition to the high court. Justice Alito disagreed with his colleagues in his willingness to confront the facts of the case as they were presented to the jury: Westboro and its members did not just engage in lawful picketing at the time of the Snyder funeral, but they subsequently posted an internet screed aimed personally at the Snyders, a screed the eight other justices disregarded. There are two arguments that Snyder v. Phelps is a sound decision, despite the stylized facts on which the decision is premised. First, it is good for the Court with near unanimity to reaffirm basic constitutional values. The protection of speech we abhor is one of these. Second, important and new issues often need to percolate in the lower courts and among legal commentators before the Supreme Court decides. The First Amendment implications of internet communication is arguably such an issue. On the other hand, the eight justice majority made Snyder v. Phelps an artificially easy case by punting on the tough issue, i.e., was the post-funeral website posting protected by the First Amendment? Only Justice Alito confronted this issue and held that it was not. It is instructive to consider possible variations on this scenario as they could arise in the future. Suppose, for example, that an anti-abortion group demonstrates, similarly to the Westboro Church members, 1,000 feet from an abortion clinic behind a temporary fence and in accordance with police instructions. Suppose further that these demonstrators make no effort to enter the clinic. After the demonstration, these abortion opponents post a vicious attack on their website, mentioning by name the doctor who performs an abortion and the patient who receives one. My preferred resolution of this hypothetical case, and the Westboro situation as it actually happened, would be to preclude the jury from hearing about constitutionally-protect speech (that’s what it means to be constitutionally-protected) and for the jury to hear only about the website attack which presumably does not enjoy the same First Amendment protection as the demonstration. I would also be inclined to preclude punitive damages in such settings. As a matter of full disclosure, I note that Justice Alito was my law school classmate and that I supported his confirmation, just as I supported the subsequent confirmations of Justices Sotomayor and Kagan. I have disagreed with Justice Alito’s decisions in some cases (e.g., District of Columbia v. Heller) and have agreed with others (e.g., Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission). At the end of the day, I suspect that Justice Alito and I would have come to different conclusions about the ultimate resolution in Snyder v. Phelps. However, the fundamental point remains that only Justice Alito recognized Snyder v. Phelps for the difficult case that it really was. The Snyders were not public figures but grieving parents who were viciously attacked by name through a website available to the world. Perhaps we want the internet to be a free-fire zone where anything goes including this type of personal attack on private citizens who did nothing to put themselves in the public domain. Perhaps not. The issue, dodged in Snyder v. Phelps, cannot be avoided indefinitely. Justice Alito was right to begin the conversation now. View more about this book on theThe terrifying consequences of fake news was illustrated when Pakistan's defence minister threatened to attack Israel with nuclear missiles. He responded to a false news article suggesting Israel had threatened Pakistan with nuclear obliteration if it sent forces into Syria. Khawaja Muhammad Asif's sinister threat read: 'Israeli def min threatens nuclear retaliation presuming pak role in Syria against Daesh. Israel forgets Pakistan is a Nuclear state too.' It is not the first time Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (pictured) has threatened to use the country's nuclear weapons. In September he threatened India Pakistani Army officers standing in front of the country's Shaheen-I nuclear capable ballistic missile before its test launch in 2006 The New York Times said he was responding to a bogus article on awdnews.com in which it was claimed Israel's Defence Minister had said: 'If Pakistan send ground troops into Syria on any pretext, we will destroy this country with a nuclear attack.' Pakistan and Israel both have nuclear arsenals. Mr Asif appeared to accept the article at face value, despite the fact that it mentioned Israel's former defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, rather than Avigdor Lieberman, who took over in May. Mr Asif (pictured) is no fool and his ability to be duped by a fake news item is worrying Israel's Defence Ministry responded to Mr Asif's tweet, denying the Israeli defence minister had made the original statement cited in the fake news article. 'The statement attributed to fmr Def Min Yaalon re Pakistan was never said,' the Israeli Defence Ministry on its official Twitter account. 'Reports referred to by the Pakistani Def Min are entirely false,' it added. Pakistan's Babur Hatf VII cruise missile takes off during a test flight from an undisclosed location in 2007. Pakistan's missiles are aimed at India Senior police officers, politicians and journalists have become increasingly worried about the phenomenon of fake news in recent months. Earlier this month a man was arrested for firing a gun in a pizza restaurant in Washington DC, having reportedly come to investigate a bogus story about the pizzeria being at the heart of a child sex slave ring linked to Hillary Clinton.Getty Images One of the most anticipated new rap records of the year dropped last week, when Kendrick Lamar released "i," his first solo single since 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city. The song, which interpolates the Isley Brothers' hit "Who's That Lady?" was produced by Rahki, who says it's just a taste of things to come. He also explained that it was a collaborative effort throughout. "Every time Kendrick worked on the record, every time he had Ali mix it, he called me [to] come through," the 31-year-old producer told MTV News. "He's that type of artist where he wants the producer to be a part of the record, which to me is the most important thing in the world. That's why the music comes out so good with Kendrick -- he's all about the music." Rahki, who produced the gkmc bonus track "Black Boy Fly," says he first started sending K. Dot beats for the new project right after the debut dropped. Once Dot came off tour this summer, they got in the studio together -- though they only finished "i" about a week before it dropped. "We started really building. We got in. We talked about life. I was just with him like every day all summer. He told me the idea
in Ferguson Demonstrators protest August 12 in Ferguson, 2014. Hide Caption 70 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A makeshift memorial sits in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 71 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A woman tries to calm an emotional protester during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Ferguson Police Department on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 72 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Phaedra Parks, left, comforts Desuirea Harris, the grandmother of Michael Brown, during a news conference in Jennings, Missouri, on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 73 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers arrest a man who refused to leave when police cleared streets in Ferguson on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 74 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A burned-out QuikTrip gas station smolders on August 11, 2014 after protesters looted and burned the Ferguson building the night before. Hide Caption 75 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers and protesters confront each other on Saturday, August 9, the same day Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 76 of 76 JUST WATCHED Witness: 'I knew this was not right' Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Witness: 'I knew this was not right' 04:18 Wilson then began shooting. The final shot was to Brown's forehead, and the teenager fell two or three feet in front of Wilson, said the caller, who identified herself as the officer's friend. A source with detailed knowledge of the investigation later told CNN the caller's account is "accurate," in that it matches what Wilson has told investigators. But accounts of exactly what happened when Wilson stopped Brown vary widely. Witnesses said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at the police car before the young man was shot. Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer. Piaget Crenshaw said she was sitting in her home when she witnessed the shooting. She captured video of the aftermath, including images of Brown's body lying in the middle of the street. Crenshaw said Brown was running away from police and then turned around. She said that was when Brown was shot. Police provided a different narrative, saying Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon. Parallel investigations A grand jury will hear testimony from witnesses and decide on whether to return an indictment in the case, Ed McGee, spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, said Monday, stressing there is "no time line on this case." In addition to that proceeding, the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death. Attorney General Eric Holder will travel to Ferguson this week, to meet with investigators there. "I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown's death, but I ask for the public's patience as we conduct this investigation," the attorney general said in a statement. "The selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me. No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation." Autopsy findings An autopsy conducted for the family of Brown found no evidence that he struggled with Wilson before his death, according to the pathologist in charge of the examination. Dr. Michael Baden conducted the autopsy after an official examination by the St. Louis County medical examiner's office. Forensics consultant Shawn Parcells, who assisted Baden, said the findings are consistent with witness reports that Brown may have been shot as he walked away and that he was shot again with his hands up. JUST WATCHED New image of officer Darren Wilson Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH New image of officer Darren Wilson 02:25 JUST WATCHED Who is pathologist Michael Baden? Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Who is pathologist Michael Baden? 02:03 The family autopsy found that Brown was shot at least six times, including two shots to his head. Three of the bullets may have re-entered his body, causing additional damage, Baden said. One of the bullets entered his head and came out through his eye; another -- likely the fatal wound, Baden said -- struck Brown on the top of his head and caused irreparable damage to his brain. Family attorney Benjamin Crump said Brown probably would have been either kneeling or bending forward when he was struck with those bullets. Brown had abrasions on his face consistent with falling onto the ground, Baden said. He cautioned that he needs access to autopsy results, including tests on Brown's clothes and X-rays, before making some conclusions. But Crump said the autopsy already offered more than "ample" evidence to support Wilson's arrest. "What does this autopsy say? That the witness accounts were true, that he was shot multiple times," Crump told reporters. Attorney General Holder said a third autopsy was being conducted Monday by medical examiners from the U.S. military. Devolution of protests Another family attorney, Anthony Gray, implored protesters to remain peaceful. "I can see that there is a very disturbing divide that is developing in our community," he said Monday. "This is not what we initially came to the community and called for." The situation remains so unstable that the Ferguson-Florissant School District has canceled classes for the rest of the week. The Missouri National Guard was in Ferguson under orders from the governor to restore peace. Nixon issued the order early Monday after what began as peaceful protests spiraled into disarray after two civilians were shot and injured, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said. He said those civilians were not shot by police. Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at police, and several businesses were vandalized or looted despite the Brown family's call for calm. "Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response," Johnson said. Officers fired tear gas into hundreds of protesters, including children, who were marching toward a police command post despite an impending midnight curfew. Two children were treated and released for exposure to tear gas overnight at St. Louis Children's Hospital, according to a spokeswoman there. Protester Lisha Williams challenged the notion that protesters provoked officers. "That is a lie. It was no fight, it was no shots fired," she told CNN late Sunday. "All we did was march to the command center to fall to our knees and say, 'Don't shoot.' And they started shooting."OrbusVR may just be the first MMORPG designed for virtual reality from the ground up and it has reached its Kickstarter goal and two of its stretch goals. It was fully funded within 4 hours and now with only a few hours left is going towards its third stretch goal: Explorer’s League. The game is designed to be played on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift +Touch. In it you can play with thousands of players from around the world, taking on foes of all shapes and sizes. With more than nine square kilometers of land there is a lot of exploring to be done. At launch there are three planned types of crafting, including everyone’s favorite: fishing. Voice chat will be built in and you can currently have 100 players in a zone at the same time. The developers have already hosted test runs, some of which had over a thousand people playing at once. You can see hours of gameplay video that has already been uploaded to YouTube by players. Here’s just one of them: If you want to back OrbusVR you can do so for the next couple of days on Kickstarter. Our Thoughts OrbusVR looks like everything you could want from an indie VR game. While I have seen a few multiplayer VR games, nothing has come close to being a true MMO experience like this. I’ve been avoiding VR so far just because I really crave the MMO experience, OrbusVR may just be the title I needed to get me to invest in VR finally. Your Thoughts Is the idea of a VR MMO appealing? If you have VR in your house will you be giving OrbusVR a try? Does a VR MMORPG have any advantages over traditional MMOs? Do you think this is the future of the MMORPG genre? Let us know in the comments below. Source: Kickstarter Video Credit: Team Geo Related: KickstarterSYDNEY, Australia — “We’re coming back for you,” a post on Facebook warned. The purported threat? To send in the clowns. If Australian news outlets and social media are to be believed, “20,000 anonymous clowns” are plotting a reign of terror. The clowns — grown-ups in face paint and giant shoes — have threatened to do little beyond show up late at night in a handful of suburbs and look scary. However, the local news media has breathlessly described the group as “a chilling threat” and “creepy clown fanatics.” The hysteria seems to have started with a Facebook page established last week. The anonymous creator of the page, called Clown Purge Australia, posted a photo of a clown, with a caption that read “IT” and an emoji of a red balloon, a homage to the blockbuster film that had its premiere in Australia last week.More than 77 million American have received tax refunds -- but others may not be so lucky. CBS News has been investigating complaints that refunds are being seized by the government without notice. Tax refunds confiscated for decades-old debts without notification Shalita Grant is a Tony nominated actress -- who plays a federal agent on TV's "NCIS New Orleans." But to Social Security she's been an outlaw -- not because she did anything wrong -- but because her father was overpaid more than $13,000 in disability. Grant grew outraged when Social Security seized her $1,500 tax refund without warning or any evidence against her. "I would describe it as a theft," she said. "I'm asking for a bill. I'm asking for something that says I owe you. I feel like you guys stole from me and I have nothing to show for it." But stolen is a strong word. "Oh yeah, and I feel strongly about that." Social Security continues to seize tax refunds to pay off old debts Over the last year, CBS News has contacted a dozen taxpayers who say Social Security has taken their tax refunds because a relative had been overpaid in benefits. Jessica Vela, a U.S. Navy Veteran, lost a $6,000 refund last year, when she was eight months pregnant. Jessica Vela is one of a dozen people who told CBS News over the past year that the government has unfairly seized their refunds. CBS News "I had a baby due the next month," she said, growing emotional as she recalled what happened. "There are no words to explain how helpless the situation has been." Helpless because Social Security admitted it had overpaid Jessica's mother, not her. "I've told them 'til I'm blue in the face, I was a minor, I was learning to ride a bike during that time." But now she's a Navy veteran, and describing herself as defenseless. "Against your own government." Dead or Alive Social Security declined to speak on camera. In court filings, it said it has the legal authority to go after the relatives of people overpaid in benefits. However, the agency has repeatedly denied it has ever done so. In January the agency told Congress: "We did not...[collect] any...debt that was incurred by a parent or another family member." "It's a flat lie," Vela said. "It's an absolute, bold-faced lie." After our investigation Social Security admitted that the taxpayers in our story were not to blame, that the money had indeed gone to their parents and both of those women got their refunds back. But that's an admission that Social Security is doing the exact kind of aggressive debt collection it's told the public it would never do.Dennis Mortensen, founder and CEO of x.ai. x.ai A few weeks ago I was emailing Tom Blomfield, the CEO of startup bank Monzo, to arrange lunch. He passed me over to his assistant, Amy Ingram, by CCing her into an email. Amy and I exchanged eight emails fixing up a date and then another five when Blomfield had to rearrange. Only then did I spot something odd in Amy's email signature: "Artificial intelligence for scheduling meetings." It turns out that I had been talking to an algorithm the whole time. "I'm very happy to hear not that we've fooled you but that we've created a design that felt so natural that you probably said 'thank you' or 'would you be so kind' or something similar," its creator, Dennis Mortensen, told Business Insider. "That, I think, is a testament to the design success of the agent." Mortensen is the founder of x.ai, the New York startup that has developed Amy and her male counterpart Andrew Ingram (Their initials are AI.) The virtual assistant does one thing and one thing only: arrange meetings. "We're not trying to recreate Siri or Google Assistant, we're trying to make this one agent — Amy, and/or Andrew — which upon being asked can make sure that the three of us end up on this phone number at this time," Mortensen told BI (x.ai's PR manager was the third person on the line.) 'It's very easy to imagine but it's very hard to execute on' Mortensen had the idea for Amy/Andrew after selling his last company. He was reviewing an old diary and realised he had 1,019 meetings in 2012 and had rescheduled 672 times. Getting a computer to arrange your diary is harder than it sounds. Mortensen says: "We're about 90 people who've been working on it for 3 years. That might come as a surprise but it's one of those things where, similar to a self-driving car, it's very easy to imagine but it's very hard to execute on. We've just invested the time and effort into it." It is an expensive project too. Since launch in 2013, x.ai has raised over $35 million from investors including Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank and FirstMark, a New York venture capital firm that has backed companies like Pinterest, Netgear, and Shopify. Its most recent round was in April this year when it raised $23 million. How x.ai works. x.ai Mortensen believes x.ai can justify the big investments and become a company on the scale of Slack or Dropbox. "Not a single person in your office doesn't do meetings," he says. "Even the most hardcore engineer does meetings. Not a single person says they love setting up meetings, they love that ping pong back and forth. They hate it." Sean Masters, the founder of on-demand project and staffing platform Socialprise, told BI: "Scheduling meetings is just remarkably inefficient. She [Amy] just takes that away and it makes me more productive. "I'm a bit of an advocate of her. She's actually got a bit of sass. One of my project managers has rescheduled a meeting with me three times. Amy responds saying she wants to reschedule this meeting, again." (Masters and I weren't meeting to discuss x.ai or connected by the company — the praise was spontaneous.) X.ai offers a basic, free version of its service to individuals, letting them schedule up to 5 meetings a month, and recently launched a professional edition for the self-employed, costing $39 a month. The plan is to offer a business edition for teams next year. Hundreds of thousands of people have used the system to date, Mortensen says, and millions and millions of emails have gone through the system. Masters estimates that using Amy saves him at least 3 hours of email admin a week. 'There's still ambiguity and we're still training on that' There was controversy surrounding the company earlier this year when a Bloomberg article in April claimed that much of the work involved in the emails was done by a team of "AI trainers" who were "hiding" behind the service. Mortensen insists the author got the wrong end of the stick. Humans are not secretly drafting the emails but are guiding the system to help it get smarter. "If you look at what Uber did when they put about 30 [self-driving] vehicles on the streets of Pittsburgh — in every single one of those self-driving cars, there'd be two Uber employees," he says. "One is an engineer and one to override the cars prediction of what to do next — a.k.a. the trainers. That is how you move from a situation where only humans ride cars to one where only machines drive cars. If you think of nothing else, you should think of that analogy." X.ai's New York offices. x.ai Emails that enter the system are broken down into "tasks" for the algorithm to look at. Amy or Andrew then make a guess at what is being said and the AI trainers either confirm or reject the conclusion. This is how the algorithm learns. Mortensen says: "An AI trainer is sitting at a console saying I agree what the machine labelled as Wednesday is correct. I agree that 4pm is indeed a time reference, correct. Or if someone says 'have a good weekend' you need to say that's not relevant. If the machine thinks it is relevant, you have to say that is incorrect. Some things have been fully automated and no human will look at it." The writing side of the x.ai system is "100% automated," Mortensen says, and the "vast majority" of the reading side does not involve human supervision. It is only when complex phrasings or unusual circumstances arise that humans step in. Mortensen gives an example: "Our ability to work out if you want to cancel a meeting is not fully solved. Sometimes we have a very high competence level and sometimes we won't because people are too friendly. You would say I would love to chat today but things have taken a turn, we should get a coffee in the future — that is you being kind about saying the meeting is cancelled. That is tricky for a machine." Monzo's Blomfield told BI: "It's really great for one-on-one calls and meetings. It's saved me a bunch of time. It's not yet perfect when there are multiple participants or a human assistant involved." Mortensen says: "There's still ambiguity and we're still training on that." 'We either solve this, or we die trying' Of x.ai's 93 employees, 39 are AI trainers. All are based at the company's New York offices, on 25 Broadway. A consequence is that when my colleague Lara O'Reilly tried out the service in July 2015 she noticed that often emails from Amy would only be sent in the afternoon in London — i.e. when New York woke up. (She noted at the time that the experience was also "far from seamless.") Mortensen insists this is no longer the case. He says: "The system today runs 24/7, 365 and we have a median response time of 9 minutes today. The system is very different today to what it was a year ago or even earlier in 2016. The response time we're running with, it's obvious we do more emails at higher accuracy, fully automated, without any verification." Masters, who began using the service a few months ago, says there were "a couple of teething issues but they're just learning." He says he would have had the same issues with a person — he would have to get a sense of how they work and they would have to get used to him. Otherwise, he has nothing but praise for the service. Ultimately, the goal is to do away with the AI trainers altogether and have Amy and Andrew talking directly to each other, arranging meetings for people behind the scenes. Mortensen says: "We are making a bet on this being something we can turn into a completely machine-driven process. We are in very good shape and the vast majority of the conditions that we do are fully automated." He adds: "We have no plan B. There is no outcome of this venture where we are a semi-outsourced setting. We either solve this, or we die trying."CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com. An MRI on Monday confirmed the initial diagnosis, and there is no ligament damage to the ACL, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Injuries such as these typically sideline players two to six weeks. There are four games left in the season. Forte walked off the field with athletic trainers in the first quarter after taking a shot to the right knee. The club immediately declared him out. As he left Soldier Field after the game, he said it was "just a sprain. I'll be fine." "It's not a good feeling when you see your star tailback go down with a knee injury, but it's part of the game," coach Lovie Smith said. "We'll just keep our fingers crossed, and hopefully it's not that serious." Forte played with a sprained MCL in 2009, when he played in all 16 games but had the lowest number of yards and carries in his career. With approximately six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Forte took a handoff off left tackle and was hit in the knee by Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson after a run for no gain. Forte walked off the field under his own power, and sat down behind the team's bench area, where the team's athletic trainers examined the knee. As trainers looked at the knee, quarterback Jay Cutler came over and appeared to offer words of encouragement along with backup running back Marion Barber. Minutes later, Forte walked to the locker room with trainers and the team announced he was out. A fourth-year veteran, Forte came into Sunday's contest with 985 yards rushing and 490 yards receiving. Forte was leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage, and left the game Sunday having rushed for 12 yards on five attempts. With the team fighting for a playoff spot with a backup quarterback at the helm in Caleb Hanie, Forte's injury couldn't come at a worse time. "When we [lost] our quarterback, we're like, 'OK, we'll be fine.' Then we lose our star of the team, star of the offense. That's tough, " said Roy Williams. "[Forte's] our screen guy. He leads the team in receptions. He's a versatile back, top-three back in the league. When he goes down, it's tough to fill those shoes. This offense runs through him." Prior to the injury, Forte was attempting to negotiate a long-term extension with the team. According to sources, Forte had turned down a deal worth between $13 million and $14 million. But the team didn't respond with a more lucrative offer, and the sides hadn't been able to agree to a new deal, and thus mutually decided to suspend contract negotiations. Information from ESPNChicago.com's Michael C. Wright and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was used in this report.Mr. Bibb, 53, who said it was painful to remain in the office, resigned in 2006 and is trying to build a new career as a defense lawyer in Manhattan — with some difficulty, friends say, in a profession where success can hang on the ability to cut deals with prosecutors. Mr. Morgenthau’s office would not comment on Mr. Bibb’s claims. Daniel J. Castleman, chief assistant district attorney, would say only: “Nobody in this office is ever required to prosecute someone they believe is innocent. That was true then, as it is now. That being the case, no useful purpose would be served in engaging in a debate with a former staff member.” The office has said it had good reason to believe that the two men were guilty. Yet whatever the facts of the murder, the dispute offers an unusual glimpse of a prosecutor weighing the demands of conscience against his obligation to his office, and the extraordinary measures he took to settle that conflict in his own mind. “I was angry,” Mr. Bibb said, “that I was being put in a position to defend convictions that I didn’t believe in.” The case also reveals a rare public challenge to one of the nation’s most powerful district attorneys from within his office. As the hearing unfolded in 2005, Mr. Morgenthau, running for re-election, was sharply criticized by an opponent who said he had prosecuted the wrong men. By then, the Palladium case had become one of the most troubled in the city’s recent history, stirred up every few years by fresh evidence, heralded in newspaper and television reports, that pointed to other suspects. It is not as if Mr. Morgenthau has refused to admit mistakes. In 2002, in spectacular fashion, his office recommended dismissing the convictions of five men in the attack on a jogger in Central Park, after its reinvestigation showed that another man had acted alone. “It’s my decision,” Mr. Morgenthau said then. “The buck stops here.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story In fact, the prosecutor who led that inquiry, Nancy E. Ryan, was Mr. Bibb’s supervisor in the Palladium case — though Mr. Bibb would not detail his conversations with her or other superiors, saying they were privileged. Defense lawyers confirmed that Mr. Bibb helped them, though he never explicitly stated his intentions. Some praised his efforts to see that justice was done. Others involved in the case suggested he did a disservice to both sides — shirking his duty as an assistant district attorney, and prolonging an injustice by not quitting the case, or the office. Photo And some blame Mr. Bibb’s superiors. Steven M. Cohen, a former federal prosecutor who pushed Mr. Morgenthau’s office to reinvestigate, said that while Mr. Bibb should have refused to present the case, his bosses should not have pressed him. “If Bibb is to be believed, he was essentially asked to choose between his conscience and his job,” Mr. Cohen said. “Whether he made the right choice is irrelevant; that he was asked to make that choice is chilling.” At 6-foot-6, Mr. Bibb looks every inch the lawman, with a square jaw, a gravelly voice and a negotiating style that lawyers describe as brutally honest. He joined the district attorney’s office right out of Seton Hall Law School in 1982 and went on to handle some of its major murder cases and cold-case investigations. The Palladium case certainly looked open and shut in 1992, when Mr. Lemus and Mr. Hidalgo were sentenced to 25 years to life. Several bouncers identified them as the men they scuffled with outside the East Village nightclub. Mr. Lemus’s ex-girlfriend said he claimed to have shot a bouncer there. But the next decade brought a string of nagging contradictions. A former member of a Bronx drug gang confessed that he and a friend had done the shooting. That spurred new examinations by the district attorney’s office, federal prosecutors, defense lawyers, the police and the press. When Mr. Morgenthau’s office was asked to take another look, Mr. Bibb said, his supervisors gave him carte blanche. “It really was, leave no stone unturned,” he said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Over 21 months, starting in 2003, he and two detectives conducted more than 50 interviews in more than a dozen states, ferreting out witnesses the police had somehow missed or ignored. Mr. Bibb said he shared his growing doubts with his superiors. And at a meeting in early 2005, he recalled, after defense lawyers won court approval for a hearing into the new evidence, he urged that the convictions be set aside. “I made what I considered to be my strongest pitch,” he said. Instead, he said, he was ordered to go to the hearing, present the government’s case and let a judge decide — a strategy that violated his sense of a prosecutor’s duty. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “I had always been taught that we made the decisions, that we made the tough calls, that we didn’t take things and throw them up against the wall” for a judge or jury to sort out, he said. “If the evidence doesn’t convince me, then I’m never going to be able to convince a jury.” Still, Mr. Bibb said, he worried that if he did not take the case, another prosecutor would — and possibly win. Defense lawyers said he plunged in. In long phone conversations, he helped them sort through the new evidence he had gathered. “If I make a mistake in my interpretation of what he said, he’ll correct me,” said Gordon Mehler, who represented Mr. Lemus. “If there’s a piece of evidence that bears on another piece of evidence I’m talking about, he’ll remind me of it. That’s not something that a prosecutor typically does.” As the defense decided which witnesses to call, he again hunted them down — sometimes in prison or witness protection — and, when necessary, persuaded them to testify in State Supreme Court in Manhattan. “I made sure all of their witnesses were going to testify in a manner that would have the greatest impact, certainly consistent with the truth,” Mr. Bibb said. “I wasn’t telling anybody to make anything up.” Photo He told them what questions to expect, both from the defense and his own cross-examination — which he admitted felt “a little bit weird.” Defense lawyers say they first met some of their witnesses on the day of testimony, outside the courtroom. Advertisement Continue reading the main story During breaks, Mr. Bibb confronted the lawyers when he felt they were not asking the right questions. “Don’t you understand?” one lawyer recalled him saying. “I’m your best friend in that courtroom.” Cross-examining the witnesses, Mr. Bibb took pains not to damage their credibility. Facing a former gang member who had pleaded guilty to six murders, he asked only a few perfunctory questions about the man’s record. Daniel J. Horwitz, the other defense lawyer, said the help was invaluable. “Did Dan play a useful role in making sure that justice prevailed in that courtroom? The answer is unequivocally yes.” When the testimony was over, Mr. Bibb said he made one last appeal to his superiors to drop the convictions. They agreed to do so for Mr. Hidalgo, but not for Mr. Lemus — who was still implicated by “strong evidence,” the office said at the time. “I said, ‘I’m done,’ ” Mr. Bibb recalled. “I wanted nothing to do with it.” Another prosecutor made final written arguments, and in October 2005, Justice Roger S. Hayes ordered the new trial for Mr. Lemus. Demoralized by the case, Mr. Bibb resigned a few months later. A close friend, Robert Mooney, a New York City police detective, said that if not for the Palladium case, Mr. Bibb “would have spent his entire professional life at the prosecutor’s office. “He’s brokenhearted that he’s not doing this anymore.” In a brief interview after he quit, Mr. Bibb defended Mr. Morgenthau against criticism that the case had been mishandled. “There was never any evil intent on the part of the D.A.’s office,” Mr. Bibb said then. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But around the same time, he distanced himself from the office’s decisions in remarks to “Dateline NBC.” He said that during the hearing, he already believed the two men were not guilty, but proceeded because he had a client to represent: Mr. Morgenthau. “He was aware of what was going on,” Mr. Bibb told the interviewer. “The decision to go to a hearing was not made in my presence.” As for Mr. Bibb’s new revelation that he helped the defense, lawyers and others are divided. Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at the New York University School of Law, said he believed that Mr. Bibb had violated his obligation to his client, and could conceivably face action by a disciplinary panel. “He’s entitled to his conscience, but his conscience does not entitle him to subvert his client’s case,” Mr. Gillers said. “It entitles him to withdraw from the case, or quit if he can’t.” On the other hand, he added, Mr. Morgenthau could have defused any conflict by assigning another prosecutor. John Schwartz, a former detective who worked to exonerate the convicted men, said Mr. Bibb did them no favor by continuing in the case. “He effectively took part in keeping two innocent men in prison an additional year at least, for not going with what he felt was the truth,” Mr. Schwartz said. But Mr. Mehler, the defense lawyer, said Mr. Bibb acted honorably. While lawyers on both sides must advocate for their clients, he said, “a prosecutor has an additional duty to search out the truth. “I say that he lived up to that.” Today, Mr. Bibb says he does not believe he crossed any line. “I didn’t work for the other side,” he said. “I worked for what I thought was the right thing.”Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares that a person who has died was a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the "canon", or list, of recognized saints. Originally, a person was recognized as a saint without any formal process. Later, different processes were developed, such as those used today in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Historical development [ edit ] The first persons honored as saints were the martyrs. Pious legends of their deaths were considered affirmations of the truth of their faith in Christ. The Roman Rite's Canon of the Mass contains only the names of martyrs, along with that of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, since 1962, that of St. Joseph her spouse. By the fourth century, however, "confessors"—people who had confessed their faith not by dying but by word and life—began to be venerated publicly. Examples of such people are Saint Hilarion and Saint Ephrem the Syrian in the East, and Saint Martin of Tours and Saint Hilary of Poitiers in the West. Their names were inserted in the diptychs, the lists of saints explicitly venerated in the liturgy, and their tombs were honoured in like manner as those of the martyrs. Since the witness of their lives was not as unequivocal as that of the martyrs, they were venerated publicly only with the approval by the local bishop. This process is often referred to as "local canonization".[2] This approval was required even for veneration of a reputed martyr. In his history of the Donatist heresy, Saint Optatus recounts that at Carthage a Catholic matron, named Lucilla, incurred the censures of the Church for having kissed the relics of a reputed martyr whose claims to martyrdom had not been juridically proved. And Saint Cyprian (died 258) recommended that the utmost diligence be observed in investigating the claims of those who were said to have died for the faith. All the circumstances accompanying the martyrdom were to be inquired into; the faith of those who suffered, and the motives that animated them were to be rigorously examined, in order to prevent the recognition of undeserving persons. Evidence was sought from the court records of the trials or from people who had been present at the trials. Saint Augustine of Hippo (died 430) tells of the procedure which was followed in his day for the recognition of a martyr. The bishop of the diocese in which the martyrdom took place set up a canonical process for conducting the inquiry with the utmost severity. The acts of the process were sent either to the metropolitan or primate, who carefully examined the cause, and, after consultation with the suffragan bishops, declared whether the deceased was worthy of the name of'martyr' and public veneration. Acts of formal recognition, such as the erection of an altar over the saint's tomb or transferring the saint's relics to a church, were preceded by formal inquiries into the sanctity of the person's life and the miracles attributed to that person's intercession. Such acts of recognition of a saint were authoritative, in the strict sense, only for the diocese or ecclesiastical province for which they were issued, but with the spread of the fame of a saint, were often accepted elsewhere also. Anglican Communion [ edit ] The Church of England, the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, canonized Charles I as a saint, in the Convocations of Canterbury and York of 1660.[3] Roman Catholic Church [ edit ] Nature [ edit ] In the Roman Catholic Church, both Latin and constituent Eastern churches, the act of canonization is reserved to the Apostolic See and occurs at the conclusion of a long process requiring extensive proof that the candidate for canonization lived and died in such an exemplary and holy way that they are worthy to be recognized as a saint. The Church's official recognition of sanctity implies that the person is now in Heaven and that they may be publicly invoked and mentioned officially in the liturgy of the Church, including in the Litany of the Saints. In the Roman Catholic Church, canonization is a decree that allows universal veneration of the saint in the liturgy of the Roman Rite. For permission to venerate merely locally, only beatification is needed.[4] Procedure prior to reservation to the Apostolic See [ edit ] For several centuries the Bishops, or in some places only the Primates and Patriarchs,[5] could grant martyrs and confessors public ecclesiastical honor; such honor, however, was always decreed only for the local territory of which the grantors had jurisdiction. Only acceptance of the cultus by the Pope made the cultus universal, because he alone can rule the universal Catholic Church.[6] Abuses, however, crept into this discipline, due as well to indiscretions of popular fervor as to the negligence of some bishops in inquiring into the lives of those whom they permitted to be honoured as saints. In the Medieval West, the Apostolic See was asked to intervene in the question of canonizations so as to ensure more authoritative decisions. The canonization of Saint Udalric, Bishop of Augsburg by Pope John XV in 993 was the first undoubted example of Papal canonization of a saint from outside
of India's estimated 100m-odd DNTs and other nomadic people, the central government appointed a commission which reported back in 2008. Its recommendations, to which the government has not responded, included taking steps to extend positive-discrimination measures to those tribals—perhaps a fifth of the total—who lack them. It also urged state governments, which control policing in India, to scrap draconian laws used by the police to lock up repeat offenders. These are often used against DNT members, enforcing a cycle of poverty and discrimination that keeps many in crime. Pardhi poachers, for example, are one of the biggest threats to India's dwindling population of tigers, which they have eradicated from several national parks. According to Ashti's police chief, S.S. Gaikawad, a quarter of local thefts are carried out by Pardhis. His deputy reckons half of Pardhi men are criminal. Mr Gaikawad attributes high rates of criminality to poverty, but believes culture also plays a part: “The more criminal cases against a Pardhi man, the higher his status, and therefore the better his marriage prospects are.” In a country where over a quarter of parliamentarians face criminal charges, this is not as surprising as it might seem. Yet Rajendra Kale, a Pardhi activist in the nearby town of Ahmednagar, says it is exaggerated. He reckons no more than 10% of Pardhi men break the law. To help his poor community, Mr Kale, who says he was twice wrongly imprisoned for theft as an eight-year-old, demands a reform that the government cannot easily provide: “Pardhis must be accepted into the village.” This is happening, he says, but slowly. He points to some bloodied figures, a Pardhi man and two women, waiting on the pavement nearby. The man, Faillu Bhosle, said they had been attacked by high-caste Marathas while they were cultivating common grazing-land. They had come to town seeking treatment for Mr Bhosle's father, who lost an eye in the attack, and to report the incident to the police. The policemen of their own village, who have arrested Mr Bhosle four times, refused to record their complaint./ / / RELEASE DATE: 7/7/2016 The Mega Millions jackpot has reached the level of significant public and media interest, and the resulting strong sales have pushed the estimated jackpot for Friday, July 8, to $540 million ($380 million cash). “The excitement is palpable as this is the largest American lottery jackpot since the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in January,” said Paula Otto, Executive Director of the Virginia Lottery and Lead Director for the Mega Millions group. “Sales are expected to grow stronger right up until Friday night’s drawing.” The jackpot has been growing for four months, having last been won on March 8 in Washington. The only other jackpot won this year was on January 8 in New York. The record Mega Millions jackpot is $656 million – three tickets shared that jackpot on March 30, 2012. Just behind that is the $648 million jackpot split by two winners on December 17, 2013. Those are the only two Mega Millions jackpots in history higher than Friday night’s estimated prize. If won, Friday’s estimated jackpot would be the seventh largest American lottery jackpot in history. The top ten: Game Amount Date Winning Tickets Powerball $1.586 billion 1/13/2016 3-CA, FL, TN Mega Millions $656.0 million 3/30/2012 3-IL, KS, MD Mega Millions $648.0 million 12/17/2013 2-CA, GA Powerball $590.5 million 5/18/2013 1-FL Powerball $587.5 million 11/28/2012 2-AZ, MO Powerball $564.1 million 2/11/2015 3-NC, PR, TX Mega Millions $540.0 million (est)?? Powerball $448.4 million 8/7/2013 3-MN, NJ(2) Powerball $429.6 million 5/7/2016 1-NJ Powerball $425.3 million 2/19/2014 1-CA Mega Millions media contactsNeblett’s situation is common, according to a 2013 report by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Background checks eliminate a majority of housing prospects for individuals with criminal records and bar them from receiving federal housing assistance. The report found that these challenges contribute to the fact that individuals in jail are 7.5 to 11.3 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. Furthermore, incarceration and homelessness are believed to precipitate each other. According to the report, experiencing homelessness increases an individual’s chance of becoming incarcerated and incarceration in turn increases the probability that an individual will end up homeless. This was the case for Hallford, who like Neblett considers himself homeless. After a failed housing search over two years ago, Hallford was forced to turn to alternative housing. Since then, he has called a small 12-by-4 foot storage locker near campus home. On one side of the unit, makeshift shelves overloaded with books, canned food and miscellaneous items stretch from floor to ceiling. Clothes-filled grocery bags and a bath towel hang on pipes overhead. When Hallford enters the unit, he ducks, twists and pulls himself through to the get to the other side. “The scary thing is that I have lived in prison cells smaller than this,” Hallford said turning back to peer out through the tunnel of belongings. The unit, which costs about $135 per month, offers him secure storage of his possessions and much needed solitude. “Sometimes it's not bad and sometimes it's horrific,” Halford said regarding living in the unit. “It really depends on my mood and the day, but it’s my own place and allows me a chance to get away from everyone.” Although it is accessible 24 hours a day, Hallford limits time spent at the locker to avoid being evicted. He spends a majority of his time in the library on campus, only sleeping in the unit a few nights out of the week. Hallford said that living in a storage locker can be difficult, but limited finances make it currently his best option.The ISDA CDS Standard Model is a source code for CDS calculations and can be downloaded freely through this website. The source code is copyright of ISDA and available under an Open Source license. Background As the CDS market evolves to trade single name contracts with a fixed coupon and upfront payment, it is critical for CDS investors to match the upfront payment amounts and to be able to translate upfront quotations to spread quotations and vice versa in a standardized manner. One of the primary goals in making the code available is to enhance transparency and to optimize use of standard technology for CDS pricing. Implementing the ISDA CDS Standard Model and using the agreed standard input parameters will allow CDS market participants to tie out calculations and thus improve consistency and reduce operational differences downstream. Markit's role Markit, in its role as administrator for this open source project, provides support for the maintenance of the code and moderates the forum on this open source website. In addition, Markit develops and maintains the documentation provided with the code and will provide support to future ISDA working groups around the open source code. News (last updated November 8, 2014) ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) was named the administrator of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in February 2014, and introduced a new licensing arrangement that any distribution of LIBOR rates within four hours of initial publication (11:45am London time) is liable for per user fees. As LIBOR rates are a component of the model for the following currencies: USD, GBP, JPY, CHF, and in order that no per user fees apply to users of the model, the publication times for JPY and CHF will be delayed as follows: JPY publication time has moved from 16:00 Tokyo local time to 15:45 London local time (23:45 / 00:45 Tokyo local time), SLA 17:15 London local time. CHF publication time has moved from 16:00 Zurich local time to 16:45 Zurich local time, SLA 18:15 Zurich local time. More NewsThe Notorious H.R.C. has plenty of friends in high places. From politicians (President Barack Obama) to actors (George Clooney), singers (Katy Perry) to reality TV stars (RuPaul), Hillary Clinton has plenty of fans making plenty of noise at rallies and on social media. See who's backing the Democratic presidential nominee. Madonna Madonna showed her support for Hillary Clinton by hosting her own surprise rally in Washington Square Park on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. The singer put on a concert the night before Election Day to urge fans to vote. "Join me with the first president to welcome in our first female president," Madonna wrote on Instagram before the event. Beyoncé and Jay Z Beyoncé and Jay Z headlined a concert for Clinton the weekend before the Nov. 8 election. "I want my daughter to grow up seeing a women lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless," Beyoncé said at the concert. "He cannot be my president," Jay Z said of Republican Donald Trump. "He cannot be our president. Once you divide us, you weaken us. We are stronger together." Chance the Rapper and Big Sean were also part of the concert. Queen Bey had also shown her support for Clinton at a New York City fundraiser in May 2015. Clinton tweeted a photo of Beyoncé at the event and captioned it, "Say you'll Bey on Team #Hillary2016, too." 'West Wing' cast "West Wing" stars Richard Schiff, left, Bradley Whitford, Dulé Hill, not pictured, Allison Janney, right, Joshua Malina and Mary McCormack campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Ohio in September. Lee Daniels, cast of 'Empire' Producer Lee Daniels and stars of "Empire," including Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Gray, Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, Tasha Smith, Gabourey Sidibe and Grace Byers, appeared in a video denouncing Donald Trump and pledging to vote for Clinton in early October. "The violence and nasty rhetoric against mankind is unacceptable," they say. "If Trump gets into office, it will only get worse." "There's only one person in this race who said Black Lives Matter," they add, referring to Clinton. Sigourney Weaver Actress Sigourney Weaver showed her public support for Hillary Clinton in giving a speech during the Democratic National Convention on July 27, 2016. Weaver focused largely on climate change, saying that: "Hillary Clinton gets it. She cares. She's committed. She understands that taking a stand against climate change is not about politics. It's about our moral obligation to one another, to our children, and to the generations that will one day inherit this earth." Star Jones Star Jones spoke during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 27, 2016, to show that she is, indeed, With Her. "We are all with her, because she has always been with us!" Jaime King Actress Jaime King has repeatedly shown support for Clinton. King spoke at a rally for Clinton back in June, and she also partook in an a cappella version of "Fight Song" in support of Clinton. Connie Britton "So yesterday I met Hillary Clinton for the first time in Austin, TX," Connie Britton posted on Instagram in May. "I went there to meet her. Because this election is important. I believe in being informed. And what we've seen far too much already, and it's only going to get worse, is an election roiled by fear, hearsay, projection and illusion. "I heard Hillary speak yesterday and was absolutely blown away by her passion, intelligence, depth of experience and profound competence. And then I got to sit down and talk with her, and felt her humanity as a mother and working woman, and, most importantly, a woman who is genuinely dedicated to the ideals and values of the people of this country. "Please. Let's focus. And get back to those ideals. Because we are all so fortunate to live in the United States and with that comes a responsibility. Take this election seriously. Get the facts. And remember the greatness of this country. We are a country of intelligence and compassion, not fear and bullying. This is a crucial time for us to reclaim that for ourselves. "Also Hillary gave me this 'Hillary y'all' button. Whaaat?? She gets me. #ImWithHer @hillaryclinton" Elizabeth Banks In her DNC opening remarks on July 26, 2016, Elizabeth Banks spoke about hearing Hillary Clinton speak at a rally for Bill Clinton in 1992. "Hillary Clinton rocked my world," she said. "A smart, committed, successful woman. And not for her own benefit, but a fighter for women and children, cops and first-responders, health care and girls around the world." Meryl Streep Actress Meryl Streep endorsed Clinton at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2016. In her speech, she asked the crowd, "What does it take to be the first female anything?" "It takes grit, and it takes grace," she said, and she listed a number of women who have been the first in their fields. "These women share something in common: capacity of mind, fullness of heart and a burning passion for their cause," she said. "They have forged new paths so that others can follow them, men and women, generation on generation. That's Hillary." Demi Lovato Demi Lovato spoke out in support of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, July 25, 2016, saying the nation needs a candidate who will improve the availability of medical treatment for those suffering from mental illness. "I stand here today as proof that you can live a normal and empowered life with mental illness... I'm proud to support a presidential candidate who will fight to ensure all people living with mental health conditions can get the care they need to lead fulfilling lives," Lovato said. "That candidate is Hillary Clinton." Sarah Silverman Sarah Silverman has changed her political allegiance. The former Bernie Sanders supporter told the crowd on the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, July 25, 2016, that she now plans to vote for Hillary Clinton. The comedian also had some words for the "Bernie or Bust" movement: "You're being ridiculous." Lady Gaga Lady Gaga shared a photo of herself in an American flag swim suit on Instagram with the caption, "#HILLARY2016 Nothing can keep a strong woman down. VOTE for the first female U.S. president in history. Shake it up America, this country needs a little rock n' roll." She has shown support for Clinton in the past, showing off her "Yaaas, Hillary!" T-shirt in a photo with the former Secretary of State in 2015. President Barack Obama President Barack Obama endorsed Clinton in a YouTube video posted on June 9, 2016. "Look, I know how hard this job can be -- that's why I know Hillary will be so good at it," he said. "In fact, I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office. She's got the courage, the compassion and the heart to get the job done." Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Warren endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on June 9, 2016. "I am ready to get in this fight and work my heart out for Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States and to make sure that Donald Trump never gets any place close to the White House," the Massachusetts senator said. Uzo Aduba The "Orange is the New Black" actress proclaimed her choice with a to-the-point tweet on April 12, 2015: "Hillary." Beth Behrs The "2 Broke Girls" star has repeatedly taken to Twitter to support Hillary and her positions. On April 19, the day of the New York state primary, Behrs tweeted, "#ImWithHer NYC but no matter WHO YOU ARE WITH - GO VOTE!!" RuPaul RuPaul was an early Hillary supporter, with his catchphrase, "You betta work" -- attached to "@HillaryClinton" -- tweeted from @RuPaul'sDragRace on April 12, 2015. America Ferrera America Ferrera stumped for Clinton when she ran for president back in 2008. "I believed in her then, I believe in her now," Ferrera tweeted in April 2015. Speaking about immigrants in her DNC speech on July 26, 2016, Ferrera said "Hillary has spent the last 30 years proving what she sees in us. Not our color, gender, or economic status, but our capacity to grow into thriving adults able to contribute great things to this country." Amy Schumer Comedian Amy Schumer showed her love for Hillary Clinton on April 19, 2016 when she posted a photo of herself in a Clinton T-shirt. "Said go New York go New York go! #imwithher," she wrote on Twitter. Julianne Moore "I just voted for @HillaryClinton #ImWithHer - vote today!" actress Julianne Moore wrote on Twitter on April 19, 2016 after voting in the New York primary. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham has long been a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton and stumped for Clinton in New Hampshire in January 2016. The presidential contender also did an interview with Dunham for the "Girls" creator's newsletter, "Lenny Letter." In her DNC speech on July 26, 2016, she praised Clinton for fighting for everyone's rights. "Hillary knows that access and opportunity are the American promise - not transphobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and systemic racism," she said. Kerry Washington Kerry Washington Instagrammed a photo with Hillary Clinton on Feb. 23, 2016, after the Democratic presidential contender visited the set of "Scandal." She wrote, "#imwithher." George and Amal Clooney Actor George Clooney and his wife, attorney Amal Clooney, hosted a fundraiser at their home in Los Angeles for Hillary Clinton on April 16 and participate in another fundraiser for her in San Francisco the day before. Tickets for the fundraiser they will host are $33,400, and the money will be donated to the Hillary Victory Fund. Ja Rule Ja Rule said on Fox Business Network in May 2015 that he'd vote for Hillary Clinton. "I like Hillary, but you know, it's crazy because I also think Jeb is a good candidate as well," he said. He continued, "I'm a Democrat, so I would vote Hillary." Robert De Niro Actor Robert De Niro told The Daily Beast in April 2015 that Hillary Clinton has "earned the right to be president." "Hopefully it will be her, yes," he said. "I think that she's paid her dues. There are going to be no surprises, and she has earned the right to be president and the head of the country at this point. It's that simple. And she's a woman, which is very important because her take on things may be what we need right now." Abby Wambach Former soccer star Abby Wambach joined Lena Dunham to stump for Hillary Clinton in January 2016. She posted the above picture on Instagram, writing, "Love this morning!! #imwithher @lenadunham and I campaigning for our next president @hillaryclinton I will miss you Lena!!" Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian got a selfie with Hillary Clinton at a fundraiser for the Democratic candidate back in August 2015. "I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country!" #HillaryForPresident," Kardashian tweeted. Abbi Jacobson Abbi Jacobson is totally team Hillary. "HERE WE GO @HillaryClinton," she tweeted in April 2015 alongside a photo of herself donning a Clinton mask. Katy Perry Katy Perry rallied supporters of Hillary Clinton at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 24. "So much change can happen," she said. "Let's go Hillary!" Magic Johnson The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard tweeted in April 2015 that Hillary Clinton "will be a great president for the American people and she will make sure that everyone has a voice!" Pharrell Pharrell told Ellen DeGeneres in October 2015 that he supports Hillary Clinton for president. "It's time for a woman to be in there," he said of the position.MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia dismissed on Wednesday as groundless a U.S. media report that said members of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had contacts with Russian intelligence officials. The report, from the New York Times, has boosted concerns about Russia’s role in influencing the outcome of the United States’ election. U.S. intelligence agencies have already accused Russia of being behind the hacking of Democratic Party emails in order to help Trump, a Republican, to win. U.S-Russia relations are under particular scrutiny following the inauguration of Trump, who pledged in his campaign to improve ties with the Kremlin after they deteriorated to their worst level since the Cold War under the Obama administration. The New York Times, citing four current and former U.S. officials, reported on Tuesday that phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Trump’s campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. “Let’s not believe anonymous information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters, noting that the newspaper’s sources were unnamed. “It’s a newspaper report which is not based on any facts.” In a rare comment to media, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service told the TASS news agency the report consisted of “unsubstantiated media allegations”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied there had been any inappropriate contact between Trump representatives and Russian state agencies during the campaign. She told a daily news briefing the latest allegations looked like part of a domestic U.S. political tussle that Russian officials have suggested is designed to damage the chances for better U.S.-Russia ties. “We’re not surprised by anything anymore. This information once again proves that a very deep political game is playing out within the United States,” said Zakharova. The prospect of a swift rapprochement between Russia and the United has lessened since Trump’s inauguration due to scandals including the resignation on Monday of national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was seen in Moscow as a leading advocate of softer U.S. policy towards Russia.On a damp Saturday afternoon in late June, a man wearing wellies and a blazer two sizes too big squelched around muddy fields in deepest Somerset, his pockets stuffed with business cards. He was carrying a yellow placard that said “Poems 4 U” and asking passersby at Glastonbury festival if they’d like to hear some verse. From his hands, strangers picked cards bearing words such as “curry” and “reggae” and “robots”. He then launched into a poem on the chosen topic. Meet Rowan McCabe, who pitches himself as “the world’s first door-to-door poet”. McCabe is more usually found on the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, writing bespoke verse for whoever happens to answer the buzzer when he calls. He’s penned poems about birds and love and parenting; one to remember a couple’s first date, another for someone’s dog. He composed the piece To Amy, Sitting Her Final Policing Exam for a future constable and Gospel for a woman he nicknamed Agnostic Ana. At Glastonbury, McCabe performed selections from what he jokingly termed “my greatest hits”. But in Newcastle he turns up on strangers’ doorsteps and asks people what’s on their minds, interviewing them for details that might make it on to the page. He returns a week or two later, finished verse in hand, to perform it live. If the recipient isn’t home, he leaves a “sorry I missed you” note, and returns later to try again. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Anybody home? Rowan McCabe in Newcastle Part travelling salesman, part journalist, McCabe was the second person in his family to go to university and the first to carve out a career in the arts. “Some of my family don’t get what I do,” he admits, though they’re supportive. “My one grandad was a miner and my other one was a docker. It’s strange to them that I’m not making something physical.” Yet poems can become a kind of object, and he likens writing one – which can be rapped aloud or read on the page – to assembling a jigsaw puzzle: “I can see the shapes fitting together.” Now 25, he is “just about” making a living as an artist – leading poetry workshops for children, creating theatre (he performed his solo show North East Rising at last year’s Edinburgh fringe) and working on short films (he’s collaborating on a video for Channel 4’s Random Acts website). At poetry slams, he has performed humorous rants about Jamie Oliver and Cheryl Cole, and one piece dedicated to the late Patricia Tabram, who was known as “cannabis gran”. Last November, McCabe added door-to-door poet to his CV, and says: “I didn’t know if it would work, or if everyone would tell me to piss off.” Instagram poets society: selfie age breeds life into verse and has a new following Read more No one did, but not everyone wants to take part. On his first excursion, an older lady eyed him suspiciously, asked what he was selling, and when he explained that the poems were free, shut the door anyway. One burly, imposing man cut him off mid-sentence to say he wasn’t interested, but suggested McCabe go see his ex-wife at No 2. Still, many people are surprisingly willing to share their stories. A pregnant woman told him her ex-partner was trying to convince her to have an abortion. She was the mother of two young boys and said that if she had a girl, she would be worried about how to teach her to combat the prejudice and sexism she might encounter. The exchange made McCabe think more deeply about what kind of father he might be: I want to help raise a cool girl A girl who’s allowed to be seen and heard A girl who knows no colour or job is “not for her” I want to help raise a cool girl A girl who knows she could play football Against the hardest boy in the class And tackle him before he has the chance to pass McCabe posts the poems along with stories about his subjects on his blog, Door-to-Door Poetry. “I wanted to connect with people who might never have considered poetry before,” he says. “The heart of what I’m trying to do is open up a debate about strangers – what it means to connect with strangers, how scary they are … I want to prove that there are lots of different people in this country.” To that end, he wants to take the project on the road and visit people in cities across the UK. Then he plans to turn the poems and stories into a show he can take to Edinburgh. Back at Worthy Farm in Somerset, trudging through the muddy fields of intrepid campers, McCabe got a preview of how that might unfold. There he rebranded himself as a tent-to-tent poet, writing rhymes for festivalgoers and posting dispatches online. The response was enthusiastic. One punter even offered up her own feedback in verse: “Eeehh, why’ man, Rowan pet / You’re the best Geordie poet yet / Gadding about with great intent / writing poetry for merriment / to the buoyant, wild and free / of a varry clarty Glastonbury.”This past weekend, undercover operatives from Greenpeace tested the DNA of fish served in several London-based restaurants that are part of a chain known as Nobu. The restaurants are partially owned by actor Robert De Niro. The tested fish were discovered to be endangered bluefin tuna. In an incredibly stupid response, Nobu’s principal manager has decided to label the endangered fish with an asterisk on the restaurants’ menu, rather than stopping to serve it. Do I think this response will ultimately be acceptable to the world community? Absolutely not. If De Niro is as good at managing his restaurants as he is his acting career, then the appropriate action for this embarrassing incident should be a no-brainer. But instead, De Niro’s partner has shot them in the foot. [social_buttons] According to the Telegraph, Richie Notar, the chain’s manager has said that an asterisk will now be put on the menu to aware customers of the fish’s status. They add the following: “Mr. Notar said he would like to take bluefin off the menu altogether, but the move was being resisted by the chain’s Japanese chefs who serve it in sushi and sashimi. In Japan, bluefin is considered the most delicious of all tuna species.” I guess you have about the same size backbone as the fish you are serving, Mr. Notar. In fairness to Notar, it is not illegal to sell bluefin tuna. The Telegraph notes on the other hand that “scientists have warned that fishing for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic is taking place at levels far higher than stocks can stand. A crisis meeting to discuss a possible ban on fishing takes place in November.” My guess is that De Niro’s restaurant chain will suffer a serious decline in business because of Greenpeace’s sting operation. Whether or not the international community is as outraged as I am remains to be seen. Hopefully De Niro will come forward and do the right thing. Read More About Celebrities and the Environment on the Green Options Network: Photo Credit: Siebbi on Flickr under a Creative Commons license [social_buttons]Pelicans sighted in Red Centre desert after rain Posted Pelicans have been sighted in desert country of the Red Centre as water holes fill after heavy rains. The birds regularly migrate through inland parts of the Northern Territory but rarely stop for long periods of time. Zoologist Mark Carter says there is plenty of food for them after heavy inland rains. "When water does arrive in the outback, as we know, the desert springs to life," he said. "That includes the fish. "You can have a real, sudden explosion in fish numbers and the pelicans are well-tuned to coming in and taking advantage of that." Mr Carter says the Australian pelican is well adapted to making the most of big rain events. "You do see them occasionally but you can go years between sightings," he said. "What seems to be happening is that small groups of pelicans fairly regularly pass over central Australia. "If conditions look good they will drop down and hang around for a little while." Topics: birds, rainfall, alice-springs-0870, ntMillions of spiders have appeared in a web at least a half mile long in North Memphis, Tenn. The Washington Post reports that town residents are frightened, but that the occurrence isn’t a dangerous one. It’s part of “ballooning,” where young spiders float away. The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now “Young juvenile spiders of most families disperse by sending out a swath of silk threads that may be over a meter in length,” Susan Riechart, a professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and former president of the American Arachnological Society, told The Post. “Particular air currents favor ballooning. This would explain the fact that thousands to hundreds of thousands may take off at the same time. Caught by the air currents, the spiderlings have no control over where they will land, but it is not surprising that they may fall in the same area.” At first glance this may just look like frost on the ground, but it's actually millions of spiders showing out in one Mid-South neighborhood. >>http://shout.lt/bj6ks Posted by WMC Action News 5 on Monday, November 23, 2015 Riechart also said the spiders in Memphis appear to be “harmless,” but that hasn’t stopped residents from wishing away their new neighbors. “You can’t even sit in [a neighbor’s] house because they’re all on the wall, on the door. We been killing spiders for about an hour now,” Debra Lewis told WMC Action News 5 of her neighbor’s house. Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.Software to replace near-naked images of passengers with stick figures is flawed, the TSA tells a House subcommittee. In this March 15, 2010, file photo, a sign describes the backscatter machines installed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. (Photo11: M. Spencer Green, AP) Story Highlights The machines were moved out of big, busy airports to speed security lines Software to replace near-naked images of passengers is flawed The machines join $155 million in unused TSA equipment in a warehouse The Transportation Security Administration has put 91 of its full-body scanning machines worth $14 million in storage because of privacy concerns, officials told a House hearing Thursday. The machines, so-called backscatter machines that use X-rays to scan passengers, produce near-naked images of travelers. The TSA said that software that was supposed to replace the near-naked image on the machine with a stick figure was flawed and couldn't be used to ease privacy concerns. Hence, the machines have been stuck in storage, John Sanders, TSA's assistant administrator for security capabilities, told the House Homeland Security subcommittee on transportation. The backscatter machines were pulled three weeks ago from New York's LaGuardia and JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, Boston, Charlotte and Orlando airports. The move was designed to speed up security lines at checkpoints there. Sanders said it's worked and that lines at those airports are now moving 180,000 more passengers each day. Using backscatter machines to screen passengers takes longer because of the near-naked image they have of travelers. That requires the TSA security officer who views the image to sit in a separate room from the machine and radio clearance back to the checkpoint. Originally, the TSA had planned to ship the 91 machines to smaller airports. But it discovered that smaller airports didn't have enough room to accommodate the backscatter machines. For now, the 91 machines are in a Texas warehouse, which now holds a total of $155 million in unused equipment awaiting either disposal or redeployment, according to Sanders. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who led the hearing, called it an "extremely disturbing situation" and says he is "really aggravated about it." The TSA has spent $140 million on full-body scanners, according to Sanders. This includes $40 million for backscatter machines and $100 million for millimeter-wave machines that already produce stick-figure images. Full-body scanners are used to find non-metallic items, such as the underwear bomb discovered on Christmas 2009. Passengers have the option to decline a full-body scan in favor of a physical pat-down. But moving through a scanner with stick-figure images takes 12 seconds, compared with 80 seconds for a pat-down, Sanders says. The agency bought 200 full-body scanners in May, bringing its total to 1,000, Sanders says. Covering all lanes at all airports would require 1,800 machines, but Sanders says the agency is evaluating whether to have that many as part of its overall risk-based screening. Sanders couldn't say how soon the software would be updated for the warehoused scanners. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/ZBgvlLThe defense attorneys for Austin Harrouff, the 20-year-old Jupiter man charged with killing two people and biting one of their faces in Martin County last year, say that the interviews between their client and TV’s Dr. Phil McGraw that have been provided to the court are not complete, according to court records. Attorney Nellie King wrote in a motion this week that the extended interview requested by an assistant state attorney from the production company for "Dr. Phil" this year has been edited. The motion does not specify how the attorneys know something is missing. In court Tuesday, Judge Lawrence Mirman granted the motion, according to court records. Now the defense is expected to subpoena the production company to get the complete interview. Harrouff is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the Aug. 15, 2016, fatal attacks of John Stevens III and his wife, Michelle Mishcon at their home on Southeast Kokomo Lane, just north of the Palm Beach County border. Authorities said Harrouff also tried to kill a neighbor, Jeff Fisher, but he got away and called for help. The homicides made international headlines news after authorities revealed Harrouff was found biting the face of Stevens when they arrived at the scene. On anniversary of Austin Harrouff slayings, father’s death haunts son In the original 22-minute edited interview released earlier this year, Harrouff tells "Dr. Phil" that he doesn’t remember what happened that night but that he didn’t want it to have happened. At one point he talks about having superpowers and extended his apologies to the families of Stevens and Mishcon. "I didn’t know if it was reality or a dream. It’s like waking up from a nightmare," Harrouff says. In September, the defense, state and Peteski Productions, the production company for the "Dr. Phil" show, all filed arguments stating why the extended 100-minute version either should or should not be released. The state argued the interview in its entirety was needed for prosecution. Peteski Productions asked if the extended version was released, that a watermark be used so it would be protected by copyright. Harrouff’s attorneys asked that the interview not be released at all. Mirman ruled the recordings be released with a watermark because they were "highly relevant." It’s unclear what may be in the additional hour and 20 minutes or how much longer the video actually is if Harrouff’s attorneys are able to obtain more from the production company. Although there is no date set in the court record, the next hearing will address whether the video can be released to the public. Harrouff’s lawyers have argued that it will only bring prejudice to their client. King and the other lawyers previously made this argument in February, but Mirman ruled the tapes should be released.http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/TheBannerSaga Tryggvi used to be a Mender It's a stretch, but Tryggvi's spear is covered with carvings and symbols, like menders to to their staves/spears.Leaving the Kragsmen for Skogr

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